This Week on Conversations of Africa
Here is the link listen live and/or call in Wednesday
8 PM to 9 PM Pacific Standard Time
or listen to this week's Segment of
Conversations of Africa
at this link anytime including right now--1 hour:
http://www.conversations-of-africa.yomn.net/
Call in at this number
Area Code--347-215-7831
My trip to Los Angeles May 30th & 31st 2008
Part 1
And I am going to L A this weekend for the 4th Annual Los Angeles Black Book Expo
My trip began when I arrived at the terminal at Oakland Airport and dropped off by one of my brothers!
As I walked speedily to my boarding gate, the melodic walk of a sister hypnotized me. So after I got out of the Trans, I caught up with the sister, greeted her and she went her way and I mine. I arrived at my gate! Even though I got into a Trans, I meant no disrespect but temporarily I recovered and dealt with a sister’s mind and we exchanged smiles as well as greetings. Then I started thinking about a sister’s hips!
As I flew down I read the first 35 pages of the Bandana Republic edited by Louis Reyes Rivera! This book is soon to be released and celebrated in New York City: June 6, 2008. Jim Brown writes a wide-ranging introduction that informs the readers that each reader may get differing messages from reading this dialog between these New York City and other inner city current and former gang members!
The
Spirit
of
Africa
I am reading this book to understand my people even better! I always want to understand why we do what we do
so I can help us figure out how we can make our lives better!
As soon as I got there in Los Angeles, and checked into my hotel, I dressed up and headed for Hollywood by taxi from my hotel near LAX!
Going from the Airport you see Black faces and Brown faces but as you move to the north to Hollywood, you see more white faces. When you leave JFK Airport, you drive up north towards Harlem, you first see white and up in Harlem Black then brown.
Once in Hollywood, I arrived to the Hotel with an African Suit to the African Day Celebration named the 16Th Annual African Achievement Awards produced by the L. A. African Times Newspapers and supported by The African Diaspora Foundation! I met up with ADF President Easy well–Agrippa Ezozo! What a contrast Easy in a Shark Skin Suit and I dressed African from head to toe!
As soon as I got there and checked into my hotel, I dressed up and headed for Hollywood by taxi from my hotel near LAX.
Going from the Airport north to Hollywood you see Black then Brown and when you get into Hollywood you see more white. When you leave JFK Airport, you drive up North towards Harlem you first see white and ending up in Harlem Black then brown.
The African Achievement Awards are produced by the African Times Newspaper and supported by the L. A. Based African Diaspora Foundation! Once I was checked in by 1 of 12 African sisters, I sought out and found ADF President Agrippa Ezozo and found him – we shook hands the way real the way you do when you have not see a good friend for along time! I had an African Outfit and Easy as we call him in a sharp sharkskin type suit.
After some conversation and greeting he was off to do things. I found my table and saw many Africans and African-American brothers and sisters. A family greeted and shared my table with several other Africans and a white woman across the way! And there was a woman from Ibo land in Nigeria who sat at my table and her name is
Esther Umeadi from Carson, California
Here is the Program:
there
Mr. C. Charles Aniyam, Publisher of the Los Angeles based African Times and several others presented the awards to the awardees! The awardees were after the awardees made remarks and Africa the African Union, Africa and African people all over the world were celebrated.
Memorable remarks were spoken by Award winner by our African sister Jean Ndhlovu, Consul General for the (Los Angeles)-South African Consulate and the representative of the President of Ethiopia also celebrated the President of his country, the AU which is currently based in Addis Abba Capital of Ethiopia and Africans—that includes us!
After dinner and great conversation at table #6, I stood up and took pictures of the event as a whole and several specific pictures of other attendees.
Then there was some dancing by many of the young sisters! I danced and took pictures of some fine African sisters including an African-American sister! Can you tell who is who? No!
These pictures of intelligent beautiful young sisters show the Beauty of our Sisters! This was a totally positive intelligent and beautiful event and program just like these intelligent beautiful sisters!
Many Beautiful Sisters at this Awards Dinner
This African-American Brother pictured below won the event raffle a ticket to any African country through an arrangement with The Ethiopian Airlines you see a picture of I got by making a JPEG out of the free T Shirt I found at my table! And here is the winner and what one must wonder is what country would this Gospel Singer choose to travel to of all 53 African countries! The winner is The Los Angeles based Agape International Choir’s Tim Mc Afee-Lewis and here is his picture so now he can celebrate his new CD Tim McAfee-Lewis “ Live” and his free trip to any African Country!
Congratulations Tim McAfee-Lewis—Everything is all right!
http://www.timmcafeelewis.com/main.html
Written by Larry Ukali Johnson-Redd
http://www.lovingblackwomen.com/
Hear Ukali Weekly every Wednesday live at 8 PM West Coast Time or anytime
You want recorded by clicking on this link:
http://www.conversations-of-africa.yomn.net/
Check out my super link including You Tube Video clips:
http://www.nathanielturner.com/larryuklaijohnsonreddtable.htm
Check out the
http://www.blacknla.com/news/prnews/0508BookExpo.asp
upcoming Los Angeles Black Book Expo from an LA platform!
http://www.blacknla.com/news/prnews/0508BookExpo.asp
My Trip To Los Angeles Part – 2
Los Angeles on a Black
Fire of Knowledge
Saturday, I met up with Itibari, I gave him a printed copy of the New Black Power: Why we African-Americans should love each other, Africa and African People all over the world one of 2 books I have completed lately. My other new book is “Long Distance Love”!
Itibari – working through the Amen Ra Theological Seminary Press Published 3 of my previous books! Including History To Destiny Through Afrocentric Poetry!
My other latest book is called Long Distance Love Affair and I know it will cross over all boundaries of general readership and publishing world.
Next, I took a Taxi to the Book Fair. I arrived by taxi to the Leimert Park Village Book Fair, it was just after noon. I looked for and found the intelligent and beautiful Cynthia Exum, Director of the Leimert Park Book Fair located in the heart of Los Angeles in the middle of Los Angeles with the theater groups clustered first– then around through the entrance and you walk in and you see the Fair Information Booths and the Giant Author’s Tent down the way.
However, the most striking characteristic’s at the entrance of Leimert Park you see the Park and imagine 40 to 50 brothers beating the drums and I heard those drums playing in perfect harmony. Playing drums together and doing other things together is better than beefing and blood letting and killing each other.
I saw him from a distance! He was an Ikpo—a masquerader! I saw him lean down and wondered how I could see an Ikpo in Leimert Park! I took several pictures even this one with the Ikpo. He was a brother from Brooklyn, living in Los Angeles. He told me he has done this for 7 tears you know walking on stilts! I had not seen an Ikpo since I left Nigeria except once or twice on BETJ on Saturdays! Every one in Africa please know we African-Americans have Ikpo in America
So after my second or third time, I finally made it up to the stage. I got up there on that stage for nearly 7 minutes and introduced my books and recited 3 of my favorite pieces “Black Women Dear, Relationships” and “The Beauty of a Sister”. You can hear me at Leimert Park by clicking on this link:
http://www.lovingblackwomen.com/
(The audio file is attached to this email)
I sold more copies of Journey To The Motherland From San Francisco to Benin City than Loving Black Women, but both were shown a lot of interest.
I can’t wait until my 2 new books Long Distance Love and The New Black Power: Why African Americans should love each other, Africa and African People around the World are published.
So there I sat and as I looked at brothers and sisters go by speaking to some and then comes this sister and I mean fine sister and I noticed a big microphone in her hand. I stood up and said sister come here and interview me! The sister followed by a cameraman did a half spin around toward me enough to glance in my direction and continued her footsteps toward another author! Her name is Bernadette but we remember her as Thelma in Good Times! The fine sister television personality is forgiven but maybe I will see her at the Los Angeles Black Book Expo, Saturday June 13 TH and 14 TH, 2008! I was star struck at seeing Thelma; from Good Time--Her real name is Bernadette!
And Thelma is an author and really fine and intelligent!
Finally, I was on the way out of Leimert Park Village to catch a ride downtown when I walked into Sika’s and bought a couple of African outfits and wore one outfit out of the store changing from my South African Mandela made in South Africa to West African Clothes South African changing into West African clothes. I was leaving Leimert Park Village headed for the 626 Art Gallery!
I ask this brother where I would get a taxi easiest by this time I was hearing the unified drums of Leimert Park! The brother happened to be from the African Spiritual Center of Rev Merikara. He then reintroduced me to The African Spiritual Center Senior Queen Mother! We exchanged greetings and I said to her please say hello to Rev. Merikara!
Then I heard the Leimert Park Village African drums being played in perfect harmony! We had spoken earlier with a lot of mutual respect! I remember saying make sure you say hello to Rev. Merikara! Then I said please tell me where I can get a taxi the fastest to head for the 626 Art Gallery! Itibari called but he was far away! I all of a sudden wanted to be at the 626 Gallery earlier! He said, I will drop you at the 626 Art Gallery.
All the way there we spoke about my book “History To Destiny Through Afrocentric Poetry”, New Orleans close to his heart, his youngsters and we discussed the challenges to being a Black Man in America.
We arrived at the 626 Art Gallery what a beautiful place in downtown Los Angeles. The walls are full of the best African and African-American Art, you could imagine! Plush seats, great, beautiful and intelligent sisters and intelligent Black brothers were all over the place. Some were rotating in and out of a party and a restaurant next door.
And after everyone on the program arrived at the right time the event jumped off with honors for LABBX Founder Emeritus Itibari M. Zulu as well as awards for Tony Rose and Adrienne Ingrum.
Adrienne Ingrum allowed me to share a few seconds!
Itibari is my primary publisher and a writer, author of Authentic Voices and many other books and the Pan African Journal!
(Pictured from Left to right Charles Chatmon, Adrienne, Ukali, Tony Rose and Itibari)
Charles Chatmon presented awards to Tony Rose and Adrienne Ingrum to honor the two of them for building the African-American Pavilion in the Book Expo of America from a dream to more than 90 writer/Authors Then with 5 or 6 cameras rolling then he said she said started when Charles gave the word. Charles is also the current Executive Director of the Los Angeles a Poet of great talent himself.
The Moderator, Nakisha Crawford and author of an upcoming book “Hurt So Good About African-American Male Female relationships” ask specific related and unrelated theme questions of Pearl Jr. and me.
Moderator of the He Said Black Relations Forum NaKisha
Moderator NaKisha, Ukali and Pearl Jr.
Ukali And Pearl Jr.
It was all very natural factual and relevant healthy dialogs from the Black man and woman dialog. You got to see it or even be in the audience when Pearl Jr.; “Author of Black Women Need Love Too” and yours truly, Larry Ukali Johnson-Redd continue our dialog and continue to answer audience questions at the Los Angeles Black Book Expo, Saturday, June 14, 2008 from 10:00am to 8:00pm. At the address listed below!
I did see Bernard a brother I know too well from San Francisco! I want to see you brothers and sisters who attend in the Los Angeles Black Book Expo Saturday
June 14th, 2008!
Written by Larry Ukali Johnson-Redd
http://www.lovingblackwomen.com/
Hear Ukali Weekly every Wednesday live at 8 PM West Coast Time or anytime
You want recorded by clicking on this link:
http://www.conversations-of-africa.yomn.net/
Check out my super link including You Tube Video clips:
http://www.nathanielturner.com/larryuklaijohnsonreddtable.htm
Terry Moore of Sacramento, California and Larry Ukali Johnson-Redd on their way to the 4 TH Annual Los Angeles Black Book Expo to bring strong Spoken Word Sat .June 13, and 14 TH, 2008 from 10 AM to 8 PM