by Anthony R. Green

​The healing continues with the Kurapa Project - part of the Black Love month brought to you by Castle of our Skins. Healing can look like many things and can happen through a variety of methods. There is no right or wrong way to heal if what you do leads eventually to healing. And while this project has weekly prompts throughout the month of November, the ideas of Kurapa are not restricted to November 2020. It is highly encouraged to continually contemplate these prompts and these ideas in your everyday life, and take these philosophies with you long after this Black Love celebration. Kurapa is a gift for you forever.

image from kurapa.webflow.io

This past week's prompt was Fire - Moto. I personally approached Moto with the physical image of burning down something old in a safe, controlled manner, to create a fertile foundation upon which one can build something new. There are quite a number of such practices around the world, including demolition with explosives, forestry practices, farming techniques, and more. Philosophically, one can think about the three-word phrase of a popular song from the animated movie Frozen : let it go! How can we let things go? At times it involves abandoning and never looking back. Other times it includes active destruction - an involved, complicated process to rid the mind, body, and spirit of the very systems that have prevented growth and development. 

Moto evokes the concept of refining fire - a process popularly used to remove impurities from metals such as lead, tin, and copper. After the refining process by fire, the result is purity, glistening appearances, and maturity. This same idea is in the biblical parable of the wheat and the weeds, where it is suggested that the weeds and the wheat grow together to a point where the weeds can be separated and burned. Through the burning, our pain can be transformed into lessons and teachings. In contemplating our pain, be sure to protect yourself and gauge your level of engagement. This is not a time to suffer, but to heal. While there is pain in healing, we must always be mindful of ourselves and, as the prompt says, "be kind with ourselves."

The next week is the final week: Air - Mweya! 

by Anthony R. Green

This past week was week three of "The Kurapa Project", which is part of Castle of our Skins's Black Love project. This project is an online sequence of steps that we can take to begin a journey of healing. This process can be utilized by all, and it is inspired by African traditions. Have you began a healing journey already? Would you like to begin one? No matter where you are in your process, The Kurapa Project ​can be an important slice of your healing pie. 

image from kurapa.webflow.io

Last week's Kurapa prompt was Earth - Ivhu. Kurapa describes this stage loosely: "Earth - Cocoon stage. Intake, learning, absorption." In this stage, as our roots dig deeper, our inner healing starts to manifest itself in external ways. There is a focus on daily routine in this stage. Personally, this is the most difficult aspect of Ivhu for me. I do not have a daily routine that is practice-based. For example, I do not stretch or meditate or pray or write every day. If I were to claim anything as a daily routine, it would be my daily acknowledgement of my Blackness. However, Kurapa is encouraging me to take on a daily healing ritual, and affirming that this ritual can be non-intrusive, but loaded with meaning and power. 

This prompt, so far, is the most challenging for me. Which of the prompts is the most challenging for you?

Next week's prompt is: fire - moto! 

by Anthony R. Green

​Did you catch Black Love? Thus far, Black Love has been one of the most ambitious projects from Castle of our Skins, especially with respect to the musical/sound offerings. Black Love blends standard string quartets with a digital song cycle movement from Shirley Graham Du Bois Creative-in-Resident Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa, and a 25-minute sound healing journey from the young, incredibly talented South African composer Monthati Masebe. In typical fashion, Black Love incorporates spoken word, dance, and creative visuals, adjusted for the digital realm. It is a journey ... and today is the LAST DAY to see it! 

That said, for the rest of the month, the online healing space KURAPA is available, and ready for you to follow! 

image from kurapa.webflow.io

​This week past week, the theme was Water - Mvura. For last week, the focus was on changes - both big and small. The world right now is undergoing a major change, and contemplating Mvura places one in the mindset of weathering these big and small storms of global and personal change. While the current pandemic has been a heavy weight on humanity in so many ways, one must NOT ignore any other changes that have recently occurred, be it related to health, finances, interests, relationships, or other areas. Mvura reminds the soul that, like water, the phenomenon of change is liquid. Sometimes we can control change, but more often than not, we are not able to predict which waves crashing upon the shores of our life will be small and comforting or grand and damaging. Regardless, we must focus on acquiring and strengthening the tools to go with the flow, adopt, and survive with success. 

This week's theme is Earth - Ivhu. Contemplate, enjoy, heal! 

by Anthony R. Green

In a recent speech given by now President-Elect Joe Biden, the powerful verse from Ecclesiastes 3:3 was evoked to encourage the United States citizenry to come together. Given the various tragedies and injustices that have plagued the US and the world over the past 4 years, now more than ever is "a time to heal". This month, all month long, the BLACK LOVE project from Castle of our Skins is encouraging the healing process on multiple levels for ALL who are willing to engage. The multi-disciplinary events (through music) provide a foundation to intimate and reflect on various types of love: eros, phileo, agape, and everything in between. Through such reflection, healing can begin in a significant way. In addition, Castle of our Skins is supporting a transformational healing journey called KURAPA - elements of healing. Designed by Simba Mafundikwa and Amina Maya, Karupa is inspired by African traditions, yet adapts to the growing need for collective grieving in the United States. 

image from kurapa.webflo.io

The first week, Ether (Ruzha), focuses on thoughts and intentions. The two main questions in the prompt guide the participant to deeply consider what runs through our minds and what we do with these ideas. Our ideations are the foundations our actions. We do not act before we think. In that sense, true healing begins with assuring that our primary center - our thoughts and intentions - is functioning, as pure as possible, and healthy. What aspects in your life are you intentionally seeking to heal? What do you want to be intentional about in your healing journey?

This week begins the second process of Kurapa : Water (Mvura). I am looking forward engaging in the second step, and I encourage you all to delve deeply into this process!

by Anthony R. Green

Hello BIBA Fans! After a brief hiatus, BIBA is back to its regular Sunday schedule! Some wonderful projects have been happening within Castle of our Skins as well as outside of the organization, but related to family and friends. Some of this news includes grants from Mass Humanities (thank you!) and the Boston Foundation (thank you!), and the start of our month-long BLACK LOVE project! Friends and family have been participating in concerts, interviews and podcasts, educational projects, panels, and more! It has been a busy season, and it is not stopping anytime soon!

However, an incredibly important event is about to take place in the United States of America, and that is election day. November 3rd, 2020. 

first edition cover by Bascove (Instagram: @bascove; website: http://www.bascove.com)

In 1976, Alice Walker published a short, powerful novel about a fictional woman named Meridian HIll. Her journey is deeply associated with the Civil Rights Movement, and the novel, through its fictional plot and complicated characters, comments upon various aspects of the later timeline of this movement, when non-violence started to be replaced by militant actions. For contemporary audiences, Meridian may take on other meetings. The most incredible content for me were the scenes documenting Meridian's efforts to get people to vote. She would do her best to explain the power of the vote, the necessity to voice one's opinion about candidates, and to select someone who will fight for the equality and happiness of all citizens. These scenes had the most impact on me when I read this book, and I urge everyone to take some time to read this quiet masterpiece from the legendary Alice Walker. 

With that, vote! And remember - this election will have significant side effects, so be vigilant and stay safe on the 3rd and in the weeks afterwards. Need something to do while at home? Check out our Black Love project for weekly activities, as well as our weekend-long digital production from November 13th to the 15th!