Maafa 2006

It's a case of trying to be everywhere at the same time and of course that isn't possible. This weekend I wanted to get to the San Francisco Blues Festival, which was probably as wonderful as the lineup promised.

I also wanted to go see our sister Elizabeth Catlett at the de Young, but I was sitting at my computer holding my sick cat Smokey Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I took a short break to go to Cobb's for the Sinbad show, just because it was TaSin's birthday party and she wanted me there. Afterwards we went dancing at Holy Cow. I then went home and got back on the computer at 2 a.m. It's been busy!

Maafa Ritual on Sunday

Don't forget the 12th annual Maafa Ritual at Ocean Beach this Sunday, Oct. 7, at 5:30 a.m. At this ritual, Black people are encouraged to join us to give our ancestors a funeral, these 200 million Africans who were stolen and sold into a system of economic exploitation that formed the basis of Western culture's wealth. As a scholar said in the film "500 Years Later," which we screened last night at our first event of the commemorative season, no African nation became rich as a result of this trafficking in African lives.

The ritual is an opportunity to let go of the rage, pain and anger associated with the trauma, the unresolved trauma of the European slave trade. Most, if not all, of this is directly related to the residual psychological effects of enslavement, the institutional and structural racism that prevents Black or African renaissance. The commemoration is the beginning of a conversation towards Maat. The goal is freedom, the kind of freedom possible when one knows her history and therefore herself.

The people at the "500 Years Later" screening last night at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music ranged in age from 2 years old to their late 60s. The audience included Africans and African-Americans, some here by choice - recent immigrants - others of us here by force - descendents of enslaved Africans.

‘Talk Black' with Javier Reyes

Most people knew about the film screening because they'd read the Bay View or gotten a phone call or e-mail. I'm looking forward to Javier Reyes' "Talk Black" at the Family Resource House of Unity Wednesday night at 6 p.m. and Thursday's 6 p.m. event, "Diaspora Talk with Heart to Hand," featuring youth who went to Ghana this summer for a rites of passage ceremony. Bring snacks to share.

African Diaspora Talk

Next week, we'll be back at the Oakland Public Conservatory, 1616 Franklin St., downtown Oakland, 6-9 p.m., on Tuesday, Oct. 9, for another Diaspora Talk. We will be featuring Tiyesha and Citizen, a.k.a Marty Payne, trumpeter of Caribbean All-Stars fame. I met Tiyesha when she was principle in the organizing around freeing Geronimo ji jaga and the Plebiscite Movement. Since then she and her husband have been traveling throughout the African Diaspora regularly. Most recently they were in Monterey County with family at the Monterey Jazz Festival, a great convener of Black folks.

Next week they will speak about their visit to Tanzania with Pete and Charlotte O'Neal, their trip to South Africa and Cuba, and their visit this year to the Virgin Islands. They will be joined on the panel by my colleague from the College of Alameda who was in South Africa this year, Jimmy Cato, Ph.D.

We are interested in having more Africans from the continent, recent immigrants, to attend and have a dialogue with the presenters regarding their impressions. We are still looking for sponsors for the month-long series of events. Check out the website: www.maafasfbayarea.com or send me an e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Fallen Comrade Jane Jackson

When I got the email from Kiilu Nyasha earlier this week to say that our mutual friend Jane Jackson had passed in Cuba, I wasn't surprised she died away from here, in a place, Cuba, that she loved. The woman, a revolutionary activist, was certainly an example to the world that mobility challenges are not an excuse for not being involved. I got to know Jane when TaSin went to Cuba the first time. She again helped TaSin with friends to contact and stay with when she returned alone to Santiago and Havana a couple of years later.
"Remembering Jane Jackson," tributes by Kiilu and Willie Thompson, are on page 11.

Long live the spirit of our sister Jane Jackson.

Artist Willie Cole's ‘Anxious Objects'

Stanford presents final viewing of the nationally touring exhibition, "Anxious Objects: Willie Cole's Favorite Brands," Oct. 3, 2007 through Jan. 6, 2008, at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University. Fun, funky, and provocative, Willie Cole's art explores identity, race relations, consumerism, the environment, and other contemporary concerns. Bicycles, irons, hair dryers, and high-heeled shoes are among the urban artifacts he transforms into powerful, iconic works.

Willie Cole speaks about his work in a free lecture on Saturday, Oct. 6, noon, Annenberg Auditorium, Nathan Cummings Art Building Symposium, (650) 725-3155. Docents give free tours of the exhibition Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. and Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. The museum is open Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., plus Thursday evenings until 8 p.m., and is located on the Stanford campus, off Palm Drive at Museum Way. Call (650) 723-4177. Visit http://museum.stanford.edu. Parking is free on the weekends and after 4 p.m. weekdays. Pay $1.50 per hour at other times. Directions: www.stanford.edu/home/visitors/maps.html, http://museum.stanford.edu/visit/visit_MapDirections.html.

Mary Ellen Pleasant film

"Meet Mary Pleasant" is the new film by Susheel Bibbs about the mother of civil rights in California. It tells her story and shows the impact of her work in a unique performance documentary that screens Sunday, Oct. 7, 3:35 p.m., at the Landmark California Theatre, 2113 Kittredge St., downtown Berkeley. Call (510) 464-5983 for tickets. For program information, call (510) 843-3699. Tickets for each day will be available at Landmark's California Theatre Box.

Cynthia McKinney in Bay Area this weekend

Meet Cynthia McKinney in Oakland, Thursday, Oct. 4, 6:30-9 p.m., at the West Oakland Public Library, 1801 Adeline, Oakland. Ms. McKinney will meet with a broad cross-section of Oakland's activist community, and the local press is invited.
The former congresswoman will be in Berkeley for two days, October 5 and 7. On Friday, Oct, 5, 6-9 p.m., she will be at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar at Bonita, Berkeley. The film "American Blackout" will screen at 6 p.m., followed by Ms. McKinney's talk on "Confronting Empire." This will be followed by a Q&A; $10-$30 donations are requested for this event.

Please bring your checkbook if you wish to contribute to Cynthia's campaign for the California presidential primary. Register your support and make your pledge on the Run, Cynthia, Run! website, www.runcynthiarun.com. See info on federal matching funds on our "Goals" web page. Checks can also be made out to the "Power to the People Committee."

After the Berkeley gig, Cynthia will be heading over to San Francisco for a 10 p.m. to 12 midnight Code Pink event in the back room of the El Rio Bar, 3158 Mission St. at Cesar Chavez, (415) 282-3325. There is information at www.elriosf.com and www.bayareacodepink.org.

Saturday, Oct. 6, 1-3 p.m., McKinney will headline a rally at Ahimsa Sumchai's mayoral campaign headquarters, formerly the Green House, at 4919B Third St. She will deliver the keynote address. The event will be followed by a meet and greet and barbeque. For more information, visit www.ahimsa4mayor.com.

LUNAFEST: Films By, For and About Women

LUNAFEST, the fundraising film festival dedicated to promoting awareness about women's issues, highlighting women filmmakers and bringing women together in their communities, is holding its annual event at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco on Oct. 4, expecting more than 900 attendees.

This unique film festival highlights women as leaders in society, illustrated through nine short films by women filmmakers. The films range from animation to fictional drama, and cover topics such as women's health, motherhood, body image, sexuality, cultural diversity and breaking barriers. All proceeds from the LUNAFEST premiere will go to the Breast Cancer Fund. Thus far, LUNAFEST, which is sponsored by LUNA, the Whole Nutrition Bar for Women, has raised over $150,000 for Breast Cancer Fund and over $300,000 for other women's nonprofits.

The event this Thursday, Oct. 4, begins at 6 p.m. with a reception. The films begin at 7:30 p.m. The program takes place at the Herbst Theater in the War Memorial Opera House, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. VIP tickets, $75, include the LUNA Reception, $25 for general admission, and $10 for students. You can purchase tickets at www.cityboxoffice.com.

‘Song for the Night' book reading

Author Chris Abani reads "Song for the Night" at City Light Books, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, (415) 362-8193, Thursday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m. Chris Abani is a Nigerian poet and novelist and the author of, among other books, "The Virgin of Flames." His new novella furthers his reputation as the most acclaimed young African writer today.

Part "Inferno," part "Paradise Lost" and part Sunjiata epic, "Song for Night" is the story of a West African boy soldier's lyrical, terrifying, yet beautiful journey through the nightmare landscape of a brutal war in search of his lost platoon. The reader is led by the voiceless protagonist who, as part of a land mine-clearing platoon, had his vocal chords cut - a move to keep these children from screaming when blown up, and thereby distracting the other mine sweepers. Written in a ghostly voice, each chapter is headed by a line of the unique sign language these children invented. This book is unlike anything else ever written about an African war.

Hip-Hop 4 Obama this Sunday

Barack Obama is the most name-checked presidential candidate in hip-hop. Hip-Hop 4 Obama ‘08 seeks to get out the youth vote through education, activism and the power of music. The group's slogan is "Join us to change tha nation and Barack tha Vote!" The young local artists uniting for the cause include Oakland hip-hop crew Tha Faculty, spoken word performer Teju, reggae/soca artist Trinidad, Adunyae tha Specialist, Fiyawata, Twizm and The Souls of Rap Folks. Also participating are Cov Records and Silence the Violence.

Voter registration will be offered and merchandise will be available as well. The event takes place on Sunday, Oct. 7. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m., at Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for youth. For more information, go to http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/HipHop4Obama.

African Film ‘Faat Kine'

California Newsreel, the San Francisco Black Film Festival and the Museum of the African Diaspora present "Faat Kine" by Ousmane Sembene (2000, 110 minutes, in French and Wolof with English subtitles), Wednesday, Oct. 10, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St. at Third in San Francisco. Call (415) 978-ARTS, ext. 2787. Tickets are $8 regular, $6 for seniors, students/YBCA and MOAD members.
Mill Valley Film Festival

The MVFF begins Thursday, Oct. 4, and continues through Sunday, Oct. 14. Visit www.mvff.com/node/2633.

Tribute to Donald Duck Bailey at Jazz at Pearl's

A valuable drummer and an occasional harmonica player, Donald Bailey has appeared on a countless number of sessions through the years, usually as a sideman. Bailey freelanced in his hometown of Philadelphia and then gained some fame as Jimmy Smith's regular drummer during the organist's early prime years (1956-64), appearing on many of his Blue Note albums. He worked in Los Angeles from the mid-‘60s to the mid-‘70s, spent five years in Japan, during which time he led a record session for Trio which found him sticking to harmonica, and then after returning to the U.S. in 1982, settled in Oakland. Among the many artists Donald Bailey worked with through the years were Hampton Hawes, Blue Mitchell, Jimmie Rowles, Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan.

Bailey will play with his group Friday-Sunday, Oct. 5-7, 8 and 10 p.m., at Jazz at Pearl's, located in the heart of San Francisco's entertainment district at 256 Columbus Ave., San Francisco. For information and tickets, call (415) 291-8255 or visit www.jazzatpearls.com. Tickets are $20 and $15 for all shows, with a special VIP price of $150.

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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