Carlos Moore (writer)
Carlos Moore | |
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social researcher , activist, professor | |
Notable works | Fela: This Bitch of a Life |
Carlos Moore (born 4 November 1942) is a writer, social researcher, professor and activist, dedicated to the study of African and
Moore is widely recognized for his outspokenness against racism,[4] defense of pan-Africanism, his scholarly work and for writing the authorized biography of the Nigerian singer, saxophonist and activist Fela Kuti, Fela, Fela: This Bitch of a Life,[5] which inspired the stage musical Fela![6]
Biography
Early years
He was born Charles Moore Wedderburn in Central Lugareño, near the town of
In 1958, to escape the civil war and in search of better opportunities, Moore at the age of 15 emigrated to New York City with his stepfather and siblings. In New York, Moore lived with his stepfather and his stepmother Gladys King, a native of Costa Rica. He attended high school, while being doubly impacted by the civil rights movement on the surge in the United States and the struggles for decolonisation of Africa.[3][8][9] He returned to Cuba in 1961, at the height of the revolution, working as a translator in the Cuban Ministries of Communications and, later, of Foreign Affairs.[3] However, he became unhappy with the way Fidel Castro's regime was handling matters pertaining to race. Denouncing what he perceived as an attempt by the Cuban government to ignore racism, Moore fell out of favor with the leadership and was imprisoned twice. After taking refuge in the Guinean embassy he fled the island on 4 November 1963 and sought refuge in Egypt and France.[8][3]
Exile and career
Carlos Moore arrived in Egypt in December 1963 at the age of 21. He worked for a year with an African liberation movement led by
From 1970 to 1984, Moore was active in various professional fields. In Paris, he was a Latin America desk journalist at Agence France-Presse (AFP) and a political journalist in African affairs for the weekly magazine Jeune Afrique. He studied and worked in France until 1974, when he became involved in the initial phase of FESTAC '77 (the Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture) in Lagos, Nigeria. He then moved to Senegal, where, at the invitation of the scientist Cheikh Anta Diop, he lived for several years with his family.[9][10][11] Moore, who was already a friend of Diop's, became his personal assistant on pan-African projects, also serving him as interpreter/translator. At the time, Diop ran the radiocarbon laboratory of the Institute for Basic Research in Black Africa (IFAN) in Dakar, Senegal.[2][10]
Years later, Moore was a personal consultant for Latin American affairs to the Secretary General of the Organization of
Between 1986 and 1988, Moore was a visiting professor in the department of sociology at Florida International University. In 1987, he organized the conference "Negritude, Afro Cultures and Ethnicity in the Americas" with the participation of renowned intellectuals such as Aimé Césaire, Maya Angelou, Leopold Senghor, Alex Haley, Victoria Santa Cruz, Rex Nettleford, Lélia Gonzalez, Manuel Zapata Olivella, Rex Nettleford, and Abdias do Nascimento.[2][12] In 1988, Lincoln University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, invited him as Professor of Negritude, Race and Diaspora Studies.
In the period between 1990 and 1994, Moore taught international relations courses at the
In 1982, the authorized biography of Nigerian Afrobeat musician
The 2019 documentary film My Friend Fela (Meu amigo Fela), made by Joel Zito Araújo, explores the complexity of Kuti's life "through the eyes and conversations" of Moore.[18]
In recent years, Moore has been living with his family between Brazil and Guadeloupe, writing about global racism, particularly racism in Brazil.[19]
Personal life
Moore's first wife, Shawna, was from the US, and they had a son together, Kimathi. Moore's second wife, Ayeola, whom he married in 1992, is from Guadeloupe.[7]
Selected bibliography
- Pichón – A Memoir: Race and Revolution in Castro's Cuba (Foreword by ISBN 978-1556527678.
- African Presence in the Americas (with Tanya R. Sanders and Shawna Moore, eds), ISBN 978-0865432321.
- Castro, the Blacks, and Africa, ISBN 978-0934934329.
- Were Marx and Engels Racists? – The prolet-Aryan outlook of Marx and Engels, Chicago: Institute of Positive Education, 1972. Accessed 4 February 2013.
- Racismo & Sociedade, ISBN 9788561191719.
- A África Que Incomoda: sobre a problematização do legado africano no quotidiano brasileiro, ISBN 978-8561191047.
- Preface to the book "Discurso sobre A Negritude" by Aimé Césaire, ISBN 9788561191337.
Fela Kuti biography – editions and translations
- Fela, Fela: Cette Putain de Vie (French edition), ISBN 978-2865370405.
- Fela, Fela: This Bitch of a Life (first English-language edition), ISBN 978-0850314649.
- Fela: This Bitch of a Life (revised English-language edition, with Foreword by ISBN 978-1556528354.
- Fela: This Bitch of a Life (with Preface by Gilberto Gil, and Prologue by ISBN 978-9789060924.
- Fela Kuti: This Bitch of a Life (German translation), ISBN 978-3942989435.
- Fela, Esta vida Puta (Portuguese translation by Bruno Madeira: Preface by Gilberto Gil), ISBN 9788561191467.
- Fela, Questa bastarda di una vita (Italian translation by Marco Zanotti), Arcana, 2012, ISBN 978-8862312318.
- Fela, This Bitch of a Life (translated to Japanese by Junko Kikuchi), ISBN 978-4-7738-1311-1.
References
- ^ "Carlos Moore: Roots Archived 17 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine", Official website – Dr. Carlos Moore, Accessed 4 February 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Carlos Moore" at Cassava Republic Press.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Carlos Moore Biography" Archived 17 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine, The Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies.
- ^ Marlie Hall, "The fight against racism in Cuba goes viral", The Grio, 14 May 2010.
- ^ Fela, Fela: This Bitch of a Life. First English edition, London: Allison & Busby, 1982. Accessed 4 February 2013.
- ^ Aimee Shalan, "Fela: This Bitch of a Life by Carlos Moore – review", The Guardian, 4 December 2010.
- ^ a b c "Featured Authors: Carlos Moore", Sacramento Black Book Fair.
- ^ a b c Achy Obejas, "Race in Cuba: The Root Interviews Carlos Moore", The Root, 29 July 2010.
- ^ a b c "Carlos Moore". www.afrocubaweb.com. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "Race in Cuba: 50 Years After the Revolution – EBCCI Lecture by Carlos Moore; 18 March 2009", The Bajan Reporter, 17 March 2009.
- ^ "Festac 77 | Cultural emissaries", Chimurenga Library.
- ^ Nordheimer, Jon (1 March 1987). "Blacks meet to revive 50-year-old search for identity". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015.
- ^ Novell Zwange, "South Africa: This Bitch of A Life Launches in Johannesburg", Shout-Africa, 14 November 2010.
- ^ "Fela : This Bitch Of A Life By Carlos Moore (2009) | The Authorized Biography Of Africa's Musical Genius". Soul Jazz Records. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ Dro Ameh (29 September 2010). "Fela: This Bitch of a Life, Authorized Biography for Late Fela Anipolapo Kuti". The Nigerian Voice.
- ^ Aimee Shalan, "Fela: This Bitch of a Life by Carlos Moore – review", The Guardian, 4 December 2010.
- ^ Lemn Sissay, "Carlos Moore resolves case against FELA THE MUSICAL", 18 December 2011.
- ^ "My Friend Fela", IFFR.
- ^ "Curriculum Vitae Archived 3 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine". Accessed 4 February 2013.