Brisbane - Get..Set..Go..

(Brisbane is the most talked about city this weekend, as who’s who of the world leaders, including Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, have descended there. Even as the Queensland Capital makes best efforts to put up a good show under sweltering heat,   B Narayanan takes a sneak peak of the city and says Brisbane is every bit as irreverent and laidback as Aussies are reputed to be.  Our vegetarian  writer also tells us why it is a good idea to eat Kangaroo, when you are down under.  The 10 minute short video below by Brisbanestreets, takes you through the top attractions of the city - Ed )

Chasing ‘Roos' Across Brisbane

by B Narayanan

I was in Brisbane last week, downing chilled pitchers of the lovely golden ale, Victoria Bitter, and enjoying the pleasant Aussie Spring. Across the city, “Colour Me Brisbane”, a multi-color lighting installation, ahead of the G-20 was on : the city’s famous Story Bridge was lighted up, and so were public buildings. Also to be seen were posters warning citizens of the diversions to expect when G-20 starts,  and articles in the newspapers, typically irreverent, on why the G-20 was a waste of time and money.

Indeed, Brisbane is every bit as irreverent and laidback as Aussies are reputed to be : cyclists zigzag across the paths, and diners can be seen having long, elaborate breakfast at sidewalk cafes on weekdays. Shops close by 7 pm, and the inland “sea”, a big public pool, draws in hundreds of swimmers everyday.

The funeral for one of Australia’s greatest, and most controversial Prime Ministers, Gough Whitlam was on TV, and the Australians were proud that he had thrown Australia open to people of all races, and returned land to the Aborigines. Australia today is making a determined effort to build a multiracial society, and to encourage people to settle in their country. The streets were empty on Melbourne Cup day, which reminded me of a “bandh” in India . Two of the horses which participated in the races died, but most Australians did not see any cruelty in whipping horses to death.

On the streets of Brisbane, I came across a sad old man, playing accordion : people went their way, and only a few coins had accumulated in his hat.

I went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary on the outskirts of Brisbane, and saw Kangaroos lazing away and Koalas dozing. There was a notice in the cafeteria, explaining how Australia had a Kangaroo overpopulation problem, and how they had to be “culled” to make Roo Steaks…

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# B Narayanan, based in New Delhi, is a member of the Indian Information Service and a freelance writer.

# Brisbanestreets is a YouTube video channel showcasing various facets of Brisbane city and Queensland.

Brisbane Australia Travel Guide

Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was both the physical division between West Berlin and East Germany from 1961 to 1989 and the symbolic boundary between democracy and communism during the Cold War.  The Berlin Wall was erected in the dead of night and for 28 years kept East Germans from fleeing to the West. Its destruction on November 9, 1989, which was nearly as instantaneous as its creation, was celebrated around the world.  This November, we mark the 25^th anniversary of the fall of the wall.

At the end of World War II, the Allied powers divided conquered Germany into four zones, each occupied by  the United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union. The same was done with Germany's capital city, Berlin. As the relationship between the Soviet Union and the other three Allied powers quickly disintegrated, the cooperative atmosphere of the occupation of Germany turned competitive and aggressive. 

In 1949, this new organization of Germany became official when the three zones occupied by the United States, Great Britain, and France combined to form West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany). The zone occupied by the Soviet Union quickly followed by forming East Germany (the German Democratic Republic).This same division into West and East occurred in Berlin. Since the city of Berlin had been situated entirely within the Soviet zone of occupation, West Berlin became an island of democracy within Communist East Germany.

Within a short period of time after the war, living conditions in West Germany and East Germany became distinctly different.  With hard work, individuals living in West Germany were able to live well, buy gadgets and appliances, and to travel as they wished. Nearly the opposite was true in East Germany.

By the late 1950s, many people living in East Germany wanted to move out. No longer able to stand the repressive living conditions in their country, they would pack up their bags and head to West Berlin.  Once across, these refugees were housed in warehouses and then flown to West Germany. Many of those who escaped were young, trained professionals. By the early 1960s, East Germany was rapidly losing both its labor force and its population.

Having already lost 3.5 million people, East Germany desperately needed to stop this mass exodus. Desperate to keep its citizens, East Germany decided to build a wall to prevent them from crossing the border.

Just past midnight on the night of August 12-13, 1961, trucks with soldiers and construction workers rumbled through East Berlin. While most Berliners were sleeping, these crews began tearing up streets that entered into West Berlin, dug holes to put up concrete posts, and strung barbed wire all across the border between East and West Berlin. Telephone wires between East and West Berlin were also cut.

Berliners were shocked when they woke up that morning. What had once been a very fluid border was now rigid. No longer could East Berliners cross the border for operas, plays, soccer games, etc. No longer could families, friends, and lovers cross the border to meet their loved ones. Whichever side of the border one went to sleep on during the night of August 12, they were stuck on that side for decades.

The Berlin Wall stretched over a hundred miles. It ran not only through the center of Berlin, but also wrapped around West Berlin, entirely cutting West Berlin off from the rest of East Germany.  The wall itself went through four major transformations during its 28-year history. The Berlin Wall started out as a barbed-wire fence with concrete posts, but just a few days after the first fence was placed, it was quickly replaced with a sturdier, more permanent structure made out of concrete blocks, topped with barbed wire.

Although most of the border between East and West consisted of layers of preventative measures, there were little more than a handful of official openings along the Berlin Wall. These openings, called checkpoints, were for the infrequent use of officials and others with special permission to cross the border. The most famous of these was Checkpoint Charlie.

The Berlin Wall did prevent the majority of East Germans from emigrating to the West, but it did not prevent them all. During the history of the Berlin Wall, it is estimated that about 5,000 people made it safely across. As the Berlin Wall became stronger and larger, the escape attempts became more planned and more complex.  Unfortunately, not all escape attempts were successful. Since the East German guards were allowed to shoot anyone nearing the eastern side of the Berlin Wall without warning, there was always a chance of death in any and all escape plots. It is estimated that somewhere between 100 and 200 East Germans died while attempting to cross the Berlin Wall.

By late 1980s there had been signs that the Communist bloc was weakening, but the East German Communist leaders insisted that East Germany just needed a moderate change rather than a drastic revolution. East German citizens did not agree. Protest demonstrations broke out all over East Germany in September 1989 and grew considerably by early November. 

On November 9, the politburo led by Egon Krenz decided to allow refugees to exit directly through crossing points between East Germany and West Germany, including West Berlin. The announcement was to be made the same day and the arrangement was to come into effect the next day, after the border guards had been briefed. But Gunter Schwabowsky,  the party boss in East Berlin and Politburo spokesperson, not briefed properly by the authorities, announced that the borders were open. 

Upon hearing the broadcast, East Germans began gathering at the wall and at the six checkpoints between East and West, demanding that border guards immediately open the gates. The surprised and overwhelmed guards made many hectic telephone calls to their superiors about the problem. It soon became clear that no one among the East German authorities wanted to take personal responsibility for issuing orders to use lethal force, so the vastly outnumbered soldiers had no way to hold back the huge crowd of East German citizens. 

Very quickly, the Berlin Wall was inundated with people from both sides. Some began chipping at the Berlin Wall with hammers and chisels. As the  East Berliners swarmed through, they were greeted by West Berliners waiting with flowers and champagne amid wild rejoicing. Soon afterward, a crowd of West Berliners jumped on top of the wall, and were soon joined by East German youngsters. They danced together to celebrate their new freedom.

The fall of the Wall marked the first critical step towards German reunification, which formally concluded a mere 339 days later on 3 October 1990. In some European capitals at the time, there was a deep anxiety over prospects for a reunified Germany. In September 1989, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pleaded with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev not to let the Berlin Wall fall . After the fall of the Berlin Wall,  French President Francois Mitterand warned Thatcher that a unified Germany could make more ground than Adolf Hitler ever had.  Indeed, his words have come true, but this time in the economic sense as Germany has taken the driver’s seat in steering Europe’s destiny.

by Jennifer Rosenberg | Ruth Gledhill

www.history1900s.about.com

Berlin Wall Falls: Rise and Fall of the Wall

RESTORING RANGOON !

Myanmar’s former capital, Yangon or Rangoon, boasts one of the most spectacular early-20th century urban landscapes in Asia. A century ago the country’s former capital was one of the world's great trading cities and the legacy of that cosmopolitan past remains today.  Saved from the fate of other Asian cities due to the country's isolation under military rule, Yangon’s downtown area is a unique blend of cultural and imperial architecture, considered to be the last surviving "colonial core" in Asia.

But as the country opens up, this unique heritage is under threat. Decades of neglect have left once grand buildings a crumbling mess and they are at grave risk of being demolished in favour of hastily built towers and condominiums. Some of the damage has already been done as developers race to cash in on the country’s rapid pace of change.  Myanmar historian and scholar, Thant Myint U, is leading the charge to preserve Yangon’s heritage and return many buildings to their former glory.  He has founded the Yangon Heritage Trust, a group pushing for a cohesive urban plan for the city. The stories of the buildings and the people who lived - and still live in them today, are truly unique in the world. 

The Secretariat, built in the late 19th century, is the grande dame of all Yangon’s historic buildings. It sits at the heart of the city, the former seat of British colonial power, but is more commonly associated with the assassination of Myanmar’s national hero, General Aung San. Yangon residents once spent warm evenings in the shade of its gardens, but when the military took control of the country in 1962 it was declared off limits.  

For generations it lay decaying behind razor wire, a source of mystery and majesty, still imposing in height and grandeur despite losing its domes during bombing by the Japanese in World War II, and sections of its roof in cyclone Nargis in 2008.

Their plan to turn the grand building into museums, galleries and a cultural centre no doubt caught the attention and imagination of the Myanmar Investment Commission, which hands out leases on government properties. Faced with rising public concern over plans to make it into a hotel, it put the Secretariat into the hands of the Anawmar Art Group.  The couple who greeted us were in their 20s, Singapore educated and well spoken. The elegant Le Yee Soe and her husband Soe Thwin Tun did not imagine they would become managing directors of what is potentially one of the largest historic restoration projects in the world right now.

The Anawmar group says it will contribute $30m in restoration costs, as well as intangible assets such as paintings for a future museum and memorial to General Aung San. But a recent technical study estimated the total cost to bring back the building to be at least $100m.

It is my belief that the young couple at the core of the Anawmar group have genuine intentions to make the building public, and that this sincere intention won them the lease. Now, a key challenge for them will be creating an organizational structure that can best steer the building through the challenging period ahead and galvanise popular support for their project.

As with the transition that Myanmar as a nation has embarked upon, the past is dark, but there is potential for a bright future. The Secretariat may be in better hands right now than with one of the usual crony developers who want to turn it into the next hotel chain with identical coffee shops downstairs. Despite their lack of experience and clarity, this young couple may yet return the Secretariat to the nation as a source of pride. After all, it is the place where Myanmar, once Burma, began its transformation from a British colony to an independent and hopeful country.

The Al Jazeera documentary (25 minutes) posted below explores the challenges faced in restoring Rangoon.

Article courtesy : Aella Callan, Al Jazeera.

Photo courtesy : Valerio Berdini

RESTORING RANGOON