Love Lives Here

28th May 2012

Post

One Love

by Jennifer Alvarez

She says the wrong things; she acts the wrong way. She’s awkward and against the grain. She acts as though she has everything to lose. She believes that people should do good just to do good. She likes to help others and do progressive things for the good of the community.

Arabi Rajeswaran can’t help herself. There is something stirring in the soul of this bright-eyed 19-year-old who is involved in grassroots, on-the-streets youth advocacy, and community development. She is active, she gets out there. She talks with people, listens to them, and isn’t afraid to confront the powers-that-be about changes that need to be made.

“Sorry, I was almost falling asleep on the bus on the way here. It feels like it’s been a long day,” Rajeswaran said.

She had just come from her shift at Burger King. Before that she attended two separate meetings involving community outreach initiatives.

Rajeswaran works with the national organization Leave Out Violence (LOVE) and the Rexdale Protech Media Centre (RPMC). LOVE is an award-winning youth violence prevention program based in Toronto, and the RPMC is a resource for neighbourhood youth to access technology in an effort to foster potential careers in new media.

In both organizations, Rajeswaran thrives as a leader and mentor to other youth who have been affected one way or another by violence.

Rajeswaran was born in downtown Toronto but moved to Rexdale when she was 18-months old. Rexdale is home to almost 54,000 people. It was developed as a suburb sometime during the 1950s, when the majority of the population was of Scottish and English descent. Today, 55.5 per cent of Rexdale’s population is visible minority. Rexdale is dealing with the social effects of violence, drugs and gang activity.

Read More

Tagged: @JenDiana@scribe_magazine@Jonathan_Zettel@doreendawang

Source: humberjournalism.com

22nd April 2012

Post

Rappers speak on going to the Mother Land

by Tashae Haughton

Only answer this question if you’ve never been to Africa. Stop what you’re doing right now. No really, stop. Close the Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or whatever tab you have open. What are the images that come to your mind about Africa? Again, only answer this if you’ve never been to the continent.

You might have an answer, or you may not. Either way, Africa is portrayed as a poor country with half naked starving children, laying on dusty hut floors with flies in their eyes.  Other common mis-representations of Africa is that it’s a “dark continent”, uncivilized, or culturally monolithic. Furthermore, the negatives stereotypes about Africans and their behavioural characteristics are that they’re “savages” or practice weird cultural practices.

The sources of these stereotypes date back to the European explorers, colonial officials and missionaries creating representations of Africa and Africans through narratives that were consonant with their beliefs, for example Africans are heathen and uncivilized-incapable of governing themselves.  

We can also blame the media who cover Africa only when there is a only a crisis. Right now we know that in Egypt it’s shown as a place of violence and brutality with ludicrous dictators.

So, why are you being lectured on negative stereotypes about Africa when this is a hip-hop site?  Yea, I would ask the same. But it was in 2008 when Nas and Pharrell spoke about why hip-hop artists don’t perform in Africa at Smirnoff’s Experience press conference.

Nas said he had only been to Africa three times; his birthday, and corporate shows including a press conference like the one he was in.

“There are horror stories about Africa that are out of this world. There are stories when you come off the plane, you’re bit by a mosquito, and driving down the streets,” said Nas. The rapper mentioned that Bob Marley who sang about Africa made him want to go experience the continent for himself and to do more research.  When Nas travelled to Nigeria, the living conditions were so overwhelming that he started to cry.

Pharrell had the chance to travel to Africa (which he loved) and to his surprise to see snow in Cape Town, South Africa.

“At the same time, there are a lot of rumors, there are a lot of myths. A lot of it is supported by the images that we see on T.V.,” said Pharrell.

Nas believes that hip-hop is the answer to to get artists to start communicating and rebuild their long last connection between Africa and America.

You can’t really blame these artists at all. They’re humans just like us, they share feelings just like us. If you’re warned not to go somewhere, you’re going to either 1. stay put or 2. go and find out for yourself.

Educate yourselves, don’t depend on teachers to tell you or depend solely on the media.  Seek, research and find.

Peace.

Tagged: @darksugarbomb@JenDiana