Press

AV issue - January 25-31 2003 | AV issue - January 18-24 2003
THE SEX IMPERATIVE. . . Unveiling the Peculiarity of Modern Behavior
By Dolores Bundy Today our society and culture experiences a barrage of irresponsibly sexual and myopic imagery. Through all forms of media, which plays a major role in this tapestry, it has now become imperative for us as a society to address the implications and consequences of such imagery.

Sociologist, Professor Mwalimu Baruti authored a serious-minded book entitled The Sex Imperative (Morris Printing, $16.00) that addresses today's sexual revolution-what's on everybody's radar screen. In this self-published book, Baruti dissects and explains the history, nature and peculiarity of modern sexual behavior, and the culture that drives it.

"We are very spiritual people by nature," says Baruti. "I believe that if you take away the spirit of a people, de-base it, and integrate it into a sub-culture, it becomes a desperate call for help. And in looking for satisfaction in other ways the culture will manifests in extremes- not based in African culture norms but at the core of European culture."

Baruti takes this multifaceted subject of today's sexual improprieties in our culture and makes it transparent by detailing its natural progression, history and confinement in the Caucasian culture. He takes a hard look at sexuality, and challenges the reader to re-define sex and create a holistic sex-one that reflects a culture consistent with African value system, not European culture norms.

"Sex is a culture's non-verbal communication," he says. "It is unique to a people's culture and should be cultivated as such. We need to take control of what's happening in our culture and with our youth!"

Dr. Llaila Afrika, who writes the introduction to The Sex Imperative, believes that Caucasians have colonized the African concept of sex and sexuality in an attempt to universalize and globalize sex, via movies and psychology, and programming it into our culture.

"The Sex Imperative is a wake-up call for us to either acculturate our African sexuality or lose it to the Caucasians!" The Sex Imperative will unveil the extremely strong relationship between sex and violence, misogynistic language and a sex-obsessed media that is contributing to a "subculture" of our youth of which parents may not be aware. It uncovers a world of music that is largely circulated on the street of pornographic videos, prostitution in the malls and halls of their schools, perversion introduced through various media and enforced by a code of cool.

This is not a function of our children's fault, laments Baruti. It is grounded in a socialized, amoral society buried in extreme individualism. "It is imperative to reverse this extreme," he says.

"We cannot allows ourselves to think that being a real part of our children's lives, as an interference with their personal freedom. If we do not interfere, we allow something else to become that interference. "We have been very integration oriented in this society," he adds. "But equals don't try to integrate with each other. You tend to have a state of cultural pluralism or mutual respect. I may adopt some of the things that you do, or you may adopt some of the things that I do. But I don't try to become you. When you try to integrate or assimilate into somebody's culture then you don't question anything that they do, you try to become that.

So the things that we have seen them do is not difficult for us to copy given the right social conditions, like the music, like disrespect, children having the kind of decision-making control in their lives that allows them to believe they can think and act like adults. This enables them to begin to ape what would be considered odd to us more easily."

As a positive first step toward acculturation of our youth, Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti (aka Larry D. Crawford) and his wife Yaa Mawusi Baruti (aka Linda L. Lloyd-Crawford) founded an independent African-centered, full-time tutorial home schooling program. The Ankoben Institute is designed for middle through high school students.

"We started our home school four years ago when our daughter had gotten to the eight grade going to the ninth grade and there was no place we wanted her to go. I lucked up on a doctoral fellowship, which allowed us to be at home and teach her. Suddenly her classmates' mothers started to call. We now teach students from fourth through twelfth grades."

Baruti has written numerous articles analyzing traditional European society, African culture and manhood, Black Economics and other topics as they relate to the African community globally. He has been published and/or featured in Frontline, XXL and EM (Ebony Man) magazines, the Atlanta Daily World, the Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences and on the National Black United Front and African World Net website. Additionally, he is the author of three previously written self-published books, Excuses, Excuses: The Politics of Interracial Coupling in European Culture, negroes and other essays, Chess Primer: An Introduction to the Game of Chess. He is currently working on the publication of two books entitled Homosexuality and the Effeminization of the Afrikan Male (2003) and Asafo: Afrikan Warriorhood (2004), and writing another collection of essays.

Author's ProfileThe 47-year-old, professor from Washington D.C., has served as Assistant Professor of Sociology at Morehouse College from 1991 to 2000. He received his graduate training at the University of Chicago and has also taught at Chicago State University. He is recognized for his dedication to students and community alike, serving as the faculty advisor to numerous student organizations at Morehouse College as well as other institutions in the Atlanta University Center. He has been keynote speaker, guest lecturer and moderator for numerous academic programs and activities. His presence in the community has been felt from the boards of organizations such as the YMCA to WRFG, WAOK and WCLK radio appearances. He has been teaching chess at independent and public schools and community centers for more than a decade. Daughter Adwoa Foluke, is a featured commentator in Black Girl magazine. The Sex Imperative can be purchased at most popular bookstores. Professor Baruti has several upcoming book signings, including the Medu Book Store at Greenbrier Mall, Feb. 22, 2003, 4:30 to 6:30. For more information log onto www.kisobooks.com or contact the author by e-mail at mwalimubaruti@yahoo.com.