Celebrating the Life of one of Africa's greatest Leaders

17, September 1922 - The birth date of Agostinho Neto, a physician and poet that led his nation to independence and became the first President of Angola. My love for him stems from the fact that his vision for African people always encompassed all Africans....whether on the continent, or in the diaspora. He realized very early that we face the same issues whether we call home the musseques, the ghetto or favelas. May his enlightened awareness and the demonstrated capability of his talents as a healer and statesman still be felt, and inspire us his children, to continue to bring forth the vision of mutual respect and support, and brotherhood into reality.


I've been introduced to the world of African Bloggers, and I'm in Heaven. Just to run across intelligent people of my color, that are interested in the world, and making their place and presence felt in the global community.

America bores me so, with her predictable preferences, issues, fears and ignorance. And I extend that statement across the board. It matters not your ethnicity, or income....'The powers that be' have been very successful in mentally programming a nation of people of limited perception and understanding about the fullness of Life. Americans are truly ignorant about the world, it's inhabitants and how everything all works together. Even worse, the conduits of creativity and free imagination have been shut down. Most people sit and wait to be handed their ideas and beliefs. A seeking spirit, an inquisitive nature are not welcome in this land.

Sure everything looks nice....but it's boring. Believe me it's boring.

Back to something more interesting......the African Bloggers.
Here's a sister, from Angola that I recently discovered:
http://koluki.blogspot.com/
Great music, graphics and art, some of it is in Portugues, but alot in English. Check her out.

I wrote and shared a story of my ancestors, and she encouraged me to tell the story in her blog as a comment on reparations. Well friends....I've made an effort to do so. I'm going to add here what I shared so that you can comment on it too.
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Greetings Dear Sister~

Just a quick note, to offer you 'dois beijos', as today September 17th, we celebrate the birth date of 'our Beloved' Agostinho Neto. Isn't it auspicious that we connected during the season of his birth. And that when we did, we both held this great affection for him. I can't believe you met him....your photo is so youthful. (I hate to ask) How old were you?

I've been thinking about your suggestion of my adding a comment to your blog. I have mixed feelings about reparations, as I live extremely focused in the 'possibilities of the moment'. I am not one of those Africans that is still laden with chains and bound to the misery of 200 years of slavery imposed upon my people. 200 years is a scant nothing in the continuum of Life, and especially when for most of those eons, people of my color and from my continent ruled, provided the dominant impetus for knowledge, and understanding of the cosmic, spiritual and natural world.

Many people here wave the flag of reparations as they sing their "The white man is the source of all our problems" blues/anthem. So I have not given it much serious attention. That is not to say however, that I don't support more being definitely done to atone for the loss, pain and suffering slavery caused. Saying you are sorry, and trying to show it in material ways could be a part of a healing process. But in my heart, I know that giving money, and land alone....will not be the answer.

Another issue to me is who should the reparations be paid to? The individuals here? How about the nations themselves that suffered the lose of some of the strongest and best of their population?

Reparations from this dominant culture are a tricky game. Many things have to be in place for the deliverance and transfer of wealth that we're talking about. And those elements just aren't present today.

I've studied Jews for years, and their dazzling feat of extracting more wealth from the nations of the world, rounding up much of their lost valuable art, and even winning damages against German industries for their 'slave' labor during WWII was awesome. But from my analysis, it was the result of long planning and covert moves, to place Jews in strategic places in the government and society, so that at every needed step of the process, someone was there to carry the ball and smooze the dominant group into acquiescence.

In my research, I once found a website that delineated exactly how many Jews Clinton had in his administration. Because him being the President at the time, was pertinent to the process. In fact, it was his own, that's right, the U. S. Asst. Secretary of State, Stuart Eisenstadt, that negotiated the fund the compensated Jews. He was the most powerful of those positioned to accomplish this objective, and check this excerpt from a Salon article about how he used his position.

Between 1996 and 1999, Under Secretary of State Stuart Eisenstadt pressed the CIA to release material regarding looted Jewish assets. This was when the topic gained international attention with the disclosures about gold stolen by the Nazis that eventually wound up in Swiss banks. "All we could pry loose were a few files and that was with the State Department leaning on them," recalls one person familiar with the process.

So you see Jews were in position in all branches of the government. You also had a president that would go along. The economy was strong, and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was seen as responsible for that. It was a wonderful coming together of synergistic forces that allowed the response to be Yes. And the Jews took it...and ran with it, knowing that it was simply a window of opportunity that might shut very quickly, and never open again. The media did not even 'lay on it' as it does on other provocative and controversial issues. Why not?....because they control the major media and news outlets in the U.S.

Does a similar united and coordinated thrust to recover the wealth and resources already legislated as ours exist within the American African community today? Not hardly. I don't even think that Obama could pull it off.

What do you think of what I've said here? Please feel free to say, Rubbish, or Bullshit!

Last point......I don't see my family story as a reparations issue. I see it as an inheritance claim, as I know the ancestor, and his son would be my great grandmother's half brother. So I (in a perfect world) would be seeking my portion of the family wealth.

Anyway dear, the story is really something that I would use as a 'cocktail conversation' if I still drank and enjoyed those type of social gatherings. That is until, I sit down and write it up into a screen play.

In truth I don't think much about reparations.
I know that my wealth is within me, and that like the diamonds and oil of Angola, all I have to do is dig deep, and keep my focus internally directed. Out of what I Am and I've been given as qualities, talents and abilities....if I am grateful, and polish and refine my gifts, surely they will provide well for me.

Dois Beijos Menina.
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Kentke