Everyone Onboard for the Son et Lumière Show

In nineteen-fifties Britain , my grandparents cared for me to enable mum( a teacher) to return school. Memories may fade , or become confused, but one thing I definitely remember about my grandad was this. Every week he would get out his bike, tie a small leather case to the rear panier and cycle off in his best suit, starched collar, and smart bowler hat. One day I found this case lying on a bed in the spare bedroom, so I peeped inside. Everything inside looked boring, except for one beautiful , bright purple , piece of satin. Of course I know now that this was part of his regalia as a Freemason, and that the colour purple is worn only by higher ranking members of this all-male, self-exclusive group. But that was a long time ago, so why do I talk of it now?

Although I didn't know it then , my grandad was not born in Britain. He was Anglo Indian by birth , and once lived in Kolkata( then Calcutta.) It would seem that his work as a ships' engineer brought him to the shipyards on the River Tyne, where they were constructing a ship for the company for whom he worked. I well remember a picture of a Shell Oil tanker proudly displayed on the wall of my grandparents' house, and now think that he may have travelled around the world on this. Maybe he only joined the Freemasons in later life. But I am certain now that by doing this, he could more easily integrate into British society, and become a well-respected citizen . Even though he arrived in Britain with a responsible job, I have no doubt whatsoever that he and my lovely English grandmother must have suffered from racial prejudice within their neighbourhood. But why do I blog about this now? What does my ancient history have to do with today's world, or with France for that matter?

It is a fact that since time immemorial: we humans have moved around the planet, and become integrated into our new found worlds, just as my grandad did. But sadly, this does not always go down well, and I admit it often causes serious problems for the receiving countries. Prejudices and hostilities inevitably arise. Looking at the turbulent state of politics at the moment this is all too evident. But in this blog, I should like to celebrate the joy of diversity, and cross cultural exchange.

Last weekend we made another trip to Montpellier to enjoy a concert. As usual the tram that we took into the centre of town was full of diverse people. Young and old; black and white(and many shades in between); from countries north , south ,east and west; and speaking many different languages. We too are fairly recent immigrants. This is one of the things that I love about Montpellier. I see no tension, just people of many different and exciting cultures living together. I must be looking old , because a young Oriental lady gave up her seat for me. I love to look at different faces; hairstyles; and dress. Don't they say that "variety is the spice of life."? But I have to ask myself, how easily are these different cultures able to integrate into their new countries.

In Montpellier, the world of classical music and opera does not initially appear diverse. Our orchestra may have players from Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic, but nearly every face is white. That is until now, as we welcome our new chief conductor, Roderick Cox, and look forward to hearing the black South African soprano Pretty Yende in the spring. From small acorns , oak trees grow, as they say. Let us hope that this encourages more black children to follow their example. As Rodney Cox says himself "music has the power to bring people together and to transcend cultural and social barriers."

But it is not only in the world of classical music that diversity is rare. I fear that , in spite of the huge mix of different nationalities living in Montpellier, there is far less actual social mixing, apart from in schools and Universities. If we don't mix, how can we become friends? But last Saturday I found reason to celebrate. For straight after our concert , a different show began all over the town. It was a Son et Lumiere show, which was taking place at important buildings around the city. The streets were jam packed with families of all nationalities, all sharing this entertainment alongside us, and didn't we have fun ? Here are some of the pictures I took outside l'Opéra.

P.S.

You may be interested in my novel , 'Because You Were There,' (available on Amazon) which tells the story of Tina , a British immigrant from the Caribbean island of Jamaica, and the cruelties and misunderstandings she endured, as seen from her teacher Felicity's point of view.

I am currently writing a novel which tells the story of some unintended consequences of emigration for one particular family, from a corner of North West Europe. It will be called 'Diaspora.' I'll keep you posted.