One of the interesting things about the state of affairs in
the world is how the vestiges of colonialism and imperialism continue to impact
international events.
We see it in the Middle East, the wreckage in much of
Africa, the mixed messages in the United States towards Cuba and Puerto Rico, and
the scars left by Spain and Portugal in South America.
The British Empire was perhaps most successful in gradually
evolving into a Commonwealth of Nations. But they also had many failures as
evidenced by their impacts on Yemen, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa, Ireland and
many others.
I traveled a great deal in the 1960’s and 1970”s and had a
chance to see, first hand, a snapshot of the transition of many of these areas
from colonies to nations. It was a bitter sweet period. The world was changing
faster than the ability to adapt.
I wrote Aden Beach Club-1966 (Riding in Boxcars, 2006) near
the end of one of these trips. During that journey I had a chance to witness
the beauty of the Seychelles, the poverty of the Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia,
the confusion of post-Mau Mau Kenya, the barren end of the world in Oman, the magnificence
of the Suez Canal and a Saudi Arabia only four years separated from legalized
slavery.
The colonizing nations had a huge impact in all of these
places. It was an interesting testament to the long term ramifications of what
we do as nations and as citizens of the world.
The sun eventually sets on all of us. It is worth
remembering that the beauty of what remains will depend on the perspective of those
left behind to live it and write about it.
Glenn K. Currie
Aden Beach Club-1966
British troops rode
with us,
Their guns resting,
On our travel kits,
Protecting us from
rebels.
The beach club closed,
Except for special
visits.
We drank gin and
tonics,
In the empty club.
Quinine for malaria,
we joked.
Later we sat on the
sand,
And watched the sun
set,
On the British
Empire.
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