TRAVEL (I urge everyone to get the f*ck out of the western world as often as possible--it does wonders to the spirit and to the soul). Film, Music, Art used to promote social consciousness and social change... Combatting Neo-Colonialism, Imperialism, Zionism, Psychological Colonization and Enslavement...Combatting the hypocrisy and colonialism that exists even amongst so called white "liberals" who are tyring to colonize the activism movement--SELF DETERMINATION IS A MUST--white folks can help but don't try to monopolize our struggles and movements... Helping to bring to the masses the amazing work of artists from all over the world (writers, painters, musicians, filmmakers, etc.) so that OUR stories get the circulation and exposure and respect they deserve...RANDOM ADVENTURES...trashy entertainment magazines like US Weekly is a guilty pleasure I must admit...I love hiking...RANDOM ADVENTURES...I am obsessed with the Ocean (it soothes my soul--I know that sounds mad corny but the ocean is an incredible healer--just sitting next to it or looking at it is cathartic for me)....I love the sky, clouds, moon...Did I already say RANDOM ADVENTURES, lol...Not a huge animal lover but I think monkeys are crazy cute..."YOU CAN'T SEPARATE PEACE FROM FREEDOM BECAUSE NO ONE CAN BE AT PEACE UNLESS HE HAS HIS FREEDOM," MALCOLM X, 1965
"THERE ARE NO BOUNDARIES IN THIS STRUGGLE TO THE DEATH. WE CANNOT BE INDIFFERENT TO WHAT HAPPENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, FOR A VICTORY BY ANY COUNTRY OVER IMPERIALSIM IS OUR VICTORY; JUST AS ANY COUNTRY'S DEFEAT IS A DEFEAT FOR ALL OF US," ERNESTO CHE GUEVARAMe and my sisters back in the day: Me in the middle, Nagwa left, Dalia rightGrandfather on my father's side
I'd like to meet:
The Smurfs, People who are unabashedly themselves no matter what, genuinely good people who are striving for positive change, eccentric and eclectic folk, not contrived eccentric, but genuinely odd characters that make me laugh, authentic, down to earth folks and the naked midget that stole my jumprope so I can beat his lil' ass...also, me at 2 years old so I can soak up all the innocence, light, and hope that was still in there and gets sucked out of us with age, so I can connect with myself at an age when the world still seemed so open and full of wonderment, before the jaded disillusionment set in...
Music:
Nina Simone (the illest ever!!!!), Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, Cee-Lo Green (whether it is him solo, with Goodie Mob or Gnarls Barkley, he is amazing!!!!), Rakim, Baaba Maal, Lauryn Hill, Tracy Chapman (one of my favorites--don't sleep), Nas, Outkast, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, Gnarls Barkley, Aretha Franklin, Prince, Anthony Hamilton, KRS-One, Pac, Salif Keita, Goodie Mob, Portishead, Sizzla, Bob Marley, A Tribe Called Quest, Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti, Biggie, Buju Banton, Common, old Michael Jackson before he morphed into a scary looking white woman (Off the Wall, Thriller, etc.), Mos Def, Pearl Jam, Youssou N'dour, Rage Against the Machine, Um Kalsoum (powerful voice, Egypt represent!), Ben Harper, Amel Larrieux, The Gap Band, Shakira, Pat Benatar (she was the sh*t back in the day), DAM (my Palestinian brothers do your thang), Sara Mclaughlin, Zola (The Tsotsi soundtrack is dope), Godessa (strong sistas reppin' South Africa), Immortal Technique, Maroon 5, Depeche Mode, Alanis Morrisette, Erasure, Duran Duran, Fionna Apple, Culture Club (cheesy 80's I know but fun), George Michael (yes even Wham:)) and much much more...
took this in Dakar, Senegal--this beautiful mosque was right by the water
Movies:
The Battle of Algiers (just as relevant now), Sankofa, The Sea Inside, Killer of Sheep, Talk to Her, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Daughters of the Dust, Love Jones, Requiem for a Dream, Lumumba, Do the Right Thing, Babel, Once (Indy Irish flick), The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun (my favorite short film ever--look it up--it was made by the late Senegalese director Djibril Diop Mambety), Slingshot Hip-Hop: The Palestinian Lyrical Front (this is gonna be a dope movie--Jackie hurry up and finish it; we are all anxiously awaiting)
I took the above photo in Gorgora, Ethiopia during "Teza" film shoot
Television:
Oz, Different World, Chappelle's Show, Cosby Show, Third Watch, Sex and the City, Good Times, Grey's Anatomy, Nip/Tuck
I took above photo from atop Table Mountain in Capetown, South Africa
Books:
The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Native Son by Richard Wright, The Question of Palestine by Edward Said, Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson, Blood in my Eye by George Jackson, An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire by Arundahti Roy, The God of Small Things by Arundahti Roy, Beloved by Toni Morrison, In the Name of Salome by Julia Alvarez, The Spook Who Sat by the Door by Sam Greenlee, The Miseducation of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson, Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon
took this photo of Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi while in Madinah, one of the most peaceful places in the world
Heroes:
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (Malcolm X), Ernesto Che Guevara, Edward Said, Assata Shakur, Haile Gerima (a consistent soldier), my Uncle Saed (God bless his soul), my Tunt Hanam (I love you soooooo much!!!!!), Uncle Baha (one of the kindest souls ever, God bless his soul), my incredible parents (words cannot even begin to express), my sisters Nagwa and Dalia
