Friday, September 17, 2004

Mumia Abu Jamal reviews "The Black Holocaust For Beginners"

Mumia Abu Jamal is a Black Political Prisoner on Pennsylvania's DeathRow since 1982. Inspite of being under the harsh deathrow conditions, Brotha Mumia is able to get out four books and weekly commentaries both in writing and audio for radio (go to: for info on when his commentaries get aired).

The Black Holocaust for Beginners
, by Sam E. Anderson: Unlike Addicted to War, Anderson's The Black Holocaust is not a comic book. It is heavily, and expertly illustrated, yet what drives the book is the text, as raw as new wounds on the skin of the psyche. It is a brilliant telling of, not just the trans-Atlantic slave trade, but the equally monstrous Arab slave trade along the eastern shores of Africa, which lasted some 600 years longer, and lasts up until our age. It is written in matter-of-fact style, straight forward; a chilling portrayal of foreign rapes and exploitation of Africa. It shows that the trade in human bondage was a global process, which involved and impacted millions of people. It uses both classical texts (like Cheikh Anta Diop's Civilization or Barbarism ) and numerous records from the period to give the speech, and flavor of the times to illustrate how economic, political, and social forces converged to justify slavery, and exploit the labor of millions. It's not 'fun' (it's not supposed to be), but it is informative. It really is the roots of America and much of the West.

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