this was really well done. a brilliant illustrator & thinker, Ralph Steadman was also a frequent collaborator of Hunter S. Thompson. Ralph’s distinctive work would help characterize and visually define Hunter S’s gonzo storytelling and serve to create some of Thompson’s most popular visual reference points today.
i was definitely left inspired to lend my doodles and passion for art to better use.
rl.
“jus’ my thoughts…”
https://tribecafilm.com/stories/remembering-lia-van-leer-kendrick-lamar-jinx-madness
rl.
I am empowered, as I continue to discover radical women across the world who have courageously challenged and defeated systems of oppression to cultivate environments for justice and peace.
These women remind us that the tools we need to mobilize change in our world are not defined by governments or economic conditions, but rather lie in the unfathomable and unbreakable realm of the human spirit. By exploring their inspiring movements, brought to life by revolutionary visions and fearless actions, our minds are elevated to a new level of consciousness that demands that we actively stand up against structures of violence.
With that in mind let us explore the legacy of political and environmental activist Wangari Maathai whose grassroots movement not only challenged old notions of peace but has completely revitalized the very air we breath.
It was the late 1970‘s and Kenyan native Wangari Maathai was confronted by a serious problem. What once was a land abundant in natural resources was no longer providing the everyday necessities needed to live. Women in her village were the first victims of this environmental degradation because they were the ones who had to walk for hours looking for water, who had to fetch fire wood when it was scarce and who had to provide food for their families.
Their inheritance, the land passed down to them by their ancestors, had been raped by corrupt governments that were overseeing the privatization and deforestation of land. Perhaps even more detrimental was the mismanagement and disempowerment of the Kenyan people.
It was from this deprivation that the Green Belt Movement arose. Founded on Earth day in 1977, Wangari started an initiative that would focus on sustainable development by rebuilding the forest, practicing lifestyles inductive to environmental conservation, and empowering the people through civil education. To begin, they approached the women who were suffering from the deterioration of resources and helped them make a connection between their daily problems and environmental problems.
Then, Wangari empowered the women by showing them that the solutions to their problems were not outside their reach. All they needed to do to improve their living conditions was plant trees. Wangari was instrumental in this process. Not only did she develop the most effective way of planting trees; collecting seeds and than propagating the trees in the area for more seedlings, but she also developed a small cash incentive; for every tree they planted that survived, the movement would compensate the individual with four US cents. Before long, communities were exercising self-sufficient ways of living, planting various types of trees according to their unique needs.
As the initiative continued, Wanagari realized that the Green Belt Movement was only addressing the symptoms to the real issues. To get to the root of the problems, Wanagri began to expand her focus to include a political curriculum. The Green Belt Movement saw the importance of getting people involved in an active civil society that held both the government and the people responsible for preserving and sustaining their natural resources and their basic human rights. Some of the accolades achieved by Wangari’s grassroots movement include the preservation of the largest public park in Kenya – Uhuru Park.
They also saved one of Kenya’s major forests- Karuru forest by mobilizing the nation to protest against unlawful privatization and deforestation.
To further show the perseverance of this movement, they militantly fought for democracy by protesting for the release of political prisoners for eleven months under the Moi government.
Wangari Maathai is a globally influential women because she exemplifies the power of the individual as well as the greater power of an active civil society. This radical women’s message is clear; “ it is the people who must save the environment, it is the people who must make their leaders change (and) you cannot enslave a mind that knows itself, that values itself, that understands itself.”
The integrity and wisdom of her principles lives on as the Green Belt movement has helped encourage many to protect their ancestral inheritance through protecting their environmental rights. It is only in knowing who we are and understanding our capabilities, can we begin to steer government policies in a direction that enriche the entire forest rather than a single tree.
AM
*RIP to this inspiring and incredible woman. her courage, vision and strength of character served to catalyze a movement that will only grow and reverberate throughout the world, resounding loudest as it echoes amongst the trees and foliage she loved so deeply.
rl.
one of the most interesting advancements i’ve seen in a while in terms of engagement and storytelling. this post has nothing to do with shell or energy. nor does it have anything to do with shimon peres. this post is about a company called Interlude and the way they are playing with interactivity and storytelling. s/o the connectors for always connecting me to dope shit.
http://www.shell.com/letsgo/mix
now whether you want to stomach shell’s greenwashing campaign all the way through is up to you. but it’s probably worth it. the stats are relevant and startling when you realize their implications. it’s nothing new, but it’s a new way of telling the story and allowing people to be intuitive and curious as opposed to force fed a stream of consciousness.
seen in this way, i think the implications for this medium of storytelling get even deeper.
there is also an interview with Shimon Peres entitled Shimon Peres and You (click creative and explore) again, a really interesting and engaging concept… and also a masterful illusionary technique for making people think they actually have access or influence with the political elite…but that’s another story.
the possibilities are endless. and in a way, i guess that’s the point.
ill shit.
interlude.fm
rl.
you know this is exactly my type of shit… soul music. a classic mix to inspire the heart and soul on a thursday… plus a few more there in the vault for the rainy days.
click thru the photo for the music. tons of it. mixed by the legendary marc mac of 4hero fame.
rl.
“Part two. More Motown Magic from the Motor City Crates.
Marc Mac presents 60 minutes of Motown Dusty Grooves “mixtape style”. All “green light Technics” strictly vinyl.
Without doubt Motown has always been one of my fave labels and truth is you don’t have to dig to deep to find Motown gems as it was such a popular label. In more recent times loads of previously unreleased Motown tracks have surfaced solidifying my admiration for the Motown groove.
Shout also has to go to the many Hip hop producers that helped in keeping the groove alive through sampling.
check it out.
– marc mac”
Over the years, I’ve often been invited to discuss the impact religion has had on our world. More times than not, these discussion lead to a discourse which charge religion for creating division, bigotry, and war.
With a historic reputation of oppression and violence it is often hard to plead any other verdict in the case of religion, except the most obvious, guilty. However in an attempt to broaden my own perspective, I decided to explore the scarcely told stories in history that offer a different perspective. On my conquest to broaden my scope, I came across Leymah Gbowee and the women of Liberia! These women forced me to look outside the box I had comfortably placed religion in. I hope their remarkable story will enlighten and inspire all who read.
Liberia was facing its second civil war. Women faced sexual brutality, mutilation and cannibalism, while their children and husbands were being recruited as soldiers. One night Leymah Gbowee, a mother of three had a dream. In that dream she was told to gather all the women from her church to pray for peace. So that Sunday Leymah did exactly that. As Leymah was rallying all her Christian sisters to pray, a Muslim woman by the name of Asatu Bah Kenneth got inspired by the initiative and decided to get her Muslim sisters involved. What started off as the Christian Women’s Peace Initiative became the Women’s Organization for Peace. It was the first time in Liberian history where Islamic and Christian women were united.
The logic behind placing their differences in beliefs aside was revolutionary, they thought:
if a bullet can’t pick and choose, if it does not know the difference between a Christian or a Muslim, why should they?
What happened next was remarkable. Thousands of women including the internally displaced went from praying and protesting in the fish market to marching to the Liberian Parliament demanding that President Charles Taylor (later to be indicted for war crimes), begin peace talks with the rebels.
On June 4th 2003 the Accra peace talks began in Ghana. However General Leymah and her army did not stop there. After several weeks of unsuccessful negotiations, the prospects for peace looked slim. The violence had reached its peak as the war had finally made its way into the capital city, Monrovia. In a last and final plea for peace these women sat on the floor around the peace hall where the talks were taking place, linked arms, and refused to let any delegate out of the room until a peace treaty was signed. Incidentally, this bold act of courage was just what was needed to get the attention of the international community. Immediately after the IMF threatened to cut of funding, the UN Peace Keeping Force entered into the capital, and Charles Taylor was forced into exile. On August 18th, 2003 the Accra Peace Agreement was signed. Liberia could finally start moving forward.
In a world where Muslims and Christians have often historically been at war, these courageous women provided their country, their continent and even bigger their world with an empowering example of the things that can be achieved when basic principles of respect are present. These women show us that it is a choice we as individuals make that either allow religion to be used as an instrument for division or unification, for war or for peace!
If it is true that we become what we focus on, we must begin to use these stories of religious tolerance to shape our world. We must set a new standard by fueling the stories in history that sing of solidarity and peace.
peace,
A.M.
—
editors note:
A police officer for over two decades, Asatu Bah Kenneth’s story is also incredibly powerful and interesting.
“Asatu’s position in the police service gave her access to intelligence about the war. On one occasion,
as the war was closing in on Monrovia, Asatu called a meeting with Leymah, Sugars and Janet
and other key members of WIPNET. After that meeting the women issued the all-important position
statement that they would eventually take to their meeting with Charles Taylor urging him to sit
down at the peace table with the rebels.
Her nickname is the “stabilizer” because she doesn’t take sides. After the war she became Liberia’s
Deputy Chief of Police and focused on bringing more women into the security sector. Recently she
was appointed the Assistant Minister of Justice for Administration and Public Safety.”
—
this is the first contribution from asha mattis. from here on out, posts by asha, will contain the signature, A.M.
rl.
love this video. that freddie gibbs gangsta shit… crazy tho.
“trill as bobby seale, i’m the new rendition of it.”
“This video is an experiment in wiggle stereoscopy. Shot on a pair of 7D’s with the same lenses. Shouts out to Statik Selektah on the beat, Fabian Tejada for the titles, Javier Goin for the help and Josh Harris for the roof. Download the “no dj” version of Str8 Killa No Filla here: http://www.djbooth.net/index/mixtapes/entry/freddie-gibbs-str8-killa-no-filla/”
a lyric video for the living legend saul williams.
having the opportunity to contribute something back to a man that has given me so much inspiration over the years was a humbling experience – one for which i am incredibly grateful.
massive respect to the connector @solguy for opening this door. huge respect to the massive that then came together to walk thru it as a unit.
i was scared to present this piece to saul once we had completed it. confidence is not something i generally lack, but when confronted with such brilliance it is hard to feel like anything but a candle. an erstwhile warmth and light, but still a candle in the sun. and after agonizing over this, where i came to was gratitude and a growing confidence. i realized that’s exactly what we could have hoped to accomplish – to become some small contribution of light to the beautiful inferno that is fck the beliefs. some small source of welcome. of illumination towards the brilliance of saul’s work.
it was such an honour.
saul’s reaction to the finished piece and his ensuing humility has made all of it worthwhile.
he is a giant of an angel.
thank you brother. so much.
this was put together in 3 days with a couple of iphones and a lot of duct tape. and some talented comrades.
we hope you like it.
http://www.saulwilliams.com/htmlemail/fckthebeliefs.html
rl massive.
excerpts from the telegraph’s article today re: turkey.
pics from various places across the ether.
“4. A guide to Turkey’s protesters
The protests have spread to 67 cities, including the capital Ankara. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets. Many of the demonstrators are young, secular, educated men and women. They were largely peaceful.
It is clear that the protests have touched a nerve for Turks across a broad social spectrum.
Demonstrators have also received a lot of support from other sections of society. Many taxi drivers in Istanbul beep their horns in solidarity and older residents, even in some of the poorer parts of the city have come to their front doors, beating posts and pans in support of the demonstrators.
5. Government response to the protests
Police initially cracked down heavily, seemingly hoping to smother the protests. They used teargas and water cannons aggressively, and hundreds of people were wounded. Amnesty International has condemned the crackdowns and claimed that two people have been killed.
Realising that this was only serving to fuel greater dissent, Mr Erdogan admitted the mistake. Clashes have continued in other parts of Istanbul, but security forces have pulled out of the central protest area Taksim Square.”
*click thru the top image for the article itself and the first three of the points…
d.
rob l'etat. 
