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Re: Pre-blackness, blackness & post-blackness / 195,000 b.c. to Today » onlineJournal | The Liberator Magazine

nikki — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:25:42 -0000

"drama of creation."

That reminds me of something I'm reading in Edouard Glissant's Poetics of Relation.
He writes about how western culture propagates it power and history thru a linear narrative of history that has a specific founding myth and is 'always toward a projection, a project.'

"...Wherever time was not conceived of as linear - India, for example - or where philosophers contemplated not the One but the All, the founding myths did not generate the process of filiation. Conceptions of the origins of the worlds (its creation) were not corroborated in a genealogical sequence that would have rooted the species (race or people) in this first act.

The retelling (certifying) of a "creation of the world" in a filiation guarantees that this same filiation - or legitimacy - rigorously ensues simply by describing in reverse the trajectory of the community, from its present to this act of creation. This view is not at the origin of every Western myth, but it is the view that prevailed, determining the evolution of these cultures."

(glissant, poetics of relation, pg47)

Re: Agriculture's necessity in liberation / "I thought of land people live on, develop and make profitable but do not own ... contemporary serfs, forced off when beneficial for proverbial landlords" » ...

nikki — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:04:26 -0000

"If We (African people) can plant/harvest (in a manner that sustains the
Earth we use), sell, and trade subsistence/cash crops with each other,
around the world, I think we'd have an amazing liberation scheme on our
hands. Agriculture, done sustainably, can not only heal the Earth but
also our communities and our spirits. Black people are master
preservationists. We can be just as proficient at agriculture (again)."

yes.
great post. i am hopefully about to start an internship here in LA working with a horticulturalist, then hopefully move on to working on a small farm or local food system. i couldnt agree more about the necessity for agriculture and that wealth of knowledge for securing futures and becoming self-sufficient. its crucial that you are keeping that focus and original impetus in mind while working in a circumstance that maybe was not the ideal for you. its a reminder of the necessary steps in a process to get to the larger goal. thanks for sharing your thoughts and i hope there may be posts to follow about your experiences in michigan...

Re: Robots of Brixton [short film] » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:03:53 -0000

just checked out the 'making of'...nice.

Re: Weekends, Weekdays & Freedom Time / "Becoming less consumed by external time tables and brain-draining activities which do not build for the future" » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:28:09 -0000

really great post. really great challenge for yourself and the rest of us...seems like ive been having the same struggle in regards the time-balance (questions of contentment, sustaining self, moving forward with ideas/goals, rest/reflection, play and relationship)...

Re: "Deeper connections with everything we engage with" / A conversation with jazz prodigy Esperanza Spalding » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:09:49 -0000

a nice convo with bobby mcferrin...he talks about sound and improvisation, among other things...
http://being.publicradio.or...

Re: Mambu Badu, number one: Memory » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:14:46 -0000

this is wonderful!!

Re: Jhene Aiko / Sailing Soul(s) [ep/mix] » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Sat, 21 May 2011 21:56:38 -0000

a little remix of "Stranger" by some LA folks I went to school with...
http://www.thefader.com/201...

Re: "Deeper connections with everything we engage with" / A conversation with jazz prodigy Esperanza Spalding » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:56:27 -0000

Seems like the metaphor of language is really important here. So, I would lean towards @kammyd’s theory of reconciliation

“And I assume that as I get older and have better words and a bigger vocabulary, I’ll just be clearer and clearer. “

So for me, there wouldn’t be a gap between intuition and instinct, as much as an overlapping that over time is less muddled and becomes clear into one idea/state.

I cant help but think of my own experience with capoeira. Im very very much a beginner but I think it applies. As it is a physical art, the instinct of my body responds to the rhythm and to the other person’s movement, particularly if that movement is requiring me to duck or move. When I first started, it was ALL instinct with no real language driven from a study of the art since I had no knowledge of it. But as I am learning the movements, or the language of the game, and train, those movement become second nature to me (or perhaps intuition), I can feel that nature merging with my own instinct of ‘normal’ action or movement. For example, I find myself moving my body in response to a stimuli in the form of a capoeira movement instead a ‘normal’ movement. Even though I make that choice, my subconscious brings up the intuitive movement from the game before that of the normal movement. So as you watch much more skilled players you see that there can no longer be that separation between their instinct and intuitive study of the game b/c they have intellectually and physically absorbed the language (in addition to the culture, songs, etc.). It becomes a space of absolute immersion in strategy and expression (and history), not hindered by specific concern for the individual forms that marked your years as a beginner. And that’s when your game becomes ‘your game’ and you're 'not worried about technique' (pointing to @kammyd’s thought toward subjectivity) And obviously you would reach that point thru a sustained process and trust in self and a community.

I hope that made some kind of sense lol.

Either way, it’s a very interesting and ‘nuanced’ discussion…

Re: Driving With Fanon [trailer]

nikki — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:33:35 -0000

thanks for posting that link! :)

Re: On Wenches and B-sides » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:54:49 -0000

thanks for this kamille...

"And the b-sides have b-sides..."
so true. layers deeps. thanks for the reminder and sharing your 'train of thought.'

Re: Ayi Kwei Armah, Lauryn Hill and "The Dance of Inspiration" » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:14:59 -0000

great post kam. im want to consider your questions and return later.

Re: "Parent Trigger" law in California lets parents take over "failing" schools » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 23:38:16 -0000

thank you for the links (and the context)! lookin forward to the read...

Re: "Parent Trigger" law in California lets parents take over "failing" schools » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:17:58 -0000

thanks for the comment and the info...especially about Parent Revolution...

certainly dont mean to support the law or Parent Revolution by posting this ...just thought the story was worth sharing, especially with the current conversation about education...i tried to post the two articles so folks could see a couple of perspectives, since i myself would like to know more about the implications of the law for this scenario and going forward...

the law doesnt seem benign and will be contentious b/c of who's backing the measure and the amount of so-called 'power' it gives parents, but it's something worth keeping an eye on either way...

if you run across some articles/commentaries with a more pointed perspective, please share...

Re: Four Walls, Five Women » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 14:47:55 -0000

looks great. congrats! on to the next...

Re: Songhai: Sustainability for Africa » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:42:44 -0000

thank you for posting...looking forward to reading, watching and commenting...

Re: Einstein on being human [sayings] » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:41:56 -0000

///I've always thought that his idea about energy changing form has always struck me as being very spiritual in a scientific sorta way. ///

yeah, i def. feel the same way.

Re: Einstein on being human [sayings] » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:55:56 -0000

i see your point for sure. it does sound a little 'eco-friendly', lol.
KREVwon, def. like how you summed it up.

Re: Einstein on being human [sayings] » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:55:10 -0000

i feel that.
i def. enjoy the original more b/c it's broader in it's approach...
but i read the 'reproduction' first before seeing the breakdown and reading it before being aware of the context of the original, it did hold some resonance for me. but then continuing reading and discovering the actual quote just opened the door even more. but im sure, going forward i will be deferring to his original language.

Re: Einstein on being human [sayings] » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:08:50 -0000

i actually dont think it takes away. just a different perspective. thought was worth presenting both versions.

Re: Einstein on being human [sayings] » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:05:36 -0000

i actually dont think it takes away. just a different perspective. thought was worth presenting both versions.

Re: Cody Chesnutt [audios] » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:17:20 -0000

very nice. thanks for the tunes and the commentary also.

Re: Haiti's lost music » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:24:42 -0000

Nice post. Your analysis reminds me of the work of Walid Raad. He is a Lebanese artist who specifically deals with the treatment of history and memory, particularly, Lebanese history following its civil war. Raad’s most influential referents are the writings of another Lebanese author and filmmaker, Jalal Toufic. In his book Forthcoming, Toufic refers to something he coins as a ‘surpassing disaster.’ I understand it to be any disaster that can effect a community—war, natural disaster, political upheaval, etc. In Haiti’s case, this can be traced beyond and before the recent earthquakes. As a result of these disasters, communities suffer both a material and immaterial loss or ‘withdrawl”. From his essay:

///...The surpassing disaster leads to the withdrawal not of everything, but of tradition, and touches not everyone, but a community, with the caveat that this community is reciprocally defined by it as the community of those affected by it, and this tradition is defined by it as that which withdraws as a result of the surpassing disaster and it is thinkers, writers, artists, filmmakers, musicians, and dancers who can "take care," by resurrecting it, of what has withdrawn as a result of the surpassing disaster.///

I think this links to your idea that the ‘healing’ has to be ‘grappled with from within’. It acknowledges this sort of gap that a disaster or event creates and the necessity of those within the community, particularly the creative producers, to take part in the ‘resurrection’ of the tradition. I agree with you questioning the idea that a tradition is ‘magically lost’ only to be reinstated by usually a source outside of the affected community. What is interesting about Raad’s project is that he takes on the role of patient historian and archivalist with a goal of recovering these memories and tradition, but also acknowledging and attempting to represent the loss and absence.

It seems that what may be valuable is finding spaces to ‘grapple’ and record that grappling within the community and that in turn may be seen as a future source of healing…

Supporting article:
http://www.x-traonline.org/...

Link to Toufic’s essay about surpassing disaster:
http://www.jalaltoufic.com/...

Re: Zakes Mda on Steve Biko, South Africa + theatre of resistance vs. protest.

nikki — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 02:53:15 -0000

i feel you. thanks for the response.
reminds me of the idea of "holding up a mirror"...the focus moves from outward to inward (self, community, etc..) and honing those strategies over those that point to or acknowledge a problem or obstacle...both are relevant, but at some point i feel like one kinda becomes primary and determines how you will continue to move forward...

Re: Zakes Mda on Steve Biko, South Africa + theatre of resistance vs. protest.

nikki — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:56:00 -0000

i know you wrote this a year ago, but im curious, what kinds of 'advanced strategies' do you have in mind? do you mean strategies that correlate more efficiently with the age we're in terms of technology, politics, etc?

Re: Teza [trailer] » The Liberator Magazine | Blog

nikki — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:11:07 -0000

so looking forward to seeing this...
here is an interview he did that was posted on africaresource.com:

http://www.africaresource.c...