“if Hughes saw rivers of ancestors past / then i sit here writing as i see the sea. / in all its glory, i come to know the waters / and how they stole something from me.” . . .
African Identity
African Nationalism and The World Cup
During World Cup season, billions of people around the world have a new dose of entertainment to take their minds off the horrors of widespread economic stagnation, environmental degradation, as well as lower economic prospects for the working class than ever before, it is almost as if there isn’t an ongoing war in eastern Europe…strange times. As sports create an ‘us versus them’ atmosphere, it is also a key tool for soft power, diplomacy, and nationalism. National identity is also fostered through sports, meaning flagship events like the World Cup in Qatar are key opportunities for countries to exhibit national . . .
(don’t call me) Nigger
To be addressed as Nigger is to beremoved from history — with bloodon the book that the wind has blownaway to the face of a Nigger.In your face a Nigger will smile butcan’t walk a mile when the…placards are up!A Nigger will compromise autonomyfor a pot of porridge to appease hisinsatiable appetite — to fill up thevoid just as Judas his patriot.A Nigger is a killer of the poorrighteous teacher, willing to pull thetrigger on the dreamer; poised to makea Stephen out of every believer!A Nigger plays for the gainhooked up on the pain — a baitto fish the Messiah.A . . .
Identity Without Responsibility
It’s very difficult to really get to the bottom of an issue with a celebrity at the center. On Hood Communist, we have written and talked a lot about the issues created by celebrity-centered analysis. Once the concept of celebrity enters a room, it stands in the middle of the floor and expands outward in every direction, making it impossible for other issues, like class, to get a word in. The conversation can no longer be about the issue itself, only the spectacle of the celebrity and what we project on our relationship with that person. This is proven true . . .
The Tongue We Never Lost at Sea
The civilization of a People lost…
in hell upon the arrival of a strange man
whose idol described our traditional
practices as the evil bedeviling us —
and the roadblock on our way to
his father’s house of many mansions! . . .
Why I Reject Black “American”
There are many Black people living in the US who are hesitant to reject the title “American”. Not because they believe their existence to be anything other than that of a colonized person living inside the empire of the world, who has never been offered the full rights of citizenship that the white ruling class has retained for itself. But because they take great pride in the homes and cultural creations that Black people struggling in “America” have created over the years. And in many ways, I agree. We materially do not have anything else. But that doesn’t mean we . . .
Building a Pan-African Agenda in Germany
Racism in Germany did not start with the Nazis and Hitler. There is a continuation of Germany gaining profits through transatlantic enslavement, to genocide and colonialism in Africa, to today’s imperialism and state support of fascist terror. . . .
Individualism & the Attack on African Identity
African identity is much more than glamorizing our past. For proponents of Pan-Africanism it’s really a recognition that there are 2 billion Africans worldwide, living in 120 countries and in each of those countries we occupy the bottom of society. And, at the core of this is the continued subjugation of Africa. . . .