I have a life-time love affair with Arabic, which I first learnt when living in Gaza back in 2007: more than twelve years later, I am still studying and learning how to express myself in this complex, beautiful language. Sumud (صمود) means steadfastness in the face of huge challenge: it sums up something about why […]
Curiosity
comes in many different robes: quiet, contemplative, studious, vivid, and sometimes quite mad. I’m endlessly curious, about international politics, countries I’ve never been to, how new ideas develop and reframe doctrines, theories of conflict, and where to buy the best bottle of spicy red wine for under a tenner. Einstein famously said, “I have no […]
Audacity
my favourite definition is: a shameless, bold individual who’s confident, willing to take risks and to live with the consequences. Think of Isabel Eberhardt, the cross-dressing Swiss heiress, an experienced drug taker who decamped to the Algerian desert at the end of the nineteenth century. We must err, but let us do so on the […]
Risks taking
I am not risk averse: the best moments of my life have often involved risks, sometimes serious risks, especially in the Middle East and Central Africa. I like danger because it makes the moment intense, vivid and reminds me how brief and beautiful life is. I’ve ridden motorbikes through towns teeming with armed rebels, hitched […]
