FELA ON BROADWAY

This was one of the BEST Christmas presents I have ever received, as I lamented over not being able to go see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I should complain more often because last time I did my boyfriend treated me to Alvin Ailey. Anyway, should I be ashamed that this is my first time going to a Broadway show when I have lived in NY all my life? Then again i don't even think I have ever been on top of the Empire State Building, and my last three attempts to get to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were dashed because the last ferry didn't have room for me, and then the day I manage to make it onto the ferry the tickets to enter the statue had stopped being sold, forcing me to admire Lady Liberty's ex-terior..ANYWAY..if you live in or nearby NYC or plan to visit, pleeeeeaaaase go check out this show. I consider myself to be somewhat versed in politics but I keep my political stance and knowledge to myself, but I am mainly an Idealist with a revolutionary spirit (I say spirit because deep down I wish I was brave enough to put my life and well-being on the line for a cause).Or maybe I stay away from politics because all my parents and their friends used to talk about at every gathering while i was a child was the politics of Haiti, oppression, persecution, revolution, empowerment, etc...which is spoken through Fela Kuti's narrative in which he tries to empower the oppressed citizens of Nigeria and post-colonized African nations.


Fela Kuti was sent off to Europe to study Medicine by his parents, but all along he knew that he wanted to study and make Music. He eventually created the genre of Afrobeat, which was influenced by the music he encountered in his travels. In the U.S he met an African-American women named Sandra, who introduced him to the Black Power Movement and introduced him to literature about the Black Experience in the United States, later on she became his 1st wife. He used his music as a weapon towards the oppressive Nigerian government. The one song I love is titled "EXPENSIVE SHIT" and talks about the ordeal he went through when he was arrested in his compound for illegal drug use/possession. He swallowed the evidence and was placed under arrest and watched until he excreted the evidence they needed, of course he managed to outsmart them. "I.T.T (International Thief Thief)" speaks of exploitation and how an average Nigerian man is coerced into brutalizing his own people for monetary gain and power, but the main puppeteers and beneficiaries are the International Powerhouses and oilcompanies.

Fela had a total of 12 wives whom all lived in his compound. The concert hall he performed in was called the "Shrine"...the audience is actually sitting in the Shrine and being spoken to Fela as he performs in concert...so yes, you are sitting in his audience, say circa 1977 or later. The performances are for the lack of a better word that can describe it sultry, sexy, lustful. I will refrain from going into a synopsis because that will take all day, plus I'll be revealing too many details and then there's no point in going to see it....

DISCLAIMER
If you are easily offended, close-minded, judgmental, in denial, politically and socially conservative then I will advise you to stay at home and not
GO! Or maybe you should and challenge your beliefs and what you have always been taught. If you blame the disadvantaged,judgmental towards them then I warn you to not GO! If you love being a comfortable, naive, and safe citizen infatuated with your lifestyle without any thought of human suffering then definitely do not GO...I would seriously love hate for your thoughts to be comprised and/or challenged!

Injustice is frequently discussed with controversial examples: There are references to controversial topics such as the shooting of Sean Bell, and International crooks such as AIG, Debeers, Siemens, etc...and he loves talking about marijuana and p*@@y...

The (White) Beauty Myth?

The White Beauty Myth (Documentary About Minorities In U.K. Wanting To Be White)

I have a B.S. in Sociology and studied this craziness endlessly, but it's still so CRAAAAAAAAZYYYYYY! There is a historical implication behind this due to colonialism and slavery, but wth? Albeit, there are traumatic events that precluded their obsession with cosmetic procedures and "solutions to erase the "ugly", but the psychological wounds need to heal before taking such drastic cosmetic measures!


In my family there are two different ends of the spectrum. In fact my mother's maternal features are that of the fair-skinned (exactly what i don't know, we never have discussed that) and her paternal side is darker. My mother is of a darker complexion but has a straight, pointy nose, long hair, thinner lips, etc.... Now my father's maternal ancestry is definitely mixed (my dad, aunts, grandmother) are very fair-skinned (nearly white)with straight hair, but the paternal end is darker complected. My father has a wide nose, big lips, etc...like my grandfather. Out of my siblings I am the lightest, but I do not consider myself as being "light-skinned" (maybe i am in denial because in the winter i get really pale and bright), however I am the only one that has my father/grandfather's wide flat nose (described as haitians say; "zel-jet" airplane wings), big lips, and a high forehead. I was the "ugliest", not ugly though..as if it matters,thanks... because I looked like my grandfather! I am ashamed to admit but when I was a kid I used to think my grandfather looked like a gorilla!!! As a child I was ashamed and sometimes ostracized because of my lips and forehead, as an adult I am secure and love it. My face is interesting and has character...it tells the story of my ancestry.

I know of some people who say they want kids that are "light-skinned with good hair". I have heard people comment that "mixed" babies are never ugly. They intentionally reproduce with those of the opposite race to yield children with certain characteristics. My family comes in so many shades but we never discriminate, we never fight each other or think one is better than the other. In fact, it seems that there is more so a trend (based on my grandparents) of lighter-skinned women procreating with darker-skinned males. I never preferred a man of certain complexion, but I did end up falling in love with a fair-skinned, biracial male a.k.a high yella, redbone...and NOT because of that! It was so annoying that my bff's potential mates prerequisites were light-skinned, curly hair. My other bff will not date men with light-skin but her sister married a white man so she could have children with...ya know...light skin, good hair. I JUST DON'T HAVE A PREFERENCE!

My sister's second child came out to be as light as I am..she is dark-skinned as well as her husband and other children. It just so happens that my light-skinned, ratbastard nephew (kidding) makes fun of his dark-skinned sister because she has the darkest complexion! My sister is constantly reminding her that, "Baby girl you are beautiful like the color of chocolate". I'm still wondering who taught him that?! It just so happens that our son is the opposite of his dad, with coarser hair than mine, my wide and flat nose, big lips, and forehead, and somehow a tad darker than I...you would never guess that his grandmother is Caucasian. He is beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL (he really is such a handsome cutie)!!!! I am so glad I was able to appreciate and love my facial distinctions before I conceived a child who just happens to have my distinct facial features.