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*”Dope Art: Jamea Richmond-Edwards Charcoal Drawings” on For Harriet.
*”Daenerys Targaryen is back to “save the coloureds” Tour de #GameofThrones 2014” on Media Diversified: “The character of Daenerys Targaryen is emblematic of Game of Thrones continuous problem with race[1]. Beyond the emetic “white saviour“ scene to close Season 3, we are first introduced to her during a forced marriage to Khal Drogo of the Dothraki people (who are non-white). At the wedding, the Dothraki are painted as little more than savages, with the men literally killing each other to force themselves on the women; hypersexual and hyperviolent, two big racist boxes are ticked[2].
This state of affairs remains the norm if you are both a regular television viewer, and a person of colour (PoC). The dynamic is especially acute in the world of genre fiction. Because we all look at the television screen, and what stares back at us is a lens; a white lens. It’s why weak racial depictions remain a habitual problem.
Culture is the progeny of the world we live in, and for far too many writers, the world they live in is so saturated by the social construct of “whiteness” that they fail to see anything beyond that. Which – intentionally or otherwise – serves to position whiteness as the only point of view worth depicting[3].”
*Indiegogo Campaign for short, 42:24. Here is the summary:
“Back in 2010, I was listening to Erykah Badu’s “Twinkle,” while designing a website. Intrigued about the new language I encountered on the track, I learned that the meaning of the words were directly connected to my studies of Kemetic (Ancient Egypt) Science at the time. I decided to write 42:24, a short film incorporating the 24 hour routine of the 42 Laws of Ma’at.
In 24 hours, Carla Khari is challenged to adhere to the 42 Laws of Ma’at, when her cousin, Brea Taylor comes to stay at her house. Carla just wants to find balance before the sun reemerges.”
*In Buffalo, New York, artist Lauren Ashley Howard is presenting her solo exhibition, Voyager: Navigating the Black Feminine Space on April 26th. Here is the description: “The Black Barbie Corps. of Astronauts (BBCA) invites you to explore the Black Feminine Space through an installation featuring paintings, found objects, performance, photography, and the BBCA’s Space Shuttle Crew–the reverse relaxed Barbie dolls.”
*CCCADI‘s 2nd Annual Health & Wellness Expo, Transforming the Temple: The Bliss of Now will be happening on April 26th. Susan L. Taylor, founder of the National CARES Mentoring Movement and former Editor in Chief of Essence Magazine, will give the keynote address. Click on the link above to get more information and buy tickets.
*”Apotheosis of Marie Laveau, Hoodoo-Voodoo-Vodou Icon” on Academic Hoodoo: “I knew that it was time to write this post after everyone in my classroom had seen the third season of the FX series American Horror Story, s
tarring Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau, except me. Most of my students had never heard of Mme Marie before, mind you, so it was a perfect opportunity to use television to learn something about a fascinating figure in Africana traditions who is both a cultural icon and an historical personality. Those who know her understand that her impact intersects broadly with New World and African religions and magic in the past and present, and extends into Hoodoo Studies and American religion. I still haven’t watched the show, but I am entranced by the sheer variety of guises under which the character of Marie Laveau appears in visual and performed representations. Nonetheless it is pretty clear that little is known about the actual person, her thoughts, her words, and her experiences in New Orleans some 150 years ago.”
*For updates on Greg Tate’s band, Rebellum, here is their official website: Rebellumbandandshow.com.
*”People of Color Do Survive the Apocalypse: 5 Books You Should Read” on Huffington Post.
*Watch the Brothers Hypnotic film about the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble on PBS’s Independent Lens.
*Saul Williams is the lead in a “non-biographical” stage production based on Tupac‘s music and life, Holler If Ya Hear Me.
*Oakland Teenager, Akintunde Ahmad has a 5.0 GPA and 2100 SAT score. Go him!
*Artistic Freedom LTD., released their movie poster for their film Roxe15 and the movie montage for their other film, Godspeed.
*Writer and director Kevin Jarvis sent me a trailer for his first feature film A Dangerous Cure. The satirical sci-fi/horror film is about “Savia, a fame obsessed tabloid journalist, tries to find the cause and the cure of a life threatening epidemic that is ravaging New York City during the economic recession of 2001. Her journeys take her to various underworlds where she documents people’s opinion of epidemic death, technology, and how the media uses the whole crisis as a platform for glamour.” The film will open theatrically at the Trylon Cinema in Minnesota on Thursday June 26, 2014.
*Trailer for Seeing Tomorrow “Freedom,” webseries. Here is the description: “In the near future, Jeremiah Paris, an average accountant orders a simple lunch with a Companion. Artificial life-forms created by multi-national corporations as the next evolution of online dating. His date soon turns into a harrowing tell of adventure.”
*New Music:
Marques Toliver’s “Studying for My PhD II”
Moses Sumney’s “Mid City Island”
Sherese Francis: Futuristically Ancient 