Edward Kamau Brathwaite (May 11, 1930 — February 4, 2020): Inspires Still –Carlyle G. Leach

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Reading Time 2 mins

• 

…is all too sudden. Sonny. im want to ress a while from all dis pain an distrulation
cause when im reach down-dey. im nevva soon-come-back again…

The weary salmon swims upstream to spawn future generations, fertilizes, and ultimately becomes part of the fabric of all that is exists thereafter in that ecosystem. Such is the life of a true creative revolutionary. Engaging in the lifelong struggle to find and then to fill a space with ideas heretofore non-existent, the creator withstands the slings and arrows of both the entrenched old guard and of the trying-to-join-the-club new jacks. Brathwaite heard a new beat, reinterpreted it, and made it accessible to all—from Barbados to Ghana to Jamaica to NYC. 

His vision of the African diaspora, and especially Caribbean culture as “seen” through his poems, broke the chains that the “King’s English” imposed on colonized and post-colonized peoples, legitimized their inner visions, and ultimately spawned generations of artists finding and sharing their voices.

We admire Brathwaite at the sui generis level because he allows us to value our perspectives and interpretations of the world. Each has his/her “nation language” since nation can be defined as, “an aggregation of persons of the same ethnic family, often speaking the same language” (Dictionary.com). We all matter. When we matter, we self-reflect and, as we comment on our existence, we struggle to alter our future, are transformed into revolutionaries—and, therefore, become enemies of the status quo.

Brathwaite’s influence has been gestating for decades and though his body is being laid to rest, the fruits of his ideas are more vital and relevant to the extant geopolitical landscape than ever before.

Our task is to read Kamau Brathwaite over and over again. Learn his language. Internalize his message. Find OUR voice and honor him by freeing our minds to know and love our authentic selves and our “nation language”.

…we have waited so long for this signal

this howl of your silence

this heat of herero this hero

and i beheld the great beast strangled

howling in its chains

led by the fetlocks

and the opulence useless

and the long guns shattered and silent

and we rise…

Carlyle Gerard Leach has spent time in business, education, and the non- profit sector. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons. 

////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/////////

“Beat 80 Drums for Kamau” – Caldwell Taylor’s Homage to Brathwaite at 80