Botswana it is😊

I will be returning to Botswana in 2026😊. 

I had never set a solid travel timeline before but from the day I had the opportunity to visit that wonderful country, I vowed 'I shall return." 

Thing is, when you reach my age and have a full bucket list, it's not so easy to plan these things. However I was listening to a BBC interview last night, with a lady who had visited every country in the world. 

When she was asked which country she would like to visit again, without hesitation she said Botswana then added Madagascar and Costa Rica.

I love listening to and respect the views of like -minded travelers. So here it is: I have never been to Madagascar and  maybe should also include it in my bucket list for future reference.

 I have been to Costa Rica many times and although it's a beautiful country, will skip that one.

 But for 2026, Botswana it is😊.

The thieving British (11)

On the 7^th February, I posted a blog entitled “The Thieving British”. The article was subsequently carried in Public Opinion.

Smelting metal

In the article, I expressed shock at the story on BBC which exposed Britain’s audacity in loaning treasures it had stolen from Ghana, to a museum there. 

The artifacts had been stolen by Britain in 1874!

In April 2023, several media houses in Britain carried reports to the effect that King Charles 111 of England, supports a study into the British royal family’s links to slavery. According to a section of the story, this is 'part of a series of stories on royal wealth and finances, as well as the monarchy's connection to slavery.

Interesting, in his recent memoir "Spare," Pince Harry wrote that; "the monarchy rests upon wealth generated by 'exploited workers and thuggery, annexation, and enslaved people.'"

The new study which Charles has okayed is supposed to be complete by 2026.

While some will consider this a well-intentioned move, does it really go far enough, or should the research into Britain's thuggery, annexation and exploitation cover not only slavery but also colonialism, since it all happened in one fell swoop without any significant break?

(Remember, in 1874 when they were still stealing artifacts from Ghana and others, slavery was supposed to have been already abolished by Britain!)

This  upcoming report on the royal's enrichment, will clearly not cover both atrocious periods therefore. 

I am however hoping that those who are negotiating for reparations on behalf of Africa and the Caribbean, don't take a similarly half-hearted approach!

Take the glorious Industrial Revolution that propelled Britain economically and still allows it to be held in high esteem and keeps it as somewhat of an economic powerhouse today.

The story below published by the British Guardian, newspaper on the 5^th July 2023 exposes the myth about the British technological prowess. 

The headline of this story was; “Industrial Revolution iron method ‘was taken from Jamaica by Briton.” The bi-line was; Wrought iron process that drove UK success was appropriated from black metallurgists, records suggest.”

It said in part; "An innovation that propelled Britain to become the world’s leading iron exporter during the Industrial Revolution was appropriated from an 18th-century Jamaican foundry, historical records suggest. The 'Cort' process, which allowed wrought iron to be mass-produced from scrap iron for the first time, has long been attributed to the British financier turned ironmaster Henry Cort. It helped launch Britain as an economic superpower and transformed the face of the country with “iron palaces”, including Crystal Palace, Kew Gardens’ Temperate House and the arches at St Pancras train station.Now, an analysis of correspondence, shipping records and contemporary newspaper reports reveals the innovation was first developed by 76 black Jamaican metallurgists at an ironworks near Morant Bay, Jamaica. Many of these metalworkers were enslaved people trafficked from west and central Africa, which had thriving iron-working industries at the time.

Dr Jenny Bulstrode, a lecturer in history of science and technology at University College London (UCL) and author of the paper, said: “This innovation kicks off Britain as a major iron producer and … was one of the most important innovations in the making of the modern world.” The technique was patented by Cort in the 1780s and he is widely credited as the inventor, with the Times lauding him as “father of the iron trade” after his death. The latest research presents a different narrative, suggesting Cort shipped his machinery – and the fully fledged innovation – to Portsmouth from a Jamaican foundry that was forcibly shut down.

The Jamaican ironworks was owned by a white enslaver, John Reeder, who in correspondence described himself as “quite ignorant” of iron manufacturing, noting that the 76 black metallurgists who ran the foundry were “perfect in every branch of the iron manufactory”, and, through their skill, could turn scrap and poor-quality metal into valuable wrought iron.”

 Charles can make mealy mouthed apologies for slavery, but will the exploited ever be compensated for how his empire and its descendents have lived and prospered from the brain and brawn of our ancestors from slavery through to the end of colonialism?

Prince Harry of the British Royal tribe is the only one who got it right. But will his brother who is the only one who can determine that the descendents of the exploited receive any form of justice, make it right?

Don't hold your collective breaths!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The thieving British!

A few of the less expensive and exotic items left in Ghana after the British finished plundering.

I did an immediate double take on hearing this news headline on BBC; “ UK to loan back Ghana's looted 'crown jewels'”.

Thinking I had misheard, I made sure not to be distracted when the story itself was being read.

No, the headline was not incorrect.

The entire story was shocking.

Ghana was the 'gold coast'.

 The gist is that although it is well documented and   recognized that Britain was once one of the most thieving empires of old and it acknowledges that most of the treasures in its museums were purloined, “….some national museums in the UK - including the V&A and the British Museum - are banned by law from permanently giving back contested items in their collections, and loan deals such as this are seen as a way to allow objects to return to their countries of origin!”  

The story continued; In receiving the stolen objects which are now being loaned back to the owners, Nana Oforiatta Ayim, special adviser to Ghana's culture minister, told the BBC: "They're not just objects, they have spiritual importance as well. They are part of the soul of the nation. It's pieces of ourselves returning."

These particular items now being ‘loaned to Ghana’ were stolen in 1874 when British troops launched a punitive expedition against the Ashante kingdom, ransacking Kumasi and taking many of the palace treasures.

Spears versus muskets

You know, over the years, one has heard rumours about various British institutions refusing to return sacred stolen property to Africa, but this BBC story aired on January 24, 2024, was still shocking, as these items had been among the crown jewels of the Ashante Kingdom.

The BBC's story also pointed out that the plundering of the crown jewels of Ashante Kingdom by Britain, was by no means an isolated affair, for the habit of stealing crown jewels from Africa was well established. Another example is the Benin Bronzes. 

These are the thousands of sculptures and plaques looted by Britain from the palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in modern-day southern Nigeria.

 Nigeria has been demanding their return for decades but up to now, they haven’t been able to get them back.

I guess Britain may loan them to that nation one day!

The victims of the massive theft that Britain carried out in Africa over the centuries should stop accepting this arrogance as a fait accompli.  This contemptible attitude by the descendants of the exploiters is totally unacceptable. 

All stolen artifacts, especially those of spiritual and cultural importance should be returned forthwith.

Surely the descendants of the nations whose cultural items were looted by the invaders should not be accepting loans (of their own things) from Britain in order that their people can learn the great history of the tribes that were once were supreme in Africa!

What amazes me, is how little feedback there has been to this story both in Britain and among their many victims, for I have been searching the internet extensively and the silence is deafening.

I wonder if the generations to come will be as docile in accepting these indignities?

It is not only in Africa that this happened but also in Australia and New Zealand. Could this maiden speech delivered in parliament in New Zealand in her native Maori language by that country’s youngest parliamentarian, 21-year-old Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, be a sign that the descendants of the victims will be a new less accepting and compliant in the future?

Or is it just entertainment for the over 7 million people who have seen it so far?

Watch it at; https://youtu.be/xPiJftYyovw?feature=shared and tell me what you think.

Maybe I am just grabbing at straws!

YOUTUBE LINK; https://youtu.be/P36aeUDbqXE

Cambodia surprised me

Entrance to the "Killing Fields" memorial in Sien Reap

Cambodia is a country that I had little or no interest in visiting when I decided to visit South East Asia. You see, I had closely followed events there during the terrible period, 1975-1979 when the despot, Pol Pot murdered over a quarter of the population in that country. His terrible regime was backed and armed by the Chinese communists.

Skulls found in mass graves in the region, on display

 

His reason for the genocide, resonated a great deal with us thousands of miles away in Jamaica, as it was in our view, a typical aspect of a communist cleansing.

This was the period during the cold war era when communists were trying to foist their violent ideology on the world. We too in Jamaica were in grave danger of being overcome by communists, as local communist forces were being armed and assisted by the Castro regime in neighboring Cuba.

From 1976-1980, we fought an "undeclared" civil war to keep the communists at bay, so the atroicities we were learning about in Cambodia which were broadcast daily by the British BBC, would not overtake us. By the time Pol Pot was stopped in Cambodia, he had massacred over two million of his countrymen and totally dislocated the population by moving people from their homes and dispersing them all over the countryside.

A shrine to the victims at the "Killing Fields" memorial

That period has long passed and the Berlin wall has fallen, so in 2018, communism was no longer a threat, but my memories of the story of Cambodia remained so entrenched, that it took my friend Gabby, a Jamaican resident in Vietnam, quite some time to convince me that Cambodia was worth visiting. The cheap air fares in the region were also another incentive!

The final spur though came from a young lady I met on a visit to Ha Long in Vietnam. She was a teacher in Britain but had been undertaking the arduous task of having to work while studying for her master's degree. So she said she decided to take a break to tour Southeast Asia and had been doing so for some three months. When I picked her brains about which was the most scenic country she had visited so far, the unhesitant answer was Cambodia.

On a  Tuk Tuk tour of Angkor

With only two days to spare, we flew from Thailand to Siem Reap, a highly recommended UNESCO World Heritage site.

 That was probably the best decision of my life as from what I saw of Cambodia in that short time, certainly indicates that my British friend and Gabby were both on target.

To begin with, the Cambodian people were by far the most friendly, helpful and humble people I encountered during my short visit to South East Asia.

In questioning some who I met about the events during the Pol Pot genocidal period, while I discovered that most had not even been born then, just about everyone knew someone who had either been killed, forcefully relocated or imprisoned during the period so knew everything about it. I also learned that nothing was taught in the schools about that aspect of their history but the older generation always spoke about it, always expressing bewilderment with the question; "Why did he do that to his own people?"

No one seemed to have a real explanation and it is something that I suspect will remain unanswered during their entire history.

The impressive Angkor Wat (Wat means temple)

While the government does not give much information about the period, I was told, to their credit, all over the country there are killing fields memorials where skulls retrieved from mass graves are put display along with written, harrowing tales as told by survivors and of course shrines for the souls of the dead.

We got the opportunity to visit the memorial at Siem Reap and it certainly brought home the real brutality of that terrible period and communism in action.

Cambodia is now open for business though and no more is this more obvious than in Siem Reap where the

A young Buddhist monk performs rites at Angkor Wat

US dollar is even used interchangeably with their own Reil. That province is certainly very tourism oriented with a night market where just about every type of Asian food can be found as well as arts and crafts. And the prices are really good.

The big drawing card is, of course,  the Angkor Complex which has been recognized and protected by UNESCO  for 25 years. This is located on over four hundred acres of land, much of which is still in the forest.

Here you have on display, one of the largest collections of religious monuments in the world some of which are still being used.

Hindu carvings are visible all over

This area was originally constructed in the 9th century as the center of the Khmer Empire but was finally abandoned in the early 1400's.

What you find here are the most intricate designs and architecture and even where huge tree roots take over buildings, they seem to do little damage as happens with modern buildings.

A massive tree trunk envelops this temple but does little damage

As I toured a minuscule section of the vast complex in wonderment, I was also enthralled by elephants all around transporting people and the monkeys which wondered easily among their human relatives!

When one baby tried to climb up the long, colorful Cambodian skirt which I had to buy to enter the sacred temple complex, I was tempted to pick it up but was reminded that they often have diseases.

One of the most inappropriate businesses I saw in' Cambodia though was a restaurant near our hotel named "Trump cafe."  Although I wondered about the choice of name, was amused to see that during

 my entire two days there, I never observed anyone entering or leaving the premises. Does this mean the American president has no fans in that part of Cambodia, I wondered?



Some other images from Angkor

Elephants demand right of way!