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INQUIRE 12 October 2018
Black And Powerful
www.InQuireLive.co.uk
Dear
Reader In 2016, Kent Union used images of former One Direction star, Zayn Malik, and newly-elected London mayor, at the time, Sadiq Khan, for their Black History Month promotional material on social media. At first, I thought it had to be a sick joke. Zayn Malik and Sadiq Khan are not Black. I double checked to see if it was the official Kent Union Facebook page—it was. I was shocked and, frankly, embarrassed. With each year, it becomes more apparent that we need Black History Month in the U.K. With Brexit, the Grenfell tower fire, the Windrush scandal and the countless instances of microaggressions and acts of violence whether from government policies or individuals who claim superiority over ethnic minorities. Britain’s hostility towards people of colour may have waned, but has not ceased. Black History Month started in the United States in 1926 as Negro History Week and became Black History Month in 1970. It was established by Linda Bellos in the U.K. and has been celebrated in schools and universities across the country. This year several London boroughs decided to rebrand Black History Month as ‘Diversity History Month,’ minimising and erasing the contribution Black people have made to Britain. This special issue of InQuire is about recognising and celebrating the incredible work and talent of Black Kent students, alumni, affiliates, and Black people around the world. Black people are not a footnote in British history, we are a crucial part of every page in every chapter. We are bold and we are powerful. Sincerely, Emmanuel Omodeinde, Newspaper Entertainment Editor on behalf of the InQuire team and Black students at Kent
Black
History
Month
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THE WINDRUSH SCANDAL Months after Windrush, where does Britain stand now? Feature Page 17
InQuire
The University of Kent’s Student Newspaper Issue 14.3 Friday 12 October 2018 inquirelive.co.uk FREE
Kent Union to merge VP Sport & VP Activities? By Meg Warwick Website Sport Editor
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n an attempt to improve the student representation on campus, Kent Union are consulting on whether to change the Full-Time Officer positions. The changes are planned to come into action this academic year with the March 2019 elections. An email was sent out addressing these changes, allowing students to opportunity to comment on the role adjustments. The email states: ‘Kent Union is reviewing its democratic structures and consulting on our Full-Time Officer roles’. The aim of this is to ‘improve postgraduate representation’ by introducing a new Postgraduate Full-Time Officer, gaining better links with Kent Graduate Student Association (KGSA). The new proposals is also focused on ‘ensuring that all students have their voices heard’. ‘We are proposing to do this through the introduction of new networks for members who identify as women, BME, LGBT+, students with disabilities, students of faith or have an interest in education, sports, societies or volunteering’. The positions of the VicePresidents may be undergoing major change.
It has been proposed that the roles of Vice-President (Activities) and Vice-President (Sport) will be merged under one officer. There is conversation of adding in a Vice-President (Academic Experience), the role requirements involve ‘representing the undergraduate experience in an academic context, lead officer for the undergraduate Student Rep system and academic societies’. The new role of Vice-President (Postgraduate Experience), is to ‘provide the postgraduate perspective on issues which impact their student experience. Responsible for GTA concerns, PG accommodation, educational needs and wellbeing officer for the European centres and the Kent Graduate Student Association’. The Union has suggested expanding the Vice-President (Welfare) role by changing the title to Vice-President (Welfare and Community). Instead of having VicePresident (Activities) and VicePresident (Sport), there would be a Vice-President (Student Opportunities), designed in being a ‘lead officer for student groups, including sports clubs, societies, community action groups and student media. They will oversee all nonacademic engagements, overseeing alumni, outlets, volunteering and awards,
among other responsibilities. The current President Aaron Thompson said: ‘At its core, Kent Union is here to represent students and campaign on the issues that are affecting them. We recognise the power of the student voice to make change and more importantly, make the right change. ‘It signifies a push towards the unions values, bold, inclusive and supportive and when completed will see a change in culture in the way the union engages students and vice versa. ‘This is all to benefit students, so let’s make sure we get it right’. The Sabbatical Office told InQuire: ‘Your students’ union works hard to represent your academic interests, by lobbying the University and by giving you a voice on campus. In order to represent you correctly, it’s important we hear from you. ‘We want to gather your feedback on these proposals so please use your voice and let us know if you agree or disagree’. The role of the Student Union President will remain the same. The Union is hosting a forum on Friday 19 October for students to attend and voice their opinions on the changes. The Full Time Officers are also conducting a survey for students to fill out with their views on the matter, which you can complete at kentunion.co.uk.
The Inner Psyche of Emotionless Men PAGE 9
Q&A WITH POET & NOVELIST VALERIE BLOOM PAGE 27
THE LEGACY OF TUPAC SHAKUR PAGE 21
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News
2018/2019
Print and online editorial contacts: Editor-in-Chief
Manchester Union backs ‘sign language clapping’ By Corben Neyland Features Editor
Molly Hope
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Newspaper Editor Jesse Bedayn
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Opinion
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Entertainment
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Matylda Makowska
n 2015, The New York Times declared snapping was the new clapping, opting for employees to click their fingers in place of clapping in the workplace. The University of Manchester’s student union has gone one step further, encouraging students to use the British Sign Language’s (BSL) equivalent, ‘silent jazz hands’, instead of clapping. The Union has received backlash from some students, as well as notable journalists such as Piers Morgan and Jeremy Vine, who both posted on Twitter declaring their distaste for the decision. Vine’s post included an image of WW1 soldiers in the trenches, suggesting that they had managed to ‘ignore the difficulties caused by sudden noises 100 years ago’. Yet, the American author, Christina Sommers has defended the decision in a Twitter post by saying that she encourages jazz hands at her talks, as ‘clapping can feel unsafe’. Since 2015, the National Union of Students (NUS) has
been encouraging students to use the British Sign Language equivalent of clapping, as clapping can have effects on students who suffer from anxiety, autism, and those with hearing problems. The gesture where students wave their hands in the air has been viewed to be a more inclusive gesture than clapping, whooping and cheering which can be ‘discouraging’ to students wishing to attend union events. Sara Khan, the union’s liberation and access officer, proposed the motion, saying that the use of the silent gestures encourages an ‘environment of respect’. ‘I think a lot of the time, even in Parliamentary debates, I’ve seen that clapping, whooping, talking over each other, loud noises, encourages an atmosphere that is not as respectful as it could be,’ she continued. An NUS spokesperson said that the hand gesture is ‘designed to support those with disabilities and/or sensory conditions to participate in events’. They continued: ‘Students’ unions strive to make their events welcoming to all of their students; by acknowledging their experiences and
responding to their needs. ‘We should all aspire to improve our public spaces so that all members of society feel comfortable and able to contribute fully.’ In a recent statement on their website, the University of Manchester Students’ Union wrote: ‘Given the enormous amount of media attention on a motion passed at our Senate last week, and a number of inaccuracies in media reports on the matter, the University of Manchester Students’ Union feels it necessary to clarify the scope and intentions of the policy.‘The policy was proposed in order to encourage the use of BSL clapping during our democratic events to make those events more accessible and inclusive for all. We are not banning audible clapping – we understand that some people may be more comfortable to continue using it. ‘Nor are we applying this motion to all events held at the Students’ Union. The Union holds a huge number of events, including gigs, theatre productions and sport. This policy has no bearing on those events which make up the majority of a packed calendar at
the Students’ Union. It is only intended to be encouraged at the Union’s democratic events – those in which our members are invited to participate in decision making which affects the democratic organisation of the Students’ Union. In fact, those democratic events make up a relatively small number of meetings inside the organisation each year. ‘The way in which politics is managed and conducted is often hostile – we see that on a national stage every day of the week. We hope this decision goes some way towards promoting a better way of doing politics so that more people from all walks of life find it easier to participate in decision making that will affect the way their Students’ Union is run.’ InQuire asked Kent Union President Aaron Thompson what he thought of the policy. He said: ‘I’m always open to disability inclusivity and initiatives to help promote that sort of work. I’m not necessarily surprised by this phenomenon because I have seen it NUS already. ‘I’ve been to conferences and I’ve seen it work. I always believe you should do, what your SU should do. ‘If there is a demand within a student body by all means they should be doing it. ‘Equally if our students are demanding the same we would try and do that too.’
Website Entertainment Editor website.entertainment @inquiremedia.co.uk
University of Kent ‘masterplan’ for hotel and conference centre
Features Corben Neyland Newspaper Culture Editor
newspaper.editor@inquiremedia.co.uk
Culture Maryah Chughtai Newspaper Culture Editor
newspaper.culture@inquiremedia.co.uk
Shani Thomas
Website Culture Editor website.culture@inquiremedia.co.uk
Sport
Photo by University of Kent
Kiro Evans
Newspaper Sport Editor
By Jordan Ifield Website News Editor
newspaper.sport@inquiremedia.co.uk
Megan Warwick Website Sports Editor
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he University of Kent is to hold public consultations on its proposal to build a 150Science and Tech bed hotel and conference Emma Leach centre as part of its Framework Newspaper Science and Tech Editor newspaper.editor@inquiremedia.co.uk Masterplan. If successful, the feedback will Photography be presented to Canterbury City Emily Heath Council. photography@inquiremedia.co.uk The University has stated, Marketing however, that the current George Knight document ‘is not a planning marketing@inquiremedia.co.uk application, but a vision for the @InQuireLive future evolution of the campus’. Facebook.com/InQuireMedia As part of the plan, the Instagram.com/Canterbury_Media university ‘is considering website.sport@inquiremedia.co.uk
partnering with an operator to establish a hotel and conference centre within the Campus Heart or its fringes’, and potentially ‘develop more accommodation (both academic and residential)’. The site for the proposed hotel and conference centre would be located on the Chaucer Hill, opposite Keynes bus stop, an area of contention for those hoping to protect the view. Speaking to KentOnline, Professor Richard Norman stated that the plan ‘is bound to destroy the character of the field and set a bad precedent for the other unspoilt fields’.
‘The rest of the masterplan talks a great deal about the beauty of the University’s green landscape setting, and the need to preserve the fields and woods. But how can that be reconciled with building a conference hotel on one of the fields?’ The Framework Masterplan was first considered in 2016, when an initial concept included the hotel and conference building, but also a proposed ‘park and ride’ parking, an open air theatre, and expanding the Innovation Centre. Public consultations have also been ongoing since 2016, with the university having already
published two consultation statements. It is not currently known which hotel provider would fill the potential venue, or if it was to be run by the university. It is also unknown when the university would apply for planning permission for such. The plan is split into two defining time frames, with a ‘short term’ plan between 20182021, and a longer ‘mediumterm’ plan between 2022-2031. These rounds of consultations will involve residents, parish councils, and amenity groups. To find out more, visit https:// www.kent.ac.uk/masterplan/
Friday 12 October 2018 InQuire
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Local school You could be fined £150 for introduces littering your strict ban on cigarette butt smartphones
News
Photo by Pixnio
By Alejandro Javierre News Sub-Editor
By Jeanne Bigot Writer
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re mobile phones a technological tool to be included in new methods of teaching, or a distraction keeping children from performing their best in school? A recent decision made by a school in Kent to ban mobile phones on their premises has reinvigorated that very debate. According to the Department for Education, 95% of schools in England control the use of phones in some way, but at the Sandwich Technology School in Kent, the premises have now been made ‘mobile-free’ and have been since the start of the new academic year. Highlighted by the school’s code of conduct, the measure is said to have been taken to ‘support the well-being, social skills, academic performance, and behaviour of students’. A Facebook post made by the school on 3 September attracted mixed reactions—with the post being shared over 100 times and commented on over 200 times. While one parent said: ‘This is the most sensible mobile phone rule I have seen. The
school is in no way affecting the child’s safety or vulnerability as mobiles can be used before and after school.’, another stated that ‘I have had many occasions where my children have needed there phones during the day. The children should absolutely not being using there phones during lessons, but this is not acceptable’. Sandwich Technology School is not the first establishment in Kent to have made the decision to ban mobile phones on its premises. Marsh Academy in New Romney decided to ban them earlier this September. In an interview given to Kent Online on 1 October , principal Shaun Simmons stated that: ‘The positives are very clear around the school, with children interacting and talking to each other much more at lunch and break times. The number of online issues between students that have been reported to us are at the lowest level since social media became common.’ A 2015 study by the London School of Economics, titled Communication: Technology, Distraction & Student Performance found that test scores increased overall by
6.41% in schools which banned cell phones. Some experts disagree with a complete ban of mobile phones. Joanne Orlando, senior lecturer at Western Sydney University, told the Guardian in June : ‘We should not ban mobile phones in schools because it’s important to educate children to live well in the era in which they are growing up. ‘Banning students from using smartphones is a 1950s response to a 2018 state of play. ‘Mobile phone use is a complex social activity and taking phones away will likely lead to underground and hidden use by teens.’ While schools in the UK have autonomy regarding their mobile-phone policy, France recently decided to implement legislation banning the use of electronic devices in primary and junior schools. The French Ministry of Education states on its website that the use of mobile phones in schools can ‘gravely damage the quality of listening and concentration necessary to learning’, that its use can incite ‘jealousy’ and be ‘vector of cyberbullying’.
Photo by Geograph
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his month, Kent County Council has announced a range of new initiatives aimed at combatting smoking and aiding quitting, including a new £150 fine for dropping cigarettes in public places by Swale Council. ‘Stoptober’ is an NHS-Backed annual scheme employed by several organisations across the UK aimed at facilitating the quitting of smoking. Following previous years of successes, Kent County Council is once again backing the scheme with aims to increase its funding from last year. The schemes include awareness events and an online advertisement campaign designed to highlight a range of specialist NHS teams to help quit, including the widely successful Smoke Free service that boasts a 65% success rate at helping smokers quit. Stoptober campaign websites are also offering a free ‘personal quit plan’ so smokers can create their own arrangements to quit more easily. Among one of the more extreme examples of Stoptober initiatives, Swale Council has introduced promises to refund the £150 fine for littering cigarettes in a public place if they successfully complete a quit smoking course. Swale Council has estimated that it spends £900,000 a year on cleaning streets and public places, with a quarter of the rubbish picked up being smoking related. It is believed that the initiative will lower the number of cigarettes littered in Swale and encourage current smokers to consider quitting. The free six-week course sees prospective quitters placed in a group or in a one-to-one
training with an advisor to create a personalised quit plan that gradually lowers their cigarette use until they can quit entirely, or switch to healthier nicotine substitutes that will be provided on a prescription basis throughout their time on the course. The program will then see those who complete the course checked in 6 to 12 months after finishing, before their fine will be refunded. It is estimated that 17% of residents of Kent are smokers, a figure that has steadily been decreasing over the last decade in line with national statistics on smoking. Since the 2007 Smoking legislation that saw the banning of smoking in enclosed public spaces, the number of smokers in Britain has dropped by 1.9 million—nearly 20%. Despite heavy government pushes to lower the smoking population and a steady decline, smoking-related illness remains one of the biggest killers in the UK and 1 in 4 hospital beds are still occupied by a smoker, which is around 12,444 hospital admissions in Kent alone. Local numbers also show a large amount of discrepancies between different geographical areas of Kent in their smoking population percentages. Data from 2015 shows that smoking populations in certain areas can be as high as 29.7% of the adult population in towns such as Dover, and there is also a higher percentage of smokers among poorer populations. A report on the effects of the 2015 Stoptober initiative by Kent County Council also showed that the scheme had difficulties picking up registrations for Quit-Smoking courses from low income groups and certain high-smokerpercentage populations.
News
Colourfun 6
By Alejandro Javierre News Sub-Editor
Photos by Victor Blaho
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n 29 September, the University college committees ran their first large event of the year, a 5-kilometre colour run across campus for charity. Entry to the event, called the College Colourthon, was £5 and the proceeds from the run were given to charity. The running of the event on the day was aided by Kent Sport and Kent Union, with Kent Sport overseeing the run itself and the mapping out of the route. Close to 100 students attended, with representatives from each of the Colleges, the Kent Model United Nations Society and even InQuire running for charity. The winning college of the 2-hour run, and recipient of a free ticket to The Venue was a Parkwood student, followed by students from Turing and Rutherford. The colour run was a fundraising event for Mary’s Meals, a charity that funds free school meals for impoverished children across the world. ‘I think it was a good number for everyone to enjoy it’ mentions Romane Lafiteau, the Turing College Student Committee President, in response to a question about how many people attended the event in an interview given after the run.
Colourthon podium: 1. Parkwood 2. Turing 3. Rutherford
Review of the colourthon: More than just a competition By Meg Warwick Website Sport Editor
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fter months of preparation, approximately ten huge bags of powder paint and a lot of promotion, the College Colourthon had finally arrived. It was a sunny afternoon, many
students from different colleges came together to take part. Although there were a few hitches involving vomiting and a little too much paint, the day, overall, was a success. As one of the paint throwers, getting to stand there and chuck buckets of colour at participants
was addictive. Things got slightly out of hand, however, when InQuire’s Newspaper News Editor Bill Bowkett ran past and did not react too well to the amount of paint that was thrown at him, resulting in slight sickness. Beware: paint can be lethal.
But after some water and recovery, all was well. Brightly painted in the different college shades, white t-shirts coloured in paint looked great on the Instagram stories. As well as that, it was a great way to keep fit and have fun at the same time.
Although this was set out as a competition, it became so much more. The event helped individuals to come together and feel a part of the community. We do sincerely apologise, however, to whoever has to clean up the aftermath.
Friday 12 October 2018 InQuire
1 in 5 students ‘teetotal’ By George Knight Head of Marketing
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n 24 September 2018, the NUS shared a survey with The Independent which showed that ‘more than one in five students say they are teetotal’. Out of 2,200 students, 21% say they do not drink—and more than two-thirds (70%) think students only drink to fit in.This change is part of an ongoing trend away from alcohol to health awareness. In recent years there has been an drop in student alcohol intake and purchase. According to a survey by Student Letting app SPCE, alcohol is ‘at the bottom of today’s student expenditure list, accounting for just £68 of average monthly spend’. Money spent on health and fitness has increased to ‘£120 a month on average,’ in the past two decades. This trend is apparent at the
University of Kent. Second Year Ancient History Student Harriet Tsang told InQuire that she rejects drinking because of health reasons. She said that she had a bad experience with previous housemates due to heavy drinking. Many societies such as the Geek Society and the Are You Not Drinking Much? Society have also begun experimenting with non-drinking activities. Formed in 2014, the Are You Not Drinking Much? Society set out to ‘provide an alternative lifestyle for students who don’t wish to drink all that much’. In an article with the Daily Mail, founder Harry Smith stated they are a ‘campaigning society, aiming to raise awareness of the ever-growing demand for a space for students’ who do not drink. Still active today, the society has changed direction.
Society President Nathan von Fraunhofer told InQuire they no longer campaign and instead ‘just provide fun activities and something to do on a Thursday night’. The society still claims, however, that more could be done by the university to cater non-drinkers. Christian Fletcher, Social Media Manager, cited a large increase in non-drinking society members this academic year as proof the university ‘needs to do more’. He argued the lack of alcohol free venues on campus shows the university’s lack of initiative. Von Fraunhofer disagreed with Fletcher’s statement, questioning ‘whether it’s the universities place’ to interfere. When prompted about the University of St Andrews’s non-drinking accommodation introduced in 2015, he said it ‘would be a great idea’ for the
UNICEF joins forces with Microsoft and Cambridge to tackle education crisis By Bill Bowkett Newspaper News Editor
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NICEF have announced a new partnership with Microsoft Corp. and the University of Cambridge to address the education crisis affecting displaced and refugee children across the globe. UNICEF’s Office of Innovation unique collaboration will see the development of an online ‘learning passport’, with the aim of facilitating learning opportunities for over 75 million children within and across land borders. The learning passport will be a digital, personalized, accredited learning platform aimed to enable children, who have had their learning disrupted due to displacement or other circumstances, to access educational resources. UNICEF said they will be testing and piloting the digital platform scheme in countries hosting refugees, migrants, and
internally displaced persons, such as Italy and Greece. In the long term, the learning passport will help to strengthen domestic education systems so that governments see themselves as a guarantor of accessible schools for their citizens, instead of abdicating that vital role. It should push for partnerships between government and business to boost domestic resources and make sure every child has the right to a quality education. The announcement also
Photo by UNICEF
expands UNICEF’s digital child protection case management system, as all three parties will also be working to develop other new innovations to protect young people affected by emergencies. The Innovation Office is driven by an interdisciplinary team of individuals tasked with discovering technologies and practices that strengthen the organisation’s work. Innovation is vital to UNICEF’s mission statement, which is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to find solutions to the evolving challenges affecting all children, and to expand young people’s opportunities to reach their full potential. Access to information is essential to UNICEF who push to connect the world’s most marginalized populations across continents, so that they have entry to the most basic needs, as well opportunity and choice.
To find out more about UNICEF UKC visit their Facebook: facebook.com/UnicefUKC/ Follow them on Instagram: @unicef_ukc To donate online, visit unicef.org.uk/donate/
University of Kent to introduce something similar. He noted ‘a lot of people were incredibly nervous about meeting their housemates’ due to drinking expectations. He said the alcohol-free accommodation ‘allows people who do not like drinking to stick together.’ The University of Kent has no direct initiatives to provide alcohol-free alternatives to nondrinking students. and they continue to sell alcohol at eight locations on campus. The university states in its ‘Policy Statement for Students Concerning Drugs’ that they seek ‘to provide a healthy and safe environment’ and ‘support students with a substance misuse problem’. They offer two webpages of alcohol advice. These pages state the impacts of alcohol, the advantages of drinking less and alternatives to drinking.
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News
Photos by Republica | Pixabay
Disclaimer: this is a promotional article
Facts about child refugees • 263 million children are out of school (UNESCO Institute for Statistics) • Globally, 61 per cent of refugee children attend primary school (UN Refugee Agency) • Refugees are five times more likely to be out of school than other children (UNICEF) • The number of child refugees jumped by roughly 75 per cent between 2010 and 2015
About UNICEF UKC
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NICEF works to provide both emergency aid and long-term development projects to some of the most vulnerable children in 155 countries. UNICEF helps children receive the support, healthcare, and education they need to survive the threats of childhood poverty—such as preventable diseases or malnutrition—and
grow up to become healthy adults. UNICEF on Campus (University of Kent) is a student initiative supporting the work of UNICEF through both fundraising activities and awareness-raising events at the University and in the wider community. Like the organisation itself, UNICEF on Campus aims to build important partnerships to help highlight the key issues facing young people across the planet. By working with other clubs and societies on campus like the Kent Caribbean Union, UNICEF on Campus are able to discuss these issues in depth and find new ways to fundraise and spread their message.
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Opinion
The views and opinions expressed in the opinion section are those of the authors and do not necessariy reflect the official policy or position of InQuire Media.
Black international students and mental health struggles By Rosa Nassivilla Writer
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y journey to a foreign land began with the tedious visa process and the one hour wait in the “other passports” queue at Heathrow airport. Ever since, I have always been ‘different’. When asked about where I am ‘originally’ from, I am met with stares of confusion because I am neither from a a wellknown west African country, a city in the UK or US, nor a country in Europe. This is only if my accent does not evoke questions in the first place. In one way or another, all eyes are on me because I’m not what people expect. I’m different. The implicit alienation tied in with homesickness, culture shock, racial profiling, and possible loneliness did shake my trust in the process. I started to question if I could make it through the next four years until graduation
day. My lack of knowledge about mental health issues was a contributing factor. My recognition of mental health struggles was minimal, as it was regarded as a stigmatised subject for a black female from a conservative African family to speak about. I lacked the words to explain different emotions I was experiencing at different time. Relatives posed questions like ‘What are they sad about?’ when celebrities like Kid Cudi admitted their battles with depression. Admitting anything other than feelings of elation felt like ingratitude. The first step to start trusting the process again was admitting that I was not in a good mental place. Trying to distract yourself from any sadness by drowning yourself in work can only aid you for so long before the feelings begin to encroach on other areas of your life such as school, work, and interpersonal relationships. Everything is connected.
Having understood this, I stopped my own judgemental thoughts, cut loose from stigma, and decided to ask for help. Statistically, black women receive the least amount of mental health treatment and have been found to have higher rates of PTSD compared to any other ethnic group,
according to the Mental Health Foundation. I urge members of the black community in Kent to check up on yourself and friends, despite. If you are struggling with anything, please do not struggle alone. The university offers ranges of student support such as the student wellbeing
and support services. Academic advisors as well as welfare officers and societies are there to help you. Speak to them. It is time to lift the stigma attached to mental health. Remember, black international students are not alone in learning how to trust the process.
Photo by International Students of University of Kent| Facebook
The inner psyche of emotionless men By Gradi Dodo Writer
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he earliest lesson I can remember from my father was to ‘not look for pity from the world, because the world isn’t fair’. My father would say this to me many times when I cried, whether my tears were justified or not. For him pity did not serve a man any good. These lessons from my father, along with tragedies I witnessed and experienced shaped the ways I treat my emotions with distance and
apathy. It was only in my twenties that I realised how damaging this view was. It was a prison that traps many black men. The very title of ‘black man’ entails hardships, responsibilities, and pressures unknowingly placed upon us. We are bred into a world and cocooned by environments that seek to break us, and make us ‘strong’. As black men, we rarely get time to stop and question who we are and what we want, because who we are is dictated
Photo by Gabby| Social Justice Exchange
by the world around us. What we dare to desire is to survive. Not all of us live day to day wondering if it will be our last, but many of us live with the fear of becoming just another broke n*gga. Many of us have to face the pain of fatherless homes and the reality that who we truly are is rejected by those we call friends. The main shackle, however, that has kept so many OGs, fathers, and uncles imprisoned, is the facade that we develop around ourselves to survive. Survival in the black
community is the art of moving regardless of whatever form of pain the world throws at you. For us, emotions don’t lend themselves to survival, so we create a rock-like shell that can never be allowed to crack. Whether tears or just voicing our pain, anything that revealed our emotions was not allowed. Instead, it was either ‘n*gga why you crying’ or ‘don’t be a bitch’. Our emotions made us feel more isolated by our own community. Like myself, many killed their emotions and placed them in a basement with the rest of our pain. Then we replaced it with a rock. Though we were less ridiculed and finally felt like we belonged, we forgot that being a rock meant we were inanimate. We stopped processing our feeling and forgot what it was like to have an honest moment of sadness. Though we were now able to survive the pain, we stopped moving past the pain. We contributed to breeding a culture that never lets women
see us vulnerable and never tells boys it’s alright to cry. We made our sons deny God-given emotions in exchange for manmade prisons. The community has steadily built a world of emotionless men. When I was numb, I felt safe, safe in a world that didn’t love me, sheltered in space where my father showed me no love, and invulnerable to memories of a dead friend and distant family members. To be numb is to be detached from a world with pain. Once again, we are trying to survive without breaking. Despite the hurdles the world places upon black men, we cannot run away from our emotions. I sat in a room for a year wanting to cry but not knowing what for, feeling sad but not knowing the cause— just to realise I was stuck in unexplored grief and sadness that I never allowed myself to feel. That is the lot of an emotionless man.
BHM
Friday 12 October 2018 InQuire
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Opinion
Living as black students in modern Britain By Sopé Elegbede Writer
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tudents Tiwa ‘Mobo’ Yusuf, Darcey Bourne, and Nezer Vondee told InQuire what made them feel proud and empowered to be black students in modern Britain, but how they are disfavoured due to their race. All three students were proud of overcoming the historic barriers that have obstructed black students from progressing. Darcey says: ‘Society presumes that we’re lazy and we won’t be successful. I am proud to be able to prove that to be untrue’. Nezer also recognises the plight black people have been subject to and the need to combat these stereotypes. Tiwa feels that standing up to stereotypes is the key. He says that it is important to actively remark on those who possess uninformed opinions. Black students often feel the need to compromise their
identity in an effort to ‘fit in’. ‘I cannot separate my blackness from my identity. My experiences are characterised by my blackness,’ said Tiwa. Darcey says that black students often fall into the mould that is created for them. Tiwa admittedly feels the need to downplay his identity to some extent. He said: ‘As a black student in university, racial proportions are very one-sided, and you feel an internalised sense of inferiority due to your circumstances and the authority opposed to you. You will try to fit in to certain extent’. Nezer, however, approaches similar situations differently. ‘I am unapologetically black. I try to educate everyone around me rather than diluting who I am for the comfortability of others’. These students expressed a mutual feeling of constant selfawareness due to biases against disempowered minority. ‘As the ACS Vice President, I had to deal with certain prejudices in some authorities. People
would easily assume that our events would be rowdy and ‘too black’. We often had to disguise elements of fun and rather present the academic benefits of our events so we could be taken seriously’, says Nezer. Tiwa also highlights the stigma of being ‘too black’. ‘I find myself concealing the genuine emotions I have because I don’t want to come across as too aggressive, and that happens a lot’. The narrow perceptions surrounding black people would so effortlessly homogenise the entire race and ethnicity. Representation within the black community is important. The students shared how they felt they contributed to black excellence. ‘I am working hard to build my own business and help other black businesses. I am concerned with giving back to my community,’ says Nezer. Tiwa proclaims his contribution to black excellence: ‘I use my skill set to elevate myself and
Photos from Facebook
fellow black people and to reveal the falsity of negative stereotypes’. Whilst Darcey said: ‘I currently work as a junior clerk, with 100 barristers and 30 members of staff and I
am the only black person. All we can do as black people is continue to be great. It is down to our counterparts to see this greatness’.
BHM
Opinion The Windrush ladies: in their words
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By Aaliyah Harry Writer
I
t has been just over 70 years since the MV Empire Windrush arrived at the Tilbury Docks in Essex. This event is an important but often unknown part of Black British History. On this boat were a community of Caribbeans who had dreamt of success. Those arriving in the UK between 1948 and 1971 have been labelled ‘The Windrush Generation’. In celebration of Black History Month, while juxtaposing the recent tension in Parliament denying their stay, I decided to shine a light on the brave women of this generation who uprooted their lives on the islands and came to an unfamiliar land. They go by, Mrs. Francis and Mrs. Pierre. Aaliyah : Why did you come to the UK? MP : For a better living and a better life. Everybody was talking about England and I came to work. I did a lot of different kinds of work since. I was a machinist, I’ve done packing and bottling.
Everything that had to be done, we did it. A: Did you have an idea about what the UK would be like? MF: No, not at all. I did not know about anything. I came just to meet someone who I was not even sure if I would like [arranged marriage]. People from the same island as me, St. Lucia were going, so I thought it might be a good thing. MP: Well when I first came to England, I wanted to be a nurse. That was my dream. But when I arrived, I did not like England. I was pining to go back home. A: What was the reality you faced when you came here? MF: It was very rough. It was really hard to get a place to live. If you didn’t have a family member to help you out, you would suffer. The English people were not willing to help black people, even the children and dogs were not welcomed. They didn’t want you to live next door to them. It was hard, but we managed through. A: Are you glad you came to the UK?
MF: Yes, I am happy because it has given me what I never had. If I was back home, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. We managed to build a little
rebuilt the country that we know today. After the second World War, there was a lot of devastation and roles needed to be filled. These men and women were part of the reconstruction of a country that wasn’t even their own. Mrs Francis spoke of how unaccepting the British people were upon her arrival. Though British society has progressed since then, prejudice is still present and there are many barriers we, as black people, face. Photo by Jim Grover|Pinterest Earlier in the year, there was uproar in the house Houses of Parliament as these back home in St Lucia. But we citizens were labelled as ‘illegal are living here in London and immigrants’. The event was now we are able to go back and terrible to see play out the forth as we like. So, it helped attacks they recived, as their me a lot, I must say. I do not work and sacrifice throughout regret coming here. the past decades went As we can see, these disregarded. Caribbean citizens have Black History Month in the
products. Historically, the texture of my hair has been perceived as inferior to the straight hair of Caucasians. It has been called “nappy”, “unprofessional”, “ugly”, there is a never-ending list of spiteful comments and remarks. My relationship with my hair has been a very messy one. I used to feel very ugly as a child, because I did not have long straight hair like my best friends Charlie and Lola. From the age of five, I would often chemically straighten my hair with a relaxer. It came as a shock and disappointment, however, whenever naturally kinky hair would eventually grow back despite the chemical straightening. I can still picture my fragile straight ends with my crimpy roots. I wished my hair would be straight forever, but the “messy” and “ugly” hair kept coming back.
I put much of the blame on my culture and society. My mother did not know how to deal with afro hair just like lot of others who are uneducated about black hair. My mother saw the relaxer as a solution because my hair was ‘too tough’, and thought a relaxer would make it ‘soft’. She preferred relaxed hair because it was neat and tidy. At the age of 17, enough was enough. I was tired of having damaged straight hair. At this point, I barely had any hair left. I then decided to get rid of it all. I can distinctively remember washing my hair, grabbing a pair of scissors and snipping away. I felt free because the bonds which held all of my insecurities, fear, and pain were cut loose. It was the beginning of a new phase of my relationship with my hair, and
UK still fills me with pride, nevertheless. I love hearing the uplifting stories of Black British people who have made positive strides. Having the entire month to celebrate black culture does show how much this country has progressed, and the scope of education of the Black British culture and other minority ethnicities should be expanded. I am a descendent of the Windrush generation. My grandparents like Mrs Francis and Mrs. Pierre are the strongest people I know—many have worked their way up from menial jobs to magistrates, nurses, and heads of social services. The Caribbean community’s unfamiliar steps they took during the earlier years allows us to make leaps and break boundaries today. Their stories echo in all of us, having laid the foundation for us to reach further. The battle is never over, but at least we have stable ground. My only hope is that the stories of these successful British black people are never forgotten.
My relationship with my hair F
or some people hair is just hair and it’s a thing that grows out of your head and other random parts of your body. For me, it is my identity, it represents who I am. For a long time, I have let the pressures of society define my level of beauty based on the texture my hair. As a Black British Nigerian, I grew up unaware of my natural 4C textured hair. For anyone who is unaware of the term, there is a spectrum for hair which helps to distinguish different hair types, curl patterns, and guidelines for the maintenance. Having 4C hair means that I have tight coils with no defined curl pattern, unless the hair has been freshly washed, twisted, braided or manipulated with
also myself. Representation matters, and I am happy to say that I have reached a point where I am content with my hair. I may wear wigs, weaves, and braids, but I know that my hair is beautiful no matter what state it is in. I hope that all black women discover this love for their hair. We are all beautiful no matter what texture our hair is and how we look outside. Deserving thanks should go to my friends for their love and support. Without all the beautiful black women and role models I know, I would not have the confidence to be myself.
Photo by Natural Hair Look Book|Pinterest
By Sufiatu Oyindamola Abdullahi Writer
BHM
Friday 12 October 2018 InQuire
11
Opinion
What happens when being woke threatens you? By Michelle Midzi Writer
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very Black History Month is an opportune time to engage in dialogue about black history and black experience, and end the month more “woke” than when it began. Wokeness describes awareness of issues concerning social justice and racial justice. While this awareness is extremely important, the burden of knowing about all that has plagued the black community can at times be daunting; you might end up questioning whether you belong in certain spaces or the possibility of ever overcoming the societal hurdles and biases set against black people. This Black History Month, we should explore ways we can retain our ambitions despite the negativity, so that we can become the strong black leaders our communities and the world need. The Independent reports show that black people are the
least likely to be employed; least likely to attend a top university; to attain a good degree (2:1 +) or work in managerial positions. For university students who envision our lives as an upward trajectory, such statistics are daunting. Then how do you respond when your “wokeness” threatens to derail your joy and ambition? •Give Up It is safe to assume that the number one response of individuals when faced with challenges would be to prematurely throw in the towel. This is also the most unfortunate reaction because everybody has something that they can contribute—be it experience, perspective, or resources—to any given position or market. A tip for fighting the instinct to give up: connect with the stories of people who have persevered and succeeded against the odds. Take Mae Jemison for example, the
first black female astronaut to travel to space. Despite being black and a woman in a profession dominated by white males, Jemison worked hard and achieved her dream of becoming an accomplished astronaut. Inspiration is all around us. •Overcompensate There’s a common convention amongst black and minority groups: they often have to work twice as hard, to get half as far. While the statistics certainly seem to support this notion, there’s the danger that one can begin to habitually overcompensate in an attempt to progress professionally or prove that they belong. The negative consequences of going too far and doing too much include exhaustion and declining mental health. To combat burn-out, prioritise and pick your battles wisely, as not every situation is worth your time and energy. •Work on Self
The best thing anybody can do when facing obstacles is to work on themselves. Treat yourself, not only with material things but breaks, meditation, or a good book. When we’re focused on ourselves in relation to others all the time, it’s tough to keep sight of our own ambitions or work while maintaining a healthy level of self-esteem. Author Maeve Greyson says, ‘No one has the power to shatter your dreams unless you give it to them’. In short, never attach
about you; instead, be firm in who you are and what you want. Exploring ways to maintain self-esteem and ambition among the bombardment of bad news and statistics linked to blackness is a meaningful beginning to conversations about the flipside of wokeness during Black History Month. Far from being bound by such news, we have the freedom to choose to be positive, ambitious and have good coping mechanisms. The path to self-betterment is one well worth travelling.
yourself to other people’s
negative
preconceptions
Photo by iStock | the Root
Dear Martin, Nnamdi, and Nelson By Pam Ogunleye Writer
martinlutherking@gmail.com , nnamdiazikwe@gmail.com , nelsonmandela@gmail.za , Chinua_achebe@gmail.com, maya.angelou@gmailcom , obama@washington.com and 100+ Thank you.
H
ello, It’s me—a child benefiting from your labour and toil to have my voice heard, to have my talents acknowledged for their true worth, to have my story heard and for the opportunity to be me. I know it’s late, and I don’t say this often, but thank you.
Thank you for daring, thank you for caring enough about future generations like me to speak out, to scream, to demand that I and many more like me be given an equal opportunity. For making me more than a villager with no history and no hope for the future. For flipping the script and allowing us to become the
masters of our own destiny. For holding our community together even when things fall apart. For showing us that despite the trials and tribulations, how we shall still rise. For showing us the strength of the written word, the value of an independent thought, for the bravery of being the first
and kicking open doors that were once shut. For showing us a way to be greater than before. For showing the world that we are complex and beautiful beings. Thank you for being a guiding light, a cultivator of hope and aspiration. As we continue to fight the good fight, your voices stay in our minds, they
push us to work harder for the ones who will come after us, breaking down barriers as you once did for us. Thank you for everything for the lessons I am yet to understand. Yours faithfully, Pamilerin.
BHM
12
Lifestyle
Dear Black Significance of hair as a black Girls, By Aaliyah Harry Writer
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here are probably those of you who grew up feeling different. You may have been a minority. You probably thought at one point or another—why don’t I look like everyone else? You may have not felt enough. I hope in sharing some of my experiences, I can persuade you otherwise. Growing up, part of me always felt like an outsider. I went to a primary school where I was a minority. People didn’t understand my culture, or the way my hair was twisted into braids. My classmates didn’t understand how I could have short (natural) hair one day, and a braid that trailed down to my hips the next. They couldn’t understand why, after jumping into a pool my once slicked back bun would expand into a cascade of curls. They couldn’t grasp my frustration at people asking if they could ‘touch my hair’. I didn’t understand why I looked so different either. Why wasn’t my skin fair? Why didn’t my hair swish just as sudden as I moved? Why were my lips so plump? I so desperately wanted to straighten my hair for the school disco. My mum had to tell me that mine wouldn’t look like theirs. I’d be upset and ask why. I was just odd— or so I thought. Dear Black Girls, you may often feel intimidated as a minority. Jobs may say your coloured twists aren’t ‘acceptable’. You may feel the need to change yourself, alter your appearance in order to fit in. This, however, is wrong. Once timid in my childhood, afraid to stand out or look different, I now rock my blonde braids without a care in the world. With time I came into my own. My parents tried to instil in me the beauty of being black from a young age, but it took me a long time to accept it. Now, however, I feel confident in who I am and in who my ancestors fought for me to be. Acceptance comes from within. Once you accept yourself it will be impossible for other people not to accept you too. They can try to break you or make you feel isolated but as long as you are secure in yourself—you
cannot be broken. Walking around campus, I see people that look like me, I see people from all different cultures and I always admire how amazing that feels. Kent is a melting pot of people from all walks of life and I couldn’t feel more comfortable-a feeling I didn’t always have growing up. Dear Black Girls, this Black History Month I urge you to go all out. Our university has made this month a celebration where we can all be proud of our culture. Go to all the events. Express yourself. Experiment with your afro, braids, twists or Brazilian wig—whether its pink, blue, or green, be confident. Wear your Gele or any traditional clothing. Wave your flag high, represent where you come from. Be proud of who you are and where
Photo by Aaliyah Harry
you’re from. That young girl, who once wanted to be like the majority, now wants nothing more than to be herself and stand out. Dear Black Girls, be black and proud, because you are enough.
woman
B
By Lauren Innis Writer
lack women’s hair - a subject that has been heavily discussed during recent years, its history spanning over centuries. During slavery, many black men and women were required to cover their hair as it was said to distract the slave masters. In the 20th century, we saw the introduction of chemical relaxers branded as a way to ‘tame’ the unmanageable black hair. What was intended to be a simple style option quickly became a requirement for any black woman interested in climbing the corporate or social ladder. Today, we see a variety of hairstyles being worn by black women. It seems,
On the other hand, we see many black women proudly wearing their hair in many different styles of choice, ready to face any backlash or repercussions. Women using their hair as a means of expressing their creativity and identity, is reminiscent of how it was and still is in Africa. It is not ‘just hair’, and it never has been. The freedom to choose how we want to wear and style our hair is not just a fad, but is a part of a revolution, one we have been fighting for a long time. In 2016, there was an incident at Pretoria High School in South Africa, where black students were routinely told to ‘fix their hair’. This led to protests and a nationwide discussion into the underlying barriers that young black girls may face in school. This resulted in Pretoria and many other high schools revising their code of conduct in an effort to be more welcoming to students of all races. To many, choosing how to wear their hair may seem like a decision as significant as what shoes to put on; but that is a privilege other races share. Moving forward as a globalised society, we must encourage more communities to form where Photo by Miguel Bruna | Unsplash black
however, that we are still not free from the discrimination and control of our hair. Black women who choose to wear weaves, wigs, and braids may be the subject of jokes, assuming it’s due to lack of hair (which is simply not true). Those who choose to relax their hair are faced with the backlash , claiming that they are ashamed of their hair’s true texture. Finally, those who choose to wear their hair naturally are Photo by Shalom Mwenesi | Unsplash mocked for being ‘uncombed’ and ‘unkempt’. Some women may lose job opportunities, and some girls women may be sent home from school to ‘fix’ can discuss their their hair. To further this injustice, hair in a safe place, supporting one despite all this negativity towards another in its styling and maintenance. black hair, we see appropriation of At the end of the day, no matter how our hairstyles (for example, braids) by we choose to style our hair: straight, non-black celebrities: Kim Kardashian natural, weaves, locs and the list goes and Iggy Azalea, for example, giving on, we are black, we are beautiful, we the impression that black hair is only are proud, and we are accepted when it’s not on black people. powerful.
BHM
Friday 12th October 2018 InQuire
13
Lifestyle
Interview with Omolade Vice-President Welfare By Kiro Evans Newspaper Sports Eitor
responsibilities. I’m no longer just representing a small group of students like when I was a BAME officer. It suits me well, I really care about student welfare, and I’ve really enjoyed it.
1.What does Black History Month mean to you?
6. How’s it been working with Aaron Thompson and the other officers so far?
Black History Month is a celebration of black people, everything we do and are. It’s a celebration of our history, our culture, the struggles that we’ve historically been through—a time for us to educate and empower.
2. Have you got any personal heroes from black history that mean a lot to you?
It’s been great. I think one thing people always say to us is that we are the most diverse team Kent has ever had, and I think that’s a great perk. A lot of our values and our motives this year is about student engagement and getting students back into the union.
It’s cliché, but my mum. She’s a powerful black woman. Also—Beyoncé. I have to thank her for everything she is—I’m joking. Personal heroes: I would say Michelle Obama. I think I resonate with her a lot. She’s someone who I personally relate to, someone who is just herself and I really like that. I also see myself as being true to who I am.
7. With Freshers’ Week a huge success and Black History Month really gathering momentum, what else should students look forward to at Kent?
3. What do you make of UKC’s celebrations so far? Is there anything we can do to improve?
One of our campaigns and collective priorities this year is student engagement. You see this with the activities and sports staff doing more as well. There’s Emily (Window, VP for Sport) doing inclusive Varsity. Sasha (Langeveldt, VP for Activities) who’s working on the environment. Aaron who’s trying to a get mentorship scheme for BME students. Then there’s Stuart, campaigning on communal spaces for students. Throughout the whole year there’ll be a lot of things happening.
I think it’s been really great. I think one thing we have put a lot of effort into is making sure black students are at the centre of the celebrations. There’s the exhibition in Keynes, which was by a fine art alumni from last year, who we got to showcase her work. We also have students here at Kent who are doing a lot of events. For example, the Caribbean society have hosted two keynote speakers who were very inspiring. We also have the AfricanCaribbean society doing a mental health event, and next week we have a showcase happening. This is going to have a whole host of societies such as Cpass, Salem, and the poetry part of Cpass as well. Students from both Canterbury and Medway are coming down so we can showcase their work and the celebration.
4. Where do you stand in the debate that we need to diversify our curriculums?
Photo by head of Photography Emily Heath
Part of being at university is to study a reading list which can diversify our learning—that’s why we’re paying £9,000. I do believe it’s a reasonable expectation, which is why it’s one of the campaigns I’ve been working on this year. We are also working with the University regarding the reading list and the curriculum in order to engage students more. This is includes encouraging them to carry out more critical thinking as opposed to just having a very narrow-minded sense of their degrees.
5. On a personal note, how has the transition from student to full time Kent Union officer been? People tend to think of it as a big leap, but I being a part time officer last year really helped my transition. Nonetheless, there are a lot of
Photo by had of Photography Emily Heath
BHM
14
Lifestyle
Review: The Coach and Horses Pub
By Sophia Christodoulou Writer
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re you stuck in a rotation between campus and Canterbury City? If you want a new place to and eat some outstanding food, then visit The Old Coach and Horses Pub in Harbledowm. This restaurant has always caught my eye when passing by. The building sits on a quaint country road, inviting customers in with its beautiful shrubbery and historic brickwork. Therefor,e when my Dad came to visit, I took it as an opportunity to satisfy my curiosity. Visiting for a Sunday lunch, we expected it to be overflowing with customers, rather, there were a handful of people enjoying themselves, eating and chatting beside the hum of 80s music. It dawned on me then that this pub could be a hidden gem. The decor is exactly what you would expect from a country pub. Wooden
tables and chairs dotted around the room, each decorated with a single rose and a vase. There was art varying from abstract paintings to landscape photographs, hung on the walls complementing the neutral colour of the interior. Throughout our time at The Old Coach and Horses, we couldn’t fault their service. From beginning to end the staff had a smile on their face and a joyful presence about them—creating an immediate feel of ease. Their service was prompt. Within moments of our arrival, they sat us at our table and handed us the menu, informing us that they would return in five minutes to take our order. We decided not to order a starter (to save room for desert, of course) and went straight for the main course. Both my dad and I ordered the same meal: Roasted Sirloin Beef with goose fat
roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables, and gravy. After our order, I noticed that we were not given the option to choose how our beef was cooked. This was the only fault I found with our dining experience, but it did have an impact. The beef was cooked flawlessly. It was perfectly pink and succulent. My dad, however was less than pleased, as he prefers his beef ‘well-done’. Our waiter, however sprang into action after noticing that my dad didn’t touch his meal. He spoke to the chef, and moments later a fresh serving of beef was placed in front of him, which he thoroughly enjoyed. The rest of the meal was impeccable. The Yorkshire pudding was sufficiently large, and the vegetables were fresh and bursting with flavour. The roast pota-
Food toes were the star of the show. They had a crispy golden glaze, complementing the softness of the potato. I don’t think I’ll ever have another dish like it and will definitely be returning solely for them. Finally, desert. There was an extensive amount of choices, ranging from a cheeseboard with fruit and chutney to a chocolate and raspberry roulade with raspberry sorbet. Every option was enticing. I chose the lemon cheesecake, and my dad chose the summer-fruit crumble (with locally sourced berries) with vanilla ice cream. We were pleased with our decision. The cheesecake was light, delicate and flavoursome, the lemon beautifully subtle. But the speed in which my dad ate his desert said it all. Ten seconds after he received it, the crumble was gone. He thought it was: ‘the best desert he had ever had’. If you are interested in a secret haven, hidden in the outskirts of our city then look no further. As long as you’ve got money to spend (or someone willing to pay) then you will not be disappointed. The Coach and Horses Pub is the place to eat.
Vegan brownie recipe Aubergine gnocchi By Sophia Christodoulou Writer
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his year has been all about acceptance and trying new things—one of which is the vegan diet. This summer, I decided to give it a go for a month. I discovered some incredible recipe’s online, my favourite of which is the vegan brownie. I found this recipe on lovingitvegan. com (a website that became my saviour throughout my vegan experience). They have hundreds of incredible recipes to choose from, and if there’s any one to start with, it would be this.
Method:
The Ingredients: • 2 cups (250g) All Purpose Flour • 1 cup (86g) Cocoa Powder (unsweetened) • 2 cups (400g) Sugar • 1 tsp Baking Powder • 1/2 tsp Salt • 1 cup (240ml) Vegan Buttermilk • 1 Tbsp Instant Coffee Powder
• 1 cup (240ml) Vegetable Oil (I used olive) • Preheat oven to 180°C and line a square baking dish with parchment • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract paper. Or you can use non-stick spray. • Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking powder and salt. • Prepare the vegan buttermilk by squeezing half a lemon into a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup line. • Allow to sit for a minute to curdle. • Add the buttermilk, coffee powder, vegetable oil and vanilla. Mix well. • Pour the batter out into a square baking dish and smooth down. • Bake for 35-40 minutes. After the Photo by Michelle Tsang | Unsplash 30-minute period, test it periodically with a toothpick until the centre comes out mostly clear.
gratin Hello Fresh Recipe
By Katinka Pim Newspaper Lifestyle Editor
Ingredients:
1 aubergine, chopped 1 ½ tsp ground cumin 1 echalion shallot, sliced 1 garlic clove, grated 1 bunch of basil, chopped 1 tsp dried thyme 1 ½ carton tomato passata 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 small bag baby spinach 20g panako breadcrumbs 40g hard Italian cheese 1 bag rocket
Method:
•Grill the Aubergine. Preheat your grill to high. Remove the stalk top from the aubergine, half it length ways, cut into 2cm wide strips, then chop into 2cm cubes. Place it on a baking tray and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on the cumin and drizzle over some oil. Mix well, then arrange in a single layer. Grill until browned, 10-12 mins. Turn halfway through cooking to make sure the aubergine doesn’t burn. Keep to one side when cooked. •Pan-fry the gnocchi. Meanwhile, heat a glug of oil in a frying pan over high heat. Pan-fry the gnocchi until golden brown, 8-10 mins. Turn frequently to make sure they brown
evenly. •Prep the veggies. In the meantime, halve, peel and thinly slice the shallot. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Pick the basil leaves from their stalks and chop (discard the stalks). •Make your sauce. When the gnocchi are ready, transfer to an ovenproof dish and return the now empty pan to medium heat. Add a splash of oil if your pan is dry and cook the shallot until softened, 4-5mins. Add the garlic and dried thyme. Cook for 1 minute more, then add the tomato passata and balsamic vinegar. Simmer for 5 mins, then stir in the basil and baby spinach until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. •Make the crumb. When the aubergine has browned, add it to the tomato sauce, then spoon this on top of the gnocchi in the dish and stir together. In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the hard Italian cheese, drizzle of oil and a good grind of black pepper. Sprinkle this on top of the dish and grill until golden, 3-4 mins. TIP: Keep an eye on it, you don’t want the crumb to burn. •Finish and serve. Whilst the gratin is under the grill, toss then rocket in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve the gnocchi gratin in deep bowls and finish with the rocket salad.
Friday 12th October 2018 InQuire
15
Lifestyle
The black student experience at Kent Politics and International Relations student: I think it’s okay, it’s good. There are loads of societies, so it does feel sort of inclusive. French and French and Drama students: (1) It’s alright. Sometimes, if I wear a pair of tracksuits, I get side eyed, but other than that it’s quite a multicultural campus. I don’t think that places like venue really cater to people like us. The music, however, isn’t diverse enough. I know we have NXT, but it’s not really as it should be. (2) Yeah, it’s especially not diverse in Venue. I think they need to appreciate African culture a bit more.
Politics and International Relations student: I don’t really feel too much tension. Everywhere I go I see black, Asian, and white students, and I interact with the other races from time to time. It would be good if we became more inclusive, however. All in all, I think it’s good environment to be in. I do really like Kent. Politics and International Relations student: I’d say it’s quite regular to be honest. I don’t feel as if there’s any pressure on me, or that there’s anything to weigh me down. I feel like UKC is quite multicultural as well, so it’s a good place for me to feel at ease.
Law student: It’s pretty good. In comparison to where I was raised, where I was the only black person in the room, in any room, it’s fun to have more interactions with black students and people from different races. I think wherever you go you’re going to face some kind of low level of social understanding, in terms of culture. For example, my name is Abla and when I meet new friends, teachers or just people here in general, they asked if they can call me Abbie. I said ‘no’. I have to have this conversation all the time, and the whole time I’m thinking, ‘Abbie’ isn’t actually shorter. It’s not easier to say, Abla does not contain any letters or sounds uncommon English. The reason they do it is because it’s not a British name. They tell me it’s uncommon, but I know it’s not. In Ghana, Senegal, Togo, and Turkey it means ‘big sister’. It’s not an uncommon name, it’s just people haven’t heard of it here.
BHM
By Ogo Anokwuru KTV News co-ordinator
International Business student: Obviously Canterbury is predominantly white, but the campus is multicultural. If I was living alone in here it’d be a bit strange, but I’ve got other students around me, other young people.
Business student: Everywhere you go you see so many different ethnicities. With the few black people that are here, however, I do feel comfortable. I do wish that we could interact more, but it is what it is.
How does it make you feel that we’re still having these conversations about race in 2018? Politics and International Relations student: In my opinion race is just a social construct, however, at the same time we have to be aware that there are still some racial tensions existing in the world. If we could at least begin to get to the bottom of it in universities, where so many cultures of the next generation are working together, it would be really good. It’s good to be asking these questions. It’s good to get other people’s opinions, and acknowledge problems of race still exist. Law student: It’s crazy. My mum had the same conversations and issues when she came here in the early 70s. She moved from Tobago to America, initially, and used to wear thick coats because she was used to the tropical heat from the islands. In Boston and Chicago during winter she was stopped all the time. We are still dealing with things like low-level suspicion and unconscious racism. For example, the ‘colour-blind’ ideology allows people not to think about it. When they say ‘I don’t see colour’, they’re lying. They’re eradicating my race because it makes them feel uncomfortable.
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Entertainment
Music
Keep Ya Head Up: The Legacy of Tupac Shakur By Yasmin Qasem Writer
elucidated objection towards the marginalization of African American women, and upac Shakur is commonly known to compassionately and passionately censures those who mindlessly accept this ungodly form of social prejudice. shed light upon the social and economic injustices that Using pathos to tap into the emotions of the listeners, a technique plague impoverished African American communities. Tupac mastered in ‘Keep Your Head Up’, is evident by His zealous compositions provide his listeners with declaring ‘Since a man can’t make one / he has no right a vicarious release. Shakur, by poetically and to tell a woman when and where to create one’ as he colloquially articulating his socially conscious establishes his position on rape: nobody should anger and melancholy, gives listeners have the right to force a woman to bear a a larger-than-life companion and child. It was his ability to convey weighty comrade. matters in such simple, beautiful, and Through broaching the fervent lyrics that allowed Shakur overlooked matter of to reach such a large and devoted gender inequality in poor audience. Tupac foresees a cycle communities of colour, of disrespect being passed on alongside his emotional and from generation to generation. unprecedented advocacy I would suggest verses like this on behalf of African make Shakur a social activist American women, Tupac exposing controversial issues established himself and promoting change. In as a hip-hop symbol contemporary hip-hop, of the perennial songs such as Tupac’s are struggle for social rarely produced, much justice. Utilizing less released for radio emotive language play. whilst touching Tupac recognizes the upon colourism, apathetic nature of the basic economic artists of his time and inequality, decides to address the catcalling, boundless internal and paternal struggle that has been abandonment, slowly killing him as his songs are a child; mirroring the deserving of the sad reality of young utmost attention black men, growing up and care as they fatherless, powerless, discuss a taboo topic in a society molded by amongst the hip-hop intolerance. Shakur’s community: prejudice childhood is reflected in against African the second verse, as he American women. Unlike touches upon the dangers many others, Shakur was of social division, drugs, and bold enough to discuss violence on African American contentious matters—one youth. Shakur represents an could even argue that the unabashed revolutionary spirit, audacious nature of his lyrical which culminated in martyrdom. He compositions, is what doomed his does not express his society's subjected untimely death. bigotry and prejudice through an expected Shakur’s lines ‘You know what makes exasperated tone. Instead, Shakur decides to me unhappy? / When brothers make convey it through an uplifting one, present in babies / And leave a young mother to be the lines ‘Ooh, child, things are gonna get easier / a pappy’ hold admirable sentiment. Without Ooh, child, things are gonna get brighter’. appropriately fitting paternal abandonment within Careful not to appear impersonal as his emotionallyPhoto by Eaz2ypac the overarching narrative of extreme austerity, victims withdrawn peers in the music industry, who ultimately only of poverty are erroneously depicted as victimizing free agents. serve to pacify, he pairs his composition with a plan of action aimed at Shakur is, unquestionably, raw, authentic, and unedited. transforming the miserable material conditions of marginalized African Americans He recognizes that women are a sacred vessel to God, so man must protect them in 1990s America. more than man must protect himself. Shakur states that he believes ‘It’s time we Within the contemporary world, Shakur is not just a rapper—he is a legend, he kill for our women / Time to heal our women, be real to our women / And if we is a folk hero. He refuses to remain in the unadorned shallow ends and dares to don’t we’ll have a race of babies / That hate the ladies that make the babies’. By speak the unspeakable, such as the heinous hierarchy of the human race he bluntly employing the possessive “our” Shakur confines his condemnation to a paradigm discussed in ‘Keep Your Head Up’, that beautifully represented the of patriarchal paternalism. Evidently, Shakur’s methods of assertion exhibit his marginalized silent majority of African American women.
T
BHM
Friday 12 September 2018 InQuire
17
Entertainment
How black culture has filtered into the British mainstream By Sopé Elegbede Writer
T
he growing recognition and appreciation for black culture in modern Britain highlights the prominent presence of the black British community. This appreciation extends from endorsements in the urban music scene from large media companies to the tremendous influence of cultural events. Particularly, the impact of the urban music scene on British society is undeniable—black artists have had their stories and experiences catapulted into the mainstream by utilising their platforms to convey their realities. Namely, Andrew Onwubolu, a rapper and filmmaker from Lewisham South East, London, popularly known as ‘Rapman’ and creator of the distinctly acclaimed web series ‘Shiro’s Story’. The viral trilogy illustrates the struggles of young black people growing up in compromising conditions characterised by gun violence. When asked if he felt that his fictional visual display glamorised gun violence he said: ‘I don’t think it glamorises it at all, it shows the ignorance of it—a lot of these situations could have been resolved with a phone call. It’s to educate, so to not show it would not be true’. The web series collectively amassed a huge 12 million views on YouTube since its initial release in April this year. The demand
for more content has led to Rapman being featured on British breakfast television programme ‘Good Morning Britain’ as well as a short documentary on BBC1 News. Rapman also shares
his aspirations of taking his works to Netflix in an effort to globally exhibit the experiences of young black people from council estates. The widespread captivation of Shiro’s Story confirms the articulate beauty of storytelling rap. Another black rapper that is worthy of celebration is British-Ghanaian rapper
Michael Owuo Jnr., professionally known as Stormzy. Stormzy has his foot in every camp and is making waves in the mainstream: in music, literature, and fashion. The rapper is
presence in mainstream society and the 40% rise in Adidas’ brand trend at the time of the deal. Stormzy has also recently created his own publishing imprint ‘#MerkyBooks’ with Penguin Random House, whereby 2-3 books written by people from lower-income communities with fewer resources, will be published with the opportunity of a paid internship. This provision further imbeds black culture into mainstream British society as Stormzy creates a platform for individuals that come from similar backgrounds to his. The Notting Hill Carnival in London is another cultural affair within the black community that has become a majorly anticipated mainstream event. The carnival was originally created in 1966 for the British West-Indian community to celebrate their culture— now, the estimated 2 million attendees come from many backgrounds all over Photo by YouTube England. People come to collectively celebrate an ambassador for Adidas, sporting West Indian culture by consuming the their clothing in his music videos. In street food that is available, enjoying Stormzy’s freestyle music video ‘Shut the music, and wearing their cultural Up’, which accumulated a whopping garments. The event is a significant 80 million views, Stormzy is wearing feature of mainstream Britain and a bright red Adidas tracksuit, which is now the largest street festival in visibly shows the Adidas logo. There is Europe—a festival which celebrates an evident correlation with Stormzy’s black culture.
Kent Africa Summit, 23 March 2019 A
By Nadia Gitu Writer
s Black History Month falls upon us, it is time to reflect on where our histories and origins began. Africa’s early records show Africans being taken away on slave ships and Europeans slicing the continent into convenient portions to grow their empires, leaving Africans to seeking opportunities in the very nations that tore it apart. The Kent Africa Summit (KAS) provides a platform to reflect on these histories as well as envisage a more prosperous future. The continent is a diverse plethora of cultures, resources, and innovative minds with KAS tapping into this well of potential and exploring the opportunities and drawbacks associated with it. The summit is not
intended to illustrate Africa as troublefree, nor continue to let our historic pillaging be our defining, essence but a reflection on our past selves and a
As an African outside of Africa, I always found it jarring how Western countries depicted and minimized our diversity and development. I found KAS
Photo by Kent Africa Summit
guiding motivator on what we anticipate Africa to become.
Disclaimer: this is a promotional article
to be a great opportunity to challenge the normative notions attached to
Africa. This year we are pushing to illustrate the Power of Africa through engaging in topics that illustrate our technological advancements, active engagements that stem from the diaspora, as well as recognizing our failings in engaging in mental health issues across the continent and the high rise in Femicide cases to name a few topics. If you are interested in participating in the Power of Africa and would like to get involved with KAS on the 23 March 2019 email me at nwg6@kent.ac.uk or Natasha Karanja at nwk4@kent.ac.uk, or message us on our Instagram page at kentafricasummit and Facebook page Kent Africa Summit. Nadia Gitu Chair of Kent Africa Summit
BHM
WIND
18
Feature
Months after the Windrush scandal,
By Kiro Evans Newspaper Sports Editor
I
t came in like a wildfire but went out with a small gush of wind. The Windrush scandal— which saw older members of Britain’s Caribbean community deliberately detained, deported, and denied basic rights in pursuit of the so-called “Hostile Environment” policy—featured in every newspaper for a week. After that week, it slowly faded back into obscurity as we all returned to our normal lives. Those caught up in this botched immigration strategy don’t have the same luxury; many are still recovering from the weeks, months or years of mental and financial hardship, attempting to get their lives together after their period of victimisation, and all are left wondering why a country they have spent the majority of their lives in—working, contributing, paying rent, paying taxes, building a family, building a home—so easily turned their backs on them. The answer lies partially in the words of former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, a few days before her eventual resignation: ‘I am concerned that the Home Office has become too concerned with policy and strategy and sometimes loses sight of the individual.’ But many will argue it’s more than that, and portrays Britain’s true attitude, both historic and current, towards race and migration in this country. And even more immediately, it provides a small taster into the immigration policies this country may pursue after Brexit. Paulette Wilson is a former cook at the House of Commons. Her case was the first one highlighted by the Guardian’s Amelia Gentleman, who singlehandedly dragged this issue into the light. She told Wilson’s story, one that included the 61-year-old being sent to an immigration removal centre for a week before being taken to Heathrow for deportation to Jamaica, a country she hadn’t lived in regularly since 1968. Only a late intervention by her MP kept Wilson in this country. Her country. ‘I felt like I didn’t exist. I wondered what was going to happen to me. All I did was cry, thinking of my daughter and granddaughter, thinking that that I wasn’t going to see them again.’ The stories become progressively worse. Albert Thompson, for example, was denied cancer treatment despite working for 44 years as a mechanic in England. For a nation that boasts the NHS and it’s worldly,
inspiring idea of being free at the point of use, Thompson’s plight flew in the face of the ethos of these shores. And then there’s Dexter Bristol, now deceased. The family barrister, Una Morris suggested back in July that the ‘extreme stress’ he had been under as a result of proving his legal right to be in this country may have contributed to his death. Central to all these cases, is the difficulty of Windrush migrants’ ability of proving their right to be in this country. The Second World War saw Britain in desperate need of rebuilding and the HMT Empire Windrush that carried 492 West Indians soon became emblematic of the mass migration from the Caribbean as they came to fill labour shortages. The 1971 Immigration Act put an end to the huge influx of bodies from former British colonies, meaning that migrants from the Commonwealth no longer had an automatic right to come and stay in the UK, thus causing a real problem for those citizens who had neither the paperwork nor the passport to prove their citizenship. Jessica Mayne, co-founder and secretary of the Caribbean Union at UKC, gave her reaction on behalf of the society: ‘The government’s treatment of the Windrush Generation and their descendants is inhumane. It is disgraceful how our people, people who rebuilt this country, continue to be treated. The fight for justice is not over just because media attention has decreased. People are still suffering. Theresa May’s commissioning of an annual “Windrush Day” should not be viewed as progress, but rather as a token gesture in an attempt to save the public image of herself and her government.’ Theresa May is the selfconfessed architect of the hostile environment policy. It began in 2012, long before her premiership, back in the days when she led an intriguing former life in the Home Office. Far from the
dithering, contradictory, indecisive figure she has cut as Prime Minister, her period as Home Secretary was characterised by narrow-minded rhetoric and intransigent decision-making. Perhaps the low point was the infamous ‘Go Home’ vans that patrolled most of the country, threateningly warning illegal immigrants that they faced deportation if discovered. Then there was May’s complete disdain for the Human Rights Act, showing a misunderstanding for what it actually was and how it contributed to the lives of British citizens, with one human rights group once telling her to get ‘her facts straight’ after a false claim.
RUSH
Friday 12 October 2018 InQuire
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where does Britain stand now? Considering this, it is unsurprising that the Windrush Scandal occurred on Mrs May’s watch, with the Prime Minister displaying flagrant ignorance, shamelessness, and unaccountability in her 8 years in cabinet. The word “Windrush”, once shorthand for postwar revival, cultural integration and national acceptance may now, along with “Brexit” and “Grenfell”,
be the defining words of May’s mistake-laden premiership. How she clung on at the height of this crisis is down to Amber Rudd and her resignation, even if she was only following orders. ‘Can Rudd tell the house how many have been denied health under the National Health Service?’ David Lammy, the MP for Tottenham and the man who has largely led the parliamentary fight, asked in the Commons back in April. ‘How many have been denied pensions? How many lost their job? This is a day of national shame, and it has come about
The Empire Windrush trasported 1027 passengers from Jamaica to London in 1948 | Twitter
because of a hostile environment policy that was begun her Prime Minister’. Even with the seemingly innocuous Sajid Javid, now Home Secretary, answers and clarifications are still hard to come by, and when they arise the Government normally attempt to sneak them by the journalistic back door, such as last month when Javid quietly announced that up to 63 members of the Windrush generation could have been wrongly deported. Despite this, Javid claimed the government would only be apologising to 18 individuals who they believed were affected. Theresa May, last weekend, attempted to outdo his abject negligence by refusing outright to condemn the Hostile Environment policy in an interview with Andrew Marr. The legacy of the Windrush scandal will likely live on, even if it has been arguably denied the deserved coverage. While this summer saw wall-to-wall coverage of Labour’s anti-Semitism problems, the damage the government’s migration policies have inflicted on British citizens seems to be but an afterthought to most mainstream media outlets. Some, like Anthony Bryan and Michael Braithwaite, may find a way to get their lives back on track, but others like the late Sarah O’Conner, will likely forever feel the impact of the years when their government turned on them. While The Guardian is exempt from this critique, it is mysterious as to why this story took so long to filter into the mainstream and has so quickly receded into the background once again. It perhaps exposes a larger, very uncomfortable truth in British society, an idea reinforced during this year’s knife crime epidemic when assistant commissioner Martin Hewitt suggested that the “collective outrage” that should have been present was absent because the majority of victims from knife crime
are from black communities. It appears that the long-held notion among some black people in this country, that black death, black detainment, black injustice, and black suffering appears to register less in British society, is now gathering pace. In fact, one of the most interesting aspects of this unsettling episode was the complete lack of surprise expressed by many of the older members of Black British society. Many members had grown accustomed in their youth to mistreatment from the state and believed that, regardless of the progress this nation has since made, this style of abuse was never too far from returning from the surface. As the historian and author David Olusoga wrote, Labour’s former Prime Minister Clement Atlee had explored the possibility of diverting the HMT Empire Windrush from British shores, with some members of the cabinet only taking hope in the notion that their Caribbean subjects wouldn’t last one English winter. Then there’s the rampant racism that many of the travelling migrants faced on an everyday basis and the resulting race riots that dominated much of Britain until the 1990’s. That is, perhaps, the only good lesson to take from this gruesome event, the only silver lining in this grey cloud of viciousness and hostility. The Windrush scandal may have just awoken members of the new generation to the prevailing theme that to be truly, conclusively accepted in this country, one must have white skin. Anyone else—like Hubert Howard, like Elwado Romeo, like Richard Stewart, like Glenda Caesar and all the other suffering Windrush victims—is dispensable and superfluous. The government, in its usual fashion, have a lot to do to reverse this perception.
BHM
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Entertainment
TV
Black Earth Rising review:
Michaela Coel stuns By Josh West Writer
to get back into work. Kate is a Tutsi orphan of the genocide, rescued by
mother Eve, a renowned international lawyer, is selected to lead the
Disclaimer: this review contains major spoilers for the first four episodes of Black Earth Rising.
I
n terms of black history, the Rwandan genocide of 1994 is a particularly dark moment. In only a hundred days 800,000 people were slaughtered in the culmination of a brutal civil war between the Tutsi and Hutu communities of Rwanda, ended only by the victory of the Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front. Such a controversial issue is not suited for primetime BBC viewing, but Black Earth Rising is filled with intrigue and tension as much the BBC’s victorious hit drama Bodyguard. The story revolves around a young legal investigator, Kate Ashly, played with tremendous zeal and sincerity by Michaela Coel of Chewing Gum and Black Mirror fame. Her role is different to the funny and loveable Tracey in Chewing Gum but one which Coel takes to naturally and gracefully. We meet Kate recovering from depression and a suicide attempt, looking to her boss Michael (John Goodman) for a case
Photo by BBC
barrister and now adoptive mother, Eve, and brought back to England. Kate’s past haunts her especially her lack of knowledge, ‘I don’t even know my real name!’ being a poignant line in the first episode, and this thirst for the truth about her family and beginnings drives the narrative. The storyline begins with Tutsi General Nyamoya, a hero of the genocide’s defeat, handing himself into the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes in the DRC. Kate’s
prosecution, much to Kate’s dismay as she declares ‘we’re on the same side’ and argues it was Tutsi’s like Nyamoya who saved her and ended the genocide. In the second episode, Eve and Nyamoya are assassinated by Hutu extremists, leaving Kate and Michael to defend another Tutsi General, Munezero, after she is accused of further war crimes, now during the genocide. Whilst this forms the main narrative of the series, the true drama lies within Kate’s quest to defeat her
demons, find out who she really is, and, crucially, dispel the stereotypes of both her homeland and her culture. Kate’s strong character comes out best when attempting the last, a personal highlight being her quip when asked the annoying-yet-typical question ‘where are you from originally?’ to which she replies ‘from loving parents’. Black independence and power are prolific themes in the series. The first scene being a university Q&A for Eve during which a black student asks if European legal intrusion is just more ‘self-righteous western paternalism’ against ‘crimes that would never have been committed had you not gone there in the first place.’ Black Earth Rising is a gripping and enthralling drama, especially for Black History Month with its strong black female characters in Kate and Munezero. Whilst some research may be needed to understand certain aspects of the story, though the drama does its best, those interested in Black or African history, or those looking for more intrigue after the demise of Bodyguard, should definitely check this out.
Doctor Who: Series 11
A new season begins
I
t’s been a long wait for the fans of TV’s longest-running science fiction show, but the brand-new series of ‘Doctor Who’ is finally here, complete with a newly-regenerated Doctor, and not one, but three new companions. Jodie Whittaker is an excellent choice for the role of the famous Time Lord (or should I say, Time Lady?), capturing both the serious and comedic elements of the character brilliantly. It is uncertain from just the first episode as to what kind of direction she and new showrunner Chris Chibnall will be taking the character and show in, but what is clear—both from Sunday night’s first look, and their previous success with BBC’s ‘Broadchurch’—is that viewers are certainly in for a treat. The new companions seem to match the standards set by their predecessors as well, particularly Ryan (Tosin Cole), who really stood out in this week’s
episode. Hopefully, though, we will get to learn more about the other two new companions, Yaz and Graham (Mandip Gill and Bradley Walsh), in
BHM
By Peggy Welch Writer
episode, and, other than a brandnew, handmade sonic screwdriver, there was very little in the way of Time Lord technology either. It is unclear whether this will be an ongoing theme for this series, but it definitely gave Whittaker’s Doctor a chance to demonstrate some of the intelligence and quick thinking that the character is best known for, as well as giving her new companions the opportunity to bring their own talents and tricks to the forefront of the action. Packed with action, humour, suspense, and just a hint of heartbreak, this week’s episode had a lot of potential, and promises that Doctor Who series 11 will have Photo by BBC something for everyone. The perfect blend of old and future episodes. The diversity of the new elements makes this series ideal cast this series is strong, better than in Sunday-night-viewing for long-time previous series. Unusually, there was no fans and casual watchers alike. sign of the TARDIS in this weekend’s
Friday 12 October 2018 InQuire
Film
Entertainment
BlacKkKlansman A film that ends Nappily Ever After review By Rory Bathgate Writer
I
n the early 1970s, a black detective named Ron Stallworth in Colorado Springs picked up his phone and called a number he’d seen in a newspaper advertisement for Ku Klux Klan membership. After gaining the trust of the group over the phone, he and his partner gained access to the hate group, averting violent racial attacks in the process. It’s this astounding true story that is the subject of the latest film by acclaimed director Spike Lee, in a powerful return to cinema. Still in the early days of his acting career, John
officer of the law as well as to win the heart of Patrice (Laura Harrier), the feisty activist he falls for at a black rights speech, who has an inherent distrust of the police. This struggle to identify himself as both a proud black American and a cop in a crooked system is poignant and isn’t a fight that, for Stallworth, has a clear end in sight. Moments of dark humour are peppered throughout the film. The irony of Stallworth’s deception is played up in particular in a scene in which David Duke (Topher Grace), leader of the KKK, schools Stallworth on how to recognise the voice of a black person over the phone. This scene garnered plenty of laughter from the audience in the screening I attended. Nevertheless, it’s David far more a drama Washington than a comedy, and Photo by Focus Features delivers a stellar Lee’s presentation of the performance that bodes KKK is profoundly disturbing. well for his future in the industry. His Although in the first half, the Klansmen subtle interpretation of Stallworth, are shown as pathetic, even funny outwardly a dedicated officer but characters, the horrifying beliefs for inwardly hounded by rage against the which they stand are never overlooked. constant racism he faces, is a testament Moments in which the Klansmen are to his ability and shapes the tone of shown as more light-hearted are always the film. Adam Driver also excels as followed up with grim reminders of Stallworth’s partner Flip Zimmerman. what they represent; for example, a Enlisted to play the part of ‘Ron fairly calm scene at a shooting range Stallworth’ when meeting with the Klan ends with the revelation that the Klan in person, it’s Zimmerman who has to have been practising on targets shaped join the vile ‘organisation’ to gain vital like racist caricatures of black people. information about them. Throughout Finally, for all the humour Stallworth his infiltration his conscience is tested finds in conning the Klan, it’s made as he’s forced to hide his Jewish clear that the mission puts him in real, heritage. mortal danger. The themes of the film is conflict, The main story is ‘tied up’ nicely, be that between white and black Lee inserts an epilogue that serves as Americans, the police force and the a distressing reminder of the violent populace, or internal conflict. As a racial hatred that, 40 odd years later, protagonist, Stallworth exhibits the still plagues the United States. latter to an increasing amount over Overall, ‘BlacKKKlansman’ is equal the course of the film. He finds himself parts charming and alarming—a droll, caught between his professional and compelling slice of 70s America that personal lives, working hard as an isn’t unrecognisable from today.
By Shani Thomas Website Culture Editor
E
very day black women have to navigate the dark baseless chasm of extravagant societal expectations of how their hair should look. In response, black women never fail to leave society dumbfounded in their wake with the plethora of styles they choose to sport. With finesse, black women are able to rotate between, a fro, a perm, a sow-in, or braids. Only a few of them, however, will understand that these assets will never make them look perfect—a profound lesson learned by the protagonist of the new Netflix film ‘Nappily Ever After’. The adaptation of Trisha R. Thomas’s Sunday Times bestseller, by director Haifaa al-Mansour, tells the story of a modern love triangle between the main character Violet Jones, a business-marketing hotshot afflicted by her obsessive type A personality. Throughout the film, we follow her dating life which is spiced with an all-consuming choice between two eligible bachelors. The first is Clint, the handsome young doctor, the other is Will, a widowed, salon owner and a single father with a daughter. The film does contain some cringeworthy moments including a sensual couples scalp-massage, aided by a blend of essential oils in front of a paradisiacal landscape. If you are expecting a cutting polemic accounting for the micro-aggressions on the black professional in a white environment this film may not be the one for you. The euphemism of the better-known trope ‘happily ever after’ that is clearly in the film’s title should have been a dead giveaway. For those who aren’t aware, the word nappy is a traditionally derogatory term for coarse and kinky afro hair. With this in mind, it’s fair to say that this arguably cheesy chick-
Photo by Netflix
flick has many redeeming qualities, mainly it’s universal message about the insufferable self-scrutiny that takes place within the narrow confines of our paranoid minds. It is easy to dismiss a film like this this as liberal fake-woke propaganda, patronising all women who choose to chemically straighten their hair, but I urge you not to switch off the screen as soon as Ray BLK’s Doing Me is played in the background of the opening credits. I’d like to remind the reader how unprecedented it is for an actress to shave her entire head for a role that doesn’t depict a heart-wrenching struggle with terminal illness. If leading lady Sanaa Lathan is willing to put this much faith into a film, then it is hard to disagree that this relatable journey to self-acceptance is a story well worth watching. The film is one of the newest projects from producer Marc Platt who is also responsible for blockbusters such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, La La Land, and Bridge of Spies, the latter two both securing Academy Award nominations. In light of this, ‘Nappily Ever After’ is no different from Platt’s outstanding portfolio of films combining noteworthy plotlines lightened up with impulsive moments of side-splitting humour. All the same, some of the film’s most memorable moments are scenes of supreme comedic value—one being a hairdressing disaster sparked by haphazardly mixed relaxer which becomes too corrosive. In a nutshell, Nappily Ever After is a witty subversion of the obsolete ‘happily ever after’ allegorical structure, reinforced with modern complexities and an outstanding all-black almost cast.
BHM
22
Entertainment
Games
Warframe: exciting sci-fi shooter expands E
By Alejandro Javierre Writer
3 2018 was a mixed bag. There were the usual monoliths of hype such as CD Projekt Red, with their new RPG giant ‘Cyberpunk 2077’, and the usual ‘disappointments’ including ‘Battlefield’ and ‘Call of Duty’ instalments and their almost part-in-parcel controversies. One of the better success stories of E3 this year wasn't a big budget megadeveloper or a multi-billion-pound industry front-runner, it was a small, Canadian game studio known primarily for a single, increasingly popular game called ‘Warframe.’ At its heart, Warframe is a thirdperson shooting game set in a sciencefiction future of the Solar System. Warframe revolves around missions, that can last from a few minutes to, theoretically, years. Players will at first, be introduced to a very rudimentary set of weapons, warframes, and features and will have to complete missions and progress through the ‘star chart’ and reach further out into the solar system to unlock new quests, warframes,
weapons, and features. These starchart missions will serve as the primary ground for where most missions will be
running in the game. The introduction last year of the possibility for open-world spaces on Earth and plans to introduce similar maps on Venus has opened up some variation to the regular mission styles, and a plethora of variations on the star chart missions creates an almost mindboggling amount of variation for any
amount of time, from a few minutes to several hours or even days of playing at a time (although playing longer than an hour at once is ill-advised). The sheer amount of content on offer in Warframe, however, can also lead to its demise. Digital Extreme’s Photo by Digital Extremes attempts to constantly innovate Waframe’s features had led to a structure that more resembles a wedding cake than a video game. Layers upon layers of features, with some being completely forgotten after their release. For newer players, the complexity of Warframe can be overwhelming and many have been turned away in the past
out of frustration. Despite its shortcomings, it is clear that Warframe has a very dedicated team of developers behind it and is a game that is constantly evolving. A few months ago, Warframe announced alongside its latest Open-world expansion and overhaul to the combat system, the Fortuna update, Warframe will be taken in a new radical direction. Digital Extremes announced a new spaceship-combat expansion to the game, named ‘Rail Jack’ that appears to represent an ambition rivalling anything the gaming industry giants have managed to create in years. This isn't the first time an ambitious foray into space has been announced, however, and the controversy of Hello Games and ‘No Man's Sky’ still has many sceptical of whether Digital Extremes has finally bitten off more than they can developmentally chew. Whichever new direction Warframe takes in the next year, the game is free, so why not give it a try?
Puzzles
Friday 12 October 2018 InQuire
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Sudoku Easy
Last Issues’s Crossword Answers Unfortunately, InQuire was unable to obtain the answers to the last edition’s crossword.
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Down 1. US TV series (2014-) featuring the characters of James Gordon and Bruce Wayne (6) 2. Sheets and pillowcases (3,5) 3/12. Oscar-winning 1988 drama film starring Tom Cruise and Valeria Golino (4,3) 4. Informally, a period of drinking at a pub after it has officially closed (4-2) 5. In various sports, a player usually with a defensive role (4-4) 6. The first existence of anything (6) 9. T’ai ___, a Chinese system of exercise and selfdefence (3) 13. Someone admitted to a secret society, for example (8) 14. Singer-songwriter and actor who plays ‘Britannica’ in the TV series GLOW (4,4) 15. In some universities, an extra-collegiate hall for 6
Travel permit Cafe
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students (6) 16. Kristina ___, Australian author whose works include Shell (2018) (6) 18. A shirt-like garment for women (6) 20. See 11 Across 21. A projecting part of a human body such as a leg or arm (4)
Fun & games Puzzles by Matthew Sapsed
Arrowword
Object
Lowprice (informal)
Record
Grave
Poison- Take bearing without snake right
Owns Acrobat bike
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Across 7. Mediterranean aromatic herb used in cooking (7) 8. An open sore on the skin (5) 10. In Greek mythology, the daughter of Zeus who was abducted by Paris (5) 11/20. BBC America TV series (2018-) starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh (7,3) 12. See 3 Down 13. Scottish author whose works include In a House of Lies (2018) (3,6) 15. Performance generally; creation; doing (9) 17. A small flap attached to something (3) 19. A class of things having some common qualities (7) 21. The jargon of a profession (5) 22. Any occurrence, especially a memorable one (5) 23. In chemistry, the diffusion of liquids through a semipermeable membrane (7) 1
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For our next edition, our puzzle creator will be back and the puzzle section will again be up-andrunning.
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Pain Back of the neck
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Simple Pale brownyellow colour Mildly obscene material
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Culture
Sonia Boyce: Speech Acts Exhibition
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onia Boyce is a spearhead for modern black artists in Britain, focusing on the Black Artists and Modernism programme (BAM) to produce something quite spectacular. Her goal is to bring the forgotten black artists of the mid to late 1900s to the forefront of modern art. She places them alongside the works of other well-known artists so they may garner the attention she feels they deserve. The Speech Acts Exhibition in the Manchester Art Gallery has reintroduced hidden artwork, from a plethora of collections across Britain, and placed them all in one space. In a BBC 4 documentary accompanying the work of Boyce, she claims she had found over 2,000 pieces in only 30 collections. The exhibition is a landmark celebration, dedicated to the artistic flair and talent of black artists, with personal favourites such as Lubaina Himid and Chris Ofili, whose works have been featured on the walls of the Manchester gallery. Boyce did not limit himself to the works of only black artists, but rather, wanted to put ‘lesser-known works’ (that had been viewed a certain way due to the context and biography of that time) alongside the ‘collection highlights’. Boyce reveals the role museums play in telling or supressing histories. Galleries that, for years, have held black artists’ masterpieces in storage to collect dust instead of giving black artists the opportunity to promote their work inside their walls, fail to preserve and celebrate those histories. Poignant works include Himid’s The Tailor (2010), a piece that promotes black identity with the them of pride in who you are. Himid captures this aura through the vibrant use of paint, inspired by West African textile design, and recreating it in a contemporary fashion. Himid was the first black female artist to win the 2017 Turner prize, and accredits her triumph largely to these series of paintings. Other works include Aubrey Williams’ emphatic Birth of Maridowa (1959), an intriguing and abstract acrylic on canvas painting, in which Williams recreates the moment his daughter was born. He makes full use of heavy brushstrokes and dashes of sharp colour to add passion and pride to the prestigious occasion, where he and his daughter are depicted as the central, powerful figures on the canvas. Regardless of the polemical challenges that Boyce has posed to the art world, she is a woman who seeks out the black artists being overlooked. She describes the recent state of affairs involving black artists and their work as ‘systematic discrimination in the art establishment’. It is clear now that the discourse of art history is changing, with influential organisations such as BAM promoting young black artists, as well as future exhibitions (such as Frank Bowling in Tate Britain, scheduled in 2019), which shows that there is finally a bright and promising approach for young emerging black artists in Britain. By James Thomas Writer
Inspiring Black poets
Arts
By Rachel Claxton Writer
T
hese five poets have all made incredible achievements in the field of l These five poets have all made incredible achievements in the field of literature. Their works educate readers on matters of racism and diversity, and while documenting some crucial historical black experiences.
racism in America during the 20th century. His literary works include a poem called ‘A Poem for Black Hearts’, it was written as a response to the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X and calls for America’s population of blacks to ‘quit stuttering and shuffling’ and to avenge his death. Baraka was at times known for being a controversial literary figure, with many suggesting that his poetry condoned violence and aggression; nonetheless, his passionate tone of voice can be appreciated, as it conveys and justifies his feelings of anger and Photo by Wikimedia Commons frustration towards racism.
• Maya Angelou She is famed for writing many poems and autobiographies about her experience as a black woman in America— her name is also synonymous with her contribution to the Civil Rights Movement that took place during the mid-20th century. ‘On the Pulse of the Morning’ is one of her most well-known poems, which she read at the first inauguration of President Bill Clinton in January 1993. Her audio recording of the poem won the 1994 Grammy Award in “The Best Spoken Word” category, resulting in her gaining more fame and worldwide recognition. The poem’s optimistic call for harmony and forgiveness, all made it easy to understand why it was such a well-received piece in black history.
• Rita Dove Contemporary poet and first AfricanAmerican poet to be appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Her poetry often focuses Photo by Wikimedia Commons on her heritage and experiences as a black woman. In her 1999 work ‘Rosa’, Dove reimagines Rosa Parks’ iconic refusal when asked to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Alabama, in the 1960s. Her choice to focus on such a key and fairly recent historical event, highlights the impact that the Civil Rights Movement has on the psyche of African-Americans today.
• Langston Hughes Hughes was another prolific poet of AfricanPhoto by Jack Delano | Flickr American descent, known • Benjamin for being a pioneer of the Harlem Zephaniah Renaissance movement in the 1920s. An acclaimed One of Hughes’ most British writer famous works is and dub ‘The Negro poet, born in Speaks of Birmingham Rivers’, a in 1958. poem that He aims to celebrates counteract the the heritage misconception Photo by David M. Morris | Flickr of Africanof poetry Americans being an outdated through its and boring choice of references entertainment, as his to rivers of performances are always bursting with energy. Photo by T. Carrigan | Flickr both Africa Zephaniah relocated to London early on in his and America. career with the hopes of reaching a diverse Written while Hughes was audience, rather than being a black poet who still a teenager, the work gave a voice to the black could only communicate with other black people. community during a period of terrible racial For example, ‘The British’, lists the various oppression. nationalities that essentially make up one, big British community, showing that his writing often • Amiri Baraka leans towards celebrating the ethnic He was well known for voicing his opposition to diversity of Britain.
BHM
Friday 12 September 2018
A South African Colouring Book
Jantjes pays homage to South Africa’s grapple with apartheid
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outh African painter, Gavin Jantjes’ ‘A South African Colouring Book’, is a collection of posters curated from old articles, photographs, and other primary sources of the apartheid era. His cleverly compiled portfolio resembles the style of a child’s colouring book, and ironically emphasises the fact that the ‘colour’ aspect of his design acts as a visual representation for racial discrimination. In 1948 South Africa experienced an onset of lethal austerity, spearheaded by a radical Afrikaner nationalist regime. The introduction of apartheid politics sought the complete abandonment of the imperialist policies practised by the previous government. Legislation from 1948 to 1994 demystified any confusion around the racial hierarchy of the South African body politic. Placing white workers at the top of the pecking order whilst restructuring the status of blacks to that of second-class citizens transformed the fabric of South African society. Any existing cracks within South African race relations underwent strenuous institutional pressures. This began by segregating public services, post offices, railways, and the heavy industry, as well as the eradication of trade unions and citizenships for native South Africans. This austere system of racial taxonomy infiltrated all aspects of daily life including residency and employment opportunities, which provoked a burgeoning opposition from non-whites towards the apartheid state. A Defiance Campaign later emerged in the 50s and was led by influential figures such as Nelson Mandela. Work stoppages and boycotts led by a resistance ended in thousands of protestors being wounded, incarcerated, or massacred by the police. Jantjes’ ‘Colour this Whites Only’ takes a historical approach to apartheid. He traced the outline of South African
Prime Minister, John Vorster, behind a portrait of Hitler. Overlaid towards the centre of the work is an excerpted
quote from Vorster: ‘You can call the anti-democratic principle Dictatorship if you wish. In Italy it is called Fascism,
in Germany, National Socialism, and in South Africa, Christian Nationalism’. Another poster called ‘Colour this Labour Dirt Cheap’, showcases a black woman on all fours, in an endless toil at what appears to be the dreariest levels of employment available. It is
accompanied by a section of Vorster’s speech made to Parliament in 1968, where he boldly affirms that: ‘It is true that there are blacks working for us. They will continue to work for us for Photos by Shani Thomas generations, in spite of the ideal we have to separate them completely. Surely we all know that? Under no circumstances can we grant
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Culture
By Shani Thomas Website Culture Editor them those political rights in our territory, neither now, nor ever’. The Prime Minister’s speech shows that the evolution of the apartheid was solely reliant on the regression of the personal liberties of native Africans. Jantjes’s techniques—using the colour white as the visual symbol for insidious bureaucracy and corrupt religious leanings, and the concept of ‘coloured’ as a symbol of conceptually free labour—makes it hard not to admire the artist’s acute ability to respectfully observe the victims of past racism, while simultaneously producing a scathing critique on the key frontmen of the apartheid state. ‘Colour these People Dead’, is another poster that is composed of two photographs which memorialise the catastrophic events that took place in Sharpeville. In the bottom photo men in uniform can be seen beating civilians to death. The photo above is of the aftermath, showing lifeless corpses sprawled across the town’s landscape, and embossed in block blue letters over the top image reads ‘DEAD’. The inhabitants of Sharpeville were predominantly black, and the town was previously known for its outstanding jazz and sports occasions. In 1960, peaceful demonstrations began outside of the town’s police station in reaction to the Pass Law. The new law stipulated that non-Europeans must carry documents as proof that they were allowed to be in the area. The policeforce’s uncalled for retaliation (which ended in a killing spree), even caught the attention of Western countries, who, through the UN, appealed to the South African government for an end to the regime. For more information, check out the MA curating students’: ‘Beyond the Barricade’ exhibition that is currently being held in Studio 3 of the Art Building.
BHM
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Culture
POETRY Broken mirrors By Ogo Anokwuru Writer
I wrote this poem when I felt as if my voice was being silenced by those around me I wrote this poem, aware of the stereotypes about black people To you, for you How many times do you look into the mirror? Maybe once twice, a couple of times? Well the times I gaze upon my reflection. I see on image of beauty absent of correction. The expression of my smile The manifestation of beauty in my kinks and coils. Yet there are times, you me and I gaze at a broken mirror Shattered by the projections of societal inflections. It’s like an infection that gets worse and worse As we compare and contrast Highlight and evaluate our inventions as to what is right and wrong Our symptoms are fuzzy eyes, blurred vision and lack of precision I bend and surrender to the equations of who I am meant to be. You add, subtract, divide and multiply my identity. My calculations of my personality are incorrect according to the average. I fall victim as I deviate from the mean girls. The lean girls. The keen girls. I fall victim as I am put in a black box of identity insurance. WELL I AM TIRED. Like mirrors identity is fragile and isn’t meant to be broken. I am not the portrait of my peers. I am not the replica of the regulars. I am not the carbon copy of the culture you see around you. Nor am I the duplicate of the of the diversity around you. I AM WHO I SAY I AM. Ethnic in nature. National by birth. And yes, I praise the melanin that covers my bones. I am more than the colour of my skin. I am made up to the elements within. I have image to perfect to gaze at through your broken mirror, As all that’ll be left is a glimmer of figure whose light is now dimmer because she can’t see the winner she truly is.
Chinua Achebe’s:
Books
Things Fall Apart
A
cornerstone in African literature, Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) is a two-part novel set in Nigeria. The story follows pre-colonial life of the Ibo tribe, which is eventually torn down and destroyed with the arrival of European missionaries. The first story is centred on the character of Okonkwo, a fearless warrior and leader of the clan. Despite being in a position of leadership, he is terribly violent and brutal and refuses to show any emotions in fear of being considered weak. This is a major flaw and eventually results in the downfall of his character. Achebe tells the story of African characters written from an African perspective. He presents the Ibo tribe, their own beliefs, tradition, and customs, as well as a political, judicial, and social structure that governs their community. The autonomy he gave to the tribe was a key point for Achebe. He dismissed the misconception that the people and culture of African natives were primitive and savage. Achebe notes that: ‘The popularity of Things Fall Apart in my own society can be explained simply, that this was the first time we were seeing ourselves as autonomous individuals, rather than half-people’. The second part of the novel then offers an African point of view on the invasion of colonial rule. Achebe shows the effects of British imperialism, and how
damaging it was to the natives as their entire world was being torn apart, both physically and culturally. Okonkwo urges his people to resist and fight, but they are ultimately overpowered by the colonial forces. The novel immerses its readers into the African culture and experience, so that when the society is invaded, the readers can easily grasp the destructive nature of colonialism. Achebe, however, does not deal in black and white morality, he shows aspects of violence and aggression from both the natives and the white missionaries. As the protagonist, Okonkwo is not likeable—he is essentially a bully, a misogynist who abuses his wives and is incapable of emotion. Achebe does not portray everyone in the African community as innocent and passive. There is brutality and inequality within both cultures, for example, the Ibo outcasts who are marginalized by their community and treated as subhuman. As a result of this alienation, the outcasts were one of the first people to convert to Christianity—the church and new religion acts as a safe haven welcoming those that had been shunned by their own people. Achebe makes the reader question the familiar narrative that the colonial rulers invariably bad and violent, and the natives as weak and innocent. The
By Paru Rai story is very Writer realistic, one that makes you question the protagonist of the story, and even the Ibo rituals and superstitions which can seem questionable to the modern reader. Despite the Ibo’s people’s initial resilience and fight, the colonial power was too strong, culminating in the disappearance of the Ibo spirit and community. Achebe takes a neutral standpoint, and in doing so, also highlights the truth about imperialism, which involved the horrific cultural genocide of the native African people. ‘The white man has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart’. By the end, the reader can have sympathy for Okonkwo, despite his awful character, because his whole world is turned upside down as he witnesses his people and community being taken over by the colonial powers. At a time where we celebrate and commemorate the contributions and achievements of Black people, this book stands out and should be revisited to remind us of the significance of Achebe’s courage in writing from the African perspective. Literature and books help us understand the past, and this book is revolutionary in understanding the brutalities of colonialism with great insight into the African culture and people.
Toni Morrison’s: Beloved I
t is obvious why, after reading Toni Morrison’s Beloved, she is considered one of the most influential authors of the late twentieth century. Inspired by the true story of Margret Garner, Beloved follows the life of Sethe, an AfricanAmerican woman who manages to escape slavery and move to the free state of Ohio. Although the novel is primarily set in 1873, after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, one of the most interesting things about it is the constant flashbacks to Sethe’s life and the shocking abuse she and her fellow slaves were forced to endure. Morrison continuously describes the exploitation of the slaves on the ‘Sweet Home’ plantation, with explicit details of their treatment that create a powerful and long-standing impression on her readers. In an interview, Morrison talks about her motivation for writing and why she purposely does not spare any details when it comes to describing the racism and slavery in Beloved. She believes that for years, literature has barely touched
the surface of slavery, and has skipped over the traumatic nature of AfricanAmerican exploitation. Morrison says that ‘no one is going to remember that it wasn’t always beautiful’. A key character within the novel is Denver, Sethe’s daughter. The reader is shown that
‘Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined’. although slavery is illegal whilst Denver is growing up, racism heavily existed in their society, causing even innocent children hardship. Beloved also pays tribute to the psychological effects that freed slaves had to endure. The dreadful things that happened to Sethe, and the awful acts she committed during her time as a slave, quite literally come back to haunt
both her By Olivia Warr and her Writer family in the form of a woman named Beloved. Morrison captivates her readers by toying with the boundary between psychological and supernatural. The novel follows the lives and history of four major characters, Sethe, Denver, Paul D, and Beloved, all whose lives have felt both the first and second-hand effects of slavery. Beloved is a piece that encompasses the devastating impact that slavery had on its victims, their families, and the importance of family and community. In 1988, Beloved won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which comes as no surprise, as it’s use of experimental text, harrowing imagery, and captivating characters is brilliantly executed. Beloved is a dramatic novel that emphasises the disturbing nature of racism, whilst paying tribute to the ‘Sixty million and more’ victims of slavery. Toni Morrison is a spectacular author, and this is undoubtedly demonstrated in Beloved.
BHM
Friday 12 October 2018
Fiction
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Culture
InQuire interviews
Valerie Bloom Poet, novelist, and University of Kent alumna
I
nQuire spoke to Jamaica-born British poet, novelist, writer and, former Kent alumna, Valerie Bloom about her career and her experience as a student at the University of Kent. Q1. You came from Jamaica to the U.K. to study. Why did you choose to study at the University of Kent and what did you study for your degree? I studied English with African and Caribbean studies and I chose the University of Kent because that was the course I wanted to do and Kent was one of the only universities at the time doing that course. I didn’t actually come to England to study, to be honest. I came because I had done a teacher’s training diploma in Jamaica and I came over because my husband, who lived in Jamaica, came back to England so I came with him. And then I did a degree in Kent. Q2. Did studying at Kent help you kickstart your writing career? No, actually. I started writing from the time I was in Jamaica, so when I was at Kent my first book had already been published. Some of my friends were actually reading my book as part of their studies. What really helped was that there were other writers on the course. There was Fred D’Aguiar and Sandra Agard. We had a little writing group which was quite useful. I certainly made my time at Kent memorable. Q3. Did you feel part of the AfroCaribbean community in the U.K. when you moved here? Were there many other Black students at the University of Kent at the time? I moved here and went to Manchester and then I was part of the church community because I’m an Adventist. There was a big African-Caribbean, mainly Caribbean, community in the church. So that was part of my community. I was asked by some people, who had come over in the 40s and 50s, to join a folk singing group, but they had forgotten the songs. When they found out that I had come from Jamaica they asked if I would help them to relearn the songs; and in a little while, they were singing all over the country and I would sometimes go with them. So, I did feel part of a community.
Q4. With the Grenfell tower fire last year and the Windrush scandal, do you feel it is the responsibility of the Black British writer to talk about these things? Well, I think it’s the responsibly of
want to be politicians. One of my favourite short poems is by a South Asian writer who said: ‘don’t ask me for a message, I’m a writer not a postman.’ Political statements don’t make the
Photo by Valerie Bloom everybody to talk about injustice in any sense and not necessarily Black writers as such. As someone said: ‘the only way for evil to carry on is if good men do nothing’. I think it’s our responsibility to speak out when injustice happens. At the same time, we don’t tell a plumber or doctor how to do their job, and we don’t tell white writers to talk about this. Writers become writers because they want to write, not because they
best poems or stories. Writers write best when they see the details in things. I just discovered a poem I’d written years ago about Windrush, which could have been written today because the situation is the same now as it was then. I wrote that because I felt strongly about it. But if you asked me to write about something because you feel I should write about it, I’m not necessarily going to do the best. Everybody should talk
By Emmanuel Omodeinde Newspaper Entertainment Editor
about these things, but we shouldn’t say to a writer to do this because that’s not their job. Q5. Do you feel much has changed in the publishing industry since you began your career in 1983 and today? Quite a lot. For one thing, the internet has given writers a bigger platform so they can self-publish or publish online. There are more small presses coming up so that people without the same access to big publishers have a means of publishing their work. Often people who start with small presses or online are picked up by big publishers once they become famous. Q6. Do you feel like the current trend of diversity in publishing is simply another way to generate profit for publishers or do you think genuine change is being made in the industry? We have to admit that publishers are there to make money. They will often take up someone they wouldn’t have taken up before, once they see that they are successful. Q7. You’ve written many children’s books. A recent study by the CLPE has shown that only 4% of children’s books feature a BAME character. Have you personally faced any issue in getting a children’s book published more than three decades into your career? I haven’t personally experienced any hardship in publishing. In fact, I’ve been very blessed. Though I’m not good at self-promotion, publishers often ask me to write books, apart from my first one—which I sent to Bogle-L’Ouverture and they immediately said they would publish. Macmillan published my book Fruits and I didn’t know this until I read this in a report in the Guardian, but they had problems selling the book in Europe because it had a Black character. But they persevered and published it in a publishing imprint in America and it’s never been out of print. If a book has a Black characters it is hard for them to sell in Europe, that’s probably one of the reasons why there are so few Black writers being published, they just aren’t selling Europe.
BHM
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Black and Powerful
Friday 12 October 2018 InQuire
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Science and Technology
The man who mends women by Emma Leach Science & Technology Editor
Warning: Graphic Content
‘I would have liked to say, “I have the honour of representing my country,” but I cannot. In effect, how can one be proud of belonging to a nation without defence, fighting itself, completely pillaged and powerless in the face of 500,000 of its girls raped over 16 years. 6,000,000 of its sons and daughters killed over 16 years, without any lasting solution in sight. No, I do not have the honour, nor the privilege to be here today. My heart is heavy.’
T
hese are the words of Dr Denis Mukwege, spoken to the United Nations in September 2012. An entreaty to the international community to pay attention. One month later an attempt was made on his life. Five gunmen held his two daughters hostage at his home in Bukavu, South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and lay in wait for him to return home. On his arrival he was forced out of his vehicle by one of the gunmen. Jeff, a friend and employee of Dr Mukwege intervened and was shot twice, Dr Mukwege threw himself to the ground,
avoiding gunshots before the gunmen fled in his car. Thankfully Dr Mukwege survived the attempt on his life, tragically Jeff did not. The motives of the attack are still not known to this day, however a number of theories have been postulated. Dr Mukwege has often angered the Government of the DRC with his vocal criticisms and calls for justice for victims of sex crimes, his words to the United Nations may have been the final straw leading to the assassination attempt. Equally, he may have enemies in bordering Rwanda, for speaking out against their alleged role in the conflict in Eastern DRC. Dr Mukwege is not primarily a political activist, he is in fact a gynaecological surgeon, and founder of the Panzi hospital. He decided to become a doctor after seeing the sick people that his father, a Pentecostal minister, prayed for. After studying at medical school in Burundi, he decided to specialise in gynaecology at the University of Angers, France, due to the complications he saw in patients from his time working as a paediatrician in Lemera. In 1999, Dr Mukwege founded the Panzi hospital in Bukavu, it is here that
he developed his surgical speciality, reconstructive surgery for rape victims. His very first patient at Panzi hospital was a survivor of a brutal gang rape, he is now considered the world leader in fistula repair. Fistulas arise when the insides of the women are torn, leading to passages forming between the urogenital and digestive tracts, causing incontinence. Rape has always been a war tactic, but the DRC has become the world capital for weaponised sexual violence. A paper published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2011 estimated that 48 women are raped every hour in the DRC. This is certainly a gross underestimate due to limitations of the paper, the results were only based on reported rapes among women aged between 15 and 49. Dr Mukwege frequently treats women outside of this age range, his youngest patient was six months old. Equally, many women do not report their attacks as it is taboo, fearing the social consequences. It is not just the statistics that are shocking, but the brutality of the acts themselves. Rape in the DRC is used as a war tactic as much as it is sexual gratification for the perpetrator. Rebel groups and Government backed soldiers alike will publicly rape the women in an area to gain control of the land by intimidation and humiliation - 80% of rapes in the South Kivu region are gang rapes. The women are often tortured and mutilated. Some are raped with sticks, knives, bayonets and other foreign objects, some have their genitals burned or doused in acid, some are shot in the vagina once they have been raped. In a country where even the United Nations peacekeepers have been accused of rape and sexual exploitation, there are few places for women to feel safe. That is why Dr Mukwege has become so important, and why he is sometimes known as ‘the man who mends women’. His Panzi hospital treats even the most desperate of cases that walk through the door, regardless of whether they have the money to pay. The hospital team have treated in excess of 40,000 rape victims since
Photo by European Union 2014 - European Parliament | Flickr
opening their doors, with Dr Mukwege personally seeing up to 20 patients a day. Many women have been treated multiple times, with some being raped again mere days after returning to their homes, though many do not have a chance for full recovery. The treatment does not end with the surgery, the hospital also provides psychological support, job training and legal assistance for the women under their care. Dr Mukwege has increasingly become a voice for the oppressed and vulnerable women he has cared for. He campaigns tirelessly for an end of impunity for the perpetrators, and is not afraid to criticise those in power. His courageous efforts have landed him numerous accolades including the UN Human Rights prize, the Seoul Peace Prize and an Honorary degree from Harvard University. During the writing of this article he was finally jointly awarded the Nobel Peace prize, after 10 years of repeated nominations. While the international community has recognised his colossal efforts, raising his head above the parapet and speaking up in a country wrought with political, social, and economic strife has made him a target. His work far from done, Dr Mukewege returned to the DRC in January 2013, after his assassination attempt, and there he has remained treating his patients when he is not speaking up on their behalf all across the world. He gained a hero’s welcome, with some of his patients funding his return flight to the country. To many thousands of women in the DRC, Dr Mukwege is not just a doctor, or a teacher, or a mentor. He is a voice for the voiceless. Despite everything he has seen, experienced, and endured, Dr Mukwege ended his UN address with a rallying cry of hope. It is clear that this is not a man who will easily be silenced. Maybe now he has won the Nobel Peace prize, more people will listen.
‘We cannot silence the truth as it is persistent. We should rather confront it to avoid betraying our ideals. I have the honour to say that the courage of women victims of sexual violence in the Eastern Congo will in the end overcome this evil. Help them restore peace!’
BHM
Friday 12 October 2018 InQuire 31
What’s on... Yardie 5th -13th Oct 2018 The Seagull 12th -21st Oct 2018 Reinventing Marvin 13th Oct 2018
The Believers are but Brothers
Puzzle 14th -19th oct 2018 Trainspotting 16th Oct 2018 The House with a Clock in its Walls 20th Oct 2018 King of Thieves 20th - 26th Oct 2018 Untold Stories: A History of Black People in Kent 22nd oct 2018 The Happytime Murders 23rd Oct 2018 Funny Girl 24th Oct 2018 Coraline 27th Oct 2018 The Rider 27th Oct 2018 The Little Stranger 27th-31st Oct 2018 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 28th Oct 2018 The Predator 30th Oct 2018 Human Flow 2nd Nov 2018 Vertigo 13th Nov 2018
Prices Full - £8.50 GulbCard Member - £6.50 Senior - £7.50 Registered Disabled - £7.50 Student - £5.30 Student GulbCard Member - £4.30 Unemployed - £7.50
Photo by The Gulbenkian
W
riter and theatre maker Javaad Alipoor presents his 2017 Scotsman Fringe First Award winning, 2018 Stage Award nominated and Total Theatre Award Nominated show. Photo by The Gulbenkian
An electronic maze of fantasists, meme culture, 4chan, the alt-right and ISIS. We live in a time where old orders are collapsing: from the postcolonial nation states of the Middle East, to
the EU and the American election. Through it all, tech savvy and extremist groups rip up political certainties. Amidst this, a generation of young men find themselves burning with resentment. This bold one-man show explores the smoke and mirrors world of online extremism, anonymity and hate speech. Javaad Alipoor is Resident Associate Director at Sheffield Theatres, and an Associate Director of Theatre in the Mill. Javaad’s work comes from discussions and workshops with communities that don’t usually engage with mainstream theatre. In The Believers Are But Brothers, Javaad explores the smoke and mirrors world of online extremism, anonymity and hate speech. Showing: Tue 16 Oct, 7:30pm & Wed 17 Oct, 7:30pm
Adam Hills
Best Foot Forward J
oin Adam Hills as he comedians in the UK. He reads some selected was also the host of the chapters of his bestAustralian hit show Spicks selling autobiography and Specks which ran for Best Foot Forward, which 277 episodes, as well as his is a hilarious and honest own Australian talk show, collection of stories, Adam Hills Tonight. With thoughts, and tales of a 16 solo shows that have life in comedy. It will be a toured internationally, his special evening of standcombination of positive, up and anecdotes, with uplifting comedy and copies of the book available rampant spontaneity has to purchase after the seen him receive a swag of performance. awards, glowing reviews Host of the Broadcast and a legion of fans around and RTS award winning the planet. Channel 4 series The Showing: Sun 7th Oct, 7:30pm Last Leg, Adam Hills is one of the most popular
Sport
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World Cup winner France shows the strength of diversity By Joe Acklam Writer
O
f all the pre-tournament favourites for this summer’s World Cup in Russia, only one of them managed to live up to the hype. For all their star quality and talk of avenging their heartache on home soil of four years ago, Brazil came up short and failed to really dazzle; Spain suffered from managerial drama just days before the tournament began and then passed their way into an early exit to the hosts; and Germany had internal divisions in their squad, which were widened by talk of the foreign heritage of players like Mesut Özil and İlkay Gündoğan, before succumbing to the curse of the reigning champion by exiting after the group stage. But it was the team that really accepted their diversity that took home the Jules Rimet trophy. The French side that travelled to Russia included a whole
host of players from different backgrounds. Of the 23-man squad that took part in the tournament, 14 have roots outside of France, most of them hailing from former parts of the French Empire in Africa. These players made a huge
right, N’Golo Kante, and Kylian Mbappe, below) having direct links outside of France. The ability of the Les Bleus to blend their backgrounds to form a cohesive unit was a key to their success this summer and set them apart from others, like the aforementioned Germany, in celebrating their diverse heritage and helping to strengthen the feeling of unity back home. Their success has spread even further than the sporting realm. Forward Kylian Mbappe, along with ex Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and former Balon d’Or winner and current Liberian president George Weah, met with French president Emmanuel Macron about France committing €15 Photo by Wikimedia Commons million to sporting projects in Africa. And contribution in Russia, with six it seems that that would be of the starting line-up in the much to their benefit, given final against Croatia (Samuel the quality of players that they Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez, are currently receiving through Blaise Matuidi, Paul Pogba, migration from around the
Black leadership Continued from Front Page
narcissistically consumed by its own patriotism, the ridiculous response, fuelled by President Trump, to a black man attempting to raise black issues by using his profile, said everything about how race functions in the West. We all pat ourselves on the back for how ostensibly progressive our societies are, before lashing out when real problems are dragged into the mainstream. Kaepernick has led the way in an age of black athletes who refuse to be silenced. There are those who make the halfbaked claim he had no right to bring politics into the sporting arena, an argument that falls apart when one considers that
arguably the greatest, and most beloved, black sportsman of all time is Muhammad Ali, a man who was inherently political and didn’t attempt to separate the game from his beliefs.
was, for a couple of decades, one of the most famous and recognisable men in the world. Serena Williams has cited Ali as a personal inspiration of hers, and in many ways, she has embodied his fighting spirit on the tennis court through
globe. The England national team can also take heart in this process, with players like Raheem Sterling, who has Jamaican heritage, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, whose father is Guyanese, also demonstrable successes of this global migration story. Even a player like Crystal Palace star Wilfred Zaha, who committed to play for Ivory Coast in November 2016, made two senior appearances for England as well as for both the under-19s and under-21s. Many of the world cup winning under-17 and under-20 sides are eligible
Photo by Wikipedia her lengthy and illustrious career. But it is a career that, through little fault of Williams, has been blighted by several controversies, and she has been victim to such a long string of regrettable and incorrect refereeing decisions that
Ali led multiple generations based on his fighting ability, his irrepressible confidence and his larger-than-life personality. Just through merely existing, he destroyed decades of detestable stereotypes prevalent in 20th Century America that painted black men as illiterate, lazy, and strains on the state. In complete contrast, he was a wordsmith, often dazzling reporters with his meticulous use of the English language, he was a workaholic and he
to feature for a host of African nations, should they choose to. Thus, England could hope to challenge France one day, with a catalogue of migrant players flying their flag. Aside from the obvious quality of players like the aforementioned Pogba and Mbappe, players of their ilk are of greater significance than the sport that they play. They become images of a grander purpose, by showing young people from diverse backgrounds that there is no barrier to them being able to be successful in the sport they love.
Photo by Wikipedia
eventually it becomes difficult to call it all a coincidence. Leadership, however, a characteristic Williams exemplifies, means battling through all sorts of injustice, whether it’s on or off the court Leadership is about being a trailblazer in one’s respective field and being unafraid to challenge uncomfortable truths or orthodoxies. Whether it’s Usain Bolt and his audacious personality scooping up medal after medal; Chris Hughton continuing to thrive in a field that, for whatever reason, continues to struggle with diversity; or Jesse Owens dismantling an entire racist ideology in the course of an afternoon, we can only sit back and celebrate a growing history of black sportspeople who were never taught to take no for an answer.
Friday 12 October 2018 InQuire
How to ace sports trials By Meg Warwick Website Sports Editor
I
t is the time of the year for those trying out for a sports team—trials. As a captain of a Lacrosse team myself, I’m here to give you the essentials that captains are searching for when picking out students for their teams. You’ll be surprised to see it’s not all about talent. Read on to find out how to ace trials.
to feedback and take on board exactly what is being asked of them. Being excited to train will go a long way.
training, then there’s little to no chance of making the team. In order to be a part of a team, you’ve not only got to attend trainings and attend matches, but you’ve got to go the extra
Skills It may not come as a surprise, but skills are top of the list. This is based mostly on ability, but can also be on how well you’ve listened to feedback and improved your own skills. How good you are at the sport does play a crucial part in getting into a team (although not the only thing, so do not fret). Enthusiasm As a captain, the most important thing for me is how enthusiastic a player is. This can be based on: support of other team members, how much an individual shows their love of the sport, or even if an individual is happy to listen
want to improve on. Being keen is no longer ‘lame’, but essential to impressing a captain. Drive It is all good being great at ball/
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‘eyes on the prize’ fits in well here. Although winning isn’t everything, you’ve got to strive to play your best. Team Work The best part of sport is that everyone becomes a family. You bond in ways no one else can. But, you might not always get on with everyone on your team. This shouldn’t matter, you should love your sport enough to be able to be professional. A team sticks together through thick and thin. You might want to go for goal, but no one likes a glory hunter. If you treat your team with respect, they will give you respect back.
Fitness I hear the groans from all around, but it is an incredibly important part of sport. I’m not saying you have to be super fast, but running out of breath at the first bit of movement won’t help. Hit the gym, skip those unhealthy snacks, Photo by Kent Sport | Facebook eat three solid meals a day and your body will stick skills, but if you don’t have thank you. Although sports that desire to claim the ball teams are known for drinking, as your own, then you’ll never those who master sport know master the sport. The saying their limits. Find them.
Commitment This one is huge. No matter how good or respectful a player is, if they do not turning up for
mile. Watch matches that you’re not actually playing in, take notes after training, ask for assistance with anything you
and I saw one guy playing that was 3 years above me. In my eyes I thought he was so good that I wanted to learn how to play, he also lived right next to me, so we’d go to the park and he’d teach me.
* England U16 Team * London regionals U16 * South East Regional U19 * Came runners up in the ABL * Most improved player (2015, 2016) * Was invited to train overseas with Pro team Alba Berlin and Bayer Giants * Won East Kent Cup * Runners Up in East Kent League * Promoted in National Photo by Kent Sport| Facebook League * All Time of made three
Black sportsman to watch at UKC By Kiro Evans Newspaper Sports Editor
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ame: Jason Appiah-Binfoh
Sporting Nickname(s): Jloading, Nate Robinson, Mr Fourth Quarter Degree: Sports and Exercise Science Sport(s) you play: Basketball When did you first get into it? I first got into Basketball when I just started secondary school
Achievements? * Won the Bexley League from Year 7-11 * Won the Kent Cup 3 times in a row in secondary school * Came runners up in London Youth Games in Year 9
pointers and assists * On a Sports Scholarship * Most Valuable Player (MVP) Goals for the future: * Play Professional Basketball in Germany * Take care of my family * Invest and save in properties * Go to Ghana and build an academy for school and Basketball * Give back to the society * Be a role model; an inspiration to the younger generation * Keep Aiming to the top Sporting Hero(s): Isaiah Thomas and Nate Robinson
Sport www.InQuireLive.co.uk/sport
Black and Powerful
InQuire
Celebrating Black Sports Leaders By Kiro Evans Newspaper Sports Editor
S
port and politics are inseparable. It is a truth we choose not to acknowledge under the pretence that sport is too innocent for politics and politics too cynical for sport; but they are in many ways one and the same. When the topics of race and blackness elbow their way into either industry the results are remarkably similar: initial disdain, disdainful reluctance, reluctant acceptance, and now accepting celebration. Black sportsmen and women have rarely flourished as much as they have today. We have arrived here as a society—with the proviso that there is still a long way to go—via a catalogue of historical and modern-day black sporting heroes who have knocked on doors and, upon being refused entry, smashed them open in joyful defiance. They have led the way and continue to inspire new generations of athletes from minority backgrounds who, not too long ago in this country and abroad, would have been ridiculed, shunned, or ignored. Times are changing, and it’s all down to the amazing athletes who have led the way. Sport, just like everything else, is often in conversation with the past. This much was clear two weeks ago, when the boxer, Anthony
Joshua, thundered his way past the stubborn Alexander Povetkin and succeeded in defending his IBF, WBO, and WBA titles. Although boxing is an individual sport, Joshua has still regularly demonstrated his own brand of leadership from the respectful attitude he has toward opponents, to the way he carries himself outside of the ring, and the clear role model he is becoming for children who wish to enter competitive sport. The statistics speak for themselves: with 22 victories, 21 won by knockout, AJ has now defended a title 6 times. At the same point in their careers, Wladimir Klitschko, Lennox Lewis, and Mike Tyson were still chasing their first title. Joshua’s achievements at this stage are impressive but it has not come without hardships. He was denied the opportunity to fight for his parent’s country of Nigeria after the sporting officials deemed him not good enough for the 2008 games, and since competing for Britain, Joshua has become emblematic of the sporting diaspora that must wield and uphold two identities lest they run into trouble. It parallels Frank Bruno’s experience. After a fight with Lennox Lewis in the famed ‘Battle of Britain’ in 1993, Bruno felt compelled to repeatedly assert ‘I’m not an Uncle Tom’, following the pre-match furore concerning his identity and, indeed,
Lewis’ Britishness. To be black and British means one’s identity and supposed loyalty will always be in question and you can either answer it off the field like Bruno and Lewis or on the field, like the now late Cyrille Regis. He died in January of this year after being a trailblazer for black men in football, spending much of his career subjected to racist abuse from the stands, as was common at the time. What was so special about Regis, and what demonstrated his leadership throughout his 19-year career, was his cool head and his ability to be so brilliant despite the rampant discrimination he faced. It is not always possible to overtly avoid the politics that come with being black in sport, especially in America where racism has always flourished in a far less subtle way. Indeed, the issue of police killing unarmed black men has been high on the agenda for several years and when Colin Kaepernick, the American football player, tried to bring some public attention to the issue by kneeling during the national anthem, he faced such a tremendous backlash that he was quickly driven out of the sport. It was an extraordinary act of leadership and an equally extraordinary reaction. Even for a country so Continued on Sports Page 1
Photo by Flickr
Continued on Sports Page 1
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