As part of our programming for African Liberation Month, FF-WPR read through the remainder of an essay by renowned scholar of Africana, the late Dr. John Henrick Clarke. Clarke advocates a shift away from the essentializing historiography promulgated by the colonizers who in their writings about Africa and their dominant thinking, paints what is known to the modern world as Africa, as a place as (historically) under-developed. Clarke re-writes the history of Africa, to accord the continent and its ancient civilizations its rightful place in world culture and history. The contributions of the African continent , especially Egypt, have left a mark on world history and culture. The essay is an attempt to subvert dominant conceptions of Africa, a re-telling of world history and a call to action in a manner of speaking as Clarke encourages readers to re-imagine identity, particularly for the present African American community. Its a critical work which forces us to ask ourselves: who speaks for whom, what is told and what gets left out of the dominant discourse about Africa and her people. The essay can be found at http://africanbynature.com/
We also heard a poem and an interview with Dr. Afua Cooper. The interview is a discussion of slavery of black people in Canada and her critically acclaimed poetry. The interview can be found here: http://www.box.net/shared/ ahz4ef1xhc
For a complete biography of Dr. Cooper, including samples and a complete portpholio of her published work and poetry, visit: www.afuacooper.com
We apologize for not getting to Killing Rage: Ending Racism (1996) by Bell Hooks. We will attempt to review the book in a few weeks.
Please tune in next week for FF-WPR’s International Women’s Day Program!
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