The Changing Scenes of Life

Book excerpt: Set between parts of Asia and Africa, Brussels and the UK, Changing Scenes of a Life offers an alternative perspective into some of the major international conflicts and political developments of the mid-20th century. Tracing the career of former Colonial Officer and European Administrator Keith Arrowsmith, this politically-charged memoir explores life in war-time India, post-war in Malaya and Singapore, Nigeria, Uganda and Hong Kong. Examining the culture and society of Eastern Nigeria - which had gained internal self-government - and of Uganda before and after independence in 1962, and the beginnings of the European Union, in both Brussels and 1970s England, Arrowsmith's experiences bring the anxieties and dilemmas of a life in colonial service to the fore. The book offers a fascinating insight into these countries at times of great social and political change, whist shedding light on each country's history and respective path to independence. On his return to a vastly changed England in 1969, the author became the final Secretary of the Chartered Land Agents' Society which eventually led to his appointment as one of the first principal administrators in the commission of the European Union. Contrasting Europe with International service, he highlights the huge strides in foreign policy over the last century. The author's portrait of a life in service, both as a military officer and as a political administrator, opens a window into distinctive periods of international history across Africa and Asia and the birth of European democracy following the inclusion in 1973 of the United Kingdom into the EEC. He has produced a thought-provoking work for those interested in colonial history in Africa and Asia, Ugandan Independence, the ethics of military service and the workings of the European Union.