“THE DRUMMER’S MUSIC IS AS SHARP AS HIS PERCEPTIONS ARE, AND IT SWINGS MAGNIFICENTLY. ”
— RAUL D’GAMA, ALL ABOUT JAZZ
June 3, 2020
On December 23, 2014, CFG Multimedia produced an artistic response to state sanctioned murder by The Ogún Meji Duo featuring Dr. Mark Lomax, II and Edwin Bayard. The murders continue. At CFG Multimedia, we know that music in the Afrikan American context has always been a form of both subversive and direct resistance. The field holler was the means by which we willed our bodies to endure the inhumane work conditions of slavery. The spiritual and the blues kept our spirits focused on heaven while relating the experiences of our bodies on Earth. The music coordinated rebellion and perilous escapes, gave us courage to march in the face of dogs and fire hoses, and dared us to dance in spite of our oppression.
Our work is fundamentally grounded in the values of Sankofa, Ma’at, and Ubuntu. Sankofa, because you have to understand before you know, know before you do, and by knowing, you know the why, what, and how of what you’re doing. Ma’at, because we can not have balance without knowing and nothing is worth doing unless the ultimate outcome brings balance. Ubuntu, because individuals only exist because humanity exists. These principles bring us to the notions of identity, authenticity, and power. It is only through the artistic product of the artist/Jali that we muster the requisite vibratory frequency and intestinal fortitude to stand in full knowledge of who we are; raging against a deaf, dumb, and blind oppressor, continually doing the transformational work of being human. That is the work we do, the focus of our artists, and the purpose of the content we produce.
Now is not the time for healing for we cannot heal in the absence of justice. It is the time to create harder. As Dr. King instructed us, it is a time to unite, keep the relevant issues in focus, build Black-led institutions and multi-ethnic institutions that support the work of creating a just and equitable society. Finally, all who are concerned with optimizing our collective humanity must prepare themselves for sustained engagement. The issues we face today have evolved over the last 400 years. It will not end overnight, but we must bring it to an end by any means necessary.
Click here for a short list of resources for non-Black people who'd like to engage more deeply in the work of Human liberation.
Dr. Mark Lomax, II
CFG Multimedia
President & Artistic Director
www.cfgmultimedia.com
Now you can own the complete 400: An Afrikan Epic package. The bundle includes the full 12-album cycle, the 400 Years Suite (live recording), and the 400: An Afrikan Epic Curriculum Guide, perfect for students (high school and up), listening and learning groups!
This 90-page full color digital curriculum guide contains historical overviews, definitions, discussion questions, and over 100 scholarly references that encourages high school and college learners to think critically about Afrikan history through an alternative lens in completing both independent research projects and lesson plans developed by educators.
The musical suite, an abbreviated version of the original 8.5-hour musical journey over 12 albums, is released in coordination with and in celebration of the International Day of Peace and Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy.
Dr. Lomax ambitiously tells the story of Black America over the course of a 12-album cycle to be released in 2019. 400: An Afrikan Epic is divided into thirds and explores thousands of years of the history that is pre-colonial Afrika, the Ma’afa (the 400 years between 1619 and 2019), and Afro-futurism expressing a vision of what Blacks in America will heal toward in the next 400 years; a healthy, high functioning, and united block of the African diaspora.