inside the river of poetry

Louis Reyes Rivera traces the origins of modern poetry and spoken word, with special attention to the Latino and Black contributors to the form.

for the fourth of july

I guess I'm in a pre-holiday kinda mood

From Malcolm X's Message to the Grassroots

(another site with text and audio)

Look at the American Revolution in 1776. That revolution was for what? For land. Why did they want land? Independence. How was it carried out?Bloodshed. Number one, it was based on land, the basis of independence. And the only way they could get it was bloodshed. The French Revolution -- what was it based on? The land-less against the landlord. What was it for? Land. How did they get it? Bloodshed. Was no love lost; was no compromise; was no negotiation. I'm telling you, you don't know what a revolution is. 'Cause when you find out what it is, you'll get back in the alley; you'll get out of the way. The Russian Revolution -- what was it based on? Land. The land-less against the landlord. How did they bring it about? Bloodshed. You haven't got a revolution that doesn't involve bloodshed. And you're afraid to bleed. I said, you're afraid to bleed.

[As] long as the white man sent you to Korea, you bled. He sent you to Germany, you bled. He sent you to the South Pacific to fight the Japanese, you bled. You bleed for white people. But when it comes time to seeing your own churches being bombed and little black girls be murdered, you haven't got no blood. You bleed when the white man says bleed; you bite when the white man says bite; and you bark when the white man says bark. I hate to say this about us, but it's true. How are you going to be nonviolent in Mississippi, as violent as you were in Korea? How can you justify being nonviolent in Mississippi and Alabama, when your churches are being bombed, and your little girls are being murdered, and at the same time you're going to violent with Hitler, and Tojo, and somebody else that you don't even know?

If violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad. If it's wrong to be violent defending black women and black children and black babies and black men, then it's wrong for America to draft us and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for America to draft us, and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is necessary to defend our own people right here in this country.

more on negrismo

A brief page on negrismo (mostly in Spanish)

negrismo curriculum guide

Here is a resource meant for Spanish teachers who want to do something in their classroom for Black history month. It includes an overview of the negrismo movement, gives background for several different countries, describes possible classroom activities and has a useful bibliography.

memin pinguin

Without making any apologies for the Mexican government, I would say that they are probably being sincere in not seeing the Memin Pinguin stamps as offensive. The Negrismo movement (the Latin American black consciousness movement which coincided with the Negritude movement in the Francophone black world) such as it was, was centered more in the Caribbean (especially Cuba and Puerto Rico) and not so much in places like Mexico. And even in those areas of Latin America with high concentrations of blacks, history tended to move along a path somewhat different from the political/social/cultural movements exemplified by the civil rights/Black power struggle in the United States.

In some respects, Latin America is more racially inclusive than the United States. But in other respects, many in Latin America are not as "conscious" or sensitive to the sorts of slights which bother folks in the US. What's weird about the recent issue with the stamps is that it is not clear to me what the Afro-Mexicans feel about the situation.
It is clear that civil rights groups in the US are stirred up about the issue, but I wonder if the stamps are really the most important issue on the Afro-Mexican agenda (if there even is one). Maybe they have bigger fish to fry?

the mexican stamp controversy

Mexico recently issues a series of stamps based on Memin Pinguin, a popular black comic-book character drawn with features reminiscent of Jim Crow era pickaninny caricatures.

Najee Ali of Project Islamic H.O.P.E. is among the coalition of civil-rights activists who are condemning the stamps as racist.

The series of five stamps released for general use Wednesday depicts a child character from a comic book started in the 1940s that is still published in Mexico.

The boy, hapless but lovable, is drawn with exaggerated features, thick lips and wide-open eyes. His appearance, speech and mannerisms are the subject of kidding by white characters in the comic book.

Activists said the stamp was offensive, though officials denied it.

"One would hope the Mexican government would be a little more careful and avoid continually opening wounds," said Sergio Penalosa, an activist in Mexico's smal black community on the southern Pacific coast.

"But we've learned to expect anything from this government, just anything," Penalosa said. In May, Fox riled many by saying that Mexican migrants take jobs in the United States that "not even blacks" want.

Fox expressed regret for any offense the remarks may have caused, but insisted his comments had been misinterpreted.

Carlos Caballero, assistant marketing director for the Mexican Postal Service, said the stamps are not offensive, nor were they intended to be.

"This is a traditional character that reflects part of Mexico's culture," Caballero said. "His mischievous nature is part of that character."

However, Penalosa said many Mexicans still assume all blacks are foreigners, despite the fact that at one point early in the Spanish colonial era, Africans outnumbered Spanish in Mexico.

"At this point in time, it was probably pretty insensitive" to issue the stamp, said Elisa Velazquez, an anthropologist who studies Mexico's black communities for the National Institute of Anthropology and History.

"This character is a classic, but it's from another era," Velazquez said. "It's a stereotype and you don't want to encourage ignorance or prejudices."

The 6.50-peso (60 cent) stamps -- depicting the character in five poses -- was issued with the domestic market in mind, but Caballero noted it could be used in international postage as well.

A total of 750,000 of the stamps will be issued.

Ben Vinson, a black professor of Latin American history at Penn State University, said he has been called "Memin Pinguin" by some people in Mexico. He also noted that the character's mother is drawn to look like an old version of the U.S. advertising character Aunt Jemima.

The stamps are part of a series that pays tribute to Mexican comic books. Memin Pinguin, the second in the series, was apparently chosen for this year's release because it is the 50th anniversary of the company that publishes the comic.

Publisher Manelick De la Parra told the government news agency Notimex that the character would be sort of a goodwill ambassador on Mexican letters and postcards. "It seems nice if Memin can travel all over the world, spreading good news," de la Parra said, calling him "so charming, so affectionate, so wonderful, generous and friendly."


Source CNN

ali shariati

I remember a long time ago (even before I was Muslim) I was reading about existentialism and how Sartre and Camus were atheist existentialists. And Kierkegard was a Protestant existentialist. And Marcel was a Catholic existentialist. And that Buber in some sense might have been a Jewish existentialist. And so of course the natural question was: What would Islamic existentialism look like? Even now, there are some features of existentialist thought which are appealing to me, but not enough for me to sign up for a membership card. And I think few Muslims would even be motivated to call themselves "Muslim existentialists" even if the label fit.(It would probably be seen as sectarian and assimilationist) In any case, to be honest, I still don't think I have a good answer to my question.

Fanon himself was strongly influenced by the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre. In fact, Sartre wrote the preface to Wretched of the Earth. Fanon, was from Martinique but of course he ultimately went to Algeria to participate in the revolution in that particular Muslim country.

Sartre was also an admirer Ali Shariati, one of the intellectual architects of the Iranian revolution, of whom he said: "I have no religion, but if I were to choose one, it would be that of Shariati's."

Here is the "official" Shariati website (whatever that means) which contains a sampling of his writings and speeches, a biography and many other resources.

recalling frantz fanon

Recent events have made me want to go back to reading Frantz Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks. The brother was a genius. Or at least he had a deep and far-ranging analysis of the ways in which white supremacy drives both black folks and white folks crazy. The style is sometimes hard to follow in the sense that he doesn't give us a systematic explanation or perspective. Instead, he presents the reader with flashes of experiences. And if you see yourself in them, fine. If you don't see yourself in them, that's fine too.

The way he puts it:

Many Negroes will not find themselves in what follows. This is equally true of many whites. But the fact that I feel a foreigner in the worlds of the schizophrenic or the sexual cripple in no way diminishes their reality. The attitudes that I propose to describe are real. I have encountered them innumerable times.

His other main work, Wretched of the Earth also deals with some of the same questions, except in the context of a national resistance movement against colonial oppression (the Algerian Revolution).

Some Quotes from Black Skin, White Masks

Some excerpts from Wretched of the Earth and related literature

piri thomas

Here is Piri Thomas' website
Actually, Down These Mean Streets was in certain respects as important to me as the Autobiography of Malcolm X. One of the more bizzare and striking passages in the book is when he and his brother argue about whether or not they are black. If I have more time I might quote the passage in another entry.

I"ve met Piri a couple of times. The first time was in college when I was active in the campus Latino student organization and I did alot of the coordination work to bring him on campus. The second time I was just in the audience at one of his "flows" and walked and talked with him a little bit afterwards.

nigger-reecan blues by willie perdomo

A long time ago, I remember seeing a show on PBS which showed various short art films or otherwise avant-garde performances. And on one episode of this show, I caught a film of Willie Perdomo doing "Nigger-Reecan" blues. I think it blew my mind to find out that there was someone out there who could relate to race in anywhere near the same way that I could. It's kind of funny from a certain point of view. In terms of my personal life, I think the poem was very much an important catalyst for me riding an entire train of thought. But now when I look back to the original poem, it doesn't impress me the way it once did. At one time, I very much needed to hear it, but right now I'm at a different place.

Nigger-Reecan Blues
Willie Perdomo (for Piri Thomas)


Hey, Willie. What are you, man?
No, silly. You know what I mean: What are you?
I am you. You are me. We the same. Can't you feel our veins drinking the
same blood?
-But who said you was a Porta Reecan?
-Tu eres Puerto Riqueno, brother.
-Maybe Indian like Gandhi Indian.
-I thought you was a Black man.
-Is one of your parents white?
-You sure you ain't a mix of something like
-Portuguese and Chinese?
-Naaaahhh. . .You ain't no Porta Reecan.
-I keep telling you: The boy is a Black man with an accent.
If you look closely you will see that your spirits are standing right next to
our songs. You soy Boricua! You soy Africano! I ain't lyin'. Pero mi pelo es
kinky y kurly y mi skin no es negra pero it can pass. ..
-Hey, yo. I don't care what you say - you Black.
I ain't Black! Everytime I go downtown la madam blankeeta de madesson
avenue sees that I'm standing right next to her and she holds her purse just
a bit tighter. I can't even catch a taxi late at night and the newspapers say
that if I'm not in front of a gun, chances are that I'll be behind one. I wonder
why. . .
-Cuz you Black, nigger.
I ain't Black, man. I had a conversation with my professor. Went like this:
-Where are you from, Willie?
-I'm from Harlem.
-Ohh! Are you Black?
-No, but-
-Do you play much basketball?
Te lo estoy diciendo, brother. Ese hombre es un moreno!
Miralo!
Mira yo no soy moreno! I just come out of Jerry's Den and the
coconut
spray off my new shape-up sails around the corner, up to the Harlem
River and off to New Jersey. I'm lookin' slim and I'm lookin' trim
and when my homeboy Davi saw me, he said: "Como, Papo. Te
parece como
un moreno, brother. Word up, bro. You look like a stone black
kid."
-I told you - you was Black.
Damn! I ain't even Black and here I am sufferin' from the young
Black man's plight/the old whtie man's burden/and I ain't even
Black, man/a Black man/I am not/Boricua I am/ain't never really
was/Black/like me. . .

-Leave that boy alone. He got the Nigger-Reecan Blues
I'm a Spic!
I'm a Nigger!
Spic! Spic! No different than a Nigger!
Neglected, rejected, oppressed and depressed
From banana boats to tenements
Street gangs to regiments. . .
Spic! Spic! I ain't nooooo different than a Nigger.

30 days - "muslim like me"

Morgan Spurlock, the creator of Supersize Me, has recently created a show for FX called 30 days where the premise is that he would follow an individual who would be put into a radically new situation, and the cameras would follow this person for a 30 day period to see what they learned.

Tonight's episode is supposed to show, evangelical Christian, David Stacy as he lives with a Pakistani and sees what it is like to be Muslim for 30 days.

Debbie Schlussel (who seems like an Ann Coulter clone in certain respects) has written a piece trashing the episode accusing Spurlock of having Islamist leanings (?) but if you look at the rest of her archives it is pretty clear that Schlussel's world view is basically distorted by antipathy towards Muslims. So it is not surprising that she would be motivated to discount anything which showed Muslims in a positive light.

In any case, the show should be interesting.

the sword of damocles

There once was a king whose name was Dionysius. He was so unjust and cruel that he won himself the name of tyrant. He knew that almost everybody hated him, and so he was always in dread lest some one should take his life.

But he was very rich, and he lived in a fine palace where there were many beautiful and costly things, and he was waited upon by a host of servants who were always ready to do his bidding. One day a friend of his, whose name was Damocles, said to him
-"How happy you must be! You have here everything that any man could wish."
"Perhaps you would like to trade places with me," said the tyrant.
"No, not that, O king!" said Damocles; "but I think that, if I could only have your riches and your pleasures for one day, I should not want any greater happiness."
"Very well," said the tyrant. "You shall have them."

And so, the next day, Damocles was led into the palace, and all the servants were bidden to treat him as their master. He sat down at a table in the banquet hall, and rich foods were placed before him. Nothing was wanting that could give him pleasure. There were costly wines, and beautiful flowers, and rare perfumes, and delightful music. He rested among soft cushions, and felt that he was the happiest man in all the world.

Then he chanced to raise his eyes toward the ceiling. What was it that was dangling above him, with it's point almost touching his head? It was a sharp sword, and it was hung by only a single horsehair. What if the hair should break? There was danger every moment that it would do so.

The smile faded from the lips of Damocles. His face became very pale. His hands trembled. He wanted no more food; he could drink no more wine; he took no more delight in the music. He longed to be out of the palace, and away, he cared not where.

"What is the matter?" said the tyrant.
"That sword! That sword!" cried Damocles. He was so badly frightened that he dared not move.
"Yes," said Dionysius, "I know there is a sword above your head, and that it may fall at any moment. But why should that trouble you? I have a sword over my head all the time. I am every moment in dread lest something may cause me to lose my life."
"Let me go," said Damocles.
"I now see that I was mistaken, and that the rich and powerful are not so happy as they seem. Let me go back to my old home in the poor little cottage amon the
mountains."

And so long as he lived, he never again wanted to be rich, or to change places with the king.

I like this story. I remember reading some version of it a long time ago, when I wore a younger man's underwear. For the longest time I just saw it as some kind of cautionary tale about the hidden risks and dangers which go along with power and authority. Then more recently I thought of it as a counter-revolutionary fable/myth, told to try to convince the people not to rise up against rich tyrants oppressing them.

But currently, in my own life, on a small scale, I've decided to accept my own seat under the sword so I'm trying to be more optimistic and hopeful. I'm trying not to be as gloomy or as cynical as the above interpretations suggest. Actually I think a more balanced and constructive approach to leadership is suggested by the following hadith from Bukhari:

Volume 9, Book 89, Number 261:
Narrated 'Abdur-Rahman bin Samura:
Allah's Apostle said, "O 'Abdur-Rahman bin Samura! Do not seek to be a ruler, for if you are given authority on your demand, you will be held responsible for it, but if you are given it without asking for it, then you will be helped (by Allah) in it. If you ever take an oath to do something and later on you find that something else is better, then do what is better and make expiation for your oath."

There are good ways to be a leader and bad ways. And maybe even the best leaders still get a sword dangling above their head, but maybe it's lighter? Or the thread is thicker? We'll see. Keep in me in your dua.

arabs in brazil

Here is an interesting piece about Arabs in Brazil. Apparently Brazil is the country with the most Arabs outside of the Middle East and many Arab-Brazilians have become an integral part of the society.

marvin x: first muslim american poet

Here is the preface, written by Dr. Mohja Kahf, for an upcoming book on Marvin X

louis reyes rivera

Here is an interview with Puerto Rican Afro-Latino poet, Louis Reyes Rivera from the Chickenbones: A journal website.

Known as the "Janitor of History," poet/essayist Louis Reyes Rivera has been studying his craft since 1960 and teaching it since 1969. The recipient of over 20 awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award (1995), a Special Congressional Recognition Award (1988), and the CCNY 125th Anniversary Medal (1973), Rivera has assisted in the publication of well over 200 books, including John Oliver Killens' Great Black Russian (Wayne State U., 1989), Adal Maldonado's Portraits of the Puerto Rican Experience (IPRUS, 1984), and Bum Rush The Page: A Def Poetry Jam (Crown Publishers, 2001).

Considered by many as a necessary bridge between the African and Latino American communities, he is a professor of Pan-African, African-American, Caribbean and Puerto Rican literature and history whose essays and poems have appeared in numerous publications, including Areyto, Boletin, The City Sun, African Voices, and in five award-winning collections: In Defense of Mumia; ALOUD: Live from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Of Sons And Lovers, Bum Rush The Page, and his own Scattered Scripture.

the lynching resolution

Here is the actual text of the recent lynching resolution from the US Senate along with some historical statistics about lynching in the US by state plus a list of the 20 Senators (19 Republican and one DEMOCRAT) who didn't sign the resolution.

us admits to torturing prisoners

US admits torturing prisoners

26jun05
GENEVA: Washington has for the first time acknowledged to the UN that prisoners were tortured at US detention centres in Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan and Iraq, a UN source said.

The acknowledgement was made in a report submitted to the UN Committee Against Torture, said a member of the 10-person panel, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"They are no longer trying to duck this and have respected their obligation to inform the UN," the committee member said. "They will have to explain themselves. Nothing should be kept in the dark."

Australian David Hicks is among hundreds of foreign terror suspects being held at Guantanamo in Cuba.

The UN said it was the first time it had received such a frank admission of torture from the US.

The committee, which monitors respect for the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, is gathering information from the US ahead of hearings in May.

The US has signed up to the convention. The document from Washington will not be made formally public until the hearings.

"They said it was a question of isolated cases, that there was nothing systematic and that the guilty were in the process of being punished," the committee member said.

The report said the torturers were low-ranking soldiers and their acts were not approved by their superiors.

Mistreated detainees have died in the detention centres. Scores of US military personnel have been investigated, and several tried and convicted, for abuse.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said UN human rights experts should be allowed into Guantanamo.

"The Secretary-General hopes that this matter can be resolved to allow the experts full access to wherever they need to go," a spokeswoman for Mr Annan said.

The only independent body allowed in is the Red Cross. It usually keeps its findings confidential.

Mr Annan's call came a day after four top UN human rights experts slammed Washington for not opening the prison to inspection.

source

"you can't handle the truth"

I just saw A Few Good Men (again) last night. It was a entertaining courtroom drama about violence between US soldiers and much of the action took place at the Guantanamo base in Cuba. I think Jack Nicholson's speech at the is the most compelling defense of evil I've ever seen on film.

In the real world, the Jack Nicholsons are alot more clever, and there are alot more of them. And it takes more than Tom Cruise swooping in to save the day. Remember, its not about the lone hero. It's about the masses of people taking small steps in the right direction.

.....
Here is a story from the Houston Chronicle about the fact that the UN has been asking to visit and inspect Guantanamo since early 2002 and have been getting the runaround from the US government
U.N. group says Guantanamo torture reports are credible

the last temptation of christ

I just saw The Last Temptation of Christ last night. When it came out there was a great deal of contraversy associated with the film, especially for Christians living in the West, because the film portrayed Jesus (as) saying and doing a number of things which departed in radical ways from the traditional Christian understanding of Christ.

Although the film didn't exactly portray a "Muslim" Christ either, there were some interesting aspects to the film from a Muslim perspective. The Last Temptation portrayed Jesus in a much more human and vulnerable light, unsure of what he was going to say or do for most of the film.

Secondly, apparently Peter Gabriel (who was in charge of the film's score) wanted to give the music an authentic feel so he used contemporary Middle Eastern musicians, from Turkey, Ethiopia, Egypt, Senegal, and even Pakistan (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan). I don't know if the filmmakers made this choice consciously or not, but an interesting result is that during parts of the film, including the last Supper scene you can actually hear Baba Maal singing words from the adhan in Arabic! [La ilaha illa Allah - no god but Allah (God)]

Another provocative point is how the film deals with the crucifixion. Jesus is shown to be nailed to the cross but as he is hanging up there an angel appears to him:

ANGEL
Your father is the God of Mercy, not punishment. He saw you and said, 'Aren't you his Guardian Angel? Well, go down and save him. He's suffered enough.' Remember when he told Abraham to sacrifice his son? Just as Abraham lifted his knife, God saved Isaac. If he saved Abraham's son, don't you think he'd want to save his own? He tested you, and he's pleased. He doesn't want your blood. He said, "Let him die in a dream. But let him have his life." Come with me.

JESUS
All this pain is a dream?

ANGEL
Just a dream.

JESUS
I don't have to be sacrificed.

ANGEL
No. No you don't.

In terms of the movie, this angel is really the devil trying to divert Jesus from the true mission, but of course from a Muslim perspective, the angel's words actually ring true. Jesus didn't really have to be sacrificed and God has a long track record of saving his prophets in their moments of adversity: saving Abraham from the fire, Daniel from the lions, Jonah from the whale, etc.

There are even a number of Old Testament passages which (in contrast to typical Christian claims that "without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin") state that God doesn't want or require sacrices and that he cares more for the state of the heart. (Psalm 51:16-17, Psalm 40:6, Micah 6:6-8, Hosea 6:6)

And finally, another incredible moment in the film is the point when Jesus (after being rescued from the cross) meets Paul preaching in the street:

PAUL
Look around you! Look at these people.Do you see the suffering and unhappiness in this world? Their only hope is the Resurrected Jesus. I don't care whether you're Jesus or not. The Resurrected Jesus will save the world -- that's what matters.

JESUS
The world can't be saved by lies.

PAUL
I created the truth. I make it out of longing and faith. I don't struggle to find truth -- I build it. If it's necessary to crucify you to save the world, then I'll crucify you. And I'll resurrect you too, whether you like it or not.

JESUS
I won't let you. I'll tell everyone the truth.

PAUL
Shout all you want. Who'll believe you? You started all this, now it can't be stopped. The faithful will grab you and call you a blasphemer and throw you in a fire.

JESUS
No, that wouldn't happen.

PAUL
How do you know? You don't know how much people need God. You don't know what a joy it is to hold the cross, to put hope in the hearts of men, to suffer, to be killed -- all for the sake of Christ. Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God. Messiah.

Jesus is listening intently now.

PAUL
(continuing)
Not you. Not for your sake.(pause) I'm glad I met you. Now I can forget you. My Jesus is much more powerful.

Of course, for most Muslims (and many other Biblical scholars for that matter), Paul bears the primary responsibility for founding Christianity and moving it away from Christ's original teachings. And some of that is obviously reflected in the above exchange.

All in all, I would say that the movie is a very interesting experience especially if you are fairly familiar with the regular Christian version of events and are not easily offended. Reading Nikos Kazantzakis' original novel is even better. But if you don't have time/money for either, you can actually read the Screenplay of The Last Temptation of Christ online as well.

islam has a progressive tradition

This is a brief article by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf called "Islam has a progressive tradition too" and it is interesting to me because of the way in which Thomas Cleary is mentioned. If you stop and think about all the languages Cleary knows and the amount of effort he has put into sympathetically translating "Oriental" texts, his work is big step towards counter-acting the whole clash of civilizations mentality fostered by folks like Huntington.