kwani? kommentary: sls kenya: rastaman freeman: keeping the faith

hello world

just got my last kwani - sls kenya post ate
pissed me off when you paying
the kind of bob im paying for computer time

ima do a quick version and im outta here
only one set of computers in town and thats at the postoffice
100 bob a card

on lamu, island in the indian ocean off kenya
its like ive gone back in time about 2 centuries

little islamic coasttown, tight little mazed streets
people hanging out on their roofs and balconies to
catch the sea breeze you dont catch in the mazes below

im living separate from everybody else on the roof
of somebodys house, didnt realize it till i came down
stairs and this guy was brushing his teeth in the courtyard below

we stood there staring at each other in still life surprise
before we nodded good morning and went on about our business . .

my carnivore reading went well
working with this band called sent-a-lain
and we took the roof off the sucker

jumped off the stage (havent done that in years - its a wonder
my trick knee didnt give out on me)
and went out amongst the audience using my longtailed
rattle to remove conditions and all

started dancing and prancing behind the bandwork
doing my shamans dance

and i been doing this thing lately when i do shine where i use
when the shark trying to get shine to stop swimming to
comment on politics of the day

had the shark offer shine some personalized social security accounts
some fema trailers and some ocean front propety down in cuba

shark said dont pay no attention to all those reports about torture shine
you know i wouldnt do that shine, you know i wouldnt hurt you shine

then i commence to commenting on kenyan politics, scandals i been reading about
the shark offer shine a big mess of tribal patronage in the expanded cabinet
offered him some police jobs (big bribery thing) and his your own breathalyzer shine,
your own bank account (police corruption again)

oh i was on a roll

then i preached and prophesized my firstborn mythwork (it was east africa afterall)
and spoke truth to the people (at least my truth)

instead of my customary general audience act w/its healing theme
i did my hoodoo prophet act which i only do when i got a downhome audience
deeprooted in the tradition

and sometime you do your act and the magic dont come down
this time the magic came down, in large part because of sentalein
we didnt even rehearse or nothing - but they took me to higherground

they were fronted by this incredible blind guitarist michel onigaro
my boy oneko on drums and two other brothers
ima hit with them again - swear by all thats holy i am

and i threw divination while i was hitting the highpoints like
stand up you mighty race and
i have had visions, ive seen the promised land

if you would reclaim your legacy as gods holy instrument
you must stand on higherground

i been pondering public divination ever since i read a book
on the prophets of east africa that said the difference between a diviner
in these cultures and a diviner/prophet was that the diviners readings
were private readings for personal issues

while the diviner/prophets readings
were also public readings concerning tribal issues
and as you may or may not know, i aspire to the prophetic

was at one point inspired to give binya one of the
highjohn roots from my divination pouch

told them what highjohn means to us
the hopebringer, the burdenbearer, the battlefighter, the jackpot winner
an ultimate force, a mighty power

said he might be in mississippi when the lash falls on a slave in the sudan
but before the blood is dry on the back the conqueror is there
whispering hold on - our day is coming

told them the old folk say the conqueror got blackfolk out of slavery
by tricking old massa - that afterwards the soul of the conqueror went into
the highjohn root - to return whenever  blackfolk in need

even the space contributed, i wont even try to describe the carnivore
but i got posters, kwani reading featuring yours truly - a good time was had by all

so then we came to lamu, a airkenya commuter flight and a dhow
and its like we are in another world

and im living on somebodys roof with very archaic facilities, its deep
and at night everybody is on roofs and balconies catching those sea breezes
its like the rooftops of lamu are another city on top of the one below

i slept on the roof last night, theres a bed out there with a mosquito net
this roof cat has adopted me and we sat there watching our world
and stars like you wouldnt believe

my little group back in naroibi decided to call themselves
the page

i dont know what got into me making all those commitments
but ima try to get them through - feel like they depending on me
i made a lot of promises - babajohn o killens kind of promises

tripping me out that im the only african american writer again
specially since its such a special moment with this kwani thing

and there is a hunger for that connection
both among the young kenyan writers and
regular folk - at least here on lamu

since i been here folk calling out to me
when they see me walking down the street
cause of my dreads mostly - burning spear they call me

this morning i was talking to this brother running solidarity mack
(he was trying to sell me something)
but after the deal he was still full of solidarity and talking about how
african americans are 'fighting for all of us'

he said, there you are strong, here we are still weak, you are fighting for us all

and i kept trying to tell him that we struggling there too, and i wouldnt exactly call us strong
but he was insistent, no you are strong and you are fighting for us all

and all his buddies came up pleased to see an african american brother touristing
talking about how they have to maintain and how inspired they are by our struggle
though i think they would have been even more inspired if i had been from kingston
cause it was the dreads more than anything else that spoke to them

burning spear is obviously iconic with them cause when i walk down the street
folk point me out and whisper burning spear burning spear

its a friendly town
tight little town with folk all up in your space like that i guess they have to be
interesting dynamic w/the african/islamic - tourist/cosmopolite character

folk still wary but they smile, nod greetings, try to be helpful
whereas in nairobi folk got that urban armor on
look at you with that sharp urban wariness or like you fresh meat

the blackfolk of lamu obviously feeling a little pressured
cause they got that blackworld solidarity thing happening

aint nothing like it - resonates in my africanamerican soul
when blackfolk on the twisty little streets of lamu call out
to me as i walk by - smile when they see me

give me that little nod all blackfolk understand

like this young guy keep riding by on one of those lamu donkeys
when he see me he raise he fist and yell rastaman freeman

somewhat embarassed
i fist him back and go respect respect

and i hear him yelling at my back
rastaman freeman

i try my brother
i try
             
my love to you all

may the gods be good to us all
in the coming year

rickydoc flowers

wouldbe prophet of
the hoodoo way

awaken the sleeper
protect the weak
guide the strong

Comments

[e c]

nice to know you have taking the fire with you to the motherlan', enjoy the trip and welcome home omowale-the one that returned.
best
ec

[jj]

.... tears running down my cheeks

Ah, Burning Spear,

"talking about how african americans are fighting 'for all of us'"

Yes!