The Word This Week
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(Theme plays: Funky techno music)
♪
Kim: FROM THE WORD THIS WEEK, SUPERNATURAL. COULD THE HISTORY OF AN ALIEN
CIVILIZATION BE FOUND IN OUR DNA?
Graham: PERHAPS THEY DISCOVERED THAT THEY WERE FACING CERTAIN DESTRUCTION.
THEY COULDN'T REMOVE THEIR OWN BODIES FROM THE VICINITY. BUT WHAT THEY COULD
DO IS THEY COULD SEND OUT DNA.
Kim: THE JOY AND HEARTACHE OF WRITING FOR MOVIES.
Neil: I'M VERY LUCKY. I'M ACTUALLY GETTING TO SEE SOMETHING THAT I'VE WRITTEN ON
THE SCREEN.
Kim: AND THE HANGING OF ANGÉLIQUE.
Afua: BECAUSE WE'VE EMBRACED MULTICULTURALISM, IN THEORY AND MAYBE IN
CERTAIN FESTIVALS, BUT WE HAVE TO EMBRACE IT IN ALL ITS MEANINGS.
♪
[ Caption: The Word This Week ]
[ Caption: Kim Clarke Champniss ]
Kim: HELLO THERE AND WELCOME TO THE SHOW. I'M KIM CLARKE CHAMPNISS. LESS
THAN 5,000 YEARS AGO, MAN HAD NO ART, NO RELIGION AND NO SOPHISTICATED
SYMBOLISM. AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, BOOM, IT CAME INTO BEING. BUT WHERE DID IT
COME FROM? WELL, GRAHAM HANCOCK, IN HIS LATEST EFFORT, SUPERNATURAL,
ATTEMPTS TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. AND THE CONCLUSION THAT HE COMES TO IS
THAT IT COMES FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT.
(Quirky instrumental music)
♪
[ Caption: Graham Hancock, Supernatural ]
Graham: THE MYSTERY IS WHY DO PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND ALL
DIFFERENT CULTURES-- GOING BACK 35,000 YEARS WITH NOTHING IN COMMON WITH
EACH OTHER, WHATSOEVER-- WHEN THEY ENTER AN ALTERED STATE OF
CONSCIOUSNESS, WHY DO THEY ALL SEE THE SAME BEINGS? WHY DO THEY ALL SEE THE
SAME PATTERNS? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
(Upbeat techno music)
[ Caption: Historical photos: Richard Evan Schultes ]
Kim: ONE OF THE HALLUCINOGENS THAT HANCOCK EXAMINES IN THE BOOK IS THE SOUTH
AMERICAN PLANT IOWASKA. BY COINCIDENCE, MUSICIAN STING BEGINS HIS
AUTOBIOGRAPHY WITH A DESCRIPTION OF HIS OWN PROFOUND EXPERIENCE WITH THIS
LEGENDARY AND POWERFUL DRUG.
[ Caption: Sting, Broken Music ]
Sting: IT'S BEEN USED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS IN THE AMAZON BASIN AS THE BASIS OF
THEIR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. AND IT'S BASICALLY A DEATH EXPERIENCE OR WHAT
SEEMS LIKE A DEATH EXPERIENCE AND A DIRECT CONNECTION WITH THE SPIRIT. IT'S A
TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE.
(Percussive new age music)
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The Word This Week
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Kim: THESE PAINTINGS OF IOWASKA VISIONS ARE BY PERUVIAN SHAMAN PABLO
AMARINGO. HANCOCK HAD SIMILAR VISIONS WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE DRUG.
HE BELIEVES THERE IS A UNIVERSALITY TO THIS INFORMATION. NO MATTER WHERE OR
WHO INGESTS IOWASKA, THE VISIONS ARE THE SAME. THIS LEADS HANCOCK TO A
REMARKABLE CONCLUSION ABOUT MANKIND'S MYSTERIOUS ACQUISITION OF
KNOWLEDGE.
Graham: THIS IS ANOTHER POSSIBLE ANSWER TO THE MYSTERY, WHICH I EXPLORE IN THE
BOOK. AND THIS, ODDLY ENOUGH, INVOLVES FRANCIS CRICK WHO WON THE NOBEL PRIZE
FOR DISCOVERING THE DOUBLE HELIX STRUCTURE OF DNA. CRICK FOUND HIMSELF
COMPLETELY UNABLE TO ACCEPT THAT THE DNA MOLECULE HAD EVOLVED ON THIS
PLANET. HE FELT THAT IT WAS UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE. IN FACT, TO GIVE AN ANALOGY, LESS
LIKELY THAN THE ASSEMBLY OF A BOWING 747 IN A JUNKYARD BY A HURRICANE. UM,
THAT FOR THE DNA MOLECULE TO BE CREATED ACCIDENTALLY WAS MORE IMPROBABLE
THAN THAT.
UM, AND SO CRICK SUGGESTED MAYBE THE DNA MOLECULE EVOLVED ELSEWHERE,
MAYBE ON SOME OTHER PLANET IN THIS VAST UNIVERSE. AND WHAT HE SAID WAS,
"PERHAPS THAT PLANET, INHABITED BY HIGHLY INTELLIGENT BEINGS, PERHAPS THEY
DISCOVERED THAT THEY WERE FACING CERTAIN DESTRUCTION. THEY COULDN'T REMOVE
THEIR OWN BODIES FROM THE VICINITY. BUT WHAT THEY COULD DO WAS THEY COULD
SEND OUT DNA INTO THE UNIVERSE."
HE SUGGESTED THAT A ROCKET FROM SOME ALIEN CIVILIZATION ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE GALAXY HAD CRASHED INTO OUR PLANET, SPILLED OUT ITS LOAD OF BACTERIA, AND
THOSE BACTERIA HAD IMMEDIATELY STARTED REPRODUCING AND EVOLVING.
(Soft new age music)
Graham: SCIENTISTS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN ABLE TO RECORD A 100-WORD SONG ON DNA.
AND PATENTS ARE PRESENTLY BEING TAKEN OUT TO USE DNA AS A RECORDING MEDIUM.
IT'S BEING RECOGNIZED THAT IT HAS LIMITLESS STORAGE CAPACITY. IT WOULD,
THEORETICALLY, BE POSSIBLE TO RECORD THE ENTIRE KNOWLEDGE OF A CIVILIZATION
ON DNA. WELL, MY SUGGESTION IS MAYBE THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
Kim: SOMEONE THAT KNEW ALL ABOUT PSYCHEDELIC VISIONS WAS THE LATE JERRY
GARCIA. HE FRONTED THE BAND GRATEFUL DEAD. BUT JERRY WAS NOT ONLY A MUSICIAN,
HE WAS ALSO AN ACCOMPLISHED ARTIST. RECENTLY RELEASED IS A COLLECTION OF HIS
ARTWORK. AND THERE'S MORE THAN A TOUCH OF GREY IN THESE VISUALS.
♪ I WILL GET BY ♪
(Upbeat melodic rock music)
♪ I WILL GET BY ♪
♪
♪ I WILL GET ♪
♪ BY ♪
♪ I WILL SURVIVE ♪
♪
♪ WE WILL GET BY ♪
(Audience cheers and applause)
Kim: STICKING WITH POP CULTURE, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO A FANTASTIC BOOK WAS
RELEASED ENTITLED 1968: THE YEAR THAT ROCKED THE WORLD. IT'S AUTHOR: MARK
KURLANSKY. IT'S NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK. THERE'S ALSO A SERIES OF
DOCUMENTARIES ENTITLED GET UP, STAND UP, A HISTORY OF PROTEST IN POPULAR
CULTURE THAT MAY BE COMING TO A TELEVISION SET NEAR YOU. ITS STARTING POINT IS
1968. HERE'S A GLIMPSE.
[ Caption: Ed Sanders, The Fugs ]
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Ed: IF YOU SPEED UP 1968, THERE'S THIS INCREDIBLE MARCH OF HORRIBLE EVENTS.
WASN'T SO BAD; JOHNSON ABDICATED. BUT THEN FOUR DAYS LATER-- PING-- MARTIN
LUTHER KING SHOT IN MEMPHIS. AND THEN SIX WEEKS LATER-- PING-- ROBERT KENNEDY
MURDERED IN, UNDER STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCES, IN LOS ANGELES. THEN CAME THE
CHICAGO RIOTS WHERE THERE WERE, LIKE-- BY THEN, BECAUSE OF ALL THE FRIGHT AND
EVERYTHING, THERE WAS ONLY 5,000 PEOPLE IN THE STREETS OF CHICAGO. HALF OF
THEM, IT IS ESTIMATED, WERE GOVERNMENT AGENTS.
(Slow folk music)
♪ WE CAN CHANGE ♪
♪ THE WORLD ♪
♪ REARRANGE ♪
♪ THE WORLD IS DYING ♪
[ Caption: Wayne Kramer, MC5 ]
Wayne: SO WE WENT OUT TO CHICAGO TO PLAY. THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, UH, YOU
KNOW, ALL THE BANDS, ALL THE "COUNTERCULTURE" BANDS, YOU KNOW: THE JEFFERSON
AIRPLANE AND COUNTRY JOE & THE FISH AND BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY
AND THE GRATEFUL DEAD. ALL THESE BANDS SAID THAT, "WE'RE ALL GOING TO GO AND
WE'RE ALL GOING TO PLAY." AND THEN THE DAY CAME TO GO THERE AND PLAY AND THE
MC5 WAS THE ONLY BAND THAT SHOWED UP.
(Driving psychedelic rock music)
♪
[ Caption: MC5 - Kick Out The Jams ]
Wayne: WE PLAYED OUR CONCERT DOWN ON THE GROUND IN LINCOLN PARK FOR THE, UH,
FOR ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE AND, UH, SPENT THE AFTERNOON THERE WITH, UH, AGENT
PROVOCATEURS IN THE CROWD, YOU KNOW, STARTING FIGHTS, CHICAGO POLICE DRIVING
THEIR MOTORCYCLES THROUGH THE CROWDS, KNOCKING PEOPLE OVER, UM, A LOT OF
VERY BAD VIBES. I MEAN, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A ROCK FESTIVAL, BUT NOBODY WAS
SMILING. IT WAS VERY TENSE. AND THE MINUTE WE STOPPED PLAYING, UH, THAT'S WHEN
THE POLICE ATTACKED THE CROWD.
(Slow folk music)
♪ WE CAN CHANGE ♪
♪ THE WORLD ♪
♪ REARRANGE ♪
♪ THE WORLD ♪
Kim: COMING UP, 50 YEARS OF PLAYBOY.
Hugh: I'M A KID WHO DID DREAM, UH, FROM VERY EARLY ON, IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS.
(Theme plays: Funky techno music)
[ Caption: The Word This Week ]
[ BREAK ]
(Theme plays: Funky techno music)
[ Caption: The Word This Week ]
[ Caption: Kim Clarke Champniss ]
Kim: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. WELL, FROM BOOKS TO SCRIPTS. EVER DREAMED OF
BEING A SCREENWRITER? IT'S A TOUGH GIG AS WE FOUND OUT WHEN WE WENT ON SET
RECENTLY IN VANCOUVER.
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Woman: WE'LL ZOOM IN ON HER CLOSE-UP THROUGH THE WINDOW.
[ Caption: Neil Avery - Writer, The Condemned ]
Neil: IT'S A LITTLE SURREAL, YOU KNOW. IT'S JUST, THIS IS THE SECOND DAY OF
SHOOTING AND IT STILL HASN'T QUITE SUNK IN YET. PEOPLE KEEP REFERRING TO ME AS
THE WRITER. I'M LIKE... OKAY, YEAH.
(Upbeat rock music)
♪
Neil: MOVIE MAGIC.
[ Caption: Andrew Currie - Writer/Director, Fida ]
Andrew: I THINK SCREENWRITING AS A LIVING IS QUITE TOUGH. BUT I ALSO THINK, YOU
KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE.
Neil: I KNOW A COUPLE OF WRITERS WHO HAVE BEEN MAKING A LIVING AS WRITERS FOR
MANY YEARS, AND YET, NONE OF THEIR WORK HAS REACHED THE SCREEN.
Andrew: THE ONE THING A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IS THAT SCREENWRITING IS A
VERY DIFFERENT FORM THAN, UH, THAN PROSE WRITING, FOR EXAMPLE. AND IT IS AN ART
FORM UNTO ITSELF.
Neil: AND JUST GOING TO FILM SCHOOL IS NOT ENOUGH. IT'S NOT LIKE YOU GO TO FILM
SCHOOL, YOU GRADUATE AND, YOU KNOW, A MONTH LATER YOU'RE A SCREENWRITER.
YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT.
Andrew: YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE A STUDENT OF WRITING AND SCREENWRITING AND YOU
HAVE TO WORK VERY, VERY HARD.
(Funky scratch mix music)
♪
[ Caption: Gabriel Napora - Producer, The Condemned ]
Gabriel: THE DECIDING FACTOR IN MAKING A LIVING AS A SCREENWRITER, FIRST THING
THAT PRODUCERS LOOK AT LOOK FOR IS ARE YOU PRODUCED? WHAT HAVE YOU WRITTEN
THAT HAS ACTUALLY MADE IT TO THE SCREEN?
[ Caption: Colin Cunningham - Actor, Da Vinci's City Hall ]
Colin: BASED ON WHAT WE PAID NEIL FOR THIS SCRIPT, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU'D MAKE A
LIVING AS A SCREENWRITER. I THINK IT WOULD BE JUST SHORT OF IMPOSSIBLE.
Andrew: I MEAN, FOR EVERY PERSON THAT WRITES A SCRIPT AND SUDDENLY IT'S MADE,
THERE'S PROBABLY 1,000 THAT ARE STILL SLOGGING AWAY ON THEIR 10th OR 11th
FEATURE SCRIPT, RIGHT.
Neil: YEAH, I'M VERY LUCKY. (Laughs) I'M ACTUALLY GETTING TO SEE SOMETHING THAT I'VE
WRITTEN ON THE SCREEN.
Woman: BREAK.
Man: AND ACTION.
Gabriel: (Reading) "EXTERIOR, RIVERVIEW HOSPITAL, FRONT DOOR, DAY. THE BOLT
CUTTERS GRIPPING A HEAVY PADLOCK. SOUNDS OF STRAINING.
(Grunting)
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5-15
(Clinking)
Gabriel: HE WIELDS THE CROWBAR, MUSCLES BULGING. A GRUNT FOLLOWED BY A
SPLINTERING OF WOOD AND THE DOORS CREAK OPEN."
(Banging)
(Upbeat rock music)
♪
Man: WRITERS DON'T GET THE CREDIT. WHERE THEY DO GET THE CREDIT IS PROBABLY
THE MORE INDEPENDENT STUFF 'CAUSE THERE'S MORE CONTROL.
Andrew: THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD WRITERS OUT THERE THAT AREN'T GETTING WORK, YOU
KNOW. UM, BUT IF YOU PERSIST AND YOU BURN ALL OTHER BRIDGES BEHIND YOU, UH,
YOU KNOW, YOU'LL BE A WRITER. AND, UH, AND THAT CAN BE A REALLY GREAT THING.
Woman: I'M JUST WONDERING, LIKE, I DID NOT FIND THAT IN WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY.
Neil: EW?
Woman: YEAH. SO I'M JUST WONDERING-Neil: HAVEN'T YOU EVER STEPPED ON SOMETHING AND GONE, "EW!"
Kim: WELL, IT'S NOT A MOVIE, BUT IT'S FAIRLY "CARTOONISH:" BLING BLING, ALL THE
JEWELRY THAT'S EVIDENT IN HIP HOP CULTURE. A NEW BOOK'S BEEN RELEASED
ENTITLED BLING BLING, DOCUMENTING THE RISE AND POTENTIAL FALL OF THIS FORM OF
PERSONAL EXPRESSION.
(Funky hip hop music)
[ Caption: Minya Oh - Bling Bling ]
Minya: WHEN YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE DID BLING START, THERE ARE A COUPLE
DIFFERENT LANDMARK TIMES. SO THERE IS THE TIME WHEN THE ACTUAL WORD SORT OF
BECAME, UM, PART OF OUR VERNACULAR. AND THAT WAS, UM, WITH CASH MONEY
RECORDS, THEY HAD A SONG CALLED BLING BLING, AND THEN THAT JUST KIND OF
CAUGHT ON.
♪
♪
♪
♪
ALL DAY MY PHONE RINGIN' ♪
BRING, BRING, BRING ♪
CAN SEE MY EARRINGS FROM A MILE ♪
BLING BLING ♪
Minya: PRIOR TO THAT THERE WAS ALWAYS BLING. IT JUST WASN'T CALLED THAT. IT WAS
CALLED TRUCK GOLD OR ICE, HAD SPECIFIC NAMES FOR CUBAN LINKS, GUCCI LINKS,
DOOKIE ROPES, TURKISH ROPES. AND THAT WAS ACTUALLY SOMETHING WHERE WITH A
LOT OF THE OLD SCHOOL HIP HOP ACTS, THEY JUST WANTED TO LOOK LIKE THEY WERE
MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN THEY WERE IN ORDER TO GET SUCCESSFUL.
♪ ROCK ALL THE ROCKS, TOP ALL THE CHARTS ♪
♪ I KNOW YOU'RE THINKIN' NOW WHEN ALL THE BALLS STOP ♪
Minya: YOU CAN'T STEP OUT AND CALL YOURSELF A RAPPER UNLESS YOU LOOK LIKE ONE.
AND IF YOU DID, THEN PEOPLE WOULD SAY, "OH, HE MUST NOT BE VERY GOOD BECAUSE
HE'S NOT SUCCESSFUL." IT'S ALL, LIKE, ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION.
Beverly: FOR ME, BLING IS OVER. THE MINUTE KATIE COURIC STARTED SAYING BLING ON A
REGULAR BASIS, IT WAS OVER.
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(Upbeat hip hop music: Lyrics unclear)
♪
[ Caption: Beverly Smith - Fashion Editor, Vibe Magazine ]
Beverly: URBAN CULTURE, IT'S VERY FAST MOVING. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T LIKE ANYTHING
TO STICK AROUND FOR TOO LONG. AND WE JUST HAVE SO MUCH CREATIVITY THAT, YOU
KNOW, THE MINUTE THAT IT GOES INTO MAINSTREAM CULTURE, WE LET IT GO.
♪ HEY, MR. DJ, PUT A RECORD ON ♪
♪ I WANT TO DANCE WITH MY BABY ♪
Minya: THE ACTUAL STYLE IS NOT DEAD. YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK THAT YOU'LL EVER,
EVER FIND A TIME WHEN PEOPLE DON'T WANT FABULOUS JEWELRY. BUT LET ME AT LEAST
DOCUMENT WHAT BLING ACTUALLY IS BEFORE PEOPLE REALLY START THINKING THAT IT
IS, UM, YOU KNOW, A CHEWING GUM THAT MAKES YOUR TEETH SPARKLE.
(Theme plays: Funky techno music)
[ Caption: The Word This Week ]
(Bluesy rock music)
♪
Kim: IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT 50 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE HUGH HEFNER FIRST
INTRODUCED US TO WHAT IS NOW AN INTERNATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED ICON: THE PLAYBOY
BUNNY. THE PLAYBOY BOOK AND THE PLAYMATE BOOK, 50 YEARS, BOTH FEATURE A
COMMEMORATIVE LOOK BACK AT THE GROUNDBREAKING MAGAZINE'S MOST MEMORABLE
MOMENTS FROM ITS HUMBLE BEGINNINGS WITH ITS FIRST ISSUE FEATURING MARILYN
MONROE. TAKE A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT HEFNER'S WORLD IN THE PENTHOUSE,
WHICH LED TO THE FAMOUS PLAYBOY MANSION. READ THE CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS,
IRREVERENT CARTOONS AND SOCIAL SATIRE PIECES. ADMIRE THE ARTWORK AND, OF
COURSE, DON'T FORGET ALL ABOUT THE 600 PLAYMATES.
[ Caption: Hugh Hefner - Founder/Editor In Chief, Playboy Magazine ]
Hugh: I'M A KID WHO DID DREAM, UH, FROM VERY EARLY ON, IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS. BUT I
CERTAINLY COULD NOT HAVE IMAGINED WHAT MY LIFE WOULD BE LIKE WHEN I STARTED
THE MAGAZINE IN 1953. I STARTED IT WITH NO MONEY. AND ALL I HOPED, AT THE TIME,
WAS THAT IT WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL ENOUGH SO THAT I COULD PRODUCE A SECOND
ISSUE AND A THIRD. THE FACT THAT IT WOULD TURN SOMETHING THAT WOULD BECOME
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MEN'S MAGAZINE ON THE PLANET AND THAT IT WOULD SO
INFLUENCE TIME, UH, AND BECOME SO MUCH MORE, WHO COULD POSSIBLY HAVE
IMAGINED THAT?
(Cheers and applause)
Kim: UP NEXT, THE HANGING OF ANGÉLIQUE.
Afua: IT'S VERY HARD FOR PEOPLE TO ACCEPT THAT WE HAD OUR OWN INTERNAL SLAVERY
IN THIS COUNTRY.
(Theme plays: Funky techno music)
[ Caption: The Word This Week ]
[ BREAK ]
(Theme plays: Funky techno music)
[ Caption: The Word This Week ]
6
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[ Caption: Kim Clarke Champniss ]
Kim: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. I'M GOING TO READ THE LINER NOTES. THEY SUM IT
UP BEST. (Reading) "THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF CANADIAN HISTORY WRITTEN IN
DECADES. AFUA COOPER'S THE HANGING OF ANGÉLIQUE SHAKES THE EARTH BENEATH
THE CANADIAN NATION'S STORY."
(Crowd din)
(Funky new age music)
Man: AFUA HAS BEEN CHOSEN BY THE EDITORS OF ESSENCE MAGAZINE IN OCTOBER 2005
AS ONE OF THE 25 WOMEN WHO ARE SHAPING THE WORLD.
(Cheers and applause)
[ Caption: Afua Cooper - Author, The Hanging Of Angelique ]
Afua: IT'S VERY HARD FOR PEOPLE TO ACCEPT THAT WE HAD OUR OWN INTERNAL SLAVERY
IN THIS COUNTRY. AND, UM, BEFORE, YOU KNOW, FOR THE PAST 150 YEARS, WE HAVE
CREATED OR CONSTRUCTED THIS IMAGE OF OURSELVES AS PEOPLE WHO DON'T OPPRESS
OTHER MINORITIES. AND SO HERE'S THIS STORY THAT FLIES IN THE FACE OF THAT BELIEF.
I THINK IT DISRUPTS THE HISTORIOGRAPHY THAT WE'VE BEEN, UM, YOU KNOW,
PRODUCING SO FAR FOR THE PAST 200 YEARS.
IT HAS MADE ME REALIZE MORE THAN EVER THAT CANADA WAS PART OF THE AMERICAN
WORLD. WE WERE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL THAT CANADA WAS KIND OF THIS LITTLE COLONY
HUDDLED UP THERE IN THE CANADIAN SHIELD APART BY ITSELF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF
PIERRE BURTON SORT OF CANADA, YOU KNOW, NORDIC, UP THERE, AWAY, NOT
CONNECTED TO ANYTHING ELSE. BUT IT MADE ME REALIZE, DOING THIS BOOK, THAT
CANADA WAS IN FACT A CREOLE SOCIETY, CREOLE MEANING MIXED.
(Crowd din)
Afua: MARIE-JOSEPH ANGÉLIQUE WAS A SLAVE WOMAN IN MONTREAL, UM, WHO WAS
ACCUSED OF STARTING THE FIRE THAT EVENTUALLY DESTROYED THE ENTIRE BUSINESS
DISTRICT OF OLD MONTREAL. WHEN YOU SAY THAT TO PEOPLE, THAT, OH, THIS STORY,
THIS ANGÉLIQUE STORY OR OTHER, UM, STORIES AND EVENTS THAT OCCURRED, THEY'LL
SAY, "NO, THAT'S NOT TRUE. THAT'S NOT TRUE." AND SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE
KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE, ARE GOOD-HEARTED PEOPLE AND THEY'LL SAY, "NO, THAT'S
NOT TRUE." SO THE HISTORY BECOMES INVISIBLE. AND IF YOU'RE INVISIBLE, HOW CAN
YOU BE SEEN?
BUT CANADA, WE SAY, IS A MULTICULTURAL COUNTRY. AND HERE, NOW, BECAUSE WE
HAVE EMBRACED MULTICULTURALISM, IN THEORY AND MAYBE IN CERTAIN FESTIVALS,
BUT WE HAVE TO EMBRACE IT IN ALL ITS MEANINGS. AND THAT WOULD MEAN TAKING ALL
OUR STORIES, ALL OUR HISTORIES AND PUTTING THEM AT THE CENTRE.
[ Caption: George Elliott Clarke - Poet/Novelist ]
George: I'VE KNOWN AFUA FOR A LONG TIME. I FELT THAT THE FORWARD WOULD BE A
WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOME SPITFIRE WORK, DO SOME FIRE, THROW OUT
SOME FIRE IN INCENDIARY FASHION TO TRY TO, AGAIN, ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO REALLY-THEMSELVES, PERSONALLY-- GO OUT AND FIND OUT ABOUT THIS HISTORY.
[ Caption: Austin Clark - Author ]
Austin: IT WILL NOW PUT TO REST FOR ALL TIME OUR DENIAL ABOUT OUR ROLE IN THE
TRANSATLANTIC TRADE, MEANING SLAVERY. AND THAT WE CAN NO LONGER, AS A RESULT
OF THIS BOOK, SUGGEST THAT WE ARE MORE PRECIOUS THAT THE AMERICANS OF WHOM
WE KNOW THEY HAD A TREMENDOUS HISTORY OF ENSLAVEMENT.
7
The Word This Week
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Afua: BLACK HISTORY IS FOR BLACK PEOPLE, YEAH, BUT IT'S FOR EVERYBODY ELSE. THE
SAME WAY BLACK PEOPLE HAVE TO GO INSIDE OF THE SCHOOLS AND LEARN THE
GENERAL HISTORY, WHICH IS MORE OR LESS WHITE HISTORY. SO WHY IS WHITE HISTORY
UNIVERSALIZED AND OTHER HISTORIES ARE NOT?
Kim: YOU SAW IN THAT PIECE A REALLY GREAT GUY: GEORGE ELLIOT CLARKE. I'M A REAL
FAN OF GEORGE'S. HE IS WHAT HE CALLS A BLACK "CANADIANITE," HIS IDEA OF CANADA
PUT FORWARD THROUGH HIS PLAYS, HIS POEMS, HIS NOVELS. HIS LATEST IS ILLUMINATED
VERSES. AND HE'S A BIT OF A RASCAL, OLD GEORGE. GOT TO LOVE HIM FOR IT.
(Funky scratch mix music)
♪
[ Caption: George Elliott Clarke - Illuminated Verse ]
George: GEORGE ELLIOT CLARKE IS MY NAME. I'M A WRITER, PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH
HERE AT UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. EVERYTHING THAT I'VE TRIED TO DO AS A WRITER AND
AS AN INTELLECTUAL HAS BEEN ABOUT FURTHERING PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE AND
APPRECIATION FOR AND RESPECT OF SOMETHING THAT I DESCRIBE, PERHAPS
PRETENTIOUSLY, AS AFRICAN "CANADIANA-TAY."
(Reading) "LIMBS MINGLE, THEN REMIX, PULSE QUICK TICKS, EYES TRANSFIX. I LOVE A
BLACK MADONNA."
I'M VERY PROUD OF THIS BOOK, CONSISTS OF 38 POEMS, WHICH ARE SUPPORTED BY,
ACCOMPANY AND SPEAK TO 38 FULL COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHS OF BLACK WOMEN WHO ARE
NOT WEARING CLOTHES.
(Reading) "HINTING OF HONEYED ABYSSES, CHASMS OF MOLASSES AND CREAM WHERE
WORDS UNFOLD, CHOCOLATE-SERENADED, JAZZ-FORGED ORGASMS."
THE POEMS ARE ABOUT STRUGGLE AS MUCH AS THEY ARE ABOUT BEAUTY. THIS IS A
SOCIETY THAT IS PARTICULARLY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE BLACK NUDE. AND I DON'T
CARE ABOUT THAT DISCOMFORT. IN TERMS OF A COMMUNITY THAT IS PARTLY-- OR
COMMUNITIES THAT ARE PARTLY DEFINED BY A HISTORY OF STRUGGLE, IT'S VERY
IMPORTANT, ALSO, TO REMEMBER THE BEAUTY THAT COINCIDES WITH THAT ATTEMPT TO
STRUGGLE FORWARD.
I GOT TO BRING OUT THE MAN BECAUSE IT'S FEBRUARY. I GOT TO BRING HIM OUT. HE'S
NOT IN STORAGE. I'M JUST TRYING TO GET MY-- EVERYTHING ARRANGED IN THIS. BUT,
YES, THERE'S MY MALCOLM X. I FEEL ACRIMONY. I DETEST THIS FACT THAT AFRICAN
CANADIANS, BLACK CULTURE CONTINUES TO BE SO MARGINALIZED IN THIS COUNTRY. IT'S
DEPRESSING.
IN CANADA, WE PRETEND THAT THINGS ARE NOT RACIALLY STRUCTURED, BUT THEY ARE,
AND THAT MAKES IT WORSE BECAUSE THEN YOU DON'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO
CONVINCE PEOPLE OR TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT UPSETS OUR MYTHOLOGY AND OUR
PROPAGANDA ABOUT CANADA BEING BETTER THAN THE UNITED STATES WHEN IT COMES
TO RACE AND RACE RELATIONS. BUT IT'S NOT BETTER. IT'S JUST QUIETER. (Laughs)
Kim: LITERACY ISN'T JUST ABOUT READING. IT'S ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES
THAT SURROUND US. SO HOW DO YOU GET YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED? WELL, HOW
ABOUT THROWING A HIP HOP LITERACY NIGHT?
(Human beat box)
(Rhythmic rapping: Lyrics unclear)
[ Caption: Mark Beckles - CEO Nelson Mandela Children's Fund Canada ]
8
The Word This Week
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Mark: THE NELSON MANDELA CHILDREN'S FUND STRUCTURES ALL OF ITS PROGRAMS
BASED ON LITERACY AND EDUCATION BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT PART OF THE, UH, KEY
TO, UH, CHANGING BEHAVIOURS AND DEALING WITH THE SPREAD OF AIDS AND SO ON IS
EDUCATION.
[ Caption: Obert Madondo - CAP Aids Canada ]
Obert: THAT'S ONE OF OUR COMPANY'S MAIN PRIORITIES, ENSURING THAT, UH, PEOPLE
GET TO KNOW ABOUT HIV, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE IN CANADA, SO THAT THEY CAN RESPOND
TO THE HIV/AIDS ISSUE IN AFRICA AFTER THEY HAVE OBTAINED THAT EDUCATION.
[ Caption: Dee Jay Ra - Hip Hop Literacy Canada ]
Ra: IN HIP HOP FOR AFRICA, WE'VE GOT LITERACY, WE'VE GOT AIDS AWARENESS, WE'VE
GOT HIP HOP, EDUCATION, EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
♪ JUST REMEMBER THAT AFTER TONIGHT, TOMORROW'S BRIGHT ♪
♪ CHILDREN OF THE WORLD, WE CAN CHOOSE ANOTHER FUTURE ♪
♪ AND I'M JUST BEIN' REAL WITH YOU ♪
Ra: (Reading) "MANDELA INTERRUPTS, 'YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME READ IT. I COULD HAVE
SHOWN OFF THAT I CAN SPEAK PROPER AFRIKAANS.'"
[ Caption: George Stroumboulopoulos - MC Hip Hop for Africa ]
George: LITERACY ISN'T JUST READING. IT IS THE ABILITY TO WORK WITH THE LANGUAGE.
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
IT'S BEEN TOO LONG ♪
FEELS LIKE YOU CUT ME OUT YOUR LIFE ♪
LIKE A MICKY D'S COUPON ♪
ALL THOSE TIMES I GOT LAID WITHOUT PROTECTION ♪
AIDS WAS ON ITS WAY TO TEACH ME A LESSON ♪
BANG, BANG, MY BABY SHOT ME DOWN ♪
George: IT'S THE FIRST-PERSON VOICE. IT IS ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN'S VOICE. AND
GREAT LITERATURE. SOME OF THE GREATEST ONES: ONE MAN'S VOICE, ONE WOMEN'S
VOICE. "HERE IS THE WORLD AS I SEE IT. HERE'S WHAT WORKS WITH ME. HERE'S WHAT
DOESN'T WORK WITH ME." THAT'S WHAT YOU SEE ONSTAGE IN HIP HOP ALL THE TIME.
Obert: THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT, UM, HIP HOP IS ONE OF THE MEDIUMS THAT IS USED TO
COMMUNICATE IN THE MODERN WORLD.
Ra: WE'RE HOPING MANY OF THE YOUTH HERE, IF THEY ENJOY HIP HOP, IF THEY'VE COME
OUT TO SUPPORT A GOOD CAUSE, MAYBE WHEN THEY GO BACK, THERE'LL BE, UH, MORE
OF A CHANCE THAT THEY'LL PICK UP A MANDELA BOOK. WHEN THEY HEAR ME READING
FROM TUPAC ABOUT MANDELA, MAYBE THERE'S A BIGGER CHANCE THAT THEY'LL, UH,
YOU KNOW, PICK UP A TUPAC BOOK.
(Rhythmic rapping: Lyrics unclear)
♪
Kim: THAT'S OUR SHOW, EVERYBODY. THANKS FOR WATCHING. THANKS FOR READING.
DON'T FORGET, GO TO OUR WEBSITE: booktelevision.com. LOG ON, GET INVOLVED, GIVE US
SOME FEEDBACK. TILL NEXT TIME, I'M K.C.C.
[ Caption: www.booktelevision.com ]
[ CREDITS ]
(Theme plays: Funky techno music)
♪
9
The Word This Week
5-15
(Closed captions created by Bravo!)
10