The New People Newspaper Online Sierra Leone News and Alternative Perspectives on News, Events, and Policies in Sierra Leone .
Sierra Leone Entertainment News
NOSLINA: National Awards Dinner and Dance
4.14.08
Be in the DC Metro Area on April 26th
Roland Marke : A Poet
3.21.08
Roland Bankole Marke is a Florida based freelance writer, poet and songwriter, who was born and raised in Freetown , Sierra Leone , West Africa . Marke started writing in order to satisfy his own soul. His passion for humanity that is depicted in his writing helped to consummate a lasting marriage. Marke's work has appeared in several publications, both in print and online journals/magazines. These include World Press, Free Press, Guardian Weekly UK, Liberia Sea Breeze, The Patriotic Vanguard, Florida Times Union, Kwenu.com, Jacksonville Advocate, Mabayla Review and Pambazuka.org. He has published three poignant CDs - The Gift of Life, Jesus Dwells in My Soul and Love and Happy New Year: His published books are –Teardrops Keep Falling, Silver Rain and Blizzard: Angelic Flames. His most recent book is –Harvest of Hate –Stories and Essays; “Fuel for the Soul.” email: bankole@mindspring.com Website: www.Rolandmarke.com “ Roland Marke's work speaks of our urgent need to heal and to hope. Roland's poetry, story, and songs are inspirational. Like all great writers, he lifts suffering to a higher plane of regard. Please take the time to listen to his message and spread the good word. We can work together for a more human, caring world.” - Nile Stanley , Ph.D. Chair, Childhood Education author, poet University of North Florida Jacksonville,
Sample poem:
Bunce Island
Amid the rumbling Sierra Leonean waters,
Enveloped into the deep of Atlantic Ocean ,
Stood this dark and mighty fortress, called
Bunce Island : that caricatures the-Bastille,
Dark-dungeon to stockpile African slaves:
History sleeps here like a one-eyed man.
Around 1700s -1800s our ancestors were
Chained, led to the ‘Point of no Return,'
A warehouse of humanity, and waiting
Shipment onto Charleston , Savannah in
The South or New York in United States ;
Gullahs from beloved home worked rice
Farms in South Carolina : the grim trade's
Intertwined with blemished history of UK ,
United States and motherland Sierra Leone :
Neither time nor distance, would triumph
To eradicate our gloomy, enduring legacy.
Can One Human Being Save The World? Sierra Leone's War in Pictures.
Writer: Charlene Collins Haug
Can one human being save the world? A “Superman?” In his current exhibition at the Noyes Museum, Richmond Otolorin Garrick gives us a personal glimpse of the emotional toll of war-torn Sierra Leone. Compelling, large-scale figures spill off the canvas into the viewer's personal space. We are witnesses implicated in the action, caught-up in the terrible events. According to Mr. Garrick, he wants his paintings to “engage with the viewer so the viewer can have a dialogue with the work. You don't get the message immediately. You piece things together and then you begin to get the message.”
Like contemporary Impressionist paintings, the lush, impasto, textured works draw the viewer in for close inspection. In “Ambush,” boy soldiers are expressively painted in strong brush strokes that emote and pull the viewer's eye through the surface, past fleshy tones and a dark, shadowy, compositionally exciting backdrop. Figures emerge from the paint. As you step back they coalesce – boys holding guns, boredom and anxiety showing in their features. Through his paintings Garrick tells us about the personal cost of the war. He says “I use the canvas to put (record) my own burden, my own problems. My canvas is the only place where I can show my deep emotion.”
In “The Rescue,” a figure is being dragged by his arms, his foreshortened hand extends into the viewer's plane. The scumbled, bloody lip drips red onto a blue and white striped shirt whose brush strokes move like a roller coaster, describing the broken body and frantic energy of dragging the heavy, wounded man. In “Resistance,” a larger than life figure lays supine, hands drawn-up close to the face and clenched in the rigor mortis of terror. An eerie light bathes the face, hands, and chest; the rest of the figure dissolves into the canvas and drops off our frame of view. We look down on the figure in a perpetrator or bystander's perspective. Raw and powerful emotion engages the viewer. In a change of pace, Mr. Garrick has eight ball point pen drawings, an homage to civil rights leaders and prominent African Americans.
My favorite is the one of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The viewing space is personal as one leans in for a closer look at the fine details of these beautifully rendered works. Dr. King has a twinkle in his eye. The drawing is exuberant and joyful. Garricks' work is powerful and moving, a first person account of the tragedies of war. The drawings, as you enter the gallery, seem to point generally toward resolutions and leadership and forces of light and hope; men and women who are superheroes. Mr. Garrick's work is on display at the Noyes Museum until April 10, 2008 in an exhibition entitled, Portraits: Defining the Foundation for Humanity and Expressions of Oppression: A Metaphor for Thinking about the Unthinkable.
D-Ex-3 - "Salone Girls" and the Bold Experimentation with Cross-Atlantic Musical Genres
2.17.2008
Sierra Leone's young musicians are experimenting very boldly with a cross-cultural blend of trans-Atlantic musical genres. Here, the trenchant rythms of Jamaican dancehall especially Mr. Vegas' hot-wrenching "Tek Weh Yuhself" dance style overlaid with indigenous Sierra Leonean dancehall chants. It is a cultural contribution to world pop music with a slight social critical edge to the praise heaped on our Salone beauties.
In the following video, brought to our readers courtesy of YouTube, KallboxX Records Promotions puts D-Ex-3 (Daddy Ish, Sheng Daddy, Father Gee, & Majeed) on show.
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Freddy Shabaka Cole and Thomas Peters
2.7.2008
Historians usually under play the cross transfers in the diaspora as former natives became resettlers in their own motherland by the cruel twist of two centuries of chattel labour and dehumanisation.
Sierra Leone born native, frederick Cole, now known as Shabaka re-vists and re-narrates that history with passion and poignancy in his latest release.
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Read more about Shabaka
His music has been described as poignant, churning, lilting and heartfelt. The Washington Post said, "If West African born singer/songwriter Freddy Shabaka doesn't win listeners over with his words, the odds are good he'll do it with his music . . . Shabaka knows how to make his point effectively on several levels as a singer, songwriter and arranger." Shabaka was born Frederick Cole in Freetown, Sierra Leone. His music has a Reggae and African flavor that is both authentic and compelling. Shabaka's music has political, social and Rasta anthems that figure in the mix. The songs are thoughtful and no matter how impassioned the message or how diverse the elements, the music has a sunny allure that's hard to resist. The strength and richness of Shabaka's vocals, the soulfulness of his voice and the power and passion in which the songs are delivered are a treat to all who listen.
Shabaka, who is from the Creole people of Sierra Leone says, "My ancestors were descendants of freed African American slaves, Maroons from Jamaica and freed Africans who were returned to Freetown when the slave trade was abolished. This African ancestral mix is reflected in the music I make." The influences of great reggae singer/songwriters like Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, and Burning Spear are evident in Shabaka's music, however, his style and authenticity ushers in a new chapter in the marriage of reggae music and African rhythms.
At the age of nine, Shabaka formed his first band called The Black Sparrows. He and his band mates put on shows with instruments they made from cardboard, cups, pots and pans. During his college years he was the lead singer of Fusion, a nine-piece reggae/afro-funk band that he formed with friends. They were known for their grand live performances. Shabaka's first recording, "Free," spawned two number one hits in Sierra Leone “Dem Nor Wan Dance" and "Goombay Jamming." The CMJ New Music Report described the tape as ". . . the best self produced demo tape I have received all year . . . the single, "Dem nor wan dance" deserves to be heard on dance floors, radio stations and boom boxes nationwide . . . The fact that he remains unsigned is as amazing as the churning, lilting, heartfelt music that Freddy creates on Free." Shabaka's last CD, "A Chapter of Roots" received a great deal of airplay on college radio stations and introduced many Reggae lovers to his music. On this CD he collaborated with a brilliant Cameroonian guitarist and producer Henry Tanash, whose guitar skillfully weaves through each song. Shabaka's music has deep and driving bass lines, that are kept in check by the drums and an array of African percussion, topped off with sweet, simple horn and string arrangements.
Shabaka's new CD the "Black Loyalist" was inspired by the fascinating story of Thomas Peters, a man captured in Nigeria in 1760 and brought to North Carolina as a slave. He and others secured their freedom in 1776 when they fought on the side of the British during the American revolutionary war. They were called the Black Loyalists. On January15, 1792, Peters led a contingent of 15 ships carrying 1,196 blacks to create a new settlement in West Africa. They named it Freetown, presently the capital of Sierra Leone. The story was told beautifully in a recent book called "Rough Crossings" by renowned historian Simon Schama.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. As part of the commemoration, a replica of the Amistad ship will retrace the route used by slave traders across the Atlantic Ocean. In December 2007, the Amistad will dock in Freetown, Sierra Leone and Shabaka's "Black Loyalist" will be used as the official song to commemorate this historic event. This will mark an important moment in Shabaka's career, as this album not only celebrates Sierra Leone's history it speaks to its present and hopes for its future. In "See Dem a Come," Shabaka sings of the recent civil war in Sierra Leone and the use of child soldiers; "Who is the Enemy" is a commentary on the corruption of African leaders; "African Spirit" is a song of inspiration for the children of Africa; and "Mr. Jackson" chronicles the return to the continent of an African-American from Mississippi.
"Black Loyalist" was recorded and mastered at the legendary Lion and Fox recording studios in Virginia with Jim Fox at the controls. It was produced by Shabaka and Henry Tanash. They perform with 3 new artists: the young, beautiful and talented Latin singer Nyl Medina; hip-hop sensation Joaquin; and the upcoming King of Dancehall, Sprouty. All the songs were written and arranged by Freddy Cole Shabaka.