Nupé May '12 - Culture Issue

Aaron Christian: Stylist To The New School

What Does It Mean To Be British?

The Revolution Has Been Digital

I Am My Clothes

Rise Of The DSLR Videographer

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Contents Page News & Money Matters Big Brother Is Truly Watching A Delayed Execution 3 Startups That Are Changing The World Business Round Up Jimmy ‘Mr Nice’ Akingbola News Round Up

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Modern Life Social Network Etiquette: Self-Promotion Words From The Wise I Don’t Have Instagram, Should I? The Revolution Has Been Digital What Does It Mean To Be British?

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Style ‘N’ Culture Music Spotlight: Angel Music Spotlight: Lana Del Raye HnH Section I Am My Clothes: Punk Rock I Am My Clothes: Preppy I Am My Clothes: African Print Aaron Christian: Stylist To The New School Rise Of The DSLR Videographer Tshaka Campbell Album Review

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Opinionated People Discrimination Should Be Indiscriminately Denounced Kamrantz

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Sports Football Shows Its’ Fab Side Sports Roundup

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Editor’s Word Hello again Nupéians and welcome to the second issue of Nupé Magazine. I hope you had a good Easter, spent some quality time with good company and didn’t get too sickly from the chocolate intake. The theme for this issue is ‘Culture’ and the great journalists here explore how different cultures in the UK are converging and changing under the modern day spectrum. There are some quite tasty features as we explore ‘What Does It Mean To Be British’, and how the ‘Revolution Has Been Digitalized’ and we catch up with one of the men at the forefront of a new men’s styling culture, Aaron Christian, co-founder and editor of Individualism.co.uk. The issue is packed from page to page with great work from great talent so you’re in for a treat.

In addition to what’s within these pages, I must also divert your attention to our website - www.nupe.co.uk - and encourage you to check out Nupé VT, work from our online video channel. We Will have a series of documentaries on there in the coming weeks which seeks to explore various cultures.

Finally we have implemented some design changes based on feedback we received for the first issue. We apologise that the magazine cannot be viewed on all mobile devices as of yet but we are working to rectify this over the coming issues.

Feedback is encouraged on everything that we do, so feel free to email us via info@nupe.co.uk, like on Facebook - Nupe - and write on our wall or tweet us @nupemag.

TJ Morgan - Editor Dami Abajingin - Politics Editor Razaak Agoro - Sports Editor Kamran Assadi - Poetry Editor Chris Wosu Emine Yeter Christabel Williams Tramaine Ocarlay Christina Abgodza Edward Sealy Mulenga Bwali Chloe Brant Helen O. Busari Bhavika Sankada Advertising - info@nupe.co.uk

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News & Money Matters

Big Brother truly is Watching

The coalition government is planning to extend the powers of the security services to monitor emails, telephone calls and social media communications. It goes without saying that this will pose a further encroachment on our already circumscribed civil liberties.

Only two years ago did the coalition pledge to “reverse the rise of the surveillance state”. In opposition the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives both vehemently attacked the last Labour government plans to implement a central database containing web and telephone use. Fast forward to present day and the coalition are now planning to bring what they renounced into reality.

These plans provide further validation that anything politicians “pledge” to do should be taken with a microscopic pinch of salt.

The government says that these measures are essential for the battle against terrorism and organised crime.

The coalition claims that 95% of organised crime investigations and “every” major counter-terrorism investigation uses communications data. This statistic only states that investigators used communications records on almost every occasion, not that such information was essential to investigations.

The home secretary Theresa May has insisted that “ordinary people” will not be affected, the plans are vital to catch paedophiles, terrorists and other criminals. Also it must be highlighted that the authorities would not be able to read the content of messages without a warrant issued by the home secretary under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). Nick Clegg has ‘pledged’ that information will have the “highest possible safeguards”. In a parallel universe where Nick Clegg actually adhered to his pledges I supposed that would actually mean something.

As with most of the government’s recent proposals this plan has been meet with internal and external opposition. A number of MPs and civil liberties groups have argued that the plan would “endanger privacy and unfettered free expression online”. In addition internet firms have warned that government plans to monitor online activity could mean that Britain could be used as an example to justify state surveillance in repressive regimes. Is that what the government wants, for their actions to be a source of validation for despots the world over? I sincerely hope not.

Big brother truly is watching ladies and gents, or at the very least getting a sneak peak. Perhaps referencing Orwell’s 1984 is a tad melodramatic, for now. But this is only the beginning, the level of privacy we enjoy today is substantially less than it was a decade ago; I shudder to think about how much we will still have in 2024.

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Dami Abajingin - Politics and Comment Editor

News & Money Matters

A Delayed Execution After a year of financial and political turmoil in the Eurozone many experts are claiming that the experiment of a single European currency has failed, for the Euro the end is nigh.

The recent actions taken by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and co have provided the Euro with the possibility of a stay of execution.

The countries involved in the agreement have all accepted terms that include the limiting their borrowing to only 3% of their GDP, but this is the same borrowing limit that was agreed to by these nations back in 1997. An agreement that was clearly broken. The first among them to break this limit was the original and current architect of the agreement, Germany. Italy, now heavily in debt, flouted this agreement more than anyone else, borrowing heavily under Berlusconi’s tenure. Spain was the best behaved, the Mediterranean nation only broke this limit in 2008 when forced to by the financial crisis.

As a result the recent economic agreements made by the Eurozone, can be seen as more of an attempt to ease concerns over the health and safety of the Euro rather than as a long term fix to the economic problems Europe faces. Many financial figures fear that such an outcome is inevitable without bold action being taken. Much of President Obama’s time this year has been taken up urging European leaders to act.

These are the hard facts: unemployment in Spain is 23%, while in the Eurozone on a whole it stands at an average of 10.8%. The borrowing prices for Belgium and France are rising rapidly. Greece, Ireland and Portugal have all been bailed out, while Italy and Spain are implementing severe austerity measures to stay afloat but to many it seems likely they will need a bailout in the future.

Many have called, Germany in particular, for the exclusion of the financial failing states of the Eurozone. But this really isn’t an option and while Angela Merkel has been rumoured to have made this threat in private, it is an empty one. It would most likely induce market panic rather than assuage it. Some have said that the only way to restore confidence is to reverse the current trend of economic austerity and take us towards a path of increasing financial spending in a bid to revive our stagnating economies.

I’m personally more drawn towards this path; there is no denying the risks it poses as it means increased borrowing, which will make it even more expensive to borrow. This tactic will either make things much better or much worse.

Thus it represents a gamble that few politicians seem willing to take. Though the actions they have taken so far have at least delayed the death of the Euro.

Edward Sealy - News Correspondent

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3 StartUps

that are CHANGING the World CEO/Co-Founder: Drew Houston CTO/Co-Founder: Arash Ferdowsi Estimated Valuation: $5 Billion Dropbox was founded in 2007

by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi. Frustrated by working from multiple computers, Drew was inspired to create a service that would let people bring all their files anywhere, with no need to email around attachments. Drew created a demo of Dropbox and showed it to fellow MIT student Arash Ferdowsi, who dropped out with only one semester left to help make Dropbox a reality. The risk paid off and Dropbox is one of the most highly sought after tech companies famously rejecting a nine digit buyout offer from Steve Jobs at Apple. Dropbox operates under a freemium business model where people can get started for free, but pay for more space as they want to host more files.

CEO/Co-Founder: Phil Libin Valuation: $1 Billion Have you ever had that amazing idea and been wondering where to write it down?

This problem is what sparked the creation of Evernote by Phil Libin and his team. Founded in 2006, Evernote allows users to capture, organize, and find information across multiple platforms. Users can take notes, clip webpages, snap photos using their mobile phones, create to-dos, and record audio.

An interesting side note, Evernote nearly went out of business in 2008 as they were running out of money, but a loyal customer liked the product so much he gave them half a million dollars and which allowed them to stay alive, and now they have persuaded venture capitalists to inject a total of $95 million! Evernote makes money on the freemium model similar to Dropbox – users are allowed 5GB storage free, if they want more there is a monthly charge.

CEO/Co-founder: Brian Chesky Chief Product Officer/Co-founder: Joe Gebbia Valuation: $3 Billion Founded in August 2008 and based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique spaces around the world online or from an iPhone device. Whether the available space is a castle for a night, a sailboat for a week, or an apartment for a month, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to showcase these distinctive spaces to an audience of millions. In July 2011, the company had over 100,000 listings in 16,000 cities and 186 countries. Listings include private rooms, entire apartments, castles, boats, manors, tree houses, tipis (think Native Americans), private islands and even igloos!

Airbnb has been labelled as “among the next generation of multibillion dollar startups” by the New York Times. They charge travellers a 6-12% service fee and require hosts to pay a 3% fee for every booking through their site. As of February 2012 they are now valued at $3 billion.

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Dubem Menakaya - Business Writer

A Slice Of The Sweetest Pie

Facebook is the largest social media network on the planet and their growth has seen the valuation of the company sky rocket over the past few years. This growth has forced the company’s hand and meant that Facebook must offer a percentage of the company in an Initial Public Offering (IPO). Mark Zuckerberg will see his billionaire status increase as the valuation of the company is expected to venture near the $100bn mark.

This will also make investors and other shareholders extremely rich. It remains to be seen whether the culture of the company will change after going public in the same way that Apple did in the Eighties. We await developments with our stockbroker on speed dial.

Done Deal?

For the past two months, rumours have been rife that the hugely popular website Mashable could be on it’s way into the hands of media giant CNN. Rumoured valuations on the deal have been around the $200bn mark. The fact that enigmatic CEO Pete Mashable writes regular articlxes for the CNN blog has done nothing but fan the flames of the fire. The sale of Mashable would provide a huge return on investment for Cashmore, who started off blogging from his bedroom in 2005. The sale of Mashable would pose two questions if it happened; what next for the company and what next for Cashmore, a player of increasing power within the tech world.

Is It The Final Whistle?

Over the past few months some major sporting names have come under the scrutiny of the tax man and the general public due to financial troubles. Portsmouth found themselves back in the news as they went into administration. But Glasgow Rangers FC going into administration was more shocking as they are Britain’s most successful club. The news surely sent shudders down the spine of many a football club chairmain, as if Rangers can fall to financial trouble, then many other clubs can too. Also Bradford Bulls, one of the most successful Rugby League sides in recent times had to issue a public appeal for funds of £500, 000 to stop the club going into administration.

Not A Bad Return

On Easter Monday, Facebook announced the purchase of popular photoapp and social network, Instagram for $1bn in cash and stock options. Built in 2010, the sale of the company represents a huge return on investment for the founders. $1bn for two years work is great compensation. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that it is a talent acquisition and that may help reduce doubts about an expensive purchase of a company who have not monetised yet. Instagram was originally only available on iOS but recently also on Android powered smartphones and original users were up in arms as they took to Twitter to voice their discontent on Facebook getting their hands on the company.

Mulenga Bwali - Writer www.nupe.co.uk

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Jimmy Akingbola Interview

Acting prowess, positivity, work ethic, ambition and perseverance have got “Mr Nice� aka Jimmy Akingbola to the dizzying career heights he currently sits atop of. This humble hard-grafting nice guy has acted in various theatre, film and TV productions for over ten years. Becoming more famous to the mainstream masses because of his current BBC acting roles in Bafta award-winning sitcom Rev and regular hospital drama Holby City, it is truly a blessing to see Jimmy get the full praise/plaudits he deserves. And he even takes time to give back to the acting community through his various ventures as well as highlighting various issues with charities such as the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust.

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Kamran Assadi - Poetry Editor

Enjoy a true insight into one of my personal inspirations…

Can you tell the Nupé readers about your background? Did any past events affect you as a person?

I’m a British-born Nigerian from Plaistow, East London. My brother is Sola Akingbola the percussionist for Jamiroquai, he is my inspiration. Growing up as a child, I wanted to be a football player like most young boys. Friends of mine like Muzzy Izzet and Gary Charles were local success stories and I dreamed of playing with them in the Premiership. That was until I met Mr Tyres my drama teacher from Cumberland School who use to take me out of Maths to attend the drama classes.

One day I found Mr Tyres teaching me Shakespeare after school. Once I started to understand it and enjoy the language I knew from that point on acting was for me.

How did you first get into acting?

What inspired you to go into it?

I fell into acting after obtaining an A in drama for my GCSEs; my other grades were a bit disappointing so I followed the A and wondered where it would take me. My first ever performance was at Epping Forest College and it was this show that inspired me to following acting as a profession. I wrote a monologue that was in the style of stand-up comedy and it brought the house down! I had over 80 people who didn’t know me clapping and giving me a standing ovation. It was then I decided I should go to drama school to become an actor.

What does acting mean to you? How does it make you feel?

Acting means nearly everything to me. I say nearly because my family mean EVERYTHING to me. Acting is like a wife to me - I love it and can’t live without it and it will always be in my life. It makes me feel like the luckiest guy alive because I get to do what I love for a living.

As an award-winning TV, Theatre and Film actor, you have taken your talent to another level. Do you feel a sense of pride when you look back on your career or do you feel like there’s so much more to do?

That’s very kind of you, thank you.

For me, my career is just getting started even though I’ve been act-

ing for over 10 years. I’m extremely ambitious and have lots of other things that I plan to achieve. I would like to do more films, win an Oscar, Bafta, Olivier Theatre Award, and also create projects under my own company.

My thing is to work hard. I’m competitive, I make mistakes, I’m my harshest critic, I follow my instincts and I always do the best that I can do – that’s how I’ve got where I am today.

You have starred in acclaimed TV shows such as The Crouches, Rev and now Holby City, as well as also performing in some fantastic plays in the theatre. With all these stellar roles, what would you say has been your greatest achievement and why?

I won a TMA for playing Christopher in Blue Orange; this is one of my greatest achievements because I was directed by Kathy Burke and it was my first big theatre role in which I won my first acting award. Playing Othello at a young age and getting 5 star reviews was amazing too; in fact I hope to play Othello again in the future. Acting alongside Sir Ian McKellen in the theatre production The Cut at the Donmar Theatre is something I still pinch myself about.

But of course playing Antoine Malick in Holby City and Mick in Rev at the same time last year is one of my proudest moments, I truly love playing both characters.

You run a company called Triforce Promotions, hosting monthly events for acting professionals to meet, creating opportunities between actors, casting directors, producers and directors across film and TV. What made you start this? And why do you think it’s so important to connect individuals within the acting scene?

Acting can be a tough and lonely business so creating TriForce Promotions has always been about connecting people and bringing the industry to the talent. We aim to create a community and productions which help, support and promote talent showing the industry that there is more than enough talent around.

This year has been a blessed one in terms of the two awards you’ve won already (including a BEFFTA Award

for the 2nd year running). But to top it off, you were included in the longlist of nominees for the prestigious National Television Awards as Best Newcomer. What does winning awards mean to you? And what was it like when you found out about the NTA long-list nomination?

Last year was just fantastic. I won a BEFFTA Best Actor Award for 2nd year running and a MVSA Award for Best Actor also. It feels great to have your work acknowledged by the industry and the public. The NTA nomination was incredible, I had only been on Holby City for 8 months so to make the long list was just brilliant. Awards to me are like winning the Champions League or the FA Cup. I hold them tight and kiss them, then put them in a trophy cabinet telling myself that next year I want to see new ones added to the collection!

Who would you say are your greatest inspirations and role models and why?

My brother Sola Akingbola is one of my greatest inspirations because he has worked so hard all his life and will never stop practicing and improving. He showed me that work ethic is key.

What future projects do you have planned to tell our readers about?

In September 2012 I will be producing a play written by Chizzy Akudolu (Dead Set & Jinx) called Rec Room at the Lost Theatre - I’m extremely excited about this. Also I’ll be hosting a new showcase called MonologueSlam UK. I also hear a rumour that Rev Season 3 may be happening...so hopefully Mick will be back doing his thing.

Now if you could form a dream theatre company of 6 actors (dead or alive) including yourself, who would make the cut and why?

Great question! Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Angela Bassett, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Judi Dench. They made the cut for one reason only, they’re all heavy weight. Their talent puts them in an entire league of their own.

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News Round-up

March marked a year since the Syrian revolution and to challenge President Bashar Al-Assad began.

With the Assad dynasty ruling Syria for well over four decades, Syrians were convinced the time had come for their marred leader to step down. With scores of rebel attacks on major cities, impositions of sanctions and a crippling economy, we will watch and wait as Syrians like their Arab neighbours seek to rid their homeland of corruption and despotic rule.

Vast opposition in reaction to Greek austerity measures saw George Papandreou step down as Prime Minister making way for Lucas Papademos to step in and save the nation from collapse. Guided by Papademos, the Greek parliament approved a second bailout worth €130 billion to revive the ailing economy. Much sacrifice causes great pain and Greeks continue to despair under new austerity measures that will see continuous dramatic cuts to welfare. With such perilous times ahead, Greece needs political confidence and bouts of reassurance to assure their citizens that sometime in the years ahead, things will get better. Whether Greece is still on tenterhooks and whether they can in fact stay in the Eurozone is the billion dollar question.

The world will never forget one night, one morning, one afternoon when we watched and listened to a seemingly short video. We were beseeched to take part in a ‘30 minute experiment’ that would send shock and abhorrence worldwide. American NGO Invisible Children (IC) brought the words attention to Joseph Kony; the ‘World’s Most Wanted Man’.

Kony has led a tyrannical and monstrous group - The Lord’s Resistance Army - for almost two decades in Uganda. One could not help but have sympathy as Jason Russell, a leader for the IC, narrated the tale of children being abducted/kidnapped in their sleep and scores of innocent individuals who have been mutated or worse, murdered. We watched the power of social media erupt as people around the world tweeted, retweeted, recommended, emailed and texted to shed light on Kony and call for his arrest. In a matter of days, over 75 million people had watched IC’s documentary on YouTube.

With much praise came much criticism for both the movement and the case for foreign intervention in

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the African region. The ‘KONY2012 campaign’ carries on and they vow to make him ‘famous’ in the hope of having him tried in Hague at the International Criminal Court. Needless to say, we have not heard the last of this movement or its campaign.

We were reminded yet again of the African American fight for justice as they banded together to seek the arrest of George Zimmerman. The neighbourhood watchman in Salford, Florida gunned down 17 year old unarmed Trayvon Martin. What was a local report soon turned global and now many call for the arrest of Zimmerman.

There comes a time in the American calendar when a President serves his first term and the campaign trail begins again for the opposing party to bring to the podium a worthy candidate. The American mid-term elections sparked great interest and left two Republican candidates standing; Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. If the polls are anything to go by, Romney is well in the lead and winning the parties nomination means that he can pop his champagne a few months early. Strong national campaigns, rallies and town meetings have meant he will be the Republican’s leading man to challenge Obama’s presidency. Rarely is it the case that an incumbent president is not elected for a second term but Romney might be enthusiastic enough to make history and find his feet in the Oval Office.

Christina Agbodza - News Correspondent

Modern Life

Social Network Etiquette: Self-Promotion

Hello guys and girls, we’re back with some more tips on how to establish and maintain good social network etiquette. In the previous issue we took it from the wide point of view of joining a new network. This was applicable to everyone, but in this issue we’re going to take it from a narrower angle. The following is strictly for those wanting to promote something that they are personally part of. Some of the tips may be applicable for actions when promoting another person’s interests online, but due to the psychological aspects of the points, it is not intended for the latter.

Hello. Where Am I? First port of call is to decide if the network you’re going to post it on will be receptive to what you’re promoting. For example if you’re a videographer who wants to get your work out there, then it would be more beneficial to distribute your work on Virgin Media Pioneers or Vimeo than it is post it on Facebook or Twitter. Some of you will be scratching your head and saying, ‘but Facebook and Twitter have more users than the aforementioned’. This is true but more numbers does not translate into a greater level of connectivity with users.

Oh No, Not You Again!

Being someone that has their part to play in an online business which is content driven, I understand the urge to literally flood your chosen social network with link upon link, image after image and videos galore in relation to what you do. But how do your online connections feel about this? Remember that no-one likes someone who talks about themselves too much, so be very wary of your actions. After asking a wide range of people, I found that the common most annoying piece of self-promotion occurs on Facebook. To my surprise it was not incessant tagging but the general consensus was that people hated other people post a link to a site or video in the comment section of a post they had made, especially if it’s unrelated. For example theres nothing worse than posting a status to say you’re having weight problems, want to go on a diet and then for some smart alec to post a link to a website regarding their cup cake business.

So people think before you act.

Do You Know Me Like That?

This is the question someone may ask themselves after you have posted a link on their wall, tagged them or sent them a tweet. How familiar are you with them? There is nothing worse than someone

who you’ve just met or as the online world goes, someone who you’ve never met inundating your life with posts that interest you in no way whatsoever.

Didn’t You Hear What I Said?

Feedback is one of the keys to progress and improvement.

Therefore the way in which you react to feedback both positive and negative is key to great etiquette. For example if you post something to someone and they tell you not to do it again, don’t ask why, just do it. The same can be said if someone makes a nasty comment about what you have posted. By not responding you’re showing that you’re above the person in question and others will respect you for it. Conversely if someone likes or praises your post, that does not mean that you should take every given opportunity to distribute your work to them. Let the connection be organic rather than mechanical, that way the person will not get bored of turned off by your work.

If you have any areas of social network etiquette that you would like Nupé to cover then please like our page on Facebook - Nupe - and post on the wall or send us an email via info@nupe.co.uk

Mulenga Bwali - Writer

www.nupe.co.uk

N15

No culturife it can live to attemptssive. be exclu

-Mahatma Gandhi

of all m u s e h t s i “Culture s of art, of love, e the form ought, which, in th and of th centuries, have ena ” coarse or to be less enslaved bled man alraux M e r d n -A

not s i t s i t r a n A bor a l s i h r o f d i pa sion. but for his vi tler -James Whis

‘A person without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.’

The beginning is the most important part of the work.

– Marcus Garvey

odels m d n a Rulesroy genius dest art. and

azlitt

am H -Willi

-Plato

If art is to nour ish the roots of our culture, socie ty mus artist free to f t set the ollow his vision wherever it tak es him.”

-John Fitzgera l

d Kennedy

Don’ t ask what t h e worlmakesd needs.

Ask what you come al i v e and go do it - Harold Whitman

“Cultu like dr Alka-Se glass-y but som someth

-Hans n

I’m afraid look at a enough, its mean

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Every The d make

s us nable e t r r A nd ou to fi and lose e s h selve lves at t e ours time same on ert mas M

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Try com suc man

Fashio n the at is only tempt realize to forms art in living interco and social urse.

-Franc

is Bac on

The very essence of the creative is its novelty, and hence we have no standa rd by which to judge it.

-Carl Rogers

Th e arti st is a re ce pt ac le fo r emot io ns th at com e from al l over th e pl ac e: from th e sk y, from th e ea rt h, fr sc ra p of pa pe r, from om a a ing sh ap e, from a sp pa sside r’s web.

-Pablo Pica ss o

Words From The Wise N16 www.nupe.co.uk

-

Un cer kno insec secur –

ure is a little ropping an eltzer into a you don’t see it, mehow it does hing.”

Photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event.

the art Vision is what is of seeingto othinvisible ers

Henri Cartier-Bresson

n Swift

-Jonatha

s Magnus Enzensberger

Advertising is the greatest art form of the 20th century.

d that if you a thing long it loses all of ning.

ndy Warhol

A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession.

-Albert Camus

-Marshall McLuhan

y human is an artist. dream of your life is to beautiful art.

-Miguel Angel Ruiz

Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression

How thin you do do e g, is how one awa verythi you ng. re.

Be - An ony mou s

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!

-Audrey Hepburn

-Isaac Bashevis Singer

y not to beme a man of ccess but a n of value

-Albert Einstein

ncertain ty rtainty t is the only h owing h ere is, and ow to liv ew curity is the only ith rity -John A

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“Foc using yo on m aking ur life so lel a buc pove k sho y rty o f am w too l sa bit ittle of yo ion. It as will l ks urs eave you u elf. And it nfulfi lled.”

-Bara ck O bam a

Self-pity in its feeaatrlhyer stmaagetrsessis. as snug as at hardens does it Only when i ortable. become uncomf elou -Maya Angelou Maya Ang

All perimlife is a n ex expe ent. Th e morime mak e, th nts yo u re e be tter – Ra lp h W aldo

Eme rson

With self-dis cipline anything is poss ible.

– Theodore R

oosevelt

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N17

Instagram: Should I Have It? Sometimes we come across things through our own research, at other times we have things thrown in our faces by expensive marketing campaigns and at other times the power of the universe will just bring that specific thing to one’s attention. the case of Instagram is definitely a case of the latter as I haven’t been able to escape it, due to every time I go on Twitter or Facebook, a user is making an Instagram post.

This level of forced awareness increased as Facebook announced the purchase of Instagram on Easter Monday. The company founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger was bought for $1bn by Mark Zuckerberg and heralded the dawn of a new day for Instagram and Facebook users. Before the buyout I had already been debating within my mind on whether or not I want Instagram and what made it so special amongst their adoring fans.

To begin with I’m a Blackberry user so Instagram is not likely to be something I experience until I purchase an iPhone or as of recently, an Android-operated smartphone. A new phone purchases is a big thing so I asked a few friends who used Instagram what their thoughts were on why the app is value for money (bear in mind it’s free). I was told a lot of similar answers such as; ‘the filters are so nice’, ‘it’s great for photo enthusiasts’ and that. ‘it’s a really good social network, it gives me the same feeling I had when I first joined Facebook’. As someone who’s into creative work I was not really impressed with the quality of the grading after a filter had been applied and I’m far from a photo enthusiast so that factor failed to entice me also. I feel that sharing photos online serves as a reduction of my privacy. However the fact that people felt the same buzz Facebook used to give them made me sit up and think some more.

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Mulenga Bwali - Writer

In order to help my deliberations, I wanted to know what Instagram was doing wrong or what they could improve upon. This question was met with a frosty reception as most users were totally infatuated and had nothing bad to say. But, I say most because one friend told me that, ‘it’s not that special and there are better quality photo-apps on the market’.

I took all the above into consideration and began to think that the Instagram team were not trying to provide the highest quality of image but were trying to create an extremely fun network where people can connect through photos and add quirky colour grades to images to give them a different aspect. Minus the colour grading or filters as the app calls it, I thought this is just a weaker version of Pinterest, but then why was Instagram more popular amongst my peers. And also as a Pinterest user and someone who is not a photo enthusiast, I questioned whether I had the time or energy to decipher and operate on two photo networks.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Once I had considered all that had been said, I felt that Instagram was not alluring to me and that I enjoy using Pinterest - follow my pins via pinterest.com/tjmorganuk - so I would keep it that way. The funny thing is that as Facebook have bought Instagram, as a Facebook user I am likely to get Instagram or at least some of it’s functionality and features in some way shape or form.

Instagram, coming soon to a Facebook profile near you!

Let me start by saying something which the females might find amusing. I’m a guy and I’m multi-tasking. I hope I don’t seem distracted. Currently I’m uploading a video to Youtube, making a BB status about my mood and activities, downloading an album from iTunes, tagging my friends in photos on Facebook, sending cheeky tweets to Rihanna, ordering food from just-eat. co.uk and having a Skype video conference with associates in China. So the fact that I’m writing this article with a pen and paper is making me feel a tad retro. You see every other activity listed undertakes a digital navigation. A digital navigation whose undercurrent is the Internet, making everything else flow. The famous saying goes that ‘the revolution will be televised’, but even television is under threat from the new waves of digital communication outpouring via the Internet.

people on opposite sides of the world that a picture tells a thousand words but can be worth a billion dollars. Communication has been revamped totally but the advent of social networking as lines of communication which used to take a considerable amount of time or that were even impossible, can now be done in a short space of time and in some cases instantaneously. In what could be described as the infant form of social networking, forums also played a major role in changing the way we communicate by fostering the first digital communities.

Social networks are playing an increasing role in the fabric of today’s society as people spend hours daily exploring information on Facebook or interacting with short and snappy messaging on Twitter.

LinkedIn has helped to alter how recruitment is carried out in the workplace and Instagram has served to show

The digital culture has created a new breed of super-rich also.

Mark Zuckerberg and Shaun Parker, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

All these men found their pots of gold at the end of technological rainbows. In the case of Zuckerberg and Parker these fortunes were formed over relatively short spaces of time. Nowadays a kid might aspire to be a coder

The mediums on which we transfer the communication of information have also fallen prey to the digital revolution which has engulfed our lives. I’ve gone from carrying a clunky Walkman that could only play a ninety minute tape to experiencing the joy of an iPod Shuffle, which is smaller than a lighter and can hold over a day’s worth of music.

rather than a sportsperson or a movie star due to the riches which may await them.

But has this revolution made communication in the real world suffer? As a smartphone user I have BBM and WhatsApp installed on my phone which means that I don’t call people as much as I used to.

I’ve noticed that some friendships are not as vibrant as they used to be due to this fact. I only worked this out as when I started calling people again, the various friendships felt reinvigorated. Another instance that I felt showed how physical communication suffered due to technology occurred when I was watching The Apprentice. It was quite apparent that the Internet entrepreneurs did not manage their teams as well as their real-life entrepreneur counterparts.

This was down to the lack of everyday physical interactions the former had with other people.

However even though physical communication has suffered it can be improved upon and in no way does this aspect overshadow the good developments brought about by the digital culture we live and breathe. The age of analogue is something of the past and it should remain confined to it.

Tj Morgan - Editor www.nupe.co.uk

N19

What Does It Mean To Be ?

Here’s the situation, I was born in Nigeria but moved to London before my second birthday, received British citizenship and have lived here for over two decades. I should feel quintessentially British but at times I feel myself questioning this due to happenings in society and in my personal life. Am I British? What makes me British? Is there a British culture and am I influenced by it?

The essence of this argument further intensified within me after discussions on the subject at a meeting for my ACS society at university. I found myself arguing that even though I was raised in Britain, I don’t class myself as British. This was greeted with uproar from some of my fellow students who believed that even though their heritage was not British, the fact that they had British documentation validated their Britishness. In order to see if any of these opposing views where replicated, I went out onto the streets and asked people what they thought on the matter.

I wholeheartedly consider myself to be British as my mother was from Scotland and my father was English. However I do feel that in recent times the notion of being British has changed, as the country has seen an influx of different cultures and values. This has been better for Britain as new ideas can only serve to take our society forward. But this has also left some confusion as to what the British culture is now and I’m certainly unsure myself!

Do I consider myself to be British? Not really no. What I consider to be British is being involved in the culture. You know, the way people live their lives and how they celebrate, what they’re passionate about. Although I tick some of the boxes, some of the boxes I don’t really think I tick. For example I think part of being British is loving football and I love football, I’m a football fanatic but other things I don’t really tick the boxes.

I’m from Scandinavia so I consider that to be my culture and heritage. But I think the British culture is one that is quite reserved and polite in general.

Most definitely I consider myself to be British. I feel that if you live in this country, enjoy it’s liberties and actively contribute to society in a positive way then you must be British. I think the British culture is traditionally how one would carry themselves, you know stuff upper lip and all.

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Tj Morgan - Editor

I don’t know if I consider myself to be British, because if someone was to ask where are you from, I would say I’m Nigerian. I wouldn’t say I’m British first but because I’m born here, I’d say I am British. But what is the British culture, tea and crumpets? (bursts out laughing) When it comes to legal stuff I am British, as obviously my British passport makes me a British citizen. Also I was born here so you know I’ve got a British accent. I don’t think I adhere to the British culture because; what is the British culture? I don’t think there is a real culture here, so because of that my culture is Nigerian.

I consider myself to be British because I was born and bred in this country and I am proud to represent what it stands for. The idea of being British and what the culture is has probably changed over the years and to be honest with you it’s all I know.

I was born in Africa and moved over here some years ago. When I first came, I would definitely say I was not British, but now after getting acclimatized to the people and culture, I’m not too sure what I would say haha. But in terms of culture I can’t really define what the British one is, I can only say that it is different to the one I was raised on.

I’m British mate, I’m as British as they come. I love fish and chips, massive fry-ups and drinking loads of beer while watching the footy. I don’t know what the British culture is but I’m certainly part of it.

We’re not too sure how to answer the question (laughs). Yes! Yes! We would say that we actually are British but we’re part of a British sub-culture which is influenced by the upbringing we received from our parents

As you can tell from my accent and poor English, I’m not British, I’m just a student. I don’t know what the British culture is but people seem very unhappy over here and I don’t understand why because everything is so easy in this country. In my country things are tough but we smile everyday and cherish life.

After hearing what the various people had to say, I was actually even more confused then when I started pondering over the question of being British. It seems clear that if your heritage is not British you feel some allegiance to that fact but due to the fact of being exposed to life in Britain, you can’t help but feel some allegiance to that also.

What do you think about this topic? Are you British and what is the British culture? Feel free to connect with us via Facebook - Nupe - and write on our wall telling us your views. We’re also on Twitter so drop us a tweet @ nupemag if you’d like to keep it short and snappy. Finally we love to receive emails via info@nupe.co.uk, you now have no excuse about not being able to reach us, so don’t be strangers.

www.nupe.co.uk

N21

Style ‘N’ Culture

Angel In a music industry currently dominated by house-infused, four-to-the-floor beats and artists who are only too happy to cater for that market, it is very rare to come across a male singer who genuinely wants to make good R&B music. And it is even rarer for this act to come from the UK. After all, who was the last reputable home-grown male R&B singer to make an impression….Craig David!?

bined with singing, he experimented with an array of sounds in an attempt to try his hand at music production. Angel told Island Records of how his musical journey began, “I was fascinated with music and creating it from scratch so I’d use anything available to me, Atari Video Music, Cubase, it was all a case of trial and error […] it was important to me to be able to create what I was going

Young Sirach made the decision to nurture his craft and com-

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Now hailed as ‘The New Face of UK R&B’ by Radio One, Angel was nominated for HMV’s ‘Next Big Thing’ and also reached the final 5 in ‘MTV’s Brand New For 2012’ award.

Accompanied by chart topper Wretch 32 on his debut single, ‘Go In, Go Hard’, he combined swagger with sincerity and it peaked at number 41 in the national charts.

At just 24 years of age, it would be fair to say that Sirach Charles, better known as Angel, is UK Pop and R&B’s best kept secret.

Hailing from West London, Angel was a gifted child with an unrivalled enthusiasm for music and was initially part of a family singing group known as ‘The Charles Family’. Joined by siblings Tahirah, Sariah, Akelle and Kassa, they formed a very strong line-up and managed by a father who was very passionate for music, they were destined for big things. ‘The Charles Family’ gained recognition after appearing on BBC One documentary One Life ( 2004), which followed their musical journey and they were soon signed by major UK record label Warner Music. However after parting ways with the label, it was clear that Sirach had an undeniable love for making music and combined with unquestionable talent, he decided to go solo.

followed up his ‘Patience Is A Virtue’ mixtape and also signed to major UK record label Island Records as an artist.

to sing over [..]’.

Making the decision to study music in his own time definitely paid off, as listening to the likes of Donny Hathaway (Old-school R&B/Soul Legend!) taught him lessons in song writing and hearing Quincy Jones (Probably produced your favourite Michael Jackson song) taught him lessons in music production. This provided Angel with the ability to write, compose and produce all of his own music, which gives him an edge amongst most of his peers (and saves him lots of money!).

His talent didn’t go unnoticed however and he was signed to Universal Publishing in 2009 as a songwriter and went on to pen songs for artists such as Cheryl Cole, JLS and Roll Deep.

After a brief spell in prison on remand, after which he was subsequently found not guilty of all charges, Angel returned with his first official EP ‘7 Minutes Before Time’, which

Chris Wosu - Music Writer

The singer is expected to release his debut album ‘About Time’ later on this year and if it’s anything like his EP, expect big things!

Angel may not be a saint (more a bad-boy version of Usher with tattoos) however; he definitely has talent and having already toured with and worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, he has a huge future ahead of him!

You can follow his progress on Twitter @thisisangel

Style ‘N’ Culture

Lana Del Rey Oooh… sorry, I didn’t see you there, I was lost in the endless pout of Lana Del Rey. Her lips are lush.

The image of Lana Del Rey emulates the sexual energy of the 60’s stars Briggite Bardot and Marilyn Monroe. Flirting with the camera, but with eyes that look up like the shy girl in the corner. Many have compared her to the great singer Nancy Sinatra, a gorgeous symbol of femininity but with a bubbling confidence. Born Elizabeth Grant on 26th June 1986, in the picturesque mountain village of Lake Placid, New York, her exotic name was inspired by her love of the Floridian coast and was the inspiration for her music. It is the name that has washed the internet like a wave. The first time I heard about this phenomenon, I thought it was a Spanish beach.

But after clicking on the video for ‘Video Games’ on You Tube, I saw why people were talking about Lana Del Rey. The track was released in October of 2011, but Lana posted the video a few months before, and the public reaction was outstanding. Lana Del Rey has confessed that ‘Video Games’ is her favourite track of the album, although “I still cry sometimes when I sing it.” The song is slow and hauntingly seductive, the melody of the piano and the strings support the low and sultry voice of LDR, as she sings about her love for her boy and his video games. It has a grand atmosphere to it, the timpani rolls, the chimes of the bells, like a royal slow dance.

But the real pull towards LDR has been about the image she conveys. The video features moments of her singing/flirting with the camera and an array of archived clips. These random clips focus around her passion for Americana: skating, driving down highways, American flags and getting stopped by cops. Her clever use of endearing images to reflect her music has resulted in people comparing her to the surreal film director, David Lynch. It is true that she has a director’s eye for unique visual style; but what about her music?

Well, that is also a mix. She has mentioned that her musical influences are wide and contrasting; from Frank Sinatra, Eminem and Nirvana. As she says, “I like the masters of every genre.” So, it is hard to define which genre LDR falls into. Her latest album, ‘Born to Die,’ joins an epic orchestral sound to the hip-hop drive of LDR’s lyrics and a drum machine. The result sounds both new and old. For example, ‘Off To The Races,’ has a distinctive R & B rhythm but the floaty strings and the vocal range of Lana, turn this song into an entirely new genre of its own.

Her lyrics are dark but humorous, “he loves me with every beat of his cocaine heart,” but also talk about the rich life, “glass room, perfume, cognac, lilac fumes,” could this be ‘Chic-hop?’ I guess, everything about Lana Del Rey is: clever, immaculate and very attractive. It feels new, and so different, but the noticeable influences on her image and music make her sound feel timeless.

Christabel Williams, Music Writer

www.nupe.co.uk

N23

Relationships

H nH

It is now widely believed that our society is a multicultural one, in which people from all ethnicities, cultures and religions can coincide (on the whole) harmoniously. Within this modern society, multicultural relationships are becoming more and more visible and in turn less taboo. Just like all relationships, multicultural ones can be both rewarding and difficult. In this article we will explore the main obstacles that can arise in multicultural relationships, whilst looking at the impact these hurdles have caused the couple in question*.

Religion often plays a huge role in multicultural relationships, particuespite being brought up as a Muslim, I was friction also exposed between to larly when two people are of“D different religions.

The English/Christian culture and as a result am not particularly religious, so it didn’t can particularly affect tension our relationship. ” even lead to religious views and conservatism cause and the question of converting. More women than men tend to convert, although it is not unheard of for men to change religion, in order to marry the girl of their dreams. Has religion affected our couple’s relationship?

Culture is shaped and sometimes even determined by a person’s religion. In this sense, culture and religion can not be separated because they help to inform a person’s views on sexuality, self expression and the roles of men and women. These obviously vary, depending on where you come from and what religion you are influenced by. Generally, more religious people in society are also more culturally conservative and/or traditional. What cultural differences have our couple faced?

“Despite being brought up as a Muslim, I was also exposed to

English/Christian culture and as a result am not particularly religious, so it didn’t particularly affect our relationship. ”

Language can also be problematic within multicultural relationships.

Usually there is a common language between couples, but there is often another language spoken by one of the pair, which contributes to their culture. Speaking the language of their homeland or heritage allows a person to connect to their roots but can also alienate their partner. So is it necessary for a long term partner to learn the mother tongue of their significant other?

“Despite being brought up as a Muslim, I was also exposed to

English/Christian culture and as a result am not particularly religious, so it didn’t particularly affect our relationship. ”

“Religion didn’t affect our immediate relationship but perhaps would have affected it when it grew, in terms of marriage and so on. I wouldn’t have any problem with converting for marriage though.”

“Despite being brought up as a Muslim, I was also exposed to English/Christian culture and as a result am not particularly religious, so it didn’t particularly affect our relationship. ”

“There were cultural differences but I think my partner was primarily of a British culture. The culture she was part of through paternity affected her more in terms of her personality traits and moral compass.”

“For me, there aren’t any obvious signs of cultural difference because I am British and involved with that culture, so I’m used to it.”

“I don’t think it is necessary however in my mind it was something I wanted to do, I think originally to gain respect and acceptance from her father but later on out of personal interest.”

“It shows a huge amount of commitment if your partner tries to learn your mother tongue, it shows that they’re interested in your culture and want to be part of it but I think it would only be necessary if you planned on moving to your country of origin together”

The rewards of multicultural relationships are debatably more satisfying and beneficial; mostly because you are able to learn a lot about the other’s culture and heritage, which allows you to grow more as a person and view the world in a more cultured way. Despite the problems that multicultural couples face, more people are embarking on such relationships, which is testament to the fact that love really can overcome all differences. *The couple in question are Alex and Emine. Alex is born and bred British with a Christian background whilst Emine is half British and half Turkish, influenced by Islam

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Emine Yeter - Lifestyle Writer

HnH

Health and Beauty

Okay, so maybe following this isn’t automatically going to give you the face of the likes of Angelina Jolie or Katy Perry, but it will get you reaching your potential in the looks department, as well as making you feel refreshed on the inside. That’s right, beauty isn’t just about what you put on that face of yours, it’s also about the kinds of food and drink you consume.

1Drink water

lots of it! Not only does it keep you hydrated and make you feel invigorated internally, your skin will definitely feel the benefits! Look forward to a much smoother, clearer and plumper complexion.

2 Apply face masks

two or three times a week. And if you’re worried this will burn a hole in your pocket, then you’re wrong, as you can make your own! Ingredients such as avocado, yogurt, honey, banana (blended of course) can all be combined to give you a very nourishing and tasty looking visage!

3 Have a cup of green 4 Repeat after me tea

not only is it one of the greatest health foods out there with its numerous anti-oxidants, but it has a number of visual benefits- it can help reduce acne, lessen the severity of dandruff if you are prone to it, and it also helps reduce wrinkles and fine lines on the face.

So, no, it’s not a time machine and wont reverse the aging process (which as a student, shouldn’t be a concern any way!), but will make you look more fresh faced and alert.

Cleanse, exfoliate, tone, moisturise.

People usually get these steps mixed up, but it’s important to do it in this order and to establish an effective skin care routine. Cleanser helps to get rid of any excess dirt, oil or makeup on your face, exfoliator gets rid of any dead skin and makes it feel smoother, whilst moisturiser helps hydrate the skin. Obviously just following this plan once or twice won’t reveal any notice able differences, but with a dedicated daily follow up, your skin should start to look and feel the advantages.

Chloe Brant - Lifestyle Writer

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N25

HnH Profile:

Nick And Karren Last issue we brought to you an acting couple who were not a couple on-screen, but this issue we’re gracing you with an on-screen couple of sorts who don’t act. Nick Hewer and Karren Brady are quite successful people in their own right, but most of you will know them as Lord Sugar’s trusty duo who monitor tasks and provide him with invaluable advice when it’s time to hire and fire.

So to provide a little insight into both of them and show people who they are aside from The Apprentice, Nupé have made a small and unique profile on both. Taking it from an angle that you’re unlikely to get from Wikipedia.

Nick Hewer

Karren Brady

Basic Info: Born on the 17th February 1944 and grew up in Swindon

Basic Info: Born on the 4th April 1969 and grew up in Edmonton, London.

Business Background: At the age of 22 and in the year that England won the football world cup, Nick got his first start in the business world as he bought Michael Joyce Consultants, which was a PR company from early mentor Michael Joyce.

He went on to have a very successful career, with his firm looking after the public relations of many high-powered people across the globe.

One of his clients was also Amstrad, a company formally owned by Lord Sugar and that is where their relationship began. He spend over two decades working with Amstrad before the company was sold to Bskyb and he himself sold Michael Joyce Consultants in 1998.

Business Background: She skipped going to university in order to chase a career and after landing a job at the highly respected advertising agency, Saatchi & Saatchi, she left her job after feeling as though career progression would not come fast enough if she stayed.

She subsequently moved to the London Broadcasting Company, where she sold ad space to David Sullivan, the man who she would later convince to buy Birmingham City FC. At Birmingham, she became the youngest ever person to be a managing director of a British plc at the time, as she handled the massive role at the grand old age of 23. What was even more groundbreaking was the fact that she was the first woman to hold such a role in the male-dominated sport of football. She also moved with Sullivan to West Ham United FC when he purchased the iconic East London club.

Aside from PR work, Nick has become somewhat of a television personality, as after appearing on The Apprentice he took part in various panel shows such as, Room 101 and Have I Got News for You. In January this year he also took over from Jeff Stelling as the host of iconic TV show, Count- Unbeknown to many people, Karren has also published down. four book, with half of those being novels. She has also won numerous business-related awards such as CosmoSpecial Assets: Nick is an active charity fundraiser politan’s Woman of the Year 2006 and Business Woman and has taken part in marathon drives. But what of the Year 2007. makes him really special is the combination of his personality and his extremely expressive face. I Special Assets: First and foremost Karren is known for think one of the main reason I watch The Appren- her no nonsense approach to business and a clear examtice is to hear his dry wit and comical putdowns ple of this is when she sold her husband Paul Peschisolido laced with a raised eyebrow or an inquisitive look when he was a Birmingham player. But far from being an to the camera. that being said Nick does normally ice queen Karren cuts an approach figure on The Apprenhave a soft spot for an underdog or someone who tice where she is kind and endearing but tells it as it is and is getting a rough ride in the show’s various tasks doesn’t sugar coat the issue. She has been an avid and vocal campaigner for women’s rights in the workplace, with a special and obvious emphasis on football.

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HnH Love your retro gadgets? Get your hands on this Retro DAB Radio with phone/ iPod dock. A nice portable gadget to jam to in your kitchen or at picnic! Available from: www.amazon.co.uk

No more slouching, yep you heard me! Philip’s new 24 inch desktop LCD ergo sensor monitor aims to develop your posture offering niggling reminders.

Available from: www.currys.co.uk

Get your hands on this snazzy handset.

Nokia’s first Windows Phone, Lumia 900 has officially been released! The well designed comes inbuilt with a 8 mega pixel, front facing camera.

Available to purchase from www.phones4u. co.uk

Wii like you never seen it before!

The main features of this Wii ‘U’ Nintendo console is the tablet style controller which will include touch screen technology. Don’t miss out on the ultimate gaming experience due to be released this year.

www.nupe.co.uk

N27

Punk Cultu

Everything about punk fashion is flamboyant. Punk rock style defies the norm.

Punkers intentionally wear clothes that are not socially accepted by society, this has been the same since the 70’s. This style is identified by hand crafted clothing, tattoos, body piercings, unnatural hair colour and eccentric makeup. In the 70’s Britain was experiencing great economic and socio-political depression. Punk, was an influential youth culture which young people used to rebel against older generations in that time of oppression. The anarchist symbol became representative for those who followed this trend as they were perceived as trouble makers who wanted to revolt against society.

and customised blazers were also popular items. Leopard print, stripes, figure hugging leather trousers and tapered jeans were worn to compliment this style. To complete the look foot wear was quite diverse from Brothel Creepers, Chuck Taylor All Stars, Dr Martens to military and motorcycle boots. All these shoes are fashionable in the noughties too.

Many punk like to customise their clothing to make their garment original, adding studs to a leather jacket, a visible zip to a mini skirt or ceramic pins to a t-shirt gave the attire edge.

Sometimes they’d rip their clothes and use safety pins to accessorise the top or denim. Other punks wore more provocative clothing- fishnets, BDSM fashion (fetish) and skull, spiked or studded jewellery.

Since this time the punk style has evolved into several subcultures such as Goth punk, Bubblegum punk, Skate punk, Cowboy punk, Bondage punk Glamour punk. What is interesting is, Malcolm McLaren was an influential figure there are no certified styles or colours that are specifically for in the punk movement. He was described men or women- the freedom to dress how they wish makes as the Godfather of punk and a cultural punk fashion a desirable option and it’s not costly. entrepreneur. He managed the punk band The Sex Pistols and he used this band to Punk culture has influenced mainstream fashion and music; market punk fashion and punk music. This just as social norms change so does punk styles. It becomes was a culture shock. To most of society wilder and more extreme. Punk is an attitude which is exthis band looked bad and sounded aw- pressed through clothing. ful. However, Malcolm had the ability to endorse clothes which looked tatted and ragged to appeal to British youth. Vivienne Westwood also contributed to the punk evolution; the rebellious, sexual, fetish designs fed the desires that youth craved.

A very popular garment was the bondage trousers- a loose strap in between the legs gives the illusion that the trousers cannot be walked in, an obnoxious zip around the genitalia, if pulled all would be revealed and half a Tarzan loin cloth on the back.

McLaren and Westwood designs were in the Sex shop in London on King’s Road, it has been renamed Worlds End and the store can still be visited today.

Originally punk was intended to be an outrageous style. In the 70’s punks would deliberately wear offensive t-shirts- an inverted crucifix would have be considered blasphemous in this era. Leather jackets

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Tramaine Ocarlay - Fashion Writer

BROTHEL CR

CREEPERS AND FISHNETS

ure

DR MARTENS

LEATHER JACKET

REEPERS

MALCOLM MCLAREN OUTSIDE SEX SHOP, KINGS RD, 1976

www.nupe.co.uk N29

y p p e Pr n o i h s Fa

Preppy fashion is a mixed combination of blazers, cardigans, sweatshirts, polo shirts, cotton t-shirts, pleated skirts, bright colour capri trousers, pastel colour chinos and cropped trousers. This style was popular in the 50’s for men who wanted to look charming and for women who wanted to be elegant. Opposite to punk fashion this trend is completely natural. The clothes are made from natural fabrics such as cotton, wool and cashmere. Women wear minimal makeup, and there is no manipulation to hair colour, body or clothes.

PICKARD AND MCLEAN

Present day- 2012- this style is worn amongst the older and younger generation. How did the Preppy style maintain or regain popularity? Reliable designer labels such as Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, Ben Sherman, Polo, Hollister and Fred Perry are just a handful of brands that produce clothes for this look.

To complement the look, women step in style with ballet shoes, canvas trainer or plain leather shoes. For most men brogues or boat shoes are ideal for the office or a business venture. Chuck Taylor All Stars, Vans, Havviannas or Toms are also suitable for a casual appearance. Accessorising with some wooden bracelets, ribbion belt, a Casio watch and a satchel automatically makes the outfit look classic. Hair accessories can bring the attire to life with Raybans for the sun or a wooly hat for the snow, a pretty headscarf for a first date, options are limitless.

This fashion trend is simplistic and plain. Britian is traditionally a conservative so the trend is socially accepted. It is not as ghoulish as punk. Maintaining a preppy wardrobe does cost, consider buying shirts, skirts, brogues and chinos from ASOS, H&M, Primark, New Look or American Apparel though the material may not be 100% natural, it’ll won’t hurt the bank and you’ll still look great!

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Tramaine Ocarlay - Fashion Writer

Photographer: Ian Harrison Styling: James Langan

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N31

AFRICAN Africa inspired collections have dominated the catwalk.

Fashion designers have used anything from the continent of Africa to inspire their designs. The most popular are tribal prints from the east and south coast, Ankara and Kente from the west coast, animal print and safari.

Last year Africa Fashion Week came to London for the first time, in Milan SS12 Burberry flaunted the Prorsum collection which fused East African prints and textures in skirts, jackets and shirts for men and women. Michael Kors based his 2012 Spring collection on safari theme in South Africa he designed an array of jumpsuits, skirts, shirts and cardigans. This style is also influencing mainstream fashion.

African prints and textiles are now emerging in high streetMarni (Italian niche fashion label) has collaborated with H&M this year. There was a selection of African print handbags and skirts- inspiration also taken from East Africa.

Online retailer ASOS have an African Collection which will be launching on 30th April 2012.

This African debut is being described as the new African fashion. Helen Jennings a respected journalist, author and stylist has written literature about this new fashion, her book which was published in October 2011 gives a history of African fashion, it appreciates traditional and contem-

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porary African materials as well as discussing the importance of this trend being ethically and environmentally friendly which acts a catalyst for this style. Helen is given credibility for bringing African designers into the limelight.

This development of African fashion in Europe allows young African fashion designers to show off their culture in modern cuts -Marie Chancie founder of Chancier Style originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It forces European and American fashion designers to develop more creative designs that may not necessarily require batik and sewing machines.

The fusion of African prints and European cuts makes this trend desirable to wider audience. It seems this summer African print bikinis and shorts will be covering sea shores and tribal print blazers or midi dresses to dinner parties.

Tramaine Ocarlay - Fashion Writer

N PRINT

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N33

18

19

“Check out Individualism.co.uk”

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TJ Morgan - Editor

I arrived at Shepard’s Bush around 40 minutes early as I like to survey the area to take in the potential shot locations and to find a spot to carry out the interview. I was here to meet the co-founder and editor of men’s style website Individualism.co.uk, Aaron Christian. We were meeting in Shepard’s Bush because that is where he is based for his day job as a video director at Mr Porter. It was the first time I had seen the Westfield here and felt that it looked slightly more aesthetically pleasing than the one in Stratford. I found the perfect spot to take the required shots and went on a little sight-seeing. I realised I had got caught up as Aaron sent me a text to say that he was, ‘waiting outside the station’ and I quickly rushed to meet him. It would be quite comical to turn up late after I was 40 minutes early.

As I reached the station, Aaron cut a slim figure as he leaned against the wall waiting for me. I think he was unsure if it was me, so I walked up and reintroduced myself. We walked to the nearest Starbucks and after a few non-existent technical difficulties, I pressed record on the Zoom and set the ball rolling. I wanted to try and make him laugh to make him feel at ease, so I cheekily asked him if he felt he was a stylish man. With a wry smile he replied: “ I’d like to think so, otherwise I’d be invalid in the industry I’m working in. Being the editor of a men’s style website, you don’t have to be amazingly stylish but you have to be decent and presentable for people to even take you seriously”.

ally well. It’s all about being creative and I guess experimenting because the online space is a great place for you to test ideas”. I mentioned that it seems that everyone is also being creative and testing out new ideas but how can one truly stand out? “Nowadays for someone starting out I’d say just niche yourself ridiculously.

For example if it’s a men’s style blog you want to do, why don’t you do old grandfathers in London and just concentrate on that. Because there’s so much out there that people’s attention spans are just getting shorter and shorter, so unless you’re doing something ridiculously specific, no-one’s going to care”. Wise words I felt and I looked to a great example of this in the form of Woolworths, they ended up selling just about anything before their untimely demise and maybe this was the reason for it as people didn’t know what they stood for.

It’s a lesson many a businessperson can bear in mind as they go in search of riches and ways of monetizing their

He probably knew that I was playing with him and we moved quickly into where the idea from Individualism came from. “ I can’t take credit for this, it was mainly due to my brother and co-founder Reuben. As he grew up, he took to the idea of being an individual and on those early social media days, when people had a Facepic rather than a Facebook he called himself the Individual and that was his little tag. When we were older after graduating from university, we decided to set up a men’s style consultancy. He took the individual word and turned it into a brand for our style consultancy”.

I congratulated him on where Individualism has reached so far and asked him about how does he feel one can stand out online, in a time space where almost everyman and his dog and his dog’s vet, are beginning to start independent online media outlets. “do what you do re-

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operations. He then continued to say that, “do something you’re really really passionate about. Otherwise you’re not gonna be editing and pressing publish at 2 am in the morning and that’s the thing that’s gonna keep whatever you’re doing online grow”. I could relate to that statement as I’ve spent many a night publishing articles and pictures on our site and having the baggy eyes to show for it. But it is part and parcel of succeeding in business, you have to go above and beyond the norm.

However it is not just me who works hard for the cause of Nupé, so I asked him how important was the team to what Individualism is about. Like the gentleman that he is, he started off by saying, “I’d like to shout out and say a massive thanks to everybody in my team. Not even just my team but also people who have played a part in guiding me, developing my own career and helping Individualism get where it is now”. He noticeably lit up as he spoke warmly of his team and maintaining a work and leisure balance as many of the team socialize together away from Individualism.

He moves onto talk about how working with them is a pleasure and it’s made easy by their talents: “everybody is insanely talented but I didn’t bring them on because of the talent, it was because of their work ethic and their values first of all. We’re more of a family rather than a team and we’re not exactly a business so we all do do it as a passion at the moment”. I began piecing together why the brand had become recognisable in the Internet spectrum, it was because the basic structure of the collective is underpinned by passion and passion is key because it will hold something together when it encounters problems. Aaron touched on this as he said, “if you’re passionate about something then people are drawn to it. It doesn’t matter if you’re charismatic or quiet, passion is just one of those things that draws energy from other people”.

After a not so brief juncture talking about the team, in which Aaron lavished more praise upon them, I wanted to find some more about the man himself. When quizzed on what his hobbies were, he spoke warmly about film and obviously style. So he’s at a happy stage in his life where he’s able to, “kind of marry film and style through Individualism and my 9 to 5 at Mr Porter”.

Being at such as happy place has also enabled him to rediscover the beauty of learning, “I just had this mad passion for educating myself and the funny thing is, it wasn’t there at university when it should be. I feel I studied hard in uni but it just drove home how important it is to do something that you really enjoy and that you’re really passionate about”. This is something I couldn’t agree with more as I rarely find myself reading my uni textbooks, but can never go a day or two without reading a businessperson’s biography or something to do with media. I’m sure there are many other people who can relate to this.

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TJ Morgan - Editor

In order to keep the mood quite jovial, I cheekily asked Aaron if he was a martial arts enthusiast? This was because in one of his Sins Of Style videos, he attacks a man committing a fashion faux pas. The question seems to have it’s desired effect as Aaron bursts in raucous laughter as he remarks, “Bloody hell I’m getting interviewed by a comedian here”. We both continue to laugh and he asks me to repeat the question to check it is not a joke, but interrupts me as I begin and says: “this is an audio interview but if you could see my physical physique right now that would answer the question, I’m far from a martial arts enthusiast, seconds from death actually, how bloody slim I am. No but me and my brother just wanted to do something funny because we feel the fashion industry takes itself too seriously sometimes. I guess that’s our niche to kind of make people smile and then to educate them as well”. It was a great moment which I think summed up major parts of his character, he loves style but he also loves to have fun with it too.

Also as he remarked, in an industry which can feel a bit stiff at times, things like Sins Of Style is quite refreshing.

In order to not rush ahead of myself, I must backtrack a little and explain what Sins Of Style is. There are certain clothing arrangements and accessory wearing that carry a big no-no sign in the world of style and Sins Of Style is there to document that through photo, video and illustration series. Visit their website and check it out, but do it in an environment where you don’t have to be quiet as you’re sure to laughing quite loudly.

Moving on, I wanted to get down to the real valuable information for our readers, I wanted to know what challenges he has faced whilst creating, establishing and maintaining Individualism. This was valuable information as potentially something can be taken out of his experiences that will benefit the next person who wants to venture down a similar path. Immediately he flipped the question on it’s head, “there’s been loads of problems but I feel that if you rephrase it as a challenge, then you see it as something that you can get over” and he continued to say, “At the start we were doing it to promote the styling service and that fell flat on it’s face, then I realised that I loved blogging and media creation and it could be a career path. I shot some terrible woeful stuff on a flip cam but that idea of not being afraid to fail has been the biggest thing. “If you are afraid to fail then you’ll never be able to create anything original”. That was a quote by Sir Ken Robinson, which was the best Ted talk ever by the way, go and watch that it’s called ‘Schools Kill Creativity’. It was the most lifechanging video that I’ve seen”.

I could see that he was enjoying himself now and the philosopher in him was coming out. I wanted to get more out of him during this inspired moment so I asked him about the challenges that he is facing now and he spoke about trying to balance the careers of the different team members against the objectives of Individualism, “it’s about maintaining a good volume of work that comes out and also that quality is maintained. Also just getting everybody in a meeting is the hardest task as everyone is moving on in their careers now”. In something that is based on passion rather than revenue, there will always be a tug-of-war between the two, but it is a mark of a great leader if there can be a middle ground.

In the realms of new media, it will be a challenge faced by 95% of the market, as it is an incredibly hard market to monetise.

I had been through a few instances in my life where I could say that if I hadn’t experienced it, then it is more than likely my life would’ve been different. I queried Aaron on whether he could lay testament to the same fact. “I haven’t had any life-changing experiences but I guess the people I’ve met have shaped me. But I remember when I was working at Topman, I’d done seven years there so I’d put in the shifts. I went for a stylist job and didn’t get it, was coming back to Topshop putting hangers on racks, so I was just thinking what am I doing here. (Raises hands to the ceiling and laughs) At the time I was a subscriber to Esquire magazine and the editor of Esquire - Jeremy Langmead - came through the shop floor. I plucked the courage to speak to him and asked him if they had any internships or anything going on?. He said yeah and that I should send an email to his secretary and tell her that I met him today. I didn’t hear from him for a couple of weeks and then when I did, I had a two-week internship at Esquire Magazine”. That fateful meeting with Mr Langmead served Aaron well as it was the same person who hired him for his current

role at Mr Porter. It just goes to show that if you see an opportunity go and grab it.

Before I came in with the closing questions I asked a series of joker questions and found out that, if his personality was a type of weather it would be cloudy as, “that’s where my actual head is, it’s always in the clouds. Always thinking about what can be achieved in the future, what I can create and what value I can add to those involved with Individualism. I don’t do it enough actually, I don’t clock off and spend enough time tapping into the creative side of my brain...the best ideas come from your subconscious side and after reading books on the best entrepreneurs, I’ve seen that they’ve been able to mastered the ability of just going into that zone”.

Then when he quizzed on what item of clothing he would be for a day, he said, “I was just gonna say a bra (laughs) but actually no, what if it was an old women’s bra, that would be awful! (more and louder laughter).

Ok let’s take it back to the actual styling (another long pause) I’d say a watch because with me my thing is time.

My biggest flaw is that I’m always watching time. I even time how long it takes for me to walk from the tube station into work. If I don’t feel I have a control of time, it’s the most frustrating thing ever.

We then spoke about ideas for apps, a clothing he is working on and the infamous Individualism nights out; Buttoned Up, Laced Up and Sins Of Style. We continued to tlak about not being afraid to approach people and being inspired by what is going on around you. We then laughed about how I approached him at London Fashion Week and how he approached Jeremy Langmead.

He wanted to remind readers of how he was always approachable, ‘people shouldn’t be afraid to approach me, even if I’m on the toilet, I’ll hurry my stuff up haha’.

As a last message for fans, he told them to “check out Individualism.co.uk, that is the main site, that’s where all the features are and everything that we do. Follow us on social networks as every channel has unique content to it, for example the content shared on Facebook is different to the content shared on Twitter. If you follow our Twitter feed you will see the individual movements of the different team members as well. We’re on Pinterest as well actually, we’re testing that out.

But please speak to us, we always reply to comments, post and tweets people make on our pages, plus it’s anonymous as well, we don’t have to see your face”.

Underneath all the laughter he finished up like a true gentleman by thanking all the readers for the support and that Individualism was only where it was at because of them. We packed up our stuff and headed off to carry out the cover shoot. Thus ended a great interview and I can now look forward with great anticipation for what’s next from Aaron Christian and Individualism.

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Rise Of The DSLR such as SBTV have been able to compete with more established brands such as Kiss, Flava and Channel AKA to an extent. If it were not for DSLRs then perhaps SBTV would not exist or at least not be where it is today. This is because professional camera gear is so expensive that it is unlikely a young person will be able to afford it.

The increase in competition is not just in the digital world but also on the big screen. There has been a marked increase in the amount of independent film

Baaah baaah. No that is not a typo, neither have I lost my marbles. I’m just trying to sound like a sheep since I’m part of a growing herd of creatives who use a DSLR camera to shoot film. Championed by Canon and Nikon, DSLR videography has moved on leaps and bounds over the past two years due to the relatively cheap prices and sharp image technology on offer.

This has helped to create jobs and redefine industries which is absolutely fantastic, but the reduction of entry restrictions has meant that there is also a lot of poor quality film being pumped into the marketplace.

So has the emergence of DSLRs in film been good or bad? How can people benefit from them and are there now too many directors? These are questions which I hope I can answer as I speak to highly skilled and recognized creatives, but I’ll start with myself.

I stumbled into videography when I wanted to buy a new camera to take pictures for Nupé. I ended up getting a Pentax kx because it could film as well as take photos, plus it came with an extra lens and was cheaper than a Canon or Nikon. Some of my early exploits were dreadfully shocking but with time I improved to a point where people wanted to pay for my services.

It was then that I invested in a Canon 60D and this technology coupled with my skills and hunger took my videography to another level. Well at least that is what I initially thought but I soon came to realize it was how I was using the camera and not the 60D itself that determined how much I had improved. I’m sure my story can be replicated across different parts of the world as the democratization of DSLR technology has meant that almost everyone can produce high quality imagery.

This leveling of the playing field has made it so that individuals can now compete with major brands for an audience. This has not been more evident than in the online video channel world, where in the UK brands

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Mulenga Bwali - Writer

being submitted to film council and festivals. Creative minds who previously couldn’t afford to produce shorts and features are now in a position where they can do so. A prime example is the recent and witty short, Illegal Activity, brought to the masses by Its Upshot and Kingdom Entertainment.

SBTV and Illegal Activity are examples of the good which can come out our DSLRs but unfortunately the Internet has also been flooded with a great deal of rubbish to be frank. It seems that aspiring creatives work on the assumption that it is all down to the camera, this is what I thought initially and it was no surprise that I also produced work of a low quality. This can be hazardous to the dreams of creatives who are looking to get their work or services commissioned, as the poor quality work can leave a smear on DSLR users in general. This happened to me before when I turned up to cover events with my DSLR and other people with more expensive DV cameras looked down their noses at me. Thankfully the quality of my work shone through and respect for my talents increased.

I didn’t want to discuss this between me, myself and I, so I pitched a few questions to rising creatives Quason Matthews and Nupé’s own Jemini Rock.

R Videographer Why did you get into this line of work?

Jemini: Had a love for film which stems from the time I spent at Sylvia Young Drama school. Even when I was there I was always more intrigued by what was going on behind the camera rather than what I was “supposed” to be doing. Mix that with a love of story telling and psychology and I guess it was a no brainer.

Quason: Basically stumbled into it after experimenting with random video editing software. Since then I’ve always has an interest in video directing because no video is ever the same I never really get bored. Now I’ve branched out into creating TV/Online shows.

What do you think DSLRs have done for videographers?

Quason: They are the reason why the UK scene has grown so fast because everyone is releasing videos like its nothing, this made the fans finally put a face to their favourite artists. Its also created a lot of new careers for young people like myself which may not have been as easy as before. Videographers are now able to afford a high quality camera that is lightweight and easy to use unlike the old school cameras that are way over priced.

Jemini: They have allowed for SUPER low budget projects to come to light. So it enables pretty much anyone who has that creative spark the means to creating a good quality visual without having to fork out grands.

the industry. Just because you can watch TV on your computer,it doesn’t mean some people still won’t want a TV. You get what I mean? DSLRs are the new kids on the block but I think the DV cams will still be around for years to come.

Jemini: DSLRs are great but also limited so I personally prefer using HD cameras that have been specifically made for the purpose of film making. And if a budget was no issue, I’d would just love to shoot on film as digital film making is still not quite there yet Who have you worked with?

Jemini: No one important yet (laughs). But I worked with a brilliant actor called Nick Graham he taught me a lot about acting and he was also a great guy.

Quason: Since starting 3 years ago I’ve worked with people such as Dot rotten, Mz Bratt, Boy Better Know, plus many more from the UK scene. I’ve also had the likes of Big Sean, Mz Dynamite, Omarion and Dappy in my TV show ‘Dats A Wrap’ What have been your proudest moments so far?

It has meant that more people are able to produce film, is that good or bad for the industry?

Quason: When my show ‘Dats A Wrap’ hit TV after one year of grinding hard on Youtube. Channel AKA gave us a 6 week slot to broadcast the show.

Jemini: The media circle is a very tight knit unit, therefore it can be extremely difficult to break into. But by being able to create projects outside of this circle it allows for far more new talent to emerge.

Jemini: The audience reaction to my first film because before then I used to second guess myself a lot, but the feedback I received kind of affirmed that I knew what I was doing.

Quason: Great for the industry because now we have a new wave of cameramen/directors etc. I now feel its about who can master the DSLRs, it’s not just about having it, it’s about how well can you use it, because so many people now have one.

Any last messages for readers?

Do you prefer to use DV cams or DSLRs? Quason: I haven’t used DV cams often but I think there will always be a need for them in

Quason: Keep working hard, stay focused and never let the troubles in life get the best of you. Trust me there will be days when you feel like giving up, but those are the days when you need to keep pushing hard.

It’s clear to see that DSLRs like any other new technological development has pros and cons, but the former outweighs the latter. Whilst it’s also clear to see that time taken out to train oneself on how to get the best out of the camera is required. Just attaching a lens and pressing record will not guarantee well shot work, even on the most advanced DSLR. Until next time folks, take care.

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w e N s ’ y r t e o

P

N I K S

An explosion of crystalline modernity dripping with a rich heritage, born of the worship of word power. Subjects as sharp as his words, completely unashamed and mixed with a deliciously current sound; not satisfied with pleasantly surprised, I am desperately obsessed with Tshaka Campbell.

A reincarnated Griot pushing at the boundaries of poetry, Tshaka Campbell (winner of several prestigious Slam Poetry prizes during the 2000s) has defied any expectations with his newest Spoken Word Album- Skin Volume 1. This mode of poetry was an entirely new experience for me and I feel like I’ve instantly come face to face with the master.

From the biting Intro track of seemingly Shakespearean eloquence to the hip-hopesque rhythms of Pandora, I’m totally sold. This is a complete integration of music and poetry, two things which should never have been separated as much as the modern world has allowed. ZeroOne/Digital Love, track two, almost had me dancing as I listened. I was certainly envisaging a remix, but what I loved most was how ingrained the rhythm of the words were within the beat of the music. There is also a tangible, almost succulent connection to the real world - the music, the background noise, even how near or far his voice appears to come from - is a vital part of the organic feel of the poetry. It’s gritty in the true sense. Almost too gritty you could say, Molasses has the undeniable ability to make me blush, not just because of the graphic background noises but because the pure intimacy of the language is shiver causing in itself.

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There is, be warned, a deep anger ringing in his poetry. Crushed into every biting syllable is a cruel crack of the whip at the modern world, and it’s without the endearing yearning for an earlier time that the British ‘poets of old’ possess. His poetry is seemingly hopeless, extreme, almost horizonless, yet captivatingly rooted in the moment. Maybe he does see hope, a horizon, he just doesn’t want to talk about the future when the now is so clearly his passion.

He said, of this album, “I needed to stretch my own form along with the art…a new SKIN so to speak”, and he’s certainly found a way to stretch every edge of his art. He harnesses poignancy and an angry sexuality to create a new, breathing collection of poetry. This man, with his self-proclaimed ‘Inner Kink’, has the skill of cutting straight to the issue and right to the heart of a generation, spanning more cultures in a second than he does syllables. He speaks in the voice and the essence of the young, with the wisdom of the old. It is a feat of poetic and human-emotional engineering.

You need to be open minded when listening to Tshaka’s art; you need to take his advice…listen different.

Jessica Benson - Lifestyle Writer

Opinionated People

Discrimination Should Be Indiscriminately Denounced It goes without saying that racist remarks are not acceptable, especially when made on a public platform. Liam Stacey being reprimanded with a 56 day prison sentence after posting racially offensive comments on Twitter regarding the collapse of Bolton Wanders footballer Fabrice Muamba is demonstration of this. The arguably disproportionate sentence given to the 21 year old Swansea University student has been the epicentre of the debate about his incarceration. While the discrepancies it reveals about how the justice system deals with discrimination have been widely neglected.

Liam Stacey is certainly not the first, and by no means the last person to use Twitter or another social networking site as a platform to incite hatred and express discriminatory views. The uniqueness of his case is that the result of his abhorrent comments was a custodial sentence. Clearly the fact that his comments were directed to a high profile footballer was a key factor in his arrest. However, that does not legitimise the arrest in light of the fact that on a daily basis the internet it polluted with discriminatory comments which do not receive any form of reproof.

Earlier this year West Ham United midfielder Ravel Morrison was ‘charged’ for posting homophobic tweets. His antics

were allegedly in response to racist remarks and resulted in a Football Association charge for “using abusive and/ or insulting words”. Like Liam Stacey his comments undoubtedly caused offence, the only difference is he did not receive a prison sentence for his action.

What message does this send? Insulting a high profile black footballer warrants action on the part of the justice system, while a high profile footballer insulting a gay person does not?

The multitude of Naziesque remarks made about disabled people on Twitter during the recent welfare debate also did not receive punishment like the comments made by Stacey.

Discrimination should not be treated hieratically, it always wrong.

However, there seems to be a conception that certain forms of discrimination are deemed as more acceptable than other forms.

The possibility that discrimination will ever be completely eradicated from society is highly unlikely. But if real attempts to quell discrimination are to be made they cannot be token or arbitrary; Stacey’s sentence cannot be an anomaly.

The justice system has to treat all publically made discriminatory comments in a uniform manner. Who it is directed to, or who makes the comments should not be a factor.

Dami Abajingin - Politics and Comment Editor www.nupe.co.uk

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#KamRantz It seems like everyone is an “actor” nowadays…

As a former actor who studied drama in university I’ve had my fair share of success.

I’ve performed in two mainstream plays – gaining the main part in both productions.

I acted in a new play called Origin: Unknown which as well as being on a Theatre in Education tour around East London for over a month, also had a three night run at Theatre Royal Stratford East. The second play I performed in was an ethnic minority production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible for Talawa Theatre Company, which had a three night run at Drill Hall Theatre.

In order to obtain these unique roles, I had to work the hardest I’ve ever worked. I intended intense auditions, explorative and open workshops, and gruelling rehearsals.

training goes into each character exploration in whatever role you take on regardless of the medium.

It’s this experience that I have acquired over the years which has made me somewhat of an ‘authority’ on the matter. Recently, I have been sent links of crappy show-reels, online dramas, short films and the like from so-called actors. They are the victims of having the smoke blown up their arse by friends and becoming ‘gassed’ from celebrities getting famous and getting into acting that they feel they can do the same – they already think they are the finished article! But it’s these people that annoy me as they haven’t taken the time to study their craft and get better, instead they build up egos and don’t know how to audition/take on believable characters/excel in their art.

At any one time 98% of actors are unemployed I leant about and built up confidence in myself as a person, I had to get to grips with the characters and let myself go in order to get the best results. To be believable as the person I was portraying/becoming. I had to learn the meaning behind every word the character said in the script and why they said it. The intention behind it, the objectives they wanted to achieve from what they said, and what emotions they were trying to convey. In short, a lot of work and

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I can tell you that these ‘actors’ as they call themselves haven’t worked as hard as I have nor will they ever. They don’t know how to take on criticism to push them forward. They don’t know what rejection from various auditions feels like; they don’t know the culture of which they are entering. They are doing the bare minimum and some are getting away with good acting jobs. They don’t have that mentality that real actors were brought up on; it’s all easy pickings for these fake actors!

Kamran Assadi - Poetry Editor

Sports

The unbridled

When Gary Speed passed away unexpect-

edly in November through an apparent case of suicide the football world rallied round his family and celebrated his achievements.

There were heartfelt obituaries up and down the country, fans everywhere the weekend following his death paid respect through one minute silences before every game, the outpouring of grief and heartfelt condolences was of a magnitude and scale usually reserved for rock stars and famous entertainers. The effect Gary Speed’s death had on the football community was even more pronounced because it was so sudden and unexpected.

Here was a man that was universally beloved and respected, routinely praised as a man of high character that embodied the consummate professional, he had a wife and beautiful children and was the manager of his national team; all these factors collated to magnify the sense of loss and all the while football the sport and profession Speed dedicated his entire life to did not let him down. It honoured his memory and when it was time to lay his casket to rest its greatest ambassadors were there to escort him to his final resting place.

could readily call upon. Queens Park Rangers even before been promoted thanks to a consortium headed by Italian billionaire Flavio Briatore that eventually vacated ownership for Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes were charging fans extortionate prices for the privilege of watching their team battle household names like Doncaster Rovers and Burnley for promotion to the Premier League.

A few weeks ago once again football was

Football Shows it’s

acceleration of the commercialisation of football, the undue control multinational corporations have over the sport and FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s frequent indiscretions have led many to believe that football has lost its soul and is now nothing more than a vessel through which footballers and its administrators line their pockets with little regard for the fan base that it owes its prominence to. However two tragedies or near tragedy in the case of Fabrice Muamba has shown that all though yes all is not well within the game - football still has a soul, it can still band together for a worthy cause and it still remains beautiful despite the scars and excessive make up.

asked to look itself in the mirror and ask the right questions. In a FA Cup match at Tottenham’s white hart lane Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch due to an apparent cardiac arrest. Although through the first few hours of the incident occurring one would have been forgiven for fearing the worst, memories of Marc Vivian Foe still linger in the memory. Alas tragedy was averted when news began to slowly trickle through of Muamba’s tentative but assured recovery.

The football community once again rallied round one of its own and showed it had more to offer than allowing television companies to move kick off times to the most inopportune time for fans or routinely renewing its contract to the lascivious British Sky Broadcasting derivative, Sky Sports. The reaction and well wishes reserved for Muamba has been truly heart-warming, from England to Italy to Spain, where Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo dedicated a goal to Muamba and Real Madrid players wore shirts wishing him a speedy recovery has gone long way to rekindling everyone with a love for the sport with that feeling they first had when they started following football.

As fans, as spectators we didn’t fall in love with football because of the money and occasional glamour we fell in love because of the kinship and sense of communion it garners and that special feeling of unadulterated joy it unleashes within us when our favourite team or player scores a goal. It might have taken two visceral turn of events to remind us but it has to be said, football hasn’t lost its soul after all.

Fab Side

Through all this it was easy to forget Man-

chester City just spent another summer trying to prove the price of a Premier League trophy could be bought off for few £100 million, a mere pittance compared to the vast oil riches its Middle Eastern backed patrons

Razaak Agoro - Sports Editor www.nupe.co.uk N45

Nupé Sports Roundup Formula One

The biggest news heading into the start of the new F1 season in March at the Australian grand prix was the return of 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen.

After 2 years in rally racing could the former champion hold his own against a formula one landscape that had changed dramatically since his last departure and now boasts three new world champions in Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and the man hailed as the second coming of Michael Schumacher – Sebastian Vettel. Vettel in his imperious Red Bull Renault powered car has dominated the last two years winning back to back championships. However this time around it seems Vettel won’t have it all his own way.

McLaren’s Jenson Button dominated the Australian grand prix from start to finish while Vettel settled for a disappointing 6th position and the aforementioned Raikkonen finished in a respectable 7th place in an unfamiliar Lotus car. At the chaotic rain soaked Malaysian grand prix a struggling Ferrari claimed a surprising victory for Fernando Alonso with Button crashing out this time around and Vettel again finishing out of the podium places for the second race in a row.

This season’s championship race is shaping up to be a cracker!

Rugby Union

Once again we arrive at that special corner of Nupé, where we round up the various sporting events of the past month, from football to rugby union to Formula One. It’s been a pulsating month of sporting action and a crescendo is slowly building up that would eventually culminate in the sporting event of the summer, the 2012 London Olympic Games. ons Wales. Interim coach surely Stuart Lancaster has singled handedly prevented English rugby union from spiralling into civil war and has surely done enough to secure the job for the long term.

Football

March was not a good month for English clubs in Europe. Manchester United and Manchester City bowed out to teams in the revamped Europa League that there were expected to easily sidestep. Whilst United have been experienced enough to prevent their poor European form leaking into their domestic duties City have shown the callowness that comes with been a first time title challenger by dropping points power against middling opposition and surrendering their lead at the top of the league table to Manchester United. It remains a virtual certainty that the two Manchester clubs will occupy the top 2 places by season’s end but the remaining two champions league places remains up for grabs with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham battling out for the title of best also-rans. Newcastle continue to enjoy a renaissance of sorts under Alan Pardew and his name his firmly among the favourites for Premier League manager of the year at the end of the season.

Wales won the Inaugural 6 Nations Championship and also claimed the grand slam in the process by virtue of winning all 5 of their games. Wales were deserving champions by defeating their biggest rivals England and France and successfully navigating the minor challenges of Ireland, Scotland and Italy. England interim coach Stuart Lancaster also restored order and credibility to an England outfit threatening to descend into further indignity after the disastrous World Cup campaign in New Zealand. England won 4 of their games and played with cohesion and discipline before finally showing some flair and instinctive rugby against France in their final game of the tournament. England had a solid campaign in which they were only defeated by eventual grand slam champi-

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Razaak Agoro - Sports Editor

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