Thursday, August 29, 2013

The Immortal 70's- and the VERY interesting present. (AfroPop)

 
The Immortal 70's- and the VERY interesting present.
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Hello Conscious Community,

Sad to say, but it feels as if summer is starting to enter its final run-down. The first back to school commercials are beginning to air, nights have begun to cool, and- right on time- we have set after set of aural sunshine just for you. On air this week is a show covering one of our favorite eras of music. The Immortal Seventies!  We'll hear legends like The Green Arrows, Ali Farke Toure, and more.  If you didn't catch it last week, you should DEFINITELY give an ear to Hip Deep Ghana 2: 21st Century Accra From Gospel to Hiplife. Produced by Banning Eyre, it is an exploration of the incredible variety of musical strands running through one of Africa's liveliest metropolises. From cutting edge youth styles to the church! Read an interview with the hilarious, boundary pushing FOKN BOIS. Or read an interview with Hip Deep scholar Jesse Shipley on Africanism and Hiplife. And stay tuned for a video from the project!   On the Blog- We give you a taste of Carnival madness with a mix from East London's Hipsters Don't Dance. We have the story of Syrian keyboard master Omar Souleyman's rejection from Sweden, and his subsequent Scandinavian  triumph. We celebrated Jamaica's independence day with classic ska cuts from 1962. Morgan reviewed the fantastic new compilation of underground Brazilian music "Daora" from Mais Um Discos records. M.A.K.U. SoundSystem released a new video. And there's a WHOLE lot more besides. The lineup of our September Gala Concert keeps heating up! We are proud to announce that Sudanese star Omar Ehsas will performing. Read more about his story HERE.   A final note- We are beginning to look for Fall Interns. So if you- or anyone you know- might be interested, apply! See here for more details.  Have a great week!  -Sam 

The Immortal 70's 

 

Afropop Is Looking for Fall Interns! 

Daora

Brazilian music that will MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN 

World Carnival Mix 

Souleyman 1, Sweden 0

5 Really Great Shaggy Songs That AREN'T "It Wasn't Me"

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What is the purpose of education? What can we learn from Liberia (Afropolitian)

From: MsAfropolitan msafropolitan@gmail.com
Subject: What is the purpose of education? What can we learn from Liberia
What is the purpose of education? What can we learn from Liberia
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What is the purpose of education? What can we learn from Liberia

By MsAfropolitan on Aug 28, 2013 09:22 am
091217 6 liberia security sector reform sgt 1st class dedraf blash What is the purpose of education? What can we learn from Liberia
Out of all the alarming news that we receive on any given day, the story about all 25,000 school-leavers failing a test of admission to the University of Liberia hit me like a can of whoop-ass yesterday! The Liberian newspaper, The News, has since reported that the university has agreed to lower the entry standards slightly to enable some permissions and Liberia's president, Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, confirmed that 1,600 students would be admitted. Nevertheless it's devastating. How on earth is it possible that not a single student passed the initial entry exams?
The obvious explanation is the civil war in Liberia, which ended only a decade ago. Furthermore, in a poor, postcolonial country interwoven in a neoliberal global system it is arguable that in many ways peace has not yet been achieved. It may thus seem natural that young people who are burdened with the memory of trauma, individually or collectively, are unlikely to perform well in school.
 
The more I thought about it, however, the clearer it became: While the residual legacy of war is probably the catalyst, it's not the main reason. A flunk of this scale has to be a problem within the system itself. After all, even psychologically traumatised young people can be seduced by knowledge acquisition and the excitement to learn. I know this proximately because my mum, who is a retired teacher, taught severely war-affected youth from Iraq, former Yugoslavia, Somalia and so on. If you can awake even the slightest curiosity in a young woman or man, you can teach them to at least be open to learning.
 
The major problem, in Liberia and elsewhere, is that the educational system is not set up to advance the society in which it operates. It is frankly quite useless and boring and in need of an overhaul. Understandably, students are simply not engaged any more, they're not excited about learning. They see no point in learning things that will not help them succeed in life.
 
The most urgent question in Africa is that of education.
I fear that what's happened in Liberia might be a precursor of what's to come in many African states. The already volatile standard of education has been stooping in recent years. African learning institutions are suffering of regular teacher strikes, bribe-culturegender based violence, corruption and a lack of resources to name a few. Furthermore, the ever growing youth population face massive unemployment. Experts from many African countries have raised concerns about the decay of the education system.
 
Inequality, poverty, exploitation, patriarchy, neo-imperialism, violence, war, leadership, health care and so on are all interlinked and bound together by the dilemma of education. And I don't mean education simply from a development/NGO/Millennium Goals perspective. Indigenous knowledge is also education. Learning to think independently is also education. Learning to love yourself is also education. In that sense, all of us, each and every African, needs to re-educate ourselves. We need to ask ourselves the fundamental question: what is the purpose of education? Is education simply a question of getting a certificate? Is it a means to a particular job? Is it a way to make money? Is it something to make our parents happy? Or, is it as I would like to propose, something that should encourage us to be of value to our societies and our societies of value to us. This dialogue is well overdue.
 
At the moment, the debates about educational reform centre around raising numeracy and literacy or providing each African child with laptops. But these are not our biggest problems. Why aren't we focusing on getting young people excited to learn, helping them become citizens who are connected to their environment?
I wish education in Africa were of an increasingly philosophical nature. Imagine campuses where students themselves are encouraged to probe into why they are studying in the first place. Imagine schools where 'pan-Africanism' and 'African philosophy' are core parts of the curriculum.
Education is a process that sparks an internal curiosity, its ultimate goal is to teach people how to learn. It is what helps people formulate some of the most important questions in life. Well, at least it should be.
 
What do you think? What would you like to see on the education agenda? Would love to hear your thoughts on this, let's discuss. msafropolitan@gmail.com
photo by: US Army Africa
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50 years later - Black conservatives & Dr. King - Herman Cain

 
   August 29, 2013
50 years later, black conservatives fulfill the true legacy of Dr. King
Published by: Herman Cain

His leadership led to our opportunities.
Fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. truly spoke for all black people, because we were all unified behind one purpose. That was equal justice and liberty for all, and no one did more to bring it about than Dr. King.
Today, there is no one leader who speaks for all black people, and that includes Barack Obama. He is the president of the United States, but he does not speak for all black people. This is as it should be, because one aspect of the freedom for which Dr. King fought is that no single leader should be able to tell all black people how to think or how to live. And anyone who claims to speak for all black people is a fraud.
Leadership is important, of course, and I want young black people to look to accomplished, responsible, informed black Americans for an example and for insight on how they might build happy and successful futures for themselves. A problem for young blacks, however, is that the most responsible and informed voices are not necessarily the ones you often see on television. They are not the ones who show up when there is racial strife and controversy, but rather the ones who are working hard every day to make the most of the opportunities Dr. King helped to give us.
I am happy to see the commemorations of the 1963 March on Washington, but I am a little disappointed that most of the speakers there will be politicians and activists, and that the tone coming from this event is as though it were still 1963, and that Dr. King's sacrifices have not borne any fruit. It made me angry when I heard Jesse Jackson the other day compare the Tea Party to the defenders of Jim Crow, because a) I have spoken at many Tea Party rallies and no one has ever treated me as anything other than an American; and b) Jesse Jackson should be better than the cheap tactic of marginalizing every political opponent with the false smear of racism. If he had any confidence in his beliefs, he would not do that.
So let me introduce you to some of my friends, informed black Americans who are Dr. King's legacy and who can serve as excellent examples of leadership for young blacks who also want to become the fruit of what Dr. King worked so hard to achieve. They are:
Harry Alford – President of the National Black Chamber of Commerce
Ken Blackwell – Former Attorney General of Ohio and former mayor of Cincinnati.  He sits on several boards and is a Senior Fellow for Family Empowerment at the Family Research Council.
Dr. Ben Carson – Retired pediatric neurosurgeon from John Hopkins and political commentator.  Dr. Carson is a quiet and brilliant man, who is unafraid to tell it like it is!
Niger Innis – President of CORE (Council on Racial Equality) and Chief Strategist for the Tea Party Patriots
Dr. Alveda King – Niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and political activist.  Her main focus is working with Priests for Life in protecting the life of the unborn.
Star Parker – Founder of CURE (Center for Urban Renewal and Education) and syndicated columnist.  She has been active in Republican politics and conservative issues since 1995.
Colonel Allen West – Former congressman from Florida, retired Army and political activist for conservative issues.
Armstrong Williams -  American Black Conservative political commentator and host of national syndicated TV program "The Right Side."
Walter Williams – Distinguished Professor of  Economics at George Mason University, as well as a syndicated columnist and author. Known for his libertarian/conservative views.
State Senator Elbert Gillory, R-LA – Recently switched parties from Democrat to Republican.  Outspoken and up and coming in the Republican Party.
Frances Rice – Chairman of the National Black Republican Association.  Mrs. Rice is also a retired U.S. Army Colonel and a terrific spokesperson for conservative issues.
Senator Tim Scott, R-SC:  First black elected Senator in U.S. history!  Senator Scott works tirelessly for the causes of conservatism.
Mia Love – Current mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah.  She is considering another run for Congress to unseat Rep. Jim Matheson (R) who has held his seat for over ten years. Mia is a staunch Republican and someone to watch in the future of the Republican party.
J.C. Watts - Former congressman from Oklahoma.
They all believe in the Constitution of the United States of America. They all believe in our free market system. They believe in freedom, not free stuff. They believe in individual responsibility.
That's what they all have in common, and they happen to all be black voices. They are the ones that more of us need to listen to. In 1964, the civil liberties no-fly zone was lifted, thanks to the sacrifices, speeches and marches of people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Today, equal opportunity is pursued in the trenches, in your community, in your place of employment. The promised land of equal opportunity did not promise equal results. That's where the divisive people get it wrong.
I do a lot of speaking all over the country. I'm going to be speaking at Yale next week. I often get asked when I'm out on the trail, "Mr. Cain, you graduated from college in the late '60s on the heels of 1964, and you have succeeded at climbing the corporate ladder. How did you deal with discrimination and being black as you pursued those achievements?"
I've gotten that question more than once. My answer has always been, first of all, I didn't have to deal with my blackness. The people who didn't like the fact that I was black, they had to deal with my blackness. I didn't go to work every day flaunting my blackness. I went into work focusing on what I needed to do to achieve results.
Was there discrimination as I climbed the corporate ladder? Yes, but I didn't focus on it. I allowed resentment to be someone else's problem.
I was too busy trying to be happy in the pursuit of my own American dream for myself and my family, not worrying about barriers in the mind of others that hold people back.
So let's use the commemoration of the achievements of the last 50 years to be a springboard for us, positively united, going forward in the next 50 years.
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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

La Bamba: The Afro-Mexican Story. (AfroPop)


Hello Imani is my Foundation,

On air this week is our encore of the popular La Bamba: The Afro-Mexican Story.”Much has been made of Mexico’s rich Spanish and indigenous heritage, but until recently, there’s been little talk of Mexico’s so-called “Third Root”:  Africa. In this Hip Deep episode, we use music to explore that history as we take a road-trip across the country in search of sonic traces of Afro-Mexico. Produced by Marlon Bishop.

On the Blog- A festival report from La Reunion. Saxon Baird gives us an exploration into the origins of dancehall's "Fast Chat" toasting style. We interview rising star Bombino

We’re ramping up to Afropop’s 25th Anniversary Gala  Concert on September 19th at the City Winery in New York. The featured artist is Bassekou Kouyate. Guesting with him will be Sudanese singing star Omer Ehsas. We’re very excited that longtime accompanist to and protege of Ali Farka Toure, singer/songwriter/guitarist Mamadou Kelly will perform. He is one of the most powerful young voices out of northern Mali today. His acoustic guitar playing is superb, he sings like an angel, and his songs address the multi-cultural realities of his troubled region. Backed by other veterans of Ali Farka’s legendary ensemble, Mamadou Kelly leads an ensemble with the nuance and precision of a string quartet, and the visceral rhythmic pull of a grade-A dance band.

This gala benefits Afropop’s mission and work. If you cannot make it on the 19th, we encourage you to make whatever contribution you can. Journalists can get more information here. We will record the program for both radio and television specials.

-Sean and the Afropop Team

La Bamba: The Afro-Mexican Story

Bombino Speaks

Respect! Orchestre Kiam

Dread Inna England

La Reunion Report

Electro Chaabi from Oakland?

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