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6269_SKD_Cambridge_HalfPage 1 23/10/2009 15:57

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE TOY?

EDITOR annie anthursday@tcs.cam.ac.uk

I am not suppose to know this but I am going to tell all you lovely people anyway. A very good friend of mine recently became a grad — it’s appar-ently very boring. This bore-

dom mixed with sheer desparation and a very hot college daughter compelled him to buy a huge potted plant last week. Yesterday on our way home, he decided to ask said daughter if she would like to see his plant, needless to say the answer was “no”. Bad luck mate. You should have got a fish, people would come and see a fish. p.s. Enjoy the new Thursday!!!

FEATURES victoria her-monfeatures@tcs.cam.ac.uk

Beattie-Bunny - had her since i was 3 months old - now more of a guinea pig, and under my pillow in college.

FEATURES jane ashford-thomfeatures@tcs.cam.ac.uk

My cat-not a toy, but that didn’t stop me from dress-ing her as a baby and try-ing to take her to nursery school with me.

FEATURES becca smithfeatures@tcs.cam.ac.uk

My teddy bear called Hoo-ray Henry- the only one with a proper name. I still have him with me at col-lege.

FASHION thomas buck-landfashion@tcs.cam.ac.uk

Panda went everywhere with me...until my brother stole it!

CO

NTE

NTS

10

8 20TIBET: 50 YEARS ON 12flossie waite journeys through the tumult of tibet recent past

FROM THEOTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE 6gaza, palestine,judaism, two students talk of theirexperiences

04 hilary mantel: history in the making

08 laughing pretty with jo brand

09 retro warmers

10 where the wild things are

14 the proclaimers: kings of the road

16 who gives a fig? the demise of a foodie

17 born to be wilde

20 monk’s room

22 feel hear taste see read

03

04

hilary Mantel is the author of the moment. Her latest nov-el Wolf Hall has just been awarded the Man Booker Prize, seeing off competi-tion from writers such as A.S.Byatt and J.M. Coetzee,

both former winners. She spoke with Thursday writer Mary Hammond about her latest book, a story focused on the character of Thomas Cromwell, and the work that goes in to writing fiction within the bounds of historical fact.

This is Mantel’s third historical novel; and the sequel to ‘Wolf Hall’, which she is currently working on, will be her fourth. Though Mantel has penned contemporary fiction, short stories and even a memoir, her first ever written work was also set in the distant past. At the age of 22, in a year out from University, Mantel began work on ‘A Place of Greater Safety’, a novel she calls “the French Revolution book”. This was not her first published piece but it was the first fictional writing she under-took, and she continued to work on the

text throughout her twenties. During this time Mantel discloses that she “didn’t re-ally look ahead”, this was “the one book I knew I wanted to write and, at the time, I wasn’t at all sure I had any other books in me.”

Thank goodness for contemporary English writing she did.

Writing historical fiction is neither quick nor easy. Wolf Hall took “between five and six years” to complete, with this time being shared between factual research and imaginative creation. The issue of accuracy within this genre is a conten-tious one. Should a general sense of the atmosphere of the period be enough? Or should every element be as accurate as possible? Writers as well as readers take various views, Mantel herself asserting that “every detail on the page should be correct”, adding, “not every detail makes it onto the page, ninety percent of the re-search goes unused” - what makes it into the book is only “the tip of the iceberg”.

But, whilst she takes her research se-riously, Mantel’s job is not that of a his-

torian. The point is to be “well-informed but not necessarily neutral”, to present a history as seen from certain charac-ters’ points of view. For a novelist it is ac-ceptable to side with individuals in a way that it is not for a historian. Mantel feels “obliged to correctness but not to impar-tiality”. and her ability to present actual facts from particular viewpoints is part of what makes her such a breathtakingly impressive writer.

From the talk she gave at an English Arts Festival earlier this autumn, it is clear that, in Wolf Hall, Mantel’s partiali-ties lie with Wolsey and Cromwell. She describes Wolsey, the “local boy” from her native Suffolk, as a child prodigy of intellectual brilliance. Awarded his BA from Oxford at the age of fifteeen he was known as “Bachelor Boy”. He was not only a brilliant, but also an ambitious scholar, for whom the church was the only available channel through which he could further his career. “Wolsey didn’t just intend to be Cardinal, but Pope, at least” and for many years, before his fall

mary hammondHI LARY MANTEL : H ISTORY I N THE MAKI NG

PHOTO: PAUL BUNNY

from power, was “in effect, the second King of England.” Mantel describes his voice in her head as “charming, charismatic, and very pleased with himself” - it is this voice which dominates the early parts of the book, along, of course, with that of Thomas Cromwell.

Much of Wolf Hall focuses on the curiously close relation-ship between these two men, suggesting not only that many of Cromwell’s social policies “must have been discussed round Wolsey’s dining table”, but also that Wolsey was not only Crom-well’s mentor, he was also his friend. To put it simply, “Crom-well respected Wolsey. He loved him.” Historical evidence for this? Cromwell’s “daring and strong statement” in incorporat-ing details from Wolsey’s coat of arms into his own, effectively claiming the kinship to this by now dead, disgraced man.

The development of such a high level of inquisitiveness and inventiveness as is clearly required to discover such details and then to turn them into the characters is a mental preparation which Mantel herself admits “takes a lifetime”. An interest in history seems to have started early on in the writer’s 56 years.

05

The germ of the Cromwell idea that was to become ‘Wolf Hall’, and its sequel, was sown in lessons in Tudor history at her secondary school; and whilst she did not continue with this subject at university, choosing instead an undergraduate de-gree in law, the past has always held a fascination for Mantel. She says she is unsure why she didn’t take academic study of history further, “perhaps it was because I didn’t want to end up as a teacher, no disrespect to the profession, but its hard-ly what you aspire to when you’re seventeen’’. This may be true but I have a sneaking suspicion that Mantel would make a fantastic teacher - the hour spent listening to her discuss and read from her book gave just as much, if not more, insight into the world of the Tudors than could ever be received during an hour’s worth of formal school education.

Mantel is undoubtedly a highly deserving winner of the Book-er Prize. Wolf Hall is a work both of immense scope, deliciously characterized historical figures, and incredible detail.

ILLUSTRATION: ALICE SPRAWLS

‘Bec

cy, t

hat

man

just

look

ed in

our

boo

t.’‘Y

eah,

tha

t w

as s

ecur

ity. H

e w

as

chec

king

for b

ombs

.’Pr

etty

muc

h ev

eryw

here

you

go

in Is

rael

, the

re’s

a s

ecur

ity g

uard

ther

e to

ch

eck

that

you’

re n

ot c

arry

ing

expl

osiv

es. Y

ou c

an’t

forg

et a

bout

the

confl

ict.

My

Dad

’s a

kib

butz

nik

orig

inal

ly, h

is p

aren

ts w

ere

part

of a

mov

emen

t tha

t tr

ied

to e

stab

lish

a tr

uly

com

mun

ist s

ocie

ty. I

’ve

hear

d th

at S

abba

(Heb

rew

fo

r Gra

ndpa

) was

ver

y ge

ntle

and

kin

d.

It’s

har

d to

rec

onci

le im

ages

of

evil,

vio

lent

zio

nist

s fo

rcin

g he

lple

ss P

ales

tin-

ians

off

thei

r la

nd, w

ith th

e im

age

of a

gen

tle v

iolin

pla

yer

who

wou

ldn’

t hav

e hu

rt

a fly

. Sab

ba d

ied

the

year

bef

ore

I was

bor

n, s

o I n

ever

kne

w h

ow h

e re

conc

iled

his

com

mun

ism

with

his

zio

nism

, man

y se

em to

thin

k it

to b

e im

poss

ible

. I k

now

that

he

did

n’t e

mig

rate

to Is

rael

whe

n hi

s br

othe

rs a

nd s

iste

r di

d, b

efor

e W

WII.

He

was

lu

cky:

his

vio

lin t

rapp

ed h

im in

Rus

sia

whi

le P

olan

d w

as u

nder

the

con

trol

of t

he

Naz

is.

His

par

ents

and

thre

e si

ster

s, w

ho h

adn’

t mov

ed to

Isra

el, p

eris

hed

in th

e ho

loca

ust.

I’ve

rea

lised

rec

ently

, I h

aven

’t be

en o

blig

ated

by

my

Isra

eli p

assp

ort

to ju

stify

ev

eryt

hing

abo

ut Is

rael

’s p

ast,

anym

ore

than

my

Brit

ish

pass

port

mak

es m

e pe

r-so

nally

res

pons

ible

for

just

ifyin

g th

e fa

llout

of t

he B

ritis

h Em

pire

. Nor

can

Isra

el b

e re

duce

d do

wn

to p

ost-

holo

caus

t re

fuge

, apa

rthe

id s

tate

or

any

othe

r ne

at s

loga

n th

at d

oesn

’t re

ally

say

muc

h.

The

re’s

one

leve

l on

whi

ch Is

rael

is a

par

ticul

ar s

wee

t sm

ell:

the

heat

of t

he s

un, a

ro

w o

f pal

m tr

ees

over

look

ing

the

beac

h, w

arm

, cha

otic

fam

ilies

wel

com

ing

me

into

th

eir h

ome

each

yea

r and

insi

stin

g on

feed

ing

me.

The

re’s

ano

ther

leve

l on

whi

ch I

see

mor

e Is

rael

i flag

s in

two

wee

ks in

Isra

el th

an

I’m li

kely

to s

ee a

Brit

ish

one

in tw

o m

onth

s ov

er h

ere;

eac

h ye

ar a

new

fam

ily fr

iend

is

abo

ut to

go

off t

o th

e ar

my;

a fr

iend

of o

urs

was

dem

oted

for

no o

ther

pla

usib

le

reas

on t

han

that

he

was

a P

ales

tinia

n C

itize

n of

Isra

el a

nd h

is n

ew s

uper

ior

was

Je

wis

h.

It’s

endl

ess

argu

men

ts a

bout

exa

ctly

wha

t has

hap

pene

d an

d w

hat i

s ha

ppen

ing

and

wha

t sh

ould

hap

pen:

can

we

real

ly d

eman

d an

end

to

terr

or w

hen

we

won

’t ev

en o

ffer

a se

ttlem

ent f

reez

e? Is

the

bloc

kade

rea

lly w

orth

the

limite

d se

curit

y it

brin

gs in

the

face

of i

ts im

pact

on

the

lives

of i

nnoc

ent G

azan

s? It

’s tr

ying

to fo

rget

ab

out a

ll th

at a

nd h

ave

fun

rafti

ng o

n th

e R

iver

Jor

dan.

It’s

Isra

eli a

nd P

ales

tinia

n ac

tivis

ts c

ampa

igni

ng s

ide

by s

ide

agai

nst v

iole

nce

and

for

wha

teve

r so

lutio

n th

ey

see

as ju

st.

Mor

e th

an th

at, i

t’s e

ight

mill

ion

peop

le w

ho e

ach

have

a s

tory

to te

ll; it

’s e

ight

m

illio

n pe

ople

tryi

ng to

get

on

with

thei

r liv

es.

The

re’s

a li

ne fr

om a

son

g by

Bet

te M

idle

r, ‘f

rom

a d

ista

nce,

you

look

like

my

frie

nd, e

ven

thou

gh w

e ar

e at

war

/from

a d

ista

nce,

I ju

st c

anno

t com

preh

end

wha

t al

l thi

s fig

htin

g is

for’

. Tha

t’s w

hat i

t com

es d

own

to fo

r m

e, fa

r m

ore

than

bla

me

or r

even

ge. I

srae

l and

Pal

estin

e ar

e bo

th fu

ll of

am

azin

g pe

ople

who

can

see

the

fr

iend

s on

the

othe

r sid

e of

the

wal

l and

are

pus

hing

for c

hang

e.

’

06

becc

y ta

lmy

and

josh

ua m

arks

rela

te...

THE

OTH

ER SI

DE.....

PHOTO: ARRON RODRIGUES

’

07

‘The

past

wee

k m

arks

the

end

of

the

fest

ive

seas

on in

Jew

ish

trad

ition

, st

artin

g w

ith t

he N

ew Y

ear

back

in m

id-S

epte

mbe

r, t

hrou

gh t

he D

ay o

f At

onem

ent

whi

ch c

lash

ed w

ith t

he fi

rst

day

of t

erm

(so

me

mig

ht v

iew

th

is a

s pr

ovid

entia

l) an

d th

en o

nto

the

final

fest

ival

of T

aber

nacl

es, o

r in

H

ebre

w –

Suc

cot.

Suc

cot i

s on

e of

the

mos

t biz

arre

fest

ival

s of

a c

ultu

re d

omin

ated

by

won

-de

rful

and

oft

en w

eird

cus

tom

s. D

esig

ned

to r

emin

d us

of o

ur a

nces

tors

tem

pora

ry

sojo

urnm

ent

in t

he d

eser

t af

ter

exiti

ng E

gypt

, the

law

s of

Suc

cot

stip

ulat

e th

at w

e m

ust t

ry to

live

par

t of o

ur li

ves

outs

ide

in a

tem

pora

ry d

wel

ling

– lit

tle

mor

e th

an a

gl

orifi

ed s

hed,

exp

osed

to m

any

of th

e ra

ther

un-

dese

rt-l

ike

clim

atic

feat

ures

of t

he

Bri

tish

Autu

mn.

Suc

h si

mpl

e liv

ing

hark

s ba

ck t

o th

e ‘b

aked

-bea

ns a

nd t

oast

’ da

ys o

f m

y ga

p ye

ar in

Isr

ael,

in w

hich

pre

tty

muc

h ev

eryd

ay w

as o

ne w

ithou

t m

ater

ial

com

fort

s.

Agai

nst

such

a b

ackd

rop,

dis

tingu

ishi

ng t

he S

ucco

t ex

peri

ence

fro

m a

nor

mal

day

w

as s

light

ly m

ore

chal

leng

ing,

but

in th

e sp

irit

of e

xplo

ratio

n, I

deci

ded

to c

amp

out

on th

e be

ach

at th

e B

eres

hit (

Gen

esis

) wor

ld m

usic

fest

ival

. S

omew

here

bet

wee

n G

last

onbu

ry, a

Tha

i Ful

l Moo

n P

arty

and

a p

eace

ral

ly, B

e-re

shit

is th

e bi

gges

t and

mos

t fam

ous

wor

ld-m

usic

eve

nt in

Isra

el, a

ttra

ctin

g cr

owds

of

ove

r te

n th

ousa

nd in

a s

ecul

ar fe

stiv

al fo

r th

e Je

wis

h fe

stiv

e pe

riod

. D

espi

te t

he r

heto

ric

of d

ivis

ion

and

confl

ict

whi

ch d

omin

ates

rep

ortin

g of

the

M

iddl

e Ea

st, a

sta

re u

p an

d do

wn

the

crow

ded

beac

h at

this

fest

ival

rev

eals

the

true

di

vers

ity o

f cu

ltur

al a

nd r

elig

ious

iden

titie

s th

at m

ake

up t

he I

srae

li pu

blic

. Je

ws,

Ar

abs,

Chr

istia

ns a

nd o

ther

s jo

in to

geth

er, u

nite

d by

a lo

ve o

f mus

ic a

nd th

e de

sire

to

cel

ebra

te.

The

myr

iad

of d

iffer

ent

acts

tha

t th

e fe

stiv

al h

as a

ttra

cted

ove

r re

cent

yea

rs a

re

test

amen

t to

the

mul

tifac

eted

ide

ntity

, w

hich

can

not

be s

impl

ified

int

o th

e bi

nary

po

lari

ties

whi

ch o

ften

dom

inat

e co

mm

enta

ries

on

the

regi

on.

The

fest

ival

was

an

aren

a w

here

con

flict

was

res

tric

ted

to m

ud-w

rest

ling;

and

the

loud

cla

mou

ring

s ke

epin

g pe

ople

up

at n

ight

em

anat

ed f

rom

the

moo

n-lit

tra

nce

stag

e. S

uch

a vi

ew o

f Isr

ael i

s at

bes

t unc

omm

on.

Whi

lst I

kno

w th

at th

is b

ohem

ian

baza

ar is

not

a c

ompr

ehen

sive

sol

utio

n fo

r pe

ace,

it is

evi

denc

e th

at t

here

is m

ore

that

uni

tes

man

y pe

ople

in th

is r

egio

n th

an d

ivid

es th

em.

At th

is ti

me

of y

ear,

whe

n Je

ws

look

at c

ount

er-c

ultu

re a

s a

mea

ns o

f sel

f dis

cov-

ery,

the

Ber

eshi

t mus

ic fe

stiv

al is

an

appr

opri

ate

imag

e to

bri

ng to

the

fore

– a

cou

n-te

r-cu

ltur

e of

coe

xist

ence

shi

ning

a li

ght

thro

ugh

the

dark

and

dom

inat

e cu

ltur

e of

ha

te f

or w

hich

, sad

ly, w

e ha

ve c

ome

to k

now

the

reg

ion.

Thi

s m

usic

al a

nd c

ultu

ral

oasi

s m

ay la

ck th

e sc

ope

and

scal

e re

quir

ed fo

r a

last

ing

peac

e pr

oces

s, b

ut it

doe

s de

mon

stra

te th

at p

eopl

e in

the

regi

on a

re c

apab

le o

f liv

ing

side

-by-

side

, em

brac

ing

thei

r ow

n cu

ltur

e an

d en

joyi

ng e

ach

othe

rs.

Whe

n th

e po

litic

al le

ader

ship

rec

onci

le t

heir

diff

eren

ces,

and

onc

e ag

ain

wal

k ou

t ont

o th

e W

hite

Hou

se la

wn

to s

ign

a pe

rman

ent p

eace

ag

reem

ent,

they

sho

uld

be r

emin

ded

of t

he c

ount

er-c

ultu

ral s

ymbo

l of

Suc

cot a

nd th

e be

acon

of h

ope

it pr

ovid

es fo

r th

e fu

ture

.

’

...OF

TH

E

FEN

CE

08

jo Brand’s sharp-tongue has made her one of Britain’s most successful comedians. After appearances on an endless variety of shows, Brand’s face is instantly rec-ognisable. We grabbed a moment with Britain’s favou-rite “man-hating radical feminist lesbian” (her words, not mine). Cambridge is the only university Jo is visiting during her

“hideous fortnight of promotional stuff” –she has an autobiog-raphy to flog. Brand is happy to be in Cambridge, and the Union in particular, because, she says, “I like to break in occasion-ally. I think it’s absolutely fascinating, I mean there is no point if you’re anti-establishment, and keeping away from it, because in a way, what good does that do. I like to try and preach.” Brand is a well-known lefty, and tough-nut Labour supporter. However, she was disappointed by the recent expenses scan-dal. “To be honest, I expect Tory people to live in castles and have moats, but I was mighty disappointed about the Labour Party people, because I thought of all people they have to be shining white.” Brand is far from enthused by the prospect of a Conservative government. “I always fear the consequences of a Conservative government, regardless of the climate we are in now. Because with Cameron saying, you know, we care about poor people. That made me laugh hysterically because they pa-tently don’t.” “I used to think that I really wanted to go into politics as a teen-ager, but it’s such a cynical PR controlled world these days; I am not the right person.” Nevertheless, as a student at Brunel University, she ran for president of the students’ Union, but only

received four votes. She reassures us that this was not really a disappointment. “My campaign was appalling. It wasn’t serious really, just one sad poster. I did hustings but in a very kind of desultory fashion really. “Brand became a psychiatric nurse, after years of following her mother (a psychiatric social worker). “My mum used to take us to work with her sometimes, and most people really wouldn’t enjoy spending time in a Victorian asylum, but I used to love it.” Early exposure to this world would ensure that Brand never became “frightened of people with mental health problems.” Indeed her mother’s involvement extended a little further; “She slightly forced me into it (nursing). It was always a means to an end to be honest. I wanted to be a stand-up since a teenager. She said train for something, and then try comedy. Brand isn’t keen on analysing what humour is all about. “I mean to me humour is something that makes someone laugh, and that’s all there is to it really.” Whereas in Britain, our hu-mour is quite dark, ...During our interview Brand would joke that Prime Minister may be next up. Ultimately, Brand is particularly endearing as she manages to instantly blend this high-absurdity, with an assured and genuine reality. “I’ve got two quite young children, so I build my work life around my family life, and it’s great. I am really lucky”

Jo Brand’s autobiography, Look Back In Hunger, is published by Headline.

“In Britain our humour is quite

dark, quite self-deprecating and cynical”

michael fotisLAUGH I NG PRETTY WITH JO BRAND

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SPRA

WLS

glasses TOPSHOP £14

vintage scarf

gloves DENTTS £90

handkerchief PAUL SM

ITH £25

brown boots (right) VIVIENNE WESTWOOD £345

black boots (above) VIVIENNE WESTWOOD£395

RETRO WARMERSfashion thomas bucklandphotographer jessica lambertgwendolyn triahna

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WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE*fashion thomas bucklandphotographer julien handfordmodel blanch toadmusk

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* no animals were harmed in the process of this shoot

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rightlingerie AGENT PROVOCATEUR £140fur jacket vintage from THE DRESSER, LONDONnecklace BOUCHERON £25, 100shoes MANOLO BLAHNIK £870leftfur jacket as beforeblue silk dressnecklace all vintage fromTHE DRESSER, LONDON

rightnecklace BOODLES £55,000

cami D&G £230hotpants vintage from

THE DRESSER, LONDON

50 YEARS ONTIBET: flossie waite explores...

wherever you are in the building, the hypnotic chant of Buddhist scrip-ture finds your ears. Ti-betans of all ages crowd along the corridors wait-ing for their next class,

bowing and smiling as others pass. This is not, however, Tibet.

HSYWE (The Himalayan Society for Youth and Women Empowerment) is in Boudha, an area of Kathmandu, Nepal. It is a charity providing free lessons in Eng-lish and Buddhist scriptures to the local community of Tibetan refugees.

It is exactly fifty years since China ab-sorbed Tibet, and institutions and schools like HSYWE are becoming increasingly popular. Manasarover Academy is one of

these schools. It too is situated in Kath-mandu and was founded by three women, including Tsultrim Sangmo.

“Tibetan people need education’, she says. ‘We cannot fight the Chinese with weapons, and we cannot express our plight if we are uneducated”. The Direc-tor of HSYWE agrees, adding that educa-tion is vital so the Tibetan people have “representatives to engage in talks with the Chinese government, it is our only chance.”

However, they are Chinese-controlled schools, and a member of the Tibetan Government in Exile spoke of their inade-quacy. “Chinese schools teach a distorted history, and only the Chinese language. We’re going to lose our culture, our iden-tity. People are saying ‘Our children have

become mute’. As Palden Gyatso, who at 73 remembers the Chinese invasion, says, “To stay Tibetan, Tibetans have to leave Tibet.”

Despite school being compulsory, it is made extremely difficult for Tibetan children to attend. ‘Miscellaneous fees’, and teachers demanding ‘gifts’ from only Tibetan students, have led to a 60% illit-eracy rate among city dwelling Tibetans, compared to only 9% in the Chinese pop-ulation.

The literacy rate is even lower in the rural regions, home to 80% of the Tibetan population - government funding is con-centrated in urban areas instead, home to a predominantly Chinese population. Schools in the exiled communities, how-ever, such as Kathmandu, boast a literacy

rate of 98%. But thriving schools like these are

the result of a hard struggle. Tsultrim Sangmo remembers two brothers she met shortly after her escape to a school in Dharamsala, India, in the 1980s. ‘They were sent by their parents to get an edu-cation, and climbed the mountains to get to India. They had gotten frostbite, and lost their feet.”

Every member of the exiled Tibetan community has a story to tell about their families’ escape. They sombrely speak of the struggle to live with the knowledge

that while they are free, so many left be-hind were imprisoned or killed.

Stories of specific – and horrific - inci-dents, such as people being buried alive, are common. Miss Sangmo spoke of her

citizenship, Tibetans remain highly re-stricted. They are unable to attend uni-versity, get a government-funded educa-tion, or go abroad except by road, bribing their way across borders.

Many feel that because Nepal is sand-wiched between such powerful nations, the government is careful to please the Chinese, thus becoming stricter on Ti-

betan communities. This has only increased since the

bloody protests in Tibet in March 2008, marking the 49th anniversary of the Ti-betan Uprising. The Director of HSYWE said of this further restriction on free-dom: “We used to be allowed to celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday openly; there was a Tibetan Welfare Of-ficer here who made sure that we weren’t beaten too brutally in protests – now all these things have been stopped.”

A more recent threat has been posed by the Nepalese Maoists who, since losing power, have been warning that they will resume the People’s War. The Chinese Government are also posing an increas-ing threat, highlighted by Miss Sangmo’s words- that “if you’re not educated, it’s easy to get a visa – I think they’re scared of the educated.”

There are constant strikes in Nepal, but despite the closure of all local schools during these, Miss Sangmo keeps Ma-nasarover Academy open. “Every day of

learning for these children is important, and so we try to stay open’. She admits that when the telephone rings on strike days, she is terrified that it is the Maoists. When asked what would happen if the Maoists realised the school was open, she says “They would come in and smash it up from top to bottom.”

The majority of Tibetans in the exiled community have never returned home and remember vividly the day they left. A group of young Buddhist monks recall The 25th September 2003. We were sepa-rated from our family at nine o’clock in the morning, and we haven’t seen them since” For others, many more years have past since they left. Palden Gyatso has not been back to Tibet in 54 years, and yet, like most, he remains hopeful; “I re-fused to apply for a refugee card here in Nepal, because I know Tibet will be free and good soon.”

12 13ILLUSTRATION: CHRIS FAIRLESS

50 YEARS ONflossie waite explores...

rate of 98%. But thriving schools like these are

the result of a hard struggle. Tsultrim Sangmo remembers two brothers she met shortly after her escape to a school in Dharamsala, India, in the 1980s. ‘They were sent by their parents to get an edu-cation, and climbed the mountains to get to India. They had gotten frostbite, and lost their feet.”

Every member of the exiled Tibetan community has a story to tell about their families’ escape. They sombrely speak of the struggle to live with the knowledge

that while they are free, so many left be-hind were imprisoned or killed.

Stories of specific – and horrific - inci-dents, such as people being buried alive, are common. Miss Sangmo spoke of her

citizenship, Tibetans remain highly re-stricted. They are unable to attend uni-versity, get a government-funded educa-tion, or go abroad except by road, bribing their way across borders.

Many feel that because Nepal is sand-wiched between such powerful nations, the government is careful to please the Chinese, thus becoming stricter on Ti-

betan communities. This has only increased since the

bloody protests in Tibet in March 2008, marking the 49th anniversary of the Ti-betan Uprising. The Director of HSYWE said of this further restriction on free-dom: “We used to be allowed to celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday openly; there was a Tibetan Welfare Of-ficer here who made sure that we weren’t beaten too brutally in protests – now all these things have been stopped.”

A more recent threat has been posed by the Nepalese Maoists who, since losing power, have been warning that they will resume the People’s War. The Chinese Government are also posing an increas-ing threat, highlighted by Miss Sangmo’s words- that “if you’re not educated, it’s easy to get a visa – I think they’re scared of the educated.”

There are constant strikes in Nepal, but despite the closure of all local schools during these, Miss Sangmo keeps Ma-nasarover Academy open. “Every day of

learning for these children is important, and so we try to stay open’. She admits that when the telephone rings on strike days, she is terrified that it is the Maoists. When asked what would happen if the Maoists realised the school was open, she says “They would come in and smash it up from top to bottom.”

The majority of Tibetans in the exiled community have never returned home and remember vividly the day they left. A group of young Buddhist monks recall The 25th September 2003. We were sepa-rated from our family at nine o’clock in the morning, and we haven’t seen them since” For others, many more years have past since they left. Palden Gyatso has not been back to Tibet in 54 years, and yet, like most, he remains hopeful; “I re-fused to apply for a refugee card here in Nepal, because I know Tibet will be free and good soon.”

13ILLUSTRATION: CHRIS FAIRLESS

THE PROCLAIMERS: KINGS OF THE ROAD 14

becca smith joins...

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everybody – often the most unexpected people – have heard of them. Formed in 1983, the Reid brothers have released 10 albums over their 22 years in the business and have enjoyed much popular success worldwide. Having just returned from their tour of the US, The Proclaimers are now beginning their Uk tour and are on the way home to Scotland.

You’ve never attempted to hide your accent, its one of the things that has made you so distinctive, but do you think that accents in music are always a good thing or that it can some-times get in the way?Certainly with us it probably limits the number of people who maybe would want to listen to us for any length of time…but we came in and there was no point in writing the kind of songs we were writing, about experiences which were in Scotland, and singing in someone else’s accent, and the fact that there were just two of us and an acoustic guitar, it just felt much more natural to sing in our own accent but I think you’ve got to do it in your own way.Have you had much time to look around Cambridge?I’ve been here a few times- one of my favourite places to come and play and the Corn Exchange is a fantastic, it’s a great venue- we’ve played in two or three venues in Cam-bridge over the years, first I think in 1984…It’s a fantastic place to walk about and it’s a good venue, it’s a relaxed place but we’re doing Oxford for the very first time tomorrow…Ah, that was one of my questions: Cambridge or Oxford…?No comparison. We stopped once in Oxford in 1987 for lunch when we were doing an acoustic tour and as we were coming out of the pub, Oxford United must have been playing Leices-

“The way to avoid the one hit wonder

thing is to play, to keep playing...”

ter City because there’s been a battle in the street, with cop cars rounding everyone up. A lot of younger people came across you from Shrek- did you like the movie, apart from being in it?They said ‘we want to use the song, we’re going to give you some money, its Eddie Murphy, its Mike Myers, it’s a huge advance in animation’ and we said yes. And I thought it was great, fantastic. Its great ‘cos with these things you get kids who’ve never heard of you starting to get into The Proclaim-ers because of a film like this. We were talking about this yesterday; we’re getting older and probably some of the people, some of the oldies are either dying or will dies very soon (laughs) and so you’ve got to keep them coming through from as young as possible.You’ve managed to avoid one hit wonder status, but because 500 miles was such a big hit there was always a risk…Oh yeah, that and Letter from America were certainly consid-ered one hit wonders, in this country we’re considered one-hit wonders by some, two-hit wonders by others… I mean, at the beginning, we never thought we’d get hits anyway- we thought we’d get a small audience and we’d keep getting that and maybe keep that but we didn’t think we’d be getting all the crowds we’re getting tonight- on a Tuesday night…but I think the hits, they mainly help you to build a real audience.The way to avoid the one-hit wonder thing is to play, to keep playing…its hard to accuse someone who’s been around 22 years and plays continuously…they’re really bonuses to us, they’re not what its about.the radio but every so often it really does come home to you.You’ve been in the business longer than many people are in the same job, does it begin to lose its shine?It shouldn’t do, it shouldn’t do and if you’re serious about it you keep going, you keep producing records and going along and it should be something that’s creative and if you stop enjoying it then you’ve got to quit.

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are you post-foodie? If you cringe at someone who tells you they only buy locally-grown, organic vegetables from the farmer’s market, you are probably post-foodie. Rather than heart-warm-ing, you now find it pretentious

that a pork chop came from a farm two miles down the road, run by a woman called Ruth who raised the piglet by hand. “Middlewhite pig, you know. We called her Gertie.”

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver are unreformed foodies of the worst kind. Hugh? A TV aristocrat-cum-village idiot, who’ll do as well for cookery as quiz show, and tells poor people not to eat cheap chicken – just get an allotment! Jamie used

to be okay when he was sliding down ban-nisters wiv his m8s. But god. How self-ob-sessed is he now? With his Ministry of Food and his magazine, “Jamie”, and his brand of kitchenware, “Jme”. Jme? You crinkle your nose with justified distaste.

But let me put it to you you’re being a teen-sy bit curmudgeonly- the post-foodie runs perilous risks of wilful ignorance. Worse: sheer idiocy.

Not caring too much is fine, but sometimes you can’t not care. I care about intensively reared chickens. I have an image of feather-less, obese chickens in dark barns scalded by the ammonia of their own shit. I don’t even know if it’s accurate, but it puts me off almost as much as their pappy, fatty flesh.

Give me the post-foodie’s blasé voguish-ness any day, but that wilful blindness to what’s good – nope, I’m fine, thanks. By good, obviously, I don’t mean morally good, I mean delicious good.

The RecipeThough melon is traditional, there are better things. In summer try the tiny cherry toma-toes called Sungold. Figs, more appropriate for autumn, are perfect too. There isn’t a better canapé. I like to tear the figs to display their insides and scatter with apparent care-lessness around a large, attractive board or serving plate, alongside slices of the ham. It looks simple and generous and has none of the primness of titbits in puff pastry.

william clementWHO GIVES A FIG? THE DEMISE OF A FOODI E WITH . . .

PHOTO: WILL CLEMENT

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BORN TO BE Wilde

fashion thomas bucklandphotographer jessica lambertmodel johan munir

PHOTO: WILL CLEMENT

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“Only the shallow know themselves.”

beforescarf vintage

gloves DENTS £90tousers ZEGNA £115

jacket vintange PAUL SMITH

leftshirt AQUASCUTUM £190

blazer ALEXANDER MCQUEEN £1,250tousers as before

belt JEAN PAUL GAULTIER £120

belowshirt LIBERTY £135

trousers VIVIENNE WESTWOOD £230belt ALEXANDER MCQUEEN £210

blazer ALEXANDER MCQUEEN £980

rightshirt VIVIENNE WESTWOOD £205

jacket as beforecravat ALEXANDER MCQUEEN £240

handkerchief PAUL SMITH £25trousers TOPMAN £35

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“I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.”

20PHOTO: ARRON RODRIGUES

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the many thousands of visitors that flock to Cambridge every year, know as well as the city’s students that it is a treasure chest, brimming with historical gems to be discovered and admired.

However, it took a refurbishment project in the early 1950s to uncover one of the University’s best kept se-crets.

The Senior Tutor’s office in Magdalene College is now widely known as ‘The Monk’s Room’.

This is due to the fact that when paint and plaster was stripped from the walls in preparation for redecoration, a medieval se-cret was unearthed.

The walls, as well as the timber beams in the room, were found to be covered with what can only be described as medi-eval graffiti: including geometrical patterns, college gossip, and signatures.

After some more careful investigation, it was found that these patterns and carvings had been etched into the wall with a three pronged instrument; and that this had been done by monks, who used to inhabit Magdalene College in the 15th century.

The monk’s were very interested in leaving their own person-al legacy forever in the room, and indeed they were successful.

One of the most well preserved names, as can be seen on the left, being quite simply, ‘John’.

Additionally, some rather imaginative Latin verse was also found,

O quom formosum Robertus est lepus AntrumOmnibus in rebus nullus ei similis.

Loosely translated (and presuming that Robert’s surname was Cave), this reads in English as,

Oh, what a handsome charmer is Robert Cave!In everything there is no one to touch him.Presumably, this was produced by an admirer of Robert, and

some further smatterings of elementary Greek, as well as the Latin, indicate that someone sustained a keen interest in the young man.

In order to preserve such a unique and intriguing part of the history of the university, the carvings are now all covered by a large sheet of Perspex that serves to protect them from too many prying hands.

As the room is in constant use, it is not open to visitors; Thurs-day was granted special access in order that we might give you a chance to peek at one of the University’s hidden jewels.

victoria hermon

MONK ’ S ROOM TOUR WITH . . .

04: FEELelles @ centrepompidouThis is the largest ever exhibition of work by women artists. It covers everything from painting to textiles made of meat. The en-trance is dominated by Niki de Saint Phalle’s giant, ungainly sculptures of women Not all of the art in the exhibition is explicitly anchored in feminist thought. For example, Pipilotti Rist’s La Belle Etoile is an exciting, immersive projection that dislocates the spectator. The sensation is like being a fly, helpless in a vast, invasive universe. Whether you support femi-nism, or whether you don’t like to confuse the visceral experience of art viewing with political agendas, there is a lot to see at this exhibition.

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01: TASTEd’ Arry’sD’Arry’s is a wine bar and shop-cum-res-taurant on King Street. It’s a mongrel that’s charming rather than confused. There are shelves of wine on all the walls and a distinct, warm English feel to the room. I had beef pie with a herb crumb (around a tenner). Deep flavours, tender meat and a side of softly sauteed leeks was splendid accompanied by a very acceptable house red. The fish of the day served with an incongruous foam felt odd in a restaurant serving otherwise unpretentious, good food. But it was okay. Service was excel-lent and possibly the friendliest and least annoying I’ve come across in Cabridge.

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02: HEARFrank Turner : Poetry of the DeedFrank has been known for his nifty honest lyrics and bare acoustic sound, but this new album takes a step closer to the mainstream. Tracks like ‘Dan’s Song’ and ‘Journey of the Magi’ will remind old fans why they love him. But the whole album lacks soul and sounds more like a failed attempt at American teen-age rock. Thank goodness for ‘The Road’, an anthem that we already know off by heart and a quick glimpse of what Frank is really capable of.

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03: SEEThe Imaginarium of Dr ParnassusOff the wall, wacky, occasionally muddled and confused, but definitely worth seeing for Ledger’s final performance, and the stunning cast who tried to fill the void. However, despite Gilliam’s best efforts, it is unlikely that this film will be remembered as anything other than Ledger’s final, and Cole’s first foray into cinema. It’s also difficult not to feel ever so slightly bitter at Cole’s impressive ability to act, model, and get a 1st...

05: SEEFantastic Mr FoxThe risky choice of Wes Anderson as director, previously known for quirky films such as The Royal Tenenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited, definitely paid off in this unconventional take on a Roald Dahl’s classic. Though many children’s films today disregard the many overgrown twentysomethings and reluctant parents populating their audiences, Fantastic Mr Fox is appealing to these hard to please cinema goers. The cast is perfect, the use of puppets and animation is perfect, and though it lacks the sinister edge of Dahl’s writing, what else would you expect from an American import?

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08. TASTECambridge BlueIf you live in central Cambridge this is a trek – but I think worth it. On Gwydir Street it’s perhaps most easily found by walking up Mill Road. The interior is what you’d hope a pub would be: old, scrubbed wooden tables of various designs, stools and benches fill sev-eral interconnecting rooms. There are beams, a fire and old advertisements on the wall. It felt warm, buzzing and friendly. The bean chili we tried wasn’t up to much – perhaps it was the wrong thing to order. We weren’t there for food, however, but the very fine selection of ales.

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10: FEELAnish kappor @ The Royal AcademyThe Academy has certainly never seen anything like this before: red wax drips viscerally down the otherwise pristine Academy walls after being dramatically fired from a cannon. The whole experience is described by Kapoor as tangible, bodily: ‘[it is] as if the building is giving birth’. The exhibition is a disruption of the space, and of ourselves as spectators. Kapoor’s play with light, reflection and perspective is deeply unsettling. His work is also deeply concerned with the production process; piles of what look like variously twisted pieces of faecal matter are composed of scraps of clay – material that is the natural waste product in any sculptor’s studio. The gallery becomes a giant body of art – secreting, birthing, intruding and disrupting. Kapoor’s colours and use of space are startling and engag-ing: all in all this exhibition really is a must see.

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06. HEARBat For Lashes : TwoThe debate rages as to whether this album beats ‘Fur and Gold’, but the ethereal sound of opening track ‘Glass’ instantly proves that ex-nursery school teacher Natasha Khan is in a league of her own. Two Suns doesn’t offer us Tunes (with a capital ‘T’) and catchy choruses like the ‘Trophy’ or ‘Sad Eyes’ of Fur and Gold, and it doesn’t make me want to wave my lighter in the air. This is not the point. Bat for Lashes has triumphed by mov-ing on and doing something different; this is an album that will bring Natasha a cult-like following.

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09. READDan Brown — The Lost SymbolIf only the academic world were really as exciting as the one Brown conveys; cup of tea, uncover ancient relic, destabilise world order, cup of tea... For those of you who have better things to do than read 528 pages of this general formula, avoid. For those of you who probably don’t do anything much more productive when procrastinating, enjoy this unintended laugh-a-minute with a vat of salt.

07. READTerry Pratchett — Unseen Academicals

This latest addition to the ‘Discworld’ series sees the wizard’s of the Unseen University faced with the prospect of having to win at a game of football (without magic!), as the characters of Ankh-Morpork continue to develop. On paper, this sounds like nothing more than a nerd’s wonderland, yet Pratch-ett’s novels have proven capable of drawing in a surprisingly broad readership.

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