In the tradition of activism

akua naru

 écoutez Akua Naru sur Radio Mukambo! www.groovalizacion.com/article6319.html?lang=fr
Artist Akua Naru sitting in all her nobility in Brussells at Théâtre Marni
  March 12, 2013 

singer/activist Nina Simone
 February 21, 1933 - April 21, 2003 

“You can't help it. An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times.” Nina Simone

NINA SIMONE & her husband

icon and singer, Nina Simone & Andy Stroud, her husband

ZOE AS NINA

actress Zoe Saldana to play
Nina Simone

It is difficult to respond. There are several things to point out, but mindful of the typical audience to such a subject I remind myself that historical perspectives are not always welcome amongst gossips, who respond to complex social issues. Nina Simone was a complex woman born into a complex role during a complex time with more critical thinkers in which to gauge herself and engage her audiences. 

Today with the enormous amount of credibility given to gossips, and myopic attention given to shallow reporting won't it be difficult to convey a Black American woman, like Nina Simone, as a complex woman? I think it will be interesting, although mildly disappointing to have the 'skin issue' thrust once again in our faces, but to have Zoe Saldana delve deep into this character with her skills would be a joy to unravel! I say that, in part, because Dominicans (she is Puerto Rican and Dominican) have an issue with color and affinity towards whites that upon close inspection complicates the issues of race and color and identity. 

So, for people of the African Diaspora there is nothing to be taken lightly in this whole discussion. Trivializing the issues of race is not new, but serves no one intelligently. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories


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Nina Simone, singer & activist