Forgetting Why We Remember

Today is Memorial Day and while many of us celebrate the holiday with barbecues and trips to the beach, I think it is also important to remember the solemn history behind this holiday. In today’s New York Times, David W. Blight published an article recounting the origins of Memorial Day after the Civil War through […]

Gil Scott Heron: A Poetic Revolutionary

Yesterday, I was sad to find out that singer and poet Gil Scott Heron died at the age of 62. Best known for his poem and song, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” Heron was one of the important links between the 60s Beat poets and the Black Arts/Power Movement, and the Hip Hop and […]

Lose Control!

via The Ase Fountain “AfroFutures. Postmodern Ancients. Spoek Mathambo – Control This is such a great video, it can be read on so many levels. A South African cover version of an English tune (Joy Division – She’s Lost Control) to me it plays with the kinds of images that signal a terrible, fearful ‘voodoo’ to the […]

Sorry, You’re Not That Original

One of the reasons I was never impressed with Lady Gaga is that I feel as if what she does and wears has been done before and she does not even do a great job at naturally making it her own. Here is a picture I saw on Tumblr today comparing Grace Jones and Gaga, […]

Jon Stewart, I Love You!

This is why I believe it is important to put things into context, including historical context. It provides for a better argument. Jon Stewart of The Daily Show totally owned Bill O’ Reilly on his own Fox News show. He could not even properly answer Stewart’s questions; he looked like a complete and utter fool. Also, […]

Backslide to the Moonwalk

I remember growing up how I gazed in amazement when I saw Michael Jackson doing this move. Every time I tried to do it, I felt I could never do it justice, my feet would always find it hard to slide back properly. To this day, I think Michael Jackson is one of the greatest […]

Postmamboism: History Through Music

“Open your ears to hear words, songs and other important matters.” Last week, while looking up poetry from the Harlem Renaissance writers, and the Jazz drummer, Art Blakey, for my honors thesis, I stumbled upon a piece by Ned Sublette wrote two years ago about his theory of “Postmamboism:” “…Postmamboism is closely allied with (but not […]

The Last Angel of History

Do you know how long I have been trying to find this film?! And the only place where I can find it, sells it for almost $300!!!! Directed by Ghana-born English director, John Akomfrah, the 1995 documentary, The Last Angel of History,explores the intersections between Black music, science fiction, and African Diasporic religion, spirituality and […]

Welcome To My New Blog!

This is Aker, Ms. Futuristically Ancient and I am a Time Traveler! My name Aker (pronounced Ah-Care) comes from an ancient Egyptian god represented by two lions facing opposite each other with the sun in between. He was know as the god of yesterday and tomorrow as well as the horizon. He also guarded the […]