The Carcass of Saartjie Baartman

A firestorm ensued after Swedish-Afro artist Makode Linde made a performance-cake at World art day, Moderna Museet Stockholm 2012. IAA (International Association of Art) of Sweden arranges World Art Day with a focus on censorship and freedom of speech. Makode Linde presented his work depicting the woman known as the Hottentot Venus-- Saartjie Baartman--with the intention of bringing awareness to the still rampant practice of female mutilation. To add injury to insult for some, Linde even went further, in honor of his sculptures that depict grotesque depictions of Baartman that resemble American classic images of offensive sambo figures with the black skin and clown-like painted lips, to paint his own face and use it as the "head" of a cake that was baked in the form of Baartman. Then, as participants in the event cut the cake, Linde cried out in misery as participants cut into the vaginal area of the cake figure, howling as if they were, in fact, cutting him. Watch below for yourself and answer the question-- is this art or something else? Whatever you decide, it can not be denied that the ensuing laughter that you can hear  in the background is, in fact, quite disturbing to witness. Read more on this story here.


Here is Linde's response to the firestorm:

Poem of the Day: April 4, 1968 by Douglas Curry

 April 4, 1968

Eyes bulging, angry and dry
Tears scalding the back of my throat,
Into my stomach they go churning,
And set my heart really burning.

This just in. It is confirmed…
42nd Street in a riot.
Wall street in a panic.
Grown men crying, women cursing.

So it is done. He is dead.
Down from the mountaintop
With a bullet in his head.
Sing a song of Don Quixote….

They’ll be sorry, just wait
Watch what comes, you’ll see
A hawk has killed the dove.
Vile, putrid vultures now circle.

-Douglas Curry

Poem of the Day is a spotlight on Liberated Muse poets found on our site LiberatedMuse.com. This is a celebration of April as National Poetry Month.  Find all featured poets on LiberatedMuse.com

Poem of the Day: Quiet Storm by David Weeks

QUIET STORM
(Love Scenes)

Evening Sun sets
Giving way to the night
The Moon rises
Mellow with a yellow glow
As if moving to a jazzy groove
Setting the mood for our evening
Of serenity and peace
A night of Quiet bliss

Midnight Blue sky
Deep blue with passion and emotions
In The Mood For Love
Our anticipation
An Intimate Rumble

Warm front, Cool front merge
High pressure, Low pressure settles
Warm air, Cool air entwine
A night set for a Quiet Storm

Storm winds
Gently carries us across the night sky

The ease in the breeze
Brings a moment of tranquility
White clouds painted on a canvas
Of sky blue, softens the mood
The mist in the air sprinkles us
We are blessed by Morning Light

We made it through the Quiet Storm

by: David L. Weeks
      LASANA Productions
      (c) 2001

Poem of the Day is a spotlight on Liberated Muse poets found on our site LiberatedMuse.com. This is a celebration of April as National Poetry Month.  Find all featured poets on LiberatedMuse.com

Poem of the Day: trouble sleeping by Sumayyah Talibah

trouble sleeping

invisible prisoner
in a closet of glass
ignored by everyone
with different views
i can scream
i can cry
i can hold up signs
but no one tries
to hear my side
who gets to decide
if how i’m feeling is wrong
enforce these so-called laws
that alienate me
and my thoughts
and my actions
and erase my life
confuse my perception
of my reality
make me question
my convictions
shake my foundation
my beliefs
will you be satisfied
when i’m broken and bruised
i wonder about
life on the other side
is there a fire
or a river
milk and honey
fruits and trees
is it too much to hope
for true equality
for a time when i
don’t spend my time defending
to anyone who’ll listen
and feeling like
i’m being forced to choose
been accused of passing
when i’m just interacting
with the people around me
in society
who am i
what do i do
was i supposed to tell you
whenever i planned to
make a move
wide awake
taking chances
moving cautiously
in my see-through cage
under intense scrutiny
i don’t know how
i don’t know why
i ended up this way
curse of my birth
hardwired in my brain
lullaby fails to soothe me
as the sky turns light
and its another day
all too soon
where i must fight
to have my voice be heard
lessons
don’t fail me
i think i’ve learned them well
until cracks appear
in the walls
i’ll keep pushing
and waving
and hoping that one night soon
i won’t have trouble
sleeping

from: Sumayyah Said So

Poem of the Day is a spotlight on Liberated Muse poets found on our site LiberatedMuse.com. This is a celebration of April as National Poetry Month.  Find all featured poets on LiberatedMuse.com

Poem of the Day: The Grind by Chenyelu Bomani

 The Grind

longing
for those buttered hips
sugar coated lips
and sunshine
of a smile
instead you've got
a loosed lipped
swivel necked
finger wagger
that has forgotten
how to smile
could it be
from calamity
that she mistrusts
your
indentured words...
I love you baby
when the tribe of five
cannot frolic in life
because of your
rimshots
at the employment office
so now you think
the streets
are paved with gold
but
you only pull dust
out of your pocket
from midnight panning
you've been
skinned alive by
the government's 535
that refused to leave
even grit
between your teeth
shoe leather has
become
your every day meat
you whine
you moan
you huff
you puff
thinking your
display
will raise the shade
to a employers brighter day
not understanding
that the world
has deflated back to flat
incense
ten for a dollar
might pave
the way
towards independence
you think
until you realize
it's hard for some
to rub two nickels together
one doesn't look
for smoke
in a quest for fire
reality
like lightening
can knock many
off their feet
but only
the strong
live to tell about it
shouting to heaven
gets drowned out
from the high volume
of turmoil
there is no cuts
in the long line
of the needy
don't step over
the weary
or slip past
those left behind
all men
are brothers
in the pot
where blood boils
light appears
at the end
of a tunnel
unless
it's a dead end
either chisel
or blast the way out
darkness
requires
the eyes of a cat

(c) Chenyelu Bomani

 Poem of the Day is a spotlight on Liberated Muse poets found on our site LiberatedMuse.com. This is a celebration of April as National Poetry Month.  Find all featured poets on LiberatedMuse.com

"I'm Every Woman" a Success!

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