"Are you ready to kill if necessary?" Nina Simone reading David Nelson

A reader asked me to elaborate a bit on the poem (no doubt she was disconcerted about the reference to "killing"). I agreed reluctantly because an important point of artistic expression is that meaning is in the eye (or ear) of the beholder. Nevertheless I noted the following:

The work of Willie Kgositile (I studied with Prof. Kgositile @ UCLA) was part of the inspiration for the Last Poets collective:

"The only poem you'll hear will be the spear point pivoted in the punctured marrow of the villain...." W. Kgositile

these are protest songs and poems about social revolution--part of what was known as the Black Arts Movement. Amiri Baraka was a founding member and key proponent of this effort.

"Are you ready to kill if necessary?"

many people have died in the black freedom struggle. many more will die. every nation has a military prepared to die for that nation. i myself served in the united states marine corps. we are trained to kill "the enemy." as malcolm x pointed out, if we can sign up to die in vietnam (or iraq or anywhere else) we should be willing to kill or be killed, if necessary for black freedom. the battle might be physical or it might be spiritual. or it might be both. but we will certainly have to kill some of the white ideas that have been implanted in our consciousness in order to create new ideas.

the poem stresses ma'at (social and sacred balance). destruction must be balanced with construction.

last, the high priestess of soul, nina simone, emphasized that the most important work of the revolution would be internal--we must critically evaluate and remake ourselves. GI

The incredible Nina Simone, High Priestess of Soul, reads a poem by David Nelson. Nelson was an original member of the Last Poets. Slightly aside, it turns out that the name of the collective was inspired by the writing of South African poet Willie Kgositile. GI

"Are you ready to kill if necessary?"
"Are you ready to create life?"
"Are you ready to smash white things?"
"Are you ready to build black things?"
"Are you ready to call the wrath of Black Gods?"
"Are you ready to change yourself?"

Click on video below or here.


tags: music, nina simone, david nelson, last poets

photo: credit