Spike Lee is easily one of my favourite filmmakers, and undoubtedly one of America’s most iconic storytellers. I haven’t seen ‘Black Klansman’ yet but think that he deserves all the praise and accolades in the world for some of his classic joints including ‘Summer of Sam’, ‘Jungle Fever’ and ‘Malcolm X’.
I first caught onto She’s Gotta Have It last year on Netflix and thoroughly enjoyed every episode. I Later discovered that it is actually based on a full-length movie by the same name which was directed by Spike Lee, and just so happens to be his directorial debut. I honestly didn’t enjoy the movie as much as I do the show but for the record, it is a critically acclaimed movie so don’t sleep on it.
I finished season 2 about 2 weeks ago over 2 consecutive days and thought that it was a great progression from the first season. What I particularly enjoyed as always was the narrative construction of cultural issues, and themes such as racism and identity. Season 2 does a phenomenal job at exploring the plight of black Americans who are trying to figure out their place in society in light of the recent racial tensions in America surrounding the increase in police brutality of black youth, and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Although American society has progressed with praiseworthy strides since their declaration of the emancipation proclamation, the wounds of the civil rights era have not fully healed, and many black people still feel excluded in society.
Growing up I was obsessed with American culture and addicted to Hip Hop music and Hollywood movies because it just seemed like black people had it so much better in the States than they do in Africa but I now realize that this just isn’t the case. We all have it rough everywhere. I spent my formative years between early post-apartheid South Africa and Lesotho in the early 90s and witnessed racism from a very young age. I had plenty of great white friends and never experienced any form of blatant racial discrimination, but its presence in society was very much visible elsewhere across the country. Now at 31 years old, I am more proud than ever to be a Mosotho because I know my heritage and my roots - a privilege that most black Americans will never get to enjoy. I am now starting to appreciate my Africaness more than ever and sympathise with black Americans who don’t know their roots or their mother tongue. It’s become glaringly clear why movies like Black Panther, and events like Afropunk or hashtags like #blackexcellence are such a hit among young black Americans - they provide a sense of belonging and a shared identity. Of course, Africa isn't perfect and still has a long way to go in establishing its excellence in the modern world but a sense of not belonging is the least of its people's problems. I'm also happy to have seen the Mocada Museum featured in this second season - I published a story about them a few years ago in the second issue of MOT Mag so it makes me really proud to see how ahead of the culture we were now that it is being featured in a Spike Lee joint.
One of the highlight episodes in this latest season is episode 6 - "#WhenYourChickensComeHometoRoost". The end of the episode creatively raises awareness of the recent natural disaster in Puerto Rico when it was hit by Hurricane Maria in 2017. The Maria Fund, a fund dedicated to restoring livelihood and bringing relief to Puerto Rico makes a small cameo at the end of the episode to show support for victims affected by the aftermath of the hurricane. This brief cameo is then followed by an amazing performance by Mars Blackmon titled ‘Cry Today, Smile Tomorrow’. The song isn’t just a random pick that made its way into the plot to accentuate Mars’ newfound singing talent, but was actually written by Anthony Ramos in collaboration with a friend, Stephanie Klemons. Klemons is the founder of Katie’s Art project - an organization that “connects children facing life-threatening illnesses with emerging and established artists through collaborative programs to create a lasting legacy through art.”
Besides being an extraordinary director, Spike Lee is also into advertising and owns an agency in partnership with DDB New York. The TV commercials he produced for the Air Jordan brand in the 80s were influential in establishing phenomena like sneaker culture, and the use of branded entertainment as a type of marketing. His film and production company 40 acres and a mule has a joint venture partnership with DDB called SPIKE DDB which has produced some amazing work for brands such as Pepsi, Jaguar, and campaigns for Bernie Sanders.
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About M³C:
M³C (Making Media Move Culture ©) is a digital communications media lab, and a formula for improving the future with stories, and tools rooted in social change and sense making. Founded by Thomas Mofolo in 2016, the lab specialises in project managing digital outreach & advocacy campaigns, Communication for Development (C4D), civic journalism, reparative media, and social innovation.
The lab operates remotely on a fixed-term consultancy basis in collaboration with a network of independent consultants, non-profits, civil society organisations, social movements, activists, and freelance creative talent. Additionally, the lab also doubles as a think tank that produces research related to critical social media pedagogy, and futures literacy for civic transformation.
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