MONDAY
hello world and all my generations
your favorite neighborhood conjureman been
dancing on a dime
overextended and taking care of business best i can
what else is new
got me a moment, i been wanting to expand on something john wrote
in that quote earlier this week:
"our struggle for liberation was indeed a long long distance
race, for we are out for nothing short of winning the entire human race
and we were up against a formidable foe, and to win this race would
require planning, pacing, discipline and stamina, and a belief in our
ability to win the long protracted struggle.
"we must construct one hundred year plans. two hundred year plans. we must construct institutions for generations yet unborn.."
this say something so many of our acknowledged strategic thinkers just havent figured out yet
sometime i forget it was babajohn laid out the parameters of what i do
it never cease to amaze me that john killens dont get his rightful respect as a visionary
but then it never cease to amaze me that i dont either
upholding the tradition of the line i guess
but ponder what john saying here
the reason we got to be a much more exemplary people
ive said this amillion times, im sure youre tired of hearing it so ima try to be brief
or at least briefer
the big destinic question is which cultures will survive in the multicultural future
which will be the global and eventually cosmic culture(s) adopted by evolving humanity
humanity is quickly moving toward a one uniworld culture
all the cultures of the world will contribute to this global culture
african american culture is in the running
it is in fact one of the worlds most vibrant cultures
how will african americans as a people and culture fare in this evolving uniculture
in the multiculti world of the future, it wont be genetics that determine a groups viability
it will be culture,
what cultures will the world choose to emulate, be identified with,
what cultures will the worlds energies empower and evolve
the european culture will continue to have agency, but other cultures of the world, asian, arabic, latin, etc etc, are staking their ground - which ground will afroam (and african) culture stake
our culture is as potentially dysfunctional as it is powerful
which way will it go
will we disappear as a people and culture as substantial black populations in south america or arabia have done (and still doing in the sudan where blackfolk claim they notblack war on blacks who do)
or will we evolve and build a culture so powerful that other folk in the world
identify with it and it becomes one of the definitive cultures of the future
we survive as a people and culture
thats the bottom line
survive, prosper and evolve
our generations unto eternity
(whatever that is)
this is what john mean when we say we are in a race for the human race
we must build a culture so strong and beautiful that the entire human race want to be black
african american in particular
just as many of them emulate us now
but they emulate the weaker parts of our culture, go figure
the very parts we have to reshape and refine, the posturing part
that gangster thing cant be what defines us, its got to be put in check (and used only when appropriate)
there was once a time in my memory when african american culture was considered one of the worlds sacred cultures, and not only in terms of spiritual practice, the viejos and the like
but also in terms of political practice, our struggle has inspired struggle around the globe
we are still one of the most progressive political blocks in the west, the world
friend of mine once said we the 2nd toughest people on the planet
got to claim the highground, got to play
magicalnegro to the hilt, there is a lot of power
in that role - spiritual power
but we got to be on the highground to do it,
cant be waddling in the mud if you want to play destinygames
when you come to the crossroads firstborn always take the highroad
always strive to be greater than you are
an ongoing cultural process, deciding which cultural traits
are functional and worth nurturing and which are counterproductive
and must be left behind
talking about cultural orchestration and timely adaptation
thats why that article on the niger farmers regreening the desert move me so
thats my people at they best, handling it, we got this covered - o we been
stumbling for some generations now, 2, 3 thousands years or more
but im in charge of this operation now, this my shift now
the old delta hoodooman is on this
and whether you see/understand it or not
this my show now, this trick is on
all my love always
rickydoc trickmaster
wouldbe prophet
of the hoodoo way
SUNDAY
i got a cold,
one measely low production weekend and
and i am suddenly behind w/every obligation i got
what a revolting development this is
quick commentary and im outta here
as you know i consider the blackworld my responsibility
i monitor it constantly, assess its strategic posture
the victories and defeats, the challenges and setbacks
i keep my finger on the tribal pulse
like the rootdoctor should
got a victory lately that pleases me
a black population has enhanced its survivability
farmers in niger been beating back the sahara
saw this in the newyork times - since you have to be registed for the times i found you an alternative link on this toureg site,
i thought that was kinda cool
dont usually parrot times articles but this one moved me
apparently in niger as across the sahel, the desert was pushing humans and arable farmland back as its done for centuries
noticing as one farmer said, the trees disappearing from the villagelands, the farrmers decided to plant around saplings rather than clear them as done traditionally and lo and behold the trees have returned
anchoring the ground and trapping water and making land fertile again
they have reclaimed land from the sahara,
7.4 million previously barren acres have been greened
reversing an ecological disaster centuries in the making
without international aid or advice
using their own available resources
god that tickles me
article said that the farmers have forged all sorts of techs for reclaiming the land, said women will go to 
desert ground and dig pits into which they will dump manure.
said the manured pits trap rain and with a lot of care desert is slowly turned into fertile farmland again
the photo is boys turning a foot pump for irrigation
god that was some good reading
this link cautioned that the process is fragile
but still, good news is good news, i will take what i can get
what particular impress me is that they were able to defy tradition
and improve their lot instead of being stuck in that same old tradition for traditions sake rut
im trying to forge a blackworld culture flexible like that
adept in cultural adaption and finessing the hammer
in the conquerors name
they done the old rootdoctor proud
they deserve a little help, ima send them some rain
gotta go, behind again
cant afford to be sick lord, just cant take it
now i got to dance
got to do the flowers catchup shuffle
a little something for everybody
not enuf for anybody
see you on the other side
rdoc,
SATURDAY
hello world
just checking in so you know im still here
havent been posting, schoolhouse got me
i stonewalled them as long as i could
but my thesis students were suffering and when folk choose me to work w/them on their thesis dont want them to regret the choice
strictly schoolhouse all week, probably next week too
and no novelwork means nothing else get done either
today is the 1st day i felt like i could take a breath
this painting is from georges i am a man series
this one say more to memphis folk than it say to you probably
i am a man was the iconic sign of the memphis garbageworkers strike
the photo is from that period by another memphis artistic legend, baba ernest withers - that one run tingles down my spine, i might have been on that particular picket line, i was on most of them
my mother was a racewoman and she had me and my sisters out there on marches, picket lines and such when we was little bitty folk no bigger than the signs we carried
this the strike that brought king to memphis back in 68
i was deeply involved in that, all black memphis was
kings death behind that strike is what turned me out
been a warrior of the struggle ever since
being a raceman is not in vogue these postblack days
but ima be a warior till the day i die
i been a chief and i been a spear carrier
ive stumbled and fumbled and often zigged when i should have zagged
but by oguns beard ima live and die a warrior
i wanna be a hero
i wanna be a champion of my people
and aint no body no thing
ever gon turn me around
i was there at the temple the stormy night king said:
"i may not get there w/you but i want you to know
that we as a people will get to the promiseland"
ima do my part
this aint no joke to me, i consider literature a sacred calling
i believe in the power of the word
my big struggle as a literary artist is how to write empowering works/healing spells
that dont lose their artistic integrity - like the folk on my hoodoolit list
folk tell me all the time, cant be political and make good art
fuck that - you mean its more of a challenge, thats what you mean
look like i will be able to get a 3 in today, maybe sunday
you know what, im going for a 6 today - a hero would do a 6
in the conquerors name
rdoc
MONDAY
hello world
im in the city and posting irregular
been studying mumbo jumbo and corregidora for my
literary hoodoo class and its just amazing what theyve
done with those works and in looking at corregidora litcrit
and im seeing where she knew exactly what she was doing
how she set it up in her dissertation at brown in 73
and i think how i started writing in 73 and how long
i went on instinct and heart and only in the last 10
years teaching at syracuse have i really gotten a good
grounding in literary theory and learning stuff i wish i
had learned when i was 23 intead of waiting until
im 56 to still be picking up critical tricks of the trade
ohwell, im pleased with who i am
im pleased with what im working on
think i will go by babajohns ground
commune w/the master, tend to the little altar ive built there
restock my holydust
in the conquerors name
rdoc
WEDNESDAY NOON
rickydoc clocking pages
WEDNESDAY
hello world
want to comment on congressional hearings exposing bush admin
pressure on scientists to lie about global warming
and how that plays into his new directive placing political ops
over scientists in various government agencies
but dont have time to hunt those links down
got to clock some pages
teaching mfa been a learning experience
but it threw me off my game for a minute
got my stride now, new and improved
and manuscript relatively clean now
just turning bad pages into good
i dont know, just trying to speculate why
been clocking pages like its time
i know im spose to be doing georges work this week
but ima stick this hubble photo of the eagle nebula
in here for todays post cause its so pretty and
as you know dear and loyal surfer - i believe space is the place
i believe humanity got to get off the planet w/the quickness
i believe one planet is not enough to ensure survival
of the species
accidents happen
planets die
got to spread out, increase the odds
only thing me and bush agree on
space is probably not the final frontier
but its going to be one hell of an adventure
word by rickydoc trickmaster
21st century space ranger
TUESDAY
me and george hunt spose to be doing a project
his works my words - we both feed off memphis
hoodoo and the blues - we both work the tradition
among memphis black artists george the man and
my memphis elder - i defer to him
george even more diffident than i am - george
on his own planet and you have to catch him when you can
george spose to be selecting the works we will use
been a couple of years now he spose to do that
but it will take years for me to get those stories right
cant wait on george, ima just get started, went online and collected every image of his i could find - gon start working the stories now
ima call it beale street talking
this one gon be sweet
patience rick, do it right - like babajohn say
babajohn o killens: the great griot master of brooklyn
on being long distance runners:
"our struggle for liberation was indeed a long long distance race, for we are out for nothing short of winning the entire human race and we were up against a formidable foe, and to win this race would require planning, pacing, discipline and stamina, and a belief in our ability to win the long protracted struggle.
"we must construct one hundred year plans. two hundred year plans. we must construct institutions for generations yet unborn.."
sound familiar dont it
sound like the longgame
word by babajohn o killens
the great griot master of brooklyn
MONDAY
hello world
george hunts work this week
georges work kinda fitting for this weeks theme
that dream quality he got
reading about a big battle at holy najaf w/messianic cult, heavens army, lead by fellow who claims to be the mahdi, some 500 shiites(?)
trying to assassinate (?) shiite religious figures(?) pilgrims(?)
messianic end of days folk drawing logical
conclusions (?) from life in iraq these days i suppose
"there's nothing bizarre left in Iraq anymore," say a
najaf security officer, "we've seen the most incredible things"
thats the way i feel
about bush
rdoc
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