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President Obama, Raul Castro, Mandela’s Memorial and the Handshake Seen Around the World

December 11, 2013 By

Obama handshakeSeems like more than a few folks are up in arms over President Obama shaking hands with Fidel Castro‘s brother Raul. For most of us its no big deal, friend or foe when someone is in your presence, the civil thing to do is nod hello, shake hands and keep it moving.. But when it comes to heads of state, some wanna give it extra meaning…

Granted some of the manufactured outrage is via far right forces who are no fans of Obama and will look for anything to score political points. For others it symbolizes a crack in what they may have hoped to be a permanent icy relationship between the US and Cuba..For others the handshake signals a possible new direction in relations between the two countries. For some the handshake from someone who says one thing and does another its meaningless..

Lets take a step back and examine a few things..First, the world was at a memorial for a man who everyone has hyped up for his ability to forgive and break bread and find redemptive qualities with his enemies..If Mandela can make peace with the Dutch Afrikaners who did unthinkable horrors and the world is praising him at a his funeral for that deed, what the hell is wrong with folks getting all upset when gestures of acknowledgement are made? Have a freaking seat and stop crying..

If forgiveness and diplomacy are the orders of the day and that’s what everyone is pushing, then let everyone follow such dictates from top to bottom. That means the gang bangers on the street can shake hands and find other ways to settle differences. It means heads of states can find forgiveness with one another.

If folks can heap praise on forgiving the systemic and brutal horrors of Afrikaners, than those same folks can find forgiveness in those who fought them ie Winnie Mandela..Lets talk about that…

If the British Prime Minister David Cameron can show up, take selfies with Obama and the Prime Minister of Denmark and be the first to send condolences to Mandela even though 20 years ago he wanted to execute him, then he can make peace and find redemption with Robert Mugabe especially after he got a standing ovation, that no one wants to talk about..

On the other hand if we are going to play the card that a handshake with someone we don’t like or perceived as doing egregious wrongs, then let us all have a seat at the table and not allow a few disgruntled politicos like Ted Cruz be the only ones who get to say who the president gets to shake hands with and who he can’t….

I’m sure many of us in a perfect world don’t want Obama shaking hands with Wall Street bankers who bilked this country for trillions and tanked our economy..Many of us who are watching corporate powers make moves to further privatize the commons.. would like it if the president shun all of them and stop dealing with lobbyist who he said he would avoid when he ran he first ran for office..

Many of us don’t want him shaking hands with Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel who skipped Mandela’s funeral and overseas what many consider an apartheid like state when it comes to its Palestinian population and in more recent days its African immigrant population.. Plus Israel backed the Apartheid government.. How about Obama not shake hands with him or any of her leaders?

Many of us would be perfectly ok if Obama not shake the hands of Russian president Vladimir Putin especially since he pushed for the anti-gay law in his country..Many are not too keen on the crack downs he oversees when there is dissent. We already know there are forces upset that Russia gave former NSA contractor Edward Snowden asylum and are pushing for the president to hold back his hand on that tip..How about the President hold back on human rights violations?

Speaking of human rights violations, since folks are upset with the President for shaking hands with Raul Castro citing human rights concerns, would those same folks be upset if there were folks who refused to shake hands with president Obama because of his own human rights violations.. It would be great that if the President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain, refused to shake hands with Obama because of all the unmanned drone strikes that besiege his country..

If any head of state in Africa upset about Africom refuses to shake Obama’s hand would that be considered rude and undignified? Would it be wrong if the refuse to shake his hand in light of him leading the charge to kill President Gaddafi as the US interests took over Libya??

What about any of the heads of state from Latin American countries that have found themselves being targeted and undermined by US policies?

Would folks be up in arms if President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela or President Evo Morales of Bolivia refused to shake hands with Obama. Certainly Morales has good cause after his plane was detained for 14 hours when rumors spread that he might be housing Edward Snowden..

We did see the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff bite her tongue and shake President Obama’s hand even though she was majorly pissed upon discovering she her phone calls were being listened to via the NSA and Obama’s policy..

Screen Shot 2013-12-11 at 10.07.10 AMIn any case the handshake has gotten folks buzzing the same way the President’s body language, his wife’s side eyed glances and him taking selfies with fellow world leaders. Some are arguing that we should not be too quick to jump to conclusions about him taking pictures and that too many people are erroneously reading into his wife, First Lady Michele Obama‘s facial expressions. We are told its trivial and pictures don’t convey all that’s really going on.. We’ll if that’s the case, maybe we are all reading too much into a handshake which is somehow deemed more important because a few Senators and some political minded folks are talking..

Maybe its just a harmless handshake, the same way a nod and smile one gives upon seeing someone. Maybe the playful selfie and side eye glances were harmless as well.. But in the event that these aforementioned gestures have deeper meaning, President Obama better watch whose hand he’s shaking and his wife should start wearing sun glasses so we cant see if she’s approving or disapproving..

Even better why don’t we lift the sanctions in Cuba find bold creative ways to engage our neighbors where its a win for the people who never get to shake any of these leaders hands.. If there were no sanctions and people were true to ideals they kept upholding about Nelson Mandela, this handshake seen around the world would be a non issue …

Filed Under: 2013 Daily News Tagged With: , , , ,

M-1 of Dead Prez Calls Artists To Action Concerning Cuba & Zimbabwe

July 30, 2013 By

The Artist Must Elect To Fight For Freedom or Slavery – Paul Robeson

A People’s Art Is The Genesis Of Their Freedom – Claudia Jones

Calling Our Artists to Action and Service

M1

M1

We are truly honored and privileged to absorb the people of Cuba as they proudly celebrate the 60th anniversary of the July 26th Movement led by Commandant Fidel Castro and Che Guevara storming the Moncada Barracks in 1953, thereby launching the guerilla campaign that led to the overthrow of the US-Spanish backed military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. All daughters and sons of Africa, both on the continent and the Diaspora are also carefully observing the Republic of Zimbabwe’s third Presidential election this century. While their citizens seek to emphatically make the statement on the world stage, they can resolve their political differences without external forces attempting to shape the destiny of the nation.

Because Malcolm X would have turned 88 years old on May 19th, African people in every corner of the world will be celebrating his life and work; this particular year, those reflections unfortunately coincide with the tragic and untimely death of his grandson and namesake Malcolm Shabazz who made his transition to the ancestors on May 9th, 2013. Our overwhelming desire to complete the work he left behind serves as the inspiration for reaching out to the artistic sector of the community at this crucial moment in history.

In what many consider Malcolm’s most heartfelt speech “Message to the Grassroots”, he eloquently stated, “Land is the basis of all independence”. That powerful statement on a practical level is the driving force behind the Land Reclamation Program (“LRP”) that was launched by the Government and people of Zimbabwe 13 years ago. The decision to reclaim 70% of their country’s most agriculturally resourceful land came with a price, the US-EU alliance imposed sanctions aimed at crippling Zimbabwe’s basic infrastructure and imploding their economy.

The same identical measure was used by the Kennedy administration over 50 years ago when he made the decision to ruthlessly impose a blockade on Cuba, which was intended to make the Government and people of Cuba regret embracing a Socialist path and since has cost the island nearly 100 billion dollars in revenue. This diplomatic maneuver by President Kennedy came on the heels of the failed CIA Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, in which the objective was to overthrow the Cuban Government led by Fidel Castro.

In the same aforementioned speech, Brother Malcolm called the Cuban Revolution a real revolution that overthrew the system. Because quality health care and education, women’s and youth empowerment and self determination are the staples of both Cuban and Zimbabwean Society, the blockade and sanctions have genocidal implications. It is on that basis we are calling on African musicians at home and abroad representing all genres of our music to make songs calling for the immediate lifting of the US-EU sanctions on Zimbabwe and the US blockade on Cuba.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a59Kwp35Z80

We feel this action not only will serve as a working tribute to Brother Malcolm, but it sends a bold and uncompromising message to our former colonial and slave masters, that our art and culture remains an invaluable weapon which we will not hesitate to use to defend and consolidate any meaningful gains Africans have made anywhere on this planet. For those artists who are ready to make a contribution towards this effort, our goal is to put together a compilation album exposing the negative impact the sanctions and blockade have had on the people of Cuba and Zimbabwe and our goal is to have the music for this project completed by the first week of September. All interested artists can reach out by e-mail and contact us at palo02@yahoo.com or obiegbuna15@gmail.com for more details pertaining to the project.

With the entire world unequivocally opposed to both the US-EU sanctions on Zimbabwe and the US blockade on Cuba, the songs produced for this project will be sweet music, not only to the ears of the Daughters and Sons of Africa in 125 countries worldwide, but to all freedom loving people hoping and fighting for a world free of Racism, Exploitation and War for profit and theft. For those artists who respond to this call for action, a pool of research that consists of historical data and current events concerning developments in both Cuba and Zimbabwe will be made available to you.

Cuba Si Bloqueo No
Zimbabwe Forever US-EU Sanctions Never

Mutulu Olugbala AKA M1 of
Dead Prez

Obi Egbuna Jr.
US Correspondent To The Herald (Zimbabwe’s National Newspaper)
US based member of ZIMCUFA (Zimbabwe-Cuban Friendship Association)

source: http://yourworldnews.org/blog/?p=4098

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj6bxmE0EKM

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Common Jumps in the Cuba Debate -Adds Scorching Lyrics to Jay-Z’s Open Letter.

April 16, 2013 By
Common

Common

So Jay-Z sparked controversy with his song Open Letter which was a response to the hoopla some in Congress was making about his trip to Cuba.. Well J Period hooked up a remix and added a scorching verse from Common.. I gotta note Common hits hard but may throw folks with his lyric about still riding for Obama..especially since he’s also talking about his support for Assaata Shakur.. In all fairness Common’s  been riding w/ the Pres from day one and hasn’t wavered.  So we’ll have to debate that another time.. In the meantime,  politics withstanding the song is a head bopper for real.. I hope other rappers come on and add their own take and expand the conversation about why we need to respect Cuba and drop the embargo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8pzz9PCTVM

 

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Marco Rubio Tells Jay-Z: He Must Learn.. We Tell Rubio He Should Learn As Well

April 15, 2013 By

jay-z sideAccording to USA Today, Jay-Z is applying to become a baseball agent with Major League Baseball Players Association receiving his application to  be certified was received last week.

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports and CAA Sports announced last week New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano was their first client.

Jay-Z, who denied he was selling his shares of the Brooklyn Nets in the song Open Letter‘ obviously is to avoid any sort of potential problems and conflict with the MLBPA.

If Jay-Z gets certified, this may put a whole new twist on his trip to Cuba.. As folks may know Cuba’s amateur Baseball is deemed a powerhouse on the world stage.. Currently many in MLB have raided Latin American countries including the Dominican Republic looking for the next superstars.. Perhaps Jay-Z’s visit to Cuba was a way to get a head start on looking for great players in that country.. who knows? It’s not something to rule out..

Marco_Rubio,_Official_Portrait,_112th_Congress

Senator Marco Rubio

On another note Senator Marco Rubio, a self subscribed Hip Hop head and Jay-Z fan responded to Jay-Z’s trip to Cuba saying he should get informed..Then he dropped a couple of misleading gems to cloud the issue.. He said on ABC News with Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl

“I think Jay-Z needs to get informed.  One of his heroes is Che Guevara.  Che Guevara was a racist.  Che Guevara was a racist that wrote extensively about the superiority of white Europeans over people of African descent, so he should inform himself on the guy that he’s propping up,”

What Rubio was referring to was Che’s diary notes written when he was 24 years old where he noted that

“The black is indolent and a dreamer; spending his meager wage on frivolity or drink; the European has a tradition of work and saving, which has pursued him as far as this corner of America and drives him to advance himself, even independently of his own individual aspirations.”

He also noted that Blacks didn’t bath too much..

Che Guevara

Che Guevara

Such remarks were written and espoused by Che who at the time had little contact with Black folks and brought into a lot of the myths an stereotypes.. He also changed over the years and his thinking evolved.. As was noted in an article by our good friends at Afro Punk who famously addressed this issue a couple of years ago,  Che not only evolved his thinking but also fought in All-African armies in Cuba  and in the Congo..where he went to fight after the death of leader Patrice Lumumba. He called for school integration before the US was down to address the issue.. Peep the article here..http://www.afropunk.com/profiles/blogs/che-guevara-a-racist-a-glimpse

Che went to the United Nations to denounce the organization for not doing enough to end Apartheid Rule.. He came down hard on the US for her treatment of Black people..In his speech before the United Nations Che said

“Those who kill their own children and discriminate daily against them because of the color of their skin; those who let the murderers of blacks remain free, protecting them, and furthermore punishing the black population because they demand their legitimate rights as free men—how can those who do this consider themselves guardians of freedom?

You can peep the entire speech here; http://www.marxists.org/archive/guevara/1964/12/11.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wdo6FwAPyng

Malcolm X talked about Civil Rights & Black church leadership taking funds to compromise on key positions during the March on Washington

Malcolm X admired Che and invited him to speak at OAAU Meeting

With respect to Jay-Z educating himself.. Rubio is right, Jay-Z should. He should educate himself about the harsh, hostile hatred shared by many of the rich wealthy 1% plantation owners towards Cuba’s Black population who aligned themselves with the Batista Regime who were overthrown by Castro. Many of those 1%ers fled from Cuba to Miami and for years held on to the same racial disdain for Black folks that Rubio accuses Che of holding. And I’m saying this as someone whose father lived in Miami, Liberty City since the 60s and was very active up until his passing two years ago.. We won’t even talk about the scapegoating and racial hostility directed at Haitians which is a whole chapter onto itself.. But I’m sure in 2013 Rubio would argue that things are different now and that people’s attitudes have changed.. Well we do know that Che had evolved the same as Malcolm X who expressed admiration for Che and even invited him to speak at the Audubon Ballroom to speak at a meeting for OAAU [Organization of Afro-American Unity.. You can read about that HERE

During the interview with ABC News, Rubio  “Secondly, I think if Jay-Z was truly interested in the true state of affairs in Cuba, he would have met people that are being oppressed, including a hip-hop artist in Cuba who is right now being oppressed and persecuted and is undergoing a hunger strike because of his political lyrics.”

This is an interesting assertion on  a number of levels. First the Cuban rap artists who is on hunger strike has become a cause celebre His name is Angel Yunier Remon Arzuaga better known as Critico de Arte. Most people up until Jay-Z’s trip to Cuba never heard of this artist and would be hard pressed to name a song or the political party Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) he is affiliated with..He’s a tool of convenience..He’s a talking point for those trying to win a political argument. Sadly his plight and the plight of many like him are of very little concern to Rubio and people who think like him..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSoszQXgzik

Hunger strikeI find it fascinating that Rubio would talk about this young man’s hunger strike but as a United States Senator has ignored the massive hunger strikes here in US prisons..Last year there was a big one in several Georgia State prisons.. Rubio was absent from that.. You can read about that one here http://blackagendareport.com/georgia-jackson-state-prisoners-hunger-strike-day15

There were prison hunger strikes in California most notably Pelican Bay the year before which Rubio was silent about .. You can read that Here: http://solitarywatch.com/2012/07/03/one-year-anniversary-of-pelican-bay-hunger-strike-against-solitary-confinement/

What’s most disturbing about this prison strike in California since we are talking about the state clamping down on dissident voices in Cuba is whats went on here in the US with the media Blackouts of the prison strikes  http://www.democracynow.org/2011/7/21/headlines/media_ban_imposed_as_california_prison_hunger_strike_enters_4th_week

As we speak there are hunger strikes going on at our own Guantanamo Bay. In addition to torturing people who are held as enemy combatants, meaning they haven’t even gone on trial yet, we have guards shooting at those hunger strikers .. Again this is going on right now.. in April of 2013. http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/15/headlines/military_guards_fire_on_gitmo_hunger_strikers

The hunger strike which involves more than 100 prisoners has been going on since March http://www.democracynow.org/2013/3/13/over_100_guantanamo_prisoners_on_hunger

With respect to political beliefs we can talk for hours about our own political prisoners, many of them former Black Panthers.. some have been locked away in solitary confinement for over 40 years..  http://www.democracynow.org/2013/2/28/after_40_years_in_solitary_in

We would be here for days if we talk about the countries our government led by Senators like Marco Rubio are in alignment with and have strong ties who routinely prison dissident voices.. Try speaking out against the government in China or Saudi Arabia or even Egypt where they actually have a censorship czar. No one’s speech should be silenced, even the rapper in Cuba..But if our foreign policy is going to be galvanized by that while we ignore more egregious behaviors in our own backyard, we are beyond hypocritical.

Lastly for those who don’t know there has been serious cultural exchange going on between the Hip Hop community here in the US and the annual Hip Hop Festival they have in Cuba.. It’s been going on since 1995. Quite a few artists have been there numerous times and the bond between artists from here and Cuba has been strong.. It was just recently Las Krudus came by our show and spoke at length about the arts, racism and politics both at home in Cuba and here. It’s by no means all peaches and cream..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j2lBr42sFg

-Davey D-

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Jay-Z Responds to His Cuban Crisis w/ an Open Letter

April 11, 2013 By

jay-z-folded-225Jay-Z got inspired the other night responded with vigor to his critics about his trip to Cuba…The song is called ‘Open Letter’ and the beat is slamming and is no doubt a serious head nodder.. You know its gonna anger all sorts of folks who are already heated, because he says in the song he loves Cubans.. His critics are saying by going to Cuba, he is showing hatred.. He starts off the song by saying he’ll turn Havana into Atlanta..Not sure if folks in Havana wanna see gentrification in their beloved city..because thats what has happened with the ATL.. No Beds, Baths and Beyond in Havana..

Jigga also talks about Obama and whether or not he’ll be selling his portion of the Brooklyn Nets..The hook to the song says’ ‘You Gonna Learn to Today‘. Ideally what we all learn is that Cuba has a dope education system which produces doctors who make major moves in healing people.. We could learn from that..We could also learn how to be self sufficient the way Cuban’s have been.. Folks are still surviving in spite of the crippling embargo we’ve put on them over the past 50 years..

Great song.. Glad Jay-Z responded.. Personally I wish he had shouted out or kicked a rhyme for Kimani Gray the young man gunned down by police in Brooklyn which set off 4 days of unrest in the East Flatbush last month.. I wish he would’ve said something about the unrest and the fact Stop-N-Frisk is on trial with cops revealing they been ordered to meet quotas and target young Black men and teens.. In any case that’s, just me expressing my ideal scenario.. Open Letter is a good song and maybe Jay-Z will return with more heat..

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