Songlines are spiritual and musical pathways consisting of stories and traditions that connect landmarks across the landscape. “I have a vision of the songlines stretching across the continents and ages; that wherever men have trodden they have left a trail of song (of which we may, now and then, catch Read more…
Love him or hate him, you have to admire the chutzpah of Hashim Thaçi. As the political leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) he learnt poker-faced brinkmanship particularly early in his political career. In 1999, following much cajoling from Secretary of State Madeline Albright, he finally added his signature to the Read more…
The Great Game In 1878 Benjamin Disraeli returned from the Congress of Berlin with what was thought to be ‘Peace in the Balkans’ and an extra piece to add to the British Empire’s Eastern Mediterranean jigsaw: Cyprus. The Island was ceded to Britain by the Ottomans following no less than Read more…
Everyday a theatrical set piece takes place between the swaggering armies of Pakistan and India as border gates between the two countries at are slammed shut for the night. Performance with a purpose It’s a performance with purpose: a ritualistic face-off, a presentation of power politics. Once one people the Read more…
Take a look at maps of the world before and after the age of colonial cartography and you will notice a stark contrast. Before colonialism boundaries were largely amorphous, curved and fluid; afterwards they were rigid, straight and intransigent. At the turn of this century the lines that cut the globe Read more…
Summer. Samothraki, Northern Aegean, Greece. Homo sapiens gather on rocks below the thin frayed string of a waterfall as the sun gently eases below a mountain ridge. A bronzed girl leans against her boyfriend, reading; another perches below writing. An adjacent couple sit next to a colourful collection of fruits and Read more…
Message from the Queen On Saturday the 12th of June 1999, in a shoe factory on the outskirts of Skopje, General Sir Mike Jackson received a telegram from the Queen; it read: “I have nothing but admiration for the way in which you have carried out your duties over recent Read more…
As dusk falls, in Pine Ridge South Dakota, Oglaga Sioux gather around tables in “Big Bats,” a café cum convenience store and gas station situated at the reservation cross roads. It’s clearly the place to be, and the first time I’ve seen men hanging out in groups, as they might Read more…
“There was dancing, and singing, and smoking, can you imagine!” says the bespectacled Father Linos, referring to the tourist activities that once took place within the grounds of the now immaculately manicured Machairas Monastery. He glances towards the Bishop responsible for arresting this decay and revitalising the surroundings and several Read more…
The following interview puts a well-articulated study of American history centre stage. Everything is put on its head describing how left became right and right became left. The person interviewed wishes to remain anonymous. But Rest assured he is someone I know personally, and someone who places a whole new historical Read more…