NUBIAN KNIGHTS NETWORK: Constructing My Own Black "Blueprint" (Part I)

QUOTATIONS OF "BLACK"

"Whenever I use BLACK it relates to some history of Africans in that particular place. It’s the idea of the color BLACK as a metaphor, or as a representation of African-Americans. It’s the notion of BLACK- BLACKNESS - and all its other meanings in relation to the history of race..."

- Fred Wilson

"Most of my fortitude to continue doing the work comes from the moral outrage I feel about the injustices that Black people endure disproportionately daily."

- N. Abdul-Wakil

"In the end, what matters is not skin shade but pan-African consciousness. Loving your complexion, your nose, lips, hair length and texture, no matter what the politics or trends decide, and simply be. That's the problem with us (African folks). We're still learning how to love ourselves. So used to glorifying others and putting others first..."

- Dredlocks Tree

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Constructing My Own Black "Blueprint" (Part I)

Hey Black Family,

As a precursor, this entry was inspired by an inquiry by a friend of mine regarding the Black same gender loving (SGL) film called "Blueprint". I responded to his email and decided to share my comments on "Writings on the Black Wall". This serves to nurture the more personal of me as opposed to the nuremous emails I send out there regarding the African Diaspora. Just getting used to this new space of mine. Well, read on...

... As for Blueprint, I LOVE the film so much and YES, I do speak highly of the film and have been using quite a bit of energy to promote it any which way I can. I even fixed up my MySpace page and added a promotional flyer to compliment the Blueprint video I already have embedded on my page.

I mean, all I can say is that the film spoke to in a way in which I connected with the two main characters; not to say their experiences are my own. But the way the story developed I had (have) a vested interest in the characters of where they were going in the story, and eager for them to get to know each other better though one of the characters was being difficult (backstory issue). Also, there was no "chile" and gurl" type dialog in the film (which is refreshing and mirrors my own sensibilities of how I carry myself as a same gender loving brutha) and the two young and early 20-something bruthaz were (relatively) masculine. There were two sequences in the film (I won't say) that I personally would have done with a brutha in real life if I was highly interested in. I like diversity and to experience different adventures in life (the Gemini in me). I like that aspect of the film. Frankly, it is a film I would make, or would have made.

Reactions has been mixed about this movie. Some of the responses have been "oh, it was okay" or "been there, seen that, done dat" to "Man, I really connected with the sensualness of the characters in the "X" sequence of the film", etc. Subjectively speaking, I had a conversation with one friend and we felt that possibly some of the older bruthaz didn't like the film because these 20-something bruthaz were featured (perhaps a longing of something past which might imply why I read the "been there, seen that, done dat" quote) or maybe they'd like to see older bruthaz featured in a Black SGL film. However, it's all supposition of my part and a theory.