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ChickenBones
Visitors Respond
Photos of
African
Poverty Crises
The most recent message arrived today from
Nigeria. We have a growing audience in Africa's most populous
nation. This growing popularity has resulted from the great work
of such writers and scholars as Rose Ure Mezu, Uche
Nworah, and Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye.
Dear
Rudy,
For a variety of reasons I only saw your letter of May 16 today.
I would not have published the pictures. I don't know who took
them where and when. I don't know whether the child is mentally
incompetent or has been paid to pose. I don't know that the
photographs are typical of anything or that they means anything
other than to demonstrate the levels to which human beings may
be degraded.
But the degradation of human beings is not confined to any
ethnic group or continent. Krafft-Ebnbing reports on some of his
patients eating human excrement.In any case I am immediately suspicious of any African who
dismisses the role of the west in the devastation of Africa.Finally, is the boy in the picture the learned author himself?
Regards, John
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Dear Rudolph.
Please forgive my amusement, at your reaction
of the graphic representations of the African reality. The global village syndrome as functional as
it is, down plays the imbalance of the social economic
conditions of some of its inhabitants especially Africans.
It would have been nice if "global
villagism" is postulated to go beyond the conquest of
technology and the glory of the satellite, to
embracing the full meaning of the slogan. To the African, a village is a community of
brethren where everybody is his brothers keeper, a fraternity of
very close associates, who mourn and rejoice with each
other It is almost a taboo in the African village for
one to be hungry when the other is full. The abiding practice is
the "village for us all." Please imagine, then, the agonizing contrast
to the situation of the African as a dejected outcast in the
global village.
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The truth, dear Rudolph, is that the pictures
Mr Nworah sent to you are not only today's reality of the
African case but might pale structurally to fully
capture the agony of today's African.
As, you might have noticed, the pictures do
not portray an unwilling act; but, strongly indicates a normal
inclination to that practice of "searching for food"
and using "available water."
You are not alone, in doubting the madness,
of the African shame, no sane person can articulate a condition
so grossly dehumanising and demeaning of a people also, created
in the image and likeness of GOD, and sharing humanity with the
rest of the 'VILLAGE'.
Please let your lot know this oddity of our
time, perhaps, it might be the beginning of the realization of
the rest of the VILLAGE that the celebrated slogan has not
been qualified.
Many thanks to Mr Uche Nworah and his likes
who are genuinely challenged by the intimidating contrast of
their adopted countries with their home countries.Yours, Sunny Ogbu.
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A friend had spoken to me soon after I
pointed out the photos to him. His Ghanaian friend thought that
they were a bit much and that the photos distracted from Uche's
words. So I broadcast the question whether the photos in the article
African
Poverty Crises
should be suppressed?
Rudy,
I have just shown the pictures to my
Ghanaian colleague. He felt that the pictures could back
fire, and people not read the article. He felt as I did
that the pictures were a bit too graphic. He was very
knowledgeable about the situation in the Sudan. As ever,
Herbert
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It may be that I baited the question, an emotional response to the notion
of self-censorship. We showed the sexual perversions of American
across the international media. Why shouldn't the horrors of
African poverty, and the desperate measures used to endure just
one more day, one more hour.
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My own view is that pictures of such
atrocities should be shown. Why not? It is reality
of what is happening. Pat
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One African American writer believes that balance is
necessary. He wrote
Hello Rudy,
I read the piece and true this piece
spotlighted some significant challenges Africa as a whole may
need help in tackling m however those pictures of hopelessness
have to be balanced with pictures of hope for a better future or
even a class of learners or something where people are working
together. A balance could be a picture of a Lagos
traffic jam. If there is balance okay and not without balancing
shots lest we fall into the pits of the white media in our own
media.
I say this with all due respect to Brother
Uche whom I have communicated with once or twice. The piece is a
realistic and an honest observation of some hard to solve
issues in our motherland. However we owe it to our ancestors and
ourselves to be better about presenting pictures of
our motherland in a balanced manner even if the western news
media continue to cast our motherland in negative terms. Sincerely,
Larry Ukali Johnson-Redd
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This writer believed the presentation was graphically honest, unforgettable.
Mr. Lewis,
I
think the pictures are graphic, yet honest. I don't think you
should have to sugarcoat the conditions. If we did not have the
visuals we would not have the true picture(s) of how our
Brothers and Sisters are living. We would have lipservice and
written documents. Not uncensored reality.
These
pictures are worth a million and one words. They are graphic and
honest. The viewers will not forget them--that should be the
aim; to raise awareness!
All the best,
Van
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There were those who were
absolutely certain the photos needed more exposure:
Absolutely not, Rudolph.
Please do not remove these photos. Folk ought to be
grown enough to look the truth in the eye. What is being gained
by removing these photos from their proper context? For
too long we have remained ignorant and uninformed. If these
horrific photos can help move the discussion from the abstract
to the concrete, pushing conscious people to action, then it
would be for the good. My two cents, SRT
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There were those moved to tears:
Peace and blessings Rudy,
I agree with Kinya.
Although these photos bring tears to my eyes, it is important
that people be informed. When we consider all that is happening,
we can all become even more humble. . . . When things are not going well, please
reflect on your great accomplishments with ChickenBones.
be blessed, Yvonne
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One author in Accra thought
the whole matter was sensational, unproductive:
Dear Rudy,
I have little sympathy with
Uche's plea - stripped of the rhetoric Blair's commission seems
to me just one more manifestation of neo-colonialism, this time
with a gloss of paternalism. That said, I cannot see
what these photographs contribute to Uche's argument. I suggest
that you ask him, "What are these photographs intended to
say?" I would remove them
(not suppress them -
this is not censorship - no doubt they have been published
elsewhere.) Best wishes, Manu Herbstein, Accra.
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My best supporter and mentor
buoyed my spirits:
Part of being a librarian
and (RE: ChickenBones) a journalist is to disseminate
information. While the objections to the photos obviously come
from the viewpoint of "gruesome," we should keep in
mind that the description is from someone who thinks the rest of
us already understand what we really don't understand--the
onslaught visited upon human beings in countless forms.
There is still an Arab
slave trade in motion. There is still the callous exploitation
of people and resources, etc. There is still no rectification or
reparation set into place. I say, keep the photos. It's an
honest reminder and a strong pull towards activism. Over this
way, we've grown too complacent. Later. Louis.
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My brother who doesn't brook any
nonsense had just a few words:
Rahim
-- put
the photos up!!!!!!!!
Sharif
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The photos made my dear sister Frances
think more reflectively how universal suffering is and how we
all are one button away from destruction:
Greetings Rudy,
In full appreciation I understand your
position. I still 'feel' the photo's ... so vivid, clear and
internally shattering . . .
Even though I have a very quiet mannered
spirit, my Mother made sure we beginning as very young children learned
to look to our Heavenly Creator for hope, wisdom, compassion,
answers, empathy and guidance, not to just acquire these
qualities and place them aside, but to use them to let others
know of a future, grand, glorious and free from the atrocities,
inhumane and degradation befalling mankind . . .
We can not know of the existence of such, if
no one tells, shows, speaks, writes, read, hears, . . . Cry . .
. Cries out in love and spirituality, especially for the
children, the sweet precious and innocent children. Lives lost
before they were found, souls broken . . . what goes through
their minds... the insaneness of sanity causes these sanctioned
horrific times... children doing whatever is possible to have
the basics, food, cleanliness and care... through all of this
they still yearned to be clean, to have food, to live...
think about it, they want to LIVE...
nourished and clean…and if this is what it takes... their
sanity guides them their spirit keeps them their life
strengthens them in anyway possible... if they can live it, we
must see it… tell it, say it, fight it, assist in erasing its
happening ever… again.
(Are we too not a button/click/faction from
destruction and life as we know it?)
Pray and pray for help, help and more help…
Oh, My Brother, My Dear Brother, I say again
In full appreciation I understand your position. I still 'feel'
the photo's ... so vivid, clear and internally shattering . .
. I say this in
support of your struggle...May
you always have passion and may passion always embrace you . . .Frances
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Rudy,
I just don't know what to say. Thanks
for doing what you do. I read the article on Omar in
Chicken Bones a while ago I believe. These pictures . . .
brother, they are so sad. And I just feel mad at myself
when I look at them for complaining about the little
inconsistencies in my life that I complain about from week to
week.
These pictures may be embarrassing to the
African American, but in ChickenBones they have a place.
Your readership is largely black, and we need to be made aware
of what is going on with our people in the Sudan. I'm a military spouse, and this week a white
friend of mine was stressed out. Her husband's a marine officer
who has been in Jabuti (sp.), and the last time he called he was
on his way to the Sudan where he could not where his military
clothing, only civilian clothes. She's worried about him
and the dangers in the Sudan. She didn't have a clue, and I
could feel that pain because I felt it the whole year my husband
was in Iraq.
About these pictures, as disgusting and sad
as they are, people need to know about this. Black America
and Black intelligentsia everywhere need to see the causes we
have become too busy or too caught up in our own lives to fight
for. This is a sadness, and I hope that everyone who sees
them will feel the sickness. Tell me, what can we do . . . I just don't
know. Thanks for sharing these. Latorial
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Another pot
was emphatic, ready to take on the challenge:
do
not suppress. we got work to do. --
lmsekou
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* * *
One writer
suggested a warning for those with delicate sensibilities:
Yes,
show the photos. I agree with Kinya. Considering the
dire circumstances, I think that "censoring" the story
by not publishing the photos would diminish the effect this harsh
reality should have on anyone who either cares or needs to become
aware.
As you did with all in this
mailing, preface the story with a "caution" about the
photos so that viewers will be prepared. Otherwise, I say go
for it. SD
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A theologian
also pitched din with this support: Yes -- they are disturbing
and no one should be forced to live under these conditions -- that
is why they should be posted.
On a side note - I will be
shutting down my website and creating a new one at the school I'm
going to. I know you are linked to my present site so I'll
let you know when the changes are made. Miguel
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Dear Rudy,
This is a very personal
reaction. Right now, I don't know whether or not you should
suppress the photos. My own temperament (and history) lets me know
from your letter that today I should not open the article. I am
incredibly sensitive. On most days, the news fills me with
despair, anger, rage and sadness. I try hard not to watch it
because I cannot function when I am filled with despair, anger,
rage and sadness. (It's a long complicated story which is one
reason why I write.)
I have to work hard to remain
sane in a crazy world.
So, not watching the news
regularly or taking in graphic detail of the world's evils is one
way I take care of myself.
Thanks for your letter and
the question. I appreciate being warned. I may open the article. I
just don't know when. Peace and love,
Jeannette
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Rudy, this is bad
stuff. No, I do not think it should be suppressed. Rudy, the black
intellectuals and politicians are completely out of it. As
far as President Omar al-Beshir is concerned. We have been
there before, haven't we? When Amin and Obote were killing
millions where were the black voices of outrage. The fact is
that Congo, Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Sudan have all been
killing fields. Most Negroes are not aware of that fact.
Today I got an unsolicited black news article in which a black
congressperson was quoted saying that hip hop is "the civil
rights movement of the 21st century?"
What a stupid idea! Hip-hop is neither
the cure nor the cause of our problems.
It is totally irrelevant, except as an index of the banal. I still don't know why the Negroes of the United States abandon
their Anglo-Christian slave names to assume Arab-Islamic slave
names. I guess Negroes just like to have masters. For
my own part, I can understand an interest in Islamic art, history
and culture, but what I don't understand is the need to submit to
the social norms and religious biases of an alien part of the
world, which has dealt no more kindly with Africans than has the
West. Wilson
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Dear Rudy,
Personally I think you and the author should receive The Pulitzer
Prize. I see the publication of these photos as up there with Tom
Paine and The Muckrakers. Certainly they are horrific and shocking
but they are true and honest. The Holocaust was kept a secret
during the war, but this is no secret. This bell tolls for you and
me. If your critic wants genteel journalism let him
read The Christian Science Monitor. I suspect Uncle Tom's Cabin
brushed a few readers the wrong way but it rallied a nation. ChickenBones
may well rally the world. I think it is our job to distribute this
article to the millions on the internet. Thank you,
Ben
post 6 June 2005
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The New Jim Crow
Mass Incarceration in the Age of
Colorblindness
By Michele Alexander
Contrary to the
rosy picture of race embodied in Barack
Obama's political success and Oprah
Winfrey's financial success, legal
scholar Alexander argues vigorously and
persuasively that [w]e have not ended
racial caste in America; we have merely
redesigned it. Jim Crow and legal racial
segregation has been replaced by mass
incarceration as a system of social
control (More African Americans are
under correctional control today... than
were enslaved in 1850). Alexander
reviews American racial history from the
colonies to the Clinton administration,
delineating its transformation into the
war on drugs. She offers an acute
analysis of the effect of this mass
incarceration upon former inmates who
will be discriminated against, legally,
for the rest of their lives, denied
employment, housing, education, and
public benefits. Most provocatively, she
reveals how both the move toward
colorblindness and affirmative action
may blur our vision of injustice: most
Americans know and don't know the truth
about mass incarceration—but her
carefully researched, deeply engaging,
and thoroughly readable book should
change that.—Publishers
Weekly |
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Sex at the Margins
Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry
By Laura María Agustín
This book explodes several myths: that selling sex is completely different from any other kind of work, that migrants who sell sex are passive victims and that the multitude of people out to save them are without self-interest. Laura Agustín makes a passionate case against these stereotypes, arguing that the label 'trafficked' does not accurately describe migrants' lives and that the 'rescue industry' serves to disempower them. Based on extensive research amongst both migrants who sell sex and social helpers, Sex at the Margins provides a radically different analysis. Frequently, says Agustin, migrants make rational choices to travel and work in the sex industry, and although they are treated like a marginalised group they form part of the dynamic global economy. Both powerful and controversial, this book is essential reading for all those who want to understand the increasingly important relationship between sex markets, migration and the desire for social justice. "Sex at the Margins rips apart distinctions between migrants, service work and sexual labour and reveals the utter complexity of the contemporary sex industry. This book is set to be a trailblazer in the study of sexuality."—Lisa Adkins, University of London |
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The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
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Ancient African Nations
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Negro Digest /
Black World
Browse all issues
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Enjoy!
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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
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The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
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Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery /
George Jackson /
Hurricane Carter
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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
/
January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
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update
26 March 2012
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