Rock, Reaction and Revolution

"One of the best British musicians of all time you've never heard of"—that’s how the BBC describes Steven Wilson. But if you have spent enough time in the progressive rock rabbit hole, you know exactly who he is. He is not just a musician but a sonic wizard who can pull you into his world, where you will probably have to deal with existential crises or occasional "What the fu*k did I just listen to?" or "Wait! What time signature is this?" moments. He wakes up every day, casually composes a 12-minute progressive rock track at breakfast with complex time signatures, remixes classic old rock n roll records of various artists at lunch, and then experiments with hauntingly beautiful soundscapes at dinner. Sleeps. Repeats. As a 29-year-old progressive rock nerd (translation: I’m either way too young to fully grasp Wilson’s sadness or already too old to escape it), I’ve spent countless hours spiralling into his discography. So, here’s my highly s...

President of Burkina Faso . Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traoré has emerged as one of Africa’s most consequential and controversial figures since seizing power in a 2022 coup. Amidst the mounting insecurity and frustration over the failure of the pro-Western governments, Traore gained public support to topple the government in 2022. Traoré’s rise evokes memories of another revolutionary figure, Thomas Sankara, the legendary “African Che Guevara” who led Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987 before falling victim to a France-backed assassination. Traoré’s rhetoric, his youthful energy, and his determination to forge a new path for his nation resonate with Sankara’s revolutionary spirit. Like the majority of African nations, Burkina Faso is threatened and exploited by France, the USA, and their Western allies; the country is subject to Islamist insurgencies. But as Sankara tried forty years ago, will he use extreme socialist policies to change Burkina Faso from the inside out, or will he just...

Lt. Lyudmila Pavlichenko We recently celebrated International Women’s Day on 8th March. The theme of 2025 was "Accelerate Action" , emphasising the urgency of advancing gender equality. It is being predicted that at the current pace, achieving full gender parity could extend to the year 2158.  The year was 1941. Lyudmila Pavlichenko was 25 years old and studying history at Kiev University when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa and the Wehrmacht began its invasion of the Soviet Union. Instead of hiding or fleeing, she volunteered for the Red Army, not as a nurse (which was how the other countries were recruiting women), but as a sniper. She became one of 2000 female snipers in the Red Army. Here, let me remind you, the Soviet Union was the only country during World War II to recruit women in the army. During training, she outshot every man in her unit. The army soon realised that they weren’t dealing with an ordinary recruit.  Career at the Red Army— Pa...