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Showing posts with the label Looking for the Obeah in the Redman's Desert

Tisvilde

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Tisvilde is an incredible part of Denmark and a place I have been fortunate enough to have access to since I first visited this country about ten years ago. There's the beach with its almost Medetaranian-like waters , the forest with paths that wind through gnarled trees, the old house, Amigo which has known me since the days my son nestled himself deep within my womb. Amigo is a simple house, of aged wood and memories, caressed regularly by the gentle roll of the train coming and going. Yesterday I lost myself in meditation as I mowed the lawn, and thought how universal the smell of freshly cut grass must be. While I did so, a deer rushed past, not before staring me full in the eyes. There is something magical about being stared in the eyes by a wild animal. I'm quiet again. Like the sea I have retreated to the ocean of my soul. I am preparing for my move: something which, if approached haphazardly, could very well threaten what semblance of sanity I have managed to construct....

Looking for the Obeah in the Redman's Desert--The Calabash Literary Festival, Jamaica 2007

The Calabash International Literary Festival is on my list of things "to do", much like Yari Yari ( Jayne Cortez directed a documentary: Black Women Writers Dissecting Globalization about this). The Calabash Literary Festival has a lot of things going for it. First of all, it's in Jamaica. And as anyone else who has been to Jamaica, will tell you, Jamaica is a special place. I'm not just talking blue water and white sand beaches either. Although I've never been to an African country, Jamaica is the only place I've ever been to where I felt close to this continent. There is something in the air, something in the spirit of the people I met with that testifies to the endurance of the human spirit. It's music is a great example of this spirit--it's devouring of Western music, only to be regurgitated, back out into the world for all the Universe's sons and daughters to vibe to. From Jackie Mittoo and other Studio One recordings to dub and dancehal...