Sunday, April 29, 2012

"Morningsong for a Tillian King-Rodney Revisited

Our beloved Rodney King is a recovering alcoholic and, seemingly, a forgiving man. As welcome as that is, violence and racism remain from then  until now. As they say, don't believe the hype from CNN. The real story is persistent poverty, vulnerability to racial profiling, and systematically underdeveloped schools for predominantly minority children and youth. Last evening we joyously consumed "Fela", the play about Nigeria's Fela Kuti. The play was fabalicious; the message, a cautionary tale, again, about violence and the state. At one point in the play, miniature coffins of those  killed in Nigeria's political violence were stacked and, appropriately, Trayvon Martin's coffin
topped the pile. My poem "Morningsong for a Tillian King" written in commemoration of the Rodney King incident, will be performed this fall, a collaboration with artist colleagues.

Our beloved world is consumed with deepening violence.
Tell us what you're doing to eradicate violence.


http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/28/us/rodney-king-profile/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

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