Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents an excerpt of an online article entitled "Martin Luther King, Jr. & The Freemasons" written by Christopher L. Hodapp and published in his blog "freemasonsfordummies".

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Christopher L. Hodapp and thanks to all others who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on Prince Hall Masons and Prince Hall Affiliated Shriners. Click the Prince Hall Masons or the Prince Hall Shriners tag for more posts in this series. Additional posts on the significant influence of Prince Hall Masons and Prince Hall Affiliated Shriners on African American culture will be periodically published on pancocojams.

****
ARTICLE EXCERPT: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR & THE FREEMASONS
From http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2018/01/martin-luther-king-jr-and-freemasons.html
Wednesday, January 10, 2018; Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Freemasons by Christopher L. Hodapp
"A bill was just signed into law by President Trump aboard Air Force One while he was visiting Atlanta, Georgia on Monday. A week before the national holiday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Donald Trump signed into law the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act of 2017. Alveda King, the niece of the slain civil rights leader, joined the President for the mostly private signing ceremony. It didn't get much press notice, didn't make the nightly news, and at first glance, it might be hard to see the connection to Freemasonry.

Yet, it's actually central to this new Act.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. John Lewis, (D-GA). What this new law signed by President Trump does is to establish the area around Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthplace in Atlanta to officially become a national historical park, making it the first such park in Georgia. (It's currently just designated as a national historic site, and this changes its status and importance within the National Park Service system.) The site is established "to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit, inspiration, and education of present and future generations, the places where Martin Luther King, Jr. was born, where he lived, worked, and worshiped, and where he is buried, while ensuring connections are made to his life and legacy." It already includes King's birthplace, the church where he was baptized, and his burial place. But the legislation also slightly enlarges the existing designated area in order to also specifically include Atlanta's Auburn Avenue Prince Hall Masonic Temple.

After the end of our Civil War in 1865, Freemasonry among African Americans began to spread from the Northern states into the South, where it had previously been a damned dangerous thing to openly attempt. The twists and turns of segregated Freemasonry in America are complex, and the story does not lend itself to simple explanations. Freemasonry was far from the only lofty-sounding organization that talked about equality while strictly enforcing a color barrier. Countless other fraternal groups had their own parallel black and white counterparts that operated without any acknowledgement between each other. When slavery was abolished, the practices of "separate but equal' institutions sprouted and flourished, and by 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson carved them into stone for another half century.

After the war, three black lodges were soon organized in Georgia in 1866, forming into an F&AM grand lodge by 1870. Because the National Compact era was going through its own internal and external pangs and schisms, a second AF&AM grand lodge was formed in 1874, with both finally merging in 1888. Both groups could trace their origins back to Prince Hall's English chartered African Lodge No. 459 in Boston. Today, that merged body is the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia, F&AM.

In 1871, Atlanta's first lodge of African Americans was chartered, St. James Lodge No. 4 (F&AM), with Frances J. Peck as its Worshipful Master. Peck was also the pastor of Atlanta's Big Bethal* [sic] African Methodist Episcopal Church at the time, the oldest predominately African American congregation in metropolitan Atlanta. The church became a center of the black community there, as well as a gathering place for social action. The strong connection between Big Bethal [sic] and St. James Lodge also made Freemasonry among Atlanta's black population a vital part of that community, binding faith and fraternalism, and creating a strong atmosphere for leadership at every level within the then still deeply segregated society.

Starting in 1937, the Prince Hall Masonic Temple and the attached Tabor Building at 332-34 Auburn Avenue were built. The main Renaissance Revival-style building was designed by architects Charles Hopson and Ross Howard at the behest of then Grand Master, John Wesley Dobbs. Atlanta at that time was home to about 90,000 African Americans, and Dobbs was instrumental as a local political leader and organizer. He had been elected as the 10th Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia in 1932. Dobbs would serve as Grand Master in Georgia for 29 years, 1932-1961, and was widely known in Atlanta simply as "The Grand" and the unofficial "Mayor of Auburn Avenue."

At the time, Auburn Avenue was a prosperous commercial district in Atlanta. If you have any question just how popular fraternalism was in the black community in the 20th century, consider that by 1945, along with the Masons and the Odd Fellows (who had their own enormous theater and auditorium building), there were twenty-five other fraternal groups also located on Auburn Avenue.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was not a Mason during his lifetime, but both his father and his grandfather were Prince Hall Masons. Interviews from 1968 indicate that Grand Master X. L. Neal of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia had arranged for Dr. King to become a Freemason upon his return to Atlanta that year. King's assassination in Memphis on April 4th of 1968 had abruptly prevented that event from happening.

[...]

Starting in 2000, a rumor snowballed into a controversy, widely claiming that sometime between 1999 and 2000, then Grand Master Benjamin Barksdale of the MWPHGL of Georgia made Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a Mason "at sight" posthumously. As word spread of it, the Masonic world went berserk. Shrieks over the violation of "Landmarks" went out around the internet and in Masonic magazines, and there was a great gnashing of teeth

[...]

At the time this allegedly happened, it was one of those explosive topics guaranteed to start a good old fashioned flame war in the early days of online Masonic discussion groups. Masons all over the world went collectively hysterical, and railed that no grand master could constitutionally confer the degrees of Masonry on a dead man. Conflicting definitions of making Masons "at sight" got trotted out and endlessly flogged over jurisdictional differences, along with the usual sagely chin wagging and general air bending. Most wound up dejectedly admitting that grand masters will do whatever they intend to do, like it or not, and if their own members of their grand lodge don't fix problems left in their wake, all the carping in the world isn't going to change anything. Nevertheless, there remain today a few lists of "Famous Freemasons" floating around that include King as a Mason without explanation.

And yet, no one who was actually there that day finally stepped forward to definitively say whether or not the action really even took place.

Finally in 2012, in Vol. 39, No. 1 of the Phylaxis Magazine (p. 16), Brother Burrell D. Parmer of the PHGL of Texas researched this contentious and thorny event, and actually decided to go straight to the source. Brother Parmer actually asked PGM Barksdale what happened.

The event in question occurred at King's alma mater, Morehouse College. On April 1st, 2000, 'Millennium Sunday,' Dr. Lawrence Carter officially founded the 'Gandhi King Ikeda Hassan Institute for Ethics and Reconciliation.' That Sunday was the 40th anniversary of the Atlanta Civil Rights Movement and the inaugural celebration of the 'Season of Nonviolence' in 1960. Among the dignitaries assembled there that day were then Grand Master Barksdale, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, and Martin Luther King III, along with members of the Gandhi family.

Prince Hall Masons had a longstanding connection to the site at Morehouse College, and they had dedicated the cornerstone in 1992 for the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel on the Morehouse campus where the event in 2000 took place. The gathering on Millennium Sunday was for the unveiling of a large bronze plaque that contains the entire text of King's famous “I Have a Dream Speech.” An estimated 1,000 people attended that day, including 200 PHA Masons dressed n full regalia. It was when GM Barksdale stepped to the podium and spoke that the confusion came about.

... According to PM Evans there was neither a proclamation nor similar communications that would have informed the Craft that such an honor of membership for Dr. King would be bestowed.

“I’ll be the first to echo PGM Barksdale’s statement that he did not make Dr. King a Mason. He couldn’t if he tried; it’s unmasonic,” said PM Evans. “I will offer that the language used at that ceremony may have been misleading.”

“During my historical tours in Atlanta, I offer that Dr. King is NOT a Mason, but an Alpha (a Greek college fraternity). If he had lived longer we believe that he would have joined since his father (Daddy King) and grandfather were all preachers and Prince Hall Masons,” said PM Evans. “We think Dr. King would have joined W. C. Thomas Lodge No. 112 since it is thought that this is where Daddy King was Raised, and due to GM Neal belonging to the same Lodge and knowing Dr. King from Morehouse College.”

In any case, the real reason for the expansion of the historical site in this new legislation Trump signed is because Atlanta's Prince Hall Temple was where the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) established its initial headquarters on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta in 1957. That historic civil rights organization was co-founded by Dr. King, who also served as its first president until his murder in 1968. The SCLC became one of the most prominent non-violent groups in the country, and was instrumental in the growing efforts to finally end racial segregation in the U.S., starting in the late 1950s.

The cooperation between Prince Hall Masons, their temples. and civil rights groups was not at all unusual. These landmark buildings frequently were also home to offices of black professionals like lawyers, doctors, dentists, and accountants, along with other businesses and organizations vital to their segregated communities. Birmingham, Alabama's historic Colored Masonic Temple, for example, was built by the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Alabama between 1922-24. That temple became the headquarters of the NAACP in Alabama and housed the legal teams during the time of the Freedom Riders in the 1960s. It was declared by the National Parks Service in 2016 as part of the History Birmingham Civil Rights District, a wide area of that city that encompasses many significant buildings in the same general area.

[...]

I would be remiss if I didn't add as a footnote to this post that the Grand Lodge of Georgia F&AM at their annual meeting in October 2017 tabled without action yet another attempt at recognition of the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia, in spite of now PGM Gary Leazer's efforts and the encouragement of several others. I've lost track at this point of how many times the Prince Hall Masons have been turned down or ignored in Georgia. Alabama, on the other hand, passed joint recognition with their Prince Hall counterparts on November 14, 2017. Counting Georgia, there remain eight U.S. states that continue to deny Prince Hall recognition.

[...]

There is one last bit of confusion over Martin Luther King and Freemasonry. His final speech before his assassination on April 4th of 1968, his stirring "I've Been To The Mountaintop" address, was given in Memphis, Tennessee at the Church of God in Christ headquarters. That landmark building is known as "Mason Temple," but it was not then, and never has been, a Masonic temple. It was purpose built as a church and enormous auditorium complex in 1945, and is actually named for Bishop C. H. Mason of Memphis, the church's founder."
-snip-
*The correct spelling for this church’s name is Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Information about Big Bethel AME Church is given in the Addendum found below.

Here's information about this author from that web page
"Christopher L. Hodapp is the author of Freemasons For Dummies, the worldwide, best-selling introduction to the Masonic fraternity; Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C. ; and Deciphering the Lost Symbol. His most recent book, Heritage Endures, was published in January 2018."

Since 2009 he has been on the Board of the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana, and serves as its Associate Director. In 2018 he was awarded the Caleb B. Smith Medal of Honor by the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana for his "distinguished service to Freemasonry in Indiana and worldwide."

****
ADDENDUM: BIG BETHEL AME CHURCH
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bethel_AME_Church
"The Big Bethel AME Church is the oldest African-American congregation in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, and according to AME historical documents, it is the mother church of AME in North Georgia. It is located at 220 Auburn Avenue NE in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. It is the "first" church on the North Atlanta District, in the Atlanta-North Georgia Annual Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.[1]

Big Bethel was founded in 1847 as Union Church in the town of Marthasville, Georgia. Marthasville became Terminus, and finally Atlanta, and Union Church became Bethel Church, then Bethel Tabernacle.[citation needed] At the close of the Civil War, the AME Church spread rapidly throughout the former Confederacy, and the Bethel Tabernacle allied herself with the denomination, becoming Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Her first pastor was Rev. Joseph Woods.[1]

In 1879, the first public school for blacks in Atlanta, Gate City Colored School, was founded in the basement of the church, though it would later move to Houston Street.[citation needed] Morris Brown College held its first classes here in 1881 before moving to its first campus. Big Bethel was known as "Sweet Auburn's City Hall." In 1911, President William Howard Taft spoke here, as did Nelson Mandela in 1990.[1]"

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post is part of an ongoing focus in this blog on the cultural influence of Prince Hall Masons on Black culture.*

This post presents excerpts of a 2005 hbcusports.com [historically Black college sports] forum discussion about Prince Hall Masonry & historically Black Greek letter fraternities & sororities.

Explanations of some terms found in these comments are given in the Addendum below. Additions and corrections are welcome.

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
*Click the Prince Hall Mason tag found below for additional posts in this series.

****
EXCERPTS FROM A 2005 FORUM DISCUSSION: PRINCE HALL MASONRY AND HISTORICALLY BLACK GREEK LETTER FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES
[Pancocojams Editor's Note:
The title of this 2005 hbcusports.com forum discussion is "how the great 8 comes from prince hall masonry". "The great 8" was an un-offical referent for four historically Black Greek letter fraternities and four historically Black Greek letter sororities that are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (nphc). When Iota Phi Theta Fraternity was admitted to the National Pan-Hellenic Council in 1997 the referent for those fraternities and sororities was changed to the "Divine Nine". Click https://www.nphchq.org/quantum/our-history/ information about the nphc. A list of nphc members, excluding Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, is found in the comment given as #1 below.

With regard to references to the Order Of The Eastern Star (OES), found below, here's information from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Hall_Order_of_the_Eastern_Star
"The Prince Hall Order of the Eastern Star is the Prince Hall affiliated organization. It functions a predominantly African-American equivalent of the mainstream Order of the Eastern Star.[1]....Historically, these women were the wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and granddaughters of Prince Hall Masons. In 1980 there were 175,000 members

The selected comments from that forum are given as is, with the exception of "new member" or other citations that are found below the commenter's screen name and information about quotes within those comments. The numbers in parenthesis are added to these selected comments for referencing purposes only.

From https://www.hbcusports.com/forums/threads/how-the-great-8-comes-from-princehall-masonry-oes.35727/
How "the Great 8" comes from PrinceHall Masonry/OES
Thread starter Dawgpound97-01 Start date Feb 20, 2005
[1] Dawgpound97-01
Feb 20, 2005
#1
"I had no idea that Prince Hall masonry is considered the "Father of all" Greeks of:
Alpha Phi Alpha
Kappa Alpha Psi
Omega Psi Phi
Phi Beta Sigma

And that the Order of the Eastern Stars (PHA) is considered the "Mother of all" Greeks of:

Alpha Kappa Alpha
Delta Sigma Theta
Zeta Phi Beta
Sigma Gamma Rho

95% of the founders of the Great 8 are Prince Hall Masons or Eastern stars.
I had NO CLUE,until I got raised in to masonry a year ago_One of the Past Master's of my lodge was telling me about it,and I started to do research on it a little bit (I didnt research on stuff I shouldn't know). I know quite a few people that's A Phi A and Omega Psi Phi that are masons (alot of them in my lodge),and I know a couple AKA's that's OES.........everything started to make sense once I noticed that people ARE members of a Great 8 frat/soror and a Mason/Star,especially when I transfered from a community college in Michigan to TnSU this past fall.Alot of people say that Alpha and Omega are the CLOSEST two frats to masonry,and AKA is the closest to Eastern Star (dont take MY word on it...just something I heard numerous of times). It's amazing....and you start to "look" at things different if you're a mason or eastern star but not a member of one of the Great 8(like myself)....you can see the character within it all.I see things all the time that the great 4 frats do that came from masonry,and it's CRAZY!"

**
[2] silentrage
Delta Girl
Feb 21, 2005
#2
Dawgpound97-01 said:
"[comment quote] Does anybody know of any books or websites that talk about the comparison of Masonry and the Great 8?
And how did you first "notice" the simmularities(sp.) about masonry/OES and the Great 8? [end of comment quote]
This book offeres an interesting history about the start of fraternal organizations: Black Greek 101 : the culture, customs, and challenges of Black fraternities and sororities by Walter M. Kimbrough. It was published in 2003. Kimbrough is considered an expert on the history of black fraternal orgainzations. He is currently the president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, AR.

More info about the book: http://inside.fdu.edu/fdupress/04050501.html"

**
[3] Seeing Spots
Joyful Woman!
Feb 21, 2005
#3
"I don't know what you mean about the similiarities are "crazy". I suppose you mean that it is "surprising" that a lot of things they do a similar.

Actually, we no longer say GREAT 8, since Iota Theta Phi was granted membership in the National Pan-Hellenic Council, November 12, 1996. We are collectively referred to as the DIVINE 9. There is a book about the 9 Greek letter African American organizations, entitled The Divine Nine: The History of African American Faternities and Sororities by Lawrence C. Ross, Jr. Although he doesn't include a discussion of Masons and Eastern Stars, he gives great information about the Divine Nine. :tup:"

**
[4] ABE
Aug 28, 2005
#8
"For further reading, check out Secret Societies. It should be in your public library (if not request a loan from a participating library). You will see how societies have been formed over the centuries and how they take similar form in their rituals, etc. It even has a section on the Ku Klux Klan. I was rolling when I looked at some of their "rituals" and "initiations".

Back on topic. It may be true that men and women who were masonically affiliated were the founders of fraternities and sororities, but one should not be so zealous in the pursuit of glorifying Masonry that he or she downplays or tries to make assumptions on the other groups. I believe both groups are great and they do tend to overlap populations at times."

**
[5] Suge
Mar 1, 2006
#10
"Why is it that so many masons get so excited about this bit of information. I just get tired of some mason trying to compare the greeks to masons. There may be many similar things about the two groups, based on the history of many of the founders, but they are not the same and should not be compared as such. hell you could say the masons had influence on alot of things in the culture, why so much focus on the greeks?

As for influence, masons, military, and many other things have influenced the forming of BGLO's. But if you being the "father' makes you feel better, then so be it. I have ten founders, 11 charter members of my chapter, and that's where it ends for me."

**
[6] Suge
Mar 1, 2006
#12
"Here is your fact, SOME masons wanted to be in BGLO's so they treat the masons like it is a frat. They get jackets and other para that from my understanding is all out of order. There is a guy I work with that constantly wants to compare the two groups, and he is a perfect example of what i mentioned. He wanted to be a que."

**
[7] SONNY
The Future of Omega!!!!
Mar 2, 2006
#15
Suge said:
"[comment quote] Here is your fact, SOME masons wanted to be in BGLO's so they treat the masons like it is a frat. They get jackets and other para that from my understanding is all out of order. There is a guy I work with that constantly wants to compare the two groups, and he is a perfect example of what i mentioned. He wanted to be a que.[end of comment quote]

:smh:

Suge I feel you on that. Why compare. Do your thing, and Ima do mine.
When did Masons started doing party hops at the clubs?????"

**
[8] AAMU Alum
Mar 2, 2006
#16
Suge said:
"[comment quote] Here is your fact, SOME masons wanted to be in BGLO's so they treat the masons like it is a frat. They get jackets and other para that from my understanding is all out of order.
That was always my understanding, too.[end of comment quote]


quote:When did Masons started doing party hops at the clubs?????


That's nothing! When I was on The Hill, there was one year that they wanted to step in the Homecoming Step show! :eek:"

**
[9] Dr. Sweet NUPE
Mar 2, 2006
#18
"I became a Prince Hall Mason in August of 1992, like my father, both grandfathers, and all four great grandfathers. I remember seeing my father leave the house with this black brief case once a month and never knew where he was going and never could find the case anywhere in the house. This was my foundation in LIFE. I joined KAPSI because I....well that will only be shared with my PHIs!!!!"

**
[10]
Dr H..
Mar 3, 2006
#20
"Here is your fact, SOME masons wanted to be in BGLO's so they treat the masons like it is a frat. They get jackets and other para that from my understanding is all out of order. There is a guy I work with that constantly wants to compare the two groups, and he is a perfect example of what i mentioned. He wanted to be a que.
True, decades ago the Masons, Elks and OES were three of the organizations individuals could become a member of, without attending college.

While some college students may think the Masons are a fraternity and the OES is a Sorority, they are not. Contrary to popular belief, the Masons did not organize any College Fraternities, nor did the OES organize any Sororities.

There are similarities in the rituals of the Masons, College Frat's, Elks, KKK and so on. If you continue to research, you will find that the Masons and OES has it roots deeply imbedded in Ancient African Secret Societies, in fact the Masons goes back to the Building of King Solomon?s Temple. The Masons started as an organization for Brick or Stone Masons. Similiar to the modern day Labor Union

I was raised in 1971"

**
[11] Miami Jag
Mar 15, 2006
#22
Suge said:
[comment quote] Here is your fact, SOME masons wanted to be in BGLO's so they treat the masons like it is a frat. They get jackets and other para that from my understanding is all out of order. There is a guy I work with that constantly wants to compare the two groups, and he is a perfect example of what i mentioned. He wanted to be a que. [end of comment quote]

I hear ya Suge.

I pledged Sigma in 90 and I became a Mason in 92. (PHA)"

**
https://www.hbcusports.com/forums/threads/how-the-great-8-comes-from-princehall-masonry-oes.35727/page-2
[12] Dr H..
Mar 27, 2006
#27
[comment quote]"I bet you most if not all of the founders were members of their respective fraternity/sorority before they became a mason or eastern star.[end of comment quote]

I disagree, a majority of the men, especially if they had been in the military or their father or grandfather were a member of the Lodge, became Mason while in the Military or in High School. Afterwards, they attended college and organized or pledged a fraternity.

While I was at TN State, I helped raise several APA, Q and Sigmas.

I cannot speak for the OES."

**
[13] buckwheat
Mar 28, 2006
#30
[comment quoted]...

Sonny, I do know some bruhs that became Masons after crossing the burning sands."

**
[14] JR
Apr 5, 2006
#34
MightyDog said
[comment quote]: As a 33rd Degree Mason, it is always interesting to read what individuals think about the order.

Do we have anyone on the boad that is a member of the Commander of The Rite?[end of comment quote]

MD, it is interesting to read comments from non- Masons. While I don't get hyped as someone said about Masons being founding members of these Fraternities. I have to laugh when I hear folks say that Masonry has not influenced their rituals and other things within their said organizations. They all have a Masonic overtone but yet were not meant to be any relation to Masonry. I can remember being raised PHA in 92 with a couple of my KKPSI frats from Morehouse who also happened to both be Alphas. We were all like these rituals sure seem similiar to what we experienced pledging PSI and for them pledging PSI and Alpha. The correlation was the founders who happened to be Masons just used what they already knew and incorporated some of it in the rituals of the Fraternities they were creating. Nothing more and nothing less. Masonry is on a way different level than the fraternities and sororities ever will be. So it is no comparison.

Now for Masons wanting to step and all that other non sense. Well I will say this. Just like you have Alphas, Omegas, and Kappas that misrepresent your organizations. The same has happened in Masonry as well. Some do not represent like they are supposed to. That is one of the reasons I waited to be raised after college. The youngsters don't always get it. That is in all organizations. A certain maturity level has to develop. Just my 2 cents."[end of comment quote]

****
[15] hansummm
Apr 11, 2006
#35
"[comment quote]

Well Bruh Dr H I am afraid that you don't know what you are talking about. because every founder of A phi A was a memeber of Prince Hall. In fact they were founded in a lodge in Ithica, NY before requesting a charter at Cornell U.

That's just one example"

**
[16] yazeed1906
Apr 28, 2006
#38
from http://www.skipmason.com/hm/hm21.htm
“MASONIC AND OTHER FRATERNAL
TIES TO THE SEVEN JEWELS
By Skip Mason
Many brothers have questioned whether or not the founders were Masons or members of some other fraternal lodges. My research has found documentation that Jewels Robert Harold Ogle and George Biddle Kelley were. It is also speculated though not documented at this time that Chapman, Tandy and Callis may have been also through circumstantial evidence. Let me deal with each one. Chapman, much older than the others by as much as ten years owned a brick yard and restaurant and was far more established in the city outside of Ithaca called Spencer. Keep in mind that it was Chapman who secured the Masonic Hall. Jewel Tandy's father was the Grand master of several lodges in Lexington, Kentucky so it is likely that he would have been a member. The lack of authentication regarding Callis's membership in a lodge still perplexes me. There is no mention of his affiliation in a Masonic Lodge in Wesley's book Henry Arthur Callis: Life and Legacy. Callis's father, the Reverend Henry Jesse Callis was a member of the Odds Fellows. After having gone through his papers at the Moorland Spingarn, there too was no indication that he was Masonic member, though many brothers are quick to say that he was. Ogle was a National Officer for the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks. Jewel Kelley was very active in Masonic circles. He served as First master of the Mt. Moriah Lodge No 25 in Troy, District Deputy Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of he State of New York and was a 33rd degree Mason of Utica Consitory of Scottish Rites. Brother also keep in mind that C.C. Poindexter witnessed the first initiation. He had not disbanded from the group at that point. It is possible that he may have been a Mason too. (I AM WORKING ON AN ARTICLE ON POINDEXTER FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE DYING TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT HE WAS ON OMEGA.)
The four of them (Jewels Kelley, Callis, Chapman and Tandy) served on the first initiation committee. Kelley and Callis both worked in white fraternity houses at Cornell and was privy to the secret documents shared to them by the members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Beta Theta fraternities. Their research combined with Tandy and Chapman's participation helped to constitute the first ritual. Know that the ritual changed over the years. Later brothers such as Eugene Kinckle Jones and Roscoe C. Giles(Alpha's second president worked on the ritual). If you recall, Jones rewrote the ritual by memory.
*In my research I rely on primary and secondary source material for documentation. To affirm their Masonic affiliations, sources such as a biography, obituary or funeral program would have indicated those ties. As I have stated in the obituaries for Callis, Chapman, Jones, Murray or Tandy, there is no mention of their having been a member of a lodge or any fraternal rites being done at the funeral. If a brother has other documentation, please let me know!”

****
[17] Dr. Sweet NUPE
Aug 17, 2006
#42
"In all honesty no one but Masons should know that you are a Mason. That's why I participated very little in this conversation. I feel it is so dumb to compare SOCIAL frats to the Masons and vice versa to the sororities. Their differences are SO phenomenal. Well, I can only speak for KAPSI and Prince Halls Masons.

To Be One Means to Ask One and quite frankly no one asked. Plus I wouldn't tell you over email anyway.

So carry on..."

****
ADDENDUM: EXPLANATIONS OF SOME TERMS FOUND IN THESE COMMENTS
AKA = Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

APA= Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. [also given in these comments as A phi A]

BGLO= Black Greek letter organizations

Elks = the name of a non-Masonic secret organiztion

frat = fraternity

hop = a performance movement style most closely associated with members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc, sometimes [erroneously?] referred to as "stepping"

KAPSI = Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Nupe = referent for a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity

Odd Fellows - the name of a non-Masonic secret organization

OES - the Order of Eastern Star

PHA = Prince Hall Affiliated [affiliated with Prince Hall masonry]

ques = member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., also given as "q"

**
Sigmas = Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, inc.

**
step = perform a fraternity or sorority steppin[g] routine

**
was raised = became a full member of Prince Hall masonry

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents a few videos that show the formal clothing and other regalia of Prince Hall Masons & their female affiliates, the Order Of Eastern Star (PHA).

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who have been and are now associated with Prince Hall Masons and the Order Of Eastern Star (PHA). Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on Prince Hall Masons and Prince Hall Affiliated Shriners. Click the Prince Hall Masons tag for more posts in this series. Also, click the Prince Hall Shriners tag to view the formal regalia of Prince Hall Shriners.

The song that is sung in this video clip "Lift Every Voice And Sing" is informally considered the African American national anthem.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS:
Example #1: 2012 05 | Prince Hall Freemasons | Memorial Day 2012



North End Waterfront, Published on May 28, 2012

One of the enduring Memorial Day events in Boston's North End is the annual Prince Hall Freemasons Memorial Service at Prince Hall's grave site in Copp's Hill Burying Ground.

Prince Hall (c.1735-1807) was the founder of "Black Freemasonry" in the United States, known today as Prince Hall Freemasonry, and formed the African Grand Lodge where he was Grand Master. He was one of the first abolitionists.

Prince Hall is buried in Copp's Hill Burying Ground in the North End in a marked grave. A monument was erected in 1835 next to the grave. Thousands of African Americans who lived in the colonial North End community at the base of Copp's Hill are buried here, mostly in unmarked graves.

****
Example #2: Prince Hall Day 2012 2013



Charles Treadwell, Published on Sep 16, 2013

Here is a video combination of Prince Hall Day 2012 and 2013 together in the State of New Jersey...

****
Example #3: Presenting The Honorable Milton F Toby Fitch Jr



Bivouac Lodge #503 PHMasons, Published on Sep 6, 2014

The 113th Annual Grand Session_Order of the Eastern Star, the 30th District PHA Masons & others across the State , Presents Grand Master Fitch to the Session

****
Example #4: Prince Hall Day Service 2016



The MWPHGLNJ (Official Channel), Published on Oct 7, 2016

Some scenes from the Prince Hall Day Service dated Sunday September 11th, 2016 at the Ea[s]t Orange Campus High School in New Jersey.

****
Example #5: ALABAMA PRINCE HALL MASONS 52nd ANNIVERSARY SELMA TO MONTGOMERY VOTING RIGHTS MARCH. ( 3/5/17)



Vizsion co, Published on Mar 7, 2017

MWPHGLAL Masons, line up to take part in the 52nd anniversary Selma to Montgomery vote to right march across the Edmund Pettus bridge.
-snip-
I'm not sure what the initials "MWPHGLAL" stand for.

I think "MWPHGL" means "Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge", but I don't know what the other initials mean. Please share that information for the historical record. Thanks!

Here's information about the march across the Edmund Pettus bridge:
From https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/al4.htm
"The Selma-to-Montgomery March for voting rights ended three weeks--and three events--that represented the political and emotional peak of the modern civil rights movement. On "Bloody Sunday," March 7, 1965, some 600 civil rights marchers headed east out of Selma on U.S. Route 80. They got only as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge six blocks away, where state and local lawmen attacked them with billy clubs and tear gas and drove them back into Selma. Two days later on March 9, Martin Luther King, Jr., led a "symbolic" march to the bridge. Then civil rights leaders sought court protection for a third, full-scale march from Selma to the state capitol in Montgomery. Federal District Court Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr., weighed the right of mobility against the right to march and ruled in favor of the demonstrators. "The law is clear that the right to petition one's government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups...," said Judge Johnson, "and these rights may be exercised by marching, even along public highways." On Sunday, March 21, about 3,200 marchers set out for Montgomery, walking 12 miles a day and sleeping in fields. By the time they reached the capitol on Thursday, March 25, they were 25,000-strong. Less than five months after the last of the three marches, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965--the best possible redress of grievances."...

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a Gospel song collaboration between a Yoruba Nigerian singer and South Africa's Soweto Gospel Choir.

The discussion thread of this official YouTube video is filled with testimonials similar to the story line of the video (a poor young man leaves home to seek his fortune in the big city). This post features a few of those comments as well as a few additional comments from that discussion thread about the song and its performance by Darey and Soweto Gospel Choir.

The content of this post is presented for religious, inspirational, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Darey, members of Soweto Gospel Choir, and all those who are associated with this song and this video.

I pray that the xenophobic attacks that are occurring in Johannesburg, South Africa against Nigerians and other foreigners will cease. Click https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/failed-decolonisation-south-african-cities-leads-violence-190910123546431.html for a September 10, 2019 article entitled "Failed decolonisation in South African cities leads to violence" and subtitled "Violence against foreigners has much to do with South Africa's failure to address the urban legacy of apartheid."

****
LYRICS: "PRAY FOR ME (Gbàdúrà Fuń Mi)"

Woke up one Sunday morning
Told my daddy “I’m leaving home
I’m going off to the city tomorrow
Even though I don’t know where to go”
Daddy said “Son, don’t be a fool!
‘Cause life in the city is unbelievable
You could get broken, Oh, you’re just a little boy!
And you may never find your way”
And I said “I know I could get lost, I know I could get broken
forgive me father but I’ve got to take a chance
Oh I’m already gone so just

Pray for me, (Gbàdúrà Fuń Mi) — same translation
Pray I find my way, k’ori bamise (that I may have good fate)
Oh! forgive me father, but I got to take a chance
Oh I’m already gone so just, pray for me (Repeat)

“Hello daddy, how’re you doing?
Hope mama’s doing OK
It’s been four years and eleven months now
Mo gbo pe Adukpe ti dagba (I heard Adukpe has grown up)
Olorun (By God), it was true what you said to me
That life in the city is unbelievable
Had to struggle just to get by everyday
And I could barely find my way
Sugbon, mo mope mo le sina, o da mi loju
(But, I know I can get lost, I am sure of this)
Mo ri pe aiye le, aiye yi soro
(I can see the world, it is a difficult world)
Forgive me father, but I’ve got to take a chance
Oh I’m already gone so just

(Refrain)

Repeat: Pray for me
Bori ba dolola lola O (Oh, If fate becomes a wealthy man tomorrow)
Emi ma de be O (I shall get there)
Gbadura ki n serere O (Pray that I may become successful)
Oh I’m already gone so just
Pray for me x2
K’ori bamise (I hope I have a good fate)
Oh I’m already gone so just
Pray for me
-snip-
"Languages: English, Yoruba)"

Online source - https://africangospellyrics.com/2018/06/23/pray-for-me-gbadura-fun-mi-lyrics-by-darey-ft-soweto-gospel-choir/

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Darey - Pray For Me ft. Soweto Gospel Choir [Official Video]



DareyOnline, Published on May 12, 2016

Pray For Me” tells a powerful, positive story of victory against all odds.
-snip-
Statistics as of September 10, 1019 at 6:23 PM
total # of views - 3,630,944
total # of likes -39K
total number of dislikes -798
total # of comments- 2,723

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD OF THIS VIDEO
(with numbers added for referencing purposes only)

2016
1. Oladimeji Adeyanju
"Please who agrees this is one of the best music videos in Naija in a long time."

**
REPLY
2. Ugonne Ann Okonkwo
"+Oladimeji Adeyanju ....i soooooo agree!!"

**
REPLY
3. Racheal Adesegun
"me too!"

**
REPLY
4. Damex Mrcoded
"not even only the best video, also the best lyrics so far, meaningful piece of music, kudus"

**
REPLY
5. Prevailer Mba
"I agree....this is the type of song we need today...meaningful songs"

**
6. Olubunmi Adewumi
"Weeping may endure but for a night but joy will surely come in the morning............."

**
7. Edinyanga Enang
"Great song. A couple of people asked what it means or it should have ended with him being successful. well let me explain, when he was leaving home his father did not want him to leave and when he would not listen he told him you are on your own. Getting to the city things turned out difficult and he realized he indeed had hurt his father and needed his blessings for things to turn around for him. so when his father got the letter and lifted his hands to heaven to pray then the heavens where open and things began to breakforth, the flowers blossomed and the earth gave increase an indication of a new dawn for His son"

**
REPLY
8. Racheal Oshioke
"thanks so much now I understand clearly"

**
REPLY
9. Temitope Aina, 2017
"Edinyanga Enang , well I agree with you but towards the end his outfits proved he's being successful compared to the beginning..."

**
REPLY
10. Oyinlola Oladipo
"Wondering if he hasnt actually been praying for his son for four years #thinkingaloud"

**
REPLY
11. bolima tafah, 2018
"Edinyanga Enang meaning the son became successful. The flowers blossom meaning, his break through had come a d things began to go well for him..."

**
12. Esperance Uwimana
"is anyone going to comment on how amazing Soweto gospel choir looks and sounds. they definitely added to this song"

**
13. Dan The McCoy
"So good. But largely ignored cos no lurid lyrics and booty shaking."

**
REPLY
14. Oluwatosin Ayeni
"+Daniel Attoe The sad reality of our generation. We ignore substance."

**
REPLY
15. Olubunmi Adewumi
"You can say that again."

**
REPLY
16. Annie Special, 2017
"blatant truth"

**
REPLY
17. Ola Uthman, 2017
"Daniel Attoe Nigerians for you"

**
REPLY
18. ARINZECHUKWU OBI, 2017
"Ola Uthman actually that's the world"

****
2017
19. Sam Adebayo
"I lost my father when I was 5, I lost my mother when I was 21, I graduated from University and I was in Lagos for 3years, no job, no food, no place to stay. I sleep wherever the night catches me, Life was tough and I almost lost it, I hated my existence, I question God everyday.... I cried under blanket all night when no one sees me. Just when I said to myself am done with it all, this awesome God stepped in.... (hmmmmm...Sobssss!). I got a job I never had in mind, he turned my life around, today I am married to a lovely woman with 3 wonderful children, all living in America. Dare, did you see my life journey to make this song? please tell me... bcos right now I can't explain how it all happened, perhaps God himself prayed for me. (Sobsss!) God bless you for this piece, this is my life!"

**
REPLY
20. Emmanuel Boakye
"Sam Adebayo Wow Boss. It's like I am going through what you went through. Please pray for me. I am a student in a foreign country. Financial help has ceased. I can no longer work. I know God will answer my Prayer through you"

**
REPLY
21. Clifford Essiaw
"God still works... Inspiring story"

**
REPLY
22. Kingsley Igbinidu
"O Lord please pray for me am here in Italy I so much believe that one very day am going to make it AMEN"

**
REPLY
23. Rosemary Okpechi
"Sam Adebayo -it's well dear.God neva depart 4rm his people.be strng dear"

**
REPLY
24. IRON LADY B, 2018
"Sam Adebayo wooow sooo inspiring!! i have cried myself to sleep many times but now i have dropped il all at Gods feet"

**
25. Omotola Victor
"Only people who are away from home will cherish this song as much as i do, and feel it deep down.
It's so touching.....God bless our everyday Hustle#"

**
REPLY
26. Anyama Henrrietta
"Omotola Victor Amen 😢"

**
REPLY
27. Chris Oghenetega Maloney, 2018
"Amenooooo 👏👏👏👍👍👍"

**
28. tumi khumalo
"Reminds me of the day I left home as a young new graduate moving to a foreign country on my own! I had decided, I am an African and Africa is my home, wherever I'm going i'll find fellow Africans, and so I did! 20 years later, I've got a beautiful wife, two cute little boys and God has been great! Darey I've always said is a powerful singer from his days at Idols! Gifted son of Africa, singing with my favourite Soweto gospel Choir, with my favourite African actor playing his 'dad' in the vid! I am now even more in love in Nigeria...Africa is my home, and long shall Darey live and keep inspiring us! We are indeed a blessed people regardless of what we've been through, time to rise Africa!"

**
29. Ngeghe Abbas shipu
"hmmmmmmm i wept at a dark end when I listened​ to this sound track, I am a Muslim, but I like this sound so much because it brings out a reality of what most of us have gone through or are still going through, I first listened to this sound some 6months ago at a point in time when I just left my love ones to venture for a life changing situation in my life. This sound really gave me hope and up till today I still love this sound track.Thanks very much​ Darey."

**
30. Queenie's thoughts
"This song gets me so emotional. Many years in the desert in search for greener pastures. My beautiful family and friends i miss alot. Mom and Dad pray for me. I will make it out alive."

**
31. Esther Imenza Imbiaka
"When I watch this its reminds me when I was leaving ma country .I wept I really cried leaving ur own country to be a foreigner in another country in the name of just trying one day ends to meet in life. To ma mum Dad and ma friends pray for me that I make it."

**
REPLY
32. matachi nwosu
"You will make it dear. God and His host of Angels are on your side. Be strong."

**
REPLY
33. Ololade Awosika
"I found this song today and i cried. i cried because i miss my family back in Nigeria and i know the struggle i face here as a foreigner. i experienced a racial slur for the first time in my life and i was soooo shocked. i cried because my father sends me prayers on whats-app every morning and i will never take it for granted. i pray one day we will all make our parents proud as we are faraway from them. God bless Darey for this song."

**
34. Zoannie Nero
"Wow.just hearing this song...Instance love! All the way from the Caribbean Island- St.Vincent and the Grenadines"

**
35. Beryl Milando
"Working and living away from home is so painful, the sacrifice we make the challenges we encounter just to make it in life, it's a great message #prayer is what we all need"

**
36. Olajuwon Kosoko
"This is not just a music video, it's a movie!!! 🔥🔥
Spoke to me on another level 😪😪"

**
REPLY
37. Susan Onyenadum
"Kosoko Olajuwon facts"

**
38. Amaka Perpetual
"@darey... If music was defined as painting, you would be Nigeria's own Leonardo davinci... with you music is truly an art... 😍"

**
39. Jesus Saves
"I found this song when I'm struggling with my life.. I'm city boy. from the capital city of Africa: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. wow God bless you... #prayforme"

****
2018
40. Victor Ordu
"Amazing video, amazing storyline! This song underscores the importance of a father's blessing in a young person's life. Brilliant!"

**
41. JaneZza Alves Mt
"Never get tired of this music, it turned my anthem since I moved out to Europe, all I left behind is home, I'm an Angolan I'm African and only few ppl will b touched by this music, only those ones who has similar story will understand better💔. #Africaismyhome thanks Darey"

**
42. Oloye Sky
"That moment btwn 3.52- 4.07 when the tears rolled down the Fathers eyes... Heaven Moved. 3yrs ago, I left my Family Mum, Son Wife, sisters and frnd, Travelled tru the desert, Tru Libya Spent days and terrible and life threatening moments in a small boat on the Mediterranean Sea and now finally to Germany. Life is easier now, but Oh LORD LOOK UPON MY MOTHERS TEARS, LET HEAVEN MOVE FOR MY SAKE AND OTHER BROTHERS IN THIS HUSTLE, LET OUR FATHERS AND MOTHERS PRAYER TOUCH YOUR HEART GOD and give us that BIG BREAKTHROUGH we are dreaming for..... Because MY MOTHER HAS PRAYED FOR ME "

#AMEN #AMEN

**
43. steve moses
"Wherever we are whatever we do, someone is praying for us! Even if there's no one, God himself prays for us as heavenly father! Very soulful evergreen song"

**
44. Major Uzochi
"Am away from home somewhere in S.A and I'll say the message of this song has really ocean my heart with pain, love and an encouraging believe that am not alone.

Godbless you Dare!

Your day1fan
MajorUzochi."

**
45. Natasha Nasha
"I can't stop listening❤ all the way from Namibia"

**
46. miss mash
"This collaboration was amazing and powerful, i love the merge of both cultures,, powerful msg"

**
47. Paulette Reed
"This song is so heartfelt as parents we must pray for our children and children seek your parents blessings. Darey thanks for this masterpiece i love it and we here in America love you."

****
2019
48. SHARON KADIR
"This makes me cry. I miss home. Love from India ❤"

**
49. trishkenzys m
"I'm so much in love with this song, i play it all the time! Specially at nite when it's quite and alone 'coz always makes me miss my late parents😢😢😢😢 from GHANA"

**
50. kassoum dembele
"i'am muslim but i like verry much your energy bro from abidjan .salam for you good light"

**
51. ONE LOVE
"I was like No I’m not going to cry it’s just a video.. ah, when the dad opened his hands to pray for his son oh my lord I couldn’t control the tears no mo 😢😢 the song is a big deal"

**
52. Doshia Marcus
"Am in Vietnam,my mum's life savings and retirement fund was used to fund me am crying right now. I can't come this far to fail."

**
REPLY
53. Geraldo Credo
"Doshia Marcus am in Cambodia bro"

**
54. Christian Otakholo
"Whenever I play this song I always remember 2014 when I home to Libya without mom knowing about it, she finally found out when I called her and she was left with tears because she couldn't lay her hands on me for prayers but she said my prayers will always be with you. I love you mom your prayers kept me going"

**
55. Christian Otakholo
"Whenever I play this song I always remember 2014 when I home to Libya without mom knowing about it, she finally found out when I called her and she was left with tears because she couldn't lay her hands on me for prayers but she said my prayers will always be with you. I love you mom your prayers kept me going"

**
56. Jasmine D
"This song is my life story.. i thought the grass was greener on the other side.. life in Malaysia has been hell..things getting tougher everyday 😢😢😢 please pray for me to pull through"

**
57. kenneth Obazuaye
"who is still watching this soul touching song in 2019?


Darey, thanks for this piece once more cos it encourages us and builds our confidence in the decision we have made to leave our comfort zone to aim for greater heights"

**
58. abayomi samuel enitan
"who else is watching after the killing in south africa, God will us all in diaspora. keep d faith yall, greetings frm USA"

**
59. TBS _SA
"Big up to our own Soweto Gospel Choir 4 recieving 3rd grammy award"

**
60. Etoatim Benyue
"I paused the song to glance through the comments first but do u know I cried so hard by just reading the comments I'm even scared of watching the video my eyes can fall off😥😥"

**
61. Morel Gruche Mongo
"I DONT HAVE THE MASTER OF ENGLISH LIKE ENGLISH PEOPLE BUT THIS SONG IT GOT TO SUM UP MY STORY SINCE 1993...QUE LA MISERICORDE DE DIEU ET SON AMOUR POUR LES FAIBLES
-snip-
Google Translate from French to English: "THE MERCY OF GOD AND HIS LOVE FOR WEAKNESSES"

**
62. Kenneth haki
"Tomorrow is always in God's hands, there are things which always happen to us without our control or planning, let's always pray for our brothers and sisters in need ..The living God will always take control"

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the 1971 Ghanaian song "Woyaya" by Osibisa. Information about Osibisa is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, inspirational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all the members of Osibisa and thanks to the composers of the song "Woyaya". Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT OSIBISA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osibisa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osibisa
Osibisa is an Afrobeat band, founded in London in 1969 by four expatriate African and three Caribbean musicians.[1] Their music is a fusion of African, Caribbean, jazz, funk, rock, Latin, and R&B. Osibisa were the most successful and longest lived of the African-heritage bands in London, alongside such contemporaries as Assagai, Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath, Demon Fuzz, and Noir, and were largely responsible for the establishment of world music as a marketable genre.

[...]

History
In Ghana in the 1950s, Teddy Osei (saxophone), Sol Amarfio (drums), Mamon Shareef, and Farhan Freere (flute) played in a highlife band called The Star Gazers. They left to form The Comets, with Osei's brother Mac Tontoh on trumpet, and scored a hit in West Africa with their 1958 song "Pete Pete." In 1962 Osei moved to London to study music on a scholarship from the Ghanaian government. In 1964 he formed Cat's Paw, an early "world music" band that combined highlife, rock, and soul. In 1969 he persuaded Amarfio and Tontoh to join him in London, and Osibisa was born.

Joining them in the first incarnation were Grenadian Spartacus R (bass); Trinidadian Robert Bailey (keyboard); Antiguan Wendell Richardson (lead guitar and lead vocalist); and Nigerians Mike Odumosu and Fred Coker (bass guitar) and Lasisi Amao (percussionist and tenor saxophone).

[...]


The name Osibisa was described in lyrics, album notes and interviews as meaning "criss-cross rhythms that explode with happiness" but it actually comes from "osibisaba" the Fante word for highlife.[3][4] Their style influenced many of the emerging African musicians of the time and even now”...

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "WOYAYA"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woyaya
"Woyaya is the second album by Ghanaian Afro-pop band Osibisa released in 1971 by MCA. Reissued in 2004 in a two-CD pack together with the self-titled album Osibisa by BGO Records.

Album title
Although conventionally spelled Woyaya the album's title is actually Wɔyaya (with an open-o), which comes from the Ghanaian Ga language. The title song was covered in 1973 by Art Garfunkel on his debut solo album Angel Clare and by the group The 5th Dimension in the album Living Together, Growing Together.

[...]

Personnel
Teddy Osei – tenor saxophone, flute, African drums, percussion, vocals
Sol Amarfio – drums, fontonfrom, bongos, African drums, cowbells, percussion, vocals
Mac Tontoh – trumpet, flugelhorn, cowhorn, kabasa, percussion, vocals
Spartacus R (Roy Bedeau) – bass guitar, prenprensua, assorted percussion
Wendell Richardson – lead guitar, vocals
Robert Bailey – organ, piano, timbales, percussion, vocals
Loughty Lasisi Amao – tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, congas, fontonfrom
Osibisa choir – friends and lovers

**
From https://wordsofwisdom.uucg.org/january-1-woyaya-we-are-going/
...Written by Ghanaian drummer Sol Amarifio, Woyaya is the title song of a 1971 album by Oisibisa, a musical group of Ghanaian and Caribbean musicians. It was frequently heard in work camps throughout central West Africa in the 1970s and 1980s... “Woyaya,” like many other African scat syllables, can have many meanings. According to the song’s composer, it means “We are going.”...

****
LYRICS- WOYAYA
(composed by Sol Amarifio)

We are going,
Heaven knows where we are going,
But we know within.
And we will get there,
Heaven knows how we will get there,
But we know we will.
It will be hard, we know,
And the road will be muddy and rough,
But we’ll get there,
Heaven knows how we will get there,
But we know we will.
Woyaya, woyaya, woyaya, woyaya.

****
SHOWCASE YOUTUBE EXAMPLES
Example #1: OSIBISA "Woyaya" (1971) [sound file]



TheJPDM•Published on Jan 19, 2010

From the album "Woyaya"

****
Example #2: OSIBISA - Woyaya (live in Greece 1995)



Stefanos Panagiotakis, Published on Aug 18, 2014

This classic hit comes from their 2nd album WOYAYA of 1971.Here the band perfoms it live at their concert in Salonica ,Greece,February 1995 ( #9 song in the play list of this evening)..

****
Example #3: Osibisa - Woyaa yaa (we will get there)



Kizito Digital [publishing October 2018

[...]

Song: Woyaya (Remastered)
Artist: Osibisa
Album: Singles A's & B's & 12 Inches
Writers: Teddy Osei, Amarfio Solomon

****
Example #4:Osibisa woyaa Yaa #powerful Africa Song with lyrics



Latest News, Published on Dec 12, 2018

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series about the song "Jimmy Crack Corn" ("The Blue Tail Fly").

This post presents some theories about the meaning of "crack corn" in the song that is now known as "Jimmy Crack Corn" ("The Blue Tail Fly").

The lyrics to the most often cited contemporary version of "Jimmy Crack Corn" ("The Blue Tail Fly") is also given in this post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/big-bill-boonzy-lead-belly-bugs-bunny.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II showcases a YouTube sound file of "Jimmy Crack Corn" by Big Bill Broonzy and by Lead Belly.

The Addendum to that post presents a sound file reproduction of a 1846 version of "The Blue Tail Fly". WARNING: This sound file includes one instance of the offensive referent that is often referred to as "the n word".

The Addendum also presents a clip of "Jimmy Crack Corn" from a Bugs Bunny cartoon as well as two comments from that YouTube video's discussion thread.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
LYRICS FOR THE MOST OFTEN CITED CONTEMPORARY VERSION OF "JIMMY CRACK CORN" ("THE BLUE TAIL FLY")

The Blue Tail Fly (Jimmie Crack Corn)
Written By: Unknown
Copyright Unknown

When I was young I use' to wait
On massa an' hand him his plate
An' pass de bottle when he got dry
An' brush away de blue-tail fly

Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Ol' Massa's gone away

One day he ride aroun' de farm
De flies so num'rous they did swarm
One chanced to bite him on de thigh
De devil take de blue-tail fly!

Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Ol' Massa's gone away

De pony run, he jump he pitch
He threw my Massa in de ditch
He died an' de jury wondered why
De verdict was de blue-tail fly

Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Ol' Massa's gone away

They lay him under a simmon tree
His epitaph is there to see --
"Beneath this stone I'm forced to lie --
Victim of de blue-tail fly."

Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Jimmie crack corn an' I don't care
Ol' Massa's gone away

Source: https://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/b034.html
-snip-
"Massa" = master

****
THEORIES ABOUT THE MEANING OF "CRACK CORN" IN THE SONG "JIM CRACK CORN" (most often contemporary given as "JIMMY CRACK CORN/THE BLUE TAIL FLY"

These excerpts are given in no particular order.

Excerpt #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Crack_Corn
""Jimmy Crack Corn" or "Blue Tail Fly" is an American song which first became popular during the rise of blackface minstrelsy in the 1840s through performances by the Virginia Minstrels. It regained currency as a folk song in the 1940s at the beginning of the American folk music revival and has since become a popular children's song. Over the years, several variants have appeared.

Most versions include some idiomatic African English, although sanitized General American versions now predominate. The basic narrative remains intact. On the surface, the song is a black slave's lament over his white master's death in a horseriding accident. The song, however, can be—and is—interpreted as having a subtext of celebration about that death[3][4] and of the slave's having contributed to it through deliberate negligence[5][6] or even deniable action.

[...]

Melody
The melody is similar to "Miss Lucy Long" and was originally set for piano accompaniment,[3] although "De Blue Tail Fly" was marketed in Boston as one of "Emmett's Banjo Melodies".[22] The four-part chorus favors a single bass and three tenors: the first and third tenors harmonize in thirds with the second completes the triads or doubles the root, sometimes crossing the melody line.[3] The versions published in 1846 differed rather markedly: "De Blue Tail Fly" is modal (although Lhamar emends its B♭ notation to C minor) and hexatonic; "Jim Crack Corn", meanwhile, is in G major and more easily singable.[3] Its simplicity has made it a common beginner's tune for acoustic guitar.[23] The melody is a chain of thirds (G-B, F♯-A, G-B, [A]-C, B-D, C-E) harmonized a third above and below in the manner of the choruses in Italian opera.[3]

Meaning
The first verses usually establish that the singer was initially a house slave.[24] He is then charged with protecting the master out of doors—and his horse as well—from the "blue-tailed fly". This is possibly the blue-bottle fly[26] (Calliphora vomitoria[27] or Protophormia terraenovae), but probably the mourning horsefly (Tabanus atratus), a bloodsucking pest with a blue-black abdomen[28] found throughout the American South.[29][30] In this, the singer, ultimately, is unsuccessful; the horse begins to buck, and the master is thrown and killed. A coroner's jury is convened to investigate the master's death, or the singer is criminally charged with that death, but owing to the "blue-tail fly," the slave escapes culpability.

The chorus can be mystifying to modern listeners, but its straightforward meaning is that someone is roughly milling ("cracking") the old master's corn in preparation for turning it into hominy[33] or liquor.[34] There has been much debate, however, over the subtext. In the 19th century, the singer was often considered mournful and despondent at his master's death; in the 20th, celebratory: "Jimmy Crack Corn" has been called "the baldest, most loving account of the master's demise" in American song.[5]

The debate has been further muddled by changes to the refrain over time. Throughout the 19th century, the lines referred to "Jim",[2] "Jim Crack",[12] or "Jim Crack Corn"[37] and lacked any conjunction across the line's caesura; following the rise of highly-syncopated musical genres such as ragtime and jazz, anaptyxis converted the name to "Jimmy" or "Jimmie" and the "and" appeared, both putting more stress on their measures' backbeat. This has obscured some of the possible original meanings: some have argued that—as "Jim" was a generic name for slaves in minstrel songs—the song's "Jim" was the same person as its blackface narrator: Speaking about himself in the 3rd person or repeating his new masters' commands in apostrophe, he has no concern with his demotion to a field hand now that his old master is dead. Another now-obscured possible meaning derives from jim crack being eye dialect[40] for gimcrack ("worthless"[38][41]):[43] The narrator is so overcome with emotion (be it pleasure or sorrow) that he has no concern at all about his gimcrack cracked corn, his substandard rations.[3] Since "corn" was also a common rural American ellipsis and euphemism for "corn whiskey",[45] it could also refer to the slave being so overcome that he has no concern about his rotgut alcohol.[46]

Other suppositions include that "cracking" or "cracking corn" referred to the now-obsolete English and Appalachian slang meaning "to gossip" or "to sit around chitchatting";[47] that the singer is resting from his oversight duties and allowing Jim to steal corn or corn liquor; that "Jim Crack" is simply a synonym for "Jim Crow" by means of the dialectical "crack" to reference the crake; or that it is all code for the old master "Jim" cracking his "corn" (skull) open during his fall. The 1847 version of the song published in London singularly has the lyrics "Jim Crack com'", which could refer to a poor Southern cracker[48] (presumably an overseer or new owner) or a minced oath for Jesus Christ (thus referencing indifference at the Judgment Day); the same version explicitly makes the fly's name a wordplay on the earlier minstrel hit "Long Tail Blue", about a horse. A number of racehorses have been named "Jim Crack" or "Blue Tail Fly" and, in at least one early-20th century variant of the song, it's given as the name of the horse that killed the master,[49] but that is not a common element of the song. (Another uncommon variant appeared in the 1847 Songs of Ireland published in New York: it has the slave being given away by the master.[13])

Explanations of the song based upon "jimmy" or "jimmie" being slaves' slang for crows or mules (here being allowed into the old master's corn fields instead of being chased away) or deriving "jimmy" from "gimme" are unsupported by the existing records. Pete Seeger, for instance, is said to have maintained that the original lyrics were "gimme cracked corn" and referred to a punishment in which a slave's bacon rations were curtailed, leaving him chickenfeed;[50][53] the same lines could also just be asking for the whiskey jug to be passed around. The idea that Jim or Jimmy is "cracking open" a jug of whiskey is similarly unsupported: that phrasal verb is attested at least as early as 1803[54] but initially applied to literal ruptures; its application to opening the cap or cork of a bottle of alcohol was a later development.

History
The present song is generally credited to Dan Emmett's Virginia Minstrels,[10] whose shows in New York City in the mid-1840s helped raise minstrelsy to national attention.[55] Along with "Old Dan Tucker", the tune was one of the breakout hits of the genre[56] and continued to headline Emmett's acts with Bryant's Minstrels into the 1860s.[55] It was also a common song of Tom Rice's.[57] The song was first published (with two distinct sets of lyrics) in Baltimore and Boston in 1846, although it is sometimes mistakenly dated to 1844.[1] However, as with later rockabilly hits, it is quite possible Emmett simply received credit for arranging and publishing an existing African-American song.[11] The song was certainly picked up by slaves and became widely popular among them.[58] The chorus of the song not uncommonly appeared in the middle of other African-American folk songs, one of which may have been its original source.[59] The song differed from other minstrel tunes in long remaining popular among African Americans: it was recorded by both Big Bill Broonzy and Lead Belly after World War II.

Abraham Lincoln was an admirer of the tune, calling it "that buzzing song". Throughout the 19th century, it was usually accompanied by the harmonica or by humming which mimicked the buzzing of the fly (which on at least one occasion was noted disrupting the parliament of Victoria, Australia.[60]). Lincoln would ask his friend Ward Lamon to sing and play it on his banjo[61] and likely played along on his harmonica.[62] It is said that he asked for it to be played as the lead-in to his address at Gettysburg.[10][11]

Following World War II, the "Blue Tail Fly" was repopularized by the Andrews Sisters' 1947 recording with the folk singer Burl Ives. It then became part of the general Folk Revival through the '50s and early '60s before losing favor to more politically-charged fare, as parodied by Tom Lehrer's "Folk Song Army". A 1963 Time article averred that "instead of ... chronicling the life cycle of the blue-tailed fly", the "most sought-after folk singers in the business"—including Pete Seeger, Theodore Bikel, and Bob Dylan—were "singing with hot-eyed fervor about police dogs and racial murder".[63] All the same, Seeger claimed to have been present when Alan Lomax[65] first taught the song to Burl Ives for a CBS radio show[64] and their duet at the 92nd Street Y in New York City in 1993 was Ives' last public performance”…
-snip-
*I added italics to highlight these sentences.

****
Excerpt #2:
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=1141

[Note: Numbers assigned for this pancocojams post]

1. Origins: Blue Tail Fly (Jimmy Crack Corn)
Subject: RE: Blue-Tail Fly (lyric reguest)
From: belter
Date: 26 Mar 97 - 09:37 AM

"I just looked up blue-tail fly, and the notes sujest that cracked corn might be refering to wiskey. While that coule be, I wounder if it might mean corn that isn't soft enough to eat whole so its cracked up and used as slave rations, since it would be cheap, and although they couldn't have known, it's a lousy source of protein and hinders brain development if thats all you have to eat. I wounder how it got to be comon to use jimmie crack corn."

**
2. Subject: RE: Lyr Add: (De) BLUE TAIL FLY
From: GUEST,freeatlast
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 05:21 PM

"The clue for 13 down in the January 13th, 2004 cryptic puzzle in the "Globe and Mail" was: "Poorly made Russian fighter goes up with a bang (8)".
The answer, of course, is GIMCRACK.
I know, I know… you don't care.
Anyway, "gimcrack" or "jimcrack" got me to thinking about the song and just what "Jim-crack Corn" might be. As the crossword clue says, gimcrack means "poorly made." And "corn," as we all know, is a care banishing beverage.
The narrator of the song says, "When I was young." This means he is no longer young. This would make him what -- old?
He's got a lot to think about; some of it is painful. His carefree youth when all he was required to do was to brush away a few flies might seem pretty golden when viewed through a whiskey bottle.
Jimcrack corn might just be cheap whiskey, moonshine, Tennessee wine, granny's rheumatiz medicine. It's still good for what ails you – especially at those moments when you realize that none of us are ever going to be free.
Cheers"

**
3. Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Blue-Tail Fly
From: Azizi
Date: 08 Jan 06 - 04:58 PM
..."Source: Leadbelly version of Jimmy Crack Corn" [Note: September 15, 2019: This hyperlink no longer viable.]

This site notes the following about the origin of this song:
"Credited to Daniel Emmett by Spaeth but it's likely that if he wrote it from other sources. One of the earliest publications was in a series credited to him -- but the absence of his name on the earliest copies goes far toward discrediting his authorship. The subtext for this song is that the slave in fact killed the master himself, blaming it on the blue-tail fly. This is hinted at, to varying degrees, in some versions of the song".

-snip-

There's alot of theories on what "Jimmy Crack Corn" means. Here's several theories from that same site -and notice that an anonymous poster from Mudcat Discussion Forum is mentioned:

"CRACK CORN? The Civil War song, Jimmy Cracked Corn, was one of Abe Lincoln's favorite songs! However, in the song, Jimmy wasn't really cracking corn. He was sleeping, and "cracking corn" was another term for snoring.

"Jimmy Crack Corn" was slang for "gimme cracked corn" or corn liquor. "Jimcrack o' corn and I don't care""Jimcrack" is a measure of whiskey.

"Cracking corn" for telling jokes or tall tales: "I should explain to your Lordship what is meant by crackers; a name they have got from being great boasters; they are a lawless bunch of rascals on the frontiers of Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas and Georgia, who often change their places of abode. G. Cochrane, 1766, in "Letters," 27 June. OED; The term comes from the Scottish-northern English word crack (crake), meaning boasting, which has been used in that sense from 1460 in print. See OED, 1971 and later eds. Georgia apparntly [sic] was first called the Cracker State in print in 1808, in "Balance," Verses by a Cracker Planter.

According to "The Cassel Dictionary of Slang""Crack-Corn" referred to White People and originally meant the White natives of Kentucky. It was apparently a variation of "corncracker" which meant a poor white farmer and was apparently applied to the natives of Florida, Georgia, Kentucky or Tennessee possibly because of their dependance ]sic]on corn or maize. Corn in the British Isles refers to wheat, oats or barley as distinct from the American meaning. (From Mudcat Discussion Forum)"

-snip-

Other websites such as The Mavens' Word of the Day indicate that "To crack corn is to break or crush it into pieces".

Are there any other theories you want to throw in the mix?"

**
4. Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Blue-Tail Fly
From: Joybell
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 05:16 PM

"Yes there's mine, but I have nothing except word-of-mouth information. Here it is from my father. He told me in 1949, here in Victoria Australia:
"Jimmy is the old name for The Crow. The Crow was called Jimmy in England. 'Jimmy crack corn and I don't care' means that the Crow may crack, and eat, the corn because there's no one to care now that the 'Master' of the farm is dead."
If the teller of the tale had among his tasks the scaring of the birds, from the cornfield, this would make a lot of sense.

This ties in with my theory - and it's speculation, that the chorus of this song came from an English Crow-scaring song. I repeat - THE CHORUS of this song - only.
There are examples of crow-scaring songs from both England and America. Children were employed for this task and the songs were collected from them. I've never actually found an ancestor for this song but I live in hope.
For what it's worth. Cheers, Joy"

**
5. Subject: RE: Lyr Add: (De) Blue Tail Fly
From: GUEST,Black Deep
Date: 30 Jul 08 - 03:21 PM

"Crack Corn. Moon shine was made from cracked corn, then mixed with sugar and water and fermented, the distilled. Up until I was in my early 30's they called it cracking corn. Or another term for moonshining wisky."

****
This concludes Part I of this series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series about the song "Jimmy Crack Corn" ("The Blue Tail Fly").

Part II showcases a YouTube sound file of "Jimmy Crack Corn" by Big Bill Broonzy and by Lead Belly.

The Addendum to that post presents a sound file reproduction of a 1846 version of "The Blue Tail Fly". WARNING: This sound file includes one instance of the offensive referent that is often referred to as "the n word".

The Addendum also presents a clip of "Jimmy Crack Corn" from a Bugs Bunny cartoon as well as two comments from that YouTube video's discussion thread.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/some-theories-about-meaning-of-crack.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents some theories about the meaning of "crack corn" in the song that is now known as "Jimmy Crack Corn" ("The Blue Tail Fly").

The lyrics to the most often cited contemporary version of "Jimmy Crack Corn" ("The Blue Tail Fly") is also given in this post.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the musical legacy of Bill Bill Broonzy and Lead Belly. Thanks also to all the publishers of these YouTube examples and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: LeadBelly-Blue Tail Fly



TravelerIntoTheBlue, Published on Aug 21, 2013

[...]

Song: Blue Tail Fly
Artist: Leadbelly
Album: The Legendary Leadbelly
Writers: Leadbelly

****
Example #2: Jimmy Crack Corn , Big Bill Broonzy



dooWopMan1961, Published on May 25, 2016

****
ADDENDUM- ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF "THE BLUE TAIL FLY" ("JIMMY CRACK CORN")

Jim Crack Corn (1846) [sound file]


Sheet Music Singer, Published on Jul 6, 2018


[Disclaimer: derogatory racial terms. No hatred is intended. This song is presented in its original form as part of American history.]

**
BugsBunnyJimmyCrackCorn.avi



theoutofdoors•Published on Apr 27, 2010

Bugs sings "Jimmy Crack Corn" or "Blue Tail Fly" all the way through to the end.
Bugs sings the song throughout the cartoon so I spliced the music together, along with the video, to make a completely fluid song. Hope you enjoy!
-snip-
Here are two comments from this YouTube video's discussion thread:
1. Xezlec, 2013
"Listen carefully to the lyrics. The slave causes the master's death (perhaps deliberately, judging by all the little hints), the jury lets him off, and he celebrates with gimcrack (cheap) corn (whisky). The master is left a powerless corpse beneath a humiliating epitaph. The song was popular with African-Americans for a long time in part because of its subversiveness. The verses are partially in a mock-mournful style, but mainly, the melody is very cheerful."

**
2. ricaard, 2019
"As the son of southern parents, I never paid attention to the fact that this song was a slave's recounting, slanted or otherwise, of his master's demise. The things you don't pay attention to when you're a kid."

****
This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series that showcases the song "Wenzile" by the South African Gospel choir Joyous Celebration.

Part I presents the official YouTube music video of the Gospel song "Wenzile" as sung by Joyous Celebration. The lyrics of that song are also included in this post along with selected comments from the official YouTube video of this song.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/comments-from-discussion-thread-of.html for Part II documents comments from the discussion thread for that YouTube video about the custom of a large number of concert attendees recording the concert with their cell phones.

The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composer/s of this song and all those associated with Joyous Celebration. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

****
LYRICS- WENZILE

Wenzile okuhle kodwa
(English meaning: He has done only great things)
Empilweni yami yonke
(English meaning: Throughout my life)

Malibongwe, malibongwe
(English meaning: Bless His Name)
Oh Malibongwe igama leNkosi
(English meaning: Oh bless the name of the Lord)

Wezwa ukukhala kwami
(English meaning: He heard my cry)
Wangikhipha obishini olunzima
(English meaning: You took me out of a deep miry clay)
Wangibeka edwaleni
(English meaning: You placed me on a Rock)
Wangishiya neculo elisha
(English meaning: He left me with a new song)
-snip-
These lyrics were posted in this embedded video's discussion thread by Edwin Alubale, 2018.

The original language used for this song is Zulu.

Here's another comment from that discussion thread with the words in Swahili (posted by Bezalel Mwandete, 2018)
"SWAHILI
Ametenda mambo makuu maisha yangu yote.....
libarikiwe libarikiwe jina la Bwana

amesikia kilio changu
kanitoa matopeni
kaniweka mwambani
kanipa wimbo mpya...."

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Joyous Celebration - Wenzile (Live)



JoyousVEVO [no YouTube publishing date given, but based on comments, this video was published on YouTube in 2018]

****
EDITOR'S NOTES ABOUT THE SELECTED COMMENTS IN THIS POST
In addition to comments about the choir and this song, the selected comments serve as examples of the extensive use of contemporary African American Vernacular English terms/phrases in this video's discussion thread. These selected comments are only a small sample of the comments from that discussion which include African American Vernacular English terms such as "lit", "on point", "killing it", "on fire", and "dope". This discussion thread is not unique in its commenters' frequent use of AAVE as the same terms/phrases and other contemporary AAVE terms/phrases are found in the discussion threads of many-if not most- other YouTube contemporary African music videos that I've read (without looking for such content).

As an African American who is interested in vernacular English, I should also mention that most of the examples of AAVE that I read in that discussion thread were 1. still used in the USA by African Americans (except for "boogie down") and 2. most of the examples that I read in that discussion thread were used the same way that African Americans use them.*

*I've found that commenters in YouTube discussion threads of contemporary African music often use the phrase e "killing it" differently than the way African Americans or another person from the USA uses it (to refer to someone doing something very very well). For instance, instead of saying "He's killing it" [meaning he's singing that song very well], I've often come across a non-American writing someone writing "He kills me". To Americans, the vernacular phrase "He kills me" means something completely different. Click https://www.quora.com/What-does-it-mean-when-a-guy-says-Youre-killing-me for examples of American English usages of the vernacular term "you're killing me"

I've also included an example of the South African vernacular term "eish" from that discussion thread and an example of the Jamaican vernacular term "big up". These vernacular terms were much less frequently used in that discussion thread (and in other YouTube contemporary African music videos' discussion threads) than the African American vernacular English (AAVE) terms/phrases.

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD

2018
1. Zama Luhlongwane
"wooooooooow! this is my favourite song in Joyous 22. Indeed He has only done great things in my life. May His name be forever praised!"

**
2. Sane Cibane
"Finally 🙌 JC Sibusiso Mthembu my fav💕💕💕"

**
3. Chidochashe Zhou
"yooo my favourite artist in jc"

**
4. Matheus Gideon
"Just can't get enough of this song, this is one of the joyous best songs, well done Sibu, driving me crazy with your dances ( gwara gwara) and you do it perfectly well. Great song, you are talented and may God bless you"

**
5. ThePatriotIsMe
"Credit to the band... Always on point!"

**
6. loveness pedzisayi
"God bless you JC (in shona they say Mwari ngakuropafadze)"

**
7. Lucent Tshilidzi
"joyous on fire"

**
8. Kuda Mpatane
"Sbu Noah my lifetime praiser........I love you JC, at all times your songs uplift my soul when i am down."

**
9. Chuma• Ndunge
"Love Sbu's dancing when the video commences. This song is a hit🔥🔥"

**
10. kevin oloo
"The best gwara gwara dancer...Joyous celebration your the best, we love you from Kenya."

**
REPLY
11. veronique nyokabi, 2019
"That's true..He gwara gwara real gooooood👊"

**
12. Kukie Dawu
"The lady in braids on 3:35 was feeling beat😊"

**
REPLY
13. Gibbs T Gumbo
"her name is Siyakha...she is dope"

**
REPLY
14. KetoFit For Life
"She went in! Like I went in!! Malibongwe!!! Bless His name!!!"

**
REPLY
15. veronique nyokabi, 2019
"Ohhhhh yes Lady let's get down for Jesus, who could contain themselves in such a Heavenly awesome environment."

**
16. Lovisa Sakaria
"the lady with the white top and a black pencil skirt at 1:09 and 4:55 is feeling it for real."

**
REPLY
17. Lovisa Sakaria
"the way she moves her head though. ;-)"

**
REPLY
18. ADEKOYA OLADIMEJI, 2019
"I tell u.. i jst like her vibes"

****
19. apunyo sharon
"This guy is just off the chain"

**
20. Hlengiwe Nxumalo
"Loved your entrance Sbu...you blew me away."

**
21. don d
"I can see lesotho flag..bigup"

**
22. Susan Maina.
"I just want to meet this group's stylist/designer"

**
23. Mckanzie_ la_Janet
"Gwara gwara on point 🔥🔥"

**
24. Allicia Richards
"Any chance of this group coming to the Caribbean or America.."

**
REPLY
25. Gloria Ukay, 2019
"They were at TDJakes porters house Dallas few years back, He flew the entire group to minister in his church,it was glorious, Sbu did a song there too"

**
26. Mr R
"The sound quality, so on point!"

**
27. Nellie Kelysse
"I can't help but dance to this jam. Is the Holy Spirit in this place or what 🙌🙌"

**
28. Ngirazi blessing
"OMG !!!!!WHAT A POWERFUL SONG UH GUYZ UH JX HIT IT YOOOOOH....LYRICS PLZZZZ"

**
29. Eva Wangechi
"Sibusiso always lit"

**
30. Sims Tee
"On repeat 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾😍😍😍powerful song."

**
31. Awaworyevu Linda
"shout out to the instrumentalist and the choir great job done"

**
32. Chidochashe Zhou
"yooo my favourite artist in jc"

**
33. Paula Mpela
"Joyous rocks and neva disappoint"

**
34. Randy Randy
"wow!!! the baratone guys...power to yal!!! yho!"

**
35. Keganetse Gagobepe
"Come on guitarists woow you killed it Sbu"

**
36. ONALENNA CHIPO
"Finally....this is an amazing song..
Big up #SbuNoah"

**
37. Luzuko Mngqibisa
"dope track. let the name Jesus be praised by all"

**
38. Wibabara Mathilde
"Who loves Sibusisso so much like me? Love Joyous celebration from Rwanda"

**
39. Chido Nhavira
"this is m second best song on joyous celeb ration after umoya kuledawo. Sbu Mthembu you are awesome i love youuu. im yyour biggest fan from zimbabwe"

**
40.Sharon Chiduku
"The bass in the beginning is everything"

**
41. Eugene Galle
"When I think of all the attacks against other Africans I SA , I wonder how can you live there and be unsaved, savage, I hope this passion on stage is transferred to the streets show the love of Christ to your neighbor black from other countries, all this without love is vain , great Christian entertainment though, may God get the glory"

**
42. Zintle Ndiwa
"It's a nice song but the must be a different between club songs and almighty God songs... That's why people don't see nothing wrong when they are in sin... But who am I to say this God will decide one day 2 Corinthians 6:14"

**
REPLY
43. Fikile Olga
"11 months ago
you must read the boble carefully....we must rejoice in the Lord...praises him with music"

**
44. Linda Elias
"This song neh....i dont understand the language but the song is lit jou"

**
45. Buchille ne
"PLEASE BE CAREFUL - DONT FORGET that it is about giving PRAISE to the Almighty and not about performance of self gratification!!!"

**
46. Fred Jeremiah
"The people are awesome, I enjoy all their collections, choreography and lead vocalist even though I don't understand the languages. God bless you all. From Nigeria"

**
47. anne osiyo
"I admire the unity that they have in terms of accomodating both the young and the old in their choir.I haven't seen this in Kenyan churches...only the youth are known to perform in church choir."

**
48. Tshidi Potase
"UB Arina will be on fire today Botswana are u ready dancing for the Lord 🍹😇😇💃💃💃💃 hallelujah wezikhala"

**
49. Boikanyo Motlogelwa
"That sister in white top eish. Great dance. I love"

**
50. Byron King
"Omg my brothers and sisters are so beautiful in worship"

****
2019
51. Musha Kudenga
"Zimbabwean flag at 4:52, I'm glad"

**
52. Mpho Sekokotla
"What a beautiful jam!! The best song by Joyous Celebration, absolutely love it!!"

**
53. Nosisa Nokwali
"Such energy Sbu Noah❤"

**
54. Virginia Wavinya
"If it was possible for this choir to come to kenya for one week then definately I will be there....your music is lit..."

**
55. Ayanda Nomcebo Phindile Mokoena
"I LOVE THIS SONG!!! THE ENERGY AND THE MESSAGE🙌🙌🙌"

**
56. Thuso Mmotlana
"The horn section is lit lit lit I love how everyone is just enjoying the song.. happy vibes"

**
57. Karen Chipo
"You guys are lit...you raise my spirit, keep on doing the good job for God."

**
58. Yolanda Hermanus
"Can't stop listening to this song it's on repeat feeling so blessed. Love it ❤❤🔥"

**
REPLY
59. Winnie Rammbuda
"Same here my sister, on repeat."

**
60. lauren kitoko
"what does ' Malibowe' mean? I dont know if my spelling is correct.?"

**
REPLY
61. Mr R
"It’s “malibongwe” meaning let His name be praised. He has done only great things in my life, let His name be praised. He has heard my cry, He brought me out of the miry clay, He set my feet on on a rock, He left me with a new song. let His name be praised."

**
REPLY
62. lauren kitoko
"many thanks, that was helpful. God bless you for the great job."

**
63. Alpha Happy
"Which country is this 🇱🇸
I see the huge fan at the front row just waving 😃🙂"

**
REPLY
64. Mr R
"Lesotho"

**
65. bob Toys
"That's a good tune with a boogie down. God Bless"

**
66. Ayanda sweetness
"His killing it"

**
67. Portia Ndlovu
"my wedding song ,20 April 2019 how blessed I was"

**
68. Ester Mndeme
"Alll the way from Tanzania my favourite band of all time ... And i don't understand a word.... 😀 JoyousCelebration for life .... This is literally my dream band one could make me cry by taking me to their concert"

**
69. Nomsa Nqangase
"What does nceku mean? He keeps saying that"

**
REPLY
70. HAMILTON KAWE
"Servant of God."

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that showcases the song "Wenzile" by the South African Gospel choir Joyous Celebration.

This post presents selected examples of most of the comments from that video's discussion thread that are posted to date about the custom of a large number of concert attendees recording Gospel concerts with their cell phones.*

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/joyous-celebration-wenzile-video-lyrics.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents the official YouTube music video of the Gospel song "Wenzile" as sung by Joyous Celebration. The lyrics of that song are also included in this post along with selected comments from the official YouTube video of this song.

The content of this post is presented for religious, socio-cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composer/s of this song and all those associated with Joyous Celebration. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
*Note that I have read similar comments about this custom in some other discussion threads of contemporary African music - a particular discussion thread of South African House music comes to mind. I'm documenting the comments from this Joyous Celebration's discussion thread for socio-cultural purposes and I believe that I've added comments about this custom from the above mentioned House music discussion thread- if not other discussion threads. I'll add a link to that pancocojams post when I remember which post it is :o)

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Joyous Celebration - Wenzile (Live)



JoyousVEVO [no YouTube publishing date given, but based on comments, this video was published on YouTube in 2018]

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD

2018
1. Daniel Aron
"people are busy on shooting videos instead of celebrating and dancing, this is too bad for you fellows, you are crowded around the stage only for shooting😢😢"

**
2. Noxolo Kahlana
"their outfits are everything... WoW... i will never get how people can worship and still film with their phones at the same
time... I'll never get it..."

**
REPLY
3. Milly Badze
"Noxolo Kahlana i never get the phone thing too it boggles my mind!!"

**
4. king Robertson
"Instead of enjoying the show people use they phones"

**
REPLY
5. Aron Ramusi
"reason I don't enjoy live shows anymore 😠"

**
REPLY
6. king Robertson
"Aron Ramusi even me finished with live shows"

**
REPLY
7. Bianca Dax
"They recording for us to enjoy like this"

**
8. Fresh Adu
"I love Joyous Celebration very much and i admire the audience when watching their music videos. But this audience🤔... Thought this song should have swept them off their feet!! Didn’t see much of audience involvement.
Song is still my favorite in 22 but not this audience."

****
2019
9. Bangla Desh
"People are just standing there with their phones and not dancing? But why? Let the memory be in your head, not your phone."

**
10. Boitumelo Makubate
"the crowd did not do this song justice they standing busy wit the 4fons
-snip-
4fons= phones"

****
This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a video of a Black Coffee [South African House music] concert in Paris, France in 2018 and focuses on commenters' reactions to the fact that many concert attendees taped the concert with their cell phones instead of dancing to that music or otherwise showing that they appreciated that music.

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Black Coffee for his musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Black Coffee @ Salle Wagram for Cercle



Cercle, Published on Feb 1, 2018
-snip-
This concert was in Paris, France.

Statistics as of September 21, 2019 at 10:50 AM
total # of comments - 10,665,457
total # of likes - 102K
total # of dislikes - 4.7K
total # of comments – 5, 347

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
Pancocojams' Editor's Note:
This is a companion post to this September 2019 pancocojams post that documents comments about South African audiences at a Gospel concert taping the concert instead of focusing on the music: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/comments-from-discussion-thread-of.html
Comments From The Discussion Thread Of "Wenzile" by Joyous Celebration About Gospel Concert Attendees Recording Concerts With Their Cell Phones.

I noted in that post that I recalled reading comments about that subject in a South African post about House music. The comments that are featured in this September 21, 2019 pancocojams post is the discussion thread that I was referring to. However, although I had read many of those comments before, I hadn't published a blog post that included those comments, but was mis-remembering this pancocojams post that I published in 2016 that features South African DJ Black Coffee: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/comments-from-discussion-thread-of.html (South African DJ) Black Coffee, featuring Toshi - Buya (information, video, lyrics, & comments).

Most of the comments in this post refer to fact that many of the concert's attendees taped the concert on their cell (mobile) phone. A few comments compare that custom with how attendees at House concerts in the United States used to (and still) dance to House music.

I didn't read all of the 5,000+ comments that comprise the discussion thread for this video as of this pancocojams post's publishing date. However, I did read A LOT of that discussion thread and I believe that these selected comments are representative of all the comments that I read about the audience's reactions to that particular concert.

One comment in this compilation refers to Black Coffee himself and one comment provides that concert's track list.

I happened upon each of the above mentioned videos as part of a conscious YouTube search for contemporary South African music. I focused on comments about concert attendees' taping these concerts with their cell phones because I consider those comments to be culturally interesting. Judging from those comments, it appears that concert attendees concentrating on taping concerts with their cell phones instead of "getting into" the concert is a relatively new and-I think- a relatively widespread phenomenon- although I don't know how new and how widespread it is across music genres, and continents, and races.
-snip-
Numbers are added to these comments for referencing purposes only.

2018

1. Wellem Mkhulu Skhosana
"Proudly South African Icon, Thank you Bro Nkosinathi Maphumulo AKA Black Coffee for the authentic talent that attracted the whole world to come and feel how SA vibe is cascade to the love of house music."

**
2. Raebik
"TRACKLIST

00:00 Pablo Fierro - Kalaa (Original Mix)
00:01 [Acapella] Black Coffee feat. Hugh Masekela - We Are One
06:07 From P60 & Lisa Shaw - Magic (Enoo Napa Remix)
11:20 Keinermusik (Rampa, Adam Port, &ME) - Muyè (Black Coffee Remix)
18:06 Black Coffee feat. Toshi - Buya (Da Capo Remix)
23:26 Shimza - All Alone (Original Mix)
27:20 Da Capo - Kelaya
32:48 [Acapella] Danny Tenaglia ft Celeda - Music is the Answer (Dancin'& Prancin')
33:05 Leroy Styles - The Night [Unreleased] (?)
38:10 [Acapella] Black Coffee feat. Bucie - Superman
39:13 DeMajor ft Lizwi - Traveller (Kususa & QueTornik Official Remix)
46:03 Da Capo - Umbovukazi (Original Mix)
51:15 Vestaa - The Creation (Original Mix)
56:43 Da Capo feat. Tshepo - Africa (Original Mix)
1:02:14 Calypso De Sir - From A Distance (Original Mix)
1:06:44 [Acapella] Black Coffee feat. Hugh Masekela - We Are One"

**
3. Anthony Teasdale
"Beautiful music… but too many people filming what is essentially a bloke playing records. Dance together or on your own, flirt, catch the eye of that special someone, but put your phone in your pocket. You will have more fun"

**
REPLY
4. Ajianjo19
"Anthony Teasdale why u people hating too much the recording people, i went to the best club in spain and i record a couple of instagram stories and i had more fun than in my life. U all just.think u enjoy more the music than anyone recording and its not like that"

**
REPLY
5. Anthony Teasdale
"Ajianjo19 I don’t hate. I just think we have more fun when we lose ourselves in the moment. I started raving in 1988, and the whole point was that the crowd was the star, not the DJ."

**
REPLY
6. Ajianjo19
"Anthony Teasdale i understand what are u talking about but that dont means that i cant do some short videos to remember the music, i dont really care about filming the dj but the music, but i get your point"

**
REPLY
7. nick78447
"No hate in that post. In fact he's advocating love and fun, and sharing an experience without cameras. Losing yourself because you don't have access to that brilliant but sometimes evil device. People under 25... please, just for a few moments, just imagine the freedom that going to a great club and having a great time without a mobile on you, would give you. Utterly liberating. Able to concentrate only on the music. Not on missed calls/texts/whatsapps/instas etc."

**
REPLY
8. Adriano Moreira
"I agree with you."

**
REPLY
9. Christian Fetz
"I miss that times when nobody had a cellphone and everybody was dancing and enjoying. Simple as that. It was a different atmosphere."

**
REPLY
10. Eduardo Camacho
"How can they just stand there!!! You hear that music!!! You're supposed to get lost in it, forget work the world it's just you and the music!!! It's a FEELINGGGGGG"

**
REPLY
11. A C
"1 person has to record it."

**
REPLY
12. S P
"Facts!!!"

**
REPLY
13. Ami Ami
"@ Anthony What's wrong with folk doing there own thing?... People on different buzzes at different times. You the kinda dude that growls at folk on there phone. Ain't none of your business what other folk are doing. People sharing the love & recording to have a memory. Take that negativity elsewhere. You ain't feeling something better than someone sharing it with loved ones."

**
REPLY
14. TG Swartlane
"Anthony Teasdale 😂🤣🤣😂😂too many people filming buddy 🤣"

**
REPLY
15. Victoria Whyte, 2019
"@Ami Ami apart from us people who have most events ruined by someone who is already taller than you standing in front if you spilling their drink all over you as well as slamming their elbows in your face"

**
REPLY
16. Lasandra Barney, 2019
"Lol I so agree .... How is they enjoying the moment if your focus is on technology 🤯🤯🤯"

**
17. DJ JUDE ELLIOTTT
"Love Black Coffee! Love the Salle Wagram atmosphere! But people put your phones away! Enjoy the music and experience! Smh"

**
REPLY
18. RockstahRolln
"Unfortunately those days are long gone where people get together at a venue just to enjoy the music... A VERY sad reality."

**
REPLY
19. Angela Allen
"For feal, if I was there jamming they would be mopping my sweat of the floor!"

**
20. Allen Thomas
"this can be CHURCH"

**
REPLY
21. Objective Intuition
"Allen Thomas I thought it was church? I go house dancing Sunday mornings in NY-"

**
REPLY
22. Denise Mitchell
"+Objective Intuition where old house head 61 Gayragette here before club went urban and was girl friendly???"
Sundae Sermon Harlem
oul Summit Brooklyn
Ron Hardy king of House Chicago
Frankie Knuckles sent to Chicago godfather of house
this is bananas got my powder ready"

**
REPLY
23. Objective Intuition
"Denise Mitchell Frankie knuckles- okay, okay I’ll give you your props!!'

**
REPLY
24. Denise Mitchell
"+Objective Intuition heard the best knew About Frankie before Larry Levan gayrage trained him been partying all my life!
saw him live flew to Chicago 5 Times
Club Zanzibar Brick City
stand up"

**
REPLY
25. Objective Intuition
"Denise Mitchell club Zanzibar- my stomping grounds- went to see black coffee last weekend in Atlantic Cit... my feet still hurt 💃🏾"

**
REPLY
26. Jenny Batres
"This is my church 😃"

**
26. aminahcm
"Black Coffee moves my soul! However I'm a mover and over the years I've become so frustrated with people standing in front of the dj booth like zombies with cell phones. What ever happened to dancing?"

**
REPLY
27. David Reinhardt
"aminahcm agreed ... but its the age we live in.... they will never know.... and always regret!! Absolute belter of a set... and i havent even watched the video..."

**
REPLY
28. Fabric
"Exactly dance free and ✌️"

**
REPLY
29. monkeynkl
"My feelings exactly. WTF Larry Levan was up in his dj booth without the crowd standing around and ogling. My fav...Paradise Garage. No disrespect to Black Coffee. Love the look of that club though."

**
REPLY
30. S
"Nothing happened to dancing. Its wack dj's like this that f&&ked* up true club music."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

**
31. Karen Courtois
"I was there, the mood changed when he came on, music vibration took over the whole sphere,gods mate"

**
32. cenz70
"These people serious with these phones move around man the music is there for you too move"

**
REPLY
33. WWEE Network-Wellness
"cenz70 They are in shock and have no internal rhythm...I woukd be so in the ZONE vs my dang phone.."

**
33. Johny Zikhali
"So music lovers that side go partying to just grab their phones on hands and not drinking alcohol"

**
34. Hannie Mathega
"Epic selection .. I can't stop dancing.#BlackCoffee"

**
35. Thabang Matsepe
"When he plays the aim is not sweat ,but I am telling u deep house will make u run water papa

Only when Black Coffee plays it ."

**
36. Dhruva Kashyap
"This set is very different and unusual.. like very calm and vibey! Very different.."

**
37. Ju Bilation
"they ll have 5 gigas of non audible videos...feel the set dont allways take your phone..."

**
38. Jetty
"Girl in the front row. Her reactions make me realise how music is different and how music feels good but differently to everyone. Basically this was an awesome act AF!"

****
2019

39. jame conradi
"As a dj this was a cool Sunday session but look at the crowd dissapointing from BC."

**
40. Kyle 89
"put the phones down and get lost in the music!"

**
41. Maor Davar
"back in the days people used to cheer now the phones are in the air for ppl at home to cheer
Holy crap"

**
42. Sherman Wellons
"we danced harder in Los Angeles when he came to visit :)"

**
43. Mark Weiler
"Hopefully someone there brought a phone to catch some of this 🤔🤷🏿‍♂️"

**
44. Tyler Dladla
"Crowd ain't understanding the genius behind this mix"

**
45. TheZeallions
"Guys getting close to the deck so they can text on their phone !
Hilarious."

**
46. m4nuz
"no space for dancing? :( ... niccceee set!"

**
REPLY
47. Yasser Asmai
"min 40. hold my beer i will show you how to dance"
-snip-
Several commenters noted that that the venue was very nice and there was space for dancing.

**
48. Ian He-kensken
"Wish I was there so I could capture it on my phone"

**
49. KRUE
"Credits to the people actually dancing and enjoying the mix instead of filming the whole time."

**
50. Tami Lee Krebbs
"Well, Well, well....I guess I am Damn late to THIS party!! Wasn't familiar with this dude yet, I must have been living under a flat rock!! He is so so DOPE!! Just close your eyes, and TURN IT UP...you cant help but move to it, man! wow...a mixture of styles, transitions just as "smooth as butter..", .breathe in the vibe and let that BEAT just ooze on in...its all so rich...it will rumble all your parts into their happy place! Simply a genius."

**
51. TheDANfromAXP
"Mobile zombies lol"

**
52. Žiga Kurat
"WTF is with all the phones in hands??? why people dont just listen the music and let it go??? feel the vibe, respect the DJ..."

**
53. popyeni haikali
"Im confused, is it only white people in France that like his type of music? Cz i only c white folks.
Nevertheless, dig this this dude! WITH LOVE FROM NAMIBIA"

**
REPLY
54. Joy Joy
"I saw a few people of colour. France is a predominately White country since it's in Europe, so I'm not surprised majority here is White."

**
55. Harry S. Keith
"Put down the PHONES!"

**
56. Diggo
"I hate the people who are chatting in the crowd. During a Black Coffee set you don't speak, blink or chew anything,"

**
REPLY
57. Nondumiso
"Hahahahahaha! True"

**
58. John Ngatia
"Awesome set!! Wrong venue and crowd (zombies in a cemetery)"

**
59. Lil Prince
"I love the way there's no one who really dances for his mixes. Everyone feels the heat but cannot articulate how they should really move bcz what he does is juss out of this world. You can't help it, you just stick to nodding."

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series about the vernacular term "reading for filth".

This pancocojams post provides definitions of and examples of the vernacular term "reading [someone] to [or for] filth". That pancocojams post provides definitions of and examples of the vernacular term "reading [someone] to [or for] filth". Definitions and examples of the related vernacular terms "[throwing] shade" and "reading for shame" are also included in this post.

These definitions and examples are retrieved from YouTube and from certain other online site.

Part II showcases a video clip from the television series "Pose" (Season 1) that serves as an example of "reading for filth".

The content of this post is presented for linguistic and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in these comments and videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

I was motivated to revisit this subject as a result of Billy Porter winning an Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama Series (2019). https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-09-22/emmys-pose-billy-porter-historic-win for his depiction of the character named "Pray Tell". Congratulations, Billy Porter!

-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-reading-someone-throwing-shade-no.html for a closely related 2014 pancocojams post entitled "What "Reading Someone", "Throwing Shade", &"No Tea No Shade" Mean"

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
I believe that "reading [someone] to [or for] filth is the epitome of reading someone, i.e. being more skillful, more witty, more artful, and, therefore, more devastating in your insult/s than a mere read would have been.

I think that "reading someone for shame" may be the same thing as "reading [someone] to [or for] filth."

Please share additions or corrections to these general statements and/or to the statements given below. Thanks!

DEFINITIONS OF READING SOMEONE
These entries are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

1. From https://www.bustle.com/articles/82642-the-12-best-burns-in-history-because-reading-for-filth-is-nothing-new The 12 Best Burns In History, Because 'Reading For Filth' Is Nothing New
By JR THORPE, May 12, 2015
"If you don't know the beautiful term "to read for filth," it's time you learned. Popularized by the cult film Paris Is Burning back in 1990, "reading" probably originated in the LGBT community in New York in the 1980s — and it's the art of the ultimate witty comeback, the burn that packs a witty punch with a serious sting in the tail. Reading for filth? That's taking it to its furthest extent, with insults so brutally eloquent that they make you with* you'd said them instead."...
-snip-
“with” is probably a typo for “wish”

****
2. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=XZvTX4o3LAI Welcome To Reading and Shade 101 by Kari Howard, Published on Jan 6, 2014
Comment from I. Vee, 2014;
Kari Howard
"See, I don't like your definition of reading. Reading is more than just insulting someone. It's insulting them directly, but artfully, using comparisons, metaphor, and rhetoric to support your insult. And then shade is really the art of indirect reading; it's insulting someone, minus the insult.

Here, look at this example:

Insulting someone: "You're fat, and you're ugly."
Reading someone: "Gurl, you've gained so much weight you should be shopping in Jared's old closet! And what are you doing outside with that busted face, hasn't Animal Control caught your ass yet?"
Shading someone: "You know, I saw that blouse you're wearing in the window of Lane Bryant and KNEW it would work for you, good eye! And how's that plastic surgeon of yours doing, have you been making your appointments?"

REPLY
Kari Howard, 2014
"Thank you for the comment, I do indeed like your definition way better than mine!"

****
3. From https://www.capetownmagazine.com/arts-culture/a-beginners-guide-to-drag-terminology/104_22_19320 A Beginner’s Guide to Drag Terminology by Gary Hartley [no date noted but reference to 2018]
We enlist the help of some of Cape Town’s ‘sickening’ drag queens to school you on the drag dictionary

Over the last couple of years, RuPaul’s reality TV show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, has become a global phenomenon, and as a result, queer slang, colloquialisms and phrases have permeated popular culture. In fact, a number of the gender-bending contestants, and RuPaul herself, have inspired memes more shareable (Cher-able) than Grumpy Cat. Of course, drag performers around the world have been using the terms in their acts for decades, with the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, a film that explores New York’s 1980s underground balls (drag pageants and queer performance spaces), credited with first exposing larger audiences to terms like ‘fierce’, ‘shade’, ‘werk’ (with an ‘e’) and ‘vogue’, amongst others.

But despite the language being more and more popularised, the etymologies of queer slang words aren’t exactly known, and there are still people who are left scratching their heads during drag shows because they are unable to decode the linguistics.

So, with the Mother City being at the forefront of drag performance in South Africa, we’ve decided to enlist the help of some of Cape Town’s top drag artists to bring you a beginner’s guide to drag terminology. Learn what it means to ‘throw shade’, ‘read’ and ‘serve realness’ thanks to some definitions and examples from Mary Scary, Princess Pop and Manila von Teez.

THE DRAG QUEEN DICTIONARY (DRAGTIONARY) FOR BEGINNERS

[...]

Read |rēd| verb.

Insulting someone with minimal effort.
Queens typically read each other in sessions (a phenomenon that's a bit like a wittier freestyle battle).
Before a formal session of queens reading each other can commence, the facilitator usually declares, "The library is open”.
If you unleash a ruthless onslaught of insults, you are reading someone to filth.
Example: "Hunty, is it just me, or does your weave come from the R5 store? Oh wait, you don't stop there anymore, it got too expensive,” digs Princess Pop.

Shade |SHād| noun and verb.

A subtler form of reading
“When one makes a comment in a company of people, or face-to-face, with the intention of insulting someone or to remind them of an embarrassing moment,” explains Manila von Teez.
When someone insults you in an indirect manner, they are throwing shade.
Example: “Ooh, girl - you look gorgeous in that double volume Ronettes wig,” says Mary Scary.".

[...]

So there you have it; a concise and thorough guide to drag-talk.

We think we read a little better than that washed up queen Merriam Webster (shade!).”....
-snip-
Italics added to highlight this statement

****
4. From https://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/24jaeu/how_do_you_read_someone_to_filth/ How do you read someone to filth?; Posted byu/marvin1013, 2014
a. "How do you read someone to filth?
So, my friends and I likes to read each other for fun, but she usually wins. Is there any tips or tricks to read someone?

I want to be fast and clever when they read me so i can twist their words around. So any tips?"

**
b. Ximxim, 2014
"You wanna talk about reading? Here are a few tips 1- don't go for the obvious, or the hurtful. Reading isn't about the easy joke, like calling a fat person fat. That may be true, but it isn't clever. Reading should be about choices the person has made, specific things about them. Don't hit someone's sore spots either, this isn't supposed to be cruel. 2- the easy way to read is something like this- point out the ridiculous thing (girl, those jagged ass toenails!), then compare it to a pop culture reference or two (you get a pedicure from lilo?). 3- the fake compliment is also good. "I think it's so brave of you to wear your hair like that- who cares what people say." 4- finally, the most advanced level of reading is. Bianca style, where you both insult and enlighten. When I get there I'll let you know."

**
REPLY
c. LoisCarmen, 2014
"THIS SO MUCH. Saying, "you ugly fatass!" Isn't reading, your just being an ass. Keep it clever and keep it cute."

**
d. [deleted], 2014
"practice practice practice and slowly build your rolodex of hate. I like to use facial expressions à la Bianca. ''Oh you look so good today.''disgusted face immediately
-snip-
"Bianca Del Rio" is the winner of Season 6 of the television series RuPaul's Drag Race (2014).

****
5. http://www.waywordradio.org/throw_shade/
"Reading, Reading to filth — To really let someone have it; to insult or criticize.

Ex: Well, if I see her out tonight, I will read her to filth. I will tear her sh&& up like newspaper.
-snip-
Note the addition of the intensifier "really" which I believe separates "reading" from "reading to [or for] filth".

****
A FEW ONLINE EXAMPLES OF "READING TO [OR FOR] FILTH" AND "READING FOR SHAME"
Pancocojams Editor's Note: The following comments are either include the term "reading to [or for] filth" or "reading for shame" or are examples of those insult forms.

These entries are given in no particular order and numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

WARNING: These clips often contain profanity and other references that may not be suitable for children.

1. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEM4La4L_a8 Pose | Season 1: Pray Tell ‘Em | FX ; FX Networks, Published on Aug 15, 2018

[Pancocojams Editor: These are comments made about drag ball contestants by Pray Tell, the emcee at that ball]

a. Kay T 38, 2018
"Pray Tell can definitely read you for shame honey!!!. I LOVE IT...lol"

**
b. movie gurl74, 2018
"Put that in the Xmas ornament box,an we'll get back too to U 😂😂😂😂😂😂"

**
c. Tommy Lee, 2018
"Place that’s jacket in the Christmas ornament box! 🗣Hollering 🤣"

**
d. Tan, 2019
"♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ Love PrayTell! “They’re serving us Buckingham Palace high tea...while the rest of you only know Lipton from the diner!”

**
e. Vanessa Allmon, 2019
"Where is the Halston/JCPenney read?????? That one was epic!"
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnHh0FrOb5E"POSE on FX: Category is High Fashion Evening Wear! Ladies of Luxury!" for a video clip which includes that particular read.

****
2. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AT_JpGDrN0
POSE - Fem Queen Vogue; Ron Ramseur, Published on Aug 26, 2018
a. Daddie_Doll, 2019
"“Do you have category dyslexia?”😭😭😭"

**
b. emilou j, 2019
"1:29
Miss Caaannddyyyyyyyy 😂😂😂"

**
c. Rejinald Palmer, 2019
"You know you're about to get read for filth when someone has to stretch out the last syllable of your name."

**
d. jonwiley, 2019
"3:23 what is up with this girl's shape? She looks like a boiled egg with legs."

**
REPLY
e. Marc Murray, 2019
"LMAO You went there."

****
3. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLMVwSmDAdA
POSE on FX: The Category Is Linen or Silk & Shade!; Butterfly Kisses, Published on Jul 22, 2018
a. DCombz, 2019
"Elektra reading them to filth is a required clip to watch after this one."

****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series about the vernacular term "reading for filth".

This post showcases a video clip from the television series "Pose" (Season 1) entitled "Elektra Abundance Reads For Filth". Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are included in that post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/real-definitions-for-examples-of.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That pancocojams post provides definitions of and examples of the vernacular term "reading [someone] to [or for] filth". Definitions and examples of the related vernacular terms "[throwing] shade" and "reading for shame" are also included in that post.

These meanings and examples are retrieved from YouTube and from certain other online site.

Part III showcases a video clip from the television series "Pose" (Season 2) entitled "Elektra Reads Customer For Filth". Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are included in that post.

The content of this post is presented for linguistic and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Dominique Jackson who portrays Elektra Abundance Evangelista in the television series Pose and thanks to all those who are associated with the Pose television series. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in these comments and videos and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-reading-someone-throwing-shade-no.html for a closely related 2014 pancocojams post entitled "What "Reading Someone", "Throwing Shade", &"No Tea No Shade" Mean".

I revisited this subject as a result of Billy Porter winning an Emmy for lead actor in a drama series (2019) for his depiction of "Pray Tell", emcee of New York City drag balls in the 1980. Congratulations, Billy Porter!

Click https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-09-22/emmys-pose-billy-porter-historic-win for an article about Billy Porter's historic win as the first openly gay Black man to win in this category.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE TELEVISION SERIES POSE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pose_(TV_series)
"Pose (stylized as POSE) is an American drama television series about New York City's African-American and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming ballroom culture scene in the 1980s and, in the second season, early 1990s. Featured characters are dancers and models who compete for trophies and recognition in this underground culture, and who support one another in a network of chosen families known as Houses.

Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals, the series premiered on June 3, 2018, on FX. The series stars an ensemble cast including Evan Peters, Kate Mara, James Van Der Beek, Mj Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Billy Porter, Indya Moore, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Charlayne Woodard, Hailie Sahar, Angelica Ross, Angel Bismark Curiel, Dyllón Burnside, and Sandra Bernhard.

The first season was met with critical acclaim and subsequently received numerous award nominations including the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for Billy Porter. In July 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 11, 2019. Also in June, FX renewed the series for a third season."...

****
From https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-09-22/emmys-pose-billy-porter-historic-win
‘Pose’ star Billy Porter lands historic first with Emmy win; By YVONNE VILLARREALSTAFF WRITER
SEP. 22, 2019
...""Pose", from Ryan Murphy and Steven Canals, explores the extravagant subculture of the LGBTQ ballroom scene in late 1980s and early 1990s New York, as well of the lives of the people of that community. Porter’s visceral portrayal of Pray Tell has been praised by critics since the show’s launch last year. The first season, for which he was nominated, saw his character reckoning with an HIV diagnosis."...

[...]

“Pose,” which has been lauded for its contribution to transgender visibility and representation on TV, received six Emmy nominations this year, including Porter’s category and drama series.

The second season of the drama wrapped its run last month on FX.”...

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Elektra Abundance Reads For Filth | Pose FX (HD)



EXACTLY, Published on Jul 27, 2018

Miss Lulu and Crusty Candy try it with Mother Elektra, they end up being read to filth, after that, they were left snatched and trying to find their weaves on the ballroom floor.
-snip-
WARNING: The term "bitch" is used one time in this video. That is the only use of profanity or other not suitable for children terms that occurs in this video.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread, with numbers added for referencing purposes only:

Special mention is given to comment #92 which is an unofficial transcription of this read.

2018
1. BHarding10
"That. Is. How. It. Is. DONE!

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️..."

**
2. Fernando R
"WOOOOOOORK MAMAAAAAA!!!!"

**
3. Azteco Latino
"i mean she read them both to filth! not everyone can have a library card 😋"

**
4. ch chawngthu
"Her reading is everything"

**
5. MrPagefan1
"Oh Snap!!...Literally"

**
6. Jaleel Coley
"Them finger snaps at the end had me dead 🤣😂"

**
7. noor farizzul izran
"The shade. The shade of it alll."

Someone please call an ambulance. Someone got murdered here.


**
8. Rafael Uchimura
"Finger snap to seal it! ❤️"

**
9. David Jackson
""You two are about as fierce as my morning corn flakes. LMAO MY CHEST!!! I am about to die!!! Lol"

**
REPLY
10. Stet-G Voicey
"David Jackson I didn’t get that one"

**
REPLY
11. Likan Prower
"Stet-G Gamie well... There's nothing more basic than corn flakes as a breakfast"

****
2019
12. Ellie Meli
"She's slaying it!"

**
13. PurpleKisses ASMR
"She dragged their souls to the abyss!"

**
14. KamisKisses
"Tht read was a whole library. damn."

**
15. Monica Blodgett
"The best read I could have ever seen."

**
16. Caio Vieira
"No survivors"

**
17. Lauren
"THAT READ WAS EVERYTHING BUT THAT SNAP AT THE END THO 🔥🔥🔥"

**
18. Squrtile101
"That hurt my soul and it ain’t directed at me"

**
19. Luca Ortolani
"Withering weeds
THAT'S HIGH LITERATURE Y'ALL"

**
20. Drew Thomas
"my absolute favorite part of this is Lil Papi at 1:00 getting his ever lasting LIFE from all her reads lmfaoooo I had to rewind that part back when I first watched it. whatever actor that plays him looked genuinely at a loss for words 😂"

**
21. Knowledge Seeker 78
"That read and those snaps heard across the world"

**
22. farhana .jamal
"I only watch pose for electra''s reads....."

**
23. manuel parra
"Take a last look at this filet Mignon! lol"

**
24. Rejinald Palmer
"A read like that SHOULD take a million tries to film just right but I feel D.J flawlessly did it in one go."

**
25. Vic Tories
"Obliterated. Blasted. Burned. Dead. Destroyed. Crushed. Terminated. Roasted. Toasted. Cremated, and, Read. For. The. God's!!!!!!"

**
REPLY
26. Kable Corsey
"Vic Tories you better break it down 😂😂"

**
27. jahmod cook
"A filthy read without 1 cuss word. Love it"

**
REPLY
28. N Martin
"jahmod cook Keeping it classy"

**
REPLY
29. stealthis
"Will they did say bitch"

**
REPLY
30. OKHomoRose
"@stealthis "Bitch" is rude but not necessarily a swear word. And Elektra didn't say any swears."

**
31. Blu Blu
""... as fierce as my morning Corn Flakes" I need to lay down"

**
32. QStar3
"WAIT! 0:32 is that Jiggly Caliente?!"

**
REPLY
33. Porsha Wells
"Yes it is and she's also on season 2 of this show"
-snip-
Jiggly Caliente was a contestant on Season 4 of the Ru Paul Drag Race television series.

**
34. juan sebastian gonzalez atehortua
"This!! is the ART of READING someone!!"

**
35. Alej_ndro D
"Can someone help me find my wig? I think it was last seen making its way to Neptune"

**
36. Clarence Davis III
"Because reading is what....FUNDAMENTAL"

**
37. Ur a wizard Harry
"1:00
Me whenever Electra or Pray Tell roasts someone"
-snip-
"Pray Tell" is the name of the drag ball emcee who is played by Billy Porter.

**
38. Ladybug201
"Elektra was Shakespeare before Shakespeare was Shakespeare, I’d bow to her if she ever chose to read me tf 😂😂😂"

**
39. Edith Giles
"scraping my jaw off the floor"

**
40. Arrie
"A Queen speaking with such grace, intelligence and with the intent to destroy . I stan"

**
41. Courtney
"The best read ever"

**
42. MEMPHISPRAISER
"The Library is OPEN"

**
43. Ernesto G. Williams
"4eva TVGOLD!!!!!!!"

**
44.The Dezire
"O hunty I live for Elektra.....yazzzz"

**
45. Darren Smith
"10’s 10’s 10’s across the board Electra....now THAT....was a read 💋👠"

**
46. Hayyaan Hussain
"1:01 Little Papis face is me living for the drama and shade Elektra is throwing 😂"

**
47. Mahogany. Applebum
"Those reads are biblical."

**
48. Josh White
"now this is how you roast somebody without cussing and being ratchet and getting loud. just pure class"

**
49. Belle Espirit
"I KNEW these comments would be lit and yall did not disappoint!! The house of ferocity is still picking their edges up off the floor...I have no words...I DARE anyone to show us a better read than that!!!!!! Sorry Aja baby but you got the #2 seat."
-snip-
Aja was a contestant on Season 9 of RuPaul's Drag Race.

**
50. I'm a member of STARS
"Mother just burned down the whole library!!!"

**
51. Joshua Gray
"In Latrice Royale's voice: Girl the shade the shade of it all
-snip-
Latrice Royale was a contestant on Season 4 of the Ru Paul Drag Race television series."

**
52. Wahn Yoon
"Vicious yet completely classy. Miss Elektra delivers a world class read."

**
REPLY
53. Joe
"Right?!? Elegantly read for filth"

**
56. Sebastian Patino
""You think you are on the road to being legends, but you couldn't make it from here to the door without me pointing the way" I. WAS. ON. THE. FLOOR."

**
57. Steven James
"The best one. Someone call Jesus."

**
58. FLASHFOTO
"So smooth!"

**
59. CCHS2011stud
"That, ladies and gentlemen, is a READ. Shade comes from reading, reading came first. CLASS DISMISSED! 👏🏾👏🏾💯"

**
60. Jamill Murray
"Child😂😂😂😂😂"

**
61. Zedrick Malbas
"I. AM. LIVING."

**
62. Kida Lebeau
"That was exactly what I said after witnessing that eloquent destruction - FLAWLESS VICTORY! Muahahahahahaha!"

**
63. db60615
"That's how it's done. Intelligence and exquisite wit!"

**
64. LuvJayallday
"My lawd the reads after reads after reads lol excuse me while I find a casket to lay in 😂💀⚰"

**
65. Jaquanda Martin
"My name is JQ and I am completely addicted to this scene...I have watched it at least 10 times a day! #POSE"

**
66. Shari Gill
"This read was so fierce, I feel attacked. 😭🙌🏾♥️"

**
67. Felix Kasperl
"That was the most beautiful massacre I’ve ever witnessed!"

**
68. Martin McMayer
"an iconic scene."

**
69. Angela Sherita
"This will forever be the READ OF THE CENTURY"

**
REPLY
70. Fatgirlriri
"Angela Sherita nah the read of the century is by the legendary Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova: “Roxxxy Andrews, I think about you all the time, especially in the morning, at the bus stop”*

**
REPLY
71. Harry Jones
"Fatgirlriri No. No. No."

**
REPLY
72. Robbie ontherails
"I'm sorry kids but the reads of the Century are in Paris is Burning and Mommie Dearest."

**
REPLY
73. Soner Kamer
"Fatgirlriri Love Katya, but don’t say something cringe-worthy like that, the best reads don’t only come from the bubble that is RPDR."

**
REPLY
74. stan alsemanché and LOONA
"@Fatgirlriri making fun of childhood trauma is not reading. Jump"
-snip-
* Roxxy Andrews and Katya were contestants on Season 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR). In one episode of that series Roxy shared that her mother abandoned her at a bus stop when she was a small child.

**
75. Samuel Stephens
"I love this I'm so proud of our gay generation I am a 80s Queen and it makes me proud to see this ,,👑👑💎💎💎💎👑👑💍💍💎💎👑👑. Hail to the queen 👑👑💎💎💎"

**
76. Ba ba
"That's it, close the library and throw away the key, cuz these plastic wanna be were READ for filth, bottom line cut & dry!!!!#ThatPART
P.S : little papi tho 😍😍😍😍."

**
REPLY
77. Evalynne Torres
"It's Read TO FILTH!"

**
78. Tracy Smith
"Face crack!! There's no repairing the shattered pieces. That's the kind of read all you can do is cry and disappear.😭😭😭"

**
79. Quint P.
"Elektra went IN. She drug them to the depths! I sure felt it when she said “You two are about as fierce and my morning Corn Flakes.” READ EM GIRL"

**
80. Lily A
"Oh man that was some Shakespeare's realness"

**
81. Ibrahim Nour
"......or die on the vines with these withering weeds!!”- Elektra such an eloquent Queen 👸🏽"

**
82. Queen Bee The Diva
"One of the nastiest reads known to man"

**
83. Clementine's Thigh Gap
"NEWS FLASH: SEVERAL WIGS FOUND ON PLUTO"

**
84. icyhugs
"A perfect murder without a drop of blood, not even a trace of foul language! I bow to thee Queen Electra!"

**
85. Robert The 3rd
"I good read is done with eloquent speech and theatrical insults."

**
87. Shakira
"LMAO, that was the most dignified disrespectful read ever!"

**
88. Still Standing
"Jesus be a fence! She just read them from Genesis to Revelations without missing a beat! I must bing watch this show!"

**
89. Esmerelda Villa-Lobos
"i watch this at least twice a week..mostly to stay humble"

**
90. Hana Afifi
"And that ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between, is how you read someone to filth!"

**
91. Daniel Rossi
"Phonics take a back seat. I'm hooked on Elektra cause she can teach you how to read!"

**
92. Dan Martin
"Look at the fruits of my labor: a foolhardy chunk who makes her living on the pole and a brainless wonder who thinks the way to get curves is to stick Charmin in her drawers or to inject cement into her derriere. House of Ferocity? You two are about as fierce as my morning corn flakes. You may have left my home but you can't leave me. I'm in your mind, that voice saying, "You're not good enough, little girl. You're not smart enough or tough enough or glamorous enough to make it in this world." And that little voice is going to eat away at you like termites until your whole pathetic house come crashing down. You think you're on the road to being legends but you couldn't make it from here to the door without me pointing the way. You're nothing but bags of rancid, rotting meat. Well, take a long last look at this filet mignon. I doubt we'll be conversing ever again unless I take a sudden interest in dying of boredom.
-snip-
Sam (2019) began his transcription with this line:
“Good. Then you can hear the disappointment in my voice as I count up the ways in which I've clearly failed as being a mother”.

Other commenters also noted a line about "withering weeds".

****
93. Jassmina Vellucciano
"Take Notes Children, that’s how you give a Reading."

**
94. Carlos Rubio
"WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE SONG PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND!?!?!?!?"

**
REPLY
95. Benjamin D'Annibale
"Carlos Rubio heat you up (melt you down) by Shirley Lites :)"

**
96. Rejinald Palmer
"Edges gone. Library closed. Confidence shattered. Can Dominique Jackson release a soundboard app for all her lines."

**
97. Fabio Aug.
"The library is not only closed, but locked."

****
This concludes Part II of this three part pancocojams series.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series about the vernacular term "reading for filth".

This post showcases a video clip from the television series "Pose" (Season 2) entitled "Elektra Reads Customer For Filth". Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are included in that post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/real-definitions-for-examples-of.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That pancocojams post provides definitions of and examples of the vernacular term "reading [someone] to [or for] filth". Definitions and examples of the related vernacular terms "[throwing] shade" and "reading for shame" are also included in that post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/elektra-abundance-reads-for-filth-pose.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II showcases a video clip from the television series "Pose" (Season 1) entitled "Elektra Abundance Reads For Filth". Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are included in that post.

These meanings and examples are retrieved from YouTube and from certain other online site.

The content of this post is presented for linguistic and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Dominique Jackson who portrays Elektra Abundance Evangelista in the television series Pose and thanks to all those who are associated with the Pose television series. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in these comments and videos and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-reading-someone-throwing-shade-no.html for a closely related 2014 pancocojams post entitled "What "Reading Someone", "Throwing Shade", &"No Tea No Shade" Mean".

I revisited this subject as a result of Billy Porter winning an Emmy for lead actor in a drama series (2019) for his depiction of "Pray Tell", emcee of New York City drag balls in the 1980. Congratulations, Billy Porter!

Click https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-09-22/emmys-pose-billy-porter-historic-win for an article about Billy Porter's historic win as the first openly gay Black man to win in this category.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE TELEVISION SERIES POSE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pose_(TV_series)
"Pose (stylized as POSE) is an American drama television series about New York City's African-American and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming ballroom culture scene in the 1980s and, in the second season, early 1990s. Featured characters are dancers and models who compete for trophies and recognition in this underground culture, and who support one another in a network of chosen families known as Houses.

Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals, the series premiered on June 3, 2018, on FX. The series stars an ensemble cast including Evan Peters, Kate Mara, James Van Der Beek, Mj Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Billy Porter, Indya Moore, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Charlayne Woodard, Hailie Sahar, Angelica Ross, Angel Bismark Curiel, Dyllón Burnside, and Sandra Bernhard.

The first season was met with critical acclaim and subsequently received numerous award nominations including the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for Billy Porter. In July 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 11, 2019. Also in June, FX renewed the series for a third season."...

****
From https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-09-22/emmys-pose-billy-porter-historic-win
‘Pose’ star Billy Porter lands historic first with Emmy win; By YVONNE VILLARREALSTAFF WRITER
SEP. 22, 2019
...""Pose", from Ryan Murphy and Steven Canals, explores the extravagant subculture of the LGBTQ ballroom scene in late 1980s and early 1990s New York, as well of the lives of the people of that community. Porter’s visceral portrayal of Pray Tell has been praised by critics since the show’s launch last year. The first season, for which he was nominated, saw his character reckoning with an HIV diagnosis."...

[...]

“Pose,” which has been lauded for its contribution to transgender visibility and representation on TV, received six Emmy nominations this year, including Porter’s category and drama series.

The second season of the drama wrapped its run last month on FX.”...

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Elektra Reads Customer For Filth | Pose FX Season 2 (HD)



EXACTLY, Published on Aug 15, 2019

Imagine majoring as a basic bitch lol. Don't try it with Miss Elektra cause she will read ya to filth. Last year we witnessed the slayage of Lulu and Candy Ferocity but this year we have a privileged white girl that needs to take several seats and return back to her shallow conversation. PERIODTTT

-snip-
WARNING: The term "bitch" is used in this video. The word "sh&t" is also used in this clip.

I've decided to include that mild profanity "as is" in this post. Because this is a family friendly blog, all other profanity [with the exception of "damn"] is given with modified spelling.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread, with numbers added for referencing purposes only:

All of these comments are from 2019.

1. Adzhar Jailani
"God may have blessed you with Barbies, a backyard with a pony, and a boyfriend named Jake and an unwanted pregnacy that your father paid to terminate so you could go to college and major in being a BASIC B*TCH! None of these things make you a woman. Your uniform of ill fitting J. Crew culottes, FAKE pearls, and FIFTY CENT scrunchies cannot conceal the fact that you do not know who you are."

REPLY
2. La'Trea De'Zhanae
"Yes! That was the best read ever!"

**
REPLY
3. Andres Ortega
"“We fought for our place at this table, and that has made us stronger than youll ever be.” - Elektra Abundance"

**
REPLY
4. jeaux jo
"ICONIC‼️"

**
REPLY
5. Minna L.
"Now go back to your clam chowder and shallow conversation!"

**
REPLY
6. Deigo Hanson
"Reading is what fundamental. The libray is close."

**
REPLY
7. LoveIsINtheAIR walker
"Adzhar Jailani Mic drop!!!🎤"

**
REPLY
8. Bad Gyal Jordan
"Elektra read her to filth!!! LOL😂😂😂😂"

**
REPLY
9. Marco C
"But we all know that if this really happened, that heifer would have pulled a BBQ Becky, turned on her water works and called the police."

**
REPLY
10. Meagan Floyd
"Adzhar Jailani don’t forget the “sip of water break, lubricate” "

**
11. CCHS2011stud
"Shut down the library, close the internet, classes are dismissed. My God, Elektra is coming through this season!!!"

**
12. Luqman Hafeez
"Is the library even still there? I thought that building already got torn down officially by that read.. 😂😂😂"

**
13. Coco Belle
"The thing is, she didn’t have to walk over to say that. So unnecessary🙄 glad she got read to FILTH"

**
REPLY
14. La'Trea De'Zhanae
"Exactly. That was totally uncalled for. She was just being an ignorant transphobic bitch."

**
REPLY
15. Serious One
"She was showing off in front of her friends, and it blew up in her face. Like a bowl of bubbling clam chowder!"

**
16. K Daniel
"I’m deadddd........ the finger snaps and the sup of water!!!! Save me"

**
REPLY
17. Kris Kanei’ 💫
"K Daniel The snap was so damn well timed! 😂😂😂😂👏🏾"

**
18. Ramona Yulfo
"No one reads like these Librarians! What!!!!!! 👊🏼😍🥰🙏🔥🤣"

**
19. hi hello annyeong
"YASSSSSSSSS I LOVE IT WHEN ELEKTRA READS! HER VOICE IS THE PERFECT VOICE TO READ SOMEONE TO FILTH"

**
20. Ryan Wilson
"once again miss Elektra reads for filth and snatch a wig off flawlessly."

**
21. LCAmarkymark
"She needs to be a rapper! She could really spit some mad stuff I would listen to this with a bad beat!"

**
22. Melissa James
"And that, boys and girls, is how you READ!!!"

**
REPLY
23. Latoya Johnson
"Melissa James there should be a class on this because I would sign up in a heartbeat lol"

**
24. GETOSUPASTAR
"OMG that was the read of the century, you hear me? That hurt MY feelings... Mmk? LOL... I swear i love Electra SO much... She is my spirit animal!😂"

**
25. Maurice Corbett
"Turned that restaurant into a library and delivered the read of the year!

Two snaps Elektra...two snaps!"

**
26. Archer Arrows
"Could you imagine? If Mother Elektra and Bianca del Rio could get into a reading competition? Priceless!"
-snip-
Bianca del Rio, the winner of the television series RuPaul Drag Race (Season 6), is widely acknowledged for her "reading" skills.

**
REPLY
27. Jasmyn Elliott
"I’d pay my whole check to watch that!"

**
REPLY
28. Anthony Perez
"Girl the universe would explode"

**
REPLY
29. David Velasco
"Gurl! If I ever see that happens, my wig would be snatched so hard she would travel to an entire different dimension."

**
REPLY
30. tmmaston
"The reads, their power level would be over 9000!"

**
31. Ashwath Nair
""And what is it that we can do for you?" - Elektra, already aware as to where the conversation is heading and setting herself up for a jolly old reading."

**
32. Nelly Nell
"The whispering echoes in the wind!
The towering inferno called Elektra!
The pause...for the cause!
The ill fitting ensemble!
The chowder pot table gag!
She read the encyclopedia brittanical volume 10 to filth! Lol."

**
33. eric brunson
"I watched this 10 times in a row and it’s the walk of shame Rebecca had to make back to the table after being read for filth"

**
34. Clifton Simon
"When Lulu said “It was LOVELY talking to you!” I cracked the hell UP!!!"

**
35. Brandon the shapeshifter
"Go get your clam chowder before the clam chowder gets you hahahhaahhaha"

**
36. Yeezus Season
"lmaoo when the background music turned up.. ITS OVER
she read her on beat lmaooo"

**
37. Nakeisha Armstrong
"Now that was a read"

**
38. Dom
"😂🤣😭, this was epic. I love how the girls were so supportive in the background!!!!"

**
39. Jamallah Bergman
"This moment was brought to you today by the word EXCELLENCE because my friends...this read was the epitome of supreme EPICNESS!"

**
40. The Funky Spork
"This comeback was 🔥. One of my favorite scenes this season."

**
41. Luqman Hafeez
"This is not just "read to filth", this is "read to the body got buried in the ground. Period."

**
42. mati
"the older i get, the more i understand why reading is fundamental"

**
43. casablanca bell
"Angel w/ the snap, Lulu with the 3rd degree adlibs and Elektra congress library read. “LUBRICATE”"

**
44. Allen Rider
"She thought she was brave. She boldly stood up for what she believed in and stuck it to the vile drag queens. And then the library was opened, she was read to filth and dragged through the mud because her beliefs were nowhere near as strong as Elektras"

**
REPLY
45. Chykim Sanders
"I don't know what she was thinking... Queens has mastered the art of defending themselves, no one with any sense, ever comes for them!!!"

****
This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents several excerpts from online articles about the history of drag balls (also known as "house ball culture").

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
EXCERPTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF DRAG BALLS
Pancocojams Editor's Note: These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Excerpt #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_culture
"Ball culture, drag ball culture, the house-ballroom community, and similar terms describe an underground LGBT subculture that originated in the United States, in which people "walk" (i.e., compete) for trophies, prizes, and glory at events known as balls. Ball participants are mainly young African-American and Latin American members of the LGBTQ community. Attendees dance, vogue, walk, pose, evaluate, and support one another in one or more of the numerous drag and performance competition categories. Categories are designed to simultaneously epitomize and satirize various genders and social classes, while also offering a glamorous escape from reality. The culture extends beyond the extravagant formal events as many participants in ball culture also belong to groups known as "houses", a longstanding tradition in LGBT communities, and communities of color, where chosen families of friends live in households together, forming relationships and community to replace families of origin from which they may be estranged.

[...]

In his essay "Spectacles of Colors", Langston Hughes describes his experience at a drag ball in the 1920s.[20]

"Strangest and gaudiest of all Harlem spectacles in the '20s, and still the strangest and gaudiest, is the annual Hamilton Club Lodge Ball at Rockland Palace Casino. I once attended as a guest of A'Lelia Walker. It is the ball where men dress as women and women dress as men. During the height of the New Negro era and the tourist invasion of Harlem, it was fashionable for the intelligentsia and social leaders of both Harlem and the downtown area to occupy boxes at this ball and look down from above at the queerly assorted throng on the dancing floor, males in flowing gowns and feathered headdresses and females in tuxedoes and box-back suits."—Langston Hughes

Although balls now feature mainly Black and Latinx participants, the first known ball at the Hamilton Lodge was integrated. This was uncommon because at the time, racial segregation was nearly universal.[21] Although the ball was integrated, racism was still very present, which prevented many Black performers from receiving prizes. There were no Black judges and many believe that the balls were rigged so that only Whites could win.[22] This racial discrimination prompted Black and Latinx attendees to form their own balls. In the subsequent decades, drag balls eventually developed the modern, mainstream format we know today.

The modern ballroom culture has existed for at least five decades. However, it remains largely underground and unknown for this particular community of Black and Latino queer youth. It began in Harlem more than 50 years ago, and has now expanded rapidly to other major cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.[5] In New Orleans in the 1950s, they appeared at Mardi Gras celebrations and were originally called "krewes". In 2010, a documentary by Tim Wolff, called The Sons of Tennessee Williams, follows their history.[23][24]

Moreover, with the advancements of social media, it has migrated to other countries such as Canada, Japan, and the UK.[25] Ball culture also known as "house ball culture," was first captured in Jennie Livingston's documentary, Paris is Burning (1990).

New York City
New York City is the epicenter of the world's drag ball culture. Cross dressing balls had existed in the city since the 1930s, consisting of primarily white men. They competed in fashion shows in bars 2 or 3 times a year. Black queens would sometimes participate but rarely won any prizes.[25] Due to discrimination, Black queens Crystal LaBeija and her friend Lottie began their own drag ball titled 'House of LaBeija,' kickstarting the ballroom scene in New York.[25] In 1989, The House of Latex was created as a call to action in the ballroom community to bridge the gap between HIV-STI prevention and ballroom culture.[2]

Washington, DC
This account from the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area describes how ball culture and drag houses developed about 1960:

Some regular house parties became institutionalized as drag "houses" and "families." The leader, or "mother," often provided not only the opportunity for parties but also instruction and mentoring in the arts of make-up, selecting clothes, lip-synching, portraying a personality, walking, and related skills. Those taught became "drag daughters," who in turn mentored others, creating entire "drag families." Drag houses became the first social support groups in the city's gay and lesbian community. House names often came from addresses of the house 'mother', such as Mother Billy Bonhill's Belmont House at 15th and Belmont NW, or associations with the "mother's" chosen personality, as Mame Dennis's Beekman Place.[26]

[...]

The dance styles which later characterized drag houses had not been developed; competitions between houses involved standard drag performances in which entertainers lip-synced or, rarely, sang. In contrast to the New York houses in Paris Is Burning, some of the Washington, D.C. house mothers were white. However, African-American drag queens were a prominent part of the community:

Venues for drag shows and competitions were a constant challenge in the 1960s. The Uptown Lounge sponsored monthly drag contests, an event later duplicated at Johnnie's on Capitol Hill. Chunga's drag shows at the Golden Key Club in North Beach, Maryland were a popular Sunday event. The major hotels' resistance to drag events was not broken until February 1968 when African-American drag impresario Black Pearl staged the gala Black Pearl International Awards at the Washington Hilton. It was the drag event of the year.[26]

The Washington, D.C. ball community consists primarily of African-American and Latino participants, and has adopted many attributes seen in Paris Is Burning. Nineteen-sixties-style drag shows and competitions still exist, with their own audience. Ball patrons will find similar categories (such as "banjee thug realness" and "vogue") as an audience member.

The Washington ballroom scene was founded in 1986 by Icon Lowell Adonis-Khanh (Lowell Thomas Hickman) and Icon Eric Christian-Bazaar. During the 1990s, more houses appeared in the area due to the efforts of Twain Miyake-Mugler ("father" of the House of Miyake Mugler, D.C. Chapter), Icon Harold Balenciaga (founder of the house of Balenciaga), Icons Shannon Garcon and Whitney Garcon (founders of the House of Garcon[27] and charter members of The Legendary House of Miyake-Mugler).[28] The city hosts a series of annual balls, in which contestants compete for trophies and cash prizes."...

Baltimore
In 1931, the newspaper Baltimore Afro-American covered a local drag ball. The article detailed the "coming out of new debutantes into gay society." By the 1930s, the drag ball culture was starting to emerge in the Black communities in major cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, and New York. The Afro reported that "The coming out of new debutantes into homosexual society was the outstanding feature of Baltimore's eighth annual frolic of the pansies when the art club was host to the neuter gender at the Elks' Hall."[29]"...

****
Excerpt #2:
From https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultures-and-scenes/underground-ball-culture/ Grinnell College: Subcultures and Sociology [no editor/s or date given; retrieved on September 25, 2019]
"The drag ball scene is fascinating subculture that illuminates themes of race, gender, and sexual orientation within society. Balls are competitions that consist of individuals, often drag queens, who perform different drag genres and categories. Drag refers to the practices of one gender dressing in the clothes typically worn by the opposite gender and often adopting the conventional mannerisms of that gender. Drag queens and kings develop a drag persona, adopting a drag name and cultivating their unique style and attitude; for example, Andre Mizrahi, member of the House of Mizrahi, uses his talent for choreography and fashion to become a voguing legacy on the ballroom floor.

HISTORY
Ball culture emerged in the 1920s in and around New York City. At their beginning, performers consisted mainly of white men putting on drag fashion shows. Black queens rarely participated, and when they did, they were expected to lighten their faces (Cunningham 1995). Fed up with the restrictive and racist ball culture, the queer black ball community established their own underground ball culture in the 1960s. Ball culture in the 1960s contained very few categories, with primarily queens portraying Las Vegas showgirls. However, New York’s Stonewall Riots of the late 1960s, when queer people of color stood up to police, “changed self-perceptions within the subculture: from feeling guilty and apologetic to feelings of self-acceptance and pride” (Balzer 2005:114). The 1970s saw an expansion of ball participation as balls increased their numbers and types of categories to allow inclusivity and involvement of everyone (Paris is Burning 1990). Balls became a safe space for queer youth of color, mainly Blacks and Latinos/Latinas, to express themselves freely.

With this new realm of ball culture came the development of competition. The competitions consist of an entire language of concepts, categories, dances, and slang that are unique to the subculture (Phillips II, Peterson, Binson, Hidalgo, and Magnus 2011:517). Participants “walk” or “compete” on a stage or runway for prizes, displaying their outfit along with their persona for different categories. The performances consist of strutting, dancing, and spoken word. Performances are judged by one’s fashion, appearance, and dancing. One common category is “Realness,” where participants in drag are judged on their ability to “pass” as heterosexual males or females. Other common categories include business executive, best dressed, and butch queens in pumps. Not all performances consist of cross-dressing; a few common categories include females highlighting their femininity and males highlighting their masculinity.

[...]

Ball participants use their performances to communicate specific information about themselves to others. The balls create a welcoming, non-critical space for the queer community to construct their sense of self in their own hidden world free of the constraints that mainstream society puts on gender and sexual expression.

Ball culture consists of unique values, and social structures. In the 1960s, with the revitalization of ball culture, many of the participants could not openly express their sexuality and gender identity within their biological families. To fill this void, groups called “houses” or “families” emerged. Houses serve as many ball participants only source of family (Herzog and Rollins 2012:9). Many queer youth join balls at a young age, and sometimes live with their houses if they cannot safely live with their biological family.

[...]

BALL CULTURE AND DRAG TODAY
Underground ball culture, while still prominent as a subculture, has also come into the mainstream eye through TV shows and drag clubs. The process of underground balls seeping into mainstream culture can be understood by examining the career of drag queen RuPaul. The Afro-American drag queen RuPaul is known for his award winning show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, a reality competition searching for the next drag sensation. However, he began his drag career performing in the underground ball circuit and living with fellow homeless drag queens in New York City. However, in 1993 he captured the mainstream eye when his music video “Supermodel of the World” aired on MTV. This performance along with others, including Madonna’s Vogue (1990), marked a change in style and behavior of drag, that helped lead to the increased popularity of drag performance (Balzer 2005:116). Drag catered to the mainstream eye, as clubs showcased drag queens performing (not competing) to the most popular pop songs of the time. During the late 1990s, drag performances gained international hype, as RuPaul became known as an international icon (Balzer 2005:111). Likewise, ball culture has spread all across the country; “Currently, there is a ballroom scene in almost every major city in North America” and there are over 100 active houses (Bailey 2011:368). While ball culture has become more popular throughout the world, it still primarily consists of disadvantaged groups and represents non-mainstream values; thus, it should not be considered post-subcultural”...

****
Excerpt #3:
From https://cfda.com/news/striking-a-pose-a-history-of-house-balls; "Striking A Pose: A History Of House Balls" by Karyl J. Truesdale, 8/3/18
..."New York City is the birthplace of drag culture. The underground drag ball scene dates back to 1920s Harlem, during the height of the Harlem Renaissance. It was a time when black queer folks could comfortably lose themselves in refuge and acceptance at a social arena dubbed The Hamilton Lodge. The Annual Hamilton Lodge Ball, dating back to 1869, is the aboriginal documentation of what can now be the provenance of the ballroom scene. It’s allegiance to the black, queer community was a narrative of art, self-expression, freedom and fluidity. This was a place where having cognizance and acceptance was king, or more notably, Queen.

During the Harlem Renaissance, drag ball culture was considered taboo and illegal; and although popular amongst the LGBTQ community, the scene attracted just as many straight, artistic, and curious voyeurs, anxiously anticipating a night of communion and revelry. Prudence was not allowed! This was a no–judgment zone, if you were ever to partake my friends. One can only imagine the valiant displays of what we now call Pride, a retrospective of a bygone era.

Jennie Livingston’s classic documentary Paris is Burning and, more recently, Ryan Murphy’s Pose personify the flamboyance of the “house culture” scene, primarily focusing on the Black and Latino LGBTQ community, circa late 1980s in New York City. The transformation from Drag Ball to House Ball lends adulation to its infatuation for the industry of fashion.

The light has not dimmed on the movement. The culture is still thriving, especially here in New York where the Latex Ball, held at the Highline Ballroom, continues to bring the community together, and, in doing so, revolutionizes the meaning of family."...

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series that consist of excerpts from "Oral Literature In Africa" book By Ruth Finnegan.

Part I presents information about this book and excerpts from the section entitled "Oratory, Formal Speaking, and other Stylized Forms".

Part II presents an excerpt from the same section of that book which focuses on names in various African cultures.

The content of this post is presented for linguistic and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Ruth Finnegan for her research and writing and thanks to all those who she cites in her book "Oral Literature In Africa".

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE "ORAL LITERATURE IN AFRICA" BOOK
From https://www.amazon.com/Oral-Literature-Africa-World/dp/1906924708 Oral Literature in Africa (World Oral Literature) Paperback – September 17, 2012 by Ruth Finnegan (Author)
"Ruth Finnegan's Oral Literature in Africa was first published in 1970, and since then has been widely praised as one of the most important books in its field. Based on years of fieldwork, the study traces the history of storytelling across the continent of Africa. This revised edition makes Finnegan's ground-breaking research available to the next generation of scholars. It includes a new introduction, additional images and an updated bibliography, as well as its original chapters on poetry, prose, "drum language" and drama, and an overview of the social, linguistic and historical background of oral literature in Africa. This book is the first volume in the World Oral Literature Series, an ongoing collaboration between OBP and World Oral Literature Project. A free online archive of recordings and photographs that Finnegan made during her fieldwork in the late 1960s is hosted by the World Oral Literature Project (http://www.oralliterature.org/collections/rfinnegan001.html) and can also be accessed from publisher's website.

****
EXCERPT FROM "ORAL HISTORY IN AFRICA" BOOK

[Pancocojams Editor's Note: The full text of this chapter is given at that link. The brackets with ellipses [...] that are found in this pancocojams post indicate the portions of this book's chapter that I didn't quote. Other ellipses are found "as is" in that book. This excerpt also doesn't include paragraph numbers that are found in this writing, including some of the reference citations.]

https://books.openedition.org/obp/1204?lang=en
"16. Oratory, Formal Speaking, and other Stylized Forms
p. 431-464

Oratory and rhetoric: Burundi; Limba. Prayers, curses, etc. Word play and verbal formulas. Names.

The art of oratory is in West Africa carried to a remarkable pitch of perfection. At the public palavers each linguist [official spokesman] stands up in turn and pours forth a flood of speech, the readiness and exuberance of which strikes the stranger with amazement, and accompanies his words with gestures so various, graceful, and appropriate that it is a pleasure to look on, though the matter of the oration cannot be understood. These oratorical displays appear to afford great enjoyment to the audience, for every African native is a born orator and a connoisseur of oratory, a fact that becomes very manifest in the Courts of Justice in the Protectorate, where the witnesses often address the juries in the most able and unembarrassed manner; I have even seen little boys of eight or ten hold forth to the court with complete self-possession and with an ease of diction and a grace of gesture that would have struck envy into the heart of an English member of Parliament (R. A. Freeman on his visit to Ashanti in 1888, quoted in Wolfson 1958: 193)

This comment on Ashanti rhetoric in the nineteenth century could be paralleled by similar remarks about the oratorical ability of many African peoples. Of the Bantu as a whole a linguist writes that they are ‘born orators; they reveal little reticence or difficulty about expression in public. They like talking. They like hearing themselves in an assembly …’ (Doke 1948: 284). We hear too of the significance of oratory among the un-centralized Anang Ibibio, (Messenger 1959; 1960: 229) or Ibo of Eastern Nigeria. Of the Ibo, indeed, Achebe has stated categorically that ‘the finest examples of prose occur not in those forms [folktales, legends, proverbs, and riddles] but in oratory and even in the art of good conversation … Serious conversation and oratory … call for an original and individual talent and at their best belong to a higher order’ (Achebe in Whiteley 1964: vii). Similar comments on the relevance of oratory could be multiplied.1 It is not in fact surprising that many peoples who do not use the written word for formalized transactions or artistic expression should have developed the oral skill of public speaking to perform these functions.

Yet for all the passing references to the significance of oratory, there seems to be little detailed documentation on the actual practice of public speaking as a skill in its own right. [...] Though little detailed material has been published and the account given here is thus exceedingly thin, it seems worth including a few points and examples, not least if this leads to further investigation.

In Africa, as in antiquity, one of the commonest contexts for public speaking is that of a law case, a formalized occasion which allows both litigants and judges to display their rhetorical skill. Their conscious aims, doubtless, are clearly functional; but aesthetic considerations are also involved, if only to add to the persuasiveness of the speech. Some of these speeches are highly sophisticated and skilled. We often hear of the use of proverbs on such occasions to appeal to the audience or make a point with extra forcefulness. In the case of the Anang Ibibio their famous eloquence arises largely from their skilful use of proverbial maxims, particularly in court. Long speeches are given by plaintiff and defendant to explicate their cases, lasting as long as an hour each and listened to with rapt attention. The Ibibio audience is particularly appreciative of a speech that abounds in original or unusual proverbs to capture their interest, or that cleverly introduces an apposite saying at just the crucial moment (Messenger 1959 and Ch. 15 above).

The formalized and literary aspects of legal rhetoric can even take the extreme and unusual form of a portion of the speeches being delivered as song. This is apparently sometimes the case in Mbala litigation in the Congo. The formal interchange between the opponents is partly conducted through spoken argument, but this is then followed by a snatch of allegorical song in which the supporters of each party join with voice and drum, the two sides drawn up to face each other. . An extract from one case is quoted as follows:

Quoted in Brandel 1961: 39–40, from Verwilghen 1952:
1ST PARTY

I was in my house and would have liked to stay. But he has come and wants to discuss the matter in public. So I have left my house and that is why you see me here.

(sings)

I am like a cricket. I would like to sing, but the wall of earth that surrounds me prevents me. Someone has forced me to come out of my hole, so I will sing.

(continues argument)

Let us debate the things, but slowly, slowly, otherwise we will have to go before the tribunal of the white people. You have forced me to come. When the sun has set, we shall still be here debating.

(sings).

I am like the dog that stays before the door until he gets a bone.

OPPONENT

Nobody goes both ways at the same time. You have told this and that. One of the two must be wrong. That is why I am attacking you.

(sings).

A thief speaks with another thief. It is because you are bad that I attack you.

[...]

Political discussions are also obvious occasions for oratory—indeed the two are often closely related. At the local level at least, there are not infrequently rules about the order in which such politicians must speak, and accepted conventions of style, content, and set phraseology which speakers more or less follow. Such political speeches often shade into other formal and public occasions involving, say, speeches of welcome, religious injunctions, sermons, harangues, or solemn marriage transactions.

A few of the orators seem to be real professionals, as in the case of the Ashanti ‘linguists’ described by Freeman in the quotation given earlier. These men were the spokesmen of kings and chiefs among the Akan. Not only were they charged with repeating the words of their patron after him, acting as a herald to make it clear to all his audience and to add to his utterances the extra authority of remoteness, but they were also expected, in the words of Dan-quah, to ‘perfect’ the speech of a chief who was not sufficiently eloquent, and to elaborate his theme for him. The linguist should not add any new subject-matter, but he may extend the phrases and reconstruct the sentences and intersperse the speech with some of the celebrated witty and philosophical reflections for which they are justly celebrated to the credit of both himself and his Chief …
(Danquah 1928: 42)

In another description:

When the Linguist rises up to speak in public, he leans upon the King’s gold cane, or a subordinate linguist holds it in front of him. He is going to make a speech now, and it is sure to be a happy effort. It will sparkle with wit and humour. He will make use freely of parables to illustrate points in his speech. He will indulge in epigrams, and all the while he will seem not to possess any nerves—so cool, so collected, so self-complacent! He comes of a stock used to public speaking and public functions.
(Hayford 1903: 70)

The use of heralds whose sole function is to repeat the words of the speaker and thus endow them with greater dignity or volume is not without other parallels in West Africa, and is a practice that has lent itself well to the situations, under colonial rule at least, where the speeches of administrator or missionary were transferred, sentence by sentence, through the intermediary of an interpreter.

Most speeches, however, seem in fact to be made not by professionals but by experts who acquired their skills in the course of carrying out their various political, religious, or just good-neighbourly duties in the society. Such men—like the Limba ‘big men’ described below—are recognized by others as skilled in speaking, reconciling, and persuading, and it is partly through such skill that they retain their positions; but this is merely one aspect of their specialized functions as political leaders, judges, or public figures. There are also those who merely possess a general ability to speak well—people skilled more in the art of conversation and the use of proverb and metaphor to enrich their speech than in the more formal arts of public oratory. There is no general rule about the background and training of those regarded as particularly eloquent, for this varies according to the structure of the society in question.

[...]

In Burundi, eloquence is thought to be of the greatest significance, both practical and aesthetic, whether it is used in legal cases, political transactions, petitions, the stylized phrases of polite intercourse, or the art of elegant conversation:

Speech is explicitly recognised as an important instrument of social life; eloquence is one of the central values of the cultural world-view; and the way of life affords frequent opportunity for its exercise … Argument, debate, and negotiation, as well as elaborate literary forms are built into the organization of society as means of gaining one’s ends, as social status symbols, and as skills enjoyable in themselves.
(Albert 1964: 35)

It is among the upper classes above all that the ideals of oratorical ability are most stressed. The very concept of good breeding and aristocracy, imfura, implies ‘speaking well’ as one of its main characteristics. Aristocratic boys are even given formal education in speech-making from the age of about ten. Albert describes the content of their training:

Composition of impromptu speeches appropriate in relations with superiors in age or status; formulas for petitioning a superior for a gift; composition of amazina, praise-poems; quick-witted, self-defensive rhetoric intended to deflect, an accusation or the anger of a superior. Correct formulas for addressing social inferiors, for funeral orations, for rendering judgment in a dispute, or for serving as an intermediary between an inferior petitioner and one’s feudal superior are learned in the course of time as, with increasing age and maturity, each type of activity becomes appropriate. Training includes mastery of a suitable, elegant vocabulary, of tone of voice and its modulation, of graceful gestures with hand and spear, of general posture and appropriate bodily displacements, of control of eye-contacts, especially with inferiors, and above all, of speedy summoning of appropriate and effective verbal response in the dynamics of interpersonal relations.
(Ibid.: 37)

As a result of such formal training and unconscious assimilation of the practice of eloquence, Tutsi men of the upper classes acquire a consciousness of superior education and elegance of speech. The accepted stereotype, quite often lived up to in practice, is that the aristocrat possesses grace and rhetorical ability in speech and bearing, marked particularly by his characteristic dignity and reserve in public address.

The formal speech of peasants is expected to be rather different. Social pressures ensure that peasants are aware of the tactlessness of producing an elegant aristocratic-type speech before a superior. In their own strata, however, they may speak with equal dignity and ability—for instance, as judge, in council, or in funeral orations. There are some set differences. The Hutu use a different accent, and the figures of speech tend to reflect a peasant rather than an aristocratic background and to be drawn from agriculture rather than herding or the courtly life. ‘The gestures of the muscular arms and heavy set body and the facial expressions will not be like those of the long-limbed, slim-boned … Batutsi herders, but they will not lack studied grace and dignity (Ibid.: 42).

The recognized stylistics in Rundi oratory, marked particularly in the case of the aristocrats, are dignity of bearing and speech, enhanced, on occasion, by effective use of the rhetorical technique of silence. There is also careful attention to stance, gesture, modulation of the voice, and grace and elegance of vocabulary according to the criteria of Rundi culture. The highest ideal of public speaking, in Rundi eyes, is that associated with an umushingantahe, a recognized elder and judge. He is expected to be intelligent, in complete command of the arts of logic, a fine speaker—i.e., he speaks slowly and with dignity, in well-chosen words and figures of speech; he is attentive to all that is said; and he is an able analyst of logic and of the vagaries of the human psyche.
(Albert 1964: 45)

The position of an umushingantahe depends both on a prolonged experience of legal cases and on wealth for the expensive initiation party. Others too, however, can use the same type of rhetorical style. It is one considered particularly appropriate in political speeches of advice or persuasion before a superior, or in serious decision-making and problem-solving. On the other hand, rhetorical fireworks are more to be expected when individuals are trying to forward their own interests as litigants in a law case, or in personal petitions to a superior.

A further characteristic of Rundi rhetoric is the premium placed on elegance and appropriateness rather than on literal truth. This has a practical value. It is known that a man is more likely to be able to defend himself on the spot by rapid and plausible falsehood, mixed with a suitable amount of flattery, than by a careful telling of the truth. But there is also an aesthetic aspect—graceful appropriate speech is considered attractive in its own right. Allusiveness, often through figures of speech, is prized in both speech-making and polite social intercourse. Even a slight request may be addressed to a superior with stylized formality and oblique allusion. Thus a petition by a poor man for a trifling gift like a new pair of shoes to replace his worn-out ones is expressed through circumlocution. ‘One does not hide one’s misfortunes; if one tries to hide them they will nevertheless soon be revealed. Now, I know a poor old man, broken in health and ill; there is a spear stuck in his body and he cannot be saved!’ By this he indicates his old shoes, so ragged that one is being held together by a safety-pin (the ‘spear’) (Ibid.: 50–1).

It is not only the style and content that are conventionally laid down for Rundi speeches, but in some cases the general setting as well. The rules of precedence are strictly observed, in keeping with a society in which ranked hierarchy is of such significance. Thus the order in which individuals speak in a group depends on their seniority:

The senior person will speak first; the next in order of rank opens his speech with a statement to the effect, ‘Yes, I agree with the previous speaker, he is correct, he is older and knows best, etc’ Then, depending on circumstances and issues, the second speaker will by degrees or at once express his own views, and these may well be diametrically opposed to those previously expressed. No umbrage is taken, the required formula of acknowledgment of the superior having been used.
(Albert 1964: 41)

The situation of making a formal request is also highly stylized. A special type of bearing is obligatory. If it is a request for a bride or cattle, the normal form is for the petitioner to assume a formal stance, often standing during delivery of the formal request. His speech has probably been carefully composed in advance. To follow the general formula, one refers to the gift one has brought, usually several pots of banana beer; one expresses love, admiration, and respect for the excellent qualities, real, imagined, and hoped for, of the superior; one expresses the hope that the affection is reciprocated; one again refers to the gift, this time as a token of affection; one promises further gifts in the future; one states one’s wish; one closes with a repetition of the praise of the superior and an expression of hope that the wish will be granted.
(Ibid.: 38)

Much remains to be investigated in relation to Rundi oratory. But it is abundantly clear from Albert’s publications so far that the skills of eloquence were highly valued and sophisticated in traditional Rundi society, and that they present a literary sphere which, though perhaps marginal, is clearly enough related to literature to deserve fuller critical analysis. Such skills were exhibited in their most extreme form in the elegant formal speeches of Rundi aristocrats. But that they were recognized in some degree at all levels of society is evident from the explicit aesthetic interest in these arts; even in their everyday conversation which is ‘near the bottom of the [aesthetic] scale, elegance of composition and delivery, figures of speech, and the interpolation of stories and proverbs are normally called for and employed’. (Ibid.: 49)

[...]

Unlike the Rundi, the Limba do not provide any specialist training in rhetoric. It is true that chiefs are sometimes said to be instructed how to ‘speak well’ when, as in the case of a few of their number, they go into several weeks’ seclusion as part of their installation ceremonies. But this represents more the explicit significance attached to oratorical ability than any real attempt at training. In fact all Limba—particularly the men— gradually assimilate the accepted tricks of speaking as they listen to their fathers, the local ‘big men’, and the chiefs officiating and settling disputes on public occasions. The young boys begin by making speeches among their peers at initiation, farming associations, and play. Then as they grow up they gradually try to speak in more public contexts and (if of the right social background) in legal cases and discussions. Finally they may become, informally but unmistakably, accepted as respected elders, responsible for speaking at the most important gatherings.

[...]

There are recognized conventions about the diction, phraseology, and form of Limba speeches, although these conventions are not very explicitly stated. Gestures are much used: elders in particular stride about in the centre of the listening group, making much play with their long, full-sleeved gowns, alternating for effect between solemn stance and excited delivery when the whole body may be used to emphasize a point. They are masters of variations in volume and speed: they can switch from quiet, even plaintive utterance to loud yelling and fierce (assumed) anger, only to break off abruptly with some humorous or ironic comment, an effective silence, or a moving personal appeal. Among the best legal speakers figures of speech are common, as well as proverbs, allusions, and rhetorical questions. These men are admired for their ability to express their points by ‘going a long way round in parables’. There are also many stock formulas that it is considered both correct and attractive to use in Limba speeches; in addition to the set phrases which introduce and close a formal speech, the speaker’s words also regularly include an appeal to what the ‘old people’ did, references to what Kanu (God) does or does not like (a convenient channel for moralizing of which some Limba take frequent, even tedious, advantage), personal appeals to members of the audience, and the frequent conventional expression of humility through referring to the grace of those present, of superiors, and of the ancestors. A good speaker, furthermore, makes sure of the participation of the audience in a way analogous to story-telling; he expects murmurs of support and agreement, muttered rejoinders of his rhetorical questions, laughter when he purposely brings in something amusing or exaggerated, and thanks and acknowledgement when he has ended.

[...]

Though surprisingly little work has been done on the literary aspect of prayers as distinct from their content or function, this is certainly a fruitful field. There is scope for many studies about the extent of individual variation, style, and content; about the way in which, in pagan, Christian, and Islamic contexts, prayer may be expressed through conventional literary forms; and about the relationship of prayers to the other literary genres of the language.

The same could probably be said of other formalized utterances such as blessings, instructions to a new king or leader, oaths, sermons (see Turner 1965), lengthy salutations, formulaic speeches of thanks or acknowledgement, and so on. Even so apparently trivial an occasion as that of a beggar approaching a would-be patron may, in certain communities, have its own expected clichés and form.

[...]

There are certain types of formal speech that, without being as lengthy and elaborate as formal oratory, have a tendency to become stylized. Just as stylized words in, say, the English Book of Common Prayer have a literary interest of their own, and must have had the same characteristic even before being crystallized into fixed and written form, so prayers in non-literate societies sometimes fall into a kind of literary mode; they may be characterized by a conventional form, perhaps marked by greater rhythm or allusiveness than everyday speech, within which the individual must cast his thoughts. The same is sometimes true of other forms of stylized expression—salutations, curses, oaths, petitions, or solemn instructions.

How far such utterances fall into a more or less fixed and formulaic mode varies according to the conventions of differing cultures. It is always of interest to inquire into this, not least because of the possibility that the fixity of such utterances has in the past been overemphasized.

It is clear that, in some cases at least, there can be both a conventionally recognized over-all form—a literary genre, as it were—and also, within this, scope for individual variation according to speaker and context. This can be illustrated, to take just one example, from the conventional mode of uttering curses among the Limba. (for further details see Finnegan 1964). In outline these curses are always much the same. The occasion that gives rise to them is when some unknown criminal is believed to have engaged, undetected, in any of the three crimes the Limba class together as ‘theft’ (actual physical theft, adultery, and witchcraft). Laying the curse is thought to stir up the object known as the ‘swear’ which pursues and punishes the unknown offender by its mystical power. The content of the curse follows prescribed lines: invocation of the ‘swear’; explanation of the offence concerned; instructions about the fate that the ‘swear’ should bring on its victim; and, finally, a provision that confession and restitution should be acceptable, sometimes accompanied by a clause that the innocent receiver of stolen goods should not suffer. Other details as to time and circumstance are also laid down.

The style and literary structure of these curses are clearly understood by speaker and audience. They begin and end with short formulas that are invariable and have no clear meaning beyond their acceptance as necessary adjuncts to ritual utterances. The main body of the curse is more flexible. It is usually spoken in a semi-intoned voice, particularly in the phrases describing the victim’s expected fate, and is partially expressed in balanced parallel phrases which, while not possessing a clear enough over-all rhythm to be classed as poetry, nevertheless from time to time exhibit a definite beat of their own. The rhythm is further brought out by the common accompaniment of much of the curse—a rhythmic beat of the speaker’s stick on the ground next to the ‘swear’, said to arouse it to action and power. The dignity of the occasion is further brought home by the singsong voice of the speaker and his controlled and rather sparse use of gesture. The key-phrases that threaten the victim are repeated in various slightly differing forms, and this repetition, sometimes repeated yet again by an assistant, enhances the serious and intense tone of the curse.

Provided these central points are included, the actual curse can be longer or shorter according to the wishes of the speaker, the heinousness of the crime, or—in some cases—the magnitude of the fee or the audience. The possible fates to which the offender is to fall victim may be only sketched in, or they may be elaborated at great length. The same is true of the phrases that safeguard the position of the innocent and the repentant. Provided the speaker includes the set formulas at start and finish plus the occasional prescribed points within the body of the curse, and covers the main headings mentioned above, the actual words he uses do not seem to be a matter of any very great concern.

38The kind of form and content characteristic of these curses can best be illustrated from extracts from two Limba examples. The first concerns the suspected secret theft of a hen:

Ka harika lontha, ka harika lontha.
So and so bought a hen. He bought a hen at such and such a village. The hen was lost. He came to me. The man who ate it did not confess. I agreed. We are ‘swearing’ the eater this morning, Thursday.

The one who took the hen,
—If it is an animal in the bush, a wildcat, let it be caught;
Wherever it goes may it be met by a man with a gun;
May it be found by a hunter who does not miss;
If it meets a person, may it be killed.

But when it is killed, may the one who lulls and eats it [the wildcat] go free—fo fen.
—If it is an animal [that stole it],
Let it be killed in a trap;
Let it be killed going into a hole where it cannot come out.
—If it is a bird,
Let that bird be killed by a hunter or by a trap.
—If it was a person that stole and would not confess,
Let the ‘swear’ catch him.
—If it was a person,
If he stands on the road, let him meet with an accident;
If he takes a knife, let him meet with an accident;
If he is walking along the road, let him hit his foot on a stone and the blood not stop coming out;
If he begins farming—when he cuts at a tree with his cutlass, let him miss the tree and cut his hand;
If he has a wife and she knows about the hen, or two or three wives who helped him, let the ‘swear’ fall on them;

—If it is a man,
Let him always walk on a dangerous road, and when danger comes let him think about the hen he has stolen and confess.

If he does not confess,
Let him spend the whole night weeping [from pain].

When they ask why, let the ‘swear’ answer:
‘I am the one who caught the man, because he stole the fowl of the stranger’.

But if he confesses and says ‘I stole it’, and if the case is brought to me [the speaker] and I perform the ceremony [to release him],
—Let him no longer be ill.
—Quickly, quickly, let him be better—fo feng

If he does not confess,
—Let him suffer long, for he is a thief.

The stolen hen—if someone ate it who did not know [that it was stolen], let the ‘swear’ not catch them. But those who ate knowing it was stolen, let them be caught, for it was the stranger’s hen.

Ka harika lontha, ka harika lontha.

[...]

In Africa, as elsewhere, people delight in playing with words and on words. Tongue-twisters, for example, are sometimes popular with children—or even adults—and even these represent one type of awareness of the potentialities of language for more than just conveying information. They have been recorded in particular in parts of West Africa, though doubtless examples can be found elsewhere. Among the Yoruba, for instance, a favourite game, according to Ellis, used to be to repeat certain tricky sentences at high speed; for example:

Iyan mu ire yo; iyan ro ire ru.
When there is famine the cricket is fat (that is, considered good enough to eat); when the famine is over the cricket is lean (i.e. is rejected).
(Ellis 1894: 241)

and similar instances are recorded from the Fulani and the Hausa. Here are two Fulani examples from Arnott’s collection:

ngabbu e mbaggu muudum, mbabba maa e mbaggu muudum: ngabbu firlitii fiyi mbaggu mbabba naa, koo mbabba firlitii fiyi mbaggu ngabbu?
A hippopotamus with his drum, a donkey too with his drum: did the hippo turn and beat the donkey’s drum, or did the donkey turn and beat the hippo’s drum?
(Arnott 1957: 391)

Arnott also discusses the phonetic bases of these tongue-twisters. For Hausa examples see Fletcher (...)
ngdabbiimi pucca puru purtinoo-giteewu, e ngu aardini kutiiru furdu furtinoo-giteeru, e ndu aardini nduguire furde furtinoo-giteere; nde diwa ndu ðunya, ndu diwa nde dunya, nde diwa ndu dunya, ndu diwa nde dunya, etc., etc … .
I mounted a pop-eyed dun horse, he was driving before him a pop-eyed dun dog, and he was driving a pop-eyed dun duiker; she jumped, he ducked, he jumped, she ducked, she jumped, he ducked, he jumped, she ducked, etc ….
(Ibid.: 392)19

[...]

Puns are another common form of verbal play. These take various forms. In tonal languages the play is sometimes with words phonetically the same (or similar) but different tonally. This can be illustrated in the Yoruba punning sentence:

The rain on the shoes (bata) goes patter, patter, patter (bata-bata-bata), as on the rock (apata); in the street of the chief drummer (ajula-bata), the drum (bata) is wood, the shoes (bata) are of hide.
(Ellis 1894)

[...]

There are many other short stereotyped phrases and sentences that, in varying cultures, may be worthy of literary study. One could mention, for instance, various short semi-religious formulas—such as the Hausa expressions used after yawning, sneezing, etc., (Fletcher 1912: 68–9) market cries, (Fletcher 1912: 59) or the conventionalized calls sometimes attributed to bird, e.g. among the Yoruba (Fletcher 1912: 58). Formal salutations can also have a literary flavour. Thus Hulstaert has collected several hundred such salutations from the Nkundo, which are used formally to superiors or (in certain formal situations) to equals. These Nkundo forms to some extent overlap with proverbs and, particularly the more stereotyped among them, should in Hulstaert’s view be given a place ‘dans le trésor du style oral’, for they are marked by a certain rhythmic quality, by figurative expression, and by a use of archaic language (Hulstaert 1959: 6, 9). The salutation ‘Les écureuils se moquent du python’, for instance, is an oblique way of saying that only a fool provokes the powerful, for this is to risk entanglement, even death; while ‘La terre est un fruit’ suggests that just as a round fruit rolls and turns, always showing a different face, so too does human fortune (Hulstaaert 1959: 46, 50). Few formal greetings, perhaps, approach the Nkundo figurative elaboration, but further study of this type of formal wording in other cultures could well be of interest."...

****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that consist of excerpts from "Oral Literature In Africa" book By Ruth Finnegan.

Part II presents information about the book and provides an excerpt from the same section of that book which focuses on names in various African cultures.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/excerpts-from-oral-literature-in-africa.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents information about this book and excerpts from the section entitled "Oratory, Formal Speaking, and other Stylized Forms".

The content of this post is presented for linguistic and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Ruth Finnegan for her research and writing and thanks to all those who she cites in her book "Oral Literature In Africa".

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE "ORAL LITERATURE IN AFRICA" BOOK
From https://www.amazon.com/Oral-Literature-Africa-World/dp/1906924708 Oral Literature in Africa (World Oral Literature) Paperback – September 17, 2012 by Ruth Finnegan (Author)
"Ruth Finnegan's Oral Literature in Africa was first published in 1970, and since then has been widely praised as one of the most important books in its field. Based on years of fieldwork, the study traces the history of storytelling across the continent of Africa. This revised edition makes Finnegan's ground-breaking research available to the next generation of scholars. It includes a new introduction, additional images and an updated bibliography, as well as its original chapters on poetry, prose, "drum language" and drama, and an overview of the social, linguistic and historical background of oral literature in Africa. This book is the first volume in the World Oral Literature Series, an ongoing collaboration between OBP and World Oral Literature Project. A free online archive of recordings and photographs that Finnegan made during her fieldwork in the late 1960s is hosted by the World Oral Literature Project (http://www.oralliterature.org/collections/rfinnegan001.html) and can also be accessed from publisher's website.

****
EXCERPT FROM "ORAL HISTORY IN AFRICA" BOOK

[Pancocojams Editor's Note: The full text of this chapter is given at that link. The brackets with ellipses [...] that are found in this pancocojams post indicate the portions of this book's chapter that I didn't quote (including the ellipses at the end of this excerpt which indicate that there is more content that isn't quoted). Other ellipses are found "as is" in that book. This excerpt also doesn't include paragraph numbers that are found in this writing, including some of the reference citations.]

https://books.openedition.org/obp/1204?lang=en
"16. Oratory, Formal Speaking, and other Stylized Forms
p. 431-464

"IV
I shall end this miscellaneous list of minor literary usages with a brief account of the significance of names. This is a subject of greater literary interest than might at first appear. In fact it would be true to say that names often play an indispensable part in oral literature in Africa. Such names as ‘One who causes joy all round’ (Yoruba), ‘Its hide is like the dust’ (a man’s name after his favourite ox whose hide has marks like writing) (Jie), ‘He who is Full of Fury’ (Ankole), ‘Devouring Beast’ (Venda), ‘God is not jealous’ (Bini), or ‘It is children who give fame to a man’ (Bini) can add a depth even to ordinary talk or a richly figurative intensity to poetry that can be achieved in no more economical a way.

There have been many different interpretations of these names. They have ranged from the psychological functions of names, in providing assurance or ‘working out’ tensions (e. g. Beattie 1957, Middleton 1961), to their connection with the structure of society (e.g. Vansina 1964, following Lévi-Strauss), their social function in minimizing friction (e.g Wieschhoff 1941: 220), or their usefulness either in expressing the self-image of their owner or in providing a means of indirect comment when a direct one is not feasible (see below). As usual, there is some truth in most of these approaches.

One of the most striking aspects is the way names can be used as a succinct and oblique way of commenting on their owners or on others. Junod gives some good examples of this kind of use of nicknames among the Thonga. One is the instance of an administrator nicknamed ‘Pineapple’ or ‘The one of the Pineapple’. On the surface this was a flattering and easily explained name. But it also had a deeper meaning. The reference was to a custom (said to be followed by another tribe) of burying someone they had killed and planting pineapples on the grave—nothing could be seen but the leaves, and their crimes were hidden. The administrator’s name, then, really suggested one who shirked his duty and tried to bury matters brought to him for judgement—a fitting designation for a man who avoided responsibility and sought compromise. In another case a woman missionary was called Hlan-ganyeti—’The one who gathers dry wood for the fire’. In a way this was polite—it is pleasant to have a fire and wood gathered ready. But it also implied the idea of gathering wood for another to kindle, of bringing information to her husband who kindled the fire, of being someone who never showed anger herself but stirred up others. Many other similar nicknames were given to Europeans by the Thonga, an effective and quiet comment on their characters: ‘The fury of the bull’; ‘Kindness in the eyes (only)’; ‘The little bitter lemon’; ‘The one who walks alone’ (Junod 1938: 54–6).

[...]

Names can also be used in oblique comment. Thus the Karanga subtly give names to their dogs as an elliptical way of chiding another. A dog called ‘The carrier of slanders’ really alludes to a particular woman, ‘A waste of cattle’ reproves a bad wife, while ‘Others’ and ‘A wife after the crops are reaped’ are a wife’s complaint that others are more loved than she, that she is only fed in time of plenty, unlike her co-wives (Hunt 1965). Somewhat similarly a parent may choose for his child a name with an oblique or even open comment on the other parent’s behaviour—like the Nyoro Bagonzenku, ‘They like firewood’, from the proverb ‘They like firewood who despite the gatherer of it’, a name given by a mother who has been neglected by the child’s father (Beattie 1957: 100).

Names are also often used to express ideas, aspirations, sorrows, or philosophical comments. Grief and an awareness of the ills of life are frequent themes—’Bitterness’, ‘They hate me’, ‘Daughter born in Death’ are Thonga examples (Junod 1938: 53), and many other similar names could be cited expressing suspicion, sorrow, or fear (see especially Beattie 1957, Middleton 1961). Among the Ovimbundu a mother can lament a lost child in the more complex form of a name representing an abridged proverb ‘They borrow a basket and a sieve; a face you do not borrow’, in her knowledge that though she may have other children, there will never be another with that same face (Ennis 1945: 5). But names can also express joyful sentiments, like the Yoruba ‘Joy enters the house’, ‘The God of iron sent you to console me’, ‘I have someone to pet’; (Gbadamosi and Beier 1959: 6) or a sense of personal aspiration for oneself or others, like the Dogon name Dogono (from Dogay, ‘It is finished’), which expresses a wish that the son of a rich man may end life as he began it, in wealth; (Lifchitz and Paulme 1953: 332) the Fon assertion that the name’s owner is not afraid of his rivals, expressed in the form of an abbreviated proverb ‘Le crocodile ne craint pas les piquants qui servent de défense aux poissons’; (da Cruz 1956: 23–4) or the Bini name “The palm-tree does not shed its leaves’, which claims that its holder is invulnerable, cannot be caught unawares, and, like an old palm-tree, will stand against all opposition (Omijeh 1966: 26)—and similar examples abound in the many published collections of names.

Names contribute to the literary flavour of formal or informal conversation, adding a depth or a succinctness through their meanings, overtones, or metaphors. They can also play a directly literary role. We have already considered the studied use of names in Akan dirges; a whole series of different forms (day names, by-names, praise names, and dirge names) together enhance the intensity and high-sounding tone of the poems. The introduction of names in other forms of literature also— perhaps particularly in the case of those with a historical cast—can bring a sense of allusiveness and sonority not easily expressed in other forms. This is strikingly so in panegyric poetry, a genre that is in Africa so often based on an elaboration of praise names like ‘He-who-fails-not-to-overthrow-the-foe’, ‘Transformer-of-peoples’, or ‘Sun-is-shining’. Names also play a significant part in the drum literature discussed in the following chapter. In such a passage as

The ruler of Skyere has bestirred himself.
The great Toucan, has bestirred himself …
He has bestirred himself, the gracious one.
He has bestirred himself, the mighty one.
(Nketia 1963b: 148–9)

the names which describe and refer to the person being addressed are most significant. Names also have a close connection with proverbs; many names are in fact abbreviations or restatements of recognized proverbs and share some of their stylistic characteristics.

[...]

There are, of course, many names that are relatively straightforward, with little overt meaning. Others, however, are richly allusive. Among these, the most interesting are perhaps the abundant proverb names already mentioned. In these a proverb is either stated or, more often, referred to by only one of its words, and all the overtones of meaning and allusion inherent in the proverb can be found in the name. Thus we find several Nyoro names that refer to proverbs—like Bitamazire (a reference to the saying nkaito z’ebigogo bitamazire). ‘The sandals which were made of banana fibre were inadequate’ (in other words, small children cannot be expected to survive long), or Ruboija meaning ‘It pecks as a fowl does’—just as one does not know which exact grain will be picked up next by a fowl, only that some grain will be attacked, so one cannot tell who will be struck next by death (Beattie 1957: 101). Many similar cases occur among the Ganda who are said to have thousands of proverbial names— among them Nyonyin-tono (from Nyonyintono yekemba byoya). ‘A small bird, to appear big, must clothe itself in many feathers’, and the female name Ganya which comes from the saying ‘When a wife begins to disrespect her husband it shows that she has found another place where she intends to go and live’ (Nsimbi 1950: 209). In West Africa, Bini proverbs about wealth (among other topics) also appear as names in abbreviated forms that recall the full tone of the proverb. This is so, for instance, in the recommendation to go prudently about gathering property (‘It is with gentleness one draws the rope of wealth’, i.e. lest it break), or the satiric comment on the lengths to which men will go for money (‘If one is seeking wealth, one’s head would go through a drainage pipe’) (Omijeh 1966: 29).

Proverb names that are chosen by their bearers, as among, for instance, the Fon or the Ovimbundu, offer the opportunity for their choosers to express their own images of themselves.

[...]

Strings of proverb names can also be used to praise oneself. This is exploited effectively among the Ibo. When a man takes an ozo title he sings aloud a list of the names he now wishes to be addressed by. These are usually a series of proverbs which refer metaphorically to his various exploits and wealth:

I am:
The Camel that brings wealth,
The Land that breeds the Ngwu tree,
The Performer in the period of youth,
The Back that carries its brother,
The Tiger that drives away the elephants,
The Height that is fruitful,
Brotherhood that is mystic,
Cutlass that cuts thick bushes,
The Hoe that is famous,
The Feeder of the soil with yams,
The Charm that crowns with glory
The Forest that towers highest,
The Flood that can’t be impeded,
The Sea that can’t be drained.
(Egudu 1967: 10)

[...]

Praise names are a category of great interest for the student of oral literature. This is a convenient term used to cover many honorific appellations and flattering epithets.26 These names have already been mentioned in Chapter 5 as existing both independently and as a basis for praise poetry where they fulfil something of the same function as Homeric epithets. Thus the Yoruba oriki, Zulu izibongo, and Hausa kirari are praise terms that occur both as names and as elements in panegyric, and come in such metaphorical and evocative forms as, for instance, ‘Fame-spread-abroad’, ‘Thunder-on-earth’, ‘Father-of-the-people’, ‘Light of God upon earth’, ‘Bull Elephant’, ‘Weaver-of-a-wide-basket-he-can-weave-little-ones-and-they-fit-into-one-another’, ‘He draws red palm oil from the necks of men’, or (one of several praise names referring to Rhodes). ‘A powerful bull from overseas’.

[...]

The forms that particularly concern us here are the personal praise names applied to individual people. But their effectiveness cannot be fully appreciated without noticing the other, related applications of praise names and epithets. It is not uncommon for these terms to be applied also to non-human, even non-animate objects, and the succinct summing up in this form of the referent’s basic characteristics—or, it may be, of just one facet that catches the imagination—is part of the genius of these languages. Thus the Hausa have elaborate praise terms for animals or for general categories of human beings. The hyena, for instance, has its own praise name ‘O Hyena, O Strong Hyena, O Great Dancer’, the eagle’s reputed wisdom is alluded to in ‘O Eagle, you do not settle on the ground without a reason’ (i.e. without seeing something to eat there), while the general kirari of wife and husband is ‘O Woman whose deception keeps one upon tenterhooks (thorns), your mouth though small can still destroy dignity. If there were none of you there could be no household, if there are too many of you the household is ruined’. Similar types of praise names in various languages for particular clans, families, villages or regions, trees, deities, natural phenomena like rain or storms, masks, particular professions, or even tobacco. Some of these are expressed in short phrases or compounds only, but others come in fuller form and can be elaborated into a kind of prose poem, closely related both to praise poetry and to the lengthy salutations and the prayers mentioned earlier.

Like the generic praise terms for things, individual personal praise names take various forms, more or less elaborate according to context and area. Besides their use as an element in more lengthy literary forms, they also appear on many ceremonial occasions—terms of formal address to superiors, public and ceremonial announcement of the arrival of some leading personage by the calling or drumming of his praise name (very common in Nigeria, for instance), honorific pronouncement of a dead man’s praise name in funeral rituals, or utterance of a praise name as a part of personal aspiration or encouragement of another to live up to the ideals inherent in the name.

How elaborate praise names can be among certain African peoples is well illustrated from the Dogon tige of which several accounts have been published (de Ganay 1941; Lifszyc 1938; Lifchitz and Paulme 1953; 343ff.). Among the Dogon, every child is given three ordinary names; but in addition each man has his own individual praise name (tige), a kind of motto. Those of individual human beings refer less to personal characteristics than to some general truth; Dogon tige thus really blend the characteristics of praise and of proverb. One man’s name is translated as ‘Parole d’homme âgé’ (implying the wisdom expected of an old man’s words), another ‘(Il est) inutile (de faire) un cadeau (à celui qui ne remercie jamais)’, ‘(Même si) le plat (est) mauvais, (on peut manger la nourriture qu’il contient)’, (de Ganay 1941: 50). ‘Femme menteuse’ (aussi rusé qu’une femme menteuse), or ‘Hogon, chef de la communauté, ventre de Hogon’ (i.e. ‘Les meilleurs champs appartiennent au Hogon, c’est l’homme le mieux nourri’) (Lifchitz and Paulme 1953: 346).

These praise names are used on a variety of occasions. One is on any rather formal occasion in which polite exchange is expected. They are shouted out during the ritualized combats that take place in public at a certain stage in funeral celebrations; during other stages of the mortuary ceremonies it is the dead man’s praise name that is called—he is addressed by this full title and conjured to leave his people in peace. Praise names are also much used at a time of physical exertion, especially in the farms. When a group of young Dogon men join together to work, as custom demands, in their father-in-law’s fields, they cry out each other’s praise name to incite them to greater efforts, calling on their amour propre and evoking the names of the ancestors from whom the names were severally inherited and of whom each individual must show himself worthy (Lifchitz and Paulme 1953: 343–4; de Ganay 1941: 47ff). Though the outward contexts for these names are so different, they have something in common: ‘la criée du tige présente presque toujours un caractère déclamatoire ou solennel qui diffère nettement de l’énoncé du nom et du ton habituel de la conversation’ (Lifchitz and Paulme 1953: 344). These formally used Dogon titles are something far more evocative and meaningful than anything we normally understand from the everyday sense of the term ‘name’. As Lifchitz and Paulme sum up its uses, it is clear that the Dogon tige has relevance for their literature and could not easily be dismissed as a mere label for some individual: ‘il est en même temps formule de politesse, voeu, exhortation, flatterie, remerciement et moquerie’ (Lifchitz and Paulme 1953: 343).

Praise names in general, then, evoke more than just their individual referent on a particular occasion. Expressed through a conventionally recognized artistic form, often marked by elliptical or metaphorical language, they can bring a range of associations to mind and put the bearer and utterer of the name in a wider perspective—either placing him within a whole class of similar beings (in the case of category praise names) or (with personal names) invoking some proverb of more general application or referring to some quality which the bearer is believed, or hoped, or flatteringly imagined to possess.

There remain two other forms of names to mention briefly. First, the use of names on drums (or other instruments). By a technique described in the next chapter, long forms of personal names are very popular items for transmission on drums. Elaborate forms appear in this context, many of them very similar to the praise names just discussed. ‘Spitting snake whose poison does not lose its virulence, sharp harpoon, from the village of Yatuka’, ‘Chief who takes revenge, who stabs civet-cats, root of the neck of the elephant, son of him who sets his face to war …’, ‘The man who is to be trusted with palavers, son of him who bears the blame …’, ‘Bright light does not enter the forest, elder of the village of Yaatelia’ (Carrington 1949b: 87; 92; 99; 102)—these are all drum names or portions of drum names used in various areas of the Congo. In savannah areas it is not drums but whistles that are used for this kind of transmission. Nicolas has made a collection of such praise names from the Lyele of Upper Volta, names which in many respects resemble the Dogon tige but with the difference that they are thought most effective when whistled. The names bear some relation to proverbs, though forming a distinct literary genre, and include such colourful phrases as ‘Les pas du lézard sont sonores dans les feuilles (sèches)’, ‘Le vent de la tornade ne casse pas la montagne’, ‘Le tambour de l’orage fait sursauter le monde entier’, or ‘On ne prend pas (a pleine main) la petite vipère’ (Nicolas 1950: 89, 97, 92; 1954: 88). These names add to the prestige of chiefs and leaders when they are whistled by those who surround them or escort them on their journeys.

Secondly, a word about some personal names other than those directly applied to people. Besides the generic praise and drum names already mentioned, personal names are also sometimes attached to certain things which, for the particular people involved, are of special emotional or symbolic interest. Among some Congolese peoples, for instance, the drums themselves have their own names—’Mouthpiece of the village’, ‘In the morning it does not tell of death’, ‘Drifting about from place to place (as water in a canoe) it has no father’. (Carrington 1949b: 107, also 1956). Dogs (see examples above) and occasionally horses (see the noms de guerre of horses in Griaule 1942) may be given names, and another frequent object for evocative and metaphorical naming is cattle (see e.g. Hauenstein 1962: 112ff. (Ovimbundu); Evans-Pritchard 1934 (Dinka); Morris 1964: 24–(Ankole). In some cases these names reflect back, as it were, on human beings; with dogs’ names this is sometimes) with an insulting intention; cattle names are more often used in a laudatory and honorific sense, as, for example, the ‘ox-names’ given to human beings in many East African areas (see e.g. Gulliver 1952, Evans-Pritchard 1948).

[...]

The exact literary value of these names cannot be fully assessed without further research, particularly on their actual contexts of use and on the relationship between these forms and other literary genres in a given culture. But we can certainly find some literary significance in the occurrence of these condensed, evocative, and often proverbial or figurative forms of words which appear as personal names in African languages—sometimes appearing directly as elements in large-scale creations, sometimes affording scope for imagery, depth, personal expressiveness, succinct comment, or imaginative overtones in otherwise non-literary modes of speech."...

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about the African concept of the power of the spoken word and information and examples of the 1980s [now retired] African American Vernacular English terms "Word is bond", "Word!", and "Word up!"

The content of this post is presented for linguistics and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF NOMMO
The full article and excerpts that are found below are given in no particular order. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

Full Article #1*:
From https://www.culturesofwestafrica.com/power-of-words/ The Power of Words, Daybo, 15 April 2018
The ‘word’ in West African cultures, once loosened from the lips as if drawing back the strings of a talisman pouch, diffuses a special force, the primal energy of creation itself.

To speak is to exhale an active essence, Oro according to the Yoruba of Nigeria and Benin. For the Mande — ranging from coastal rainforests to the sparse Sahel and Sahara — the spoken word embodies the occult, generative, productive power of Nyama.

With the talismanic power not only to protect but to alter the course of events, the word alone, by its very utterance, can cause change. Nommo, the conception that life, its very actualization, rests ultimately on the word, reverberates throughout West Africa; the ancient, residual echo of the Bantu who once lived there. Among the Tiv in Northern Nigeria the concept of vital force is known as tsav; and among the Fon of Benin it is se, both of which refer to ‘’the power to cause to happen.’’

The African child until publicly named, the incantation until given voice, the art or the craft until accompanied by speech is not truly “brought forth” to take its place in the natural world. It is what is explicit, what is said, that is powerful, prolific, procreant.

The generative and dynamic power of Nommo is given full breath and breadth, in the art of dialogue and conversation, so iconic of the African continent.

“Speech is not in people’s hands. People are in the hands of speech”
—Mande proverb

The sharing of words, the vitality of conversation and dialogue — the very emanation of the productive power of Nommo, Oro, Nyama to bring into being, illuminate, affirm, heal, rectify, and to change the world — is deeply intrinsic to the indigenous cultures of Africa. Discussion is “alive”, a breathing, vibrant, ongoing interaction that animates all levels of African society. “He who tells people what he does never suffers mishap” (Igbo proverb) and likewise, “Anyone who seeks public opinion does not enter into trouble” (Gokana proverb).

“From old mouths to new ears”
— Fula proverb

[inserted: Painting of two abstract figures talking.
Painting by Cecil Skotnes.]

If words are a measure of man, then nowhere are they given more value than when spoken by an elder, the repository of communal wisdom. An elder leads with words, as a bow guides an arrow, and for he who listens, according to the Igbo, it is as if he had consulted an oracle. Among the Efik, “The words of one’s elders are greater than amulets”. It is from a ‘Togu Na’ (house of words) somewhere along the Bandiagara Escarpement in central Mali, that a Dogon elder’s verbs respire; the vaporous breath of the amphibious ancestral spirits (also named Nommo) that give wisdom and order to the world.

Wise and nommo-infused words in traditionally oral societies, such as those in West Africa, must be continually re-called, re-created, re-interpreted. And so they are, through the rich and resilient traditions of story-telling, myth-making, proverb-creating, praise-singing, so prevalent and exemplary in these cultures.

“The word is the horse on which proverbs ride”
— Yoruba proverb

The collective wisdom of a people, the manner in which it perceives the human condition, the codes, values, and interrelationships that bestow its identity, are given voice by the panoply of words, adages and tales that it creates. Proverbs and stories are the horsemen, the escorts, the messengers of culture, traversing generations and the boundaries of time.

“It is the story … that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of the cactus fence. The story is our escort; without it, we are blind”.

— Chinua Achebe

Orature, whether dispersed by the Akan folk spirit of all knowledge of stories, Anansi, or transmitted musically by the traditional griots of West Africa, is dynamic. Unbound by the pen, words, proverbs, tales and then histories are in themselves living, ongoing dialogues … “in which the present seeks to find its roots in what is remembered, or invented, of the past”.

When West Africa exhales, magic emerges."
-snip-
I've presented this complete article except for drawings and reference citations.

Pancocojams Editor's Note:
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nommo for information about the Nommo in Dogon (West Africa) cosmology/ mythology. I think that the Dogons are the source of the word Nommo as used by African American afrocentric professor Molefi Asante. If I'm incorrect about this, please correct this statement. Thanks.

****
Article Excerpt #1
From Nommo: Self-Naming and Self-Definition - University of Missouri
web.missouri.edu
"Nommo, then, an African term which cultural theorist, Molefi Asante, calls "the generative and productive power of the spoken word," means the proper naming of a thing which in turn gives it essence (Asante 17). Particularizing the concept, Nommo, in the power of the word . . . activates all forces from their frozen state in a manner that establishes concreteness of experience . . . be they glad or sad, work or play, pleasure or pain, in a way that preserves [one's] humanity" (Harrison xx)."...

****
Article Excerpt #2
From https://www.soulpreaching.com/nommo-creative-power-of-the-word Soul Preaching: Nommo, the creative power of the word by Sherman Haywood Cox II, no date given, retrieved on September 27, 2019
.... "Definition of Nommo
Nommo is an Afrocentric term employed by Molefi Asante that refers to the powers of the word to generate and create reality. Asante further sees it as a communal that event that moves towards the creation and maintenance of the community. Melbourne S. Cummings and Abhik Roy quote Asante as also seeing Nommo as the power of the word to create harmony and balance in disharmony.

Keys for Preachers
Nommo is holistic and not dualistic. It seeks to use the power of language to overstep dualities. Cummings and Abhik Roy referred to this idea being in the concept of rhythm.

Nommo points to the power of language to change reality. This idea is implicit in certain preachers that are called “transformational.” This is implied in the definition that says that Nommo is the creative power of the word.

Nommo points to the inability to separate form from truth. While some would say that you have truth and you drape it in words, especially some traditional preachers, Nommo comes from the perspective that words cannot be separated from form and that the form itself holds some truth.

Nommo points to the importance of speaking to a community rather than to individuals. The whole point of Nommo, as described above, is to build community. This is done through a communal experience with the spoken word.

Nommo points to a “participation” of the community in the word rather than just being passive listeners. The goal of Nommo is to bring about a unified community who are at one with the word that comes through repetition and in a form that is easily entered."
-snip-
Read #9 in the "Online Excerpts" section below for another comment about "Nommo".

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT "WORD!" AND RELATED AFRICAN AMERICAN VERNACULAR TERMS
"Word as bond", "Word!", and "Word Up!" have been retired from colloquial use in the United States since at least the late 1990s. However, as demonstrated in a section of this post, these terms may still be used to convey an old school flavor to one's speech.

A version of this post was published on pancocojams in January 2019 as Part I of a two part series. Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/01/online-excerpts-about-african-american.html for that post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/01/cameos-1986-hit-record-word-up.html for Part II of this series. Part II showcases Cameo's 1986 Funk and Rock & Roll song "Word Up!".

Also click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/01/early-1960s-birds-word-record-by.html for a pancocojams post on the 1963 song "The Bird's The Word "and its 1963 cover "Surfin Bird" by The Trashmen. In those songs "the word" means "the best", and/or "cool" ("hip"). Those meanings are different from the later African American vernacular usages of "the word", "word up" etc.

I revisited this subject as a result of reading excerpts of a book on African oral traditions. That book is showcased in this September 2019 pancocojams post entitled "Excerpts From "Oral Literature In Africa" Book By Ruth Finnegan (Part I) https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/excerpts-from-oral-literature-in-africa.html.

****
ONLINE EXCERPTS ABOUT "WORD AS BOND", "WORD", AND "WORD UP"
These online excerpts are given in no particular order, with numbers added for referencing purpose only.

I. From https://www.quora.com/When-someone-says-word-in-reply-what-does-it-mean
1. Trevor Paul Turner, Answered Apr 18, 2015...
"It means: yes, or I agree, or you've said something that appeals to me. It evolved from "word to your mother" which meant honestly: I swear to your mother it is true... Then evolved to "word up" which was a generic catch all positive reply to many types of questions or positive affirmations. it is a bit of old school that has kind of hung on probably because is sounds so street to say instead of "yes"."

**
2. Ila Sajoir, Answered Jul 14, 2017...
"The phrase “word “comes from a few phrases the first being“word is bond”.. it means your word is your bond so anything you say you are bonded to. Its an old black american slang. Many old rappers used it in the 80s or 90s in their lyrics. If somebody said “word is bond” at the begining or ending of a phrase it means they mean 100 percent what they are saying and they are not lying or joking.

[Example]:….Did he really say that I dont believe it….- “word is bond. he yelled it in the street everybody heard it”. .. it kind of has the same meaning as “ I swear”..[ex2] are you really coming tomorrow I cannot wait all day if you are not coming, are you really coming{person2}. “word is bond”.

It then changed to other forms like word up, or word to the mother..( I swear to my mother) . And even just WORD.

“Word up that movie sucked.. same meaning as I swear that movie sucked. . .

It then came to also mean I agree. If two people swear on the same topic they normally agree..{example}you are in a group and somebody asks the group.. I heard that movie sucked is that true—[two people together ] “word”

So if your text was..” that was the best movie I seen all year”..

If the person says .”word.”. it means they agree..

or they give their word what they said before was true"...
-snip-
This comment is given as it was found in that discussion, except for the eclipses (...) at the end.

**
II.
From https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/25086/what-are-the-meaning-and-possible-origin-of-word-and-word-up
1. Wulfhart, asked May 12 '11 at 17:37
"Several times, I have had conversations, all over instant messenger, finish with "word" or "Word up G".

As it ends a conversation, I am guessing it is like "goodbye".

My question is what is the meaning of "word" and "word up g"? Also, what is the origin?

I am more interested in the meaning as that will help with understanding its usage."

**
2. Wulfhart May 13 '11
"I ended up asking the guy, he said it meant, "I agree". Thank you"

**
3. phenry, answered May 12 '111
"Both are generally used to mean "I agree." The terms are from late 1980s hip-hop slang. As Ed Guiness notes, popular usage probably originated with the single Word Up! by Cameo."

**
4. 5arx Jul 19 '12 at 23:17
"The expression was in common use loooong before that Cameo single."
-snip-
phenry would be correct if he or she had written that Cameo's record probably raised awareness of and increased the usage in the United States of the already existing African American Vernacular English use of "Word Up".

**
9. Callithumpian, May 12 '11
"In his 2006 Roc the Mic Right: The Language of Hip Hop Culture, H. Samy Alim quotes Geneva Smitherman on this use of word:

The African American oral tradition is rooted in a belief in the power of the Word. The African concept of Nommo, the Word, is believed to be the force of life itelf.[sic] To speak is to make something come into being. Once something is given the force of speech, it is binding—hence the familiar saying "Yo word is yo bond," which in today's Hip Hop Culture has become WORD IS BORN. The Hip Hop expressions WORD, WORD UP, WORD TO THE MOTHER, and similar phrases all stem from the value placed on speech. Creative, highly verbal talkers are valued.

And the concept of someone's word being their bond is as old as dirt (or at least dates back to Shakespeare's time)"

**
10. cobra libre Mar 7 '15
"See also Felicia M. Miyakawa, Five Percenter Rap: God Hop's Music, Message, and Black Muslim Mission, 2005: "... the affirmations 'word' and 'word is bond,' common to hip-hop argot of the 1980s and 1990s, derive from Five Percenter lessons."

**
11. Dictionary treatments of 'word' and 'word up,' 1994–2005 [Note: This excerpt is from that same etymology discussion thread.]

Geneva Smitherman, Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner (1994) has two relevant entries, for word/word up and word is born:

WORD!/WORD UP! A response of affirmation. Also Word to the Mother! Word Up is also the title of a music magazine published in New Jersey. [Cross reference omitted.]

WORD IS BORN! An affirmative response to a statement or action. Also Word!, Word up!, Word to the Mother! A resurfacing of an old familiar saying in the Black Oral Tradition, "Yo word is yo bond," which was popularized by the FIVE PERCENT NATION [formed in 1964] in its early years. Word is born! reaffirms strong belief in the power of the word, and thus the value of verbal commitment. One's word is the guarantee, the warranty, the bond, that whatever was promised will actually occur. Born is a result of the A[frican] A[mrican] E[nglish] pronunciation of "bond"; [cross reference omitted].

Smitherman also has this entry for G:

G 1) A form of address for a male, usually one who is HIP or DOWN. Probably the AAE version of "guy." Also man (older term); money (newer term). 2) A woman a man has a relationship with.

I should note that Smitherman offers this reading of G while fully aware of the term OG, which has this entry in her book:

OG Original Gangster; a gang member who has earned PROPS because of his bold actions.

Clarence Major, Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of African American Slang (1994) has these entries:

Word interj. (1950s–1990s) affirmation spoken in agreement; the truth; street culture gospel. (T[erry] W[illiams], [The] C[ocaine] K[ids: The Inside Story of a Teenage Drug Ring (1989)], p. 138.) Example: "Word! I was there, I aw it with my own eyes." S[outhern] C[ity] U[se], P[imp and] P[rostitute] U[se], Y[outh] C[ulture] U[se], D[rug] C[ulture] U[se].

Word up! interj. (1980s–1990s) call for attention; used as an exression of one's word of honor. (W[illiam] K[.] B[entley and] J[ames] M[.] C[orbett], P[rison] S[lang: Words and Expressions Depicting Life Behind Bars (1992)], p.51.) Example: "Word up, the cops are down there right now busting Rickie." S[outhern] C[ity] U[se].

Major does not have an entry for G in the sense of "guy," although he does include entries for G as a noun meaning "a thousand dollars" (from the 1940s–1950s) and as a verb meaning "to have sexual intercourse with" (1990s). Major's entry for O.G. notes only its meaning (from the period 1900s–1950s) "Old Girl; mother." Smitherman dates "yo word is yo bond" to 1964, and Major dates "word" (as affirmation) to the 1950s. Nevertheless, Major's earlier Dictionary of Afro-American Slang (1970) has no entry for any form of word.

It's interesting that, publishing in the same year (1994), Professor Smitherman of Michigan State sees "Word" and "Word up" (and "Word is born") as essentially interchangeable expressions of agreement, while Professor Major of the University of California at Davis, sees "Word" as an expression of agreement but "Word up" as, in the first instance, a call for attention, and, in the second, an attestation along the lines of "I swear."

This inconstancy underscores an essential problem with defining slang words: Since they don't show up in popular use neatly predefined, they are subject to multiple interpretations by the people who hear and adopt them; as a result, it is not at all unlikely that a term may mean one thing in one locale and another in another. This phenomenon might serve as a caution to authors not to assume that a slang term's usage across a diverse but definable group (such as "African Americans") is settled and uniform—especially in its early years of propagation.

Robert Chapman & Barbara Kipfer, Dictionary of American Slang, third edition (1995) offers these relevant entries:

word 1 interj 1980s black teenagers An exclamation of agreement and appreciation, used when someone has said something important or profound: If it's really meaningful, "Word, man, word" should be used—["City Teen-Agers Talking Up a 'Say What?' Storm"] New York Times [(August 29, 1983)] 2 interj =WORD UP

word up interj 1980s black An exhortation to listen, to pay attention: Word up, fool. We be fresh tonight.—Carsten Stroud [Close Pursuit (1987)] {probably based on listen up}

Chapman & Kipfer cites instances from the 1980s that corroborate Major's claim that "word" and "word up" had different senses in at least some parts of the United States. Nevertheless, ten years later, Jeremy Sideris & Brittany McWilliams, From Grill to Dome: A Dictionary of African American Slang Words and Phrases (2005) indicates that the Smitherman view (that the terms "word" and "word up" have essentially the same meaning) has prevailed in the broader marketplace of African American English speech:

Word: Statement of agreement. See also booyah, down, fo' shizzle my nizzle, fo' zizzle my nizzle, really though, true dat, and word-up.

Word-up: Strong statement of agreement. See also booyah, down, fo' shizzle my nizzle, fo' zizzle my nizzle, really though, true dat, and word.

According to Sideris & McWilliams, the only difference between the two words is in the degree of strength implied in the statement of agreement.

A note on 'word is bond'

With regard to Smitherman's comment that "yo word is yo bond" is "an old familiar saying in the Black Oral Tradition," that familiarity may be due to the fact that the same essential idea has been a proverb in English since at least 1500."...

****
EXAMPLES OF THE TERM "WORD" OR "WORD UP" FROM A YOUTUBE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THE HIP HOP RECORD "THE SHOW" BY DOUG E. FRESH & SLICK RICK [Added September 27, 2019]
Pancocojams Editor: These comments are examples of the contemporary use of the terms "word" or "word up" that were used in a contemporary YouTube discussion thread.

Note that African Americans have retired the vernacular terms "word"/"word up" (and other "word" phrases) have been retired from contemporary use. However, the commenters may have used those vernacular phrases as a way of honoring their use in the lyrics for the 1985 record "The Show"* and/or the commenters may be mimicking the vernacular terms that they or others used in the mid 1980s. Also notice the terms such as "Damn straight", "Amen", "true that", and "Ikr" that are used in these comment exchanges. I believe those contemporary (2019) terms have equivalent meanings to the 1980s retired vernacular terms "word" and "word up".

*Lines from "The Show":
"[Slick Rick]
Well, here's a little something that needs to be heard
Doug, I was going downtown (word, Rick?) Word!"
From http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-show-lyrics-doug-e-fresh.html http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-show-lyrics-doug-e-fresh.html
Numbers are added to these comments for referencing purposes.

Comments From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDkqz5C62SM
1. david starr, 2018
"Old school rap is way better than today's wack rap beats."

**
REPLY
2. David Fullam, 2018
"AMEN!!!"

**
REPLY
3. Phil Duclos, 2019
"You damn right! Amen!"

**
REPLY
4. Oddysea Cat, 2019
"Shhh nobody needs 90’s people bashing our music ;-;


(Ps your only listening to the mainstream rappers there are better ones)"

**
REPLY
5. VINNY VIN, 2019
"Damn straight💯"

**
REPLY
6. Dino Yamraj, 2019
"Wurd!!!!

**
7. Aisha Bailey, 2018
"Original hip hop anthem"

**
REPLY
8. gradymorrrowjr37, 2018
"Ikr"
-snip-
ikr= I know right ["I know right" is a shortened form of "I know that's right".]

**
REPLY
9. EnSabahNur, 2018
"That's word Sista!"

**
REPLY
10. David Giezyng, 2018
"Word"

**
11. Donald Pace, 2019
"I remember this from the inception word up"
-snip-
This comment was written in response to the question "Who remembered Doug E Fresh's & Slick Rick's "The Show" from when the record first was released of when it was included in the movie New Jack City.

"True that" is another African American Vernacular English phrase with the same meaning as "Word" that was used by one commenter in that same discussion thread. "True that" (also given as "true dat" means "That's true".

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube sound file and a YouTube video of the 1985 Hip Hop classic "The Show" by Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick.

Selected comments from the discussion threads for the embedded examples are included in this post. Most of these comments focus on the commenters' lists of their favorite old school Hip Hop recording artists.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick for their musical legacies. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE HIP HOP RECORD "THE SHOW"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Show_(Doug_E._Fresh_song)
""The Show" is a single by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew. Described as "a reality show of a Hip Hop performance" the track focuses on a conversation between Doug E. Fresh and MC Ricky D (later known as Slick Rick) as they prepare for a show.[1] The song incorporates portions of the melody from the theme song of the animated series Inspector Gadget.[2] The original issue of the song featured a line where Slick Rick mockingly sings a verse from The Beatles'"Michelle" (1965), but all subsequent reissues have removed this line since the rights to the song were never secured.

Originally released as a single, the track was later remixed and included on the 1986 Oh, My God! album.

Reception
"The Show" was named Spin magazine's top rap single of the year, and in Europe (where it received air time on pop music stations such as BBC Radio 1) it broke the record for the best selling rap single of all time.[3] The song peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1985[4] and was #8 on Jet's top 20 for the same month.[5] The record was produced by Dennis Bell & Ollie Cotton for City Slicker Productions.

While one 1985 critic for Spin included the song in a list of "stupid music"—making fun of Doug E. Fresh's lyrics about his shoes, and calling Slick Rick's sendup of "Michelle""pathetic"—he still concluded that the single is "the sh&t*".[6] Billboard refused to take it seriously, declaring it the "funniest comedy album of the year".[7] Even when it became only the fourth rap single ever to reach gold record status, the same reviewer stated that it only proved that "talk isn't always cheap".[8]

Legacy
The song is featured in New Jack City and CB4, but is not included in the soundtrack album of either film. Chris Rock, who starred in both these films, would later have Slick Rick perform the song live to introduce his HBO special Bigger & Blacker.

[...]

"The Show"
Single by Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew
B-side "La Di Da Di"
Released: August 13, 1985
Recorded: 1984
Genre: Hip hop
Length: 6.40
Label: Reality/Fantasy Records
Songwriter(s): Douglas Davis; Richard Walters
Producer(s): Dennis Bell and Ollie Cotton; Doug E. Fresh (co.)Teddy Riley

[...]

[6]. John Leland (November 1985). When Stupid Music Happens to Smart People: The Sounds of Nonsense. Spin Magazine."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this article.

Click http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-show-lyrics-doug-e-fresh.html for the complete lyrics for this record.

****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick-The Show



92Rare X Kingston ON, Jun 3, 2008

****
Example #2: The Show - Doug E Fresh



CousinSinister, Feb 11, 2011

Performance from Soul Train.

****
SELECTED COMMENTS
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDkqz5C62SM [given above as Example #1]

Rosa Evangelista, 2011
"The art of Story telling is lost in today's jibberish. Dougie Fresh and Slick Rick together...OMG, untouchable. Back when rap was an art and the artists wrote their own lyrics. Fun music, made you dance, and new dances came out with every new jam. House parties, teen age clubs , Kangols,fat shoe laces, Gazelles and Dookie gold ropes. Fun just remembering my early teen age years."

**
Joe Smith, 2015
"Being a 12 year old white kid in1985 . Hearing this for the first time my brain exploded . Run DMC ..UTFO . Public enemy, Whodini , Dougie fresh ,slick rick, etc.... These black artist opened up a whole new world to middle class white kids who never really heard to much black music around the house."

**
REPLY
John tito, 2015
"@Joe Smith Tell me about it. I was 9 in the midwest and a new kid moved to town from Cali with some tapes. This was one of the first rap songs I ever heard and it just blew our minds. Doug E Fresh, Run DMC, LL, LA Dream Team, Egyptian lover, it was like music from another planet. All the older kids were listening to hair bands and thought we were freaks, and we thought they were so far behind it didn't matter. It really was a whole new thing, fresh."

**
REPLY
Greg Stokes, 2015
"....I've lived in So Fla my whole life and some of the people in NY moved down here in the early 80's and brought this to me. The Rappin Duke, UTFO, Kool Moe Dee, Eric B & Rakim, and many others got me into early hip-hop....great post, bro."

**
REPLY
Greg Stokes, 2015
"@Greg Stokes KRS One"

**
Don't worry Be Happy, 2018
"Yessss I love duggie fresh was the man slick rick big daddy cool mo d special ed LL cool j n let's not forget biz marque its more but I was young so I am trying to remembere (:this made my nite thank you God bless old rap old school oldies goodies because it was the best Amen"

**
chessdrummer, 2018
"Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" 1980 was another anthem. It was the first one to go big."
-snip-
In addition, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-concept-of-nommo-power-of-word.html for other comments from this discussion thread that include the use of the African American Vernacular English words "Word!" and "Word up".

****
SELECTED COMMENTS
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Pmp8VtJwI [given above as Example #2]

1. Erik Stone, 2011
"I Believe This Was A Video Clip From The 493rd Edition Of "Soul Train" On December 14, 1985."

**
Daphne Dwritewell Williams, 2011
"Okay for ALL ya'll that DON'T know THIS IS CALLED THE SHOW, CLASSIC HIP HOP RIGHT HERE And 4 the Record Dougie Fresh from Harlem, NY created the Dougie "The Dance" i.e his name and claim to fame ... Bally's Had me a pair, Classic Coca Cola shirt, WOW look at him and Slick Rick, I use to LOVE HIP HOP... U MISSED THE SHOW NO NO NO WE DIDN'T ... HUMAN BEAT BOXER = Dougie Fresh"

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a pancococojams series on the African American religious song "Soon I Will Be Done" (with the troubles of the world").

Part I provides information about the early publication history of the Spiritual which is now known as "Soon I Will Be Done" (with the trouble of the world). Lyrics for these early versions or for related early Spirituals are also included in this post. These comments and most of these lyrics are quoted from a discussion thread for the Mudcat folk music forum.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/eight-gospel-versions-of-soon-i-will-be.html for Part II of this series. Part II showcases eight YouTube renditions of "Soon I Will Be Done" (also given as "Trouble Of The World").

The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composers of "Soon I Will Be Done" (with the troubles of the world). Thanks to all the early collectors and publishers of "Soon I Will Be Done" and other Spirituals and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
These complete comments and comment excerpts are given in the chronological order that they were published on Mudcat, and not the earliest dates for versions of this song (or songs that are related to/are probably sources for "Soon I Will Be Done").

These comments are numbered for referencing purposes only. I've added notes to the first comment to provide the lyrics to the oldest known source song for "Soon I Will Be Done" which is entitled "These Are My Father's Children"* and to comment #5 to clarify the meaning of the words "written by".

*I don't use "Negro dialect" for this title or elsewhere in this post except in quotes. Also, note that "Negro" is no longer used as a referent for African Americans.

****
COMMENTS FROM MUDCAT DISCUSSION THREAD ABOUT THE EARLY PUBLICATION HISTORY AFRICAN AMERICAN SONG "SOON I WILL BE DONE"

1. Subject: TROUBLE OF THE WORLD
From: GUEST,alex molina (BigABronx@aol.com)
Date: 27 Sep 01 - 10:37 AM

"Hello,
Seems like we've been searching forever and have not been able to find the original Public Domain version of the song "Trouble(s) Of The World (Soon I Will Be Done[with])" - it's the old Negro spiritual, but NOT the one by the similar name found in Slave Songs Of The United States - rather it's the one commonly arranged from by not a few gospel singers, most notably Mahalia Jackson; PLEASE HELP US!!! (lol) Thank You."
-snip-
Here's information about the above mentioned "old Negro Spiritual":
from http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/community/text3/religionslavesongs.pdf
"African American Songs documented in Florida and North Carolina, ca. 1865
Allan, Ware, and Garrison, eds., Slave Songs of the United States, 1867

Dese all my fader’s children,
Dese all my fader’s children,
Dese all my fader’s children,
Outshine de sun.

My fader’s done wid de trouble
o’ de world,wid de trouble o’ de world
Outshine de sun."

****
2. Subject: ADD: SOON A WILL BE DONE
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Sep 01 - 03:10 AM
..."The "song" may be in the public domain, but the arrangement of it-- that lets us see and hear it in our time-- is almost surely not. That is because anyone putting it in a book today either copyrights their arrangement of it or copyrights the book itself. (An exception is the CyberHymnal-- they make arrangements of their own in MIDI and do not copyright them. This song ain't in there though!

Determining if the origin of a particular version is authentically reproduced from slavery times (to establish age) is another problem. First, the variants in accepted usage at the time were numerous. Second, the ability of nearly-always-white collectors to capture the dialect was limited. Third, collectors' willingness to perpetuate the dialect they heard was slight in some cases, and got more slight as time passed and variants were handed down orally or in print. Fourth, when these were created (which would have started the public-domain-clock running), the singers made up verses on the spot more often than not, so no version is really "the" original, except the one the person sang when s/he was the first person to think of these words and this tune (whatever tune we are talking about).

The tunes also varied.

[...]

SOON A WILL BE DONE
Traditional Negro Spiritual

Soon-a will be done with the trouble of this world,
Soon-a will be done with the trouble of this world,
Soon-a will be done with the trouble of this world,
Going to live with God.

Come my brother and go with me
Come my brother and go with me
Come my brother and go with me
Let King Jesus make you free.

When I get to heav'n I will sing and tell
When I get to heav'n I will sing and tell
When I get to heav'n I will sing and tell
How I did shun both death and hell.

SOURCE: American Negro Songs, 230 Folk Songs and Spirituals, Religious and Secular. John W. Work, Dover Publications, Mineola, NY 1998. Orig. pub. Crown Publishers, NY, 1940. ISBN 0-486-40271-1."

****
3. Subject: ADD: Soon-A Will Be Done / Soon I Will Be Done
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Sep 01 - 03:22 AM

[...]

"SOON A WILL BE DONE (second version)

CHORUS
Soon-a will be done with the troubles of the world,
Troubles of the world,
Troubles of the world,
Soon-a will be done with the troubles of the world,
Going home to live with God

1. No more weeping and a-wailing,
No more weeping and a-wailing,
No more weeping and a-wailing,
I'm going to live with God

2. I want t' meet my mother...(3 times)
I'm going to live with God

3. I want t' meet my Jesus...(3 times)
I'm going to live with God.

Source: John W. Work, "American Negro Folk Songs," 1940
There is an almost identical version called "Soon I Will Be Done" in "The Folk Songs of North America" (Alan Lomax, 1960)

Flash!
The UTK Song Index says "Soon-a will Be Done" is in a work called Folk Songs of the American Negro, published in 1907 by Frederick J. Work, with introduction by John W. Work, Jr."

****
4. Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: TROUBLE OF THE WORLD
From: masato sakurai
Date: 28 Sep 01 - 05:06 AM

"This spiritual seem to have been recorded much later than the slavery days. According to the Cleveland Public Library's Index to Negro Spirituals [of thirty popular collections published up to 1937] (1991), the only book containing "Soon I will be done" is R.N. Dett, Religious Folk-Songs of the Negro, As Sung at Hampton Institute (1927, p. 234). This is a revised and enlarged edition as a separate book of the appendix to M.F. Armstrong, et al.'s Hampton and Its Students (1874). I have the reprint of the 1920 "new edition," where this song is not contained. The Index doesn't mention other title variants, so very likely no other versions are recorded in those "thirty collections." There is, however, an earlier version (in Jack Snyder, American Negro Spirituals, 1926) in Erskine Peters, Lyrics of the Afro-American Spiritual (Garland, 1993). I don't have Work's Folk Songs of the American Negro. Horace Clarence Boyer, in his notes to the Mahalia Jackson CD (Gospels, Spirituals, & Hymns, Columbia/Legacy C2K 47083), says "TROUBLED OF THE WORLD: The popularity of this well-known spiritual was, due to, until 1959, to the concert choral arrangement by William Levi Dawson." Dawson's (b. 1899) arrangement was probably in 1930s, that is later than Dett. It is possible that this song had other titles or "floating verses" common to other spirituals."

****
5. Subject: ADD: Soon-A-Will be Done
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Oct 01 - 02:35 AM

"Well, Alex, I found a copy of the 1915 book, Folk Song of the American Negro, at the library. This was written by John Wesley Work, 1871-1925. It's almost the same as what's in Work Jr.'s 1940 book, but with no musical notation.
-Joe Offer (e-mail sent)-

SOON-A-WILL BE DONE WITH THE TROUBLES OF THE WORLD

CHORUS
Soon-a-will be done-a-with the troubles of the world,
Troubles of the world,
Troubles of the world,
Soon-a-will be done-a-with the troubles of the world,
Going home to live with God

1. These are my Father's children,
These are my Father's children,
These are my Father's children,
All in-a-one band.
CHORUS

2. No more weeping and a-wailing,
No more weeping and a-wailing,
No more weeping and a-wailing,
All in-a-one band.
CHORUS
-snip-
"Written by" means "edited by" John Wesley Work, b. 1871-d. 1925 (also known as John Wesley Work, Jr. and John Wesley Work II). Read information about John Wesley Work II and John Wesley Work III in the Addendum to this post.)

****
6. Subject: Lyr Add: THESE ARE MY FATHER'S CHILDREN
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 02 Oct 10 - 06:21 PM

"From The Story of the Jubilee Singers by J. B. T. Marsh (Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1881), page 168:

THESE ARE MY FATHER'S CHILDREN

CHORUS: These are my Father's children,
These are my Father's children,
These are my Father's children,
All in one band.

1. And I soon shall be done with the troubles of the world,
Troubles of the world, troubles of the world,
And I soon shall be done with the troubles of the world.
Going home to live with God.

2. My brother's done with the troubles of the world, &c.

3. My sister's done with the troubles of the world, &c."

****
ADDENDUM: INFORMATION ABOUT JOHN WESLEY WORK II & JOHN WESLEY WORK III
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley_Work_Jr.
"John Wesley Work Jr. (August 6, 1871 – September 7, 1925) was the first African-American collector of folk songs and spirituals, and also a choral director, educationalist and songwriter. He is now sometimes known as John Wesley Work II, to distinguish him from his son, John Wesley Work III.

Early life
Work was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of Samuella and John Wesley Work,[1] who was director of a church choir, some of whose members were also in the original Fisk Jubilee Singers.[2] John Wesley Work Jr. attended Fisk University, where he organised singing groups and studied Latin and history, graduating in 1895. He also studied at Harvard University.

Career
Work then taught in Tullahoma, Tennessee and worked in the library at Fisk University, before taking an appointment as a Latin and history instructor at Fisk in 1904.[2][1]

With his wife and his brother, Frederick Jerome Work, Work began collecting slave songs and spirituals, publishing them as New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers (1901) and New Jubilee Songs and Folk Songs of the American Negro (1907). The latter book included the first publication of "Go Tell It on the Mountain", which he may have had a hand in composing.[2][1] His other songs included "Song of the Warrior", "If Only You Were Here", "Negro Lullaby", and "Negro Love Song". He also established the music publishing company, Work Brothers and Hart.[1]

As the director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, he was responsible for taking them on tour each year. However, because of negative feelings toward black folk music at Fisk, he was forced to resign his post there in 1923. He then served as president of Roger Williams University in Nashville, until his death in 1925."...

****
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley_Work_III
"John Wesley Work III (July 15, 1901 – May 17, 1967) was a composer, educator, choral director, musicologist and scholar of African-American folklore and music.

Biography
He was born on July 15, 1901, in Tullahoma, Tennessee, to a family of professional musicians. His grandfather, John Wesley Work, was a church choir director in Nashville, where he wrote and arranged music for his choirs. Some of his choristers were members of the original Fisk Jubilee Singers. His father, John Wesley Work, Jr., was a singer, folksong collector and professor of music, Latin, and history at Fisk, and his mother, Agnes Haynes Work, was a singer who helped train the Fisk group. His uncle, Frederick Jerome Work, also collected and arranged folksongs, and his brother, Julian, became a professional musician and composer.

Work began his musical training at the Fisk University Laboratory School, moving on to the Fisk High School and then the university, where he received a B.A. degree in 1923. After graduation, he attended the Institute of Musical Art in New York City (now the Juilliard School of Music), where he studied with Gardner Lamson. He returned to Fisk and began teaching in 1927, spending summers in New York studying with Howard Talley and Samuel Gardner. In 1930 he received an M.A. degree from Columbia University with his thesis American Negro Songs and Spirituals. He was awarded two Julius Rosenwald Foundation Fellowships for the years 1931 to 1933 and, using these to take two years leave from Fisk, he obtained a B.Mus. degree from Yale University in 1933.

Work spent the remainder of his career at Fisk, until his retirement in 1966. He served in a variety of positions, notably as a teacher, chairman of the Fisk University Department of Music, and director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers from 1947 until 1956. He published articles in professional journals and dictionaries over a span of more than thirty years. His best known articles were "Plantation Meistersingers" in The Musical Quarterly (Jan. 1940), and "Changing Patterns in Negro Folksongs" in the Journal of American Folklore (Oct. 1940)."...

****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series on "Soon I Will Be Done".

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a pancococojams series on the African American religious song "Soon I Will Be Done" (with the troubles of the world").

This post showcases eight YouTube Gospel renditions of "Soon I Will Be Done" (also given as "Trouble Of The World").

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/09/early-published-versions-of-african.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I provides information about the early publication history of the Spiritual which is now known as "Soon I Will Be Done" (with the trouble of the world). Lyrics for these early versions or for related early Spirituals are also included in this post. These comments and most of these lyrics are quoted from a discussion thread for the Mudcat folk music forum.

The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composers of "Soon I Will Be Done" (With The Troubles Of The World). Thanks to all the early collectors and publishers of "Soon I Will Be Done" and other Spirituals and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these YouTube examples and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
"Soon I Will Be Done" [with the trouble of the world] is a traditional African American Spiritual whose composer/s is/are unknown. The earliest published date for a version of "Soon I Will Be Done" is 1907.

These embedded sound files and videos are examples of what I call "Gospelized Spirituals". "Gospelized Spirituals are they are examples of a traditional African American Spirituals that are sung in different African American Gospel styles.

****
SHOWCASE YOUTUBE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Morning Star Mass Choir - Soon I Will Be Done With The Troubles Of The World



Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church of Shreveport, La

Early 90s, Mar 22, 2007

****
Example #2: Trouble of This World - Abbot Kinney Lighthouse Choir



Leif Glöckner, May 15, 2009

Do filme "Matadores de Velhinhas".

Ótimo louvor Gospel.

****
Example #3: Maella Spires- Troubles of The World



TheTowodisharpe, Mar 18, 2010

Maella Spires, of the Selah Gospel Singers, sings the soul stirring classic Troubles of the World at the Christian Tabernacle Church in Washington D.C. Mahalia would have been proud.

****
Example #4: Rev.James Cleveland- Soon I Will Be Done



King Brian, Feb 27, 2011

****
Example #5: Mahalia Jackson-Trouble Of The World



Walter Robinson Oct 25, 2011

****
Example #6: "Soon I Will Be Done" (1979) Betty Perkins



Gospel Nostalgia, Apr 10, 2012

****
Example #7: Made New - "Soon I Will Be Done"



Troy Marables, Jan 20, 2014
City of Jeffersonville 2014 MLK Celebration

****
Example #8: Soon I'll Be Done With The Troubles Of The World - The Five Blind Boys



Tony Lamar, Apr 24, 2016

The Original Five Blind Boys of Mississippi
Album: "I'll Go"
Track 10

****
This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series on "Soon I Will Be Done".

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.