...Baraka means blessing in Hebrew, Arabic and Arabic-influenced languages. It may refer to: * Baraka, also berakhah, in Judaism, a blessing usually recited during a ceremony * Baraka, also barakah, in Arabic Islam and Arabic-influenced languages such as Swahili, Urdu, Persian, Turkish, a blessing from God in the form of spiritual wisdom or divine presence. Also a spiritual power believed to be possessed by certain persons, objects, tombs. * Baraka, a rarely used French slang term for luck, derived from the Arabic word * Baraka, fully ḥabbat al-barakah, aka Nigella sativa, a spice with purported health benefits * Baraka Bashad, meaning "may the blessings be" or just "blessings be", originally a Sufi expression and also used in Eckankar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baraka a spiritual power believed to be possessed by certain persons, objects, tombs, etc http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/baraka Content: Baraka is a documentary film with no narrative or voice-over. It explores themes via a kaleidoscopic compilation of natural events, life, human activities and technological phenomena shot in 24 countries on six continents over a 14-month period. The film is Ron Fricke’s follow-up to Godfrey Reggio’s similar non-verbal documentary film Koyaanisqatsi. Fricke was cinematographer and collaborator on Reggio’s film, and for Baraka he struck out on his own to polish and expand the photographic techniques used on Koyaanisqatsi. Shot in 70mm, it includes...
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...Baraka (1996) [96 min] [buh-rah-kuh] Also ‘Barakah’ in Arabic which means a blessing from God in the form of spiritual wisdom or divine presence. It’s originally a Sufi expression meaning ‘may the blessings be’. The movie Baraka is a documentary shot in different countries capturing different moments in time. It gives us an insight on how the world has been changing in the last few decades. There is no story line to the documentary but a string of well photographed scenes allowing the viewer to look at the world in a totally different way. It was shot in twenty four different countries including the U.S, Europe, china, Nepal and Brazil. According to the director Ron Fricke, Baraka was meant to be “a journey of rediscovery that plunges into nature, into history, into the human spirit and finally into the realm of the infinite." The documentary does exactly that. Without any dialogue the documentary takes the viewer into a journey that transcends language and enables the viewer to look at the ‘changing world’ in a different way and at a different angle. The theme of the documentary is to show how the world has evolved and how man as a being has influenced the world in different ways. It shows man’s different actions from the beginning and how they have affected the world and its nature. The documentary begins with a snow monkey sitting in the middle of a hot spring, the edge of a volcano in Hawaii, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the Ryoan-Ji temple in Kyoto...
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...Dutchman is a play written by Amiri Baraka formerly Leroi Jones. The story focuses on the two characters of the play, Clay, a young black man, and Lula, a older white woman. The story starts with Lula accusing Clay of staring at her. The play keeps developing into it finally reaches the climax of Lula actually murdering Clay. The events in the play are prime examples and showcases the relationship between blacks and whites during this time period along with showing the audience what black identity. There is clear contrast between the two characters. Lula is described as a beautiful woman with long red hair wearing obnoxious lipstick. Lula starts talking to Clay and to seduces him and gets very angry spontaneously for no apparent reason throughout the play. Clay, her opposite, is described as a young, educated black man (Maybe what Leroi pictured himself to be). In the play, Clay wears a nice suit and appears to be very interested in reading. Without looking at his skin color, one would easily think that Clay was a white man. When asked who he resembles, Clay compared himself to an old French poet. Throughout the whole play, Clays conversation and involvement with Lula is his own internal Man vs. Self struggle with his own racial identity. Lula starts harassing to a point where Clay breaks out of his White shell and tries to reclaim his black identity. During his long rant he terrorizes...
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...2 Abstract: Based on the breathtaking and scenic film Baraka, directed by Mark Magidson, this essay examines what makes us human internally and externally. Drawing on articles consistent in humanity and compassion exploration, biological research, chimpanzee research and analysis, and a look at our distant Neanderthal ancestors, we can combine the crucial pieces of humanity to look at it as a whole. Baraka depicts not only diversity, but importance of religion, ritual, traditions, and culture in the world. At first, the film seems to be a jumbled mixture of images and non-verbal sounds, but in fact it is strategically linked and results in one final theme: Life. 3 For centuries, humans have made themselves superior over our predecessor: Earth. While science has proved that the earth,with its animals and nature, have existed long before we have, we continue to oversee its power and lose our humanity. Our humanity, in my opinion, is not what makes us human biologically, but rather internally and cognitively. According to the dictionary, humanity is described as "the quality of being humane" and followed by words such as compassion, brotherly love, understanding, sympathy, and consideration. Is humanity an instinct, something we are born with? Or is humanity learned, taught, and projected? There are many things that we can relate to being human. Biologically, the DNA that lies within the cells that make up our physical body can tell whether we...
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...Baraka is undeniably one of the most intriguing non-narrative films ever produced. It was as a worthwhile experience, but at first I don’t really understand what it is talking about. But after I do some research and I rewatch it, I knew what’s meaning and what this movie want to express. The locations were breathe taking and the activities of the people in each country was incredibly interesting. I thought that it was nice to see a comparison of different cultures, religions, and environments because few have the opportunity to travel the world and embrace the beauty of life. 1. I think the film is entitled "breath" because it is a breath of fresh air, or at least new insight about different places around the world. 2. I think the planetary perspective of the film does expresses a critique of the modern world. The film shows footages of different landscapes and animals. Contrasting that, city life and people are shown. The beauty of the landscapes does not compare to the man made buildings and streets. The film seems to reveal the theme that modern society and technology has corrupted nature and that we should get back in touch with nature. 3. After watching Baraka, I got the message that it is important to be exposed to different cultures and appreciate the nature aspect of the world. 4. In this case, the absence of voice and text does put the film at an disadvantage because showing is much more effective than telling. The theme is clearly revealed through the footages...
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...Rhetorical Analysis of the “Ballot or the Bullet” and “Somebody Blew Up America” The purpose of this essay to compare and contrast the rhetoric in Amira Baraka’s “Somebody Blew up America” and Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet in regards to ethos, pathos, and logos. Amiri Baraka, born Everett LeRoi Jones, was an African-American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism. Baraka read his poem “Somebody Blew up America?” on the September 11th attacks and was heavily criticized for anti-Semitism and attacks on public figures. His poem is free verse and has no set structure but maintains its rhythmic elements for oral sharing. The poem was meant to be shared orally so that Baraka would be able to emphasize and share lines specifically for an audience. Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, was an African-American Muslim minister...
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...except what's there for you to see. An act. Lies. Device. Not the pure heart, the pumping black heart.” That statement obviously shows a form of black identity, but to argue that this is the central message of the play, does not make sense. To many’s disbelief, Dutchman is not about a search for blackness and defining a socially distinct identity, it is about becoming a man in America. Masculinity defines the ideologies of black nationalists during this time and this is the character that Jones/Baraka is trying to articulate in Dutchman. In Dutchman, Lula and Clay mention the topic of manhood during the dialogue on the train. Clay questions what they are going to talk about “endlessly” and Lula replies “your manhood”. From this exchange in conversation, we can see that Baraka is trying to construct and define black “manhood”. This type of masculinity can be described as tough, assertive, uncompromising and virile in addition to separating ones self from weak and effeminized men. Baraka and the leaders of the Black Power movement associated themselves with such definitions of manhood in order to recuperate some degree of power over long time notions of subordination created by racism. In Clay’s monologue we see how he rejects and separates himself from the less masculine men. Amidst his rant of telling Lula how he is going to kill her, he also threatens to kill the “weak-faced ofays”. Clay recognizes that these “weak-faced ofays” are separate from him and by doing so he asserts...
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...Harlem In the play, “Dutchman and The Slave” by Imamu Amiri Baraka, there is a lot of manipulation and also a clear struggle for power. In addition to Baraka’s play, the short stories “Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, and “Harlem” by Langston Hughes they also illustrate the struggle of power and how society of that era were manipulating the minds of Africa Americans into believing that their dreams weren’t worth anything. Imamu Amiri Baraka introduces Lula, clearly a bipolar racist. Lula has a unknown problem witnessing African Americans strive towards a dream, that she feels they don’t deserve. Her motives throughout the book/movie were to become superior or have power by manipulating young African American men. The way Lula behaved was sure to get a rise out of anyone with some sort of sanity. Shirley Jackson also showed the power role by introducing her character in “Lottery”. Mr. Summers was not only manipulating, but he applies a fearsome amount of power over the village, power that seems to have been assigned to him at random. Much like Lula, Mr. Summers now has complete control in determining who dies. The villagers show a type of blind-trust in Mr. Summers which the author never illustrates why their trust is so strong. The village just seems to accept the ritual without a thought of change. That trust was also shown in the Dutchman, how Clay trusted Lula by sharing inviting conversation, and kind gestures. Lula was symbolized in Dutchman as the white devil. Ephesians...
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...In the film The Boys of Baraka it is evident that lots of these young boys come from broken homes or dysfunctional families, where they lack stability and positive role models. The two young boys Devon and Montrey are two boys that obviously come from dysfunctional families with each only having one positive person in their lives. Devon’s mother mentions in the film that she has had trouble with drug use; so therefore his Grandmother Mary has raised him. Montrey’s mother is the only person he really has because his father at this time is in prison for shooting his mother in the leg. I feel that both of these boys will benefit from this opportunity because it is a structured place with rules they will have to follow or they will be reprimanded...
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...Jazz and The White Critic The article “Jazz and White Critic” by Amiri Baraka brings light to an element of jazz criticism that he is frustrated by. Baraka finds controversy in the ideas white critics write about regarding jazz music. Baraka states, “Most jazz critics have been white Americans, but most important jazz musicians have not been.” In the 1960’s, when Baraka made this statement, jazz was becoming more popularized and socially accepted. African American jazz musicians took a long, strenuous journey over decades to push their music into the spotlight to become one of the most popular music styles in society internationally. The special element of jazz is its raw emotion. Baraka distinguishes between “White Jazz”, music that is learned and skill that is obtained technically, and “Negro Jazz” , music based on emotion passed down from generation to generation. The hardships experienced by African Americans and passed down through ancestry create the deep emotions that make up jazz. Baraka expresses that a white critic can fall into the trap of simplifying the genre to musical technicalities because they can never truly feel the music and understand its roots. Baraka uses an example of a solo to justify his point. He goes into detail about how a meaningful solo means almost nothing on paper. The screams, shouts, and other sound effects, along with the rapid change in tone mean so much more than any music sheet could ever describe. “…Screams and rants are only musical...
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...About Al Baraka | | Al Baraka Islamic Bank B.S.C. (c) - Bahrain (AIB - Bahrain) established 1984 in Bahrain and up the years has pioneered the development of Islamic banking and finance. The Bank is registered with the Bahrain Ministry of Industry &, Commerce CR no. 14400 and is licensed by Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) as an Islamic Retail Bank, with an authorized capital of US$ 600 Million, of which US$ 122 Million has been issued and fully paid.AIB - Bahrain is one of the Banking Units of Al Baraka Banking Group's (ABG). ABG is a Bahraini Joint Stock Company listed on Bahrain and Dubai stock exchanges and one of the well-known leading international Islamic banks. It has been rated by Standard & Poor's as BBB- with a short-term rating of A-3. ABG offers retail, corporate and investment banking and treasury services strictly in accordance with the principles of the Sharia'a. The authorized capital of ABG is US$1.5 billion, while the total equity amounts to about US$ 1.8 billion. The Group has a wide geographical presence in the form of subsidiary banking Units in 14 countries, which in turn provide their services through more than 400 branches. These banking Units are Jordan Islamic Bank/ Jordan, Al Baraka Islamic Bank - Bahrain, Al Baraka Bank Limited/ Pakistan, Banque Al Baraka D'Algerie/ Algeria, Al Baraka Bank Sudan/ Sudan, Al Baraka Bank Ltd/ South Africa, Al Baraka Bank Lebanon/ Lebanon, Al Baraka Bank Tunisia/ Tunisia, Al Baraka Bank Egypt/ Egypt, Al Baraka...
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...Racism and Violence in American Literature Racial tension between Black and White Americans has been viewed as one of the darkest chapters in the American history. The issue has been discussed in various forms of the media during the time. Literature is one of the most efficient means where racial discrimination is described in a very vivid yet precise way. The story “That Evening Sun” by William Faulkner and the play “Dutchman” by Amiri Baraka are two of several works of American literature that addresses the matter. Regardless of their different genres, these two works have employed many poetic devices such as metaphor, imagery, symbolism and repetition in order to address several subjects that belong to the core of human baseness: racism, abuse, sexuality, exploitation and murder which can be summed in the category of violence. “Dutchman” by Amiri Baraka, which was shown for the first time in 1964, is a play that addresses strongly the racial tension between Black and White Americans. The play has used several symbols and metaphor to serve the author’s purpose of describing the extreme hostility and dirty temptation that the implausible female character, Lula, has exposed to the young black man, Clay. The apple that Lula eats can be viewed as a symbol of sexuality and indulgence that are considered illegal or immoral. “You want this? [...] Eating apples together is always the first step. Or walking up uninhabited Seventh Avenue in the twenties on the weekends. [...] Would...
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...Creating the world’s largest Islamic banking brand Over the past year, our team has been working with the inner circle of senior management at Al Baraka Bank to consolidate the largest number of Islamic banks in the world. The new bank unifies financial organisations across 12 markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. From our first meeting with Adnan Yousif, president and chief executive of the group, we agreed that a new brand will signal the continuing consolidation of the cultures, processes and products of the dozen different banks in the group. The culture of the group management team is conciliatory, so the approach for consolidating the strategy of the group took on a highly consultative nature. Leaders from banks that had been operating successfully in markets for over thirty years needed to be brought into the vision development for the converged bank. “The time and effort we spent listening, adapting and inching toward a shared vision paid off in spades when we needed to quickly implement the brand. Once agreement on strategy was reached across the twelve markets, we were able to implement at lightning speed” says Aaron Shields, partner. One of the major dilemmas we tackled was bringing the 30 year old Islamic banking narrative up to date without diluting the original values that emanate from Islamic texts. Ethical and religious principles were what attracted staff and customers to the bank. Yet, no matter how much scholars argue over the details, all Islamic...
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...The Dutchman calls attention to a few issues in the public eye, to be specific the white man's mistreatment to the black man. The whole discussion among Lula and Clay shows that, even as society had turned out to be more mindful of the social inequalities forced on minorities, quite a bit of society still respected minorities with absolute hatred. Baraka utilizes drama and element characters as an analogy to depict a perfect representation of racist stereotypes in America through both physical and mental acts of discrimination. Dutchman demonstrates Clay, as an innocent African-American man who becomes infuriated after he is tormented by the representation of white supremacy known as Lula. Their encounter turns from sexual to lethal as the...
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...Peter Clark Professor James Smethurst AFROAM 151 December 5, 2012 The History Of Rock and Roll: Copyright Not Included The history of black America is one filled with exploitation and abuse. Time and time again we see the “cultural rape” of the black community. Whether it be style, lingo, or music white culture has been “borrowing” from black culture since the early history of the United States. It is so obvious it almost passes unnoticed. For example the handshake has largely been replaced in youth culture by a dap or a fist pound, both remnant of black culture in the 60’s. Even hello has been replaced with “yo” an interjection made popular in the black vernacular. One cultural phenomena that has been largely covered up as African-American in origin. The history of rock and roll is long and intricate drawing its roots from early American R&B, among other places. While most of the true innovators of rock music have been widely overlooked, white musicians have been profiting greatly off of the innovations made in music by black recording artists, specifically in the arena of rock and roll. It is widely accepted that rock music has its roots in the american blues. The history of the blues dates all the way back to slave plantations. This genre comes specifically from African-American folk music. Julio Finn the author of The Bluesman stated that: [White blues performers] can never be bluespeople...because the blues is not something they live but something they...
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