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February 2014 Issue 22
Muraldo D.C
They Gave the
Crowd Plenty Fun
GM mosquitoes to
fight malaria
Stuart Hall – the
Godfather of
Multiculturism
2
Whenever I tell people of Culturepulse
magazine I am often asked, “What’s the
website?” For those who prefer to trawl
through the web then the web address is
www.issuu.com/culturepulse when you
can view all of our publications on the
issue platform.
We are currently working on getting all the
back issues of the magazine on the ISSUU
website so please bear with us while we
work on getting this done.
Culturepulse is a digital magazine that you
don’t have to search for, it comes directly
to you through our mailing list and
available through LinkedIn and Facebook.
Our readers and contributors come from all
walks of the Diaspora and not just the
Caribbean. Contributors from Malawi, St
Martin, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, UK
and the US are all making Culturepulse the
success that it is.
We thank you all for your continued
support and being part of the distribution
process by which the magazine has grown.
Our success cannot be measured without
you.
David Kalloo
The new Yaa Asantewaa – p3
Muraldo D.C – p4
They Gave the Crowd Plenty Fun – p5
GM mosquitoes to fight malaria – p6
11 million homes in Europe – p7
UK economy enjoys growth – p9
30 foot Hosay on display – p12
African Diaspora – p14
Stuart Hall – p15
Neil Latchman launches new CD – p19
Guyana Red Cross gets Japanese money –
p19
Cover photo courtesy
Muraldo DC
3
The multi-million pound newly
refurbished Yaa Asantewaa Arts in Maida
Vale has launched a series of new and
exciting programmes of artistic classes and
regular events, with weekly classes in
fitness, after school clubs. There are
classes especially for persons with special
needs, youths and elders alongside a
Saturday school for all ages, evening
classes in dance, fitness, drama, carnival
crafts and creative writing at The Yaa
Centre (formerly known as the Yaa
Asantewaa Arts and Community Centre).
As part of its monthly programme Yaa
Asantewaa Arts holds 'Crick Crack
Saturday' (the last Saturday of every
month except August) featuring
performances by a range of artists from a
variety of fields i.e. dance, actors, poets,
singers and more, along with resident
performing arts company Muraldo D.C.
In July 2013, the evening featured a
presentation of the Josephine Baker Story
devised and performed by Jreena Green
(member of The Jiving Lindy hoppers and
former dancer of The Lion King). The
evening was described as 'absolutely
brilliant,' by Leni Lawal, a newcomer to
the centre.
Yaa Asantewaa Arts have plans to hold
monthly social events that are family
oriented, creating an atmosphere where the
entire family can come to enjoy the rich
diverse music and dance cultures of the
Caribbean. Monthly events will feature
forums, especially for writers and dancers
to discuss and support each other and their
networks.
The new programme also includes a three
month Black History season starting in
September with a wide range of
exhibitions, talks, films, book launches
and performances. The centre has many
more activities and events planned for the
coming year and well into the future.
For further information and a programme
of events taking place at the Yaa
Asantewaa Arts please visit their website
at: www.yaaasantewaa.com
Or contact Caroline on 07586 757706 or
email:[email protected]
The new
Yaa Asantewaa Arts
The newly refurbished Yaa Asantewa Arts
The Muraldo DC at the Yaa
4
Muraldo D.C. is a Christian dance
company, which mainly utilises traditional
African and Caribbean dance forms. The
company is committed to portraying
everyday life from a Christian perspective,
along with taking every opportunity to
promote the awareness and appreciation of
black culture, with a particular emphasis
on traditional Caribbean dance.
The Artistic Director, Caroline Muraldo,
who was born on the UK to Caribbean
parentage holds two degrees in dance
studies and has currently begun work
towards her PhD. As a performer, Caroline
began learning and performing versions of
Quadrille with the renowned dance
practitioner H Pattern and with Desmond
Clarke who runs a Community Quadrille
group at the Albany Centre, Lewisham.
Caroline has also undertaken research, as
part of her degrees, into the history and
characteristics of this unique dance
tradition and is continuing to do so at PhD
level. Caroline has performed with many
of the leading black dance practitioners in
this country.
There are three core members of the
company who also hold degrees and
qualifications within the Performing Arts.
The company made its debut performance
at the Black International Women’s day
held at the Brixton Academy, London in
March ‘97, with a dance piece specially
choreographed for the occasion. The piece
‘Aspects of Woman’ was described as
‘Brilliant!’ by the event co-ordinator Tony
Fairweather.
Muraldo DC has developed work for three
main areas, performance in venues such as
theatres, performance spaces, festivals etc,
educational work and Church ministry.
Muraldo DC offers educational
establishments the opportunity to utilise
their professional skills as qualified
teachers to imaginatively apply dance as
an effective tool of learning. The company
recognises the full potential of dance as a
means of not only developing personal
skills but as means of exploring a wide
range of subjects, a potential often not
realised.
For Primary schools MDC teach basic
‘Africanistic’ style movement combined
with storytelling, dance games and songs
especially at key stage 1 and below.
The company also offers: - After school
clubs - One off workshops - Whole &
half day classes - Fix term & long-term
classes Residencies - School
performances Choreographic work for
special performances -Teacher’s inset
training -Annual courses in the
Caribbean.→
The Muraldo Dance Company
5
The company creates work especially for
the Christian Church, itself a non-
denominational organisation, ministering
within all Christian denominations. We
offer classes in this area of dance as above
For further details contact:
Muraldo D.C
48A Navarino Road
Hackney London E8 1AD
Tel: 0207 241 1753
Email: [email protected]
Website: muraldodc.com
They Gave
The Crowd
Plenty
Fun is a
lucid study
of the impact of
West Indian cricket on those of
Caribbean birth and descent in Britain. It
traces the history of the relationship
between cricket and the Caribbean
diaspora from the start of Caribbean mass
immigration to Britain in the 1950s. Colin,
with traces of humour, also reflects on his
life as a second generation West Indian
boy in 1970s/80s Britain.
“Colin has brought out, with tremendous
power and depth, how important the
achievements of West Indian cricket were to
the self-respect and sense of identity of West
Indian people in Britain.”
Clem Seecharan, Emeritus Professor of
Caribbean History, London Metropolitan
University.
They Gave The Crowd Plenty Fun: West
Indian Cricket and its Relationship with the
British-Resident Caribbean Diaspora by
Colin Babb
£8.99. ISBN: 978-1-906190-55-2. Published
by Hansib Publications
Email: [email protected] Website:
http://www.hansibpublications.com
Telephone: 01920 830283
Muraldo D.C
A book worth reading
6
In a move to help eradicate the
Anopheles mosquitoes that spread diseases
such as dengue and malaria, Oxitec, a UK
biotech company began releasing 240,000
genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes a
week in the Nuevo Chorillo region of
Panama.
The idea behind Oxitec’s project is release
the genetically modified male mosquitoes
that will breed with the female Anopheles
mosquitoes that spread malaria and
dengue. The offspring from the
GM mosquitoes and the Anopheles
will die, thus decreasing the
population which the hope will
reduce the spread of the disease.
Oxitec have already released more
than 3 million GM males in the
Cayman Islands to test the project
back in 2010. Reports are, the
“mosquito population decreased by
as much 80% within a 3 month” period in
the region. However, Oxitec came under
heavy criticism as the Cayman Islands
have lax bio-safety laws and it is alleged
that the company failed to properly inform
the residents of the Islands regarding the
release of the GM mosquitoes.
A spokesperson for Oxitec said the
company it did inform the public however,
“It is true that the spotlight public
information video did not explicitly state
that the trial mosquitoes were genetically
modified. The company stated that while
this was an unintentional omission, “there
was never any attempt to hide the fact”
that the mosquitoes were GM.
GeneWatch, a group wary of GM
technology has shown concerns about the
release of GM mosquitoes in Panama
citing “potentially negative impacts it
Could have on the environment.” Through
the Freedom of Information Act
GeneWatch discovered that Oxitec did not
submit any risk-assessment with its
application to the UK government on its
move to Panama. Oxitec, in their defence
claim that “Panama regulators produce
their own risk-assessment and the
regulators approved the release.” Oxitec
over the last decade has conducted lab-
based and field
tests to ensure
the safety of its
product.
Oxitec said that
“inevitably some
GM female are
released by
accident” these
GM mosquitoes
are not designed
to breed in
outdoor conditions. However, the
presence of tetracycline an antibiotic used
in agriculture allows them to produce off
springs that can survive. GeneWatch are
concerned with these worrying effects
regarding GM products where, the new
strain breeds and spread out of control and
perhaps have a negative impact on the
ecosystem. Haydn Parry the CEO of
Oxtiec stressed that the “company would
not introduce the mosquito in an
environment where the antibiotic
tetracycline is present.”
Oxitec is currently developing a malaria
resistant mosquito with the hope of
replacing the wild mosquito population
that carries the disease.
David Kalloo
Source: Epoch Times
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to fight Malaria
7
Whether it is coincidence or not, it
seems that Culturepulse is a trendsetter.
No sooner had I published an article about
female genital mutilation, the Evening
Standard and Daily Mail (UK) carried
articles on the subject. Culture pulse also
featured an article on poverty, only to
discover that the Guardian (24-02-14)
published a report highlighting the extent
of empty homes across Europe, which
could end the chronic homelessness that is
widespread.
According to the Guardian’s report there
are over ‘11m homes empty across Europe
– enough to house all of the continents
homelessness twice over.’ In the UK
alone there are 700,000 empty homes with
Spain and France having the highest
number of empty properties, 3.4m and
2.4m respectively. This just reaffirms my
question, are we ready to tackle poverty?
My answer is simply, No.
One of the core reasons behind the
staggering number of empty properties in
Spain is the 2007 property market crash. It
has reduced property prices by 45%
causing investors and homeowners to
leave homes empty instead of selling at the
current market price. In many instances
too, banks were holding on to properties to
sell when market value recovered. In
Ireland where there are some 400,000
empty properties, only 4,000 of these are
earmarked to be handed over to public
housing; hardly a drop in the ocean to
solve the 4.1 million homeless people
across Europe.
Speaking to the Guardian, David Ireland,
chief executive of Empty Homes Charity
said “Europe’s 11 million empty homes
may not be in the right places but there is
enough to meet the problem of
homelessness across Europe.”
Earlier this year MEPs passed a resolution
where they demanded that the European
Commission develop a strategy for EU
homelessness without delay. The vote in
favour of this venture was 349 to 45. Is it
not incredulous that people would actually
vote against resolving homelessness? One
of the growing problems with empty
homes is where investors are buying
properties to leave and hoping to profit
when market prices rise.
With Spain having the greatest number of
empty homes, it appears, according to the
Guardian’s report are down to “Britons
and Germans buying homes in the sun” in
a construction boom during the mid 2000s
when the pound was strong and helping to
feed construction industry in Spain.
One thing that is constant throughout the
Guardian’s report, and that is, it is greed
that is fueling homelessness and poverty.
One of the most expensive areas in
London, known as ‘Billionaires Row’
many properties are empty, some even
falling into disrepair but despite this,
prices there wont ever depreciate.
David Kalloo
11 million empty homes, enough to house
Europe’s homeless
8
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‘Exploring the Diaspora’
9
At last there are signs of an
improvement in the economy is upon us
after years of negative growth stifled by
recession, global stagnation and the Euro
crisis that had Europe on its edge.
According to the Office for National
Statistics (ONS) there’s an overall growth
in the economy of 1.8% with business
investments up by 8.5% and the ONS
predicts growth to be up by 2% by the end
of the first quarter of 2014.
Business services and finance proved to
sharpest growth in the economy, driving
confidence in other areas of the service
sector. The economy’s slow but steady
growth has fueled confidence in the job
market too as unemployment figures have
tumbled as firms recruit new workers to
meet growing demands.
The Confederation of British Industry
(CBI) said “The growth indicator is at its
highest level” echoing the ONS prediction
of the surge in confidence in the economy,
the CBI said “we expect output to grow in
the next 3 months.” Mark Gregory an
economist said, “Companies have
weathered a prolonged period of
uncertainty.” Such positive reports from
analyst and economist alike can only help
to further boost confidence in other
companies and investors to fuel the
economy that has been stagnated for
almost a decade.
Shopping centre giant Westfield’s saw a
3.1% rise in sales in its two London
shopping centres and recruitment firm
Hays have seen a considerable rise in
‘white-collar’ hiring. The housing market
also showed signs of growth as builders
merchant reported a 12.4% rise in profits.
The economy’s growth has also nudged a
rise in the minimum wage up 3% to £6.50.
The low Pay Commission said it is
“necessary to see rising real wages in the
economy with sustained economic
growth.”
David Kalloo is not an economist or
financial analyst
UK economy enjoys grow£h
10
A group of neuroscientists at the
Martinos Center for Biomediacal Imaging
(US) are charting the biochemistry of the
brain, surveying how our billions of
neurons produce and employ thousands of
different kinds of proteins.
The US government is currently backing
the research through the Brain Research
through Advance Innovative
Neurotechnologies (BRAIN). Barack
Obama announced the large-scale project
aimed at speeding up the mapping of our
neural circuitry, thus giving scientists the
tools they need to get a dynamic picture of
our brain in action.
Scientists are already starting to “identify
differences in the structure of ordinary
brains and brains of people with disorders
such as schizophrenia, autism and
Alzheimer’s disease.” The research by
scientists as they map the brain in greater
detail is to learn how to “diagnose
disorders by their effect on anatomy.”
They are hopeful that it could perhaps
even understand how these disorders arise.
Scientists have been studying the brain for
centuries. However, by the 1800s they
could only make out regions visible to the
naked eye. New technologies have enabled
scientists to look deep into the hidden
structures of the brain, giving high-
resolution images, never possible before in
mapping the brain.
The 17th century scientific revolution shed
new light on brain research leading to the
British physician Thomas Willis who
“recognized that the custard-like tissue of
the brain was where our mental world
existed.” In order to understand how it
worked Willis “dissected brains from
sheep, dogs and expired patients” to help
in producing the “first accurate map of the
organ.”
Understanding the brain was very much
time consuming and, it took another
century for scientists and researchers to
“grasp that the brain is an electric organ”
where, voltage spikes travel through it and
out into the body’s nervous system.”
However, even in the 19th century
scientists still knew little about the “paths
those spikes followed.”
One of the most remarkable studies of the
brain was invented by psychiatrist Karl
Deisseroth and his colleagues. They came
up with the idea to make the brain
transparent. This way, they “douse the
brain with glowing chemical labels that
“latch on to certain proteins or trace a
specific pathway connecting neurons in
distinct regions of the brain.” The method
was aptly called CLARITY. Despite the
breakthrough with CLARITY, the brains
studied are dead brains. Scientists still
need “different tools to explore the terrain
of living brains.”→
Mapping the human brain
11
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI) has helped over the decades to
reveal networks involved in all manner of
thought process. For example,
“recognising faces to enjoying a cup of
coffee or tea or even remembering a
traumatic event.” Computers are now
being trained to recognise signals from the
motor cortex which could help paralyzed
humans walk again according to Miguel
Nicolelis at Duke University in the US.
Nicolelis said, “Eventually brain implants
will become as common as heart implants”
with research and studies continuing,
backed by the US government into the
most complex organ in the human body.
Despite the innumerable amounts data on
research and studies of the brain, it
remains and continues to baffle scientists
who, after hundreds of years are slowly
beginning to map how the human brain
really works.
A new report from the Vision Council
revealed that 7 out of 10 adults now suffer
from Digital Eyestrain. What is Digital
Eyestrain? The strain is caused by looking
at digital screens for extended periods of
time “something our eyes are not equipped
to do” according to optometrist, Justin
Bazan medical advisor at Vision Council.
Symptoms for digital eye strain includes;
dry, red and irritated eyes, blurred vision,
back, neck, or shoulder pain and
headaches. Looking at computer screens,
Smartphone’s and other devices at
intermediate distance causes the strain and
ultimately fatigues the eyes.
High-energy visible blue light emitted by
devices such as computer screens and
smart phones are detrimental on impacting
on vision in the long run. While almost
half the people surveyed were aware of the
potential hazard, little is done to minimize
its dangers.
Within the last year the optical industry
has made exceptional strides to develop
lens technologies that can address the
cause of digital eye strain. Computer
glasses are also transforming the way we
look at computer and hand-held screens.
The Vision Council said, “People can take
precautions to reduce the risk of digital eye
strain. One of them is using the 20-20-20
rule where every 20 minutes, take a 20
minute break and look at something 20
feet away.” Other ways of reducing risk is
creating an ‘eyegonomic’ workstation with
proper lighting, seat adjustments and
monitor settings. Enlarge your computer
text and browser window for easier
viewing, and, remember to blink, staring at
screens can dry your eyes.
Digital Eyestrain
12
In the courtyard of the National
Museum stands a 33ft wonder of Trinidad
artistry. For the next 2 months The Artists'
Coalition of Trinidad & Tobago (ACTT) is
staging a multi-media exhibition on their
historic ‘Guild of Masters’ project at the
National Museum on Frederick Street, Port
of Spain. The Guild is a unit that passes on
local traditional skills by the recreation of
masterpieces by Elders with younger
apprentices. The centrepiece of the
exhibition is a re-created 33ft Cedros
Hosay Tadjah as has not been constructed
in almost 100 years!
The exhibition was launched on
Wednesday5thFebruary 2014 with a feature
address by the Minister of National
Diversity and Social Integration the
Honourable Dr Rodger Samuel who
remarked that the historic event shed light
on the nation’s need to preserve more of its
Legacy. There were also remarks delivered
by Guild sponsors First Citizens Bank
through its head of Communication Dexter
Charles and the United States Information
Service (USIS).
The 33footTadjah is the product of the
ACTT ‘Guild of Masters’ project which
attempts to pass on dying local traditional
skills. The Guild is a special workshop
where Elder Master Artisans work with
Master Younger Apprentices to re-create
cultural Masterworks- and the entire
process is recorded audio-visually and
codified. Modern Hosay Tadjah show only
go up to 12 feet, Tadjahs going over 30
feet are a local tradition thought dead for
100 years... The Master Artisan in this case
was Reish Baboolal from Cedros and the
lead Apprentice was Byron Joseph who led
a team of Apprentices from Cedros,
Chaguanas, and the East/West Corridor.
ACTT and its president Rubadiri Victor
have been working on projects to
document and pass on local Elder
knowledge for some time now. ‘Project
Memory’ is a project documenting the
biographies of Elders, and the Guild is the
project to pass on skill. ACTT has mapped
dozens of traditional skills that have
disappeared in the last 15 years and have
identified 144 skills that are now in clear
and present danger of disappearing. This
means that the skills are only in one or two
Elders’ heads. These skills range from dirt-
oven making and baking to major technical
skills like King and Queen costume
making...→
33 FOOT HOSAY TADJAH ON
DISPLAY THROUGHOUT CARNIVAL
13
ACTT’s team decided on the 33 foot
Hosay Tadjah as the first Guild artefact
because they wanted to start with a rural
object as opposed to an urban object. The
Tadjah also has special significance for
Trinidad and Tobago due to the Hosay
Riots of 1884.The Tadjah was a symbol of
African and East Indian solidarity, and
Hindu and Muslim unity against colonial
oppression. To this day East Indian and
Africans, Muslims, Hindus, Christians,
and members of African faiths all work
together on building Tadjahs at Hosay
time. Tadjahs are the central objects in the
festival of Hosay- the Shia
Muslim Remembrance of Muharram. The
name Hosay comes from "Husayn" the
grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who
was killed in the Battle of Karbala in
championing non-violence. Cedros and St
James are now the primary sites of Hosay
with ceremonies on the North Coast and in
San Fernando disappearing in the last
decades.
The conceptual team for the Guild
included Adesh Mike Singh- Guild
architect and codifier, Kirk Langton-
materials specialist, Dave Williams and
‘Dragon’- movement specialists, and TGN
Media who were the Guild audio-visual
documenters.
ACTT president Rubadiri Victor says,
“The 30ft Hosay Tadjah is just the first of
many ‘Guild of Master’ projects. The next
Guild projects will deal with recreating
past Carnival Kings and Queens and
Ramleela craft traditions. We are calling
on public and private sector as well as
individual patrons to support the Guild to
help rescue the nation’s patrimony.” The
Guild of Masters is under the patronage of
the Office of the President of the Republic
of Trinidad and Tobago. The exhibition
will be up for viewing from February to
April and tours are available for schools
and institutions.The Museum is open from
10am- 6pm Tuesday to Saturday, and from
2pm- 6pm on Sundays.
14
Recently I read where the African
diaspora was losing touch with its roots
and it stoked a fire in my mind to the
question, is the Caribbean diaspora
suffering the same fate?
Speaking to some fellow Trinidadians in
my age group, I discovered that it was not
in their agenda to return to Trinidad,
however, some did explore business
opportunities in the homeland, especially
in property. I gathered too that many of
them many the annual pilgrimage for
carnival but has adopted the host country,
Britain as home. I do know that there are
many second and third generation
Caribbean diasporans who have never
been to the region. I will need to explore
this aspect of the relating to the wider
Caribbean further.
The African charity, AFFORD (African
Foundation for Development) the “Bonds
that tie the African diaspora to their
respective countries are weakening.” So
much so, that many of them are sending
less remittances to their homeland.
The survey conducted by AFFORD found
that almost 64% of those that took part in
the survey have n regular contact with
family or extended family in their country
of origin. The charity found however, that
over 70% are interested in business
opportunities in their homeland, mainly in
land and family business.
A great majority of those surveyed
believed that remittance was like a
‘handout’ and not likely to make any real
impact in the contribution towards any
form of sustainability. According to
AFFORD “migrants became more
integrated into the host countries” a stark
difference from previous generations who
participated in African development.
www.afford-uk.org
Is the African Diaspora really
shunning their homeland?
15
Stuart Hall, the man who coined the
term ‘Thatcherism’ and turned cultural
studies from a low-status form to it being
taken seriously, has died at the age of 82.
He was born in Kingston, Jamaica and
became part of the Caribbean diaspora
who journeyed to the ‘motherland’ Britain.
His father held a senior position of chief
accountant with the United Fruit Company
and his mother, a formidable woman was
very much in tuned with the ethos of her
distant Britain. Hall was educated at
Jamaica College in Kingston where he
received a classical English education and
allying himself with the ‘struggle for
independence from colonial rule.’
Armed with a Rhodes scholarship, Hall
arrived in Britain in 1951 to study at
Oxford University. After abandoning his
thesis on Henry James, Hall moved to
London and worked as a supply teacher in
Brixton, he later became a lecturer in film
and media at Chelsea College. It was in
London where he began, his work on
popular culture and after he co-authored
the book, The Popular Arts in 1964, it
opened a ‘field of inquiry he was to
develop in Birmingham.’
Richard Hoggart who founded the Centre
for Contemporary Cultural Studies at
Birmingham University invited Hall to
join him as its first research fellow.
Within four years Stuart Hall became the
acting director of the centre and in 1972
was appointed director.
It was at Birmingham that Hall created the
foundations of Cultural Studies and
catapulted it from a minority pursuit and
into the ‘interweaving threads of culture,
power and politics.’ Stuart’s ideas drew on
the interdisciplinary perspectives of
‘literary theory, linguistics and cultural
anthropology ‘to analyse diverse subjects
such as youth sub-cultures, popular media
and gendered and ethnic identities.
Hall’s charismatic leadership at
Birmingham University and working on a
‘shoestring budget’ made a tremendous
impact on the subject of Cultural Studies.
He shifted his debate on ‘media, deviancy,
race, politics, Marxism and critical theory’
which are very much inherent and used in
media and cultural studies today.
A teacher of ‘enormous influence’ Hall
was never into academic point-scoring.
He was courteous and generous towards
students, activists artists and to all those
across the globe who knew him and came
to love him, winning him ‘accolades from
universities worldwide.’ According to one
Guardian writer, Hall ‘never thought of
himself as a scholar’ it was this humble
nature by which he was loved and
respected the world over and, it gave him
great source of pleasure to collaborate
with others in public debate, globally.
He later joined the Open University as
professor of sociology where, the OU was
attracting the ‘possibility of reaching out to
those who had fallen through the
Stuart Hall, the godfather of
multiculturism
16
conventional educational system.’ It was
during this time that Margaret Thatcher
became victorious in the British election.
Her victory had convinced Hall of a new
‘Conservatism’, marking a
profound cleavage in
British political
history’ prompting
him to coin the term
‘Thatcherism’ in an
article in Marxism
Today.
His campaign for racial
justice also earned him
the accolade of ‘godfather
of multiculturism’ Diane
Abbott, Labour MP for
Hackney North said “For me
he was a hero. A black man
who soared above and beyond
the limitations imposed by racism
and one of the leading cultural theorists of
his generation.” If Hall’s involvement
with theorisation of the forms political
hegemony emphasized his passion it was
his focus on ‘race and post colonialism,
and on theorising the migrant view of
Britain’ that he cherished. He launched a
series of courses in communications and
sociology and has produced an
‘astonishing array of edited volumes,
essays and journalism which has been
translated in many languages.’ He has
written countless political speeches, radio
and television talks, almost all of which
are studied by media and cultural studies
students.
Hall has influenced academic, political and
cultural debates becoming the leading
figure on the development of Cultural
Studies discipline for over six decades,
earning him the title of the ‘godfather of
multiculturism.’ The vice-chancellor of
The Open University Martin Bean said of
Hall: ‘He was a committed and influential
public intellectual of the new left, who
embodied the spirit
for…openness, accessibility, a
champion for social justice and
of the power of education to
bring change in peoples’
lives.’ David Lammy, MP
for Tottenham describes
him as ‘Someone I had
huge respect for, a real
father figure. He was a
kind and generous man.’
Stuart Hall’s impact
was felt not only in the
UK but throughout
and outside the realms of
academia. His writing on ‘race,
gender, sexuality and identity and the links
between racial prejudice’ and the media
during the 1970s was groundbreaking. Tim
Adams writing in the Observer said; “You
come to see how pivotal his (Hall’s) voice
has been in shaping the progressive
debates of our times – around race, gender
and sexuality.”
John Akomfrah, a film maker who made a
documentary called The Stuart Hall
Project which was shown at the BFI in
September last year further cements Hall
as one the pioneers if not the pioneer of
cultural studies. For too long the influence
of black intellectuals struggled to ‘gain
coverage in classrooms, lecture halls and
TV screens. In writing the foreword for
Sarita Malik’s book; Representing Black
Britain, Hall wrote, “even after 400 years
as a colonizing and imperial nation, the
British still find it difficult, if not
impossible, to tell the difference between
17
‘racial and ‘racist’.” Even after hundreds
of years of living and intermingling,
subjugating and colonising, the British was
still arrogant in understanding race and
identity.
It may take many decades for another
Stuart Hall to emerge however, the legacy
and his academic mark is indeed indelible
into British system of thought and
learning.
Stuart Hall:
Born 3 Feb 1932 – Died 10 Feb 2014
He is survived by Catherine, Becky and
Jess. His grandchildren, Noah and Ishaan
and his sister Patricia.
D.Kalloo
Photos courtesy Google
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Women of the World id the theme of the
International Women’s Day event taking
place at the Southbank Centre in London.
Among the number of key speakers at the
event is the 16 year old Afghan Malala
Yousafzi who was shot in the head by the
Taliban. And who has also been nominated
for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Vivienne Westwood will be in
conversation with Shami Chakrabarti,
speaking in-depth about her life, work and
activism. Female Genital Mutilation is
under the microscope as Nimco Ali tackles
the horrific practice affecting an estimated
three million people a year. In keeping
with the agenda of women, India Knight
and Laura Bates will discuss ‘Does page 3
make the world a better place?’
The Women of the World event takes
place from 5 -9 March 2014 at the
Southbank Centre, London SE11. For
information and details go to
wow.southbankcentre.co.uk/events
David Lammy, MP for Tottenham lashes
back at Ukip leader Nigel Farage.
Speaking with the Evening Standard
Lammy said: “London is a city that
overcome the Plague, it has overcome the
Great Fire, it has overcome the Blitz and in
fact it was the Blitz that led to London at
its toughest point not drawing up a
drawbridge and saying you should not
come here, but actually opening its doors.
When Nigel says that London is full,
remember that we are only this year
reaching London’s population in 1939. So
when we talk about immigration and we
talk about the problems that we have in
London let’s not blame the immigrants for
the jobs let’s go out and create them; let’s
not blame immigrants for the housing
crisis that we have here in London. Let’s
blame the politicians who refused to build
houses over successive years.”
Trinidad is real bacchanal for true yes!
Imagine the doctor charged with giving
Michael Jackson an overdose that
supposedly caused his death was ‘wining
up in ah band, jamming on ah woman’ in
Trinidad carnival 2014.
In this day and age of modernity and the
ability to be what you want to become, it is
frightening to think that some black
women are still wishing they were of
lighter skin complexion.
Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o revealed
that she had often wished she was ‘ligher-
skinned’ until she set eyes on and, drew
inspiration from the beautiful Sudanese
model Alek Wek. Come on people Love
your skin, love your life and chart the
destiny that is in your very own hands.
Arley Gill, former Grenadian minister for
culture said that Grenada’s soca artiste Mr
Killa and Tallpree should have a band to
accompany them on local, regional and
international stage. The two artiste
participated in Trinidad carnival 2014 with
Mr Killa placing second in a three way
decision with Iwer |George and Destra
Garcia for the International Power Soca
Monarch with Tallpree not in the top
finishers. Gill said, “Tallpree was done a
serious injustice” by the judges.
The online fashion retailer Boohoo.com
shares are expecting to fetch 50p in a stock
market flotation. The move will value the
online company at £500m so if you want
to capitalise on some shares at a
reasonable rate and hope for a good return
this might be your chance.
Briefly……..
19
The Japanese government has given the
Guyana’s Red Cross a US$61,478 grant to
help with the purchase of ambulance.
Yoshimasa Tezuka, the Japanese
ambassador to Guyana said the fund will
go “towards the procurement of a fully-
equiped ambulance to the Guyana Red
Cross Society.
The First Aid coordinator for the Red
Cross in Guyana said; “Having a personal
ambulance to help injured persons is a
timely boost to the organisation….the
assistance exemplifies the true nature of
Japanese friendship.”
The scheme targets the areas that are
aimed at improving basic human needs and
will help to providing training and
improve the First Aid services provided by
the Guyana Red Cross Society.
“A lovely Tenor of consistent quality with
passion and emotion....he reveals the songs'
meanings to an extent rarely
encountered.....Few ever reach such depth of
interpretation and sympathy."
David S. Baumgartner, Amazon Review
Internationally acclaimed, Trinidad born
Tenor, Neil Latchman, is joined by a stella
cast of musicians - Australian concert
pianist, Coady Green, Brazilian Cellist,
Tania Lisboa, Maltese Harpist, Cecilia De
Maria, American Cellist, Patrick Tapio-
Johnson, Chinese Violinist, Minsi Yang,
Greek Violinist, Orpheus Papafilippou and
Trinidad Soca singer, Jemima Douglas in a
CD which pays tribute to Mr. Latchman's
homeland of Trinidad & Tobago. Entitled,
"Dedication Vol.1", the songs are from
Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico,
Greece, Iran and India and dedicated to the
people of Trinidad and Tobago. The CD's
Foreword by Baroness Howells of St.
David applauds Mr. Latchman "in
pioneering new ground for synergy
between the calypso and the classics".
Mr. Latchman explains that it is the
privilege of growing up in the multi-
cultural and multi-ethnic twin islands of
T&T which has allowed him to appreciate
the music, rhythms and songs of other
cultures as can be heard in this CD which
includes a number of South American
dance pieces depicting the Rhumba and
Samba alongside the T&T Calypso
rhythms. Dedication Vol. 2 will be
released later this year.
Dedication Vol. 1 will be launched on
Wednesday, 12th March 2014 at 6.15pm at
the Trinidad and
Tobago High
Commission in
London under the
auspices of the
High
Commissioner,
HE Mr. Garvin
Nicholas.
Guyana’s Red Cross
gets Japanese money
Guyana Red Cross Society Secretary General
Dorothy Fraser receiving the grant from Japan’s
Ambassador to Guyana. Yoshimasa Tezuka
Neil Latchman launches CD
20
21
The Cambridge
Literary Festival
2014 begins on
April 1 and runs
until the 6th. The
festival director,
Cathy Moore said,
“We’ll be opening
our doors to writers
from all over the
world. Novelists,
poets, historians,
scientists and
children’s authors,
comedians and politicians will come
together for the six-day celebration of the
written and spoken word.”
The Festival will feature over 60 writers
making it bigger than ever before and will
feature a ‘provocative debate’ in the
Cambridge Union Hall according to the
organisers. So whatever you do this spring,
be sure to make a date in your calendar
and visit The Cambridge Literary Festival.
Despite an impressive line-up of world
famous authors including children’s writer
Jacqueline Wilson there are just two
notable black writers Patience Agbabi and
Jacob Ross at the festival. I would have
loved to see more Caribbean and African
writers being represented here and even
those in the diaspora as well.
For further information and to book tickets
to the event please book at:
adcticketing.co
m or telephone
01223 300085
you could also
follow the event
on Twitter
@camlitfest, on
cambridgeliterary
festival and at
camlitfest.
The
Cambridge
Literary
Festival
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