Nigga eyes

Why did I get married
The best man
Maddeah's Family reunion
Hairspray
Jerusalema
I think I love my wife


Yep! If you have watched 'I think I love my wife' you will understand immediately what it is to have nigga eyes. To be specific, in the movie, Nicky, a character seducing Richard, played by Chris Rock, listens to his ipod for a minute, gives it back to him and says, 'You've got nigga ears!'. Basically, what she was saying is that all he listened to was black music, Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, the works. Now, that is how I will explain my holiday. I had nigga eyes. I watched one all black movie to another, and I had a blast!

There was something magical in the experience. Till then, I had always imagined that watching an all black movie was some kind of rebellion, and had hardly ever paid attention to how very the same, and different black people are. This December, I watched movies that addressed racial injustice (Jerusalema, Hairspray) to those that spoke to the everyday reality of black people. I instist on using the word black, because much as these movies could have had white people in them, it was moving to know that black people had normal lives and problems that did not involves crime (I think I love my wife, the best man and why did I get married).

Its interesting how over the years, Hollywood has sidelined the black man's experiences, and how between African American films and African films, there's nothing but sex, crime and poverty. I mean, think about it. when was the last time you watched an all black movie from hollywood? Normally, its very clear cut, bad blacks and good whites, jailed blacks from a rough neighbourhood, and white cops who come to restore order. In cases where black people are good, it has to be a face that has already been introduced to the masses, aka Denzel Washington (who by the way looked so good the other day during the Obama Inaugral celebrations, Will Smith and Samuel L. Jackson (just recently re-watched the Negotiator). The other time you will see a black face is when its a comedy, ie Chris Rock, and Chris Tucker etc. Oh, and the other day, I watched Usher in the movie 'In the Mix'. ouch, who saw that dance move he pulls at the end during his wedding? Cmon, can't they just let us forget for a minute that it is Usher, the Usher? Sort of reminds me of Aaliyah in 'Queen of the Damned'. They just had to show us her tummy and her moves....

I digress, as usual.

Anyway, I was saying, if it is not crime, then its africa and poverty, and trust me, I do not even want to go into the pain of describing that 'saving africa' affair.

Anyway, in between my watching a friend of mine who adores Nollywood made me side-watch a moviue or two. I say side-watch because I sad there grumpy as hell, waiting to switch back to hollywood. I remember I was reading 'Spud'the book, but secretly paying attention to the extreme melodrama on TV. I remember even watching this Tanzanian movie (East Africans still have a long way to go to catch up with Nollywood), and this one woman just kept being attacked with misfortune. I was touched more by my friend's reactionto the movies! She was completely fixed on the screen, and when it ended, i could hear her excitement at the way it ended.

For me, that is what we all ought to feel when we watch a movie. It is how I felt when i re-watched 'Best Man'. It was a beautiful movie about pride, forgiveness and true love. But it was also a movie about faith. it was not the same as Tyler perry's maddeah series, which is very didactic in terms of its lessons. It was about something that could happen to any of us.

It made me realise how escapist my romantic movies (the type I love watching) are. Mmm...

It was extremely refreshing to know that there was hope for us, we as a people, beautiful and great.