REAL SITUATION

In pitch darkness

Destitute

A word prostitute

She breathes her words

Her Instrument

Her new testament

She screams vitality

But mentally

She's dying.

A subject to society

Brutal to herself but

To others

Servitude

Gratitude is what she receives

But she deceives

Others.

A mental fugitive

Running away from herself

As round as the bottom of a baked beans metal can

She smacks her lips

Her solution grips

In the music of a tobbacco smoke

In it she seeks

But remains sick

Running away

She reads the dailies

Needs a rope to keep on pulling

Needs a hope to keep on looking

Her pen has run out of ink

It stinks

that she sings no more

It hurts that she's in a dreamer's galore

Wake up!

Change your gear

Disregard your fear

Open your eyes then

Listen

To the sound.

The sound of your thoughts.

The voices in your head

That are silenced.

Dread.

She seeks to find but

Rescinds.

Her pride

Her roots

Her normality ceases to exist

When she takes this twist.

'Ceteris Paribus'

My title is an economic term meaning holding factors constant that I learnt from my Economics class. I think its amazing what learning new things does to you. For me, its awesome, my brain has food and I get to do what I do best- think!Though sometimes, it gets crazy cause I keep on wondering if I'm doing the right thing, if I'm following my destiny,but I also think It'd be weird if i dont ask myself these questions.I'm on the right track and as India Arie can attest, I'm headed in the right direction...

Anyway, I think its actually interesting the way we live life and make decisions ' Ceteris Paribusly' so to speak.Completely oblivious to what will happen between now and then. "Are you going for a hike tommorow?" or " I'll meet you there in five minutes." These are so engraved in our daily minds that we forget to give thanks to God once we make it through another day!

So today I had someone speaking about "african Identity" This really interests me because I feel that as africans we are losing our sense of identity because we are currently embracing western ideologies in the context of modernity. However, sociologists are blaming this on the acculturisation process- whereby an individual or a society assimilates useful trends of the other.Identity refers to who you are. Everyone on the globe has an identity, this brings out your sense of worth.

According to Leopold Sedor Senghor a phenomenal African writer and poet from West africa ...“that we consider the Negro-African as he faces the Other: God, man, animal, tree or pebble, natural or social phenomenon. In contrast to the classic European, the Negro-African does not draw a line between himself and the object, he does not hold it at a distance, nor does he merely look at it and analyse it. After holding it at a distance, after scanning it without analysing it, he takes it vibrant in his hands, careful not to kill or fix it. He touches it, feels it, smells it. The Negro-African is like one of those Third Day Worms, a pure field of sensations... Thus the Negro-African sympathises, abandons his personality to become identified with the Other, dies to be reborn in the Other. He does not assimilate; he is assimilated. He lives a common life with the Other; he lives in a symbiosis.”

Its important that we look into our past to be able to identify with the future, a concept of reality that we have to accept because it makes us who we are today!

I've watched a couple of African movies; Tsotsi, Cry Freedom, Sarafina, Shooting dogs and Hotel rwanda among others and they display different concepts of reality that the African continent battles with today; tribalism, Racism among others. These are here with us, no matter how much we try to ignore they exist within the african boundaries if not everywhere else.

Recently, it came to my realisation that the HIV virus affects mainly the countries in sub- Saharan africa.Its crazy no matter what kind of theories we evaluate as to how the disease was manufactured, the fact remains that it is killing very many africans as I write this, whether this is a man-made catastrophe, it remains to question but what is evident is that the virus is spreading at a first rate.Sooner or later the virus will wipe out a whole generation. Cest La vie!!


Anyway i'll leave with the words of Mos def "The goodness of life belongs to those who believe." and we belive dont we?

Freedom of speech

Much thanks to the Centre of creative arts-University of Kwa Zulu Natal for the inspiration.

My current read is "Live from Death Row" by Mumia Abu- Jamal. This is a great man indeed ; a journalist and also an activist who is constantly fighting for the rights of the African- Americans(even in the confinements of a Philadelphia jail, this man is courageous and continues to speak!)Its amazing, He has inspired me to think critically in social issues affecting our court systems today. Please visit www.mumia.org for more information.

"To move clearly in the present we must understand the burden of our past." Mumia Abu- Jamal.

Now back home, there's much hype about the World Social Forum Nairobi 2007. Its very encouraging to see how there is much awareness about the social issues affecting Africa at this stage and age and how platforms are being provided to discuss these issues. It brings peace to my heart. Viva La Revolu'cion (excuse any typos) To Africa. This is to all the Visual artists, Dramatists, word artists , journal writers, musicians and poets; To all the creative genuises that correlate art to daily living bigups to you.

Let us Stand strongly in our own centre as Africans and live from our hearts.

The Liberation of Black African Women

Today I spent a lot of time in the campus library doing alot of research on african women writers and poets.its amazing how there are so many of them that existed and continue to exist but few are well known.Its funny what Capitalism can do.Make you create and believe something thats not real, not even there.Brilliant black women writers often find it difficult to penetrate the market and are often marginalised because of societal pressure that ceases to acknowledge the creativity of black, African women.Most of these women's stories; Micere Mugo Githae, The Late Ellen Kuzwayo, Ama Aidoo etc are over more than a decade ago; their stories are similar i.e having to prove to the publishers that their work is viable and should be taken into consideration.

Though we are living in the 21st century it is obvious to note that male chauvinists still exist in our present lives.Recently I was watching movies in the Students centre at my campus and in the movie, this lady was doing alot of physical stunts with her bike , you know jumping on walls and stuff, but she had a helmet so the audience could not know her identity, however after revealing her true identity-purely feminine, Everyone in the centre believed that it was a falsity, I asked why and I was told that women cant do that!

So marvelled am I but in retrospect maybe this is how we as women let it be.We let ourselves be damned like pieces of used bottles and smashed cans, we allow society to place us in the lowest rank of the ladder.

Struggle and set yourself free, Black, African woman!! Let us fight to unite.

I love poetry, I will write to free my mind regardless of what society labels me to be.

Peace and Blessings.