Compilation

The Poetry is going well, the Swimming is going well, and a few other things are going well. So I'm sat tight waiting for the bubble to burst. Well its burst already, but when things go wrong they tend to keep on going that way. We been contacted regarding that thing that I'm not writing about, a strange sort of contact as three letters that the allege that they sent never arrived. But this one did, so very strange indeed. Hey ho, just more problems to deal with. Then there's the coincidence. Nothing to do with the thing that I don't write about, but a lot to do with something else from last year. Very strange indeed, and as a fatalist, I simply don't believe in coincidence. Everything happens for a purpose, so there's a few loose ends that need to be tied up so I know what is going on with this one.

Meanwhile, I am chugging along with the poetry. I am trying to construct one in recognition of a Double George Medal winner who also won an MBE for Gallantry. A brave chap indeed, so my effort has to match the magnitude of the task in hand.

As for 'Zulu Rising' a fantastic retelling of an important part of British history. The farming warrior class of the Zulu nation was no match for the industrialisation of the British. Now don't get me wrong, the Zulu's out fought, out 'generalled' and out everything else compared to the British. But spears and hide shields are no match for a Gatlin Gun, Canon, and an endless supply of troops with the best weapons. The logistics and stealth was extremely impressive as well. We can recall the Zulu victory at Isandlwana as a matter of vast numbers against a badly weakened force who's perimeter was stretched, but come on folks, 25,000 warriors without being detected moved that close to the British camp. And anyway, the General didn't have to half his force and leave unclear orders. Nope, if he was so intent on chasing around the country killing the natives for no good reason at all, then there would have been better structure to the situation. Then again, the British wouldn't have been there in the first place.

Now that's a bit like the thing that I don't write about. A little bit of forethought and consideration by the other side, and we wouldn't be where we are today. If I win, I shall of course write and awful lot about everything, and remember, it ain't libel or slander if you did it!

Meanwhile, verse 7 has to be compiled. Then when its all done, I have to read it out to a few people, and if they like the finished product, then it will be posted on the Blog.

Having a Picnic

Ian Knight is a superb author and I urge you to pick up one or more of his books. With this particular read, I’m at that stage of the story where the British have invaded Zululand for no good reason other than their desire for expanded colonialism and the theft of land and resources in Africa. Picking a fight with the innocent is one thing, but the British invasion has already resulted in the murder of many Zulu’s while part of Chelmsford’s army is still camped under the shadow of Isandlwana. Lord Chelmsford has split his force and has gone on what appears to be his usual forage into the African wilderness. On this occasion he dines for breakfast while his soldiers are busy killing Africans. The reader is informed that the General’s French Cook is back at Isandlwana, and that the General and his staff were reduced to eating what they carried, and dining with the utensils and facilities that could be placed inside their sacks.

This all in all is not too bad a thing, as some of his soldiers did not have breakfast that day, and had not had supper or dinner the previous day. Indeed, those who were fortunate to have left Isandlwana on this particular foray into the wilderness had been reduced to biscuits and the sharing of a 1lb tin of salmon the previous day. Nevertheless, although hungry they would escape the butchery that occurred back at the camp. In contrast to the tea, biscuits and tinned salmon carried by the British, the Zulu army had marched on a few head of beef and a few slaughtered goats. We are told that this was not sufficient to feed the African Zulu army, and the cattle supplied by the Zulu King was supplemented with “raw meat, pumpkins, roasted mealies gourds full of curdled milk” carried by younger members of the family, (Ian Knight, 2010 p.266) and the livestock and the grain pits that the Zulu army was able to raid along the way. The modern reader can well imagine the logistical difficulties facing the Zulu nation in defending their land, culture, and well being against the British aggression. The English held the upper hand in logistical preparation, modern armaments, the creation of a monetary economy in which to buy wagons and to hire skilled drivers, money to lease solid structures in which to house soldiers, ammunition, and provisions. The British did not have crops to worry about or cattle to tend. Plus of course, the unnecessary and brutal invasion was on a date and time of their choosing. The invasion was deliberately timed to coincide with crop difficulties facing the Zulu nation. The existence of a Violence Monopoly fuelled Colonialism, which was a terrible thing, and I am certainly glad that it was not executed in my name.

I suspect that Lord Chelmsford was not dining on pumpkin, roasted mealies, or tinned salmon when he settled down on that grassy knoll to indulge in a spot of breakfast while the murderous affair continued to the fore. Indeed, although Chelmsford was focused to events to the front, he was not the only person now engaged in brutal activity, and although he did not fully comprehend the situation at that time, the butchery was actually going on all around him. Nevertheless, he saw no sound reason to break from his breakfast, and we can only speculate as to what delights he enjoyed on that particular African morning.

Zulu Rising

I have read over 200 pages of Ian Knights astonishing book. I have previously read Great Zulu Commanders, and Great Zulu Battles and truly believed that Ian Knight could not produce a combined book that would be as fresh as the first of my two reads; I was wrong. I am gripped by the storytelling, and have enjoyed a few pages each day in Cafe Nero on Duke Street, Cardiff after my physical toil on our flat. The staff are lovely and would be worthy winners of a Coffee Shop of the Year Award. It has been an enjoyable experience popping into 'Nero' each day, but of course, the hard work on the flat has meant that I have been unable to press home the reading.

Plus of course there has been a gap in the Blogging while I lived in Cardiff for the last 9 or so days. 'Happy Days' as one of the 'Nero' staff would say!

iSandlwana

The epic story of iSandlwana and Rorke's Drift is graphically described in the 2010 book 'Zulu Rising' by historian and author, Ian Knight. As proclaimed on the inside of the dust cover; "In the shadow of an imposing rocky outcrop called iSandlwana, a part-time army of African herdsmen brought to a halt (...) more than a century and a half of British Imperial expansion across southern Africa."

There was me writing about 'Boys Own' in a recent Blog Post, and on page 4 of what feels and looks like a 600 page book, Ian Knight, mentions that "uncomfortable truths are often buried uneasily beneath a veneer of Boy's Own derring-do." For me, it is also interesting to note the author referring to there being "enough contemporary parallels, in Iraq and elsewhere, to suggest that no one, least of all politicians, learns from history." These fine words are in many ways replicated through the various threads weaved through this Blog over the last few years.

Maybe the study of war and Imperial expansionism should be a pre-requisite of holding elected public office? I wonder as to how many scholars, who understand social and economic science, would push a country into conflict? Be it internal or external conflict; as the State can deploy its violence monopolies against its own people, or beyond its borders.

Quite a lot has been written and spoken about the link between Libya and the London School of Economics (LSE). I appreciate that in contemporary affairs (and for these purposes I include the Libyan Embassy murder and the Lockerbie murders, and the current situation), that the word 'Libya' has negative connotations. Without trying in any way to push the morality and wrongdoing aside, I am unable to fully sign up to 'the LSE were wrong because' argument.

I believe that the core idea behind the academic link was sound. Education increases understanding and greater understanding, must ultimately, lead towards greater tolerance. As the 'Civilizing Process' continues, it is inevitable that there will be less reliance on the use of 'Violence Monopolies' by heads of state and other power players. The reduction in the use of violence will occur for both in-house events, and for conflict between States. Education, especially that delivered by credible world class institutions, must assist that process. Therefore, even though there are sound reasons why the link should not have been established, the LSE should not beat itself up over the links that occurred.

Education may have offset the contemporary problem. We know in hindsight that it didn't, but no one knew of this outcome, when the relationship began.

Although State-formation is central to the Civilizing Process, there can be no doubt that the process is also wholly dependent on people and their actions towards and their interaction with others. Strategic and other direction may occur during war. These directions may determine the various tasks and acts that are required in order to execute the warring intention. There may also be an understanding, or a co-hesion of force, that brings large numbers of people together for a particular event or series of events. But the actual execution of the violence is down to the behaviours and interaction of individuals or small groups of people. These people may be part of a 'strategic whole', but they nevertheless operate in isolation.

Real people operating in what can best be described as surreal circumstances. African herdsmen against the might of the British Empire and its Colonial intent. Part-time warrior against semi-professional soldiers. They fight and some of them will undoubtedly die. A bit like the contemporary problem in Libya today. If you fire on your people then people get killed, if you take out a command and control centre then more people get killed. Anyone and everyone is at risk, there is no clean kill; simply death.

This aspect of war is eloquently portrayed in the opening pages of 'Zulu Rising'. The author brings us closer to the death of a warrior, and then links the battlefield with the acts undertaken by modern descendants who are coming to terms with the loss and the impact of that loss on their contemporary problems. It's strong stuff, and in a future Blog Post I shall try and relay the 'Spirit Catching' of a fallen warrior at iSandlwana, as witnessed by Ian Knight back in January 2007 and described in his 2010 book. Maybe, just maybe, I can link that description to my own experience of 'African spirits' as described in one of my older Blog posts.