Tag: Forget Foucault

On 3 August 1997, Fela’s brother, Olikoye-Ransome Kuti already a prominent AIDS activist announced his younger brother’s death a day earlier from Kaposi’s sarcoma which was brought on by AIDS. Fela Anikulapo Kuti was 59 when he died of AIDS in 1997.

Fela was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human right activist, and a political force against corruption and tyranny. Fela first developed his Afrobeat genre in Ghana in 1967. In 1969 he brought his new sound to the United States where Fela discovered the Black Power movement through Sandra Smith a partisan of the Black Panther Party—which would heavily influence his music and political views. Without the necessary work permits, his band, then Nigeria ’70, performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles that would later be released as The ’69 Los Angeles Sessions.

After Fela and his band returned to Nigeria, the band was renamed The Africa ’70, as lyrical themes changed from love to social issues. He then formed the Kalakuta Republic, a commune, recording studio and home for many connected to the band that he later declared independent from the Nigerian state. Fela and the commune were the subject of continuous controversy and frequently targeted with violent government retaliation for Fela’s strong anti-governmental music and writings. In 1977 Fela and the Afrika ’70 released the hit album Zombie, a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian Military. The album was a hit and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the Kalakuta Republic. Fela was severely beaten, and his elderly mother was thrown from a window, causing fatal injuries. The Kalakuta Republic was burned, and Fela’s studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed. Fela’s response to the attack was to deliver his mother’s coffin to the Dodan Barracks in Lagos, and to write two songs, “Coffin for Head of State” and “Unknown Soldier”.

Despite the massive setbacks, Fela was determined to come back. He formed his own political party which he called Movement of the People. In 1979 he put himself forward for President in Nigeria’s first elections for more than a decade but his candidacy was refused. More than a million people attended Fela’s funeral at the site of the old Shrine compound.

 

Michel Foucault was 57 years old when he died of AIDS in 1984. One of France’s most prominent philosophers and historians, Foucault’s writings explored society’s relationship with language, mental illness, crime and sexuality. In his books, Foucault argued that society transforms concepts such as madness, delinquency and sexuality to convenience, preserve and control dominant social systems.

His most notable works include “Madness and Civilization” and “The History of Sexuality”, while the most prominent of his dialogues revolve around structuralism and post-structuralism.

In addition to his academic work, Foucault was active in numerous social causes, including groups that advocated abolition of prisons. Foucault helped found the Prison Information Group to provide a way for prisoners to voice their concerns. This coincided with Foucault’s turn to the study of disciplinary institutions, with a book, Surveiller et Punir (Discipline and Punish), which “narrates” the micro-power structures that developed in Western societies since the 18th century, with a special focus on prisons and schools. He also spoke out against abuses of gay rights and in defense of homosexual lifestyles.

He was the first high-profile French personality who was reported to have AIDS. Little was known about the disease at the time. In the front-page article of Le Monde announcing his death, there was no mention of AIDS, although it was implied that he died from a massive infection.

One of France’s most prominent philosophers and historians, Michel Foucault’s writings explored society’s relationship with language, mental illness, crime and sexuality. In his books, Foucault argued that society transforms concepts such as madness, delinquency and sexuality to convenience, preserve and control dominant social systems.

His most notable works include “Madness and Civilization” and “The History of Sexuality”, while his most prominent dialogues were centered on structuralism and post-structuralism.

In addition to his academic work, Foucault was active in numerous social causes including groups that advocated for the abolition of prisons. Foucault helped found the Prison Information Group to provide a way for prisoners to voice their concerns. This coincided with Foucault’s turn to the study of disciplinary institutions, with a book, Surveiller et Punir (Discipline and Punish), which “narrates” the micro-power structures that developed in Western societies since the 18th century, with a special focus on prisons and schools. He also spoke out against abuses of gay rights and in defense of gay lifestyles.

He was the first high-profile French personality reported to have AIDS. Little was known about the disease at the time. In the front-page Le Monde article announcing his death, there was no mention of AIDS, although it was implied that he died from a massive infection.

Michel Foucault was 57 years old when he died of AIDS in 1984.

Isaac Asimov was 72 when he died of AIDS in 1992. Asimov suffered a heart attack in 1977 and had triple bypass surgery in December 1983. When he died in New York City on April 6, 1992, heart and kidney failure was reported as the cause of death. Ten years after his death his autobiography, It’s Been a Good Life, revealed that the myocardial and renal complications were the result of an infection byHIV, which he had contracted from a blood transfusion received during his bypass operation.

Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. His works have been published in all ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System. Isaac Asimov is widely considered a master of hard science fiction and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clark, he was considered one of the “Big Three” science fiction writers during his lifetime. Asimov’s most famous work is the Foundation Series; his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation Series to create a unified “future history” for his stories. He wrote many short stories, among them “Nightfall“, which in 1964 was voted by The Science Fiction Writers of America as the best short science fiction story of all time.

Most of his popular science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include his Guide to Science, the three volume set Understanding Physics, Asimov’s Chronology of Science and Discovery, as well as numerous works on astronomy, mathematics, the Bible, William Shakespeare’s works, and chemistry.

 

Arthur Ashe was the first African American tennis player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man to ever win the singles title at Wimbleton, The U.S. Open or Australian Open. He was the winner of three Grand Slams, and was inducted into three halls of fame, and was listed 30^th in Tennis Magazines 40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era.

Alongside his athletic accomplishment, Ashe utilized his standing in the sports community to wage war against inequality. When he was denied a visa by the South African government, thereby keeping him out of the South African Open, Ashe used this denial to publicize South Africa’s apartheid policies. In the media, Ashe called for South Africa to be expelled from the professional tennis circuit.

After his retirement, Ashe took on many new tasks, including writing for Time magazine, commentating for ABC Sports, founding the National Junior Tennis League, and serving as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team. He was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.

In 1988, Ashe fell ill after contracting HIV from the blood transfusions he received during heart surgery. In the last year of his life, Ashe did much to call attention to AIDS sufferers worldwide. Two months before his death, he founded the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to help address issues of inadequate health care delivery and was named Sports Illustrated magazine’s ‘Sportsman of the Year.’ He also spent much of the last years of his life writing his memoir Days of Grace, finishing the manuscript less than a week before his death.

Arthur Ashe was 50 when he died of AIDS in 1993.

Alvin Ailey was 58 when he died from AIDS in 1989.

The founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alvin Ailey was a grand force in the popularization of modern dance, a pioneer of African-American dance aesthetic, and an activist for the inclusion of African-American dance forms in 20^th century performance art. Valuing eclecticism, Ailey utilized both classic and modern technique to form a unique aesthetic perhaps best displayed in his choreographic masterpiece Revelations. Ailey was known for approaching his dancers more in the manner of a jazz conductor than a director, requiring them to infuse his choreography with a personal style that best suited their individual talents. His openness to input from dancers heralded a paradigm shift that brought concert dance into harmony with other forms of African-American expression.

In 1992 Alvin Ailey was inducted into the C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Alvin Ailey was openly gay and was romantically linked to political activist David David McReynolds throughout the 1950’s. Despite his openness within the performance art community, upon his deathbed he requested that the cause of death be listed as terminal blood dyscrasia. He has since been discussed as a quiet advocate for gay and African American Communities.

The founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alvin Ailey was a grand force in the popularization of modern dance, a pioneer of African-American dance aesthetic, and an activist for the inclusion of African American dance forms in the canon of 20^th century performance art. Valuing eclecticism, Ailey utilized both classic and modern technique to form a unique aesthetic perhaps best displayed in his choreographic masterpiece Revelations. Ailey was known for approaching his dancers more in the manner of a jazz conductor than a director, requiring them to infuse his choreography with a personal style that best suited their individual talents. His openness to input from dancers heralded a paradigm shift that brought concert dance into harmony with other forms of African-American expression. In 1992 Alvin Ailey was inducted into the C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Alvin Ailey was openly gay and was romantically linked to political activist David David McReynolds throughout the 1950’s. Despite his openness within the performance art community, upon his deathbed he requested that the cause of death be listed as terminal blood dyscrasia. He has since been discussed as a quiet advocate for gay and African American Communities.

Alvin Ailey was 58 when he died from AIDS in 1989.

Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. His works have been published in all ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System. Isaac Asimov is widely considered a master of hard science fiction and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clark, he was considered one of the “Big Three” science fiction writers during his lifetime. Asimov’s most famous work is the Foundation Series; his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation Series to create a unified “future history” for his stories. He wrote many short stories, among them “Nightfall“, which in 1964 was voted by The Science Fiction Writers of America as the best short science fiction story of all time.

Most of his popular science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include his Guide to Science, the three volume set Understanding Physics, Asimov’s Chronology of Science and Discovery, as well as numerous works on astronomy, mathematics, the Bible, William Shakespeare’s works, and chemistry.

Asimov suffered a heart attack in 1977 and had triple bypass surgery in December 1983. When he died in New York City on April 6, 1992, heart and kidney failure was reported as the cause of death. Ten years after his death his autobiography, It’s Been a Good Life, revealed that the myocardial and renal complications were the result of an infection by HIV, which he had contracted from a blood transfusion received during his bypass operation.

Isaac Asimov was 72 when he died of AIDS in 1992.

Carloz Almaraz was a Mexican-American artist who helped pioneer the Chicano street aesthetic. In 1973, Almaraz was one of four organizers of Los Four, a group of artists that with works such as “Murals of Aztlan” managed to bring attention from mainstream art critics and painters to the Chicano street arts movement . Their 1974 exhibition at the County Museum of Art was the first to bring a barrio aesthetic uptown. His works “Echo Park” and “Boycott Gallo” are passionate representations of his style and his best-known works to demonstrate his relationship with LA and its Chicano street art movement.

In the 1970’s he was politicized and traveled to Cuba and China to glean truths about Marxism. He became an active advocate for migrant farm labor and made work for famed Arizonan and fellow Chicano, Cesar Chavez. His paintings, murals and banners became well known visuals at the forefront of United Farm Workers protests and rallies.

His work continues to enjoy popularity and was featured in the landmark “Pacific Standard Time” exhibitions, including “MEX/LA: Mexican Modernism(s) in Los Angeles 1930-1985” at the Museum of Latin American Art and “Mapping Another L.A.: The Chicano Art Movement” at the Fowler Museum.

Carlos Almaraz was 48 when he died from AIDS in 1989.