The Eyes Of The Rainbow - Assata Shakur Documentary

[XXPANTHAXX]

"I am a Black revolutionary woman, and because of this i have been charged with and accused of every alleged crime in which a woman was believed to have participated. The alleged crimes in which only men were supposedly involved, i have been accused of planning. They have plastered pictures alleged to be me in post offices, airports, hotels, police cars, subways, banks, television, and newspapers. They have offered over fifty thousand dollars in rewards for my capture and they have issued orders to shoot on sight and shoot to kill." -Assata

[Kefentse_Bandele]

Originally Posted by Namawi7

And What Beautiful Eyes They Are! Yes Assata, You Are Still A Beautiful Black Woman. Even Stronger Now Than When I First Heard Of Your Trials. I Even Sat In The Courthouse Downtown Brooklyn During One Of Your Trials, Just To Be In Support Of You, And It Was Clear Then That Those People Were Afraid Of Your Outspoken, Determined Black Self. YOU GO SISTAH!

Still, You Remain One Of My Favorite Heroines. I Gave My Daughter Your Name, Just To Keep Your Spirit Alive.

You Give Me Strengh, Encouragement And I Give You Love.

Peace & Continued Blessings,

Nathifa Mawiyah

Beautiful post!

[melsangare12]

Queen Assata is so strong and beautiful. To me her strength is incredible. To actually be able to give an interview on the day her Mother passed away had to be tough. She is just incredibly strong. I don't know how else to describe such strength.

[Walk Wit Me]

shoot... i'm on a slow ass internet connection at the moment..

i need to see this though

[Im The Truth]

Originally Posted by Walk Wit Me

shoot... i'm on a slow ass internet connection at the moment..

i need to see this though

follow the download instructions. Start the download before work and by time you come home it'll be done and on your pc ready to be watched.

[XXPANTHAXX]

Originally Posted by melsangare12

Queen Assata is so strong and beautiful. To me her strength is incredible. To actually be able to give an interview on the day her Mother passed away had to be tough. She is just incredibly strong. I don't know how else to describe such strength.

Asante sana for the touching words ... This is why we MUST continue to support her, for she could have easily just disappeared with out a trace to sure safety, but instead she continues to be on the frontline calling for Revolution even with a million dollar bounty on her head...

[Vic da god]

Outstanding!!!

[Jalili]

I am watching it right now........Amazing!!

[Kefentse_Bandele]

Originally Posted by Im The Truth

follow the download instructions. Start the download before work and by time you come home it'll be done and on your pc ready to be watched.

Can we get an account of the downloads?? It was 944 the last I checked.

[XXPANTHAXX]

Comrades if you viewed the video, please have enough respect by commenting and hitting the poll

[XXPANTHAXX]

"The Eyes of the Rainbow"
A Film Review by Linda Lopez McAlister
Tampa, FL August 30, 1997

Not being able to be two places at the same time, last night I had o fore go seeing a film at a regular theater in order not to miss the opportunity to see the three films that Afro-Cuban filmmaker Gloria Rolando brought to USF under WMNF sponsorship. So forgive me for speaking this morning about a film you probably won't be able to see right away (though with any luck it will be included in some upcoming film festivals). Three of Rolando's films were shown last night including short 1986 documentary that she worked on but didn't write or direct about Haitians living in Cuba "Haiti in Memorial," which then led to her making a longer documentary, "My Footsteps in Baragua," a study of one of the still existing colonies of English-speaking West Indians who immigrated to Cuba in the arly years of this century. Many of these people originally left their home islands of Barbados, Jamaica, Greneda, Monserrat and others, to work k on the Panama Canal. When that was completed, instead of returning home they moved on to Cuba in search of work, where they and their descendants remain today and where they keep alive their British and West Indian traditions and language.

But the film I want to focus on this morning is Rolando's most recent completed film called "The Eyes of the Rainbow" which is a documentary about Assata Shakur, formerly Black Panther Party member JoAnne Chesimard who has been living in political exile in Cuba since her 1970s escape from prison where she had been incarcerated after being convicted on flimsy evidence of having been an accomplice to murder in connection with a hold up in which a police officer was killed, a crime she denies being part of. (I believe that the women who arranged for her escape are still in Federal prison in the Florida panhandle). I had a personal interest in seeing this film because I met Assata Shakur when I was in Cuba in 1991 and had the opportunity not only to hear her give a public lecture but also to have lunch with her one day and socialize with her at a party on another occasion. So I already knew what an impressive, intelligent, vital, and passionate human being she is. Naturally, I was curious to see how she's doing these days, at age 50, and to have the opportunity again to hear her speak from the heart about her life, her beliefs, and who she is.

Rolando's film is not and does not claim to be a chronological autobiographical study, though you get the general idea of what Assata's been through To fill in the details you need to read her autobiography called, simply, ASSATA (Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books, 1987).

Rolando uses an extended interview format, set in various locations, including the corridors of a centuries old fortress, Havana harbor, and several locations in Old Havana. She also was able to get some footage of an interview of Assata filmed by an African American filmmaker while she was still in prison New Jersey and known in the media as JoAnne Chesimard. The interplay play of this footage of the young revolutionary wearing an Afro and expounding on the need for revolution in this country and the footage of Assata of today, older, wiser, and yet every bit as much committed to the struggle to improve the world now as she was then, is very effective.

Rolando has shot this documentary on video, which has some drawbacks, to be sure, but which also puts a wide range of interesting effects at her disposal, that she uses lavishly, but not so intrusively as to be a distraction. She also makes Afro-Cuban and Afro-American music and dance an integral part of the telling of her story, in a manner somewhat reminiscent of the way Pratiba Parmar uses dance sequences (in "Kusch" and "Warrior Marks" ) to convey aspects of the story that wouldn't work if portrayed in a straightforward realistic manner. A case in point is her use of dance to extend a sequence in which Assata tells about how she and a man an (unidentified in the film, but in reality a man named Kamau who was her co-defendant in one of her several trials) became sexually attracted to one another and debated whether or not to have a sexual relationship that could result in bring a child into this horrible world. (They had the opportunity because the judge had banned them from the courtroom and locked them into an adjoining room into which the proceedings of the trials were ere broadcast). Afro-Cuban dancers continue the story with a dance sequence that makes it clear that the answer they came to was to become lovers and have a child, and the sequence is finished off with a montage of photographs of their daughter from babyhood to high school graduation. (When I met Assata her daughter, who inherited her mother's striking beauty was working as a fashion model for the Wilhemina agency).The dance elements also serve to underline something that Assata only realized when en she got to Cuba, namely, how strong an African influence there is there. This influence allowed her to come to know that part of her heritage and the dances are expressive of and dedicated to various African deities.

Since Assata can't leave Cuba, the best way to come to know her as a person (short of traveling to Havana) is to see this film and read her book. While the film is not yet available for distribution, I'm going to make it my business to see to it that the USF Women's Studies Department obtains a copy as soon as we can. The film is dedicated to "Women every- where who continue the struggle" for equality, for justice, for the a alleviation of pain. Assata lives in the pain of separation from those she loves. She was unable, for example, to be with her mother when she died or attend her funeral. But sees it as her role to use every fiber of her being to continue to fight for those things she learned from her mother, her grandmother, and her fore mothers, so she continues the struggle.




Linda Lopez McAlister is professor of women's studies at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

[DJ RBG]

http://youtube.com/user/TTDCWebBrotha
http://www.assatashakur.org
http://www.rbgstreetscholar.com
http://www.thetalkingdrum.com
http://www.thedrum.org
http://www.fuckthepolice.tv
http://www.ftpmovement.com
http://www.blackmic.com
http://www.assatashakur.org/eyesoftherainbow.htm
http://www.handsoffassata.net
http://www.EyesOfTheRainbow.com

[Fenix]

I finally got around to watching it this morning. I remain astounded by this Queen's strength. Beautiful story, thanks for making it available.

[MsLioness]

The sound won't work for me!!!!

[Benji]

Originally Posted by Elisa Keisha

benji no importa, entre lo que consigas entender y ver su cara diciendolo ya merece la pena. ademas hay muchas escenas musicales con danza e imagenes... de un grupo orisha afrocubano y eso tambien merece la pena. Ya diras que te ha parecido!

Pues me ha sorprendido porqué he entendido más cosas de la que esperaba, estos meses he estado reforzando mi inglés y parece queha valido la pena

Por otra parte, ha sido maravilloso, sientes que te está hablando directamente a ti. Por su puesto, en cuanto pueda lo veo de nuevo.