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| Wanda’s Picks June 27, 2007 |
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| by Wanda Sabir | |
| Tuesday, 26 June 2007 | |
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June is Torture Awareness Month and Sunday was the 10th anniversary of the U.N. Day in Support of Torture Victims and Survivors. Interesting considering the conclusion of hearings for the SF 8, a case being tried in California Superior Court based on evidence gleaned through torture, a case formerly thrown out reintroduced now because of USA Patriot Acts 1 and 2. Visit http://prisonactivist.org/?q=taxonomy_menu/9/59/92 and http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/25/1421222. It’s been a week almost since the latest hearings for the SF 8 concluded, and I still can’t shake the image of Black men in shackles, leg irons and handcuffs from my mind. I was paralyzed with anxiety this past weekend. I couldn’t walk. Still can’t get around too well. It’s hard to drive, without taking pain medicine first. When I started editing the story on the SF 8 hearings, my legs started cramping up again. I have started grinding my teeth and have to wear an orthodontic device all the time as I take St. John’s Wort supplements for the butterflies and queasiness. I’m trying to work my way through this. I generally work through trauma by walking or dancing or climbing a mountain, so having to sit on my sofa with my leg propped up is not helping me feel more functional. A friend of mine told me once that I never stop; however, the enslavement of my brothers witnessed with my own eyes day after day for almost a week has me immobilized physically. Brothers Jalil Mutaquim and Herman Bell, Ray Boudreaux, Hank Jones, Richard O’Neal, Richard Brown, Harold Taylor, Francisco Torres — behind bars. I think I was living in a philosophical universe prior to this rude awakening. To think I took the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) and planned a career in constitutional law. I certainly hope Judge Moscone removes the men’s shackles when the bail hearings resume Monday, Aug. 6, at 9 a.m. in Dept. 23, rather than Dept. 21, at 850 Bryant St. in San Francisco. Come for the rally at 8 a.m. To stay abreast of developments in the case, visit www.cdhrsupport.org. Ousmane Sembene The passing of the father of African Cinema, Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene, on June 11 (b. 1923) came and went without a murmur. The man whose body of work tackled subjects like female genital mutilation in “Moolaade” (2003), polygamy in “Xala” (1974), the effects of colonialism in his “La Noire De …” (Black Girl, 1966), “Mandabi” (The Money Order, 1968), “Emitai” (1971) and “Camp De Thiaroye” (1988).  Ousmane Sembene on the set of “Moolaad” Within this dialectic framework, nothing was sacred, especially religion. Superstitions and traditional African beliefs like patriarchy and the subjugation of women were all opened by Sembene to scrutiny. His heroes broke rules, the more the better. His films showed the sacred as profane. “Faat Kine” and “Moolaade” are both part of what Sembene called his “ordinary heroes series,” films which looked at women and men on the edges of African society who defied definition especially by others. There were to be three; I wonder if the third will be released. These female characters stood up for what was right, regardless of the personal consequences — being ostracized, beaten or killed. Sembene was one man who knew how to write fabulous full-figured sisters into being with his pen and later camera. In “Faat Kine” (2000), the protagonist is a business woman, single parent, disowned by her father for having a baby out of wedlock. It didn’t matter that she was raped. Sembene films all have characters on the outside, characters who prefer the margins. That character often narrates the tale; a dispassionate observer, he or she often adds helpful tidbits of gossip or precipitates change. These are the people who don’t fit in, the one taken for granted, like the merchant from another region, a cripple, a child or youth. I was shocked that there were no retrospectives, public pouring of libations here in the San Francisco Bay Area where the director’s work was so well-received and loved. I remember when Sembene was honored by the San Francisco International Film Festival with the Akira Sawa Award. He was one of the first recipients, and there was a reception for him in Oakland at Sade Turnipseed’s place on Washington. Not a whisper. Did I miss an event announcement from the Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco Black Film Festival, Pacific Film Archive, Mill Valley Film Society? What about the African American Art and Cultural Complex, the Malonga Casquelorde Center for the Arts? I just don’t understand how such a powerful voice could fade into the horizon with barely a ripple. Nunu Kidane keeps me in the loop on pan-African events and I don’t recall anything from her. If you don’t know him, read this wonderful article on the California Newsreel website by his biographer, Samba Gadjigo, Mount Holyoke College, http://www.newsreel.org/articles/OusmaneSembene.htm. If you didn’t know the brother, it’s time you did. Alternative July 4th at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music UpSurge Jazz Poetry, the Count Basie Tribute Orchestra and Michael Lange and James Brooks will participate in a program that includes excerpts from Frederick Douglass’ famous speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” along with an evening of great music and poetry. There is a BBQ dinner starting at 6 p.m. for an additional $10 added to the $20 concert-only admission. The concert begins at 8 p.m. The OPCM is located in downtown Oakland at 1616 Franklin St.. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the OPCMusic, 1616 Franklin St., Funky Soul Stop Records, 1811 Jefferson St. in Downtown Oakland, or online at www.brownpapertickets.com. ‘Nickel Bottom 5 Penny Opera’ Directed by Ayodele Wordslanger Nzinga and presented by Shakespeare in the Yard, “5 Penny Opera,” based on “Die Dreigroschenoper” or the “Threepenny Opera,” is possibly another classic in the making. We’ll see. In the past, the director has be able to demystify “the classics,” so that audiences who might cut school when it’s time to read Shakespeare are riveted to their seats as the Lower Bottom Playaz connect audiences to words and themes that reflect their lives and those of folks like them – the authors often dead and gone but wise beyond the space, time dimension. This is the beauty of literature; this is also the beauty of Wordslanger’s Lower Bottom Playaz, a concept that does more than bring the word to a community many people are reluctant to drive through let alone spend the afternoon. Life changing and life affirming – this is the goal of art, especially words, which are more powerful than the most precise bullet. I last saw “Threepenny Opera,” or the “Beggar’s Opera,” at ACT in San Francisco, and when I stepped out of the theatre, it felt like I was still on the set. This fun opera is a socialist critique of a capitalist world, a place where the wealthy get wealthier and the poor poorer. People are unable to move beyond their circumstances unless they win the lotto, marry up or rob a bank and take speech classes. Supposedly, America doesn’t have a class based society, so if money is all it takes to give one fluidity on the social food chain, then why do rich Black men still have trouble hailing a taxi? Perhaps in Bertolt Brecht’s story transplanted here, in West Oakland’s Lower Bottom, race is the linchpin that guarantees who passes go and who goes to jail? “Nickel Bottom” begins July 6 and goes until July 15. Go early in the run; you’ll probably want to see it twice. Thea Bowman Memorial Theatre is in the yard of the Prescott Joseph Center for Community Enhancement, 920 Peralta St., Oakland. Call (510) 835-8683. Friday and Saturday the shows are at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Dress in layers. Visit the director at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=73337371. Red, White and Blues Tribute to New Orleans The day-long concert, Red, White and Blues Tribute to New Orleans, features Motor Dude Zydeco, Tom Rigney and Flambeau, Andre Thierry, Henry Clement and the Gumbo Band, Mark St. Mary, Zydeco Flames, plus the Bay Area Blues Society’s Caravan Of All Stars and more. Hosted by Avotcja of KPOO and KPFA, the event is at the Alameda County Fair Main Stage in Pleasanton. For information and directions, call (510) 836-2227 or (707) 647-39621. The event is from 12 noon to 7 p.m. Visit www.avotcja.com and www.bayareabluessociety.net or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Memorial Fundraiser for Carlos ‘Garabato’ Gonzales (1956-2007) The multi-generational star studded benefit to celebrate the life of our brother and friend Carlos “Garabato” Gonzales and raise funds for funeral and burial expenses features Fito Reinoso, Anthony Blea, Rhonda Benin, Hector Lugo y sus Pleneros, E.W. Wainwright Jr., Rico Pabon, Raymond Nat Turner and Zigi Lowenberg, Coto Pincheira, Yaya Maldonado y Los Gatos, The Bellbottoms, Eric Aviles, Tureeda Mikell, Carlos Zialcita Blues Band with Myrna del Rio, Javier Navarete, Fari, Aya de Leon, Val Serrant, Gary Flores & Trio Descarga Caliente with Carlos Ramirez & Omar Ledesma, Paradox and Avotcja. The benefit is hosted by Afrikaan Jahmal Davis of KKUP and Avotcja at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck at Prince, Berkeley, (510)849-2568. The donation requested is $10-$25 and the benefit is from 7 to 10 p.m. For information, write This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.avotcja.com. Fillmore Jazz Festival This Saturday and Sunday, June 30-July 1, is the Fillmore Jazz Festival, the West Coast’s largest free jazz festival I hear. Visit http://www.fillmorejazzfestival.com/?op=entertainment for the line-up. Music is from 10-6 both days. For a map of best parking locations for the festival, visit http://maps.live.com/?v=2&cid=89202C9BEAFA5F9!262. Art Exhibits It’s your last chance to see “Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks,” on view through July 1 at the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Visual Arts Center Museum at Stanford University. This is a retrospective of the works of the late Gordon Parks, featuring 73 works chosen specifically by Parks as examples of his most potent imagery. Visit www.museum.stanford.edu or call (650) 723-4177. While there, don’t forget to check out “Art of Being Tuareg,” which is up through Sept. 2. Afro Beat All-Stars benefit Friday and Saturday, June 29-30, at Café Du Nord, 2174 Market St., San Francisco, there will be two outstanding shows by the Afro Beat All-Stars benefiting the African Immigration and Refugee Resource Center (AIRRC). The first show features Baba Ken and Afro Groove Connexion plus Jujuba and DJ Vanka. The second show features Jujuba and DJ Jeremiah and the Afrobeat Nation plus DJ Emmanuel Nado. For tickets, which are $18 in advance and $20 at the door, visit maishaproductions.com. ‘Return of the Whirlwind’ film project This Saturday, June 30, 4 p.m., at the House of Unity, 7200 Bancroft Ave., Oakland, there is a fundraiser to benefit a documentary film project on the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey called “Return of the Whirlwind.” For information, call (510) 430-9931. Watch the trailer and join the discussion afterwards. Preservation Hall Jazz Band The Stern Grove Festival of free music in the park continues with San Francisco’s favorite band this Sunday, July 1, 2 p.m., at Sigmund Stern Grove, 19th Avenue at Sloat in San Francisco. The concerts are free, though the Grove fills up quickly so try to arrive before the concert starts. For information visit www.stermgrove.org or call (415) 252-6253. Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers opens the afternoon. There is a pre-concert talk with Lavay. For disabled accommodations, tables reservations, or other information call (415) 252-6253. Mural in tribute to Maudelle Shirek  Mayor Tom Bates presents former City Councilmember Maudelle Shirek with flowers at the dedication of the Shirek Building, March 22, 2007. The building’s new mural is being dedicated Wednesday. Ms. Shirek, who will be 96, was elected to the Berkeley City Council at age 72 and served for 20 years. She has given the past 60 years of her life to the labor, peace, civil rights, anti-apartheid, AIDS and elder movements. She has been “serving the people” at senior centers for the past 30 years and recently, she worked closely with ActUp East Bay to fight for more affordable HIV drugs for the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa. Currently, Shirek is working towards building more affordable housing. Through her efforts, scattered site low-income housing has been built in Berkeley, as well as housing to serve seniors, working-class families, and people with disabilities and AIDS. Shirek has also worked for the credit union, helping many people get loans with which they bought their first homes, paid for education or started small businesses. There, she was a union organizer and officer in Local 29. Later, when she worked for the City of Berkeley as director of the West Berkeley Senior Center, she was on the State Executive Board of Service Employees International Union, Local 535. She initiated the first municipal Labor Commission in California and founded and directed the New Light Senior Center.  Faye Carol Mal Sharpe’s Big Money in Jazz features Faye Carol on Wednesday, July 4, at 8 and 10 p.m. Visit www.yoshis.com or call (510) 238-9200. Kevin Eubanks of the Tonight Show Guitarist Kevin Eubanks of Tonight Show fame brings his band to Yoshi’s for a four day run, Thursday, July 5, through Sunday, July 8. Visit www.yoshis.com or call (510) 238-9200. Shows are 8 and 10 p.m. and 7 and 9 p.m. on Sunday. I had a great telephone conversation with Eubanks two weeks ago. Look for it sometime next week. Fito Reinoso Cuban band leader and singer, Fito Reinoso, is Monday’s hot ticket for lively dance music. Again visit www/yoshis.com. Shows are 8 and 10 p.m. Activists as Writers, Writers as Activists On Thursday, July 5, 7 p.m., celebrated writers of color converge in a multicultural reading at the University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton St. in 252 McClaren Hall. The event is free. For more information, contact Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation at (866) 202-6152. LaborFest 2007 begins Labor Fest kicks off Thursday, July 5, and continues through July 31. Visit www.laborfest.net/2007schedule.htm. There is a great line-up of films, poetry readings, bike tours and featured speakers. LaborFest was established in 1994 to institutionalize the history and culture of working people in an annual labor cultural, film and arts festival. It begins every July 5th, which is the anniversary of the 1934 “Bloody Thursday” event. On that day, two workers, Howard Sperry and Nick Bordoise, were shot and killed in San Francisco. They were supporting the longshoremen and maritime workers strike. This incident brought about the San Francisco General Strike, which shut down the entire city and led to hundreds of thousands of workers joining the trade union movement. Queer Eye for Oakland: Open Mic Pride Readings At Diamond Branch Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave., Saturday, July 7, 3-5 p.m., poets and fiction writers read original work in celebration of Lesbian Gay Transgender Pride. Refreshments will be served and there will be an open mic opportunity for others to share. For information, call (510) 482-7844. Eighth Annual Hayward-Russell City Blues Festival The Eighth Annual Hayward-Russell City Blues Festival will be held Friday-Sunday, July 6-8, 11 am to 7 p.m., at the Hayward City Hall Plaza, 777 B St., and will feature a special celebration of Pinetop Perkin’s 94th birthday. General tickets are $15 in advance, $10 in advance for students and seniors. For further information, call (510) 836-2227 or (707) 647-3962. Bay View Arts Editor Wanda Sabir can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Visit her website, www.wandaspicks.com, for an expanded version of Wanda’s Picks and for exciting “web exclusives.” |
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