Papia ku mi- My IDAHO poem

May 17 is International Day Against Homophobia and transphobia. In a poetry workshop I'm doing here in Amsterdam in which I write Dutch, we had an assingment to write a poem about homophobia. I was very satisfied with the one I made and I'm presenting it to you today.


Music: Issoco
Picture: Ajamu


Papia ku mi
Zeg een woord
Papia ku mi
Vraag het maar

Er zijn beelden in je hoofd
Die hoofd met ogen,
Die ogen die volgen,
Observeren.

Papia ku mi
Spreek het uit
Voordat die beelden
Voos, vies en verkeerd worden

De beelden in je hoofd
Over de liefde
Genegenheid
Van mij naar-
Ook een man.

Papia ku mi
Zeg wat je denkt
Papia ku mi,
Luister ook naar mij!

End of months of debate in Curacao referendum.

'Yes' vote wins in Curacao
Voters in Curacao have chosen to accept the conditions under which the island will form a new constitutional relationship with Holland.

A referendum on Friday saw the ‘yes’ vote winning with 52 per cent of the votes cast against 48 for those against.

The turnout was 67 per cent of the 119 thousand people eligible to vote.

Curacao had negotiated for a ‘country status’ within the Dutch Kingdom, giving it direct relations with Holland as part of the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles.

However, among the key conditions demanded by the Dutch government were; having a oversight over the island’s judicial and financial affairs in return for cancelling Curacao’s debt (to Holland) of around a billion dollars.

The ‘no’ campaign opposed that deal.

The victory for the ‘yes’ vote now means that the process of dismantling the Dutch Caribbean federation can continue towards the target date of 2010.

Curacao and St Maarten will each be accorded ‘country status’ but with Holland having final say on financial management and judicial issues.

The other islands – Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius – have agreed to be integrated into provinces in Holland.

The other Dutch Caribbean island, Aruba, opted for ‘country status’ in 1986 when it broke away from the Netherlands Antilles group.
Source: BBC Caribbean



I participated in a debate yesterday about the referendum, waiting the results in Amsterdam and was interviewed by the national radioprogram Dichtbij Nederland. (starting around 27 minutes)

Anousha N'Zume question reaction in Dutch media on novel dealing with black woman

Anousha N'Zume, a very intelligent and conscious actress, performer and TV producer I've been working with, is very furious about the reactions in Dutch media and literature circles on a book by author Robert Vuisje. In this award winning book, the author describes the search of a Jewish upper-class man for his ideal 'black woman'. He concludes that the black intellectual is as boring as the Jewish girls of his community, so he need the 'black Rowanda' living in a black neighbourhood and having sex for a bottle of breezes. The same old stereotype of the black woman as a sex object and loving giving sexual pleasure to white man.

Anousha really succeeded in making a point and making the presenter of the program think about his own role in this. In a interview in his program, he called black woman 'the beast', a term not even the author uses in the book.

Marlon in debate Radio Netherlands

I participated in a radio debate of the Radio Netherlands Worldservice about the upcoming referendum about constitutional chances in Curacao of May 15. The debate is in Papiamentu.

Mi a partisipa den un debate di Radio Nederland Wereldomroep tokante e referendum di 15 mei awor na Kòrsou. Den e debate aki mi a purba aklara algun opinion.
1. Ku tur dos kampaña ta husa miedu pa konvense hende di nan opshon. E kampo NO kada bes ta woòrdu tilda di ta usa emoshon i miedu, mientras honestamente bisá mi ta haña nan websait mas alkaso ku esun di kampo SI. Na websait ta trata e asuntunan ku a wordu palabrá den e konferensha di mesa rondi desember 2008. E websait di kampaña si ta regala karchi pa konsierto i otro kosnan, pero kasi no ta papia di struktura estatal. Kampo NO ta purba spanta hende pa vota NO, nan ta hasi uso di un miedu pa 'dominio'Ulandes. Un miedu irashonal ku ta bini huntu den e palabra 'rekolonisashon'. Pero e kampo di SI tambe ta usa miedu. Nan ta usa e miedu di pèrde 'siguridatnan ekonomiko' ku hende tin. Nan kampaña ta dirihi kompletamente riba miedu di pobresa.
2. Ami no te ker eku plaka ta soloshona nos problemanan na Kòrsou. No ta plka lo perkura pa 'bienestar di e pueblo', pero un otro maneho. Si gobiernu tin ma splaka disponibel dor di saneamentu di debe peo keda gasta e plaka na mesun manera, e pueblo lo no bai dilanti. Na luga di un edifisio nobo di Banko Sentral di marmer, lo traha unu ku pilar di oro. Bienestar dje pueblo?
Skucha e debate akinan.

From the archives: Reggie Williams about Essex Hemphill

Activist Reggie Williams has lived in Amsterdam from 1994 till his death in 1999. He was a very inspiring friend, colleague and tutor to me and more black and white gay men and lesbian women in Amsterdam. He introduced us to a lot of African American gay cultural products which wouldn't have reached us through the mainstream channels.

Marlon Riggs, Reggie Williams and Essex Hemphill

When Essex Hemphill died in 1995, he was a guest at the local radio-program Global Perspective to pay tribute to this great poet and his beloved friend. He is joined by Jerry Haime reading a poem in this interview with Andre Reeder.

Reggie Williams about Essex Hemphil 23-11-1995 by MarlonReina

Dutch Memorial Day

The Dutch Kingdom pay tribute to all casualties of WWII in the Kingdom on May 4. The last years the scope of the remembrance has been broaden with other war victims and victims of terror. In Amsterdam there is also a ceremony at the Homomonument, to commemorate the homosexual victims of the Nazi regime during WWII and other LGBT victims of terror and violence. I have visited the ceremony a couple of years and it was very nice to be there yesterday together with friends I made during my black gay activist years in Amsterdam in the organisation Strange Fruit. My radio program colleague Antoine (whom I also met at Strange Fruit) presented a flower arrangement on behalf of our program Global Perspective and gaystation MVS. And a couple of us were there in his support and really enjoyed seeing each other again as a group, which hasn't occurred in a couple of years.
The pictures were taken by our British colleague and friend Ajamu