Afro Punk — Paris
July 13th — 14th 2019
This blog is brought to you by my right and left thumb. My old laptop will not charge via my converter box. Nevertheless I am determined to post content. Period Pooh. ☺️
Who you with?
I need to tell you about how wonderful Afro Punk was especially yesterday, Sunday June 14, 2019. I had the honor and privilege to attend by helping Ethea @waistbeadqueen vend. I think that was the best way to experience the festival for me. As a non lover of large crowds being in the booth provided a haven of sorts. A haven that was open to everyone of course and when folks came in to see about us it felt like welcoming them into one’s home. I also really enjoyed watching Ethea work. As a Black Woman entrepreneur originally from Oakland, now residing in Houston and traveling the world around her work ethic is a sight to behold. I love that! Then onto Karen the fluent French speaker who calls her French, “ghetto” but on the way the Uber driver tells her she could, “ speak before the president today.” She was at the festival to assist Ethea with translations. Karen is an expat, SAG actress, fluent by any means French speaker, green juicer, lover of all things African, the list goes on. We have a conversation in the works more on Karen later. ☺️ simply put seeing two Black women out in the world interfacing with other kin folk out in the world is truly awe inspiring.
Grand Rising
I arose with the sun this AM. Grand Rising from Paris. In my own (owned for the week love, ayyeee) bed with sheer curtains, the sun is creeping slowly from the right. Birds outside talking to one another. Moderate temperatures, ciel clair. A warm yellow hue is filling the living room. Yo gurl is under all white covers in a maxi giving you turmeric tease. I’ve been attracted to the color yellow for the past few years. It appeared in my dream first as a yellow sweater, then a dress, so much so that I wanted yellow beads. I got my ankle beaded with yellow glass Ghanaian beads by @waistbeadqueen. Yellow is based in the gut shakra your gut is your second brain. I am here following what we should consider our first brain. The brain that existed before I had a mind, an ego, all of the things.
Connectivity
The conversation that resonates with me the most is the one we had with Norman. I say we because theres a whole cosmos behind us and I felt that so intensely yesterday. He came to the booth to purchase some for beads for his partner. As our conversation progressed we started talking about his career as a musician from the states. I didn’t really attend much of the concert. So I wasn’t aware that he played in Tank and the Bangas.
He suggested I check them out in the most humble, “not in a cocky way” he said he thought I, “might” like them. Then proceeded to tell me about the fact that all of this started at an open mic almost a decade ago. That by just putting one foot in front of the other and allowing ones gift to make room - he was standing before me having had the honor to perform at Afro Punk, appear on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert (one of thousands of applicants) and the list continues.
Spirit was in his testament to the fact that much of what we have the capacity to do is not us, we are connected to a source. It is in us but who are we to sit on our gift? To not move forward towards the things that come naturally? The things that bring us joy? In exchange for conventionality many times many of us trade in our gift.
I just felt like his words became a mirror. This gift that resides in my gut. Me and my gift are currently on some “no refund no exchange” type shit. I have it and I want it and I want to continue to make room for it. I’m not sitting on it, I’m standing ten toes down. Literally I heard spirit say “take off your shoes, get grounded today.” I listened. So much social anxiety left and I had the ability to really connect. So Bay Area Black Hippie.
Gift Definition: 1. A thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present...synonyms: favour, offering, inheritance, grant, endowment...2. A natural ability or talent ...synonyms: aptitude, flair, talent, ability, expertise, capacity, capability, power, faculty.
Not only is my gift creative: writing, photography, film, and reincorporating editing when I return. My gift is being able to hear, see, and connect with spirit through other people. Thank you to everyone that returned a smile, came and spoke to us, wore their best, allowed me to take their photo, came into the space as themselves thus extending themselves into our cosmic family.
I truly felt a facet of our oneness Sunday.
Please enjoy the clips I can upload with my phone until we figure out this whole tech situation.
Love y’all and providing the space to love on me!
Photos of my cosmic family (image descriptions and videos will be added when I get my laptop back!)
♥️🖖🏾✊🏾🤗