Covid pushes us out of a normal that is literally robbing us of meaningful life while killing our life support system (called the environment). We are told the we are all in this together yet the rich are getting richer (as they use the crisis to profit further) and the poor die.
So its maybe not a bad moment to reframe ‘lockdown’ as ‘a retreat’, As a welcome step back from the normal and connect with others on the sharp end of the system we seem trapped in, every road out leading back in.
Small Axe is described as a series of Love letters to black resilience and triumph in London’s West Indian community, directed by Oscar winner Steve McQueen. Vivid stories of hard-won victories in the face of racism.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE OR HERE TO TAKE YOU TO THE FILM ON BBC IPLAYER
“Mangrove tells the true story of Frank Crichlow, whose West Indian restaurant Mangrove, a lively community hub in London’s Notting Hill, attracted locals, activists, intellectuals and artists.
In a time of blatant racial discrimination, Crichlow finds himself and his drug-free business the brunt of relentless police raids. In a bid to stop the discrimination and ruination of their community base, Frank and his friends take to the streets in peaceful protest in 1970, only to be met by police aggression.
As a result, nine men and women, including Frank, leader of the British Black Panther movement Altheia Jones-LeCointe and activist Darcus Howe, are wrongly arrested and charged with incitement to riot and affray. A highly publicised trial ensues.”
From the BBC website
You might find some interesting parallels with the discriminatory nature of the ‘justice system’ that attempts to assert its power over us.