Reflections on London (12.2.2016)

Reflections on London

Fri, Dec 2, 2016 at 4:08 PM

Since Sonia Sanchez's poem about lions, I have felt an affinity for the king. I am of course not influenced by the Leo risingaspect of my horoscope. To see the magnificent lion, black like King Selassie I's Lion of Judah, put me at home.

London is a city seeped in Kemetic ritual and culture. It is similar to Washington DC. I just don't have Dr. Tony Browder toexplain it to me. As I walked through Covent Gardens through the three arches into St. James Park towards BuckinghamPalace, I noticed an old castle to my right as I passed . . .

When I got to the end of the road which curved, there seated was the Queen, larger than life. Cherubim and birds andother blessed creatures carved into the edifice. Golden and black gates covered the entrances. I reflected on theAsantehene in Kumasi and the British destruction of the king's palace in search of the golden stool. After the king snd hismother were arrested and sent to the Chelles islands in Madsgascar, and the king returned Christian, the British gave theAsantehene a building as a castle. The new castle is nothing compared to Buckingham palace.

Just the park, where the palace sits, the paved roads, cobbled streets (similar) to the same seen in Ghana (where there ispavement) is evidence of the travesty that is neocolonialism and enslavement. Britain can leave the EU rather than offerreparations to African descendants of the slave trade and African descedents of colonialism- - both. Membership in theEU benefits people who do not have the resources to shop around for better healthcare, pay tuition instead of attendingan EU college with free tuition, retire in a country where their retirement dollars will go farther. . . . The EU decision seemsto be part of a larger plan, similar to the USAs political decisions which isolate and estrange.

When I was in Ethiopia, the lion roared philosophically, and it roars in England too. Gondor is the prototype for England'scastles. There is so much back and forth culturally it is dizzying.

I see why the Eastern border including DC. is called New England and New York, New York. From its subways to citydesign, the eastern coast is home to British culture . . . Kemetic culture. As seen in the current exhibit at the Britishmuseum, the presence of Kemet practically and philosophically in the building of a western culture lies in its relationshipwith a black world. Kemet saw divinity within the animals and birds another living things, while the Greeks did not. Thisrespect paid forward is seen in a global disrespect for life, esp. non-human.

On my way back to Convent Gardens I found myself lost in paradise-- mama swans and her ugly duckings prepared fornightfall. I walked towards town, stopping to take photos of monuments to WW2 women soldiers, and carved inscriptionswith unicorns and serpents and nymphs. I passed a large building covering muliple blocks -- it was the Parliment whereI'd been watching discussions on BBC. Police stood at the various entrances. I also saw large underground stations likeNYs Grand Central. Red buses vied with hearse carriages (cars) the preferred mode of transport. Gas prices must not bean issue. Lots of people walk. I listened to discussion re underground access to Birmingham which still takes hours toreach. Reminded me of Antioch and Vallejo suburbs which are not easy to get to without a car.

I was on a treasure hunt for Ira Frederick Aldridge, Shakespearean actor. He moved to England at 17 to make the stagehis home. His story is topic of the play Red Velvet. The playwright is spearheading refurbishing of her theatre in SouthLondon. The current play ? is the last production before the theatre closes.

I did get by the National Gallery to see Aldridge's portrait and though I missed the curtain, I tried to go to an opera to seeinside the Royal Opera House where Aldridge starred as Othello. I'd planned to go by his home, but rainy cold weatherand time were not on my side this visit.

As I walked through Covent Garden at dusk a black man played Otis Redding's Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. He didn'twhistle.

I felt quite at home, even though what they speak in England sounds like a foreign language. I couldn't bring myself to buyanything with the country's flag or colors. I don't wear the American flag, why would I wear that of this colonial power. Inever got used to seeing Ghanaians wear scarves and shorts and blouses with stars and stripes.

How patriotic. Sister Imahkus (One Africa) spoke often of the Ghanaian love of all things American.