Author’s Image: Forest in front of my home
It is a question I asked myself each evening, as I sit down to eat, and look out as village life closes in. One important part of this time in looking forward to the next day has been for me to look back through the long legacy of our history and its continued impact on our present and future.
An aspect of this reflection during this month is the conflict in Sudan and the way it is has only now come to the world’s attention, and only fleetingly, as major news. At the same time Pakistan continues to feel the effects of the extreme flooding in 2022 and millions of children go malnourished, dehydrated and weakened now with malaria. Many of the Uighur refugees, fleeing China more than 9 years ago, are still detained in Thailand and how long will the Rohingya of Myanmar, remain stateless and vulnerable to all manner of human rights abuses?
Some answers to these current events lie in our history, in the ways in which colonial rule still permeates into our lives today, affecting the languages we speak, our religious practices, the passports we hold, or have been denied, the land we inhabit or our displacement to less favourable and barren places. Where we live in the world, our access to education and our longevity on earth have all had a past. Whether we have food in our bellies each day and somewhere to sleep at night has all been dictated by our present/past and those of our ancestors. Moreover, the vast inequities in wealth are a product of the continued leaching of all the natural resources from the global south to line the pockets of those who live and work in the global north and build big cities and house great works.
In addition, I’d like to mention two events that have had a profound impact on me this month. The first is a fascinating presentation at the National Library of Luxembourg under the title; Le long combat de l’Afrique pour son art. Histoire d’une défaite postcoloniale by Bénédicte Savoy. During the presentation I was reminded of the complex weaving of individuals and their families together with the power and control the respective colonisers exerted over hundreds of years in the global south. This has made me continue to question the true origins of all I see and experience around me. In reading Lessons from a Dark Time by Adam Hochschild, I have often had to stop to take air from what is a tightly woven sombre analysis of the present, through several essays written over the last four decades. From Europe, the Americas, Africa, India and the Middle and Far East, the author makes connections for the reader, that are difficult to draw out alone.
However, each evening as I review the day, I can still remain hopeful even at a time of great human suffering and the degradation of our life-giving Earth. Each day, as the weather turns warmer, I look through the window at the children who play on the street outside my home. They come from many continents and live in a place of forests, rivers and lakes, wild animals, sunlight and rain. They laugh, argue and exhaust themselves on their bicycles, scooters and sometimes just running behind a ball. They wave and we speak our different languages but somehow understand each other’s care for one another. They spend hours away from us as adults with our troubled minds. They are not hopeful; they embody hope.
Patricia Angoy 
Good morning, It’s now 4:56 and everyone is asleep in the house including our energetic nephew who is visiting us for several days. Yesterday they walked and on the battlegrounds of Antetm a battle US Civil war , they mentioned that there were 23,00,000 casualties in a 2 day battle. I was astounded at the loss of lives and wonder whether they could have been another way? Domenic is writing about one of the soldiers, it’s only a brief article but still I admire him for trying. It’s up to him to decide which aspects he will write about. Mornings are a special time, I enjoy the quiet and,time to let thoughts surface . It’s also comforting to know that everyone is safe at home resting up for a new day which will begin in a couple of hours. It is by sharing our thoughts that we can continue our friendship. Your essay on world events makes aware that I have become distant from current events, I spend most of my day tinkering around words and trying to find energy to keep on revising a couple of pieces. Now I have a notebook with a small collection of poems. I don’t know what to do with them , the revisions have taken over most of my days for the past year- I have a friend who tells me how wonderful it is to have what she calls “your thing.” As I get older I am beginning to realize that it takes work to keep my brain alive. I am grateful that you share your insights and hopefulness with a wide audience, for keeping us alert about what Is going on outside our own safe places that we create. I have discovered a new poet, art historian,Robin Coates Lewis. You will definitely like her , she writes about (Voyage o the Sable Venus) appropriations of black lives. I will spend the next couple of hours reading “ To The Realization of Perfect Helplessness .” How could helplessness’s be perfect? I am worried about the daily increase of gun violence in schools, for me that is helplessness that’s on my mind. Children should not have to be reminded of gun violence, as you pointed out children need their playtime. I am happy that you find contentment watching them exhaust themselves I am also happy that you still live in Luxembourg, it’s a special place, where else do they still have a bird market and the lectures that are offered and can attend. Stay well my friend and thank you for sharing your cogent words. The house is still very quiet and light is spreading on my moist azalea blossoms. Un abbraccio per te! elisa
Sent from my iPhone
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Thank you for your deep thoughts that spring from the blog post. I hope you share your poems with us all soon. Go well dear friend.
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Thank you for sharing Patricia.
It’s smooth sailing reading your written words. Delicately and softly expressing hard truths… Thank you for the reminder that we don’t need to shut ourselves out when reality hits hard. Acknowledging what is, while finding hope in our own little spot on earth, by trying to be some good news in our communities, by making the place around us a pleasant one for our fellow humans and nature. Sharing your gentle truths is definitely a beautiful and positive contribution.
Merci,
Anita
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Thank you too for sharing Anita. It is good news to be reminded of our responsibility to our communities, both human and non human. I am certainly grateful.
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