reaching the end of the rainbow

So I went to see for colored girls tonight.

And now, a few weeks later (NOV 30th) I am finally able to review it. I was struck by tyler perry's work. I felt, leaving the theater that this is the best Perry film I have seen yet (although I only attend the commercial theater thrice annually, and have seen only one or two others by Perry).

I was struck by his use of Ntozake Shange's characters and their poetry to create a narrative fiction that was focused on these womens lives. These women kept their depth, and the poetry of their memory came through with such elegance and emotion, as we saw their day to day life in the modern world, allowing us to place ourselves in thier shoes and connect to these various characters.

I loved how the structure kept a feeling of ensemble, while isolating a few central characters and arcs. The women's interconnected stories left us with a sense of community, which reminded me of the warmth of all the influential black women in my life, and our strength and perserverence. I was moved to tears, and to joy at the end. And it was raw, real and so elegantly structured.

I am impressed. Still need to watch it again. More to come.

Reading about what I love to DO

So, I just finished reading "Capoeira Beyond Brazil: From a Slave Tradition to an International Way of Life" by Aniefre Essien. From the first page, I was shaking my head in apprehension and other times in disappointment. From the title and blurb (oh yes, I was brave enough to go on my impressions on such a summary) I considered this book another important contribution to the contemporary practice of capoeira. In many ways it is, the book is written by a contemporary capoerista from Raises do Brazil in Oakland, CA. This American male practitioner's interest in bringing up essential topics such as its current international practice as an art form, gender and language barriers extend no further than presenting a personal account of the existence of these issues themselves, and how they manifest in one or two personally witnessed accounts. It provides no structural analysis of power, beyond a hypothetical question which supposes the fault to be issues entrenched in "Brazilian Culture" as if gender has already been resolved in most other regions of the world (such as the U.S.) and no women face gender bias in their lives outside of the capoeira academy. It is interesting for me, as a black women feminist and scholar to read new literature where men present their surprise as they begin their awareness of the world from a woman's perspective.

If anything, I think despite the recurrence of naivety in many of the arguments this book presents, I think Aniefre was successful in exemplifying the power of capoeira to bring awareness to the structural and systemic issues that individuals and groups in society face on a daily basis. We see how these "oppressive" -- as Aniefre claims --- forces are still present in symbolic acts of liberation, in the process of learning capoeira. Aniefre presents an argument, that these "oppressive" elements are introduced by a few less visionary people that teach capoeira, and they are the individuals responsible for the oppressive forces in existence.

Despite Aniefre's lack of power analysis in his depiction of the contemporary place of capoeira for women and practitioners in the U.S., I couldn't help but find myself surprised at the conclusion where he states his position in this work is that of an African-American male. From the first page, I was convinced this book was written by a white man. Not because of a lack of power analysis in relation to gender, or "oppression" as generally stated, but in Aniefre's claim to his attraction to the art. I came to my assumption by the choice of language, claiming he was 'enticed' by the art being of African roots or origins. Using language in the nature of exotification of blackness I usually attribute to the doing of whites. But too often, I tend to not keep on my radar the complexity of our contemporary world, where many of these notions of blackness have been internalized and re-appropriated by blacks in new forms of utilizing and seeking agency. Aniefre presents a very lucid example of such. His continual references to working with "at risk youth" and the dilemma of choosing to work with those with money over those who are economically disadvantaged. I felt this became clear in his reference to working with a young women who, despite her being "economically disadvantaged, {was} nonetheless brilliant". I was shocked to read such flat notions of this working class community of color Aniefre seemed to admire and attribute to his personal growth as a capoerista. He seemed to believe that despite their most probable fate based on their community, he prevented them from becoming "statistics" through his Nosso Quilombo. For this, I think he needs to re-evaluate his position in their lives as what comes off to be a Savior.

Anifre's intentions are admirable nonetheless. His aspirations to create a contemporary quilombo to provide a safe space for free thought and self growth outside a realm of drug dealings and gang violence is a great goal. To create a sustainable community of people with a common goal and love: the art of capoeria. What a beautiful vision. This vision is what Aniefre deserves to be commended for. Despite his lack of knowledge behind the factors that contribute to the issues that lay beneath the experiences he strives to mitigate through his work, I believe his vision appears successful based on his self-evaluation in this novel. But I do not believe his vision can do much more than provide an alternative for a few people. It does not change the world outside. But if we all had an option of escaping our current worlds of wealth build on slave labor, and gender, sex, race and class discrimination and violence, then maybe we face prospects of alternate futures that aren't caught up in the struggle to mitigate a deep and entrenched impermeable history.

Maybe his vision can work.