2 days agoFalkland Islands, Islas Malvinas, Îles Malouines: The most British place on earth?And so I arrive at another non-country, one of the 17 regions the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization defines as a Non-Self-Governing Territory. These strangely much desired islands have been a Spanish Colony, a French Colony and a British Colony. Argentina, itself a creation of colonialisation now wants to…Falklands4 min readFalklands4 min read
May 26East Turkistan: A Uyghur experience in Birmingham that would be impossible in their homelandBefore my Armchair Travels I mostly associated the horrors of colonialism with the Western world — such as the terrible statistic that Britain’s thievery was so virulent that sixty-five countries now celebrate independence from us. It’s been depressing, therefore, to come to terms with the number of other colonising countries…Uyghur4 min readUyghur4 min read
May 19Grenada: Mulling the troubled history behind sugar-cane rum and nutmeg stewGiven that Love Island will always get more viewers than a programme about the history of social activism, it is easy to believe that the fight for social, racial and gender justice is new and only of interest to the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati, but the truth, as always, is far…Armchair Travel4 min readArmchair Travel4 min read
Apr 30Greenland: Fine coffee, bad vegan food, Queer literature and perception-changing film“Greenland” is an early example of both fake news and dubious advertising. Despite being further north and icier than Iceland, Greenland was so-named by colour-loving Eric the Red, in an attempt to convince people to join him in the land he’d been exiled for murder. …Queer Literature4 min readQueer Literature4 min read
Mar 26Greece: Sun, art, divorce, dolmades, Zorba and misogyny in paradiseThere is, perhaps, a centripetal force that brings artists to Greece and then forces them to make a Faustian pact to take something away and leave something behind. Henry Miller said, “The light of Greece opened my eyes, penetrated my pores, expanded my whole being”; Lord Byron fought and died…Greece4 min readGreece4 min read
Mar 12Ghana: In which I steer clear of marijuana soaked palm liquor and find myself in a musical empireDecember last year found me sat in an Indian restaurant with a Ghanaian friend who said that if I ever made it to Ghana he would introduce me to a local drink which blends marijuana and alcohol. In order to tempt me told a story which ended with him naked…Ghana4 min readGhana4 min read
Feb 26Germany: What to do in a land of vinegar, electronica, beer and strudels?A non-exhaustive exploration of German alcohol reveals Pilsner, Helles, Dunkles, Kölsch, Altbier, Weißbier, Schwarzbier, Märzen, Oktoberfestbier, Gose, Zwickl and Rauchbier, Jägermeister, Reisling and Spätburgunder… It would be possible for me to spend the entire German week under the table and I still wouldn’t have scratched the surface of the 5,500…Germany4 min readGermany4 min read
Feb 12Georgia: Wine, dumplings, cheese bread, mountains and polyphonic singing, I think I’m in loveSometimes the omnigooglisation of the world throws up anomalies. A search for Georgian food, Georgian music or Georgia itself is most likely to bring up the US State of Georgia where zombies roam free, everything is peach-flavoured and you can be killed for drinking Pepsi. And perhaps this is why…Georgia4 min readGeorgia4 min read
Jan 16The Gambia: A week in a land of Bumsters, pap and insane colonial bordersThe more African countries I armchair explore, the more astounded I am that the continent continues to function despite the post-colonial trauma, and The Gambia is an interesting case in point. From the 10th Century onwards, people lost their lives, families, homeland and history to the European and Arab slave…The Gambia4 min readThe Gambia4 min read
Jan 9“Prioritise people over things” — a week learning lessons from GabonThe Gabonese Republic is highly-forested and squeezed between Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo. It was the Kingdom of Orungu until the French invaded and named it part of French Equatorial Africa. It achieved independence in 1960 and now has a population twice that of Birmingham. “Little Big Man”…Gabon4 min readGabon4 min read
