Real Politics, Real Poetry
The role of creative people in society has long been debated. Should they focus on their art and stay away from politics? Poets, writers, painters, filmmakers, musicians, artists in general occupy a unique position. Their impact and influence extend far and wide. They illuminate realities in imaginative ways that expand awareness and understanding. Think of Dylan’s “Masters of War” or Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman or Picasso’s “Guernica” or Langston Hughes’ poem “Columbia,” where he exposes the depredations of U.S. imperialism. He writes:
“In military uniforms, you’ve taken the sweet life / Of all the little brown fellows /
In loincloths and cotton trousers.
When they’ve resisted, /You’ve yelled, “Rape,” / Being one of the world’s big vampires, /
Why don’t you come on out and say so
Like Japan, and England, and France, / And all the other nymphomaniacs of power.”
Recorded at Naropa University.
Speaker
Amiri Baraka
Amiri Baraka was a cultural icon and an iconoclast. He rose to fame in the 1960s as LeRoi Jones. His 1964 off-Broadway play, Dutchman created a sensation. Later he became Amiri Baraka and was a central figure in the Black Arts movement. He was an award-winning playwright and poet and recipient of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the American Book Award for Lifetime Achievement. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was the author of many books including the classic Blues People. He was brilliant as a homeless sage in the movie Bulworth. His politics were uncompromisingly radical. Through his work he explored the parameters of African-American culture, history, memory, racism, class struggle and political power relationships. As an orator he had a distinct and urgent style. He had a special affinity for jazz and such titans as John Coltrane, Max Roach, and Thelonious Monk. He once said of himself, I’m a revolutionary optimist. I believe that the good guys—the people—are going to win.” He died in 2014. Thousands turned out in his hometown of Newark to honor him.
Edmund –
The works of Mr. Baraka speaks volumes. He was a solider of truth. Thank you for sharing of yourself to the world.
Let me say that I’ve read the low-rating reviews calling Mr. Baraka a “staunch anti-semite”, “jew hater”, “An Extremist”, etc…
To you and people who think like you, I say, we the people will continue to speak up against the voices of ubiquitous lies; we the people will continue to speak the truth; we the people will continue to raise our self consciousness for the betterment of our self interest, etc…; we the people, united, will continue to push the rock (human rights, economic justice, civil rights, etc…) up to the mountain top, and no matter the toil, in all its disguises of absurdity rolling the rock back down the mountain again and again, and again,…, we the people, acknowledge that there is no fate that cannot be surmounted, truth will conquer it, and we’ll start over, and over, and over…, all is well, indeed, Sisyphus.
Jon –
When Amiri Baraka died, I cringed at what the American media (need one say, NPR included) would do with his memory. Independently of motive, poets and soundbytes have never gotten along very well. Right, as in, Mutually.
Which is why his recitations of his own poems were so brilliant. Right, following a talk which seemed to bore him faster than the audience. Understandably. How many times can you give an introductory lecture to Radicalism 101, knowing from the beginning that you have 40 minutes to do it?
Good as that was, often enough, despite the structural constraints, the poems were a sustained fireworks-show of intuitive truth. Thing: I’m a believing theist first, and a lefty second. Had to make a note of “Heathens,” which immediately evoked various favorite Old Testament prophets. And, sure, Jesus, especially when He was paraphrasing them. The “Low-kus” elicited an earlier response to a book I ran into once, titled ‘God is My CEO:’ …Fine, so who’s your God?
Than you very much for running this, and making this big a dent toward giving a great soul his due.
rjs –
Amiri Baraka is eloquent, clever, creative, entertaining. He is also a staunch anti-semite having written a poem stating that Jews were behind the 2011 World Trade Center attack and that “400 Jews” who worked at the WTC were warned (possibly by Ariel Sharon (?) who is also mentioned in the hate-poem) to stay home. This is CLASSIC scapegoat-ism and rivals the rhetoric of those who incited the pogroms that litter the history of Europe. In an earlier poem from the 1960’s, Mr. Baraka wrote of having the “extermination blues” and that he had that “Hitler thing” figured out. I am as lefty as anyone else, but a Jew hater is a Jew hater. None of the questioners had the temerity to confront, or possibly the knowledge of, this side of Mr. Baraka (or perhaps they were ‘edited out’ of the broadcast for p.c. reasons). Pity, he was such an otherwise brilliant man. I know on which side I am.
Don Layton –
Today I switched on my radio to find something interesting to listen to. Talk radio? I came across a program from Alternative Radio featuring the poetry, “music” and thoughts of one Amiri Baraka.
At first I was amused at his rantings. Then I felt inclined to consider his point of view to see if there were anything of value that I could glean. But it didn’t take too long to discover I was listening to a racist, anti American low life who had nothing better to do with his time than bash white people (we’re all slave owners you know), America, capitalism, etc. I wondered what kind of a station would give an extreme radical such as this a venue to spew his library of hate. There was nothing substantial.
I found it comical to hear him repeatedly denounce fascism but tout the virtues of socialism. While it’s true that 20th century fascists such as Hitler loathed communism – it’s also true that neo fascism is as extreme left wing as it is extreme right wing. Fascists for the most part will admit to this. But he seemed to be in a state of utter ignorance of the fact.
But this is good radio – good entertainment, you see. We need all of these points of view to ensure that our minds aren’t conforming. I’ll expect similar time next week to be given to the KKK and NAMBLA. After all, they are interested in getting all of the alternative points of view out, right? I’m sure they’re already scheduled. Stay tuned.