Oyster Magazine - Summer 2020

E D I T O R’ S L E T T E R Karel Ohana and Anoushka Chawla

Welcome to the second edition of Oyster Magazine! Oyster was predicated on the belief that the Western ‘media bubble’ in which we live is damaging because it limits the scope for understanding our wider global community. Today, more than ever, it is vital that we open our eyes to diverging narratives to those which have been fed to us, and indeed those which are etched in our collective ‘European’ consciousness. Through exploring history, the culture which this history forms, art, and philosophy, Oyster seeks to fill the chasms filled with complex narratives, which our media is unable to inform us of. We hope that this edition on Identity is able to shed light on the vibrancy and dynamism of experiences that come from beyond the West.

As you flip through these pages, with topics ranging from colonialism to Japanese art we hope you will feel compelled to comprehend different viewpoints, and to enlarge your worldview. Alexander von Humboldt, the great 19th-century polymath, said: “There is no worldview so dangerous as the worldview of those who have not viewed the world.” In his article for the Guardian, Andrew Solomon posits travel is a “corrective lens that helps focus the earth’s blurred reality”. Though the fact borders are only starting to reopening may hinder us in ‘focussing the earth’s blurred realities’, we encourage you to open up the borders of your mind to the envisioning of realities which you might never have conceived possible.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Oyster, especially to our editors Sienna Parekh and Tiana Lakhani, and Anushri Mene who beautifully depicts a panoply of faces in her talented cover work that really captures the purpose of this magazine - embracing our differences. Thank you to all our contributors (students and staff) who were engaged with this edition, and of course to Mr Waddington whose oversight has ultimately brought this magazine to you.

If we leave you with one message, it is to hear people’s stories. Liberate yourselves from the oppressive confines of normativity. This magazine is for everyone, because the world is our Oyster…

Karel and Anoushka Editors in Chief

CONTENTS: Eurocentrism in historical narrative: refocussing the lens Wasians and Winston Churchill: The History of Britain is the history of its empire, p4-6 Constantinople, p7 Black Lives Matter, p8-11

Actuality (modern focus) What the Western Media has got wrong about Iran and why it matters that we know this, p12-13 Healthcare in Afghanistan, p14-16 Modern beauty standards are destroying our society, p17-18

Philosophy and Religion A brief, eclectic history of existentialism, literature and other things, p19-20 Is there such thing as objective morality? p21-22 Sikhism: the 5 K’s, p23

Origins of the spoken word, p24-25

Arts Ukiyo-e art, p26-27 Identity and Frida Kahlo, p28 In a world of change, your identity will stand by you, grow with you. All you need is what you already have, p29

Love Lore, p30 Shooting an elephant: perspective from one of the villagers, p31

Testimonials Interview with Ms Siddiqui, p32-37 Interview with Tiana Lakhani’s grandmother, p38-39

Wasians and Winston Churchill: the history of britain is the history of its empire Aria Watts The Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd swept across America in a powerful wave of long held anger. The inherently racist history of the American police system, deeply entrenched in upholding slavery and suppressing the Civil Rights movement, has been brought to light. What remains abundantly clear is that not all lives are afforded ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ in modern America, a country whose genesis and development so heavily rest on the tragedy of the 12.5 million slaves transported from Africa to the New World.

Their descendants are denied basic rights even today.

While America grapples with coming to terms with the racist foundations of its existence, laws and justice system, another country has been forced to revaluate its treatment of its history. Black Lives Matter protests in the UK have involved the desecrating of statues of historical figures such as Edward Colston and Winston Churchill for their racist deeds. Colston’s ships sent about 80,000 men, women and children from Africa to the Americas between 1672 and 1689.

Churchill made many obviously racist remarks like “I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion”. He was also directly involved in colonial actions in the British Empire such as the Bengal Famine and the use of poison gas against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, “I do not understand this squeamishness about the use of gas. I am

strongly in favour of using poison gas against uncivilised tribes.”

Yet the removal and disposal of the Colston statue by protestors and the many instances of graffiti on statues and memorials have raised much debate. Some argue it is uncivilised and disrespectful to take such illegal action and that these figures’ redeeming value has been forgotten. Many passionately recount Churchill’s glittering achievements for Wartime Britain and role in the defeat of Nazi Germany in high praise of “Britain’s greatest man”. Others say that progress towards racial equality cannot be truly made until Britain removes statues idolising people whose wealth and achievements came at the expense of people of colour in the British Empire. Whichever view one takes over the issue of these statues, what has come to light is the widespread lack of knowledge of and inability to accept the crimes of Britain’s colonial past.

The problem, perhaps, starts in school.

School History curriculums tend to contain the Middle Ages, the Tudors and the World Wars. They may also contain the technological advancements of the Industrial Revolution and, at a stretch, the Suffrage movement. These periods of history share a common focus on domestic events in Britain, often with examples of supreme British leadership and dominance (invention of the steam engine, creation of the Church of England, the Spanish Armada). Yet what consistently fail to be included are the links these events had to the rest of the world, and in particular, to Britain’s colonial pursuits. It should be impossible to teach the history of the Industrial Revolution without mentioning the Indian cotton industry for example, or the significant role played by Canada, India and Africa in winning both World Wars. Yet these are often glossed over, thus erasing

the significant contributions of the Empire to Britain’s success and development.

Perhaps more importantly is the tone in which this narrow curriculum is taught. As mentioned, these areas focus on Britain’s great achievements. The moral superiority over enemies such as Nazi Germany should of course be acknowledged and celebrated. But do we question and criticise the ugly parts of history with the same vigour we celebrate its accomplishments? Shashi Tharoor, an Indian MP and Historian reminds us that the British Empire was responsible for the death of 35 million Indians. It certainly thrust over 12 million Africans into slavery and stripped African and Asian countries of natural resources and industry. It effectively ripped apart functioning societies and economies and caused the economic situations in countries we now condescendingly refer to as “developing” or “underdeveloped”. Before the British arrived in the 17th century, India produced 22.5 % of the world’s GDP and Britain less than 2% By the time they left the positions had reversed.

But how many ordinary Britons know of the mass killings, the famines, the violence and acts of racism that took place under colonial rule? It is unsurprising that few do not know of these things when they haven’t been mentioned or criticised in a classroom environment. Britain’s past colonial injustices may only come to light in huge events like the Windrush Scandal, and only then when journalists worked for years to uncover one of the greatest government screw ups in history.

There seems to be two opposite opinions in response to the toppling of statues in Britain.

The first being that Britain has accepted no responsibility and never owned up to the violent crimes committed under colonial rule and that statues of any racist figures must be torn down. The other being a complete outrage that anyone would ever suggest that historical

figures whose achievements have been celebrated for so long could have ever committed any racist deeds that could mar their reputation. This outrage also stems from a shock that Britain’s history may not be as morally impeachable as presented, or even more worrying, that its racist past is not actually worth condemning.

In my opinion, the crux of the matter is the supposed alienation between the events in South Asia, Africa and the rest of the Empire in the last four centuries and the concurrent events in Britain. The view that these are entirely disconnected is most concerning. My firm belief that these histories should be approached in conjunction stems in part from my cultural identity.

I am half Indian and half English so am tied directly to both sides of Empire. I also live in Britain and have been educated under the British school system so am familiar with the way British colonial history is approached, or rather, how it isn’t. As mentioned, Churchill’s unabashed racism is now coming to light. One of the crimes he was most directly involved in was the Bengal Famine, 1943-44. Indian resources were exploited even more for the war and rice stocks continued to leave India while Bengalis starved. Britain also pursued a “denial policy”: confiscating huge supplies from coastal areas of Bengal in case of future invasion by the Japanese army at the time of the Burmese war. Churchill is quoted as blaming the famine on Indians for “breeding like rabbits” and asking how, if the famine was so bad, Mahatma Gandhi was still alive. My maternal grandmother remembered poor villagers coming to her house in Kolkata (Calcutta) and begging for rice water- the water that is left after rice has been rinsed in it as it contained some traces of starch. At the same time, one of my paternal great grandfathers was a member of The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical

Engineers and was posted in India and Burma to prepare tanks for the British led Indian Army who were fighting the Japanese in Burma.

A great uncle on my paternal side was a member of the Royal Navy and was on board ships transporting supplies from the big Southern ports of Madras to Rangoon in Burma and Calcutta for the Burmese war.

Thus, these two different experiences of Britain’s activities in the early 1940s within my own family is quite telling of the two narratives of Empire. My paternal relatives were members of Britain’s glorious, victorious armed forces who used the resources of their colonies to fight Germany and Japan. Yet my maternal family were part of the cost that British victory came at.

I feel that the uniting of these experiences in my family tree is a powerful symbol of how we should approach colonial history. Just as families like mine are able to acknowledge and respect the different experiences of colonial policy of the same time its members carry so too should the teaching of history in British schools. British people must understand the connection between stories of British triumph and development and the pillaging of almost half the world. The relation of these two narratives extends far beyond my family and identity.

The time has come for a broader view of recent British history to be taught and understood. The history of capitalism must be taught alongside the history of slavery and colonialism on which it was dependant. The destruction of India’s textile industry must be taught alongside the development of cotton factories in Victorian Britain. The defeat of the Axis powers must be celebrated alongside condemnation of the manner in which resources were snatched from starving Indians to achieve it. And as these intertwined histories are understood, we must develop our

opinion of long-standing heroes like Winston Churchill. A hero, nonetheless, but not to be glorified without acknowledgment of serious crimes.

To acknowledge the faults of Britain’s past is not just an exercise in self-flagellation. It is an important perspective to gain. And, it also creates a more mature and complex pride in Britain’s history. A pride based on knowledge, not chauvinism is a view of history that I wholeheartedly endorse and is a valuable lesson to have learned from my cultural identity. |

Constantinople Charlotte Magill Located at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, was a diverse melting pot of different cultures and identities. Constantinople was named after the Roman Emperor Constantine, who wanted to strengthen the Roman Empire. The Romans tactically chose to place the new capital city between the two major continents when creating the Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire, in the start of the 4th Century. The benefits of the city’s prime location were abundant as it interlinked the East and the West. The prime placement of Constantinople being a port between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean meant that it was very accessible for trade, for which the city would reap the economic benefits.

Arguably, the extremely extensive international trade was one of the most significant benefits of Constantinople’s location. As directed by Emperor Justinian, two Nestorian Christian monks discovered how to produce silk by travelling along the Silk Road and stealing silkworm eggs from China. This later enabled an alliance to be created with the Sogdians due to the formation of a trade deal in purchasing Chinese silk. This consolidated strong international relations between the two regions. The Silk Roads, whose name derives from the highly successful trade of silk originating in the Han Dynasty in China, was an expansive network of trade routes which connected the Orient and the Occident.

These trade routes were so extensive that goods would travel hundreds, if not thousands of miles.

The Silk Roads not only enabled the movement and trade of goods to thrive, but also the movement of ideas and customs. As traders and new goods flowed into Constantinople, new influences such as artistic styles and theological ideologies from all different cultural backgrounds prospered. The population of the city was difficult to calculate due to the sheer volume of visiting traders, and others moving through it. The intellectual and religious exchange that occurred in Constantinople reflected the far-reaching nature of the spread of new ideas and theories. For example, there were similarities between the Jewish Sect in Alexandria, Therapeutae and with Buddhism. As the people of Constantinople were so receptive to innovative ideologies, this huge influx of new beliefs and customs created a highly vibrant and competitive atmosphere. As a result of this, Constantinople became a metropolis with a multiethnic and multi-cultural identity. Although it was a Christian ruled city and therefore welcomed Christianity, the rulers and people were also tolerant of other religious beliefs.

Taxes were set at a fixed rate for traders, regardless of nationality or ethnicity. It could be argued that one of the reasons for the rulers’ tolerance was out of the necessity to maintain good international relations for trade purposes. The multi-ethnic and multicultural identity of Constantinople, created by its location and resulting trade routes, strengthened the city and enabled it to thrive with a rich wealth of culture and beauty. |

Black Lives Matter Antara Rao On the 25th of May 2020, the world woke up to the horrifying death of George Floyd.

Floods of social media videos, opinions were posted; petitions were signed, money raised, protests planned, memorials made, prayers sung. Georgy Floyd will go down in history books as one of the thousands of victims of horrendous police brutality- but one that got recorded. While the UK and other countries are certainly and most definitely not rid of racial inequality, the USA appears to be one of the worst countries to be African American in. While African- Americans only make up 12% of the USA, for every 100,000 people incarcerated, 2,306 are black and only 450 white. A country with only 5% of the world’s population accounts for 25% of the world’s prisoners. How come, a small country is home to one in four people behind bars most of which are African American. I thought this was meant to be the land of the free? How come, the most powerful country in the world, who excels in exerting cultural, military, social and political power, fails solving one of the most prominent and important problems- racism.

To understand this problem, we have to go back about 250 years ago to the slave trade when it got abolished. The 13th Amendment declared that it was unconstitutional for someone to be held as a slave allowing all Americans to have the right to freedom except if you were a criminal. This led to one of the first prison booms in America and African Americans were arrested for extremely minor crimes like loi-

tering. Prisoners at the time had to provide labour to rebuild the economy of the south as slaves made the most contribution to Southern America’s economy. People started the myth of black ethnicity associated with crime. People started thinking that African-American men were a threat to white women and should not be allowed near them- something that is still ingrained in our society today. The prison boom is essentially a stem for people’s prejudices against black people today- a threat, a criminal, a thug. They are now forced under a label of crime, with police officers or even citizens looking for an excuse to report or arrest them. Every 19th century and even 20th-century image of an African American deemed them as animallike or cannibals, inhumane. Thousands of African Americans were lynched by mobs under the unproven idea that they were a criminal. Tell me again how they were the threat to society? By 1934, most African Americans fled to different parts of America, Boston, LA, New York in an attempt to escape from the terror that they had to face in states like Alabama and Texas.

There are countless stories of African Americans having their lives taken from them as young as 15 for the most minor of criminal accusations. How can you say that those were the good old days when millions were killed because of their colour but you were still picking apples with your friends? When people finally, (wow that took some time) realized that this openterrorism was immoral, they moved on to something more legal- segregation. This pushed black people into that permanent second-class status. While white children got special education with limited students and good resources, more than 50 black children were stuffed into a dirty class-

room with one chalk per 10 people. While white adults got to drink out of new water fountains with clean water, black adults had to drink out of rusty and dirty ones. While white people were living the dream, black people were living hell.

Richard Nixon the 37th President of the united states hinted in his speech about the war against crime. At the time, many activists took their opinions out of their homes and in the street. We saw powerful names like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks pop up, mightier than ever. Black movements were the very thing that Nixon felt threatened by.

He even admitted that the reason he enforced more security in America was all about throwing black people in jail. He even said so himself! And when a new but illegal drug started hitting the streets, the incarceration rate was flying higher than ever. People of power called this the “war on drugs” but what it meant was arresting many people from ethnic minorities. It did not help that there was a rapid increase in poverty. People thought to stop all of this, the answer was “longer prison sentences”. They did not seek to educate and prevent the problem but put it in cuffs instead and used the fear of crime to win the elections which then was continued by Ronald Reagan. His campaign strategist was recorded on tape saying that their strategies were going to hit the blacks way harder than the whites.

Can we just take a moment to realize the complexity of this systematic racism? Many people think that racism is just a prejudice or insults thrown at people of colour but it is much more than that. Millions of different factors from slavery to the war on drugs have influenced how black people live in America today. The power of media is extremely interesting but it is being used to represent black people as criminals. The word “super-

predator” was a word to describe thugs or gang-like African Americans and what was incredibly frustrating was that black communities believed it. They believed that if not them, but their friends and peers fit into that description. They began to support policies that criminalized their own children.

George Floyd is one of the thousands of victims of this. In the Central Park “jogger case”, they put 5 innocent black teens in jail, who had been charged with attempted murder and rape. They were innocent. But got put into jail, solely because of the pressure from the public (mostly white) who called them “strong animals” who “needed to be locked up”. Even Donald Trump, and I’m sure you'll appreciate the irony, said that any person who has committed the crime of rape should face the death penalty. Seriously, Donald Trump?

These teens, four of them under the age of 18, all got put in adult prisons for 6-11 years until DNA tests proved that they were all innocent. That’s roughly 10 years of your life lost, to racism. Also, how come when a black teen commits a crime he is a “grown man who should take responsibility for his actions” but when a white man commits a crime, penalties are way lighter and is described as a “broken child”? This constant militarization of America was fueled by Bill Clinton who imposed laws to try and reduce crime in the US. He came up with the “3 strikes and you’re out” rule and made sure that 100,000 officers were patrolling on the street. It links to what we see right now. The protests for the BLM movement are being met with rubber bullets, tear gas and guns but the protesters who were anti-lockdown did not face any form of violence from the police. Before you defend the police by bringing up looting, that is only 1% of what is going on in these protests. The vast majority of it is peaceful protesting

spreading awareness but the looting and burning are the only stories that make the news.

One of my favourite books is “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee which is set in the fictional town of Maycomb in Alabama during the Great Depression- 1930 where racism was extremely protuberant at the time. When Tom Robinson, one of the black residents is falsely accused of raping a white woman, the main character’s father- Atticus decides to defend them, despite threats from the community. Even though Atticus provides a more plausible interpretation of what happened, Tom is wrongly convicted and is killed later while trying to escape the prison. This reminded me of a similar story but in 2015. Yes, that’s right, 85 years later. The story of Kalief Browder. Browder in 2010, was accused of stealing a backpack and put under custody on Rikers Island in New York for three years, two of which were in solitary confinement- without being convicted or tried. The Police Department said that he could post bail, but he couldn’t afford it.

The criminal justice system lets the rich and guilty get away with it but the poor and innocent serve time. Kalief ended up ending his life in his parents’ home. All because he was accused of stealing a backpack. A backpack. And he didn’t even do it.

The system in the USA is one that has to be changed. The officials think that it is simply not enough to deprive criminals of their liberty but to punish them even further.

People would put animals in better conditions than US prisons and there are no means for improving or rehabilitate the prisoners so that they can reenter a civil society. The USA is so proud of its economic and cultural successes that it forgets some of the most fundamental parts that

make up a country. They should look at other countries, like Norway who has decreased its crime rates by building more humane prisons that allow prisoners to heal and improve their ways when they get out. And this all links back to the fact that most prisoners are African American which is driven by the prejudices that still blind many police-officers today that black people are criminals, threats, thugs. Which leads to the deaths of thousands of black American citizens like George Floyd, Tamir Rice, Breyonna Taylor and so many more.

Black children have to fear that what happened Tamir Rice (aged 12) could happen to them, all because of the colour of their skin. They could be playing with a toy gun and seen as a threat by the very people who are meant to protect you and have your life taken away from you. It is simply not enough to be non-racist and say “I treat every colour equally” or “I have so many black friends”. Racism today is a lot more manipulative than it was before and racism is much more systematic and the only way that the public will be able to see what is happening is through these horrific incidents that get recorded. Racism is not getting worse from the 2000s or even 2010’s it is finally being recorded and we can finally see the USA’s justice system for the way it really is.

"Racism will never end as long as white cars are still using black tires. Racism will never end if people still use black to symbolize bad luck and white for peace. Racism will never end if people still wear white clothes to weddings and black clothes to funerals. Racism will never end as long as those who don't pay their bills are blacklisted not white listed. Even when playing

snooker, you haven't won until you've sunk the black ball, and the white ball must remain on the table! But I don't care, as long as I'm still using white toilet paper to wipe my black ass, I'm happy."

A speech by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. |

What the Western Media has got wrong about Iran, and why it matters that we know this Alexandra Morgan Being half Iranian, Iran is a place that has always fascinated me. I have always been exposed to Persian culture, whether it be through food, traditions, or constantly hearing Farsi spoken around me. However, as I began to become more aware of the world around me, I realised that the Western Media had a very different story to tell about Iran, a story which I did not recognise.

If you simply search ‘Iran’ into google images, this is one of the first pictures that comes up, along with a plethora of other images of protests and violence. Thus, this reflects the nature of how the Western media presents Iran, in the sense that it is always shown as an extremely dangerous, corrupt country that we all need to be wary of.

Of course, there is no denying that Iran in the 1980s did seem to fit this description. After the Shah was overthrown, and an Islamic Republic was declared in 1979, violence and protests dominated its landscape. One notorious example of this would be the Shah Mohammed Reza’s statue being pulled by protestors, out of sheer anger of the Shah’s rule.

(Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi’s statue being pulled down during the 1979 Revolution) After the revolution, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was exiled to Egypt, but was let into the US shortly after for cancer treatment. This was arguably the moment when relations between Iran and the US began to become turbulent. However, even prior to this, one could argue that the new regime in Iran (of which the Supreme Leader was Ruhollah Khomeini) had an intrinsic hatred of the West (the US in particular) because of the Shah’s good relationship to the West. The confidence that the West gave Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi can be seen as a contributing factor to his harsh rule over Iran, such as with the deployment of the SAVAK (secret police). However, in the context of the Cold War, the West had little other choice to establish this relationship, as otherwise the power balance in the middle East would have been advantageous to the USSR. Khomeini then went on to describe the US as ‘great Satan’ in one of his speeches, and the Soviet Union as ‘lesser Satan’, proving to the West that their good relations have been completely diminished.

The turbulence then came to a climax with the Iran hostage crisis, which lasted from November 1979 to January 1981. Iranian protesters seized the US embassy in Iran, with

the US diplomats being held hostage for a total of 444 days. Thus, this shows that Iran was truly a dangerous place for Westerners in the 80s, with this crisis also being romanticized in the media, such as through the award-winning film ‘Argo’.

(Iranian students seizing the US embassy, while holding up images of the new leader Khomeini) However, the Iran in the 80s is very different to the Iran that exists today. Nearly all Iranians today do not have an intrinsic hate of the US, contrary to popular belief. Iran as a country is a safe place to travel to as long as one is not publicly critical of the Iranian government (especially those who are British-Iranian dual nationals). It is important that the Western media begins to present the truth of what Iranian culture and customs truly are in the present day because the absence of this can potentially provide a breeding ground for racial prejudice. Moreover, I believe that this is a problem not just for Iran, but for many countries. Therefore, we, as readers of articles about places with similar socio-economic backgrounds to Iran, always need to remember that there is a distinction between the views of the government (which may be corrupt) and the customs of the ordinary people. |

Healthcare in Afghanistan Maheria Rashid Writer’s note:

My intention in writing this article is twofold.

Primarily, I wanted to shed light upon the healthcare situation in Afghanistan, as I feel as though situations in third world countries have inadequately low visibility in international media. As the future generation of change makers, we have a duty to educate ourselves on pressing global circumstances. Secondly, as an Afghan, I thought I ought to use this opportunity to further inform myself on the state of affairs in Afghanistan. The recent injustices occurring to the Afghan diaspora prompted my feeling of responsibility to write this article. 57 Afghan asylum seekers were tortured, beaten, publicly humiliated and forced into a river to drown by Iranian border guards. Of these 57, only 12 survived. 14 Afghan migrants were burned alive in the Yazd province of Iran. Iranian police forced Afghan refugees into cages on public display. More now than ever, these injustices and hypocritical behaviours expose the shortfalls of our society. Tragedies like this happen far too often in developing countries and are routinely deprived of Western media coverage.

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.”- Malala Yousafzai.

Healthcare in Afghanistan Afghanistan has suffered years of war, and as a result is burdened with a terribly inadequate healthcare system. Government funding is predominately spent on war instead of supporting the Afghan healthcare system, causing a dire shortage in resources. The Afghan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah stated that a state-of-the-art hospital could be built with the amount that was spent on just a single day of war.

Attacks on healthcare facilities are painfully frequent, resulting in both tragic deaths and the destruction of much-needed services. In the first 3 months of 2019, there were a total of 34 attacks, causing the closure of 87 medical facilities.

More recently, on the 12th May, there was a shooting in a maternity hospital in Kabul, killing 16 people, including mothers, nurses and 2 new-born babies. Despite the Taliban denying responsibility for the attack, Ashraf Ghanithe Afghan president- called for the suspension of the active defence position against the Taliban and the adoption of an offensive operation. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State commented, “Any attack on innocents is unforgivable, but to attack infants and women in labour... is an act of sheer evil.”

The ongoing war, coupled with the unforgiving poverty in Afghanistan, make for an inevitable failure when it comes to healthcare.

Poverty, being a key determinant of health, largely hinders any tangible progress being made in the health sector.

Fundamentally, there is a widespread lack of access to healthy and nutritious foods, as well as proper medications. Consequently, people often resort to reliance on low quality, expired foreign drugs from neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Iran. Afghans seek-

Afghan security officers carrying new-born babies out of the hospital after the attack.

ing medical care in other countries spend an average of 300 million dollars every year. The crippling poverty in Afghanistan means patients often struggle to afford their prescriptions, forcing them to settle for expired substandard medications from doctors, despite the frightening health risks that this accompanies. The Maiwand teaching hospital initially intended to treat 300-400 patients a day when it was first opened, but a realistic daily average of admissions is more near the 1000 figure. This disproportionate number puts pressure on already fragile services and staff. The lack of adequate equipment required to administer common procedures exacerbates an already poor service to patients.

Polio

provide optimal resources and support in the fight against polio. By January 2020, a total of 9.9 million children were vaccinated and there were no cases of wild polio reported in the country.

The World Health Organisation works to assist in strengthening Afghanistan’s health sector and developing its ability to respond to acute medical demands. Its aim is to improve the primary care service to reduce mortality, morbidity and disability rates in Afghan civilians. ‘Access to health services’ is considered living within an hour by foot of a health facility. The Ministry of Public Health found that in 2001, fewer than 10% of the Afghan population fit this criterion.

Subsequently, in 2020, with the support of the WHO, 77% of the population has access to primary care.

Advancements Despite its desperate insufficiencies, Afghanistan has welcomed progress through governmental initiatives and external aid in addressing the health crisis.

Key figures- February 2020 WHO situation report.

The WHO has also provided significant humanitarian assistance in controlling epidemics, such as that of polio. Afghanistan remains one of the only 3 countries in the world where polio remains endemic. The World Health Organisation works through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to vaccinate every child in Afghanistan and

In 2005, Afghanistan had its highest maternal mortality rate- 1600 of every 100,000 women were expected to die during pregnancy. By 2017, this statistic fell to 299 in every 100,000 women. Similarly, child mortality has also fallen- in 2009, 160 of every 1000 children would be expected to die before age five. This figure dropped to 50 in 2019. There has also been a significant decline in the mortality rates of lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, meningitis and tuberculosis.

The accessibility of adequate healthcare has also progressed, with 420 health facilities having been established across Afghanistan between 2015 and 2019. Fur-

thermore, widespread increase in access to medical equipment such as ultrasound machine and ECG recording machines offers a better service delivery to millions of Afghans.

Looking forward, there are plans to develop a sustainable health service, which entails strengthening infrastructure and extending donor support to allow for both a greater access to essential technologies and ensuring a state of peace within the nation. |

Modern beauty standards are destroying our society Sienna Parekh Media. Models. Advertisements. These things seem to make up most of what we see when we go out, turn on the television or scroll through our phones. Now more than ever, we are consistently being fed a stream of information - some more harmful than others.

Man-made Western beauty ideals have circulated for years, telling women exactly what they are doing wrong and selling them the perfect product to look better and to be more ‘attractive’. In mainstream culture, this ideal is often represented by a thin, white, tall, hairless, blonde woman.

We’ve all seen her, and I’m sure most of us have wanted to look like her at some point too. This image has become idealized by young girls around the world. But she is often a result of extreme photoshop and is slowly destroying our society. (It is to be noted that male beauty standards are just as toxic, but to keep this article fairly short, I will just be referring to female beauty standards).

The term the ‘colonisation of beauty’ is a good description of the way in which Eurocentric beauty standards have been exported throughout the world by the means of globalisation, and we can see evidence in many countries on how greatly this influence has shaped what the world perceives as ‘beautiful’. Let’s take Lebanon as an example. This country has the most plastic surgery procedures per capita in the world. Due to the sheer price of plastic sur-

gery, looking more ‘Western’ has been equated with being of a higher social class.

Thanks to capitalism, this in turn means that meeting these rigid expectations is thought of to lead to happiness.

The colonisation of beauty has also been beneficial for the skin-lightening industry.

Eurocentric beauty ideals have drummed the notion that ‘beauty equals white’ into our heads. Despite featuring greatly through eras of racial segregation and slave trade, it is still prevalent in the 21st century. In South Africa, lighter skin is still associated with greater access to opportunities, jobs and benefits despite its roots beginning in the time of the Apartheid. In India, families encourage their daughters to marry white men in order to create lighter skinned children that are assumed to have more social mobility. This ‘colourism’ is not just psychologically damaging, but also can be very dangerous on a physical level. Skin lightening products have been known to contain harmful ingredients like mercury and topical steroids.

Prolonged use of such products can lead to burns, skin discolouration and even skin cancer.

If the blatant racism of global beauty standards were not enough, women nowadays have also been conditioned to tell ourselves that no one will ever find us attractive unless we are thin. I have found myself on many occasions standing in front of the mirror, wishing the stomach pouch that has formed would magically disappear, or skipping a few meals in order to get ‘bikini body ready’ for a holiday. As Geoff Williams writes in ‘The Heavy Price of Losing Weight’, “we shame people into believing their bodies aren’t good enough as they are and should be changed, even at the cost of their health”

I hope that you are thinking to yourself, “but I wouldn’t give anyone less of an opportunity because they’re not conventionally pretty”. Unfortunately, we can actually see this happening in everyday life. Dubbed by many as ‘pretty privilege’, many studies have shown that being conventionally attractive gives you more opportunities than others.

The American Psychological Association found that ‘cute’ babies get more attention from their parents and a 2011 Economics Letters publication stated that hiring managers are more likely to call back attractive candidates.

Luckily, over the past few years, there have been a number of campaigns and brands that have begun to add diversity of their models in order to try and change perceptions of beauty. Dove in particular has launched many campaigns of the sort, most notably its “Campaign for Real Beauty’. Advertisements within this shows girls to love everything the media has told them are ‘flaws’.

The integration of these standards into every aspect of our daily lives is highly toxic. If you are told that you do not look how you are ‘supposed’ to enough times, you will start to believe it. We must fight against the media and learn to love ourselves, or one day we will look out onto the street and find that everyone looks the same. |

A brief, eclectic history of existentialism, literature and other things.

Schuyler Daffey A month ago, I knew of existentialism only in an obscure way: through the terms of cliché existentialist crises. The philosophy seemed unnecessary and tedious to me; I attributed the literal meaning (questioning one’s existence at every turn) to the intellectual school of thought. Therefore, reading (entirely through chance) ‘Bonjour Tristesse’ was a sort of spiritual awakening. The book proposed questions that I had Never considered; it exposed a gateway into a vaster, albeit more elusive, world that I hadn’t contemplated before. I discovered that existentialism was not, in fact, the banal subject I had naively made it out to be. Rather, its limits were so large, and subject matter so diverse, that it can hardly be defined at all. It is unsurprising therefore that Sartre (one of the parents of the existentialism movement) rejected the term when it was applied to him: he felt that it was too constrictive and didn’t want to be labelled in such a superficial manner. This, in itself depicts the essence of the existentialist movement—that of being entirely free from society’s typecasting.

Despite becoming something of a cultural movement in the 1950s, famous for converting the youth of Paris into acolytes, existentialism is rooted deeply in profound thought. The term’s origin lies with the Danish: ‘Existents-Forhold’, or ‘condition of existence’, coined by the writer Søren Kierkegaard in 1846. It was then taken up by the Catholic Philosopher Gabriel Marcel in the mid 1940s and applied to Sartre and the burgeoning

movement around him and De Beauvoir in Paris. The philosophy itself, however, is about much more than trend. Existentialism is concerned with confronting aspects of the human condition, more specifically our relationship with freedom, convention, purported ‘truth’, and authenticity. It recognises that human beings are undefinable and incomprehensible creatures, and that we cannot be categorised by our physical characteristics, nor our moral attributes.

If we cannot ascribe a definition to humanity however, we invariably begin to question the other attributes that we deem essential to people: morality primarily, a theme that really resonated with me whilst reading ‘Bonjour Tristesse’. The book details a summer spent on the French Riviera, where Cecil and her father live a decadent and lawless life, symbolic of freedom from societal constraints.

Indeed, Existentialism as a movement scorns “bourgeois conventions”, a philosophy that Cecil and her father unconsciously live by.

They are in this way wholly ‘authentic’: they live as they want, not as society deems they should.

The arrival of Anne, Cecil’s father’s fiancée and the figure representative of routine and regime, forms an impediment to their feckless and essentially free existence. She forces Cecil to study in her room and condemns her slovenly existence. Evil is then ignited in the formerly complacent Cecil, who engineers a plan to remove Anne from their lives. The salient lesson of the book is that from the violation of freedom stems evil and cruelty, essentially all that is bad in the world. This resonates strongly with the existentialist movement; existentialists value freedom, both socially and morally above all. Anne instils in Cecil all the ways in which she is lacking and demands that she live a moral and conventional existence. This only results in

Cecil feeling self-loathing. The question posed, therefore, is whether morality is merely a synonym for self-hatred? Is the ideal that we propound most the one thing that prevents us from being at peace with ourselves? Perhaps therefore, we require freedom from moral constraints as well. Meursault from ‘L’etranger’ (another classic existentialist novel) is the epitome of this idea. He refuses to conform to society’s moral standards, such as experiencing grief at the death of a parent, and is as a result, authentic, and utterly free from anxiety and self-hatred.

Yet there is a peculiar apathy throughout ‘L’etranger’, that is seemingly the manifestation of this freedom. In ‘Bonjour Tristesse’, Cecil’s narrative is characterised by a kind of ennui with life and lack of purpose, and in ‘A Certain smile’, despite experiencing a love affair, the protagonist is overwhelmingly detached. This detachment, I think, stems from a sense of futility and pointlessness that is the result of accepting the tenets of existentialism.

So perhaps questioning the purpose of existence is actually at the heart of the philosophy, but only comes about through the acceptance of the primary tenets of existentialism: freedom from social and moral standards.

I find myself deliberating the relevance of existentialism today. Technology poses the ultimate existentialist question, of how to retain our freedom in an age of surveillance facilitated by the computer. In fact, existentialism and the 21st century seem to be two utterly irreconcilable subjects, in that existentialism is concerned with the human condition, and people primarily, whilst we live in a society in which the influence and importance of technology is growing at an alarming rate, and rapidly reducing the need for human contact.

Now, more than ever, it seems imperative that existentialism must not be swept aside as out-

dated or cliched. Existentialists value authenticity as one of their primary beliefs, and Gabriel Marcel argued that this authenticity allows philosophers to remain vigilant and undeceived by political and social falsehoods, due to their rejection of societal norms and beliefs.

As a result, we must value existentialists in our society as those that expose lies and prejudice for what they are. Perhaps this philosophy serves as a way in which to unite differing cultures as one, to transcend creed and colour through the innate humanness that we all share. |

If there were an “objective morality”, it would mean that there was a clear split between right and wrong, and everyone agreed on a set of rules determining good/moral behaviour. At first thought, it seems that objective morality could exist. Most people believe that helping the poor and adopting a child are good, whereas murder and unnecessary violence are bad. There is societal consensus within every culture at every point in time as to what constitutes moral and immoral behaviour, and laws, rules and regulations typically reflect that. However, the interpretation of moral or immoral behaviour has varied significantly over time, both within and across societies.

What I would like to consider is whether there are any values which have remained constant and could therefore be definitely branded “objective”, and what determines our personal morality.

the teachings of Jesus were seen as secondary to the main goal. This was to eradicate the Muslims, despite the fact that the wars were ‘in the name of the Church’. As a result, Christian values were only applied to Christians.

Killing, raping and looting Muslims and their lands was seen as commendable, and the same fate was levied upon any Christian who stood in the way of the Church’s armies. Ironically, Muslims are directed by many of the same rules in the Qur’an as Christians are in the Bible. Allah too advised against murder, rape and theft. So why are these clear moral values so differently interpreted? The simplest answer is that people do not shape their actions using moral rules. We determine our actions, and then find some means to justify them using an interpretation of a moral rule.

Similarly, we choose which moral rules take precedence when it most suits us. In the case of the crusades, the commandment “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” was used as a justification for ignoring every other commandment. God never said “Thou shalt not kill, but all Muslims are bad and therefore thou shalt kill all Muslims”, yet this is how the Church of the Middle Ages chose to interpret it, and therefore believed that it was carrying out God’s will.

Many people associate morality with religion, of which the largest today is Christianity. On the surface there does not seem much wrong with the 10 commandments. “Thou shalt not kill” and “thou shalt not commit adultery” seem fine rules to live by. They are also quite clear cut. However, over time they have been interpreted very differently. If we look at England a thousand years ago, Christianity was at its height. The church was about to begin the series of crusades against the Muslims. One would think that the church would clearly have defined its moral laws. Conversely, during the Crusades, the 10 commandments and

Today, we like to think that we are kinder, more benevolent, and more moral than we were in the middle ages. We believe in human and animal rights, we fight racism, sexism and homophobia. But how do we know that supporting these movements is moral? In the Middle Ages a man felt it was his right to do with his possessions whatever he wanted.

That included his wife. Now wives feel it is their right in the eyes of the law, and in the eyes of society to be equal to their husbands.

Kings ‘knew’ it was their divine right to rule their country. Now we ‘know it is our right to vote and support our democracy. Of course,

Is there such a thing as objective morality?

Caroline Utermann

we think that we have evolved, and that society is only getting better. But, if there is no objective morality, no yardstick to measure our progress against, how do we truly know that we are getting closer to, and not further away from, a utopian world? How do we know that human rights are a good thing? We don’t.

Since realms such as science, architecture and technology have improved over time, however, we can only hope that society has ‘improved’ in the same way.

So, where have we come to? Are there any moral rules which all societies have upheld which we could use as our “compass” or “yardstick”? No. Every society today is shaped by its culture and its history, and therefore there are large differences in cultural and social norms. In the West today, adultery is a serious moral crime. Conversely, in countries such as Egypt and Gabon, polygamy is accepted, and men exercise the right to have multiple

wives. Although this may seem horrific in our eyes, for Egyptians and Gabonese this is a part of their culture, and we have no right to criticize this. But where do we draw the line? What about child marriage? In Sudan for example, girls can legally be married at the age of 10.

Surely this is morally wrong? In my opinion, it is. What we have to learn to do, is differentiate between cultural practices which can significantly harm people, particularly vulnerable

groups such as children, and cultural norms which have evolved over time and are accepted and celebrated by all/most members of that community. This line is very fine, and therefore determining immoral cultural traditions is a great challenge. The easiest method of doing this, it to take the utilitarian approach, and weigh the positives of the practice against the suffering it causes. This however cannot be applied in every situation. In conclusion, every person must use their personal moralities together with general “moral behaviours” like compassion and equality in their lives. Unfortunately, there is no objective morality to guide us. |

The five K’s of Sikhism

are five physical representations of religion and faith a Sikh can wear. Nowadays it is not very common for a Sikh to wear all five of these, as it is simpler to express your belief in other ways. The first of these five Ks is Kesh (uncut hair). Hair symbolises holiness and strength and is a feature given to us by God, therefore it is a gift we should accept. Sikh men wear turbans to protect their hair, and if (like my grandfather in this photo) they have chosen not to cut their beard as well, they can tie in up in their turban.

Another one of the 5Ks is the Kirpan (steel sword). Sikh warriors since 1699 have carried Kirpans and they symbolise defending the good and those who are unable to defend themselves. Although it is legal in the U.K. for Sikhs to carry a Kirpan the majority do not. In my household we keep the Kirpan across a bowl of money that gets donated to charity in our prayer room. This is a concept similar to our gurdwara, as when you enter the hall you make a donation of any size.

The Kara (a steel bracelet) is perhaps the most commonly worn of the 5 Ks today. It is a representation of our gurus and a reminder not to act as they would not approve. It is made of steel rather than gold or silver because it should be regarded as a religious symbol rather than an ornament or piece of jewellery. I wore my Kara all the time and never took it off until I reached senior school, where it became difficult to wear for sports and other activities. It is very hard to maintain a habit like this when you cannot wear it all the time.

In our home we have many pictures of historical Sikh figures, and other imagery. Statues are not at all prevalent in Sikhism as it promotes too much of a culture of worship rather than learning and understanding.

Many households also have a picture of Guru Nanak, the first Guru, as all ten gurus taught the foundations of Sikhism through the oneness of God.

The main symbolism of Sikhism is the Khanda, as shown in this photo. Khanda is made up of a double edged sword, which is a symbol of fighting for what is right, and the Chakkar, which like the Kara, is a circle to represent a God without beginning or ending. It is common to find the Khanda at the entrance of a gurdwara (place of prayer) and also embroidered on to cloths for the Guru Granth Sahib.

Ishyka Ahluwalia

Origin of the Spoken Word Nitya Kapadia Through time, there has been irrefutable proof of communication between humans.

Nowadays, not only do we have the ability to speak and write, but our messages are amplified through the use of technology and social media. Yet despite our rapid advancements in communications, writing has only been in existence for the last 5000 years, whereas the human species has been around for about 200,000 years. Hence, this begs the question, for the 150,000 years in between, how did humans communicate? Additionally, how did we evolve from where we were, to now, in the age of phones, email and texting?

For years, humans expressed feelings and thoughts through hand gestures and signs, whilst signalling through fire, smoke or even whistles. Around the year 3000 BCE, the oldest language, Tamil, began to be spoken.

Many researchers have debated the succession of language; did it happen all at once, where we all started to speak fluently, or did it happen in stages? Some researchers have put forward claims that it came in one leap, tying in with the ideas of evolution as they suggest that through one mutation, the brain suddenly had a system that enabled humans to communicate complex messages and meanings through the use of sound. Nevertheless, in contrast, other researchers have suggested that language has manifested over time, with ‘special properties’ coming along in stages. A theory is that it would have started as aligning words with the objects, and then inventing new vocabulary as the people would have needed.

As humans began to speak, we also began to write. The advent of writing was critical for human development as it was, and is, the prime way of collecting and communicating information. As early as 3200 BCE, humans have records of the first form of writing; cuneiform writing. This was a method invented

by Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia, which is now present-day Iraq. It was a system of writing using a reed stylus to create shapes in clay tablets. In terms of the first alphabet, it is considered that the Proto Canaanite alphabet is the first alphabet in existence, yet there have also been claims that the Hebrew alphabet predates this is as well.

The Phoenician alphabet

In a jump to today’s time, there are around 7000 languages spoken around the world today, home to different areas of the world, practiced in daily life. Whilst we have a plethora of languages, the majority of all our languages were derived from the ancient languages such as Latin, Greek and Sanskrit. For example, Italian, Spanish and French are all derived from Latin, whilst languages like Hindi and Gujarati are derived from Sanskrit.

Furthermore, there is research that suggests that around 400 languages, including Hindi, Persian, Greek and Spanish are all derived from the same root, a Proto language. This language is a hypothetical, reconstructed, lost parent language. In theory, it is a sort of

‘language family’, from where many languages are derived from. In this case, the Proto language, known as Proto-IndoEuropean or PIE, is said to have been spoken by a hypothetical group of people from Eurasia around 4500-2500 BCE. Following on from this idea, it is vital to look at the past to understand the languages of today. In our modern world, the top ten languages in order are: Mandarin, Spanish, English, Hindi, Arabic, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese and Lahnda. It is crucial to understand the history to know the language, and even the geography. For example, colonisation has greatly impacted the linguistic world. English is so important for people to know nowadays, and there is a plethora of examples to showcase this, like when people want to become pilots, it is mandatory for them to know English and identify themselves in such as well. Without colonisation, would the language maintain this much importance as it does today? In South America, prior to colonisation, there were various indigenous groups that spoke a variety of languages. However, today, most of South America speak Spanish because of the Conquest.

In conclusion, the origin of the spoken word is a question that has no clear answer, with disputes between research and new discoveries being made every day, invalidating the answers we already have. However, the journey each language takes, spreading across a continent, is indicative of the complex history of the land. Hence, while have no answer, by tracing back the history of our speech, we can develop a deeper appreciation of the culture of the world. |

Ukiyo-e Art Mary Qurban Ukiyo-e (translated as pictures of the floating world) is a genre of Japanese art which lasted from the late 17th to late 19th centuries. Although the style of bold flat lines, and technique of using woodblock prints, and occasionally paintings, was used throughout, the subject matter largely varied from nature, to eroticism, to kabuki actors. Due to the large period of time in which this genre lasted, I will be focusing on the peak period.

just as suddenly ten months later. This is likely due to the disapproval of his work during the time, and as a result, his true name, nor the dates of his birth or death are known.

Sharaku mostly created expressive portraits of kabuki (classical Japanese dance- drama) actors, which were displayed an unusual realism for the time. Whilst others such as Utamaro romanticised their subjects, Sharaku didn’t refrain from including unflattering details, of which the public disliked.

Utamaro – Two Beauties with Bamboo Hokusai - The Great Wave off Kanagawa

In the late 1700s, ukiyo-e came to its golden age, in which the quality and quantity of works peaked, despite it being a time of economic distress. This was also despite the censorship on art that promoted urban ideals, such as eroticism, which went into effect in 1790 and increased in strictness over the following decades. Some well-known artists during its peak included Torii Kiyonaga of the Torii school; Kitagawa Utamaro, who was arrested for making prints depicting the 16th century military ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi due to the ban placed on art; and Tōshūsai Sharaku. Sharaku has well known works in the Ukiyo-e genre, despite only making a brief appearance in 1794 and disappearing

Sharaku - Ōtani Oniji III in the Role of the Servant

Sharaku utilised energy and dynamism in his portraits, and focused on the facial expression. Unlike some other contemporary artists, such as Katsukawa Shun'ei, who may have focused on the narrative of the play, Sharaku instead focused on the actor and character. For example, in his print of the character Lady Tsukuba (on the right) the character has a large nose, is in a more slouched position as she cranes her neck, and her limbs, unlike in Utamaro’s print, are not posed daintily. This therefore captures the moment in the performance of the character, showing how the character was examining something. In order to emphasise the differences between Sharaku’s and other Ukiyo-e artists’ style, I illustrated the same work of Lady Tsukuba, but following the ide-

In the early 1800s Ukiyo-e began to decline past its peak, but some of Japan’s most famous artists were active during this time. This included Hokusai, arguably one of the most famous Japanese artists, as well as other artists such as Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi. Hokusai is best known for his woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which includes The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Hokusai also created the Hokusai Manga, which was a collection of sketches of various subjects, published mostly for monetary gain, however this later influenced modern Japanese manga and anime.

The genre lasted mostly for the duration of the Edo period, in which Japan was almost completely isolated from the rest of the world due to the Closed Country Edict of 1635, until the policy was lifted in 1854. This meant it’s influence and legacy was only truly able to spread outside of Japan after its end, however, it’s influence has lasted to the modern day in both the east and west. |

Sharaku’s Lady Tsukuba

Lady Tsukuba Gozen in a more romanticised style (drawn by Mary)

Identity Anjali Cheung Identity is the way that one perceives themselves, and therefore expresses themselves.

Art is an extremely versatile and effective way for people to voice their thoughts that might not appear as evocative in writing. Discrimination towards one’s identity, whether against race, gender or sexuality, evokes pain and confusion. And it is often the topic of an artist’s greatest and most profound work.

throughout Frida's painting where she seeks to question the senselessness of gender roles and expectations of sexuality. Her famous exaggeration of her unibrow, moustache and masculine features provide her self-portraits with an androgynous look, which was how she felt she should highlight the masculine dynamism she felt existent in her essence. She would often drink to dull her lingering pain from her bus accident but also the emotional pain she underwent from her pregnancy complications.

As a mestiza girl, Kahlo would often feel a sense of duality within her with regards to

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter renowned for her portraits, self-portraits and pieces inspired by the landscape and relics of Mexico.

Stimulated by the nation’s culture, she utilized a folk art style to explore questions of identity, gender, class, and race in society. Her works often show intense autobiographical features and combine realism with illusion.

Notoriously she said 'I paint selfportraits because I am the person that I know best. I paint my own reality.’ This showed how art was her way of sharing her feelings and stories with the world. She was able to form a portrayal of a ‘Mexicana girl’ which dynamically sought to defy any postulations or stereotypes placed on a woman like her – a mestiza (mixed race girl).

‘Machismo’ is the way in which men are ‘supposed to act’ in Mexican society. Whether it be drinking, philandering or violence, these seemingly unattractive traits are what would make you more of a man. Women on the other hand must be maternal, kind-hearted and honourable. Any ‘machismo’ behaviour would result in the ostracism of the woman in question.

Allusions to machismo culture and conduct run

race. In ‘The Two Fridas’, we see a unique depiction of her identity.

The tranquil clouds and docile expression on the faces is juxtaposed with the explicit medical images to exemplify her internal conflict.

The work is well-composed that the hem of the native skirt is the only indication that she is experiencing susceptibilities which she has come to epitomise with her European embodiment.

The exertions of the Mexican self to cultivate the second Frida have been disillusioned by the ‘flimsier’ half. |

In a world of change your identity will stand by you, grow with you. All you need is what you already have.

Kate Walters

You tread their tunnels

And endure an onerous freight.

Made captive of your own voice: ‘Do I release, bear a lighter load out of the dark?’

‘Why wait?’

‘It is too late, The invisibility around me invades; The weight I carry only sinks me down further, Deeper into the sludgeWhy wait?’

My friend, the darkness blinds you, It is not a matter of what you see but of what you have.

Open your sack, unload; devour the sweet berry you have brought And let your torch light guide you on. |

Love Lore

Whose laughter loud, now heard no more, Who lives in his heart as before.

Ms. Anslow

There is no love after first love, He thinks, no life in a second life;

In this tale, my ancestor, James Newman, who had fled famine in Ireland to find fortune in Australia, and who has outlived his first wife, the mother of his children, returns to Dublin to collect the love of his youth. He finds her, Annie Rooney, still there, still unmarried, and still willing to cross the ocean with him, though Australia is a country she never feels at home in.

The heart is malleable just one time.

Late in the day struck By the pain of old love left He leaves the gold, the butter, the land,

To retrace the turbulent past sea-path, Through the treacherous teeth of the coral reef,

Early in the stricken day

The proportionate fish of the slow-time deep,

Gum bark strips stretch

And the cold grey waves of the freezing sea

Wretched in bone white curls,

To the island of his start.

The heavy slump of tin-grey leaves, Long-lobed and yearning for loam,

***

And the dry tick of cicada Insomnia taps out the hours.

In the noon dearth of a stricken day Gum bark strips stretch white,

A man rides his horse

Insomniac woman hauls her flesh

Fluidly slipping from shadow

Through the dry tick of hours;

To shadow, his face under brim

Slow-time, slow-heat, make her mind sore,

Still and deep as a hidden well,

Make her yearn for the freezing sea,

Tiger’s-eye dark, gold and rich,

But the man rides his horse,

Tracks a cool path from the pasture

Brings the fluid, cool shadow,

To the house of his prosperity.

And they laugh in their hearts as before. |

He thinks on a girl, now grown, now old, Whose limbs were sweet, now stout,

Shooting an elephant: Perspective from one of the villagers Aamani Ruparell Fear washed over all of us. I screamed at the children to hide in the hut. They should not have to witness something as dreadful as this.

Shouts of where the elephant was filled my ears and I gazed towards the white man. He looked clueless, pacing around the village as he searched for the elephant. The other villagers laughed at him, even amongst the panic. He was hated here because his people had taken control over us; they used us for our minerals, and we despised them.

I ran into the hut to check that the children were safe and as I came back out, I saw people running across the village. I immediately followed, consumed in what was happening. The elephant had been found and I could see the white man shaking whilst approaching it. His vulnerability was a rare sight, but I could see in this moment how scared he was. His breathing was uneasy and he was reluctant to move.

Meanwhile, the other villagers found this sight amusing and jeered at him.

It became evident that the elephant was going to be killed. Although this caused outrage amongst a few of the villagers, the majority of us were delighted to see this. The elephant would give us meat to eat and the shooting would provide good entertainment for everyone. Everyone crowded round, their eyes fixated on the man and his rifle. A deadly silence filled the space as people stood there, waiting for the killing to take place. As the gun shot there was a huge uproar, and everyone jumped around. The white man stood shocked as the elephant slowly and quietly fell to the ground.

Half an hour later the elephant had died. Villagers arrived with their dahs and baskets and by the afternoon, the elephant had been stripped to its bones. It was a joyous occasion; the meat was shared round village and the children danced with joy. I looked round the village and at the beaming faces of all my friends and family. It reminded me of my youth; I would always see these infectious smiles but now they were a rare sight. I hoped that my children would grow up to see the village vibrant and full of life again. I hoped they would be able to understand our culture and traditions. I did not want them to be raised under the ways of the colonisers but I constantly feared that they would. |

Interview With Ms Siddiqui

K: Have your experiences living in the UAE had any bearing on how you view yourself culturally?

Our own Ms Siddiqui from the Chemistry department has kindly given an interview to Oyster editors Karel and Anoushka. Read for a really inspiring discussion about accepting your cultural identity through ethnicity, faith, beauty, art and music. Thank you, Miss Siddiqui, for showing us the beauty of your multi-faceted cultural identity, the power of respect, and how simply common ground can be found in those human aspects of life that transcend all material difference.

S: Before we moved there in the 90s for my dad’s job, I remember going to school in the UK and telling my friends from reception, ‘I’m leaving I’m going to Dubai’, and no one had heard of what Dubai was; they thought I was making up the name of a city. It boomed right in front of us. My parents built around us a community of expats. The best thing my parents did is being part of this expat community, which was made up of friends from Iran, Malaysia, America, South Africa, the US. That has diversified my understanding of cultures and people even more than if I’d stayed in the UK. Because here I’m a British Asian, but there I’m an expat on top of that so you add another layer and now I’m exposed to even more things, which definitely changed how I view the world and other cultures, leading me to have more respect for them.

K: What is your ethnic background?

S: Asian British; from Pakistan. Born here in the UK and brought up in the UAE for most of my life, over 20 years.

A: how does your ethnic background affect your daily life?

S: I’d say it does affect my life, sometimes it unconsciously affects what I choose to eat or wear, what language I’m thinking in or dreaming in… The positives are that I’m a product of two amazing cultures: Asian and British, so in that sense I feel more flexibility in the way that I can converse in more than one language; I can discuss multiple topics because I’m aware of more things. I have a wide palate when it comes to food, and dress sense. It’s definitely made me less ignorant because I’m a mixture of more than one thing; more accepting of other cultures and more interested in other cultures and what they have to offer. In terms of the negatives, there are conflicts because for the Asian community you’re not Asian, because you’re British, and sometimes for the British community you’re not British because you’re Asian as well. You’re being torn at times, you’re not enough for each one.

A: to expand on this feeling of being torn, do you lean more one way because you’ve lived there for longer?

Or is it a complete split?

S: I think for me it’s a complete split. The equilibrium shifts depending on what scenario, the environment, who I’m with, sometime you’re leaning more towards one side then you find yourself with another group of people and lean way more towards the other so eventually the two sides even out for me personally. So, it depends on who I’m with, and what I’m doing but it’s an even split for me.

A: Do you find racism an obstacle to your experience either here or in the UAE, professionally or personally?

S: My professional life has been here. I’ve only worked as a teacher in the UK. I’ve had an experience that unfortunately, if you think about the boxes I tick when applying for a job as a female, Asian, and as a young professional, I’m ticking all these boxes that ‘put me at a disadvantage’ because I’m not an experienced, older, white male which unfortunately sometimes people have a bias towards when it comes towards automatically giving your respect as a pupil. I’m very conscious of what I say just because I don’t want to come across as someone who needs pitying because the best thing that I have learnt, and this really helps a lot, is that by showing respect to my pupils, I think they give it back to me and it’s a very altruistic relationship in that sense because I respect them and they respect me and I’m interested in them, where they come from, their background, their experiences and they give that back to me. I think that’s really helped me professionally.

So, in actuality any negative experience that I’ve had has taught me to give more respect to my pupils. I’m not of the belief that you should only give respect to your elders: it should be every human, animal, plant etc… so I think that’s helped me a lot. Personally, it’s not been a big obstacle because whether its down to my parents or myself I’m very confident in what I bring to the table; I bring multiple languages, multiple talents, multiple skills so I am more than one layer, I am multi-faceted, and I think having belief in that I bring

more to the table than just one culture has definitely allowed me to have confidence.

K: To what extent would you say that your faith influences your cultural identity?

S: For me, this is a trickier debate because for me my faith should be independent of my culture because, to sort of rank them, my faith comes higher up. My culture should be something that supports my faith and strengthens it but sometimes I find that people go against their faith or their ideologies because it goes against what society thinks, or what so and so think, but for me it’s more, what my creator thinks. I worry less about society and people. I’m not doing things for my culture; I’m doing things because I know my actions have consequences and because I know what goes around comes around. I would say in some aspects I agree with my culture; in the aspects where it supports my faith, and then in some aspects I don’t where its hindering or clashing with my faith.

A: when worshipping are you exposed to others in your community, how large is that cultural community where you live, do you gain a lot of exposure to theirs?

male set up are brilliant. Any time I’ve stood up to pray shoulder to shoulder through all my years in Dubai, when I look down at the prayer mat and see the feet next to me, I’ve seen every colour foot next to me. But the best part is whoever they are, they are my sister in Islam. So, I could be praying next to an Arab CEO of the make up industry and on the other side I could be having another culture house cleaner or mum and wife so I’ve had that exposure and I think that’s the best bit about my faith. And if you look at all the images during the BLM movement there are some images that just really stood out to me during the protest where all the protesters circle a barrier allowing those who wanted to pray to do so and you will see every colour under the sun doing so and for me that is the best of Islam.

A: do you find that same beauty and exposure here?

S: I’d say more in Dubai. Here you find some cultures more dominant than others but I would say that’s also the area I live in, whereas in Dubai it’s more of a hotpot everywhere you go; its more spread out in terms of cultural backgrounds. But there is definitely diversity here: when I came here for university a collection of friends would go to the prayer room and I would be praying next to friends that were Malaysian, from Sudan, from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh… so definitely diversity in Islam is present no matter where you go.

K: Following on from the culture versus society debacle, have you faced points of tension within your culture?

S: Yeah, I would say here in the UK I was exposed but I was so young when we moved I can’t really remember. Let me talk about my experiences in Dubai because that’s where I really discovered my faith while growing up. I would say the most beautiful thing I can think of and it still makes me so happy is that when we pray, we all pray shoulder to shoulder in the mosque, and obviously Dubai is so rich in Islamic culture so we would go to the mosque regularly and their arrangements for fe-

S: I suppose I face issues with my culture when it comes to double standards between genders- and that’s for any culture, if any culture puts double standards between genders and if they raise female children different to male children that’s where I have an issue. The other issue that I really have a problem with is advertisements for things like fairness creams, that I have real issue with (chuckles). There is no ‘fair and lovely’; you are lovely full stop. There is no condition or criteria that needs to come on top of that. Fairness creams is a big topic of debate for me culturally. Differences in education between genders is also very

problematic.

K: Supposing the obsession with ‘being fair’ comes from the British colonial impact and the implications of having a globalized world, to what extent has this shaped your cultural identity as a whole?

S: Luckily it’s not affected me for the negative because I was very clear from a very early-on age that I am a product... (diverges) I don’t know, when I was younger and I would see friends or celebrities paying to get spray tans, and then on the other side you see different cultures paying to buy ‘fair and lovely’ and you’re like, why is no one just happy in their skin; in the skin that they were meant to be in. Luckily for me, I was very firm in the sense that I will not be selecting foundation that’s two shades lighter or two shades darker because my skin colour is appropriate for me, to represent me. Because even if you look in Pakistan, luckily, I’ve been exposed to enough geography that if I go front the north all the way down to the south, you will have a multipot of all different colours of skin and they are all beautiful in all their respects because they all are Pakistani. So, for me it’s [white-washing] only ever had positive influences but I suppose that’s because I was very set in my sense that I am not going to change for any body else because the longest relationship I will have with anyone in my life is with me. So therefore, if I’m not happy and content with what I see in the mirror, why should I expect anyone else to be. I shouldn’t have to have anyone being content with me if I’m not happy with me. That comes with time, and obviously everyone has their bad days when you’re looking in the mirror and thinking, ‘oh G-d!’, but I think I was very set in my ways about where I draw a line between what I believe in and between what society is telling me. So luckily for me it’s not had a negative impact; it’s just made me firmer in my opinions of certain things.

A: as a teacher, do you find more cultural awareness in this school than other schools? Do you feel the syllabus needs to be changed, and do students become more accepting as they get older?

S: So luckily for me this isn’t my first teaching school so I was able to develop the practice of respect even if pupils don’t trust me initially. It is un-

derstandable for a young person, to suddenly face a new stranger walking in and saying ‘I am your teacher’, it is daunting no matter what they look like or where they come from, which is why I think the principle of I give you respect and you give it to me in return works so well. Because I applied it here, it was a smooth transition, I didn’t notice any difference in treatment between here and my previous school but luckily in all the schools I’ve taught in, I’ve taught many different cultures. Most of the pupils can see I am British / blank and a lot of them were similar, so they could relate to me more. And the pupils who were one culture, just English or just Irish or whatever, because I was able to initiate the trust and relationship, they weren’t scared to ask me questions about my culture or my faith.

Obviously to an extent I was able to answer them, so we were able to learn from each other and that works in this school as well. Learning from other pupils and colleagues and them learning form me, works really well if there is mutual respect.

K: What are the Beauty standards within your culture and how do they defer to beauty standards in the West?

S: So, growing up in Dubai it was predominantly a white school, only a handful of Asians of which my brother and I were two. During that time, I dealt with aspiring to follow popular beauty standards.

When I was growing up, the ‘in thing’ was thin eyebrows, to the point you could barely see them, plucked within an inch of their life, which if it works for you works for you. Very thin, slender figures, and very thin lips, which, to each their own, but I did not fit that mould when I was a teenager and so I did definitely experience peer bullying because of that. I have thick eyebrows- very dark very thickfuller lips, I am naturally not slender, as in I have shape, and curves, and lumps and bumps, and so when I was growing up that just wasn’t in. And then suddenly it became the thing to have thick eyebrows! Thankfully, when I came home from school telling my mum, ‘they’re making fun of my eyebrows again, or of this again’, my mum would tell me, ‘do not pluck them, don’t touch them, don’t wax them, you will thank me one day!’ and that day came and I was like thank you mum! I don’t think the point she was making was wait till

the day they’re accepted, I think it was wait till the day you see the beauty in what you have as opposed to comparing yourself to what others have.

So, for me, the eyebrows were a big part of accepting what I have culturally, as not necessarily what was part of the beauty standard then, and now people ask me for tips like, where did you get your eyebrows done, how do you grow them… (effectively what goes around comes around).

When it came to the age when I started purchasing makeup and foundation, I made sure that I went with a natural shade. Something that complements me. It took time to find the beauty standards that fit me. A lot of times you are under the beauty standards externally imposed, where you have to conform, and what I would rather the young generation do is make new standards and boxes and then have freedom to add extra beauty standards.

A: yep thick eyebrows may be in fashion, but people still don’t like it when they are undone or with a monobrow – the double standards!

S: That is so right! When you’re not wearing makeup they’re like oh are you sick is everything ok and then you put make up on and they’re like its too heavy, so the main point is not to do things to please others you’ve got to do them for yourself.

K: To what extent does your language comprise your sense of cultural identity?

or emotions.

K: Who influences you within your culture?

S: My first point of inspiration within my culture are my parents, no matter how cheesy that sounds!

Because they have never used their cultural identity; the fact they come from more than one culture as British Asian as an excuse; I’ve never seen them rely on that as a crutch. They have always shown me the beauty that a dual identity brings to the table, and how they can transition between cultures and talking to people of different backgrounds.

From the Pakistani community, you’ve got Malala Yousafzai who is a champion for education for all children regardless of their gender; she’s a big one.

The actress Mahira Khan is doing great things, and Yungna Zahai American Pakistani who talks a lot about her cultural identity

Fashion designers are pushing the boundaries on culture. Pakistani fashion is beautiful and relevant.

The unknown names and faces. With Pakistani art, I would rather see the art on the streets. In Pakistan they decorate trucks and rickshaws with very fine detailed art, and this expression of their culture and their identity through art is beautiful.

As well as the interiors of Mosques with calligraphy, that is beautiful.

S: It has such a big impact on my identity. I understand multiple languages but my predominant language that I speak in at home is Urdu. Urdu is very polite, formal; it’s the language that most poetry is written in. Because it is so formal, polite, and poetic, one day in the office I was having a heated discussion with somebody on the phone when some colleagues walked in and they commented on how beautiful it sounded! Its formality adds to the culture of respect because there is an element of respect that you have to bring in when you speak Urdu that’s helped me a lot in terms of talking thoughtfully and respectfully towards people regardless of age, gender, colour, background…

K: How does not being first generation affect how you feel with respects to your Asian community and culture?

Sometimes also there is not the most suited word that I can find in the English vocabulary, and that is when I switch over to Urdu, to express my feelings

S: No matter which generation I was, I would feel the sense of responsibility to maintain my roots because I’m very proud of them; it’s something I’d

like to pass on to future generations. I love that side of me. The fact I’m not first generation means I’m less aware, though I do ask grandparents, aunts, uncles and my parents of their stories, but I’m less aware of the sacrifices that they went through to get me to this place where I can say I am British Asian. Because to pick up your life and move to a brand-new country is ridiculously scary, and I find them incredibly brave for being able to do that. Especially my father, who came to this country very young, there was a lot of tension at the time between races and cultures. The fact he was able to not only survive, but thrive under the best and worse circumstances growing up here, whilst still maintaining his cultural identity and a strong sense of responsibility of what’s right and what’s wrong has helped me maintain it and so I don’t feel this burden, because it’s a natural continuation of my father’s efforts.

I do make sure I’m not ignorant of my cultural roots because I make sure I’m reading up on what’s happening in different countries, as well as my own (by which I mean Pakistan and Britain and UAE). I make sure I’m looking at three sets of newspapers, and listening to three sets of entertainment industries.

A: Just wondering my mum also really appreciates Urdu as a language and she loves the music, so is that a big part of your life?

S: Yes, I really like that your mum and I have found common ground even though I’ve never met her, but that is what I think is beautiful about your magazine theme. You realise yes, we all have different identities, yes, we all have different cultures but we are all linked by one thing. We are all human. We all have a living and beating heart. So, the fact that I can connect to your mum through music in a foreign language even though we don’t know each other is amazing. Music is a huge part of my cultural identity, listening to music in Urdu has made me more interested in learning about the complexities of the language. So, if anybody reading is interested, listen to coke studios Pakistan (as in coca cola because they sponsor it) it has some of the best musicians and artists that we have in the music industry coming together and producing live sessions in Urdu, and they do have English subtitles for you to understand. I’m just really really proud to be Pakistani and Asian. Find a common link and respect that, don’t fight over differences. |

An Unknown Girl, Moniza Alvi You may recognise Pakistani-British writer Moniza Alvi’s ‘An Unknown Girl’ from your IGCSE English language anthology. This identity poem encapsulates all the themes we’ve spoken about. It’s form and language enshrine the beauty implicit in a dual identity, and the trials and tribulations that come along with this.

In the evening bazaar studded with neon an unknown girl is hennaing my hand.

She squeezes a wet brown line from a nozzle, She is icing my hand, which she steadies with hers On her satin-peach knee.

In the evening bazaar for a few rupees an unknown girl is hennaing my hand.

As a little air catches My shadow-stitched kameez a peacock spreads its lines across my palm.

Colours leave the street float up in balloons.

Dummies in shop-fronts tilt and stare with their Western perms.

Banners for Miss India 1993, for curtain cloth and sofa cloth canopy me.

I have new brown veins.

In the evening bazaar very deftly an unknown girl is hennaing my hand I am clinging to these firm peacock lines like people who cling to sides of a train.

Now the furious streets are hushed.

I’ll scrape off the dry brown lines before I sleep, reveal soft as a snail trail

the amber bird beneath.

It will fade in a week.

When India appears and reappears I’ll lean across a country with my hands outstretched longing for the unknown girl in the neon bazaar. |

Interview with my grandma Tiana Lakhani I interviewed my grandma, Gurdeep Hayre, whose family is originally from Pakistan Punjab and went through partition at a young age. She then married my grandad who was a Tank Commander in the British Army and settled in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. I asked her about her views and experiences on her cultural identity, how she felt about integration and the ways in which her values have changed over the years.

In quotations are her views and experiences which I have translated from Punjabi into English.

At the start of the interview, I asked my grandma how she would describe her cultural identity. I explained what I meant by the term ‘cultural identity’ as a sense of belonging to a particular group. In her case, I asked whether she felt more British or Punjabi? Without hesitation, she said she felt more Punjabi, despite having lived in the UK for nearly fifty years. She went on to explain:

‘’When I first came to the UK, I was very excited. I had learnt about the British Empire at school and it had always been depicted to us as a beautiful place. A few people in my village who had travelled to England showed us pictures and I always knew that I wanted to come one day. I was excited to see England, wear English clothes even though I had never left India and had always worn a salwar kameez. This was because it was a new culture…it was exciting.

My experience in England was very mixed at first. Some people were nice to us but others

were not. We were treated differently then.

We had to be careful where we went. I hesitated a lot even though I was educated and had learnt English. I was scared I would say something wrong and people would laugh.

When I would go out shopping we would get called derogatory names and it was humiliating. Because of this I found it was difficult to integrate – we were not accepted and we were always treated as foreigners. This is why I call myself Punjabi. It is different for your generation though, things have changed now, it was different then.”

For my grandma, and many other members of the Punjabi community who immigrated to Britain in the 1970s, their experience of integration in Britain was not so much a matter of choice. They wanted to integrate but at the time racism, stereotypes and language barriers stood in the way of this. This is demonstrated in an example my grandma used about going to the doctors then versus now: “If I wanted to go to the doctor, I was always very worried and reluctant. I was scared they would not understand me, and my doctor would sometimes get frustrated. Now things have changed, and I do not hesitate. I am more confident speaking English and they are more understanding. In this way, I feel like we have integrated. It is much easier for us to fit in now.”

However, from my own experience, having spent many months every year with my grandma in Huddersfield, I still do not feel as though my grandma’s generation have fully integrated. Most of her friends are in the Punjabi community and feel most comfortable in their own community events. I wanted to understand how my grandma felt about this and the extent at which she felt this had changed for my generation. Did she agree that she had not properly integrated? And did

her response: “I agree – my generation have not really integrated. We live in peace now – they accept us, we have no problems. We meet with our friends in our community, but they meet with theirs. I think this is normal….it takes time for us to adapt. It is much better now. I think your generation mix much more. The world is increasingly interconnected and now our cultures are mixing and assimilating. We have borrowed aspects of British culture and they have borrowed aspects of Punjabi culture through things like cuisine and fashion. This is inevitable if you immigrate somewhere and I think it is a good thing to integrate. At the same time, some of the younger generations have lost their roots…they cannot speak Punjabi and do not properly understand their heritage.

I will admit my values have changed about this because before I was unhappy that they could not speak Punjabi and understand the traditions. But now I have come to understand that this is natural because they have been brought up British. They are British. But I do not think this is good, I would like them to understand their culture as this makes up part of their cultural identity. This is my opinion.”

I understood my grandma’s point of view as this is the viewpoint shared by much of the older generation in my community. Although, they understand that we are bound to lose hold of our Punjabi culture and identify more with British culture, yet this is still difficult for them to accept. This is shown in the language our two generations use to identify ourselves – my grandma calls herself Punjabi, I call myself British. I then asked my grandma how she felt about this and whether she thought it was possible for my generation to cultivate a cultural identity that acknowledges elements of both our British and Punjabi culture. She said:

“Through my experience in England, I think it is possible for your cultural identity to be a mix of Punjabi and British. The Punjabi culture is so strong. Your generation can integrate and also feel proud of where you have come from by understanding your culture.”

I think my grandma’s story is applicable to many immigrants who have had difficulties integrating into a new society. Although, times have changed and in her experience the world has become more interconnected and more accepting of one another. There is this fear within the older generation that the younger generation may lose their heritage and this will no longer be a part of their identity. However, I think she is right and although it is natural for our cultural identity to lie closer towards where we are brought up, this does not mean we cannot maintain our heritage and make this a part of our identity. Our generation are global souls. We are not bound by labels or passports and it is the assimilation of cultures makes up our cultural identity. |