This White Madhouse
23/11/12 12:13
Written by Stephen Vittoria
(Los Angeles)
From “No Compromise in Copenhagen” to “No Compromise in NYC.”
The same questions keep cropping up about my execution of the film’s narrative: why so radical? Why not offer a narrative that won’t alienate folks who aren’t ready to embrace such a harsh look at the myth and reality of American history? – and how that history targets revolutionaries for love like Mumia Abu-Jamal. One very respectful gentleman asked that question during the Q&A at New York’s great documentary festival, DOC NYC. I answered immediately: “Not for a nanosecond did I consider compromising on telling Mumia’s story as we journey through the very real and very cruel killing fields of the American Empire.” My answer brought to mind this passage from Mumia’s writings that I couldn’t immediately recall for the audience that cold November evening in The Big Apple: "Love is the Force that keeps this Universe—the Omniverse—all that is—in existence. It keeps life alive. It holds atoms in place. It keeps the earth from spinning off into the sun. How could Africans have survived for four centuries in this prisonhouse, this white madhouse, if not for Love?"
Mumia called me on Thanksgiving and we spoke for awhile – spoke about our ongoing work on our book in progress, about the craziness of “celebrating” Thanksgiving (read: genocide and slaughter), and then we addressed this ongoing question of compromise and Mumia remembered a simple but epic quote from John Africa (the founder of MOVE) who said, “Never compromise. To compromise is to admit defeat.” And when Mumia remembered these words, I realized again why Mumia can’t be beat, why he has transcended prison, why – like Lucinda Williams says – we say “thank you to the prisoner who taught us how to be free.” He refuses to compromise… because once you’ve seen the light, you can’t go back – and the freedom associated with knowing the truth can also prove to be a very heavy cross to bear.
