Southern Ghosts & AFRO Horror

The South is Alive with Dead AFRO Spooks

When Africans against their will were brought to the Americas, their vengeful gods and dire demons came with them in anger and lust for human souls. So be wary of the knocking noises from the locked door in the rear of the house.  Fear the large tree in the backyard that moans in the breeze as branches sway towards you.

Maggie pouted. “I thought you were a top notch reporter. Did you research anything relevant for this story?”

“Of course,” said Quinton refocusing his attention on his job instead of her exposed, smooth thigh. “Your big tree out back is supposed to be haunted just like every other large tree in North Carolina. Evidently, a runaway slave on his way to sanctuary in the Great Dismal Swamp was caught and chained to this particular tree as a bloody lesson for other runaways that came this way. But these slave catchers were a really sadistic bunch of Appalachian inbreeds. They kept the runaway alive, and had a big celebration. Big party. Booze, fiddlers, games, and feast. They expertly carved off pieces of the man and made stew. Fingers, toes, ears, hands, skin were all part of the main dish. Legend tells us that the man survived for nearly 6 days in incredible pain. His wails could be heard for miles around. But the slave catchers just prodded their musicians to play a little louder and they danced a little harder.

"On the morning of day 7, a decision was made to finish the meal and head back home in the hills. But a thick fog rushed in and the man, or what was left of him vanished in an instant. Only his bloody chains wrapped around the trunk remained as if the tree had swallowed him whole. The white men pondered what to do next. A group picked up their axes and saws and agreed to hack down the tree. As they approached the giant oak, however, leaves began rustling, then the branches of the tree shook violently while its roots angrily rose up out of the ground and began clawing and ripping human flesh. The slave catchers tried to run away but a howling African tree demon strangled all of the men except for one who somehow got away.”

Quinton shuddered. “The story is told in various versions. But the end result is the same.”

Maggie rocked in her chair quietly for a few moments. Then she offered, “Lemonade?”

                 -- Excerpt from "The Lynching" in the AFRO Sci-fi Anthology. Available "free" at Amazon for a limited time.

The Southern states of the USA are rich in history and mysticism. It is a delicious blend of native Americans, African laborers, and European colonialists. Stir in deadly snake and gator infested wetlands, mysterious coastal islands inhabited by plantation escapees, Black Cajuns thriving in the deepest recesses of the Bayou. Picture the infamous "shotgun house" where many stories of horror and heroism were conjured.

Every culture from every inhabited continent on the planet has ghost stories.  Likewise, Africans and the Disapora have a lot to scare us with as well as enlighten.

Winning The Great War of Africa

World History is Littered with "Great Wars"

Conflicts are inevitable.

Asian warriors on horseback swept over the northern hemisphere in early history to eventually mold Western Civilization.

Great Britain's mighty sailing fleets later dominated and terrorized nearly every nation on the planet.

Human interactions escalated into World War I and World War II killing more than 100 million men, women and children via ingenious death tech such as deadly gas, automated killing and mechanical behemoths.

Africa suffered and prospered in this caldron of destruction

European colonialism has ripped from Africa, trillions of dollars in mineral wealth, pristine forests, precious wildlife and human labor. 

Diverse communities that peacefully co-existed for hundreds of years became vicious adversaries after greedy industrialists sliced up an entire continent for selfish profits. 

Bloody atrocities and senseless chaos destroyed the homes and livelihoods of entire nations – creating and intensifying the "Great War of Africa".   

This conflict was fought for possession of commodities such as rubber, iron, copper, uranium, rare earths and of course oil.  Now, as natural resources dwindle and humanity is confronted with dire climate challenges, this continuing war could destabilize the entire planet, pushing civilization back into the stone-age for a convenient reset or total extinction. 

However, Africa is on the edge of a Renaissance. The Ancestors begin to smile on us.

Communities find plausible solutions to stop famine on a continent that is abundant with food resources; as well as end illiteracy where writing was created. AFROFuturism can inspire us to cooperate and flourish in the 21^st century rejecting antiquated social restrictions.

These are the moral objectives:     

1) Sustainable economic fair trade within Africa and its diaspora scattered around the world.

2) Public healthcare, renewable energy and universal education for everyone regardless of income, age, gender, religion or historical background.

3) Global councils of women and men who ignore language, skin color or political affiliation for the greater good. We are all African who should be willing to share the wealth and bounty of our planet.

Our world relies on fruitful interactions between science and magic – bringing security and prosperity. Philosophy and global laws are essential for stability and growth.  Early education and life-long learning offer channels away from fear, violence, despair and dysfunction.

But it takes great leaders to manage the tedious cycle of warfare and prosperity.

We now need to build a Great Peace of Africa by any means necessary -- death is life.

Thus, using hidden sorcery, we must dare to reach back into our history and bring forth a king to become master of our modern world. We will worship him and learn from his flaws. Expect ample human sacrifice.

________________

Note from the author: (AFROFuturism takes us to strange places and hopefully, enlightenment. Read the Book.)

Cilmate Change: An Insane Conspiracy

In my upcoming book "Insane Messiah," I propose that rich people and multinational corporations were well-aware that climate change was happening and impossible to stop. Therefore, in self-preservation, segments of humanity began to buy mountaintops and build orbiting platforms in space to continue their domination of the planet and making profits. Professor Jeffery Slatery, who is slightly insane believes that there are also other elements in play: Earth itself is fighting back.

In today's reality,  energy companies and global financial entities have exchanged documents that confirm that the environment is heating up, sea levels are rising, storms are more violent as a direct result of human activity over the last hundred years. But in the name of "holy" profits, money is spent to convince non-thinking populations that climate change is a hoax.

But look at Miami, New York City or San Francisco that are major conclaves of the super rich who gradually shift their power centers to higher, dryer environments while sternly proclaiming there is nothing to fear. Super tornadoes ripping though our cities is a fluke. Flooding is normal. Droughts can be expected. This is a reminiscence of 1960s tobacco companies that assured us, "smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, won't hurt you, honest."  Or, today's food companies that proclaim, "a little fructose sugar in everything you eat makes you live longer." There is nothing to worry about, just keep doing what you do everyday.

My fictional Professor J Slatery preaches that we should work with the planet to heal it or at least allow it to remain semi-habitable for human beings even if some creatures  prefer a hotter, wetter climate with fewer dry lands and fewer humans. That is what Slatery believes.  Of course, he is "nutz;" he talks to plants and he doesn't listen to Fox News.

The real insanity revolves around deniers and enablers; people who would sacrifice human existence because of ignorance or greed.  Unfortunately, we have a United States presidency that suffers from both ailments.

The New Presidency

Don't dare call him president Trump.  He is simply "45" (the 45th person to legally occupy the White House as leader of the USA).  The truth is, 45 is a bad person. 45 doesn't know the American Dream.   He conned people to vote for him. People who desperately needed jobs and medicine yet felt abandoned by the political system. The Democrats did their best to lose the election by not talking to the people who were hurting the most. 

We must do everything in our power to understand why voters supported this Trump lunatic.  Neither political party gave us a real choice (Bernie was an option).  Therefore, we must consider the following:

a) The gap between the rich and poor has become obscene. The greed of the 1% is horrific. A small tax increase on  Richie Rich and the defense complex could benefit us all. Roads and bridges could be fixed. Every American could get free college education and health insurance. The economy would grow.

b) Elements of the modern media (Fox, Brietbart, etc) are overwhelming us with false representation of the facts of life to brainwash, confuse and enslave just to make the ruling elite richer. Rabid Islamic raiders are NOT rushing our borders.

c) Basic Human rights -- shelter, healthcare, education -- are being crushed. Ruling political families  believe that people of lesser means want to stay poor and live on the cold streets of America. Every human being deserves a chance to prosper, regardless of their status in life.

d) 45 could stumble into an atomic World War III via midnight tweets. He is controlled by foreign powers that want America weakened and democracy destabilized. Only the radioactive cockroaches will survive. So Trump may still be crawling around in the ashes of what he is creating.

We must spread the word. We can stop this.

A Different Review of "Get Out"

A lot has been said and written about Jordan Peele's AFROCentric horror flick "Get Out". The production has captured great reviews and audiences around the country seem to like it--laughing and applauding at the appropriate moments. However, take a different approach that may seem contradictory.

First of all, "Get Out" is not just a "black" film; however, knowing Hollywood, we can expect to see hundreds of knock-off movies based on the "black" horror theme now it has been proven that money can be made from the African American movie clientele.

You could easily switch out the characters and still have a decent movie. The African color adds a special layer of introspection and fun.

The movie employs all the popular tropes of a horror film: boyfriend meets strange family, a party with weird guests,  freaky parents, and a basement were the blood and gore reside. But we so seldom see this genre with black faces that is like feeding raw meat to alligators. There is a frenzy of excitement. The producers exploited all of our "race porn" stereotypes -- i.e.,  Guess Who is coming to Dinner , Blacula and OJ.

This is good movie to see. Be prepare for the tsunami of black horror flicks to come.

There are many methods to prevent a Trump Dystopia as long as we are willing to RESIST.

1.  Download the Indivisible Guide.  A practical guide for resisting the Trump agenda. Former congressional staffers reveal best practices for making Congress listen.

2. VOTE: We have to vote in local and national elections. We must know who we are voting for.  Therefore, check your local government websites and follow your local politicians.

American Dystopia 2017 

Election night November 8, 2016, dealt a serious setback to America. This sad state of affairs was first predicted more than 100 years ago.

---

The Iron Heel

by

Jack London

---

The all-powerful super rich rulers of America are challenged by a bold political movement to bring true economic freedom and equal justice to all people regardless of community status, race or gender. 

However, a profit-driven Oligarchy quickly retaliates by crushing a first and second social revolution. 

In his prophetic novel published in 1908, Jack London, one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity status, conjured up a horrific tale that we may be experiencing today in reality.

See my upcoming book review and commentary on the speculative fiction novel: The Iron Heel.You can download the book at Amazon or Project Gutenberg.

Diverse Writers and Artists of Speculative Fiction

Presents:

Creators of

AFROFuturism

Workshop

A Free forum on why and how we should develop stories in science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Featuring speculative fiction authors Cerece Rennie Murphy, William Jones, Stafford Battle, B. Sharise Moore, Diane Williams, and K. Ceres Wright.

11 AM  to 3 PM

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Long Branch Library

8800 Garland Avenue

Silver Spring, MD 20910

"This workshop will help people to create high-quality fiction that accurately portrays people of color." -- K. Ceres Wright, President and founder of DWASF

Registration is free; click here for more information.

Stafford Battle Interview with Norman Constantine

Islam Needs More Science Fiction

Islamic authors produce intriguing Speculative Fiction . . . but we need more. We need artists, thinkers and leaders who can offer a rational explanation of Islam to the Judeo-Christian world using the vehicle we call science fiction. 


How will religion impact our future?  Theology and Sci-Fi are uneasy bedfellows. 
All major religions persistently proclaim that peace and understanding is the proper path to a benevolent and merciful God. Atheists may laugh at the rituals but many devout believers from whatever sect they follow are certain that the other guy is stupidly wrong or murderously blasphemous. Sharia law or Christian fundamentalism or Jewish fearfulness can lead to bloody confrontations and tragedies in the name of blind faith. 


God is good.  But God's followers -- we need to be wary of. 


Eyes need to be opened wide by speculations of what could happen from a different point of view.  We need to see the possibilities of co-existing.

Science Fiction can fix this situation if people are willing to read something other than dogma and rigid religious texts. 

Thankfully, there are writers from all religions willing to offer an alternative view of their beliefs so that we can better understand our world.

Start here: Islam and Science Fiction: http://www.islamscifi.com/

What if We Could Resurrect the Dead?

Should we resurrect the Dead? Of the course, an entire genre of "walking dead" zombies is a popular topic for comics, novels, television and the movies. But what about medically speaking?

Modern medicine has come a long way. Doctors were once criticized if they washed their hands BEFORE operating on a patient. In fact, autopsies were done bare-handed.

Through trail-and-error, using the scientific method of observation and speculation, now, people who would have been worm food as a result of injury or disease are healthy and hale. Increasingly, we can snatch people back from the edge of the dark abyss to linger once more in the warm land of the living. We can reach further and further into the devil's pit to rescue souls.

We are getting better at keeping the human organism alive. But doctors will confess, that in some cases, defining death is still very much an inexact science. We are guessing that the sick person may never return to full vigor or simply languish in a vegetative state until the insurance money is depleted. Or, they may open their eyes and trot over to the nearest food truck for a hamburger and continue on with their lives.

So, what if one day soon we could bring anyone back from deepest death -- roll back the stone from the crypt to embrace a loved one or lift high a famous leader to continue his/her mission on Earth. These are not shambling corpses seeking a diet of brains or passing along an infection to multiply the numbers of their kind. These would be men and women in the prime of health with ambitions for life; anxious to continue their existence until the next death.

The year 2018 will be the 200th anniversary since the publishing of Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly. A young 19th Century scientist sacrifices his morals and love in the blind pursuit of science. Dare we follow that tortured path? The real question is: if we can bring back people from the dead, are we arrogant enough to tread in God's footsteps?

An Intersection Of Science And Art In Rembrandt's 'Anatomy Lesson' 

I explore this and other issues in the book: Resurrecting the King.  To prevent another Great War of Africa, a scientist/shaman revives an ancient tyrant to rule the modern world.

Thanks for your patience... Get a free copy of my AFRO Sci-Fi Anthology  e-book here.  Join my mailing list to get an advance reading copy of Resurrecting the King.