4:49BWell, they’re gonna be singing Mama from the album I Know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She know that I love you, sweet mama. Yeah, she know that she know I really said I really love you, mama. Oh yeah, she know that I love you, said I wanna please you, mama. I do, I do, I do. There’s a thousand words that I could say to thank you, mama. Yeah, you’ve been The best thing in my life. Did anything to set things right. You showed me how to grow when I was a boy. You did anything to set things right, Mama. You know that I love you. I love you. I love you. Yeah, I love you. Yes, I need you, Mama. I love you. Yes, I need you more. I love you. Yes, I need you. I remember well to keep each other. Yes, I need you, Mama. I love you. Yes, I need you more. I love you. Yes, I need you. Yeah, Mama, Mama, Mama. Said I love you. I love you. You, you, you, you, you, you.
6:55CShow.
7:03BSweet mama, yeah yeah yeah. Does she know that I love you, sweet mama? I love you more than I know anything to me. Sweet mama, yes I will. Does she know that I love you, sweet mama? I love you, I love you. Ever since I was a little Steel Band Vibes, it’s more than music.
7:39AThe radio show has been on the air for 8 years because our sponsors make it possible. Please give them your support. Go to our Facebook page, select videos, click on live to join us now, later, or anytime. And remember to like, comment, and share our page. Steel Band Vibes is brought to you by Brown’s Bakery and Restaurant. From mouthwatering baked goods, soups, beverages, and meals. From patties to rock cake, chicken to goat head soup, juices to coconut water, and West Indian-style meals from jerk chicken to oxtails and delicious roti too. All at Brown’s Bakery and Restaurant, located at 1155 Malabar Road inside the Interchange Plaza. Call [number removed]. That’s [number removed]. Catering also available. Brown’s Bakery and Restaurant, taste you can’t resist. And St. Paul’s Religious and Gift Store. Wishing all mothers a happy Mother’s Day. For unique inspirational gifts and cards for Mother’s Day and graduation, come and check out St. Paul’s Religious and Gift Store and get great customer service. 620 East New Haven Avenue in historic downtown Melbourne. Call [number removed]. Again, that’s [number removed], and tell Cynthia you heard about it on the Steel Pan Vibes radio show.
9:00BDon’t you know that I love you? Good morning, good morning, Edgar. How are you today?
10:02DHow’s it going, Barbara? Very good, and you?
10:04BVery good, very good. Uh, we broadcasting at Thrifty Specialty Produce and Meats in Bombay.
10:11DYes, we are.
10:11BWonderful. Good morning, Thrifty shoppers. Thanks for listening. Edgar, you want to tell us what’s on sale? What do you have special for Mother’s Day?
10:21DYes, so for Mother’s Day for this week, um, one second, my system is acting a little funny today. One second. What are you doing for Mother’s Day, uh, Barbara, this week?
10:33BI’m just gonna be home relaxing, enjoying all the goodies, putting my feet up because I broke my toe last Saturday. So I’m hopping a little bit.
10:43DYou broke your toe?
10:44BYes, I stumbled on some furniture.
10:47DThat’s terrible.
10:49BIt is, it is, but it’s getting better. I just gotta keep it elevated. That’s what they say. But apart from that, I’m doing fine.
10:57DWell, we hope you get better. And, um, for the week of May 10th through May 16th, uh, at 50 Specialty Produce, we have Florida peaches for $1.48 a pound. Uh, we have kiwis for 4 for $1, cucumbers 3 for $0.99. We have green bananas for $0.28 a pound.
11:18CWow.
11:19DWe also have on the meat side of things, we have the beautiful beef eye round roast for only $3.98 a pound, some beautiful beef chuck steaks for $4.48 a pound. On the grocery side of things, we actually have Uh, the Juliana jerk seasoning, uh, 2 for $5. Uh, we also have the Grace, uh, coconut milk, the 13-ounce can for 88 cents each. Um, and we have kingfish on sale this week, which is a little rare, uh, but kingfish on sale this week for $4.98 a pound. We also have hot food every day running until 8 o’clock. We’ve got pastries, we’ve got all types of stuff going on, and we just want to wish all the mothers out there in the Caribbean -- in Palm Bay, all over Florida, a happy Mother’s Day.
12:04BOh, thank you so much. We look forward to hearing from you again next week. Take care.
12:10DOkay, Barbara, thank you. Bye.
12:11BAll right. Oh yes, how I remember my mother’s smile. That was Ray Hallman doing Memory of Your Smile from the In Touch album. And before that, and in the background, we heard For the Love of You. an Ernie Isley and Chris Joppa composition arranged by Robbie Greenwich for the legendary Desperado Steel Orchestra on the Different Me album. You know, a very good friend of mine passed away last week. He was a bookseller in New York. He moved to Orlando in the early 2000s, and his name was Fritz Brother Tenney Lewis. Much more, Brother Tenney represented what was good and wholesome about the human experience. Here’s what 3 listeners who knew him had to say. From Lauren in Orlando: The thing I love most about Fritz was his ability to laugh at the best and worst situations. From Joy in Atlanta: A Pan-African optimist who worked tirelessly to educate our people. From Kai in New York, Brother Tenney was always so positive. He took his health in stride. He was a fearless warrior. And I think, um, our guest Dwayne, uh, met him, uh, briefly. I had recommended he speak to him because You know, Dwayne is a prolific writer. Dwayne, what was your experience with Brother Teni?
16:57CIt was a great experience. I went there to discuss, um, at the time he had a bookstore, so I went there to discuss possibly getting some of my books at his store, and I ended up staying there for many hours just discussing any and everything with him because he’s, um, yeah, as one of the comments said, he’s a Pan-Africanist, so he has all kinds of experiences with different scholars throughout this country. He’s met different people on the African continent. So I just sat there listening to him tell me his experiences, and it was, it’s very inspiring. It was, it’s an experience I’ll always keep with me.
17:29BWell, we at the Steel Pan Vibes Radio Show, we send our condolences to his wife, family, and friends. More music. Uh, we have some new listeners up there. Cecil, good morning. Thanks for joining us. Dingole Panjami, oh my goodness, we’re so glad to have you with us. More music for moms coming up after this word from Harris-Cassel Institute.
17:54AHarris-Cassel Institute. You’ve decided to go back to school but not sure of what you’d like to do? If you are looking for a new career, at Harris-Cassel Institute, your success is our priority. We provide educational programs in the fields of health occupations, home health aide, nursing assistant, EKG, phlebotomy, nursing, patient care technician, and the growing field of medical billing and coding. Enrollment is ongoing, day and evening classes offered. Give us a call at [number removed], visit our campus at 5000 Stack Boulevard, Suite A4 in Palm Bay, or online at Harris-Cassel.com. Harris-Cassel Institute, where quality students are made into quality employees.
18:35BIsn’t she lovely? Of course she is. She and all the moms who are listening to us, uh, this morning. Victor Proverbs, so skillful and timely, from his album Smooth Steel. The set began with a 1950s hit, Unchained Melodies, performed by SoundTech Steel Orchestra from the beautiful island of Barbados. Well, we’re drawing very close to the Steel Pan Vibes Spotlight with our regular guest, writer, political activist Dwayne Akio Wong Omowale. He is a very busy young man writing and organizing all over Orlando and the state of Florida. He is going to share some things about his mom, new books that he’s written, and And events and activities that are coming up to celebrate African Liberation Day.
26:15BSo stay tuned to the Steel Pan Vibes, It’s More Than Music radio show. Paul, before we get to the spotlight with Dwayne, can we have a little jam, a little real unity from Woodbuck Playboys? Having a choice means having control. Healthcare professionals choose VITAS Healthcare because we put control where it belongs -- with you, your patient, and their family -- talking about options and choices that help to manage pain and symptoms at the end of You and your patients have a choice when it comes to selecting a hospice provider. Choose VITAS. Call 888-VITAS-80 or go to vitas.com. That’s V-I-T-A-S dot com.
29:26AFirst licensed in 1980.
29:28BOkay, we’re in the Steel Pan Vibes Spotlight with our guest, author, political activist, and writer, Dwayne Akio Walker. Wong Omowale. I love that he has 4 names. Good morning, Dwayne.
29:44DGood morning.
29:45BAll right, welcome back to the Steel Pan Vibes Spotlight. You know, Dwayne has become a very regular guest here, and that’s good. He’s building up his, his reputation. Um, you know tomorrow is Mother’s Day, right? So I have a couple of questions about your mom. She, she always speaks very highly of you, and I she is listening on Facebook.
30:11CYes.
30:12BNow, you’ve had very many accomplishments. You’re what, 27? 26?
30:19CAlmost 27.
30:20BAlmost. Okay, next month. He’s written several books, folks. This young man is somebody you want to get to know because he has a lot to share, a lot of positive vibrations. Back to your mom now. So she’s very encouraging. With all your efforts and what you do. Tell our listeners what she really means to you. You may not even have told her this, but you can go ahead.
30:42CUh, she means everything. I don’t even know if I could really, you know, put this into words because she’s been supportive of me, you know, throughout my entire life with everything that I’ve done. And the reason why I’ve written so many books and I could, um, be engaged in all the activities that I’m engaged in is just that confidence of knowing that you have that person that will always, you know, support you throughout everything. And, um, anytime, you know, I encounter any kind of obstacles or setback or a failure, I, I know I could count on her support to get me through anything I’m dealing with. So I, I, uh, I owe her for, for everything that I’ve accomplished.
31:17BWonderful, wonderful. You hear that, Mommy? He owes you everything he has accomplished. Very good. All right, so, um, about a month ago I went to Trinidad visit some of my, uh, relatives there. My two -- I have two elderly aunts. And, um, you know, I, I had a very good relationship with my mom, um, in Trinidad, in New York. I mean, she was very supportive, like you say, but similar -- similarly, you know. But, um, also I had these other elders who provided much support, and they provided that money they love. I never felt, you know, unwanted or unloved. These people were always there. And I think to some degree I may have even taken them for granted. But when I went back recently, they’re in their 90s -- one is 92, one is like 87 -- I, I reflected on the role that they played in my development. Do you think, Dwayne, that youth today value their mothers as women who provide that motherly love?
32:23CFrom what I’ve seen, I think they do, but the problem I’ve noticed is not so much the youth, but society as a whole doesn’t seem to place the value that it should on the role that mothers and women play as nurturers and providing the type of support that young people need to develop. Because part of the problem too, like I said, society as a whole doesn’t really seem to be as family-oriented as it should be.
32:50BMm-hmm, that’s true. But in the Caribbean, we are very family-oriented.
32:54CYeah, yeah, yeah, I come from that background, so I know we maintain those values.
32:58BAbsolutely. And if children need discipline, they get that too. They know how to do that in the Caribbean.
33:04CAnd not just from the parents too. You’d get that from neighbors, from teachers, from -- because it’s that mentality that it’s the responsibility of the entire village to raise the village child.
33:12BThat’s exactly it.
33:13CAnd that’s something I think we’re lacking in this American American society.
33:16BWell, we got to still do it. It might be lacking, but we got to pull it up. We got to pull that up. Now, your mom is listening today. What would you like to tell her?
33:27CJust thank you for everything.
33:28BThat’s it?
33:31CI mean, like I said, it’s very difficult to put it into words, what she means to me and everything that she’s done for me, but I’ll try my best. And, you know, the best thing that I could think of is just thank you for everything.
33:42BOh, that’s nice. You hear that? Thank you for everything, Mom. And I know a lot of our listeners, they’re gonna turn around and think about what their moms have done. And, you know, whether they are here now or if they’ve passed, it doesn’t matter. We still have that responsibility. We still have that responsibility to look up to our parents and live up to, you know, some of the things that they, they held out for us. Now, Dwayne, you’ve written like 16 books so far. I think so. Right. 2 in particular I want you to tell our listeners about. One is Essays Toward Restoring the African Mind and The Devastation and Economics of the African Holocaust. Why do you feel the African mind is in need of restoration? And secondly, what is the African Holocaust and how How does it impact our lives today?
34:37CAs far as restoring the African mind, one example is what we were just talking about in terms of family values. Because as African people, we come from societies that were very family-oriented, had great respect for the family. And during the process of slavery and even colonialism, we were stripped of some of those values. So when I’m talking about restoring the African mind, I think as African people, we need to get back to some of the values and the culture that has sustained us as a people. And we were stripped so completely of that culture that, um, an example I always use is right now we’re having this conversation in English. Now English isn’t our original language as African people. It was a language that was imposed on us.
35:15BMmhmm.
35:15CSo a lot of who we are right now as a people is based on cultural values and things that were imposed on us. So when I’m saying restoring African mind, I’m talking about going back to the essence and the roots of who we are as a people to to deal with some of the issues that we currently face and how this is connected to the African Holocaust. Now, in my book, when I’m writing about the African Holocaust, I discuss the history of the slave trade and slavery and colonialism and everything that that’s done to African people just in terms of the human toll, the millions of Africans that were killed during this.
35:47CAnd it still continues to impact us today when we see the struggles that African people face here in the United States, the struggles we face in the Caribbean, and we know that the African continent has many different struggles. And again, this all goes back to that history of colonialism and slavery that we’re still dealing with and still trying to overcome. And there’s a direct connection between those struggles and restoring the African mind, because I feel like the first step that we need to undertake as African people to correct these problems is to, um, change the mentalities, you know, change the way we approach even dealing with these issues in the first place.
36:19BMm-hmm. You know, I want you to address the why we should be concerned about what is going on in Africa. What is the connection? You know, you’re in America, you say, oh well, Africa’s so far away, slavery was so long ago. Please just elaborate on that or comment on that.
36:43CYes, there’s a direct connection. And I mean, again, you have to look at the whole history of the African Holocaust. Holocaust. The problems we have right now in the United States and the Caribbean and throughout the diaspora began because of that attack on Africa. The Europeans came into Africa looking for slave labor, and we came here as a result of their quest for slave labor. They captured our ancestors and brought us here, and we’re still dealing with those struggles. But the other aspect that you can look at in terms of a direct connection is the 1950s and ’60s. We remember that here in the United States as the era of the civil rights movement.
37:14CBut what we’re not really taught in school is that was also the same era where Africa was now gaining its independence, going through the process of decolonization, and that had a direct influence on the civil rights movement here. People like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and others were looking at what was going on in Africa, and that was a great inspiration for them to see these African countries being able to free themselves from colonial rule. And it inspired them to -- To fight for their rights. And it made it real that, you know, the possibility of African people being able to liberate ourselves from oppression, because Malcolm X, he said this very often in his speeches, if our brothers and sisters on the African continent could free themselves from colonialism, we could do the same thing here.
37:58CSo it was very inspiring for the civil rights leaders to see what was going on in Africa.
38:03BWell, folks, this is the Steel Pan Vibes. It’s more than music radio show. It’s a conversation. show. We’re in the spotlight with our guest, writer and political activist Dwayne Akio Wong Omowale. Um, we have Raven Roden joining us. We have some folks from Trinidad as well. We want to thank you to the Steve -- for listening to the Steel Pan Vibes Spotlight and for tuning in. Stay tuned, we’ll be right back after this word from Orlando Carnival.
38:35COrlando Carnival, Carnival 2018.
38:38BIt’s time for Carnival!
38:42ACome celebrate 31 years with the official Orlando Carnival of the Masked Bands on May 27th at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Performing live, Kess and his full band, Patrice Roberts, K-Rich, Sizzway, Kip Rich out of Jamaica, and many more. Hosted by Kevvy Kev and Madman To purchase tickets in Orlando, visit Alvin’s Cuisine, the Grill Jamaican Restaurant, and Caribbean Sunshine Bakery, or go to www.ticketgateway.com. For more information, call [number removed]. Gates open at 12 noon. See you in Orlando at the Central Florida Fairgrounds on May 27th.
39:22BNow added to the cast, Mr. Desmond from Wack Radio. Okay folks, we’re back in the seatbelt advice Spotlight with our guest, writer, political activist, organizer, Dwayne Akio Wong Omowale. This young man has written 7 -- no, 16 books so far. Um, you know, you need to go up and tell folks, um, how they could get your books.
39:50CUm, all 16 books are available on Amazon, Barnes& Noble, and I know there’s a couple, um, I don’t have the full list, but there are a couple of Black-owned online bookstores that have them as well. The African Bookstore, I believe, has, um, about 6 of those books, and all 16 can also be bought at Pyramid Books.
40:07BVery good. You’ve done well, young man. I’m so proud of you. Okay, um, let’s talk a little bit about African Liberation Day. You know, I remember back in the ’80s, um, when my daughter was born, she must have been about 5 or so, we went to Washington, D.C. That was my first African Liberation Day celebration. I thought it was, you know, quite inspiring at that time, and I think that, like, Head Start bookstores and all those other experiences influenced, you know, my interest in thinking about African Liberation Day and myself as an African descendant. Now, African Liberation Day is on the horizon, and it appears that more people particularly those of African descent, they’re becoming more interested in learning more about their African heritage. You want to give us a little background of how African Liberation Day began, what’s its significance, and why we should celebrate it?
41:07CYes, well, um, the origins of African Liberation Day, which is celebrated on May 25th, and it originally was organized to commemorate the founding of the Organization of African Unity on the African continent. which was founded on the same day. But yeah, you were mentioning the celebrations in D.C. African Liberation Day, it was originally founded to commemorate the Organization of African Unity, but took on a meaning of its own where it became an annual celebration of the liberation struggles of African people. So throughout the United States, in D.C., and I know in some of the other major cities, African Liberation Day events used to be very big events. They would have all kinds of speakers there, and what the speakers would discuss is like what you were saying earlier, the connection between the struggles of African people here and the struggles on the African continent. And it was very popular in the ’70s and ’80s because what was going on during that time period was you had countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola, and other African countries that were still fighting for their independence from colonialism. So the African Liberation Day events here in the diaspora we’re organized to establish that connection between our struggles here and on the continent.
42:15BOkay. Now, tell us a little bit about how your organization in Orlando is planning to celebrate African liberation.
42:24CYeah, so what we’re doing on that day is what I call the African Liberation Day Unity Forum. I’ve invited many speakers from around the community to just discuss the works that they have been doing in Orlando and some of the ways that we could get more active in supporting them, because what I’ve noticed in Orlando and in Central Florida in general is we have a lot of organizations and activists that are doing great work for the Black communities where they live, but there’s not a lot of unity or coordination among those people. So I want to use this event to kind of -- I want to use the event as a stepping stone to bring unity among the community in Orlando.
42:57BUnity in the community. That sounds good. That sounds empowering. All right. So you’re also involved in a new organization called Africans Rise. You want to tell us about that and some of the work that they are doing?
43:09CYes, they were actually formed last year on May 25th as well, and they’re a Pan-African organization on the African continent currently made up of activists from around the continent. And what they’re trying to do as well is to reach out to Africans in the diaspora to get them more involved in the activities. And actually, this African Liberation Day Unity Forum that I’m planning in Orlando was in connection to that, what Africans Rising is doing, because what they’re trying to organize on May 25th is to have people organize their own African Liberation Day events throughout the world. So I’ve been working along with them to put together this event.
43:49BSo Africans Rising is on the continent of Africa?
43:54CYes, currently made up of people on the continent, but as I said, they’re trying to reach out to Africans in the diaspora. diaspora, which is how I’ve, you know, gotten in contact with them. I’ve been working with them.
44:02BI like the name Africans Rising. Were you part of developing that name?
44:07CNot at all. I just started working with them recently with this African Liberation Day event, but like I said, they’ve been around for almost a year now. And the reason why they came up with the name Africans Rising is they’re a group of Africans that are rising to create an empowered future for people on the African continent and for Africans African descendants everywhere.
44:28BVery good, very good. Okay, um, you know, it -- I’m amazed at the strides you’ve made over the last 2 years or 3 years. When did you first come in the spotlight?
44:43C3 years, uh, 2015.
44:45B2015, that was your first interview?
44:48CFirst interview, public interview ever. And I remember I was extremely nervous. Yeah, for the interview. And it’s I’ve done so many now, I’m much more comfortable.
44:56BAbsolutely, of course, of course. I remember I had to calm you down a little bit. Yeah, you know what I mean? You were rushing. I said, no, no, listen, you’re the expert. Everybody wants to hear what you have to say, so just tell it to them. That’s nice. You’ve really come a long way in a short time. Um, is there anything else you want to talk to us about? Maybe you could give us some details details for the folks in Brevard County, Orange County, uh, who might be able to come and, you know, find out what’s going on for African Liberation Day?
45:28CYes, um, so like I said, the event will be in Orlando at a place called Three Masks, and I apologize, I don’t have, um, the address, you know, with me because I wasn’t expecting to.
45:39BOkay, so tell them, um, where they could get the information on your webpage, um, know, it’s on one of your pages.
45:47CYeah, it’s a Facebook event, so, um, I think you just go on Facebook and put African Liberation Unity Forum, and that’s the name of the event on Facebook. So I do have a Facebook page set up where people can find all the information there.
46:01BOkay, and I’ll list it -- I will list it as well on the Steel Pan Vibes Radio Show Facebook page. Restoring the African Mind, you want to direct some people to that and tell them what that’s about on Facebook as well?
46:16CYes, there’s a Restoring the African Mind Facebook group page, and what that’s about, that’s part of the work I’ve been doing with restoring the African mind. And as I’ve said, I believe the first step that we need to take as African people to correct the problems that we’re facing is to restore the mind. And by that I mean just, you know, correct the thinking, the way we think about ourselves, the way we think about the situation, and, you know, kind of going back to our original culture as African people. And part of that, as we’ve been discussing thing is, you know, family values. That respect for mothers and for, uh, womanhood in general is a very important aspect of our African culture as well.
46:49BWhy do you think, um, people of African descent, at least some people, uh, they appear to be afraid to deal with those, you know, to deal with themselves in terms of their cultural, um, identity and so on? Why do you think?
47:06CBecause, um, we’re taught to believe that way. And I know from my own experience, I was one of those people that had a very negative view of African people, of African culture, and of Africa, because every time you see Africa in cartoons or movies or wherever it may be, it’s always a very negative depiction of poverty, of civil war. They always give us this depiction that we were savages running around in the jungles. And I mean, I know I grew up with that, so it took me a while before I could decondition condition my own mind in terms of how I thought about Africa and how I thought about myself as someone of African descent.
47:40BSo our minds really need to be restored, and there’s nothing wrong with restoring your mind, you know, if you realize you’re going down the wrong path. You know, it’s like driving a car and you get lost. You put your GPS, you say, oh, this is the way I should go. Oh, I need to reverse. So you reverse and then you go the right way, the correct way to get to your destination. You know, everybody brings their cultural experience regardless whether whatever it is. We have to bring ours as well. I mean, that’s the foundation upon which you can build. If you don’t have any foundation, what are you building? You know, so we need really to restore our African minds. It’s good for us, it’s good for our children, it’s good for the nation. Trust me. Trust me. All right, let’s go. Um, all right, um, anything else you want to say? I think, um, we still have a few minutes.
48:36COkay, well, um, like I said, Africans Rising has been organizing these African Liberation Day events, and what they’ve been doing is encouraging people to, uh, you know, organize these events in their own communities. And it doesn’t even have to necessarily be a large event. Like, you know, the event I’m doing has speakers. It doesn’t even have to be an event like that. One of the events that I saw they’ve been organizing is a beach cleanup. So what I would do is I would like to encourage listeners to, um, get more involved in, you know, the communities and just do -- even if it’s, you know, something small, you know, doing something small in the community is still better than not doing anything at all. And that’s, that’s what I want to do with this Unity Forum, just to get people in the community to start working with each other to, uh, you know, take the steps that we need to take matters into our own hands and fix our problems ourselves.
49:18BAbsolutely. I love that. Now this guy is 27 years old giving me advice. Imagine that. That’s great. I love it. Okay, well, tell us something. You know, Steel Pan Vibes is more than music radio show. What have you learned recently, at least since your last visit, about the steel pan? Anything new?
49:39CWell, because I saw the topic for the show was going to be African liberation, they said I wanted to come here and discuss the influence of the steel pan on the African continent. And one of the stories that I found in doing my research research was in 2004, Owen Arthur, who was at the time the Prime Minister of Barbados, had went to Botswana and they greeted him with a steel pan orchestra. So his comment was he was very touched that the steel pan originated in the African diaspora and that it made its way back to the mother continent.
50:07BYes, yes, yes. I’m going to send you some information about the gentleman. He’s from Trinidad. His name doesn’t come to mind right now, who did start a steel band with his family in Botswana while he was there. Might have been a diplomat of some sort or a teacher, and he started it there. So that, that could be related, and that’s great.
50:32CBut that’s also what we were talking about earlier in terms of the connection with Africa, because, you know, the steel pan originated in Trinidad and Tobago. and that came out of, you know, African culture. Africans had their drums that were taken from them, so they had to build a new instrument. So it’s always interesting to me to see how the remnants of the African culture here in the diaspora makes its way back to the African continent in terms of not only the steel pan but other examples as well. For example, I know reggae music is very popular on the African continent as well. So it’s always interesting to see how our culture here in the diaspora makes its way back to the mother continent.
51:08BThat’s the connection. That’s great, that’s great. Well, you know, I’m always glad to see you. I know you’re going to be coming back in about 2 weeks to talk about -- to talk with one of the activists from Togo.
51:25CYes, about the situation in Togo. And that actually will also be part of what I’ve been doing for not just African Liberation Day, but what I’m calling African Liberation Week, because I want to do a week of different African liberation activities.
51:35BWell, we look forward to having you back. Thanks a lot.
51:38CThank you.
51:38BAnd wish your mom a very happy Mother’s Day.
51:41CWill do.
51:42BThank you, Dwayne. Okay, folks, um, that was Dwayne Akil Wong Omowale. Wow, what a talented young man, and with some very solid and positive advice for us, including mothers. Uh, so what’s the last word? Intercessors and prayer warriors, 2 very powerful activities mothers engage in on behalf of their children. You know, I could only imagine how many situations the answered prayers of my mother averted serious, even grave consequences for me. Let us remember the words of scripture: Honor your father and that your days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Song for Mama, Boyz II Men hit back in the day with pianist Robert Tobit from his Queen of the Heart album. That’s taken us home on another fine Saturday, and from all of us, stay strong, stay focused, be encouraged, Have a wonderful Mother’s Day. May God bless you all.
