Meanwhile in the EU...


These photos were taken by me last week at a 'PeaceConcert' in the International Sufi Temple at Katwijk in the Netherlands. The Temple was built by followers of the Sufi master musician and teacher Hazrat Inayat Khan whose teachings about the centrality of vibrating energy have influenced notable composers including Karlheinz Stockhausen and Jonathan Harvey.

Performing at the concert were Israeli multi instrumentalist and vocalist Avi Adir whose approach to life mirrors the ecumenical spiritualism of Hazrat Inayyat Khan, and the Iranian daf master Farid Sheek. Both Avi Adir and Farid Sheek are now resident in the Netherlands, a country rich in political and creative tensions. Over the years many transcultural musical events have featured on An Overgrown Path; the vast majority have been in mainland EU countries, with such expressions of cultural pluralism being the exception rather than the rule in the UK.

As I write the Brexit debate rages with the UK split into two factions. 'Leavers' want out with barriers to freedom of movement protecting their monoculturalism and economic opportunism. 'Remainers' want in with freedom of movement giving access to a lucrative market for their monoculturalism and economic opportunism. Self-interest rules. Nigel Farage, Theresa May, Boris Johnson,Jeremy Corbyn and the other usual culprits are not to blame for the Brexit disaster. The harsh reality is that for the last 46 years the UK has been in but not of the European Union.



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Comments

Pliable said…
"The harsh reality is that for the last 46 years the UK has been in but not of the European Union" - as is evidenced by the minimal coverage in the UK media of EU election results for countries other than the UK?

"The Netherlands has bucked the trend in most of Europe by electing fewer Eurosceptics to the European parliament in this week’s elections, according to preliminary results based on 98% of the votes" - https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/05/dutch-buck-european-trend-pvv-out-of-european-parliament/-.

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