Bio:

Bushmama Africa was born and raised in Oakland, California in 1970. At that time Oakland was a special place filled with Black Pride and Black Power. Her parents who were also artist were a source of visual and musical inspiration by keeping her surrounded in nature and well versed on the best music of that time. Her artistic ability surfaced in the 1980's with lots of pen drawings that she kept private until the early 2000's when she was encouraged by a friend to put her drawings to canvas. From that point on she has created many colorful pieces of work that she created and was quickly sold. It was then she realized that what she created people were drawn to. Her creative outlet involves jewelry making, doll, making, mixed media and collage. Her paintings were featured in a One Woman show Healer Woman at the Oakland Library Lakeside Branch. Her most recent exhibit was in the Modern Museum of the African Diaspora for one night at The Diaspora Dinner presented to the friends of MoAD this year. She was an exhibitor in The Black Woman is God show in 2015 at the African American Art Complex in San Francisco.  She has also exhibited at Somar Bar, New Parish, Omi Gallery, Somarts in SF and Sole Space in Oakland California. Her themes are African Spirituality, Afrofuturism and Self Love. Her current medium is mixed and collaged mermaids that focus on Black Lives Matter and Spiritual Power through female Water deities. She is a poet. Not a poet-poet who writes all the time and studies poetry. She is an emotional poet who writes usually when something powerful happens that causes extreme pleasure or extreme pain. Her poetry performances have been very warmly received.  She sings with Awon Ohun Omnira a choir who sings traditional Lucumi songs for Orisha and Egun as well as Ringshouts and Negro Spiritual that celebrate the vibrant history of African people in America.  She is a Priestess of Ifa and will be doing a series of community prayer circles to help the community deal with rage and anger cause by the systemic violence against black people in Oakland and beyond. Please add to her email list to be informed of exhibits, events and workshops coming up.

I'm on the radio twice a month going in on the New Moon or Full Moon energy. Sharing knowledge on how to get through, how to call in blessings, how to block and protect your self spiritually, 89.5FM K.P.O.O or www.kpoo.com to listen online, you can also find the station on iTunes under ibejilounge. Listen its good stuff. 

Here is a sample: http://chirb.it/G5cmCF

Performances: 

Beast Crawl 2013 :Black Futurist, Poet Performance
United We Stand : Awon Ohun Omnira Choir
Juneteenth: Awon Ohun Omnira Choir
The Roots of Freedom: Awon Ohun Omnira Choir
Journey of Souls: Poet Performance
London Calling: Storytelling Performance
A Love Supreme: Poet Performance  

New Poem:
give me poetry or give me death
cuz i need a wordsmith to unleaven my breath, speak words that make me resist, make me persist, that make insist on justice, defy and rebuke injustice, say words that ignite me, insight me, relight me. so that i speak up and speak out, act up and go fight, for my freedom. I need some words to give me some relief give me some peace, say the things i can't formulate with speech, that indoctrinate my soul for keeps. 
give me poetry or give me death
say the things I'm afraid to say and yet make me wanna holla, sit still or pop my collar cuz these words is hitting right, waking me out sleep on the darkest of night, making me get up and write, spit fire not spite, Waking the dead tonight, let them lead me on tonight, tell me the secrets of how to win this fight of evil. inspire angels in flight who is tired of being here, to stay here and be with us, be the light we can trust, carry the flame so we can stay sane.
give me poetry or give me death 
cuz i can't come up with words to ensure liberty yet, I'm still fighting demons of yesteryear. its sometimes 1786 over here, masa still masa and its clear he don't want no niggers to be free of fear, he don't want us rising up and being clear, he don't want us joining forces and meeting here, he don't want us to claim our power that always been here, he don't want our rage to turn to him, where it ought to be, where it should have been. String him up and end this here. Make a way for all our kin, stand and win, be kings and queens again.
give me poetry or give me death
because the poet speaks so we can hear, what lies beneath our facade of cheer, our pain is revealed, repealed, retrieved, our power revived, realized, regrandized, prophesized, politicalized, refocused, and revitalized for reprogramming purposes cuz our purpose is to raise our kids to be better men and women so that we can have a world that bless the down trodden and shut in the, the black man, the red man the mexican and everyone else at hand, redistribute wealth to hands who was never meant to ever have.
give me poetry or give me death. BMA (c) January 2017



"Dr. Goods when Dr. Suess ain't enough"
you wanna kill my sista/ so i can run around and cry
you wanna kill my brother/ so i can ask the lord why
you wanna kill my husband/ so i can give up and not try
you wanna kill my son / so i will lay down and die
but you keep on trying to kill us
you will try it with a needle/ you will try it with a pill
you will try it with a bible/ you will try it with a meal
you will try it with some gas/ you will try it with a gun
you will do whatever you can to make a nigga run
you will do whatever you can to create fear in a chosen one
you will do whatever you can to create fear in a chosen one
But I am still here
even in death
But he is still here
even in death
But she is still here
even in death
But we are still here
even in death
and while you weren't looking
we planted that seed
we planted that HNIC seed
we planted that anti genocide seed
we planted that crop every replenishing seed
and
that day has come when even your own kind won't glorify ya killin
that day has come when even your own won't support your stealin'
that day has come when even your own is sick of your racist feeling
and they will hold you accountable
the authorities will hold you accountable
your children will hold you accountable
your maker will hold you accountable
and it will be you that swing dead from trees
and it will be you that lay dead from pig who shot you in the street
and it will be you that sing hands up don't shoot
and it will be you who will run scared, running blood read
will get locked up and be found later dead, and your family will watch on screens as your rights are violated
watch on screens as you are beaten to death
watch on screens as you are shot to death
watch on screens as you are shot to death
watch on screens as you are shot to death, to death, to death
every day. 7/16/2016 BMA (c)

-Moaning-

Joy comes in the morning/joy comes God willing/joy comes to those who choose her/ forsaking all others just to see her glow/joy come with her lover/joy comes alone/joy comes..............................often BMA (c) 2011


-Love Supreme-

when we kiss stars blush/galactic fire storms melt meteorites into iron clad hearts that spell out  our names along the milky way/ solar plexus flexin' and chocolate beings become one/ Come to me my beloved/steal the scent of my roses for your desire/mark me in the small of my back with a tender peck/ hold my emotions in the safety of your amygdala/ you can trust me with the particulars of your loving heart/I will adore your/ dress you in magic/honor you in ritual. and you will tell me I'm beautiful/ and for once I will believe it/ for we have a love supreme.


-Conjure-

5:55 a.m. this morning/Oshuns moon shines in the blue of dawns sky/I beckon to your/take me as I am/ full and ripe for the picking/ take me as I am/ warm and reveling for you/ my kiss will be diamonds you'll wear on your lashes/ my love will be gold smeared on your torso/ take me as I am/ your goddess in sparkling armor/ strip me of my fears/ hold me at your heart/ entice me with your mind/ coerce me into submission/ pour honey where you want it/ take me as I am/ yours/in this sacred hour of love BMA (c) 2009


-King-

He will look upon me and call me his home
the very touch of my lips on his skin will send ripples and waves through his body and send magic straight to his dome
from this day forward he will never be alone
in his heart his love has grown, giving where he lives in and its sown
his Goddess Queen on her thrown making his wildest dreams and reality shown
He will look upon me and call me his home
I become his dinner and he will feast like a beast until every drop of nectar is gone, He can't leave me alone, he got my back arching and begging for his chrome. Star gazing in his eyes with my hands curled up in his fro. Im snuggled up under his beard with my breast pressed against his chest because he is my home BMA (c) 2017

 

                                    ...:::Blessings:::...