de geas of rickydoc: destinywork, the longgame & 21st century paradigms of struggle

hello world, god help me i missed my gig

was supposed to do a presentation for esf multicultural banquet
been working on it all day, i thought the gig was monday

bonnie says when i mention its a banquet that they usually fri/sat
i check and the damn thing was yesterday

i dont believe it, i do not miss gigs and this one i was so
looking forward to, they were showing respect and i jammed them

ohwell, life goes on and maybe they will give me a shot at redeeming myself
at least it forced me to upgrade my presentation, i like what i came up with

those familiar with my work welcome to skip it
youve heard it before

gotta go, workshop at 2 in brooklyn
got to get on the road before i miss that one too

all my love
rdoc

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cast your vision young hoodoo as far as you can see, determine the
challenges the tribe will face, prepare the tribal soul to meet them “
rickydoc trickmaster

DE GEAS OF RICKYDOC: DESTINYWORK, THE LONGGAME & 21^ST CENTURY PARADIGMS OF STRUGGLE (for babajohn o killens: the great griot master of brooklyn)

i am flowers of the delta clan flowers and the line of o killens.  mganga muau.  high hoodoo.  babagriot of the hoodoo way

lord legba you must open this gate, its is i rickydoc rootdoctor ask that the gate be opened - that the work be done - this is the text: an invocation to struggle - these are trying times

you could not have told those of us who lived through the bright heady days of the 60s and 70s that the promised land was not in sight. - it was inconceivable then that we would ever again be a weak people but here we are at the turn of the century and you feel sometimes like it was never this bad.

it is only when you remind yourself of just how far we've come that you regain perspective

weve climbed some difficult mountains, you and I - apparently there is no promised land, apparently there is only struggle - we have come to understand as did the angolans when they won their colonial war, a luta continua - the struggle continues



THE STRUGGLE, THE ALMIGHTY STRUGGLE.

the ongoing struggle for survival and empowerment that has been waged by the black people of the americas and the world

it has spanned continents, cultures and centuries,. it evolves according to our concrete conditions and the successes and failures of preceding phases.

it is the struggle that shapes us as a people, it is the struggle we must shape

but the movement looking kinda shaky these days. - folk giving up, going for self, you look at the condition of blackfolk today and its hard not to despair - aids, bush, gangsters, the black family stressed

a shift in focus from external to internal dynamics that has made for infinitely more nuanced struggle – not only are blackfolk drifting but black solidarity considered quaint these days

o these are singularly hardtimes but we have known hardtimes before – our problems have always been insurmountable - slavery. southern peonage. urban sojourners. - our struggle has always been epic and we have always overcome.

BUT FIRST THERE MUST BE VISION

just what is the vision. are we to determine our own destiny or do we continue to let it be determined for us by people who despise us - do we have a plan. what exactly are we struggling for.

what does it mean to be african american in this incredibly shrinking world. just what does it mean to be black. to be part of the global black community. what will it mean 100 years from now. a generation from now. 100 generations.

are we to remain the bottomfeeders of american society forever , are we to be a comfortable part of an increasingly homogenized america and world. or are we to just disappear as a distinct people and culture.

personally i do not want african american blackfolk to disappear as a distinct culture and peoples.  for all the problems that come with it, i like being black 

optimally i see a strong and beautiful people, a respected member of the world (cosmic) mosaic. optimally i see black communities and black culture as strong, healthy, wealthy and wise.

and i see struggle - i looking generations down the line and i see plenty struggle
my question is just what constitutes effective struggle in the 21^st century

ON THE NATURE OF STRUGGLE

the premise of this presentation is that the old paradigms of african american struggle, the old definitions and strategies, have played themselves out  - the premise is that we need new paradigms of struggle to meet the challenges of   the 21st century.

winners in ideological contention are not the strongest and the most powerful but the most innovative, the ones fighting todays wars with tomorrows strategies - you got to get on the cutting edge

my premise is that the only way we will ever get out of this historical trickbag we have found ourselves in is by cutting the trickster loose - playing the 21st century like champions, new game aint been seen

sitting around crying about racism is like a sailor cursing the sea because its wet - surely by now we have factored racism into our strategic posture

african american activists have traditionally employed an array of political strategies befitting a nation of activists, more than one road to timbuktu and more than enough struggle to go around

what lessons and legacies can be drawn from previous periods of struggle, from the abolition movement, reconstruction, the new negro, the civilrights movement, black power and the postblack movements

during abolition it was clear and easy, the abolition of slavery, the security of the free population - reconstruction we got jim crowed and push back into the quasi slavery of sharecropping

the new negro felt the need to prove themselves, fleeing violence and the sharecropping system the great migration transformed us from a rural people to an urban one, racial uplift was in vogue

the civilrights/blackpower movements generated questions of racial identity, gender issues and racial mobilization, radical and cultural nationalism, black capitalism, electoral politics, the black consciousness movement and panafrican identity – access for the strivers exacerbate class issues

in the postblack era questions concerning middleclass access/achievement, community dysfunction, policy influence and racial identity, economic globalization and health education and welfare - negatives of the managerial approach to struggle become evident in ray nagin, clarence thomas and BET

from the civilrights blackpower movement we gained a sense of agency, from the personal achievement years one of competency

what are the issues our generation of struggle we will have to address in the 21^st century

the question of racial identity seems pretty prominent as is post most favored minority strategies, health education and welfare is pretty consistent, as is economic security and the various empowerments - community, economic, political, social, personal

whats really critical is that we have to define our challenges well, they really have to address the stresses of 21^st century engagement or our energies will be diverted into sidegame that doesnt move us on the board

far as losing most favored minority status I say let the hispanics have it, mfm was weak game anyway – i say we maintain our traditional alliance by supporting their moves while moving into global shadowplay and claiming the allegiance of afrohispanics for the finesse

the question of racial identity in a multicultural reality is i believe is one of the most pertinent issue that we have to address in the 21^st century - the question of afrolatino identity is indicative of the strategic challenges we got to deal with in the 21^st century - as is the expulsion of the cherokee freedmen

folk want to jack up obama, but obama could easily have claimed to be multicultural, or cablinasian or whatever passing is called these days - but he come down on the blackhand side and he doing it with the dignity, boy seem to be looking for a new groove, ima slide him some slack and see how he dance - show me what you got son

this question of racial identity in the 21^st century will be critical - the one drop rule been a blessing cause we want to be inclusive, we want to grow our numbers, no lessen them, this is critical for positioning in the multiculti future

babagriot david walkers words as good today as when he said them during the great gitting up morning, "our greatest happiness shall consist of working for the salvation of our whole body. when this is accomplished a burst of glory will shine upon you which will indeed astonish you and the world."

in my day blackfolk were forced to be black. nowdays blackfolk choose to be black, we got to facilitate that - as we grow in power all the wanderers will come back home – when they do we got to make them feel at home – cant be acting funny about it – that’s just insecurity on our part – cant afford insecurity, not when we got to one drop the world

one thing i note been consistent through all the phases of struggle are the various empowerments – community, political, economic, cultural, social - if any word defines our phase of struggle i suggest it is empowerment

empowerment is flexible enough to cover a wide range of strategies –an overstrategy that would allow us to coordinate sincere individual strategies instead of expending our energies in turf battles – help us understand there are many roads to timbuktu and more than enough struggle to go around

whatever our new strategy is it must be some complex aspiration to empowerment - cultural empowerment, economic empowerment, social empowerment, political empowerment, personal empowerment, spiritual empowerment, family empowerment, and my personal favorite, community empowerment - the proper use of political, economic and social resources - you name it, empowerment will cover it.

folk still think of mobilization as 60s style mobilization - antiwar marches, online petitions, letters to the editor, etc - the makedo strategies of the weak and powerless - but more info based approaches possibly more appropriate to the historical moment

the most effective mobilization of late has been that of the rightwing ascendancy. which forged new infobased techniques of shaping public opinion and mobilizing their forces (wasnt for bush and iraq they would still be going strong).

progressive forces have tried to replicate this success w/the net and ops like move on, we got strong activists on every level of the game, and I hear fox got a daley show in the works, o we got some moves - at least some of us do, havent seen where advocacy organizations like the naacp and such doing much more than what theyve done for the last 100 years now

but we have to come up with something new, something that evolves and trains us as we struggle into the people we want our generations to be

what do i get instead. - reparations – begging by any other name is still begging.

how did we get to waiting for whitefolk to give us something as the primary strategy. for the 21^st century, whatever happened to self determination - reparations fails the test of effective longgame,. longgame should train us to be the people we need to be

reparations will train us only to be better beggars. is this the best post-most-favorite-minority strategy we can come up with. is this the best strategy we got for the 21^st century – begging - give me a break blackpeople, work with me

i would like to explore some strategic options:



ON THE NATURE OF THE LONGGAME

longgame strategies must be designed to train us into the kind of people we want most to be

this is the essence of conjuration - conduct yourself as you aspire to be and you shall.

we have to forge a people capable of systematically responding to changes in their political environment in both a timely and effective manner

for instance our response to aids has been slack, too bad we dont have institutions with the cultural authority that would have allowed us to change community behavior once it was clear how aids worked (the old rootdoctor on that)

but our response should not just attempt to stop the scourge but also to use the magnitude of this hammer to change our cultures attitude toward health –

all over the world blackfolk are sicker than other folk, we die earlier and live stunted little lives – if we use our response to the aids crises to ritualistically and mythologically prioritize health, nutrition, the ital lifestyle, etc etc, in our culture then we will have turned the trick, worked the counterspell and played the longgame – otherwise its just a tragedy

stopping the scourge is the quickgame, making good health practice a cultural trait is the long

winning seats and beating the republicans in 2008 is the quickgame, delegitimizing the rightwing impulse in american politics is the long

using the 2008 effort to institutionalize our power and make us better more sophisticated players in the electoral system is the long – training ourselves in power is the long

illuminating the american soul is the long

the biggest strategic challenge we face in the 21s century is surviving as a distinct people and culture - in the evolving uniworld culture of the future some cultures will make the cut, some will not

european culture will continue to have agency, other cultures of the world, asian, arabic, latin, etc etc, staking their ground - what ground will afroam (and african) culture stake

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

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, in the world - friend of mine once said we the 2nd toughest people on the planet

this also addresses the question how do we black overachievers maintain allegiance to both our two families, blackfolk and all humanity,

by equating the black struggle with the struggle for human dignity

by taking responsibility not only for our own struggle and our own destiny, but for the destiny of all peoples and all creation great and small

by positioning ourselves as guide and guardian of humanitys destiny –
of humanity eternal struggle to evolve, to be better

this the finesse, this whats gon put us ahead of the curve

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
which are counterproductive and must be left behind

little while back i read a nyt article about farmers in niger beating back the sahara, for centuries the sahara has been pushing back humans and turning arable farmland into desert – couple of decades ago farmers in niger realized all the trees were disappearing and the desert encroaching so they decided to plant around saplings instead of clearing them off as theyve done traditionally and lo and behold the trees have returned, anchoring the land, capturing water and regreening the desert - over 7 million acres have been greened

what really impresses me is that they did it without international aid and by defying tradition for traditions sake - thats my people at they best, handling it - thats the longgame, changing your culture as necessary to deal with evolutional challenges - cultural orchestration and timely adaptation

all cultures are simultaneously dynamic and entropic, a constantly fluctuating blend of strengths and weaknesses.

you monitor the culture through its cultural products, putting into it what it needs to transcend its challenges and finesse its weaknesses - the wars over gangster rap and mercenary literature are wars over our cultural traits, our destiny, our fate, our fa

it is clear to the old rootdoctor that our struggle must be as much spiritual as it is political, striving always to be greater than we are

by equating the black struggle with enhancement of the human condition
we contribute to the development of a culture the world can embrace –

an african american way

we must all over the world manifest a vibrant black culture of illumination and empowerment so appealing that black identity is valued and folks are proud to consider themselves black.

i say we consider the security and prosperity of our generations the prime directive. i say we calm, cool and collected,. we remain forever vigilant, we maintain an ever evolving, multifaceted strategic posture - some moves bold and strong, some hidden in shadows, some waiting silently in the wings.

masters of strategy: the key that opens all locks


THE LONG CAMPAIGN

i will always be a warrior, but I am no longer a young and vigorous warrior,

i am an old warhorse now, hopefully wise and wily. one who has been through enough campaigns that it is the long campaign that i concern myself with now

how does one live a life rich in grace and comfort that is still yet one of absolute and lifelong commitment to struggle - what babajohn o killens, the great griot master of brooklyn, called being a longdistance runner. what I call the longgame

the old conjureman ultimate goal is that blackfolk be so strong in spirit, so powerful a people that no matter where in the world/cosmos we find ourselves in the foreseeable and unforeseeable future - that we not only survive and prosper as a race and culture but that we are illuminated and empowered, forces for righteousness and

masters of the longgame

THIS IS MY VISION: THIS IS WHAT I SEE

“cast your vision young hoodoo as far as you can see, determine the
challenges the tribe will face, prepare the tribal soul to meet them”
rickydoc trickmaster

listen o ye firstborn to the geas of rickydoc and
i will give you a mission greater than your adversity

i will give you a destiny

this is my vision, this is what i see:
i see de blackpeople as a wondrous people, strong, healthy, wealthy and wise.

a respected member of the world (and eventually cosmic) mosaic
guide and guardian of humanitys eternal struggle unto its ever greater self

i ask only that you be the great and glorious people you were meant to be.
the illuminated children of the sun. - humanitys living ancestors. gods true chosen.

i ask only that you take responsibility not only for your own destiny
but for the destiny and wellbeing of all peoples and all creature great and small. - 

to regain your legacy as gods holy instrument you must stand on higher ground.
for in the final analysis the battle will be one of grace, which is the better way

awaken the sleeper, protect the weak and guide the strong
and when you need me you call me i will come

i am rickydoc

that is all, this spell is done
in the name of the conqueror