Is this their London? Part two
Man's nature is not essentially evil. Brute nature has been known
to yield to the influence of love.
You must never despair of human nature.
It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom.
It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken
and the wisest might err.
Mohandas Gandhi

Indeed there are so many good and positive things to write about London. However, I realized early late last week that no matter how hard I try, I cannot exhaust this subject even in ten volumes. I will therefore be brief and address those areas or events which I consider profound and of importance to me.

It cannot be otherwise given the fact that London is a vast, complex, multi-cultural, diverse and first class centre of commerce.

I was particularly impressed by the news media, the excellent infrastructure, the diversity in cultures and languages, the non-proliferation of churches and mosques as well as the gigantic economic system. The mortgage system and the threats to its survival represented by rising rates, inflation and the gap created by the disproportionate growth in income levels and the cost of houses which may result in fewer owners in the next twenty years also caught my attention.

The Media

The news media especially television is splendid. The content of their news is extra-ordinarily rich both in depth and coverage. They tell us about ordinary people, events, government activities, contemporary issues etc. They  even tell us about  abandoned and lost  pets.

Features and documentaries are informative, educative and very rich in terms of content and presentation.

The media here is different from ours in Nigeria who, apart from Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) concentrate too much on government and politics and pay little attention to the people, society, environment and global issues.

In London, television houses go out to look for news and they do it excellently well.

The television stations also broadcast educative, informative and entertaining programmes such as The Wild Card, Who wants to be a millionaire, Countdown, Weakest Link (sometimes very unjust as strong contenders are sent off by weak contestants) etc. It is not that we don’t have access to these media houses in Nigeria but being here made a lot of difference in my perception which is positive.

I never got bored as issues affecting ordinary people such as right to breastfeeding in public, school toilets, diets, dangers related to plastic surgery, treatment of the elderly in public hospitals and their food, mortgages, housing problems etc are brought to the viewing public on a daily basis.

I salute them and wish them more successes.

Infrastructure

This is another fantastic and positive aspect of London life. The trains and buses deliver on schedule and efficiently, the only limitation being time out for repairs and engineering works etc.

Oyster card is the preferred method of paying for passages supported by the ticketing offices (forty of which will be closed soon) which sell a variety of tickets ranging from a day pass to a week pass.

I boarded trains several times in the course of last week. From Alperton Junction to Piccadilly. From Wembley to Edgware Road and through Kingcross to Paddington. Of course I boarded a train from Wembley Central to the almighty Liverpool. Needless to say that I used the buses to and from my training centre almost on a daily basis. And in the company of my colleague, we went on shopping spree to Harrow Hill station, Finsbury Park and Liverpool. At Piccadily and Oxford street we engaged in window shopping except for a few items that we picked at Marks & Spencer.

Intriguingly, my mind was always filled with imaginations whenever I was on London trains. The gyrations, sometimes noise produced by the trains as they sped along were not sufficient to disturb my thoughts. Also the fact my colleagues were chattering and laughing as we journeyed on some occasions did not prevent my mind from wandering. I was with them physically but my mind was always somewhere else.

My mind was always going back to January the 18th 1863. And pictures of Kunta Kinte, his ancestors and descendants working on those rails and underground embankments and the overwhelming statement of engineering prowess filled my heart.

I saw through my mind their sweat and blood. Their frustration and feeling of great accomplishments; their pride and regrets. I saw all these on the rails, on the embankment, the old buildings and walls.

I also tried to locate the name of one of the stations that can be remotely linked to these people who laid the foundation for the success and convenience that is being enjoyed by several millions of people today. Unfortunately I found none!

It was at this stage that a conflict developed in mind. At first, I accused myself of being a racist who is only interested in the affairs of the people of my race. How can I be pre-occupied with such thoughts? Was it not possible that others contributed perhaps more than my ancestors to the success and convenience that I was benefiting from?

Bob Marley did not help matters. He rose a few times from the dead and leapt into my mind chanting:

I and I build a cabin
I and I plant the corn
Didn't my people before me
Slave for this country
Now you look me with a scorn
Then you eat up all my corn
Build your penitentiary, we build your schools
Brainwash education to make us the fools
Hate is your reward for our love
Telling us of your God above

I was confused and resisted the urge to include this part of my experience in this article.

However, a news item in the Evening Standard of 12th June (page 29) titled “Shortage of Experts – a threat to major UK projects” changed my disposition and favoured inclusion.

In the article it was stated that “One in four of the UK’s major infrastructure projects – such as the London Olympics, Crossrail or a new runway at Stansted – could fail because the country does not have enough of the right people to deliver them. ”

In conclusion the writer stated “the scale and scope of the UK’s emerging knowledge gap and its potential impact on business and the economy should not be under-estimated. Without immediate action, the UK’s knowledge gap could become too large to bridge”

I thank God that the era of slave trade is over. Africa would have paid dearly for this state of affairs. Or did I hear someone say that this is the product of the twin policy of birth control and perverted school curricula (this will be discussed shortly). However this is a big opportunity for African professionals who may want to work in the UK.

However, on a serious note, the decay in infrastructure is one of the many of such phenomenon. Even values are fading rapidly while human lives are lost on a daily basis due to avoidable violence.

Too much emphasis appears to be placed on “being politically right” to the detriment of other more important considerations such as humanity, happiness, lasting relationships, protection of the weak and elderly, etc. I will return to these later.

Children - Ours and their Future
I believe the children are our future. So sang a popular artiste in the 80s.
I believe so too and matters affecting children are of utmost importance to me.

Welfare

One very important aspect of life in London that caught my attention is the attitude of this society to children.

According to Gandhi, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. So it is inconceivable that any great nation will aspire or attempt to treat children, who are higher than animals in a bad way.

Every morning I come across children going to school in the bus. They are full of life, energetic and appear well fed in most cases. However, it is difficult not to notice the paranoia in them especially when a “stranger” is nearby.

It is shocking to discover that in the 21st century and indeed on page 4 of the Daily Mail of June 13th an article was titled “Breastfeeding in public will be a woman’s right”.

The embarrassing thing is that the news item contributed by Steve Doughty is true.

Under a new anti-discrimination law passed on 12th June, 2007 nursing mothers will now be ALLOWED to breastfeed their babies wherever they like henceforth.

Prior to the passage of this law, it was legal for anyone to walk out any woman who attempted to breastfeed her child in cafes, shops, museums etc. The rationale for this, it was alledged was that such a motherly care and show of love was injurious to the sensibilities of some other people!

This means that this society had been intolerant of breastfeeding in public with the resultant effect that many women gave up the act. Interestingly, this is inspite of the grave warning and advice from WHO to all the countries of the world on the subject matter. It is also relevant to observe that “these people” who kicked against breastfeeding in public will not mind watching women with bare breasts on television or movies; some even buy some newspapers just to see free flesh on page three. While others visit museums to see paintings of naked women.

Prior to this law only 20% of women breastfed their children for six months according to a survey. This law is therefore a welcome relief as it is expected that it will encourage more women to breastfeed their children thereby reducing the exorbitant but avoidable costs of not breastfeeding children. It is also expected that this will reduce the cost of health care, improve the health and growth of children, reduce diseases, reduce mortality rate and above all produce intelligent children with the milk of kindness and concern for the welfare of others.

Are our mothers in Africa not lucky? At least they do not require legislation to freely and lovingly breastfeed their babies anywhere they choose.

I noticed that students don’t pay for bus rides. This is good. Perhaps they enjoy other freebies.

Education

I was shocked when in two separate articles Max Hastings and Laura Clark raised alarms over the quality of and threats to education in the UK (Daily Mail June 12).

In the article titled “ How trendy teaching gives pupils huge gaps in knowledge”, Laura Clark stated that “teaching in state schools is being stripped of facts and figures as politicians hijack the curriculum to promote fashionable causes. Traditional subjects such as history, geography and science are being “corrupted” by political agendas. Pupils leave school with huge gaps in their knowledge because lessons have been manipulated to promote trendy causes such as gender awareness, the environment and anti-racism”

She opined that “it means educational apartheid is now opening up between state and independent schools where academic content has been retained”

Can you see knowledge gap rearing its head again?

In his own piece titled “Education today is a form of child abuse|” which was a commentary on the same Report used by Laura, Max Hastings wrote “ Yet not only are pupils learning less than they did a generation ago, the educational establishment is also committed to principles, entrenched behind a great wire entanglement of demented ideals which will ensure that things get worse”

Same day in the evening there was a report on the television which stated that 70% of school toilets are more than 20years old, so the children don’t use them during school hours. This of course results in serious health problems such as constipation, kidney stones etc.

My worry for these children is great and I sincerely hope that steps will be taken by everybody concerned to ensure the protection of their today and tomorrow.

There are worrying and visible signs that can compel a visitor to conclude that this society is decaying just as those rail tracks and so many things need to be done urgently to reverse the trend and re-invent the wheel. As it stands now, it will appear that this society, in matters outside of technology is somewhere between maturity and decline on the life cycle curve.

Interlude

It is 12.46am already and I must sleep now to avoid sleeping in class tomorrow.

By the grace of God I will conclude this long article next week. I intend to look at some other issues and give appropriate reply to my friend Uche Nworah who asked “ what did Taslim expect to find in London” Thanks for having read this article.

Taslim Anibaba (FCA)

Robot  Villager

# 1 ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 14.06.2007 06:56

Oghre  Villager

# 2 London does have an impersonality problem, other than that there is quite a good mix of cultures that interact easily. The place seems to be one of the best places for jobs for people of any nationality; it is very cosmopolitan and trendy. Is this man perhaps throwing stones from Peckham where most Yoruba people prefer to go base straight from the airport? Only in places where these local Nigerian types will you find people who refuse to integrate and flourish with the rest of the London population. I have met people who have hardly ever mixed with indigenes because they seldom leave the ghettos of Peckham-type places. London is status and class driven, yes, the City can be seen from different perspectives, depending on who/how you mix. Compared to countries like America….. Standard working week UK. 40 US. 45 (you are expected to do more), may I add the US lax laws means you can be fired from your job anytime, by someone simply telling you, you are fired! Healthcare: UK free for all US: not free (the worlds only super power cannot provide free healthcare for its citizens), you could be left to die on a shopping trolley in God’s own country if you don’t have healthcare) Crime: Should I even compare? Should I? while there are some guns in London, American boast 300 million handguns, kids can acquire on from walmart or somewhere like that. Many in the USA seem to have some drug resistant disease or other. Too many sick People have overwhelmed their health care system which has broken down. Their national debt is 9 trillion; trade deficit more than 850 billion, the dollar is about to crash. 10-12 years olds are carrying guns to school, with many schools and colleges fitted with gun and metal detectors like those found in airports. Kids are having sexual intercourse in classrooms while their classmates stand around watching the performers. I don't think these screwed-up kids will grow up and behave responsibly in the international community and be in harmony with the rest of the civilized world. Those kids show promise and in time will become the future leaders of USA. Posted by Oghre| 14.06.2007 11:10

Idi-ogi  Villager

# 3 While some of the comments by Oghre are true, others are mostly exaggerated and hyperboles. The US definitely has her fair share of problems but so does the UK. I lived in the UK for 6 years. Life in the UK is simple and easy, as long as you do not have a lot of ambition! As puppets of her Majesty, the Queen, there is an unseen but real bar to the rise of the average citizen in places like the civil service, Buckingham palace etc. Colin Powell, the former US Secretary of State was foreign-born and black. That is yet to happen in the UK, an older democracy! I came to the US because my children can be all they want to be regardless of the circumstances of their birth. When I was in the UK, most people never got to the pinnacle of their profession except as business owners, medical doctors and academics. The UK, by size, is just a small state in the US. One should therefore be careful about direct comparisons. Where I live in the US, we do not lock our doors or cars because noone steals. My house in England was burgled in broad daylight by the son of my neighbor while we went out shopping! Posted by Idi-ogi| 14.06.2007 19:08

Oghre  Villager

# 4 Rubbish, On the contrary, life in UK is easy and simple even if you have ambition, and that is why the richest man is the UK is an INDIAN, yes Indian call Lakshmi Mittal. The UK has black members of parliament; the former home office minister is black; the current culture minister is a black man. The British high commissioner, yes her majesty’s ambassador to South Africa is black. I can go on and on... I personally know a friend who is the head of planning for an entire Local Authority, and many other black and Asian people who are high up in the British Civil service. I will not even start to count Councillors in government. Should I even talk about the Private sector, the sector I work in? This man is insulting my intelligence as I can simply use myself as an example of progress. Should I even talk about the people I know? Why bother to say the English tried to restrict people from having ambitions enough that they allowed foreigners overrun their capital City? London is now considered more populated by minorities than indigenous English people. In the last few weeks, the morning papers are featuring foreigners who came here with nothing and have achieved lots by way of employment and business. My guy, you cannot use the miserable existence of ghettos where some Nigerians and other blacks live in squalor and poverty for stats. If you were restricted from advancing yourself don’t use that to measure other non-nationals. The City is rife with all sorts from Asia, Africa and South America all doing absolutely better than many in poverty stricken America. A new "culture of poverty" is sweeping the United States at a "phenomenal and frightening" rate, some politicians have said.. While you are there, please find out why some black Americans decided to apply for refugee status in London recently. Now even Yanks claim UK asylum::::::::::::::::; BRITAIN is such a soft touch that even AMERICANS are coming here to claim asylum and sponge off the state. The incredible revelation comes from immigration whistleblower Rory Clarke. The UK Government was forced to admit figures that backed him up. Disgusted Rory, 34, contacted The Sun to expose the true depth of the asylum shambles. He said: Britain is seen as such a soft touch that poor people from countries such as America are even coming here now. A couple of years ago I met two black guys from the States who were over here because they thought they could get a better standard of living. One was from Ohio and the other from Kansas. But they freely admitted they were here for the free healthcare and accommodation. It is an absolute joke. They could have been here for up to five years before their application was processe Posted by Oghre| 14.06.2007 21:57

Anon  Villager

# 5 Taslim, I must say that I enjoyed reading this piece even more than your Part I because here you became more analytical and reflective too. It’s interesting to see London through the eyes of another and in a way that is captured so vividly as you did in this piece. I wonder if you plan to do a comparative analysis on all these socio-economic facets you experienced in the UK with what you experience daily in Nigeria? Now that would be a great read. Posted by Anon| 14.06.2007 23:10

katampe  Villager

# 6 On the contrary, life in UK is easy and simple even if you have ambition, and that is why the richest man is the UK is an INDIAN, yes Indian call Lakshmi Mittal. The UK has black members of parliament; the former home office minister is black; the current culture minister is a black man. The British high commissioner, yes her majesty’s ambassador to South Africa is black. I can go on and on... @Oghre, I excerpted this portion of your comment because it implies Lakshmi Mittal became the richest man because of his ambition and the opportunities in London. I find your argument unsustainable when subjected to a logical test. Lakshni Mittal, who is he? Did he make his fortune in London? Or did he use the status of London as a global city to further(consolidate) his business interests? I think those aspects are worth exploring and it helps us to better understand how he made good. Nevertheless, at first blush, anecdotal evidence suggests he made good not in London but overseas. No doubt, some blacks are doing better than they would have fared in their home countries. But also many have also suffered discrimination and lack of economic opportunities.Many live in ethnic enclaves because they have limited opportunities in their new societies, and living amongst "their own" is part of a process of mutual reinforcement of positive values and that has caused social exclusion for immigrants, and the deepening chasm between natives and immigrants.It explains the distinctive cultural identities over generations. Many folks besides 'local Yorubas ' equally have similar enclaves where they predominate. The pakistanis are a typical example.It is partly the reason for Islamic fundamentalism and miltancy in London. Whatever the failings of the system, people still continue to immigrate and for personal reasons.I remember at my citizenship oath taking ceremony,Britons and Americans made up the higher number of oath takers. Some immigrated because of disgust of America's engagement with Iraq, some immigrated because their spouses were Canadians, and some because of the peace and tranquilty of the Canadian life (Health care system included). And that is not saying Canada is better than any of those countries, many Canadians migrate to America.There are many Canadian born CEO's running fortune five hundred companies in the states. I think people's reasons for immigrating is personal. Lakshni Mittal's reasons might have been one of those personal reasons.But, what matters more is what was his financial position was before he got to London? I know there is also a Russian that owns chelsea, he lives in london, but did he make his fortune in london? Posted by katampe| 15.06.2007 01:07

tanibaba  Villager

# 7 @Oghre It is unfortunate that you did not realise that this article is not about US-UK. it is definitely not. So from that perspective, i find it very unnecessary to address the issues you have raised. I am however very happy to tell you that the BBC this morning featured issues relating to the youths and the need for urgent action to keep them off drugs, pre-marital sex and booze. It also featured black youths complaining about biases against them and indeed one of them said " the police hate us" A lot of issues have been raised in this article and unfortunately your responses are not related in any way to the issues. And for your information i have not visited Peckham and i dont intend to visit the place. @Anon Thanks for your comments. Indeed i intend to conclude by looking at the implications for us as individuals and our society. thank you @katampe Thank you for your comments. I hope our friend will find it useful. Indeed most of Ealing Road is inhabitated by Pakistanis/Indians just as Peckham is populated mostly by blacks. What Oghre intended to achieve by that charge is unclear to me taslim Posted by tanibaba| 15.06.2007 04:14

Oghre  Villager

# 8 I will tell you what I plan to archive by my posts. I read your earlier article, the current one and the myopic views of some Nigerian commentators about London, many from the ridiculous to the uncouth. Many of these utterances were subconsciously meant to pour scorn on Nigerians living in the UK and of course the state of the city, in a negative light. Many of these commentators being people who live in North America, or try to compare life in London with one across the Atlantic Doing it in a subtle way will not go unnoticed; you seem for some mad reason to have this one-sided Peckham-type Yoruba man-don-land -for London view of the City. There are of course many acquaintances of mine who read your articles and responses and still laughing at you and your cheerleaders, no offence. Please write these articles again, right after you have spoken to decent Nigerian professionals, business people, many UK indigenes, members of the LEGAL BLACK COMMUNITY (not illegal underground types). You could also do with checking out statistics and indices and of course look at the over picture from various perspectives. Posted by Oghre| 15.06.2007 04:53

tanibaba  Villager

# 9 @Oghre It is a pity that you did not consider my previous observation on your post. You started from a very faulty premise. My article was never a US_UK debacle. It was not also meant to ridicule london or the UK authorities. If you have been open-minded and careful, if indeed you understand the article at all you will discover that my sources were basicall from local news as reported on television and the newspapers, spiced with my analysis and observations. I quoted my sources and they are there for all to see. The issues are on BBC on a daily basis and it is a pity that you are not even conscious of your environment. Your blindness to all that is happening around you can be excused because while i had all the time at my disposal to view and consider these things, you were pre-occupied with matters bothering on survival. Thanks for your interest in my article but the truth is : you missed the point. taslim Posted by tanibaba| 15.06.2007 06:25

UncleTisha  Villager

# 10 =Oghre;183859>I will tell you what I plan to archive by my posts. I read your earlier article, the current one and the myopic views of some Nigerian commentators about London, many from the ridiculous to the uncouth. Many of these utterances were subconsciously meant to pour scorn on Nigerians living in the UK and of course the state of the city, in a negative light. Many of these commentators being people who live in North America, or try to compare life in London with one across the Atlantic Doing it in a subtle way will not go unnoticed; you seem for some mad reason to have this one-sided Peckham-type Yoruba man-don-land -for London view of the City. There are of course many acquaintances of mine who read your articles and responses and still laughing at you and your cheerleaders, no offence. Please write these articles again, right after you have spoken to decent Nigerian professionals, business people, many UK indigenes, members of the LEGAL BLACK COMMUNITY (not illegal underground types). You could also do with checking out statistics and indices and of course look at the over picture from various perspectives. =Oghre;183859> ...Is this man perhaps throwing stones from Peckham where most Yoruba people prefer to go base straight from the airport? Only in places where these local Nigerian types will you find people who refuse to integrate and flourish with the rest of the London population. I have met people who have hardly ever mixed with indigenes because they seldom leave the ghettos of Peckham-type places. @Oghre, I really do not know what your beef is with Yoruba people, Peckham and that combination. I implore you to go back and re-read your posts, venom and all, and consider what unresolved issues you have with Yorubas on one hand, and Peckham on the other. You consistently refer to Peckham as a ghetto where Yoruba people, 'local Nigerian types' and other blacks live in. Bros, na wah for you o! I'm sure from your posts in this thread, you must be Her Majesty's next door neighbour in Buckingham Palace. You might even be a member of the house of Windsor. I however have news for you. Contrary to your opinion and belief, some of the most expensive properties South-East of the Thames River are found in the Neighbourhoods of Peckham, Camberwell and Dulwich. These three areas of London link into themseves and you'll do well to upgrade your memory about these locations. It is not enough for you to stereotype everyone. I am proudly and unapologetically Yoruba, and i don't live in Peckham, did not go there to touch base and I'm definitely not the "local Nigerian type" (whatever that phrase means). You will do well to temper your arrogance and superiority complex which you have exhibited in your posts. Please consider my opinion as a friendly advice and not an intention to engage in mud-slinging with you. I'm not interested. Thank you. ............................................................................................................................ @Tanibaba, Thank you so much for your 'London Notes' which I find interesting. It is always refreshing to read about London, as seen through the eyes of a first time visitor. While you have written about daily life in the city, I'll want you to explore the night life, so we can have the benefits of your observations. Some good places to start might be Leicester Square, Convent Garden and Soho. Enjoy your weekend. Posted by UncleTisha| 15.06.2007 07:58

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