A video montage featuring a parade of various military aircraft,
accompanied by a live reading of Work for Peace, by the late, great,
poet-bluesologist Gil Scott-Heron.
Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron
(April 1, 1949 -- May 27, 2011) was an American soul and jazz poet,
musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word
performer in the 1970s and '80s. His collaborative efforts with musician
Brian Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz, blues, and soul, as
well as lyrical content concerning the social and political issues of
the time. His own term for himself was "bluesologist", which he defined
as "a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues."
An excerpt from the article:
"An Evening with Gil Scott-Heron: There is Joy in the Struggle" by Kevin Gosztola
http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/An-Evening-with-Gil-Scott-by-Kevin-Gosztol...
"You
can't teach the value of creative expression in school. You can't tell
someone they have to use their art or media for the greater good. But,
you can envelope someone in events with people like Gil Scott-Heron who
believe in what they do and show them an alternative to the art and
media we consume on a regular basis that seems to be far removed from
the issues we experience and the lives we live every single day.
What
Gil Scott-Heron shows is that people can find a voice in art
(especially music). Movements need people like Gil Scott-Heron to open
people's minds so that people who are not creative, not humorous, or not
artistic can then present people with some truths that might compel
them to act.
Yes, we've got to work for peace. There ain't gonna
be no peace unless we go to work. But, peace isn't just taking down the
military or breaking up the monetary and the military. It isn't just
finding confidence in fighting for what some deem a lost cause,
something unrealistic.
Peace is having soul. Peace is unleashing
that soul in the company of others. And, peace is having the fortitude
to push on and do what you believe needs to be done so that the next day
you can have high spirits and maintain high hopes for a brighter day."
Work for Peace!
