Aphotic Occurrences

my high school musical interests consisted of Jamiroquai, Fiona Apple, Interpol, Belle &...

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:52:26 -0400

my high school musical interests consisted of Jamiroquai, Fiona Apple, Interpol, Belle & Sebastian, Carole King, Rooney, The Strokes, Incubus, The Donnas, Sleater Kinney, A Tribe Called Quest, Broken Social Scene, Pink Floyd, Stereolab, Radiohead, and the New Radicals.

now, outside of Erykah Badu and Esperanzah Spalding, it’s more so songs than artists.

typicalugandan: A young man in a local bakery in Kampala,...

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:10:42 -0400

typicalugandan:

A young man in a local bakery in Kampala, Uganda, preparing bread for the oven. (Photography by Ahmad Mahmoud)

paddle8: Mickalene Thomas, Portrait of Marie Sitting in Black...

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:47:58 -0400

paddle8:

Mickalene Thomas, Portrait of Marie Sitting in Black and White, 2012

Photo

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:10:39 -0400

“In the 1980’s, Mathieu Kerekou, president of Benin, was inspired by Marxist-Leninist...

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:51:04 -0400

“In the 1980’s, Mathieu Kerekou, president of Benin, was inspired by Marxist-Leninist ideology to try to eradicate the ancestral “opium of the people.” he believed it’s traditions to be incompatible with a modern state. the people of Benin tell how the vodun fled to the bush to hide. but, in 1986, when the followers of Shango came out of hiding. a wind more violent than anyone had ever seen devastated the country’s main port, Cotonou, tearing the roofs off houses and knocking down the half-built walls found throughout the city as if they were made of straw. the people of Benin were seized with terror, including the khaki-wearing Maoist civil servants espousing the new theories of eclectic materialism. the babalawos (masters of the secret) came out the bush, the musicians left the sacred grove, and the gods began to dance once more.

the communist leadership attacked the heart and soul of the Yoruba with all the arguments at their command. they wanted to “fight against obscurantism and retrograde practices.” Certain rites were simply too expensive, they claimed, and were a shameful exploitation of the poor. but the babalawos are not also called “masters of the night” for nothing. one fine night in 1990, the people of Benin gathered together in joyous crowds to take the statue of Lenin to the port, where it was put on a ship to be taken back to Russia. as they did so, they sang, “Lenin, you are a bad boy, go home to your parents!”

-excerpt from African Gods: Contemporary Rituals and Beliefs by Anne Stamm and Pierre Saulnier, photos by Daniel Laine

J. Lorand Matory discusses African Inspired Religions

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:17:13 -0400

J. Lorand Matory discusses African Inspired Religions

5centsapound: Maïmouna Patrizia Guerresi As a photographer,...

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:15:28 -0400

5centsapound:

Maïmouna Patrizia Guerresi

As a photographer, sculptor, and installation artist, ‘Maïmouna’ Patrizia Guerresi reveals unique and authentic sensibilities in her narration of the beauty and subtleties of racial diversity and multiculturalism. Over an established career, she has developed her own symbolism, which combines cosmological and ancestral traditions belonging to various European, African, and Asian cultures. Her personal commitment to Baifall Sufism has led her to produce an aesthetic that is able to bridge time, space and civilisations, as well as figuration and abstraction.

The human body is seen as the nucleus and temple of the soul, a place that houses a delicate, higher awareness; the very conduit for encompassing natural and cosmic forces. More about mysticism than any singular religion, her work is visionary in that it restores those elusive qualities of sacredness and unity in our frequently dehumanising and fragmented contemporary visual world. Her classic iconographic style explores the universality of human experience and reclaims the often hidden nurturing powers of feminine energy. Presented as a kind of free flowing epic, the viewer is left to read the significance of her imagery and quietly meditate on its potential to personally engage with its audience. As if her figures were speaking directly to each one of us.

From her earliest experiments with the physicality and archetypal imprinting of the psyche, through to her latest, evermore metaphoric ‘inner constellations’, Maïmouna insists on a cross-cultural discourse and an expansion of the boundaries that normally dictate our individual attitudes. She invites us to see further and to look deeper – past skin colour, preconceptions, and ethnic landscapes – into the wider paradigm of inclusion. She leads us through apparently simple notions of dimensionality into the exquisite, mystical and fragile complexities of life from within. - Rosa Maria Falvo,

photojojo: What was Brooklyn like in 1974? Jeans were less...

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:38:46 -0400

photojojo:

What was Brooklyn like in 1974?

Jeans were less skinny and more flare-like, but other than that, you can get a better look at these photos shot by Danny Lyon.

He spent two months in the summer of 1974 shooting daily life in Fort Green, Park Slope, Bushwick, Bedford-stuyvesant, and other neighborhoods.

What Was Brooklyn Like in 1974?

Photo

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:58:21 -0400

Shantell Martin

Mon, 20 May 2013 02:46:29 -0400

Shantell Martin

Photo

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:58:14 -0400

triniwater: Trinidad and Tobago’s Chief

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:45:29 -0400

triniwater:

Trinidad and Tobago’s Chief

ofjared: mndsgn: Flying Lotus | Tea Leaf Dancers (mndsgn...

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:44:35 -0400

ofjared:

mndsgn:

Flying Lotus | Tea Leaf Dancers (mndsgn remix)

november-blog: engraving, atlanta, 91 http://bit.ly/16jJ25l

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:02:57 -0400

november-blog:

engraving, atlanta, 91 http://bit.ly/16jJ25l

FOKN Bois | My Everywhere

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:46:51 -0400

FOKN Bois | My Everywhere

4gifs:

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:48:44 -0400

4gifs:

does anyone know of any beliefs regarding birthmarks and spirituality (from any...

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:37:33 -0400

does anyone know of any beliefs regarding birthmarks and spirituality (from any cultures/traditions)? i recently saw on a forum that birthmarks near the vaginal area denote sexual trauma in a past life (rape, abortions, vaginal issues, etc.). i have 4 or 5 birthmarks, but my most prominent one is over that area.

On the Secrecy of Santeria

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:44:31 -0400

divinemoon:

We’re not very good at keeping secrets in our modern culture. Social networking and text messaging make it possible for us to follow the intimate details of our friends’ lives and receive tons of information from all around the world at the touch of a little button. A lot of people have trouble understanding why they need to keep anything secret unless they’ve done something bad and they don’t want anyone to know about it. Secrecy suggests underhanded, suspicious behavior, and anything done in secret must be either illegal or immoral. Otherwise, why keep it secret? Popular magazines exist for the sole purpose of uncovering people’s secrets. Just think what happened the last time a celebrity or politician tried to keep a secret…. It usually leads to scandal.

In Santería, secrecy has a completely different meaning, and a different social function. It creates a barrier between insiders and outsiders, making sure the religion remains in the hands of people who will safeguard it and respect it as it was handed down to us by the ancestors. There’s no real reason why outsiders need to know certain information. What would they do with the information if they had it? It would be useless to them, because they don’t have the aché (divine energy) to understand it fully. Santeros don’t have an evangelical mission and don’t try to convert outsiders to the religion. It’s irrelevant if outsiders understand Santería or not. Those who practice it understand it, that’s what matters. Santeros don’t feel any particular zeal to get everything about the religion out in the open and share it with the world. If someone doesn’t know about Santería or doesn’t appreciate it, it’s their loss. Contrary to what many outsiders think, the secrecy surrounding Santería isn’t there to cover up evil deeds. Secrecy surrounds the religion because the knowledge that comes from Santería is so precious, it can’t be squandered. No one would put a pot of gold in the front yard and stick a sign on it saying: take some. Santeros feel the same way about the sacred teachings of the religion. Knowledge is for those who’ve made a serious commitment to the religion, who respect tradition, and who will use the knowledge to good ends.

Sometimes it’s hard to know who’s your friend and who’s your enemy. If you share knowledge with someone you think is a friend and later he turns against you, he can use the knowledge he got from you to harm you. We’re not just talking about gossip and the potential for blackmail. We’re talking about spiritual power, too, because practitioners of Santería learn how to align themselves with the aché of the Orichás, who bring them health, prosperity, success, and allow them to overcome their enemies, not through witchcraft but through the spiritual protection the Orichás offer their children. Through secret ceremonies, Santeros strengthen their own personal aché and enlist the help of the Orichás to solve problems. The secrecy of the ceremonies isn’t to hide evil; it’s to protect what’s good and necessary in life, and keep it in the right hands. Those who are initiated into the religion have a sacred obligation to do the right thing.

In part, Santería’s reputation for secrecy goes back in time, when the slaves in Cuba couldn’t practice their religion openly. They hid the Orichás behind the saints, and kept their ceremonies and rituals secret so those with political and social power (the masters) wouldn’t punish them. This historical experience taught Afro-Cubans to be quiet, guarded, and cautious. But, there is something deeply engrained in the religion itself that promotes this careful approach to life. So many of the refranes (proverbs) of Santería talk about the dangers of talking too much, of telling people information that they can use against you, of teaching others everything you know and finding yourself suddenly replaced. Knowing when to be quiet and listen is much more important than having the gift of gab. People who talk too much and too freely aren’t to be trusted. This isn’t a paranoid or fearful approach to life but, rather, one that encourages discretion. Think before you speak. Think about what you’re saying, and who you’re saying it to. Does it need to be said, or would it be better left alone? A person who’s fearless or smart or strong doesn’t need to declare it to the world; his actions speak louder than words. Modesty and humility are important in Santería and a person who constantly boasts about his own greatness ends up looking small in the eyes of his community.

So why are some aspects of Santería kept secret? Santeros would reply: if there’s no reason for others to know, why tell them? Tradition says these things are to be kept secret, so they’re kept secret. It’s that simple. Maintaining secrecy is a way of honoring tradition and the sacred teachings of our ancestors. When and if a person needs to know something, the Orichás will lead him into the religion through the proper channels.

By the way, none of the information I’m writing about on this website is secret. The information I’m sharing is general enough that anyone can have access to it. Imagine it as the tip of the iceberg, the part that’s visible. There’s more under the surface, but not everyone can see it.

grand-bazaar: 1910 Congo - Turumbu Man Tattoo Scarification

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:38:42 -0400

grand-bazaar:

1910 Congo - Turumbu Man Tattoo Scarification

Black Towns in America: Disappeared From the History Books

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:29:17 -0400

Black Towns in America: Disappeared From the History Books:

zuky:

knowledgeequalsblackpower:

Black Americans have played a vital role in building this nation. Eager to live and prosper as free people, we have established our own towns since Colonial times. Many of these communities were destroyed by racial violence or injustice, while some just died out. The Root looks at the history of these lost towns.

Interesting patterns. Most towns were abandoned due to either economic issues (caused by weather, key resources no longer in demand, or railroad company decides to bypass them as a stop) or terrorism from Whites.

Excellent online presentation at The Root, with good archival photos, outlining 15 historic Black towns which were essentially “ethnically cleansed” out of existence. Throughout US history, all attempts to build and uplift Black communities have been met with violence, sabotage, and suppression by racist legislative and economic manipulation.