Review of Negrophilia (Petrine Archer-Straw)
By Gregory Harrison

http://www.petrinearcher.com/negrophilia-reviews?q=node/146
Thames and Hudson (Interplay), 2000

Perhaps the best example of the literary world's response to Negrophilia, Petrine Archer-Straw's new book from Thames & Hudson, is reviewer Patrick Skene Catling saying the book was one of his three favourites for 2000. And earlier this year, the Times Literary Supplement called Negrophilia "a fascinating book on an important work."

The book was launched in Jamaica at Redbones Blues Cafe in Kingston after successful reviews in London, Paris and New York. The Spectator of London called it "...an elegant, eloquent and profusely illustrated book." And Art Monthly said Negrophilia is "A grand, compelling and comprehensive narrative."

Archer-Straw is a British born Jamaican, who for the past four years has lived in Kingston, where much of her final research and writing took place. While thankful for accolades abroad, she believes it is equally important for her to get a Caribbean response. Originally her doctoral thesis, the book grew out of research into the art historical subject of Primitivism that deals with modern artists' use of African art. Archer-Straw says it had not occurred to her to turn her research into a book until a few years ago when began noticing a worldwide craze for black culture.

Negrophilia grew out of her studies in art history because of an interest in what modern artists called "primitivism" in the 1920's. Negrophilia describes the attraction for black people that became a craze for artists and bohemian types in 1920s Paris. It was a sign of being modern and highly fashionable to collect black art, listen to black music and dance with black people. In the same way that today, aspects of black culture like hip hop, reggae, gangster rap, locks and afro hairstyles proliferate music television and fashion magazines, in the 1920s the craze was for dances such as the charleston, lindy hop and black bottom, Bakerfix hair paste, and the wearing of African inspired accessories. This passion for black culture and a more 'primitive' existence flourished in the aftermath of the First World War when artists yearned for a simpler idyllic lifestyle to counter modern life's mechanistic violence.

"I realized that in the intimate world of blacks and whites little changes, and that Negrophilia's concerns could be applied to many historical time frames," says Archer-Straw. "Often, my assessment of historical relationships offered a useful guide for understanding contemporary issues and I found a way to glide between past and present in a way that was frightening, but thought provoking. "

Negrophilia looks at the period after the First World War, when Africans and African Americans went to Europe to work and better their lives. They had an immediate impact on white European society. In Paris, avant-garde artists tested the limits of their tolerance in their engagement with black personalities such as Josephine Baker, Henry Crowder, and Langston Hughes for their sense of style, vitality, and "otherness."

Leger, Picasso, Brancusi, Man Ray, Giacometti, Sonia Delaunay, and others enthusiastically collected African sculptures and wore tribal jewelry and clothes. They freely adopted black forms in their work, and their style soon influenced a larger audience anxious to be in vogue. A passion for black culture swept through Paris, and by the end of the 1920s, black forms that had provided the initial spark to the modernist vision had become the commercially successful Art Deco style.

Negrophilia, from the French negrophilie (the contemporary term to describe the craze) examines this commingling of black and white cultures in jazz-age Paris. Painting, sculpture, photography, popular music, dance, theater, literature, journalism, furniture design, fashion, and advertising--all are scrutinized to show how blackforms were appropriated, adapted, and popularized by white artists. The photographs, writings, and memorabilia of poet Guillaume Apollinaire, art collectors Paul Guillaume and Albert Barnes, shipping heiress and publisher Nancy Cunard, and Surrealists Michel Leiris and Georges Bataille help to recreate the contemporary atmosphere.

The book raises questions about the avant-garde's motives, and suggests reasons and meaning for its interest. It's valuable reading for those interested in following the rise and fall of black popular culture in the past century.

i am not a rasta, i am black, but this topic relly sparked my interest.........................

To the young white rastas who have posted on this forum, i like fact that they recognise that the lord does not see colour but the that faith we have in him is what is important..................As a young adult, i will encourage them to continue with their faith, and regardless of the negative comments by others..............please remember to stay true to yourselves and remember god is king.............

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Current-actions-contradict-roots-of-Rastafari-says-Semaj_7890058

Fyah Bun - Semaj questions Rasta and Reggae: Current actions contradict roots of Rastafari, says Semaj

PSYCHOLOGIST Dr Leahcim Semaj argues that the popular theme of 'fyah bun' may have transformed Rastafari into an irrelevant movement that contradicts its origins.
"Is it possible that Rasta has fulfilled its promise and is now a spent force?" questioned Semaj, as he addressed the recent Rastafari Studies, Conference, a four-day expose on the movement.
  "This conference could be a critical catalyst in this corrective transition — if the kind of reasoning here will not just pontificate on all the great things but to point out all the things that are not working."
Panellists from around the world presented on the impact of Rastafari at the conference at the University of West Indies in Kingston.
Semaj, who up to recently wore locks, said that the movement lost potency up to mid-90s when the traditional theme of peace and love was usurped by fire burning.
"Rastafari had its greatest impact during the first 30 years using the soft power of peace and love. All the things with which Rasta made an impact on the world are the things that evolved out of the foundation of Rastafari using the soft power," he asserted.
Rastafari is a comparatively new religion which began in the 1930s — its followers worship Haile Selassie I, former Emperor of Ethiopia. During the first 30 to 40 years the movement received spiritual strength from the visit of Selassie to Jamaica and the rise of Reggae music via Rastafari including the Wailers and Dennis Brown. The 90s however saw some Rastafarian entertainers — the movement's most visible personas -- lyrically promoting guns, ganja, glamour, gals and gangsterism. They also merged the vocal styles of 'righteous' Reggae with 'decadent' dancehall.
"The consistent refrain of Rastafari over the first 30 years was peace and love, but then it transitioned to something else called fyah bun. It is the most common theme in the last 10-15 years for the Rasta man. How did we make that transition?," he asked.
Semaj agreed that fire can purify, but questioned whether the confrontation of fire has benefited the movement.
"What has fire created. Has it destroyed what has been created over the first 30 years. Rasta has to answer these questions," stated Semaj who is also the founder of The Job Bank a company that provides leadership and employment solutions.
Semaj who received a Post Doctoral Fellowship in psychology from Princeton University, has lectured at the University of the West Indies, Cornell University and Rutgers University. He has also been a columnist and commentator on numerous talk shows.

"The Empress of Haiti"	DQ

"The Empress of Haiti"

Bayinnah Bello tells a story about the life of Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité, spouse of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the liberator of Haiti. The Empress is the namesake for the Fondation Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur, an organization started by Bello that seeks to facilitate a broader exchange of women's history in Haiti.

Afrikan Culture - Dr. Amos Wilson

Afrikan Culture - Dr. Amos Wilson - pt. 1	DQ

I realize that this video actually has 16 parts inclusive of the question/answer section.

The Columbian Era - Jan Carew and Edward Scobie

1 - The Columbian Era - Jan Carew and Edward Scobie	DQ

Part 1 of 13

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/79/527/Obama_To_Earn_Nearly_85_Million_From_Gulf_Oil_Disaster.html

By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers

 

In 1933 the great Depression Era United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote to his good friend and advisor Colonel Edward Mandell House, “The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the larger centers has owned the Government ever since the days of Andrew Jackson…”

In 2010 the “financial element” controlling the United States government Roosevelt warned about has now, for all intents and purposes, taken over the Presidency too as evident by a new FSB report claiming that Obama stands to make nearly $85 million from the worst environmental catastrophe his Nation has ever seen.

As millions of gallons of oil continue gushing from the fractured beyond repair Gulf of Mexico seafloor following the April, 2010 explosion and collapse of BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, millions (and soon to be billions) of dollars are at the same time flowing into the pockets of America’s elite classes, mainly those controlling their government and banking.

Unfortunately for the American people though is that at the same time they can see the unfolding of this environmental catastrophe on their televisions, the looting of their National wealth is being hidden from them by a congressional-military-industrial complex they were warned about by their World War II hero PresidentDwight Eisenhower who in his January 17, 1961 farewell address said:

 “A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction...

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development.

Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.

The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together.”

The American people failed to listen to either Roosevelt’s or Eisenhower’s warnings, or even to their Founding Fathers, all of whom warned them that unless they remained vigilant in protecting their Nation they would lose it.

And according to this damning FSB report this is exactly what they have done.

Now to understand this report it must first be remembered who financed Obama’s takeover of the Presidency, and in order of their contributions to his campaign they are: 1. University of California, 2. Goldman Sachs, 3. Harvard University, 4. Microsoft, 5. Google, 6. Citigroup, 7. JPMorgan Chase & Co., and 8. Time Warner.

The importance of these contributors lies in what and who they control, and they are: 1.) University of California and Harvard University have provided Obama with the “intellectual firepower” he needs to force upon the American people his “progressive agenda” remaking their once vital democracy into a totalitarian socialist state, 2. Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have given Obama unlimited resources through his allowing them to loot the US Treasury, 3.) Microsoft and Google have given him unlimited access to information on the American people unprecedented in modern times, and 4.) Time Warner who has given Obama near total control over all the information told the American people through their news outlets.

Upon Obama’s taking office he staffed his administration with what is called a “Wall Street Cabinet”, including former employees of Goldman Sachs who Rolling Stone Magazine in their devastating article “The Great Bubble Machine” on this banking behemoth warned, “From tech stocks to high gas prices, Goldman Sachs has engineered every major market manipulation since the Great Depression — and they're about to do it again.”

And when Rolling Stone Magazine warned that Goldman Sachs was about “to do it again” they probably didn’t even know how apocalyptic this banking giant’s machinations towards the United States really are, and as evident by the BP disaster in the Gulf when just three weeks prior to the Deepwater Horizon explosion they sold nearly half their shares of BP stocks saving for their investors billions of dollars of potential losses.

Goldman Sachs wasn’t alone either in its astute “foreknowledge” of the collapse of BP’s stock value due to the Gulf disaster as BP’s own chief executive, Tony Hayward, sold about one-third of his shares weeks before this catastrophe began unfolding too.

But according to this FSB report the largest seller of BP stock in the weeks before this disaster occurred was the American investment company known as Vanguard who through two of their financial arms (Vanguard Windsor II Investor and Vanguard Windsor Investor) unloaded over 1.5 million shares of BP stock saving their investors hundreds of millions of dollars, chief among them President Obama.

For though little known by the American people, their President Obama holds all of his wealth in just two Vanguard funds, Vanguard 500 Index Fund where he has 3 accounts and the Vanguard FTSE Social Index Fund where he holds another 3 accounts, all six of which the FSB estimates will earn Obama nearly $8.5 million a year and which over 10 years will equal the staggering sum of $85 million.

The FSB further estimates in this report that through Obama’s 3 accounts in the Vanguard 500 Index Fund he stands to make another $100 million over the next 10 years as their largest stock holding is in the energy giant Exxon Mobil they believe will eventually acquire BP and all of their assets for what will be essentially a “rock bottom” price and which very predictably BP has hired Goldman Sachs to advise them on.

Important to note is that none of this wealth Obama, Goldman Sachs, and other American elites is acquiring would be possible without this disaster, all of whom, as the evidence shows, “somehow” knew what was going to happen before it actually did, including the US energy giant Halliburton who 2 weeks prior to this disaster just happened to purchase the World’s largest oil disaster service company Boots & Coots.

Unfortunately for the American people watching as these elites destroy their country is that they are being told none of the truth, especially about Obama, who while becoming enormously wealthy off the hardship, misery and toil of his citizens has become the only US President in history to begin jailing every government whistleblower he can find, has won the right to jail anybody he wants without charges and hold them forever, and most incredibly has claimed the right to assassinate any American citizen he deems a threat. 

The great American Founding Father, and the United States first President, George Washington once said, “Experience teaches us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession.”  The American people to their great shame didn’t heed these words, now they are paying for it.

http://www.thenation.com/article/153980/televangelist-and-warlord

Now that celebrity supermodel Naomi Campbell has become improbably entangled as a witness in the war crimes trial of deposed Liberian President Charles Taylor, it is bringing fresh light to Taylor's international connections. A warlord who ruled Liberia brutally for six years, Taylor allegedly fueled the atrocities in neighboring Sierra Leone and profited from "blood diamonds" there. Campbell was an unwilling witness called into court in The Hague, where she described receiving uncut diamonds she described as "dirty looking pebbles," evidently sent by Taylor.

But while Campbell may be famous and glamorous, the most prominent international figure to come into contact with President Taylor has been American M.G. "Pat" Robertson, the televangelist, entrepreneur, former Republican heavyweight and one time US presidential candidate.

Robertson used to mix his missionary work in Africa with efforts at developing mineral wealth. First he financed a diamond-mining venture in Zaire, and then he pushed for a gold mine in Liberia through a Cayman Islands company he owned called "Freedom Gold." That's when President Charles Taylor gave Robertson's company a gold-mining concession.

The televangelist's ties to Taylor have always been puzzling. Here, for the first time, is the actual "Mineral Development Agreement" both Robertson and Taylor signed on April 22, 1999. It is dull reading but on page 45 one can find their signatures: the American televangelist signed his name "MG Robertson" on a line under "President" of Freedom Gold and the alleged warlord scrawled his name under "President of the Republic of Liberia." Few people have ever seen this document. (I got it during a trip I took to Liberia back in 2001, when I co-wrote a story for GQ called "Pat Robertson's Gold Fever." That was when Taylor was still in power.)

The contract gives Robertson the right to mine gold in a southern site—and potentially make millions of dollars. And what did Robertson do to win the mining lease? It is unclear. What is true is that the evangelist used his TV pulpit on Taylor's behalf. Robertson turned out to be a vocal supporter of Taylor in the rather obscure debate over US foreign policy interests in Liberia. Taylor was a strange person to champion: he had been trained by Col. Muammar Gaddafi after escaping a US prison, and was known, worldwide, to be a dictator presiding over one of the poorest countries in the world. The United States was pushing economic sanctions and there was a UN arms embargo going back to 1992.

Taylor stepped down in 2003, and his trial at The Hague has been ongoing. He provided some insight earlier this year during his trial when he testified that he believed Robertson could push Washington to get on his side. He even said he believed Robertson had lobbied George Bush on his behalf.

Chris Roslan, a spokesman for Robertson, emailed The Nation this week that Robertson's vigorous defense of Liberia during Taylor's rule was not due to his winning a gold-mining contract. "There was no quid pro quo for the granting of the concession." He said Robertson hadn't met Taylor, and didn't have a personal relationship with him. And he said there was no lobbying of George Bush, pointing out that the Robertson/Taylor contract was signed while Bill Clinton was president.

The spokesman says Robertson defended Taylor's rule in Liberia not because of the gold mine but because the televangelist worried about the safety of Christians in Liberia. "During this time period, Guinea, a Muslim country, was ruled by a ruthless dictator and was being used as a staging area by Muslim rebels intent on taking over Liberia. With the Clinton administration placing economic sanctions on Liberia, there was a significant risk that the country would collapse and the Muslim rebels would have overrun the country, started a civil war and killed many Christians."

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=11449676

Singer Wyclef Jean's high-profile bid for Haiti's presidency ended after election officials on the earthquake-ravaged Caribbean nation disqualified his candidacy.
Photo: Singer Wyclef Jean meets with Haiti's president, discusses security concerns
Haiti's presidential candidate and hip hop singer Wyclef Jean, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his mother's house in Croix de Bouquets, Haiti, on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010.
(Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)

The Haitian-American hip-hop star expressed disappointment at the late Friday ruling, but called on his followers to act "peacefully and responsibly."

"Though I disagree with the ruling, I respectfully accept the committee's final decision, and I urge my supporters to do the same," the former Fugees frontman said in a statement.

"I want to assure my countrymen that I will continue to work for Haiti's renewal; though the board has determined that I am not a resident of Haiti, home is where the heart is — and my heart has and will always be in Haiti."

On Saturday, Jean attended a church service in his mother's hometown and prepared to fly back to the United States where his wife and daughter live. He did not speak to the news media.
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Questions remained about whether he will stay involved with the presidential election, perhaps by throwing his support to one of the 19 candidates Haiti's electoral council approved for the Nov. 28 election.

The commission did not say why it had disqualified Jean, but the singer had faced a challenge to his candidacy because he has not lived in Haiti for the past five years as required.

Election officials also rejected the candidacy of Jean's uncle, Raymond Joseph, who is Haiti's ambassador to the United States.

The commission approved 19 candidates and rejected 15, spokesman Richardson Dumel told journalists. While rejecting Jean, the board approved two leading contenders: former Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis and Yvon Neptune, who was the last prime minister under ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and has been active in helping to coordinate reconstruction efforts.

Also allowed to run are: Jude Celestin, head of the government's primary construction firm and the candidate supported by President Rene Preval; and Michel Martelly, a well-known Haitian singer known as "Sweet Mickey." The Constitution bars Preval from running for re-election.