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12 Years a Slave - a film based on the true story of free Black man Solomon Northup who was kidnapped and forced into slavery in the US - pulls out the duality that is often missing in films on social injustice and slavery. Image of Solomon Northup's book sourced from net Far from adhering to the simple Black = victim and White = oppressor formula, Steve McQueen tells us that the enslaved man, woman and even child should be depicted holistically as the complex characters they often are....both victim and hero – and in the case of the slave master both the oppressed and oppressor. We witness in the protagonist - Solomon ( Chiwetel  Ejiofor),  his gradual loss of liberty as a free Black man who is duped and sold illegally into slavery in 1840s’ US. And with this demise of freedom, we chart his path as he still manages to hold on to some dignity while being stripped of it. This theme of duality envelopes the film and we see it played out in one scene whe...

Most days I get on the X68 bus and most days I see the odd person who ignores the bus number, the bus tannoy, the digital information screen, and even the bus driver’s announcements. But I would have to say that Monday 20 January was an exception....at LEAST 10 people unwittingly boarded the express bus. The reactions from each of them just goes to show that people have stopped reasoning or being observant. Or the X in express just messes with their minds. Image © Simon Bye For those of you unfamiliar with the West Croydon to Russell Square X68 service   – it is a godsend for those of us who believe train and tube travel has diminished in quality while the price of fares have moved in the opposite direction. Value for money This fabulous X68 ferries us (mainly office workers) to and from the City for the price of a single bus fair. The service is every 15 minutes and runs between peak times from Monday until Friday. And to top it all off, unlike a train service ...