I ran across this website recently. The Big Myth is an educational site which seeks to inform students about mythologies across the globe. I’ve always been interested in mythology, ever since my mom would read African fables to me as a child. Myths and fables have traditionally served an important purpose within a culture. It is used to educate and, to some extent, indoctrinate the youth into the ways and expectations of a certain culture. Myths can also impart universal lessons that may be relevant to any culture. In fact when you look at different myths from different cultures you see that many of the lessons are the same. People do enjoy a striking similarity of values around the world.

A previous article in this magazine documents my exploration in bringing African fables to the digital age using motion graphics and animation. I was sure that I wasn’t the only one exploring this theme but have not run across many that approach the subject in a similar fashion. The Big Myth uses the same technology (Adobe Flash) but puts it into an educational framework including a teachers guide and forum. I also appreciate the fact that it includes five myths from Africa. I’m of the firm belief that African American youth would be well served by being exposed the unbridled imagination and time tested values that ancient mythology can provide, in contrast to the kind of gritty, “keepin’ it real” urban mythology that they are currently inundated with.

The Big Myth is funded by grants from the Socrates Fund of the European Commission, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences and Kennisnet. It includes animation, sound effects, music and narration.

Click here to experience The Big Myth.

Marquise de Brinvilliers Marie-Madeleine-Marguerite d’Aubray, (1630 – July 17, 1676) was a French serial killer who poisoned her father, brother, and two sisters in order to inherit their property. She was assisted by her lover, Army Captain Godin de Sainte-Croix.

The following is an excerpt from a fictionalized account of her crimes, confession and punishment by the African Frankophone author, Alexandre Dumas, Pere. Here he tells of the “questioning” of the Marquise following her confession and sentencing. The use of the “water cure” is certainly used as a form of torture, as she has already confessed to her crimes before being tortured. By the way, this is the same author who wrote “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.”

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This article is not so much a review as an FYI. We’re all very familiar with the African oral tradition. What you may not be so familiar with is the African tradition of writing. It turns out that the Egyptians had a writing system known as Hieratic script which was created by 1600 BC, perhaps even earlier than the Phoenicans alphabet that, in the west, is taught as the first alphabet. This script was considered a shorthand and would never be used on their monuments. They preferred instead to use Hieroglyphics (sacred writings) for important documents and monuments.

The book I’m writing about, Afrikan Alphabets by Saki Mafundikwa, doesn’t speak on Egyptian writing though. The author states that he doesn’t want to get into the argument of whether the ancient Egyptians were African or not (they were). Instead, and perhaps more importantly, he documents writing systems that exist in sub-saharan Africa. He puts them all into the category of alphabet though he understands that many are actually “syllabaries”. The characters represent syllables rather that having singular consonant or vowel sounds as we would understand an alphabet.
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This week marks the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X who was gunned down on February 21, 1965. While I usually prefer to celebrate the lives of our heroes rather than their deaths, the opportunity to put a photo of Malcolm in this blog and remind folks of the greatness that resides in our community should not be passed by. Here, then, is a photo of that great man. His eulogy follows.
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So after a nice break over the holidays we’re back with our first post of the new year. Seeing as we’re only about a week away from the glorious dawning of Post Racial Americaâ„¢ I thought I’d present this material that reminds us how we’re all getting screwed here in this wilderness called North America and that many times the depth of penetration depends on class rather than race. Because black folk are so heavily represented among the working classes and underclasses, this “classism” effects us disproportionately.

Class War: The Attack on Working People is an audio book of a speech by Noam Chomsky. If you’re not familiar with Chomsky, he is an MIT professor of linguistics, a lecturer, and activist.

From Wikipedia:
His far-reaching criticisms of US foreign policy and the legitimacy of US power have made him a controversial figure: largely shunned by the mainstream media in the United States, he is frequently sought out for his views by publications and news outlets worldwide.

You can read more about him here

What I like about Chomsky is that he calmly and deliberately reveals the reality of the political/economic system we live in and what change really entails. He brings into focus the Matrix like facade that has been so cleverly crafted by the media, the school system and the politicians. Here is an excerpt from one of his speeches. The title says it all. This and other speeches by Chomsky can be found online at vendors like Audible and Amazon.

fyi: hit the little speaker icon next to the name to play the track without leaving the page.
Class War: The Attack on Working People

With the election of Barack Obama to the presidency the question has come up, are we living in a post-racial society? In otherwords has the concept of race lost its cache, or meaning? Let’s examine this and see what we come up with, it may be that we’ve reached that land that Dr. King saw from the mountain top. Of course, it may be as illusory as a mirage in the Sahara on a hot day. (more…)

As graphic designers we are in the unique position to create, influence, interpret and preserve culture. The visual materials we produce, both printed and electronic are records of our times. The western-based cultural tradition of writing dates back thousands of years. This history, stored on paper, tablets or scrolls is, for the most part, safe and stored in museums and archives.

Before the written tradition, however, was the oral tradition — the practice of spreading a people’s history and ideals through the spoken word, many times in the form of fables. This project seeks to modernize and archive the African oral storytelling tradition using computer-based motion graphics and interactivity. Using MacroMedia Flash MX (an authoring and animation software) the project merges the spoken word with interactive and kinetic graphics, music and sound…
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Black United Students (BUS) was founded 40 years ago this year, on the campus of Kent State University. The organization has gone through many changes over time. But, much remains the same.

Dr. Larry Simpson, the first president of BUS, returned to the campus November 8, 2008 for a celebration of the past 40 years.  He’s now the Senior Vice President of Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, in charge of academic affairs. Over the years his experience with BUS has served him well. As he stated in his keynote address the other night. Being involved in BUS gave him a window into the adult world that he may not have experienced had it not been for BUS. Mostly, it was about learning how to work with other people and function as a member of society. (more…)

It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally ready for prime time. “Blakfacts Volume 1” is a compendium of notable facts in the history of the African diaspora. You’ll encounter heroes and sheroes; warriors and peacemakers; presidents and popes. In fact there’s no telling what kind of folks you’ll encounter.

This book is for young and old! You’ll learn about things your teacher never told you in school. They say, “those who do not know their history are destined to repeat it!” This fully illustrated volume is the first in a series of books which will broaden the horizons of its readers. If you thought you knew something about African American history, think again. (more…)

So my wife and I traveled down to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati the other day. When I got the directions I noticed it was on the corner of Rosa Parks and Freedom Way streets after turning off of Race Ave. Oh snap! Usually any street named after a black person in America is the last place you want to be. If you’re lost in a major city and end up on Martin Luthor King Jr. Blvd. get out as fast as you can. You’re probably in the heart of the ghetto (my dad calls it “the bucket of blood”) where even the cops fear to tread.

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