Birthing Brilliance

Emerging into the world with force
Did you push or did they pull?
Did you neigh like a horse
Or kick like a mule?
There’s a wiggle and a rattle
Thus life’s journey starts
And it’s going to be a battle
Even as the curtain parts.

You’ll stretch with a smile
As you slowly rise.
You’ll imagine the mile
Flashing by your eyes.
The path ahead is straight
And the body is full of potential.
Still there is a trait
Of the strength to enthral

The person you are
Is but a hint of your passage so far,
The person you will be
Is the superhuman fighting to break free.
You will be feared by apex predators
Because you are truly a blessed creature.

Does it all End in Death?

 © Brandon Godfrey

Death is supposed to represent an ending. And in many ways it actually does. It is the end of a life. The severing of all relationships. The conclusion of all plans and ambitions. Sometimes a life ends too soon and that leaves feelings of hurt, disappointment and loss. There are instances where a life has been long and fulfilling and a death evokes a sense of appreciation and gratitude. Sometimes the circumstances of a death might be tragic or regrettable. Those circumstances play a role in the feelings which are brought forth about the death itself.

For the people left behind a death might mean the ending of a relationship or the start of a new understanding in the relationships of others. So even though there is a death it may actually trigger new perspectives on existing relationships. It is possible it might bring people together and strengthen the bonds between them. Or it may drive a wedge between people and create new estrangements.

I have no clear notion of whether a hereafter exists or what it possibly is like. However, if there is no hereafter then maybe death is a final end for the person who passes away. If one believes in the soul or spirit passing on to judgement, a better place, purgatory or reincarnation then it means death is not the end of life. The idea of life after death does raise some questions though. What would happen if one partner in a happy relationship dies, and the other partner goes on to have future happy relationships? If the surviving partner subsequently dies will they reunite with the first dead partner? If other partners also go to the hereafter how do they decide who ends up with who? Will they have to roll the dice or play cards for the honour? Maybe in the hereafter there are no relationships. A real ‘till death do you part’!

Whatever one feels about a death or dying life doesn’t end with death. Death sometimes reveals new things we never knew before about the dead, or the people around us. It can give us a new insight into ourselves or life in general. The dead can inspire us or unite us. Death might bring sorrow, or even relief but what it doesn’t do is end us. From death we can find a fresh purpose, a clearer vision, a new path, a stronger will to live, and a renewed determination to do better.

BREXIT Black & Blue

The current mess that is Brexit has proven clearly that politicians are mostly inclined to pursue their self and partisan interests ahead of the greater good. As a Black citizen of the United Kingdom life after Brexit is threatening to be both frightening and frustrating. The government is full of fools and frauds with very little moral standing. The opposition is full of dogmatic ideologues and short sighted political plodders. Brexit presents a range of social and economic problems for all people on the British isles, however there are likely to be a number of issues specific to Black and Minority Ethnic people. There has been an alarming rise in right wing nationalism and general xenophobia across Europe in recent times. This does not bode well for conditions that await Black people in the new order of things.

Travel around Europe will potentially become increasingly fraught for Black British citizens. Not only will they have to go through tough visa application processes but they are likely to be subjected to further scrutiny at point of entry. It isn’t a certainty that there will be prejudice in the process post Brexit but the current experience of Black non EU migrants and visitors suggests there is scope for discrimination.

Access to support or services while abroad will be variable. Since there won’t be a guarantee of entitlement officials’ prejudices will play a role in how Black people are treated in the event of an emergency or crisis.

An important contribution to quality of life for Black people living abroad is having family, relatives and friends visit them. Similarly being able to travel freely to visit loved ones is important. Maintaining those intimate connections with people living in the EU will become much harder. The likelihood is that

It is traditionally difficult for relatives outside the EU to get visas to visit the UK, and now it is going to be harder for relatives in the UK to get visas too. Ultimately this will affect a range of situations from family interaction to spouses being able to join their partners.

Almost all of Europe is likely to suffer adversely from Brexit but there is the potential that a heightened level of discrimination towards Black people might be one of the unintended consequences. This is something that the EU and UK should put formal processes in place to monitor and tackle as necessary.

The Irresistible Pull of Lying

Lying is one of the fundamental flaws in human nature. It reflects a person’s inability to distinguish between being good and being safe. The root cause of a lie is never primarily dishonesty; it’s essentially a need to protect the individual mentally, emotionally or physically. It is possible that from childhood some people learn to adopt it as a defence to fear and anxiety. It is also possible that some people develop characteristics that compel them to be fluid with the truth.

All of history and religion is founded on a lie of some sort. It’s commonly referred to as myth and legend but it’s really just a set of lies. The various creation stories and the legendary tales of intrigue and derring do serve a purpose but are mostly fantasies. And very often these are the things which become cultural idioms.

Adults routinely lie to children in order to protect them from what might be considered emotionally disturbing truths; or sometimes to spare themselves having to explain things they do not fully comprehend themselves. Sometimes these lies persist and become a pattern in the relationship between adults and young people. The adult might be convinced of the well intentioned nature of the lie but often resorts to untruth to serve their own ends.

Human relationships are mostly bonded by a process of teasing out the truth. After first meeting in person people tend to ask around about their new acquaintances to confirm or check out what they’ve seen or heard. When an initial online connection is made people will trawl social network or internet presence to verify what they think they know. Find out if it’s an actual person, a catfish, a true likeness, an interesting character or some racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, homophobic, sociopathic internet troll.

Politicians now appear to consider lying a professional tool of the trade. Misrepresentations and false denials seem to be something they dispense freely in the event of a crisis. They seem to consider the lie to be a more than adequate recourse until they happen to be found out or caught in the lie. They take it for granted that if caught in a lie then an apology is adequate contrition.

The lie of omission is something a lot of people like to imagine isn’t a lie in real terms. However, it is an act of deceit in which an untruth or lie is left unchallenged. The purpose and the effect of it are often harmful and hurtful to parties involved.

One has to recognise a distinction between lying and imagining. Creating fiction represents an attempt to portray or reflect real life or a life as imagined. Lying seeks to distort and misrepresent reality. While fiction is capable of having a negative influence it doesn’t attempt to pass itself off as fact.

There will always be some question about whether there is any justification for lying, even if it is considered for a greater good. People are naturally inclined to stretch the truth when put under pressure, or sense an advantage from it. The moral imperative is for people to be mostly honest. I think that is the least anyone should expect but it maybe all one can hope for.

Sports and Prejudice

Does the fact that a person is an athlete or sporting personality mean that any observations about their performance or behaviour should be exempt from accusations of racism or prejudice? It seems that on too many occasions criticisms of ethnic minority and female athletes seems to flirt with prejudice, or is actually outright discriminatory. While social media has provided a new platform for prejudicial abuse there is no shortage of such abuse being levelled in person or amongst groups at sporting events. Fans should be free to criticise and ridicule while analysts should be able to critically appraise performance. However, this should be without being racist or misogynistic.

A lot of racial inferences were made about Serena Williams’ questionable behaviour during the 2017 US Open Tennis final. A certain Australian cartoon was particularly offensive. Following a series of racist incidents at football matches in England ex England international John Barnes made reference to unconscious prejudice; and stated that racism in society as a whole needs to be tackled first in order to get to grips with racism in football. Tammy Abraham, the Chelsea FC striker, missed a penalty in the UEFA Super Cup final and was subjected to racist abuse online. The racially charged atmosphere in most sporting venues, the paucity of Black and Minority Ethnic people in management positions, the chauvinism directed at female officials and lack of effective action against offenders appears to be encouraging more bigots to unleash their bile in sporting settings.

The issue of equal pay continues to dog sports. At sporting events where females and males compete alongside each other there is no reason not to pay them equally. Lawn Tennis has made some strides in this direction. In America, women’s soccer is certainly the more successful on the international stage. There is also more female participation in soccer at grassroots levels. The demand for equitable remuneration appears to be both fair and reasonable, at the very least. It appears moves towards a balanced discussion about equal pay are held back by the greater number of males administering sports and an adherence to arcane and outdated traditions.

It seems that sports still remains a space in which people feel it’s ok to give vent to whatever racist or sexist vitriol they have pent up inside them. The idea that this is mainly due to unconscious prejudice would imply that these bigots are merely being naive rather than ignorant. However, the vitriol and violence that often accompanies such prejudice suggests that it is a consciously held view that seeks to dehumanise its victims.

While it is true that sports can not eradicate prejudice in society at large, sporting bodies certainly have a responsibility to combat prejudice and promote anti-discrimination in their areas. This includes defending and supporting victims, challenging media and online prejudice against their wards, excluding perpetrators and those who condone discrimination directly or by silence and inaction.

A self aware organisation would ideally welcome activism amongst its members. Socially responsible  values not only encourage commercial value; they also promote inclusion and participation. This is the real way to increase engagement in a sport. However, as we have seen with the NFL in America not all organisations have that level of maturity or self awareness. It must be said though, that combating prejudice and discrimination in sport is a different duty to promoting socially positive values. Dealing with prejudice should be a fundamental part of every sports’ charter. It should not be optional or done at their convenience.

Malaria Vaccine Tests: Who Really Benefits?

Malaria has been a major health hazard in tropical countries for way too long. The suffering and ill health it causes contributes to a higher rate of infant mortality; and accounts for a loss of work hours to economies. The news of plans for the testing of a malaria vaccine is a welcome development. If successful it should help prevent infant fatalities, general suffering amongst the adult population, and help protect visitors to affected areas.

The malaria vaccine is expected to form part of a complementary treatment approach to malaria. If successful, it alone cannot lead to the eradication of the disease. The causes of malaria are rooted in political, social and economic conditions of developing countries. The inadequacy of public sanitation, drainage, and hygiene means that mosquitoes will continue to breed and thrive in the affected countries. The political will to improve social conditions is often lacking in these countries. Most sub-Saharan countries are significantly underperforming on their sustainable development goals (SDG), especially in the area of health.

It is well known that the attention paid to public health improvement in sub-Saharan Africa is far from commendable. Were it not for charitable organisations like the Gates Foundation health immunisation and public sanitation would not be receiving adequate consideration or resources. The development of a malaria vaccine is a significant step in combating the disease. However, if it is not made universally accessible to those living in the poorest and most dire circumstances then its benefits will be limited.

The successful development of a malaria vaccine will immensely benefit people traveling to affected countries from more developed countries. However, unless steps are taken to ensure that the vaccine is universally affordable and accessible to the poorest in the affected countries then it may turn out that they end up being testing guinea pigs for a vaccine they may not be able to fully benefit from.

Caster Semenya: The Case Against the IAAF

The CAS rejected Caster Semenya’s appeal against a new IAAF regulation requiring competitors in the 400 and 800 meters disciplines to take medication to regulate their testosterone levels if they are classified as having hyperandrogenism. The ruling found that the regulation was reasonable and fair to protect the integrity of competition. When news of CAS’ ruling originally broke I instantly disagreed with it, considering it to not properly understand the nature of discrimination. My view was that if a person was legally recognised as a woman then no professional organisation had a right to limit their right to participate in any activities as a woman. However, I then read some material about the biological and physiological nature of the XY condition and felt I needed to give the matter more thought. I needed to explore whether the condition was a natural physical one or actually altered their gender at a more subliminal level.

CAS’ decision to include testosterone levels as a criterion in the definition of a woman feels fundamentally flawed. Testosterone is a naturally occurring hormone in human beings whose levels the individual cannot naturally alter. Therefore it isn’t within the individual’s purview to choose what level occurs in them. This would make it naturally occurring and reasonably permissible, as long as there has been no manual ingestion or physical manipulation. The definition fails to make a distinction between what is normal and what is natural. While the condition that has resulted in the higher levels of testosterone is not the norm amongst women it is perfectly naturally occurring in the women with the condition. They therefore should not be penalised or stigmatised because of it. To not  allow them to participate professionally would be unfair and directly discriminatory. Being exceptional is not an unusual thing in sports. Be it height, coordination, reflexes, speed, physicality; the history of sport is defined by individuals with exceptional characteristics.

The CAS ruling stipulated that any discrimination involved in the IAAF decision was reasonable and necessary to ensure the integrity of the sport. That doesn’t actually compute. The standard for performance in athletics is on a continuum between qualifying cut off and world record. The participation of these athletes has not prevented anyone from qualifying for an event. To the best of my knowledge none of the women with the targeted condition has broken a world record or actually been close to doing so. It would therefore stand to reason that if he world record was set by women with ‘normal’ levels of testosterone then they would not have been disadvantaged by the participation of the athletes currently being targeted. So it would appear that these athletes are being penalised because the rest of the current field are not able to perform to a higher level. This in effect saying that because the current crop aren’t good enough to beat these athletes then it can’t be fair.

It appears from the actions taken by the IAAF that it considers testosterone levels to be the single or overwhelming factor responsible for the performance of the female athletes with the condition. It isn’t clear what evidence it has to that effect. Certainly, there are other women with that condition who are not excelling over those distances in athletics. In fact, for all we know there might be women out whose athleticism is hindered by the condition. The IAAF decision suggests any woman with the condition would automatically have an unfair advantage over those distances. We do not know that is true to any degree. The women who are doing well have trained, applied themselves and developed skills to enable them to excel. That presumably doesn’t just come with higher testosterone levels.

Doriane Coleman wrote an article declaring the CAS ruling a victory for female athletes. Her position was that these women were to all intents and purposes male and their participation would deny ‘females’ the chance to win in competition. Her implication that these athletes are unbeatable is clearly erroneous. They have been beaten and would be beaten anyone running close to a world record. And the suggestion that if other athletes are not winning then it devalues the competition is just nonsense. When Ed Moses was on his winning streak he was lauded for it. And I thought the spirit of sport was in the dignity of competing and giving it your all. It shouldn’t be just about winning.

The IAAF requiring athletes to take medication to lower their testosterone levels is not only unfair but also unreasonable. Does it know what impact this might have on their personal and sporting lives? Denying them the opportunity to participate professionally unless they take medication is not too dissimilar to an employer refusing a woman a job unless she agrees to take contraception to avoid getting pregnant during the period of employment.

The IAAF has a duty of care to all athletes and is responsible for the regulation of the sport. However, it should not risk the health and wellbeing of a minority group of athletes to appease the sensitivities of a larger majority. There is no way that these athletes are destroying the integrity of the sport and they should not be subject to unverified medical procedures to satisfy some people’s notion of normality. In so much as this ruling appears to target a select group and seeks to prevent them from participation then it is unfair and discriminatory. Sport should never be about curtailing natural ability.

Shades of Pastel

Innocent yet no one feels more guilty.

The wisdom of the ancients but full of naivety. 

Beautiful beyond belief but marked by self doubt. 

Sweet but sour like a luscious stout. 

You look for that which you should be listening for. 

You reach out for that for which you should be looking to your inner core. 

Uphill and slippery,

Not given much to chivalry. 

Assuredly uncertain, always questioning, 

Yet still sure as a reckoning. 

Do you walk or just sit around? 

Do you talk or just stand your ground? 

Just like the aftermath of a wine spill,

Somehow just never able to chill. 

In my arms or in my heart,

Still held dearly though so far apart. 

There’s a lot to put on one page 

And this is just the first stage. 

Yo Johannesburg, Why So Sour?!

I have only been in Johannesburg for a little over a week; and it has already provoked some mixed feelings in me so far. I recognise that South Africa is a massive country covering a huge geographical area, and with a rich diversity indigenous and migrant ethnicities. However, the latent hostility I have observed coming off people in Joburg is nothing short of saddening.

It’s understandable that concerns about safety and security might make people cautious and wary. However, as a Black African visiting the city walking the streets feels like running a gauntlet. There just appears to be a distinct lack of consideration and care for others mixed in with the cautiousness that dogs people’s every step. People might instinctively sense a foreign presence and feel a degree of  suspicion. But a person going about his business innocuously shouldn’t come across as threatening.

A friend mentioned the fact that the wave of xenophobia spreading across South Africa makes for a less than pleasant atmosphere at times. There have been reports of incidents of immigrants from other African countries being threatened and attacked. Unfortunately it does not appear that these are just isolated instances of some brewing bitterness between nationalities. I am Nigerian and so may be considered an understandable target. However, it wouldn’t be apparent on seeing me walking down the street what nationality I am. I know I am Nigerian but the cold stares and shoulders I observe don’t really seem to make any distinction.

Another explanation might be that the South African psyche bruised and battered through the apartheid era hasn’t healed yet and still isn’t healing now. The decades since the dismantling of apartheid haven’t heralded a golden era social development. The combination of political spoils sharing and a reluctance to implement comprehensive social welfare reform has left parts of the population experiencing extremes of deprivation and social exclusion. The recent flooding in the KwaZulu-Natal Province has demonstrated that local government has been equally as ineffective as the national government in taking care of those people most in need.

South Africa has been plagued by the continuing spread of AIDS and HIV, poverty, violent crime, alcohol and substance misuse, and mental illness. While these are not typical of just South Africa the country’s approach to tackling these problems will be seen by some as abandoning the ideals of equality and social justice of all that were so dearly fought for during the apartheid era. There is definitely a need for a stronger push for social welfare and healthcare reform in the country. This should be supported by a national mental health strategy that not only starts to tackle the mental scars of the past and present, but also focuses on equipping the children and youth with the skills and resilience needed to ensure better emotional wellbeing as they go through life.

While social problems are not unique to South Africa there is a lot more the government could be doing to tackle them. The noncommittal approach to making life better for all only serves to entrench both the feelings and experience of inequality. Economic development without social security will only lead to social dysfunction and disorder. Something needs to be done to put a smile on the faces of South Africans. Let’s hope the politicians decide to make that a priority.

Brexit: Theresa May's Bunker Buster

Brexit has proven to be Theresa May’s own personal Waterloo. Not so much because of the epic disaster it has turned into for her but because it has exposed her as the pedestrian politician she really is. Had David Cameron not resigned after the EU Referendum vote she would not have found herself catapulted into the role of prime minister. Had that not happened she would have continued her mediocre error prone stewardship in a ministerial capacity. 

As it is Theresa May assumed the role of prime minister promising; "Brexit means Brexit", "no deal is better than a bad deal" and the UK was about to take world trade agreements to a whole new level. What we are now left with is an ineffectual leader who has both failed to rally her own troops or put up much of a fight against her foreign opposition.

What we have seen is a prime minister who threw away her parliamentary majority, attempted (unsuccessfully) to conceal her true intentions during Brexit negotiations, and really has ended up broken and on her knees at a time the nation needs strong leadership. Theresa May has at every step of the way in the Brexit journey sacrificed sound management for political expediency. She came up with a deal that she didn't canvas support for before presenting it to the EU because she knew it was unlikely to be found acceptable by Westminster factions but she knew she could get agreement with the EU on it. This was despite the fact that she knew she had to come back to Westminster to have it ratified. Her strategy seems to have been to present Parliament with a 'fait accompli' then blame everyone else for not agreeing a deal. This was even though she knew her deal would not be agreeable to anyone.

I don't think Theresa May can be blamed for leaping at the opportunity to be prime minister. However, her almost total lack of a sense of duty that should come with the role has been startling. At every turn she seems to have opted to try and secure her position rather than secure the nation's best interests. Her initial cabinet appointments were designed to curry favour with the Brexiteers in the Conservative Party. At the early stage of negotiations with the EU she opted to go for a transitional post exit arrangement rather than embrace the nettle of actually negotiating new trade tariffs with EU. Even if she had agreed some indicative interim tariffs at that time it might have provided some reassurance to the public and economy about what to expect. Instead, she was swayed by the Business sector to go for a transitional period and remain in the Custom Union. She hadn't factored in the issue of what would happen to border arrangements in Ireland after the end of the transitional period.

Had Mrs May paused to think about the need to make some tough choices it might have occurred to her that the Republic of Ireland needed to maintain the trading status quo even more than the UK did. That is something she could have used as leverage in the negotiations rather than falling to her knees leopard skin pumps in hand begging for a transition period. By restricting her own options May allowed the Republic of Ireland to secure a veto when in fact it should have been pleading for a reasonable compromise.

At this point the British Government has run out of both ideas and time to negotiate an acceptable withdrawal from the EU. Theresa May has to take a huge part of the responsibility for that. Not only did she make a lot of wrong choices but she also appointed a lot of incompetent and uncommitted ministers. For a woman who has been the consummate political operator it appears that Theresa May’s political capital has finally run out. Unfortunately neither the nation nor history will judge her kindly and that is the tragic legacy of her long and dogged political career.

London Policing Twenty Years on from the Macpherson Report

It has been twenty years since the Macpherson Report into the London Metropolitan Police handling of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence. Doreen Lawrence, Stephen's mother' has suggested that gains in the aftermath of the Macpherson Inquiry report have not been built upon. However, Cressida Dick, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, claims that the Met has made great progress and come a long way.

Since the Macpherson Inquiry there has been the Tottenham Riots in 2011 following the police shooting to death of Mark Duggan. The riots subsequently spread to the rest of London and nationwide. There was the shooting of Azelle Rodney in 2005. Rodney was shot to death by a police marksman while in a car with two associates. An inquiry later found the shooting unlawful. There was the shooting to death of John Charles de Menezes in 2005 following the July 7 terror attack. He was shot in a case of mistaken identity and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police was later found guilty and fined for a failure of duty of care. In 2008 Sean Rigg died in police custody as a result of being restrained by police officers. Olaseni Lewis died on a mental health ward following prolonged restraint by police officers. Dalian Atkinson, an ex England international footballer, died in 2016 after being tasered by police officers whilst in mental health crisis. In 2017 Edson da Costa died after he subdued by CS gas following a car stop by police. In 2017 Rashan Charles died after being restrained by a police officer who suspected him of swallowing a contraband substance.

In 2017/2018 twenty three people died in police custody or following police interventions. This was the highest figure recorded in ten years.

In the consideration of where the Metropolitan Police is twenty years after Macpherson there has been a lot of talk about how much the proportion of officers from minority ethnic groups has increased (from 3% to 14%). There has also been mention of race awareness and community engagement training being carried out. The suggestion is that it is now a different police force. However, is it a better police force in regards to its strategic approach to police minorities, or managing minority police officers?

It is possible that structures and image awareness in the Met has changed but have attitudes moved on all that much? People from minority groups are still having negative experiences of policing in London on a daily basis. And a lot of police officers still see Black people as threatening, and likely to offend. Senior police officers are less likely to show any confidence or offer insightful guidance when dealing with cases involving people from minority ethnic groups. It is unclear whether the progression of minority ethnic officers in the force has significantly improved; or whether minority ethnic officers generally feel well supported, free from prejudice, and empowered in their jobs.

While some things have changed since Macpherson it is clear that the Metropolitan Police really cannot beat its chest about how well it has done in managing issues of race in minority ethnic communities or police officers. There is in no doubt that it could do more and do better. The real issue is how much does the Met itself know that that is the case.

New What?

What’s the difference between a new year, a new day, a new dawn, or even a new leaf? Maybe it’s that a new year represents a time to take stock of one’s life; and challenge oneself anew. A new day is a bell to answer the call of a continuing grind. A new dawn is a joyous vision of hope for better things to come. And a new leaf is a promise of redemption.

The not so simple truth is that every second of our lives represents a new beginning. It is a new investment of time in living and pursuing life's goals and obligations. It could be just a thought or maybe the simplest action. What it represents is an opportunity for us that do something good, be someone better, and make the best way of the time and life we have. The value of newness is that we getting to experience something anew or seize upon an opportunity to take a fresh approach to something. The attitude with which we approach things is what in effect gives them that quality of newness.

A new point in time won’t make us perfect even if we pass through it on the crest of great success. And it won't make us failures even if we are confronted by challenges and setbacks. The key to making each moment fresh and relevant is to learn the lessons, step forward with resolution and make it count for us as individuals, for the people around us, and for the world as a whole.