MAAFA Commemoration San Francisco Bay Area@29 photos by Zochi

MAAFA 2024@Ocean Beach
by Wanda Sabir

       The 29th Annual MAAFA Commemoration San Francisco Bay Area met at Ocean Beach, Sunday, October 13. Warm and cloudy with waves as high as tall buildings, we gathered to honor African Ancestors. The 50 or so children and adults gathered felt their Ancestors ethereal embrace as Min. Imhotep and Min. Alicia poured libations and invited us to call their names with our mouths, feet and hands.  Birds on the beach lifted their wings in flight moving towards us and flying overhead like African ancestors flew away from plantation fields. Their collective Aṣé! The theme was accountability and as Zochi led us through Mu-i (pronounced moo-ee) we embraced our power from our roots through our crown chakras. Dr. Uzo taught us the Ibo war chant—“Eyinmba” which was also an embodied movement. Our ancestral poet this year was Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) born in Baltimore to free parents. She was a poet, abolitionist, suffragist, educator and freedom fighter who lived in Philadelphia.

      "It's time to be a grown person." Ms. Wanda Sabir, Maafa CEO stated. "Own up, fess up, get righteous. Accountability means we don't blame others for our poor choices and their consequences. We don't blame the system, genetic weakness, structural racism, poverty of the soul, families of origin, peer pressure, ignorance....
     "We are more than the worse thing we have suffered. We are more than what our ancestors survived.
     "Our ancestors do not want us to be functional. Our ancestors want us to be free."
      The drummers were phenomenal, and the section of the program open to reflections was filled with song, poetry, dance and prayers. A special treat were Karamo Susso and Amina Janta, "Amkara Music." They perform at Bissap Baobab in San Francisco, Oct. 20.  
      People came from as far as Monterey and Sacramento to just up the block. Join us for a Zoom dialogue on adrienne maree brown's article, “Murmations: Love Looks Like Accountability” (Yes! Magazine, 7/25/22): Sunday, Nov. 10, 2-4 pm PT. Register in advance: MaafaSFBayArea.com, 510.397.9705. Here is the MAAFA 2024 program (https://qr1.be/CPFI).