I was left bewildered after watching on television the first
part of the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games. By the time the parade
for competitors had reached the letter ‘B’ I was ready for bed. The next day I
thought I would try to make sense of what I had seen by surfing the Internet to
learn more about the event.
The Mail Online published excellent photographs, each with
pertinent captions, and Charlotte Higgins for the Guardian Online tried to make
sense of what happened, majoring on how the show may have played a positive
part in changing our views of the
rights and roles of disabled people.
For me there were
disturbing images, such as the 43 foot reproduction of Marc Quinn’s sculpture
of pregnant Alison Lapper, and an enormous apple upon which a paraplegic sat in
her wheelchair; then there was a huge revolving book portraying the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. I found these images rather confusing as they
represented different aspects of overlapping themes: Reason and Rights, the age
of enlightenment or intellectual revolution between 1550 and 1720, science and
the Higgs particle. To confuse issues there was a story based on William Shakespeare’s
Tempest with Sir Ian McKellen playing the part of Prospero narrating Miranda’s
journey of discovery. Interwoven with all this stuff there was a series of
songs and music that clashed, such as the singing of the National Anthem by a
choir of 430 deaf singers and Caroline Parker belting out the lyrics of ‘I am
what I am’.
Rather feebly
Professor Stephen Hawkings suggested we should remember not only to look down,
but up at the stars and be inquisitive. For him the ‘big bang’ was the
beginning, the big breakthrough in our understanding of the universe. Centre
stage, he was an example of what can be achieve by disabled people. 4,200 paralympians
from 166 nations were to prove it too. Strangely all 62,042 spectators were
given Gala apples for biting on simultaneously to make the biggest ever apple
bite. Then there was the large symbolic umbrella covering a multitude of books
representing knowledge and wisdom. Hundreds of dancers swirled umbrellas during
choreographed routines. People were suspended by wires and lighter than air
balloon-like apples floated around.
I was left
wondering what it was all about, except for one thing; I am much more conscious
of the difficulties disabled people have in overcoming their handicaps and of being
accepted as normal people, no different to those who think of themselves as being
normal.
Links
Mail online
Guardian Online
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