Baba and the New York City African Burial Grounds

Wesley Gray and fellow Brother drummers at New York City African Burial Ground reinterment ceremony. October 3, 2003

Photo by Chester Higgins

Tribute to Babatunde Olatunji
April 7,1928 - April 6,2003

With great sadness, our dear friend,drum teacher and Griot

Babatunde Olatunji, passed away,went into transition and became an ancestor,
Sunday, April 6, 2003, 7:30 am, age of 76, one day before his 77th birthday.

"I am that I am, I am beauty, I am peace, I am joy, I am
one with Mother Earth. I am one with everyone within the reach of my voice. In this togetherness, we ask the divine intelligence to eradicate all negatives from our hearts, from our minds and from our actions. And so be it....ashe."

It was 1959, when Baba releashed his world reknowned recording of "Drums of Passion". That was the beginning of an awakening of millions of us throughout the African diaspora, that we had a rich African culture and indeed where Africans.

I lived in a boardng school/group home with Baba Abiodun Oyewole of the original Last poets. Our older home brother Councilman Professor James Blake, of Queens, New York shared with us "Drums of Passion". I will never forget the feeling of being waken to the essence of my African spirit and realization that ourstory was beyond "History".

Having met and played with Baba on two occasions at funerals, one of the lessons I have learned from Baba was how celebrate death as one celebrates birth, for as that cycle is eternal and never ends, as joy and love should never end.

This is why I had to be part of the New York City African burial ground reinterment ceremony on October 3,2003

Thank you Baba for your unconditional healing love and service. Ashe

-Wesley Gray Aka -Waheed Abdul Baaqi

http://materialculture.udel.edu/news/archeaology-month/archeaology-month.html

http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/history/hs_es_burial_ground.htm

http://africanburialground.com/ABG_Main.htm

http://www.huarchivesnet.howard.edu/0008huarnet/blakey1.htm

http://www.cnn.com/TECH/9802/12/t_t/burial.ground/

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