I want to share this fascinating historical docu-poem, encountered on an Ecologist page , where you can read the full text by Heathcoate Williams. What an incredible thing this writer has done, to set this story, this biography, these food politics, to verse.
Here’s Nanjundaswamy’s obituary in The Guardian. I am happy, via this video and poem, to have learned of his life’s work. Ten years on from his death, we are still fighting the same battles, for seeds, for people to have rights to stand up to ever more mega corporations, for foods to remain diverse and in “the commons,”– for a vision of Food Sovereignty…. For Democracy.
I wonder what my readers from India make of all this (including the uber-posh accent reading the poem).
And the really fanciful, sometimes happily straining rhymes:
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Thanks for sharing this video Annie. The simple statement from him – ‘don’t damage our biodiversity’ makes me want to weep. As does the sight of the KFC and the McDonalds all over Indian cities. They weren’t in India when I was growing up, but lately have become very popular. And the seed patenting this is quite a scourge.
I did enjoy the uber posh accent. Lovely to listen to. But just because I’m an incorrigible critic I must point out that while he did very well with most Indian words he mispronounced ‘Punjab’ and ‘Gandhi’.
Love you and all your incorrigible critiquing, Aneela!
Excellent! Hope you don’t mind my sharing it on ‘Welcome to Abby’s Kitchen’ fb page.