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.no.16 summer 2007
+intro

"The public was betrayed on so many levels"
Nigerian Nobel literature laureate Wole Soyinka

“Hell what the people say”
 
Chuck D

There has been a crime committed in Nigeria. An election has been stolen. The only problem is that it is not clear who the victim is. There is no candidate who can definitively say that they would have won the ballot had it been a fair one so in an election that nearly all international advisors have derided as ‘deeply flawed,” Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has succeeded Olusegun Obasanjo as the President of Nigeria. And the people aren’t rejoicing. An election populated by regional candidates—and thus regional constituencies—has fractured the national outrage of Nigerians who want to holler but are not sure on whose behalf they should raise their voice. Without a victim, there is no clarity.

The most obvious reason for this malaise is that it is not clear why this election needed to be hijacked in the first place. As an outgoing President that had done much to cement himself in the hearts of his country men after nearly 30 years in the public sphere, including his distinction of ending his first term as the first African military ruler to have willingly succeeded power to a civilian elected government in 1979, Obasanjo must have been impossibly insecure to think that he needed to strong-arm the election to get his chosen boy, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, into his seat.

Often described as a humble man with a disciplined approach to life that borders on the anal, Yar’Adua is Nigeria’s first university-educated leader in over 40 years. His talent for bean counting is said to have been what endeared Obasanjo to him but it is his modest background that should have allowed Yar’Adua to resist being cast as yet another corrupt man posing as a national dignitary. At a time when many were looking for a “slow hand with an easy touch” like the Pointer Sisters, Adua’s perceived bent toward financial accountability and personal quietude may fit the bill. Though only time will tell what kind of government Obasanjo’s machinations will result in, a national outrage over the transition of power shouldn’t have been in the cards. What should have been an easy score morphed into yet another strike against the increasingly mythical idea of Democracy faster than George Tenet can say “slam dunk.”

Internationally, voiced condemnations over the blatant crookedness are barely audible over the muffled chuckles. For outside observers, the increasingly deadly conflicts among the more than 250 multi-ethnic communities that compose Nigeria—along with the consistent attacks on the oil refineries in the nation’s Southern region—are far more troubling than “yet another” election heist. In fact, many members of the international press have openly rued Obasanjo’s leaving in fear of the chaos they expect to fill his void. So when Obasanjo’s bid to have his rule extended Rudy-Giuliani-post 911 style was disregarded by a Nigerian public rightfully suspicious of men who refuse to abdicate the throne, it became apparent that his boy with the bowed head and vanilla persona would have to serve as his stand in.

With a monumental place in Nigerian history set, in spite of cited shortcomings that have dogged his second term in power, it would have seemed that a simple endorsement and some “old boy” back room politicking would have done the trick. This is especially true given the assorted band of political re-treads and long shots that stood as Adua’s competitors. But instead Obasanjo traded away the last remaining vestiges of national good will for points on the dollar. Call it steroid paternalism.

The result has been that the boisterous anger that has historically led wronged voters to give their lives in the name of their wronged political candidate has been muted. Instead there is a seething anger that has no proper channel for release. The frustrations and anger of a whole nation just hangs in the air like another deferred dream withering on the vine. The victim, you see, is the Nigerian public.

Rest in peace Ousmane Sembene. Thank you.
welcome to nat creole. you're right on time.


+ questions. answers
sydney james. artist | illustrator


+ questions. answers
arthur alleyne. playwright
I know I don't have to make "pretty" pictures. I choose my subjects based on what I know of them and what I imagine they were going through or went through in their lives. I add their pain with mine and create visually emotional images. more The actual spark (the seed) for the piece came from a viewing of a special on Avedon and seeing him speak so lovingly of James ( Baldwin)...Even before that I wanted to speak on society and celebrity and use Baldwin (one of my personal heroes) as a platform. I came to realize that not too many people have read his work or are familiar with the man and his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. more

+ profile. our flesh and flames exhibition
theodore a. harris. amiri baraka

+ excerpt. mercy, mercy me
dr. micheal eric dyson
He tells us about the peoples' struggles, world wide, against oppression and exploitation. Our lives under racism and the twisted rule of capital. At times, the images he thrusts at us are sharp enough to make us wince with understanding and recognition. Harris' work is fundamentally about consciousness raising, and this is what art does. more
"I Want You is an album stitched together by the conceptual thread of romantic pursuit. It hangs together on a marvelous erotic conceit: that romance is the core of sensual truth, its surest revelation, and that sex is merely the commerce of a higher spiritual economy. more

+ profile
CéU. singer. songwriter

+ profile. james a. porter collouquim for african american art
Although CéU carefully avoids the drum'n'bossa sound that is so much the rage in her native country these days, there are definite hints of junglism in both the drum sound and in the manipulated cuica samples that are layered throughout her recent efforts. more
Established at Howard University in 1990, the annual Colloquium is named in honor of James A. Porter, the pioneering Art Historian and Professor, whose 1943 publication Modern Negro Art set the standard for probing discourse on the subject of Black American Art.
more

+ excerpt. the devil's mambo
jerry a. rodriguez

+ profile. reena spaulings gallery
douglass singleton
Nicholas Esperanza thought he was dead. He couldn’t open his eyes. Couldn’t move his body. Last thing he remembered was the buxom stripper popping the Ecstasy tab in his mouth while giving him a wild lap dance. The rest was a blur. Fun filled and crazy, but still a blur. So, maybe he wasn’t dead after all. Maybe this was a simply the worst hangover ever. more Reena Spaulings is an imaginary art gallery, or rather, it is a real art gallery that so wants to usurp the nature of what a gallery does that it refuses to exist in ways we expect. Exhibitions in random spaces scattered across New York City with artists oftentimes taking on aliases or intricate mythologies are what they present. more

+ essay. fassbinder's despair
daniel garrett

+ review. k-os
brook stephenson
My own understanding and misunderstanding of the film proved interesting: watching the film, with its talk of the reparations that Germany was required to pay, I assumed the film took place after the second world war—but I was wrong, it took place after the first world war and during the rise of the Nazis.  What this meant is that, as I watched the film, scenes that I thought were memories or fantasies were intended as present-time occurrences. more The album is great. It is better than the last two because with each album he reveals a different facet and grows as an artist.The music he makes is thick, light-hearted, heavy handed, torn, upbeat, down tempo, jazzy, show tune-ish, and catchy with healthy portions of singing, clapping and rapping. more


.:: features
collage for a phoney war . theodore a. harris

 

 

.:: profile

our flesh of flames exhibition
theodore a. harris. amiri baraka

atlanta | usa

+ all images copyright 1998 - 2007, Theodore A. Harris

"All art is propaganda but all propaganda is not Art."
Mao

There is some work that creates the dialogue that many of us would just assume be forgotten. It’s the work that seeps all ideas, thoughts, positions, viewpoints and assumptions right out into the open without the viewer knowing that his or her farthest thoughts had been laid bare. It’s the kind of work that makes people talk. So, we should be thankful that there are artists like Theodore A. Harris-- collagist, poet, and social justice advocate--that keep all talk on the table. On Sunday, June 1st, the opening for Our Flesh of Flames, a beautiful and expansive exhibition of Theodore's collages accompanied by the writing of Amiri Baraka and curated by Kevin Sipp, took place at the Hammonds House in Atlanta, GA. At the Hammonds House you will find an institution that understands acutely how to prepare stunning presentations of Art. Perfect for work as textured as Theodore's; perfect for work as relevant as Theodore's. But on that note, we’re going to turn the adjectives regarding Theodore A. Harris’ work over to the ever vibrant Amiri Baraka; because Amiri intimately understands the "truthoscopic sensibility" inherent in Theodore's work and, quite simply, he writes so well...


on the throne of fire after someone blew up america (for amiri baraka)

the tour ...


collage eulogy for amadou diallo

appeal to the secretary of the lower intestine

collage for a phoney war
Go to http://www.hammondshouse.org for more information. You can tell the good folks there that Nat Creole invited you. We'll gladly accept the credit.

our bones have numbers on them

 

 

.:: essay.

useful misunderstaning: observing fassbinder's despair [pt.1]
daniel garrett

Greed, madness, paranoia: that is one way to spend an evening.  I saw Fassbinder’s film Despair in a screening at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, following an invigorating stroll through the art galleries, where I had seen the work of favorite artists—Picasso, de Chirico, Andy Warhol, among others; and greed, madness, and paranoia were among the words in the museum’s description of the film, a not inaccurate description.  However, my own understanding and misunderstanding of the film proved interesting: watching the film, with its talk of the reparations that Germany was required to pay, I assumed the film took place after the second world war—but I was wrong, it took place after the first world war and during the rise of the Nazis.  What this meant is that, as I watched the film, scenes that I thought were memories or fantasies were intended as present-time occurrences.  continue

Daniel Garrett is a writer of journalism, fiction, poetry, and drama. His work has appeared in The African, AIM/America’s Intercultural Magazine, AllAboutJazz.com, AltRap.com, American Book Review, Art & Antiques, The Audubon Activist, Black American Literature Forum, Black Film Review, Cinetext.Philo, The Compulsive Reader, Film International, Frictionmagazine.com, The Humanist, Hyphen, Illuminations, Muse-Apprentice-Guild.com, Nat Creole.com, Offscreen.com, Option, PopMatters.com, The Quarterly Black Review of Books, Red River Review, The Review of Contemporary Fiction, The St. Mark’s Poetry Project Newsletter, 24FramesPerSecond.com, UnlikelyStories.org, WaxPoetics.com , and World Literature Today. His extensive “Notes” on culture and politics appeared on IdentityTheory.com
.:: profile.



reena spaulings gallery
dead already

douglass singleton

Reena Spaulings is an imaginary art gallery, or rather, it is a real art gallery that so wants to usurp the nature of what a gallery does that it refuses to exist in ways we expect. Exhibitions in random spaces scattered across New York City with artists oftentimes taking on aliases or intricate mythologies are what they present. Mysterious is-it-art-or-some-kind-of-joke installations and performances have mystified art patrons the last few years. continue

Douglas Singleton writes about the arts for The Brooklyn Rail and about photography for Focus magazine. He also performs on-air reviews for WNYC radio in New York. His website, www.dispactke.com, features prose, photography, and multi-media.
.:: art

jimii hendrix . sydney james

 

 

.::questions. answers

fuck rent


self


jimii hendrix



dizzie


travis


tupac



+art copyright 2004-2007, Sydney James
sydney james .
artist.
illustrator
 

I know I don't have to make "pretty" pictures. I choose my subjects based on what I know of them and what I imagine they were going through or went through in their lives. I add their pain with mine and create visually emotional images. continue

For more, visit http://www.asiid.com, or catch her on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/asiid. But what ever you do, contact Sydney when you have the opportunity and inquire about her work. She is a woman of ideas.

 

.:: profile


a fine day at the porter colloquium
washington dc | usa
phillip harvey

Established at Howard University in 1990, the annual Colloquium is named in honor of James A. Porter, the pioneering Art Historian and Professor, whose 1943 publication Modern Negro Art set the standard for probing discourse on the subject of Black American Art. Since its inception, the Colloquium has eagerly attacked meaty subjects that deal in and around the historiography of African American art while other forums for discussing Art have seemed intent on remaining obstinate about the contributions Black artists have made to the global legacy of art. continue

The James A. Porter Colloquium is held annually on the campus of Howard University in Washington DC. Visit http://www.portercolloquium.org to get more information. Then make plans to attend the 2008 version. Lets talk about Art. Baby.

 

.:: music | dance

dizzie. sydney james

 

 

.:: playlist


Chick Corea
Inner Space

1972 Atlantic Records
listen


Justo Almario
Interlude
1981 Charly Records



Sleepwalker
The Voyage LP
2006 Especial Records

Space is the Place! Herbie Mann, Ron Carter, and Hubert Laws all appear on this stadium jazz classic! Pull up a lawn chair, take off the wife-beater, and feel the heat!

The kind of jazz your pops listened to! Smooth and harmonic rhythms from this saxophonist. Just right for summertime!

 

Some of the most innovative and edgy jazz today is coming out of Nippon, and this album totally exemplifies this! Super sleek harmonies and vocals! Smooth yet raging!


The Foreign Exchange
Connected (Instrumentals)
2005 BBE Records


Basement Soul
Sounds from the Floor- Volume 1
2007 Unique Uncut Records


Bumpy Knuckles
Industry Shakedown
2000 Landscape Records

 

Another one slept on! Dutch producer, Nicolay, keeps it heavy, heavy, heavy here. For the trunk!

Another Euro collection! Delivers the balance and dynamism of the Euro underground music scene. A fun mix of beatz!

Who didn’t sleep on this album? Bumpy has the credibility appearing with heavy-hitters like Gangstarr, AG, OC, and Pete Rock. in the past. Do you really want it raw?

CD is the single parent of HeadKnot and you can reach him at cd@natcreole.com

 

 

.:: profile


singer. songwriter



watch the video

Following her stint in New York where she was influenced by the sound of Hip-Hop, jazz singers Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald, Lauren Hill and Erykah Badu, she returned home to São Paulo, thus bringing her sound and focus full circle. Her worldly travels freed her from convention and let her choose her colors from a larger palette. That freedom has resulted in music that is surprisingly mature and fully realized for such a young musician. continue


 

 

.:: excerpt

mercy, mercy me: the art, loves & demons of marvin gaye
michael eric dyson

Publisher:
Basic Civitas Books
ISBN: 0-465017-70-3

Buy the Book

I Want You is an album stitched together by the conceptual thread of romantic pursuit. It hangs together on a marvelous erotic conceit: that romance is the core of sensual truth, its surest revelation, and that sex is merely the commerce of a higher spiritual economy. “It’s an opera about a relationship,” says Gary Harris, a prominent music business executive. “Love found, desire, desperation, the absolute ‘I got to have her.’ He meets her, gets her, loses her, sees her at the party and tries to get back with her. It’s all interwoven in this dramatic way.” continue

 

.::literature | travel

 

 

.::booklist
If rigorous academic readings bear fruit in knowledge,
then reading for interest or pleasure must bear similar fruit in imagination


The Fugitive
Massimo Carlotto  
ISBN: 1-933372-25-7
Buy the Book

 


My Father's Notebook
Kader Abdolah
ISBN:
1-841959-27-8
Buy the Book

A work of fiction by one of Italy’s premier crime authors, this story depicts the six years Carlotto spent as a fugitive from Italy for a murder he did not commit. If that does not draw you in what will? Eventually Carlotto returned and was acquitted but the numerous trials that took place just for that to happen could provide enough fodder for a soap opera on their own. Remember, this is a work of fiction.

 

A beautiful work told about an Iranian man’s endeavor to translate his father’s diary that was written in a Persian cuneiform that could be read by few Iranians of his or his father’s time. This story weaves history as seen by one who has lived through it and a son who seeks to learn more about his father through the translation of the elder’s writings. In telling his father’s story, Ishmael tells Iran’s story past and present.


The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue

Manuel Munoz
ISBN: 1-565125-32-0
Buy the Book




Man Gone Down
Michael Thomas
ISBN:
0-802170-29-3
Buy the Book

An amazing collection of short stories by an author that has much to offer, The Faith Healer of Olive Ave is extremely well written with characters whose self-inflicted twists and turns in life mirror our own experiences. The prose itself is dazzling. Munoz’s previous collection of short stories Zigzagger was released in 2003.

 

Careful with this one, you might fall in and, if you do, will not get out until it is over. Man Gone Down is the story of an African-American husband and father who has four days to solve his troubles: paying for a home for his Anglo-American wife and their three children, paying for his two son’s tuition and figuring out just who the hell he is right after his thirty-fifth birthday. If that is easy then you must live in a different country, nay different world, than I do. The more you read about his past, the more you wonder how his present got so bright.

To contact the chef, Brook Stephenson, our literary editor, send an email to bs@natcreole.com.

 

 

.::excerpt. fiction

devil's mambo
jerry rodriguez


Publisher: Kensington Trade Paper
ISBN-10: 0-7582-1710-2

 


buy the book


watch The Devil's Mambo: Poisoned Kiss

Nicholas Esperanza thought he was dead. He couldn’t open his eyes. Couldn’t move his body. Last thing he remembered was the buxom stripper popping the Ecstasy tab in his mouth while giving him a wild lap dance. The rest was a blur. Fun filled and crazy, but still a blur. So, maybe he wasn’t dead after all. Maybe this was a simply the worst hangover ever.

He concentrated his thoughts and finally managed to sluggishly open his eyes. Bright sunlight gushed through the windows and made his head shriek in pain. He clamped his eyes shut again, for a moment uncertain where the hell he was. Esperanza reached into his pocket, whipped out a pair of Calvin Klein sunglasses and popped them on. Now he could see without his pupils melting. The room steadily came into focus. continue

We are proud to have Jerry inaugurate the Nat Creole Authors Series which kicks off on June 25th, 2007 at the McNally Robinson bookstore in SOHO (75 Prince St.| New York, NY). Jerry will be discussing his work with Nat Creole Literary Editor Brook Stephenson and showing the short film prequel to Devil's Mambo . It would be nice if you could join us.

 

.::questions. answers

arthur alleyne. playwright
scribblin at the automat
james baldwin and richard avedon conversate

The actual spark (the seed) for the piece came from a viewing of a special on Avedon and seeing him speak so lovingly of James ( Baldwin). Then after my first play Tragedy Tonite was performed I had one of the actors in mind for the role of James Baldwin. That was a little over two years ago. Even before that I wanted to speak on society and celebrity and use Baldwin (one of my personal heroes) as a platform. I came to realize that not too many people have read his work or are familiar with the man and his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. continue

Writer and director Arthur Alleyne was told as a child to speak up, now we can't get him to shut up. He lives in Brooklyn and exists harmoniously in time and space. Scribblin’ at the Automat will was recently staged at Danny Simmons' Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn, NY and will soon be coming to your area code soon.

 

 

.::credits
nat creole.

Founder/ Editor:
Phillip Harvey    

Managing Editor:

Kathi Davis

Literary Editor:

Brook Stephenson

Creative Counsel:
Alain Mabanckou
Al Burton
Alexis Peskine
Alia Jones
Akintola Hanif
Angelica Le Minh
Annika Connor
Arthur Alleyne
A. Van Jordan
Benjamin Austen
CD
Daniel Garrett
Delphine Diallo
Delphine Fawandu-Buford
DJ Center
DJ Silverboombox
Douglass Singleton
Dr William Oliver

Ed Myers
Ellia Bisker
Ethan Pines
Farid Abdi
Gordon Manning
Howard Martin
James Adolphus
Janee' Bolden
Jerry A. Rodriguez
Jimmy Black
John Ballon
Jon Lowenstein
Julian Conway Wilson Jr
Kenji Jasper
Kijua Sanders-Mcmurtry
Kirsten Telfer Beith
Kouassi Kra Magali
Kurokobushi
Larry Scott
Latasha N. Nevada Diggs
Laylah Amatullah Barrayn
Malaika Adero
Marcia Jones
María Carolina Baulo
Michael Eric Dyson
Michael Romanos
Mike Quain
Miles Marshall Lewis
Milton Allimadi
Mwalim
N. Corren Conway
Nia Woods Haydel
Nicole Thompson
Nyala Wright
Nelson Abdi
One9
Ocean Morisset
Ratha Nou
Ray Llanos
Reedfa
Regine Zamor
Renaldo Davidson
Robert Nolan
Ron Smith
Ross Ford
Sekou Aka Ducarmel
Shannon Cook
Sean Bidder
Steve Lodder
Sunni Knight
Sydney James
Theodore A. Harris
Tiago Molinos
Wang Shanshan
Yang Yingshi

Yazmine Parrish