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

Big Cypress Nature Preserve

Thanks to the Happy Hoofers chapter of the Florida Trail Association, under the leadership of Steve, some 48 of us happy troopers enjoyed an invigorating 7.5 mile huke at Big Cypress Nature Preserve.

Photo of  the happy troopers (photo provided by Steve)

The preserve is located in Collier County around fifty miles from Ft. Lauderdale on the way to Naples and Alligator Alley.

Because it is part of the Everglades, the area is rich in flora and fauna.

This was the dry season so luckily we were spared the insects but in terms of animals, we only saw quite a few large and small gators and one turtle.

The gators which seemed quite well fed and shy, were all by the water bank  which we hiked beside when we first set out going south.

                                                                                                                                                             After we reached approximately 

One of the large gators we saw

 halfway, we had a bathroom stop  where women  were directed to the bushes at the east side and the men to the west).

We then headed inland towards Carpenter campsite, where we had lunch which we brought along and hung around fr a while, getting to know each other.

A discarded pot left hanging

While there, I noticed that someone had hung a saucepan on a tree. I guess after cooking they just couldn't bother to lug back that utensil! Or maybe they had burnt it so badly on open fire it could no longer be used.

After lunch we headed back towards our parking lot by a much more forested but dry area,  minus gators.

In this section, the numerous fallen trees lying across the trail reminded us that there had recently been a hurricane in Florida. As we wended our way slowly, we met a gentleman who had been hiking with a young boy and two other adults  who stopped by a large fallen tree along the track to help the ladies go safely over it.

I asked him if he was a boy's scout and he replied "I try to be." Very helpful and pleasant young man.

Christina (Cuba) Terry (Guyana) Sue (Uganda)

The best part of these hikes in my book is meeting new people and Florida is quite a melting pot.

 Celia (Romania) Stephanie (New Zealand)

The interesting thing is it is a state of migrants as very few people living here are actually born here or even in the USA.  I spoke at length to quite a few people along the way but only one was originally from the state. Four were from  Kentucky, Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania and N. Dakota but the others were originally from overseas......... New Zealand, Romania, Cuba, and Uganda and of course me, Jamaica.

I really don't know how come Trump has his favorite (?) home in Florida when he hates immigrants so. Oh well, I guess he only hates non -Aryans so  he can survive here!. (Now why did I spoil my thoughts of a day pleasant day by thinking of him! Darn)

Back to more pleasant thoughts. I was excited to learn that the Bietram's (Terry from Guyana and his wife Sue from Uganda) had just recently returned from a safari in Kenya, which I plan to visit later this year so I really picked their brains about what to see and do there.

I just love the great outdoors. I love hiking, I love going to new places and most of all, I love life.

Another great day in the magnificent outdoors.