Slavery and the Jackson 5

In what many a deeming a very strange project one of the members of the Jackson 5 is throwing support behind developing a museum/historical site/resort dedicated to preserving the memory of those that died on the transatlantic slave trade and the memory and music of the Jackson 5. oh yeah, if it wasn't complicated enough also its in Nigeria. The bbc article paints a full picture of what this would mean and hints at the extreme disconnect between the capital gained from such a venture and the historical positionality of the commemorated people themselves as capital. This is strange but not nearly as shocking as the article suggests. The world has a long standing relationship with asking money for the knowledge of historical events (think museums, college) and all while expecting to be able to live luxuriously.




EDIT 11:18am I cant stop thinking about this. There is something that runs deeper than the comodification of the legacy of slavery for profit because that is something I have grappled with with so long. But its something about the cliche "where we've come" that for Marlon this is not only a profitable option but one that he likely truly believes will be aptly honoring people that need to be honored. How we should honor people is not as simply a question as it sometimes seems to me because so many of the ways that we currently use seem insufficient. I like the practice of saying names out loud but what if you don't know the names. What if you don't have access to the knowledge of where your history started and where your family originated? Do I then let go of the idea of honor all together or pick a group that I may or may not have "claim" to? These questions are difficult and worth delving into and I think, importantly, require different answers for everyone.