Comments on: 7 Movie Classics

By: Where Am I Going to Spend Eternity, My Favourite Website and My Favourite Movie - The Displaced African

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:39:25 +0000

[...] actually did a post on this some time ago on 7 Movie Classics. Add to that [...]

By: frank

frank — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:07:18 +0000

thanks my man. Sounds good. Keep the good work. Gooday

By: Mwangi

Mwangi — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:49:17 +0000

@Frank: As to how we can celebrate heroes like Malcolm, I think the first step is to acknowledge that no one will do it for us and we have to do all the hard work to remember our heroes. If we assume full responsibility for not only remembering our heroes and passing the messages on to our children and continuing on with their work, include folks like Aime Cesaire in this as well, then that’s pretty much 80% of the work done there.

Secondly, we shouldn’t expect Western cultures and societies to embrace someone like Malcolm who was so openly anti-authoritarian and such a clear hater on everything that Western society has to offer. So we shouldn’t expect him to be in the news or celebrated by Clinton or anything like that. But because of what he did for US we should remember, thank him and continue with his legacy.

Thirdly make movies, write books, write blog posts, use them as the pictures on our phones, write Uni papers on them and keep them at the fore of our minds through conscious effort, day after day after day until we pass the legacy on to our children who also keep the heroes alive day after day after day.

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:41:29 +0000

“Godfather”: I guess the PLOT unfolds very well, and bad guys seeking redemption, well, thats more than alright cinematic experience for me. Compared to other trilogies i’ve seen, this one came out very well.

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:34:08 +0000

Had actually seen the movies before, thought to comment when I saw your interest in Malcolm.

1. I like Malcolm because of his passion in the N.O.I to reach out to those who needed redemption and “cleaning up”, and his orthodox religious views after his Hajj leading to founding Mulsim Mosque, Inc. He truly was a lawyer for the civil & human rights of people in his time. Nice view about justice prevailing hence no need to slap a cheek…

2.Yes, Malcolm vouches for MLK in that regard. You know what jazzes me most about the two, even in their indifferences on the “how”, they left a legacy, dreams that have been accomplished today. I walked into an apartment complex leasing office and on the wall was greeted by “Equal Housing Opportunity Act” info. How true MLK’s dream was achieved.

Pity Malcolm is not given the credit he deserves simply because his “By any means necessary” approach was sidelined as a violent approach. I read where he asks, (paraphrased) “If you came home and found your child had been bitten by a snake, would you go outside looking for a snake with blood under it’s fangs?I would kill the first snake i find” I feel he is misunderstood by those who are not exposed to his campaign. Whats your take on how best such people can be celebrated?

I liked your views.

By: The Final Three Octaves in the Mo Ma Meme » The Displaced African

The Final Three Octaves in the Mo Ma Meme » The Displaced African — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:19:18 +0000

[...] that I have seen more than once, actually now that I think about it, I wrote an article on this, my 7 Movie Classics article, I’ll just add one to the mix to make it [...]

By: 8 Things I Would Like to Do Before I Do Before I Die & Meek Meek Meme » The Displaced African

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:17:03 +0000

[...] is shows about African Americans and their relationships. Check out the article I wrote on 7 Movie Classics for a [...]

By: Mwangi

Mwangi — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:19:55 +0000

@Frank: Thx for stopping by and I’m glad you enjoyed my movie selection. Make it Plain moved me so deeply you can’t imagine and indeed, Malcolm, Steve and other Afrocentric philosophers and thinkers and artists gave me permission as an insecure teen to hold my head high in this world so there we agree.
As to the comments:
1) I don’t think the religion is evil per se, after all, in the perfect world we would never need to turn the other cheek and there would be justice every time they did, the problem is that powerful people use it against the weak, expecting them to remain peaceful, civilized and docile while they are being violently oppressed….look through the decolonization of Africa and all the way through we were called savages though we weren’t the ones who came and brutally took over and run things by force
2) That statement has two parts: One thing I absolutely loved and respected about both MLK and Malcolm is that as far as I can tell they recognized that they were both chasing the same goal, a race-neutral society where people of African origin could sit on the table with people of any other origin as equals, they simply recognized that their means were different. Like I don’t know if you ever heard the speech where Malcolm said something to the effect of:
“Dr. King I know you are going to the South where there’s a huge collection of KKK. Rest assured that we who are not held down by peaceful means will violently defend you against the KKK!”
As to the second part, I think it goes without saying that the powerful give awards to people that they like, people who they can stomach and accept. Why give it to the Mau Mau who were unashamedly different from the Brits when you can give it to a polished gentleman like Mandela, for example. I think since De Clerk won the peace prize I have had my suspicions of it.
I have watched the Godfather trilogy and though the movies were good, like a lot of great American movies I don’t see why they are held as such masterpieces…to me they were an alright cinematic experience.

By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:17:14 +0000

Hi Mwangi:
Liked your blog. Movies: Best of all, “Make it Plain” by Malcolm. I like the way he is an iconoclast. He has inspired me to walk head held high, even as an immigrant. What do you think of the two scenarios below:
1. Malcolm commenting on “a religion that teaches you to turn the other cheek being an evil one” (paraphrased.)
2. His view on MLK “If you see a war general getting a peace prize before the war is over, then be suspicious” (paraphrased.)

Watched Godfather? I’d recommend it- just incase.

By: Displaced African Review: You Deserve to Feel Good by "Coach" Caroline Jalango » The Displaced African

Tue, 06 May 2008 17:10:15 +0000

[...] e) Log off and go and watch some soul flicks [...]