Saul Williams Coltan As Cotton Video
When Saul Williams finally unveils his Martyr Loser King project, the world may never be the same. To add to the anticipation, Williams has just released a video of him performing a new poem, one inspired by central Africa and entitled "Coltan as Cotton."
Our colleagues at Okayafrica note that Martyr Loser King is based on a fictionalized hacker from Burundi who finds a way to explode the powder keg of oppression in today's world, and is fueled by Williams's deep thespian talents, keen poetic wit and status quo-crushing politics.
In an interview with FACT Magainze, Williams clarified the poem's intent and subject matter, noting that “coltan is a precious stone that is found in Central Africa, China and Russia, roughly the same places you find diamonds. It is what distributes power in our cell phones and laptops." He continued, stressing just how important the stone is to As you can imagine, the stories around those coltan mines have a direct lineage to the stories of rubber, sugar cane, iron, oil, gold, diamonds. We know how those companies become rich: by exploiting natural resources, usually in the third world, and how the power breaks down. This is a stone that distributes power, like the distribution of wealth. I’m holding it in my hand as I talk to you on my iPhone — we all have it… the question is, how do we break the cycle?… The poem is simply things to ponder, things to question, things we need to be thinking about as we step through life.” Watch the video below, check out Williams's recent clip for the song "Burundi," and stay tuned for more news on what's to come of Martyr Loser King.
Saul Williams Coltan As Cotton Video
