Toronto, ON - Logikal Ethix of the Stolen From Africa movement recently won a contest that brought him to South Africa to attend the International Youth Crime Prevention & Cities Summit. He’s here now to discuss the trip and experience of returning to Africa for the very first time in his life.
HipHopCanada: So you’re recently back from a trip to South Africa?
Logikal Ethix: Yeah, I came back full circle. I had the opportunity and privilege to go back to the motherland, Africa, June 17th to June 23rd for the first time; to take part in the “Your City” International Youth Crime Prevention & Cities Summit held in Durban, South Africa. This was by far the most important trip of my life for obvious reasons. [Especially] knowing that generations of people of the African Diaspora from all over the world will never get the chance to go back home at least once in their lifetime, to see where they come from. It made me feel like I was truly out there representing for them as well! So yeah, Stolen From Africa…it is what it is!
HipHopCanada: That is amazing, considering what you and the Stolen From Africa movement stand for. So, tell us how you got this life changing opportunity to go to Africa.
Logikal Ethix: How I got the opportunity to go back to Africa… [Laughing] It still sounds crazy to me to even be able to say that! I’ve got to shout-out Amanda Parris of the Remix Project/Lost Lyrics. She was the one that sent me an e-mail concerning a contest put on by BaobabConnections.org: an amazing movement that is connecting people worldwide to network and exchange ideas about globalization and sustainable development. That’s SFA Family right there, real talk. But yeah, the contest basically asked to submit a poem, picture or a multi-media piece about ways to improve your own community with regards to youth and safety. So I was like cool, that’s what I do directly, so I put together a video clip since I knew that I could explain more with a video then a poem. I spoke about our high school tour, our documentary “Stolen From Africville” which outlines the historic black community of Halifax, Nova Scotia and connecting that to inclusive curriculums, crime in relation to poverty and the lack of opportunity, identity and youth looking for places to belong. I spoke about the Mixtape we put out a few months ago on HipHopCanada which was a response to all the gun violence happening in Toronto, our use of alternative media, documenting our communities to help give a voice and encouraging others to document as well. There were over 1,000 submissions from over 50 countries and I was one of the 20 winners to attend! I didn’t even know I won until Gavin of the Remix Project told me to check out the site, so I checked it out I was like, “oh shit”. I didn’t know how to react; it didn’t feel real at all.
HipHopCanada: How did it feel when you finally landed in the continent?
Logikal Ethix: Man it was the best feeling in the world! [Laughing] It felt like I just crossed the finish line and won the race. [Laughing] Just to know that I’m here, I was here in Africa. Especially since often times people try to discredit what we do as the SFA movement by saying slick things like, “build your raft back to Africa”, or mock us and ask, “what are you doing for Africa?”, and things of that nature. At times it can get discouraging so it was a very humbling beginning, definitely felt the movement getting strong and strong already. It’s interesting because we didn’t fly straight to Durban, South Africa. We had a few stopovers, so the first place we officially landed in Africa was Dakar, Senegal, which is significant because if you look at a map of Africa it’s close to Freetown, Sierra Leone, which is where the British sent the Jamaican Maroons that were in Halifax after they got them to built Citadel Hill back in the late 1700’s. So landing there was symbolic considering my Jamaican roots. In the past two years, I had the chance to go to Jamaica, Halifax and Africa [all] for the first time to reclaim my roots, heritage and identity… it’s amazing how that connection worked out, I feel complete, I feel blessed.
HipHopCanada: Wow, I didn’t even look at that way, that’s deep. So now that you have been returned to Africa are you still stolen?
Logikal Ethix: [Laughing] Of course! It is what it is; being out there made me realize even more how relevant Stolen From Africa is in Africa. I did interview with an MC/Activist from Durban named “Bullet” and he was schooling me on exactly that. He called Africa a snake that swallows its own, feeds everyone else except their own. Out there it seemed like everyone was eating except black people, reminded me of the First Nation communities of this stolen land. The aftermath of apartheid is still alive and well, you can see the segregation and white privilege; who owns what? Who has the better jobs? Who’s suffering? Who’s killing each other? It was an overwhelming experience. So it was only right to expand the SFA movement in Durban, South Africa which will be ran by “Bullet” it’s like we starting at the bottom of the continent and working our way up. [Laughing]
HipHopCanada: So tell us about the conference held by the UN-Habitat, how was the experience there?
Logikal Ethix: Oh man, it was a little more colonial then I expected. [Laughing] Nah, but for real, my first memory of the conference was the lunch on Day One. We entered the area which had a gala like setting several round tables, candles etc. and at the front of room they had an orchestra playing the instrumentals of the Lion King soundtrack, “Circle of Life” “Be Prepared” you name it… true story, I have it on tape! So right off top I felt like I had an idea of how this summit is structured and what direction it was going. It still amazes me how all these youth summits that I’ve attended over the past few years all have common problems. For starters, they’re not youth friendly. Secondly, the youth are minorities at theses summits and they all talk about giving the youth a voice but no one gives them the microphone. I’m not trying to step on anyone’s toes… I do realize it takes a lot of effort to organize something that big, it’s a good step, but there’s still work that needs to be done. But on the underground level, as usual, I got to connect with some of the realest, most amazing people I have ever met in my life, using hip-hop culture to educate and empower youth. Hip-hop is the future, real talk! Got to cipher, exchange music with heads from Brazil, Tanzania, Columbia, Nigeria, Kenya, Amsterdam, Cape Town, Palestine and New York; the stories and experiences were magical, we are all truly one people. It was also amazing to meet peoples African Diaspora from Colombia and Brazil in Africa; it was like having a welcome home celebration. Some of them are actually coming here to Toronto in September for Manifesto so im looking forward to showing them around.
HipHopCanada: We’re there any other Canadian Representations at the conference?
Logikal Ethix: I was out there with some of the good peoples from the Remix Project, couldn’t have chosen a better group to reach with. We had a great time, we all connected really well! Sinotra, who is a very talented MC, can freestyle for days… known him for a few years, now part of the SFA family so you’ll be hearing more of him very soon. Kiyana, very talented singer, look out for her, Amanda… the same one who told me about the contest and also runs the Lost Lyrics youth program, Naomi, who was also one of the 20 contest winners and Gavin, who I’ve known since IC Vision days and is one of the realest heads I know. Big up Remix, they represented hard out there!
HipHopCanada: How did going out to Africa change you as a person?
Logikal Ethix: Wow, that’s a big question. Ever since I got back I was finding it extremely difficult to explain what going to Africa did for me as a black man born and raised in North America. So I find my self explaining myself through analogies and metaphors. It’s only now that I realize how limited the English language is [Laughing]. Basically, I came to Africa as a black man but I left the continent as an African. You know, I got this record called “This Is My Life” off a project I’m working on called Code of Ethix and I have this line where I say, “they’re scared to call me Black so they call me urban”, and in the hook I say, “they used to call us coloured, now we fade to black”. From nigger to coon, to negro to coloured and now that were comfortable calling ourselves black we’re still scared to call our selves African. It’s funny ‘cause if you check out the interview I did on “bullet” from South Africa he speaks about why people… black people in North America don’t associate themselves with being African and how it’s purely based on economics and how no one wants to be associated with “loser”. It’s crazy how he breaks it down. The way that I see it now, being an African; I’m Jamaica, I’m Trinidadian, I’m St Lucian, I’m Guyanese, I’m Cuban, I’m Brazilian, I’m Columbian, I’m French, I’m Scotian, I’m American. Basically, wherever people of the African Diaspora are on this planet; that is a representation of me. I am no longer limited to just being a Jamaican Canadian. All these cultures and languages now represent me because I am African.
HipHopCanada: Any last words or shout-outs?
Logikal Ethix: Shouts to Baobabconnections.org for blessing me with this opportunity to go back Africa for the first time. Africa ain’t all about zebras, AIDS, war and poverty, there is a lot more to it so do some research! Shouts to the Remix Project doing big things! The 411 Initiative, RGG Beadz, Rochester and the Foundation group, Lost Lyrics, Shanuk, Deheshi Empire, Urbanology, BlockHeadz, Renegade Frost, Gidget, Quanche all the High Schools we’ve presented at, all the artists we’ve interviewed for SFA TV… keep things moving we see y’all. Shouts to Biz from Soul For Hire Productions for the “Dear Haters” EP artwork… Make sure you download that exclusively on HHC! Make sure you vote for Unknown Mizery’s new single “Love Is Love” on OTA Live & HipHopCanada’s Megacity Countdown… let’s make this happen! Big shouts to HipHopCanada for being the number one voice for Canadian hip-hop culture and for supporting Stolen From Africa hard out here! Much love to everyone, we can always do better together.
HipHopCanada: So you’re recently back from a trip to South Africa?
