An hour long recording of the talk given by Ramona Africa and Fred Africa of MOVE at the rampART social centre on Thursday 28th June 2007. ~14MB MP3, 22,050hz, mono @ 32kb/s
The appearance at the rampART was part of a MOVE information tour of the UK. Further dates include Newcastle and Bristol.
The talk was attended by around 50 people. It began with a screening of the MOVE documentary and was followed by a questions and answer session. Recordings of parts of the Q&A session will be uploaded later.
The talk was attended by around 50 people. It began with a screening of the MOVE documentary and was followed by a questions and answer session. Recordings of parts of the Q&A session will be uploaded later.
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05.09.2007 06:45
Ramona Africa was an educated adult who was about to go to law school. She wasn't happy though and was searching for the meaning of life. She found MOVE and converted and was very happy as a member. Imagine this.
Then, she was the only adult survivor of the MOVE family massacre!! She saw many unarmed children and adults killed by a profoundly racist police force. Can you imagine such a thing happening to you? How would you react? Then imagine all the television footage and eye-witnesses to the police trying to kill you and the children you saved from the house -- and instead of them getting in any trouble whatsoever YOU were sentenced to jail! This is sounding a lot like being sentenced to a concentration camp for surviving the Warsaw ghetto, huh? Try to imagine how you would feel.
Then Ramona served a long, difficult sentence (she was constantly taunted with the possibility of release if she would renounce MOVE and never associate with them again). Ramona was finally released and had the incredible task of helping the children of those imprisoned with their trauma and to try and release their parents. Then, amazingly, due to her strength from her faith, she helps the children and community heal. Many marriages and the happiest, strongest, healthiest children are born. MOVE definitely has grown quantitatively and qualitatively as a supportive extended family/faith community.
The question about why doesn't MOVE evangelize and seek to grow is similar to asking a Holocaust survivor "Why aren't you promoting Judaism?" Did any survivors go onto try and evangelize non-Jews to Judaism or to a cross religious organization? It's unfathomable (although maybe a few did). Many of the most famous survivors killed themselves. How does one live with the loss of those closest to them? With raising the children of the survivors when one is so traumatized oneself? With ones most important people imprisoned and unable to be hugged or spoken to?
I imagine it is similar to what Jesus and the early disciples faced. Or any number of persecuted minority religious groups throughout history. Undoubtedly devout, peaceful, family-loving Muslims are facing this all throughout England right now (they unfortunately are in the US).
I have worked with Ramona, but not a lot. I haven't seen or spoken to her in 5 years. But, her faith -- and love -- is truly phenomenal. You might not have been able to get all that in a one night talk. It is almost impossible to communicate across all the different historical understandings of race and police brutality and mass incarceration of Black people and "holocaust"... the African American holocaust in America killed more than the holocaust in Germany, and the effects of this in America are practically indescribable.
Well, I hope this was a little helpful. Oh, and check out www.onamove.com if you want more info (MOVE's website). Check out any of Taylor Branch's award-winning triology history books. Check out "Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged, and Profited from Slavery" by Farrow, Lang and Frank. Read Franz Fanon to learn more about holocaust, slavery and psychology. And keep "onamove" walking in your sisters and brothers shoes...
Elise, NYC