With her work rooted in the Malian musical tradition yet defying the confines of a single culture, Malian singer, songwriter and guitarist Rokia Traoré is regarded as one of Africa’s most inventive musicians. Born in 1974 in Mali to a diplomat father, Rokia travelled extensively during her youth: Algeria, Saudi Arabia, France and Belgium, where she studied. This nomadic upbringing exposed her to a wide variety of international musical influences from Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong, to Wagner, Serge Gainsbourg, and the Rolling Stones. A protégé of the legendary guitarist Ali Farka Touré, Rokia’s breakthrough came in 1997 when she was hailed as the ‘African Revelation’ by Radio France Internationale. Continue reading Brighton Festival 2019 Guest Director: Rokia Traoré→
There’s a hollering happening at West Hill Hall every second Friday of the month: the Brighton shape note singers meet to sing from the Sacred Harp. Continue reading Sing Songs from the South→
In response to Sylvia Alexander-Vine’s article in the last Whistler comparing Napoleon and Wellington, it is important not to leave our readers with the impression that the latter’s only contribution to Western civilisation was one single piece of enlightened legislation, the Wellington boot, and advice for military cadets on how best to deploy cavalry, cannon and troops armed with muskets. Sylvia is, nevertheless, correct to say that Napoleon’s legacy as both the greatest general of his age (which even Wellington conceded) but also the greatest creative statesman, has been of much greater significance not only to France, but to Europe. Continue reading Sylvia Should be More Generous→
There are lots of elections upcoming in Oz – it’s a national sport alongside cricket here for a nation with three tiers of government to ensure everyone gets lotsa chances to pick their favourite bigot or statesperson: usually a man, although there are a few female bigots and just a coupla stateswomen á la Caroline Lucas but, as in Blighty, extremes of behaviour are usually a male thing: see Farage, Johnson & Rees-Mogg! Continue reading Elections, Sydney Style!→
Over the last few issues of The Whistler we have introduced the current members of the West Hill Community Association management committee (the Trustees) to give you a flavour of who they are, what they do and maybe to inspire you to become one yourself. In this issue we meet SYLVIA ALEXANDER-VINE
I first heard of West Hill Community Association when I received a copy of The Whistler through my letterbox in West Hill Road in 1992. I had just moved back to Brighton, having lived and worked here previously as an English and Drama teacher at Dorothy Stringer in the early 1970s. Between the 70s and 90s I had worked all over the country in the theatre as a manager, a director and a producer, having learned my trade in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Company in the 1960s. Continue reading Introducing the WHCA Trustees – Part 6→
Everything you ever wanted to know about life in Brighton (OK, and Hove)
The Whistler 