Thinking today about this idea of humanity, a word that is being thrown around like a dishcloth of late. What does humanity look like? Does it have a face even? What do we think about when we casually say the word? What is the motivation to create, to wake up and start writing or producing art? The purpose of which is to somehow enlighten others on thoughts and in sharing our universal commonalities reminds ourselves that we are not alone. It is agonising to see the way in which the people of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote D'Ivoire are being treated. As if they could be tested upon, sent man-made plagues and think that is acceptable in our modern era of global technology. Well it is certainly not. What is to done with these countries of unrestrained power? The ultimate control the Western world has over the global citizens is unacceptable and it is the job of the artist to address this tyranny. How can one express the sentiments of the world? Maybe through a flood of tears. To rant and rage about it would seem pointless as these are the darkest days in modern times. Nobody will listen if you screamed but all of us are connected in ways we never thought possible before. The will of the world is being challenged and the voices are gushing in from every angle. The pain that we are experiencing is universally shared between us all but this heart-ache is difficult to live with. What is happening is that we are starting to turn ourselves off, diverting our attention elsewhere, focusing on the positive and ignoring the ugliness that is so unbearable to witness.
Today, I am allowing myself the luxury of thinking. Personally, I am keen to find out where my thoughts will take me and so I am writing for pleasure. Dancing with the spirits that fly inside of me, that talk to me in my alone time, my not quite asleep, half-drunk, tearful times. I am thinking about this journey I have taken and heard others say, "Well I could of been very rich if I had gone into the private sector." I never think like that and only see myself as me after all it is only I that has to live with me. All the choices that I made and will always make are mine alone. My journey or destiny is set-out purely by the character I was born into and happily shaped over years of undisciplined thought. My driving factor has always been my love for humanity, always seeking out the best in those I have met and those I am yet to meet. My thoughts on what makes an artist are interesting and worthy of note. An artist is dangerous, unpredictable, spontaneous and exciting. You never know what the artist will do next. Society fears and adores the artist. A character that does what they can't do, be themselves. The artist is wild, lawless and free. Untamable and impossible to live with. As an artist you must open up your heart in public. Let the world in and watch them rip out your organs and chomp on all that is precious to you. Better still is having your dreams crushed and ideas mocked and hearing a voice in the corner saying, "I could of done that!" In order to save your soul why not think of your art as mere product. A canvas like a Hienz beanz can, like a trash can, a coke can or an African.
My thoughts of late have been on the "Middle Passage" - this journey from Europe to Africa to the Americas. This endless idea of First World vs Third World. A time of slavery and when the world lost it's religion or found it depending on how you see the long journey of change. When the Kingdoms of West Africa threw out their most valuable assets, those that understood about the nature and the ephemeral world of the spirits. What is exciting is how traditional African religion travelled throughout the different regions, changing ever so slightly in each location, re-defining itself as Hoodoo rather than Voodou. The oral culture is far more versatile than that of the Biblical books or the aggressive nature of the so-called peaceful Islam, Judaism and Christanity, all of which have blood dripping from their fingertips on a daily basis. I see Africans as good travellers, great friends and by and large, hard workers. All creativity and kindness comes from West Africa. Goodness is there in abundance. The sense of what is right and wrong is paramount and these codes are of vital importance to all those in the region. The moral compass of humanity is perfectly balanced and it is here we need to be focusing our attentions on now. We in the West are really lost and every day we keep on losing another inch of decency for the price of a bacon-cheese-burger.
We now know that Judas was on the cross rather than the written version of Jesus. He has become our scape-goat, our version of betrayal and our channel for our personal hatefulness. We know the importance of Mary Magdalene, who we now know was the lover of Christ and the mother of the Christians but the Papalcy would never agree to that. Never agree to have a whore hold such power on earth but that is the reality of history but the sacred books are written and re-written to serve a certain purpose; that of spreading the wickedness we are witnessing in our homes all around the world. So who is to save us now? Where do we look for our Saviour on earth? Where else but in West Africa, where life began and our human origins belong...
.
Today, I am allowing myself the luxury of thinking. Personally, I am keen to find out where my thoughts will take me and so I am writing for pleasure. Dancing with the spirits that fly inside of me, that talk to me in my alone time, my not quite asleep, half-drunk, tearful times. I am thinking about this journey I have taken and heard others say, "Well I could of been very rich if I had gone into the private sector." I never think like that and only see myself as me after all it is only I that has to live with me. All the choices that I made and will always make are mine alone. My journey or destiny is set-out purely by the character I was born into and happily shaped over years of undisciplined thought. My driving factor has always been my love for humanity, always seeking out the best in those I have met and those I am yet to meet. My thoughts on what makes an artist are interesting and worthy of note. An artist is dangerous, unpredictable, spontaneous and exciting. You never know what the artist will do next. Society fears and adores the artist. A character that does what they can't do, be themselves. The artist is wild, lawless and free. Untamable and impossible to live with. As an artist you must open up your heart in public. Let the world in and watch them rip out your organs and chomp on all that is precious to you. Better still is having your dreams crushed and ideas mocked and hearing a voice in the corner saying, "I could of done that!" In order to save your soul why not think of your art as mere product. A canvas like a Hienz beanz can, like a trash can, a coke can or an African.
My thoughts of late have been on the "Middle Passage" - this journey from Europe to Africa to the Americas. This endless idea of First World vs Third World. A time of slavery and when the world lost it's religion or found it depending on how you see the long journey of change. When the Kingdoms of West Africa threw out their most valuable assets, those that understood about the nature and the ephemeral world of the spirits. What is exciting is how traditional African religion travelled throughout the different regions, changing ever so slightly in each location, re-defining itself as Hoodoo rather than Voodou. The oral culture is far more versatile than that of the Biblical books or the aggressive nature of the so-called peaceful Islam, Judaism and Christanity, all of which have blood dripping from their fingertips on a daily basis. I see Africans as good travellers, great friends and by and large, hard workers. All creativity and kindness comes from West Africa. Goodness is there in abundance. The sense of what is right and wrong is paramount and these codes are of vital importance to all those in the region. The moral compass of humanity is perfectly balanced and it is here we need to be focusing our attentions on now. We in the West are really lost and every day we keep on losing another inch of decency for the price of a bacon-cheese-burger.
We now know that Judas was on the cross rather than the written version of Jesus. He has become our scape-goat, our version of betrayal and our channel for our personal hatefulness. We know the importance of Mary Magdalene, who we now know was the lover of Christ and the mother of the Christians but the Papalcy would never agree to that. Never agree to have a whore hold such power on earth but that is the reality of history but the sacred books are written and re-written to serve a certain purpose; that of spreading the wickedness we are witnessing in our homes all around the world. So who is to save us now? Where do we look for our Saviour on earth? Where else but in West Africa, where life began and our human origins belong...
.
No comments:
Post a Comment