Massive Respect Black History Film

Check out David Neita's new film about the importance of celebrating the contributions of people of African heritage - not just well-known people, but everyone. Click here to watch the video.

Trevor Phillips OBE says something similar in my book Black Success Stories. He says you don't have to be someone well-known or in the public eye to be a caring, loving and supportive parent to your children. Click here to order your copy today.

Keywords: Black Success Stories, Black Heroes and Sheroes

Stories Wanted

I am seeking writers of African heritage and successful business owners of African heritage. Also people of African heritage who are involved in community activities, including health and education. To provide articles for my online Black success stories. I will help you to get exposure and free publicity for your business or organisation. For more details, visit Stories Wanted.

I am also seeking writers of African heritage to write on the topic of the relationship between Black/African diasporic history and the arts for a new website I am setting up. Please get in touch if you want to submit your article.

See also Success in Black America, Massive Respect Black History Film, 2007 Commemoration


Keywords: Black Success Stories, African Diaspora + history, African Diaspora + arts, stories wanted.

TV + Black Comedy

I went to the Talawa Unzipped sessions at the Soho Theatre last week. On Saturday, there was a good discussion about Black comedy, i.e. comedy about Black people/people of African heritage. Personally, I think it is important to have comedy that reflects our culture and our experience. In the States, there was the Cosby show and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and then Bernie Mack. None of these really addressed racism but they did reflect Black people’s experience to a certain extent, and showed Black family life within a positive context.

In Britain, there have been several highly successful Asian comedy TV shows including Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 54. So why are Asian comic writers and performers so much more successful than ours? We cannot just say it is because we are experiencing racism. The people at the BBC commissioning editors are all white, but they commission Asian comedy, so why not ours?

To be fair, BBC has aired Three Non Blondes.

What needs to happen in order for more people of African heritage to become Commissioning Editors at the BBC and other stations?

Ligali are on the case, monitoring the media and its coverage of African British people.

Click here to visit Talawa's site.

Keywords: Black people and media; African people and media; theatre; comedy

Ancestral-Energies

In some African traditions, the griot held the story of the local people - the village, family or clan. The griot pulled together the strands of the story which represented the various people who took part in it. Kept these strands and held them safe. Savoured them, treasured them. Wove them together to form a cloth, a whole that blended the assorted colours and shadings into a pattern which told the story of the people.

The people then heard their story. Their tongues sang it. Their feet danced it. Their hips swayed it. Their hands drummed it. Their fingers carved it. The stories of their ancestors, treasured, remembered, shared, and preserved for future generations. To read the article "Celebrating Black Heroes and Sheroes", click on the link on the left.

My new poem, The Blood, explores how the history of the enslavement of African people informs our creative and artistic expression. To read it, click on the link on the left. It’s long, so it takes a few moments to load.

To read about our African ancestral energies, and for links about ancestor libations, plus lots more useful links, read the Ancestral Energies article by clicking on the link on the left.

The late Len Garrison, founder of the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton, is one of the people interviewed in the new e-book Black Success Stories. To read more, and to download the e-book, click here.

For dozens of links, including:

- Black History links in the UK, the U.S.A., Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean
- The only comprehensive list of Black museums, including museums in Africa, the U.S.A. and the UK.
- Black writers' links
- Other links - healing, spirituality, Black interest

visit Nurture Success.

Keywords: Black Success Stories, African Ancestral Energies

Cross-Community Forum + Rendezvous of Victory

The 2007 Bicentenary Cross-Community Forum was initiated by Rendezvous of Victory (ROV), an African led organisation working closely with both grass roots and mainstream institutions, in partnership with Anti-Slavery International and the World Development Movement. This e-bulletin is part of the on-going work of the Cross-Community Forum.

To receive a copy of the current e-bulletin, contact crosscommunityforum2007@hotmail.co.uk

For further information, please email us at the same address or call 07984 996784 (or leave a message on 020 7738 3186).

2007 will see the commemoration of the end of the transatlantic trade in African people. To mark this anniversary, I am seeking articles by writers and artists about the relationship between African Diasporic/Black history and artistic expression by people of African heritage. Please submit your article for consideration for my new website. This project is funded by Arts Council England. Click here to read the Poem, "The Blood", which explores these themes. It takes a few moments to load.

Please submit your article for consideration for my new website. This project is funded by Arts Council England.

For more details, send an e-mail to Arts@blacksuccess1.com

To order Black Success Stories, visit www.black-success.com

See also: Black History Films,

Black History AntiSlavery Resources,

The Blood - The Artist and the Legacy of Enslavement and Emancipation

Keywords: Black Success Stories, African Diaspora, 2007 Commemoration, history, arts and culture