Digital Diaspora

No Longer a ‘Child’ Michelle Williams Fulfills Destiny In Fela!

kamau — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:18:36 +0000

Afrobeat founder Fela Kuti

Beyonce Knowles is, without question, the most publicized members of the hit group

Destiny’s Child. But Michelle Williams is arguably the more talanted. The multi-

award winning singer, songwriter, producer and actress stars as ”Sandra Izsadore”

in the broadway show, FELA! FELA! is the life story of activist and creator of

Afrobeat music ( a Nigerian-born blend of jazz, funk and African rhythm and

harmonies), Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. The Will Smith-Jada Pinkett produced musical

also stars actor, choreographer, singer, dancer Adesola Osakalumi as FELA.

more info here.

Marines Faced Many Enemies Abroad And At Home

kamau — Tue, 07 May 2013 08:27:25 +0000

The Montford Point Marines, like most African-American soldiers faced many enemies abroad as well as at home. The U.S Marines did not accept black recruits until 1941. Though ordered to integrate by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, black Marines were segregated into a separate unit stationed near Jacksonville, NC’s Camp Lejeune. Over 19,168 black Marines trained at Camp Montford Point from 1942-49. The Montford Point recruits weren’t allowed to enter nearby Camp Lejeune, unless accompanied by a white officer. The food, water and shelter at Montford Point were inferior to that of their white counterparts. When allowed to serve, only token or menial roles were assigned. They received assignments such as cleaning up the ash after the atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki, Japan. Fifty years later, the Montford Point Marines have been recognized for courage and dedication, even in the face of discrimination and intolerance. Like the Buffalo Soldiers and Tuskegee Airmen, they have been awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor, The Congressional Medal of Honor. After a presentation ceremony, at which the surviving 200-300 alumni are expected to be present, the medal will go on permanent display at the Smithsonian.Though fifty years late, this is an honor appropriate for men who have made this country a better place for all Americans.

Seacole’s Work Stands On Its Own

kamau — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:05:37 +0000

Jamaican-native Mary Jane Seacole, was a nurse highly recognized for her work in the Crimean War. Born in 1805, she was taught herbal remedies and folk medicine as a child. Her mother operated a boarding house for disabled European soldiers and sailors. She traveled to London to volunteer her medical services to the British War Office. She was rejected due to prevailing views on nursing at the time. Britain soon changed its views on allowing nurses to contribute to the war effort. Despite bringing letters of recommendation from doctors in Jamaica and Panama racial biases thwarted her attempts to assist the army. Florence Nightingale refused to select her as one of the 38 nurses who would aid the British. Undaunted, Seakale applied to the Crimean Fund, a fund raised by public subscription to support the wounded in Crimea, but again she was met with refusal. Seacole finally resolved to travel to Crimea using her own resources, in order to open a British Hotel. Through a partnership With Caribbean acquaintance, Thomas Day, she assembled a stock of supplies, and embarked on a voyage to Constantinople. Arriving at Nightingale’s hospital with a letter of introduction, her offer of help was again refused. At a place she christened Spring Hill, near the British camp She built a hotel from salvaged materials using hired local labor. Her new British Hotel opened in March 1855. The building was stocked with provisions shipped from London. Seacole sold anything “from a needle to an anchor” to army officers and visiting sightseers. Meals were served at the Hotel, which also provided outside catering. Despite constant thefts, and problems with credit customers, Seakale’s establishment opened six days a week and prospered. She dealt with callers’ medical complaints, and visited casualties. The Times newspaper wrote approvingly of her work.”Mrs. Seacole doctors and cures all manner of men with extraordinary success.” Drawn back to London by the prospect of rendering medical assistance in the Franco-Prussian War, Seacole approached Sir Harry Verney, brother-in-law of Florence Nightingale. Her efforts were likely sabotaged by a letter from Nightingale accusing Seacole of running a brothel in Crimea. This charge was unfounded and based on Nightingale’s belief in her social superiority. Though she sent nurses to assist at the Land Transport Hospital, close to Seacole’s Hotel, Nightingale prevented association between her nurses and Seacole. In spite of Nightingale’s efforts, Seacole overcame racism and excelled in her work. Seacole died in 1881 at her home in Paddington, London. She was remembered in the Caribbean, where she was posthumously awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit in 1991. British buildings and organizations now commemorate her by name. Eventually even Nightingale would come to acknowledge Seacole’s work. When Seacole faced bankruptcy after the war, Nightingale was an anonymous donor to Seacole’s Testimonial Fund.

——Originally Posted 26th February 2012 by Kamau Ujuzi

Ethiopia’s Christian Roots

kamau — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:51:05 +0000

The idea that Christianity is somehow foreign to Africa is one of the most widely held misconceptions of modern times. Surely, some of the spread of the faith on the continent can be attributed to European missionaries. However, The Orthodox Ethiopian Church predates all European Christian churches.

Founded in the 1^st century A.D.,The Orthodox Ethiopian Church is second in age only to the Church founded at Alexandria (Egypt) by the apostle Mark. Christianity in Sudan also spread in the early 1st century, and the Nubian churches there were linked to those ofEgypt.

For a thousand years monks and nuns of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church , have quietly maintained a monastery, called Deir Sultan (meaning Monastery of the Sultan) at one of Christianity’s holiest sites. This site, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, is recognized as the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and later ressurected.

The Christian Holy Bible (I Kings 10: 1-13) documents Ethiopian presence in Jerusalem 1000 years before the birth of Christ. Deir Sultan is believed to be built on land given to the Queen of Sheeba by King Solomon. Ethiopians patiently awaited the birth of Christ as fulfillment of prophecy, just as other believers.

The maintenance of a continual Ethiopian presence in Jerusalem is attributed to faith as opposed to political agenda. After the overthrow of Haile Selassie in 1974, by Marxist revolutionaries, believers were severely persecuted. tens of thousands of believers were killed and church properties confiscated. Modern-day Ethiopian Christians are scattered across the globe as a result of persecution.

CHE SPARKED A WORLDWIDE REVOLUTION

kamau — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:13:58 +0000

CHE SPARKED A WORLDWIDE REVOLUTION

ERNESTO “CHE” GUEVARA

We have all seen the photograph. Ernesto “Che” Guevera portayed as the revolutionary leader in uniform, as if ready to pick up a gun and fight oppression at a minute’s notice. He is one of TIME magazine’s ’100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century’. He abandoned a comfortable life and medical career to revolt against a system in Latin America that kept the masses poor, sick and disenfranchised.
Che, as he is affectionately known, risked his life many times to spark revolutions in Latin and South America and Africa. He led several failed attempts to overthrow Belgian oppression in the Congo region of West Africa. Che sought ro reinvent man as a creature who loved his fellow man above material wealth. Like all revolutionaries, he was not without fault. He signed-off on executions of s0-called Cuban criminals without fair trials. Yet his life ended (with CIA assistnance) as he once again left his comfort zone to fight for his oppressed fellow man.

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ADMINISTRATOR

– JUNE 20, 2011

Identity In A Post-Racial World

sysADMIN — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 03:35:18 +0000

Identity In A Post-Racial World

I was recently watching a black british commedienne on BBC who took shots at Jamaicans. I wondered what this is all about. Are British-Jamaicans treated badly because they embrace their Jamaican roots over their British citizenship? So do other black Brits consider themselves above Jamaican-Brits? more