The Fry Chronicles: A must read?

I'm currently reading Stephen Fry's The Fry Chronicles for a book club of which I'm a member. The choice of book was mine and was drawn at random by the club's founder from a hat, a.k.a. a shopping bag into which all the member's put the names of the book that they wanted us to read. Lucky for me, being the only non-fiction reader, it was my selection that became the first book of the inaugural Book Club. Our membership is diverse, although we're all women (no surprises there!) and we hail two from England, two from France, one from Finland, Germany, Sweden and America via Russia. I'm looking forward to reading authors from all over the continent and the world whom I would never normally read were it not for the club. Our next meeting will be in just over a week's time when we'll dissect and discuss The Fry Chronicles. The verdict? Coming soon...

Fighting talk from BoJo or just talk?

Astra Taylor's Examined Life

Saw this again at the weekend having first seen it last year at the ICA and it still had me thinking as philosophy should...

GhettoPhysics: what do you all think?

Eastern Europe gets its first black mayor

From The Independent, By Vesna Peric Zimonjic in Belgrade

A Ghanaian doctor dubbed "the Slovenian Obama" has been elected mayor of the tiny town of Piran, becoming the first black person to hold such an office in Eastern Europe.

Dr Peter Bossman, 55, a member of the Social Democratic Party, narrowly won out over the incumbent with 51.4 per cent of the vote. He celebrated his victory with his wife Karmen and two daughters and promised his 18,000 constituents that he would improve their already high living standards and take action against the town's drug problems. He also promised to introduce electric cars. "My victory shows a high level of democracy in Slovenia," Dr Bossman said, before waxing lyrical about his adopted homeland.

"I fell in love with this country," he told Reuters. "Slovenia is my home. Even my first impression of the country was good, it was so clean and green."

That warmth was returned by many Slovenians, whose imaginations were captured by Dr Bossman's story. On local news sites people described the election as "an important thing in the country" and "a very symbolic event". "We proved that tolerance does live here after all," a Facebook user said in his message to the new mayor.

But the medical doctor's route to Slovenia has not always been so blessed. Dr Bossman is the son of a personal friend and physician of the first leader of independent Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. He spent his childhood living in northern Africa, Switzerland and Great Britain, where his father helped found Ghanaian embassies.

"I always knew I'd be a doctor, and I wanted to study in Britain, but things turned into different direction," he said in an interview with local media.

More than three decades ago, he was forced to leave Ghana after being persecuted by the military regime that overthrew Mr Nkrumah. The only place he could go to study was the former Yugoslavia. He hoped it would be Belgrade, but instead he was sent to the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. He met his wife at the university and after graduation they moved to the coastal town of Piran.

Mr Bossman said that he had experienced problems because of the colour of his skin in the past, but that all that had changed over the last decade.

"Now I have no problems at all," he said. "I think people no longer see the colour of my skin when they look at me."

Mr Bossman's story coincides with a wider change in Slovenian attitudes to foreigners. Thousands of Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks became illegal residents in 1992 when the government deleted 25,671 people from official records because they did not apply for citizenship. Many fought long legal battles to prove their right to remain in Slovenia, gravely tarnishing the country's image as an idyllic Alpine nation. But at last this year they have been able to regain their residency status.

But Mr Bossman insists that his political agenda is limited to the town of Piran. "I'm happy to be the mayor, I live here," he said. "I have no further political ambitions. I promised my patients I'll remain their doctor after the elections. My doors will be always open for them. Here on the coast, people do not look at the colour of my skin, they know what kind of man I am."

Eye on Europe

Eye on Europe

Breakfast on the Morning Tram

Thanks be to God!

Cornel West Criticizes President Obama For Not Being “Martin Luther King-Like” « Hip-Hop Wired

Cornel West Criticizes President Obama For Not Being “Martin Luther King-Like” « Hip-Hop Wired

Jon Stewart on Belgium

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Mob Swap
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

L'amour Fou: Yves Saint Laurent et Pierre Berge

Europe's day of austerity protests

Global Focus Series - France

Sting: Englishman in New York (1988)

Istanbul Voyeur

I took these photos on a recent trip to Istanbul. In the bottom picture, the little boy on the left wanted to copy the grown ups by taking part in pre-prayer ablutions but after he tried in vain to remove his shoes and socks he got fed up and contented himself by observing the men instead.

What he means to me: Sylvia Arthur on Martin Luther King

When I was growing up, somewhere between the ages of six and eight, I discovered Martin Luther King and he changed my life. Although it was the early eighties and Dr King had been dead for over fifteen years, he was as relevant then as he is now.

I read Martin Luther King like others would read the Word. God spoke to me through him. When my own father died at the age of nine, MLK’s wisdom and morality would prove invaluable in helping me navigate the undulations of life. He enabled me to affirm my identity and my relationship with God and was an important male guide. With the passage of time, as the memory of my father’s physical image began to fade, I’d imagine Dr King as my dad whenever I had a problem - talking to me, advising me, nurturing me. King instilled in me a sense of purpose and social justice at a time when I was starting to form my perspective on the world.

Recently, I’ve rediscovered my inner activist. I’ve been reading the brilliant Not On My Watch by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast on the genocide in Darfur. The book is a call to action imploring each one of us to do whatever we can to highlight and agitate for an end to injustice. People in Sudan, the Congo and Haiti, among others, need our help today and there’s no excuse why we shouldn’t give it.

If Dr King were alive today, he’d be advocating for our brothers and sisters at home and abroad. In my own small way, I will too. In hindsight, for me, it all began with Martin Luther King and, for that, I’ll be eternally grateful. In me, and many others, the spirit of Dr King lives on."

From Clutch magazine, 18 January, 2010

Barbican - Sing the Truth: Nina Simone Remembered

Barbican - Sing the Truth: Nina Simone Remembered

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Lucid Magazine is launching next week!

Lucid is the place to find interesting, provocative articles that stimulate debate and inspire free thinking on everything from arts and culture to ideas and current affairs. Our tagline is “Clear Opinion, Sound Debate.” Interaction is key. Don’t be passive. Get involved in the discussions and leave your mark.

In the first issue, online on Monday, 2nd March:

• 15 years after the genocide in Rwanda what has the world learnt?
We speak to the authors of a new book on the plight of survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that saw one million people killed as the world looked away and left a nation physically and psychologically scarred. But there remains hope. Plus, we ask what can be done to help those in the neighbouring Congo from suffering a similar fate.

• In search of the essence of Japan
When you think of Japan, the world’s second largest economy, what do you think of? Neon, Manga and high-technology? Or Geisha, Buddhism and quiet contemplation? Paul Knipe finds the essence of Japan, a country with the longest life expectancy in the world, coexisting in the traditional buildings and modern skyscrapers of the mighty Honshu cities.

• Hidden Histories
Between 1838 and 1917 over half a million Indians were transported to the Caribbean to work on the sugar plantations. Promised wages and rights, 240,000 of these migrants were taken to Guyana and today, East Indians make up 44% of the Guyanese population. Athena Kugblenu examines the reality of indentured labour and uncovers the truth about Caribbean Indians.

• Almighty Meltdown
In the first installment of a new series, Francis Kaikumba writes that the world is going through unprecedented change, not just economic but social and political, and offers his perspective on what the legacy of this period of upheaval will mean. Major institutions will crumble, systems of governance will collapse but, ultimately, people power will prevail.

• London: Capital of Cool
Twelve years after Britpop, Britart and Britfashion dominated the world’s media Sylvia Arthur argues that London is still the capital of creativity with its music, arts and culture scenes thriving despite the onset of a recession. The UK’s image may be in decline but the current economic crisis will serve as a catalyst for an outpouring of creative expression similar to that of the mid-1990s.

Sign up to the site now at http://www.lucidmagazine.co.uk/ to be notified when Lucid goes live and join our Facebook group here.

Lucid Magazine: Clear Opinion, Sound Debate

One Night in Paris

One to watch: Moses Jones

BBC2, Monday, 2 February, 9pm

One to watch: Simon Schama’s The Power of Art

Sky Arts' new series begins Tuesday, 6 January

Focusing on eight iconic works of art such as Caravaggio’s David With the Head of Goliath, David’s Death of Marat and Picasso’s Guernica, this powerful series places great art at the centre of great moments in human history.This series is not a stroll through a gallery, nor is it a demure tour through a museum, instead it takes us on an extraordinary journey to the centre of human struggle and the dark heart of history. A combination of dramatic reconstruction, spectacular photography and Simon Schama’s unique and personal story telling transports the viewer back to the intense moments eight great works of art were conceived and born.

Each programme takes us where only art can go; into the vortex of Turner’s murderous seas; the light Guernica shone on fascist slaughter; and into the deep gravitational force fields of Rothko’s pulsing planets of colour. See Bernini’s thumbprint impressed on the kneaded clay of an old man’s beard and the slather of Rembrandt’s pigment crusting on his canvas. The Power of Art is the epic story of an unfolding force, a chance to witness the power of the individuals who changed the way we view the world.

The eight works of art included in the series are: Caravaggio’s David With the Head of Goliath; Bernini’s The Ecstasy of St. Theresa, Rembrandt’s The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis; David’s Death of Marat; Turner’s Slave Ship with Slaves Thrown Overboard; Typhoon Coming On; Van Gogh’s Self Portrait; Picasso’s Guernica and Rothko’s Seagram Building Murals.

One to watch: Jazz: The Gift

Sky Arts new jazz series begins Monday, 5 January, 2009.

Jazz: The Gift explores the evolution and the genius of America’s greatest original art form. Not simply a chronicle of musical fact or lore, Jazz shows this remarkable music in the context of the complicated country that gave birth to it and shows how this remarkable art form became a part of world culture. Jazz raises questions about race and class, art and commerce, virtuosity and collaboration, the individual and the community, the confluence of cultures and the universality of experience. Jazz: The Gift introduces jazz legends like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, employing engaging and detailed portraits of the great men and women of jazz to demonstrate how and why they make their music.

A Twisted Affair

Twisted Christmas, Barbican Hall, 11 December
Jarvis Cocker was the headliner at the Barbican’s alternative yuletide celebration but unfortunately for the audience the former Pulp frontman wasn’t the highlight. After two and a half hours of a bewildering mix of music, comedy and shadow puppetry – some of which worked, some of which didn’t - Jarvis sloped on stage to perform two brief and forgettable songs. Luckily, there were other revelations to enjoy.

Illinois-based singer-songwriter Daniel Knox was one of them. His deep melancholic vocals called to mind cold winter nights in front of the fire and were perfect for his heart-warming rendition of the classic, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Blues-folk duo The Smoke Fairies were ubiquitous on stage, and proved to be even better on their own than when performing back up for others. Patrick Wolf, a piano playing ex-chorister turned art-rocker, was sensational while unbilled songstress Camille O’Sullivan was reminiscent of a pre-tabloid era Amy Winehouse.

As well as the eclectic there was also the eccentric. Canadian singer Mary Margaret O’Hara and American Sandy Dillon provided much needed light relief, though it wasn’t entirely clear whether this was intentional.

What was intentional, however, was the wry comedy of Radio 4 presenter Jeremy Hardy, who ably steered proceedings from one fragmented act to another. But the night belonged to the shadow puppetry and accompanist Matthew Robbins who together earned plaudits in an otherwise borderline show.

Mother Ghana

mother ghana, originally uploaded by ^ mAyAkA ^.

this is my ghana; the ghana where women build the nation balancing work, motherhood and responsibility with feminine grace. the ghana where the infinite inner strength of its women reigns with the peace and tranquillity of their confidence of success. the ghana that carries all her burdens and never gives up, but just keeps looking ahead.

Drum magazine Ghana 1969 collage covers

Drum magazine Ghana 1969 collage covers, originally uploaded by amaah.

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 live at Cargo

I'd been looking forward to seeing Seun Kuti live with such anticipation that the show was in danger of being a massive anticlimax. Luckily for me, Seun and his father's original Egypt 80 had tuned in to my expectancy and delivered a storming performance that left all in awe.

Playing at Cargo in Shoreditch, the former warehouse was the perfect venue for Seun's highly politicised Afrobeat, a blend of high-life, jazz and traditional African rhythms. Reminiscent of his father Fela, Seun emerged from the shadows of his legacy to put his stamp mark on the scene despite performing much of Fela's most famous back catalogue. In fact, the highlight of the night was the title track from Kuti's new album Many Things, a bold, original anthem that puts the world to rights.

Having played at the Barbican earlier in the year to a sell out crowd, Cargo was an intimate setting for the ten man band - the hot, sweaty atmosphere was thick with the sound of the solid brass section with rythmically pulsating bodies jamming shoulder to shoulder to the beat. It was standing room only and those who couldn't dance were forced along by the push of the crowd.

After a somewhat brief hour and a half set we were left eagerly wanting more but the pre and post show DJ set was the perfect antidote. All in all, a near perfect night that will go down as one of the shows of the year.

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 performed at Cargo in East London on Monday, 15th December.

Clive Rowe: Nothing Like A Dame

Clive Rowe is the consummate pantomime dame. Oh yes he is! Described by The Guardian as "one of the greatest ", the Lancashire-born thesp has become a Hackney institution. In the seven years he's been playing here, Rowe has cultivated a loyal local following who turn out in force each Christmas to see him camp up his dramatic chops. Last year it was in Duke Whittington; this year Rowe stars as the lead in the Empire’s production of Mother Goose. It’s the tenth anniversary celebration of panto at the Empire and is a comic caper of epic proportions. Written by Susie McKenna, who’s been responsible for a number of the Empire’s Christmas hits, the show incorporates high-jinks and high drama to charming effect with Rowe the shining star in a stellar cast. He explains: “Mother Goose is about what happens if somebody is given what they believe they want, what happens to them when they get it and how they deal with it. It is what it says on the tin, a family panto.”

Rowe is an accomplished actor whose dedication to panto has brought credibility to the genre. He’s appeared in some of theatre’s best loved productions, including Carousel and Guys and Dolls, for which he won a coveted Olivier Award. “To have your peers that are people that you respect, who are above you and have been doing it for longer than you look at you and say, “we think what you’ve done is amazing”, is an amazing accolade”, he says.

It’s not just the theatrical establishment who've taken Rowe to their hearts - Hackney has too. I suggest it must be his Northern charm. “Init!” he jokes in a sketchy east London accent. “One of the things I’ve always felt about theatre, but is even more true with the Hackney Empire, is the show starts the minute you walk through the front door, not the minute you sit down in the auditorium and the lights go on. The minute you’re received here you’re part of the panto and everybody is working towards a fantastic night”.

Rowe has appeared in television, film and on radio but says he feels comfortable on the Hackney stage. Panto for him is as much a craft as any other kind of acting. “There’s a difficult balance to get where you’re keeping everything panto level because you’re playing to the five year olds but real. The trick is finding that core of it where you may be upset about something but you’re not doing Greek tragedy, you’re not doing Chekov, it’s panto”.

And Rowe loves it. “My thing is I have a great time. I spend all year being told what I can’t do on stage and I get five weeks to do what I want to do. The fact is I’m having a good time.” And so are we.

Mother Goose is on at the Hackney Empire until 10 January 2009.

Brian McKnight, Dave Scott... and more!

Robert Glasper: Live at Cargo

Doo-rags, hoodies and baseball caps aren’t the usual attire of jazz aficionados but Robert Glasper’s crowd is as notable for its youth as its urban fashion sense. He, himself, is dressed like one of his tribe – oversized T-shirt, baggy jeans and obligatory glass of liquor in hand. “Don’t let this jazz thing fool you,” he jokes mid-gig as he threatens to break in to a rap after seizing the mic from guest MC, Kashmere. And it wouldn’t have been out of place if he had. For Glasper, it seems hip hop is as intrinsic to his being as his first love, jazz. The fact that his show is taking place in a smoke-filled nightclub rather than a venerable jazz venue is testament to his street cred. His warm-up act isn’t some young pretender polishing his bebop chops but a DJ whose vinyl cases are crammed with Soul and Old Skool Hip-Hop. It could so easily be a cliché if Glasper wasn’t the real deal.

Website: www.myspace.com/therealrobertglasper

Getting Personal with Eric Benet

Last night I had the pleasure of speaking with none other than soulful R&B crooner Mr Eric Benet! Eric's been out of the recording studio, but not out of the spotlight, for four years and has come back strong with a new album, Love and Life, and a number 1 single, You're The Only One. I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect from a man who's been through such a high-profile and messy public situation but Eric was nothing but open, honest, personable and charming, and definitely one of the nicest people I've interviewed all year! Look out for my revealing conversation with Eric Benet in the December issue of Clutch magazine, online on 1st December, or sign up at http://www.sylviaarthur.co.uk/ to receive updates. In the meantime, go out and cop Love and Life and visit http://www.ericbenet.net/ to hear snippets from the new album.