This is a movie shot in America by television journalist from Sweden. It talks in an ironic manner of black movements common in 60’s and 70’s. The movie is like a story told by an outsider in this society who views the insurgence of these black movement as a product of segregation and racialism.
Black activist of this period like Stokely Carmichael who were against Martin Luther King Junior, nonviolent philosophy are portrayed in a gentle manner in this movie. Their violent behavior is actually linked to oppression within the American society as opposed to being inherent. According to the author this movie talks about the quiet and unspoken lives of oppression and segregation that black people lived under in America.
The Movie also serves as incitement to the blacks to talk against this oppression as opposed to remaining silent. Its effects can also be linked to what is happening under the protests dubbed Occupy Wall Street. People are starting to come out in the streets to openly speak about things they feel are wrong being done by leaders. In addition we can see that there seems to be some level of democracy compared to the period this movie talks about.
For instance comments by mayor of New York City, that the state has no objections to these protests as long as law is respected, can be interpreted as a mark of improved democracy today (Democracy, Now, Para 10). This contradicts what we see in the movie when is interviewed and we learn that his frustrations could be because of unspoken discrimination and poverty.
Stokely Carmichael who promoted the idea of black power and who was a critic of the non-violence philosophy of Martin Luther King Junior is portrayed by this movie in a different angle. An interview in this movie with his mother indicates that maybe there is a link between his violence and poverty and discrimination of the time.
In other words that these revolutions have their roots in experience that oppressed their pioneers. This bitterness culminates in frustration and destructions. We can see that because of harboring the resentments of being discriminated and living in abject poverty, spcial ills takes place in the society. For instance there is assassination of Martin Luther and spread of drugs like heroine in some parts (Scott, Para 3).
This movie acts like a means to popularize movements like those of black power in mobilizing people to talk about their problems. The film urge that black people must come out and speak their stories or risk becoming extinct. These kind of comments in a movie are likely to elicit more storm especially considering the fact that voice of powerful people are also captured in the movie. This can be reinforced in what is happening today where we can see celebrities in music also joining protestors in pushing for changes.
Immortal Technique is one icon who is seen in today’s protest. His comments that government should be accountable for its violation of human right, in spite of any agreement thereof to protect it speaks volume (New Democracy, Para 2). This fact is supported by comments by some section that, there are in the process of popularizing black power (Ball, Para 3).
Black power mixtape, just like the title suggests is a movie that is ironic in the fact it not only covers a historic time in America, but also reflects on today’s experience. It is a movie about a group of people who is oppressed and how they organize appraisals against their oppression. In the same stance we can see new movement being orchestrated in New York Wall Street. The aim of the new appraising though, as well as the playing field looks different from what was happening in the period for this movie.
Work Cited
Ball, Jared. 20011. “The black power mixtape remix of black power.” Web.
2011. Democracy Now. On-line. Available from Internet, https://www.democracynow.org/.
Scott Anthony. O. 2011. A tumultuous time, captured by outsiders. The New York Times, 8 September.