fanta junkie

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Lorem!Ipsum!Dolor!
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Spring!2016!
Badenya'News'
2014'
A"book"not"to"miss!"
"
(look"on"page"6)"
The'Badenya'Ebola'Fund'
The!Ebola!outbreak!weighs!on!our!minds.!!While!we!are!pleased!
at!efforts!to!contain!it!in!the!Koinadugu!District,!every!one!of!us!
has!connections!beyond!regional!and!national!borders.!The!fear!
and!confusion!in!everyone's!voice!is!palpable.!The!tragedy!of!
people!dying!is!one!thing;!the!economic!and!social!consequences!
of!isolation!and!stagnation!are!another.!!
!
Our!newlyUformed!Badenya!Ebola!Fund!can!be!found!on!
FaceBook!and!on!the!updated!Badenya!website.!The!fund’s!focus!
is!on!the!neglected!area!of!Dankawalie!and!its!surrounding!
villages.!!!
!
City!Lore!is!collaborating!with!Badenya!on!a!fundraiser,!Voices'
Against'Ebola,!on!November!20,!2014.!We!sorely!need!these!
funds!!Among!other!artists!it!features!our!Badenya!president,!
Dr.!Rashida!Ishmaili,!reading!from!her!new!novel,!Autobiography'
of'the'Lower'East'Side;!Sahr!Ngaujah,!Tony!Award!Nominee!for!
his!role!in!Fela!!and!Erik!Goldman,!editorUinUchief!of!Holistic'
Primary'Care:'New'for'Health'and'Healing.!
!
The Northern District communities Badenya serves are marginalized in
so many ways. Help them survive Ebola. Donate at
http://www.nycharities.org/donate/c_donate.asp?CharityCode=3609!
!
!
Contents'
1! Ebola!
2! Voices!Against!Ebola!
3! UNESCO!in!Milan!
4! Workshop!
5! Ke’s!Journal!
6! Autobiography!
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Badenya!News!
2014!
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Badenya!News!
2014!
!“In!Search!of!!
‘Finah!Misa!Kule:!!
Voice!of!the!Sovereign’”'
Our documentary film In Search of Finah Misa Kule: Voice
of the Sovereign, directed!by!Kewulay!Kamara!and!
produced!by!Steve!Zeitlin,!is!nearing!its!final!stages.!We!are!
seeking!a!grant!to!bring!it!to!completion.!!
!
Plans!are!underway!to!travel!with!the!film!to!public!
libraries!in!eight!U.S.!cities,!both!to!screen!the!documentary!
and!perform.!!
!
The!epic!tales!with!musical!accompaniment!will!be!the!
centerpiece!of!the!performances.!!West!African!artists!such!
as!Dionne!Kamara!(formerly!with!Urban!Bush!Women),!
kora!player!Saliu!Susso,!balaphone!player!Lansana!Kouyate,!
and!guest!artists!from!Sierra!Leone,!including!Fantacee!
(Fanta!Kamara)!will!take!part.!!!PBS’ Black Programming
Consortium is considering the film for the Afro Pop series. We
are also considering a kickstarter campaign.!
Dankawalie''
Secondary'School'
At!the!end!of!May,!2014,!SELI!
visited!the!Young'Writers'club!at!
DSS!and!was!pleased!to!find!
teacherUediting!conferences!
being!carried!on!so!
professionally.!In!addition,!all!
the!schools!in!the!district!were!
conducting!exams!that!week;!
DSS!was!one!of!just!two!SELI!
visited!that!did!not!consider!
exams!a!reason!to!suspend!club!
meetings.!Bravo!!
UNESCO!Conference!
From!August!25!to!28,!2014,!Kewulay!attended!
How'do'we'Identify'Great'Opportunities?'A'
Knowledge'Lab'to'Evaluate'and'Improve'the'Use'of'
Foresight'in'Addressing'Societal'Challenges.!
!
This!UNESCO!conference!was!supported!by!
Rockefeller!Foundation!and!hosted!by!the!
European!Commission!in!Milan,!Italy,!and!used!
realUworld!examples!from!all!three!of!these!
organizations.!Participants!worked!on!using!the!
future!to!create!positive!societal!changes!in!the!
present.!!!
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Badenya!News!
2014!
The'All'Africa''
Futures'Forum'
South!Africa,!taking!him!to!his!village,!
Tafekop!(Limpopo!Province)!and!to!many!
places!in!Johannesburg!and!townships!of!
Alexandra!and!Soweto.!Kewulay!also!
visited!another!renowned!South!African,!
Dr.!Essop!Pahad,!at!his!home,!learning!
about!his!monthly!journal!The'Thinker!and!
the!building!of!the!Ahmed!Baba!Institute's!
library!and!manuscripts!archive!in!
Timbuktu,!Mali.!Dr.!Serote!and!Kewulay!are!
working!on!a!cultural!and!educational!
partnership!between!his!village!and!
Dankawalie.!The!Post!Family!Foundation!
made!this!trip!possible.!
Kewulay!participated!as!"storyteller!and!
inspirational!speaker"!in!the!The'All'Africa'
Futures'Forum!that'took!place!from!May!26U
28,!2014!at!the!Wits!School!of!Management!in!
Johannesburg.!His!old!friend,!poet!and!writer!
Mongane!Wally!Serote,!also!spoke!at!this!
conference.!Dr.!Serote!was!the!first!post!
apartheid!minister!of!technology!and!culture!
under!Mandela.!!Serote!and!his!family!
graciously!hosted!him!for!most!of!his!stay!in!
UNESCO'
UKnowLab'in'Freetown'
and!tools,!but!also!to!assess!the!tools’!practical!
application!as!well!as!explore!storytelling!as!a!
tool!for!Foresight!work.!!
!
A!report!on!the!workshop!has!been!published!in!
Kamara,!K.!(2014,!Sept.).!Imagining!the!future!of!
the!transition!from!“youth”!to!“adult”:!A!case!
study!of!a!futures!literacy!knowledge!
laboratory.!Journal'of'Futures'Studies:'
Epistemology,'Methods,'Applied'and'Alternative'
Futures,'19(1),!107U114.!'
On!January!20U21,!2014,!Kewulay!conducted!a!
workshop!at!Hill!Valley!Hotel!in!Freetown,!
Sierra!Leone,!entitled!Imagining'the'Future'of'
the'Transition'from'"Youth"'to'"Adult":'A'Case'
Study'of'a'Futures'Literacy'Knowledge'
Laboratory.!!
!
The!workshop!was!sponsored!by!UNESCO’s!
Division!of!Foresight.!Graduate!students!from!
NYU’s!Wagner!School!of!Public!Administration!
and!Badenya!Partners,!our!sister!
NGO!in!Sierra!Leone,!participated.!It!
was!the!first!directly!UNESCOU
sponsored!workshop!in!Sierra!Leone.!!
!
It!was!conducted!not!only!to!imagine!
alternate!futures!of!the!transitions!
from!youth!to!adulthood!in!Sierra!
Leone,!and!to!train!the!participants!
in!the!use!of!Foresight!perspectives!
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Badenya!News!
2014!
Ke’s%Journal%
Solar'Blues'
Making'Dankawalie'Secondary'School’s'small'solar'project'
happen'is'proving'to'be'the'equivalent'of'trying'to'push'a'
car'up'a'hill:'possible'but''difficult.'Most''of'the'problem'has'
to'do'with'poor'transportation'and'communication'
infrastructure.'
'
Part'of'my'expectation'was'that'the'solar'materials'would'
arrive'in'Sierra'Leone'from'the'United'States'and'China'
during'the'month'of'May'2013'and'that'tentacle'people'
would'arrive'to'install'the'solar'grid'in'Dankawalie'during'
the'month'of'June.'In'anticipation'of'this,'I'had'registered'
Badenya'Partners'as'an'NGO'in'Freetown.'The'modules'
arrived'from'China'during'January'2014.'Again'I'made'sure'
that'I'was'on'the'ground'when'the'shipment'arrived.'Then'
the'challenges'started—how'to'clear'them'from'Deep'
Water'Quay'and'store'them'in'Freetown'before'they'were'
transported'to'Dankawalie.''
'
With'the'Bill'of'Lading'(BOL)'in'hand,'we'had'contacted'the'
shipping'agent'that'held'the'records'that'must'be'
submitted'to'two'departments'of'government'with'an'
official'letter'from'the'NGO'receiving'the'materials'for'it'to'
be'duty'free'months'earlier,'but'now'needed'a'formal'letter'
from'the'new'entity'on'its'own'letterhead'for'the'
Department'of'Revenue'Services.'I'was'able'to'get'duty'free'
status'for'the'shipment'from'the'Ministry'of'Finance.'Being'
a'novice,'I'had'to'get'professional'help'to'go'through'the'
bureaucracy'at'the'port'and'government'offices.'But'this'
help,'even'when'paid,'operate'on'a'whole'different'timing'
and'understanding'of'professionalism'than'I.'The'result'was'
delays'and'even'changes'of'expediters.'
'
Towards'the'end'of'February'2014,'I'had'received'most'of'
documents'for'port'officials.'But'there'were'more'fees'to'be'
paid'that'I'did'not'have'and'WTEC'was'not'ready'to'send'to'
me.'That'meant'I'had'to'find'volunteers'to'help'clear'the'
goods'and'storage.''A'small'energy'and'telecommunication'
company,'Teleficient,'agreed'to'help'clear'the'goods'and'
take'them'to'the'free'storage'that'I'had'secured'from'the'
proprietor'of'Hill'Valley'Hotel'in'Freetown'with'the'caveat'
that'the'agents'would'visit'the'hotel'to'determine'whether'
the'goods'would'be'stored'at'the'hotel'itself,'or'on'the'
campus'of'the'Hill'Valley'School'construction'site'in'Mambo'
Village,'on'the'Freetown'Peninsula.'After'much'back'and'
forth,'WTEC'agreed'to'pay'the'costs'incurred'by'Teleficient.'
We'are'now'into'the'summer'of'2014.''But'by'this'time'the'
daily'charges'for'storage'at'the'port'had'accumulated'
substantially.'Teleficient'did'not'visit'the'hotel'as'they'had'
been'advised'to'do,'so'it'was'when'they'arrived'with'the'
materials'they'discovered'the'space'was'inadequate.'The'
trucking'company'doubled'its'charges'and'Teleficient'had'
to'procure'steel'doors'and'locks'for'the'room'storing'the'
materials.'Trying'to'get'WTEC'to'pay'the'extra'charges'was'
very'difficult'to'say'the'least.'Fortunately,'they'did'pay.'The'
materials'are'safe'in'storage.'
'
By'July'2014,'I'was'informed'by'WTEC'that'the'rest'of'the'
materials'were'due'to'arrive'from'the'U.S.'I'tried'to'
convince'WTEC'that'it'was'better'for'me'to'be'on'the'
ground'to'avoid'delays'and'extra'costs.'They'came'up'with'
another'idea.'Their'contacts'recommended'a'local'shipping'
agent'in'Freetown,'Macdan'Shipping,''to'handle'the'
clearing'and'transportation.'WTEC'went'ahead'and'paid'
Macdan'in'advance.'I'was'not'consulted'on'this.'Next'thing,'
the'company'was'billing'WTEC'for'transporting'the'
materials'directly'to'Dankawalie'Village'in'advance.'
'
It'was'at'this'time'my'advice'was'solicited.'I'suggested'no'
payments'be'made'to'Macdan'until'they'cleared'the'
container'from'the'port'and'transported'it'to'Hill'Valley'
School.'Suddenly,'Macdan'fell'silent.'The'next'time'we'
received'correspondence'from'them'was'to'say'that'Mr.'
Karku,'the'man'who'had'handled'their'correspondences'
with'WTEC,'was'no'longer'with'the'company.'Two'weeks'
later,'I'began'to'openly'express'doubt'about'the'existence'of'
Macdan'Shipping.'We'got'a'response'from'Sammy'Sonkroh,'
assuring'us'the'Macdan'was'real,'with:''
'
'
Sincere'apologies'for'this'break'in'communication.'FYI,'
shipment'is'still'at'port'and'we'will'urgently'
initiate''clearance'process'to'deliver'to'Hill'Valley'as'
advised.'Will'be'in'communication'with'you'throughout'the'
process'this'week,'as'I'give'it'all'my'attention.'Thanks.'
'
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'
'
Sammy'Sonkroh.'
'
'
'
'
Macdan'Sierra'Leone.'
'
That'was'two'weeks'ago.'We'have'no'idea'where'the'
shipment'is.'
'
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Badenya!News!
!!
Badenya!is!
proud!to!
announce!
Fall!2014!
the!latest!publication!and!
first!novel!by!Dr.!Rahsida!
Ishmaili!Abu!Bakr,!
Chairperson!of!the!Board:!
Autobiography'of'the'Lower'
East'Side.!
!
“This!well!established!poet!
makes!a!brilliant!debut!in!
fiction!with!these!complex,!
poetically!detailed,!interrelated!
stories!of!Blacks!from!Africa,!the!Caribbean!and!the!USA!who!converge!
and!form!an!artistic!community!in!the!early!1960s!in!the!most!easterly!
regions!of!Alphabet!City!.”!–David!Henderson,!author!of!‘Scuse'Me'While'I'
Kiss'the'Sky.!!
!
“Ismaili!charts!the!lower!East!side!just!prior!to!the!turbulent,!
revolutionary!Sixties,!when!the!influence!of!Leroi!Jones!and!the!Black!
Arts!Movement!signaled!a!cultural!seaUchange.!Her!characters!persevere!
through!desertion,!loss,!abandonment!and!betrayal,!to!achieve!
fulfillment!in!a!fractured!society.”!–!Vinnie!Burrows!!
!
“A!sensuous!and!intimate!portrait!of!a!place!and!a!generation.!Belongs!in!
the!canon!of!American!literary!and!socioUpolitical!classics,!alongside!
Diane!di!Prima,!James!Baldwin,!Grace!Paley,!Vivian!Gornick,!and!Jack!
Kerouac.!A!masterpiece.”!–!Sara!Pritchard,!author!of!Crackpots'and'Help'
Wanted:'Female.!
Autobiography!of!the!Lower!East!Side!is!a!novel!in!
short!stories,!set!in!New!York!during!the!late!
nineteenUfifties!and!the!turbulent!decade!that!
followed.!Inhale!the!exotic!spices!from!tenement!
hallways;!smell!the!sweat!and!garbage!in!the!
streets;!feel!the!sweltering!heat!of!summer!in!the!
City.!Taste!the!texture!and!densities!of!African!
dishes:!the!rice!and!pepper!sauce,!stewed!fruits,!
tagine,!okra!soup,!bread!and!fish.!Walk!the!alphabet!
streets!in!the!daytime,!weaving!among!pushcarts,!or!
at!night!in!the!biting!winds!of!winter,!footsteps!too!
close!at!your!back.!Sway!to!the!cool!jazz.!Groove!to!
the!lilt!of!African!voices!reciting!poetry,!intoning!
prayers.!Follow!a!junkie!riding!out!a!Jones,!an!
anarchist!handing!out!pamphlets,!a!pacifist!leading!a!
draft!resister!on!the!Underground!route!from!New!
York!City!to!Canada.!!Autobiography'of'the'Lower'
East'Side!pulsates!with!the!heartbeat!of!Manhattan's!
Lower!East!Side!in!the!1960s,!its!artists!and!activists!
caught!in!the!racial,!sexual,!political,!and!class!
tensions!of!the!era.!Ismaili’s!richlyUevoked!setting!
presents!characters!learning!to!survive!in!the!jazz!
scene,!the!theater,!and!the!arts!while!dealing!with!
interracial!relationships,!abuse,!addiction,!and!the!
toll!of!the!Vietnam!draft.!!
This!newsletter!is!produced!by!Badenya,!Inc.!!Editor:!
Jacqueline!Leigh.!
Badenya!(badenya.org)!is!a!501(c)(3)!African!Arts!Organization!dedicated!to!the!
advocacy!of!arts!of!Africa!and!the!African!Diaspora.!Using!traditional!and!modern!forms!
of!presenting!music,!dance,!visual!arts,!theatre,!literature!and!oral!storytelling,!it!
promotes!the!arts!as!cultural!base!for!social!justice!and!transformation.!Badenya!seeks!
to!inform,!inspire!and!promote!social!justice!amongst!all!peoples!as!children!of!One!
Mother.!
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