Black people who live in America are suffering from a social disease

given to us on purpose by the people who don’t want to see us free.

The white germs of laziness and self-hate permeate the radio and tv.

The radio keeps us shuffling in place with songs about romantic love and sex.

Television teaches us how to act like our oppressors want us to behave.

We only get to do the darkest deeds in blue movies and in black comedies,

voluntary victims on the front lines, anxious to die for American lies.

When it comes to television programs we are wide awake and interested,

but, when it comes to African culture, we just close our eyes and fall fast asleep.

Our children imitate stereotypes in a modern day slave mentality.

I don’t believe the news I see on tv, because the news is being brought to you

by the sons of the men who once enslaved you, so how can you expect to get the truth?

I don’t read the Daily News or the Times; that’s where the sleeping sickness hides.

The daily newspapers and magazines are contaminated with the disease.

It’s hard to turn off the media, look yourself in the face and love yourself these days.

You can wear your hair anyway you like, but don’t lye and say you love yourself.

You are still imitating your oppressors; it’s a very serious condition

and you have a duty to yourself and you have a duty to your people

to overcome this oppressive illness.  If we don’t wake up soon we won’t wake up.

The survival of Africa depends on the revival of we Africans.

1984