Colorful Times » Books

The Foreign Language Social Library in Olesnica (Poland)

Tadeusz Glowinski — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:03:48 +0000

In the pretty Polish town of Olesnica, there is a particular library. Please allow me to introduce you to:

The Foreign Language Social Library (a part of the Glowinskis’ Library) is a very special one in part because all of the library’s books, as well as its huge gallery of illustrations (digitals and pictures), have been donated by not only the illustrators and writers themselves, but also by librarians, publishers and people with large hearts from around the whole world.

Read! An illustration by Steven J. Lawrence donated to the Glowinskis’ Foreign Language Social Library in Olesnica, Poland in 2010. I am very happy with the way it turned out, said the illustrator.

I would be honoured and delighted if you would consider donating anything of your work to our library. Your own book (with autograph or dedication), illustrations, and the like, would be most appreciated by our readership and by me personally.

The Glowinskis’ Library lends books at no charge, and I work in the library as an unpaid volunteer. We depend entirely on people like you – large hearted people who love the printed word, books and illustrations – to make what we do possible.

Please visit our website to see who else has generously agreed to donate a small item of work to represent them at our library.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

With best regards from Poland,

Tadeusz Glowinski
Librarian

GLOWINSKIS’ LIBRARY
ul. Waly Jagiellonskie 20
56-400 Olesnica
Poland – Polska

Tadeusz Glowinski

I graduated study on the University of Wroclaw on speciality Librarianship and Information Science. I worked many years as a teacher in secondary schools (after graduated The Study of Teachers in Wroclaw and High School of Engineers in Opole). I graduated as well Technical School in Sanok. Before I had been finished Elementary School, I had to be born. It was on 13-th of January, 1944, in Jedlicze near Krosno.

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Playing the Game: Subverting Colonial Power Structures in Kaffir Boy & Things Fall Apart

Verona Bennett — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:33:07 +0000

Mark Mathabane’s 1986 autobiography, Kaffir Boy, describes his upbringing under South African apartheid and the process by which he escapes to the United States. A bright student, young Mark devours the books his mother’s white employer lends him, and through their relationship, he also begins playing tennis – which was pretty high on the list of white and upper-crusty sports in those days. Under the guidance of a black player, Mark becomes so skilled that he is invited to play at an all-white tennis club.

Surprisingly, nobody at the club cares that this is a huge rule violation, and Mark’s presence not only dispels some white stereotypes about blacks, but also makes him recognize his own fundamental equality with a world that would have him think otherwise. Eventually, Mark’s mentor encourages him to play for the South African Breweries’ Open, which the apartheid government has made multi-racial in a feeble attempt to improve their international image. Insulted by their country’s transparent and self-serving gesture, every black player decides to boycott the event – except Mark.

Although his participation outcasts him from the black community, it also has huge symbolic implications. Mark crosses into the white sectors of Johannesburg – which was against the law at the time – to play a very elite sport, thus literally beating the colonizers at their own game. On a more practical level, showcasing his ability earns him a scholarship to Limestone College in South Carolina, which not only allows him to escape South Africa, but also brings him to a place where his story can be heard and make a difference. Kaffir Boy just goes to show that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em – and THEN beat ‘em.

In a similar tradition of African literature is Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, who is best known for a series of novels about British colonization that includes Things Fall Apart and No Longer at Ease. Although Achebe is the most widely-translated African author in the world, he has received strong criticism for not writing in his native Igbo. Unlike Mathabane, Achebe still called Africa home when he decided to write in English.

Just as Mathabane finds himself defending his participation in the tennis open, Achebe must argue for his use of English over Igbo. First, English is the only language spoken across all of Nigeria (not to mention most of the rest of the world), which allows his message to reach millions instead of just thousands or even hundreds. Secondly, Achebe never allows the language to confine him; he manipulates English to conform to Igbo style, mimic its cadence, and express its proverbs. By “extending the frontiers of English so as to accommodate African thought-patterns,” Achebe forces the language to serve him, thus subverting voice of the colonizer to convey that of the oppressed.

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Verona Bennett

Africa Since Independence: A Comparative History

Jack Dee — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:35:03 +0000

This is a genuinely comparative study of the different trajectories and experiences of independent African states. It addresses the differential legacies of British, French, Portuguese, Belgian and Spanish colonialism as well as the unique qualities of imperial Ethiopia and Liberia.

Paul Nugent analyses boundary problems, the reshaping of territorial structures and the contrasting ideological paths followed by civilian and military regimes. The book ends with a look at the interplay between structural adjustment, ethnicity, democratization and the impact of NGOs. A state-level perspective is balanced by a sensitivity to popular culture.

Rating: (out of 1 reviews)

List Price: $ 38.00

Price: $ 28.40

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Jack Dee

I've been an IT consultant for over 15 years. Strange to get paid for doing what you love. May be in danger of being called a geek... but who cares? I actually enjoy every opportunity to drive through the concepts, design, and creative framework on even personal web-based projects. My other passion is travel: 72 cities in 35 countries at the last count.

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Shani Greene-Dowdell’s Keeping It Tight (Reviewed)

Basee Saka — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:38:02 +0000

Keeping It Tight by Shani Greene-Dowdell chronicles the emotional rollercoaster life of Lela, a woman who can bring home the bacon, fry it up, and put it on the table as well. Lela is no stranger to heartbreak, but with the help of family and friends is able to pick up the pieces of her life and move on. When faced with making a real choice she is convinced that she has made the right one this time and will make every effort to stand by her decision. However, there is a spanner in the works, making it difficult for her to focus on the task of maintaining her relationship.

Author Shani Greene Dowdell: A businesswoman who knows the power of self-promotion.

I deliberately waited until I was going to have some undisturbed time in which to read Ms Dowdell’s book. I like to transport myself into the story almost like an extra in a movie. One of the things that struck me almost immediately was the way the author gave enough description for you to get an idea of environment, but not too much so as to take away your own powers of imagination. I felt as if I was reading a written version of a Tyler Perry film. You know; good looking, well put together women; chiselled hard-bodied men; light airy settings; with sporadic paragraphs depicting sex but not enough to label it as erotic fiction like Zane et al—just enough to make you blush. I read the entire story in two or three sittings over one day, so it’s a quick read.

The story opens with background information. The author shows us a woman who, although abused by a man in a previous relationship, is able to pick up the pieces and try love again. She gets a partner who is loyal and has potential this time. And she is supportive of him, but despite great sex, a comfortable home and a nice ride, her man, Tyrese, is still not satisfied. On the day Lela catches him cheating on her with Sarah, she is having a monthly girlie date with Tonya, her best friend. The interaction between Tyrese, Lela and Sarah, is so realistic and amusing that it almost made me choke on my drink–I was skilfully transported into the ice cream parlour like a fly on the wall–watching the scene play out with Tonya having her girl’s back, and Tyrese trying to squirm his way out of a very sticky web that he had spun for himself.

Whereas Lela’s previous relationship ended with the help of her cousin, Trey, Lela ends this one in fine style herself. Again, the author uses stereotypes to build a comical picture of the characters’ behaviour. Tyrese ‘legs it’ rather than face the police on a ‘trumped up charge.’ In a bid to cheer her friend up, Tonya insists that they carry on their girlie date as planned, and this is where Lela and Neil (Cornelius) meet for the first time. Clearly, neither of them is particularly keen to embark on a new relationship, but the seeds are sown.

The language and pace of the story is reasonable, while the storyline is predictable, but entertaining. You get a feel very quickly of what to expect and there are no hidden twists. At some points, I was left feeling disappointed at the author’s lack of imagination. For example, parts of the plot were reminiscent of films I had seen. Amanda drugging Neil and making him believe that they had had sex is a storyline from a film called Obsessed in which the husband was being ‘stalked’ by his ‘secretary’ who was going all out to take him from his wife.

Similarly, the author uses a type of Soul Food gathering as the setting for Neil and Lela to rekindle their attraction, and with the help of Trey, they start their own new journey of discovery. A journey in which Neil is ‘misunderstood’ and Lela is ‘neurotic.’ Or is it a path more readily described as a journey where mistrust, selfishness, inconsideration and past hurts conspire to prevent two people meeting each other’s needs?

A catalogue of events then proves too burdensome for the couple and they are faced with making a choice. At this point, the author seems to go out on a limb to be open-minded and more radical with the plot. Quite unbelievable to me, she introduces a Kramer vs Kramer type storyline, which because it’s towards the end of the book, you go along with so you can get to the end. The attempt at this point to add a twist to the tail is unbelievable both in timing and in the chronology of events, which seemed disjointed. Tonya (the best friend who figured heavily at the start of the book) disappears, only to resurface fleetingly in random parts of the story.

In the end, the book closes at the right point of the story. You felt the wind let down, and although the plot was a little predictable, it worked. Loose ends are nicely tied up, and you are not left thinking… so what happened to? I’d say that Shani Greene-Dowdell’s Keeping It Tight, is definitely worth taking on a journey to pass away the time. It’s not Mills & Boon, nor is it playboy, but a nice blend of propriety. It looks at the insecurities people have and how these affect their relationships. The perception of men and their role in life is also under the microscope, as is a woman’s perception of what being in a relationship should be all about.

I’m sure that readers will recognise friend or family members in the character types presented here. They might even recognise themselves. If this was a film, I can imagine a group of ‘Thirty-Somethings’ refuting the validity of the storyline in part, while agreeing in other parts and taking sides based on gender specifically. Overall, an interestingly, if hardly challenging, read that I would recommend to friends.

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Basee Saka

Slave Narratives: the Bedrock of Black Literature?

Namsey — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:58:26 +0000

What would your life story be like? What would you say? Why would you write it? What would you leave out and why? Where would you begin?

You begin. You finish, having spent months or even years recalling a mixture of meaningful memories. Then, imagine having your credibility, literacy and universal freedom of expression called into question; having to provide proof of authenticity (identity and status) and sufficient ‘intellect’ to verify and justify your life experience in print?

Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves.

These are some of the questions I asked myself whilst researching my interest into the narratives of enslaved men and women: autobiographies written by people of African descent who experienced the state of being bound in servitude as the property of a slaveholder or household during the Transatlantic Slave Trade between 1500-1880s.

My research into ‘slave narratives’ (as these autobiographies are known) was originally funded by the National Lottery (‘Awards for All’) in 2007 with my research findings to be produced as an exhibition for the Nottingham community with artefacts and copies of these important black literary texts being made available for viewing. Nottingham Central Library hosted the exhibition as part of its celebrations for the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade Act of 1807.

The purpose of this article and the exhibition on slave narratives is to:

share research findings with my community

raise awareness of the existence and significance of these autobiographies and thus encourage new understanding and perspectives on a forgotten period of Western and African literary and social history

promote the importance of education and literacy

celebrate the resilience and courage of these writers of the African Diaspora and ultimately, to generate action and positive change in our communities

Research Developments

Scholarly research into slave narratives began in the 20th century marking the start of the narratives’ re-publication and thus, their valuable preservation for future generations. In the 1930s, Fisk University in the USA and the USA government jointly funded a scheme called the ‘Federal Writers Project’ which set about interviewing former slaves and recording hundreds of autobiographies for research purposes. Following this, Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s lit the spark for recovery, collation and revision of significant ‘lost’ slave narratives, and other important black writings. Academic discussion continued into the 1970s through articles, books and dissertations perpetuating the slave narrative in its own category of literary genre. Britain in 1980s seem to begin serious black literary research through key Black British history scholars like Peter Fryer, James Walvin (University of York), Professor David Dabydeen (Warwick University) and Paul Edwards have all contributed our knowledge of early autobiographies produced by people of African descent. There is also current scholarly interest into slave narratives in Germany, France, Japan, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

What is a ‘Slave Narrative’?

A slave narrative is an autobiographical, testimonial written account of the life experience of an enslaved African during and after slavery. Slave narratives give valuable and rare detail of what it was like to be enslaved, a brutalized person, and are written largely in their own words about their ‘new worlds’ as captives in Europe and the Americas. The slave narrative presents a different perspective on slavery; in opposition to the widely circulated proslavery publications like Edward Long’s ‘History of Jamaica of 1774.’

Slave narratives are a significant literary resource essential to our understanding of black African/Caribbean literary history as they form the ‘bedrock’ or foundation within Literature of the African Diaspora. They represent early forms of what is now a major literary genre, the autobiography, that emerged in England during the 1760s as a reaction to ‘rational’, impersonal schools of thought from the so-called ‘Enlightenment’ Period (‘Age of Reason’ c1680s-1790s) to a more personal, author-centered approach to understanding and improving the political and ‘transcultural’ turmoil throughout the Romantic Period of the 1780s-1840s.

The autobiographies were a product of their age and by the end of the 18th century emerged as a distinct literary genre and a primary source for the reassessment of British and American Literature. The majority of 18c early slave narratives were written and published in London or New England in the USA. Ironically, these locations offered a relatively safe and humane place for protest and request for freedom by black Africans (following the Somerset Case of 1772). Runaways and free black people had a small sense of legal freedom in UK. After 1807 interest in the slave narrative declined and thus the first period of popularity ended. The second phase in the publication of slave narratives occurred from around 1830-1865. This time the key purpose was to expose and attack the institution of slavery. This phase saw the greatest number of slave narratives published as a result of sociopolitical developments: changes in economic policy and technological advances; cities were growing; the West (US) was opening (frontiers), formation of a new societies, great optimism and social idealism.

Structure of a Slave Narrative

Slave narratives primarily chronicled incidents in the captive’s life and experience giving valuable insight into the narrator’s culture and society. Early slave narratives:

contained statements and arguments about philosophical, political and religious beliefs which are interdispersed throughout stories of bondage and escape

ironically mentioned less about the true atrocities of slavery than writers in the 19c. and attacked the Slave Trade on moral, religious and social grounds

maintained a strong sense of who they were and still considered themselves Africans (e.g. Olaudah Equiano, Venture Smith)

There are an estimated 6,000 slave narratives with a dozen or so written by former slaves residing in the UK at some point in their lives. Narratives were sometimes published in newspapers, magazines, anthologies, court records, church documents and in US State and Federal reports. Hundreds of thousands (millions?) may simply exist as oral accounts, sadly, seen as ‘not valid’ in the western world’s research organizations.

Most enslaved men and women were not permitted to read or write so their life stories were written down by ‘sympathetic’ editors (white abolitionists). This begs the question: how much of these narratives were edited out? (Bearing in mind that they would have been asked to submit evidence to back up claims made in their autobiographies, and sometimes, faced hours of interrogation and further persecution). Also, how many of these editors made ‘subtle improvements’ over the years with new editions of a narrative deliberately making our reading of each text less ‘pure’. Perhaps this would have been done so that readers could never reach the truth about the vile nature of the atrocities that happened during this period.

Who were these African narrators and how were they linked to Britain?

Through my research, I discovered that several writers of slave narratives actually lived or travelled to Britain at some point in their lives with many publishing their books or pamphlets in England and North America. Many also travelled and lectured across many countries as part of the Anti Slavery Movement. Some examples of male and female writers of slave narratives who lived in Britain include:

Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797)

Lived in London behind Middlesex Hospital (10 Union St, now called West Riding St currently behind Oxford St). Equiano was often at the Anti Slavery Office, in London (at 18 Aldermanbury St). His narrative called, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African, was published in London in 1789. A first edition is currently held at the British Library, London. Equiano sold his narrative himself with the support of the radical publisher, Joseph Johnson, situated in St Paul’s Church Yard, London. Equiano also visited Nottingham.

John Jea (1773- 1816)

Lived and married in Portsmouth and preached in Liverpool, Manchester, Yorkshire, Limerick and Cork. His narrative, The Life, History and Unparalleled Suffering of John Jea, the African Preacher, was published in Portsea in1815.a first edition is held at the British Library.

John Marrant (1755-1791)

Ministered in Whitechapel, London and was buried in the Huntingdonian Chapel (now demolished), in Church St, Islington, London. A Narrative of the Lord’s Wonderful Dealings with John Marrant, a Black. First published in London, 1785. A version is published in, Unchained Voices: An anthology of Black Authors in the English-Speaking World of the 18th Century, edited by Vincent Carretta (University Press of Kentucky, 1996).

Frederick Douglass (1818?-1895)

Lived in Britain for two years. Made no fewer than 51 speeches at 24 different locations across Britain in Bristol, Manchester, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. His Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, written by Himself, was first published in Boston (Massachusetts, USA) by the Anti-Slavery Office in 1845.

Harriet Jacobs (1813-1897)

Lived in Liverpool, London and Steventon in Berkshire. Jacobs spent ten months in the UK. Her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was published in Boston in 1861.

Mary Prince (1788?-1837)

Visited Hatton Garden and Chancery Lane, London taking shelter with the Moravian Church and Moravian Missionaries in Fetter Lane, London. Prince was helped by Anti Slavery Societies in London and Birmingham. Her Narrative was published in London and Edinburgh and called The History of Mary Prince.

Ukawsaw Gronniosaw (1710? Died after 1772).

Lived in London. Went to the Tabernacle Church off Petticoat Lane (a site is now part of a council housing estate), Liverpool St, London in 1772. Worked as a servant for royal artist Richard Cosway (a friend of British poet, William Blake). His narrative was published in Bath in 1772 and called, A Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, an African Prince, as Related by Himself. A copy is held at the British Library.

Briton Hammon (D.O.B unknown)

Hammon spent time in England recuperating after being wounded in the head (shot in a naval battle) in Greenwich Hospital, London. He stayed in London before returning to work on merchant ships as a cook. His autobiography, Narrative of the Uncommon Sufferings and Surprising Deliverance of Briton Hammon, a Negro Man, was published in Boston, USA, in 1760.

Louis Asa-Asa (D.O.B unknown)

Arrives in St Ives, Cornwall, England (following severe weather condition whilst on board a French ship) and is taken with four other shipmates to London. Whilst in England he wrote his narrative in 1831 and subsequently published in London and Edinburgh. Narrative of Louis Asa-Asa, a Captured African, is printed as a supplement in The History of Mary Prince: a West Indian Slave. Related by Her’. A copy is held at the British Library, London.

William Wells Brown (1814?-1884)

His narrative was published at 85 Queen St, Cheapside, London. Wells became well known in intellectual circles in Europe residing in there for several years. He gave an anti slavery lecture in Manchester which is recorded in the newspaper The Manchester Examiner and Times (Saturday, August 5, 1854). His autobiography called, Narrative of William W. Brown, an American slave. Written by Himself, has a portrait of him inside the cover. It was first published in Boston, 1847, then by Charles Gilpin in London, 1850.

What were the aims of a Slave Narrative?

The main aim of slave narratives was to give a realistic picture of the victims’ account of slavery from a captives’ perspective. The writers hoped that their personalized texts would somehow enlist readers’ disapproval of the atrocities, inhumane and immoral system of a business called The Slave Trade. These enslaved narrators tried to persuade readers towards the truth of their messages but also the necessity for every individual to work against the institution of slavery. The writers tried to challenge theories of racial superiority without raising suspicions that they were advocating social equality. These narrators were writing for a purpose; for historical imperative rather than a literary consciousness (for need rather than pleasure).

As time passed, there was increased radicalism–more directed attacks upon slavery and more information included in the narratives concerning black people’s contribution to American and British society. These narratives created greater tensions as they were more philosophical; the Africans were no longer traveling distances on slave ships but were now Africans born in North America or born in Britain, or even those born in South America, or on the Caribbean islands to which they had been taken. The structure from the earlier narratives was different. There was less about kidnapping into Western society, less about the Middle Passage sea journey and no adventures on the high seas. However, there is more information on attempts to escape through the Underground Railroad (the escape route to North America and Canada) and the writers experience campaigning against slavery as they no longer had the experiences of far away shores and continents: the USA and the UK, through circumstance, were their new homelands. Sadly, they now had to deal with the predicament of exclusion from the only societies they knew.

With the advent of the American Civil War (1775-83) public interest in slavery declined. The reality of a nation struggling for existence kicked in and there was little interest in outsiders such as blacks. After the Civil War there was a focus on rebuilding white America- upon rebuilding a nation with the finances and manpower gained from slavery.

What are the structures, contents and themes of Slave Narratives?

Some slave narratives had all the ingredients of a popular novel with personal interpretations of capture and kidnap, cruel enslavement, torture, violated maidens and separated families. The structure of the slave narrative is often written with a simple direct style (with Equiano’s eloquent style being an exception) in sections with beginning, middle and end. They frequently began with an introduction as an opening page, stating the title and assertion that the narrative was written by himself or herself and often with an addition label of ‘African/ West Indian or fugitive slave’. There were often chapters describing the narrator’s childhood and life before capture, their kidnap from their families, frequent transportation and displacement; whether across the Atlantic, from country to country or from different plantations.

There is often detail of a benefactor vouching for the honesty and integrity of the author and the reasons why the editor published the narrative (usually at the beginning or end of the narration). Each slave narrative was published with a minimum of two letters of reference from prominent/respected white citizens- usually ministers-who certified the good character and authenticity of the slave’s story. Editors included prefaces, news clippings, copies of legal documents and other materials published with each narrative to assure western literature readers of their validity. There were obvious pros and cons to having an editor as he/she posed a mandatory compromise with the narrator’s idea of form and content. The editors made serious effort to avoid unnecessarily antagonizing the British/US reading audience. There were also pressures by publishers, editors, and other sponsors to conform to tried and tested literary ‘standards’ and formulas. Many slave narrators resisted these efforts.

There is often an omission of exact time and dates but events are placed in chronological order (differing from a diary – there were no clocks and calendars for the enslaved). The concept of time was often illustrated by descriptions of local or national meteorological, social or political events (such as hurricanes, festivals and wars) and the passing of time through change of environment (quite often through travel); and accidental access to print media (newspapers and pamphlets), marriage (maturity), personal reflection or renewed sense of spirit and determination to survive: often not depicted at the start of the narrative. As a result, the ‘meatiness’ and richness in authentic descriptions of slave life ensured that the slave narrative became a vital part of anti-slavery publications circulated in Britain between the 1760s and 1880s; helping to galvanise public support for the abolition of slavery, and thus became powerful abolitionist tools, documenting injustices and initiating political and social change.

Who or what helped narrators in the production of their Slave Narratives?

Many of the autobiographies were not written in isolation. Assistance in many different forms was sought through:

The author’s own determination and resistance: his or her own desire and willpower for survival. Resilience: freedom fighting through literacy, education or physical struggle.

Spirituality: religious beliefs and practices from Africa and from Christianity. The Bible and faith in the Divine Providence (God) formed its own language of liberation and reform in the slave narrative.

Nonconformist churches: the Moravians, Baptists, Methodists and Quakers. An important aspect of the work of these churches was to deliver personal care, education and biblical instruction to the former slaves who they ministered to and converted into their churches. For example, the Moravian ladies taught Mary Prince to read and also baptized her and the Society of Quakers networked throughout Britain and campaigned for the equality of all people. The Quakers also played a vital role in the abolition of slavery through their contribution of finance, manpower, ideas and petitions to Parliament in 1783.The Methodists remained a movement within the Church of England and preached against the slave trade in Bristol and thus stood fast in its opposition to slavery. The Methodists placed a vital emphasis upon belief in the individual personal experience of God’s perfecting grace. The Methodist church kept their doors open to black slaves: in keeping with its broad agenda to “unite all races and classes of people and all denominations of Christians in a new birth in Christ.”

Sympathetic Individuals and organizations for example: writers, artists, members of the anti-slavery movement, philanthropists, abolitionist ghostwriters and editors for the slave narratives. These groups forming major players in the Abolition Movement with Abolition Committees created in every major town in Britain from the 1788 onwards.

The ‘Underground Railroad’ routes and safe houses to Canada and North America from the South, created by other slaves and secret white helpers and abolitionists.

Conclusion

Slave narratives are a great accomplishment. Despite forced enslavement, poverty and illiteracy, many enslaved Africans and former-slaves wrote and published their life stories containing extraordinary examples of courage, hope, feats of heroism and strength of character inspiring many readers including myself. The slave narratives illustrated individual impact and collective action and teaches us important lessons about tolerance, determination, self control and human rights to ponder and reflect upon in our society today. The texts were a process of self-liberation for captured Africans bound up in servitude under a mode of production in which, as chattel slaves, they constituted the principal work force and towards the emergence of a newly formed ‘self’.

Thus, the slave narrative is a construction of cultural art; a regeneration and transformation process created from the wreckage of the past. They help us, the readers, to bridge knowledge and gaps in literary and cultural representation erased from western literature. They also provide us with valuable insights into a history from which Britain and America often tries to hide: helping us to understand who we are, where we have come from, and our relationship with others in the African Diaspora, as well as in the world.

Our narrators of the slavery experience found their sense of purpose by focusing on outcomes: on being survivors and not on the obstacles of life–be they prejudice, racism or exclusion. Despite unspeakable suffering, enslaved men and women of African descent relied heavily upon their courage, intelligence, resilience and resourcefulness to raise families, maintained marriages and businesses, and surprisingly, executed great control over their lives under the circumstances. We are the product of their courage.

Slave narratives spoke of the dehumanization of a their race rather than their own individuality, and sought to present their authors as individuals and part of a community at the same time. These writers were active participants in trying to rid themselves of the brutal situations in which others placed them. In other words, they refused to accept their situation. They took risks to improve their lives; a feat many of us would find extremely difficult these days, through fear of repercussion, in this surveillance world we live in. The authors of slave narratives have shown their assertiveness, ability and strength of spirit in an attempt to carve out a literary voice of their own, and their stories display resilience and fortitude.

As a result, their autobiographies are a significant literary resource, essential to our understanding of black African/Caribbean literary history and should have a permanent and recognized place in the canon of literature written in English. These authors have certainly inspired and encouraged me to try even harder to make a positive change in the things that I do. I hope this essay has inspired and enlightened you to be an agent of positive change like our literary predecessors.

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Namsey

An educator and writer

What Do You Call a Black Man with a PhD?

Ramona Tirado — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:41:07 +0000

What do you call a black man with a Ph.D.? This is an old question, and one to which everyone in America already knows the answer. In his new book, Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority, Tom Burrell attempts to explain why the answer to the question has been, and continues to be: A nigger.

Burrell, an advertising executive, looks at some of the most talked about problems in the black community. He poses specific questions (for example; Why do we perpetuate black sexual stereotypes? Why can’t we stop shopping? Why do we give up our power so willingly?) and analyses sociological and advertising trends from the early 17th century–when African “brand” slaves were introduced to the market–to the present day.

The author laboriously cites historical moments when actions were taken against the enslaved and freed populations to single them out as deficient, and inferior in every way. It was an entire system of marketing, legislation, social and economic alienation, and inappropriate education, all carefully tailored to keep an entire people on the lowest possible societal wrung, and all due to something as insignificant as skin pigmentation. The reading experience was enough to make N. Xavier Arnold’s The Genocide Files seem like a leaked government conspiracy instead of a work of fiction.

Burrell backs up his claims with a fascinating illustrated timeline that presents various historical advertisements. What is most jarring about some of these images is how little things have changed over the centuries. Black Americans remain locked into the same stereotypical archetypes that plagued our ancestors both during and post-slavery. Worse yet, is the fact that the black community has become such willing participants in the campaign to belittle, malign and misrepresent our people. We no longer need others to lock us into savage buck, idiotic coon and wanton Jezebel stereotypes. We gleefully do this to ourselves and label it ‘success’. Upon examination, one must question why.

In fact, the branding of black inferiority is so deeply ingrained in American minds that not even winning the highest office the nation has to offer could serve as protection from being likened to a chimp (still the preferred racist descriptor), as was aptly demonstrated in the highly inflammatory New York Post cartoon that served as a reminder that black men are not to be taken seriously, not even when the black man in question is the President of the United States.

The buck(shot) stops here? Is this New York Post cartoon obviously advocating the slaying of President Barack Obama, playing on a long-standing racist slur of African-Americans, and using a veiled threat?

Still, this topic is not entirely new. The media has been accused of brainwashing the black population in the past, but Burrell’s insider look at the subtle ways advertising messages (both print and verbal/cultural) take root makes a compelling argument, naming the consistent negative messages as the administrator of the indoctrination and subsequent institutionalization of the learned helplessness that cripples black America today. Brainwashed is certain to strike a nerve as readers see their own dysfunctions illuminated in Burrell’s spotlight.

As I read the book, I found myself struggling through the chapter titled D’s Will Do: Why Do We Expect So Little of Each Other – and Ourselves? One of the reasons Burrell identifies is a strong, yet misguided, sense of protection as parents who, having experienced Jim Crowism first-hand, teach their children to avoid the noose by staying off the white RADAR. From my own experience, I cannot begin to count the times my mother raged that I was becoming ‘too big for my britches.’ On multiple occasions, I was warned that my ambition would get me killed. She insisted that the unnamed “They” would never let me become an astronaut, a lawyer or a writer. She fluctuated between ignoring and discouraging my academic pursuits, and employed guilt and shame to dissuade me from going away to college. All of this in an effort to protect me from the world as she knew it, the nightmare place where she was certain, I would be harmed, if I were ever caught with “high pockets.”

I was an adult when I finally understood the level of fear she must have felt every time I showed interest in something new, every time I asked to be exposed to something her experience told her would hold hidden dangers. The end result is a self-censorship so regimented and extreme that I don’t always realize I have hindered myself until whatever opportunity I sought has passed. In effect, I have been brainwashed into withdrawing when I notice myself dangerously approaching a sought after goal as, in the back of my mind, my mother’s panicked voice reminded me to avoid drawing attention to myself.

Claiming that the Vogue cover photo was not based literally on King Kong does not change the fact that the cover image took its inspiration from a long line of damsel-dragged-off-by-brute representations, making King Kong and the Vogue cover siblings, of a sort, in that both appear to have been inspired by the same propaganda poster.

The book is peppered with tables that describe the various problems, as Burrell sees them, and breaks them down into explanations of both their current manifestations and their historical roots. While this is interesting and informative in many instances, in some, it comes off as a little forced, insubstantial, leaving one to wonder about the author’s qualifications to theorize about the sociological root cause of this crippling dysfunction. Despite this, however, much of the book was as engaging as it was informative.

The final pages, in the authors attempt to leave the reader on a hopeful note, failed to inspire me to do much more than seek additional information. Burrell’s plea for a systematic change in the way corporations market to the black community came through loud and clear. Still, I was not moved to sound my battle cry despite the effort to stir pathos with a letter that was certainly meant to inspire action. If nothing else, the more autodidactic reader ends the text with an interesting reading list with which to continue research and study. For some, that alone will be worth the cost of the book.

Ramona Tirado

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Jimi Izrael’s ‘The Denzel Principle’ – The Lowdown, or Just Low Down and Dirty?

Cyril Husbands — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:24:56 +0000

First the good news: Jimi Izrael is very frank and honest in this book (at least, up to a point; more on this later). He is also taking on a complex, sensitive, vital and always interesting agenda, which few African American men (or African/Caribbean-British men, for that matter) care to take on at all, let alone publicly and with so much effort. For this, he deserves credit, as well as for his stated aim to change the dominant narrative about African American men, which he justifiably characterises as overwhelmingly negative and backs up with some insightful observations. But this is as good as it gets.

The dysfunctional state of intimate and sexual relationships between African American men and women is, according to Izrael, a sociological touchstone, used by African American women and white Americans of both sexes to vilify African American men. He provides some evidence for this and makes plain his intention to refute this analysis. In doing so, however, he makes what strikes this reader as a basic error by blaming virtually all this communal dysfunction on African American women. If it is overly simplistic and derogatory to blame African American men for these problems, surely blaming African American women entirely is equally wrong? I suspect that in doing so, he is not only over compensating; he’s also pre-empting the resounding rejection of his ideas that he correctly anticipates will dominate responses to his book. This isn’t the only paradox contained in Izrael’s long-winded argument; African American women are referred to as bitches throughout its 300 odd pages, along with other derogatory epithets.

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The book is subtitled Why Black Women Can’t Find Good Black Men (author’s emphasis). As with many of the elements of the argument Izrael constructs, he is somewhat vague on how to define ‘good black men.’ His opinions on gender roles are much more clearly specified, however, reading like a tract lifted straight out of 1950s Americana. Given his role as a token black contributo to Rupert Murdoch’s hard right Fox News, this is unsurprising. But his writing style is not so much old school as confused. His prose reads like an unhappy cross between a modestly articulate defender of gangsta rap and the self-consciously arch wit of a syndicated columnist. This mix might have worked better if not for another irritating affectation.

The brief, one sentence paragraph.

Izrael uses this unsubtle device to exclaim (both damn and wow, in the introduction, for example) emphasise various points, or to indicate he’s said something profound, controversial, or that he’ll explain in the following paragraphs. Using this device once would have been too much; using it throughout the introduction and eleven chapters is wearying.

Yeah, I said it. See what I mean? And this paragraph is three sentences.

Izrael wears many of his paradoxes on his sleeve, though this doesn’t necessarily mean he’s aware of all of them. For example, he is at pains to emphasise he is not homophobic, declaring early on that he was a DJ in a gay nightclub and attended several lesbian and gay ‘weddings.’ (This reads rather too much like ‘some of my best friends are black’ for comfort to me, but never mind.) He also expresses a surprisingly progressive attitude to communicating with his nine-year-old daughter about sex and in a bizarre passage that somehow eluded the editing process, tells his male readers how to look good in a sarong (nothing’s sarong with that, except that it gave me the excuse to inflict that pun on you)! He’s even open to the possibility that his daughter may be lesbian or bisexual. Given this, it is puzzling that he declares: “the only thing worse than a slut is a lesbian slut.”

Another striking paradox is Izrael’s tendency to exaggeration. He frequently describes himself as a ‘big (black) dude,’ yet the factual information he provides does not support his claim. At 5 feet 10 inches, he is about the same height and judging from the admittedly limited perspective of the head and shoulder portrait that graces both the book and his website, roughly the same build as Manchester United and England striker, Wayne Rooney. Not puny but certainly no imposing physical specimen, particularly by USA standards (a quick online check of a few credible websites declare this to be average height for that nation). This makes his claims about the age at which he started being sexually active, the number of sexual partners he’s been with and the “freaky,” satisfying nature of his sexual prowess open to question.

It takes Izrael around 260 pages to disclose his current relationship is with a white woman. Presumably, this is because anyone who has read that far will soldier on for the remaining 40 odd pages, even if in doing so, they question the value of advice from someone in a mixed relationship on restoring relationships between African American women and men. He is also surprisingly reticent about his relationship with his mother and takes his cue for addressing their difficulties from a white ‘fuck buddy.’ But this is OK, because he asserts he has his “blackness intact,” whatever that means.

In one of Izrael’s endless list of stereotypes, most of which are derived from or illustrated by examples from movies and entertainment, he says: “the only thing worse than a little knowledge is too much and a steady diet of books on the pathology of blackness will only make [this stereotypical male] angry and drive you crazy.” I would heed his advice in this case, unless you get off on being offended, consider one dimensional stereotypes as a valid means of understanding the world of relationships, or like your comedy unintentional.

Cyril Husbands

Fighting Through House of Leaves

Evan Arnold — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:07:10 +0000

I’m currently fighting my way through Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves. Placing it into a genre is rather useless. On some levels it is a love story, on another it is an existential horror story, on yet others, it is a puzzle contained within pages. It whirls past preconceived notions of what a book is and turns into something completely new.

It is a thick body of work of the story within the story within the story type that is so complex that it requires one to keep notes at least, and if the whole tale is to be understood properly there are messages to put up to a mirror in order to be read, subtle and obscure references to just about everything in Human history, and minute details must be payed attention to–there are codes to crack and messages to decode. This all might seem nonsensical on the surface, but there is a pattern.

I’ve barely made it into the first chapter and I’ve accumulated two legal sized pages of information. For what and to what end, I cannot say. Only by reading the book will time tell. So far, though, if you have time for such an ambitious project, I’d say it’s totally worth it.

To be continued…

Evan Arnold

Sylvester Stein Republished

Paul Boakye — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:30:51 +0000

The Nononsense Press has just republished Sylvester Stein’s third novel written in the early ’60s and called What the World Owes Me by Mary Bowes. It has been republished in the Nononsense Press’ exciting new format printed on A4 paper and staple-bound so it is easy to read in bed, in the bath and on a bus.

This is the second production by the Nononsense Press: in 2008 it republished (a jubilee edition) his satiric novel 2nd class Taxi, the one the then South African government banned for subversion, but which remains a classic of South African literature.

This production has now been launched to coincide with a new website outlining Sylvester Stein’s interesting life. There you can explore his early life, his time on Drum, his acting years and his anti-apartheid days as well as a bit of the Drum story.

What the World Owes Me by Mary Bowes is not so famous but, originally published by Faber and Faber, it came out to much critical acclaim.

Mary, poor girl, has lost her tongue completely after what happened in the ‘Off Beat’ and the ‘Portisano’; and before she finds it again we discover what happened to her, not only in the murkier by-ways of Soho, but also in the Blitz, when she was born, in North Wales, where she was an inmate of an infants’ home, and in South Africa where she really grew up.

Most people will feel that the world owes Mary Bowes more readings than one. Pick up your copy here today.

Paul Boakye

Writer, editor and marketing specialist who sat on The Power Inquiry. Former editor and CEO of the consumer lifestyle magazine, Drum (UK), and author of five plays published for an academic audience by Alexander Street Press, USA. Recipient of business and writing awards, including prestigious accolades such as advising British government, BBC radio and TV commentator, and invitation to meet Queen Elizabeth II in 2007. Currently works as a communications professional, creating contagious ideas to help great brands change the conversation to their advantage, across the entire Central and West African region.

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