By Anthony Anaxagorou: What if I told you that all life is African? What if I told you that the oldest human culture developed in Katanda Congo, or what if I told you that the Ethiopian Australopithecus known as Lucy is also known as Dinquinesh? What if I told you that every Black face is the descendent of an Ancient Egyptian, or that no country has as many pyramids as Sudan? What if I spoke about the library in Kemet and Alexander’s pillaging of knowledge, the burning of books, of culture and philosophy? What if I told you that the Vikings were the most pre-eminent slave owners, and that the 11th century saw Dublin as the slave capital of the world? Would you believe me if I told you that white people enslaved their own kind first, Or that St Patrick was a run-away slave – a drapetomaniac? What If I told you that Pythagoras was taught by some smooth faced Egyptians, as was Thales and Anaxamander? What if I explained Egyptian Mystery Schools to you? What if I told you all great European philosophers were trained by Black Africans in Ionia, or what if I told you what Herodotus said about the Colchians? What if I told you what Ghandi said about Western Civilisation? What if I told you about Europe’s dark ages in comparison to the empires of Mali and Kush – what if you knew about Abubakari II? What if I told you that Columbus never stepped foot on American soil and that Africans were navigating the globe with papyrus-reed ships in 2600BC? What if you knew about Cheop boats and that Europeans didn’t have a concept for latitude and longitude until the 18th century? What if I told you that racism was invented? What if I told you that we only ever oppress those who are powerful? What if I told you that in the 16th and 17th century white indentured servants and black slaves fought subjugation together? What if I told you about J.F Blumenbach and his obsession with racial purity and white slave women? What if you knew about David Walker’s Appeal? What if I told you what Columbus said when he fist saw Arawak Indians in the Bahamas? What if I told you about the suggestion made by priest Bartolomé de Las Casas, then what if I told you how many lives were lost to the grin that swept across Columbus’s face? What if I told you nothing has really changed and that racism is ever present? What if I told you about that battle at Wounded Knee in 1890 and the massacre of 300 Native Americans with the Hotchkiss gun? What if I told you that Native American’s today have a life expectancy of 46? What if I told you that the enemy is White supremacy? What if I didn’t care about African history, or the genocide of indigenous people and instead wrote poems about Winston Churchill, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, and I refrained from talking about the 54 countries that make up the British commonwealth? What if I told you that the abolition of slavery had nothing to do with philanthropy but pure economics? What if I told you religion has killed more people than it’s saved and that nothing can buy you peace? What if I told you that a teacher’s job is to help you understand what you already know? What if I told you about freedom, what if I promoted violence instead of self-reliance? What if I said everyone that looked like you was a killer, a bomber, a terrorist? What if I told you that the media lies, that the news is censored that everything has an agenda? What if I told you about Milton Frediman and the Chicago School of economics? What if I told you about neo-liberalism? What if I told you about Edward Bernays? Or that since the invasion of Iraq 110,721 innocent civilians have died nameless What if I told you about the systematic imprisonment of Black and Latino males in America? What if you knew the worth of every prison inmate? What if I told you about Francis Galton and the eugenic movement? What if I told you about NSSM 200? And what if I quoted Emerson or Theroux and I worked on a building site, or I knew that Shakespeare invented over 1700 words including the word assassination? What if I was reading The Apology on the bus ride to work and work happened to be cleaning office toilets? What if I was ugly but knew how to make her smile? What if I told you that music is not popular but universal – intelligent noise resonating from the soul of the universe? What if I told you that in every bit of me is every bit of you? What if I stopped writing for a second, or a week or a year would I miss something? What if I told you that love is forgiveness breathing and every man wants to be held as tightly as every woman does? What if I told you that we all want to be wanted and that cruelty is how weak men respond to fear? What if I told you that the hardest man I’d ever known loved me the most? What if I told you the first time I punched someone I felt strong but the crying I did that night introduced me to a weakness I’d never felt before? What if I told you that the first time I kissed a girl an earthquake found my legs and that each time I get my heart broken I become a better poet? What if I told you that a single act of genius is the result of a thousand failures, and that every master knew nothing at the start? What if I told you I believe in you, in your heart and your life? What if I told you that the greatest gift I ever received was being told I can? What if I told you that you wrote this? Now what if I never told you?
Posted on: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 19:29:40 +0000
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