By Tumelo E. Phali | Posted: March 16, 2005
When Spike Lee gets onto the podium to speak, we all must know that something of extraordinary significance about our society is “definitely wrong” and has to be confronted.
It is clear Spike must have thought he would never need to repeat himself after making those controversial movies that provoke introspection into the way black people, especially African Americans, live today.
Does it really have to take more than 18 films for us to get the message? Well, here we are, his appearance is testimony to the fact that someone somewhere out there is not doing enough, or worse still, that something is getting out of hand.
“There are remnants of those films and TV shows that still play into demeaning black stereotypes.” Lee warned, wagging a finger at the media during a compelling speech at the Roy Thompson Hall here in Toronto on Monday night, March 14. The statement is a reality, hence the come-back.
This time around Lee was addressing an audience mostly comprised of college and university students as a guest of the Ryerson University student administrative council and was invited to speak as part of events marking the International Day For The Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Although a notoriously outspoken show-bizz personality, on this particular occasion his white detractors would have no reason to call him ‘anti-white’ or Black Nationalist – he came as a concerned father, mentor and advisor to the young minds vulnerable to dangerous trends.
“Many black students today are failing in school on purpose because peer pressure via media images has convinced them that smart equals white and that it's cool to become pimps or "video ho's", said Lee.
But there is even more disturbing issues that give Lee sleepless nights: "These artists talk about 'ho this, bitch this, skank this' and all the other stuff. They're talking about all our mothers, all our sisters. They're talking about their own mothers, grandmothers”, he said referring to the disgraceful lyrics used by commercial rap and hip-hop artists.
This disrespect must be hard to ignore for a black film icon who owes his success to his grandmother, now 99 years old, who sacrificed her life savings so Lee could do what he loves.
"You have to have a knowledge of self and knowledge of history. Because if you had that you would not use that terminology. You would not even be in that mindset. And we're in a time when young black boys and girls want to be pimps and strippers, because that is what they see. . . . something is definitely wrong."
But, for me Spikes’ rare appearance is more than just about what has been going wrong, but what could likely go wrong. There has been considerable hype as a result of Jammie Foxx and Morgan Freeman being awarded an Oscar: Young black filmmakers will have a sudden rush of energized hope to be part of Hollywood and, in the midst of the frenzy, when they open their eyes they find themselves “bamboozled” - grist to the same Hollywood mill that keeps churning insults to our race. The chase for such subjective honours is misleading and, in my opinion, re-enforces the doors of the cages our minds have been put in by global media.
Unlike in his era when he was struggling to make a break-through, many households now have some form of video making equipment and technology has aided a lot in making film experience accessible - so now what aspiring filmmakers have to worry about is protecting the integrity of their work.
“It’s not about access, it’s not about breaking through anymore...it’s about content. If you believe in yourselves and in your work, you are prepared to do anything to protect it. Find and believe in your passion, hang out with positive people and work hard.” said Lee, warning that short-cuts to success always lead to failure in the end. He added that his contemporaries who chose fame in lieu of working hard and ‘doing the right thing’ are now walking with faces hanging down.
It is very clear that we are not doing enough to protect our own dignity and how we want to be treated by other races. This problem is prevalent in all black communities, not just amongst African Americans, and Lee has called upon all of us to take action. “Parents today who let their children watch TV unsupervised, especially music videos, are guilty of a criminal act”, he charged.
He also slammed what he called "gangsta rap craziness" that puts pimps on pedestals. "That stuff is not who we really are. We're more regal than that. We have more dignity than that, despite what is sold."
Lee’s talk is more than endless speech – Rapper Nelly and R&B singer R Kelly can no longer count Spike Lee amongst their music buyers because of their reputation. “As African-Americans we let artists slide. But those days are over. We have to start to hold people accountable!” he said resolutely to a raucous applause from the audience.
Let’s hope the mumblings hidden underneath the long standing applause at the end of Lee’s monologue will spell: “We’ve heard and will do something this time around.”
I will also stress that those who find themselves insulting their own people for the sake of entertaining other races have no excuse about being desperate. If we do things ourselves, we will realize how much power we possess, and once we realize that power we will understand the importance of taking responsibility about ourselves and about our lives. And that, once we get there, when we look in the mirror, we will see ourselves and not “black faces”.
I totally agree with the sentiments expressed. I think it is time us people of African descent get to know the history of African people and recognise their stature. We are not ordinary people. We must maintain our dignity. I do not allow my nephew to look at these derogatory films and music videos that portray Africans in a negative light. I meet a lot of resistance but I am not giving up.
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Posted by: joel worrell at March 21, 2005 01:37 AM
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