Welcome to the Kuumba section of Uhuru Magazine. If you are unaware, Uhuru translated in Swahili means freedom, and Kuumba means to create. In this section are pieces from all kinds, that allow individuals the freedom to express their creativity. It is our pleasure to provide the pedestal that displays the talent amongst our brothers and sisters, so that they may inspire the lives of others.
-Sierra Allen, Kuumba Editor
Artist: Daryl ArtShow
https://www.instagram.com/darylartshow
Artist: Sydney Rigby
https://www.instagram.com/squidrich
Artist: Authentic Language
By Hauzzy and David
m.soundcloud.com/authenticsav/spend-that-ft-jasmine-prod-by-notsivrem
Artist: Lora Lewis
http://LoraBeloved.bigcartel.com
http://instagram.com/lorabeloved
“Do You Know God?”
I was told once that God hides his angels amongst the people,
To see if we would recognize Heaven when surrounded by Hell,
But when my angel was placed at my feet,
I was able to see much more than words could tell,
Because when I’m around her, it’s like time seems to stand still
Hours, minutes, seconds lose all reverence,
As if the clocks feel they must hold their breath in her presence,
Leaving me trapped in the wonder of her eyes,
To my surprise I feel at home there,
Comfortable hazel gaze melts into me like sweet honey,
And I pray that I never find myself full,
And even if I do I wish to eternally wade in the sweet nectar,
Kind of like how her soul is submerged in the foreign waters, Pouring out within the stretch of her smile,
Soft coo of her voice individually kissing each grain of sand on my shore,
Like high tide under a midnight Moon
Yet her touch held the warmth of midday Sun,
She’s a paradox,
The reflection of heaven,
But still is the beauty of all things humans,
I’m a slave to how she sets me free,
For in each precious moment she teaches me,
And my first lesson was quite unique,
She said when you look at me you see heaven but do you see God,
I said of course you’re a Goddess,
You’re everything I expected from my Lord and beyond,
She stopped me, listen to the words you speak,
You called me Goddess,
But when you pray, God is the only thing that ever escapes your lips,
You speak favor to duality but the masculine is all you seek,
You say you know God but when’s the last time you’ve spoken to she
The one that birthed you,
The one that nurtured you,
The one that put the sweetness on your tongue,
Poetry that made others go numb,
It was she,
So tell me Love, is this all God will ever be
Is your Lord really complete?
I laughed,
And told her this,
A man told me once that God hides his angels amongst the people,
To see if we would recognize Heaven when surrounded by Hell,
But when my angel was placed at my feet,
I saw not only God, but a Goddess as well
-Jakim “JaH” Harvey
http://instagram.com/geniusofinsanity
Artist: Brina Jeffries
http://brinalaila.wordpress.com
http://instagram.com/brinalaila
“My idea is about ’emotions of being ethnic’ and each of my pieces have an emotion that correlate within the piece. I show the emotion through colors that I pick for the background that represents each emotion.”
“Vanity”
“Pride”
“4am”
There is peace in the 4am stillness
Nothing moves but leaves and thoughts
Propelled by whispers of prayers being answered
So long as ego allows self to listen.
Immersed in the other,
Drowning in your own deep
All the while deaf to the answer.
Be still wayward soul.
Reach
In
To acknowledge where healing must begin
Shadows exist when the light is near
Don’t allow fear to smother your creative soul
And insecurities to kill your spirit.
Open yourself to close wounds.
The scars are evidence of your healing.
The healing evidence of your growth.
A hydrangea’s blossoming is slow, but their beauty is evident.
Take the time to bloom.
There is no revolution without evolution
Be still wounded warrior.
Be the change.
Unloosen your chains before you can free another.
With open eyes rediscover the village,
Reshape the image of our collective.
Entrench feet in purpose and walk boldly
You’ve been selected for greatness.
There is peace in the 4am stillness
Nothing moves but leaves and thoughts
Propelled by whispers of prayers being answered
So long as ego allows self to listen.
Removed from the other,
Basking in a moment of peace
Listening for the answer.
-Bianca Michelle
http://instagram.com/biancamichelle13
Artist: Kaleb Thompson
http://redbubble.com/shop/kalebthompson
http://instagram.com/artist_known_as_kaleb
“Our Rebellion”
Why do we cry for love?
Once we realize we would die for love,
Do we fight enough to receive the love?
Questions I ask as I discover love.
In tears seek the release.
Penned up misgivings, broken hearts now cease.
In you discovered peace.
So why question what works despite convention.
To others’ opinions I’ve listened.
Still not dissuaded from intuition,
Because I’m flowing with what’s given.
These moments are precious and rare.
How can I compare the miraculous to the status quo?
I can’t, even though I try to fit this love
Into the boxes society says are nor-mal.
Fuck the box.
Going to love in spite of the eye watching us.
Zora would be proud that we loved out loud.
Audre would applaud our bravery.
Angela would smile
And Maya would dance because
We took a chance on Us.
So what to everything else.
It’s not logical so this won’t pass
A test of construct.
In our rebellion we can construct
New skyscrapers of our own building.
-Bianca Michelle
http://instagram.com/biancamichelle13
Artist: Danielle Flowers
http://instagram.com/ibreatheart
“Creating art is how I release my innermost thoughts and emotions. I truly believe in making the world a better place and I do so by proceeding to be vulnerable and intimate with my art to inspire others to choose love over all, while being sustainable; turning trash into treasure, and nothing into something. I start my process by researching topics that interest me, from my African ancestry, music, documentaries, historical theories and drawing from life’s experiences. Then I go with the topic that I am most passionate about or inspired by and combine information into one piece. In most cases I chose colors and symbolism intuitively to communicate or to evoke emotion. The materials I use can play as a platform to bring emphasis to the message painted.
My goal is to inspire and unify people by sharing my story of striving over adversaries. I constantly challenge myself into progressive levels of portraits on small materials to thinking outside of the traditional canvas.”
“Galactic Soulmates”
“Third Eye Giza”
“Sous Peine de Nullite”
These Notes Too, Shall Remain
Beautiful things never ask for attention
she opens her mouth with words of wisdom
and on her tongue is the law of kindness;
like a sculpture, she is molded and chiseled into
the size of a fist, placed slightly left of my epicenter
but just right enough to be my heart.
There are sirens of the No. 9 engine fluidly
speeding through vessels, the only thing strong
enough to scorch this flame is the plasmatic magma
running through veins as these proverbial
lenses give insight to her inhibitions
they bestow upon me, the key to her intuition.
Shining bright like headlights in the midday sun,
she dives into me like a pool of collisions
there was a breakdown of compounds, something like
nuclear fission, if oxygen was missing the double hydrogen,
then the waters to her soul would surely diminish, vivid
memory states geysers and aqueducts still run through us
(to be continued)
-Bryan Miller-Foster
Artist: Tyler Shaw
Bittersweet Goodbye
You let me in,
Or so I had thought
Always talking in riddles
Leaving me confused
Your mind is a maze
That I can’t break through
You promised you’d be here,
That you’d be my rock,
Holding me steady
When I was lost
That you would be my light
When I was in the dark
Instead, you played games,
Asking me to wait
How long do you wait
Until you give up?
I think five years was enough,
What more could you want?
You come and go,
Waltzing in and out
Killing me each time,
Leaving me with doubt
Was anything you said,
Was anything you did real
You broke my trust,
You broke my heart,
You ruined who I was,
Now I’m cold,
Even heartless
When it comes to love
I don’t want to let anyone in
Here we go again,
You waltzing in and out
Don’t you see what you’re doing?
Slowly tearing me down,
I can’t do this anymore
It’s tearing me apart
I’m putting up my walls,
Packing my bags,
Forgetting the memories,
Leaving this nothing town
I’m never looking back
Or letting you tear me down
-Jessica Darling
Artist: Kaylah Eylon
http://instagram.com/kaylah_eylon
“Like Me”
“Meditations in May”
She can’t recall any sad days since he appeared in her daily affairs.
The bright smile she wears, is the product of when she stares into those brown eyes
and the problems of hers are minimized.
Knocked down, head over heels, he has undressed her heart so quickly, one cannot resist, and sewed the rift that held her fears so that she holds no more.
The introduction of his gentleness tames the Lioness that lies within, filled with sin, so the purity of her soul is exposed and illuminated from deep within.
Her mind feasts upon the ongoing effect he’s had on her, as feelings stir and are birthed by flowers he grows with no seeds of doubt, despair, worry nor fear, but with seeds of love and nurture.
And every night, she sleeps on his chest, as the sound of his heartbeat repeatedly plays, like smooth, calming meditations in May.
-Sierra Allen
http://instagram.com/sierrasheis
Artist: Aaron Gaines
http://m.soundcloud.com/gaines2u
#IndiMedia: Jada Renee
http://instagram.com/indi.media
http://instagram.com/indi.lifestyle
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs0zr5t0TtsOkqI2S1OPMMQ
“Indi Media is a media and marketing platform for young artists and entrepreneurs to express themselves through visual media, fashion, and charity. Our mission is to inspire the uninspired youth to follow their dreams within the arts and business.“
#INDIMEDIA X Tay Svpreme : “Seasons” EP
#INDIVibes Dec. 3rd
Destination Dream: @Mishon
Poet: Damien McClendon
http://instagram.com/covrd_n_epic
http://www.damienmcclendon.com/