Radio Four - Malcom X in profile

BBC RADIO 4 chooses as their book of the week a biography of Malcolm X:. Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, profiles a political and social 20th century figure and Black liberation icon who courts controversy and worship in equal measure, and has been written by the late Dr. Manning Marable.

After years of research Dr Marble who taught African-American Studies at Columbia University managed to finish the book before his untimely death, and it has been widely praised by literary and culture reviews in the UK and foreign press.

However, while there has been overwhelmingly positive reviews for the book there has also been some criticism in Black communities for Marable’s continuing unsubstantiated rumors of X’s sexuality.

Malcolm X was born by the name Malcolm Little, in the mid Western State of Nebraska in 1925 and took in a life of petty crime before being transformed by politics and faith first in the Nation of Islam, and then as Sunni Islam. During this time he made a pilgrimage to Mecca and changed his name again to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. Malcolm

Although El-Shabazz had been a major figure from his time in the Nation of Islam, there was a renaissance in his standing and a spike of interest in his works during the early 1990’s because of the Spike Lee’s film X ,in which Denzel Washington played the lead role and was nominated for a an Oscar; and also because of the prevailing images and lyrics of Black Power, identity politics and self determination in early Hip Hop espoused by the likes of Public Enemy’s Chuck D, rap supergroup Stetsasonic and Boogie Down Productions’ KRS1

El-Shabazz was assassinated in February 1964 before he reached the age of 40. No one was convicted of his murder. He carried to his grave the multi faceted and transformative image that he represented. Subsequently, today for good or bad, there are schools & community centre’s, boulevards & roads, mugs & t shirts, and graffiti in the south Bronx and Brixton to Soweto and Nairobi emblazoned with the iconography and name of Malcolm X.

It is this enigmatic individual and his extraordinary journey that the book and Radio Four programme explores.

The book is available Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention is available here.
Hardcover: 608 pages Publisher: Allen Lane

The programme is broadcast on MONDAY 6th June on BBC RADIO 4 at 9.45-10.00am

Ashok Viswanathan