I've been finishing "The Wretched of the Earth" by Franz Fanon and provoked to think. This morning a passage made me think about the PBS music specials. The Doo-Wop specials. Have you seen them? They round up a bunch of famous musicians from the 50s (the doo-wop special always showcases Black musicians) who sing and perform their old hits to a lily white audience. Now, let me quote Fanon:
"And it is not utopian to suppose that in fifty years' time the type of jazz howl hiccuped by a poor misfortunate Negro will be upheld by the whites who believe in it as an expression of negritude, and who are faithful to this arrested image of a type of relationship."
Spot-on, Fanon.
The second picture is by a New Orleans artist, Margo Kren and is titled "The Wretched of the Earth."
No comments:
Post a Comment