Shikasta

Who writes these songs? Where do they come from? The strength of the People is indeed great!

It was extremely hot. This was the key fact of the month, overriding everything. The large and commodious mess tents were partly in the shade of some ancient olive trees, but most of the tents were in the sun. The camp simmered and baked, day after day. Water was scarce. The sanitary arrangements were just adequate. By the end, this camp was an unsavoury place. If it had not been for some showers of rain the place would have been intolerable before the end of the first week.

I have spent several hours rereading the agents' reports, and this, resulted in my reconsidering the event. There is something here that is puzzling. That these youngsters are brilliant organisers is no news to any of us: indeed, we can benefit from learning from them. But this went beyond ordinary common sense and even good timing.

I remind you that this "Trial" seemed to begin with almost a joke - there was that quality in the first news of it. "The kids are deriding us again" - that sort of thing. It seemed in bad taste, not to mention pointless, considering the real and deep violence of the passion shown everywhere on racial issues. And then, from our reports, it became evident how seriously they were all taking it. Then there was the amount of preparation that went into it - the visit to Southern Africa, for instance, which was prepared for, and followed with interest, by the Youth of the world. And finally, the participation of the highest echelons of the Armies, and the presence, in the thick of everything, of George Sherban, who always seems to be around at key moments. Incidentally, he was recommended for removal but the orders were countermanded, in order to give him time to show his hand - and I believe he has done so.

To continue. Why Greece? Rumours were at first plentiful that the "Trial" was to be held in one of the bullrings in Spain, but it was given out, with more than adequate propaganda, that "this would prejudice the issue, bullrings are places of blood." Without comment. The amphitheatres in Greece? For Europeans these elicit associations of civilisation and culture. The old Greeks, not noticeably a peace-loving or particularly stable or democratic people - they were a slave-state, despised women, admired homosexuality - were revered by "the western tradition." Without comment.

The amphitheatres are circular empty spaces, surrounded by tiers of circular stone seating, like benches. Uncovered. The climate is bitterly hot or cold. Has the climate then changed, or were the ancient Greeks impervious to cold and heat?

The "Trial" organisation solved the problem this way. They turned day into night.

A session was scheduled every day at five in the afternoon, after the worst heat, until midnight. Then there was a meal of salad, grains, bread. The "Trial" began again at four in the morning, and went on until eight. Bread and fruit were served. Between twelve and four, there was, every night, energetic discussion and debate - informal. To start with, the entire encampment was requested to sleep or rest from nine in the morning until four. But this proved impossible. The heat inside the tents was excessive, and there wasn't shade enough. Some tried to sleep in improvised shelters, or in the mess tents, but in fact very little sleep was had by anyone during the month.

It was requested that no alcohol be brought into the camp at all, because of the Moslems, and because of the difficulties of maintaining order. This was respected, at least at the begi

Permission had been refused by us for floodlighting, indeed, any supply of electricity. This led to some very interesting results. In fact, the extreme heat apart, it was clear that the lighting was the most important factor of the "Trial."

The arena itself was lit by torches set at intervals around the periphery. These were of the usual impregnated compressed reeds. When the moon was strong, the arena was clearly visible anyway. Without the moon, the effect was patchy.

We must imagine the tiers of seats rising from the arena, moonlit or starlit, but without other illumination, and the groups of contenders below, lit by the moon, or inadequately by the torches. The scene made a strong impression on all my informants, and it is clear the night sessions of the "Trial" were the more emotional and hard to control because of the lighting.

All around the upper rim of the great amphitheatre were guards, changed at every sitting, and arranged so that no race would claim preferment. There was a double line of guards, one line facing in to watch the crowds on the seats, and one facing out, because of the villagers who came as close as they were allowed. As the month went by, these uninvited visitors became very many, causing increased problems of organisation and of hygiene. They were nearly all elderly or very old, or small children. All were in a poor condition from hardship. That the youth were in not much better a state seemed to mollify them, and permitted some fraternisation.

I have never heard of, or experienced, any occasion which seemed to promise more opportunities for violence, riot, ill-feeling, and which in the event caused so little.

I now come to what the "spectators" - the wrong word for such impassioned participants - saw below them on that stage.

From the very begi

The arena was not decorated in any way, no slogans, ba

On either side of the arena was a small table and a dozen chairs. That was all. Tone, arrangements, atmosphere, were casual throughout.

On the prosecuting side was George Sherban, for the Dark Races. He has the ivory skin of a certain type of racial cross, but he is black-haired and black-eyed and could easily be an Indian or an Arab. But visually, white-ski

On the defending side, it was visually as provocative. The whites always included a few brown and black people.

The attending groups on either side changed with each session, and during the sessions there was a continual movement from the arena to the tiers and back again. There is no doubt that this was a policy designed to emphasise the informality. The Defender John Brent-Oxford was the only old person present. As I suggested before, this could be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to weaken the white side. He was white-haired, frail, obviously unwell, and needed to sit down, whereas all the others stood or walked about. He was therefore unable to use tricks of self-presentation - the sudden gesture; or stopping, arrested by new thought, in the middle of a movement; or flinging back the arms with a chest presented to the hazards of fate - all the little calculations which, my dear friend, we know the effectiveness of so well.