Thursday, July 24, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Friday, February 28, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
SHOWBIZ: Stay positive with The Brothahood
For these boys from Melbourne, hip hop is their vehicle to clear misconceptions about Islam and voice concerns about social issues, writes Faisal Asyraf
HIP-HOP is not always about glamorising a hedonistic lifestyle with fancy cars, bling and sexy women being part of the mix. Just ask members of the Melbourne-based hip hop group, The Brothahood.
Its members Jehad, Hesham, Timur and Moustafa use the poetic beauty of hip hop music to promote social justice and unity, motivate people to pursue their dreams, and touch on social issues like domestic violence. They call the music genre “positive hip hop”.
The group was formed in Melbourne eight years ago with a noble mission. “We got together to break down stereotypes and misconceptions that people have towards Muslims and Islam, as well as telling listeners about the beauty of that religion,” explains Jehad.
The response was overwhelming and soon enough, the good messages of their music spread all over the country. Consequently, The Brothahood’s current tour in Southeast Asia, which began in 2010, received full support from the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The group’s debut album The Lyrics of Mass Construction was released in 2008.
Jehad says the band caught a lot of hip hop enthusiasts by surprise when they heard their music ... “it is not like any other conventional hip hop. Soon enough, we managed to get the listeners to follow our journey.”
In 2010, The Brothahood toured Indonesia and performed in Bali, Denpasar, Seminyak, Jakarta, Surabaya and Jogjakarta, and even appeared on the front page of Indonesia’s Jakarta Post.
The following year, they performed at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre alongside South African singer Zain Bhikha and the Indonesian-based spiritual music group DEBU. Last year, The Brothahood was featured in the local reality television series Ramadhan di Australia on the TV channel Al Hijrah.
Jehad and Hesham, together with their producer Alexander Williams were in Kuala Lumpur recently to promote the group’s new album, Onus On Us. The tour was made possible by Mahdar Tahir of the Malaysian-based arts initiative Crescent Collective, Australian-Malaysian Institute and Melbourne Culture Art,
“Onus On Us means that it is our responsibility as human beings to live in peace and harmony, to learn about each other and make the world a better place,” explains Jehad.
Its first single O.N.E features local hip hop sensations Altimet and Seveneightsix. Other tracks include Lord Knows (featuring Australia’s soul singer Elena), Revolutionarily (featuring Young Noble), Madinatun Nabi (featuring Aashiq Al-Rasul), Don’t Let Go (featuring Tyson-Amir), Six Articles, and The Dogs Are Out (featuring Flesh-N-Bone), among others.
Jehad, Hesham and Williams share more during the interview at Alternate Plus Gig Hall Bukit Bintang:
When you came out with the concept of spiritual hip hop album in 2008, what kind of challenges did you face?
Jehad: In Australia, some Islamic groups are very conservative. Usually after the performance, a bunch of people would approach us and say, “Brother, music is haram (forbidden). Stop doing it.” But they don’t see the bigger picture. We see hip hop as a form of poetry. Unless we have bad intention that would stray us away from the message of Islam, then it would be appropriate for us to stop.
Do you think your music has changed people much?
Jehad: We never focus on that. One of our objectives is to provide alternative views for the listeners and create an understanding about Islam. We don’t really consider ourselves as teachers. We use music to express our thoughts while giving outsiders insight into living life as a Muslim in Australia.
How did listeners respond to your music?
Jehad: We received a lot of thank you messages and compliments that further inspired us. At one time, we performed at the prison in Melbourne, as part of the prison’s activity for Eid celebration. A few days later, a girl e-mailed us. She said: “My father is in the prison. He was inspired by your music when he saw your performance. He became interested in Islam. All this while, he thought that Islam was all about halal (permissible) and haram. And now he is being open about the teachings of Islam.” That kind of message makes us feel fulfilled. ”
Since the last album, how much has the group grown?
Williams: When The Brothahood started, we relied on the combination of individual strengths. Jehad has a funky rap flow and was influenced by the underground hip hop groups like Black Star and Immortal Technique (United States) and Outlandish (Denmark). Moustafa has the style of early 1990s hardcore rap, Timur is a soulful singer and has the skills for beat boxing, and Hesham is a philosophical musician who draws much of his influence from ‘80s rock bands like Led Zeppelin and ACDC.
When you came out with the concept of spiritual hip hop album in 2008, what kind of challenges did you face?
Jehad: In Australia, some Islamic groups are very conservative. Usually after the performance, a bunch of people would approach us and say, “Brother, music is haram (forbidden). Stop doing it.” But they don’t see the bigger picture. We see hip hop as a form of poetry. Unless we have bad intention that would stray us away from the message of Islam, then it would be appropriate for us to stop.
Do you think your music has changed people much?
Jehad: We never focus on that. One of our objectives is to provide alternative views for the listeners and create an understanding about Islam. We don’t really consider ourselves as teachers. We use music to express our thoughts while giving outsiders insight into living life as a Muslim in Australia.
How did listeners respond to your music?
Jehad: We received a lot of thank you messages and compliments that further inspired us. At one time, we performed at the prison in Melbourne, as part of the prison’s activity for Eid celebration. A few days later, a girl e-mailed us. She said: “My father is in the prison. He was inspired by your music when he saw your performance. He became interested in Islam. All this while, he thought that Islam was all about halal (permissible) and haram. And now he is being open about the teachings of Islam.” That kind of message makes us feel fulfilled. ”
Since the last album, how much has the group grown?
Williams: When The Brothahood started, we relied on the combination of individual strengths. Jehad has a funky rap flow and was influenced by the underground hip hop groups like Black Star and Immortal Technique (United States) and Outlandish (Denmark). Moustafa has the style of early 1990s hardcore rap, Timur is a soulful singer and has the skills for beat boxing, and Hesham is a philosophical musician who draws much of his influence from ‘80s rock bands like Led Zeppelin and ACDC.
It took a while for us to recognise our true strengths and develop the identity of The Brothahood and the messages that we want to deliver to our listeners. With Onus On Us, we have grown musically, and this is evident in our music and lyrics.
Can you tell us more about Onus On Us?
Jehad: Our debut album The Lyrics of Mass Construction was well received, although it specifically talks about Islam. With Onus On Us, we want to reach a wider audience with a more universal theme. Most songs in the album focus on humanity and social issues we face in this world.
Can you tell us more about Onus On Us?
Jehad: Our debut album The Lyrics of Mass Construction was well received, although it specifically talks about Islam. With Onus On Us, we want to reach a wider audience with a more universal theme. Most songs in the album focus on humanity and social issues we face in this world.
Hesham: I would say that Onus On Us is the result of continuous motivation and encouragement from our fans. This album is a more diverse creative outlet compared to the last one.
Williams: I’m a perfectionist. I tend to focus even on the slightest details in the music production. For this album, I made sure that I got what I wanted. If I didn’t, I would punish myself and work hard towards achieving it. I would say that I’m very satisfied with this album, and I’m sure the listeners will be too.
The Lyrics Of Mass Construction was released in 2008. Why wait five years for the second album?
Jehad: Our members were busy with their lives; some got married and others were busy with personal matters. We had to slow down. In 2012, we released a mini album, Mixtape 2.0, just to tell our fans that we were still around.
How did you come to know Altimet?
Jehad: We became fans of Altimet through his music videos but we had never met until our recent collaboration (a performance on Feb 13) at The Talent Lounge in Damansara Perdana. We thought his rap flow was awesome. We then contacted Mahdar from the Crescent Collective to introduce us to Altimet. After exchanging e-mails, we passed him our music sample of the song O.N.E and he recorded his rap parts. We’re proud to finally be performing together on stage.
What’s next?
Jehad: We are now doing the music video for O.N.E. Half of the shoot took place in Malaysia, the other half will be in Australia. We also plan to perform in Singapore because fans have requested for us. We also want to do more touring in Southeast Asia and stay longer in Malaysia.
The Lyrics Of Mass Construction was released in 2008. Why wait five years for the second album?
Jehad: Our members were busy with their lives; some got married and others were busy with personal matters. We had to slow down. In 2012, we released a mini album, Mixtape 2.0, just to tell our fans that we were still around.
How did you come to know Altimet?
Jehad: We became fans of Altimet through his music videos but we had never met until our recent collaboration (a performance on Feb 13) at The Talent Lounge in Damansara Perdana. We thought his rap flow was awesome. We then contacted Mahdar from the Crescent Collective to introduce us to Altimet. After exchanging e-mails, we passed him our music sample of the song O.N.E and he recorded his rap parts. We’re proud to finally be performing together on stage.
What’s next?
Jehad: We are now doing the music video for O.N.E. Half of the shoot took place in Malaysia, the other half will be in Australia. We also plan to perform in Singapore because fans have requested for us. We also want to do more touring in Southeast Asia and stay longer in Malaysia.
Follow The Brothahood at facebook.com/thebrothahood. Youtube url link: http://youtu.be/iMqSqYjOaaI
Read more: SHOWBIZ: Stay positive with The Brothahood - Sunday Life & Times - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/sunday-life-times/showbiz-stay-positive-with-the-brothahood-1.490596#ixzz2uI90wxqc
Thursday, February 20, 2014
The vicious schism between Sunni and Shia has been poisoning Islam for 1,400 years - and it's getting worse
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/the-vicious-schism-between-sunni-and-shia-has-been-poisoning-islam-for-1400-years--and-its-getting-worse-9139525.html?utm_source=indynewsletter&utm_medium=email20022014
On the Gallows Once by Kofi Awoonor
I crossed quite a few
of your rivers, my gods,
into this plain where thirst reigns
I heard the cry of mourners
the long cooing of the African wren at dusk
the laughter of the children at dawn
had long ceased
night comes fast in our land
where indeed are the promised vistas
the open fields, blue skies, the singing birds
and abiding love?
History records acts
of heroism, barbarism
of some who had power
and abused it massively
of some whose progenitors
planned for them
the secure state of madness
from which no storm can shake them;
of some who took the last ships
disembarked on some far-off shores and forgot
of some who simply laid down the load
and went home to the ancestors
of your rivers, my gods,
into this plain where thirst reigns
I heard the cry of mourners
the long cooing of the African wren at dusk
the laughter of the children at dawn
had long ceased
night comes fast in our land
where indeed are the promised vistas
the open fields, blue skies, the singing birds
and abiding love?
History records acts
of heroism, barbarism
of some who had power
and abused it massively
of some whose progenitors
planned for them
the secure state of madness
from which no storm can shake them;
of some who took the last ships
disembarked on some far-off shores and forgot
of some who simply laid down the load
and went home to the ancestors
Reprinted from the forthcoming The Promise of Hope: New and Selected Poems, 1964-2013 by Kofi Awoonor by permission of the University of Nebraska Press. Copyright 2013 by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska Press.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
Did the Age of Genocide Begin in Sochi? 4k 553 28 By Joshua Keating
http://www.thenation.com/blog/178409/sochi-land-circassians-they-cant-hide-anymore?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=headline_nation&utm_campaign=Headline%20Nation%202014-02-17&newsletter=headline_nation#
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Friday, February 7, 2014
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wichita Vortex Sutra Allen Ginsberg from “Wichita Vortex Sutra” (1966
I'm an old man now, and a lonesome man in Kansas
but not afraid
to speak my lonesomeness in a car,
because not only my lonesomeness
it's Ours, all over America,
O tender fellows--
& spoken lonesomeness is Prophecy
in the moon 100 years ago or in
the middle of Kansas now.
It's not the vast plains mute our mouths
that fill at midnite with ecstatic language
when our trembling bodies hold each other
breast to breast on a matress--
Not the empty sky that hides
the feeling from our faces
nor our skirts and trousers that conceal
the bodylove emanating in a glow of beloved skin,
white smooth abdomen down to the hair
between our legs,
It's not a God that bore us that forbid
our Being, like a sunny rose
all red with naked joy
between our eyes & bellies, yes
All we do is for this frightened thing
we call Love, want and lack--
fear that we aren't the one whose body could be
beloved of all the brides of Kansas City,
kissed all over by every boy of Wichita--
O but how many in their solitude weep aloud like me--
On the bridge over the Republican River
almost in tears to know
how to speak the right language--
on the frosty broad road
uphill between highway embankments
I search for the language
that is also yours--
almost all our language has been taxed by war.
Radio antennae high tension
wires ranging from Junction City across the plains--
highway cloverleaf sunk in a vast meadow
lanes curving past Abilene
to Denver filled with old
heroes of love--
to Wichita where McClure's mind
burst into animal beauty
drunk, getting laid in a car
in a neon misted street
15 years ago--
to Independence where the old man's still alive
who loosed the bomb that's slaved all human consciousness
and made the body universe a place of fear--
Now, speeding along the empty plain,
no giant demon machine
visible on the horizon
but tiny human trees and wooden houses at the sky's edge
I claim my birthright!
reborn forever as long as Man
in Kansas or other universe--Joy
reborn after the vast sadness of War Gods!
A lone man talking to myself, no house in the brown vastness to hear,
imaging the throng of Selves
that make this nation one body of Prophecy
languaged by Declaration as
Happiness!
I call all Powers of imagination
to my side in this auto to make Prophecy,
all Lords
of human kingdoms to come
Shambu Bharti Baba naked covered with ash
Khaki Baba fat-bellied mad with the dogs
Dehorahava Baba who moans Oh how wounded, How wounded
Sitaram Onkar Das Thakur who commands
give up your desire
Satyananda who raises two thumbs in tranquility
Kali Pada Guha Roy whose yoga drops before the void
Shivananda who touches the breast and says OM
Srimata Krishnaji of Brindaban who says take for your guru
William Blake the invisible father of English visions
Sri Ramakrishna master of ecstasy eyes
half closed who only cries for his mother
Chaitanya arms upraised singing & dancing his own praise
merciful Chango judging our bodies
Durga-Ma covered with blood
destroyer of battlefield illusions
million-faced Tathagata gone past suffering
Preserver Harekrishna returning in the age of pain
Sacred Heart my Christ acceptable
Allah the Compassionate One
Jahweh Righteous One
all Knowledge-Princes of Earth-man, all
ancient Seraphim of heavenly Desire, Devas, yogis
& holymen I chant to--
Come to my lone presence
into this Vortex named Kansas,
I lift my voice aloud,
make Mantra of American language now,
I here declare the end of the War!
Ancient days' Illusion!
and pronounce words beginning my own millennium.
Let the States tremble,
let the Nation weep,
let Congress legislate it own delight
let the President execute his own desire--
this Act done by my own voice,
nameless Mystery--
published to my own senses,
blissfully received by my own form
approved with pleasure by my sensations
manifestation of my very thought
accomplished in my own imagination
all realms within my consciousness fulfilled
60 miles from Wichita
near El Dorado,
The Golden One,
in chill earthly mist
houseless brown farmland plains rolling heavenward
in every direction
one midwinter afternoon Sunday called the day of the Lord--
Pure Spring Water gathered in one tower
where Florence is
set on a hill,
stop for tea & gas
Allen Ginsberg, an American prophet of highest calibre, created a poem that rolls, like one driving cross country. The map and the
landscape whizz by, the people blur and the land marks blend into one another, an American that becomes one whole piece.
Here is mixes these disparate pieces into one poem and one America, the good and the bad together, the dark and the light. Maybe this
is an American more American than America.
Wallace Shawn on Artistic Solidarity: As Glenn Greenwald Can’t Return to U.S., I Took My Play to Him
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/1/31/wallace_shawn_on_artistic_solidarity_as
The Allen Ginsberg Project: Friday's Weekly Round-Up - 163
The Allen Ginsberg Project: Friday's Weekly Round-Up - 163: [Allen asleep in Vancouver 1963 (from the Bobbie-Louise Hawkins home-movies ] We've spoken of the Allen and Rober...
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The Allen Ginsberg Project: Gregory Corso & Allen Ginsberg Interview William B...: [ William Seward Burroughs Tanger Villa Mouneria, 1961, his garden room, time of intense Cut-up prose experiments, Nova Expre...
The Allen Ginsberg Project: University of Toronto's Allen Ginsberg Photography...
The Allen Ginsberg Project: University of Toronto's Allen Ginsberg Photography...: The University of Toronto announced today the receipt, thanks to a bequest by the Larry and Cookie Rossy Family Foundation , of 7,686 pho...
The Allen Ginsberg Project: Expansive Poetics - 20 (Lorca -1)
The Allen Ginsberg Project: Expansive Poetics - 20 (Lorca -1): [Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936)] [Lorca's Passport] AG: How many know this poem? - Lorca's "Ode to Walt Whitman&quo...
The Allen Ginsberg Project: Pete Seeger (1919-2014)
The Allen Ginsberg Project: Pete Seeger (1919-2014): [Pete Seeger (1919-2014)] Fellow activists, fellow artists, fellow passionate devotees to peace, Allen and Pete Seeger were standing the...
Blogs by ko shin Bob Hanson, Warrior poet, 2011 and 2012 Enjoy!
http://2012koshindharambumontheroadagain.blogspot.com/
Ko shin Dharma Bum On the Road Again 2012
http://bkoshininnerpassage.blogspot.com/
2011 Inner Passage Photo's and Poems (This was to be a blog about my second book)
It did not work out, here it is
Ko shin Dharma Bum On the Road Again 2012
http://bkoshininnerpassage.blogspot.com/
2011 Inner Passage Photo's and Poems (This was to be a blog about my second book)
It did not work out, here it is
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Poems from a new book of poetry from ko shin, Bob Hanson, warrior poet - Working Title: Still Chasing Windmills, why not
Standing, for
decades, old trees
Rough skinned, many
arms going off like an
Ancient Healing
Buddha, or uncombed hair
Years of life broken
by wind, rain snow, human beings…
When cut down, or
downed by a storm
Revealing all those
circles
Telling a story of
life, a journey,
The weather, turmoil,
old, solid hard wood,
Soon aging in the sun
and rain
Then warming the home,
fire wood,
A Birch walking
stick
A protection on the
walk each day
Strong, giving support
to my old knees
Yet, it does not give
direction
I guess I need to know
where I am going don’t I?
The end of the day....
Brown, red, yellow
the signs of fall, a season of harvest
a time of death and rest for the earth
a time of travel for the butterflies, the sand hill
cranes
and many more families of the earth
they say, might be snow north of here tonight
to early for me
but who is in control
we know who has set up the destruction of the earth
but we are still not in charge.
we spend so much time
remembering the past
just returned from my 55th high school reunion
did I really do those things 55 years ago and more?
we spend too much time wondering about tomorrow
all we have is the moment
wake up live it, be it
or scrap it....
2013 went by very quickly
2014 will be a new challenge for all beings
sit quiet for awhile
be mindful of your breath, your body, your heart
for just a moment let it all go
this is it baby
this is all we have
maybe we just need to say,
thanks!
photo by ko shin on a late afternoon ride, 2013
Why not be one…
-reflection, gratefulness for the cruise….May, 2013
Sicily, Athens, Turkey, Crete
The room is elegant,
the table set so beautifully
I am not accustom to
so many glasses or silverware
Yes, we were assigned,
by numbers I suppose
But isn't it a miracle
what a family has been created, by chance…
The servers, showing
us what service means
The chefs and all the
staff sharing their gifts with us
We gather that first
night, strangers and leave, family
Maybe never to see
each other again
But for a week
Just a few days
We experience, with
different languages, cultures, different ideas
What an oneness,
interconnectedness, a friendship this world gives us…
Or, maybe with family
and old friends a new experience of what it means
To be connected, by
love, memories or a new relationship being celebrated.
Thank You! Yet, lest
we forget,
The people of this
world right now who have no table, or glasses or food,
Might we gaze on this
wonderful experience of the meal, a Eucharist of humanity,
The cruise, as a way
to prepare us to serve those is need, with more compassion…
All of you, the
stranger, now community, the server, the chef and staff remind me of something,
The ancient chat of
the Bodhisattva, in the Buddhist path puts it this way,
May a rain of food and
drink descend
To clear away the pain of thirst and hunger,
And during the eon of famine
May I myself change into food and drink
To clear away the pain of thirst and hunger,
And during the eon of famine
May I myself change into food and drink
May I become an
inexhaustible treasure
For those who are poor and destitute;
May I turn into all things they need
And may these be placed close beside them
For those who are poor and destitute;
May I turn into all things they need
And may these be placed close beside them
Yes, I ate, I
celebrated, I got to know again, or for the first time
The Bodhisattva in
you, in all beings, the one, like you and me
Who can move on, but
stays back to make sure all beings are blessed
The guest, the server,
the chef, the staff….
Is it possible this
could happen at home and everywhere?
Let us see…let us
try…why not? Peace!
Why do we remember
things from long ago?
No historical data
Just memory
It was an afternoon,
in August
Dad was at sea or
about to be
I was comfortably
squirming in my baby carriage
It was outside a
bakery
My Mom rushed out to
say to someone
Maybe Leila
They have bombed Pearl
Harbor
Now that changed
everything for our family
And many more folks
How can I remember
this?
But it will not leave
my mind
So I say, it happened
this way…
Refugee's, a presence of hope for all....
Refugee
Resettlement is a daily part of life in our land. We forget all of us come from
immigrant blood at some time in our history. This is a reflection as I drive
newly arrived refugees to their doctors’ appointments, health checks and shots.
World Relief works at this wonderful task in the Fox River Valley and beyond.
By ko shin Bob Hanson, Volunteer World Relief, Oshkosh, WI
Oh my, snow everywhere, lots of it
And it is cold, real cold
Especially if you have just arrived from Uganda
From a Civil War
From a place of violence
Where there are piles of bodies of human beings
killed in this violence
Rather than piles of snow
People killed and injured old, young, male, female,
children, sons and daughters….
Blood of the people cover the ground
The Colonial times never seem to leave the minds of
the people or the land
Now, the oppressed become the oppressor of their own
In the back seat of my car are two very active
children, after shoveling the snow to get to the car
Dressed warmer than their mother sitting in the
passenger seat next to me
Laughing, talking in their native tongue
Watching, hearing, seeing, wondering, questioning,
Just like young children everywhere
Imagine what they have seen, experienced
Their mom, a strong looking woman, beautiful, silent
So many girls and women like her,
Raped, abused, beaten in her homeland, camps, everywhere
Sitting silent
Taking it all in
Safe for now
Even from having to chat with an old volunteer about
snow or whatever
I wonder now, as I wait for the children to have
their vaccinations
Why does it take us so long to get it
The violence against women and girls, and our boys
Did they experience this in their village, a refugee
camp or on the road somewhere?
It is hardly any different here? We have ways to
hide the truth, the reality….
It’s strange isn't it?
We can often be aware but not always to the point of
action
The care begins not with solving an issue, but in
the midst of the pain and suffering
Soon I will take them back to their apartment,
talking again in silence
With the children a bit more quiet now, the shots
hurt a little.
Again, I wonder, what goes through their minds as we
stop, get some snow out of the way
I wanted to tell them, your presence is a great gift
to all of us. Some day we will be able to chat,
About more than snow…for now just in the moment, I
can sense the pain, the suffering and the hope….
Friday, January 3, 2014
What sound, word, action is most healing, wonderful, and a gift?
That soft kiss and a hug before drifting off to sleep?
The purr of star our beautiful cat, laying on my stomach?
or the words,
"I love you grandpa?"
I love being a grandpa....
(the pictures are of our grand-kids, 2013, this November and December we were able to see all twelve of them, what a gift) Happy New Year All!
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