Author: N Oji

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UPDATE: Garvey & The Abolition Commemoration Farce

UPDATE: Garvey & The Abolition Commemoration Farce.

By N Oji Mzilikazi

September 20, 2012

“Garvey & The Abolition Commemoration Farce” prompted a “100, 000 word” rebuttal – Letter to the Editor.

Published in the Community Contact, September 6, 2012, it was signed by Clarence Bayne, Fred Anderson, and Julian McIntosh, the three speakers at the event, Mervyn Weeks, who was the moderator/M.C., and Gordon Weeks, the brother of Mervyn Weeks, and who was simply a member of the small audience.

Missing – the signature of Randy Pierre, President of UNIA.

Clearly, Mr. Pierre knew better than to attach his name to a silly and rather duplicitous missive, rife with hissy fits, tendentious arguments, and ad hominem attacks from Clarence Bayne, and solely written by him. (His style is easily recognizable.)

Is it any wonder the editor of the Community Contact didn’t make it available online?

While the letter also bristled at my mentioning “the cliquishness and cronyism” that colour many Black organizations, Gordon Weeks as a signatory makes the case. (Neither at the event nor in the letter was Gordon identified as an organizer or an executive member of UNIA.)

For all its verbosity, personal attacks, misinformation and misrepresentation, and deflection by including comments from the floor, the letter never once showed through direct quotes of any of its speakers, or itemized by power points, that the event, billed as “A Critical Discussion of the Garvey Model of Education and Development of the Black Community,” lived up to its name, was indeed that – addressed my central point of contention.

The letter was simply that of bruised egos.

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Back To School

Back To School

By N Oji Mzilikazi

September 6, 2012

(Originally published in the Montreal Community Contact Volume 22, Number 17)

Children go to school and learn well
Otherwise later on in life you go ketch real hell
Without an education in your head
Your whole life will be pure misery
You better off dead.
— Education
— The Mighty Sparrow

While it’s easy to identify the socio-economic devastation of centuries of racism and discrimination, their greatest damage has been in the mental/intellectual arena. And that crippling is at the heart of the evils and culture of self-sabotage that plague people of African descent.

Though everyone is born with intelligence; intelligence must be developed and directed…

 

 

 

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T&T 50th: The Green Grass of Home

T&T 50th: The Green Grass of Home

By N Oji Mzilikazi

(Published in the Trinidad Express, September 1, 2012)

My navel string is buried under a tree
in the Land of the Hummingbird,
so no matter where I roam,
Trinidad & Tobago – sweet Trinbago
is still home, sweet home.

The Mecca of the Caribbean is my La Trinity.
Show me another country whose
races, religion, culture, mix so freely,
whose children are indescribable sexy, pretty,
have more public holidays than we.

Sawine, ginger beer, babash, sorrel, mauby,
coconut water, nip, pint, petit-quart, doubles, roti,
curry meh Soca, but doh call it chutney,
that term must be reserved for the delicacy,
and I ent care who disagree with me.

Pit in Strand Cinema, Gaiety, Rivoli,
Cannings Ice Cream, Charlie’s black pudding,
bake & shark, bellyful, chai su kai fan,
eating from a fig leaf with meh hand-
memories none can take from me.

Shiva Lingam Temple, Mon Repos R.C.,
cricket at the Oval, planting at Corpus Christi,
Better Village, Scouting for Talent, Mastana Bahar,
Fort George, Presentation Naps football rivalry-
all dem ting is home to me.

Apologies to Tobago.
Never seen the Bucoo Reef, Scarborough,
tasted, enjoyed one of her cassava dumplings,
like Calypso Rose – sweet fuh so,
kudos to ANR Robinson, Basil Pitt, Lalonde Gordon.

I love meh homeland bad, bad, bad,
some ah de news does make meh sad, sad, sad,
all ah we in the same boat, on the same ride,
love we flag, does wine and wave we rag,
ethnocentrists keep using race to divide.

Look at me!
I’m Black, African,
but ah does tell people I’m proud to be Indian.
Then ah does pause – to watch dey reaction,
then hit dem with West Indian.

Like pumpkin vine,
Trinis have family in every country,
and every country in we.
Look at dat Trini posse over-dey-
yuh could see in dem de Vincentian.

Dem in dat corner parents is Guyanese,
dem dey – de father is Bajan, mother Grenadian,
dat Trini face in the tricolor is Antiguan,
Trini children today is Jamaican by corruption,
yuh think we multicultural – we cosmopolitan.

I love being a Trinbagonian – yuh know, a Trini.
What other people does lime all de time,
astute, but quick to put fête before work,
talk bout yampi, maccoing, whappi, mapapi,
get away with bobol, rachafee?

We used to buy Bata dogs by Kirpilani’s.
All-Fours is we national game,
not getting down on yuh knees.
Flush with oil, gas and money,
Plenty countries ent blessed like we Trinis.

People does pay big money for comedy,
Trinis de only ones dat does talk ship for free.
Do you remember Mungal Patasar, Rennie B,
Lata Mangeshkar, DJ Big Man City, Dj Gabby?
Leh meh stop! Happy fiftieth!

Copyright© 2012 by N Oji Mzilikazi

From the forthcoming poetry compilation: “Shards of Glass” by N Oji Mzilikazi

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Garvey & The Abolition Commemoration Farce

Garvey & The Abolition Commemoration Farce

By N Oji Mzilikazi

August 23, 2012

(Originally published in the Montreal Community Contact Volume 22, Number 16)

Mr. Hits told me about the Marcus Garvey discussion taking place at the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) on August 17, 2012 – the date of his birthday. Never mind I had no details apart from the date, and was disappointed in their 2011 Emancipation and Garvey’s birthday celebrations; I informed others about the event.

I scoured The Community Contact looking for an article or advert about the upcoming symposium for more information, but to no avail. I called Mr. Peter Francis. Luckily, he had a flyer that he read to me.

Given Garvey’s message and philosophy, given that the UNIA is the upholder of Garvey’s legacy, and given the steadily increasing educational failures of Black youth in Canada, the United Kingdom, the West Indies and America, how could the UNIA decide to present something as important as “A Critical Discussion of the Garvey Model of Education and Development of the Black Community” and not get it in our West Indian/Black newspaper?

I was sixteen when I met the Rt. Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey. I was introduced to him by a dashiki clad, afro-wearing professor – a revolutionary sight among the teaching faculty, who from unverified reports was supposedly expelled from his teaching job in Jamaica because of his “extreme revolutionary and pro-Black politics.”

We – a group of students would go to his home to read, discuss and critique things from “Garvey and Garveyism” – what we considered the “Black Bible.” He was the only person we knew with a copy. It wasn’t available in any bookstores – so all the more precious. Though he had other “Garvey” papers and books; that compilation by Garvey’s wife Amy was the Holy Grail.

I had cut my teeth on the likes of Malcolm X, Herskovits, Black Panther ideology and Maurice Cornforth – Dialectical Materialism. I knew Mao’s little “Red Book” by heart. Garvey blew my mind. It’s as if he spoke directly to me. I wanted to walk in his shoes.

Garvey opened a whole new world of thinking, being and living. Garvey centered my politics. On account of Garvey, my socialist/communist leanings were replaced by Pan-Africanism. And though spiritual and religious philosophies were to shape my politics – making me the person I am today, Garvey holds a special place in my heart.

The event started an hour late – waiting for people to show. How can one attract people; consumers and/or participants to anything, if the marketing strategy for the product isn’t properly conceptualised or well-executed?

The seminar failed to deliver. There was no critical discussion. There were no nuggets of educational information for someone with children or family attending school to take away and apply. There was no conjuring of Garvey’s spirit or transmission of his light and electricity for inspiration and fortification.

As if the speakers were ignorant of the stated subject, lazy in their preparation, and depending to wing it from accumulated knowledge; they were short on being on point and presenting well thought out constructs.

Though a question period was slated after the three speakers, I interrupted the proceedings upon completion of the first speaker remarks. I wanted to know if I was in the right place. The esteemed doctor’s dissertation was nothing but intellectual masturbation and 360 degrees removed from the designated subject.

The master of ceremonies/moderator coolly shut me down with, “the doctor was setting the stage for the next two speakers.” The other two speakers never took the stage. They meandered as well.

Cliquishness and cronyism is of such that quite a few times the second speaker referenced comments made by the first, to try and imbue credibility to him, given my stinging remarks.

How can the UNIA execute their mandate and keep the spirit of Garvey alive when he is remembered once a year? How can the UNIA birth Garveyites, when its existence is kept secret and they remain a tight-knit clique of folks who have no fight left in them – a malaise that afflict many Black organizations?

A storied association like the UNIA ought to have monthly discussions on Garvey and Garveyism. Marcus Garvey is their raison d’être. They ought to bring in scholars and authorities on Garvey like the acclaimed and well-respected Tony Martin. Monthly discussions and the like would ensure when Garvey’s birthday come around, UNIA’s cup runneth over.

Thanks to the politicking by the Black Coalition of Quebec, the City of Montreal has been commemorating the Abolition of the Slave Trade for a number of years now. And while that is a good thing, it has basically remained a cliquish wine and cheese affair at City Hall.

The Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade is jam-packed with stories and issues to be told and explored. It’s ripe for annual conferences that could bring scholars, authors and brilliant minds from all over the world, including Latin America to our fair city – to share, elucidate, teach, inform, motivate and inspire.

The Black Coalition of Quebec need to have a committee in place, and working year round to ensure there is substance in their annual observances. And, of course the committee would liaison with those in other countries who take Emancipation and the Abolition of Slavery seriously, and have a history of intellectual discourse and reflecting diverse voices.

While the first thing opposition will utter is what about the funding? Where there is will, there is always a way. Since the City says it is down with the program, it can put its money where its mouth is and sponsor a first class conference to get things started. Then, the organization can begin its quest for private sponsors and partnerships.

Through our negligence, our community is in retrograde mode. Yet, there are the selfishly arrogant who give no thought as to what would be their legacy. They do not groom leadership or attract skilled persons with strong personalities to help grow an organization.

Also, because of their battle scars from fighting the good fight, accolades and a sense of power, albeit empty, and the small change that come their way, they believe they’re owed a free pass or dispensation, and are entitled to sit at the head table, even when they’re tired, have no fight left in them, and have become an obstacle to progress.

We cannot continue to tread water. If leadership is too tired to get things done they need to step aside. Let those with the requisite knowledge, skills, passion, and loads of energy revitalize our stagnant to dying organizations. Give them the opportunity to make those organizations relevant once more, and hopefully, take them into the Promised Land.

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Ungrateful Islanders

Ungrateful Islanders

By N Oji Mzilikazi

August 22, 2012

Eddie Charles is an internationally known soca artist out of the twin Islands of Trinidad and Tobago. He was in Montreal for its Carnival festivities – rocking the house at every event in which he appeared. He was also one of the thousands who attended the July 21, 2012, Vincy Day – SVG – St. Vincent and the Grenadines picnic at Brown’s Bay Provincial Park in Ontario.

Other than a gospel singer out of the U.S., the acts on the SVG stage were local. With no thoughts as to financial remuneration, Charles’ Montreal “man of business” felt Eddie performing on their stage would be a boon and boost. He was rebuffed three times. The reason – “they” didn’t want any Trini on their stage. The telling confirmed to me there and then by Eddie Charles himself.

Anti-Trini sentiments have been a constant in Montreal for the longest while now. Like a lil boy who in seeing his “pee bounce back and froth” thinks he is man; many people from smaller West Indian islands have been pissing on Trinidad and Tobago, now that they live abroad, are in numbers, and in some cases are doing well.

They act as if their country has gas and oil reserves like Trinidad and Tobago, so they’re economically on par, and they and theirs are better. And in the zealousness of their island nationalism, false sense of self, and that they run things out here, “dey doh” support events when the promoters are from the islands of the red, white and black and/or one of theirs is not on the bill.

They conveniently choose to forget that Trinbago has always been the mecca of the Caribbean. That their relatives and even parents left their island home to go to Trinidad to improve their fortunes – to “look fuh wok” and/or go to school. Some found husband, wife, man, woman, and had children. Some choose to settle there. Some used T&T as a springboard to foreign shores. Others went back home with their Trini born children or left their children in T&T.

They conveniently choose to forget that like pumpkin vine, Trins have family in every island, and every island has family in T&T. That Grenadian, Bajan and Vincy roots run deep in the soul of Trinidad and Tobago, and that many “great” Trinis have island roots.

Mr. William Munroe, the man behind “Soca Monarch”- the biggest Carnival show in T&T, is Grenadian.

They conveniently choose to forget how much Trinbago has been financially generous to other West Indian islands including theirs, especially in times of disasters.

Talk about ungrateful islanders. It is Trinidad and Tobago that gave the world pan, calypso and soca. Trinbago’s Carnival allows artists from every Caribbean country to come and “eat ah food. Many artists from other islands can attest that appearing/performing in ‘the big yard” – in Trinidad and Tobago during Carnival was the catalyst for their international success and acclaim.

Yet, a Trini, a professional exponent of soca, and someone who has performed on numerous international stage wasn’t good enough to be on that Vincy stage – “free, gratis, and for nothing.”

By all means love yuh national identity, but don’t be backwardly ignorant and stupid when it comes to the region’s history, and the common hurdles faced by people of African descent in the diaspora.

It is shameful and sad, that there are those willing to pursue – engage in island tribalism; discriminate according to island, as if that ideology elevates and empowers community, while others of the wider society including law enforcement only see our blackness and otherness.

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London 2012: The Olympics White Racial Frame

London 2012: The Olympics White Racial Frame

By N Oji Mzilikazi

August 9, 2012

(Originally published in the Montreal Community Contact Volume 22, Number 15)

It takes years of training, hard-work, sacrifices, total commitment, peaking at the right time, being on top of one’s game at the right moment, and sometimes a little bit of luck for an athlete to not just qualify for the Olympics, but to win a medal as well. Therefore, one must wonder what would possess an athlete to throw away their Olympics by engaging in racism. After all, racism is not a disease hereditary or otherwise, but a deliberate and purposeful choice.

Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou was kicked off the Greek Olympic team for a racist tweet against African immigrants in Greece. Then she had the nerve to claim being upset and bitter over the disciplinary decision.

South Korea defeated Switzerland 2-1 in a soccer match. Deep-rooted feelings of white racial superiority resulted in Swiss player Michel Morganella posting a racist tweet against South Korea. He was subsequently expelled.

16-year-old Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen won the 400m individual medley in a world-record time. In no time at all, John Leonard, executive director of the USA Swimming Coaches Association openly cast aspersions on her swim.

He defended his suspicions by citing that “the Chinese have a doping history.” It’s not as if American hands are clean when it comes to doping.

Commentator and former tennis player Rennae Stubbs is a fan of Serena Williams. In her search for superlatives to describe Serena’s dominance, she referenced Serena hitting the ball to that of hitting a watermelon.

Though Stubbs is Australian, there is no way she wouldn’t be aware that “watermelon” like “fried chicken” have racial connotations – even though whites consume more of them than Blacks. Though no offence was intended, surely she could’ve invoked a basketball or football for the audience visualization. To pull watermelon out of the hat speaks volumes.

The Network TV Press Release of August 5th stated that the Serena Williams – Maria Sharapova Gold Medal Match drew 7.9 million viewers.

Given the 6-0, 6-1 drubbing, almost 8 million viewers saw “It Girl” Sharapova who recently won the French Open, and was on top of her game humiliated – and on the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon – the site of her greatest victory. It was the worst defeat in women’s Olympic singles final history.

Sharapova’s 2004 defeat of Serena at Wimbledon propelled her into stardom, landed her lucrative contracts and the biggest endorsement for a female athlete. A win over Serena would’ve given Sharapova the career Golden Slam (victories at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, and Olympic Gold), the #1 rank, and undoubtedly bigger and better endorsements.

Serena was the one that walked away with the Golden Slam. Serena is now the second female to have a Golden Slam. Steffi Graf achieved that feat in 1988.

Serena’s breathtaking performance, tennis clinic, and demolition of Sharapova stunned everyone.

For the first time in my life I saw tennis commentators at a loss of words and unable to unleash snide and snarky remarks about Serena.

Haters would always find reasons to hate. Serena’s few seconds of dancing celebration – doing the “Crip Walk” became a straw man. She was now endorsing the notorious Crips, even though it was a “Crip” that murdered her sister.

In the men’s tennis singles final, Andy Murray humiliated Roger Federer. The effusiveness was of such that both American and Canadian television broadcasters repeatedly ran several minutes of the match including the trophy presentation. Venus Williams and Serena Williams won Olympic Doubles Gold that very day. It brought their haul to 4 Olympic Gold medals each, and being the “winningest” Olympic tennis players ever. Compared to Andy Murray, the clip of their win was a blur.

Jordyn Wieber was the all-around gymnastic world champion and deserving the hype. Americans expected her to be the golden girl of gymnastics. Gabrielle Christina Victoria Douglas from Virginia, aka Gabby Douglas, African-American, and nicknamed “The flying squirrel” won the US Trials.

She qualified for more Olympic events than the other Americans on the gymnastic team, yet from the tone and commentary from the announcers, one would swear she was the weakest link.

The Olympic rule for the all-around finals is two finalists per nation. Wieber failed to qualify for the Olympic all-around finals. She was beaten by two other American – Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman.

The devastation was so unbearable to both Weiber and her coach John Geddert, he blasted the rule. In addition to calling it dumb, Geddert said, “it’s a shame that the world champion doesn’t get to compete in the Olympic all around finals.”

There was so much emotional investment in Weiber; gymnastic pundits and huge numbers of gymnastic fans had no room in their hearts for 16-year-old Gabby Douglas.

Gabby won the all-around gold – the medal that defines gymnastic achievements, and the hype machine that surrounds that accomplishment at every Olympics broke down. The glowing tributes to make her name a household one wasn’t there. However, the racists got their groove on; some Americans even lamenting that Russian gymnast Victoria Komova was robbed.

Approximately 10 hours had passed when Gabby won gold and NBC aired her performance. Upon Bob Costas spouting the feel good spiel of Gabby’s gold-medal performance being inspirational to young African-American girls, the ad that followed featured a monkey doing gymnastics. And, of course, it was purely coincidental!!!

When Nigeria squared off against Lithuania in the men’s basketball match, a whole block of Lithuanian supporters had their monkey chant going on. The report qualified the racist outburst with the men “were mostly drunk.” Drunk people are known to get a pass…

UK Guardian columnist Emma John, in the article, “Gabrielle Douglas wins London 2012 gymnastics all-around gold” wrote: The US duo came here on the back of a team gold won in ruthless style and were once again were niggardly with their errors. (It has since been edited.)

While “niggardly” has nothing to do with the N-word, referencing it in regards to a Black person is in extremely poor taste. Writers/journalists know the power of words and semantics. Surely, John could’ve used the simple, more to the point and better adjective that is “stingy.”

While John supposedly meant no offence with “niggardly,” its usage points to conscious and unconscious predilection of white folks to play “coded” word games in regards to people of African descent.

Douglas was the only person on team America to compete in the 4 apparatus that comprise the team competition. She had the highest scores for the USA in the Uneven Bars and Beam. She had higher scores over Jordyn Wieber in the 3 apparatus Weiber contested.

Upon the USA winning Gold, the hype machine was of such: “Jordyn Wieber finds redemption in leading Team USA to gold in women’s gymnastics” (Yahoo) Alex Kay, writing for the Bleacher Report stated: “Jordyn Wieber was the star for the Americans, just two days after failing to qualify for the individual all-around finals.”

The Washington Post was honest. Its headline read, “Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber lead U.S. women’s gymnastics to gold” and featured a picture of Gabby Douglas airborne.

While Steve Almasy, CNN article, “Fab Five brings home gymnastics gold” acknowledges Gabby Douglas led the U.S. to a 183.596 score, he pointed out that “Jordyn Wieber was a key part of the victory also, placing third in the vault and fourth on the floor.” Third and fourth as key contributors?

The nature of the beast to Black accomplishment is always an elevation of the bar. The reaction to Tiger amassing wins was the “Tiger-proofing” of golf courses – making it more difficult for him to win. The Williams domination in tennis resulted in the slowing of the courts and changing of the ball.

Gabby won all-around gold. Interestingly, British Guardian writer Judith Mackrell opined that “the levels of technical ability require of today’s gymnast…come at the expense of fluency of phrasing, and grace,” and had high praise for Russian silver-medalist Victoria Komova, “the most dancerly of this year’s female competitors.” While she acknowledged Gabby Douglas won hearts and points, she equated Gabby to a show pony.