Afrikan World History and Culture

Remember when Terry McMillans book, Waiting To Exhale was No. 1 on  the fiction bestseller book list, longer than any other book at that  time? The next thing you knew, there was a flood of relationship books.  Then, the film came out. That was a momentary exciting time for black  folks who like to go to the movie theater. Seeing a quality black film  was not always possible, especially about black male/female  relationships. Since we like to explore history, which is primarily  referenced through literature, lets do something different; go back to  1995, using film as our reference, one that had the community of Afrikan  descent buzzing.
One of the first things thought about while  leaving the Magic Johnson Theatre, elated from seeing Waiting To  Exhale, was that some white folks were not going to like this film  because they did not cherish seeing black folks making a movie more  successful than most of theirs, which it was at that time. Sure enough,  soon as we got home, the Los Angeles Times review confirmed it. Quotes  such as: It wont stand up to any kind of rigorous examination. The  films serious moments are stiff, standard and not nearly as affecting  as whats accomplished with comedy. Waiting To Exhale is easy  listening for the eyes if youre in the mood and arent too demanding.  The cultural differences are so apparent.
The other, it was so nice  to see a black film, at a black-owned theater, with all those beautiful  black folks, right in our own community. One of those cultural things  uniquely ours. An American Afrikan audience is part of the show when  watching a good black film. Thank you Magic for keeping us from having  to go to the Marina, or Westwood, where the soul just dont flow.
Now,  to the main, and more dangerous point, commenting on a film that is a  happy anthem for many American Afrikan women. Personally, I enjoyed it  very much and did not feel threatened or affronted at all. I kept  hearing this talk of male-bashing, similar to what we heard about  Color Purple. After going through that experience, I decided to go  into this film with a completely open mind. We laughed, hurt, cracked up  and had a really good time.
In fact, we had the wonderful pleasure  of sitting next to a Nigerian sister, who lived in Ghana, finding out we  had mutual friends. She is close to seventy and had ten children by the  same man. She said this was her forth time seeing the film, and that  she had been there since 10:30am. We got there for the 4:30pm screening,  the opening day.
One thing the film did for me, knowing that I  have sons who are watching all the time, is having to be kind, fair,  loving and honest to their mother, my life partner, every chance out. I  dont see how a secure man can feel negative about this film. In fact,  it seems to me just the opposite. There were plenty of examples on how a  man should not treat his woman. A guilty man would definitely complain,  similar to how we saw some guilty women react to Shahrazad Alis book.  If the shoe dont fit, why bother?
No, I did not read the book, so I  was able to go with a fresh mind. I really tried to see the male bashing  some have alleged, and frankly did not see it. What I saw is how some  men play games with their women. How some men are just dishonest in  their relationships. How some men are just not tender in their  lovemaking. That is reality. Also, how the fury of an angry black woman  can cause holy hell for a wrongdoing black man, especially when he  leaves her for a white woman.
What was also observed was how a  secure, honest, strong American Afrikan man can help influence his  gender opposite in making a mature decision regarding her son, and how  that same man could provide comfort, and ultimately love, to a beautiful  Afrikan woman who had virtually given up on a good man.
Now, what  could cause some trouble, those beautiful sisters in the film who  complained about those no-good men, were just as complicit in their  bad behavior as the brothers. Looking for love is as innocent as a  newborn child. Those men did not initiate all that dirt by themselves.
What  is disturbing as an Afrikan man, the numbers are too high for the  amount of men who are not treating their women right. It is just plain  unintelligent for a black man to not realize that the greatest human  companion he is going to find on this earth, is the woman who is the  mother of the human race – the first woman God chose to give birth to  humanity. The woman who raised Black men, when they were not even  allowed to be men. The woman who showed so much patience, because she  understood that her survival was tied to his.
Allowing my bias to  show for a moment, the Afrikan woman is the most beautiful, physically  endowed, colorful, wise, intelligent, loving and sexiest woman on this  earth.
Waiting To Exhale was one of the most enjoyable films seen  in a long time, and deserves to be seen again. Those brothers who want  to douse it as a male-bashing film, need to check where they are coming  from, and most of all, how they are treating their own woman. Only the  guilty cry out.
– Dr. Kwakus class, Afrikan World Civilizations  (Part II), is conducted on Friday evenings, 7-9 p.m at Kaos Studios,  4343 Leimert Blvd. (corner of 43rd Place) in Los Angeles. For details go  to: www.drkwaku.com.