12 Sep
Walter Fauntroy, feared dead in Libya, returns home
by Valencia Mohammed
Source: Special to the AFRO
Former U.S. Congressman Walter Fauntroy, who recently returned from a self-sanctioned peace mission to Libya, said he went into hiding for about a month in Libya after witnessing horrifying events in Libya’s bloody civil war – a war that Fauntroy claims is backed by European forces. Fauntroy’s sudden disappearance prompted rumors and news reports that he had been killed. In an interview inside his Northwest D.C. home last week, the noted civil rights leader told the Afro that he watched French and Danish troops storm small villages late at night beheading, maiming and killing rebels and loyalists to show them who was in control.
“‘What the hell’ I’m thinking to myself. I’m getting out of here. So I went in hiding,” Fauntroy said. The rebels told Fauntroy they had been told by the European forces to stay inside. According to Fauntroy, the European forces would tell the rebels, “‘Look at what you did.’ In other words, the French and Danish were ordering the bombings and killings, and giving credit to the rebels. (more…)
Posted in International by: The Underground
with with these Tags: Libya, Qaddafi, Walter Fauntroy.
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12 Sep
Mos Def, just call him Yasiin
Rapper and film star Mos Def announced he will change his name at the end of the year to Yasiin, the name of the 36th surah, or chapter, of the Quran. According to Entertainment Weekly, Mos Def announced the change Sept. 4 at the Rock the Bells concert on Governor’s Island in New York City. Dante Terrell Smith has gone by the name Mos Def since the start of his music career in 1994, but he told Time magazine, “Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated through the years…I feel that I’ve done quite a bit with that name. It’s time to expand and move on.” Time speculated that the name change may be an effort by Mos Def to reinvent himself in support of his expanding acting career, including an upcoming appearance in the television series “Dexter”.
Mos Def’s explanation, however, made the reason for the change seem more personal and reflective. “I didn’t want to have to deal with having any moniker or separation between the self that I see and know myself as,” he told the magazine. Other entertainers have changed their names, for a variety of reasons. Prince changed his stage name to an unpronounceable character as a way to deal with contract issues related to changing the direction of his music, then back again when he was ready. Rapper Sean Combs went from Diddy to Puff Daddy to P. Diddy because, according to Entertainment Weekly, “he felt like it.” Mos Def’s full name after the change is not known, including whether he will have a first and last name or just be known as Yasiin.
Posted in Radio, TV, & Film by: The Underground
with with these Tags: blackstar, dante terrell, dexter, mos def, quran, surah.
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