‘Set the Fire to the Third Bar’ by Snow Patrol and Martha WainwrightHOLY SHIT. I had been looking for this song for AGES particularly for my [ l i m i n a l ] piece and could not for the life of me remember who performed it. Today I’m at the school cafe and THIS IS PLAYING ON THE PA SYSTEM. A bright spot in an otherwise pretty shit couple of weeks.

‘Set the Fire to the Third Bar’ by Snow Patrol and Martha Wainwright
HOLY SHIT. I had been looking for this song for AGES particularly for my [ l i m i n a l ] piece and could not for the life of me remember who performed it. Today I’m at the school cafe and THIS IS PLAYING ON THE PA SYSTEM. A bright spot in an otherwise pretty shit couple of weeks.

Jun. 18 2013
#thisismyjam
1 note
youjoqueer: superqueerartsyblog: a shortie about what I think should be improved when it comes to Pride festivals… visibility for everyone sure would be nice! One day… soon…

youjoqueer:

superqueerartsyblog:

a shortie about what I think should be improved when it comes to Pride festivals… visibility for everyone sure would be nice!

One day… soon…

(via dashland)

Jun. 10 2013
Via superqueerartsyblog
15,097 notes
‘capacity | overload’ by Creatrix Tiarathis is sort of a duet, in that it has the perspective of both people in this (difficult) relationship, but is sung by one person. Lyrics by Creatrix Tiara (with some sorta-anonymous input) Music by Apple Loops (I wish I had an actual musician to work with)

‘capacity | overload’ by Creatrix Tiara
this is sort of a duet, in that it has the perspective of both people in this (difficult) relationship, but is sung by one person. Lyrics by Creatrix Tiara (with some sorta-anonymous input) Music by Apple Loops (I wish I had an actual musician to work with)

Jun. 9 2013
#thisismyjam
1 note

sort of a duet - perspectives of both people in this (difficult) relationship, but is sung by one of them.

Jun. 9 2013
Via SoundCloud / Creatrix Tiara
‘Just Give Me a Reason’ by PinkJust give me a reason Just a little bit’s enough Just a second we’re not broken just bent And we can learn to love again It’s in the stars It’s been written in the scars on our hearts That we’re not broken just bent And we can learn to love again

‘Just Give Me a Reason’ by Pink
Just give me a reason Just a little bit’s enough Just a second we’re not broken just bent And we can learn to love again It’s in the stars It’s been written in the scars on our hearts That we’re not broken just bent And we can learn to love again

Jun. 7 2013
#thisismyjam
autostraddle: Charice Pempengco Is Gay: Filipina Actress and Singer Comes Out If you thought you sensed sexual tension in this video — good eye! Yup, Charmaine Clarice Relucio… View Post

autostraddle:

Charice Pempengco Is Gay: Filipina Actress and Singer Comes Out

If you thought you sensed sexual tension in this video — good eye!

Yup, Charmaine Clarice Relucio…

View Post

Jun. 3 2013
Via autostraddle
771 notes
afrikanbabyd0ll: thefemaletyrant: blackinasia: dynamicafrica: The Sidis are a small community of Indians of African descent. Photographer Ketaki Sheth has documented their lives for a new book, A Certain Grace: The Sidi - Indians of African Descent, published by Delhi-based gallery Photoink. It is estimated that 60,000 to 75,000 Sidis live in the western state of Gujarat and the southern state of Karnataka. Fewer numbers live in the state of Goa and in the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad. Their ancestors, say historians, were slaves, soldiers, traders, pearl divers and Muslim pilgrims who arrived in India over centuries. A large number of them, they say, also arrived in India as free citizens. Historian Mahmood Mamdani says the ordinary Sidi were descendants of slaves brought by Portuguese down the coast of East Africa, mainly from Mozambique. “The big difference with Atlantic slavery was that hardly any slaves were brought to India to provide cheap labour… Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty”, he says. Ketaki Sheth says the Sidis have lived in India for over half a century. “Except for one or two people I photographed, no-one has visited Africa. The older generation too feel rooted in India,” she says. “Except for their dance (called Goma, from the Swahili word, ngoma, meaning both drum and dance) and some exorcism rituals which have roots in Africa, they are Indian in language, customs, dress, food and temperament,” says Ms Sheth. The Sidis of Gujarat, for example, speak Gujarati as their mother tongue. The Sidis are “poor for the most part”, Ms Sheth says. They get some affirmative action benefits from the government as they are classified as “scheduled tribes”, one of India’s most disadvantaged groups. Mahmood Mamdani says a Sidi elder told him that a girl marrying outside the caste or community is usually thrown out. He said the prohibition on marriage outside the community is more because of “interest than identity”. Outsiders, the Sidis fear, will take advantage of the affirmative action benefits. “Whenever I asked a Sidi person I met whether they thought of themselves as African or Indian, I inevitably got a quizzical look. What, they seemed to think, was wrong with me: they were of course, Indians,” says Mahmood Mamdani. (images & text via BBC) I hate how this article leaves out the fact of just how long the Siddi have been in India (several centuries) along with the fact that the Siddi also established small principalities in India as early as the twelfth century and weren’t just confined to being “poor for the most part,” even though that conveniently fits into the narrative of what black people are “supposed” to be like historically. One of those principalities that they controlled, Janjira, was the only fort on India’s entire west coast to remain undefeated despite repeated Dutch, Maratha, and English East India Company attacks, and Siddis were renowned warriors and mercenaries as well for a long time.  Actually true, they made it seem like Africans would not have reached Indian without the help of Europeans. Which is interesting because the BBC itself has previously reported on how the monsoon winds helped facilitate trade between East Africa and South Asia for centuries. On the plus side they did mention that not all the Africans that arrived in India were slaves which is something that tends to be glossed over. I saw an exhibit on Africans in India at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY last month. Very interesting! afrikanbabyd0ll: thefemaletyrant: blackinasia: dynamicafrica: The Sidis are a small community of Indians of African descent. Photographer Ketaki Sheth has documented their lives for a new book, A Certain Grace: The Sidi - Indians of African Descent, published by Delhi-based gallery Photoink. It is estimated that 60,000 to 75,000 Sidis live in the western state of Gujarat and the southern state of Karnataka. Fewer numbers live in the state of Goa and in the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad. Their ancestors, say historians, were slaves, soldiers, traders, pearl divers and Muslim pilgrims who arrived in India over centuries. A large number of them, they say, also arrived in India as free citizens. Historian Mahmood Mamdani says the ordinary Sidi were descendants of slaves brought by Portuguese down the coast of East Africa, mainly from Mozambique. “The big difference with Atlantic slavery was that hardly any slaves were brought to India to provide cheap labour… Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty”, he says. Ketaki Sheth says the Sidis have lived in India for over half a century. “Except for one or two people I photographed, no-one has visited Africa. The older generation too feel rooted in India,” she says. “Except for their dance (called Goma, from the Swahili word, ngoma, meaning both drum and dance) and some exorcism rituals which have roots in Africa, they are Indian in language, customs, dress, food and temperament,” says Ms Sheth. The Sidis of Gujarat, for example, speak Gujarati as their mother tongue. The Sidis are “poor for the most part”, Ms Sheth says. They get some affirmative action benefits from the government as they are classified as “scheduled tribes”, one of India’s most disadvantaged groups. Mahmood Mamdani says a Sidi elder told him that a girl marrying outside the caste or community is usually thrown out. He said the prohibition on marriage outside the community is more because of “interest than identity”. Outsiders, the Sidis fear, will take advantage of the affirmative action benefits. “Whenever I asked a Sidi person I met whether they thought of themselves as African or Indian, I inevitably got a quizzical look. What, they seemed to think, was wrong with me: they were of course, Indians,” says Mahmood Mamdani. (images & text via BBC) I hate how this article leaves out the fact of just how long the Siddi have been in India (several centuries) along with the fact that the Siddi also established small principalities in India as early as the twelfth century and weren’t just confined to being “poor for the most part,” even though that conveniently fits into the narrative of what black people are “supposed” to be like historically. One of those principalities that they controlled, Janjira, was the only fort on India’s entire west coast to remain undefeated despite repeated Dutch, Maratha, and English East India Company attacks, and Siddis were renowned warriors and mercenaries as well for a long time.  Actually true, they made it seem like Africans would not have reached Indian without the help of Europeans. Which is interesting because the BBC itself has previously reported on how the monsoon winds helped facilitate trade between East Africa and South Asia for centuries. On the plus side they did mention that not all the Africans that arrived in India were slaves which is something that tends to be glossed over. I saw an exhibit on Africans in India at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY last month. Very interesting! afrikanbabyd0ll: thefemaletyrant: blackinasia: dynamicafrica: The Sidis are a small community of Indians of African descent. Photographer Ketaki Sheth has documented their lives for a new book, A Certain Grace: The Sidi - Indians of African Descent, published by Delhi-based gallery Photoink. It is estimated that 60,000 to 75,000 Sidis live in the western state of Gujarat and the southern state of Karnataka. Fewer numbers live in the state of Goa and in the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad. Their ancestors, say historians, were slaves, soldiers, traders, pearl divers and Muslim pilgrims who arrived in India over centuries. A large number of them, they say, also arrived in India as free citizens. Historian Mahmood Mamdani says the ordinary Sidi were descendants of slaves brought by Portuguese down the coast of East Africa, mainly from Mozambique. “The big difference with Atlantic slavery was that hardly any slaves were brought to India to provide cheap labour… Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty”, he says. Ketaki Sheth says the Sidis have lived in India for over half a century. “Except for one or two people I photographed, no-one has visited Africa. The older generation too feel rooted in India,” she says. “Except for their dance (called Goma, from the Swahili word, ngoma, meaning both drum and dance) and some exorcism rituals which have roots in Africa, they are Indian in language, customs, dress, food and temperament,” says Ms Sheth. The Sidis of Gujarat, for example, speak Gujarati as their mother tongue. The Sidis are “poor for the most part”, Ms Sheth says. They get some affirmative action benefits from the government as they are classified as “scheduled tribes”, one of India’s most disadvantaged groups. Mahmood Mamdani says a Sidi elder told him that a girl marrying outside the caste or community is usually thrown out. He said the prohibition on marriage outside the community is more because of “interest than identity”. Outsiders, the Sidis fear, will take advantage of the affirmative action benefits. “Whenever I asked a Sidi person I met whether they thought of themselves as African or Indian, I inevitably got a quizzical look. What, they seemed to think, was wrong with me: they were of course, Indians,” says Mahmood Mamdani. (images & text via BBC) I hate how this article leaves out the fact of just how long the Siddi have been in India (several centuries) along with the fact that the Siddi also established small principalities in India as early as the twelfth century and weren’t just confined to being “poor for the most part,” even though that conveniently fits into the narrative of what black people are “supposed” to be like historically. One of those principalities that they controlled, Janjira, was the only fort on India’s entire west coast to remain undefeated despite repeated Dutch, Maratha, and English East India Company attacks, and Siddis were renowned warriors and mercenaries as well for a long time.  Actually true, they made it seem like Africans would not have reached Indian without the help of Europeans. Which is interesting because the BBC itself has previously reported on how the monsoon winds helped facilitate trade between East Africa and South Asia for centuries. On the plus side they did mention that not all the Africans that arrived in India were slaves which is something that tends to be glossed over. I saw an exhibit on Africans in India at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY last month. Very interesting! afrikanbabyd0ll: thefemaletyrant: blackinasia: dynamicafrica: The Sidis are a small community of Indians of African descent. Photographer Ketaki Sheth has documented their lives for a new book, A Certain Grace: The Sidi - Indians of African Descent, published by Delhi-based gallery Photoink. It is estimated that 60,000 to 75,000 Sidis live in the western state of Gujarat and the southern state of Karnataka. Fewer numbers live in the state of Goa and in the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad. Their ancestors, say historians, were slaves, soldiers, traders, pearl divers and Muslim pilgrims who arrived in India over centuries. A large number of them, they say, also arrived in India as free citizens. Historian Mahmood Mamdani says the ordinary Sidi were descendants of slaves brought by Portuguese down the coast of East Africa, mainly from Mozambique. “The big difference with Atlantic slavery was that hardly any slaves were brought to India to provide cheap labour… Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty”, he says. Ketaki Sheth says the Sidis have lived in India for over half a century. “Except for one or two people I photographed, no-one has visited Africa. The older generation too feel rooted in India,” she says. “Except for their dance (called Goma, from the Swahili word, ngoma, meaning both drum and dance) and some exorcism rituals which have roots in Africa, they are Indian in language, customs, dress, food and temperament,” says Ms Sheth. The Sidis of Gujarat, for example, speak Gujarati as their mother tongue. The Sidis are “poor for the most part”, Ms Sheth says. They get some affirmative action benefits from the government as they are classified as “scheduled tribes”, one of India’s most disadvantaged groups. Mahmood Mamdani says a Sidi elder told him that a girl marrying outside the caste or community is usually thrown out. He said the prohibition on marriage outside the community is more because of “interest than identity”. Outsiders, the Sidis fear, will take advantage of the affirmative action benefits. “Whenever I asked a Sidi person I met whether they thought of themselves as African or Indian, I inevitably got a quizzical look. What, they seemed to think, was wrong with me: they were of course, Indians,” says Mahmood Mamdani. (images & text via BBC) I hate how this article leaves out the fact of just how long the Siddi have been in India (several centuries) along with the fact that the Siddi also established small principalities in India as early as the twelfth century and weren’t just confined to being “poor for the most part,” even though that conveniently fits into the narrative of what black people are “supposed” to be like historically. One of those principalities that they controlled, Janjira, was the only fort on India’s entire west coast to remain undefeated despite repeated Dutch, Maratha, and English East India Company attacks, and Siddis were renowned warriors and mercenaries as well for a long time.  Actually true, they made it seem like Africans would not have reached Indian without the help of Europeans. Which is interesting because the BBC itself has previously reported on how the monsoon winds helped facilitate trade between East Africa and South Asia for centuries. On the plus side they did mention that not all the Africans that arrived in India were slaves which is something that tends to be glossed over. I saw an exhibit on Africans in India at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY last month. Very interesting! afrikanbabyd0ll: thefemaletyrant: blackinasia: dynamicafrica: The Sidis are a small community of Indians of African descent. Photographer Ketaki Sheth has documented their lives for a new book, A Certain Grace: The Sidi - Indians of African Descent, published by Delhi-based gallery Photoink. It is estimated that 60,000 to 75,000 Sidis live in the western state of Gujarat and the southern state of Karnataka. Fewer numbers live in the state of Goa and in the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad. Their ancestors, say historians, were slaves, soldiers, traders, pearl divers and Muslim pilgrims who arrived in India over centuries. A large number of them, they say, also arrived in India as free citizens. Historian Mahmood Mamdani says the ordinary Sidi were descendants of slaves brought by Portuguese down the coast of East Africa, mainly from Mozambique. “The big difference with Atlantic slavery was that hardly any slaves were brought to India to provide cheap labour… Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty”, he says. Ketaki Sheth says the Sidis have lived in India for over half a century. “Except for one or two people I photographed, no-one has visited Africa. The older generation too feel rooted in India,” she says. “Except for their dance (called Goma, from the Swahili word, ngoma, meaning both drum and dance) and some exorcism rituals which have roots in Africa, they are Indian in language, customs, dress, food and temperament,” says Ms Sheth. The Sidis of Gujarat, for example, speak Gujarati as their mother tongue. The Sidis are “poor for the most part”, Ms Sheth says. They get some affirmative action benefits from the government as they are classified as “scheduled tribes”, one of India’s most disadvantaged groups. Mahmood Mamdani says a Sidi elder told him that a girl marrying outside the caste or community is usually thrown out. He said the prohibition on marriage outside the community is more because of “interest than identity”. Outsiders, the Sidis fear, will take advantage of the affirmative action benefits. “Whenever I asked a Sidi person I met whether they thought of themselves as African or Indian, I inevitably got a quizzical look. What, they seemed to think, was wrong with me: they were of course, Indians,” says Mahmood Mamdani. (images & text via BBC) I hate how this article leaves out the fact of just how long the Siddi have been in India (several centuries) along with the fact that the Siddi also established small principalities in India as early as the twelfth century and weren’t just confined to being “poor for the most part,” even though that conveniently fits into the narrative of what black people are “supposed” to be like historically. One of those principalities that they controlled, Janjira, was the only fort on India’s entire west coast to remain undefeated despite repeated Dutch, Maratha, and English East India Company attacks, and Siddis were renowned warriors and mercenaries as well for a long time.  Actually true, they made it seem like Africans would not have reached Indian without the help of Europeans. Which is interesting because the BBC itself has previously reported on how the monsoon winds helped facilitate trade between East Africa and South Asia for centuries. On the plus side they did mention that not all the Africans that arrived in India were slaves which is something that tends to be glossed over. I saw an exhibit on Africans in India at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY last month. Very interesting! afrikanbabyd0ll: thefemaletyrant: blackinasia: dynamicafrica: The Sidis are a small community of Indians of African descent. Photographer Ketaki Sheth has documented their lives for a new book, A Certain Grace: The Sidi - Indians of African Descent, published by Delhi-based gallery Photoink. It is estimated that 60,000 to 75,000 Sidis live in the western state of Gujarat and the southern state of Karnataka. Fewer numbers live in the state of Goa and in the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad. Their ancestors, say historians, were slaves, soldiers, traders, pearl divers and Muslim pilgrims who arrived in India over centuries. A large number of them, they say, also arrived in India as free citizens. Historian Mahmood Mamdani says the ordinary Sidi were descendants of slaves brought by Portuguese down the coast of East Africa, mainly from Mozambique. “The big difference with Atlantic slavery was that hardly any slaves were brought to India to provide cheap labour… Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty”, he says. Ketaki Sheth says the Sidis have lived in India for over half a century. “Except for one or two people I photographed, no-one has visited Africa. The older generation too feel rooted in India,” she says. “Except for their dance (called Goma, from the Swahili word, ngoma, meaning both drum and dance) and some exorcism rituals which have roots in Africa, they are Indian in language, customs, dress, food and temperament,” says Ms Sheth. The Sidis of Gujarat, for example, speak Gujarati as their mother tongue. The Sidis are “poor for the most part”, Ms Sheth says. They get some affirmative action benefits from the government as they are classified as “scheduled tribes”, one of India’s most disadvantaged groups. Mahmood Mamdani says a Sidi elder told him that a girl marrying outside the caste or community is usually thrown out. He said the prohibition on marriage outside the community is more because of “interest than identity”. Outsiders, the Sidis fear, will take advantage of the affirmative action benefits. “Whenever I asked a Sidi person I met whether they thought of themselves as African or Indian, I inevitably got a quizzical look. What, they seemed to think, was wrong with me: they were of course, Indians,” says Mahmood Mamdani. (images & text via BBC) I hate how this article leaves out the fact of just how long the Siddi have been in India (several centuries) along with the fact that the Siddi also established small principalities in India as early as the twelfth century and weren’t just confined to being “poor for the most part,” even though that conveniently fits into the narrative of what black people are “supposed” to be like historically. One of those principalities that they controlled, Janjira, was the only fort on India’s entire west coast to remain undefeated despite repeated Dutch, Maratha, and English East India Company attacks, and Siddis were renowned warriors and mercenaries as well for a long time.  Actually true, they made it seem like Africans would not have reached Indian without the help of Europeans. Which is interesting because the BBC itself has previously reported on how the monsoon winds helped facilitate trade between East Africa and South Asia for centuries. On the plus side they did mention that not all the Africans that arrived in India were slaves which is something that tends to be glossed over. I saw an exhibit on Africans in India at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY last month. Very interesting! afrikanbabyd0ll: thefemaletyrant: blackinasia: dynamicafrica: The Sidis are a small community of Indians of African descent. Photographer Ketaki Sheth has documented their lives for a new book, A Certain Grace: The Sidi - Indians of African Descent, published by Delhi-based gallery Photoink. It is estimated that 60,000 to 75,000 Sidis live in the western state of Gujarat and the southern state of Karnataka. Fewer numbers live in the state of Goa and in the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad. Their ancestors, say historians, were slaves, soldiers, traders, pearl divers and Muslim pilgrims who arrived in India over centuries. A large number of them, they say, also arrived in India as free citizens. Historian Mahmood Mamdani says the ordinary Sidi were descendants of slaves brought by Portuguese down the coast of East Africa, mainly from Mozambique. “The big difference with Atlantic slavery was that hardly any slaves were brought to India to provide cheap labour… Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty”, he says. Ketaki Sheth says the Sidis have lived in India for over half a century. “Except for one or two people I photographed, no-one has visited Africa. The older generation too feel rooted in India,” she says. “Except for their dance (called Goma, from the Swahili word, ngoma, meaning both drum and dance) and some exorcism rituals which have roots in Africa, they are Indian in language, customs, dress, food and temperament,” says Ms Sheth. The Sidis of Gujarat, for example, speak Gujarati as their mother tongue. The Sidis are “poor for the most part”, Ms Sheth says. They get some affirmative action benefits from the government as they are classified as “scheduled tribes”, one of India’s most disadvantaged groups. Mahmood Mamdani says a Sidi elder told him that a girl marrying outside the caste or community is usually thrown out. He said the prohibition on marriage outside the community is more because of “interest than identity”. Outsiders, the Sidis fear, will take advantage of the affirmative action benefits. “Whenever I asked a Sidi person I met whether they thought of themselves as African or Indian, I inevitably got a quizzical look. What, they seemed to think, was wrong with me: they were of course, Indians,” says Mahmood Mamdani. (images & text via BBC) I hate how this article leaves out the fact of just how long the Siddi have been in India (several centuries) along with the fact that the Siddi also established small principalities in India as early as the twelfth century and weren’t just confined to being “poor for the most part,” even though that conveniently fits into the narrative of what black people are “supposed” to be like historically. One of those principalities that they controlled, Janjira, was the only fort on India’s entire west coast to remain undefeated despite repeated Dutch, Maratha, and English East India Company attacks, and Siddis were renowned warriors and mercenaries as well for a long time.  Actually true, they made it seem like Africans would not have reached Indian without the help of Europeans. Which is interesting because the BBC itself has previously reported on how the monsoon winds helped facilitate trade between East Africa and South Asia for centuries. On the plus side they did mention that not all the Africans that arrived in India were slaves which is something that tends to be glossed over. I saw an exhibit on Africans in India at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY last month. Very interesting! afrikanbabyd0ll: thefemaletyrant: blackinasia: dynamicafrica: The Sidis are a small community of Indians of African descent. Photographer Ketaki Sheth has documented their lives for a new book, A Certain Grace: The Sidi - Indians of African Descent, published by Delhi-based gallery Photoink. It is estimated that 60,000 to 75,000 Sidis live in the western state of Gujarat and the southern state of Karnataka. Fewer numbers live in the state of Goa and in the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad. Their ancestors, say historians, were slaves, soldiers, traders, pearl divers and Muslim pilgrims who arrived in India over centuries. A large number of them, they say, also arrived in India as free citizens. Historian Mahmood Mamdani says the ordinary Sidi were descendants of slaves brought by Portuguese down the coast of East Africa, mainly from Mozambique. “The big difference with Atlantic slavery was that hardly any slaves were brought to India to provide cheap labour… Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty”, he says. Ketaki Sheth says the Sidis have lived in India for over half a century. “Except for one or two people I photographed, no-one has visited Africa. The older generation too feel rooted in India,” she says. “Except for their dance (called Goma, from the Swahili word, ngoma, meaning both drum and dance) and some exorcism rituals which have roots in Africa, they are Indian in language, customs, dress, food and temperament,” says Ms Sheth. The Sidis of Gujarat, for example, speak Gujarati as their mother tongue. The Sidis are “poor for the most part”, Ms Sheth says. They get some affirmative action benefits from the government as they are classified as “scheduled tribes”, one of India’s most disadvantaged groups. Mahmood Mamdani says a Sidi elder told him that a girl marrying outside the caste or community is usually thrown out. He said the prohibition on marriage outside the community is more because of “interest than identity”. Outsiders, the Sidis fear, will take advantage of the affirmative action benefits. “Whenever I asked a Sidi person I met whether they thought of themselves as African or Indian, I inevitably got a quizzical look. What, they seemed to think, was wrong with me: they were of course, Indians,” says Mahmood Mamdani. (images & text via BBC) I hate how this article leaves out the fact of just how long the Siddi have been in India (several centuries) along with the fact that the Siddi also established small principalities in India as early as the twelfth century and weren’t just confined to being “poor for the most part,” even though that conveniently fits into the narrative of what black people are “supposed” to be like historically. One of those principalities that they controlled, Janjira, was the only fort on India’s entire west coast to remain undefeated despite repeated Dutch, Maratha, and English East India Company attacks, and Siddis were renowned warriors and mercenaries as well for a long time.  Actually true, they made it seem like Africans would not have reached Indian without the help of Europeans. Which is interesting because the BBC itself has previously reported on how the monsoon winds helped facilitate trade between East Africa and South Asia for centuries. On the plus side they did mention that not all the Africans that arrived in India were slaves which is something that tends to be glossed over. I saw an exhibit on Africans in India at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY last month. Very interesting! afrikanbabyd0ll: thefemaletyrant: blackinasia: dynamicafrica: The Sidis are a small community of Indians of African descent. Photographer Ketaki Sheth has documented their lives for a new book, A Certain Grace: The Sidi - Indians of African Descent, published by Delhi-based gallery Photoink. It is estimated that 60,000 to 75,000 Sidis live in the western state of Gujarat and the southern state of Karnataka. Fewer numbers live in the state of Goa and in the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad. Their ancestors, say historians, were slaves, soldiers, traders, pearl divers and Muslim pilgrims who arrived in India over centuries. A large number of them, they say, also arrived in India as free citizens. Historian Mahmood Mamdani says the ordinary Sidi were descendants of slaves brought by Portuguese down the coast of East Africa, mainly from Mozambique. “The big difference with Atlantic slavery was that hardly any slaves were brought to India to provide cheap labour… Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty”, he says. Ketaki Sheth says the Sidis have lived in India for over half a century. “Except for one or two people I photographed, no-one has visited Africa. The older generation too feel rooted in India,” she says. “Except for their dance (called Goma, from the Swahili word, ngoma, meaning both drum and dance) and some exorcism rituals which have roots in Africa, they are Indian in language, customs, dress, food and temperament,” says Ms Sheth. The Sidis of Gujarat, for example, speak Gujarati as their mother tongue. The Sidis are “poor for the most part”, Ms Sheth says. They get some affirmative action benefits from the government as they are classified as “scheduled tribes”, one of India’s most disadvantaged groups. Mahmood Mamdani says a Sidi elder told him that a girl marrying outside the caste or community is usually thrown out. He said the prohibition on marriage outside the community is more because of “interest than identity”. Outsiders, the Sidis fear, will take advantage of the affirmative action benefits. “Whenever I asked a Sidi person I met whether they thought of themselves as African or Indian, I inevitably got a quizzical look. What, they seemed to think, was wrong with me: they were of course, Indians,” says Mahmood Mamdani. (images & text via BBC) I hate how this article leaves out the fact of just how long the Siddi have been in India (several centuries) along with the fact that the Siddi also established small principalities in India as early as the twelfth century and weren’t just confined to being “poor for the most part,” even though that conveniently fits into the narrative of what black people are “supposed” to be like historically. One of those principalities that they controlled, Janjira, was the only fort on India’s entire west coast to remain undefeated despite repeated Dutch, Maratha, and English East India Company attacks, and Siddis were renowned warriors and mercenaries as well for a long time.  Actually true, they made it seem like Africans would not have reached Indian without the help of Europeans. Which is interesting because the BBC itself has previously reported on how the monsoon winds helped facilitate trade between East Africa and South Asia for centuries. On the plus side they did mention that not all the Africans that arrived in India were slaves which is something that tends to be glossed over. I saw an exhibit on Africans in India at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY last month. Very interesting! afrikanbabyd0ll: thefemaletyrant: blackinasia: dynamicafrica: The Sidis are a small community of Indians of African descent. Photographer Ketaki Sheth has documented their lives for a new book, A Certain Grace: The Sidi - Indians of African Descent, published by Delhi-based gallery Photoink. It is estimated that 60,000 to 75,000 Sidis live in the western state of Gujarat and the southern state of Karnataka. Fewer numbers live in the state of Goa and in the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad. Their ancestors, say historians, were slaves, soldiers, traders, pearl divers and Muslim pilgrims who arrived in India over centuries. A large number of them, they say, also arrived in India as free citizens. Historian Mahmood Mamdani says the ordinary Sidi were descendants of slaves brought by Portuguese down the coast of East Africa, mainly from Mozambique. “The big difference with Atlantic slavery was that hardly any slaves were brought to India to provide cheap labour… Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty”, he says. Ketaki Sheth says the Sidis have lived in India for over half a century. “Except for one or two people I photographed, no-one has visited Africa. The older generation too feel rooted in India,” she says. “Except for their dance (called Goma, from the Swahili word, ngoma, meaning both drum and dance) and some exorcism rituals which have roots in Africa, they are Indian in language, customs, dress, food and temperament,” says Ms Sheth. The Sidis of Gujarat, for example, speak Gujarati as their mother tongue. The Sidis are “poor for the most part”, Ms Sheth says. They get some affirmative action benefits from the government as they are classified as “scheduled tribes”, one of India’s most disadvantaged groups. Mahmood Mamdani says a Sidi elder told him that a girl marrying outside the caste or community is usually thrown out. He said the prohibition on marriage outside the community is more because of “interest than identity”. Outsiders, the Sidis fear, will take advantage of the affirmative action benefits. “Whenever I asked a Sidi person I met whether they thought of themselves as African or Indian, I inevitably got a quizzical look. What, they seemed to think, was wrong with me: they were of course, Indians,” says Mahmood Mamdani. (images & text via BBC) I hate how this article leaves out the fact of just how long the Siddi have been in India (several centuries) along with the fact that the Siddi also established small principalities in India as early as the twelfth century and weren’t just confined to being “poor for the most part,” even though that conveniently fits into the narrative of what black people are “supposed” to be like historically. One of those principalities that they controlled, Janjira, was the only fort on India’s entire west coast to remain undefeated despite repeated Dutch, Maratha, and English East India Company attacks, and Siddis were renowned warriors and mercenaries as well for a long time.  Actually true, they made it seem like Africans would not have reached Indian without the help of Europeans. Which is interesting because the BBC itself has previously reported on how the monsoon winds helped facilitate trade between East Africa and South Asia for centuries. On the plus side they did mention that not all the Africans that arrived in India were slaves which is something that tends to be glossed over. I saw an exhibit on Africans in India at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY last month. Very interesting!

afrikanbabyd0ll:

thefemaletyrant:

blackinasia:

dynamicafrica:

The Sidis are a small community of Indians of African descent.

Photographer Ketaki Sheth has documented their lives for a new book, A Certain Grace: The Sidi - Indians of African Descent, published by Delhi-based gallery Photoink.

It is estimated that 60,000 to 75,000 Sidis live in the western state of Gujarat and the southern state of Karnataka. Fewer numbers live in the state of Goa and in the cities of Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Their ancestors, say historians, were slaves, soldiers, traders, pearl divers and Muslim pilgrims who arrived in India over centuries. A large number of them, they say, also arrived in India as free citizens.

Historian Mahmood Mamdani says the ordinary Sidi were descendants of slaves brought by Portuguese down the coast of East Africa, mainly from Mozambique. “The big difference with Atlantic slavery was that hardly any slaves were brought to India to provide cheap labour… Their main attraction was not their cheapness, but their loyalty”, he says.

Ketaki Sheth says the Sidis have lived in India for over half a century. “Except for one or two people I photographed, no-one has visited Africa. The older generation too feel rooted in India,” she says.

“Except for their dance (called Goma, from the Swahili word, ngoma, meaning both drum and dance) and some exorcism rituals which have roots in Africa, they are Indian in language, customs, dress, food and temperament,” says Ms Sheth. The Sidis of Gujarat, for example, speak Gujarati as their mother tongue.

The Sidis are “poor for the most part”, Ms Sheth says. They get some affirmative action benefits from the government as they are classified as “scheduled tribes”, one of India’s most disadvantaged groups.

Mahmood Mamdani says a Sidi elder told him that a girl marrying outside the caste or community is usually thrown out. He said the prohibition on marriage outside the community is more because of “interest than identity”. Outsiders, the Sidis fear, will take advantage of the affirmative action benefits.

“Whenever I asked a Sidi person I met whether they thought of themselves as African or Indian, I inevitably got a quizzical look. What, they seemed to think, was wrong with me: they were of course, Indians,” says Mahmood Mamdani.

(images & text via BBC)

I hate how this article leaves out the fact of just how long the Siddi have been in India (several centuries) along with the fact that the Siddi also established small principalities in India as early as the twelfth century and weren’t just confined to being “poor for the most part,” even though that conveniently fits into the narrative of what black people are “supposed” to be like historically. One of those principalities that they controlled, Janjira, was the only fort on India’s entire west coast to remain undefeated despite repeated Dutch, Maratha, and English East India Company attacks, and Siddis were renowned warriors and mercenaries as well for a long time. 

Actually true, they made it seem like Africans would not have reached Indian without the help of Europeans. Which is interesting because the BBC itself has previously reported on how the monsoon winds helped facilitate trade between East Africa and South Asia for centuries.

On the plus side they did mention that not all the Africans that arrived in India were slaves which is something that tends to be glossed over.

I saw an exhibit on Africans in India at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY last month. Very interesting!

Jun. 3 2013
Via dynamicafrica
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One of my biggest fantasies for a while now has been to get a cut-throat shave - something not easy to accomplish if you are a femme-ish cis-ish woman! Temescal Alley Barber Shop indulged my request and I got to make a dream come true :D

Jun. 3 2013
#femme #hard femme #temescalalleybarbershop #temescal #temescal alley #barber #shave #cut-throat shave #gender #genderfuck #fantasy #k.d. lang #though she wasn't the inspiration for this idea #bucket list #dream come true #video #creative commons #sophia-not-loren #queer #genderqueer #feminism #art #randomness
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Trans artists wanted for trans history comic (via @princesscomics)

Trans cartoonists sought for ongoing project about trans history through comic art. Contact Christa Smith at christinecdsmith@gmail.com for details.

Jun. 1 2013
#trans #transgender #trans women #trans men #comics #art #history #cartoonist #call for artists
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“Being an artist means forever healing your own wounds and at the same time endlessly exposing them.”
— Annette Messager
Jun. 1 2013
2 notes