I was arrested in 1974 because the state security service found my university diaries and their contents were judged to contain agitation and propaganda against the regime. But those diaries had never been published and no one other than myself had even read them. Nevertheless, I purposefully hid them because I knew that I might …
Groups like uMkhonto we Sizwe and others struggling against colonialism and post-colonialism needed weapons for their struggles and, more importantly, training. While a lot of this came from the Soviet bloc, many liberation movements were less-than-eager to jettison one colonial overlord in the west for one in the east. It was into this gap …
The tiny African island of Mauritius is only slightly bigger than the City of London, and much less densely packed – slightly more than 1.2 million people versus London’s nearly 9 million. The island punched above its weight in providing heroic agents for the Allied Cause in World War II, however. One of those …
Historical fiction can be the a fantastic way to ingrain history events as long as it doesn’t deviate too far from the dry and dusty demands of factual “truthiness”, and in the vein The Second Seal by Dennis Wheatley is an excellent primer for the dabbler who wants to get started in the area World …
My Dear Heart: Do not be too sorrowful and upset on account of this letter. God’s will be done. Tomorrow at ten they will cut off my head and your brother’s, too. Today we pardoned each other with all our heart. Therefor I ponder this letter and ask you for everlasting forgiveness. If I have …
First Jelena Branković lost her father. Then before four months could pass, in 1459 at the age of 11, she was married to the son of the King of Bosnia. Stjepan Tomasević had not even met Jelena, but they were married on 1 April 1459. Given that Tomasević had been casting around the Balkans for …
I think submission to authority and absolving oneself from blame by saying that one has to obey orders are widespread… I think all medical students should be taught about the research on submissiveness being a key etiological factor in the perpetuation of atrocities. They should be fully familiar with Milgram’s work and reflect on Hannah …
Aminatta Forna tackles trauma, although not in the way that most western readers are used to dealing with trauma’s effects. Her previous book, Happiness, brings a different explanation to how different cultures deal with trauma. The problem, rather than the trauma itself, is societal expectations of trauma. Those who expect a trauma-free life as …
Where everybody is guilty, no one is. — Hannah Arendt The two women in the photo are breathtakingly lovely. Their clear skin and perfect hair frame faces with smiles that reach through their eyes. They are happy women. The two women in the photo, Maja Buždon and Nada Šakić, may have been happy, but it …
Whenever there is a vacancy in the Office of the President, the First Vice-President shall assume that office for the remainder of the term and shall appoint another to serve as First Vice-President for the remainder of the term. — Section 83, Subsection 4 of the Malawi Constitution When President of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika …