Yakut people singing “We Are the Champions” in their native language.
So, there’s no way I am not going to reblog ‘We are the Champions’ in an indigenous language from Russia that is both agglutinative and employs vowel harmony.
(via karnythia)
Merf. Thinking is Hard.
Jha can has random thoughtz about tapirs, kitties, comics, pretty people, social justice, things in general.
On White Woman’s Tears & Black Woman’s Anger
I know people will claim that labels like White Woman’s Tears are misogynistic or whatever, but there is a phenomenon that is unique to middle class white women in discussions of race, wherein the moment the conversation gets hard they make it all about them, their feelings, and their tears. And it is so Scarlett O’Hara of them to expect Mammy to drop everything and dry the eyes of weepy white women.They will shed these tears & detail their hurts & then look at the faces of the POC around them expectantly. Because of course we are supposed to feel sympathy, empathy, something like kindness and compassion for them.
And in the beginning? We do. We hug it out & think we are talking it out. But after a while…after a while we notice that the conversation is always about their pain. Never about how we’re hurt. We see that our tears go unnoticed or even unshed because there is no safe place for us to cry them. And we get tired of drying the eyes of white women who claim to care & be so hurt & so sorry, but who never do anything about the pain that they are inflicting on us. So we stop rushing to dry their eyes, and our faces go flat, and we refuse to play the same games anymore. But they don’t stop crying.
No, they cry harder and more often. They are shocked & appalled when they discover Mammy isn’t real & the black woman they’re crying to, doesn’t give a fuck about their tears. And then the conversation is all about how mean we are to them. Never mind the part where they just disrupted an entire conversation (or series of conversations) to center it on their needs because they couldn’t do the work of confronting reality. We’re supposed to make their feelings a priority, and they can’t even see how racist that expectation is, much less how harmful their behavior is to everyone around them. So, they get mad or defensive, and they play the martyr. Newsflash, you’re not a victim. You’re an asshole & your willingness to wield tears as a weapon is just a symptom of the problem.
To add on to that, and certainly not to derail: Is there such a thing as “Asian Woman’s Tears”? I’ve noticed that Asian Americans seem as if we don’t have much say in the dialogue surrounding racism in the US, which is partly because of how we’re supposed to be the model minority and keep quiet while working hard. This is addressed in Pat K. Chew’s article, titled “Asian Americans: The ‘Reticent’ Minority and Their Paradoxes,” which I reblogged here. I think it’s both interesting and necessary to discuss whether “Asian Woman’s Tears” exists, and if it does or doesn’t, the reasons behind it.
I have not experienced anything that I would categorize as Asian Woman’s tears from Asian women who ID as Asian POC. On the other hand I have experienced something like it from Asian women who do not ID as POC. Which sounds overly complicated, but I am thinking of a specific situation at the moment & I know micro does not equal macro in terms of experience. Hmm, followers what do you think?
Trailer for the film Lost Words
The story of American Indians who must overcome the traumas inflicted by US policies as they fight to save their endangered languages.
Lost Words tells the story of Amber, Conrad, Yellow Otter, and S. Neyooxet Greymorning among other American Indians who are engaged in saving endangered languages. Through them we learn of how language is used to perform ceremonies and to express cultural identity. We also learn of the government push to eradicate American Indian languages and how the traumas experienced affect Indigenous peoples today.
Professor Greymorning, a determined and energetic professor, blazed a trail for others who are committed to saving dying languages by contacting Disney Studios and convincing them to rerelease the classic film “Bambi” in the Native American language, Arapaho. Now he continues to fight for language revitalization as he shares his teaching methodology, Accelerated Second Language Acquisition (ASLA), with Indigenous groups around the world.
No one knows what the fate of endangered languages will be. One thing is certain though. If we truly cherish a diverse world, we must fight to keep dying languages and cultures from going extinct.
(via bananaleaves)
Today in “I didn’t know they were Black!!”: Ludwig Van Beethoven
The true identity of Ludwig van Beethoven, long considered Europe’s greatest classical music composer. Said directly, Beethoven was a black man. Specifically, his mother was a Moor, that group of Muslim Northern Africans who conquered parts of Europe—making Spain their capital—for some 800 years.
In order to make such a substantial statement, presentation of verifiable evidence is compulsory. Let’s start with what some of Beethoven’s contemporaries and biographers say about his brown complexion.:
” Frederick Hertz, German anthropologist, used these terms to describe him: “Negroid traits, dark skin, flat, thick nose.”
Emil Ludwig, in his book “Beethoven,” says: “His face reveals no trace of the German. He was so dark that people dubbed him Spagnol [dark-skinned].”
Fanny Giannatasio del Rio, in her book “An Unrequited Love: An Episode in the Life of Beethoven,” wrote “His somewhat flat broad nose and rather wide mouth, his small piercing eyes and swarthy [dark] complexion, pockmarked into the bargain, gave him a strong resemblance to a mulatto.”
C. Czerny stated, “His beard—he had not shaved for several days—made the lower part of his already brown face still darker.”
Following are one word descriptions of Beethoven from various writers: Grillparzer, “dark”; Bettina von Armin, “brown”; Schindler, “red and brown”; Rellstab, “brownish”; Gelinek, “short, dark.”
Newsweek, in its Sept. 23, 1991 issue stated, “Afrocentrism ranges over the whole panorama of human history, coloring in the faces: from Australopithecus to the inventors of mathematics to the great Negro composer Beethoven.”
And yet Western “scholars” want you to believe that Beethoven looked like:
(via moniquill)
Angelo Soliman (ca.1721-1796)
A man of remarkable intelligence, intelligence that won his freedom.
- He spoke six languages fluently and could write three of them fluently as well.
- He was also a master swordsman, war hero, chess specialist, navigation expert, concert composer, and a tutor to royalty.
- He was may have been the subject of Mozart’s popular opera The Magic Flute.
- Soliman is considered one of the most learned people of his generation.
Angelo Soliman born in Africa in 1720/21 either to the Wandala or Mandara, a Muslim ethnic group in the Mandara Hills of Northern Cameroon but also in Bornu State Nigeria. His original name, Mmadi Make, is linked to a princely class in the Sokoto State in modern Nigeria. Around the age of 7 He was taken captive as a child and arrived in Marseilles as a slave, eventually transferring to the household of a marchioness in Messina who oversaw his education. Out of affection for another servant in the household, Angelina, he adopted the name Angelo and chose to celebrate September 11, his baptismal day, as his birthday. After repeated requests, he was given as a gift in 1734 to Prince Georg Christian, Fürst von Lobkowitz, the imperial governor of Sicily. He became the Prince’s valet and traveling companion, accompanying him on military campaigns throughout Europe and reportedly saving his life on one occasion, a pivotal event responsible for his social ascension. After the death of Prince Lobkowitz, Soliman was taken into the Vienna household of Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, eventually rising to chief servant. Later, he became royal tutor of the heir to the Prince, Aloys I.
A cultured man, Soliman was highly respected in the intellectual circles of Vienna and counted as a valued friend by Austrian Emperor Joseph II and Count Franz Moritz von Lacy. In 1783, he joined the Masonic lodge “True Harmony”, whose membership included many of Vienna’s influential artists and scholars of the time, among them the musicians Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Josef Haydn as well the Hungarian poet Ferenc Kazinczy. Lodge records indicate that Soliman and Mozart met on several occasions. It is likely that the character Bassa Selim in Mozart’s opera The Abduction from the Seraglio was based on Soliman. Eventually becoming the Grand Master of that lodge, Soliman helped change its ritual to include scholarly elements. This new Masonic direction rapidly influenced Freemasonic practice throughout Europe.Remains dishonored in death
While Angelo was cultured and dressed in the latest European fashions in life, death was not so kind to him. Emperor Francis II, who came to power in 1792, had Angelo skinned upon his death in 1796 when he died of a stroke strolling the streets of Vienna. His body was taken to an anatomical theater where he was skinned and his skeleton was removed. His internal organs were then interred. His skin was given to the sculptor Franz Thaller who stretched it over a wooden model and then added stuffing to fill it out. The Emperor dressed the skin in what he thought was African garb and kept him in his wonder cabinet, a curio room. Eventually, Soliman was added to a display on Africa with a little girl, some animals, and an ex-zoo keeper who was also African. The display was destroyed in 1848 when a bomb being used to quell rioters hit the building where the display was stored and the display, thankfully, burned.
A more detailed biography can be found here.
(via karnythia)
Xuyen Pham’s GardenEast New Orleans, LA
After Xuyen Pham lost her New Orleans home to Hurricane Katrina, she turned the property into a farm to feed her community. She fled Vietnam with her husband and children at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. After months in Southeast Asian refugee camps they were moved to Fort Chaffee in Arkansas. The family was eventually sponsored by a hotel owner in Oklahoma, but the cold proved too much so they moved yet again, settling in the “Mary Queen of Vietnam” community in East New Orleans.
This farm is surrounded by houses (we are right in the middle of a suburban housing tract in East New Orleans).
Xuyen stands amidst taro plants in her home garden. The plant stems are a base ingredient in traditional soups and congees found on most Vietnamese dinner tables. By growing taro and other vegetables, she keeps Vietnamese traditions alive in her community.
Xuyen’s definition of “food sovereignty”: The ability of community members to control food access (both effluent and influent) independent of outside food sources (such as supermarkets). Members of the community grow traditional fruits and vegetables and fisherfolk go shrimping, fishing, and crabbing to sell at local stores, the local Saturday farmers market, and most importantly, to feed their families and community members.
Xuyen is also a participant in a local New Orleans East aquaponics project. The project is being implemented byMQVN Community Development Corporation and was established originally by fisherfolk displaced by the BP oil drilling disaster as a way to create jobs and to ensure adequate food access in New Orleans East (a USDA-identified food desert). In the near future, she and her husband, with the help of MQVN Community Development Corporation, will construct greenhouses and an aquaponics growing system on their farm plot.
- Quoted From Grist’s Lexicon of Sustainability, a series of art installments that will be released weekly (on Fridays) throughout this winter. “Food Sovereignty” is only the second installment, so sign up follow this project and see each new piece as it is posted.
(via 1radicaldreamer)
Jhansi Ki Rani
One of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and a symbol of resistance to British rule in India, Rani Lakshmibai (famously known as Jhansi Ki Rani) is one of the most prominent Indian women in pre-revolutionary India.
Because of her father’s influence at court, Rani Lakshmi Bai had more independence than most women, who were normally restricted to the zenana: she studied self defense, horsemanship, archery, and even formed her own army out of her female friends at court.
Because she was unable to conceive a child with her husband, they adopted a son who would be the heir to their throne. However, the British rulers refused to accept him as the legal heir and seized all the assets in Jhansi including valuable jewels. She resisted.
Her hesitation finally ended when British troops arrived under Sir Hugh Rose and laid siege to Jhansi on 23rd March 1858. Rani Jhansi with her faithful warriors decided not to surrender. The fighting continued for about two weeks. Shelling on Jhansi was very fierce. In the Jhansi army women were also carrying ammunition and were supplying food to the soldiers. Rani Lakshmi Bai was very active. She herself was inspecting the defense of the city. She rallied her troops around her and fought fiercely against the British.
She died on June 18th, 1858 during the battle for Gwalior. She donned warrior’s clothes and rode into battle to save Gwalior Fort, about 120 miles west of Lucknow in what is now the state of Uttar Pradesh. The British captured Gwalior three days later. In the report of the battle for Gwalior, General Sir Hugh Rose commented that the rani “remarkable for her beauty, cleverness and perseverance” had been “the most dangerous of all the rebel leaders”.
Because of her bravery, courage, wisdom, sacrifices and her progressive views on women’s empowerment in 19th century India, she became an icon of the Indian independence movement.
Guess who else was born in Jhansi? Thats right, yours truly. Even though I was like 3 months when I moved outta there and never went back, people always call me “Jhansi Ki Rani” whenever they hear where I was born. I guess thats why I’ve always kinda liked her. I can only hope to grow up to be half the badass she was.
(via notzainab)
CfP: South Asian Diasporic Masculinities: Men and Political Crises
Guest Editor: Chandrima Chakraborty, Department of English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University
Scholarly engagement with masculinity and political violence in South Asia is primarily the work of political scientists, anthropologists, and historians, who do not adequately address the vulnerable situation of South Asian men in riot situations, or investigate the unresolved implications of the experiences and memories of these men on the present. Discussions of “social suffering” by sociologists and media theorists, on the other hand, rarely address immigrant and diasporic experiences. This special issue aims to complicate the longstanding critical focus on masculine aggression and disaffection in South Asian cultural criticism and contribute to the emergent postcolonial engagement with masculinity in the South Asian context. It also seeks to remedy the insular examinations of South Asian cultures—often limited by national borders—and enhance our understanding of men and masculinities in South Asia and its diaspora.
By engaging scholars from a variety of theoretical perspectives and disciplinary approaches in a conversation, this special issue seeks to identify sets of shared concerns, challenges to dominant national discourses, and investigate the myriad processes of history-making. It solicits papers that assess how political crisis manifests in cultural representations of South Asian men and masculinities within the shifting contexts of displacement, migration, state repression, and violent conflicts in order to raise questions about the relationship between men, masculinity, family, community, and national identity. By investigating how scholars, activists, creative writers, and filmmakers understand and imagine masculinity, its social constitution, and its social meanings and effects during political crises, the essays collected here will illuminate the cultural and political negotiations of postcolonial nationality, migration, violence, and citizenship in myriad public spheres. It will also intervene in critical discussions on identity construction, secularism, ethno-nationalism, multiculturalism, and religious nationalism. Papers on first-, second- or third-generation South Asian diasporic communities in Africa, Caribbean, Canada, United States, and Britain as well as cross-border migrations within South Asia are welcome.
Papers might address such topics as:
• changing notions of ‘South Asian’ masculinity during political crisis
• male suffering and trauma• male bodies and male honour
• the effects of masculinity upon men, women, and children
• history and memory; personal and collective memories
• the relation between past crises and the present
• the “model minority” discourse
• popular culture, fiction, and cinema
• testimonies and witnessing
• mourning and reconciliation
• transnational identity claims (ethnic, racial, sexual, religious) and state-based nationalism
• intergenerational issues
• the post-9/11 rhetoric of terror
• youth criminalityPlease submit a 300-word abstract to chandri@mcmaster.ca by February 28, 2012. Full-length essays (8,0000-9,000 words including notes and bibliography) will be due by October 15, 2012.
I studied with Dr. Chakraborty and she is pretty damn rad. Please reblog!
There ███ █████ is ███ ████ ██████ no ███ war ██████████ in ██████ Ba █ ██ Sing ████████ ████ Se.
(Source: thedisneyhipster, via velocicrafter)
