Sounds of Lockdown

By Jaya Gordon-Moore

We are excited to announce the release of the Sounds of the Lockdown podcast, a journey through sound and music created by Parmjit Sagoo, Jaya Gordon-Moore, Craig Hill (Rap name: C.A.S.E), Daud Xiddig and Dom Hubner.

In 2020, musician Jaya Gordon-Moore and creative practitioner Parmjit Sagoo worked with three young musicians – Craig, Daud and Dom – to create a podcast that reflects on their experiences of the past year. They used creative activities, writing, spoken word, music, rap and sampling to create individual and collective audio pieces. Sounds of the Lockdown opened up a space to talk about the challenges of life during the Covid-19 pandemic, including mental health impacts, and shared personal stories and reflections. The project also provided a creative outlet and led to new collaborations and the podcast amplifies young talent.

The project has been developed as a collaboration between Primary, Fearless Youth Association and FMB Radio

Finding our sounds and reflecting on lockdown

The aim of the project was to give young people interested in creativity and sound an opportunity to get involved in creative avenues, develop their skills and elevate their voices. To do this, we offered several workshops over around 12 weeks, both faceto-face and via zoom. Each workshop was focused on a different element of sound, from looking at sound technology and learning how to record sound, to writing and sound scaping. The end goal of this project was to produce a podcast exhibiting all of the sounds we create compiled.

As we all got to know each other more and developed are ideas further, it was clear that reflecting on lockdown was actually more like reflecting on life over the past year. The group all agreed that lockdown had impacted each and every aspect of our lives. It was interesting to see how the podcast became very introspective, and more of a reflection of identity, masculinity and mental health.

Throughout the podcast, you can hear sounds of news stories, voices of confusion and hopelessness, juxtaposed against sounds of nature, togetherness and hopefulness. It was clear that Craig, Daud and Dom all felt that lockdown was a chance for us to think about

ourselves, what is important to us, and the kind of society we want to be in.

We all know that lockdown has been a really tense and difficult time for people across society but young people in particular, with the future seeming more unpredictable than ever. We also know how much creative avenues can be helpful in not only reflecting on this, but to connect and empower people. Additionally, this project was youth-focused, and so could really help bridge the ever-growing gap between not only everyone as individuals throughout lockdown, but the younger generation and the older generation. It could help to show how beneficial creative projects are for wellbeing, social cohesion, and overall understanding. It was great seeing how much the boys’ skills and confidence developed over the weeks, such as with Craig, now working on a young people’s album project in Nottingham with Community Recording Studios (CRS Notts).

Parmjit Sagoo has worked as a creative practitioner and community arts specialist for over 18 years, with extensive experience of working within a wide range of community, arts, and education settings. Her unique approach weaves together drama, story-making, story-telling, creative movement, conversation, and yoga. Through integrating these practices, Parmjit facilitates safe yet dynamic spaces, enabling exploration, imagination, collaboration, and connection.

Parmjit investigates how these creative processes can become pathways to personal and collective transformation and wellbeing, constantly exploring the potential of the arts and yogic practices to heal, empower and build resilience. Website Jaya Gordon-Moore (Stage name: JayaHadADream) is a female independent rapper, singer, and producer from Cambridge now based in Nottingham. After studying her degree in Sociology at the University Of Nottingham, she now works full time as a creative at Fearless Youth Association and on a number of freelancing projects across the community. Jaya strives to incorporate elements of social justice commentary into her music, particularly around Race, Gender, Identity Politics and Wellbeing, maintaining a current yet unique sound. Website

To find out more about the projects and opportunities we run at Fearless Youth Association, go to: www. fyaonline.com

Listen to Sounds Of Lockdown

The Sounds Of Lockdown podcast will be available from 26th March 4pm on several platforms:

Soundcloud Spotify

The podcast will also be airing live on FMB Radio every Friday from 26th March, 6-7pm

Credits: Sound production by Alex Rooz Image by Honey Moore

KIERAN’S AND FELIX’S SPORTS SHOW

By Kierran Murray and Felix Rowland

Radio Hosts: Kieran Murray and Felix Rowland

Air Time: 6PM on Saturdays (around 20-30 minutes long)

The Sports show gives insight into some of the more complex and under-represented sides of sport and their issues and discusses how various social issues are integrated into sport as a whole.

Examples of this are our discussions on mental health and its stigma in sport and the failings in various sports to achieve racial diversity, both at high levels and in the administrative bodies in sport, and in an early episode addressing diversity in sport we focused on the differing treatment of black and white footballers in the media and the lack of diversity in the Football Association for instance.

While sport is a great entertainer for those who follow professional sport, we can easily become disconnected with the abstract world of high level sport that we see from the outside and not notice the human issues athletes suffer through, as well as the failings in many sports to protect athletes from social issues such as racism and homophobia.

With this in mind we’ve discussed both the effects of sport (and lockdown) on mental health and the lack of mental health support in sport. Although more noticeable in high level sports and how they’re marketed, at all levels sports maintain a macho ‘dressing room culture’ making it difficult to speak out about mental health in a sporting environment and causing many athletes to feel trapped in their jobs with no help around them.

Fortunately, there are a handful of people we’ve covered paving the way to improve the environment in sport both in terms of reducing racial discrimination and in supporting athlete’s mental health, such as Raheem Sterling, who has stood up against the clear bias against black athletes many tabloids maintain and tried to inspire younger athletes to stand against this system that all too often holds them back.

Similarly, Tyson Fury has opened up to the world about his mental health struggles following the peak of his career and despite working in the sometimes toxic environment of boxing, he has shown his vulnerable side while fighting at the highest level, trying to redefine what it is to be ‘masculine’ into something more positive.

We cover these crucial topics and look at sport from a different perspective in our show, putting the industry as a whole under the microscope rather than debating about players or other more standard sporting themes.

Read More: shorturl.at/vwDJ2

INTERVIEW WITH NERGIZ KURDISH WOMEN’S GROUP

By Joseph Hughes

The Nergiz Kurdish Women’s Group are an advocacy organisation, based in Nottingham, who support Kurdish women in the community. Our Managing Editor, Pa Modou Faal, caught up with a few members of the group to see how they’ve been coping during the coronavirus pandemic.

What role does your organisation play in community support?

The Nergiz Kurdish Women’s Group (NKWG) help Kurdish women in employment, educational courses and training; we do anything that will help make Kurdish women more independent and help them stand on their own feet. We also help asylum seekers get access to translation services, and support them through the accommodation process, as well as work with local foodbanks to improve the welfare of the most vulnerable in Nottingham.

During the last year, we’ve hosted activities online for mothers and children to combat loneliness and to bring the community closer together. We’ve also had the opportunity to run computer literacy training through the Nottingham Community Centre which our team and other members of the group completed.

On International Women’s day we arranged several discussion groups explaining Kurdish women’s history, with the hope of empowering women in our community. Because of the pandemic, many of our sessions have had to move online- but we’ve still managed to do our vital work by delivering virtual meetings on wellbeing, mental health and gynaecology. We’ve even hosted virtual yoga sessions!

How is the NKWG funded?

Government grants have been really useful this year and have meant we’ve been able to continue to fund our community support work. In fact, lots of organisations representing diverse communities have benefitted from grants and have been able to help each other out in terms of which ones to apply for.

What activities have you hosted for children?

Over Zoom, we’ve been able to put on lots of fun activities for the kids- they’ve enjoyed drawing, arts and crafts and expressing themselves creatively. We also opened a school for the children to learn the basics of Kurdish language.

We’ve given out care packages to the children, full of toys and games as an outlet for their energy during a time when they’re probably quite bored and can’t see their friends. Their mothers are very appreciative- it’s given everyone a real boost to interact with one another. The best part of our work is the fact that it feels meaningful, you get a real sense that it’s making an immediate impact.

Read More - shorturl.at/ioNU0

What other groups do you work with in the community?

We work closely with the City Council, especially with the Community Cohesion Officer Shazia Khan- she’s been a great ambassador for our organisation. One benefit of the pandemic is that we’ve been able to interact with more groups across Nottingham and other cities nationwide, and created more solidarity between women’s advocacy groups.

It’s true though that there’s only so much you can do in online sessions in terms of the positive impact we want to make to Kurdish Women’s lives. For example, with issues around mental health, we need to engage in person to really make a difference, because online spaces can be overwhelming. It’s easier to understand how best to serve the community’s needs when we meet in person, but we’re making the best of meeting virtually.

RESPECT MY VOICE

By Honey Harrop

Radio Presenter: Honey Harrop

Air time: 6PM on Wednesdays

‘Respect my Voice’ is a podcast aimed at amplifying voices often overlooked in society. The main aim is to concentrate on people and communities who are often sidelined, and shed a bit more light on the issues they face through interviews and discussions.

Show #1 is the introductory show and focuses on the broader topic of amplifying voices. It includes insight from Honey (the host) into her experience of being a queer woman, followed by an interview with Maz, a member of Canvas4 Equality. The conversation touches on decolonisation (particularly around education), White privilege and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Show #2 dives into LGBTQ+ spaces during the pandemic. This is a special LGBT history month episode, featuring an interview with the notorious Nottinghamshire drag queen Marilyn Sane (Lewis Barlow). The discussion includes community sentiment throughout the last year, the closure of some of Nottingham’s most prominent queer spaces, and advice to those struggling with their sexuality or gender identity over lockdown. It also includes some LGBT history from around the East Midlands, going back as far as the 14th century!

Show #3 is all about Travellers’ rights. Honey talks about the history of the GRT (Gypsy, Roma and Traveller) community in the UK, as well as their contributions to British life and some organisations fighting for GRT rights. Of course, there is also discussion of the difficulties Travellers face, including poor media portrayal, health challenges, historical and modern persecution, lack of pitching sites and cultural stereotyping.

Show #4 discusses Public Sexual Harassment (PSH). This episode touches on what PSH is, who it affects and some attitudes towards it. It also includes an interview with Emily Garton, student ambassador for Our Streets Now at the University of Nottingham, which particularly touches on PSH on campuses, mythbusting, and the campaign for legislative change.

Listen to her shows on Anchor.

DÉJA’S AND LILY’S COMMUNITY CONVERSATION SHOW

By Déja Jones and Lily Obadiah

Radio presenters: Deja Jones and Lily Obadiah Air Time: 6PM on Sundays Two University of Nottingham students that are complete strangers from diverse backgrounds chatting fortnightly about topics ranging from international issues to those within the Nottingham Community as well as personal to ourselves, with a particular focus on challenges posed to vulnerable groups in the community amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The series comprises of five 30-minute episodes titled ‘Community Conversations’ and are available on Spotify under FMB Radio. Together we dive in to sensitive underacknowledged topics from mental health struggles, our experiences as mixed race women in the UK and the concerning rise in domestic violence and discriminatory hate crime in the face of COVID-19.

Listen to us explore each other’s views and experiences as we touch on an array of issues from the widespread impacts of COVID-19 and Lockdown, rising social tensions amidst a contentious socio-political climate, the role of social media in fuelling these conflicts and showcasing Nottingham-based organisations and resources offering support in dealing with these challenges. FMB Radio have given us a rare platform to voice our experiences, opinions and ideas on topics that are important to us and the Nottingham community. Whilst creating this show we wanted to raise awareness regarding the issues vulnerable groups face and also offering support to such groups should they need it. We also want to encourage critical conversations between friends and family in terms of race, gender and identity in the modern age beyond the mainstream ways of thinking. We believe having these conversations are essential to invoking social change towards equality for all groups. If whilst listening to our shows you find any of the topics relate to your personal experiences or you have any questions we would love to hear from you! Reach out to us via email through lily@fmbradio.com or deja@fmbradio.com. We hope you enjoy listening to our discussions as much as we enjoyed having them! Listen to them on Anchor : https://anchor.fm/dejajones8

INTERVIEW WITH EMMANUEL HOUSE

Emmanuel House is a name not many of you may be aware of, but their work aims to help one of the most forgotten group in society: the homeless. A forty-fiveyear-old support centre founded by a Catholic Priest; Emmanuel House is a charity which has two primary goals. The prevention of homelessness and helping individuals who are homeless to overcome it. In FMB’s latest podcast on Anchor, we were introduced in more detail to the work that Emmanuel House does. In just half an hour, we are introduced to the work one of Nottingham’s most caring support centres.

Emmanuel House incorporates three broad categories of work in its capacity as a support group. Firstly, there is the use of dropin provisions to help those in immediate need. These provisions are designed to help people who need but cannot access support elsewhere. Secondly, Emmanuel House offers various outreach sources to help individuals. One of the most common impacts of homelessness is the detrimental effects on mental health. The charity therefore works to provide specialist mental health support, and help these individuals overcome the hidden impact of homelessness. The final area of support we see is helping victims of homelessness find shelter, be it hotels, or Emmanuel House’s own night shelters. These three key areas of work, combined with various other support groups and activities discussed in the interview, we can see some of the good this support group does for the people of the Nottingham.

The past year has been a serious challenge for the work of Emmanuel House. Although the government’s scheme to provide temporary accommodation to all homeless people has been of great help, there are still rising challenges. Demands for homelessness support have sadly increased throughout the covid-19 pandemic and will likely continue to rise for some time. In the interview, we hear of the challenges that Emmanuel House is facing at the moment, and how it plans to move forward over the next few years. The issue as always, stems from resources. Emmanuel House is a charity, and the work it does must depend on the generosity of others.

Fortunately, Emmanuel House is well connected in Nottingham, with over one thousand supporters and links to one hundred and thirty other organisations and charities. Their Christmas funding campaign was so successful it raised over £100,000. This is still not enough, however, and the charity will need further help to continue its good fight to combat homelessness.

This interview highlights the work of an essential charity. Homelessness is often invisible, and as such FMB’s work to highlight and help is essential in fighting homelessness. For the full details, please see the full interview on Anchor. And for more details on Emmanuel House, visit their website. There you will find an eye opening and impactful story of one of their workers. This film is only ten minutes long and is worth the watch.

By Iain Messore

LISTEN TO FMB RADIO

https://tunein.com/radio/FMB-Radio-s17066/

BLACK MEN HAVE NO PROTECTION

By Dylan Tejada

Within the last week, it was brought to the media’s attention that a young black man named Richard Okorogheye had gone missing. His mother appealed to the police for the missing student to be found.

Articles were shared on Facebook for people to know he was missing and needed to return home. A video was circulating around social media of his heartbroken mother, pleading in an interview with Sky News nearly three weeks ago for her only child to come home and hopefully be found. He left his home in West London on the 22nd of March to see a friend, according to his Mother.

However, when he never answered or returned calls, she contacted the police. However, in another interview with Sky News just almost two weeks later his Mother says her ‘heart has been ripped apart’ as it was tragically announced his body had been found in a pond in Epping Forest and was pronounced dead. Currently, it is still unconfirmed as to how he died, and what exactly happened that night and the course of time he was missing for.

Richard was a student at Oxford Brookes University, studying Business and IT. He had been shielding since the start of the pandemic as he was living with sickle cell disease. So naturally, his mother was concerned when he didn’t answer his phone. In a Sky News interview after his death, she described the circumstances as ‘tedious’.

She also explained how she, ‘felt something had happened there’. Now his mother awaits her answers to her son’s unfortunate death. Days later, she revealed she was ‘disappointed’ with how the Metropolitan Police initially handled the case surrounding her son and that she desired for closure, however she commented on the how she thought they were working hard as the week progressed. The tragic passing of Richard has reminded us of why people from ethnic minorities are more likely to go missing. Speaking to Inews, Dr Karen Greene, a director for the ‘Study of Missing Persons at the University of Portsmouth’ discusses how ‘If you have parts of the population that aren’t allowed to reach their full potential, they are more likely to suffer’. She also added ‘some groups may be given less support or have less trust in offers of support’, which is the exact circumstances of a lot of cases where other ethnic minorities go missing.

Due to different types of racism people experience, it makes them less trusting of people and cynical of the people trying to give support.

Also, when we hear about missing persons, there is a lot of underlying racial bias which we see in the way pressing cases like Richard’s are covered.

When it comes to missing people, it will be missing white people who will receive a lot of coverage, in particular white. In relation to this point, also speaking to Inews, Dr O’Brien mentions in terms of racial bias, that some authors have called this idea ‘white woman syndrome’ and people may pay more attention to and want to read more about ‘a damsel in distress’.

It is overall important for the media to highlight ethnic minorities more when it comes to dealing with these kinds of situations. It seems we are overlooked, and this needs to change and so much more can easily be done. We need to be made prominent as well, just as much as every other missing person. If more is done from now, more awareness can be raised, and more people are aware.