Faras Gallery

We came across a fascinating video showing some of the beautiful works of art recovered from Faras (in Nubia) on Youtube. In the Women of 1000 AD project, the list of sources for Queen Martha included a link to a related video.

Don't Eat the Clues

After finally watching the third season of Twin Peaks (as well as rewatching the original run), we cannot help but feel somewhat disappointed. After so much time and the loss of some of the cast from the first and second seasons, Lynch and Frost had to make the final season something quite different. And while there are many great elements and a plethora of surreal scenes (and even some of the same quirky jokes and behavior), the third season is by necessity a different show. It is a true pity that we were deprived of a Twin Peaks conclusion right after the second season, when the character of Twin Peaks itself could have maintained more of the narrative focus. We found ourselves missing Catherine and Ben Horne's intrigues, we did not see nearly enough of Audrey or James, and while there may finally be a happy ending for Norma and Ed, so much of the magic and charm of the original run is diluted or absent. Perhaps that is also significant for symbolizing the darker world of season 3, but we nonetheless very much missed those early seasons.

Video on the Shuwa Arabs

After watching this same channel's series on the Kanuri, we decided to check out their other videos. They are short and of course are not anywhere close to a complete history. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see people from the region interviewed and discussing their traditions and history. The Shuwa Arabs appear to have been present in Kanem by the 14th century, where a reference to them seems evident in a letter from the Sayfawa mai to the Mamluk sultan, Barquq, written in 1391/2. According to that letter, Judham Arabs even killed a mai, so nomadic Arabs had become involved in the unstable conditions in Kanem related to civil war and the Sayfawa versus Bulala. This documentary focuses on aspects of Shuwa Arab culture and traditions, like marriages or the former importance of camels. 

Queen Anacaona

I am unsure about the source of this clip, but I found it interesting as one of the more serious Haitian videos on the island's indigenous past. It's designed to be short, simple, and respectful of the "Taino" past on Haiti. There are some issues or areas that undoubtedly require more updated information and nuance (like the population of the island in 1492 or the question of gender relations), but this is interesting. I'd love to see a serious source for the claim of some of the population sizes of villages or towns, too. 

Columbus JRPG

 

Although we will likely never play this game, Gnosis on Youtube had an interesting video about it. Released for the NES in Japan, this game about Christopher Columbus seems to have been part of the broader fervor around the 500 year anniversary of the 1492 Voyage. According to Gnosis, the game actually features very little of Columbus's voyages in the Americas, and Native Americans only appear briefly. Nonetheless, it is intriguing to think that the complex legacy of Columbus even impacted the world of Japanese video games at the time.

Nobili and Bousbina on Ahmad al-Mansur's Conquest of Songhay

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Although mainly based on one source produced as part of a royal proclamation after the defeat of the Songhay, Mauro Nobili and Saïd Bousbina demonstrate the reduction of Songhay into the trope of the enslaveable black. This attitude, by the way, reminds us of al-Fishtali's similarly condescending references to the envoy of Borno who was received in Morocco during the the reign of Idris b. Ali. Race, and the blackness of the Songhay trumped their Islamic and ethnic identities. 

Girard and the Tanos

Although we have issues with Philippe Girard's scholarship on Haiti, this is a decent introduction to the history of the Taino. Except for the suggestion that ganja or marijuana was part of the cohoba ritual, Girard does a decent job covering the history of the Taino. Of course, accepting the demise of the Taino as an organized society after the Spanish conquest makes Girard a supporter of the Taino extinction narrative. 

Don Enrique

A short video on our cacique, Enriquillo. 

Oyo

Despite some video quality troubles and a few errors, this short lecture by Paul Lovejoy is well worth the listen. Oyo was a northern Yoruba state with a cavalry and links to the Nupe, Bariba and Hausaland. Ali Eisami was also enslaved in Oyo so the state was connected to Borno via trade and the slave trade. I just wish we had more sources on the history of this fascinating Yoruba empire. Robin Law's monograph endeavored to make do with the fragmentary oral traditions, limited external sources and later Yoruba histories of the post-imperial Oyo years. What he accomplished was quite impressive for reconstructing the political, economic, social, and administrative features of Oyo, but it all seems so speculative. 

Jews of Ethiopia

Although we are not primarily interested in the history of Ethiopian Jewry, we found this video to be one of the more interesting options out there on Youtube relevant to Ethiopian history. We first encountered this Youtube channel several months ago when we were interested in Jewish history, albeit in that case mostly the Sephardim. Anyway, this is an excellent introduction to a topic we have not dedicated enough attention to in our brief forays into Ethiopian history. There is just so much material to read when it comes to northeastern Africa. 

Rulers of Kanem-Borno

While not the most accurate overview of the rulers of Kanem-Borno, this Youtube video is a good start. We have come across slightly different chronologies and histories of the Sayfawa dynasty, but this is a useful introduction to the complex history of one of Africa's longest-lasting dynasties.

Outer Space Employment Agency

A hilarious clip from Sun Ra's Space is the Place, a low budget blaxploitation flick filmed in Oakland. It's useful to remember that Sun Ra possessed a sense of humor and didn't mean to be taken seriously at all times. The El is a sound of joy. 

Fats Waller: This Joint Is Jumping

This short documentary includes some very informative interviews with the son of Fats Waller and others who knew the jazz musician well. Born in New York, he mastered the stride piano style of the 1920s, part of the trio of great New York stride pianists of the decade (Willie the Lion Smith, James P. Johnson, and Waller). Although much of his appeal seems to be due to his playful performance style and persona, he has left jazz a few unforgettable standards. "Jitterbug Waltz" is a personal favorite. 

CPUSA

Although problematic like most documentaries, this somewhat sympathetic history of the Communist Party is full of interesting anecdotes about the experiences of its members. Furthermore, the documentary recognizes how the Communists played a pivotal role in numerous progressive social causes, particularly during the Depression. For that reason alone, closer scrutiny of the CPUSA is required. Of course, my reasons for any interest in it at all is related to its connections with Caribbean organizations and figures. 

HASCO

A clip from a video about Hasco, the Haitian American Sugar Company. By this time, it must have been owned by Fritz Mevs, and the video looks like it was filmed in the 1980s. Clearly, it was produced by the company itself or paid for by HASCO, since it is nothing but positive. If anyone has the complete video, it should be shared online.

Railroads of Puerto Rico

This brief documentary examines the history of railroads in Puerto Rico. Although every documentary has its own set of problems, this one features charming local music about the trains of the island. It also includes some historic video footage and photographs of railroads on the island up until the last train for public use, in the 1950s. Georges Michel briefly mentions the railroads of Puerto Rico, too, although certainly not anywhere near the same level of detail as this video. Sadly, there doesn't appear to be a single book solely on the railroads of the island, although articles can be found. 

Tunde Adeleke on Afrocentrism

Historian Tunde Adeleke on Afrocentrism and its paradoxical nature. I've been revisiting some of the Afrocentric authors like Diop these days, while also reading some critiques of Afrocentrism here and there. 

Said on The Clash of Civilizations

Edward Said articulates the many, many problems of Huntington's famous (or infamous?) book. I was just perusing Huntington's work and shocked by some of the appalling lack of nuance and detail or just vast generalizations he made. For instance, the brief mentions of Haiti emphasize it as some aberration that is a lone civilization or culture, one that is not perceived by Latin Americans as part of the region and seen as bizarre or different from the lens of Anglophone Caribbean peoples. When making these statements, Huntington relies on the words of a Panamanian politician and one quoted Afro-Caribbean. One would think more nuance and evidence would be buttressed by Huntington, akin to his more careful attention to modern Japan, but I guess Haiti does not merit the additional scrutiny. With people like Huntington as an intellectual influence in the Bush administration, one can see why the 2004 coup took the shape it did.

Kony 2012: The PSA

Here is an excellent video a friend and I made earlier this evening about Kony 2012. It's meant to be a joke.