Tag: performance
Masculinity and a Personal Note
By Alaa Jahshan
I remember talking to some friends and the words, “I hate heterosexuals!” came spewing out of my mouth as I realized I was surrounded by several of them. So what, I thought, I’ve heard people around me my whole life say they hate homosexuality, disgusted by it, wouldn’t even consider discussing it, sin itself. I wanted to say fuck you, and I still do. It makes me feel better, but it doesn’t accomplish anything.
First, I thought, I need to deal with my own problems. I feel hate towards traditional heterosexuals and hetero-normative culture. I am many times resentful of the male culture I grew up in, consequently leaving me with an insecure image of manhood and sexuality. Stereotypical men were obscure to me; they interested me because of how oddly charged they were. For lack of a better description, these were the dude bros, man. It was an identity that I felt I had to habituate because my other options did not make much sense. Hell, I had the privilege of physically being one of them, but still I became resentful because I didn’t thrive in that kind of population. Continue reading Masculinity and a Personal Note
Cuban Arts at Antioch: Two Events
by Alaa Jahshan
Listening to Jane Bunnet and the Spirits of Havana improvise through a fusion of Jazz and Caribbean beats is like watching a painter create a masterpiece before your eyes. Jane Bunnet and the Spirits of Havana performed for their third time at Antioch College. After playing a piece that got many heads bobbing, Jane Bunnet introduced the band, including her husband Larry Cramer on trumpet, Osmany Paredes on piano, Yunior Terry on bass, Jorge Najarro on timbales, and Arturo Stable on congas.
Bunnet’s performance on the soprano saxophone was far more enticing than her solos on flute. She improvised and performed with fluid technique that was easily moving. Her squeals and reaches into the upper registers were very exciting to hear coming out of a soprano saxophone. Paredes’ hands could be seen from time to time jumping up and down, dribbling into many juice chords and arpeggios. Terry’s skill in playing bass was very integral to the performance of the group, as were the two percussionists. The three added a lot by being singers and improvising for short bits within the pieces they played. Solos by Cramer were wonderful yet sometimes felt pushed. As commented on by several audience members, the sextet did not perform so harmoniously together, yet still were extremely skillful. Continue reading Cuban Arts at Antioch: Two Events
Last Poets at Antioch
By Alex Mette
This Saturday night Antioch hosted the ‘Godfathers of Hip Hop,’ The Last Poets. The group’s name is a reference to a poem by the South African revolutionary poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, who believed that the era of poetry was at an end, soon to be replaced by that of guns. The group, originally Felipe Luciano, Gylan Kain, and David Nelson, was born on Malcolm X’s birthday (May 19) at Marcus Garvey Park, East Harlem, 1969. Today The Last Poets are: Abiodun Oyewole, Umar Bin Hassan, and Don Babatunde Eaton. Like Malcolm X himself, the Last Poets have changed their political ideologies over time, and today denounce much of modern Hip Hop music. An article by DuEwa M. Frazier entitled, “The Last Poets: Still on a Mission,” quotes Abiodun Oyewole as saying that “Hip Hop has become a circus. The vehicle is still the same, but the artists, the drivers are silly. We know they’re doing this because niggas are trying to get paid, but see a lot of people are on the line to be niggas and they’re being paid to be sleazy and greasy.” On Saturday, Oyewole spoke of the importance, or lack thereof, of rhyme in poetry. While their use of rhythm and rhyme probably had a significant impact on what would become Hip Hop music, Oyewole stated that rhyme should come second to substance and that “You can’t just talk because your mouth runs.” In terms of political philosophy, when asked in an interview done in 1997 how his ideas about revolution had changed, Abiodun Oyewole stated that “back then, I wanted to see everything burned and people hanged. I wanted to see riots. The one thing that stopped me in my tracks was this guy speaking at one of our forums. [He said] ‘You can’t really be a revolutionary until you know the kind of world that you want your kid to live in.’” Going on to say, “Now, my whole thing is, we have to see how we can be the greatest part of us, which is the healing part of us. This self-empowerment mode is where I’m at. I’d rather that folks learn how to save themselves before they kill themselves. That’s what I’m trying to do.” Continue reading Last Poets at Antioch
Antioch College Racial Discrimination Prevention Policy
I. Preface
History of the RDPP
Since its student-initiated inception in 1997, the Racial Discrimination Prevention Policy (RDPP) has been the work of students, staff, faculty and administrators at Antioch College. The College’s Sexual Offense Prevention Policy inspired the idea for a policy designed to support an anti-racist College environment. There have been incidents on the Antioch College campus that demonstrated the need for this type of policy. Procedural components to address prevention are also included in the policy as part of the mediation and resolution process. The College’s Administrative Council approved this policy on April 25, 2006.
Continue reading Antioch College Racial Discrimination Prevention Policy