Monday, July 28, 2008
Colonial Mentality
I heard Seun Kuti on the radio the other day and it took me back to the 80s when I first heard his late father Fela Kuti's classic song "Colonial Mentality." Fela Kuti was a pioneer of Afrobeat music and a keen political critic.
Below is a long clip of the song (to hear the entire song, click here; for lyrics and translation, click here). At bottom, is an interview with Fela where he talks about colonialism in Nigeria and the "craziness" and "madness" of/about democracy. The song he refers to in the interview is "Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense."
Labels: Africa, Empire, Fela Kuti, music, resistance, video
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
"Detachment" & "Rats and Roaches"
Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of supply and demand; it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy. --Wendell Berry
Source: Epigraphs to Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor by Paul Farmer.
Labels: critical thinking, Justice, law, repression
Carlin on the "American Dream" & Carpenter on "Our Masters"
The George Carlin bit above is self-explanatory but the video
12 Sep 2021 addendum: As noted in Reason, more than four years ago, John Carpenter issued a Tweet that said: "THEY LIVE is about yuppies and unrestrained capitalism. It has nothing to do with Jewish control of the world, which is slander and a lie." Okay, it's pretty clear who the "yuppies" and capitalists are but who do the alien ghoul overlords disguised as humans represent in the film?
Elsewhere, Carpenter has said the film was a critique of Ronald Reagan, his policies, and the 1980s cultural milieu. All of this make perfect sense and is persuasive but how do Carpenter's ghouls fit in and why are they aliens?
By the way, I read Jonathan Lethem's book about the film (mentioned in the Reason article) and thought Lethem did a poor job. Among other things, he makes no mention of the opening sermon by the Street Preacher and, thus, he does not analyze it's biblical origins or its relevance to the film's overall theme.
Labels: class, critical thinking, culture, film & television, repression, United States, video
Friday, July 04, 2008
آه يا عرب Oh, Arabs
The video speaks for itself.
Translation of the background song, Ah Ya Arab (Oh, Arabs) by Kathim Al-Sahir:
My Arab brother
I am bewildered
What changed the revolutionaries' sword into a cane?
What changed the Arabic tongue into a wooden tongue?
Oh, my people
Oh, Iraq
We didn't sell out Arabs even during the worst of calamities
Hello brothers
Hello friends
The truth is the antidote for crying
We have no bread or medicine
We're hungry and wounded
But we carry our wound with the patience of prophets
Praise be to God
Who honored us with a test of patience in these times of hypocrisy
Thank God always
Inform the United Nations, they might hear me
Convey the voice of love
The voice of my father as he prays
The blood of Iraq's children is in Al-Amriyah Grave
Sleep my dear ones, may your sleep be peaceful
Labels: Iraq, Khawla, resistance
