African art and history

  She was called Phillis, because that was the name of the ship that brought her, and Wheatley, which was the name of the merchant who bought her. She was born in Senegal. In Boston, the slave traders put her up for sale: “She’s seven years old! She will be a good mare!” She was felt, naked, by many hands. At thirteen, she was already writing poems in a language that was not her own. No one believed that she was the author. At the age of twenty, Phillis was questioned by a court of eighteen enlightened men in robes and wigs. She had to recite texts from Virgil and Milton and some messages from the Bible, and she also had to swear that the poems she had written were not plagiarized. From a chair, she gave her long examination, until the court accepted her: she was a woman, she was black, she was a slave, and she was a poet.” She was called Phillis, because that was the name of the ship that brought her, and Wheatley, which was the name of the merchant who bought her. She was born in...

  CONTINUED: BEK OUTSIDE Jumps over to the NEXT WINDOW, opening into a HALLWAY. He speaks furtively with Zaya as she leaves Urshu’s office... BEK this is the last day you’ll be forced to serve him. (beat) I’m buying you from that bastard. ZAYA with what? BEK At the festival, there’ll be tons of tribute for the king. The idea is beyond comprehension to her. ZAYA You plan to rob a god? In his palace? Set can kill you with a touch. BEK He also has a lot of money. ZAYA you’ve never tried anything like that before. BEK You doesn’t know what I’ve tried. ZAYA (grips her Horus figurine) Have faith. Bek dismissively waves away the wishful thinking. BEK Even if Horus comes and puts a spear through Set’s skull -- then what? In Egypt you’re either rich, poor... (off the slaves outside) ...or nothing. Zaya doesn’t have a response. It’s the hard truth. BEK I choose rich. Bek gives Zaya a last kiss and LEAPS OFF THE WINDOW LEDGE. BACK IN URSHU’S OFFICE As the Overseers summarizes the day’s p...

  OVER BLACK: We hear the voice of THOTH. A voice that knows all things: THOTH’S VOICE Listen, if thou wouldst be wise. Weigh my words and hear their truth -- though I’ve ceased being surprised by the inability of some to listen when wisdom speaks. The RISING SUN crests the PEAK OF A PYRAMID. Not an ancient ruin. It’s BRAND NEW, smooth as glass. THOTH’S VOICE Egypt was not always as you know it now, dry and unforgiving. PULL BACK to reveal towering FORESTS that stretch to the horizon. The air is lush with the breath of life. This Egypt is Edenic, primordial -- with no sand to be seen. THOTH’S VOICE Before history began, Egypt was a paradise worthy of the gods who created it. So the gods decided to live there themselves amongst their other, lesser creation... Men. The Pyramid is just a small part of a glittering PALACE COMPLEX. THOTH’S VOICE Egypt was divided between two mighty brothers... EXT. GREAT PALACE ON THE NILE - DAY what looks like a handsome MAN walks along the shore of ...

  The philosophy symbolized by the mythical Sankofa bird of the Akan tribe in Ghana is that you need to know where you come from in order to know where you are going. The bird flies resolutely forward while casting its head back regularly. In Africa, colonization  was accompanied by the erasure of history. Part of renewal, of renaissance is to once again connect to that history. In this Africa Month edition of The Journalist, we build on the efforts to achieve that. History has bequeathed Africa an unequal and inferior status. The characterization of Africa as a dark continent that required civilization was integral to the process of colonization. This mythology was vigorously advanced by the colonizer and even internalized by the colonized. Western historians advanced the notion of Africa as a place with a scant history and very little or no achievements. In the post-colonial period efforts have been made to address this historical injustice. In this Africa Month, it is ...

  he Hidden History of Africa Before the Slave Trade is a visually stunning presentation that addresses one key question: What history do Black people have before the slave trade started? This lecture discusses the Empire of Mali, the Yoruba Kingdoms, Medieval Sudan, Medieval Ethiopia and the East African Coast. These civilizations have left behind a splendid array of evidence that is discussed in the lecture. This evidence includes wonderful artefacts, illuminated manuscripts, and impressive architecture. A discussion will follow the presentation. The book Before the Slave Trade: African World History in Pictures will be on sale on the night. THIS EVENT IS NOT TO BE MISSED!! BRING YOUR CHILDREN TO LEARN ABOUT AFRICAN HISTORY NOT TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS!! This event will take place on SATURDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER 2020 from 7pm to 9.30pm. Doors open at 6.30pm. The event will start at 7.00pm. This event will be held at St Ann’s Library, Cissbury Road, Tottenham, London, N15 5PU. Approx 10 mins ...

  I wonder what would happen If black men stopped trying to assimilate themselves into a system that was never meant to work for them, you cant play by another man's rules and expect to win. I wonder what would happen if fathers raised their boys right and were there for them so they wont have to look to the streets for male role models. I wonder what would happen if we stopped pushing drugs and alcohol on our young boys and instead pushed cultural and traditional teachings on how to be a man, a leader in the community, a pillar for the next generations. I wonder what would happen if we taught our young boys that resolving issues with violence is not a display of masculinity but is a very feminine trait(emotionally driven/no rationality at all), where i come from as men we resolve issues through dialogue first and foremost n respect is always at the center of things. We are brothers, all the clans, tribes and nations of Africa, everyone else has their own system that works for them...