A Drop of Midnight by Jason Diakité: book review

A Drop of Midnight (2020) is the autobiography of Swedish hip-hop artist Jason “Timbuktu” Diakité, and specifically about his inter-racial family history.

He was born and raised in Lund, Sweden, the son of black father Madubulo Diakité and white mother Elaine Bosak. His sister Anja was born six years later to Elaine and a white father: this is the start of Jason’s ‘drawn-out identity crisis.’

He writes that he has a complex system of roots, that makes him the ‘intersection of Slovakia, Germany, France, Africa, South Carolina. Of white, black, and Cherokee.’

He traces his family roots from America to Europe to learn about his heritage, to help him define himself, and to answer questions about his identity. He begins with his grandfather Silas, born in 1907 in South Carolina, America, but he goes back further—to Africa.

To learn about the past, Diakité talks to his parents, researches letters and family documents, and takes a journey to South Carolina and New York, where his mother and father first met.

At the same time, he talks about his love of music and his rise in the hip-hop sphere. His ambition.

He also mentions the adoption of his moniker “Timbuktu” and the meaning behind the title of his memoir: a drop of midnight.

This is more than a personal voyage of discovery. It is an historical account of the how family and society create influences for trauma, discrimination, confidence, doubt, and confusion, but also determination, strength, and aspirations. Equally, it questions normality in a complex world.

This memoir is insightful, honest, thought-provoking, well-expressed, and interesting.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

MARTINA NICOLLS

Website

Publications

Facebook

SUBSCRIBE TO MARTINA NICOLLS FOR NEWS AND UPDATES

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog