I was delighted to learn that the V&A Dundee has made the decision to remove the Sackler signs from its premises. Before its opening in September 2018, the museum received a generous £500,000 donation from the Sackler Trust. However, the family behind the donation, known for their involvement in the production of the highly addictive opioid OxyContin, has faced legal trouble. In October 2022, their company, Purdue Pharma, pleaded guilty to three felonies, including defrauding US officials and misconduct related to the drug’s marketing.
It has always puzzled me why art and cultural institutions have been slow in dissociating themselves from morally questionable corporations. I remember countless visits to cultural sites, where I would inevitably encounter the Sackler Centre for arts education or the Sackler Courtyard. Until 2022, Tate Modern even had an escalator named after the Sacklers, and Westminster Abbey still displays their windows. Nan Goldin’s documentary film “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” exposed the Sacklers’ reputation laundering through their donations to museums and galleries. As lovers of art, it is our duty to ensure that our cultural institutions recognize that not all philanthropy is virtuous. The National Theatre, the Roundhouse, and the Natural History Museum are all being watched closely to see if they will remove the Sackler name from their walls.
The Notting Hill carnival, held in London every year, seems to attract an increasing amount of criticism. This year, Britain First leader Paul Golding referred to a group of women in their stunning carnival outfits as “degenerates” for dancing with a disabled man. It is disheartening to witness such ignorance and a deliberate misinterpretation of culture. Moreover, the usual mass hysteria surrounding the carnival’s crimes and arrests once again dominated the news. While any form of violence is unacceptable, singling out the Notting Hill carnival as uniquely dangerous would be unfair. Some people even call for the abolition of the event altogether. Susan Hall, a mayoral candidate, has proposed moving the carnival to a park to reduce crime, but this would undermine the essence of carnival. Leeds carnival, which also takes place on the August bank holiday, manages to centralize its activities in Chapeltown’s Potternewton Park while still allowing troupes and floats to parade through the surrounding streets. The parties continue into the night on closed-off main roads. The streets are an integral part of all the carnivals I have experienced across the UK, from Huddersfield to Birmingham. As a person of Caribbean heritage, I recognize carnival as more than just a fun bank holiday activity; it is a celebration and preservation of Caribbean history, heritage, and traditions. Altering it drastically would be a denial of our liberation.
I regret not being able to witness the blue supermoon in person this past Thursday. Although I caught a glimpse of it through my bedroom window, I was occupied with deadlines and couldn’t fully appreciate its magnificence. Nevertheless, the pictures I saw were extraordinary. It’s fascinating to observe how sentimental and romantic people become when it comes to the moon – its beauty seems to be the one thing we all unanimously agree upon. This particular supermoon was a rare spectacle, appearing about 14% larger and 25% brighter than usual and situated only 357,344km away. It brought to mind one of my favorite science fiction short stories, “The Distance of the Moon” by Italo Calvino, which explores the idea that millions of years ago, the moon was closer to Earth. It’s amazing how literature and real-life events can intersect in such unexpected ways.
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