At six pm I arrived at the science museum on Exhibition Road in South Kensington founded in 1857. As the public poured out the main entrance an hundred dining tables poured in the back . It was fascinating to watch the tables placed and draped in starch white table cloth throughout Energy Hall. Finally In the centre of each table an small oak tree sapling. From small acorns.... What was a public area is now a grand dining hall, lit to perfection. Silent and braced. The waiters in their own starched clothing are ready.
The stage area from were the evening is presented is beneath a suspended airplane. The hall is that big. This museum is incredible and to be here is also incredible. By seven thirty the musicians and I are sat at our respective tables and the nobel laureates and scientists too. They arrived from a day discussing climate change with Prince Charles at St James Palace.
“As part of the 2009 Nobel Laureate Symposium on climate
change, the gala cultural evening, entitled Sculpting Our History, sought
to explore the role of the arts, creativity and leadership in confronting the
climate challenge. 150 eminent leaders from the fields of the arts, business,
science, academia, civil society and the public sector joined together to open
dialogue across disciplines on the cultural nature of this global problem.”
And so I found myself sat on a table across from Bianca
Jagger. There’s a few CEO’s at my table
and the head of a Cambridge university plus a Nobel Laureate. On the table
across from me are Jude Kelly who sits alongside Wole Soyinke. I once
introduced him on stage some years ago. It was such a terrible introduction at such an important occasion
that I have felt bad about it ever since. Tonight I apologised to him. He laughed but acknowledged my apology. These things matter. It was at the Ken Saro Wiwa event at The
Southbank Centre.
In no time it was my time to walk onto stage with my
musicians and read one poem. I have been back from South Africa for about twenty Four hours. It's the right poem read in the right place in front of the right people. I could give no better respect to the poem. It seemed right to read it here in a museum that records the industrial revolution and "progress", the invention of the
car and the airplane.
The bass player and piano player began. I look at
them and then begin
I finished at about 10.30pm and left only to find the tube stations closed. Fortunately I found one that was open and got home for midnight. You can hear and see the full piece here.