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Otta Benga, Formerly Enslaved
The Epitome of a Nubian Knight

Otta Benga, Formerly Enslaved<br>The Epitome of a Nubian Knight

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"Thanks For The Support Everybody!!!"

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

The REEL Black Same Gender Loving Filmography Resource (A 24/7 ONLINE FILM DATABASE)

The REEL Black Same Gender Loving Filmography Resource (A 24/7 ONLINE FILM DATABASE)
Click The Pic To Access The Film Library Database! (166 Films)
LAST UPDATE: Monday, December 3rd, 2012

Saturday, April 3, 2010

The Tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep:
An Eternal Embrace;
The Oldest Recorded History Of
A Black Same Gender Loving Male Couple?



Illustration From Photograph ©1999 Greg Reeder



Hey Black Family,

This is not the first time I've heard of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, supposedly ancient Egyptians as a same gender loving couple.

The following pictures and captions in my opinion are quite compelling, though I admit there could be a bias on my part because I am a Black male who is same gender loving. Still, seems a little too intimate in my personal interpretation to be just buddies or biological brothers, cousins, etc.

In any event, the hieroglyphics that were found are INCREDIBLY FASCINATING to say the least and I wanted to share the pictures. You can make your own evaluation.


REFERENCES
Egyptology.com

The Controversy of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep Part 1
The Controversy of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep Part 2

All photographs ©1999 Greg Reeder




At the far Southern end of the rock-cut chamber
is THE BANQUET scene where
Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep
are shown feasting on offerings and
being entertained by dancers, clappers,
singers and musicians.
The doorways on the right lead into
the offering chamber
and to the false doors of the two men.




Here at the entrance to that part of
the tomb carved into the rock,
the names of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep
are inscribed as one name over the doorway.
Both have the jar hieroglyph
which is the name of the potter god Khnum.
The name Niankhkhnum on the right with the jar
and the ankh sign is translated as "Khnum has life."
The name Khnumhotep on the left with the jar
and the offering sign means "Khnum is satisfied."
Hotep means "peace" or "satisfaction"
nd is a hieroglyph of a loaf of bread on a table
as an offerings for the dead.
The name Khnum besides being a reference
to the god Khnum also meant "joined together"
and "to unite with" and later included "
associates, companions, friends,"and even "house mates".
Their names inscribed together above the entrance
to the rock-cut chamber, may be a design element
to suggest a play on words,
meaning "joined in life and joined in peace",
i.e. the blessed state of the dead,
and may have reference to the closeness of the two
and their desire to remain together in this life and the next.
We cannot be sure at what point in their lives
they assumed these names.
Were they both born with these names
r did the names come about from
the close relationship they shared during their lifetime?





It is here at the offering chapel
that the most intimate portrayals appear.
This scene is at the entrance, between two doorways.
The identically attired manicurists are shown embracing,
nose to nose.
Their children surround them,
(this photo is a close-up, more children are represented)
but the wives are not represented here.
The relationship between
the two men is not clear.
Egyptologists consider it "problematical."
Are they brothers?
Could they be twin brothers?
Are they close friends or are they lovers?
Are they all of the above?
A reasoned argument can be made defending
any and all of these positions.

















On the western wall of the
offering chamber are two false doors.
The one on the right for Khnumhotep,
the one on the left for Niankhkhnum.
It was thru a later intrusive robber's shaft

that damaged Niankhkhnum's false door that the
Egyptologists made their first entrance into the tomb.
These false doors are separated by the scene pictured here
of the two men embracing though not as closely as at the entrance.





View Of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep Holding Hands




A Clickable Floor Plan For The Tomb Of
Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep
(The Picture Links To The Egyptology.com Website)

Kirikou And The Wild Beast (2005)
Re-Released On DVD With English Subtitles


Hey Black Family,

I absolutely LOVE the character KIRIKOU because he's a tough, tough little brutha who has heart!! And funny, too!! A definite inspiration for the African Diaspora when you see him in action.

I originally found out or stumbled onto Kirikou when I was looking at a BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) flyer and saw an animated thumbnail of Kirikou. I thought to myself "Oh, this is interesting. An African animated character as a protagonist". So, I decided to go check it and was pleasantly and thoroughly superposed by this gem that I saw. ANd I actually took it to an ADODI summer retreat to show it as part of the ADODI Film Fest that I created and curated some years and t went over very well. Bruthaz responded to the film very favorably. Kirikou is accessible for kids and equally for adults, too!! Trust me!

As a Black kid growing up in NYC during the 1970s and looking at Saturday morning cartoons religiously, I noticed there were very, very few cartoon characters that looked like me or had my dark skin complexion. The only Black characters that come to mind off the top of my head as I type this are Mighty Man from Mighty Man and Yukk and Black Vulcan (pictured to the right here with his qool, qool costume) from the Super Friends tv series. And there was the qool super villain the Moon Man from The New Adventures of Batman cartoon series.

Anyway, the original all French version of Kirikou et les betes sauvages (translates in English to Kirikou And The Wild Beast [2005]) that I currently own on DVD is French spoken and has French subtitles. This version was released by Alliance Atlantic Vivia Films/Remstar and has a running time of 75 minutes.

Even though I couldn't understand what the characters were saying I could still pretty much follow the storyline and what was going on. Because I'm a big Kirikou fan it didn't stop me from buying this version; most English speaking people probably would not have bought this DVD.

Now, Kirikou And The Wild Beast (2005) has been re-released on DVD by Kino Films which is still spoken in French, however, this version accompanies English subtitles with a running time of 95 minutes; that's 20 minutes longer!!! The aspect ratio is 1.85:1 and enhanced for 16:9 television monitors.

You can pick up a copy of Kirikou And The Wild Beast at
Amazon.com for $22.49
DeepDiscount.com for $11.99

I just placed an order with Deep Discount (can't knock their excellent price point) who is a reputable e-commerce website. I have been ordering from them for about 9 years now so they are trustworthy. They also offer FREE shipping as one of their 4 methods of shipment.

The above prices are subject to change / fluctuate at anytime.

NOTE: Parental guidance for children viewing is suggested.Women are shown in traditional attire (sarongs only) and children wear no clothing. I personally don't think it's a big deal for children to see at all (even if I had children), and one has to realize this particular film art is not rooted in American traditions of western values (aka Disney films); but, hey, everybody is different, so just giving you a heads up.

Also, below is a 10 minute clip so you can get a feel for the film. I LOVE Kirikou! You go boy!