THE BARGING BUDDHI AND OTHER POEMS – SUNITA THIND – REVIEW

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged Bhangra, Black Pear Press, colonialism, colourism, cultural appropriation, family, featured, feminism, Henna, India, marital rape, nature, ovarian cancer, patriarchy, poetry, Punjabi, review, sisterhood, Sunita Thind, The Barging Buddhi and Other Poems, white supremacy.

By Carmina Masoliver

Content warning: brief references to sexual assault

The Barging Buddhi and Other Poems takes us on a journey from human expectations that are created within a set culture, to more cosmic climbs, from which we are brought back to earth with the fragility of life, to then be connected to a wider sense of nature. Sunita Thind’s poetry is rich, sensual and visual. Although her numerous questions throughout the collection hint at self-doubt and uncertainty, she shows a strong sense of voice that is not easily contained, like the ‘pyrotechnical parrots’ she describes, how humans ‘clip their wings to capture the fury of their rainbow constellations / humans devouring them like black holes / sequestered in monster iron cages.’ The collection is strongest when assertive, using imperatives: ‘delete the tears’, ‘stain me’, maroon me.’

EXTINCTION REBELLION – HEADING FOR EXCLUSION AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national, Perspectives and tagged air pollution, apathy, capitalism, climate change, deforestation, earth, environment, extinction, Extinction Rebellion, extreme weather, featured, government, nature, neoliberalism, non-violent direct action, norwich, protest, Rebel for Life, UEA, XR.

by Craig Wilson

This year’s War of Words – The Progressive Media Conference welcomed a panel of four activists to discuss direct action and concerns surrounding the current activist scene. While noting that the Extinction Rebellion (XR) is in some way appreciated, one major theme of the discussion was that XR is failing to take along vulnerable and minority groups. There’s a feeling that the movement is too white and middle-class, and is unsettlingly weak on climate injustice messaging. As someone on the radical left but also actively on board with XR locally, I wanted to write this piece to largely reaffirm those criticisms, but from an insider’s viewpoint. Far from being single-minded and unreflexive, discussions within the group show that XR is very much seeking to learn and grow.Continue Reading

REVIEW – KATHERINE OSBORNE, DESCANSOS

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged automatic writing, Descansos, featured, Katherine Osborne, loss, memory, metaphor, mythical, narrative, nature, poetry, review, Salò Press, surreal.

By Laura Potts

There is an obvious mythical essence to a number of the poems in Descansos, the new collection of poetry from Katherine Osborne, published by Salò Press, coupled with a flowing connection of the surreal which makes its way through each of the works, treading lightly on some and firmly on others. Throughout the poems, there is an unexpectedness of themes and figures, from God to Buffalo. This shift is sudden, like a stream of consciousness or a narrative story. Moreover, the pieces throughout this book seem to have been produced in a more automatic manner: repetition in titles, along with numbers and extended use of brackets. These automatic devices are sporadic and run parallel to themes of loss and nostalgia; both of which lead to a noticeable automatic writing style.

REBEL FOR LIFE: AN INTERVIEW WITH EXTINCTION REBELLION NORWICH

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national, Student and tagged air pollution, apathy, capitalism, climate change, deforestation, earth, environment, extinction, Extinction Rebellion, extreme weather, featured, government, nature, neoliberalism, non-violent direct action, norwich, protest, Rebel for Life, UEA, XR.

by Jess O’Dwyer

The Earth is our nurturer, inspirer and protector, yet we are actively and consciously driving ourselves towards her (and our) oblivion. Extreme weather is the new normal: we’re chopping down trees faster than we’re planting them and we’re still burning fossil fuels despite the common knowledge that they are damaging to the atmosphere and are causing our own children to struggle to breathe.

A DAM SHAME

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national and tagged Africa, bank, Bujagali, Bujagali Energy Limited, china, dam, deals, energy, environment, featured, flow, Isimba, jinja, Kalagala, loans, nature, neoliberalism, Nile, Owen Falls, prfot, The Blackstone Group, trade, Ufandan Wildlife Authority, Uganda, uk, US, water.

by Stu Lucy

For the best part of the tail end of the twentieth century, rich countries in various guises have lent considerable sums to leaders of African countries, elected or otherwise, in order that they ‘develop their infrastructure’. Over the years numerous heads of state have accepted these tempting offers, skimming a little off the top for themselves and their cronies, leaving the rest to fulfil some grand construction touted by politicians as intrinsic to ensuring the economic success and prosperity of their beloved country.

Home to the source of the river Nile, Uganda has had its fair share of such development projects, most commonly in the form of hydroelectric dams. Since construction of the Owen Falls dam, the first to harness the power of the mighty river built under colonial rule in 1954, numerous other power stations have been constructed with help from international lenders such as The World Bank, alongside numerous import-export banks of countries set to profit from the dam’s construction.Continue Reading

BACK FROM THE BRINK?

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national and tagged Africa, animals, cliamte change, conservation, crisis, extinction, Fatu, featured, fertilization, humanity, hunting, industry, IV, Keny, market, Najin, nature, northern white rhino, Ol Pejeta, rhino, savannah, science, Sudan, Swahii, Swahili, technology, Uganda, viagra.

by Stu Lucy

Cooped up in an office in Uganda, inputting into what seemed like never-ending columns of cells in Excel spreadsheets, I would often ruminate about other jobs I could be doing which at that moment would be relatively more fulfilling and life affirming. One of the jobs I kept ending back at was as a member of one of the security teams responsible for the protection of the last northern white rhinoceroses: Sudan, Najin and her daughter Fatu. While in reality I knew my poor grasp of Swahili and lack of weapons training made it unlikely I’d ever work with the rangers responsible for the security of these magnificent animals residing within Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, I became interested in their plight, following their turbulent existence ever since.

THE 100FT TALL CANARY

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national and tagged Adansonia Adansonia, Africa, African Baobab, baobab, Botswana, capitalism, climate activism, climate change, crisis, developing, economics, environment, environmental justice, featured, forest, humanity, Idaho, Lion King, migration, Montana, Namibia, nature, Nature Plants, neoliberalism, Panke Baobab, pollution, Rafiki, research, resources, science, South Africa, trees, uk, war, West, Wyoming, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

by Stu Lucy

Back in the day, before Maggie had her way, there used to be a thriving northern powerhouse built on the foundations of a mining industry that provided thousands of jobs to people across a vast expanse of our fair isles. It was a dangerous job with the risks of explosions, cave-ins, and noxious fumes overpowering the brave men and women that dared descend into dark depths. One of the tools the miners had to protect themselves from some of the dangers of this perilous job was a tiny little yellow bird in a cage: a canary. When levels of noxious gases began to amass, this small bird would croak it, indicating to the miners it was time to get out. While hardly the most humane method of protecting themselves, it served its purpose and saved countless lives. The mines have now closed and canaries no longer employed to keep the miners safe, the metaphor however lives on, albeit in a somewhat larger capacity.Continue Reading

SOCIAL PRESCRIBING – CURING LONELINESS IN OUR DISTANCING SOCIETY

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Norwich Radical in Community and tagged alcohol, bowthorpe, Brexit, Britain, capitalism, Community, domestic violence, drug use, economics, elderly people, environment, featured, food, Frome, globalisation, GPs, health, healthcare, horticultural therapy, illness, independence, internet, loneliness, mental health, nature, NHS, norfolk, nutrition, peer mentoring, personal debt, PTSD, recreation, relationships, social prescribing, society, Somerset, teamwork, The Grow Organisation, uk, voluntary sector.

By Nicholl Hardwick, for The Grow Organisation

In contemporary Britain, our lives are pervaded with unique health and economic pressures. Capitalism, globalisation, Brexit and the internet have all contributed to a new era of loneliness, community isolation and disconnectedness. We may go days at a time without speaking or having sentimental engagement with another person. In particular, elderly members of the community frequently fall to the wayside as our distancing society ceases to encourage them to function as active participants.

THE AMAZON

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national and tagged biodiversity, BNDES, Brazil, carbon, carbon sink, climate change, co2, deforestation, drought, environment, indigenous rights, nature, planet, rainforest, sustainability, The Amazon, World Bank.

by Gunnar Eigener

The Amazon contains just over half of the world’s remaining rainforest. Home to some 390 billion trees, one in ten living plant and animal species and annually absorbing approximately 1.5 gigaton of carbon dioxide, this rainforest is one of the last few significant land carbon sinks. The effects of climate change were demonstrated when the Amazon briefly lost its ability to absorb carbon dioxide during severe droughts in 2005 and 2010.

The Amazon has long been a poster-child for the environmental movement and its importance has never ceased, although other causes have taken some of the coverage and media interest away. The time has come to refocus on the Amazon before the damage becomes irreparable. The consequences of losing it would be globally catastrophic.Continue Reading

KEEP ME WILD

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged anthropocene, art, artist, Asia Patel, degeneration, industry, mother earth, nature, original art, pollution.

by Asia Patel

nature

THE BARGING BUDDHI AND OTHER POEMS – SUNITA THIND – REVIEW

By Carmina Masoliver

EXTINCTION REBELLION – HEADING FOR EXCLUSION AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

REVIEW – KATHERINE OSBORNE, DESCANSOS

REBEL FOR LIFE: AN INTERVIEW WITH EXTINCTION REBELLION NORWICH

A DAM SHAME

BACK FROM THE BRINK?

THE 100FT TALL CANARY

THE AMAZON

KEEP ME WILD

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