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The Frame of Speaking
In Beyonce’s video “formation”, the gaze is slowly gliding through.
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The Return of the King: Nigerian music moving culture forward.
“Eez the return of the king oh, everybody sing yeaahh.” A befitting opening to a lyrical and rhythmic outburst of cultural pride and complexity that is largely consistent throughout the rest of the mixtape by The Collectiv3. I cannot express how grateful I am for this well thought out, progressive mixture/confluence of sounds. It came perfectly at the time when I was worried that Nigerian music would … Continue reading The Return of the King: Nigerian music moving culture forward.
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We Move!
“…don’t let the sun roast your spirit of wakefulness. Wokeness can slide off you when you’re not watching, so stay VIGILANT!- The Scriptures of Wakefulness, Chapter Woke, verse Still Woke
On Being So Sorry for the Atrocities of Men
You know, when I heard about the R.Kelly stories a while back, my first thought was “oh God, what a horrible thing for those women.” But you know what was a second thought that lasted even longer than the first thought? “Gosh…R Kelly must really be suffering and struggling to have done something so poor.” I couldn’t stop finding all the reasons in the world … Continue reading On Being So Sorry for the Atrocities of Men
Protected: Can you Really Paint With All the Colours of the Wind? : Interview with Michelle ‘Misha’ Oraa Ali, creator of MuSyC
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. Continue reading Protected: Can you Really Paint With All the Colours of the Wind? : Interview with Michelle ‘Misha’ Oraa Ali, creator of MuSyC
Reimagining The Book of Job
The Book of Job: The Book of Job is surprisingly hard to re-read as an adult. When I was a child in primary school, the biggest shock was to hear that God was having a conversation with the devil. I wondered why the Lord God Almighty thought it was okay to entertain a conversation with the destroyer of souls. To say it changed my entire perception … Continue reading Reimagining The Book of Job
This is a vent, about the way we pinch ourselves to death
It hurts to see all the ways that Nigerian culture hurts and does not heal. People are saying leaders should change but civilians too, change. Me too, i should change. Vulcanizers too, change. Beggars too, change. Police officer too, change. musicians too, change. Change your songs- stop singing songs about gold chains, nyash, alcohol and money for a while and see what else you … Continue reading This is a vent, about the way we pinch ourselves to death
Women can’t be heroes, they must be mothers
In the beginning- according to Yoruba mythology- the creator of the world (Olodumare), sent 17 gods to establish the earth. 16 of those gods were male and one was female: Her name was Osun. Without consulting her, the 16 male Orisa came into earth and made decisions about the ways the world would unfold. They picked out the textures and the colours of this … Continue reading Women can’t be heroes, they must be mothers
Militarizing Non-violence: Use of costuming in Chi-Raq
Spike Lee’s decision to dress the women in camouflage emphasizes his agenda to militarize the bloodless strike. There is the scene where the women take over the military base without any guns. And, when told that 75 women took over the military base, Commissioner Blades first asks “Women did that?” The intense surprise on his face reiterates Lee’s agenda to emphasize just how little is expected of … Continue reading Militarizing Non-violence: Use of costuming in Chi-Raq
Right or Righteous: Looking at conscience as a panoptic apparatus
The lens- as a panoptic gaze- is literally above the humans in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, but its powers are also unlike that of the humans in the movie. For instance, the ability of the gaze to seamlessly, and silently move in and out of rooms- without having to knock on doors, or open doors, or creak on floorboards- has a deep metaphorical significance for the way the panoptic view does not operate through the physical body of a single individual , but through a complex structure that transcends what one individual is humanly capable of doing. Continue reading “Right or Righteous: Looking at conscience as a panoptic apparatus”
Jane’s (White) Mask in Lee’s School Daze
In Black Skin, White Masks, Frantz Fanon addresses the appearance of blackness in black men and what it means to validate your black, male appearance.
The Perks of Misogyny: Paradox or Oxymoron?
Jigga what? Jigga who?: Points of (In)equivalence between Black history and rap music
One of the ways to look at how equivalence has been forced in rap music is through this idea of censorship. What this forces most of them to do is to come up with phrases or other words that equate the word that has to be removed for its “vulgarity”/ “violence.” In this process, equivalence begins to resonate Continue reading “Jigga what? Jigga who?: Points of (In)equivalence between Black history and rap music”
Being Honest 