years with the proclaimers - the cambridge student · from power, was “in effect, the second king...
TRANSCRIPT
THURSDAYlife in print
wear some nice new
clothes, laugh with Jo
Brand, travel through
history with hilary man-
tel, discover tiBet, eat
some lovely figs, try
some new things...
why can’t i“”
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6269_SKD_Cambridge_HalfPage 1 23/10/2009 15:57
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE TOY?
EDITOR annie [email protected]
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 [email protected]
Beattie-Bunny - had her since i was 3 months old - now more of a guinea pig, and under my pillow in college.
FEATURES jane [email protected]
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 [email protected]
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 [email protected]
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
ILLU
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N: ALI
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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
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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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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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