Before God birthed Earth,
she was woman
All hail to Creation,
cause’ she is woman
Dark nectars of invisibilities,
cause’ she sees Woman
Fervently, spiritually, womanism
of Earth-colored woman
Sparkling gardens of Negro flickers;
nightly whispers of, twitters
Woman sees, womanly dreams, willful trees,
of a pleasant breeze
Birthin’ dreams, of purple please,
treasures so womanly, of a
womanish woman
Ragtime tunes, for a nightly Blues
Swing club thrills, Soulphyllic Neo chills
Musical. . .ity’s religion of Universal woman!
Womanist visions, spoken of Wordly Woman
In the beginning was the WORD, and the word was. . .WOMAN!
In celebration of 2018 International Women’s Day, women spoke to the Word. . .Spoken Word, and the words created by Women! It was a highlight of the calendar, and this time woman was centered. The American University In Cairo was no exception to the rule. With HEYA: Feminist Initiative leading the way, under the leadership and guidance of then President, organized the ”Spoken Word Poetry,” event on March 8, 2018, at AUC’s New Cairo campus. Those appreciating the power of women, and the word, came out to hear performances, by women of AUC.
In the words of Minnie Ripperton, a trip ”back down memory lane,” needed to be taken. Spoken Word is one of the cultural art forms of Black America. One of her poetic scents, starting from the 1970’s, Spoken Word brought forth a spirit of change. For Black America, the rise of movements as the Black Panther Party for self defense, sayings as ”I’m Black and I’m Proud,” and new forms of cultural innovation renewal, and identity for Black America, began to take shape. A lesser known fact, was the re-claimation of Black American womanhood and identity.
(Photograph By HEYA; Edits By Lauren Clark)(
(Photograph By HEYA; Edits By Lauren Clark)
Award winning plays as ”For Coloured Girls Who Consider Suicide When The Rainbow Is Not Enough,” by Ntozake Shange, and Spoken Word poets, as Wanda Coleman, and others, continue to highlight reclaimation of Black American femininity and womanhood. It was during the 70’s when the article, ”In Search Of Our Mothers’ Gardens,” was published by Alice Walker-a reminder of that peculiar garden, which birthed Spoken Word. Who could ever forget of the work of Black American feminists/womanists and their work, creation, and development of intersectionality? Their understanding in how race, class, gender, and sexuality impacted the lives of women. I would even go to include color, religion, and nationality.
The Patricia Hill Collins. The bell hooks. The Gloria Wade-Gayles. The Beverly Guy-Scheftalls. The Alice walkers. The Gloria Naylors. The Ida B. Wells-Barnettes. The Combahee River Projects. These womanish women, coming from purple gardens.
The Spoken Word poetry, event by HEYA: Feminist Initiative will foreshadow the coming of Black American women Spoken Word artists to the American University in Cairo’s campus; presenting to the AUC community, Egyptian artists, poets, and writers a like of this peculiar, literary genre-highlighting one period of Black American, literary aesthetics.
(Photograph By HEYA; Edits By Lauren Clark)
As women stepped to the mic, the experiences of womanhood, was crafted into vocal silk. Conveying to listeners near and far, the experiences of womanhood. In Egypt, or land’s afar. Such experiences were being crafted into a quilt, entitled. . .woman! And each pattern served as symbolic representation for the myriad coloring, design, picture, fashion, height, size, and so forth. . .for this Being, known as woman. How imaginative she much have been to create diverse images of womanhood!
(Photograph By HEYA: Feminist Initiative; Edits By Lauren Clark)
(Photograph By HEYA: Feminist Initiative; Edits By Lauren Clark)
(Photograph By HEYA: Feminist Initiative; Edits By Lauren Clark)
The different rhythmic presentations of each poem were reflections of the sound of woman. One of the mysteries of WOMAN, is her nature to taking a liking to other artistic natures of woman. Even repeating a style that women may find appeasing of another. After the performance of my poem, “Red Stars, Blue Dreams,” I noticed the repetition of the singing technique I had already used, by Bahira Amin, who was a senior English and Comparative Literature major, at that time. This technique is popular in Black America’s performance of Spoken Word poetry. From Wanda Coleman, and other popular Black American women Spoken Word artists, the musical sounds of their foremothers, highlights the poetry.
As members of HEYA came to support these womanly words, a euphoric experience took place. A re-enactment of Eden’s garden was happening. Or better yet, women were returning to their own words. Colorful, illuminated, and sculptured in their own design. Words richly illuminated in heavenly energy. Winds so soothing and delicate, that one feels the weight of dead untruths, whisked away from one’s flesh. It’s a course of real life. When knowledge was part of life-and her cycles. Not the objectification of minds’ removal from it. It was an idealistic screenplay of women returning to a ”mythical” realm, to speak of a modern world; where women were disassociated from the very artistry of womanhood. Persecuted, misrepresented, and even worse-seeing each other as enemy. Darkness had become the enemy of light. When in reality, they were complementary syncopations of each other.
Black America’s gardens were forced to return to darkness’ creativity. Yet, for this special event, produced by AUC’s HEYA: Feminist Initiative, one maiden of this garden, and three Egyptian women, presented their words, through a feminine allure. More to come, for Word. . .near you!
All in the Spirit of woman’s words, and womanly risings!