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| October 2005 -- During
the month of October 2005, Eugene Godfried will be a weekly
featured guest on Radio Africa Kabisa, phoning in live from
Guadeloupe. Africa Kabisa airs Sundays 4-6pm EST (1600-1800h)
on WMBR 88.1 FM, Cambridge, MA. The program also streams live on
the Web at www.wmbr.org
. Broadcast archives are available for download at www.wmbr.org
or www.africakabisa.org
. Eugene's feature will run from approximately
4:40-5:00pm.
Featured topics: 10/2 -- African influence on music in the Caribbean. Focus on
Curacao |
Radio Eugène Godfried International web site
www.regiradio.org
Eugene Godfried Obituary: Press Release, 4/4/09
Writings
Cuban Music & Culture
Cuban Popular Music: Renewal Efforts From Above, 9/04
The African Cuban Diaspora’s Cultural Shelters and Their Sudden Disappearance in 1959, 8/04
Dialogue
with Juan Cruz, Past President, ‘Marianao Club Social’ - La Havana,
8/19/04
Dialogue with Founding Leaders of Guantanamo’s Social Club ‘La Nueva Era’,
8/6/04
La Protesta de Baragua:
Culture and Popular Music Have the Last Word -- They Say What the Official
Culture Can’t, 8/04
Buena Vista Social Club:
Critics, self-criticism, and the survival of Cuban Son, 11/00
Cuba & Race
Marcus Mosiah Garvey and Cuba, 6/04
Reflections On Race And The Status Of People Of African Descent In Revolutionary
Cuba, 1/01
Cuba
en una perspectiva caribeña, 2/01. Cuba in a Caribbean
Perspective, 6/00
1912
La Prensa Guantanamera y la Masacre de 1912 en Cuba, 44p, PDF 1 MB, 1/04
Dialogue with Ricardo Riquenes Herrera on the Partido Independiente de Color & the 1912 Massacre of Blacks in Guantánamo, Cuba, 2/07 Eugène Godfried Dialogando con Ricardo Riquenes Herrera sobre el Partido Independiente De Color y la Masacre de 1912 en Guantánamo, Cuba, 7/07
La Maya y la Masacre de 1912: Eugène Godfried En Dialogo Con Maritza Elias, 11/04 Dialogue With Maritza Elias: On the Massacre of 1912 in La Maya, Cuba, 10/07
Alto Songo: Son in popular culture & history, resistance & liberation, 7/04
The Wars of Independence
Guillermón Moncada and the Defeat of
‘Rancheador’- Slavehunter - Miguel Pérez Céspedes Of Guantánamo,
5/05
Guillermón
Moncada: Vencedor del Rancheador Miguel Pérez Céspedes de Guantánamo,
5/05
Dialogue With Magdalena Cantillo Frometa: On
Mariana Grajales Coello, “Mother
Of The Cuban Nation,”
4/15/05 Dialogo
Con Magdalena Cantillo Frometa Sobre Mariana Grajales Coello “Madre De La Patría Cubana,” 15/4/05
Dialogue In Santiago De Cuba With
Joel Mourlot Mercaderes On Antonio Maceo y Grajales “Freedom
Worker” by Eugène Godfried, 11/04
Dialogo En Santiago De Cuba
Con Joel Mourlot Mercaderes: Antonio Maceo y Grajales, de Eugène
Godfried, 11/04
José Martí i Rasismo - Su Bishita na Kórzou, Papiamento version of José Martí and Racism: His Visit to Curaçao, 11/2005 José Martí and Racism: His Visit to Curaçao, 7/04 José Martí y el Racismo: Su Visita a Curazao, 7/04
Early Cuban History
The Massacre of 1812: José Aponte y Ubarra
-
Longstanding Racial Problems In Cuba, 9/2006
La Masacre De 1812: José Aponte Y Ubarra -
- El Viejo Problema Racial En Cuba, 9/2006
CARLOTA: Lukumí/Yoruba Woman Fighter for Liberation,
Massacred in Matanzas, Cuba, in 1844, 7/06
CARLOTA: luchadora
lukumí/yoruba para la liberación, masacrada en Matanzas, Cuba, en 1844,
7/06
Gabriel de la Concepción Valdés – Plácido 9/05 English Placido Martir, 9/05 (español)
Maroons and Palenques in
Guantanamo Province - Godfried interviews Diego
Bosch Ferrer, historian, Director of Cultural Patrimony, Guantánamo
Province, 7/04
Bolivar - Gran Colombia
Carlos
Manuel Piar And Pedro Luis Brion: Curaçaoans Struggling Together With
Simon Antonio Bolivar y Palacios For Liberation From Colonialism And
Racism, 9/06 Carlos
Manuel Piar, Pedro Luis Brión Yunanan Di Kòrsou Huntu Ku Simón Bolĺvar
y Palacios Den Lucha Kontra Kolonismo I Rasismo,
9/06
José
Leonardo Chirino - Josef Caridad Gonzales, African Venezuelan Fighters of
the 1795 Revolution,
by Eugène Godfried, 10/05 José
Leonardo Chirino y Josef Caridad Gonzales, Luchadores africanos
venezuelanos de la gran revolucion de 1795, por Eugène Godfried, 10/05
Curaçao
Reforma Agrario I Peska I nos SEU, 7/3/08 (Papiamentu)
Abolition & Liberation In Curaçao , 7/06 Abolishon i Liberashon na Korsou, 7/06 (Papiamentu)
20 Years Agrarian & Fisheries Reform Call In Curaçao 7/12/06 20 Aňa Reforma Agrario I Peska, Papiamentu, 7/12/06
Miscellaneous Topics
On the work of Cuba patriot Eugene Godfried, 7/26/09
| In the 50th year of the Cuban Revolution, we celebrate the national holiday, July 26th, with .. Professor Tony Van der Meer speaking on On the work of Cuba patriot Eugene Godfried Eugene Godfried, who died earlier this year, was a long time English languages correspondent for Radio Havana Cuba. Along with: A Film on Women and the Cuban Revolution Con la Memoria en el Futuro (With Our Memory on the Future) Sunday July 26th , 7 PM This documentary produced by the noted Cuban filmmaker Octavio Cortázar in 2005 on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the founding of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) charts the profound changes in the status of women as a result of the Cuban revolution. At an FMC Congress in 1966 Fidel Castro described the beginning of these changes as the "revolution within the revolution." This FMC documentary gives the viewer a picture of Cuba today, with women working in a variety of jobs that were almost exclusively male prior to the 1959 revolution. Through the lively interviews, women and men of many generations describe how the revolution, with hundreds of thousands of women working outside the home everyday, has impacted relations in the workplace, sexual relations, divorce, and women and men's role in the household. You get a frank picture of how deeply entrenched traditional views are on these questions, and of the role of the FMC in this on-going battle of ideas. $5 Suggested Donation, Light snacks ... Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston St., Boston (Copley Sq or Back Bay T) www.july26.org 617-230-9505 |
Eugene Godfried Services, Curaçao, 4/4/09
| Over 500 people came to the services for Eugene Godfried, including the Governor of
Curacao, Frits Goedgedrag, many other politicians from Curacao, the Minister of
Agriculture from St. Vincent, Selmon Walters, former Minister from Guyana,
Navin Chandarpal, Tony van der Meer from Boston, and so on. The three last mentioned also gave a speech and Yomini Godfried, his daughter,
gave a speech after them. She spoke a little bit of her experience with her father in Cuba, where she had the privilege to work with him at Radio Habana Cuba. She mentioned how much she learned from him, how many people in Cuba respected him for his work, for his knowledge, and how much he liked working there. The local Television from Curacao, Telecuracao, was there and showed a small part of the funeral at night on the news of 8 pm. This is available on their website www.telecuracao.com as 'Entiero di Eugene Godfried'. Or you can visit Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVbXyTdybag There you can get a glimpse on the funeral. At the point they were filming, there weren't a lot of people yet, but later the church was full of people. -- from information sent by Yomini Godfried |
James Millette on
Eugene Godfried, 4/2/09
Professor of African American Studies, Oberlin College
| EUGÈNE GODFRIED: AN APPRECIATION The death of Eugene Godfried on March 29, 2009, has closed an important chapter in the political life of the Caribbean in general and the Dutch Caribbean in particular. For more than thirty years the name and the activities of Eugene Godfried had to be reckoned with in the region. As activist, as radical politician, as radio journalist, as researcher and propagandist Eugene articulated a constant message of challenge and change, of hope and transformation, from one end of the Caribbean to the other. I first heard of Eugene in the early 1970’s and met him in that period in the midst of major developments that were then taking place in the region. He himself had been living in Holland for some years and had been watching with great interest the drama of colonialism and independence, of liberation and neo-colonialism then unfolding in the region. After the Second World War, the European colonies in the West Indies embarked on the road to decolonization and independence. But the road had many paths. For some, particularly in the English speaking countries, there was the straight road to autonomy and independence led by Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, by Barbados and Guyana, to be shortly followed some other countries of the then British West Indies. For others, as for example in the French Antilles, there was no liberation at all despite the sometimes fierce struggles waged by anti-colonialists in Martinique and Guadeloupe. In fact, with liberation and independence breaking out in several places around them the French islands were incorporated even more closely into the bosom of French imperialism by the device of departmentalization which declared that the West Indian colonies were departments of France, nothing more, nothing less. In the Dutch Antilles, too, the record of decolonization was meager. Suriname became independent in 1975, and Aruba achieved status aparte some time afterwards, but the dead hand of colonialism rested heavily on the rest of the Netherlands Antilles. Today the political status of most of the units of the Netherlands Antilles is still colonial in its essence, whatever pretences might now and then be made about their constitutional position. Eugene himself, in his many writings and speeches about his life and work, identifies this reality and this period as important in the building of his own political consciousness and in the creation of a new consciousness in Curacao. And it was against this reality that he struggled for most of his life. The period of the 1970’s and after was for him the best and the worst of times. Best because, as he often put it himself, it opened up a whole vista of intimate interaction with the people of Curacao and other parts of the Netherlands Antilles and with the broader Caribbean. In the service of that mission he threw himself vigorously into the radicalization processes in the region between 1969 and 1983. His work resulted in drawing the Dutch Caribbean, usually perceived as remote and hidden from the wider region largely because of the language barrier, into a closer relationship with the broader Caribbean movement. In the event, as a radio journalist covering the Caribbean on the airwaves of Radio Havana, Cuba, he achieved the high point of his mission and of his influence. Worst, because it soon became clear that the struggle for political liberation in the Netherlands Antilles would be frustrated by forces rooted in the history of the region and the islands themselves: forces that had frustrated his ideological mentors and progenitors and were also frustrating him. It is against these forces that Eugene battled for most of his life, and it was that struggle that he conducted right up to the time of his death. But as militant and radical as he was, Eugene was also very human, very cultured, very sophisticated. He was the quintessential Caribbean man. He was fluent in nearly all the languages of the region - from Papiamentu to Patois to Kreyol to Sranang to French and English and Spanish and Dutch and Portuguese, to name only a few - and willingly interpreted the various cultures in language and in meaning to each other and to all those seriously interested in knowing the real Caribbean. He was at home everywhere: at ease in Trinidad and Tobago as he was in Martinique and Guadeloupe, intelligible and engaging as he spoke of Surinam and Curacao and Cuba and the Dominican Republic, completely informed and informative as he spoke about the latest developments in Guyana, or as he reminisced on the history of Jamaica or Grenada or St. Vincent or Barbados or the wider Black diaspora. He was completely at ease discussing Toussaint or Aristide, Marti or Fidel, Bogle or Boukman, Piar or Nanny, Nkrumah or Mandela. Maurice Bishop or Michael Manley, Lula or Chavez, Bolivar or Maceo, Butler or Jagan, and of course he would be nearly delirious when talking about his own homegrown heroes –Kodjo and Magdalena and Kwasi and others. And the arts. He loved the music of the Caribbean, and admired and advocated for the artistes who made the various genres so thrilling and exhilarating. He was a walking encyclopaedia about the son, about reggae, and calypso and steelband, about crossover music and the legendary figures of the musics of the peoples and of all those who treasured the sounds of indigenous composition and performance. He was deeply informed and respectful of the religious and secular traditions of the region, of the interweaving of Santeria and Christianity and Ethiopianism and Rastafarianism, and the pronounced reality of Hinduism and Islam in the political and social life of Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. But it is not possible on an occasion like this, and in the compass of a single reflection, to catch the essence of what Eugene Godfried meant to the Caribbean and the world. Time will provide a more ample context in which to examine his life and his work. For the time being, it is sufficient to note his unique gifts and personality and to mourn, with his wide circle of family and friends, his untimely passing. James Millette Professor of African American Studies Oberlin College, OH 44074 USA March 31, 2009 |
Julia Goldrosen on Eugene
Godfried, 4/2/09
Host/Producer, Africa Kabisa, WMBR 88.1fm, Cambridge, MA, www.africakabisa.org
Second-in-Command, Radio Eugene Godfried International, www.regiradio.org
| Eugene Godfried: Always Live and Direct, Nonstop Nonstop I first met Eugene Godfried in the summer of 2004 when he came to the States to cover the U.S. presidential conventions for Radio Habana Cuba. Little did I know that would be the only time I would see him in person. Yet, improbably and remarkably enough, we maintained a close relationship and tight bond through near-daily phone conversations as fate and his travels led him to the Netherlands, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Michigan, Dominican Republic, and finally back to his home in Curaçao. As a public health professional and medical journalist, I did my best to provide Eugene with guidance and advice for his increasingly complex medical conditions. More important, as a fellow longtime radio host, we shared a mutual love of African and Caribbean music, history, languages, and culture. We exchanged recordings and information on numerous genres and artists including African rumba (the equivalent of guajira son) and highlife, the Cuban son complex, zouk, kompa, rocksteady, calypso, and of course American soul, because the man truly loved his Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, and Smokey Robinson. He also loved the irony that a Jewish woman in Somerville, Massachusetts had this deep vault of music from Africa and the African diaspora. Eugene told me his grandfather was Jewish and he was very proud of his Ashkenazic heritage and surname, as well as mine. In nearly every conversation of ours, he would pay tribute to “our cousins,” Karl Marx and Jesus Christ. Eugene’s irreverent trickster humor relished these types of incongruities, and he delighted in defying people’s expectations and categorizations, as well as their pretenses. He was a too profoundly deep thinker and complex man to fit any neat boxes. Similarly, he made no preconceived assumptions about others. His open heart and humanity accepted people from everywhere based on who they were, not what they represented. As a trained clinical psychologist, and naturally intuitive man, he had an uncanny ability to grasp people at their very core. Eugene’s professional roles included scholar, researcher, linguist, community organizer, political activist/strategist and, perhaps closest to his heart, radio and television host. “I’m a radio man,” he would say when I would talk to him about preparing for an interview topic on one of my programs. “Just give me the mic and a question, and I’ll take it from there.” And, indeed, handing the microphone to Eugene was quite a lethal proposition; once he got hold of it, it was difficult to wrest it away! One never knew where he would go with a question, but it was sure to be an interesting journey. I’m glad the listeners of my Africa Kabisa radio program had the opportunity to hear his perspectives, and his delineations of the unbreakable connections between Africa and the Caribbean. Like many others, I used to tune in via shortwave to Eugene’s broadcasts on Radio Habana Cuba. When he left Cuba, he really felt a radio void. Because broadcasting was so meaningful to him, and social isolation so anathema, I encouraged him to start his own online radio service, Radio Eugene Godfried International (REGI Radio) as well as to produce video clips for YouTube. Once again, Eugene’s brilliance was astounding. Although he could be technically challenged by the simplest things (like retrieving voice mail on a cell phone), he managed within moments to master complex audio/video production and editing software. And to boss me, and others, into helping him with the logistics of REGI Radio. When he was determined to make something happen, absolutely nothing would stand in his way, and as a man of action he had little tolerance for those who talked about what they would do without ever doing it. The response he received from listeners of www.regiradio.org gave him great joy, and he loved the power of the Internet to connect him with compatriots around the globe. In selecting a name for his broadcasting service and website, Eugene felt strongly that “International” was an integral component. He wanted to educate and inform not only the Caribbean, but the world as a whole. It was also important for Eugene to reach his listeners in the languages they spoke, and to celebrate each language and culture. Announcements for the broadcasts were sent out in English, Spanish, French, Papiamentu, and Kreyol. As a talented linguist, Eugene had a voracious appetite for all aspects of words and language -- pronunciation, orthography, etymology, syntax. He even loved to spell out loud. He was dedicated to gaining respect and recognition for his native language of Papiamentu, and had recently written his autobiography in it. A Catholic priest friend had suggested he include passages from Second Corinthians that reflected his life (e.g., “I repeat, let no man think me a fool; if otherwise yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.”) In the travails and journeys of the Apostle Saint Paul, and his clever role as a “holy fool,” Eugene saw parallels with his own political struggles and mission. Like Paul, Eugene was viewed by some as a madman, and by others as a genius. Eugene himself had early in life trained for the priesthood, (but, no surprise, could not abide submission to authority), and I am moved that his family will be holding his funeral in the church where he was a seminarian. Radio people love to talk, and in my thousands of conversations with Eugene, we discussed everything from the most mundane to the most profound. Music, politics, history, languages, religion, recipes, medications, family and friends, fears and hopes, were just some of the topics. He could make me laugh in a heartbeat, not just with what he said, but the way he said it. I loved the tenor and cadence of his voice, (which, like his lifelong work, combined the sounds of Africa and the Caribbean), and the warmth with which he always greeted mine. I have never encountered a mind and soul like his -- nor so much courage, resilience, and passion for life -- and don’t expect to again. So, I say in Papiamentu, mi ta orguyoso di Bo, Eugene, mi ta sinti Bo falta hopi, i masha danki pa tur kos. Julia Goldrosen Host/Producer, Africa Kabisa, WMBR 88.1fm, Cambridge, MA, www.africakabisa.org Second-in-Command, Radio Eugene Godfried International, www.regiradio.org 04.01.09 |
Afrocubaweb’s Eugene Godfried Dies at 56,
4/2/09
While we published a number of his articles, Eugene's reach went far beyond
a mere web site. Though honored that our site is linked with his name, we have
to point out that it would be more accurate to say AfroCuba's Eugene Godfried or
even Radio Havana's Eugene Godfried. It is passing curious that as of 4/19/09,
this brief mention is the only one in all of Cuba's media.
| April 2, 2009 By Bernie Dwyer, Radio Havana Cuba HAVANA TIMES, April 2 — “You don’t find news sitting behind a desk”. These are the words that come to my mind when I hear the name of our dear, late colleague, Eugene Godfried (10/23/1952 - 3/29/2009). And that’s how he lived his life as a journalist. He was always out and about looking for news. Every English speaking foreign dignitary that arrived in Havana was brought to Radio Havana Cuba’s studio to be interviewed by Eugene. In fact they didn’t have to be English speaking as Eugene could speak several languages fluently not least the native tongue of his own Caribbean island, Curacao. He was known in all the embassies of the Caribbean countries in Havana and the invitations still arrive for Eugene to attend their national day celebrations. Such was his reach as a radio journalist that even though he moved on from Radio Havana several years ago, we still get telephone calls from all over the world looking for Godfried. His is the name that invariably comes up wherever Radio Havana Cuba is mentioned. His was the mellifluous voice that went out over the airwaves inviting listeners to tune in to his Caribbean Outlook Show with his seductive greeting “good evening, listening friends” as he introduced his guest of the day who could be a young student from Jamaica studying at the Latin American School of Medicine or the President of Trinidad and Tobago, all of whom he treated equally with his own unique mixture of respect and a healthy disregard for any signs of self-importance. Godfried, who also managed his www.afrocubaweb.com web site, was a dynamic presence in the English Department of Radio Havana Cuba and as we grieve his departure from this world, we remember with love and affection the larger than life figure that filled our lives at Radio Havana Cuba. We offer our sincere sympathies to his two beautiful daughters, Nohraya and Yomini who we know well from their visits to the radio station. The world is a lesser place without their father, Eugene Godfried. |
Von Martin on Eugene Godfried,
3/31/09
Von Martin of the WPFW radio show Caribbeana in Washington, DC. will will be doing a tribute to Eugene this Saturday from 7-10pm. You can listen to the stream at
www.wpfw.org. He will also have the mp3 file available as a podcast at his website
www.caribbeana.org.
| Greetings, it is indeed a pleasure to speak with you although it is at this sad time of the departure of my good brother and friend, Eugene. After a spell of tears, I have come to grips with life and thank God that he has graced me with the blessings of the encounter with Eugene. It was truly a blast, a dream I will never forget, because it was a reality check. Eugene and I met over a roti. This is an East Indian Trinidadian delicacy which well made is out of this world. We had gone to the same conference on Caribbean Carnival in Hartford, Connecticut, where we both delivered papers. On that Saturday night I was in the dining area eating a roti and in walks Eugene, I had actually two rotis so I offered him the other. He graciously accepted, saying “ROTI”. He took it to his room and the rest is history. Eugene met up with me the next morning and said “VON”, what a roti, I have never tasted anything so: “sweeeet” in my life. Man that was a roti. Immediately we started to compare the culinary landscape of the Caribbean, and thus our endeared friendship began. We spoke of every thinkable topic, music, all kinds, Latin and Caribbean music especially calypso, my favorites were his favorites, Sparrow, Kitchener and David Rudder, then politics, travel, racism in Latin America and most important women, Caribbean women, they were the most beautiful in the world. Eugene and I stayed in contact with each other; where ever he traveled we would communicate. We simply enjoyed each others personality and company. Our journeys in life in some parts crossed path, of course mine wasn’t as fantastic as his, but I think we both did much of the same tasks. We recognized we were doing similar functions and he gave me a sense of confidence in myself and I appreciated this so much. The brother was so humble, so kind and yet so powerful, and intellectual, a rich resource of cultural and political knowledge he was. Man this brother spoke more than seven languages, like Tony said he spoke Chinese, I too was in a restaurant where he spoke the language to the Chinese people. They marveled, “What the hell is this?” Finally we met in Washington DC, where he visited and was brought to speak. So naturally he appeared on my radio program “Caribbeana”. Eugene was in his element, we both clicked on air, my music tastes was for him impeccable. We enjoyed taking a part the philosophy of the songs the singers sang and relate them to facts of life. We both loved Motown. That was one of his passions; the other was the Cuban Son. Eugene used my work on radio relentlessly. He aired much of the program “Americas Today” I did for the OAS on his broadcast. Eugene recognized the importance radio played and still plays in our people’s lives. It is still one of the most critical mediums that reach the common man. Although he had all these rich attributes and responsibilities and his impact was so vast, he walked the walk of a common man. People who met him were always amazed at his knowledge and his consciousness about humanity and the way the world was going. I fully appreciate how he felt about me as a colleague and brother in the struggle. I remember on one occasion my wife and I had visited Cuba, Eugene was not around in Havana at the time, he was up in Guantanamo, he had to see me. He said I couldn’t come to Cuba and he was on the same island and not see us. He had difficulty in getting transportation to Havana, Eugene found a way to get to Havana to see us, the car was about dead when they got to Havana, but we were both satisfied and happy to have done it. He was that kind of person. To go out of his way for another, that is quite a remarkable feat. Whilst here in Washington DC, I took Eugene to a presentation hosted by one of the Caribbean national organizations, CAIO and Eugene was in his element. I had recommended Gordon Henderson founder of the band Exile One from Dominica to receive an award. Eugene met up Gordon and they were both surprised at the welcome sight of each other and so delighted with the encounter, especially as Eugene was present to see Gordon receive the award. They were both fascinated and impressed about each other’s work. Eugene by now was the fancy of all the ladies at the function. He pleaded ignorance, he said to me, “Von” I am not good looking, why are they so enamored with me. (Laughter). But you see Eugene was such a brilliant man; any person who was in his presence would be impacted upon. He has met Heads of States, Prime Ministers of the Caribbean, like Dr. Ralph Gonzales, Prime Minister of St. Vincent & the Grenadines; he worked tirelessly for the cause of our African brothers and sisters born in the Diaspora. I know the people of Cuba will have lost a most invaluable treasure for he was a voice that did so well for them, for all of us. Eugene gave a true interpretation and picture of Cuba that no one else has been able to give. The world now has a better vision of the plight of our African brothers and sisters in the struggle in Cuba and further in Latin America, a struggle that is coming to the fore soon, very soon and will be confronted by all. I am so grateful to Eugene for giving me the opportunity to increase and see my dream of immortality become real. By teaching me the Internet I now am able to deposit my work so that the young and others may share in the manner his is shared. Eugene was the first person who demonstrated to me that you can own a radio station without having thousands of dollars in your pocket. His webcasting of
Radio Eugene Godfried
International has been one of those revolutionary mechanisms which have touched thousands of peoples. Curacao has truly lost a most valuable son of the soil. The Caribbean has lost a major resource. I will continue to be a beacon of his friendship and impact for through my own website
www.caribbeana.org. I will link people to his work. |
Willie Thompson on Eugene
Godfried, 3/30/09
Professor Emeritus Thompson writes for the San Francisco Bay View and other
publication; he has been working Afro-Latrin issues for many years.
| Eugene's passing is a great loss but not a complete loss
since we have our oral and written records of his gallant struggles for
the truth, the more awful the better since many will avoid the awful
truth. Eugene would not. He pursued the awful truth of the inhuman and
unconscionable massacre of the enslaved Africans in the Western
hemisphere as the only truth worth pursuing. He would not let it go for
fame or fortune. We will often refer to his record and our memory of
Eugene with this great trait in mind. I met Eugene in Santiago in 2002. He came from Guantanamo with the Mayor to meet with a delegation of African North Americans that included the owner of Marcus Books in San Francisco and Oakland, Ray Richardson. We had dinner, drank a bit of wine and talked about the issues of race in Cuba. Eugene and I continued our work on the issue of race in the hemisphere for the next seven years. His passing is a great loss to the search for an understanding of the truth about race and his commitment to act on that truth, to change the conditions of race and other oppressions, dishonesty, cowardice, etc. It is also wonderful to know of his love of music. Eugene is physically gone but his spirit and body of work remain with us. Adios Amigo Eugene! Willie Thompson, tu hermano Negro |
Janet Jagan, Chicago Native Who Led Guyana, Dies at 88,
New York Times, 3/29/09
Janet Jagan was a personal friend of Eugene Godfried. Her husband, Dr.
Cheddi Jagan, the chief minister and later president of Guyana, was Eugene's
mentor and Eugene was his aide.
| By SIMON ROMERO/ Janet Jagan, a daughter of a middle-class family from Chicago who became enmeshed in anticolonial politics in Guyana and rose to become that South American nation’s first female president, died Saturday at a government hospital in Georgetown, the Guyanese capital. She was 88. Mrs. Jagan had suffered an abdominal aneurysm, Guyana’s health minister, Leslie Ramsammy, told Reuters. Born Janet Rosenberg in 1920, she was a student nurse at Cook County Hospital when she met Cheddi Jagan, a dentistry student at Northwestern University and the eldest of 11 children of an Indo-Guyanese family of sugar cane workers. His grandparents had arrived in British Guiana from India as indentured laborers. They married, despite the fierce opposition of her parents, who were Jewish, and in 1943 they moved to British Guiana, where he established a dental practice and they both became involved in radical politics. In 1950, they founded the People’s Progressive Party, and in 1953, in elections under a new Constitution providing greater home rule, Dr. Jagan became chief minister. But the Jagans’ Marxist ideas aroused the suspicions of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who sent warships and troops to topple the new government. The Jagans were jailed. Even after the Jagans’ release, colonial police watched their every move. “I remember taking Cheddi Jr. to school one morning while a policeman was trailing me,” Mrs. Jagan once told The Stabroek News, a newspaper in Georgetown. “When I bade him goodbye, walked up the street and looked back, I saw him looking through the school window, watching the policeman trailing me.” A deepening racial rift between Afro-Guyanese, many of them descendants of African slaves, and Indo-Guyanese followed Churchill’s intervention. Dr. Jagan returned to power in 1957, and Mrs. Jagan became labor minister. Again, their politics, along with their admiration for Fidel Castro’s revolution in Cuba, caused alarm in a foreign capital — this time, Washington. According to long-classified documents, President John F. Kennedy ordered the Central Intelligence Agency in 1961 to destabilize the Jagan government. The C.I.A. covertly financed a campaign of labor unrest, false information and sabotage that led to race riots and, eventually, the ascension of Forbes Burnham, a black, London-educated lawyer and a leader of the People’s Progressive Party who had become a rival of the Jagans. He became president and prime minister in 1966. After Guyana achieved independence that year, Mrs. Jagan remained active in public life as a member of Parliament and editor of The Mirror newspaper. Mr. Burnham veered far to the left, nationalizing companies, banning imports including basic foods, and declaring Guyana a “cooperative republic” in 1970. By the end of Mr. Burnham’s rule, with his death in 1985, Guyana had become one of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nations. In 1992, Dr. Jagan was elected president. During his time in office, Mrs. Jagan served briefly as ambassador to the United Nations. After her husband died in 1997, she ran for president and won. At campaign rallies, her followers respectfully called her “bhowji,” a Hindi term meaning “elder brother’s wife.” But her government was plagued by street protests and tension with the opposition People’s National Congress. After a mild heart attack in 1999, Mrs. Jagan stepped down, opening the way for her Moscow-educated finance minister, Bharrat Jagdeo, to become president, a position he still holds. This weekend, Mr. Jagdeo cut short a visit to the Middle East to return for a state funeral for Mrs. Jagan, according to news reports. Mrs. Jagan is survived by her son, Dr. Jagan Jr., a daughter, Nadira Jagan-Brancier, and five grandchildren. -- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/world/americas/30jagan.html?_r=2 |
Video on 1912
Eugene Godfried Calls on Fidel Castro for Reflection and Action concerning the
1912 Massacre: YouTube Video
Peoples of the Caribbean and the world cannot reconcile with the fact that Jose Miguel Gomez and the Euro-iberospanish neocolonial Cuban elite are not censored for their criminal acts of massive killings of people of color in Cuba. In order to destroy the Partido Independiente de Color or the Independent Party of Color and its leaders Pedro Estenoz and Evaristo Garcia, these racist actions were executed with supervision of the US neocolonial and racist army stationed at the un-prestigious naval base of Guantanamo. Eternal glory to all those who lost their lives in that shameful military action and words of consolation to their families and descendents of this massacre which took place in May 1912.
See also 1912 Massacre on AfroCubaWeb
Video sobre El Doce
Eugene Godfried Ruega a Fidel Castro Reflexion y Accion sobre 1912: Video
en la YouTube, en español
Los pueblos del Caribe y del mundo se conmovieron desde el mismo momento y hasta el presente sobre los acontecimientos sangrientes que tuvieron lugar en Cuba bajo las ordenes del Presidente Jose Miguel Gomez. Con el objetivo de destruir al Partido Independiente de Color y sus lideres entre ellos Pedro Ivonet, Evaristo Estenoz, Eugene Lacoste, las fuerzas oficiales organizaron una carniceria humana sin precedente en toda Cuba. La comunidad internacional censura para siempre Jose Miguel Gomez y todos los participantes, representantes de la clase dominante euroiberoespanola racista de Cuba. Gloria eterna y paz para los caidos y sus familias y descendientes en esta masacre. Para una edicion mas extensa de este tema les invitamos a que consulten www.regiradio.org y hagan click en www.selfcast.com y seleccionen regiradio tv live.
Vinculo al video en YouTube , en español
Vease tambien La Masacre de 1912 sobre AfroCubaWeb
Caribbean
Studies Association Certificate, 6/1/07
|
CERTIFICADO
DE PARTICIPACIÓN
|
"Broadening Black participation in Revolutionary Cuba" was first published on AfroCubaWeb as Reflections On Race And The Status Of People Of African Descent In Revolutionary Cuba, in 2001.
Eugene Godfried joined the African Atlantic Research Team (AART) at MSU.
He is planning a number of speaking engagements and he is participating in the following events so far:
Any applications for lectures or other types of encounters are accepted and could be done through us at eugene_AT_afrocubaweb.com (replace _AT_ with @).
Indeed there could never be sufficient words to express my gratitude for all international solidarity which I received during my illness since January, 2005.
I acknowledge the hospitality and care given by Dr. Campos of Hospital Calixto Garcia in Havana, Cuba, and Doctora Olga, an outstanding internist and homeopathist in Havana Cuba. My
Physio-Theraphist, Miguel, also of the Jesus Maria Center forAlternative
Medicina, Havana Vieja, Havana, Cuba.
In Guadeloupe, Dr. Claude Makouke dispensed his precious care and coordinated the reeducation process and the introduction of prosthesis. All friends and colleagues of the
UPLG.
In the United States, I benefited from countless acts of support and personal care as well as financial assistance from Tony van der
Meer, Alvin Skipper Bailey, Julia Goldrosen, WBAI New York, Dr. Willy Thompson and many others.
From Curazao, John Djaoen, the Hubentur 70 youths, my family, Crisma Merien, and all others who either personally or through phone showed their attention and love.
From the Dominican Republic, Miguel Mejia, minister of state and long time friend, came one Saturday personally to visit me in Miramar, la
Habana, Cuba.
Prime minister Ralph Goncalves of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gave me personal attention during his visit to Cuba. A long time well appreciated brother.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of the Commonwealth of Dominica also attended me in exclusiveness during his stay in la
Habana, Cuba, showing his concern and solidarity with my health conditions then.
The Jamaican Ambassador, Mrs. Elinor, has proven to be more than a diplomat, but family of mine and stood with me all the time under those difficult moments.
Reverend Lucius Walker of the Pastors for Peace, USA, slipped away from his heavy schedule with President Fidel Castro
Ruz, to come and share moments of solidarity with me in an apartment sponsored by his organization just for me.
I can continue like this thanking professor Kwesi Prah of South Africa, professor Tony Nzeako of Nigeria, Kwaku Danso
Boafo, former ambassador and minister of Ghana and many, many others of the African continent for their words of care.
In order not to run the risk to forget your names, I beg your pardon if I did, but urge you to forgive me and accept my well meant love and appreciation for you all personally.
Thank you,
Eugene Godfried
2006
11/8/06
CLACS Advanced (Charla) Seminar Series
Cuba in a Caribbean Perspective, Mr. Eugene Godfried, Radio Broadcast Journalist in Caribbean, African and European Affairs and MSU Visiting Scholar
Room 303 International Center, University of Michigan, Lansing, MI 3.00 - 400 p.m.
2004
Thursday 8/11/04 @ 5 PM: Eugene Godfried will be interviewed on RADIO WURD, 900 AM, Philadephia, PA, on the show "CARIBBEAN MAGAZINE", by the host, LLOYD CUMMINGS, who is of Jamaican descentReception at the African American Master Artists in Residency Program (AAMARP), 7/25/04 at 4:30 PM at 76 Atherton St, Jamaica Plain, MA, 4th floor near Stony Brook Orange line T stop. Open to the public.
2001
| 2/24-2/28/01 | Whittier College, Romance Languages | Los Angeles, CA |
| 3/23 - 3/24/01 | Medgar Evars College | Brooklyn, NY |
| 3/28/01 | Association of Ethnic Studies Conference | New Orleans, LA |
| 4/2/01 | Roxbury Community College | Roxbury, MA |
| 4/01 | Bay Area | California |
| 4/01 | Bates College | Maine |
| Reflections On Race & The Status Of People Of African Descent In Revolutionary Cuba By Eugène Godfried Caribbean specialist & Cuban radio - journalist Radio Havana Cuba and Radio Progreso November, 2000 Dr. Fidel Castro's speech at the Riverside Church on September 8, 2000 provided the leader of the Cuban revolution the opportunity to again publicly take an official stand on the question of race in revolutionary Cuba. He spoke about the current social conditions of the people of African descent living in that Caribbean nation. I have been observing official Cuban policies and positions with regards to blacks in that country for over 30 years. I say Dr. Castro again took a stand because this was not the first time: he also did so on several other occasions, including the Third Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba in1985, where I personally participated as an official guest. There he openly admitted that racial discrimination still existed in his country and that measures needed to be taken against it. Unfortunately, his speech was not published in the final report. This is contrary to the practice of other Congresses before and after this one, where the reports were published in booklet form. I don't know what conclusion ought to be drawn out of this experience of sheer omission. This type of carelessness could strengthen some critics who say that the leader of the revolution is occasionally being censored by certain retrograde elements who are serving him as advisors. [The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of Radio Havana or Radio Progreso. To contact the author: eugeneg@afrocubaweb.com] For the rest of this fascinating article, see the full article at afrocubaweb.com/eugenegodfried/reflectionsonrace.htm This was first published on The Black World Today:
Part I - www.tbwt.com/views/feat/feat6093.asp This site, www.tbwt.com, the Black World Today, is a very fine site worthy of close study. |
Eugene is in the US and Canada in January and February with an in-depth presentation on the subject of his article, Cuba In A Caribbean Perspective: A critical historical review of the position and role of Cubans of African descent in the process of social change.
Eugene Godfried's show on Radio Havana, Cuba, is called Caribbean Outlook and is at the following times:
Mondays and Thursdays
8:40, 9:40, 10:40, 11:40, 12:40 EST
It's a 20 minute segment available live on line and on short wave:
Live on-line at www.radiohc.cu/homeing.htm then click on "Audio" (in the list on the left side), then click on "broadcasting" on that screen.
On Short - wave radio, at 6000 or 9820 Mhz (Frequencies subject to change, listed on www.radiohc.cu).
Eugène Godfried will give a seminar at Brown University May 4, 2000. He is available until 6/6, and is giving seminars on the following topics below. He is visiting NY, Boston, LA, Albuquerque, and Washington, DC.
| 1) The cultural identity of the caribbean with a special focus on
Cuba....... 2) Popular culture and music in the caribbean: resistance and liberation.... Note: with regards to Cuba, Mr. Godfried will openly discuss both themes. He will also discuss the case of the AfroCubans before and after the revolution from a culturological point of view. |
Those interested in having him lead a seminar or make a presentation elsewhere in the US, contact acw_AT_afrocubaweb.com [replace _AT_ with @]info@afrocubaweb.com
| As a lecturer and visiting professor, I have been lecturing on the
cultural identity of the Caribbean with a special focus on Cuba as the largest among the
island nations of the Caribbean. A main theme in these lectures is a broad historical perspective of the role of popular culture and specifically popular dance music in the liberation struggles of the Caribbean people. In this context, cultural manifestations like the authentic creole languages and the several musical genres created by the African Diaspora in the Caribbean are highlighted as revolutionary expressions against colonial and neocolonial domination. I gave lectures on these topics from August to December 1998 at the following institutions: University of Colorado at Boulder University of California at Berkeley I also conducted a number of radio shows on these topics at stations such as KGMU and
KUVO in Boulder, Colorado, KPFA in Berkeley, California, WBAI in New York and other
university and community stations in Oberlin, Providence, Atlanta, Athens and elsewhere.
I have appeared on similar programs in Santa Lucia and Jamaica. Peace, Equality, and Cooperation Eugene Godfried [As an example of what Eugene talks about, we can cite the following: "Radio Havana's Eugene Godfried points out how one of Arsenio Rodriguez' enduring tunes is "Adorenla como Marti" which deals with the theme of the AfroCuban Mambi fighters in the Army of Liberation at the end of the last century - they formed the backbone of that Army. The title refers to the need to respect the AfroCuban leaders who motivated the masses to struggle against Spain, leaders Arsenio names in his song -- Antonio Maceo, Quintin Banderas, Flor Crombet, Bermudez, and others." It is in code, using the feminine, so that the government would not come down on him.] |
| Dear Colleague: Thank you for receiving these materials on the Cuban musical group, Conjunto Chappottín y sus Estrellas. I am sure you will be impressed by the group and encourage and desire that you share them with others. I have persistently used the terminology son throughout my discussion of Conjunto Chappottin y sus Estrellas. You need to know my reasons. Certainly most in the US are more acquainted with the word salsa to denote a Latin, Cuban, Puerto Rican musical tradition. The history of the music entry into main-stream commercial production informs me to purposefully use the language of son. Remember, for various well-known reasons, music promoters and the record industries of the sixties began to refer to Cuban popular dance music as salsa. This appropriation was obviously made to suit commercial purposes designed to attract European and European American customers as well as to perpetuate the delegitimation/confusion of all things African. The popular Fania All Stars and others were created in New York and San Juan, Puerto Rico. However, the sounds produced by these groups were drawn/stolen from the repertoire and anthology of Cuban musical groups. Their creations served as the foundation for others success and the projection of the salsa initiatives into the world market. Several musicians and bands, financially supported by those circles, have successfully issued versions of music created by Cuban son groups like Conjunto Chappottín and his Stars. A few we can mention are Pete el Conde Rodriguez, Johnny Pacheco, Gran Combo, Sonora Poncena, and Monguito el Unico. My desire while in the US is to introduce the new generation of Conjunto Chappottín and his stars as a means of them defending their historical repertoire. I believe the introduction will also acquaint US listening audiences with new developments that are coming from present-day performances of the legitimate African Cuban son. I sincerely wish you much success in your own work and hope that this little project contributes to that success. May you be blessed with good health to achieve all your lifetime aims and objectives since conscious and militant young people like yourself deserve all of this and more. Eugene Godfried Representative/producer |
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Church of Steenrijk
Willemstad, Curaçao
Condolences 1PM - 3:30 PM
Ceremony 3:30 PM
Last place of rest: Janwe Cemetery
nohrayagodfried_AT_afrocubaweb.com [replace _AT_ with @]
yominigodfried_AT_afrocubaweb.com [replace _AT_ with @]
N. Godfried
West Groot St. Joris 92
Curacao, Netherlands Antilles
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For the past 30 years, he worked with Caribbean nations to promote
ideas and actions regarding popular culture and Caribbean identity. He dedicated his life to articulating and interpreting cultures of the Caribbean and to fostering Afro-Caribbean pride. 