Karl White

BLACK STUDENTS CAUGHT BETWEEN THE UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR

By Pa Modou Faal

Thousands of international African students were trapped at the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia crisis. Many of the students experienced not only the hardships of war, but the fear of racist attacks on their way to escape while stranded between Ukrainian cities and neighbouring countries like Poland. Since the war began, hundreds of foreign students, most of them from India and Africa, have been stranded in the Ukrainian university towns and cities. More than 500 international students have been trapped in Sumy, a city 40 kilometres from Ukraine’s north-eastern border that had been bombed. As fighting around many of Ukraine’s major war-torn cities intensifies due to Russian artillery and rocket fire, authorities across Eastern Europe are scrambling to take in the growing wave of refugees. Ukraine which was meant to be a cheaper alternative to training than in Western Europe or the United States, became a war zone overnight as Russia launched Europe’s largest invasion of another country since World War II. Before the conflict, thousands of foreign students were studying in Ukraine, attracted by the low cost of tuition and living, as well as the legacy of close ties between the Soviet Union and developing countries, especially in Africa. Africans make up more than 20% of foreign students. Nigerians make up the second largest group of international students in Ukraine with more than 4,000 students. Morocco, Nigeria and Egypt are among the top ten countries with over 16,000 students, according to these African students were studying medicine, engineering and other technical fields. At the Medyka pedestrian crossing in Poland, refugees from various countries - Africa, the Middle East and India - were seen, mostly students, fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. Most African students said trying to leave Ukraine was like a “squid game”, with Ukrainians and Europeans having the top priority, Indians and Middle Easterners in the middle, and Africans at the bottom of the urgency list. All foreigners, including Africans, had been ordered to travel to Medyka Junction from Ukraine to Poland. At the border crossing points, Ukrainians are always allowed free passage first before others. The African Union and other African countries reacted to the racial outcry from their nationals by issuing statements reiterating media and institutional reports that Africans are singled out for unacceptable dissimilar treatment which they described as shockingly racist and in breach of international law. The African Studies Association also issued a statement condemning the discriminatory treatment meted out to African students trying to flee the conflict. The statement also condemned actions by immigration officials in some neighbouring countries reportedly preventing African refugees from entering their respective countries.

KARL WHITE: PEACE & LOVE AMBASSADOR DIED WITH A LEGACY - By Pa Modou Faal

The Community of Meadows and Nottingham at large mourn the death of a great youth worker and community peace champion. Karl White, who was known by many as “Mr. Meadows” met his untimely death to the Coronavirus on December 26th, 2021. Since his passing, tributes have been flooding in through the media for his work. Karl who dedicated his life to helping others especially within the community of The Meadows where he lived, worked for the council for 32 years until 2016 when he retired. Even after his retirement, he continued to organise football for local children and having previously formed the local football team FC Cavaliers, Karl did not retire from volunteering in youth development and mentorship. He had helped shape lives of many young people and The Meadows was a better place with him. For young Black people, Karl touched their hearts through sports, pioneering grassroot football, promoting diversity and instilling love and respect to them as a way of life. He was a champion of peace who preached against crime and violence, and inculcated culture in them. Karl who moved into Nottingham from Jamaica in 1968, used his experience as a Black man growing up through difficult times of injustices to inspire others. This served as the benchmark for the man who transformed resentment into peace and love and later documented it in his book, ‘My Journey: Four Decades of Transition’.