Pandemic. Lock-down. Travel Restrictions. If you need a break in these strange times then have a go at this wonderful piece of blues-piano music 👉 “The Song of the Sea” by Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou - aka the Honky Tonk Nun.
Here’s to you, a Handful of History - 5 creative things on history I thought were worth sharing. Enjoy!
Spy Camera. During his studies in the 1890s, the young Norwegian, Carl Størmer, fell in love with a woman. But as he was too shy to introduce himself, he purchased a ‘spy camera’ in order to take her picture without her knowledge. Unfortunately, the romance never happened, but Størmer continued taking photographs of random (well dressed) people in the streets of Oslo.
The Queen of Creole Cuisine Who Changed the World. I tripped over this fun and inspiring TED-interview with Leah Chase, the grand ol’ lady who had the legendary restaurant ‘Dooky Chase’ in New Orleans. “Dooky Chase changed the course of American history over gumbo and fried chicken”, TED writes, “During the civil rights movement, it was a place where white and black people came together, where activists planned protests (Martin Luther King Jr. and James Baldwin ("I Am Not Your Negro") among others) and where the police entered but did not disturb -- and it continues to operate in the same spirit today.”
Honky Tonk Nun. Born in 1923 to a noble Ethiopian family, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou was celebrated as a young musician in Addis Ababa. She even performed for the Emperor. But when she was refused permission to take up a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, she abandoned music and her life changed forever. For the next 10 years, she lived in a monastery...until it shut down. Then Guèbrou returned to her hometown and to the piano keyboard, and in the 1990s her music was released in the Ethiopiques series of records. In recent years she has been moved to publish her work and she is now busy editing a lifetime of manuscripts. Here’s a radio program telling the remarkable story about the Honky Tonk Nun, now in her 90s - and still composing music.
Old Principles Come in Handy During the (Godawful) Covid-19 Pandemic. During the pandemic, the people of Easter Island have turned to two ancient Polynesian principles that have been passed down through generations: ’Tapu’ - a self-care principle based on respect for the norms of nature - and ‘Umanga’ - which is about helping each other out without expecting anything in return. This has helped them save the health (and economy) of their community.
Real Life James Bond. His name was Popov. Dusko Popov. A Serbian double agent during the Second World War, an expert gambler, a playboy, and - perhaps - the man who inspired the James Bond character. (According to sources Popov briefly met Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels, at a casino in Portugal in the summer of 1941…)
💌 Thanks for reading! This newsletter is free - to show your support please share it with someone who'd like it, thank you 🙏 See links below.
💌 First time you read this? You can subscribe here.
See you next time.
Majken xx
Well Dressed Ladies. The photo was taken by Carl Størmer in Oslo in the 1890s, using his secret spy camera.
Hozzászólások