The word Sankofa originates from the Twi language of the Akan tribe of Ghana, West Africa. It means “go back and get it.” The Akan people believe the past and the future are eternally intertwined and any pursuit of knowledge must demonstrate this understanding.
The Sankofa Newsletter is a mini-guide to culture and news. A monthly publication that features four articles to inspire, enlighten, and stimulate intellectual curiosity. Get a free copy delivered to your email inbox today. Share, Like, Subscribe. Happy Reading! LaSheba Baker, Blogger
😊 Note: For email subscribers, you can click the blue title at the top “Edition” to connect directly to the web blog. This may provide a better copy to read.
Culture & News
Daughters of the Dust
The Sea Islands of the South (off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia) are home to the ancestral survivors of enslaved Africans who established a Gullah-Geechee cultural community. The film, Daughters of the Dust (1991), introduces the audience to this unique community through the Peazant family. The year is 1902 (over thirty-five years since the American Civil War) and two cousins Viola and Mary return to visit their hometown on the Sea Islands. They are accompanied by a photographer interested in their culture. The matriarch of the family is Nana, the wise great-grandmother with memories of the past. She warns her grandson Eli: “When you leave this island Eli Peazant, you ain’t going to no land of milk and honey.” The family experiences some distress due to those who want to leave for the mainland and those who wish to remain on the island.
This film has beautiful cinematography that includes beaches, swamps, cuisine, and scenes of everyday life in the community. The dialect of the Gullah-Geechee culture is at times supported by subtitles. There are a few contrasts between three belief systems: Islam, Christianity, and African spiritual practices (specifically Hoodoo associated with ancestor veneration, roots, and herbs). The past, present, and future are all at work in this tender and emotional cinema.
🎉Watch the film here:https://www.amazon.com/Daughters-Dust-Cheryl-Lynn-Bruce/dp/B084DKNGF6
The New York Times: Julie Dash Made A Movie. Then Hollywood Shut Her Out (2016)
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/movies/julie-dash-daughters-of-the-dust.html
Art/Film/Literature News
Queen Sono
Ms. Queen Sono is a South African covert intelligence agent. She poses as an art dealer or journalist for various counter-terrorism missions. Her loving and astute grandmother provides support and questions her “true” profession. I think the grandmother knows more than what she lets on. Queen is haunted by memories of the death of her political activist mother. This Netflix series has an entertaining storyline and great action sequences. Long live the Queen!
The Family Dinner Project
The Covid-19 pandemic and the required social distancing has altered our daily activities and interactions. The Family Dinner Project is a non-profit organization that has several free resources to cope with the pandemic effects on meal time. Especially, during the holiday season. See the web-link below for: Pandemic 2020 Virtual Dinner Party Guide.
The Family Dinner Project
Family Dinner Project Pandemic 2020: Virtual Dinner Party Guide
Book Review
Addy’s Surprise: A Christmas Story
The Christmas season has arrived in Philadelphia (1864). Addy and her mother are celebrating for the first time as freedmen. They have modest means but an abundance of love for each other and their absent family members. Addy learns the true meaning of Christmas in the book: Addy’s Surprise: A Christmas Story (1993, 65 pages, The American Girls Collection) by Connie Porter. Addy wants to purchase her mother a special holiday gift with her growing savings. She’s also inspired by Rev. Drake at the Trinity A.M.E. Church: “Many church members were there to help serve food to the freedmen. Addy remembered how happy she and Momma had been in this same place, eating their first warm meal in freedom on their first day in Philadelphia”(p. 32). Addy comes to a dilemma between a gift for her mother and the plight of the freedmen. How will the spirit of Christmas manifest in this situation? Read this charming story to find out!
Video(5)
Scene Between Nana & Eli on YouTube
“This is the Stable by Cynthia Cotten Christmas Children’s Book Read Aloud”
Discover more from Sankofa Newsletter
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Sankofa Newsletter 