black academy movement: February 2012

Thursday, 23 February 2012

Birago Diop, “Spirits”

Listen toThingsMore often thanBeings,
Hear thevoice of fire,
Hear thevoice of water.
Listenin thewind,
To the sighs of the bush;

This is theancestorsbreathing.

Those who aredead are not ever gone;
They are inthedarkness that grows lighter
And in thedarkness that grows darker.
Thedead arenot down in the earth;
They are inthe trembling of thetrees
In thegroaning of the woods,
In the waterthat runs,
Inthe waterthat sleeps,
They are inthe hut,
they are in thecrowd:
The dead arenot dead.

Listen tothingsMoreoftenthan beings,
Hear thevoice of fire,
Hear thevoice ofwater.

Listen in thewind,
To the bushthat is sighing:
This isthebreathing of ancestors,
Who have notgone away
Who arenotunder earth
Who are notreally dead.

Those who aredeadare not ever gone;
They are in awoman’s breast,
In thewailing of achild,
And theburning of a log,
In themoaning rock,
Intheweeping grasses,
In the forestand the home.
The dead arenotdead.

Listen moreoftenTo Thingsthan to Beings,
Hearthevoice of fire,
Hear thevoice of water
.Listen in thewindto
The bush thatis sobbing:
This is theancestorsbreathing.
Each day theyrenew ancient bonds,
Ancient bondsthathold fastBinding ourlot to their law,
To the willof the spiritsstronger than we
Whosecovenant binds us to life,
Whoseauthority binds totheir will,
The will ofthe spirits that stir
In the bed oftheriver,
on the banks of the river,
The breathingof spirits
Who moaninthe rocks and weep in the grasses.

Spiritsinhabit
Thedarknessthat lightens,
the darkness that darkens,
The quiveringtree,the murmuring wood,
The waterthat runs and the water thatsleeps
:Spirits muchstronger than we,
The breathingof the dead whoare not reallydead,
Of the deadwho are not really gone,
Of thedeadnow no more in the earth

.Listen toThingsMoreoftenthan Beings,
Hear thevoice of fire,
Hear thevoice ofwater.
Listen in thewind,
To the bushthat is sobbing:
This istheancestors, breathing.

Source:The NegritudePoets,ed. EllenConroy Kennedy. New York:Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1989

black feminist thought

massage of the week

Birago Diop, “Spirits”

Listen to Things More often than Beings,
Hear thevoice of fire,
Hear thevoice of water.

Listen in the wind,
To the sighs of the bush;
This is the ancestors breathing.
Those who are dead are not ever gone;
They are in thedarkness that grows lighter
And in thedarkness that grows darker.

The dead are not down in the earth;
They are inthe trembling of the trees
In the groaning of the woods,
In the waterthat runs,
In the water that sleeps,
They are in the hut, they are in thecrowd:
The dead are not dead.

Listen to things More often than beings,
Hear the voice of fire,
Hear thevoice ofwater.
Listen in thewind,
To the bushthat is sighing

This is the breathing of ancestors,
Who have not gone away
Who are not under earth
Who are not really dead.

Those who are dead are not ever gone;
They are in a woman’s breast,
In thewailing of a child,
And theburning of a log,
In the moaning rock,
In theweeping grasses,
In the forestand the home.

The dead arenotdead.
Listen more often To Things than to Beings,
Hear the voice of fire,
Hear the voice of water.
Listen in the wind too
The bush that is sobbing:

This is the ancestors breathing.
Each day they renew ancient bonds,
Ancient bonds that hold fast
Binding our lot to their law,
To the will of the spirits stronger than we

Whose covenant binds us to life,
Whose authority binds to their will,
The will of the spirits that stir
In the bed of theriver,
on the banks of the river,
The breathing of spirits
Who moan in the rocks and weep in the grasses.

Spirits in habit
The darkness that lightens,
the darkness that darkens,
The quivering tree,
the murmuring wood,
The waterthat runs and the water that sleeps:

Spirits much stronger than we,
The breathingof the dead who are not really dead,
Of the dead who are not really gone,
Of the dead now no more in the earth.

Listen toThings More often than Beings,
Hear the voice of fire,
Hear the voice of water.
Listen in thewind,
To the bush that is sobbing:

This is the ancestors, breathing.

Source: The Negritude Poets, ed. Ellen Conroy Kennedy. New
York:Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1989

BAM advances

1) Education for Critical Consciousness

BAM provides a space for relevant philosophical and political education; the type of education that dissects our world and lays bare its very foundations. BAM is for those who seek to better understand their world and to contribute to its form and future.

BAM is also a platform for engaging important ideas and dominant currents of our times, especially those affecting Africa and the diaspora. Africa has been making news as the home of uprisings and “revolutions.” What is happening in Africa? What are the future implications of these happenings? How best can we contribute to Africa and its welfare? Though these questions have been asked before and various solutions have been offered BAM seeks to revisit the old question of Africa in the light of new challenges.

Though wrestling with new challenges affecting Africa and exploring new solutions to these problems BAM will also engage “old” ideas and solutions emanating from Africa. For some unexplained reason, these ideas are, for the most part, excluded from mainstream academia. In advancing education for critical consciousness BAM will draw from this wealth.

2) Education for Self Empowerment.

The modern black person is exposed to all kinds of ideas, ideologies and fallacies. Often these are presented to us as “cool” and offering happiness and empowerment when they are actually oppressive and disempowering. BAM promotes a no holds barred approach to ideas; BAM is a space where the self is free to question anything and everything but is also free to speak and to choose as s/he wills and in accordance with his/her own conscience and convictions as opposed to merely acting out the will of power. By
offering the self with a sense of choice, possibility and agency BAM provides a platform for the reclaiming and empowerment of the black self. “Who am I?” “What is my purpose in life?” “How do I achieve my purpose? “What do I want?” “Is what I think I want, really what I want?” What is life? What is living? How best can I live my life? In BAM, these existential questions are considered valid and are thoroughly indulged and solutions for the self in relation to the collective are explored.

3) The Reclaiming of Own Voice and the Speaking Truth to Power.

BAM is a forum for questioning and engaging those we have entrusted with political power. BAM goes beyond “your vote is your voice” mantra. It allows the critical voice of the black disempowered to come out in its potency and fullness of strength even if it becomes a thorn to the politically empowered blacks. The attitude of BAM towards political leadership is that “our leaders are our servants not our lords, masters and gods.” From this stand point we stress that our political leaders, instead of lording it over us, must listen to us and act accordingly. Democracy, we believe, must work for us, not against us. And how do we do that? By ensuring that our leaders advance our collective will.

Power is, however, not merely centered in the state. The white middle and bourgeois classes continue to wield enormous powers in non state institutions, especially in the education, service and economic sectors of our society. These powers must also be engaged and truth be spoken in the service of change and real black empowerment. The spirit of democracy must also be made real in these spaces.

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negritude

Thursday, 23 February 2012

black consciousness: a definition

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negritude poetry

black feminist thought

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