I went to London to see Qu Leilei and his partner Caroline Deane’s exhibition Calligraphy Forest of Misinformation. It was a moving experience. It was originally shown in Milan and is inspired by a phenomenon of our time https://www.facebook.com/sylvia.vetta/videos/1986347964828795 The
I wrote this to promote the Bagley Wood Fun Run (in The Oxford Times) The village of Kennington is squeezed into a narrow track of land between Bagley Woods and the River Thames. The ancient woodland was first mentioned in
We need to talk about Scientific Racism https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jan/10/the-us-and-the-holocaust-review-unmissable-ken-burns-doc-reveals-how-hitler-was-inspired-by-america? I watched this distressing but important 3 part series. It begins with the legacy of Eugenics .The origin of this racist so-called science was the UK. It spread to the USA and
Where are you from? Start the Week: Kenan Malik, Francesca Sobande and Don Paterson discuss upbringing and identity politics with Tom Sutcliffe. Kenan titled his book Not so Black and White but I’d like you to know that Not so
In the ‘Appetiser’ to my memoir Food of Love: Cooking up a life across Gender, Class and Race, I include a photograph of an unusual sculpture being placed in a roof in Headington. I only give two pieces of
I was privileged to meet Vivienne Westwood when I reviewed exhibitions for the Weekend Magazine of The Oxford Times. I was at the press day for her crowning glory –the retrospective exhibition at the V&A in May 2004. I‘ve just
Great minds think alike or how to pinch a good title? https://membership.theguardian.com/event/kenan-malik-not-so-black-and-white-4 Nancy Mudenyo Hunt and I were not sure whether to be upset or flattered when we saw the title of Kenan Malik’s book. Not so Black and
In 'Food of Love' I invent a word ‘Communessence ‘. It means when we eat together we come together. It is inspired by the Sikh practice of 'langar' which in Punjabi means 'kitchen'. Gurdwaras have kitchens, which serve meals to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whX1OTtWkpY&t=448s Following the publication of my memoir Food of Love, cooking up a life across gender, class and race, Catherine Whelan Costen who lives in Calgary, asked to interview me. It gave me the opportunity to share my belief that
So many brave young people are fighting for their liberty at the moment, in Ukraine, in Iran and now in China. There was a time of protest with a real possibility of hope that occurred in China in 1979. The