Myths and Monsters

Been a bit busy recently with work and the children's half-term. One of the things we did during that week off was visit the wonderful Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, South-East London. We've always loved this great venue which has so many different kinds of spaces that you could easily spend all day here - it has wonderful collections of objects focussing on people and cultures from around the world, beautifully kept gardens with stunning views over London and the small menagarie of animals next to the picnic tables. There are some other great children-friendly activities there too - our children like the interactive Music Room, the aquarium (with seahorses, yey!) and the various 'hands-on' sessions.

The museum is free with one temporary exhibition which is ticketed - we went to see the 'Myths and Monsters' exhibition, newly-opened on 13 February. The Horniman blurb describes it thus:

"Cyclops, unicorn, yeti, dragon, the chimera… are these creatures real or imagined? Take a journey into the strange world of Myths and Monsters and unravel the truth behind universal legends and myths. Discover the origin of the Cyclops, the links between dragons and the dinosaurs, and why the yeti is the monster most likely to be real."

The exhibition has several life-size animatronic models of the mythical creatures, along with photographs and displays. My 7 year old was able to engage with the displays but my 5 year old was more interested in the colouring area in the exhibition room! The museum is well worth a visit, especially with children. I have to say though, non-parents may wish to avoid school holiday time unless they are feeling strong.  Here below are some photos I took at the exhibition - enjoy if you go.

Myths and Monsters at the Horniman Museum, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 3PQ. It is open daily 10.30am to 5.30pm, until 5 September 2010. Tickets cost £5 for adults; £2.50 for children; children under 3 Free, Family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) £13. For more details visit the museum’s website.

Should Sikhs wear kirpans in school?

Britain's first Asian judge Sir Mota Singh says Sikhs should not be banned from wearing kirpans to school or work.

Sir Mota was raised in Nairobi, Kenya, before coming to England in 1954 to complete his studies in law.He joined the English bar in 1967 and made headlines with his appointment to the bench in 1982 when he wore a white turban in court instead of a wig. [Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Rex Features from The Guardian website]

Sir Mota Singh QC is being quoted widely in the UK press and blogosphere today, following his interview on BBC Radio 4 this morning - you can listen to that interview here.

The kirpan is a small ceremonial daggar required to be worn as an article of faith by every baptised Sikh, under their clothing. Although Sikhs carrying the kirpan are exempt from prosecution under the offensive weapons act, it is believed that objections about the ceremonial dagger have increased following the September 11 attacks and instances of knife crime. There have been some recent cases of schoolchildren who are baptised Sikhs, not being allowed to wear their daggar to school - I wrote about one such case last year.

"I see no objection to a young Sikh girl or boy, who's been baptised, being allowed to wear their Kirpan if that's what they want to do," said Sir Mota."I wear my Kirpan and I've always worn it for the last 35 to 40 years, even when I was sitting in court or visiting public buildings, including Buckingham Palace."

I'm not sure what has triggered Sir Mota Singh, now retired, to speak to the BBC at this time - he didn't refer to any particular case going on. According to which paper or blog you read, opinion seems divided about whether kirpans should be allowed - I think the balance of (non-Sikh) opinion is probably in favour of their not being allowed - mostly on safety gounds but also, as you can imagine, on the 'it's one rule for 'them' and one for us' grounds. You can read comments on the BBC forum on this issue here - though frankly the tenor is generally quite depressing.

My family background is Sikh though I am an athiest and now only a 'cultural Sikh'. Growing up within that community in London I have known lots of baptised Sikhs who quietly wear their kirpan without any fuss. I also know how much it means to practicising Sikhs. On the other hand I can also see the problems about daggars in school in a country where the carrying of a kirpan is not fully appreciated. On balance the suggestion of daggars welded into their sheaths seems to me a good compromise. Though, on the third hand (!) I can see why Sikhs wouldn't be happy with that - what do you think?

Eltham Palace now famous!

Yes, it's true. Never mind that this royal medieval Palace has been there for centuries, that kings and power-brokers have lived here, and that it has been the site of fashion and style history. The video for Cheryl Cole's latest solo single, 'Parachute', was filmed a few weeks ago in the Courtauld House at Eltham Palace (in Eltham, South-East London) and is bound to put the Palace on the map for a whole new audience. MTV will be airing on 27 February a programme about the making of the video at Eltham Palace.

I'm not sure how familiar non-UK readers are with Cole. Let me enlighten you - she is part of an all-girl pop band, is married to a well-known UK footballer and, more recently, was a judge on 'X-Factor', Simon Cowell's phenomenally popular TV singing talent contest. It would be fair to say that Cheryl Cole has the 'midas touch' at the moment, with every magazine, tv show and advertiser pursuing her. And she is making hay while the sun shines.

So, given Cole's vast popularity at the moment, and the attention which her video will attract, it's fair to say Eltham Palace will now come to the attention of a whole new audience. Although my seven-year old daughter has always been happy with a trip to the Palace, I think she will be even more thrilled knowing that her singing heroine had set foot in the same hallowed halls. My son won't care, he only has eyes, and ears, for Micheal Jackson. (As for hubby, well, the poor disillusioned man cannot understand why the not-unattractive Ms Cole didn't give him a call as she was in his manor...ha-ha).

Cynicism aside, the video's not bad if you like that sort of thing. I like the dancing and moody lighting. But the best thing is how prominently the clearly-recognisable grand circular lobby of the main house features in the video, as well as the art deco-styling for which the Courtauld-restored house is famous. You can watch the video here above and to the left, a picture of the circular lobby as it normally looks. You can read more about this English Heritage-owned property here.

South-East London MPs to stand down

More to follow on the forthcoming general election in the UK (possibly to be held on 6 May 2010, tbc), but South-East London readers will be interested to know that the current Members of Parliament will be standing down on that date for the constituencies of Erith and Thamesmead, Lewisham East, Old Bexley and Sidcup, Beckenham and Orpington.

For now, here's the so-far complete list of London MPs who are standing down, together with their reasons for doing so. This list comes courtesy of Politics.co.uk:

John Austin (Lab) – Erith and Thamesmead. He said he did not want to be working a 70-hour week at the age of 70, which he will be by the end of the next five-year parliament. He claimed more than £10,000 to redecorate his London flat, 11 miles away from his main home, before selling it and making £30,000 in profit.
Harry Cohen (Lab) – Leyton and Wanstead. After 26 years as MP, he announced his decision to stand down after it emerged he had claimed more than £300,000 in second-home allowances since 1990, as "part of my salary". He said the resulting backlash had caused him "intolerable stress".
Neil Gerrard (Lab) – Walthamstow. As he will be 67 at the time of the election, the backbencher said it was time for him to step down. He has served the constituency since 1992 and in 2005 was re-elected with 50.1 per cent of the vote.
Keith Hill (Lab) – Streatham. He was the first Labour MP to be elected to the seat, which he has served since 1992. Last year he argued the expenses system should be scrapped completely and MPs should be given a higher salary.
Andrew Pelling (Independent) – Croydon Central. The MP and former London Assembly member had the Conservative whip withdrawn following allegations he had assaulted his pregnant wife in September 2007, although the case was later dropped without charge.
Bridget Prentice (Lab) – Lewisham East. Having held the seat since 1992, the feminist justice minister decided to step down long before the expenses scandal broke. She made headlines last December backing a campaign to boycott pink toys for girls, saying they funnelled children into "pretty, pretty jobs".
Rudi Vis (Lab) – Finchley and Golders Green. He claimed 40 per cent of the vote at the 2005 election but is holding the country's most marginal seat – a 0.2 per cent swing would see it go to the Tories. He used his expenses to help buy a retirement home worth £520,000, but argued this was "well within the rules".
Derek Conway (Con) – Old Bexley and Sidcup. The disgraced Tory had the whip withdrawn last January when it emerged he had paid his son an inflated parliamentary salary (£11,773 plus more than £10,000 in bonuses) for his work as a researcher while he was a full-time university student.
Jacqui Lait (Con) – Beckenham. The MP was forced to repay £7,000 after over-claiming mortgage interest on her second home. Her claims also included dry cleaning bills from a company in Rye, East Sussex, where her husband works as leader of the county council.
John Horam (Con) – Orpington. He has sat for three different parties throughout his political career; Labour, the SDP and the Conservatives. He has held the seat since 1992 and his replacement is to be Boris Johnson's brother, Jo. 

Interesting to see how much the expenses scandal features in this list, though not, it has to be said, for all of them.

Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim

I've been reading about a new biography which adds further to the intruiging connections between Victorian Britain and colonial India.

Victoria and Abdul is Shrabani Basu’s biography of a servant, Abdul Karim, who became an influential and, often an apparently disruptive, adviser to Victoria on India, “a good looking, extravagantly dressed servant…hated by the Queen’s household both for his race and class”.



Abdul Karim arrived in England from Agra when he was just 24 years old. The one-time clerk at Agra Central Jail found his way to waiting on tables during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. He was soon installed as a personal attendant to the Queen, becoming a powerful figure, instructing her in Urdu and Indian affairs. The timing was just right. The 'munshi' arrived to fill the gap left by John Brown's recent death, the Scotsman with whom the Queen had developed a close friendship. Of course, Karim was turfed out of the royal court by jealous courtiers within a week of Victoria's death in 1901.

The connection between the Queen and Karim is an intruiging one especially given the Queen's dalliance earlier in her life (all innocent of course) with another Indian gentleman - the last Sikh Maharaji, Duleep Singh, which I wrote about last year. This biography promises to be fascinating.

Victoria and Abdul, by Shrabani Basu, published by The History Press Ltd, due out Mar 2010.

Danson Stables for Sunday lunch

Local readers might like to know that we had a wonderful visit to Danson Park today with an even more wonderful lunch at the Danson Stables which we'd thoroughly recommend.

Danson Park, in Bexleyheath in the London Borough of Bexley, is apparently one of the largest public parks in London - it has some wonderful parkland including a huge lake, great children's playground (with one of those abseiling thingys which our son loved) and a 200-year old oak tree.

Also in the Park is Danson House, sometimes referred to as 'Dansion Mansion'. Danson House was built by about 1766. The house is mostly the creation of two men: John Boyd, the wealthy merchant owner at the time, and the architect Robert Taylor (who also was the architect of the Bank of England) in the style of a classic Palladian villa. The house was extensively restored by English Heritage in the late 1990s and was re-opened to the public. At moment it's open from 1 April to 31 Oct so it was closed today but it will be on our radar for later in the year.

But having braved the bitter weather, it was the great roast lunch in the Danson Stables, now a pub run by Bass Breweries, which was most welcome. Rumour has it there are still secret underground tunnels between the' big house' and the one-time stables. But we didn't get to explore those - a glass of pinot grigio beckoned. The lunch was reasonably priced, with a children's menu, and despite it being pretty busy, the service was good. It had a lovely period feel quite different to the usual chain pubs offering Sunday roasts. Thoroughly recommended.

Little Mosque on the Prairie but not in the UK

How is it that I've only recently tripped across the existence of this series on Canadian television when it touches on so many of the social and cultural issues of today? Little Mosque on the Prairie is a sit-com on CBC television about a muslim community in a small prarie town in the fictional town of Mercy, Saskatchewan. 

Little Mosque depicts interactions between Mercy's muslim and non-muslim people but also has storylines set within the communities - so it is able to cover themes of multicultural living, small town folk, fish-out-of-water angles, liberal vs devout muslims and it has plenty of terrorism and jihad references. Despite the particular muslim angle, I think the programme has a universal appeal. I can't think of anything like this on British television despite the UK size of, and current interest in, muslim society.  

Incredibly, the comedy drama, which began in 2007, is in its fourth series in Canada and has had record ratings. So why hasn't the series reached the UK despite going abroad to other countries? I wonder if the answer lies in British TV becoming too risk-averse to feature such material? That is certainly the view of Jon Plowman, a former head of BBC comedy. Of Little Mosque on the Prairie he says, "I don't think anybody would write that now in Britain because they'd worry that the BBC, or indeed any broadcaster, wouldn't make it," he adds.You'll have to watch the show to see what he means - here's a link to the very first episode.

Land Gold Women: a film about 'honour' killing

News has been bubbling about a debut film by a young female director which is set in Birmingham, UK. Land Gold Women is about a so-called 'honour' killing in a British-Asian setting.

Writer and director Avantika Hari, still only in her twenties, wanted to make a film which explored exactly why a relative would murder one of their own female relatives. But this is not a film about an uneducated and unassimilated family - the father concerned is a university professor. The film has been doing the festival circuit - in December 2009 it won the Foreign Correspondent Association’s Purple Orchid Award for ‘Best Film’ and ‘Best Script/Screenplay’ at the Asian Festival of First Films in Singapore. (picture above courtesy Rewired PR)

Although produced by Bollywood's Vivek Agrawal, it's a small budget 'indie' film, in English and Urdu, shot in and around Birmingham. Writer/Director Avantika Hari worked closely with the Ashram Housing Association, an organisation which deals many cases of forced marriage every year. The cast are mostly British-Asian actors with Narinder Samra in the lead female role - you can hear her and others interviewed in this BBC clip. (Samra and the male lead in picture below).

The Land Gold and Women in the film's title refer to the elements in which 'honour' or 'izzat' are typically invested in such patriachal societies where these horrible events occur. It sounds to me like an especially timely film given the verdict last month on the horrifying case of the murder of Tulay Goren, a young Kurdish woman in the UK murdered by her own father for falling love with the wrong type of man as far as the family's men were concerned - the BBC reports on the case here.

Although such murders are thankfully rare, most women from such societies, including let's be honest many British-Asian women will know all about how their behaviour, dress and views are seen as reflecting on their family, to whatever degree. It's an element of Indian society that frankly used to cause me a lot of frustration - I felt it clipped the wings of so many young women while their brothers roamed free. So the film should be interesting...

Unfortunately I haven't heard about a UK distribution - the film had its (presumably one-off) UK premiere in February 2009 at Cineworld in Birmingham. More information here.

Jihad! The Musical: satire or offence?

Here we go again with another play which aims to satirise but has been accused of giving offence.

'Jihad! The Musical’ started off life as a big hit at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2007 and now has its London premiere. Telling the story of a young Afghan flower seller who unwittingly joins a terrorist sleeper cell, it's a provocative send-up of the stereotyped media-hype surrounding the 'war on terror'. You can just see the laughs in that can't you?

The show has big musical numbers called 'When We’re Martyrs', 'Building a Bomb Today', 'The Jihad Jive', as well as 'I Wanna Be Like Osama', which apparently became a YouTube sensation in 2007, viewed more than 370,000 times.   

With such satire, the challenge is, of course, to make the satircal intent sufficiently clear. If the satircial aim isn't clear then you risk the material being used by bigots and racists to endorse their views. Isn't this where the 1970s BBC comedy 'Till Death Do Us Part' went wrong in some respects, however unintentionally. Though it was a very successful show, and perhaps because of that, it was never a good day for us brown kids in the school playground the day after that show was broadcast. On the other hand, there's an artistic balance to be struck - as writer or director you presumably don't want to end up with an equal opportunities educational piece either.

However it remains that while seeking to send up ethnic stereotypes, such performances can end up perpetuating them - that was also an accusation levelled at This is England, a controversial play performed last year at London's National Theatre which I wrote about at the time.

I haven't seen this play yet so I can't judge it precisely. Certainly the critics haven't been altogether kind (The Guardian and Telegraph reviews). I can actually see the potential for satire around this topic - perhaps something in the way that Omid Djalili sent up some similar material in his BBC televised one-man shows. I'm all for getting these issues out in the open but in any civilised society surely we need to do them sensitively. Let me know what you think if you see this production.

'Jihad! The Musical’ is at Jermyn Street Theatre,16b Jermyn St, Piccadilly, London SW1 (020 7287 2875) since 8 Jan until 6 Feb.

RIP Teddy Pendergrass

Really sad news about a great singer.  Teddy Pendergrass, who passed away this week aged 59, was the first black male singer to record five consecutive multi-platinum albums in the US. In his later life he did much work for charity. In homage to his unique styling, Pendergrass was also one of the inspirations for UK comedian Lenny Henry's Theophilus P.Wildebeeste character.

Here's one of my favourite Teddy Pendergrass songs.

1984: A Sikh Story

If you want to know more about Sikhs and what significant event happened for them in 1984, you might be interested in this documentary on Sunday on BBC1. The hour-long documentary apparently stirs up some controversy because of its portrayal of militant Sikh preacher Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. But it all centres around the personal journey of long-time BBC presenter Sonia Deol as she rediscovers her sikh background. The BBC blurb tells us:

"Just over 25 years ago, the storming of The Golden Temple, the most sacred of Sikh shrines, by the Indian Army led to protests around the world. Sonia Deol embarks on a personal journey to unravel the events of 1984, an iconic year for Sikhs. It culminated in thousands of deaths including the assassination of the Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi. The bloody aftermath that followed so shocks Sonia that she is forced to reappraise the depth of her commitment to her faith." You can read the rest here.

1984: A Sikh Story
Sunday 10 January at 10:55pm on BBC One

More snow, another leadership challenge and an ex--bishop speaks

Oh my it's all happening today. Once again south-east London is under snow. Eltham pic to the right here (before it really came down some more). Southeastern trains have caused much outrage with their 'reduced timetable'. It took my husband two hours to get to London Bridge Station. I didn't try and worked from home - I can't afford to take two unexpected hours getting anywhere when I absolutely have to be here on the dot to pick up children from school.

During the afternoon news trickled through of the incredible Hoon and Hewitt attack on the Labour leadership - what were they thinking of? Mandelson was very cool though on Newsnight I thought.

Then Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, decided to pipe up and talk about the want of Christian values amongst future immigrants. Samira Shackle does a good job of elegantly questioning that one.

Let's hope tomorrow is quieter and we can all get in to work.

Greenwich Borough to become Royal in 2012

The London Borough of Greenwich is to become a 'Royal Borough' in 2012, it's just been announced today.

Though I'm not a royalist (far from it), I'm glad of any recognition of the many historical significances within the Borough. I'd also be glad of any benefits this would bring to the area in which we live, though I've yet to find out what they are - can anyone tell me?

The Greenwich Council website reports the news thus:

"Her Majesty the Queen has bestowed the status of Royal Borough upon Greenwich, to take effect in the year of the Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

The rare honour of Royal Borough status was confirmed on Tuesday 5 January in the House of Lords by Lord Mandelson, President of the Privy Council.

The honour is bestowed in recognition of the close links between Greenwich and Royalty, from the Middle Ages to the present day. It also acknowledges the borough’s global significance as home of the Prime Meridian, Greenwich Mean Time and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are at present three Royal Boroughs: Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston, and Windsor and Maidenhead. They all reflect longstanding Royal associations."

Indian Winter on Channel 4

I was interested to see that Channel 4 are having an 'Indian Winter' season. A mix of film, documentary and features, it begins with a TV premiere showing of the film Slumdog Millionnaire (on 13 January, 9pm), Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning blockbuster. How on earth it was billed as a 'feel-good' film at the time of its original cinema release I'll never know - I could hardly stop blubbing for the first 40 minutes or so.

The season also includes Gordon Ramsey and Kevin McCloud in their own programmes from India, as well as some Bollywood big-hitting films such as Rang De Basanti (14 January, 01.15), Jodha Akhbar (18 January, 00.15), and Om Shanti Om. Typically though, the screening times continue to assume that Bollywood fans are also insomniacs.

Nice though it is, I'm not sure why Channel 4 have chosen to focus on India and in a 'winter season' (anyone see this explained anywhere?) other than tryng to cram in as many 'slumdog' references as possible in their programme titles e.g. Slumdog Secret Millionaire, Slumdog Children of Mumbai and Slumming It all feature in this season.

Farewell 2009 - Happy New Year 2010

Happy new year to everyone.

I've enjoyed being cloistered away for the last week or so with my family and lots of Christmas kitsch - from the latter, there was no escape, you've just got to give in to it, really.

We emerged to celebrate new year's eve at the site where the Millenium symbolically began for the UK ten years ago  - yes, the dreaded Millenenium Dome, or the O2 as it is now known, in Greenwich, south-east London (well, it was bitter, grey and drizzly and there's little else to do indoors with two little young ones, and so we worshipped at this plastic neon palace).

Unfortunately, the film chosen at the O2's Vue cinema to continue the feel-good Christmas atmosphere turned out to be a little darker than the jollier, slap-stick trailers had led us to believe. Disney's A Christmas Carol was undoubtedly a technical and visual triumph but rather too dark and wordy for this occasion. For once, Disney had dished up a film faithful to the orginal novel rather than the usual frothy 'family fun' version required. The Huffington Post's review gets it just right. The children clung closely to us. Ho hum.  After a spot of lunch we visited the O2's indoor 'German market' and 'Christmas Fair' which cheered the children up - bumper cars and helter-skelters tend to do that.

On New Year's Day itself, a sunny cheery day, we set off, as has become the family tradition, for our walk around Greenwich Park. Happily we were joined by my friend L, visiting from New Zealand. The park looked beautiful and was the perfect place to be on the first hope-filled day of the new year. This photo is a view from the highest point looking northwards, with the National Maritime Museum in the foreground, the river Thames behind it, and beyond that glistening in the sun the Canary Wharf development. There were lots of warmly-wrapped people about taking in the views and the fresh crisp air.

We ambled down the steep pathway to central Greenwich and to a warming lunch at the Cafe Rouge next to the Ibis Hotel. St Alfege's Church, on Greenwich Church Street, looked stunning - when I see it I always think of my parents-in-law getting married here many decades ago on such a historical site where a church has stood since 1012. 

A walk back to the car parked at the top of Greewich Park took us past the Royal Observatory (right) as the sun set to the west.

It had been a good day. Let's hope the coming year will be just as good.