The legend of the Ark of the Covenant and the disputed Zimbabwe connection By ANGUS SHAW According to legend, white lions of God and a two-headed snake guarded the “drum that thunders” in a cave in southwestern Zimbabwe’s sacred Dumbwe mountains. But, after an Indiana Jones-like tale of intrigue and adventure, the 700-year-old relic some…
Freedom of expression: the debate goes on “I despise what you say but I will defend to the end your right to say it.” The enlightened approach current for so long in democratic society. Something to think about: “ I believe in freedom of speech, but if you insult or threaten my mother I reserve…
Home for the Bewildered The man in the next bed, Thought he had a coffin Growing out of his head. He couldn’t wear his hat, What do you think of that? In the clinic, the Home for the Bewildered, the woman from Alcoholics Anonymous asked me if I had smuggled in anything to drink. AA…
[one_third] [/one_third] [one_third] [/one_third] [one_third_last] [/one_third_last] A Memoir By Angus Shaw How do you behave in a poker game with a genocidal murderer? General Mohammed Siad Barre of Somalia had a revolver lying beside his over-flowing ashtray on the baize card table. Dictators bully and cheat, not only at cards. Field Marshal General Idi Amin…
The fight for independence in Zimbabwe comes under scrutiny in Kandaya, Another Time, Another Place. It is based own the experiences of a white conscript in Ian Smith’s army. Angus Shaw examines the camaraderie, the innocence turning to experience and the brutality that war engenders. It chronicles the roots of the conflict, the nervous humour…
One of the bloodiest reigns in history is over. For eight years the man they called the Black Hitler ruled over Uganda with unprecedented brutality. Over these years thousands upon thousands of innocent people have been murdered and tortured by Amin and his henchmen. Then, on 11 1979, the Ugandan capital of Kampala fell to…
Love him or hate him. Billy Conolly: How Rotten For Daphne from his album A Change is as Good as a Rest. “It was so long ago, it was as if it never happened at all…” Listen to the audio clip for the rest.
The Itinerant History Teacher By Angus Shaw PROLOGUE Dammit. The Internet, the smartphone and Wikipedia have killed me. I am a history teacher no-one needs. People can get what they want with the click of a mouse or a tap on an App. I get work at Third World institutions where there is still some mix…