A Brief Update

Hey hey. It's your favorite writer Tsiambwom(insert laughter). So what's new, what's shakin', what going down, what's pop-a-locking?

Was that lame?

I used to have a bible study teacher that said that every time I walked into the room. She was probably one of the coolest people I knew.

Anyways, this is a brief update.  A lot has happened this past month I suppose.

Well, first off, I've been keeping relatively busy with Griot Stu. To date we've released about 7 videos, including our video blogs. We have another one scheduled to be put out soon.  Promo image for the video below.                                

                         

So we've got the ball rolling quite well on that. Also, we'll be releasing original music within the next couple of months, from local artist and co-producer of Griot Stu, Tre Harris, aka Tripp Maximus.

We tend to do quite a bit. But, I feel it's for the greater good.

I've been busy with work; my schedule changed from 8 to 12, to 8 to 5. That's right people, I work a full day's worth of work now. I'm part of the working class american. On a similar note, taxes suck. You know how much money they take out of your paycheck? It's border line criminal.

What else is new you say?

Well, I now co-teach a dance class for kids. Well, a member of my dance crew and I are forming a kids dance crew, due to the number of people having asked us to teach the children how to dance.  How legit is that? I'm a dance teacher....an instructor.....a sensei of sorts.

Apart from that, not too much is going on. School starts in a few weeks, and summer is winding down. I would say it's been fun, but I spent most of it working, to then see all that money go to rent and food. It's a hard not life for a guy like me, you know?

Until next time then.

Reminisce Over Me

  Hey, and welcome to another installment of According to T. I'm your host Tsiambwom Akuchu.

You know, there comes a point in everyone's life, I think, that they begin to feel the urge, or to describe it more properly, a pull to leave home.(how cliched is that intro?)

But you know that moment people talk about, you know, when the baby bird finally learns to fly and leaves the nest? This is what I mean. It's the point where you walk into the house you grew up in and feel like a stranger; the point where you visit your old church and find that everybody has moved on. You come home for summer vacation and you're maybe lucky that you have 2 or 3 friends still in town with whom you can hangout with and talk about how things are changing.

I used to think that becoming an adult meant that you metamorphosed into this rational, independent, free thinking being, completely capable of contributing to society. How wrong am I? It seems to me that becoming an adult is not this beautiful transformation, but a cold and unfeeling realization. You don't necessarily change, but the world around you definitely does. Becoming an adult is just how you are expected to react to this change, or rather, how you choose to react. Hopefully within the 18plus years you've been alive you've learned enough about responsibility and how to be a functioning member of the 'real world' that you react the correct way.

So why is this my topic or discussion today?

Well I just so recently just went back home to Atlanta to spend fourth of July with my family. I came home to familiar sights and sounds, delicious smells and a full house. About three years ago, this was the norm.

My family consists of five children and two parents. Seven in total. Now you can imagine how hectic that gets. Well, here is that change I was talking about. The three oldest kids, including me have all graduated and moved off for college; my older sister in Texas, I at Georgia Southern, and my younger brother at Georgia Tech. This means the house has now gone from a bickering seven, to a disagreeing four. Oh how quiet it must be.

When I came back for fourth of July, everyone was there, and it all seem normal. But then I walked into my room, and change hit me. It hit me with a wave of nostalgia and faded memories. Adulthood hit me. I looked around and realized that room hasn't been used in a year or so. It has become a time capsule of my childhood. Every drawer, every cabinet, every upturned pillow, and sprawled over book was a memory from the past. It is a pensive of random memories and friends from highschool past. I spent part of my weekend my room, just reminiscing. As I flipped through yearbooks and old scripts, I came across my brothers memories. It seems the room has become his pensive as well.

On the drive back to my apartment, I couldn't help but think about this, and all I could think was, where have my childhood friends gone, where did everyone I used to know go? And of course, whenever you're thinking about your past, you always have to bring up old regrets and stupid decisions. It's a general rule.

You know, I realize that, every mile I drove further from home, is another mile between my childhood and adolescent self. I guess this is growing up....

Moving on. But you know, change is not so bad...well, at least not when you've had to grow up with it.

Until next time friends.

Sundjata Keita - The Lion King

                          This is the story of how I became a dancer.

Sundjata Keita, or as it translates to English, is The Lion King. Sundjata is an epic hero from Africa. He was a crippled child who wished to walk like the rest of the other children, but was mistreated and scorned by pretty much everybody, even his family. Everyone except his mother who always loved him. Through his own strength of will, and a drive to protect his mother, Sundjata learned to walk, and in the process gained superhuman abilities.

I am Sundjata Keita.

Well, that's my dancer name anyways. The name my alter ego takes on when he dances. In the dancing world it is custom to have a nickname or a name that represents you. Now it can be your real name or an edited version of it, a nickname, or something completely different and abstract. People tend to choose things that represent their style, example: Liquid or Zoom. Others choose their nickname and add on their crew's name, example: Tre Lotus.

 I am a bboy, a certain type of dancer, and when referring to a bboy, you generally say Bboy "insert name here".  Unlike most bboys, I wanted my name to stand alone, like a first and last name. You wouldn't have to call me bboy sundjata all the time. You would just say that's Sundjata, or Sundjata Keita. One of my favorite bboys goes by Kid David. and I think that's just the coolest.

Anyways, why "Sundjata" you say? Well, when I first started dancing, I had the hardest time coming up with a name that suited me, my style, my personality. I believe some early drafts of my name were Trade Mark and Bboy T.M. Not overly creative(TM were my initials). Not  long after I started dancing more seriously, I realized I wanted a name that had meaning to it and represented me and where I come from. For a while, my name became Anansi, the African god of illusion and storytelling. You can see how that translates to dancing. Unfortunately, there was already a Bboy Anansi, who at the time I would say was much better than me from the videos I saw.

A few weeks or so ago, I was online. I'm not exactly sure what I was up to, but I stumbled across African Epics. I ran across the Epic of Sundiata. This vaguely tickled my memory from world history in high school, so I clicked on it and read through it. I immediately thought, this is it, my dancer name. I am Sundiata.

When I was little, I was a very sickly little child. I frail and weak, and scared of everything. And I mean everything.  I was uncoordinated and not very athletic. Then I moved this country and stayed pretty much the same. This wasn't very good considering that being a little boy in this country required you to bond with your friends over sports and outdoor games. I spent my time reading books and watching british period dramas on PBS.

 The older I grew, I eventually came to realize that I didn't have to be always scared, and avoid everybody by being book and that I can adapt and be with people. When I got to highschool, I decided that I was going to change myself. I wanted to be......better. The best me I could be. I picked up sports, became coordinated, in good shape, and all that. And then one day at summer camp, I was practicing a dance move I had picked up. A friend of mine commented saying "Hey T, that's pretty good, I didn't know you danced." That comment meant the world to me. It meant I was finally taking a step away from being that frail little weak child who was always afraid.

When I read the Epic of Sundiata, I immediatelybrealized that this was me. Through my own force of will I became who I wanted to be. Against all natural odds(believe me), I became a dancer. And a bboy at that, which if anyone knows what a bboy is, is a superpower in itself. Now your saying, "but the title of the post is Sundjata". Well, Sundjata is the natural African pronunciation of Sundiata. Keita was Sundjata's last name. I just decided to adopt the whole thing.
I am Sundjata Keita (Bboy Sundjata).

Well, that was a lot of words for one post. I hope I didn't too terribly bore you. Oh and please, keep the African and Lion King jokes to a minimum in the commentary. Yes I understand, I am an African, going by the title Lion King, whatever. Moving on.