ISSUE #5 MAY 2014 M A G A Z I N E ROOTS / ROCK / REGGAE / RESPECT RAGING FYAH RESPECT DESTINY ORieL LUTAN FYAH NABBY CLIFFORD KAZAM DAVIS BLACK IS MY COLOR EXILE DI BRAVE MORGAN HERITAGE SHANTY PONTO DE EQUILIBRIO BLACKOUT IRIEMAG.COM ISSUE #5 / MAY 2014 “Don’t forget your history, nor your destiny.” - Bob Marley Nicholas “Nico” Da Silva Founder/Publisher IRIEMAG.COM Celebrate 420 everyday! ROOTS. ROCK. REGGAE. Anansi Nabby Clifford Raging Fyah The Beginning Black is my Color Destiny RESPECT. REWIND. RIDDIMS. Kindah Danny Creatah Irie Trax One Family World A Reggae Roots / Rock / Reggae TABLE OF CONTENT. United States ROOTS. ANANSI The Beginning ANANSI The Beginning By nan-c FOLLOW nan-c It was neither famine nor draught that spread throughout the land but something that could not be controlled by man or his imagination. The traps were set not to capture animals but to capture people. Anansi had been captured and could not get away, no matter how hard he tried. Anansi longed for his yams, a shaded place and his soft bed as he stumbled with the wooden devices that he associated with cattle and not with men connected at both his hands and feet. Strange men pushed he and the others. Men yelled words not understood, men that were not from his tribe, not from his village. He could not figure out why these men attacked his people. They had no treasures, no borderlands of interest, no rich soil to plant in. Why had these men come to take them away? The walk was long, sometimes they walked in shaded areas but most of the journey was done directly beneath the hot sun. No one was allowed rest until nightfall. Anansi tried to stay awake each night to figure out how to escape but his body took control over his mind, he was unconscious quickly from exhaustion. Each morning on this journey, Anansi awoke saddened by the fact that this was not a nightmare, but a situation that he did not know how to get out of or why it was happening. There was little food given to his people when they awoke. The women cried. The children cried. And Anansi was angry that neither he nor the other men could rescue them from this suffering. He felt ashamed. Nightfall came once more but they did not stop to rest. A breeze cooled their bodies and Anansi thanked Nyame for the small comfort. The taste of salt was in the air; many now knew that they were getting closer to the shore. As they walked the roar of the ocean grew louder. Closer to the 1 of 5 IRIEMAG.COM shore they were able to see a large dark structure. It had been a long time since Anansi had been close to the shore. He didn’t recall such a structure there in his youth. The fire sticks surrounded it as well as men that had no color. It was not a welcoming sight but one that made him shiver. The spirits around that structure were not welcoming. Anansi now had another fear grow within him. The shackled people were pushed and shoved. Anansi looked around to see other people in the same turmoil. Other groups with unfamiliar cries moved about in the darkness. Yells in unfamiliar languages rang out. Bodies fell, people were being hit, kicked and dragged away. Anansi could no longer sense the presence of his wife or any of his children. Louder screams clouded his thoughts while being pushed and shoved accompanied by words he did not know. He watched men beaten down with clubs and women dragged away. This was too much for him to understand. He wondered where was Nyame. What had his people done to be punished like this? He was tired, sore and hungry. He shook with fear, frightened by the men that had no color upon their skin. He wondered what type of creature was this that the sun had not kissed? He knew that they were evil. He knew that he must find a way to get out of this dilemma. The restraining devices were removed. Anansi’s limbs were sore, bruised and bloody. Some men, once freed, ran or attacked the col- orless men. They were knocked down, beaten and some were killed and displayed as an example for others that wanted to do the same. 2 of 5 IRIEMAG.COM The men were then pushed inside the big stone structure. The opening was dark and reminded Anansi of the caves that he had hunted and hidden in to escape many dangers during his life. But this one smelled of death. This one did not seem to have any animals in it; this structure was filled with people. Cries echoed throughout the dark, damp structure, while fire sticks flickered upon the walls. Men stumbled, as they were lead down into the damp dark pathway. A door made of metal sticks FOLLOW opened and they were pushed inside a black hole that was small and damp. Anansi noticed the whites nan-c of eyes of the men that already filled the hole. Men, Anansi did not know. Men, that had the same pain in their eyes and questions that Anansi had. The darkness was accompanied by a smell that made him forget about hope but reminded him of his misery. He wondered what would happen to his farm? Would he be able to return to his home one day or was he getting ready to be executed? Was his wife and children all right? He prayed that Nyame took them up since they did not deserve to be punished like he did. Through the moans of the men he could hear the cries of the women coming from another place. He could hear the children calling for their mothers and screaming for their fathers. Anansi was bewildered. Time passed slowly, nights and days were both filled with darkness, dampness, and confusion. The screams of both men and women were as regular as not getting fed. The smells were horrible and death visited daily. At night the men moaned while the women screamed for mercy. Prayers were many since it was the only thing that the men could do. And then one day, Anansi and some of the men were lead out of the belly of the stone structure. Water was thrown upon their bodies and the colorless men stood around them talking, pointing and even touching them. Some came close to them and poked and grabbed at their bodies. Men were put into different groups and then led away. Anansi and the men in which he was grouped were once more connected to devices of confinement. They were then taken to an opening that led them closer to the water and then onto a boat. He saw many small boats carrying shackled people to a 3 of 5 IRIEMAG.COM bigger boat that did not seem like a place that he would ever want to venture. Anansi screamed out to whoever could answer, “What is happening?” But no one answered because no one knew or understood his words. He called for Nyame but silence answered. FOLLOW Nyame’s name was called again but again nan-c silence was the only answer received. And again he called. Again and again but silence was the only one that heard. Anansi was alone. Anansi was forced to climb upon the big boat. The motion of the vessel caused within him a strange feeling that was not good. He didn’t like the feeling that was adding to this already miserable journey. He had never been on such a huge boat. The motion of the vessel was making him sick. Shackles were taken off once aboard only to get new ones placed on, but before Anansi was able to obtain new shackles he began to vomit. His leg was yanked away from the clasp of the shackle because of his convulsions and the movement of the vessel. He ran towards the edge of the big boat. He vomited again over the side of the boat but this time he hurled himself over before getting grabbed. IRIEMAG.COM Once in the water Anansi held his breath long enough for the men with no color to stop looking for him. They had figured that he had drowned. He could not have held his breath that long. So they assumed another had settled for death instead of their horrible cruise. Anansi floated in the water right at the curve of the ship where the men were unable to see him. He waited for nightfall and swam away. And as he swam, he thanked Nyame for saving him. And as he FOLLOW swam he also became saddened for his loss - his wife and his children. And while he swam he prayed nan-c that Nyame would watch over them all and for them to remember him wherever they were going. Anansi returned to the shore away from the stone structure. He knew that he must tell tales about his capture. He must tell stories about the men with no color. He will warn his people to stay away from them. He will tell tales about his own people that attacked them for foreign profit. Anansi would create stories that included these men as hunters not warriors. They will not deserve to be creatures of honor but those that are cowardly and foolish. Anansi was disturbed still because he would never know what happened to his people. He would not know for many years about them being enslaved entities abused, whipped, chained and controlled.