George du Maurier (1834-1896)
Rincomania (1875)
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Friends of the fleeting skate, behold in this
A Rincomaniac’s dream of earthly bliss,
Sketched by the frantic pen of one who thinks
That Heaven is paved with everlasting rinks
Where Cherubs sweep forever and a day,
Smooth tepid ice that never melts away,
While graceful, gay, good-natured Lovers blend,
To Endless tune, in circles without End.

George du Maurier (1834-1896)
Manía de patinaje (1875)
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Amigos del patín fugaz,
contemplen el sueño de extásis terrenal
del “maniático de la pista de hielo”,
bosquejado por la pluma frenética de un hombre que cree
que el Cielo está pavimentado con pistas perpetuas
donde vuelan querubines por siempre jamás,
hielo liso y tibio pero nunca se derretirá,
mientras Amantes graciosos, vistosos y simpáticos combinan
a la Tonada infinita, en círculos sin Fin.

Every year on May 1st grassroots organizations in Toronto rally and march to mark International Worker’s Day, for migrant and workers’ rights, and in support of Indigenous peoples’ struggles. Themed around the most pressing issues of the day and committed to ending oppression and exploitation, May Day unites us in our efforts toward self-determination and liberation. We continue this tradition in 2015, rallying and marching against colonial and capitalist attacks on our communities here, and against Canadian imperialism’s plunder and attacks upon peoples across the world.

This May Day, 2015, we are focusing on:
1. Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination
2. Migrant workers’ resistance to border imperialism
3. Solidarity with working class struggle globally
4. Anti-poverty and anti-austerity organizing
5. Student strikes and academic labour battles against neoliberalization
6. Environmental Justice
7. Militant rank and file labour movements
8. Gender Justice

. . .
http://maydaytoronto.nooneisillegal.org/
. . .
http://www.idlenomore.ca/
. . .
http://zocalopoets.com/2012/05/01/poems-for-international-workers-day-may-day-2012-we-hurl-the-bright-bomb-of-the-sun-the-moon-like-a-hand-grenade/
. . . . .

 Nos vemos en julio…¡Envíanos tus poemas!

We return in July…Send us your poems!

zocalopoets@hotmail.com

Métis flag, 1816

Patriote movement, Lower Canada, 19th century

Altered Red Ensign, Canada’s flag from the 1890s till 1965

Canada’s current flag, designed in 1964, adopted in 1965

Flag of the Iroquois Confederacy, 1980s

Native Pride flag from Kahnawake, 1990s

Flag of the Haida People

Nunavut, Canada’s newest territory, 1999

Mulidzas Curtis Wilson of Campbell River, B.C.: an imaginative re-design of Canada’s national flag

Lou-Ann Neel’s re-design of Canada’s national flag…

She writes:
“I originally created this design to express how I see this country we call ‘Canada’. Canada is often referred to as a ‘mosaic or tapestry of multiculturalism’, and for me, as a textile artist, I thought it would be fitting to take the idea of a tapestry and the flag of Canada, and apply my own cultural and artistic practices to it.
I transformed the iconic Maple Leaf into a Raven. I chose Raven because he is known in many of our legends as a Transformer, a Messenger and a Trickster. I thought this would be an interesting and intentional use of symbols to challenge our thinking around the body politic and its intentions.”

.     .     .

“Lest We Forget…”

http://zocalopoets.com/2013/11/11/5670/

Singer/songwriter Rocky Dawuni performed with his band at Harbourfront last night. All day and evening was rainy but those of us who made the trek down to Lake Ontario got swept up in the Ghanaian music artist’s “positive vibrations”. Rambunctious joy and passionate sincerity were the hallmarks of Dawuni’s personality, and for style and content the influence of Fela Kuti and – most especially – Bob Marley, made for a Best of Summer 2015 experience here in Toronto!

* * *Regresaremos en enero de 2016…Zócalo Poets will return January 2016* * *

“Chocolat”, le clown nègre: son vrai nom était Rafael Padilla, esclave né à Cuba vers 1868, devenu célèbre au Cirque de Paris à partir de 1886. Il forma un duo avec Footit, le clown blanc, qui les propulsa jusqu’à la scène des Folies-Bergère. Padilla a été peint par Toulouse-Lautrec en 1896 qui le montre dansant dans un cabaret de Montmartre.

Chocolat avec La Goulue…

Le vrai Cake-Walk dansés par les vrais Ratons Laveurs (un terme raciste de la fin du siècle): les acteurs de vaudeville Aida Overton Walker et son épouse George Walker

Les Walker photographiés dans la comédie musicale “In Dahomey”_Londres, 1903

Deux hommes font Le Cake Walk, et l’un “joue” à la femme.

Rudy and Fredy Walker_Les Enfants Nègres de 1903_Le Cake Walk dansé au Nouveau Cirque de Paris

…..

Josephine Baker était l’Américaine exotique qui se transforma à la première star noire – à cause de ses danses fraises et originales.

 La danseuse la plus libre et ingénieuse des années 20: Josephine Baker_photo par Wolf von Gudenberg (Berlin, 1925)

Josephine Baker: du livre Le Tumulte Noir (1927)_illustration par Paul Colin

Danseuses de vaudeville_Washington, D.C., 1930

Les années du Swing à Harlem

Frankie Manning, l’inventeur de la danse “Lindy Hop”, et sa partenaire

Les Frères Nicholas: Danseurs de claquettes des années 30 et 40: Hommes audaces, athléthiques et élégants! (photographie du film “Stormy Weather”, 1943)

Les Frères Nicholas: Fayard (né 1914) et Harold (né 1921)

Alvin Ailey (1931-1989), fondateur et choréographe du Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater_photographie de 1955 (Carl Van Vechten)

Le jeune Alvin Ailey

Danielle Gee et Leonard Meek de la troupe Alvin Ailey_1995

James Brown “fait le zouave” avec un de ses mouvements / pas de danse caractéristiques

Couverture de l’album Avance avec ton Bon Pied (1972)

Le patin à roulettes au roller-discothèque — la fureur heureuse de l’ère de la musique disco et funk

…..

Publicité pour Coca-Cola dans un magazine américain de 1977

Michael Jackson (1958-2009), un danseur inventif et excentrique, célébré pour sa “Moon Walk” (photographie © 1983, Jim McCrary/Redferns)

Des jeunes B-boyz ou “breakdanseurs” New-Yorkais des années 80_photographies © Martha Cooper

Surya Varuna Claudine Bonaly (née 1973), la patineuse artistique française-américaine

Yannick Bonheur (né 1982) et Vanessa James (née 1987)_le premier couple noir de l’histoire des jeux olympiques en patinage artistique_Vancouver, Canada_février de 2010_ (photo par Ivan Sekretarev)

Savion Glover_danseur de claquettes de la nouvelle génération_photo © Lois Greenfield, 2012

Le Carnaval au Brésil_Salvador da Bahia, 2012_Des racines africaines les gens cultivèrent une fête de la Danse et Musique – pour Tout le Monde!

Jean Depara_self-portrait taken in 1975

. . .

Lemvo Jean Abou Bakar Depara
(born 1928, Angola – died 1997, Kinshasa, DRC)
.
Jean Depara became a photographer almost by accident. Wishing to document his wedding in 1950 he bought a small Adox camera— and after that he never lacked curiosity or fresh subject matter for his “eye”. He put down roots in Kinshasa in 1951, and at first combined part-time photography with a variety of other jobs: repairing bicycles and cameras, and dealing in scrap metal. In 1954 a Zairian singer invited him to become his official photographer, launching Depara’s career as a chronicler of Kinshasa social life in the decades when the dance music of rumba and cha-cha characterized the city’s “rhythm”. He set up a studio under the name Jean “Whisky” Depara, spending days and nights in the bars and nightclubs of Kinshasa: the Afro Mogenbo, the Champs-Elysées, the Djambo Djambu, the Oui, the Fifi, and the Show Boat.  Intrigued as he was by the “night owl” crowd, Depara with his camera flash made a visual record of a Congo that existed outside of conventional social codes of the day.
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Depara died leaving an archive of hundreds of untitled black and white negatives. With permission from the artist’s family, his friend Oscar Mbemba titled many of Depara’s photographs in the spirit of the bygone era.

In front of the “dancing bar”

Congolese rumba

Women enjoying an outing

Kinshasa nights…

Off-duty soldiers on bikes

A Kinshasa family

. . . . .

Monsengo Shula_Untitled, 2015

Painter Jean-Bosco Monsengo (born 1959), and known as Shula in the city of Kinshasa, Congo, learned his craft under the tutelage of Moke, a prominent artist of the Kinshasa school of painting that flowered in the wake of Zaire’s independence. Shula’s complex narrative scenes stem from everyday life, and are often critiques of political injustice or the consequences of overpopulation on global ecology.

Monsengo Shula_The Dynamism of Evolution, 2015

Monsengo Shula_Sooner or later the world will change, 2014

Monsengo Shula_House of the Future, 2013

Monsengo Shula_The fresco of Shula, 2010

. . . . .

“Aunt Dinah, the Colored Cook, comes to join the Paper Doll Family”_McCall’s Magazine, April 1911_Aunt Dinah is presented in a realistic, straightforward manner, as all the dolls in this McCall’s series were.

.     .     .

In the early twentieth century, paper dolls were a popular plaything for children. Cheap and easy to make, these cut-out paper figures could be dressed with paper clothes attached by tabs. The figures were often of idealistic characters: beautiful children, perfect families, fashionable ladies representing the power élite of the day. Boxed sets and books could be readily bought in stores, but many were available in magazines and newspaper comic strips as a special treat for the kids.
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From the late 1800s to the mid 1950s, black paper dolls were rare and stereotypical in white-owned North-American media. Black adult females were shown as maids or ‘mammies’, caregivers to young white children. Black children as paper dolls always had at least one garment that was tattered and patched, and black adult males were almost never shown.
.
The outstanding exception to the above stereotypes was the creation of Torchy Brown by a black woman cartoonist named Jackie Ormes. The Torchy Brown comic strips and accompanying paper dolls appeared in black newspapers such as the Pittsburgh Courier and Chicago Defender in the early 1950s. Torchy herself, created by Ormes in the 1930s, was a strong and glamorous woman-of-colour who certainly did not wear rags. With the advent of desegregation and the Black Power movement in the United States, more and more positive images of black paper dolls finally appeared.
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The images shown here cover the early stereotypes. Yet one can understand that, at the time, many blacks may have been pleased to see any representations of themselves in prestigious magazines such as McCall’s and Woman’s Home Companion. It was also during this period – in 1939, to be exact – that Hattie McDaniels won an Oscar for portraying a ‘mammy’ in the film “Gone With The Wind”. (McDaniels was also featured in a paper doll book of the film.)

Bruce Patrick Jones

.     .     .

Rastus_Little Louise’s Friend_Vintage Black paper doll_from Good Housekeeping, November 1909

Charming Rastus, gently stereotyped with patches and watermelon, was positioned as a friend of Little Louise, a blond, blue-eyed girl.

Farina (little girl in the middle)_from the Our Gang series in_Woman’s Home Companion, October 1925

Patches and rags define pretty Farina, though Fattie’s costume is tattered too. This exquisite illustration was by Frances Tipton Hunter.

Katy’s black mammy has taken care of her ever since she was a little baby_painted by Katharine Shane_from Woman’s Home Companion, June 1927

What well-to-do little girl from The South wouldn’t have had her very own ‘mammy’ in 1927?

Mandy by Lydia Fraser_Canadian Home Journal, September 1932

Mandy, a warm and loving creation by Canada’s Lydia Fraser.

Topsy by Lydia Fraser_Canadian Home Journal, October 1932

Topsy’s ‘kitchen dress’ suggests she’ll follow mommy Mandy’s line of work.

Topsy’s Brother Sam by Lydia Fraser_Canadian Home Journal, July 1933

Sam’s wardrobe defines a hard workin’ little guy: bellboy and newspaper seller.  As well – the ubiquitous patches on his overalls.

Sunny Sammy’s Nurse Diana_drawn by Corinne Pauli Waterall_from Pictorial Review, March 1934

Sunny Sammy’s cherub-cheeked nurse pre-dates Hattie McDaniels in “Gone With The Wind”.

Svarta Nelly_Elefantbabyn_Krokodilungen_Tre påklädningsdockor från Negerlandet_Vintage Black paper doll from a 1935 Swedish newspaper called Allers

Black Nelly was a Swedish take on a little African girl, shown here with a totally European set of clothes.

Little Black Sambo by Martin_from an Oklahoma City newspaper_June 1937

Sweet Little Sambo seems almost to be a cartoon version of Rastus (second from top).

Effie Slivers_appeared in Lena Pry and Jane Arden comic strips_by Monte Barrett and Jack W. McGuire_Vintage Black paper doll from 1938

Effie Slivers was Lena Pry’s (mouthy) maid in this 1930s strip. Lucky Effie gets a dressy outfit, too.

Opal_from Girls: Boots and her Buddies by Martin_from The Detroit News, Sunday December 11th, 1938

Opal was a stark contrast to slim, blonde Boots, star of the comic strip in which Opal appeared. Still, artist Martin did give her a rich wardrobe.

.     .     .

Zócalo Poets feature about Jackie Ormes: http://zocalopoets.com/2015/02/28/jackie-ormes-torchy-candy-patty-jo-ginger/

.     .     .

Opening today (February 20th):

Stereotypes to Civil Rights: Black Paper Dolls in America

featuring the private collection of author, lecturer, and collector Arabella Grayson, and exploring the 150-year evolution of cultural images of African-Americans in paper dolls—from Little Black Sambo and Aunt Jemima to Jackie Robinson and Missy Elliott.

Till August 21st, 2016,

at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures,

Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A.

http://www.toyandminiaturemuseum.org

 .     .     .     .     .

Alberto Henschel_from his series Tipos negros or Black Types_Recife, Pernambuco_around 1869

Alberto Henschel (1827-1882) was a German-born Brazilian photographer from Berlin. An energetic, enterprising businessman, he established photography studios in the cities of Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. While known as both a landscape photographer and, for some time Photographo da Casa Imperial (Photographer of the Royal House) during the reign of Pedro II, his main legacy has been his visual record of the social classes of Brazil. His portraits were often produced in the ‘carte de visite’ format, and included the nobility, wealthy tradesmen, the middle class and, most interestingly, Brazil’s black people – whether slaves or freemen/women. These portraits were taken during the decades before the Lei Áurea, the slavery-abolition law of 1888.
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Alberto Henschel (Berlim, 1827 – Rio de Janeiro, 1882) foi um fotógrafo teuto-brasileiro, considerado o mais diligente empresário da fotografia no Brasil do século XIX. Sua principal contribuição à história
da fotografia no Brasil foi o registro fotográfico de todos os extratos sociais do Brasil oitocentista: retratos, geralmente no padrão carte-de-visite, foram tirados da nobreza, dos ricos comerciantes, da classe média e, mas certamente, dos negros – tantos livres como escravos (em um período ainda anterior à Lei Áurea.

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Alberto Henschel_ portrait from his Black Types series_Bahia, Brazil_around 1869

Alberto Henschel_Moça cafusa (Girl of mixed Negro and Indian blood)_Pernambuco_1869

Alberto Henschel_Retrato cafusa_1869

Alberto Henschel_retrato da negra de Pernambuco_1869

Alberto Henschel_uma negra de Pernambuco_1869

Alberto Henschel_Negra com criança na Bahia_c. 1869_Salvador, Bahia

Alberto Henschel_portrait of a middle-aged man with hat_from the series Tipos negros_around 1869

. . . . .

AfroFest 2016 à Toronto –– Tu t’es joint à nous? Parce que nous nous sommes bien amusés! Tout s’est déroulé au samedi et dimanche, le 9 et 10 de juillet – toute la journée au Parc Woodbine. La musique a inclus les voix et les groupes de Nati Haile, Toto Guillaume, Moto Tia, BKO Quintet, Lynda Thalie et Emmanuel Jal: les beaux sons africains de l’Éthiopie, du Cameroun, du Congo, de Mali, de l’Algérie et de Soudan – entre autres pays.

À propos…Que tu ne manques pas aussi le festival Habari Africa à Harbourfront, Toronto – au bord du Lac Ontario le 12,13,14 d’août!

Toronto Caribbean Carnival (“Caribana”):

A reveller awaits the masquerade judge’s decision after her mas’-crew’s display at the CNE on Lakeshore Boulevard in Toronto: July 30th, 2016.

Photo by Nakita Krucker / Toronto Star

And more photographs from the all-day fête (Grand Parade) courtesy

The Photagonist.ca Photography…

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All photographs (except the top image) are © The Photagonist.ca

Founded by writer and journalist Michael S. L. Jarrett – and now in its second year – Palaver International Literary Festival brings Caribbean literature, music and good food to Wasaga Beach, Ontario. An “open mic.” stage for poetry and song, as well as Ol’ Time Stories told throughout the day. This evening (Saturday the 6^th) there is the Palaver Awards Dinner (“A Birthday Toast to Jamaica”) featuring The Heritage Singers and Orville Hammond, jazz pianist. On Sunday the 7^th: “open mic.” for poetry and song again; “Feast on the Beach”: brunch with master-chef Selwyn Richards; the Palaver Writers’ Workshop with Horane Smith; and poets and novelists will meet and greet with festival attendees –– and sign books :-) Writers in attendance at Palaver 2016 include: Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis, Dwayne Morgan, Owen Everard James, Cynthia Reyes, and Lorna Goodison.

Delores Gauntlett (born 1949, St. Ann, Jamaica)

Introduction to Poetry

(for Mervyn Morris)

.

“I wish you’d write some foolishness sometimes,”

you said in that workshop off South Camp Road,

and it took some years to uncover what you meant:

To bring out what I’d seen, or wished I’d seen,

in a simple line

and state outright that this is it;

to find my way out of the cul-de-sac,

when trying too hard, wide of the mark,

the words coming but not the sense;

to balance each line and not feel the weight;

to watch day break across a familiar land,

freeing the verse as on a passing wind;

to walk all night under a changing moon.

To convert the outrage into song, the poem coming,

not as from the space between

a sleepwalker’s outstretched arms,

but as in a hand held still against rushing water,

then lifted clear, the drops from the dripping

fingertips settling in the poem’s room.

. . . . .

Portrait of Djely Tapa by photographer Elaine

After a baking-hot day on Friday, August 12^th – when the temperature reached 36 degrees celsius here in Toronto – the logical place to cool down at sunset was lakeside for the Habari Africa Festival where African singers and musicians – now based in Canada – sang and played for us from the outdoor stage by the water.

Malian “griotte” (female story-teller and praise-singer) – and current Montrealer – DJELY TAPA performed a rousing set with her three band members, one of whom accompanied her in a lilting song on his “kora”. Her brother translated from her French introduction the importance of the message of Une Chanson Contre La Violence Contre Les Femmes (A Song against Violence against Women).

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Congolese singer BLANDINE MBIYA sang in French and Lingala, and was accompanied by Cour des Grands, veteran Congolese musicians (now living in Montreal) who paid tribute to great 1960s-70s “orchestres” of the Congo “rumba” tradition (Tabu Ley, Papa Wemba, OK Jazz). Mbiya’s voice was tender and sexy – and very sweet in tone! She bantered in English with the audience in between songs – sounding uncannily like Jennifer Lopez when she speaks.

Blandine Mbiya in concert_photograph by Muriel Leclerc

Habari Africa Festival is one of those events we look forward to – when it’s summer in Toronto! Those of us who love musical variety and discovery are grateful to Batuki Music Society founder Nadine McNulty – and to every supporter and partner, including Harbourfront Centre – for making it all happen, down by the Lake!