Smiling and relaxed, Tim Marshall, journalist, international relationships expert, and former war correspondent, steps on the small stage that the efficient and welcoming staff at Foyles bookshop in Charing Cross has previously prepared.
“Tim, let’s kick off,” Adam Boulton, journalist, and columnist, says, introducing Marshall “What’s your favourite wall?” Marshall casts his eyes ceilingward and smiles. “I think, if I had to choose one, I would go for the Chinese wall,” he says. “Obviously, I chose it from a mere architectural point of view. It’s stunning.” The hall murmurs and chuckles. Boulton leaves Marshall to his presentation. He smiles again and grabs the remote of the slides projector. He’s completely comfortable in front of people, and talking about his last book – Divided, why we’re living in an age of walls – is easier than being in any place he reported from. He dresses sober, dark blue trousers and a dark blue suit jacket on a black polo neck. “I decided to write about walls because we’ve been living in an age of divisions,” Marshall says. “Human beings are suspicious and diffident by nature. We can say that walls themselves are our essence.” Having our own space is a fundamental necessity, and we need to feel comfortable with other living beings. When we obtain this comfortability, we then can start having communications and relationships. Marshall explains that the concept of wall is not modern. It is thousands of years old, and, most importantly, it’s global. “There are walls everywhere,” the journalist says, switching the slides. “India built a wall to control the movement of people from Bangladesh. In Europe, we can see walls between Serbia and Hungary, between Greece and Macedonia.” The conversation is appealing and interesting. “We had walls in the United Kingdom, too,” He exclaims. “Belfast still has walls dividing the city. Marshall is a great speaker; he’s never boring or complicated. The projector shows a picture of the Great Wall of China. They intentionally built it to separate the civilisation – the Chinese nation – from the other civilisations who tried to invade them. It’s always an us versus them. “Chinese created another kind of wall,” Marshall claims. “They used the technology to create the Great Firewall of China and control the internet. Nobody says the walls to separate people have to be material, they also may be technological.” The projector clicks again, and a map of the United States of America appears on the room’s white wall. “The immigration from Mexico has, obviously, increased in the states sharing the borders with Mexico,” Marshall says. “This phenomenon has had a huge consequence. The people who emigrate spoke mainly Spanish, and the administration had to accept Spanish as second official language. The fact wouldn’t have been a problem if it hadn’t turned people uncomfortable.” The journalist is clear and explicit in his explanation. When people start feeling uncomfortable, they see the enemy in the cause of their discomfort. Consequently, the necessity of protecting their individual area becomes stronger and stronger. The analysis quickly examines other areas where the government decided to build walls to preserve their people: the Middle East, Jordan, Niger, and Morocco. “European Union brought everyone together,” Marshall says. “But then it failed in controlling the nationalist movements. In any country, we’re seeing an increment of the far-right organisations.” The conversation rapidly comes to the end, and the Q&A is lively and engaging. “What could decrease the necessity of building walls?” a guy sat a few seats to my left asks. Marshall glances around. He sighs, and a smile grows on his face. “Mars invasion,” he unexpectedly says. “If Martians invaded us, we would have to deal with another ‘them’. It might be an incentive to bring us together and face the newcomers.” LINK: Thewhatandthewhy Foyles Events: Divided - Tim Marshall in conversation
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