The My-Stery: Mythologies in Popular Culture

Myth is all around us; it structures our societies, cultures and realities. Despite Nietzsche saying “God is dead,” the myths of various cultures still are embedded throughout our own cultures to this day. To understand most of the imagery and symbolism in our culture, we must study myths and stories. While doing research on various […]

“The Invisibility Cloak: Race and the Pagan”

The Black Witch wrote a post on the lack of people of color’s perspectives in pagan circles. “…If you’re a minority in Paganism, it is very bright and clear that unless you’re a picture on the wall, you’re probably not going to get represented in any well-rounded way and shouldn’t expect it. The common face […]

Shout Out

Giving a shout out to one of my supporters, “Mr. Thumblewaddle.” Check out his Project Dystopia page on youtube and these two films that he introduced to me: Hilton Carter‘s Moth, which stars Heaven Murphy, is about a visually beautiful film about an actress who finds herself drowning from her heartbreak and drug abuse. Gaspar […]

Otherwordly Videos: The Art of the Dogon

The above BBC documentary, called Hidden Treasures: African Art, follows the impact of modern culture on the traditional religious Dogon art as well as the transformation of West African traditional art and modern influences in contemporary Malian and Ghanaian art. Watch the whole documentary; at the end you will see a some cool Ghanaian fantasy […]

The My-Stery: My Speculative Return Home…

For the first day of “Black History Month” (although Black history should be all day, everyday), I want to give a little background history of my return to speculative fiction. Looking back, I have always enjoyed speculative fiction, including science fiction, horror and fantasy. Growing up, I love fables, books and films about talking animals, […]

Haiti, Voodoo and Rebuilding…

Black Public Media released a video about the historical and present-day misconceptions about Voodoo. A voodoo priest, or hougan, Ati, gives a more accurate description of what voodoo is and its place in the rebuilding of Haiti after the earthquake. To learn more about the Haitian culture, please visit ZOE Magazine/Defend Haiti.

Modern Griots: Ayiti Resurrect

Carmen Mojica posted about Ayiti Resurrect, a grassroots organization whose work is centered around helping to rebuild Haiti: “Ayiti Resurrect is a team of visionary artists, community builders, mental health specialists, and holistic healers with bloodlines in Haiti and the African Diaspora. We have organized ourselves as a grassroots delegation working in collaboration with local […]

Otherworldly Videos: Wicked Scientist

This song is by English rapper, Juice Aleem (sounds like Jerusalem) and it is from his Wicked Scientist Mix. Reminiscent of the visuals of early Hip Hop & Rap video, it was partly inspired by an old VHS and TDK tape footage. Not only does Aleem use mystical elements in his song, but also the […]

Otherworldly Videos: The Haunting of Sound

As I work on my honors thesis about percussive and body politics of black music, specifically in hip-hop, the focus of my paper is forming as how sound in black culture has been used as a subversive tactic. Both James W. Perkinson’s Shamanism, Racism, and Hip Hop Culture: Essays on White Supremacy and Black Subversion […]

“I AM A MAN: Black Manhood & Sexual Diversity”

This film addresses the historical, social, political, media and religious contexts of black masculinity and black male sexuality in Africa and America. A panel, including Marc Lamont Hill, Esther Armah, Cleo Manago, Rev. Al Sharpton, Bishop John Selders, and Dr. R. L’Heureux Lewis, also contribute to the discussion of sexuality in the African Diaspora. This […]