'Zakhm' has no political agenda. But, it certainly says things as they are.
O man, of whatever country you are, and whatever your opinions may be, behold your history, such as I have thought to read it, not in books written by your fellow creatures, who are liars, but in nature, which never lies
We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world, void of national bias, race, hate, and religious prejudice. There should be no indulgence in undue eulogy of the Negro. The case of the Negro is well taken care of when it is shown how he has far influenced the development of civilization.
I don't like to read novels where the novelist tells me what to think about the situation and the characters. I prefer to discover for myself.
When public figures write memoirs, there is always some indecision regarding how much they want to write of things as they were and how much they want to cut corners to avoid riling up others. I decided to write my memoirs exactly as they were, and I will not digress - not when things are ill at ease and not when they are comfortable.
I don't think it's the writer's job to give answers or to give opinions. In fact, when a writer has answers, I think the work ends up being corrupted. It becomes didactic. What a book does is share a consciousness and invite people to explore the questions as best as you can.
I just feel that I don't agree with sensationalized versions of history or me. Any version that's sensationalized.
I have actually been very fortunate to be able to make films on my own credit card without having huge funders behind me dictating how the story should be told.
A man without a bias cannot write interesting history - if indeed such a man exists.
I want to write without shame or pride or over-compensation in one direction or another. To write freely.
The truth, the real history, is way more interesting and representative of what America actually is.
We don't typically use music. We don't manipulate our audience into what we think it should feel. We tell the truth. That's 'Southland' Style'... and I love it!
