SHAKE! By Ro

SHAKE

A young black afro saxon

Living in a UN united kingdom.

Divided by postcodes of different ways of thinking

Race, colour, creed or    religion.

So who represents us, can some1 tell me

DA line is fading, i can’t tell DA the difference between red and blue

Feeling sick going purple, what to do, WHAT to do

So i stand up

Just for a while

Where do we move forward, in this innercity warzone

So i make a smile

Just for a while

Gotta stay strong for da fam, living at home

Yo realising taking a step

To Facilitate

An idea which Fascinates

The minds illuminate

Light up, pour tears

Precipitate

For real

Not for fake

Be truthful

Not a snake

Oh DA pain

Oh DA aches

Let it flow out in stream of consciousness, a divine lake

DA story u tell, many around us have spake

Use ur voice, use ur art, use ur culture

 change DA world,

Make a difference,

SHAKE.

Rotimi

Ballad of the Earth - a poem in Tribute to Ken Saro-Wiwa

Tanya shares a chillingly descriptive poem tackling the ecological state of the world. Tanya is brave new writer confronting issues head on with sharp vision. She takes you deep into the world of the poem as you read the words along with her.




Ballad of the Earth

The guns shake the voices beneath the hollow earth
Wailing in agony, protesting in vain
Tortured by the cries that rise above

Possibly are they the voices of the lost
Killed by the Shell from above

The oil that choked the blood ridden earth

The earth juddered in protest
The pain of the above and below unbearable
Scars imprinted on the godforsaken soil telling a story of injustice
The rain that falls into the chasms of the land

The flip-flops squelch against the dark, devouring oil
That washes the soil like a river of death, black and menacing

The woman stands on the ashes of utopia
And looks above at the black hole of sorrow
Her child clings on behind, the oil in the soles of her feet

The crops yearns for air, a fresh breath of freedom
For the land has been cursed with eternity of pain
Dreams lay strewn across the broken earth
The Nubian civilisation fades like the dust
Entering the black hole of endless destruction

Black,
Black,
Black –the only colour seen
Black as the far reaches of the colossal universe
Blackness that envelops the land
Suffocating
Gasping
Still
Dead

The woman and child tread past the pipelines
A track that leads them to a destination of hopelessness
Unable to change direction, they suffer for nothing
Suffering for those who claim to be people
But are barbarians that feast on the pain of others
And feed their hungry spawns

Yet all these Ogoni people crave
Is the tender caress of their sacred motherland

I ACCUSE...

This concise video that give a clear insight into the lives of the people the situation in the Niger Delta and those who are campaigning to raise awareness to their situation.

Hear the words of Ken Saro-Wiwa “I accuse Shell and Chevron of practising racism against the Ogoni people because they do in Ogoni what they do not do in other parts of the world where they prospect for oil. I accuse the oil companies of encouraging genocide against the Ogoni people... The profits from oil come to Britain because it is their technology that is keeping Nigerian oil going. So they have a moral responsibility to intervene... My mission has been to inform the West of the truth of what is happening in Nigeria, which has been hidden from them. I believe if people knew they’d do something about it and stop this robbery and murder that is going on in broad daylight.”

The video introduces the The Living Memorial created by British artist Sokari Douglas-Camp CBE.
Click for more about this Memorial

KAVIS NEW FILM IDEAS AND VOLUNTEER WORK UPDATE.

Hey Z,
The site is looking wicked. I've just started getting into Facebook, more for networking and raising awareness than anything else. I was wondering if you could send me the pictures from the whole week, so I could make an album and also cut a video for the group and put it on the site. It would be  really good  to make another video with the group as well more performance based, Jane said platform have a camera so I'm gonna try getting ppl together again.


Also, I thought It would be good to put upcoming events that could be of interest to us, poetry slams, film festivals, guest speaker talks on the site. 

click to enlarge

Here's the organisation I was telling you about that I'm volunteering with http://www.discoveringlatinamerica.com/.

Our film group will be with Ana again for editing so if you have anymore ideas let me know. I could also take some pictures of the session or may be Rotimi could come down and take some if he's not busy.
Speak soon
Kavi

NUHA INSPIRATION POTENTIAL FILM MAKERS - MAMA YOUTH PROJECT

 Hello all, lovely to see you last night and here is a forwards I thought worth posting up on our blog its a great media opportunity for anyone wants a career in media

Cheers, Nuha

www.mamayouthproject.org.uk

MAMA Youth Project is a working production company and a registered charity which helps Black, Asian Minority and Ethnic groups (BAME) and deprived young adults between the ages of 16 and 25, get a start in broadcast television. 

We are actively promoting diversity within the television industry by giving free hands-on training to diverse young adults under represented within the industry and give young adults the essential work ethics, practical skills and attributes to have a strong chance of finding employment.

No experience is required! Just intensive training supervised by our staff trainers.

Our new ‘What’s Up’ TV Production Training dates are now out and we are currently recruiting.

THE ‘WHATS UP’ TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR AUTUMN 2010…

Between Monday 11^th October – Tuesday 7^th December 2010

WHAT'S UP INDUCTION DAY 

 8^th OCTOBER 2010

Role  and start dates 

8 weeks from 11^th October 10 
 Production Manager/ Video Editors (x2 places)
Sound or Camera Ops (x4 places)

7 weeks from 18^th October 10 
Production Co-ordinator

7 weeks from 19^th October 10 
Researchers (x12)

Deadline for ALL Applications: Monday 20^th September 2010

THE SELECTION PROCESS
A: Email your interest to whatsup@mamayouthproject.org.uk. Please state in email subject the exact position you are applying for.   

B: You will be then sent an application from to fill in and return. 

C: If selected you will be invited to be interviewed by the main staff that produce the show.   

D: If selected you will invited to the induction day and start on selected dates…

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is a great opportunity for your young adults to gain real work experience. At the end of their training they will know exactly what it feels like to go out and work on a television programme. Their confidence and self esteem will rise dramatically.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact myself or my colleague Nilema Begum at our offices.

Best Wishes,

MYP TEAM

Dephna House, 112-114 North Acton Road, London, NW10 6QH

Tel: 020 8978 3797 Office Mobile: 07869 215 301

Email: info@mamayouthproject.org.uk

www.mamayouthproject.org.uk

Why not follow MYP on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MAMAYouth

For the latest edition of the 'What's Up' show:  http://pact.i2ic.com/companies/mama_youth_project/32

HANNAH REVIEWS "THE DECLARATION" and "THE RESISTANCE" by Gemma Malley

On the second day of SHAKE! we asked the participants to bring to the session something they considered to be a piece art that had Activist connotations. Hannah Brought in the The "Resistance", part of the The Declaration Trilogy by Gemma Malley. Set in the future in a time when human being has found the  means to live forever! However, they had not considered the consequences of this, socially, politically or psychologically. We asked Hannah to right a review.

So in Hanna's own words...

THE DECLARATION: BOOK ONE

A guilt trip when you think about it. Our generation quests for eternal life, and we dare not think of the consequences. This book braves this taboo territory and explores the year 2140. The world is, literally, failing to support the immense population. There's little fuel, little food and little countryside. There is also very little crime, very few terrorist threats (unless you count those performed by the 'Underground' and groups vying for cheaper 'Longevity' drugs). What of families? Well, any parents who decided not to take Longevity are... dead. When you take Longevity, you forfeit the right to have children. Any children you may bear may be found and will be forced into either: slave labour or 'consensual' labour', raised to hate you and themselves.

The protagonist is Anna, a stubborn girl who is determined to 'Earn Her Place'. Life is looking up for her: she doesn't know her parents, she's a Prefect, her Work is usually Excellent or Perfect, and she's nearly sixteen which means that she will be a Valuable Asset and will soon be working in a House on the Outside.

Then along comes Peter, a boy who doesn't Know His Place. His mischievousness, cheekiness and Outside Knowledge drive Anna to think differently about her Place and whether or not her parents do actually love her.

It's quite an interesting read, and it challenges you to think about the consequences of our actions now. There's very little mention of race, although it can be assumed that everyone is white because the adult characters appear to be far more nationalistic than we are 'today'. Power is quite obvious- the adults have it all. One man, in particular, has a lot of it: Richard Pincent.

Stars out of five? Four.

THE RESISTANCE : BOOK TWO

The second book of the Declaration trilogy. It's a slow burner, and quite predictable. The protagonist has switched to Peter so that you find out more about him because, in the first book, he was this mysterious character with an aura of wonder. In this book, you just want to cuddle him. He's harder, but he's easily led. We're also introduced to Jude- Peter's half-brother. I like Jude. He doesn't take crap from anyone and is his own man. He's cool like that. We also get to know Richard Pincent, the man with all the power. He owns the company- Pincent Pharma- which produces Longevity drugs. Nice one, Richie! Or so it would seem, because he is really the most 'Selfish' character. He leads Peter to believe everything he says, nearly forces Anna to sign her Declaration, and locks away Jude :'( The Underground are far more active, which is a good sign because Pip was also one of my favourite characters. He reminded me of one of my teachers- if any of you know Mr. Bolton, you'll probably like Pip as well- and I don't know what that says about me, but whatever.

Predictable, gets you where you're going and has a beautiful climax. Almost like going on a business trip to a beautiful island.

Stars out of five? Three and a half.

The Legacy:

The final installment of the Declaration trilogy. Set one year on from The Resistance, the world is rapidly running low on energy, food and water with ridiculous rationing schemes having to be enforced. To make matters worse: a deadly virus is sweeping the country. Richard Pincent, the head of Pincent Pharma we met in The Declaration and got to know in The Resistance, knows this but withholds the information, blaming the Underground for the mounting bodies. Peter- in Scotland with Anna, their daughter Molly and Anna's brother Ben- travels to London after receiving a message that he is needed only to discover that Pip, the lovable leader of the Underground, has turned himself in. In a race against time (and a few grammatical errors along the way, which were annoying and distracting from the story) Peter, Jude, Anna, and newly-free Sheila  fight to save the children from riots and attacks on their lives, and make a startling discovery that draws the perfect end to the trilogy.
Stars out of five? Four and a half.

THE BOY WHO CRIED JUSTICE - A poem by Tanya Parthipan

 I was inspired to write a poem about Stephen Lawrence through Shake explaining in detail the prejudice and injustice in his death. What touched me most is how the Centre dedicated themselves in respecting and protecting his memory, showing that Stephen Lawrence did not die in vain. He created a centre that helps many people. For me that is true dedication. - Tanya Parthipan