Heckled and Jeered - ‘Old Mugs You A Murderah’ say the mp’s
Posted on August 27, 2008 - Filed Under ASID Newsbeat, BloodyDiamonds, Death4Dicktators, Duhhh.., More Mugs Mayhem, Murdarahhh, Poly-Trix, TEACH !!, Todays*Idiot | Leave a Comment
As Mr Mugabe arrived outside the parliament building in a vintage Rolls Royce, crowds of Zanu-PF supporters chanted: “He is our father. He is our leader.”
MDC heckle Mugabe in parliament
Mugabe is accused of using the security forces to stay in power
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MPs from Zimbabwe’s main opposition party heckled and jeered President Robert Mugabe, as he opened parliament five months after disputed polls.
“You killed people, we won’t forget that,” they shouted, while Mr Mugabe listed government achievements.
Correspondents say such scenes are unprecedented in Zimbabwe, which Mr Mugabe has governed since 1980.
At the start of his speech, Mr Mugabe said there was “every expectation” that a power-sharing deal would be agreed.
The opposition says parliament should not have been opened until the deadlocked talks were concluded.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) earlier said it would boycott Mr Mugabe’s speech, saying it does not recognise his legitimacy.
Following the March elections, Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF lost its majority in the House of Assembly for the first time since independence in 1980.
On Monday, MDC chairman Lovemore Moyo was elected to be speaker of parliament.
Zanu-PF’s Edna Madzongwe on Monday won the presidency of the upper house, the Senate, where Mr Mugabe’s party has a majority.
In his speech, Mr Mugabe said he regretted the “isolated cases of political violence” earlier this year and blamed all parties.
The MDC accuses Zanu-PF of organising a campaign of violence to ensure victory in the presidential run-off in June.
It says some 200 people were killed and 200,000 forced from their homes. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the presidential run-off, citing the violence.
MP arrested
The MDC MPs refused to stand when Mr Mugabe entered parliament, before booing him.
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 Mugabe is not mandated by anyone to address parliament. Nobody has the right to address parliament before talks are completed  MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa
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Mr Mugabe’s speech was occasionally drowned out as they sang that his party was “rotten”.
Correspondents say he looked annoyed and raced through the final lines of his speech.
The BBC’s Karen Allen says this was humiliating for Mr Mugabe, as the speech was broadcast live on national television.
Meanwhile, the AP news agency reports that an MDC MP was arrested at his home on Tuesday. One of his colleagues is in custody after being detained when he turned up at parliament to be sworn in on Monday.
A second MDC MP was briefly detained on Monday.
The MDC says this is part of a campaign of intimidation but the police say those accused are wanted in connection with murder, rape and political violence.
No senior Zanu-PF officials have been arrested over the violence.
‘New era’
Mr Mugabe arrived at the opening of parliament in the capital Harare to cheers from his supporters outside, the AFP news agency reports.
As he arrived outside the parliament building in a vintage Rolls Royce, many in the crowd chanted: “He is our father. He is our leader.”
The MDC MPs were overjoyed at Lovemore Moyo’s victory
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MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told Reuters news agency it was wrong for Mr Mugabe to address parliament before a power-sharing deal was reached.
“The dialogue has not been completed. It is arrogant and reckless for anybody to come and address parliament,” he said.
The talks, mediated by South Africa, have stalled over how powers should be divided between Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai, who would be named to fill the new post of prime minister.
Mr Tsvangirai has opposed the recall of parliament, saying it could jeopardise the talks.
But his protests were ignored.
The new speaker of parliament told the BBC’s Network Africa programme that he was excited by his election but also “humbled and honoured” by the show of support from his colleagues.
They broke into song and dance when he was announced the winner of the secret vote.
“I feel this is the beginning of the new era in parliament, the era probably when the executive has to find ways of negotiating with the legislature in order to put through programs,” he said.
Mr Moyo said he would remain neutral as a speaker but that his decision-making would be influenced by MDC policies.
Mr Moyo’s position means that he will be able to take charge of controversial debates if no power-sharing deal is reached.
Mr Mugabe’s speech, which was broadcast live on national television, was drowned out as he tried to outline his plans for the next parliamentary session.
Although Mr Mugabe talks of sharing power, shortly after the ceremony - which involved a fly-past - the MDC said three MPs had been arrested on trumped-up charges.
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By Brian Hungwe
Harare |
Loud jeers and howls accompanied President Robert Mugabe’s address to Zimbabwe’s newly convened parliament, leaving ruling party members fuming.
Such uncouth behaviour from the opposition, one Zanu-PF insider said, was uncalled for.
But after gaining control of parliament, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) clearly wanted to make its mark.
The opening of parliament had started with the usual pomp and ceremony.
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We are together in the struggle, no amount of beatings and killings will deter us MDC MPs’ chant
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Mr Mugabe drove to the house in an open Rolls Royce, accompanied by horse-mounted police.
Singing party supporters, bussed in to give the occasion colour, welcomed him as the car drew in.
The elite presidential guard stood to attention for their commander-in-chief.
The most-decorated military generals followed behind him as he inspected the guard, resplendent in their military gear, who promised to salute him till death.
Inside parliament, it was a different story.
Lacking Grace
As Mr Mugabe sauntered into the building, a green stately cloth across his shoulders, his Zanu-PF legislators to the left of the house stood up as a mark of respect for their head of state, their party leader. Military generals, then judges in their colonial red gowns and pink wigs, followed closely behind.
But what must have staggered Mr Mugabe was that the MDC MPs remained seated.
Robert Mugabe opened parliament amid ceremonial pomp
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The president walked assertively past them, but he must have known then that he was in deep trouble.
This had never happened before to the 84-year-old leader.
Perhaps it was an inkling that the usual deference might be lacking that his wife Grace was not in attendance.
Half way through his speech, in which he praised South African President Thabo Mbeki for facilitating dialogue with the MDC and attacked rampant inflation, murmurs of discontent began to surface.
These jeers grew louder, leaving Zanu-PF MPs stunned.
“You killed people, we know that,” a yell came from the MDC backbench.
‘You are murderers’
In a crowd of more 200 legislators, it was hard to pinpoint the culprit.
“Yes, you are murderers,” another echoed, in Shona.
Mr Mugabe then touched on the subject of sanctions.
“Surely sanctions cannot be good for any Zimbabwean and we have abundant evidence of their ravaging impact. We cannot condone such blatant spiteful injury,” he said.
But the MDC struck again.
MDC supporters were in combative form throughout the proceedings
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“Zanu-PF is rotting,” the legislators chanted for a good three minutes.
As Mr Mugabe raised the issue of the economic crisis, the opposition erupted into another song.
“We are together in the struggle, no amount of beatings and killings will deter us,” they sang.
At some point Mr Mugabe raised his head, face shaken, and then proceeded with his speech.
Some minutes later, however, he accidentally knocked down the microphone.
It was certainly not the Zimbabwean octogenarian’s usual performance.
He may have raised his fist as he walked out of parliament to diplomats and businessmen monitoring proceedings from the television sets outside parliament.
But his body language told a story of a leader who no longer quite has his grip on power.
In March elections, Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF lost its majority in the House of Assembly for the first time since independence in 1980.
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Murder was the case that they made.. Sudan Murders’ Refugees
Posted on August 27, 2008 - Filed Under ASID Newsbeat, Blood Oil, Crisis Time, Danger-Danger, Darfur Crisis Updates, Death4Dicktators, Feed the Hungry, Free Darfur, Genocide Exposed, Murdarahhh, SaveDarfurNow, Tired of the Politricks | Leave a Comment
Darfur’s rebels took up arms in 2003, in protest at discrimination
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Sudanese troops have opened fire inside a Darfur refugee camp, leaving 27 people dead, a rebel group has said.
Some 100 government trucks surrounded the Kalma camp, home to some 90,000 people who have fled their homes in Darfur, a rebel spokesman told the BBC.
An army spokesman has confirmed there was an exchange of fire after a patrol was sent to investigate reports of a weapons cache in the camp.
More than two million people have fled five years of conflict in Darfur.
The US has said it is concerned “by indiscriminate weapons-fire by Sudanese government forces” in Kalma.
“Attacks on vulnerable populations in Sudan are deplorable and violate international law,” Deputy State Department spokesman Robert Wood said in a statement.
Ahmed Abdel Shafie, who heads a faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army, told the BBC that the government wants to force people to leave the camp.
Another rebel leader puts the number of those killed higher. Abdel Wahed Mohamed al-Nur, said that 50 people had been killed.
“This really is a catastrophe. People are being killed while the world just watches,” he said.
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Reports from inside the camp put the toll lower. Adam Mohamed, a community leader in Kalma, near South Darfur’s capital Nyala, told the AFP news agency that eight people had been killed and 30 wounded.
The international aid agency MSF which works inside Kalma said at least 65 people had been injured.
It is appealing for a safe passage to evacuate the most seriously wounded.
A spokesman for the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur said they had sent patrols to check the reports and were very concerned about the situation.
The BBC’s Amber Henshaw in Sudan says Kalma has long been a centre of unrest, awash with weapons.
Sudan’s government has accused armed rebel supporters of taking refuge inside the camp while residents have accused government-backed militias of mounting a series of raids on the settlement.
The reports came on the day that the new joint UN-African Union mediator Djibril Bassole was due to arrive in Khartoum to take up his position.
Violence in Darfur began in 2003 when rebel groups complaining of discrimination against black Africans began attacking government targets.
The government mobilised what it called “self-defence militias” in response, but denies any links to the Janjaweed, accused of trying to “cleanse” black Africans from Darfur.
The UN estimates that more than 300,000 people have been killed and two million displaced during five years of fighting.
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Please Forgive me.. I only ate your childrens hearts,
Posted on August 27, 2008 - Filed Under ASID Newsbeat, Bafoonery, Bullets-4-Bullies, Genocide Exposed, Murdarahhh, Todays*Idiot, jesus take the wheel | Leave a Comment
Someone Save the World Quick and Shoot Him;
During the horrific Liberian conflict, Joshua Milton Blahyi was known as General Butt Naked. He deserves no more than he gave. Murder. now he’s found God.. Suuuurrreee,, Personally I didn’t know God Was Lost
Sweet Jesus - You Take The Wheel
~RE
Warlord’s quest for forgiveness
Life on the Edge - The Unforgiven
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By Steve Bradshaw
Executive Producer, Life on the Edge |
Wearing his candy-striped shirt and white tie, Pastor Joshua Milton Blahyi preaches forgiveness with the energy and charisma of a Southern Baptist preacher.
His congregation in the suburb of Monrovia, Liberia’s capital, are with him all the way - applauding, weeping, praying.
Among the worshippers are young men who most certainly need forgiveness - former warlords, and less celebrated ex-combatants who took part in Liberia’s long civil war.
But what is really remarkable is that none of them have quite the notoriety of the preacher himself.
“I have abused a lot of rights. I went fighting, killing a lot of people, destroyed a lot of people, people who were not even part of the problem,” says Pastor Blahyi.
War crimes
During the horrific Liberian conflict, Joshua Milton Blahyi was known as General Butt Naked.
I remember hearing about him in 1995 when I reported from Sierra Leone during its overlapping civil war.
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My question is: ‘Why does the Westerner think that if a man is a killer, then he’s going to remain a killer?’ Joshua Milton Blahyi
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By 2005, when democratic elections sealed the end of the war in Liberia, he was one of the best known of Liberia’s warlords - although he was by no means the only leader to transgress so many moral and legal norms.
Fighting naked, except maybe for boots and ammo belt - either as “spiritual” protection to deflect harm, or more knowingly as a form of psychological warfare - is not unknown in some African conflicts (witness some of the Mai-Mai in the Democratic Republic of Congo).
But Joshua Milton Blahyi also confesses to more horrific wartime rituals, from human sacrifice to cannibalism.
And some of the other ex-combatants in the chapel with him admit to rape and other war crimes.
It’s always possible some of these are misplaced boasts rather than confessions. But like anyone who reported these conflicts in the 1990s, I know myself how bloody and gruesome they could be.
What’s more, it is still possible - if perhaps unlikely - that individuals may be prosecuted for war crimes in Liberia.
So confessing is not without possible consequences, and the pastor may well need forgiveness.
Weighing the options
He was preparing for battle on a bridge in Monrovia, he says, when he was converted: “When I met Christ I saw an image of a man - this guy was bright, very bright [so] that I could not look at him twice.”
Liberia is peaceful now but prosperity is a long way off
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Prosecuting the pastor would presumably not help the 50 young men in his congregation who he says he is now trying to rehabilitate.
But aren’t some crimes so terrible they can never be forgiven?
This is a dilemma Joshua Milton Blahyi himself recognises.
The truth is that many in Liberia say all war crimes must be forgiven, and not just because of the country’s widely and passionately-held Christian beliefs.
Many also reckon it is the only way forward for the country. Once prosecutions of ex-combatants start, it is feared, the process could be endless, and could easily rekindle the fighting.
Joshua Milton Blahyi is one of dozens who have given evidence to Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
It is expected to report next year on the way forward, and Liberia’s democratically elected government is still weighing its options.
Former President Charles Taylor is currently on trial in The Hague for war crimes allegedly committed in Sierra Leone - whose conflict is the subject of an international Special Court.
Appeal for forgiveness
The general-turned-pastor has also spoken about leaving Liberia. Who can say what future awaits him?
He makes a plausible case why he should be forgiven. And, perhaps more surprisingly, he also explains eloquently why he should be punished.
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“If the punishment deserved, according to law - and for the future history of this country - is death, fine. If it is to be hanged, fine. If it’s life imprisonment, fine. Or if they can pardon me, fine also,” he says.
“The last time I gave the government and the nation two options; either collect every one of us, dig one big hole and cover us to die. Or they consider us, and work with us to give us some discipline, and use us as rebuilding tools.”
Liberia isn’t the only African country in which forgiveness is seen as a more Christian course - and a more pragmatic one - than retribution.
“In some instances that may be appropriate,” says Justice Minister Philip Banks, “but in others it indicates the wrong signals.”
“I am trying to do a lot of good to appeal for their forgiveness,” Joshua Milton Blahyi says of the war’s innocent survivors.
“My question is: ‘Why does the Westerner think that if a man is a killer, then he’s going to remain a killer - why is it so?’”
While considering the wisdom of this carefully judged remark, it is worth remembering the history of the man who made it.
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Incense is linked to cancer - somebody run tell Erykah please..
Posted on August 27, 2008 - Filed Under Dammmn.., Lawd-a-Mercy, On The ONE !!, TEACH !!, U-Need-2-Know | Leave a Comment
URL: Burning incense linked to respiratory cancers
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Burning incense may create a sweet scent, but regularly inhaling the smoke could put people at risk of cancers of the respiratory tract, researchers reported Monday.
In a study of more than 61,000 ethnic Chinese living in Singapore who were followed for up to 12 years, the investigators found a link between heavy incense use and various respiratory cancers.
The findings are published in the medical journal Cancer.
Incense has been used for millennia in many cultures’ religious and spiritual ceremonies. In Asia, people commonly burn incense in their homes — a practice that is becoming more popular in Western countries as well.
Incense is usually derived from fragrant plant materials, like tree bark, resins, roots, flowers and essential oils. Past research has found that burning these materials can produce potentially cancer-causing substances, including benzene and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.
However, no studies until now had linked the practice of burning incense to an increased cancer risk over time, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Jeppe T. Friborg of the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen.
For their study, the researchers followed 61,320 Singapore Chinese men and women between the ages of 45 and 74 from the Hokkien or Cantonese dialect group. All of the subjects were cancer-free at the outset.
Participants reported on their typical incense use, including how often they burned it in their homes and for how long — only at night, for instance, or all day and night.
Over the next 12 years, 325 men and women developed cancer of the upper respiratory tract, such as nasal, oral or throat cancer. Another 821 developed lung cancer.
The researchers found that incense use was associated with a statistically significant higher risk of cancers of the upper respiratory tract, with the exception of nasopharyngeal cancer. However, they observed no overall effect on lung cancer risk.
Those who used incense heavily also had higher rates of a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma, which refers to tumors that arise in the cells lining the internal and external surfaces of the body. The risk was seen in smokers and nonsmokers.
Study participants who used incense in their homes all day or throughout the day and night were 80 percent more likely than non-users to develop squamous cell carcinoma of the entire respiratory tract.
The link between incense use and increased cancer risk held when the researchers weighed other factors, including cigarette smoking, diet and drinking habits.
“This association is consistent with a large number of studies identifying carcinogens in incense smoke,” Friborg’s team writes, “and given the widespread and sometimes involuntary exposure to smoke from burning incense, these findings carry significant public health implications.”
They say further studies are needed to see whether different types of incense are associated with different degrees of cancer risk. In Singapore, the researchers note, most people burn long sticks or coils of incense that burn slowly over an extended period.
SOURCE: Cancer, October 1, 2008.
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Our Prayers go out to Dr. Dre on the loss of his son Dre Jr
Posted on August 27, 2008 - Filed Under ASID Newsbeat, Big Black Whys, R I P, Respect Is Due, Save Our Children, Star Files | Leave a Comment
Dr. Dre’s 20 year-old son found dead
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The 20-year-old son of Grammy award-winning rapper and producer Dr. Dre was found dead over the weekend at his home in Woodland Hills, California, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
Andre Young Jr. was out with friends Friday night and his mother later found him “unresponsive in bed” when she tried to wake him early Saturday morning, coroner’s spokesman Ed Winter told Reuters. She immediately called paramedics, who later pronounced Young dead at the scene.
“Dr. Dre is mourning the loss of his son Andre Young Jr. Please respect his family’s grief and privacy at this time,” said a statement released by his spokeswoman.
An autopsy was conducted and the cause of death is still pending toxicology and other tests, which may take six weeks or more, Winter said.
Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, rose to stardom in the 1980’s with rap group N.W.A’s controversial gangster rap album “Straight Outta Compton.” Dr. Dre later went on to produce and perform solo, winning a Grammy award in 1992 for “The Chronic” album’s single “Let Me Ride.”
He founded both Death Row Records and Aftermath Records and is recognized for bringing many rap phenoms into the mainstream, including Eminem, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent.
(Reporting by Jennifer Martinez; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
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It seems that the UK is back in the Neocolonialist State of Mind
Posted on August 27, 2008 - Filed Under ASID Newsbeat, Big White Lies, Blood Oil, Danger-Danger, Pirates, Tired of the Politricks | Leave a Comment
It seems that the UK is back into the Neocolonialist State of Mind..
Dig This Craziness,
~RE
BBCNews.com: UK makes Atlantic sea bed claim
UK makes Atlantic sea bed claim
The race for undersea oil and gas is driving sea bed claims
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Britain is to formally present its case to the UN in New York for extending its territorial rights around Ascension Island in the South Atlantic.
States have rights over their resources - including oil or gas reserves - up to 200 nautical miles from the shoreline.
But the UK wants to extend those rights around Ascension on the grounds that the island’s landmass actually reaches much further into the sea underwater.
Ascension Island is part of the British overseas territory of St Helena.
The UK will present its claim on Wednesday to the United Nations Commission for the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
Continental shelf
In recent years, battle for control of the world’s seabed has intensified because new technology has made any reserves of oil and gas there much more accessible.
Experts say that fewer than half of the world’s maritime boundaries have been agreed, and there is significant potential for conflict where more than one country submits claims to overlapping areas.
Investigating these claims involves costly, complex and time-consuming sub-sea surveys.
They must verify the ultimate extent of a territory’s landmass - or continental shelf - in order to determine 200 nautical miles from that limit.
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In 2006, Britain submitted a joint claim with France, Spain and the Irish Republic for the continental shelf in part of the Bay of Biscay.
Then, in May this year, the bid for Ascension Island was lodged.
There are no other states involved, so the success of the case is likely to rest on the degree to which Britain’s claim is valued scientifically.
Britain is also said to be considering making a similar claim around the Falkland Islands, where it is thought there could be significant reserves of oil and gas.
This would be deeply unpopular with Argentina, which claims ownership of the Falklands, and Argentine officials have told the BBC they are preparing their own counter-claim.
‘The Area’
Greenpeace is concerned that what it calls this new colonialism could result in drilling which would harm the fragile ecosystem of the ocean.
Countries are claiming rights to parts of the Antarctic, in case a 1991 UN treaty banned drilling there is ever overturned.
A Foreign Office spokesman has said that no formal submission has been made regarding the British Antarctic Territory, “although we reserve the right to do so”.
Britain is also in discussions with Iceland, Ireland and Denmark - on behalf of the Faroe Islands - about a joint claim in the Hattan-Rockall area of the North East Atlantic, off the west coast of Scotland.
Sea beds beyond the continental shelf are referred to as “The Area” and any world state - landlocked or not - has equal rights.
Last year, Russia planted a flag on the seabed of the North Pole, sparking concerns among other countries, including Canada, that a large-scale land grab was imminent.
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‘DETROIT ROCKS THE VOTE’ Hits the Fillmore Theatre on Sept. 17
Posted on August 27, 2008 - Filed Under ASID Newsbeat, Help Today Please, On The ONE !!, Star Files, Tired of the Politricks, election 2008 | Leave a Comment
URL: ‘DETROIT ROCKS THE VOTE’ Hits the Fillmore Theatre on Sept. 17!
DETROIT, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Your voice counts, at “Detroit Rocks the Vote,” hitting the Fillmore Detroit on Wednesday, Sept. 17, that message will be heard loud and clear as keynote speaker Chuck D — plus 12 local music artists ranging from hip-hop to garage rock — rev up young voters for one of the most-anticipated presidential elections of our time.
“Detroit Rocks the Vote,” an officially sanctioned Rock the Vote event, includes a presentation by featured speaker Chuck D from Public Enemy, a politically charged rap group, who will speak about the importance of having your voice heard during the upcoming presidential election, no matter your party preference.
The showcased entertainers represent genres including pop, rap, hip hop, rock-a-billy, garage rock, techno, R&B, and even a slam poet — there’s something for everyone. The highlighted musicians and entertainers include Anthony David, The Volebeats, jessica Care moore, The Go, Nadir, Deastro and The Muggs. Black Milk will perform with eLZhi, Phat Kat and Guilty Simpson to end the night. Music is non-partisan and these artists are coming together to celebrate democracy.
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Big Up - Detroit Slam’s Strong - representing on the National Scene
Posted on August 27, 2008 - Filed Under ASID Newsbeat, AWARDS, Affiliates, Artikal, BadGalsNewsmaker, On The ONE !!, PRAISES, Respect Is Due, TEACH !! | Leave a Comment
BadGalsRadio would like to send our special congrats to the slampoets. we watched you struggle with all kinds of adversity and turn it into a Haiku. Show em who’s Word Strong - cau you done know BadGals Shout Ya To Di World.
“Word Sound Have Power”.. Sista Jean Breeze 1983′
Detroit poets represent at National Poetry Slam Competition
Echoverse Slam team L to R: Omari King Wise, Justice Umbiya, T. Miller, Marsha Carter, Londell “History” Thomas<
By Jazmine Steele
Special to The Michigan Citizen
The clock is ticking. In three minutes and 10 seconds could you pay homage to viciously slain Guatemalan women, articulate the woes of war or explain your complex marriage to God.
For members of Detroit’s official slam teams, Echoverse and Bytethis, it’s no biggie. They do it all the time. Recently the groups traveled to Madison, Wisconsin for a week-long National Poetry Slam Competition. This is the first year Detroit entered the competition two groups strong.
“Detroit is well respected by many and even feared by some because we don’t sound alike,” Omari King Wise, Grand Slam Champion of the Echoverse team, said. “Detroit is known for being individualistic and original.”
Slam is the competitive art form of performance poetry. It has a specific set of rules to follow and is judged on a point-value system. It was born in Chicago during the late 80s and is characterized as being driven by passion and energy.
“It’s not only what you say, it’s how you say it,” Cassie Poe, Bytethis Slam Master/Coach, said.
As it turns out, neither team brought home the official slam title this year. They each fought a good fight, but a team from Charlotte, NC took home the official title. All the fundraising and practicing made not winning a little disappointing but both groups agreed the slam experience is more than a competition. It’s a family network.
“Going to nationals is a lot of fun,” Poe said. “It’s like going to a big reunion — winning is just the cherry on the cake!”
Poe, 35, has been a part of Detroit’s poetry community since 1999. Since then, she has been involved in slam competitions serving as a team member or coach.
Aside from the main slam tournament, days at the competition are filled with writing workshops and smaller poetry sessions where artists can share their work. The night life includes a lot of partying and catching up with old friends.
“It’s networking and listening to the greatest poetry on the planet,” Wise said. “You can’t go anywhere and hear the poetry you hear at nationals!”
Wise’s team, Echoverse, includes Marsha Carter, T. Miller and Justice Umbiya. They usually host open-mic/slam competitions at Tech Town’s Java Exchange coffee house on Friday nights. Not bringing home the title was a little “rough” but in the end it’s all about the message, Wise said.
“Most poets are messengers,” he said. “You have to know you’re taking a message to another audience that may not have heard it before. You can’t take it too personally or seriously.”
Poe agrees.
“One team disqualified themselves on purpose by using a prop,” she said. “Props are not allowed in slam, but it’s all in fun.”
In 2002, Detroit took home the National Slam Champion title. Bytethis team member, Blair, was a part of that winning team. It was his first time competing on a national level but he said that experience helped propel his career as a professional performer and musician.
“As soon as I stepped off the stage I had offers from L.A. and New York, asking when I can do a booking,” he said.
Winning the National Slam Competition provides an all-expenses-paid trip to the International Slam competition as well as a cash prize. Those rewards are noteworthy but simply do not compare to having bragging rights or the notoriety associated with being a national slam poetry champ.
“It’s a competition but it’s not more than the relationships we foster,” Aricka “Epiphany” Foreman said.
She too, is a member of the Detroit poetry community and traveled with the group to Wisconsin to show support and reconnect with old friends. She said being a part of the community is exciting, loving and stimulating as an artist.
“Detroit [poets] is so multi-faceted,” she said. “We have everything from hip-hop to academic to folklore. We have fantastic writers and it shows in our work.”
No sore losers here! Echoverse and Bytethis represented Detroit in its true swagger — with mad love. It’s only natural. Love is the undeniable quality they share for their craft, each other and the city.
You can check out team Echoverse by visting www.noiramerica.com or attending their open-mic sessions on Friday nights at Java Exchange coffee shop.
You can catch the Bytethis team - Versiz, Blair, Dee and Phenom- at Beans and Bytes Café on Tuesday nights. For more information on Bytethis contact Cassie Poe at 313.680.POET (7638). You can also check out their Facebook page “Detroit’s ByteThis Poetry Series.”
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