Gods and Massas

Kifi Damiri is an Egyptian-American whose fate brings her to Baltimore. The city is rich in arts and the civil rights movement. It becomes the inspiration for Kifi's passion for social change and justice.

Kifi's employment leads her through the maze of the criminal justice system. She is appalled by the gangland warfare that holds neighborhoods hostage, the illiteracy, poverty, police corruption, gangster politicians and the big business of correctional enterprises that has transformed the city into the nation's heroin capital.

As the city's politicians and clergymen turn a blind eye to the failing school system and lack of basic resources, the criminal underworld is infiltrating every level of government and society. The strongest root of her people's plight, Kifi unravels, is grounded in religion. But pastors and pimps are one and the same. Religion has been manipulated to distribute the wealth and power to one race, one class, one culture of people.

God became the mASSa's best defense against his self-hatred, giving the mASSa a false sense of worth. He hijacked the soul of the unsuspecting and put the fear of God in the minds of the conquered to yield to his rule. Only then could the mASSa become God.

About the Author

Author, visual artist and community advocate, Camouflage has had a life-long interest in the role that cultural diversity plays in human interaction and society's tolerance of its cultural differences. Her research of the effects of poverty and neglect on cultures of people and the correlation between that and the criminal justice system, has inspired her to facilitate social change and enlightenment.

This is the third of Camouflage's published works. The Wings of My Butterfly Beauty followed by Love Clipped My Wings, both anthologies of poetry, were her debut and sophomore literary offerings. Her blog, thebitchchronicles.com, is a forum that encourages a constructive release of frustration and support for those subjected to a hostile work environment and unfair workplace practices.

Camouflage's creative arts company, is one of several endeavors that include developing a mentoring program for youth at risk and becoming a licensed social worker. She is married with one daughter.