English

Chetori! Come and join us for drinks and a dance at our first get together in January for our Shab-e Shanbeh. Persian speakers and non-Persian speakers are welcome. We are gathering at The Bar in Montcalm hotel, ground floor, but we’ll go dancing afterwards. Mibinamet, مونیکا Join me on: English reading club: [www.meetup.com/gaia-books](www.meetup.com/gaia-books) Spanish reading club: [www.meetup.com/gaia-libros](https://www.meetup.com/gaia-libros) French reading club: [www.meetup.com/gaia-livres](https://www.meetup.com/gaia-livres) Instagram @persian_culture_

As a reader, you may be familiar with your own historical context, but does that mean you have a clear understanding of the literature of your own culture? Read, for instance, *Middlemarch* by George Eliot, without understanding Victorian reform politics, class rigidity, and the slow transition from old to modern England, and it risks being misread as a purely psychological or moral novel. This is where colonialism, postcolonialism, and neocolonialism come into play when reading the world. Without a basic grasp of how the world has been shaped over the last hundred years, world literature cannot be adequately framed in its broader historical context. It is for this reason, and because I am preparing to enter SOAS University, that the theme of 2026 will focus on these areas. The alphabetical order will be interrupted, but as soon as I finish my MA, we will get back to Barbados. We left it off at Bahrain before we jumped to India, so from Bahrain I will be proposing the following reading list. I hope I can keep up with all this reading as I have to prepare for my course and the Spanish and French reading clubs, so just in case I cannot keep up, I would like to warn you beforehand that I am not promising anything. 2026 Colonialism/Postcolonialism/Neocolonialism To develop a comprehensive understanding of the interconnected themes of colonialism, neocolonialism, development, justice, and economics worldwide, I suggest the following sequence: 1-*Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction* by Robert J.C. Young 2-*Contested Modernity: Sectarianism, Nationalism, and Colonialism in Bahrain* by Omar H. AlShehabi 3-*Sultana’s Dream* by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain—Bangladesh 4-*The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China* by Julia Lovell 5-*Rickshaw Boy* by Lao She—China 6-*The* *Motorcycle Diaries* by Che Guevara 7-*One Hundred Years of Solitude* by Gabriel García Márquez—Colombia 8-*How Europe Underdeveloped Africa* by Walter Rodney 9-*Heart of Darkness* by Polish author Joseph Conrad—Congo 10-*The Wretched of the Earth* by Frantz Fanon 11-*Homegoing* by Yaa Gyasi—Ghana 12-*Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty* by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson Some texts such as *One Hundred Years of Solitude* and *Sultana’s Dream* exceed colonial explanation and draw heavily on local myth, narrative experimentation and internal class and gender dynamics. Acemoglu’s institutionalist economics often *clashes* with dependency theory and postcolonial critiques. This is to say that colonialism will not be the only lens through which we will discuss these readings. We will continue with these themes in 2027 and cover the Indian subcontinent, North America, Orientalism, Soviet imperialism, and other areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Spanish reading club: [www.meetup.com/gaia-libros](www.meetup.com/gaia-libros) French reading club: [www.meetup.com/gaia-livres](www.meetup.com/gaia-livres)

Join us when you arrive! Meet a native and vibrant speaker, Joseph who runs this free English conversation class, along with Karina. Find us in the living room Club in our coffee shop in Soho. For further questions, message Karina 7491 497674

Salam, Dustan! ‘[Abbas Kiarostami](https://www.closeupfilmcentre.com/search_results/keyword/abbas+kiarostami)’ has created some of the most inventive and transcendent cinema of the past thirty years, and *[Close-up](https://www.closeupfilmcentre.com/search_results/keyword/close-up)* is his most radical, brilliant work. This fiction-documentary hybrid uses a sensational real-life event—the arrest of a young man on charges that he fraudulently impersonated the well-known filmmaker [Mohsen Makhmalbaf](https://www.closeupfilmcentre.com/search_results/keyword/mohsen+makhmalbaf)—as the basis for a stunning, multilayered investigation into movies, identity, artistic creation, and existence, in which the real people from the case play themselves. With its universal themes and fascinating narrative knots, *[Close-up](https://www.closeupfilmcentre.com/search_results/keyword/close-up)* has resonated with viewers around the world.” – Janus Films We’ll meet 10 minutes before the film and after for a chat and drinks at the cinema. Reservation link for the 6pm screening: [https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/close-up-cinema/e-bgqjlx](https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/close-up-cinema/e-bgqjlx)

I am a native, qualified teacher of English and this is a session designed for you to go over any particular issues that you have in English - grammar, exam preparation, pronunciation, vocabulary and so on - as well as to practise your conversational skills discussing current topics. Just let me know if there is anything you would like me to cover during the session. The fee of £5 can be paid on the day in cash or in advance online. Thanks, Keith

As life passes and things change, we may feel the good parts of our life have passed us by, and we search to bring that feeling back. How do you experience time and the passage of time? What can we do to recreate the good parts of life again? And can we even do that? Maybe the question isn't how to recreate the good parts, but how to recognize we're living in what will become a good part right now. Years from now, you'll look back at this period with the same nostalgia you feel for the past. Are you missing the actual past, or the feelings you had during it? What would it take for today to feel like a "good part" of your life? Is something genuinely missing from your life now, or have you stopped noticing what's good? \*Please do your own research and share resources related to this topic in the comment section\* #======# Donation! Thank you for being a member. I have made a donation page for those who want to help with the costs. [https://examinedlife.uk/donation/](https://examinedlife.uk/donation/) #======# Group chat We have a telegram group chat and here is a link for the front door: [https://t.me/+o9T9DL5u6AcwMmRk](https://t.me/+o9T9DL5u6AcwMmRk) #======# The Examined Life, "Let's Discuss..." session is an open discussion. The format of this event will be: 13:15 - Free flow group discussion about the topic. 14:00 ish - We will be splitting into smaller groups for more engaging discussion about what interests each of you. 16:00 - End of the official meetup. Most often attendees stay and continue discussing up to around 18:00. #======# Please RSVP if you can commit to attending and change your RSVP if something comes up. Inaccurate RSVPs can keep potential attendees on the waiting list and makes it difficult to plan for room sizes and bookings. Art work: Man Meditating by the Sea 1820 Johan Christian Dahl

We are lucky enough to have the brilliant Richard Barnett as a LoMAZ Member, who has generously offered us to lead one of his epic history Walks. A medic by original training and author and speaker by trade. [https://richardbarnettwriter.com/about_me/](https://richardbarnettwriter.com/about_me/) Aimed at regular LoMAZ attendees for the moment! Please join us for….. More than three hundred thousand people work in the Square Mile each day, but their numbers are dwarfed by the dead beneath their feet. London is a great city of the departed, its oldest districts – Holborn, Fleet Street, the ancient City itself – built on two thousand years of bodies, bones and dust. From murderers dancing the hempen jig at Newgate to plague victims dumped in mass graves at Charterhouse Square, *Last Rites* tells the shockingly lively story of London’s nameless dead and their part in the making of the modern city. **RAIN OR SHINE -** **MEET DETAILS:** 12:45: Meet Close to Holborn Tube (exact location tbc) ***1.00pm: Walk commences - on time. If you’re late You’ll be able to follow the group on our location pin on whatsapp event group, but we’ll not be answering messages, so we can enjoy the walk ourselves!*** **3.00pm: Walk concludes close to St Paul’s Tube** Just after - head to a pub for a social very close by (Pub details to be be provided in the whatsapp group only). If we can make sure Richard doesn't need to put his hand in his pocket all evening, please, as he’s running this as a freebie for us, if you can! **TICKETS:** **No tickets needed for this event, but numbers are limited on meetup. Please, please, can we ask that you don't placehold for this event !** **GETTING THERE:** TUBE - Holborn, Tottenham Court Road TRAIN - Elizabeth Line to Tottenham Court Road. BUSES - Lots around Holborn. Please see TFL journey planner for help. **EVENT WHATSAPP GROUP:** please join the event WhatsApp group to help you find the group on the day. Link: tbc the week before in the chat for ‘attendees’ only. If you are on the **waitlist**, please join the whatsapp group ONLY if/once space frees up and you are moved to the 'going' list. Please let us know if your Whatsapp name is different from your Meetup name, otherwise we'll assume you are a spammer, and not accept your request to join the group. *Joining this WhatsApp group will make your phone number visible to other members in the group.* **IMPORTANT NOTES:** **\*This is a standing event, where we'll move around on a guided walking, stopping at various spots for 2 Hours. It's a longey! Please be aware of this before RSVP ing ! Personally, I'll be bringing one of those museum seat things as we go around!** \*Please take responsibility for yourself around street furniture as we move as we'll be in public spaces, with lumps, other people outside of our group etc. * LoMAZ events are run by volunteers. We have an attendee limit to help the host manage the event. We prefer a smaller, friendlier group. * If the event is Sold Out, Meetup adds you to the Waitlist. If someone drops out, waitlisted attendees are automatically moved to the 'Going' list by Meetup in order of priority. * **If you can no longer attend please change your RSVP to 'Not Going' as soon as possible.** This lets someone on the waitlist take your place. **We remove members from the LoMAZ Meetup group who:** * **RSVP as ‘Going' but then do not show up three times in a row.** * **RSVP as ‘Going' but then change their RSVP to 'No' five times in a row.** * **Have not RSVPd to the event, but turn up anyway (or a combination of the above).** **Thank you! – The LoMAZ Admin Team** Image Credit: Historical Image - source not needed.

Inspired by our successful events like "Saturday Mornings @ East Market" and other Pot Luck lunches, this gathering promises to be a blend of fun conversations, language exchange, and cultural insights, all while sharing wonderful foods with each other. Please bring a dish to share and anything you would like to drink. We will provide plates, plastic silverware and napkins. So, come hungry and ready to chat!

The aim of this group is to get together and practice our German. Doesn’t matter if are a beginner or a native speaker. The goal is to speak and improve our German. Everyone is welcome! If the weather is good, look for us in the Biergarten. Pro Tip: Get there before 6:00 for happy hour pricing.

The aim of this group is to get together and practice our German. Doesn’t matter if are a beginner or a native speaker. The goal is to speak and improve our German. Everyone is welcome! If the weather is good, look for us in the Biergarten. Pro Tip: Get there before 6:00 for happy hour pricing.

The aim of this group is to get together and practice our German. Doesn’t matter if are a beginner or a native speaker. The goal is to speak and improve our German. Everyone is welcome! If the weather is good, look for us in the Biergarten. Pro Tip: Get there before 6:00 for happy hour pricing.

Sleep in on Sundays. When you've had your fill of pajama-time, roll out and have some tasty brunch with your fellow Humanists!

Hey Everyone! Let's meet at Paris Baguette on Lane Avenue. There is lots of free parking and easy access to the cafe and many shops and restaurants as well. This is a great way to meet new and old friends while chatting about life and practicing English language speaking skills. All are welcome and encouraged to join us anytime between 11am and 1pm. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Welcome to Drunken Philosophy, a casual, curious, social discussion club. Optional topic for this meet up: Is life a dream? Dreams feel real while they last. Could life work the same way? How do we know we’re awake, and what follows if we can’t be sure? Let’s kick that around over a around of drinks: • What makes something feel real: continuity, shared evidence, or meaning? • How would you tell you’re awake (reality checks, memory, other people)? • If life is dreamlike, what becomes of free will and responsibility? • Is identity a story we keep telling—who’s the narrator? • Are we author, actor, or audience in our dreams and how would you tell? • Does art/film reveal reality or replace it? No lectures. Friendly crowd. Drop in for one drink and stay if it’s fun.