Meron Wondwosen of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement joined us this week. We discussed Afrikan liberation, organizing in the Obama era and the politics of gender and sexuality. We also heard music from Curtis Mayfield, Rah Digga, Donny Hathaway and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. All this, plus conversation with our listening audience on this week’s edition of the Super Funky Soul Power Hour.
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Great show! wonderful, refreshing and necessary analysis presented by Meron Wondwosen.
keep up the good work!
Thank you for the wonderful show, Jared. Meron offers a very valuable perspective on the issues of the African diaspora and she handled your caller’s questions with grace and clarity.
Great show, fabulous guest! I really enjoyed this one. I yearn for the day when we black folks become united but I know it wont happen because no matter what we go through, we as a people have not embraced that our struggle so far has been one for all humanity. We have bought into the idea that any progress is progress for self and that’s partially why we are still where we are. Oh, and yes to black love in all its forms!
Wonderful wonderful show. Beautiful shout out to Jared and Meron.
Great show.
I can understand the gender violence issue but is the transgender issue really a major conversation that the African community should be having? I mean I find food, clothes and shelter much more important than who your screwing in that shelter. Whats the vision of the organization? Is it nation building or is it about nailing down every coffee shop issue and then moving forward?
The idea of sexuality and Malcolm X is very interesting in discussions. Indeed, Malcolm X is a Muslim and Islam does have strict sexual adherences, however, he was a person with a whole other life beforehand that he never forsaked or hid outside of saying that he was not the same person once he had converted. In saying that, in his autobiography, Malcolm X was friends with several lesbians (and it is interesting that he even capitalized the ‘L’ in lesbian) and bisexuals (at least one bisexual, Rudy) in his more hardknock days. The only time that he had even had negative words to say about homosexuality in his book was about his girlfriend Laura, who he was convinced that he TURNED her gay. That was the ONLY time that he had a negative thing to say about homosexuality. In the book, he actually had a very complex and interesting ideology when it came to sex and sexuality. And we also have to remember that Malcolm X was a modern day Jesus figure who frequently interacted with outcasted people in the community regardless of the purism of his religion and even lampooned more boogie Black leaders who were not connected to the people they claimed to serve. Most people who think that know or love Malcolm X really do not critically view or appreciate his ideas or think about his thoughts. The idea that he would not “promote” homosexuality is not even a real question because what sexuality did this conservative Muslim “promote”? Finally, I would like to have more of a discussion about precolonial African sexualities because I am convinced that Dr. Ben’s translation of the negative confessions was not wholly correct in that there is an actual glyph for the word “sodomy” that is not present in the confessions and homosexuals were present in all parts of society in African life, even as religous figures.
Peace
That’s an interesting topic, I’ve always wondered about pre-contact sexualities in Africa. Pre Asiatic and Euro invasions. As for what you said about DR.Ben’s work can you substantiate that claim?
I have replied to your question, but cannot see it. Please tell me if you can because, if not, I have it copied and can email it to you if you wish.
I have actually started looking for the medu neter symbol for the word a couple of days ago, even emailing a few specialist in ancient Egyptian language to see if they will contact me back. While I say that I am “convinced” of the mistranslation, I am also opened to acknowledging Dr. Ben’s genius. However, the proof that I would like to cite in this case is Dr. Ron Simmons’ (http://www.uhupil.org/ronsimmons) “Some Thoughts on the Challenges Facing Black Gay Intellectuals” in which he says:
“For a reference, Ben Jocannan cites E. Wallis Budges The Egyptian Book of the Dead. Budge however does not use the word sodomy. Three of the 42 Negative Confessions stated in the hieroglyphic text refer to sexual activity. Number 22: I have not polluted or defiled myself. Ben Jocannan misinterpreted that as forbidding homosexuality. A study of the hieroglyphic reveals that the Negative Confession of polluting and defiling oneself actually refers to masturbation or the irregular emission of semen, NOT sodomy. There is a hieroglyphic symbol that means sodomy and it is not used ANYWHERE in the Negative Confessions.”
Also, I am in the process of creating a database dealing with African sexualities as a more religious/philosophical concept than physical because once one grasp the way that gender manifest in precolonial African ideologies, the more one will realize that homophobia does not make sense in pre-Islamic, pre-Christian African societies. I am in the very beginning phase of this venture, which mostly includes obtaining articles from places like jstor and dissertations dealing with different African religious traditions. If you are interested in studying precolonial African sexualities, it would be best to start with philosophy and gender rather than just the fact of having sexual relations because just because it exist does not mean it was legal or not taboo. There are literal socieities in which homosocial eroticism was the sole province of religious figures. Of course one may cite Malidoma and Sobonfu Some on this, but we also have the bullroarer tradition (A Psychoanalytic Study of the Bullroarer by Alan Dundes), sangoma healers of southern Africa (‘I’ve got two men and one woman’”: ancestors, sexuality and identity among same-sex identified women traditional healers in South Africa by RUTH MORGAN and GRAEME REID), homosexuality that is encouraged by aristocrats due to their hoarding of women (Sexual Inversion among the Azande by E. E. Evans-Pritchard).
And, finally, as Meron stated a couple of times in the interview “Black love is never wrong.”
Peace!
I have actually started looking for the medu neter symbol for the word a couple of days ago, even emailing a few specialist in ancient Egyptian language to see if they will contact me back. While I say that I am “convinced” of the mistranslation, I am also opened to acknowledging Dr. Ben’s genius. However, the proof that I would like to cite in this case is Dr. Ron Simmons’ “Some Thoughts on the Challenges Facing Black Gay Intellectuals” in which he says:
“For a reference, Ben Jocannan cites E. Wallis Budges The Egyptian Book of the Dead. Budge however does not use the word sodomy. Three of the 42 Negative Confessions stated in the hieroglyphic text refer to sexual activity. Number 22: I have not polluted or defiled myself. Ben Jocannan misinterpreted that as forbidding homosexuality. A study of the hieroglyphic reveals that the Negative Confession of polluting and defiling oneself actually refers to masturbation or the irregular emission of semen, NOT sodomy. There is a hieroglyphic symbol that means sodomy and it is not used ANYWHERE in the Negative Confessions.”
Also, I am in the process of creating a database dealing with African sexualities as a more religious/philosophical concept than physical because once one grasp the way that gender manifest in precolonial African ideologies, the more one will realize that homophobia does not make sense in pre-Islamic, pre-Christian African societies. I am in the very beginning phase of this venture, which mostly includes obtaining articles from places like jstor and dissertations dealing with different African religious traditions. If you are interested in studying precolonial African sexualities, it would be best to start with philosophy and gender rather than just the fact of having sexual relations because just because it exist does not mean it was legal or not taboo. There are literal socieities in which homosocial eroticism was the sole province of religious figures. Of course one may cite Malidoma and Sobonfu Some on this, but we also have the bullroarer tradition (A Psychoanalytic Study of the Bullroarer by Alan Dundes), sangoma healers of southern Africa (‘I’ve got two men and one woman’”: ancestors, sexuality and identity among same-sex identified women traditional healers in South Africa by RUTH MORGAN and GRAEME REID), homosexuality that is encouraged by aristocrats due to their hoarding of women (Sexual Inversion among the Azande by E. E. Evans-Pritchard).
And, finally, as Meron stated a couple of times in the interview “Black love is never wrong.”
Peace!
No your post didn’t show up, this site eats post every now and then. If it’s a book reference just tell me the author and title.
The answer did come up… twice. Now I’m afraid that all of my posts will be shown… and I have no clue how many times I reposted it. Anyway, this show was great and may Malcolm X live on through his legacy and example.
Peace.
Mwalimu Baruti, author of HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE EFFEMINIZATION OF AFRIKAN MALES, warned us of people like you.Homosexuality exists everywhere, but NOWHERE IN AFRIKA (PRECOLONIAL) can you find a COLLECTIVE CULTURAL attempt to warrant this degenerate practice. Shame on you.
I enjoyed the show. As a man I could never lay with another man. However I think it is more wrong to single out people for being gay than it is to be gay. Gay people have been here since the start of time. And to all the people that hate gays I got one question, what’s being gay got to do with the liberation of black people? Absolutly nothing. The show was about MXGM not LGBT. If you are gay be gay, if you are not gay then don’t be! So funny how people wanna beat down gays but you won’t beat down this system that clealy attacks us EVERYDAY! Get a life then get a cause and stay out of other folks bed. All the attacks and anger I heard against gay folks, I know all of Africa would be free by now if we put that same energy into getting this babylon system off our backs. Wake up and live up.
To Jared and Meron:A friend of mine who recently passed warned me that this site is merely subterfuge to convey the albinoid’s garbage (like homosexuality)into the black community; it seems he was correct. The young people may be fooled, but the “old folks” will NEVER fall for your “free love” “homoerotic” GARBAGE.
“…into the black community”? Black folks been gay since the beginning of time – even before they were being marginalized by the majority for it. Homosexuality is and has been a part of the black community as it is a part of all communities.
Refreshing…thank you so much for bringing and discussing the connections between state and interpersonal violence via a Malcolmite perspective. Clearly Malcolm was about the doing and reflecting on our actions in building and living in our NewAfrikan Nation. Ashe oooooo
Something’s the matter with the download. It doesn’t work. I tried a few weeks ago but thought it might get fixed and it hasn’t. I’ll check back because it looks from the comments like it was a particularly good show. I like all your shows.
Thanks for alerting us to this issue – we’ve fixed the link and you can now download/listen to the show.