The Queen and I - resting in peace - Sue Townsend and the Queen in conversation

September 8, 2022 - a normal day.

I am sitting at my desk. Merlin arrived, ready to help me dismantle the display for the Queen and I, art & craft project. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse at Quetzal created the display to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee, honoured our late patron Sue Townsend and showcased their talents.

As we dismantled the display, we discussed the possibility of reusing the artworks when the Queen will pass. Little did we know that it would be on the same day.

For Merlin, the 8th of September is a special day full of celebration with the birth of the Virgin Mary and in her hometown back in India, they also had a full day of celebration. As she shared with me the meaning of the day, I thought, yes it is a special day.

I returned home under the heavy thunderstorms, entered home, took off my shoes, and walked up the stairs to greet my husband. He announced that the Queen passed. I could not help it. I shed a tear for her family. 

Later, I wondered what conversation the Queen and Sue Townsend will have looking from heaven upon us watching the various 'isms' at war.

Q: It was all a dream

S: Oh yes, that's was. You had a good one, didn't you?

Q: it all depends on which trees you are sitting on...

S: Yes, some of your people put trees in the shade, can't forget hell close, what a doomed place to sit on a tree

Q: I did ask if they could move them, but even when the Queen asks...

S: they don't always listen, do they?

Q: Well, they are not as deaf as one may think.

S: Thick, dare I say?

Q: they can eventually be smooth over

S: With a lot of asking

Q: Yes, wit, patience and intelligence

S: Is Charles III up to the tasks?

Q: yes, as well as all of my subjects

S: Let's pray that they keep on dreaming and restrain themselves from turning their present into a nightmare

Q: may god save them all...

The United States of Hoodoo, Documentary by Olivier Hardt

 The documentary explores how African-based spirituality has informed Americas popular culture. The old African gods have taken on new forms since their arrival on North America's shores. Their spirit now manifests in turntable wizardry, improvisational skills and mind-blowing collages, performances and rituals. The film shakes up traditional and stereotypical ways of thinking about race, religion, rationality. Through meetings with musicians, writers and artists, healers, gumbo cooks and Mississippi Blues men, the documentary draws a picture of a culture which has always drawn on a unique mix of different ethnic influences to produce its cultural diversity, allure, and vitality (IMBD, 2012)

I remember being in the West Indies getting dressed up for the Carnaval, hearing the music and percussions up and down the streets. Not something you would find in metropolis France. But there on the island where African tradition meets a religious event such as Mardi Gras, all is transformed.

Watching the United States of Hoodoos put many things into perspectives for me on how the African Gods joined the Americans one and express themselves marvellously by sipping into culture sounds and images.

Exploring Dreams:At the theatre, my favourite part is when the light goes off

At the theatre, my favourite part is when the light goes off. There and then, you know that: ''this is it, you cannot come out''. The configuration is as such that you are stuck with those sitting next to you on a ride. The actors speak to a part too often unknown to ourselves so we can get to see in between their lines the truth. Sometimes, they are so good at their jobs that they send us into a slumber, who knows what happens when we jump into another alternate reality as they continue their ritual.

When the show finally ends, it is time to release the actors, ourselves and others from any further attachment to this world of dreams and come back down grounded to planet earth.

Over the years, some plays impacted me more than others, Hamlet and King Lear by Shakespeare, Waiting for Godot by Becket, A Respectable Wedding by Brecht, La Baye by Philippe Adrien, Mefiez Vous de La Pierre a Barbe de Ahmed Madani...I was there the spectator, the actor, the confidant...Until I finally became conscious about the significant role of theatre in supporting others in yielding their most beautiful and loving dreams to reality while letting go of the rest.

Do not think

Remember love and beauty

Freedom Time - Revisited

September is always a special month. It is the beginning of the artistic season. In our family, it was always the month when my father would also present a new production.

For the first time, In September, this year, I am delivering a show - an exhibition to be exact called Stories of Change. 

My brother is also opening the season with.a play called Catch! at Le Theatre de La Tempete directed by Clement Poiree and I shall join him in October to watch him.

The old man would be proud!

So yes, I feel supra connected to him this month at so many different levels.

On the 6th September 2018, I wrote an article called Freedom Time - We heard you.  about a message my father passed to me and my mother in his cloud. The article included my response to his message.

He said: 'Why do you stay at home? You and Marie Toto. You have to come out of the house sometimes if you want to start collaborating with people.''

My response in summary was "at home I can be the whole me'', yet finished the article by saying that '' I heard you and I'll come out of my shell more, get my voice heard and become as organised as those waging the war of minds''

Now, I can say that I can collaborate from home, got my voice heard and that both inside and outside I am whole.

I pleased to say that a lot has changed since writing this article in my psyche and spirit. It is nice though to be reminded that our place for both my mother and I is outside of our house so we can find new collaboration to get our story and ideas to be heard.

Not at home...

Listen Lauryn Hill, Freedom Time

Lightseekers

Lightseekers is a creative social enterprise that uses photography and storytelling as a platform to learn about and engage with important social issues. They specialise in cross-cultural education and deliver thought provoking programmes to low-income areas, where creative engagement is low and students are likely to experience exclusion and discrimination.

How did I get involved with Lightseekers?

I started Yoga in 2019 while finishing my doctorate and I met Kajal Nisha Patel, founder of Lightseekers and yoga teacher at Nilu.Yoga. The rest is history. We became friends and collaborators through the Breaking the Silence Initiative at Quetzal. Over the pandemic, we discussed in great details the impacts of poor mental health on wellbeing and physical health. Through our discussion, a project started emerging that will become Ways to Wellbeing - a 9 online session programme providing the tools and knowledge to communities to enhance their wellbeing. She invited me to become a director at Lightseekers in 2021 and we delivered the project that same year.

Activities

2021

• Ways to Wellbeing
• Bhensexplaining Kitty Party

Learn more about Lightseekers

• Instagram

Are you Ready To Love?

What I learnt from watching the 4th season of Ready to Love

- know yourself

- be clear about what you are looking for

- be open to the opportunities that come your way

- to love someone, you first need to love yourself, be secured so nothing outside of yourself can sway you away

- give space to the other person to grow and flourish

- listen properly

- be in touch with your emotions so you can better address situations and be present when love is available for grab

All the best for all the contestants, I wish you to find love 💘

Truth: All the world's a stage Shakespeare - As you like it

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. 
At first, the infant,Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. 
And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. 
Then a soldier,Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. 
And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. 
The sixth age shiftsI
nto the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. 
Last scene of all,That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything

Le Grand Continental Dance - Day 2 - Part 1

I ordered a smoothie machine for my hubby after watching fat sick and nearly dead

I have watched fat sick and nearly did a joe cross movie.

I was well inspired.

I bought a smoothie machine for hubby.

it is arriving for valentine's day!

Demain The movie - Tomorrow, J'irais au Cinema

This friend gives you a call. It has been a long time you have not spoken to him. It is nice. 

He asks you how is the writing. You ask him how is the acting. He said everything is well, to each his role. He tells you that he enjoys his spare time going to the cinema 3-5 times a week. You are thinking he has time to do so. 

He tells you there is this movie you need to watch, you environmentalist.

You think, I am not sure I can contribute to this industry in any ways and you'd rather watch Netflix at home. 

Before you can answer he said 'No seriously, you have to go and watch this movie, it is great'. It really uplifted me. We went to watch 'This changes everything' by Naomi Klein together, it was good, Demain - I truly loved it'.

Tomorrow - a film by Cyril Dion and Melanie Laurent - Showing in Derby 5/5/2017

Freedom, it is freedom time now - Lauryn Hill

An evening listening to Lauryn Hill Unplugged. This song caught my ear I just wanted to share it with you.

[Singing Chorus] Everybody knows that they're guilty

Everybody knows that they've lied

Everybody knows that they're guilty

Resting on their conscience eating their inside

It's freedom, said it's freedom time now

It's freedom, said it's freedom time now

Time to get free, oh give us yourselves up now

It's freedom, said it's freedom time

[First and only verse]

Yo, there's a war in the mind, over territory

For the dominion

Who will dominate the opinion

Skisms and isms, keepin' us in forms of religion

Conformin' our vision

To the world churches decision

Trapped in a section

Submitted to committee election

Moral infection

Epidemic lies and deception

Insurrection

Of the highest possible order

Destortin' our tape recorders

From hearin' like under water

Beyond the borders

Fond of sin and disorder

Bound by the strategy

It's systematic depravity

Heavy as gravity

Head first in the cavity

Without a bottom

A faith, worse than Saddam

Once got him

Drunk of the spirits

Truth comes, we can't hear it

When you've been, programmed to fear it

I had a vision

I was fallin' in indecision

Apollin', callin' religion

Some program on television

How can dominant wisdom

Be recognized in the system

Of Anti-Christ, the majority rules

Intelligent fools

PhD's in illusion

Masters of mass confusion

Bacholors in past illusion

Now who you choosin'

The head or the tail

The bloodshed of male

More confidence in the tale

Conference is in Yale

Discussin' doctrines of Baal

Causin' people to fail

Keepin' the third in jail

His word is nale

Everything to the tree

Severing all of me from all that I used to be

Formless and void

Totally paranoid

Enjoy darkness as the Lord

Keepin' me from the sword

Block for mercy

Bitter than purgatory

Hungry and thirsty

For good meat we would eat

And still, dined at the table of deceit

How incomplete

From confrontation to retreat

We prolong the true enemy’s defeat

Death to the ascendancy

Causin' desperation to get the best of me

Punishment 'til there was nothing left of me

Realizin' the unescapable death of me

No options in the valley of decision

The only doctrine, supernatural circumcision

Inwardly, only water can purge the heart

From words that fiery darts

Thrown by the workers of the arts

Iniquity, shapen in

There're no escapin' when

You're whole philosophy is paper thin

In vanity

The wide road is insanity

Could it be all of humanity

Picture that

Scripture that

The origin of a man's heart is black

How can we show up for

An invisible war

Preoccupied with a shadow, makin' love with a whore

Achin' in sores

Babylon, the great mystery

Mother of human history

System of social sorcery

Our present condition

Needs serious recognition

Where there's no repentance there can be no remission

And that sentence, more serious than Vietnam

The atom bomb is Saddam and Minister Farakkhan

What's goin' on, what's the priority to you

What authority do we do

When the majority hasn't a clue

We majored in curses

Search the chapters, check the verses

Recapture the land

Remove the mark from off of our hands

So we can stand

In agreement with his command

Everything else is damned

Let them what is understand

Everything else is damned, let them with ears understand

[Singing Chorus]

It's freedom, said it's freedom time now

It's freedom, said it's freedom time now

It's freedom, I'ma be who I am

It's freedom time, said it's freedom time

Everybody knows that they've lied

Everybody knows that they've perpetrated inside

Everybody knows that they're guilty, yes

Resting on their conscience eating their insides

Get free, be who you're supposed to be

Freedom, said it's freedom time now

Freedom, said it's freedom time

Freedom, freedom time now