Posted on Leave a comment

Emancipation 2016: Why Observances, Black Lives Matter

1 August 2016

Today is Emancipation Day.

Today, we — in the millions, observe the Abolition of Colonial Slavery Act that abolished slavery “throughout the British colonies on, from and after the First of August, 1834.”

Today, we — in the millions remember the Atlantic Slave Trade, the Middle East Slave Trade —and African enslavement that took the lives of millions of African men, women and children, consigned much more to chattel, and left progeny — us, with a multitude of oppressive historical forces that we are still battling, even succumbing to…

 

Why Emancipation Observances Matter
By N Oji Mzilikazi
(Originally published in Montreal Community Contact Volume 21, Number 18)
September 1, 2011

 

Happy Emancipation Day 2016!

————————————————————————————–

Revisit Past Emancipation Articles:

 

Emancipation 2011: Renewed Songs of Liberation
By N Oji Mzilikazi
(Originally published in Montreal Community Contact Volume 21, Number 16)
August 4, 2011

 

Emancipation 2011: On Blacks Being A Cursed Race
By N Oji Mzilikazi
(Originally published in Montreal Community Contact Volume 21, Number 17)
August 18, 2011

 

Emancipation Celebrations 2012: On Blacks Being A Cursed Race (Part 2)
By N Oji Mzilikazi
(Originally published in the Montreal Community Contact Volume 22, Number 14)
July 26, 2012

 

Emancipation 2013: Beyond Rumshop Politics
By N Oji Mzilikazi
(Originally published in the Montreal Community Contact Volume 23, Number 15)
July 25, 2013    

 

Emancipation 2013: Who Will Pay Reparations For My Soul?
By N Oji Mzilikazi
(Originally published in the Montreal Community Contact Volume 23, Number 16)
August 8, 2013

 

Emancipation 2013: Field Negroes Needed
(50th Anniversary of the March on Washington)
By N Oji Mzilikazi
(Originally published in the Montreal Community Contact Volume 23, Number 17)
August 22, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Donald Trump For President: A Joke That Went Too Far

By N Oji Mzilikazi

20 July 2016

Yesterday, at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, Donald Trump was formally nominated by the Republican Party as its candidate to be next president of the United States of America.

Bear in mind, Donald Trump didn’t vote in any primary elections for 21 years. Trump also skipped the 2002 general election.

Talk about a joke that went too far. A totally unfit person, a birther, a bigot, a racist, a misogynist and a person given to numerous unsubstantiated/false/misleading claims is in contention; in the two-person race to be president.

Paul Ryan, Republican House Speaker acknowledged Trump’s racism. But, as Samantha Bee explained, “Republicans Can’t Denounce Trump’s Rampant Racism.”

Five years ago, Trump was regarded with contempt by Republican activists. Rush Limbaugh believed Trump is too kooky.

Trump hasn’t changed, and the Republican Party views of him hasn’t changed. Trump has been scolded by Newt Gingrich and by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell among others. So what happened? Stupid happened!

Pandering to poorly educated whites, racists, bigots and the ignorance of their fears, and the pedalling of racism via anti-immigration, anti-terrorism and anti-Muslim rhetoric won Donald Trump the day. The joke of his presidential candidacy became a reality.

Donald Trump is walking in Adolph Hitler’s shoes.

When Hitler first started out, the German establishment thought he was kooky and a joke; the people wouldn’t buy into his rhetoric – and look at the monster he became.

Not one person in the Republican establishment ever took Donald Trump seriously. Not one Republican political cognoscenti or political prognosticator gave Donald Trump a shot at winning the Party’s ticket. Now here stand The Donald… A joke poised to become horror and nightmare. Though for the likes of Carl Icahn, “Donald Trump is the only man to save the world.”

Posted on 2 Comments

Charles Barkley: Ignorance Personified

By N Oji Mzilikazi

18 July 2016

On the heels of four off-duty Minneapolis police officers working security at a WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx game leaving their posts on account of the players’ wearing pregame warm-up jerseys that carried the message of change, the names of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling who were shot to death by the police, and Black Lives Matter, ESPN sports journalist Bomani Jones delivered commentary that deserves not just acclamation, but being tweeted and retweeted.

Jones made the point: “You are not obligated to speak simply because you are good at doing something with a ball. That can lead you into some disastrous places.”

Time and time again, we’ve been exposed to personalities and celebrities pontificating on subjects and issues in which their understanding borders on the ignorant. But in their mind, and given a platform, they have Solomonic insights. When those persons are Black, their diarrhoea of the mouth becomes hurdles for people of African descent, as well as ammunition for those bent on sustaining inequalities; denying empowerment and social justice for the race…

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Wimbledon 2016 Ladies Final: Win or Lose, Congratulations Serena Williams

By N Oji Mzilikazi

9 July 2016

As I stumbled sleepy-eyed towards the living room to catch Breakfast at Wimbledon, my mind runs on Laj, a poster on the now defunct ESPN Tennis Message Board.

Back in 2002, Laj had the audacity to declare Serena Williams the most complete/best tennis player ever, even better than Steffi Graf.

Boasting, Laj predicted and promised the citizenry of the Message Board that Serena, whom he nicknamed Terror Fabulous, was going to surpass Graf in Grand Slam titles.

The immediate reaction was Laj had been drinking arsenic-laced Kool-Aid.

The thought of a Black girl dethroning the great Steffi Graf was unthinkable, unfathomable — and heresy. Rejection of Laj’s assertions were swift and brutal. Tennis fans that don’t like or care for the sisters, Williams sisters’ haters, and racists had another reason to hate — and a field day on the Board that lasted weeks.

Serena was still young. She hadn’t come into her own as yet in terms of amassing enough Grand Slams to be perceived as a threat. Serena had so many interests outside tennis that she never played a full season. That led to her being disparagingly spoken of as a part-time tennis player.  (If I remember correctly, Serena became No. 1 in the world with 12 tournaments under her belt. Points from a player’s last 18 tournaments were used then to calculate rankings. Consequently, some players played the ranking game/maintained a high rank by playing week in and week out. Case in point: Martina Hingis). Lindsey Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis were perceived as obstacles in Serena’s path to exceed Graf. Plus, there was her big sister, the big serving Venus Williams.

In spite of technical weaknesses in her game, and Serena the sounder of the two, Venus Williams was indisputably the Queen of Tennis, and the only contender in sight; the only person on the trajectory to reach Graf. Even though Serena was a child of promise, so was Venus who was just getting in stride.

Pointed out was that Serena’s physique was a deterrent to her being a future great; equalling or surpassing Graf’s 22 Grand Slam totals.

Serena didn’t have that “success model” athletic build. Her breasts were too big; thunderous. Its weight hampers movement and that would affect her in the long run.

Lending credence to that school of thought was that the only other girl on tour with breasts nearly as large was Sandrine Testude, who was tall and had a slim built. And Testude was just an average player.

Serena’s size; thickness and big breasts (Methinks Serena did have breast reduction surgery.) proved to be no obstacle in her stellar career. Serena is inarguably one of the fittest females in the WTA.

Today, is the third time this year, Serena Williams is on the threshold of history; tying Steffi Graf’s 22 Grand Slam titles. Standing in the way is Angelique Kerber who denied Serena the 2016 Australian Open title.

That Serena could reach the finals of the Australian Open, the French Open, and now Wimbledon, at the ripe age of 35 (Okay, she’s a few months short.) is a testament to her fitness and greatness. Win or lose today, congratulations is in order.

I’m rooting for you Terror Fabulous.

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Tarzan Is Racist To The Core: Why Is Hollywood Recycling This Shytt?

By N Oji Mzilikazi

30 June 2016

Before I came into consciousness, I love me some Tarzan. Yeah high, I was a silent witness to adult boys on the block discussing the latest Tarzan film as well as arguing who was the best Tarzan ever. The consensus was always Johnny Weissmuller.

Without having seen a Tarzan movie, I was proficient in Tarzan’s yell – that’s to tell you the degree of cinematic influence Tarzan had on us colonials.

Reading Edgar Rice Burroughs made Tarzan, like playing cowboys and Indians, an enjoyable part of my childhood. Then came 1970, The Black Power Movement, the analysis — piercing and rejection of the long-established “superiority” of the white cultural frame.

Tarzan tells the story of a white boy reared to manhood in the African jungle by great apes. His strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, senses, flexibility, durability, endurance, and swimming are extraordinary in comparison to normal men.

Tarzan is able to communicate effortlessly with all the animals of the African jungle while the “Negro,” Africa’s indigenous human inhabitants are incapable of such communication. Furthermore, the “Negro” tribesmen are like little children, filled with fear and superstition and terrified of every and anything. Time and time again, it is the mighty respected and feared Tarzan that comes to their rescue as well as to the rescue of others – even if it is from evil white men.

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Tarzan” has always been a cultural reaffirmation of racism. Tarzan plants and reinforces the ideology that the white male is the dominant humankind, the white male is indispensable to the smooth operation of the world, and culturally and intellectually Blacks are children and primitive.

Hollywood and Television companies pimped Edgar Rice Burroughs books; adapted them into a series of films and television shows, shaping racist stereotypes, racist and distorted views of Africa and Blacks while upholding white superiority and the myth of the white savior.

Tarzan is racist to the core. That Hollywood in 2016 could reintroduce Tarzan; recycle this shytt, speaks volumes of its inherent racism and its willingness to pander to any racist concept to make a buck.

So bent was Hollywood to ignore the cultural insensitivity of Tarzan and make The Legend of Tarzan a success, they drafted the well-respect Samuel L. Jackson, in hope his presence would encourage Blacks to see the movie.

I am tempted to say shame on you Mr. Jackson, but I know if he didn’t do it, Hollywood would find another “Negro” to do so. Hungry people often have no qualms about enduring disrespect and/or abuse or betraying their values and principles in order to eat.

I hope The Legend of Tarzan flops.