Long Live Amiri Baraka!

Why is only a penny brown and got Lincoln on it?Is that why they leave it on the ground.-Amiri BarakaThe update about Baraka, the poet of the oppressed, is that he is not much talked about anymore. The sudden silence around him is a tragedy of our times. But it should come as no surprise. Going by a trend of how the system engulfs the same talents who once adorn its progressive horizons as cultural icons (albeit, countercultural icons, but icons nevertheless) it should come as no surprise that Baraka, the once emulated and idolized hero of the revolutionary times is not even reduced to a legend any longer.LeRoi Jones, as he was known during the Beat period of early 1960’s, Baraka was companion to Allen Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, and Gilbert Sorrentino. After the death of Malcolm X, Baraka became the Black cultural nationalist founding the Black Arts Repertory Theater School in Harlem. Till 1975, Baraka was well adored as the forerunner of black nationalism and culture.Pause.Lets get back to Paul Robeson. Or farther down the times to WEB Du Bois. As these brilliant minds served the interest of the groups that believed in the binaries of race stratification, they were hero-worshipped. Du Bois was looked at as the epitome of black intellect. Robeson was perceived as the epitome of black vigor. Towards the end of their lives, both of them had famously joined the world revolutionary struggles to condemn any form of global imperialistic designs. They reported that peoples of the world, if worked in unison, would change the face of the world, given the shared oppressed history of the colonized and the enslaved. That peoples of the world wanted peace at any cost and that was to come only by combating the world capitalism. As the world was becoming more visibly devoid of territorially encroached and was emerging as economically subjugated by interest groups, no narrow agenda of nationalistic fervor was going to do the trick. On the contrary, narrow racial agendas were going to be played up well by the ruling class to fight one against another by showering favoritism and encouraging suspicions among the oppressed groups.As Du Bois, the greatest of all Black scholars ever, formally joined the Communist Party and Robeson, the greatest of all Black athletes ever, supported the cause of international communism, all hell broke loose. The avowed religious Blacks, the comfortable leaders of the civil rights movement who wanted to work with the system (and not against it) and the politically correct ones belonging to the minorities whose families started reaping benefits (however silly that might be the case) started distancing themselves from these erstwhile heroes, even as they were still alive. Du Bois died tragically in Ghana, his revolutionary writings hardly honored and remained a literary icon in library corners of diversity loving campuses. Robeson died unwept, unknown and unsung.Amiri Baraka after 1975 shunned the nationalistic struggles, called it fascist in nature, called for world unity of oppressed people in identifying and combating the class enemies. He became a pronounced Third World exponent, cried freedom for the majority of the world who suffered under tyrannical rules disguising as democracies. Once the focus shifted, like it happened with both Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X during their last few years of life, there was concern from three different quarters: the black nationalists who were not willing to budge from their agenda, the white racists who oh-so-hated Communism and the politically correct mix of different races who felt offended by such shifts that did not further their interests in their stronghold of media, military and state machinery. Baraka said, "I see art as a weapon of revolution. I define revolution in Marxist terms. Once I defined revolution in Nationalist terms. But I came to my Marxist view as a result of having struggled as a Nationalist and found certain dead ends theoretically and ideologically, as far as Nationalism was concerned and had to reach out for the communist ideology."As the poet laureate of New Jersey, when Baraka recited his poetry “Somebody Blew Up America” (reproduced here), he was accused of anti-Semitism. Of course he was asked to relinquish his position. Not just the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), but even many black so-called leaders came forward to ridicule him. Such is the irony of the times that the beat poet, the radical free voice who lent his creative voice to all peoples of color of the world had to come down with an explanation to prove his authenticity. http://www.amiribaraka.com/speech100202.html After that period of gloom, I saw him on an interview at a Sundance documentary called “The First Amendment Project” and noticed that his works are being sold on his own site for $5 onwards! The entire poem written by the revolutionary poet Amiri Baraka is reproduced below. If allowed to add, I would only suggest an additional line: “Who are these ungrateful peoples of a contented era? Who forgot their own poet, the fearless poet who called a spade a spade, a violence a violence, a revolution a revolution?”

SOMEBODY BLEW UP AMERICA(All thinking peopleoppose terrorismboth domestic& international…But one should notbe usedTo cover the other)They say its some terrorist, somebarbaricArab, inAfghanistanIt wasn't our American terroristsIt wasn't the Klan or the Skin headsOr the them that blows up niggerChurches, or reincarnates us on Death RowIt wasn't Trent LottOr David Duke or GiulianiOr Schundler, Helms retiringIt wasn'tthe gonorrhea in costumethe white sheet diseasesThat have murdered black peopleTerrorized reason and sanityMost of humanity, as they pleasesThey say (who say? Who do the sayingWho is them payingWho tell the liesWho in disguiseWho had the slavesWho got the bux out the BucksWho got fat from plantationsWho genocided IndiansTried to waste the Black nationWho live on Wall StreetThe first plantationWho cut your nuts offWho rape your maWho lynched your paWho got the tar, who got the feathersWho had the match, who set the firesWho killed and hiredWho say they God & still be the DevilWho the biggest onlyWho the most goodestWho do Jesus resembleWho created everythingWho the smartestWho the greatestWho the richestWho say you ugly and they the goodlookingestWho define artWho define scienceWho made the bombsWho made the gunsWho bought the slaves, who sold themWho called you them namesWho say Dahmer wasn't insaneWho/ Who / Who/Who stole Puerto RicoWho stole the Indies, the Philipines, ManhattanAustralia & The HebridesWho forced opium on the ChineseWho own them buildingsWho got the moneyWho think you funnyWho locked you upWho own the papersWho owned the slave shipWho run the armyWho the fake presidentWho the rulerWho the bankerWho/ Who/ Who/Who own the mineWho twist your mindWho got breadWho need peaceWho you think need warWho own the oilWho do no toilWho own the soilWho is not a niggerWho is so great ain't nobody biggerWho own this cityWho own the airWho own the waterWho own your cribWho rob and steal and cheat and murderand make lies the truthWho call you uncouthWho live in the biggest houseWho do the biggest crimeWho go on vacation anytimeWho killed the most niggersWho killed the most JewsWho killed the most ItaliansWho killed the most IrishWho killed the most AfricansWho killed the most JapaneseWho killed the most LatinosWho/Who/WhoWho own the oceanWho own the airplanesWho own the mallsWho own televisionWho own radioWho own what ain't even known to be ownedWho own the owners that ain't the real ownersWho own the suburbsWho suck the citiesWho make the lawsWho made Bush presidentWho believe the confederate flag need to be flyingWho talk about democracy and be lyingWHO/ WHO/ WHOWHO/Who the Beast in RevelationsWho 666Who decideJesus get crucifiedWho the Devil on the real sideWho got rich from Armenian genocideWho the biggest terroristWho change the bibleWho killed the most peopleWho do the most evilWho don't worry about survivalWho have the coloniesWho stole the most landWho rule the worldWho say they good but only do evilWho the biggest executionerWho/Who/Who ^^^Who own the oilWho want more oilWho told you what you think that later you find out a lieWho/ Who/ ???Who fount Bin Laden, maybe they SatanWho pay the CIA,Who knew the bomb was gonna blowWho know why the terroristsLearned to fly in Florida, San DiegoWho know why Five Israelis was filming the explosionAnd cracking they sides at the notionWho need fossil fuel when the sun ain't goin' nowhereWho make the credit cardsWho get the biggest tax cutWho walked out of the ConferenceAgainst RacismWho killed Malcolm, Kennedy & his BrotherWho killed Dr King, Who would want such a thing?Are they linked to the murder of Lincoln?Who invaded GrenadaWho made money from apartheidWho keep the Irish a colonyWho overthrow Chile and Nicaragua laterWho killed David Sibeko, Chris Hani,the same ones who killed Biko, Cabral,Neruda, Allende, Che Guevara, Sandino,Who killed Kabila, the ones who wasted Lumumba, Mondlane , Betty Shabazz, Princess Margaret, Ralph Featherstone, Little BobbyWho locked up Mandela, Dhoruba, Geronimo,Assata, Mumia,Garvey, Dashiell Hammett, Alphaeus HuttonWho killed Huey Newton, Fred Hampton,MedgarEvers, Mikey Smith, Walter Rodney,Was it the ones who tried to poison FidelWho tried to keep the Vietnamese OppressedWho put a price on Lenin's headWho put the Jews in ovens,and who helped them do itWho said "America First"and ok'd the yellow starsWHO/WHO/ ^^Who killed Rosa Luxembourg, LiebnecktWho murdered the RosenbergsAnd all the good people iced,tortured , assassinated, vanishedWho got rich from Algeria, Libya, Haiti,Iran, Iraq, Saudi, Kuwait, Lebanon,Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine,Who cut off peoples hands in the CongoWho invented Aids Who put the germsIn the Indians' blanketsWho thought up "The Trail of Tears"Who blew up the Maine& started the Spanish American WarWho got Sharon back in PowerWho backed Batista, Hitler, Bilbo,Chiang kai Chek who WHO W H O/Who decided Affirmative Action had to goReconstruction, The New Deal, The NewFrontier, The Great Society,Who do Tom Ass Clarence Work forWho doo doo come out the Colon's mouthWho know what kind of Skeeza is a CondoleezaWho pay Connelly to be a wooden negroWho give Genius Awards to Homo LocusSubsidereWho overthrew Nkrumah, Bishop,Who poison Robeson,who try to put DuBois in JailWho frame Rap Jamil al Amin, Who frame the Rosenbergs, Garvey,The Scottsboro Boys, The Hollywood TenWho set the Reichstag FireWho knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombedWho told 4000 Israeli workers at the Twin TowersTo stay home that dayWhy did Sharon stay away ?/Who,Who, Who/explosion of Owl the newspaper saythe devil face cd be seen Who WHO Who WHOWho make money from warWho make dough from fear and liesWho want the world like it isWho want the world to be ruled by imperialism and national oppression and terrorviolence, and hunger and poverty.Who is the ruler of Hell?Who is the most powerfulWho you know everSeen God?But everybody seenThe DevilLike an Owl explodingIn your life in your brain in your selfLike an Owl who know the devilAll night, all day if you listen, Like an OwlExploding in fire. We hear the questions riseIn terrible flame like the whistle of a crazy dogLike the acid vomit of the fire of HellWho and Who and WHO (+) who who ^Whoooo and Whooooooooooooooooooooo!AMIRI B 10/01