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  ANTONIO DAVID LYONS

thoughts

YOUNG ONES

10/21/2016

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This post is dedicated to all those on the front lines of the #FEESMUSTFALL protest in South Africa. In particular in memory of Benjamin Phehla, a student at TUT (former chairperson of the Faculty Student Council of the information and communications technology department). He was killed today as a car crashed into a group of protestors.
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I see you young ones...


Transforming the sacred halls of knowledge.
I see you plotting, sharing and coding under jacarandas, in student accommodations, on street corners and on social media.
All amidst the crushing weight of debt. Sandwiched between walls of bodies unable to sit at the table and the noise of corruption.
You carrying the communities hope.


Set aside your burden for a moment. You have set your eye on a more pressing mission.


You've exchanged the weapons of the "learned" for the tools of the liberator
You are the blended fruit suckled on songs of liberation. Draw upon the struggle in your blood and the bodies at your feet. Biko, Ngugi and Nkrumah have planted their seeds well.

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Electronic glows illuminate faces, eyes focused, spirit enraged, your very being determined. As you watch and stream and text your woes and comrades into rushing streams of action.
They never knew what hit them.


Those ones that heralded the first breath of freedom and then let it rot under hazardous care.
They slept as you toppled statues
They bried and feted as you burnt paintings, the first offering.
They snickered thinking that you were focused on the past while ignoring the present. That you were consumed by shiny things and the Kardashians. They thought you were just sipping lattes at Vida end eyeing Krispy Kreme.
Even now they stew in their own juices not realizing you are in it for the long game.
Flames are rising and the fuel of indifference sparks an inferno.


13 bullets sealed your fate! Don't act like you don't know what happens when you strike a rock. She won't crumble. She will rise and build again. That's a promise!
They saw what you did to khwezi and vowed not to be raped and silenced anymore.
After first blood was drawn and rubber bullets dented flesh and tear gas left stinging eyes and seared lungs...fear fled.
Who cages their young when they cry out in pain?
And now a life is lost. A warrior dead! No, a boy easing into manhood. Can you count his potential offspring cut short by your nonchalance? The ancestors can and they seethe for vengeance.

Students seeking a future, access, opportunity and unfulfilled promises.
These are no warriors. This is no war. These streets are not battlefields
This is no foreign land
You are no occupying force
You are not protecting us from harm!


My tears sit beside my rage. Comforted only by hope well placed in these young ones. Standing in the middle of the road. Does it look familiar. Once upon a time you were they.
These young ones pushing a tide of change.


I who stand on the sidelines am placing one foot in the road and then another. I stand side by side, in front and behind, because you are my hope and I will protect it all cost.
Without hope all is lost. Whether it's in the streets of South Africa or flowing from the lips of Michelle Obama.
Hope is the recognition of what is important right now

It is the promise of what is to come.
Yes young ones I see you.




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A New Twist in the Road

10/18/2016

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Transition as a way of life...

It seems that I'm constantly shifting locations and traversing all the life stuff that comes up along the way, but every few years there seems to be a seismic shift that fuels a spiritual hunger to expand myself through a huge leap of faith.

For the past few years I've been situated between New York and Johannesburg, South Africa. These years have seen me complete an MA in Applied Theatre at the City University of New York (CUNY), re-energize my acting career in the US with roles in The Book of Negroes, Peron of Interest and The Unseen. I've had the opportunity to satiate my Artivist self by consulting/facilitating with the Creative Arts Team, Theatre of the Oppressed NYC and The Leadership Program. I've also been busy growing my own initiative We Are Here, which I'm proud to announce has been selected in partnership with
 SisterLove Inc. as a DREAMS Innovation Challenge Winner! The announcement was recently made this summer at the International AIDS Conference in Durban,South Africa. Our collective solution was selected from more than 800 ideas to infuse new thinking and high-impact approaches to empower adolescent girls and young women in 10 sub-Saharan African countries to live HIV-free. This exciting new chapter for We Are Here would not be possible without the hard work and vision of my producing partner, Refilwe Nkomo.

I'm currently being compelled to leave New York and head west to Los Angeles, California aka "Seismic Shift". It is a move that leaves me trembling and giddy with anticipation. I'm eager to reconnect with old friends, curious to see who I've become in my time away, excited to bring new life experiences and artistic growth to a medium I love so much. IT'S MY TIME TO SHINE...MORE!

Before I get to LA, I still have a few loose ends to wrap up. On Saturday, October 22nd, Ill be performing We Are Here at BAAD in the Bronx. Afterwards I head to South Africa to support screenings of my film The Unseen at the Joburg Film Festival (October 28th and 31st). This unassuming powerhouse of a film was written and directed by Perivi Katjavivi (Namibia). The film had it premier at this years Pan African Film Festival  in Los Angeles and has been traveling the globe ever since. I gotta say, I'm immensely proud of this film! It also marks my foray into film producing:)

This winding path called life has allowed me to touch souls with some extraordinary beings. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey, because I'm so very grateful that you are a part of mine.

Catch you on the road and in the wind!

Warmest  Regards,

Antonio David Lyons

Unfolding more like a conversation than a narrative, The Unseen follows the story of three wandering souls as they navigate the emotional and physical realities of post-colonial Namibia. First there is Marcus, an African American actor tasked with portraying one of Namibia s historical leaders. Seeking authenticity in his craft, he embarks on an earnest research mission to unveil the true history of his character. Then there is Anu, a talented local musician who is having trouble negotiating between his influences and identity. Lastly, there is Sara, a depressed young woman uncertain of whether or not her environment provides anything worth living for.
Buy Tickest

The Unseen (Namibia) 

Director: Perivi Katjavivi 

Starring: Antonio David Lyons, Senga Brockerhoff, Mathew Ishitile 

Festivals/Screenings
Pan African Film Festival, Los Angeles (World Premiere) | African Perspectives, Oshakati, Namibia (African Premiere) | Luxor African Film Festival, Egypt | Pan African Film Festival, Cannes, France | Durban International Film Festival, South Africa (Official Competition) | African Perspectives, Alte Feste Colonial Fort, Windhoek, Namibia | Busan International Film Festival, South Korea (October) | Cambridge African Film Festival (Opening film) (October) | Joburg Film Festival, South Africa (November)

Copyright © | 2016 | Antonio David Lyons |, All rights reserved.
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