John Singleton Quotes

'Griot' is a French word which means, you know, really, literally, 'cry.' You know, like the town crier. You know, they come in and say, you know, 'It's nine o'clock; everything is cool.' You know, 'President Bush is a fool.' I mean, stuff like that just to tell you. But for the kind of, the African thing is called djali.

I would love to do a film in Africa.

I haven't traveled in Africa nearly as much as I'd like to. I've been there a few times, and I'd like to learn more about the various cultures in Africa. But that's the basis point of where all of the music that I love is based upon, from Africa to Cuba to Puerto Rico to South America.

In 'Bayou Magic,' I bring in the cultural tradition of African mermaids - Mami Wata, the mother goddesses.

There are storytelling traditions that come from Africa that are unique from anywhere else.

You'll find in Africans a fantastic amount of heavy space opera and so on, going on ... which makes the colored African very, very interesting to process because he doesn't know why he goes through all these dances ... and why he feels so barbarous.

If you want to know about Africa, read our literature - and not just 'Things Fall Apart,' because that would be like saying, 'I've read 'Gone with the Wind' and so I know everything about America.'

I am an African and I am very proud of that.

It's important to debunk the myths of Africa being this benighted continent civilized only when white people arrived. In fact, Africans had been creators of culture for thousands of years before. These were very intelligent, subtle and sophisticated people, with organized societies and great art.

It's obvious that the rest of the world loves high African culture - African culture, period.

Shakespeare is in many ways an African writer and 'Hamlet' would be seen as a very accurate historical saga about an African kingdom.

The University of Timbuktu never existed. The only thing that existed in Timbuktu was a small mud hut.

Let's face it - think of Africa, and the first images that come to mind are of war, poverty, famine and flies. How many of us really know anything at all about the truly great ancient African civilizations, which in their day, were just as splendid and glorious as any on the face of the earth?

I read a lot of biographies and books with an African background.

I love Africa in general South Africa and West Africa, they are both great countries.

Hanging of the Emperor to them [the Japanese] would be comparable to the crucifixion of Christ to us.

Long before they had an Adam and Eve there was an Africa and African people, with concepts that predated Abraham. All of the pyramids of Africa, not only those in Egypt, but those in Sudan, and the two in northern Ethiopia … were built thousands of years before there was an Adam and Eve mentioned anywhere on the planet

... the Negro in Africa had reared mighty empires, and astonishingly advanced achievements are linked with his race in the annals of mankind.

I wish I could spend more time in Africa. I have this intense sense of complete relaxation and normality here.

I've always wanted to see what it would be like to live in feudal Japan; I think that would be interesting.

It is African scholars themselves who will create the ultimate Encyclopaedia Africana.

My name, Solange, means 'Angel of the sun,' and I'm completely enamored of my African history. The culture is so expressive.

People hear 'Africa' and they think about charitable commercials, or safari tours and animals. It's our responsibility to help change that perspective.

My children have to know where they come from and the way of life in Africa.

I was taught about slavery, but it was the ancient Egyptians. That's the closest I got to African history.