Storyteller, Award-Winning Playwright, Author
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Episode 1: A surprise
Episode 2: I talk to author, Helen Rappaport, about her book In Search of Mary Seacole, and her other works on Queen Victoria, and the Romanovs.
Black Lion is a pleasure to read. The author, a gifted wilderness guide, shares his wonder and his love of the wild world. He brings all his love to the reader, a love, that is without sentimentality, for he shows us the harsh realities of life and death, inextricably entwined. Mbatha introduces us to his culture and the land that he walks; the people and some of the folk medicines of the area.
There is wisdom to be found in these pages. The author has put his philosophy of sharing and reciprocity into his tour company, uMkhiwane Sacred Pathways, which has a core goal to help the residents and the ecology of his part of South Africa.
Mella, the king’s daughter, lives in long-ago Zimbabwe.
The king is sick, and the land is dying.
Two warriors go on a quest to bring the Serpent Healer, but it is Mella who must call upon her reserves of strength, and the words of the magical N’anga in order to save her father and the land.
In far-off Nigeria, The Oba, a king of great wealth and power, wants it ALL, and expects to get what he wants. And he wants the lands of the Ilesha people.
Most people would simply do what he asks, but when he comes up against the wit and humor of three young friends who call these lands home, he may have asked for more than he bargained for.
How did Tortoise become King of the Animals?
A play for young audiences, based on a story from Cameroon.
Mella’s beloved father, the King, lies gravely ill.
Senior Sister has taught Mella the forbidden song that will call the Great N’anga, a powerful figure who is viewed with suspicion by most townspeople.
The N’anga comes to the town and chooses three girls to train in the ways of the ancient Daughters of the Hunt.
How do you know when palm nuts are ready to pick? There’s a story that tells you.
Voices of the Ancestors: wisdom from times gone by; wisdom found in now seldom-told stories.
Glimpse into the philosophy of a Voodoo Priestess; learn how the reverence for the forests and animals at Tafi Atome created a special place of culture for that village; read about how the people of Amyanui attune to the seas and marine life that still provide their livelihood.
These stories are a window into the disappearing culture of the Ewe of Ghana’s Volta Region.
The collection includes stories of Kweku Anansi, and the animals of the region, giving an insight into their habitat, and insight into the traditions of the people.
What do you see when you look in the mirror?
For schoolgirls Vida and Sammi, it is a very special mirror with a very different reflection, for they can see life in Ancient Egypt.
So who are Little Star and Ineri, and what is the significance of the two identical gold bracelets?
More to the point for Vida and Sammi, what on earth does their maths teacher have to do with it all?
My publishing the e-book of Star’s Reflection is my own small form of resistance against institutional racism – in fact, publishing it at all was a form of resistance.
Years after an editor – a white woman – had the gall to insist that racism ‘did not happen’ in Canadian schools, I’m still outraged.
Why does he hate them? asked another editor (or was it the same one?) This in reference to a teacher’s racist actions toward two girls in his classroom. I wish I knew the answer to why children and adults are the targets of hatred. I wish I knew why I have had to much hatred directed at me throughout my life, starting from a young age.
It is not necessarily the job of the writer to provide answers. It is the job of the writer to raise questions. Why does he hate them? That editor felt that the question required an answer I am not able to give. Canadian publishers had a big problem with any depiction of racism in Canada. They suggested that I remove the present-day portion of the story. I was not about to do that. When I write, I like to shine a light on something – perhaps something forgotten, or deliberately hidden, perhaps it is lying unnoticed in plain view. Often, I do this through the lens of history. We are more able to look back unflinchingly to gain insight into present circumstances.
In Star’s Reflection, the historical story gives my young present-day protagonists, some insights into themselves and their present situation. The present-day part of the book is, actually, the smaller part than the ancient Egyptian portion of the story, and the depiction of racism within the book is quite small. Yet, the strong denial of racism in Canada showed an unwillingness of white editors to listen to what a person of colour has to say about lived experiences of the society we all live in. The editors felt justified in their denials. I haven’t seen this. What a white person sees and experiences is what counts.
Star’s Reflection is really a novel of friendship and love and loss, magic and belief in oneself in spite of forces that may be ranged against you. A new day has dawned regarding attitudes toward racism. The time has come for another look at the story told in Star’s Reflection. The e-book version has a new cover and some minor changes in the text. Find it here: https://books2read.com/u/mBG8kv
Ibram X. Kendi recounts the time he was in a third grade classroom. A small, shy black-skinned girl raises her had in response to a question from the teacher. The teacher ignores the girl and waits for the raised hand of one of her white students.
Even as a child, Kendi notices that this girl’s spirit is crushed, he sees how she bows her head. Here is a powerful story that resonates with my own experience. How many times does this type of incident happen? How many black-skinned girls and boys are destroyed in classrooms? Far too many. It has been happening for generations.
The effects of racism on individuals who fall under its influence are numerous: depression, distress, suicide.
There’s no such thing as casual racism, there’s no micro in the aggression that dark-skinned people face on an almost daily basis. This is what Kendi describes as “the persistent daily hum of racist abuse.” (Page 47) He uses a strong, more accurate vocabulary: Racist abuse. Not institutionalized racism: Racist policies.
Racism is part of life in North America. It has affected the psyche of every person who lives within it. Kendi examines his own life, thoughts and behaviors throughout the book. He states, “No one becomes racist or antiracist. We can only strive to be one or the other.” (Page 23)
We need awareness every day of how much racist attitudes have seeped into our unconscious ideas, and how these shape our actions and way of thinking.
How do we move into a better way of living? It’s a long and difficult process that involves focusing, not just on individuals, but on the forces of power, and the policies that uphold racism.
Chapter One begins with definitions of racist and antiracist. The chapters that follow start with a definition to draw our attention to the racism in our perceptions of the body ethnicity, the language we use, and the weave of beliefs that underlie our attitudes.
Here’s a book that can help every one of us to live more thoughtfully. It shows us how we can actively joins the fight against the racism that permeates our everyday lives.