Greetings Family, i apologize for being absent yesterday but the preparations for the Kebuka! event, as well as the gathering itself, took its toll and a day’s rest was called for. if not, you would have immediately felt my absolute pleasure over what transpired saturday evening. everything went beautifully. the list is long and i really don’t know where to begin but i do know that i will not remember everything, so you’ll have to forgive me for anything i overlook. everything from the Brothers standing so that the Sisters and Elders could sit down to the layers of security both inside and outside the facility to the collective setup and take down of the space to the Warriors and Warriors-in-Training who came from Tubman City (baltimore), d.c., florida, augusta, california, the carolinas and other places to the food to the children’s dramatization added to the honor given Our Ancestors. i would offer two apologies. first, for their not being enough seating, though there were ample chairs, because there were many more children than expected and they needed more than a quarter of the space where chairs could have been placed for their demonstration. and, of course, this is not to complain about the number of children. Our Ancestors have continued to fulfill our request for there to be more and more every year until there are enough to represent the average number of captured Afrikans on a slaver (slave ship). 47 children participated this year and we are exceedingly proud because this is significantly more than last year (and, hopefully, only half of the number who will be present next year) and because they did so well (those who were only able to practice twenty minutes as well as those who had been at it for two weeks). second, the disappointment that we feel over the attempt to stream this program not working out is beyond words. I really, really, really wanted to have the wider community involved in this and, at this moment, I am beyond words (disappointment is a gross understatement). know that this WILL NOT happen again. we have already decided how to stream next year’s event and a committee has been formed to make sure that it will be done. now, to give thanks for those whose assistance was immeasurable in bringing this gathered in honor of Our Ancestors who fought and died for us during that part of our Maafa (Great Destruction) into existence. though there are far too many people to name, i offer a humble Meda ase piii all the Akoben mamas involved in the calls and planning in preparation, the Akoben families involved in providing the equipment and food for the event, the equipment and setup for the music and powerpoint presentation, the drummers, who kept the rhythm of the Universe flowing for the duration of the event, the Brothers who provided security inside and outside and throughout the event, the poetry, the Brothers who assisted me in building the stage, the vendors who gave of their time and hearts to support this event and those who supported them, all of the parents and teachers responsible for bringing their children to the rehearsals and event, the quiz testing and prizes awarded for their knowledge of the lecture, the Elders present, the courageous Sisters who created, cleaned and beautified the building/business space within which the event was held. words cannot express my gratitude for the hugs and handshakes given, tears shed, words of appreciation and promises to DO more to make it impossible for this to ever happen again. i firmly believe that the Ancestors feel the same way. Abibifahodie. p.s., we are working on two possible ways of getting this event on youtube. one would require assistance from the audience. so, we aer asking those who took photos at the event to send copies to me as attachments to messages here or to emails addressed to mwalimubaruti@yahoo.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 15:20:24 +0000
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