(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Black Kos, Week In Review: "My Apparition Rose From The Fall Of Lead" [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-07-25

Voices & Soul

by Justice Putnam, Black Kos Editor

The Nigerian poet, playwright, actor and political activist, Wole Soyinka, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, the first African writer to be so recognized. Though much of his early work satirized the absurdities of his society with gentle humor and an affectionate spirit, as the struggle for independence in Nigeria turned sour, Soyinka's work took on a darker tone. One such example is a conversation between two adversaries who are often pitted against each other, two adversaries who, in the heat of battle, believe one to be the master of the other, yet each are one and the same. Soyinka constantly pursued an end to violence, he called for ceasefires in the heat of civil war, and for that he was imprisoned for almost two years. In his cell, guarded by soldiers, he carried on that silent conversation, sometimes mumbled to himself, but eventually written down.

In 2020, some controversy attached itself to Soyinka’s legacy, University College London academic Caroline Davis listed him as a recipient of funding through CIA-front organizations, though Soyinka vehemently denies being an agent, his political activism against pro-American, cold war clients certainly belies a more independent literature, the bulk of his pro-democracy plays and novels were indeed backed by American funding, which he does not refute. Which actually makes his prison cell-imagined conversation even more poignant.

My apparition rose from the fall of lead,

Declared, 'I am a civilian.' It only served

To aggravate your fright. For how could I

Have risen, a being of this world, in that hour

Of impartial death! And I thought also: nor is

Your quarrel of this world.

You stood still

For both eternities, and oh I heard the lesson

Of your training sessions, cautioning -

Scorch earth behind you, do not leave

A dubious neutral to the rear. Reiteration

Of my civilian quandary, burrowing earth

From the lead festival of your more eager friends

Worked the worse on your confusion, and when

You brought the gun to bear on me, and death

Twitched me gently in the eye, your plight

And all of you came clear to me.

I hope some day

Intent upon my trade of living, to be checked

In stride by your apparition in a trench,

Signalling, I am a soldier. No hesitation then

But I shall shoot you clean and fair

With meat and bread, a gourd of wine

A bunch of breasts from either arm, and that

Lone question - do you friend, even now, know

What it is all about? - Wole Soyinka

"Civilian and Soldier"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former Kentucky police officer to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force during the deadly 2020.

A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former Kentucky police officer to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force during the deadly 2020 Breonna Taylor raid, rebuffing a US Department of Justice recommendation of no prison time for the defendant.

Brett Hankison, who fired 10 shots during the raid but didn’t hit anyone, was the only officer on the scene charged in the Black woman’s death. He is the first person sentenced to prison in the case that rocked the city of Louisville and spawned weeks of street protests over police brutality that year.

US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, in sentencing Hankison, said no prison time “is not appropriate” and would minimize the jury’s verdict from November. Jennings said she was “startled” there weren’t more people injured in the raid from Hankison’s blind shots.

Brett Hankison, who fired 10 shots during the raid but didn’t hit anyone, was the only officer on the scene charged in the Black woman’s death. He is the first person sentenced to prison in the case that rocked the city of Louisville and spawned weeks of street protests over police brutality that year.

US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, in sentencing Hankison, said no prison time “is not appropriate” and would minimize the jury’s verdict from November. Jennings said she was “startled” there weren’t more people injured in the raid from Hankison’s blind shots.

She sentenced Hankison, 49, to 33 months in prison for the conviction of use of excessive force with three years of supervised probation to follow the prison term. He will not report directly to prison. The US Bureau of Prisons will determine where and when he starts his sentence, Jennings said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With every release, New York Times bestselling author, Kennedy Ryan is raising the bar-- and still fighting to prove that stories about Black love belong front and center. The Grio: How Kennedy Ryan became a bestselling romance author by unapologetically centering Black women

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kennedy Ryan doesn’t just write romance novels. She reshapes the genre with every book. As a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, her stories showcase Black women as complex, desirable, and fully human, starring in love stories that are tender, political, and deeply personal. In an interview with theGrio’s Natasha S. Alford for the newest episode of Masters of the Game, Ryan opened up about her unconventional journey to literary stardom, the challenges she still faces despite her success, and the latest addition to her Skyland book series, Can’t Get Enough. The North Carolina native and daughter of pastors, originally thought she’d go into journalism, but soon realized that being in war zones wouldn’t be for her. Instead, she worked diligently writing for non-profits and other family-style publications before investing all-out in her own writing career. By centering Black women with depth, dignity, and joy, Ryan has carved out a lane for herself that didn’t exist when she first started. “I want Black women to be front and center,” she told theGrio. “I want us to see ourselves unambiguously… desired, chosen, and with joyful outcomes.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hulu’s “Washington Black” arrives, bringing stunning visuals, fantasy adventure, and a complex conversation around identity. The Grio: The cast of Hulu’s ‘Washington Black’ on the story behind the fantasy: ‘Protect the dreamers’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Hulu’s brand-new action-packed series “Washington Black,” freedom isn’t the end goal for the eponymous main character who was born into enslavement in Barbados—it’s just the beginning of his story. The series, starring Sterling K. Brown, Ernest Kingsley Junior, Eddie Karanja, Iola Evans, and Edward Bluemel—and adapted from a novel by Canadian writer Esi Edugyan, of the same name—tells the fictional tale of a boy set in the mid-1800s who is plucked from slavery and set on an adventure spanning Barbados to Nova Scotia, the last stop on the Underground Railroad. “I was drawn to the story because it has a message of finding hope in darkness and finding light out of trauma and resistance,” series showrunner and producer Selwyn Seyfu Hinds told theGrio during an interview before the release. x x YouTube Video



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joseph Kabila denies backing the M23 rebels, who have seized large parts of the mineral-rich east. BBC: Former DR Congo president on trial for treason

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The treason trial of the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, has begun in a military court in the capital, Kinshasa.

He also faces other charges, such as murder, linked to his alleged support for M23 rebels - who control a large part of the mineral-rich east of the country. He denies the charges and did not appear at the hearing.

Kabila's successor, President Félix Tshisekedi, has accused him of being the brains behind the rebels.

The former president has rejected the case as "arbitrary" and said the courts were being used as an "instrument of oppression".

A ceasefire deal between the rebels and the government was agreed last week, but fighting has continued.

Kabila had been living outside the country for two years, but arrived in the rebel-held city of Goma, in eastern DR Congo, from self-imposed exile in South Africa in May.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WELCOME TO THE FRIDAY PORCH

IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE BLACK KOS COMMUNITY, GRAB A SEAT, SOME CYBER EATS, RELAX, AND INTRODUCE YOURSEL

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/25/2335028/-Black-Kos-Week-In-Review-My-Apparition-Rose-From-The-Fall-Of-Lead?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/