روی نـگار در نـظرم جـلوه مینـمود وز دور بوسـه بر رخ مـهـتاب میزدم
The face of my love flashed before my eyes
From afar I sent kisses to the moon
حافظ (via honeyandelixir)
voice of love hafiz
kifo:
…….and when we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard
nor welcomed but when we are silent we are still afraid
So it is better to speak remembering we were never meant to survive
– Audre Lorde, The Black Unicorn
life/cycles:
in-spirit of honouring wahenga wetu, ancestors of dis land, from the diaspora of righteousness to the heart of we all,
mama na akina baba, ndugu, dada na watoto wa afreeka o….
i yam speaking not only for survival, immersed in grieving/birthing/re-emerging rituals, na kwasababu dis place here is sometimes all i got to run to, into we arms, harvesting these powahs of technology for we nourishment en thriving.
in these re/learning healing journeys ya sustaining vijiji, here where we (continue) harvesting collective zawadi of resiliency positively transforming these silences, we’ve become used to for too long….
in de spirit of this afrikan liberation renaissance, when mi own words still not enough, as i transition back from this cycle of (reclaiming) silence n ‘black-outs’….
sharing with overflowing love, these zawadis that have sustained not only me, but so many of we through the moons and hard he/art work years…,
mawazo kama
darling,
the person that hurts you
will not stick around
to stitch you up,
so you better learn
to heal yourself
with your own two hands.
m.v., be your own savior.
(via lipstick-bullet)
na
to soundtrack ya ibeyi’s cover of better with the infinite
Jana, marked an epic crossing of thresholds not only in my life but with youth leaders in mi hood, en warriors from (almost) all round de world, brought together by Rivers Through Time….najua I’ll be riding the magic of all de synergy abounding for de rest of mi maisha (life)
I have eaten. I am full…. It means I yam full inside for what we have shared. I feel good….When you truly see the Great Spirit in another, and then you may address the Spirit in thanks and celebration. So in this Great Spirit, I give thanks that we were brought together with sacred intentions and youth-led (in mentorship with honourable elders) organising at community arts festivals, na with (our own grassroots definitions of) Pride,
na (kwasababu wahenga walisema leo ni leo)
Today, I walked in spirit with Women’s Health in Women’s Hands, reflecting on the memories of all those honourable powahful teachers who continue to shape (not only) mi movements (but others) to fulfilling highest destinies. Nakumbuka all the times mi sistas en (gran) mamas saved so many of our lives, en held space for mi dreams to grow with their sage secrets of loving….warriors like Notisha Massaquoi. Alison Duke. Patricia Koine. Leleti Tamu. Yolisa Dalamba. Amai Kuda…..(dis litany of survival is for de powah of reclaiming memories in orality)
I recognise and acknowledge the mysterious reality of missing de festivities around Dyke March, de grand feast of a brunch at TRCC, de Christmas&NewYears-like reunion of growing chosen families and witnessing of so many others, missing all a dis as I continue taking mi health in own hands and honour the significant difference in mi ability to walk for long distances and withstand the assault of concrete on mi body.
But for a ‘mysterious’ accident, 4 moons (or 138 days) ago, I wouldn’t have been relearning mi ableism in de daily struggle of reconciling mi ritualised actions and patterns with the effects of being hit by a car as a pedestrian, systemically falling through the cracks of the system, yet constantly being saved & nourished by villages at the heart of what is Tdot renaissance
Tomorrow, will be de crowning of queer/trans pan-afrikan organising, right in de heart of pan-africanism in de diaspora, with our own Blockorama.
Mi cup is overflowing with de magic of malaikas (angels) who continue to advocate for, co-create, en share their gifs in abundance in sustaining our growing learning villages en communities.
These are what safe spaces na nyumbani (home) feels like, grown over years and centuries of lifetimes.
“The eyes that have seen Gelede, have seen the ultimate spectacle”
ukweli, au siyo? infinitely grateful for standing tall on the backs of wahenga wangu na wa hii ardhi tunayoishi
kama vile Baba Awoyinfa Ifaloju alisema “We, those that follow Ifa’s
Religious Philosophy and other African systems have this as our responsibility to give our efforts and support, to make this year’s events [honouring our wahenga] memorable and serve our progenitors justly and rightly for what they have done for us to be standing where we are today, had it not been, where would we be ?
Ifa husema,
Egbe olowo l’egbee wa The group of the owners of wealth is our group
Egbe olomo l’egbee wa The group of the owners of children is our group
Egbe Oroki i s egbe ole The Oroki group is not a group of thieves
Aje olomo l’aje awa Powerful beings (who are) the owners of children are our powerful beings.
E tele mi ka’lo You[pl.] can follow along with me,
E le r’omo gbe jo (so that) you can carry pikin and dance
(joyfully)
hadithi njoo, ukweli njoo, utamu kolea,
infinitely grateful for those among us who beba de sage secrets of loving and share their gifs in abundance,
hadithi like these, symbols ya postcards of inspiring & replenishing hubs na gif exchange networks,
make me so proud and happy to be an Afrikan growing with/in revolushunary learning vijiji in [love wid] de diaspora
Hadithi ya emerging mashujaa wa mashinani [in diasporic sheng]
Kuna storymoja najua bout de dunia en how it floats in space on de mgongo wa kobe, na
kila mara hii hadithi husimuliwa inabadilika, sometimes it’s in de voice of de storyteller, saa zingine it’s in de details, lakini katika hadithi hizi zote, de dunia never leaves de kobe’s mgongo….
hadithi ya amani na upendo not only for ourselves na jamii wetu but for [wa] jirani na marafiki [ni kweli] huleta Baraka…..
au [in other werds], Ifa husema… Omi o! Ota o!…
Hadithi like these make me so happy to be a citizen [wa Nairobi] in Tdot [de diverse hub]
Check dis holistic renaissance movements…..
NOTICE:On the April 27th and 28th 2012 from 12pm to 6pm each day, The Permaculture Project (in partnership with Occupy Gardens) people will converge on Childrens Peace Theatre at 305 Dawes Road to participate in a weekend Convergence.
Activities of the permaculture living Convergence are: Planting food gardens in the City of Toronto in various locations, Holding panels, A picnic on the Lakeshore and on the steps of City Hall. We will go for a beautiful walk through Toronto expressing our thoughts and suggestions for Toronto and the GTA!
The public is invited and encouraged to join us! This notice is to alert all the necessary parties of our lawful and peaceful day of action.
This exciting 3-day convergence weekend will include:
Mass Seeding of the city with Occupy Gardens leading the way!
Rallies and Marches throughout the city on topics such as: 1. Economy and Environment and why our current system is unprepared, 2. Leadership and Values diminished and concrete ways to move forward, 3. Marches across the city to show at-risk areas and what’s happening…*** Rallies: will be strategic panels and offer a large audience the ability to see and hear, by use of posters, signs, megaphones/mics and painting pictures and posing critical questions in an organized and respectful way.
Informal Critical Workshops for how to take action on topics such as: 1. Legal Literacy for a day of action, 2. Media Literacy – how to assess what the media will see, 3. Tactical and Strategic Mobilization.
Healthy, local food at our Food Market throughout the weekend – provided by citizens of Toronto and supported by serious local grassroots groups.
Sunday, April 29 – The final day of the convergence will present
Market of the Diaspora
Music, Movement and Conversation – exploring the cycles of oppression in our communities of colour.
What does it sound like when the silenced speak?
What does it look like when the tribes reconvene? What does it feel like when our roots find the river underneath? When we share the fruit of our heritage and plant our elders’ seeds?
Throughout the day, experience live theatre, music performances and artwork from local artists, participate in storytelling, workshops and eat healthy, local food.
The Market of the Diaspora is an event to open conversations with respect to social, race and food justice, to illuminate our individual and collective strengths, to remember, reconnect and recreate our communities. This eclectic gathering reflects a way of life stemming from the roots of our traditional knowledge and brimming with the seeds for our shared future.
[kwa hivyo, what unique contribution can we we each make and what seeds might we plant this weekend that could make the most difference to de future of zawadi exchange networks?]
Molisa wa NyaKale 