英著名私立学校音乐教师欲教学生朝鲜歌曲

朝鲜历来是西方国家的“眼中钉”，但英国有这么一位就职于著名学校的音乐老师不仅不敌视朝鲜，反而欲在自己的课程内容中加入朝鲜音乐的部分。

英国著名私立学校达利奇学院的音乐老师莱斯莉•拉库（Lesley Larkum）同时是一名共产主义者，还曾在共产主义集会上发表讲话。

现年49岁的拉库是英国马列主义共产党成员，曾经到访朝鲜，是朝鲜前领导人金正日的支持者。她此前领导过一个名为“天鹅绒的拳头”（Velvet Fist）的女性社会主义合唱团，该合唱团曾在一次朝鲜建国纪念活动上演奏朝鲜国歌《爱国歌》。

“我在学校表演和教授阿根廷音乐。我打算扩大曲目，把朝鲜音乐涵盖进去。其中有一些歌是政治性的，有一些不是。我想我的学生会喜欢它们。”拉库说。

It is one of the country’s most exclusive public schools, where parents pay fees of up to £36,000 a year so that their sons can follow in the footsteps of old boys such as P. G. Wodehouse, Ernest Shackleton and Nigel Farage.

But pupils arriving at Dulwich College may be surprised to discover that a music teacher at this bastion of the Establishment is a card-carrying communist who hopes to teach her pupils the songs of North Korea.

Lesley Larkum, Head of Strings at the school founded in 1619, has visited North Korea – where millions have starved to death while the ruling dynasty lives in luxury and threatens the West with nuclear weapons – and has spoken at communist rallies in London.

The 49-year-old is a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) as well as being a cheerleader for Kim Jong Un’s reviled regime. Ms Larkum, who once led a women’s socialist choir called Velvet Fist, has even played the country’s national anthem, known as Aegukka or Patriotic Song, at events to celebrate the founding of North Korea by the ‘Great Leader’ Kim Il Sung in 1948.

Speaking for the first time about her remarkable double life, Ms Larkum told The Mail on Sunday that she hoped to educate her pupils about North Korea’s music – most of which champions communism and sings the praises of the country’s ruthless leaders.

Citizens risk imprisonment for tuning in to Western radio stations, and must instead listen to state- controlled numbers such as We Shall Hold Bayonets More Firmly, while marching songs on the country’s official website include Raise Your Weapons To Wave.

Ms Larkum said: ‘I have performed and taught Argentinian music here. I would love to expand that repertoire to include North Korean music. Some of it is political, some of it isn’t. I think my pupils would love it.

‘I don’t think the school would mind at all. I haven’t made a secret of my views – Dulwich College is all about broadening young minds and teaching them about other cultures, whatever their views. '

I don’t think my views are relevant to my day job. I’m Head of Strings, for goodness sake. But North Korean politics are fascinating.’

She says she has ‘sympathy’ with North Korea and disagrees with the West’s stance on the country, which was named as part of the Axis of Evil by former U S President George W. Bush.

Britain has an arms embargo against North Korea, as well as a ban on exporting luxury goods there, asset freezes on its financial institutions and travel bars on the regime’s key figures.

Ms Larkum said: ‘I certainly believe the West should leave North Korea alone. What have they ever done to us? I don’t think we should ever interfere with any other country.’

Ms Larkum, who lives in a £400,000 flat near the school in South-East London, is no typical communist.

Yesterday, as half-term began in the private sector, she flew out for a week’s holiday to enjoy a different sort of party – on the island of Ibiza.

Dulwich College did not respond to requests for comment.