Black History month – whether you agree with our history being allocated a one month slot or not – is the time when we are to celebrate and acknowledge the legacy of those who paved the way for us African Caribbean’s who are here today, living the dream. As the founder of The British Blacklist, I am forever thankful that I am able to have enjoyed my life blessings on the backs, blood, sweat and tears of my ancestors and all who fought for me to be where I am today. In their honour, I would like to introduce the team behind the machine…
Last to join the TBBL team Kunga Dred also got in touch with me asking if there was somewhere his style of political critical Afri-centric writing would fit. I think this piece about his thoughts on this years Black History Month sums it up. For your support, intelligence and patience with my ever delayed editing and deadline waivering, typo missing I thank you Kunga, xxx Akua
Read Kunga’s summation of Black History Month 2013 - October 2013! What a Black history month!
When legendary Reggae DJ, Daddy Ernie got the news that he and many of his long standing peers would need to unplug headphones and leave the all new Capital Xtra building taking their prized music collections with them, it was soon apparent that community radio had no place in a corporatized Capital.
Ernie was left in little doubt that one of UK’s longest running Reggae shows would now form another footnote in the annals of ‘Black History UK’.
On a level playing field, and in fairer times, gifted broadcasters Daddy Ernie, 279, Natty B, Jigs and Martin Jay would have been ushered into the board rooms of large broadcasting corporates to be given the keys to enjoy the vista. Instead, these men with well over 100 collective years of broadcasting history were unceremoniously ushered to the exit.
Daddy Ernie’s anger on a recent BBC London radio phone-in was palpable. He cited the gentrification of his former workplace as a causal link for his show’s demise. The broadcaster described the curt text message and the meeting hurriedly put together by the balding, over-weight and very Caucasian, Robert D’Ovidio, managing editor of Capital FM told the DJ in no uncertain terms ‘Afro Beat trumps Reggae’ and that the services of the veteran DJ were no longer required!
“People went to bed Wednesday night and woke up Thursday morning and there was no Choice fm on the dial…imagine that you go to sleep and when you wake-up you realize someone has taken your family away!” Daddy Ernie said whilst speaking with Dotun Adebayo (BBC London 6/10/2013)
The Heads of Global Who Now Own Choice FM…Now Capital Extra: www.thisisglobal.com/about-us/#board
What would Frantz Fanon (French Creole psychiatrist, philosopher, revolutionary, and writer) say about White faces in Black music? Faces who are making the decisions that will effect how black people engage and exalt for years to come.
There is little doubt that radio has often been the community grapevine. A place where the youth and their elders have a commonality, often discussing the historiography of their birthright.
But today the target audience is the young ‘Urban’ and it is this spuriously created group who are less musically ghettoized than their forbearers, often mixing European vocals with Rap and Grime Beats. Music shows like the MOBOS have gone a long way in blurring the lines of black music often merging white crooners with black soulsters; this hybridity may well have cost some dearly, as the fox is never invited into the coup no matter how soft its fur.
This black history month may be remembered for great talks on history and some great opportunities to see some great films and meet some truly intelligent people, but it may also, for years to come, be the year in which the nail was placed once again into the casket of black identity.
The politics of race and economic power has never gone away and those black folk who have done very well out of the buy outs and sell offs still view a battle ground where the casualties of war still look like them.
Of course there will be those who are celebrating the demise of the competition and many are already sharpening knives and tongues to accuse others for not doing more to safeguard the archive.
Former DJs are perhaps blaming themselves for not seeing the writing on the wall sooner in order to make the jump before receiving the push. Some will be asking why these men did not take their bags of experience and stockpile of music and set-up something for themselves instead of allowing people with little knowledge of their audience to push themselves into the DJ booth.
In her article for the Huffington Post (4/10/2013), writer, broadcaster and friend to the stars, Jasmine Dotiwala mentions the unprofessional behaviour of the early Choice era, repeatedly citing mispronunciation and poor music knowledge by many of the presenters on the station. A female who has been in the industry for decades has seen a lot of changes within black music and perhaps she is being a little disingenuous, as she will know the aspirational aspect ChoiceFM provided for many within the community, allowing many to get their home-made tracks on air, and their developing skills to an encouraging audience. Some even managing to scrape out a living in an industry that still looks down its nose at these very people who feed it.
In a ‘Black month’ where local authorities seem more and more reluctant to celebrate a history which connects to all others, as funding streams continue to dry up and Black history still remains badly taught in schools and colleges if taught at all. We stand on the sand dune of our culture as the sea of turbulent change laps at our heels and the unwelcoming British cold and skewed and dangerous political discourse bites at our backs it is troubling that we have to take orders from someone who dances like Captain Pugwash and acts like Captain Blue Beard!
Choice, Kiss, Jazz fm, the wipe out of the ‘Black’ in BBC1Xtra denote a pattern that has been repeated since we beat the first djembe by the rivers of Babylon, ‘infiltrate appropriate in order to dictate’. On BBC London Amina Taylor replaced Henry Bonsu, Geoff Schumann, replaced Amina, Dotun Adebayo replaced Geoff, Eddie Nestor’s ‘Rum shop’ was closed down and Jumoke Fashole’s nightly show is no more, as the warm hearted presenter is pushed into an Sunday morning slot at a truly ungodly hour.
Maybe the ‘Black community’ is only imagined and maybe the corporate owners of Global/Captial Plc realize this.
The Writer and social activist Dr Claude Anderson explains community as: 1) independent economic structure, which provides products, services, goods and a tax base for the community. 2) code of conduct espousing a buy, support and spend money within the community policy. 3) have people in politics that represent, fight, protect and speak on behalf of the community.
What these execs have shown us is that if we do not put true value on our cultural worth then someone else will. Capital execs. may well have driven from North to South, from East to West and not witnessed a cohesive black community from their chauffeur driven cars. These self-proclaimed purveyors of public taste know that the usual 2 week furor would soon be forgotten as we continue to Zouk, Azonto and Twerk the night away whilst protests are now actioned via keyboards. Sadly as veteran DJs are pushed to the back of the bus, so to are vociferous black female politicians.
Diane Abbott is another employment casualty in this month of blackness.
A member of celebrated political class of 1987 has been shoved into the shadows. This political class also gave us Paul Boateng, Keith Vaz and the Most Honorable Bernie Grant R.I.P. They were tasked to reignite the hopes that all the marches, protests and physical fights against racism would eventually stand for something.
Now paradoxically, black people seem to have more media profile, but our brand is somewhat diminished. As Ms Abbott heads to the backbenches she takes her seat as an unchatteled Black bencher. The long-standing Labour MP may share our consternation that a party soaked in the blood and sweat of Socialism has shed its skin and has become another upper and middle class tool in which to stomp down on the working class.
Ms Abbott said her decision to speak out against the strikes on Syria before Mr Miliband had made Labour’s position clear ‘tipped her enemies in the party machinery over the edge’ (Wright, Independent 2013). Whilst she condemned such “message discipline” the long standing MP promises to sit at the back and remain loyal to the Labour leader.
Like her or loathe her, Ms Abbott remains one of the highest profiled Black members in Parliament history and Ed Miliband’s decision to so publicly oust her, shows he possesses little credence for those who consider her a role model in the struggle for black female equality and certainly does not care for what her sacking signifies to the community she hails from.
The original Class of ’87 seemed to have achieved a glimmer of political acceptance, but in 2013 the black presence in the structures of political power has fallen well below the grade of progressive black representation. Bernie Grant may be turning in his grave at the state of the black politicized movement as it stands today as we seem to be pulling further and further away from the fundaments of community cohesion which so many fought and died for.
Miliband and the corporate millionaires have shown a total disregard for a month which to many represents ‘community and culture’. These recent actions have been timely in that they have provided another wake up call to those who may feel that WE arrived at the mountaintop.
The public sackings of Dianne Abbott and veteran DJs Daddy Ernie, et al tells us that we remain both vulnerable and expendable, regardless of the month. Choice being so brutally dismantled without rhyme nor reason shows us that despite the length of time we have been creating and inching forward we still have a long way to go.
The story will not be told by the hunter, but by his tracker as the lines of divide and rule are being re-drawn once again in the sand. We continue to feel that by walking on soft carpet and having access to the company cake trolley that we have arrived. Seemingly unaware that from the first day of our arrival our cards were issued with an expiry date. The black community like no other community in this country fought for the little trinkets of black recognition in a country who wanted us to remain ‘visibly, invisible’.
Daddy Ernie and Diane Abbott are of similar ages, possessing similar experiences but are perhaps naive in their view of the overall problem. Lack of media ownership, lack of political power and the continued breakdown of the Black community forms a large part of the present day condition(ing). The ‘urbanized’ radio listener will exercise their own choice and will choose to turn-up or turnover. Daddy Ernie will continue to play the music he loves and Diane Abbott will continue to play the game she has trained so hard for.
What Black History Month 2013 has done, perhaps more than any other, is show that the few crumbs of success have long gone stale as we continue to smother them in jam in order to feign a semblance of sweetness. If we continue to claim windy, dark October as our only month, without supporting and funding our shops, organizations and events throughout the year, we will always be looking through the curtains of borrowed buildings to see whose coming up the drive to turn off the lights.
introducing the british blacklist writer Orville Kunga aka @kungadred arts ã2013