De 1967 à 1972, des équipes de télévision suédoises se sont intéressées au mouvement des droits civiques aux États-Unis.

Du quotidien d’une famille noire qui manque de tout au désespoir des habitants de Harlem après les assassinats de Martin Luther King et Bob Kennedy, d’un discours de Bobby Seal au procès très médiatisé de l’égérie des Black Panthers Angela Davis, ces journalistes ont relayé le soulèvement de la population afro-américaine en tentant d’en comprendre les causes. Ils ont approché les grands leaders du Black Power lors de prises de positions publiques, mais aussi dans l’intimité. Dans une séquence particulièrement forte, Stokely Carmichael interviewe sa maman, qui raconte la misère et les discriminations. Dans un autre entretien d’une franchise stupéfiante, Angela Davis, interrogée depuis sa prison sur l’usage de la violence, s’emporte contre le journaliste avant d’évoquer son enfance, marquée par les meurtres raciaux et la possession vitale d’armes pour se défendre.

Dark Little Secret examines the United States prison system and its unprecedented explosion in population and the exploitation of dark, poor faces, intentionally relegated to second-class citizenship otherwise known as continued, legal slavery.

Life and Debt explores the effect of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) policies on developing countries through Jamaica’s experience with the organization. Jamaica, having gained its independence from Britain in 1962, found itself struggling as a result of the oil embargo the following year. In order to receive loans from the IMF, the country entered into a tricky agreement with its lenders. The terms of the loan stipulated that Jamaica had to agree to reduce trade barriers by withdrawing its local import restrictions, and thus enter the world market. The local economy became flooded with foreign goods, which were cheaper than those produced locally, resulting in a loss of jobs and economic self-reliance. Interviews with Stanley Fisher, Deputy Director of the IMF, reveal that the IMF’s mission is to alleviate short-term deficits, not assuage long-term economic hardship.

By Carter Maness

Nas has always been known for impeccable storytelling, but last night (April 18), the spotlight shifted to the notoriously-private rapper’s own life in a new episode of Vh1′s “Behind the Music.” Beginning with his rough childhood in Queensbridge, Nas reflected on the violent nature of his neighborhood. He relived the traumatic death of his best friend Ill Will, how his brother Jungle survived getting shot twice and how he was able to turn those trying experiences into relatable rap songs rather than fall victim to the drug world.

“You can never forget where you come from, no matter how far you go,” he says. “In the neighborhood where I’m from, people are killed for nothing. You can’t just ignore it. That’s the beauty of rap music, because we’re going to give you the side that no one wants to talk about.”

And talk he did. Nas went through his storied beef history, discussing his tense relationship with Tupac Shakur after both sides believed one another were talking trash. On his legendary spat with Jay-Z, Nas was painted as the defensive winner. The program claimed Hov started the beef and Nas was forced to respond to keep his pride – a claim that is sure to raise some eyebrows amongst hip-hop diehards.

Another controversial segment explored Nas’ marriage to Kelis. Again painted as the victim, the rapper’s manager, Anthony, claimed that Kelis was blowing through Nas’ wealth during the marriage and that she was oddly secretive during the birthing process for their son Knight. Apparently, Nas didn’t know what hospital Knight was being born in and was 10 minutes late because of the lack of communication.

In all, it was one of the more fascinating episodes of “Behind The Music” as the private artist really opened-up and gave new information on subjects that fans have long wondered about. And to think, it almost didn’t happen.

“It was tough,” Nas recently told MTV News. “I didn’t want to do “Behind The Music.” I didn’t. But at some point, if you don’t tell your story, somebody else will. So I gave them a little peek inside. It can’t hurt, just a little peek inside.” Source MTV

Ice-T’s Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap documentary hits theaters June 15th. Features Dr. Dre, Nas, Eminem, Mos Def, Kanye West, Common, Grandmaster Caz, Raekwon and many many more.

This performance documentary goes beyond the stardom and the bling to explore what goes on inside the minds and erupts from the lips of the grandmasters of rap.

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap hits theaters June 15th

Trailer: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/theartofrap/

Film Synopsis:

Ice-T takes us on an intimate journey into the heart and soul of hip-hop with the legends of rap music. This performance documentary goes beyond the stardom and the bling to explore what goes on inside the minds, and erupts from the lips, of the grandmasters of rap. Recognized as the godfather of Gangsta rap, Ice-T is granted unparalleled access to the personal lives of the masters of this artform that he credits for saving his life. Interspersed with the performers’ insightful, touching, and often funny revelations are classic raps, freestyle rhymes, and never before heard a cappellas straight from the mouths of the creators. What emerges is a better understanding of, and a tribute to, an original American art form that brought poetry to a new generation.

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP

In Theaters June 15
Indomina Media
theartofrap.com
www.facebook.com/ArtofRap
www.twitter.com/artofrap
Use #theartofrap to join the conversation

Source: Think Tank Digital

This video documents the disappearing languages of the Eastern Maroons of Moore Town, Jamaica. The languages are (i) Kromanti, a language variety related to the Akan language cluster of West Africa, and (ii) Uol Taim Patwa or ‘Maroon Spirit Language’, a very archaic form of English-lexicon Creole, similar in many ways to the Creole languages of Suriname. The language is presented through Mr Isaac Bernard, one the last culture bearers of the community, with a good command of these languages. The video is part of the Caribbean Indigenous and Endangered Languages website, which is co-sponsored by the Jamaican Language Unit/Unit for Caribbean Language Research, University of the West Indies, Mona, and UNESCO. http://www.caribbeanlanguages.org.jm

Shadeism from Shadeism on Vimeo.

Shadeism’ Film Website Launch
On March 30th, 2012, we will be launching the official website for the upcoming documentary film *Shadeism.*

Building off our original 2010 documentary short, this feature documentary seeks to delve deeper in the issue of shadeism (e.g. colorism), as it affects young women of colour from various communities.

The word shadeism describes the discrimination based on skin tone, which exists amongst members of the same community, creating a ranking of a person’s individual worth based on shade. Shadeism is common in communities of colour across the world, and it is also an issue that people of colour experience whilst living as part of diasporic communities outside their native lands.

Our film hopes to examine and address the roots, realities, and effects of this issue on women of colour from diverse backgrounds, by creating dialogue and discussion. Through the film, we will continue to tackle this issue from an honest and deeply personal perspective, sharing private experiences with the issue, and documenting how it affects different diasporic communities.

*Shadeism* is a collective narrative, which creates bridges between various communities based on a shared issue. As a team, we are focused on engaging the wider community at every step, as we know it is not only our story to tell. Ultimately, by creating space for different women of colour to share their experiences, we hope to help foster collective and personal healing, within our communities, our families, and ourselves.

Check out www.shadeism.com when it launches today, to find all updates on the upcoming film. Thank you to everyone for your support thus far!