The Irki Tour – in America
March – April 2013
9 April
Fruit and the Labour of love
I arrived in NY around 1pm ish and headed first to meet my filmmaker friend ZinaSaro-Wiwa in Brooklyn, to collect some footage she had shot of myself, Dorothea, KoyeOyedeji at the Harlem bookfair and interviews with us and Anton Nimblett. and just to catch up on London life (which neither of us are really v. interested in anymore) and West Africa (which excites us both a lot more). Africa is really where things are happening for artists and we both want to be in the thick of it- creating for ourselves and giving back where we can. Zina has some great ideas that I hope she can bring into fruition, Inshallah.
I arrived at Medgar Evers College early to meet KadijatuJalloh. Out of the blue, I received an email from her, a student at Medgar Evers from Guinea. She and her family had left Sierra Leone because of the war, lived in Guinea for awhilebefore moving to the USA for refuge. She has lived in NY for 13 years, since she was 10 years old.
She said she jumped up and down when I responded to her email – I didn’t tell her I did a (mental) jump up and down when I received hers!
Here’s the email she sent me,
Hello I am a student at Medgar Evers College, I have a issue that I believe is very important to cover at this moment, and I am also interested in any internships that your organization might have available for students during the summer or any other time in the year.
The issue that I would like to help cover is the violence that is talking place back in my home place Guinea Conkary, since our president passed away a few years back, December 22, 2008 to be exact there have been riots and violence all over the country. People dying from being beaten, some people getting killed in the streets by police officials or by citizens of Guinea, some people even die in their homes because a person who doesn’t approve if their ethnic group find it okay to come to someone’s home and take their life along with everything they have to feel more in power. The problem of the Guinean people since I can remember has been the battle between the Fulani tribe and the Malinke tribe. The Fulani tribe has 40% of the population while the Malinke has 30% and the other 20% lays between other ethical groups. The two major groups always seem to be battling against each other because they both believe they hold more power in Guinea then the other, in this confusion we all have forgotten that wether Fulani or Malinke we are all Guineans and that’s our home.
When the president passed a ruler by the name of DadisCamara who was a military official took power trying to regain power and put Guinea in the right path again, this man though he didn’t last in his post because of some brutal things he did to the people of Guinea had some great ideas to reform our country and bring us together again. Unfortunately things took another road and went upside down. After this the country held election between a Fulani and a Malinke to run for office, the Fulani senator being Cellou Dalen Diallo and the Malinke senator being Alpha Conde, the first election resulted in Cellou Dalen Diallo being the next president but some how in the government they held reelections because they said there had been a mistake, when they did the elections again Alpha Conde came to win and became the president of Guinea. This made the Fulani people angry and they have been protesting since. The Malinke people also retaliated because they felt as if though the Fulani people doesn’t have the right to complain. We have been fighting each other forever.
Recently the violence has gotten so ridiculously out if control that it has caused the United Nations to get involved and to try to bring peace amongst my people and to reform my country. It saddens me seeing this happen to the people I love and to the country I call home, knowing that one day I will return and home will be no more because of the lack of understanding of each other and education about what a nation is to be, there are going to be election in may in search of a new president and only god knows what we are going to face again. There are children too frightened to go out to school, to the market, to enjoy their home because they might get beat by the other ethic group, we have bad electricity sometimes people go weeks without power, there is no clean water people are dying from diseases and on top of that awe have created a civil war to make things worst. We need to get our country back and help our people, I have family that I am scared every day someone will call to say an uncle or an aunt was killed or they stole all the property. So many worries yet we can’t come up with possible solutions to our problems because no one seem to understand.
I would really appreciate if given the chance to work on this issue and for your magazine to cover it, it will be a honor because it will bring awareness to the troubles my country and people face and we will find it in the communities of people all over that will help or have suggestions of ways to solve our issues. I am very passionate about helping and giving back, I love reading and writing so I can use those skills to help develop ways to help my country. Thank you for your time, it is very much appreciated.
By the time I had g my head together, she had written a piecefor SABLE, for speed, since such things don’t wait, this is the exact reason why we created our E-Mag. Her piece willappear in our May upload in the Expressions section
Another great evening – with Tyehimba Jess, DuEwa Frazier, A. Lyric and award winning student, Jasmine Johnson. NY is LUCKY to have the Center for Black Literature and Brenda Greene running it. A gem of the city.Herself and Clarence do amazing work on very little, encapsulating the legacy of literary artists, so I’m very proud to now be in their archives. Thank you both.
After the reading, DuEwa came up to me and that phrase ‘pressed her card into my hand’ was made for this woman as she said at the same time, I want to be in The Gambia as you work on this project, I want to be part of the Gambia project. Just let me know when and where. That clicked the connection. I keep telling people its all about organics for me, DuEwa, when I have that space – you’ll be there!
I travelled back to Washington DC the same night as I had a radio interview the next day and didn’t want to be the casualty of anything untoward happening, so I stocked up with fruit leftover from the fruit tray, big peanut butter cookies and back to 34th street. I need some brownie points for the most megabus trips in 3 weeks or something like that! For the most part, it has been comfortable and the wifi has worked and they have arrived on time. It probably would have been easier sometimes if I drove, but I’m not doing that; I hate driving on the wrong side of the road; driving is tiring; parking in large cities is infuriating and to be honest, I believe that but I was a woman born to be driven.
Thank you Tim and Mel for coming down! and I have to show you their ‘save the date’ wedding card – do I have it – no! aarh- it is so cool. They are getting married in Vermont in the summer so If I do enough crazy things to make some money I will be able to go!
TyehimbaJess first book of poetry, Leadbelly, was a winner of the 2004 National Poetry Series. The Library Journal and Black Issues Book Review both named it one of the “Best Poetry Books of 2005.” Jess, a Cave Canem and NYU Alumni, received a 2004 Literature Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and was a 2004–2005 Winter Fellow at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center
DuEwa Frazier is a poet, author, and speaker. She is the author of several books of poetry, including Goddess Under the Bridge: Poems and Ten Marbles and a Bag to Put Them In: Poems for Children.
Center for Black Literature, Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn
Medgar Evers
7 April
Blooming poetry and Cherry Blossom
I flew in from St Thomas on Friday evening into Baltimore and travelled by bus and underground into DC. Its easier to get to Baltimore from DC than it is from what they call ‘Washington – Dulles’ which is really in Virginia and a $40 ride (at least) into DC even by shuttle.
Bloombars is in one of my favourite parts of DC – Columbia Heights.
And now Bloom Bars is one of my favourite ‘spots’.
On the Sunday, I facilitated a poetry workshop, Elsewhere at Bloombars. Bloombars, is a lovely space, a 2 story property purchased by John Chambers who then turned it over to the community. It’s a not for profit space where a range of of workshops and performances take place, run by volunteers.
The weather had suddenly ‘Bloomed’ into a beautiful 80 degrees; the cherry blossom festival had started late because of the cold weather but now that was in full bloom too – and everyone was outside – so the workshops in Bloombars that day, were not as well attended as they usually are.
The objects people brought in for their Elsewhere to start with were very different – a painting, a photo, one person who just dropped in, was given my camera, Gowri added a necklace she wore, a Hindi symbol of protection and I took a piece of African fabric. Gowri’s poetic musings – I’m a definite fan. The imagery in her ‘story’ easily transported us to India. ‘underwater’ elsewhere; café in Italy, Russia, An Ode to coffee (after the workshop). It made me feel is that I want to teach more creative writing workshops again. Maybe I’ll do that when I’m more regularly in West Africa this year.
How do I give Bloom bars the biggest plug I can? Their motto is ’You Bloom ,We Bloom’ This is a space where everyone who works here does it for the love of art, the space and probably DC, for me it is part of the essence of loving this city – they have signs such as ‘keep blooming’ which for a new and or emerging artist to be encouraged with small interventions such as this, goes a long way.
I was the guest reader on Monday night, hosted by Gowri and Joseph Green who runs Poetry Now VA , a new not for profit that teaches children and young people poetry, so he is always on the look out for new, experimental and exciting ways to bring poetry to the youth.
I read poems for about 20 mins and Joseph with his winning ways, and gorgeous voice, subtlely got it out of me that it was my significant birthday year – nobody believed him so I didn’t either! I really enjoyed it, Bloom bars can make the most awkward and shy of performers feel comfortable and welcome on stage, so I’d encourage any newbie shy performers in the area – go to Bloombars; be part of the audience, then be part of the show – it’s all ‘one’.
Grammy nominee, Christylez (pronounced: chris-styles) ‘referrred to as a Progressive Hip-Hop artist and multi-instrumentalist’ from Southeast, Washington, DC. did a number. But that doesn’t really describe him or his style, not REALLY.
www.itsthebeatbox.com www.christylez.com
I loved his performance and eclectic vibe. The open mic–ers a mix of singers, musicians and musician/ comedians as some regulars and newbies – a singer/musician friend of Christylez from NZ – I wish I could have stayed till the end but had an early morning start, an 8am Megabus to NY the next morning to headline an event at Medgar Evers College, at the Center of Black Literature, and to meet a young woman who had contacted me called Kadija Jalloh.
Bloombars
Bloom bars was founded in June 2008 on the belief that art and artists have the power to transform communities and alter the way individuals think feel and experience.They have won The Washington City Paper’s award for the best arts and culture non-profit for the past 2 years:
Resident Updates: from John R. Chambers Chief Executive Gardener (now wouldn’t you rather be a CEG than a CEO)?
* Artist in Bloom resident Ella aced her audition and interview and has been accepted into Duke Ellington School of the Arts starting this Fall! Congrats!
*Artist in Bloom resident Gabriel “Asheru” Benn just returned from another trip to South Africa where he is finishing recording an album with Bloom Ambassador Hip Hop Pantsula, and they also opened for a Kanye West concert! Making dreams come true! Asheru continues touring the U.S. promoting Hip Hop as an educational literacy tool.
http://www.bloombars.com
http://poetrynowva.com/
Bloombars –
Bloom bars was founded in June 2008 on the belief that art and artists have the power to transform communities and alter the way individuals think feel and experience.They have won The Washington City Paper’s award for the best arts and culture non-profit for the past 2 years:
Resident Updates: from John R. Chambers Chief Executive Gardener (now wouldn’t you rather be a CEG than a CEO)?
* Artist in Bloom resident Ella aced her audition and interview and has been accepted into Duke Ellington School of the Arts starting this Fall! Congrats!
*Artist in Bloom resident Gabriel “Asheru” Benn just returned from another trip to South Africa where he is finishing recording an album with Bloom Ambassador Hip Hop Pantsula, and they also opened for a Kanye West concert! Making dreams come true! Asheru continues touring the U.S. promoting Hip Hop as an educational literacy tool.
http://www.bloombars.com
http://poetrynowva.com/
3 April
St Thomas, USVI
Meal Times
Ludlow is a cultural curator – we met in Zimbabwe nth years ago.
Colleen is a lawyer, we have known each other from UK days.
They are married and have 2 beautiful intelligent children, Gabrielle and Asmar and live in a lovely home in the hills of St. Thomas. I stayed with them for this part of my trip.
Ludlow’s connections with the African (diaspora) art scene in Miami is like no-one else’s – he knows everyone – really. Ludlow Bailey, Managing Director at G&A International Consultants, Inc also runs Asmar Fine Arts and programmes diaspora events at the University of Miami, co-ordinating mine in Miami and St Thomas. His association with Dr. Chenzira Davis Kahina of the Virgin Islands Caribbean Cultural Center (VICCC) Director, University of the Virgin Islands- College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences – made my book visit to St Thomas successful . In the few days I was there, a reading in the evening at the university, an ad hoc but great talk to the performance lit class at USVI; and a visit talk/workshops in 2 schools, was as much fun for them, as it was for us.
In the morning, Leslyn’s Rise and Shine breakfast programme. We teamed up – Ludlow talking about the global African citizenship; linking St Thomas to Sierra Leone and me to the Caribbean.
Reality of the Atlas
“Here is Africa; here is the West Indies and all this here is England.”
I come from somewhere in between.
This picture of the world is so huge
that I’m not exactly sure where my place is
on the map, in the world, even in my classroom.
Real Mum and Dad say we are from
someplace called Sierra Leone which means mountain lion in Italian,
named by a Portuguese explorer. As a ship sails in to port,
the mountain looks as though two lions are facing you.
“You look like a Ja – mai – can?”
But don’t we all look the same –
dark skin/thick hair/full lips/curved bums.
I trace my family tree and it lands in – Barbados!
And what of England? Where I was born, raised and schooled?
Which has taught me nothing of Africa, of the West Indies.
That showed me a map of the world without me,
or my real mum and dad.
“Where do I come from? Africa, Barbados, England – all three?”
Dr Chenzira talking about the importance of the links of the Caribbean to global citizenship,the work of the University etc. Me, with poems, linking my Uk/Africa and Caribbean links’.
In the afternoon we wen to the Montesorri school, in which they wrote a series of haikus around water – one 12 year old told me that she would rather writer a sonnet – so that’s what she did – as well – and when I mentioned using Fela’s ‘water’as the inspiration for my SABLE issue, that took them to all sorts of places to do with water and people
Water, e not get enemy
Another girl in the class – refuted that statement and spoke of fire and tsunamis – and wrote me a series of haikus around the devastation that water can cause, but ending but with ‘water can save lives’.
In the evening, at the university, students and people from the community filed into the boardroom. The students still had classes so as some left, others came in. Sold all of my books; none left for BloomBars in DC or to give to my friend Janis who I was going to meet up with before she returned to Arkansas – who said when we met, ‘never apologise for selling books, I’ll buy my copies online’!
I encouraged them to explore the Peepal Tree website and writers to submit manuscripts make sure you are represented. Ludlow in his curating role made use of IYPAd and as March has now become International women’s month instead of one day, he has alrady turned IYPAD into the International Decade of the African diaspora!
I met some of the eminent writers on the island, Eddie Donoghue and Tregenza Roach (who is also a Senator).
Searching , challenging questions, from students, writers from within and outside of the university. I wish I’d had more copies of our RED anthology.
The following day, the EBO school with children from 5-10 years old. I used the ‘Meal Time’ poem with the 5 years,
which they loved.
Along this journey, I am meeting a powerhouse of women in a way that I have never met them before, travelling through America and younger women who have vision and passion for their country and work and who somehow will be incorporated into the SABLE family.
31 March
University of Miami, Coral Gables
Sunday Church, Sunday Roast
Sunday Church, Sunday Roast
I
Sunday school.
Where we learned about Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus.
At birth, he already had a title.
Sunday roast!
My mouth juiced-up with saliva at the imagined smell
of Mum’s dinner on the table.
Never chicken –
that was midweek – would it be slicesofwell-donebeefwithYorkshirepud?
Or pork with chewy crackling?
Meat juice
made roast ’taters golden – I dreamed of them as I sang out of tune.
Lamb with mint sauce!
II
Sing Hosanna!
Sing Roast Dinner!
Sing Roast Dinner
To the King of Peas!
Sing Hosanna!
Sing Roast Dinner!
Sing Roast Dinner
To Mushy Peas!
Give me joy in my heart
Give me dumpling
Give me joy in my heart I pray
Give me joy on my plate
Keep me thirsting
Keep me gasping
For apple dumpling all day.
III
Lucky us!
After guitar sing-a-longs and Bible stories, we didn’t have far to run.
Our house was opposite the church.
Apple dumpling –
my fave! Hot and gooey – I shoved a big scoop into my mouth – apple side up.
Then couldn’t pull the spoon out.
Hard choice –
burnt mouth or a bellyfullofappledumplingwithcustard.
The smell went behind my roof, out my nose.
Prayed hard
for God to release me from this pain – and he did speak to me that Sunday –
“Release the apple dumpling!”
It was obvious to me then that God had never tasted apple dumpling,
and I never believed in Sunday school in quite the same way, after that.
From Irki
Sunday afternoon and Mikhaile, a friend of Ludlow’s picked me up from Betty’s beautiful home in North Miami – another friend of Ludlow’s. Very near to the same street, by the way where the ‘Kardashian’s was filmed – and that house is now up for sale for $14 million. Just thought you’d like to know.
Mikhaile and Kadija
The event took place in the Cas Gallery at the University of Miami so we were able to ‘more than glimpse’ students work as they sat up for a graduate show, very impressive artwork.
Professor Edmund Abaka, a Ghanaian was my host for the event. He smiled at every thing I read – and just shook his head – the stories, so familiar. The audience was small but it enabled us to learn lessons for the future and we talked to some of those present of events to participate in if a ‘next time’ occurred e.what to do next – e.g. Mervyn Solomon offered to put us in touch with the organisers of the Miami book fair in November. Yet I sold both copies of Write Black, at this event though – you never know when…
…seems like I will be back in the USA in November, Miami, California, Michigan, at least – St Thomas – to do some research on the links between the island and Sierra Leone island then back to The Gambia for the last week of November for my birthday party. If you can make it, you are welcome to come!
28 March
Rochester, NY
From Vegetable and fruit dips – into religion and race
I flew to Rochester for a reading arranged by the Geneseo Literary Forum and a panel discussion at the Baobab Center.
I spoke to Professor Maria Lima’s class, who had all read the book. Their questions, were probing – around content, craft and use of symbols were revealing and pushed me – especially those about religion. I noticed as I did the reading later the same afternoon, just how many religions references I had. I converted an “I only liked one poem” student to “now I’ve heard you read the poems and after the discussion in the class, I and understand more what you’re doing and what the book is about– and I like it – Yeah! Success!!”
Then Maria drove us to the Baobab Center. I noticed an image of Buchi Emecheta that belonged to SABLE on the wall. A reminder that I must copyright /SABLE/my images in the future, before they go online
The audience at the Baobab Center trickled in, but by the time we started, a bit later than the 7pm advertised, The panel was on Race and Art. The panelists were across varied art forms and good presenters providing a really stimulating discussion, put together by Terry Chaka.
So we were able to explore what was happening in in various art forms, music, visual art, dance and spoken word, locally from artists of African and South American descent and in the African diaspora.
Visual Artist Shawn Dunwoody, Musician Jimmie Highsmith Jr., Writer/Editor Kadija Sesay, and Dancer/Activist Evelyn Cassano … and met Reena Golden! Terry Chaka had introduced us online but our schedules seemed to clash, so she took of rehearsal time out to come and meet me – and that ‘3 steps’ thing – she knows poet Khadijah Ibrahiim in Leeds, who she had met on the FWords tour in 2008 that I’d organised – How come we didn’t meet then, Raheema! That was a ‘love’ meeting. A warm and wonderful sistah.
Professor Maria Lima is always a fantastic host – this will be the third or fourth time I’ve stayed at her home – a dynamic supporter of Black British Literature. The next morning I returned to NYC by train. I like travelling by train. Long journey though and I prefer travelling by night since I can sleep for most of it. But everything now is ‘wired’ so its not too bad if you have to be online – it’s possible outside of tunnels and at least there is a power supply – and if desperate and you’re on a plane and need to browse – most usa airlines will do so for a $5 charge an hour. It does make me wonder though if we have become so ‘wired, that checking emails every minute and sending an sms as soon as we the seat belt sign is off is healthy for our mental stability. What it means for workaholics (a bit like myself) is that we are constantly working because we have the means to –not because we need to.
I have noticed my slowdown in book reading – so I at least try and use flight time creatively to express ideas off computer
Baobab Center
http://www.thebaobab.org/eventList.php?type=Book%20Discussion
Race in Civic Circle Series continues throughout April
Shawn Dunwoody started his own gallery
http://www.adhub.com/companies/fourwalls_art_gallery.html
Donna Marbach has the largest poetry mailing list in Rochester – send her information with lots of notice!
dmmarbach@gmail.com
New York (Manhattan)
Wednesday 27 March
Good chocolate, good friends
The reading at Cornelia Street Café – it was the last place where I met Jayne Cortez, almost a year ago with Rosamond King, when they asked me to be involved with Yari Yari.
http://www.sablelitmag.org/jayne-cortez-10-may-1936-28-december-2012/
Before arriving at Cornelia St café, I had my first experience of a Manhattan ‘cross-town bus’; something I won’t be doing again! I was on my way to meet Melanie Goodreax at Steve Collin’s house and gallery on the east side, near the Nuyorican Poetry Café – which I’m told, sadly, is not what it used to be. We forgot to ask Steve, about it or maybe we just ran out of time. Steve is – what can I say – quintessential new york art scene –– his space is used for anything from poetry readings, artist launches; floor sleeping space for Icelandic hiphop artists… his door is always open so that people can drop in and out . On our way in, Melanie and I met a theatre practitioner friend of Steve’s who shared her Green and blacks chocolate with me – on our way out – students from Sarah Lawrence College and a traveller who’d just published her first novel.
I had heard about A Gathering of the Tribes but never seen it, so was pleased to have the opportunity to see where it is birthed. It’s published once a year; with a new team each issue, then they have a big party to celebrate… It has made me do some re-thinking around SABLE. It’s good to talk.
Sharing the stage were Marc Jaffee – a founding editor of Box of Jars, an online journal of art and literature started about a year ago, Mukoma wa Ngugi and Libby Hodges, the publisher, herself of the St Petersburg Review. Mukoma and I met several 10 years ago online – we finally got to meet in person – both of us excited – yeah! Even though he had to go straight back to Ithaca the same night so I was SO pleased, that he made such a massive effort to come. It was only that evening I realised he had a collection of poetry published with Africa World Press, Hurling Words at Consciousness.
Maria Snelling now at SLC was there – she was in a class of Ellington High School in DC when I did a session there a few years ago. She’s working with an interesting journal,untapped cities, a web magazine dedicated to art, architecture and design that helps people rediscover their city.
http://untappedcities.com/
Friend and fellow writer Anton Nimblett came too, with a couple of friends and flowers!
Mukoma wa Ngugi and Kadija Sesay
New York (Harlem)
25 March
Laced with Ginger and the spirit of Jayne Cortez
I travelled by Megabus to NY – usually comfortable, this one was not so great – it was a new bus with non- stop air conditioning that the driver did not know how to operate!
I arrived near Penn Station very early in the morning, before even the 24hr MacDonalds was open! (Closed between 4-5am – they KNOW that this is false advertising! and if I’d known that, would have gone to the deli that was open instead).
I was going to be staying with friends in Harlem. My friend Tim’s fiancée is a the very lovely and talented poet and playwright Melanie Maria Goodreaux. She is also the creator of the award winning project and book, ‘A Poem as Big as New York City.’
We went together on Monday night to the home of Rashedah Ishmaili in Harlem; a close, close friend of the late Jayne Cortez, currently the OWWA interim President.
Rashedah is one of those people who knows and has known everyone in the Black Arts movement – she affectionately rolled her eyes when Melanie said she was going to take me to meet the (in)famous Steve Cannon, publisher of A Gathering of the Tribes, (who also knows and has known everyone!)
A lovely warm gathering of women poets, with Ros King (Yari Yari conference co-ordinator), Gabrielle, Melanie, Jaira, Shruti, Rashedah’s grandson from Zimbabwe,Tichacunda and her son Daoud who recorded the event for us.
We honoured Jayne by each one reading one of her poems; Rashidah has all of her books. The poem I read was “For the Brave Young Students in Soweto.’ I hadn’t read it before – the ‘firespitter’ in Jayne Cortez is so powerful in that poem … it made me feel that I need to spit more fire in my poetry and performance.
The discussion spread to Lucille Clifton, transracial adoption, black arts in the UK, collaborating with visual artists and of course, the forthcoming Yari Yari Ntoaso conference.
We shared poems, stories and a lovely meal of vegatable soup, chicken, fresh fruit, vegetarian cheese and a heavenly apple cake laced with ginger.
I love evenings like this. I’m thinking that I should do something similar in The Gambia.
Yari Yari Ntoaso – 16-19 May
http://owwainc.org/index.html
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/yari-yari-ntoaso-international-black-women-writers
Jayne Cortez Memorial in London 19 July – contact George Padmore Institute for more information
Boston
21-23 March
Mangoes and Oysters
After Philadelphia, I travelled to Boston for the NeMLA conference on the overnight train from Philadelphia again – and yes, more snow, but at least it was already stacked up on the side and I didn’t have to fight through it.
I had a taxi driver who tried, as they all did to make me feel guilty, (so that I will feel compelled to give a larger tip – doesn’t work) by declaring how heavy my case was when they picked it up. It was less than the air flight ‘standard’ of 23 kg a – I’ve carried heavier.
But this driver turned out to be a Sierra Leonean – we taled cassava leaves in coconut oil – his favourite , like mine is crain-crain. I was making him feel homesick he said.
There is a Sierra Leonean restaurant in Boston – in Dudley he told me. I asked him how he had ended up in Boston and as I suspected, had left the country because of the civil war – he’d gone to The Gambia first – Umaru was excited that I knew the country – he’d been a dj there in between his Sa Lone and Boston life – his second home he called it and would love to go back. So we parted, friendly, and he even carried my bags to the door of Anthony’s Town House for me – so much different from the experience I’d had at the beginning of the month, when a taxi driver in Boston stated that it wasn’t possible to take my cases out of his trunk because I didn’t have enough cash for a tip.
I spent most of the rest of the day finishing my paper. I had originally wanted and agreed to be on the Black British Women Poets panel and then had decided to also submit an abstract to the Dubois panel too. I read the outline of the proposal – not a sniff of internationalism or Pan Africanism which, if nothing else, is what I knew Dubois to be passionate about – so I sent in an abstract titled :‘Father of Pan Africanism’: The Soul of Dubois is in Ghana, not in America.
They liked it; accepted it – then I had to write it! Thanks to Nana-Essi Casely-Hayford and Akilah Karima whose powerful personal statements and stories helped me to frame my discussion; and thanks to Kwame Dawes too, who reminded me that there were other and earlier ‘fathers’ (mothers too more like, although ‘invisible). I made reference to those too, and referenced Nkrumah calling Dubois this name. Another timely reminder from publisher Woeli Dekutsey who said to me that unless we have literature for young people on our leaders, their work will not be remembered. He has recently written a book for young people on Nkrumah’s life and achievements. He said, “As for DuBois, on your next trip to Accra, just stop the next student in the street and quiz him/her about DuBois and you’ll be shocked!”
I started my paper reading the first half of the poem, “Ghana Calls’ :
Ghana Calls
By W. E. B. Du Bois
(Dedicated to Kwame Nkrumah)
I was a little boy, at home with strangers.
I liked my playmates, and knew well,
Whence all their parents came;
From England, Scotland, royal France
From Germany and oft by chance
The humble Emerald Isle.
But my brown skin and close-curled hair
Was alien, and how it grew, none knew;
Few tried to say, some dropped a wonderful word or stray;
Some laughed and stared.
And then it came: I dreamed.
I placed together all I knew
All hints and slurs together drew.
I dreamed.
I made one picture of what nothing seemed
I shuddered in dumb terror
In silence screamed,
For now it seemed this I had dreamed;
How up from Hell, a land had leaped
A wretched land, all scorched and seamed
Covered with ashes, chained with pain
Streaming with blood, in horror lain
Its very air a shriek of death
And agony of hurt.
Anon I woke, but in one corner of my soul
I stayed asleep.
Forget I could not,
But never would I remember
That hell-hoist ghost
Of slavery and woe.
I lived and grew, I worked and hoped
I planned and wandered, gripped and coped
With every doubt but one that slept
Yet clamoured to awaken.
I became old; old, worn and gray;
Along my hard and weary way
Rolled war and pestilence, war again;
I looked on Poverty and foul Disease
I walked with Death and yet I knew
There stirred a doubt: Were all dreams true?
And what in truth was Africa?
W. E. B. Du Bois, “Ghana Calls” from Creative Writings by W. E. B Du Bois (KrausThomson Organization Limited, 1985).
But I then had to select between the panels – and the diversity officer convincced me to do his – the Dubois panel – it was great – the whole panel was great – Donavon Ramon put it together very well, generating a great discussion – I learned a lot about Dubois and stepped out of my comfort zone to present on the more difficult of the two to reach for me.
The excellent panel “The ‘Soul’ of W.E.B. DuBois: Fifty Years Later.put together by Donavon L. Ramon (Member-at-Large, Diversity, Northeast Modern Languages Association) created much conversation and discussion afterwards from panellists and participants which is what you hope for!
The Black British poetry women’s poetry panel also went well, but I had to reserve my participation from ‘the floor’ since I’d chosen to be on the Dubois panel instead. We carried on the discussion outside the room – it’s clear that our self imposed task to promote Black British Literature is working – people are listening, talking, reading and writing about Black British writers much more than 10 years ago – and referring to them as ‘Black British’ instead of ‘post-colonial’ (or even post-post colonial or post-black’ for that matter) – How ‘Post’ can a people get?’ A discussion for another day!
Some of these papers we are hoping to publish with myself and Professor Modhumita Roy as co-editors. Keynote speaker for NeMLA, Dionne Brand attended the panel too, so we were really proud of that! We went with her and other women friends the night before to Island Creek Oyster Bar – as Dionne Brand he describes it – her only ritual!
Some part of life has obviously missed me as to me, an oyster is an oyster –
in the same way to some people a mango is a mango – except there are so many variations of both… I contend that knowing the difference between mangoes, is what distinguishes the Post Colonial writer from the Black British writer… A discussion for another day!
Black British Perspectives
http://www.sablelitmag.org/home/bbp/
Write Black Write British: From Post Colonial to Black British Literature
Ed: Kadija Sesay
http://www.sablelitmag.org/shop-books/
Woeli Dekutsey
PUBLISHER
Woeli Publishing Service
Woeli@woelipublishing.c
For his book aimed at young people on Kwame Nkrumah’s life and achievements
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The Irki Tour – in America
Philadelphia 14 March
I wanted to start my blog with the Irki book tour – but it’s been so full on – I’m going to start with my last reading and work backwards. On 14 March, I was in Philadelphia at the Charles L. Blockson Collection at Temple University.
The one main thing I’ve realised through travelling and attending and participating in conferences and readings is that it is rarely the reason that I’m there for that produces the highlight consequentially the people I meet and the environment I’m in. This was underscored by the event organised by the totally passionate literary and community activist Larry Robins (known for Robin’s Bookstore). For the short time I lived in Philadelphia, Robin’s Bookstore was an ‘anchor’. He had sent me an email a few weeks ago saying ‘I messed up’ ; my name wasn’t on the list to perform at Fergie’s on the 13th. You know, this was one of the best ‘mess up’s ever – because of it I met a wonderful new poetry sistah , Trapeta Mayson from my country next door – Liberia. She is amazing – my gosh – fantastic poet, beautiful spirit. Her poetry speaks of her childhood, growing up as an African child, who had moved from Liberia because of the civil war to the USA; mental health issues in her family . We are going to meet up again before I leave Phila in a few days because we know there are things we want to do together in the future.
Here Trapeta Mayson reading here
trapeta mayson march 14
I had not heard of – the Charles L. Blockson Collection. A jewel that (I hope) Temple University treasures. We were given two beautiful books – The Haitian Revolution – Celebrating the First Black Republic by Blockson and The Journey of John W. Mosley – an African American Pictorial Album. I had vowed not to carry any new books on this trip but …It’s on my radar to go there and visit again before I leave or on my next trip here. Possibly my next trip when the weather is warmer – I got caught in the snow in Boston and haven’t recovered. The audience was small, warm and genuine – offering wonderful questions and stories – and now I’m part of the Charles L. Blockson collection too with my signed book!
After the reading, Larry zoomed us down to the World Café Live to hear Artist in residence of U Penn AMIRI BARAKA– standing room only. I asked the young guy at the desk if we could still go in :
“If course – I didn’t know it would be this packed”
“But its Amiri Baraka! “
“I’m new to Philly – I’ve never heard of him.”
(Baraka resides in New Jersey… )
But its ok, he hadn’t heard of me either.
The smile that skirted Baraka’s lips told us that he was enjoying it as much as we did. The 300+ packed out ‘happy hour’ event was – mc’d by his son-in-law Guthrie Ramsey Jr , Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Tern Prof. of Music and Africana Studies at U Penn. Baraka was dragged away to catch his train back to New Jersey. I reminded him on his way out, that I was going to contact him about interviewing he and Amina – as long as Amina wanted to of course…That event brought out some of ‘Philly’s finest’ it seems, with artists, activists and mediamakers congregating at this one event to share news and flyers – one of those ‘great vibe’ events. Here’s just a bit for you to listen to :
rough cut Baraka world cafe live march 14
Amiri Barak at Ilkley Literature Festival, Yorkshire 2012 (Link to article below)
You can catch the entire event at some stage on http://philly.worldcafelive.com/
Then Theodore Harris (visual artist) and Lamont Steptoe (poet) and myself went for a quick eat at a pub like place in 30th Street Station. Suddenly, Amiri Baraka sauntered in, shared a drink as his train was late – couldn’t wait for the chicken wings though – and Mrs Robbie Coltrane gave us her wings too so she wouldn’t miss the train either… how many days and evenings like this happen!
Who is Charles L. Blockson?
Charles L. Blockson is a scholar and author who has amassed one of the world’s largest private collections of African American history. For example, within the Collection are first edition works by Phyllis Wheatly and W.E.B. DuBois; African Bibles; correspondence of Haitian Revolutionaries; Paul Robeson’s sheet music; narratives by Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass; thousands of taped interviews and radio programs on African and African American history and culture.
http://library.temple.edu/collections/blockson
Black History: Embodied in a Body
My piece on Interviewing Amiri Baraka
http://www.blackheritagetodayuk.com/1612/my-view/
Moonstone Poetry Series in Philadelphia
http://www.meetup.com/Moonstone-Poetry-Series/
http://robinsbookstore.com/about/