There are times when incidental experiences become intimately emotional and spiritual ones. One such experience was viewing the film "Sankofa". Another, was the first time I ever heard Labi Siffre sing...

It was 1997. I was a resident of Oakland, California, my favorite city in America. I spent a wonderful and unforgettable day at an African  women's film festival. Alice Walker's film "Warrior Marks" was one of the features I enjoyed best. It documents the torture of female genital mutilation. It exposes ancient sexism in the surgical murder of female sexual power.

Warrior Marks is visually powerful and emotionally haunting. The soundtrack
is equally haunting because of the uniquely passionate musical voice of Labi Siffre. It features his song entitled "Something Inside So Strong". Labi's lyrics captured the pain of sexist brutality. His voice channeled the cries of wounded girls' souls. His vocal spirit embodied the awesome resilience of survival beyond deep eternal scars.

I fell immediately in love with Labi. I began researching everything about him. Like myself, Labi is proudly gay and out. His life and work defy the loathsome myths that gaybashers spew. Labi has crafted his arts since age 18. And, he has shared his life and love with one man for more than 38 years. Most of his homosexual friends also share long term, monogamous relationships.

In addition to his outstanding musical talents as a composer and singer, I found that Labi is also a gifted poet. I urge you to experience his varied genius as soon as you possibly can. His bibliography and discography follow:

The lyrics to
"Something Inside So Strong":

The higher you build your barriers
The taller I become
The farther you take my rights away
The faster I will run
You can deny me
You can decide to turn your face away
No matter, cause there’s

(CHORUS:)
Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Though you doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh No
There’s something inside so strong
Something inside so strong

The more your refuse to hear my voice
The louder I will sing
You hide behind walls of Jerico
Your lies will come tumbling
Deny my place in time
You squander wealth that’s mine
My light will shine so brightly it will blind you
Cause there’s

(CHORUS:)
Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Though you doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh No
There’s something inside so strong
Something inside so strong
 

Brothers and sisters
When they insist we’re just not good enough
Well we know better
Just look them in the eyes and say
We’re gonna do it anyway
We’re gonna do it anyway
Because there’s

(CHORUS:)
Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Though you doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh No
There’s something inside so strong
Something inside so strong

School days
I learned your dates and numbers
that you were civilized
and I, I was your burden
School days
I learned about your victories
The valor and the glory that was yours
And I, the heathen, had to hide
'Cause God was on your side
You never told me
the thief came in the night
and stole my birth right
You never told me
the empire you built then
was founded on the bodies of my murdered brethren

(CHORUS:)
You taught me to despise me, seen through your eyes
But, now I clearly see
the lies you call your history
School days

You taught me with your movies
the red man was no man at all
he could not hold his alcohol
the black man likes to sing and dance
but does not have intelligence
School days
You said my sins would be forgiven
If truly I repented, you'd wash my sins away, your way
but, you have not repented
You are just the same
You never told me
that Jesus was a Jew
and, still, you swear His hair was fair,
His eyes were baby blue

(CHORUS:)
You taught me to despise me, seen through your eyes
But, now I clearly see
the lies you call your history
School days

School days
School days
School days...

Here are a few samples of his prose from various poems in his book
"Monument" :

"...every child is everyone's child

'If God is White
Why should I pray
If I look up
He'll turn away'

You are my undivided attention
By far the universe's finest invention

Drudgery is not borne with style
Emptying piss pots, collecting night soil, cannot be made to look good on the catwalk or the video

...busy men
affirming their existence in the dark
to fight the light of "kill a queer for Jesus"...

There are stone people here
sense less
un yielding
feeling nothing...

...Thanks
for proving
you don't have to be straight
to be a bigot

...yes I said but be fair
hets do suffer from a genetic aversion to mirrors

When I was twelve my father wouldn't let me join the scouts
He thought they'd make me homosexual
his concern was eight years late   aged four
I had already recognised my self....

...none of what I feel
is evidence of your love

Society is the direct consequence of how we treat our children.

Religion is the human way of getting back at God

...Funny
how those
of the group
who do the kicking
so often want the kicked   to smile...
 

...Bring us the world   rub our faces in it
show us the hurt   and our place in it...

See a wonderful poem that Labi penned for me at:

http://www.oocities.org/ambwww/ALICIAS-PHOTOS.htm