I spent four glorious hours at London’s Southbank Centre (my favourite place in the world) earlier this month, listening to and participating in discussion about my favourite opera, Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute‘. My love for and interest in this sublime opera goes back 19 years – when I was living in Frankfurt studying German – and had to choose two topics in which to take an in-depth exam. Due to my interest in history and politics, I chose the Nazi Period. Due to my love of music (playing and listening), I chose the Magic Flute.
Continue reading “The Magic Flute”
Category: Life
My first column for Legal Voice
I am delighted to have been asked to write a regular column for Legal Voice, an online magazine about access to justice issues, aimed at legal aid law firms, the not-for-profit sector and all organisations providing publicly-funded legal advice in the UK. My first article is about how Hackney Community Law Centre went from five twitter followers to making social media a key part of our survival. You can read it HERE.
Saluting the Survivors of The Rivonia Trial
I visited the Guardian Newspaper’s offices for the first time last night to listen to former ANC leader Denis Goldberg and Denis’ and Nelson Mandela’s Rivonia Trial lawyer Joel Joffe in conversation with former British High Court judge Nick Stadlen.
The event was held for Guardian newspaper members, as the men are in London to receive the freedom of the City of London from UK Prime Minister David Cameron. Continue reading “Saluting the Survivors of The Rivonia Trial”
Meeting Marlon James
A wonderful day at London’s Southbank Centre (my favourite place in London) yesterday attending its ‘Being a Man Festival‘.
I attended a few of the sessions but, by far, my favourite was the discussion entitled ‘Kanye West and the Paradox of Black Male Identity in Hip-Hop’, which was chaired by the writer and broadcaster Ekow Eshun in conversation with 2015 Booker prize winner Marlon James and Matrix Chambers barrister Matthew Ryder QC.
Marlon was kind enough to sign a copy of his Booker prize winning ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings‘ for me afterwards.
Suffragette
I was honoured to be invited to watch the opening night’s screening of director Sarah Gavron’s new film ‘Suffragette‘ by her proud mum Nicky Gavron, my old boss, the former Deputy Mayor of London and still a London Assembly Member.
The film was superb. It was also the first time in Hollywood history that a film’s writer, director and main protagonists were all female.
To be so visually reminded of what the suffragettes went through – the police surveillance, community shunning, imprisonment, beatings, torture and force-feeding – strengthened my resolve to continue to play as full a role I can in the democratic life of this country.
Nicky is right to be so proud of Sarah for having made this vitally important film. We owe the Suffragettes our deepest gratitude and I’m glad this film has helped their own voices to be heard.