In the Obama Kwanzaa Series we have been comparing Obama's principles and performance, especially his third year as President, to each of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. The question today is, does he embody the principle of Creativity? (Video) Opportunity to listen in on and AA holiday conversation.
Call: Habari Gani
Response:_________?
The Judgement Scene is the most famous of Classical African Paintings.
It is where we in America get our scale of justice from and our jury system (Jurors at top)
The proper name is Utchau Metu (weighing of the hart and words)
6. KUUMBA (Creativity) [koo-OOM-bah]
To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
As it is our tradition, we look to Classical African Civilization, Kamet (Ancient Egypt/Nubia) for a sound understanding of this principle. The Utchau Metu is a good example of African creativity. It is not just a paining but a book of thousands of words that takes an initiate a life time to read.
Heremakhet (Greek Sphinx)
The oldest Kemetic monument demonstrating creativity is Harmaketh (What the Greeks called the Sphinx) which, is the largest sculpture in the history of the world and has been standing some 12,012+ years now. The secret of the Harmaketh is a powerful tool for those who know it. Thirdly, the Great African Pyramids at Giza, are the only one of the original seven wonders of the world still standing. To this day no one has demonstrated the creativity to build such buildings. Last but not least, is the Ankh (Key to life), used by the ancient ones as both a symbol and a model handed down to us as a reminder of our legacy.
Let us fast forward to the present for a minute.
I once met a young AA woman at my son's house, she noticed that on my cloths there were a number of Ankhs. She asked me if I was the Ankh man. I told her that it was part of my African name, Nuu Maa Aunk. My daughter told her that her name was AunkT (T- is the feminine form in Metu Neter). I was struck by the power and pride in my daughter's voice as she spoke. To our surprise, the young lady proclaimed that she has an Ankh tattoo. My daughter asked her where she had it and the young lady pulled back her hair to revealed a beautiful Ankh on her neck.
Ankh
I asked her what caused her to get the Ankh Tattoo? She said that when she was eighteen she just decided. I have had this experience many times with young people. I told her that it was her ancestral memory kicking in, and as she learns about the Ankh, it will server (Gave memory aid example) her and her children well all the days of her life.
Now we will rewind to spend a minute being reintroduced to the cosmological thinking of the shinny ones (ancestors).
The Judgement scene in many ways is a pictographic summary of the Nuk Au Neter based on the main theme of the earliest known scriptures in recorded history. The Culturally Poisoned name "Book of the Dead" (used by Arab grave robbers to describe the Kamitic scriptures) has been used in the west for too long by the culturally Illiterate. The correction of this error and the restoration of African historicity is an important use of this KUUMBA.
Let's Go To The Video Tape The Judgment of Ausar (Who the Greeks called Osiris). This video originally used for this series is no longer available on YouTube. So I came across this modern interpretation (see pic of full Judgement scene this article) of a judgment shrine I thought you might find interesting. Hay it looks so nice I might build one myself.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that 70 days after death one comes to the Hall of Two Truths for final judgment. This altar is a recreation of the judgment scene.
Like we are today creatively using the 7 positive principles of Kwanzaa to make a judgement about the President, the classical Africans did not just use this Judgement Scene at Death. There are two other important cyclical times for its use. The Annual Judgement that takes place at the Winter Solstice (Dec 21 to 24) with the sun born again on the 25th. One's self judged one's person over the past year and received information from the cosmos to prepare for the coming year. Lastly, The Daily Judgement when the Kamu (citizens) would creatively use their 42 Declarations of Truth to judge the person's behavior typically before bed. I still use the 42 (some times 32 or 52 depending on the condition of my spirit, lol) to this day nightly as often as I can.
Back here in the present, the matter at hand is Obama's creativity. As a multi-ethnic person left on his own to figure out his legacy and mission in life, he certainly had to be creative to come to the clear Culturally Healthy African American understanding that he now demonstrates.
His historic campaigns and Presidency is a remarkable exercise in both cultural and political creativity that will be studied in all times by all peoples.
We leave the world more beautiful and beneficial for who?
His first law in his first year was equal pay for equal work. In his second year he signed the Patient's Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) A.K.A. ObamaCare into law. In this third year he has laid out the plan for America Winning the Future by out innovating, out educating and out building the world in his historic 2011 state of the union address. His brilliance and creativity have enabled him to be tremendously productive in office (Video) (Text). This year he got the bad guy of 911 and was named Time's Man of The Year for 2012. What a way to end and era. Think about Kuumba for a minute, will each of the laws he signed and the other accomplishments of Obama/Bidden and the Democratic TeamAmerica noted above leave our National community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it?
A list like that sort of makes you ask what did I do last year and what will I do in 2013?
In closing, part of the answer is here, we should note that we the majority of American voters share in these creative accomplishment for our selves and our posterity. It was our vote in 2008 and 2012 that made it possible and our vote in 2014 that will keep American creativity moving history forward.
I gave the President and "A" for his first, second and third years of remarkable creativity. This forth year was the toughest yet. For again he had to keep the bush 2nd great depression at bay, despite the NO JOBS Republican congress and win reelection against the odds of Republican voter suppression, corporate "we are citizens" money and candidate Robme lying like a rug.
Comparing Public Figures
I think it is fair to say, that he has been a better creativity role model for our community then many popular AA personality's like Herman, I ain't no African American, Cain or Clarance, Blacks should not be allowed to vote, Thomas. In fact, it is safe to say that there is no Republican with a comparable creative results based track record that would stand up against our President's record in the demonstration of Kuumba.
Good job Man of the year!
What do you think and why?
