Buddha of Suburbia: Coming of Age as a Global Citizen

While studying The Buddha of Suburbia, we traveled to the Museum of London. This museum houses history about London from the Neolithic Age to the present. We focused on the 70s and 80s, which was a crucial changing point for Londoners. After WWII, immigrants from India (like Karim's family), Africa, and Pakistan flooded into London to help rebuild the city and seize economic opportunities. This is a suitcase a man carried when he immigrated to London. Everything he owned fit in this one piece of luggage.

This quote from Nelson Mandela incapsulates what the city of London is known for; however, London wasn't always so open. The Buddha of Suburbia is set in the 70s and 80s. This was a difficult time for people "of color." They were often discriminated against, and physically and verbally abused. Karim grows up as a biracial boy in South London. He struggles to find his place in the world because he is neither fully Indian, or fully English. 

This is a 1980s lunchbox from the Victoria and Albert Museum. The capital letters spell out LUNCHTIME. There was a dramatic change in culture and ideas throughout London in the last half of the twentieth century. The young people rebelled against rules and authority. This upheaval required Londoners to rediscover their identity and ideals. 

These costumes from the Victoria and Albert Museum were worn for the West End production of The Lion King. In The Buddha of Suburbia, Karim is required to go against his political views and act like an Indian animal in his performance of The Jungle Book. These beautiful costumes for Scar and Sarabi reflect the costume designer's sensitivity to African culture. Instead of trying to make people look like animals, the designer has incorporated traditional garb and has added the lions' faces as headdresses.

On the left is the London Eye--the largest ferris wheel in the world. This was our last stop for class. We were able to see almost all the places we visited as a class and it was a wonderful way to end our stay in London!