Academic Enrichment
This academic year saw an exciting range of writers and academics
visiting the school to debate key issues and big ideas, including Radio 4’s
Any Questions, which was broadcast live from the Pamoja Hall in April.
Some speakers, such as Evan Davis, the presenter of BBC’s Newsnight,
or Frances Hardinge, the Costa Book Award-winning children’s novelist,
talked to pupils during the school day. Others gave evening talks which
were open to the entire school and wider community.
As well as the events highlighted by students below,
other speakers included: Steven L Isenberg, American
academic, on Trump; John Lanchester, novelist and
journalist, on the credit crunch decade; Baroness
Wheatcroft, conservative peer and former newspaper
editor, on the role of the House of Lords in Brexit;
Jeremy Hunter, photojournalist, on North Korea;
and Helen Scales, marine biologist, on the complex
lives of fish.
Lorna Dolan
Simon Stephens: Why Theatre?
With the promise of ‘an unconventional question
and answer session’, I wasn’t sure what to expect
from this lecture. However, Simon Stephens’s
conversational style of presentation could not
have been more interesting.
Mr Stephens covered a range of topics which
were guided by the audience. It was interesting
to learn about his inspirations and tips for writing
plays, particularly the emphasis placed on the
importance of reading widely (a play a day!) and
never fearing rejection.
It was a talk that inspired, enhanced and
cultivated the audience’s passion for theatre. Asked
for his opinions on drama school, he answered that
the ‘good ones are wonderful and beautiful places
of creativity and output’.
Simon Stephens was very candid. It was refreshing,
for instance, to hear a playwright’s point of view on
creative directorial decisions that others had made
about his plays. The discussion left us recognising the
importance of theatre and art in our current political
climate, leaving us with much food for thought.
Ben Colley, Lower Sixth
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ACADEMIC REVIEW
Evan Davis: Political Populism
The British economist and BBC broadcaster Evan Davis
spoke to the Lower Sixth about political populism,
which he very eloquently defined as ‘the politics of
policies that sound appealing to the general public,
but which defy experts’ opinions’.
Using Donald Trump’s election and Brexit as prime
examples, Mr Davis demonstrated that populist
politicians have become increasingly successful
amongst contemporary voters, and then went on to
explain why this shift has occurred. Over the past 50
years, the power in the global economy has moved
to big metropolitan cities such as London and New
York, leaving voters in towns and smaller cities feeling
discontented.
Mr Davis also suggested that the liberal
establishment’s desire to be more inclusive by
focusing on minorities alienated and fuelled
resentment among large numbers of white male
voters, who felt they were being ignored. These
economic and social divisions have, in turn,
predisposed certain people to believe populist lies
or exaggerations.
Mr Davis concluded that we need to heal the divisions
in our society, by respecting other people’s points of
view and calmly putting forward our own.
Victor Mallet:
River of Life, River of Death David Olusoga:
The People History Forgets
In June, Sevenoaks welcomed the Financial Times Asia
news editor Victor Mallet to speak on India. Sevenoaks School had the honour of hosting
acclaimed historian David Olusoga (pictured right).
He gave a fascinating lecture to students, staff, parents
and members of the public, entitled The People
History Forgets.
Mr Mallet spoke about his fascination with the River
Ganges – the backbone of India and a landmark of the
world – and took us through his journey of exploring
it from its source in the Gangotri Glacier to its mouth
at the Bay of Bengal. Along this 2500-kilometre
journey, Mr Mallet outlined intrinsic connections
between the river and Indian culture, and described
it as a melting pot of religious activity, vibrant festivals
and history. He discussed some of the dangers faced
by the polluted Ganges, including discharge from poor
sewage systems.
Afterwards, Mr Mallet signed copies of his most
recent book, River of Life, River of Death, which
goes into further detail about the complexities
surrounding the Ganges, from an extraordinary
combination of historical, geographical, political
and religious perspectives.
Ram Capoor, Lower Sixth
While focussing on individual historical figures, such
as the black sailor depicted at the foot of Nelson’s
Column, he urged the audience to reconsider the
marginalised history of black British people in the
light of the global nature of British trade and empire
building, and reassess the perceived differences
between black British history and mainstream
British history.
The lecture covered a wide spectrum of black British
history. A particular audience favourite was David’s
description of one John Blanke, a trumpeter in Henry
VIII’s court, who had the audacity to ask the king for a
pay rise during the early 16th century. Examples such
as this show the depth and breadth of information
that Mr Olusoga’s talk offered, often in niche areas
that we rarely hear about. We were truly lucky to have
him to speak.
Juliette Imbert, Lower Sixth
Finn Tyndall, Lower Sixth
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2017-2018
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