I'm a fan of
T.E. Lawrence, considering his account of the First World War
'Seven Pillars of Wisdom' essential reading for anyone interested in the 20th century geopolitics of the Middle East.
Lawrence's account includes the
Arab Revolt against the
Ottoman Empire which he largely engineered. During the revolt he worked closely with
Prince Faisal who went on to become King of Iraq, events dramatised in the film
'Lawrence of Arabia.' At the end of the war Faisal was appointed to lead the
Arab Delegation at the
Paris Peace Conference and Lawrence agreed to act as an advisor. Here they are pictured on the steps of the
Palace of Versailles. Faisal is at the front and Lawrence is second from right. Behind Lawrence is Faisal's slave.
This photograph was taken in 1919. Slavery in France and the French colonies had been
abolished seven decades earlier, in 1848.
I'm not certain if the French government gave Faisal a formal dispensation or merely looked the other way, and I'm not sure it matters. This is a slave standing on French soil a little over a century ago.
-SRA. Auckland, 3/ii 2024.
