SpeakOut Issue2

ISSUE 2. AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

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SAME CITY, DIFFERENT LIVES. THIS IS BIRMINGHAM...

NEWS INTERVIEWS FEATURES COMMENT LIFESTYLE

Changing Faces

Adam talks about his genetic condition and turning heads

How I Became an Extremist Speak Out talks to a Birmingham Muslim about his experience of one of Britain’s most radical groups.

Festive PC Tales Celebrating Christmas in a multicultural city

YOUR FREE MAGAZINE FOR ALL THINGS BIRMINGHAM

OuTSIDE of London,

Birmingham is one of the country’s most ‘diverse’cities.

It is also a city with one of the biggest gaps between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’. We want to know what this means to you.

Speak Out is produced by brap and funded by the Equality and Human Rights Commission

About brap brap is Birmingham’s leading equality and human rights charity, working locally, regionally and nationally, with individuals, communities and the organisations that serve them to address and mitigate widespread inequality.

About the Equality and Human Rights Commission

Every three months Speak Out will deliver a magazine packed with articles, stories, poems, photographs and comment, and to do this we need your help.

Whether you’re a poet, an artist, a writer, a photographer or someone who has something to say send us your work and ideas. It doesn’t matter if you’re aspiring or established, young or old. All that counts is that you want the opportunity to share your work with the whole of Birmingham.

To get in contact with the Speak Out team email speakout@brap.org.uk or for more information go to brap’s website at www.brap.org.uk.

The EHRC champions equality and human rights for all, working to eliminate discrimination, reduce inequality, protect human rights and to build good relations, ensuring that everyone has a fair chance to participate in society.

Speak Out, Floor 9, Edgbaston House, 3 Duchess Place, Hagley Rd, Birmingham, B16 8NH Speak Out is produced and distributed with support from Birmingham Library and Archives Services, Birmingham University Anti-Fascism Society, the Big Issue, and Comedy Jam

www.birmingham.gov.uk/libraries

Submissions for the next magazine must be received on or before 9 January 2009.

Photograph by Karen Strunks taken from B4AM - Digbeth series www.karenstrunks.com

Issue Two: Autumn/Winter 2008

Content News

04 If you read nothing else today

SAME CITY, DIFFERENT LIVES. THIS IS BIRMINGHAM...

06

Interviews 06 On the spot

A former Birmingham Poet Laureate is put under the spotlight

12 How I became an extremist Speak Out talks to a Birmingham Muslim about clubs, women and avoiding family get-togethers

Feature

08 My looks?...They’re a blessing

16

Adam talks about his genetic condition, which causes others to turn their heads

16 In Focus Speak Out takes a look at some of the best films from around the world

Comment

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11 The Apprentices Two entrepreneurs talk about life in the real Dragon’s Den

14 Christmas comes but once a year - thankfully Celebrating Christmas in a multicultural city...

Speak Easy

18 Babul and the Blue Bear Selina Mehra reviews the innovative play written and directed by Keith Saha

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19 Competitions Win a pair of tickets to the Real Deal Comedy Jam

Credits:

Editor: Chris Allen Editorial team: Amy Roberts and Ghiyas Somra Contributors: Helen Drakakis, Anna Sirmoglou, Selina Mehra, Lee Blake, Nzinga Graham-Smith, Asif Afridi, Dreadlockalien Photos: Michael Carroll – www.carrollphoto.org, Karen Strunks – www.karenstrunks.com Design: Russell Hall – www.russelljhall.com Printed by: Lion FPG Ltd, Oldbury Road, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B70 9DQ Thank you to all those people that gave their time freely to help us produce this edition of Speak Out Speak Out Floor 9, Edgbaston House, 3 Duchess Place, Hagley Rd, Birmingham, B16 8NH E-mail speakout@brap.org.uk This month’s front cover: Michael Carroll

news

en, average than m on ss le % 17 rn ea me work still nt of Women in full ti y gap is the equivale month. is that the gender pa th n ow ed that ed sh ow s al sh ha o , ve als up re ty it was rights campaign gro ucted for the socie

women’s people cond Fawcett Society, a re to close the pay survey of over 1,000 Research from the should be doing mo the year for free. A t of en s nth rnm ve mo Go two t the t las vely – fel women working the % and 74% respecti n and women – 83 edit crunch’. ‘cr vast majority of me the of s d women regardles an n me en twe be differences s to men being paid les pay gap? e th crimination – so, wo dis of e ard us orw ca htf e aig due to str What’s th % of the pay gap is estimated up to 40 gues. llea co le ma Discrimination: it’s ir the to skilled job. For l value or skill level rk, even when it’s a do work of an equa lue of women’s wo va low a t pu s ha id less: Society y people. r children or elderl ne by women are pa than to care for ou rs Jobs traditionally do ca er aft k loo likely to ople more lled jobs are more instance, we pay pe el because lower ski lev ll hours. ski ir ble the exi fl h low wit be jobs to be available Mothers often work : r ng nio rki se d wo an ble lled exi fl ski jobs offer ed more highly Few senior or skilled rk and home. We ne bility to balance wo exi fl the m the e giv to

ime?

What’s the solu

tion?

main things: is calling for two e Fawcett Society Th st ju d it an t n’ me Is pay audits which down into full-ti anies: Mandatory figures are broken mp p co ga y for pa ks ec the ch rnings of h No • Healt to compare the ea r hour e all organisations pe uir s is a gap req les re part time: % uld the 17 if wo e ge similar work to se me earn on avera ing l-ti ful do n ng me rki d to wo an n n wome • Wome Changes to the law me enging their pay: l-ti all ful ch to n d ng an rki me , % wo wo urt n 20 co for ge than me • Help e cases to l-time earn on avera r for women to tak pport women working ful make it much easie group, with the su a as • Ethnic minority s se ca ch su me e l-ti tak ful to ng n rki me wo wo men allow ur less per hour than ge 36% less per ho of unions ime earn on avera rt-t pa ng rki wo n • Wome me tso cie ty. org .uk full-ti So urc e: ww w.f aw cet than men working

work part-t because women

man of the Equalities & Hu Trevor Phillips, Chair ent rnm ve go the , has urged Rights Commission the UK ilst disadvantage in to recognise that wh t that black and ethnic has historically mean been s and women have minority (BME) group it is try un co the parts of the worst hit, in some ing fac are t tha es ss ng cla now the white worki ntage. the greatest disadva , Mr nt economic instability Referring to the curre re is a the t tha is g ein se are Phillips said: “What we whom of n le, a large proportio whole group of peop sis cri s thi m ing to suffer fro are white, who are go nt wa ld ou sh we le the peop who are going to be the m fro me co y the e caus to help, particularly be n. tow of e sid g wron special ve to do something “We are going to ha tra ex t pu to ve ha ing to for them. We are go compete n’t ca le op pe g un resources where yo .” with migrants’ skills that the country, it is clear “And in some parts of brown, or ck ntage won’t be bla what defines disadva ive sit po e tak will have to it will be white. And we might ite groups, what we wh me so lp action to he ass.” call the white undercl

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SpeakOut autumn/winter 2008

HE NEWS OuR TAKE ON T seem to rely on arguments for

ays and above It’s sad that we alw of one group over s ed ne e th g tin protec s as though we rs. It almost seem he ot ere of s ed ne e th And of course, th her way to do it. d ce fa ve ha don’t know any ot ps ou s for this. Many gr out are good reason ination, and with rim sc di ce fa ll sti d an n ps, tio ou ina gr lar rim disc for particu tional protection di ad r fo ing e. by tic lob e injus inue to experienc then they will cont we could focus great for once if be it t le n’ uld wo .

But.. humans. All peop at unite us all as d an n tio on those things th ec prot the same level of . should be getting they want to in life at wh ve hie ac em th lp ge he ta to an t suppor that disadv ht us anything, it’s If history has taug boundaries and no ow kn an potential er, and wasted hum hnic origin, gend irrespective of et can strike us all, . religion, and so on lity we need to going to win equa els That’s why if we’re mplex than the lab ople are more co lity ua Eq t. es recognise that pe gg su to describe them assometimes used ying, in ever incre ud St y. od yb er ev r fo n rk ca wo ve to s ha ed ne groups ds’ that particular d re a be n ing detail, the ‘nee te n of so far. In fact, it ca ronly ever get us group are so diffe at th in th wi le op pe e us ing ca ink be th herring ore time spending much m e, ent. We should be man beings shar hu all s ed ting the ne d an n tio ina rim about and protec sc s di services for all, les like fairer public oups. stereotyping of gr

news

Obama: should we have been first?

The election of Barack Obama to President of the United States ed raises a number of questions, not least: why hasn’t Britain produc a non-white leader?

This year marks the 45th anniversary of one of the most horrific terrorist attacks Birmingham, Alabama has ever suffered. The bomb detonated at the 16th Street Baptist Church on 15 September 1963 killed four children and injured 22 others. A series of investigations over a period of 30 years eventually identified the perpetrators as members of the Ku Klux Klan.

This is the legacy of prejudice and discrimination in the United States. From the Jim Crow laws that kept schools and buses segregated to the lynchings and violence meted out to black people, the denial of civil and human rights to people from non-white backgrounds represents a dark period in American history. And while this country has had its fair share of prejudice and tension – and still does – its recent history hasn’t been marred by the same glaring injustices of legally enforced segregation or organised racial oppression.

It’s perhaps from this platform that our political and media commentators have looked down on America and asked whether its public is ready for a black President. It’s perhaps with the backing of this comparatively liberal history that they have felt entitled to urge Americans to strike a blow for equality and vote for the first black leader in its history. But a little more thought on their part would hopefully reveal that the current state of inequality in this country deprives us of a moral high ground.

Our segregation may not be state imposed – or not intentionally – but it exists nevertheless. Communities living parallel lives, massive inequalities in wealth, institutionalised racism: these are the problems and challenges facing us today, and that’s without the legacy that spurred the civil rights movement. In fact, this remarkable turnaround from the buses of Montgomery and the hoses of Alabama to the election of a Hawaiian President raises the question of why Britain seems so far away from producing a non-white leader.

All our political parties would do well to use this time to reflect on what they stand for. True equality will only come through empowerment, and empowerment requires our leaders to engage with the needs, concerns, and rights of ordinary people. If our leaders hear but don’t listen, the various strategies proudly set up by governing bodies to allow representatives from different groups to be consulted on policies are at best ineffective and at worst conducive to undeserved self-satisfaction.

And that is why we do not need to be naïve to believe that the election of Barack Obama is a victory for equality in America. Black people are still three times more likely to be unemployed, women more likely to be underpaid, and the children of poor parents more likely to be on minimum wage. All this is as true on the morning of Obama’s victory as it was in the months and years before.

But the real victory for equality last night is not that n, America voted in a black President, but that a politicia t any politician, found the humanity and spirit to connec ing electrify the is triumph real The voters. y ordinar with reinvigoration of American politics. The real symbol of the American election is not Mr Obama, but those people who voted for the first time, inspired by the prospect for change.

That is the lesson for our political leaders – perhaps the lesson for us all.

So what lessons can our policy makers learn from the election of the first black President? Perhaps they would be wise to take heed of what Senator Obama did not do. He did not concern himself with the politics of representation. He did not seek to ‘speak’ for a particular group of people. The politics of the new Democrats extends beyond consultation exercises and gimmicky initiatives tinkering with the symptoms, and not the causes, of social exclusion.

Sourc e Numb : Statistical Review er 6)

2007,

autumn/winter 2008 SpeakOut

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interview

On the spot Who are you?

Three weeks ago a young lad read a poem he had written about coming to this country from his homeland which was a war zone. His innocent recollection in rhyme of horrific happenings inspired me but when he ended the poem with a comparison of how he is treated in England, his hopes and his dreams, I did shed a small manly type tear (or two), but so did four other teachers (I say in a ‘justifying the crying’ type way). The power of the story.

What was the last thing you dreamt about?

Have you ever experienced discrimination?

I daydream all the time if that counts. However, at nights I rarely have dreams and if I do I almost immediately forget them shortly after waking up. I figure that reality is too full of madness to be adding thoughts from the unconscious. I do freak out sometimes and wake up sitting bolt upright and thinking for a second or two that I am falling over a cliff or down some stairs.

You run Birmingham: what would you do to improve the quality of people’s lives?

I would make it mandatory for everyone to laugh at least three times a day, to smile and be polite to another driver at least twice per journey, and to speak to their neighbour.

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When did you last cry?

This is an interesting question that I do keep on asking myself. How we define ourselves changes all the time however at present….My name is Richard, I write and perform poetry under the name of Dreadlockalien. My tick box title would be ‘Anglo Indo Caribbean’; however, I will always have to tick ‘Other.’ My social status would be that of a proud father of three children and my economic status is that of a director of an educational arts company.

SpeakOut autumn/winter 2008

Err…yes. Almost every day to some degree and for some reason or another.

However, the strangest incident was when I was greeted at a school by an Asian male teacher. Upon identifying myself as Dreadlockalien he replied, “we thought you would be blacker”. Not sure if I should apologise or not he then enquired if I was part Asian, to which I explained that my dad was Jamaican Indian. In an almost disappointed and then conciliatory tone he then stated: “well at least you are not white!”

When was the last time somebody or something inspired you?

I watched a TV programme about a family that built a brilliant environmental, sustainable house out of natural materials and traditional methods. It must have inspired

me as I am keeping an eye out for some land and googling the price of straw bales and lime plaster.

What’s your most embarrassing moment as a performer?

It was a large home crowd at the launch of one of my plays, lots of friends and family, press, funders and work colleagues. A compere who was brought in from London whipped the crowd up for introductory applause ‘for the one and only… Dreadlock Allan’. He had misread Alien as Allan, resulting at the time in laughter that hurts your belly and even still nowadays in campfire recollections, birthday emails and telephone calls for the one and only Dreadlock Allan.

Do you ever use a rhyming dictionary?

All the time, it’s a great way to meet new words. I have a few printed ones but mostly use online rhyming WebPages.

Are you an outsider?

With a name like Dreadlockalien I make a living from being an outsider. Sometimes even off the planet! Seriously though, to be an outsider you first have to have a sense of home or structure to belong to which you then feel estranged or displaced from. This sense of belonging can be social or geographic in origin. I’m therefore an outsider to anyone beyond my postcode

interview

I AM WHATEVER COLOUR YOU SEE

or estate where I live. I’m an outsider in most cultural settings as well. Maybe one day there will be a place for all Anglo Indo Caribbeans to congregate and bond.

Do you have a message for the next generation?

Please think hard about the choices you make for the future. Our generation didn’t and look where it has put you.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Open my eyes! After that I take a minute to gather my thoughts, remember the bad times and praise and give thanks for the good times. I am truly blessed to be doing a job I truly love and my family are healthy and safe, so I always try to start each day with a smile.

What would you ban if you could?

Apart from banning all the angry power greedy men running most of the institutions of this world I would also love to ban the word ‘race’ as understood in its current form. We have enough titles of difference such as heritage, cultural, tradition, ethnicity, religion, geography and culture. The perpetuation and usage of the word Race is supporting the outdated and disproved theory of genetic difference. We are all from the Human race, I am not ‘mixed

race’ as both my parents are human, I am therefore a child of dual heritage and your fellow Human.

What book/poem/song/film means the most to you?

Has to be Benjamin Zephaniah City Psalms as the book that turned me to poetry.

‘Sonny’s Lettah’ by Linton Kwesi Johnson is a poem close to my heart. My favourite song has to be ‘Confidence’ by Moqapi Selassie and the film that means the most to me would be one of the poetry videos up on my youtube channel.

If you were a musical instrument, what instrument would you be?

I’d love to say alto saxophone for all of those jazzy blues feel-good-about-yourself reasons, but if I was to be honest I would probably be a penny whistle or a harmonica.

Finally, describe Birmingham to a stranger.

Influenced from 360°, steeped in history and tradition, vibrant with cultural energy and a frontline grittiness. A harbinger of change, a collection of the good hearted and a pulsing heart of post-millennium England.

Dreadlockalien is running the UK schools poetry slam championships this year.

Visit www.dreadlockalien.co.uk for more information.

I am, whatever colour you see I’m the scorched suntan look y’all sit out in summer for I am the dark stained pine antique cupboard door I’m the shady Latino that was on the dance floor I’m the colour of the exotic other Olive from my dad, ebony from my mother I’m chocolate dark, milk and white I’m the bronze that blushes throughout the night I’m the colour of rain-soaked rust I’m the beige bloke this area don’t trust I’m the oak coloured chestnut that’s roasted on open fires The tub of fake suntan that runs that ego so desires I am that caramel bar melted in the heat Sugar toffee cinder Sugar candy sweet I’m tarnished copper I’m unpolished brass I’m the sandalwood sojourner that you just walked past I’m the dark that’s between the handsome and tall I’m the subtle shade of a sandstone wall To me colours are not just a joke So every colourful morning please get it right If colour’s what you see Then who is truly brown, black, or white?

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feature

Over a million people have

some form of disfigurement, but a recent study has shown nine out of ten people have negative attitudes about them. Here one person reveals his experience of living with a facial disfigurement.

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SpeakOut autumn/winter 2008

feature PHOTOS BY: www.carrollphoto.org

MY LOOKS?...THEY’RE A BLESSING I have a genetic condition called Neurofibromatosis, Type 1. The condition means excess body tissue grows on nerve endings causing growths, called fibromas, to appear. For me, the majority of my fibromas are on my face, and this means that, like it or not, I attract attention and turn heads.

As a 23 year old man, who has had a facial disfigurement for the majority of his life, I am all too familiar with the situations having a disfigurement can entail. Not all these situations are bad; in fact many are a real blessing.

If I didn’t have this disfigurement there are many things I would not have encountered.

The first, and by far the most common situation I face, is being stared at. In my day-to-day life when I walk around, it is safe to say that most places I go, people stare.

This can make me feel very self-conscious. In some cases this can actually do a great deal of damage to someone’s self-esteem. Over time I have developed techniques to defuse the situation for both parties. Sometimes I make eye contact or smile or nod in the direction of the person staring. This shows them that you are switched on and it also lets them know you’re aware of the fact that they are staring - people often get embarrassed.

If you struggle making eye contact then either look at the bridge of their nose or look towards something behind them. As long as you create the illusion of eye contact then you will appear confident.

I was walking back from work one afternoon, when this man said hello and then asked me, straight out, what was wrong with my face. When this happens I allow myself three options: I can just lie and say I have to be somewhere and leave the conversation awkward and unresolved. Secondly, I can kick off and make a scene.

I rarely consider this a serious choice as it would blow the whole thing out of proportion. The third – my favoured option – is to just be honest. So, I simply told this man what my condition is. It led into a conversation as to what I, and he, did for a career. I wanted to show the person behind the disfigurement (who happens to be a highly intelligent and funny guy!).

For the people who stare, it is perfectly natural to do so.

Ninety-nine per cent of time it’s simple curiosity rather than rudeness. My advice to you is simple: just acknowledge the person by smiling, nodding, and saying hello.

If I didn’t have this disfigurement there are many things I would not have encountered

Try not to sit there looking gormlessly at them – it’s rude.

Alternatively, if you are curious and feeling rather bold just approach them and ask them: “Do you mind if I ask you about…” I, for one am happy to answer questions.

But, while staring is common and can be easily defused comments and bullying can do serious damage. Before I even discuss this I will go on record and say anyone that does or has made comments to someone with a disfigurement is 100 per cent out of order. If you are ignorant to the point where you can’t control your tongue, or need to bring someone else down to make yourself feel better then I suggest you get help.

As someone that went through the entire education system with a disfigurement I know all too well the emotional turmoil that people go through as a result of people’s comments.

The most frustrating piece of advice you can ever be given is “ignore it”. Seriously, it isn’t the kind of thing you can ever ignore, it’ll sting every time.

I used to respond by being highly confrontational: through all of secondary school I was either yelling at someone or being yelled at and I really don’t recommend this. These days I tend to just deal with it as when it happens and occasionally I am moved to ask people to stop.

These incidences always seem to happen on public transport. One day I was catching a train to Wimbledon when a group of teenagers got on. Straight away the warning sirens went off in my head.

They started to stand and point, they made gestures and whispered among themselves. They properly thought they were being really discreet and clever but the reality was they were being blatant and dumb.

I eventually grew tired and approached the ringleader and asked him, in a polite yet firm manner, to stop being rude.

Their explanation was long-winded. They said they weren’t talking about me but that instead they were discussing football. It was all an elaborate lie. I ended simply by telling them they were disgracing themselves and they should grow up before getting off the train quickly (I’m not an idiot).

It is amazing how few people do not recognise that disfigurement could happen to them. Anyone could go through a car windscreen or get burns; it’s only by the grace of God that they don’t.

Disfigurement does have its frustrations, but for me it has also been one of the things that has shaped my character

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feature

How important is physical appearance?

Justin

You may not want to be judged by your appearance but you can be sure that you are. Be aware that you choose how you present yourself. You cannot not communicate, you are always communicating something.

Rachel You should always judge a book by its cover - until you have read it!

Musab

It is great to know that you stand for something as opposed to standing against everything and made me who I am today. What I am about to say may not apply to all people, but I hope it will at least provoke some thought.

The key thing that has shaped and continues to shape my character is my faith.

There is so much scripture that just drives me to be the guy I am today. Also, through things such as university and work I have developed amazing friendships with my peers and colleagues.

When you go through the ups and down of having a disfigurement it can become easy to reject the world and stand against everything.

This is not the way to handle it. Find out what you like, the things that drive you. In my case things like my faith, writing articles (like this), charity work and music are what drive me.

It is the best feeling in the world to know that you stand for something as opposed to standing against everything.

Recently Changing Faces, a charity I support, launches its new Face Equality campaign. The campaign centres on a nationwide advertising campaign featuring three adverts.

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SpeakOut autumn/winter 2008

The fact that cover-design is a profession means no!

The opinions of friends means much more.

I was asked to be one of the faces of the campaign, which for me was a real honour.

I am all for getting the message of social equality out on the front line.

Anyway, the campaign’s rationale is to challenge people’s initial perceptions: this is because quite often when an individual meets someone with a disfigurement they take them at face value, pardon the pun.

The Face Equality campaign seeks to challenge and alter those perceptions.

Siobhan As a black woman, I soon realised that my external identity was rooted in the perceptions of others, which often works against you – I’ve been stopped and searched many times at customs both here in the UK and entering Jamaica.

For me Face Equality is a chance to prove that just because I look different it doesn’t mean I am less of a person.

As someone who is no stranger to rejection this gives me a platform to show people that, despite all the slings and arrows that are thrown at me, I am achieving and am not going to shy away.

Face Equality will mean I can go into a bar and order a drink and not have to deal with people’s ignorant attitudes.

It will mean being able to sit on the tube without feeling people are looking at me – just let me read my book and mind my own business. It means going to a gig and not getting stared at – people come to watch the band, not me. Face Equality also means going for a job interview and not having that awkward first 30 seconds.

I hope you have been challenged by this article. If you have any questions about disfigurement there are several organisations you can contact, one of which is Changing Faces (www.changingfaces.org.uk) or alternatively if you see me knocking round just ask me, I am more than happy to chat.

comment

Ever dreamt of following the growing number of people who pack in their jobs

to follow their dreams? Speak Out meets two people who have taken the plunge

Lee Blake, Managing Director 50Fifty: Recently, I was part of a group of youth workers who were debating what single thing was most important to them when it came to national identity. We discussed things like language, religion, food, dress, dance but (after a while) a country’s national flag came out on top. Personally, I wouldn’t put it so high, but I can appreciate that many people all over the world have fought and died for their flag. It got me thinking about how my identity leaves me with mixed feelings over which flag I should wear and also why I decided to make my own flag.

I am mixed race: father, Jamaican (St Elizabeth); mother Brummie (Hall Green!).

Half black, half white – I used to be called half-caste, then bi-racial, dual heritage and now it seems that mixed race is the term in vogue (if you have any more please put your answers on a postcard). So, should I wear an English cross of St George or Union Jack, or the Jamaican flag?

Growing up I always supported England at football, and West Indies at cricket. I never wore an England shirt when I was growing up as I associated the St George’s flag and the Union Jack with skinheads and the National Front. I think it has changed somewhat now.

One day in 2004 I travelled to Portugal to watch England beat Croatia 4-2. Boarding a train into the centre of Lisbon for a few drinks, I was struck by the joyful, celebratory

mood. However, after a few good-natured songs the mood changed to xenophobic chanting and I had the pleasure of being racially abused by my fellow countrymen.

This inspired me to look for a flag that represented my dual heritage. One day I was teaching young people how to use Photoshop and it suddenly dawned on me that I could easily make my own t-shirt. I mixed the Union Jack with the colours of the Jamaican flag and wore it to the world cup in Germany 2006. People loved it. Back in Birmingham my friends and colleagues – Afro-Caribbean, Pakistani, Irish, Italian, and Indian – asked me to mix the Union Jack with their parents’ and grandparents’ national flags. They wanted to say they were proud of both their identities.

After that, I went to the Notting Hill Carnival, sold a few t-shirts, then set up a website, and hey presto…started a business!

Nathan Wilkins, JEP Ltd I set up JEP Entertainment with two friends, Samuel and Damian. We’re all from inner city Birmingham – Lee Bank, New Town and Handsworth – and all three of us left school with less than four grade C or higher GCSEs. But this lack of achievement at school never stopped us of them from striving to achieve our goals.

We’ve always had a passion for comedy – especially the likes of Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy – but we were frustrated that the

closest we could ever get to it was through our (very) extensive DVD collection.

Since leaving school we have gone on to study various elements of business and marketing and were able to combine these skills to set up as club promoters. In November 2004, we were offered the chance to purchase the Birmingham slot of a UK comedy tour. Although financially the show was a failure, we now had the bug for urban comedy shows and were determined to make it work.

We decided that the best way to build a successful business was to create our own brand. To do this, we first had to decide on a name for the business. It was at this point that tragedy struck: Damian’s dad passed away. This was obviously a hard time for Damian and but also for Sammy and me as ‘Junior’ – as everyone called him – had always encouraged us to strive for success.

So when we were thinking of a name to call our business one name stood out from the rest: ‘Junior Entertainment Productions’.

‘Entertainment Productions’ because that was our business, and ‘Junior’ to pay respect to Damian’s father and also because we knew we were juniors in the comedy game.

Well, since those early days the Real Deal Comedy Jam has gone from strength to strength and is recognized as the biggest urban stand-up comedy show in the UK. Not bad for three young men from inner city Birmingham who loved to laugh.

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Speak Out talks to a

HOW I BECAME AN EXTREMIS T

interview

Birmingham Muslim about his time as a member of a worldwide Islamic movement and whether it is right for the British Government to want to ban it.

“What should I do if I don’t like you?”

Luckily, Sabir’s question isn’t directed at Speak Out’s interview technique. Instead, the 26 year old part-time student is explaining how disagreements should be dealt with.

“The best thing for me to do is to engage with you openly, find out where we disagree, and then try to talk to each other. The only way we can really communicate is if we both listen to each other.”

Sabir’s interest in communicating and engaging is born from his four-year experience of one of Britain’s most radical groups. Hizb ut Tahrir – a political party calling for the replacement of democracy with an Islamic state – was highlighted in the government’s post-7/7 counter-terrorism proposals as an organisation that would be banned. But while the group has yet to face official censorship, a growing number of former members are speaking out against what they see as the organisation’s dangerous insistence on an inflexible dogma that asks Muslims to choose between their faith and being British.

Growing up in Birmingham, any conflict between Sabir’s nationality and religion was the last thing on his mind.

“None of my friends would have called me devout,” he recalls. “When I was younger I was always ready for a night out – we were always down Broad Street on a Friday or Saturday.”

I had never been particularly religious, but 9/11 made me more interested in the religion I had been brought up in

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SpeakOut autumn/winter 2008

After completing his A-levels, Sabir moved north to Leeds to study politics and government. “I think I initially had what most people would call a normal, enjoyable university experience…I’d go out with friends, sleep late, and skip the occasional lecture. I was having a great time but towards the end of the first year I got the feeling that there had to be more than the fun-loving but empty lifestyle I was living.”

And then, at one o’clock on Tuesday 11 September 2001, everything changed.

“Sitting there seeing the 9/11 attacks, I was in shock – like most people, I guess – and, like most people, I think my instinct was that America had it coming. I remember being haunted by lots of different questions, like: ‘what does Islam say about terrorist attacks?’ and ‘do I really share the same religion as the people on the plane?’”

“Like I said, I had never been particularly religious, but 9/11 made me more interested in the religion I had been brought up in. I was at a particular place where I was ready to be open to answers that seemed to go deeper than my superficial lifestyle.”

interview

When you’re a member you’re almost living in a bubble

Sabir started attending a mosque for Friday prayers where he met someone who was a member of Hizb ut Tahrir. Meaning ‘Party of Liberation’, Hizb ut Tahrir is a global movement looking to establishing a ‘caliphate’ or Islamic state. It operates in over 40 countries, with some estimating it has more than a million members worldwide.

Its alleged homophobia, anti-Semitism, and dislike of democracy has led the British government to brand its views ‘abhorrent’.

“Hizb ut Tahrir is different from a group like Al-Qaeda,” explains Sabir, “which uses violent methods to achieve its goals. But it does encourage people to think that all answers and viewpoints that aren’t from a particular Islamic viewpoint are automatically wrong.”

Speaking on a BBC documentary, Andrew Green, a former diplomat who worked with the Foreign Office on counterterrorism, agreed with Sabir: “We mustn’t be naïve about these groups. They are there to peddle hatred: hatred of our own society, hatred of non-Muslims. In practice, as we’ve seen, it’s only quite a small step from someone filled with hatred to someone who turns to violence. They are a gateway.”

Whilst Green may have the highest credentials, the idea that the non-violent party is a ‘conveyor belt’ towards terrorism seems unfair. After all, since ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair said he would ban Hizb ut Tahrir, two official reviews have been conducted and no sanctions have been put in place. Some critics – including a former member who wrote a book about his experience – argue that the party insists its members choose between being British and Muslim, and that some will inevitably go on to commit terrorist acts. But, I ask Sabir, isn’t this absolving people of personal responsibility?

The former radical sighs as he removes his thick-rimmed spectacles and rubs his eyes. “There might be an element of that,” he eventually concedes. “But when you’re a member you’re almost living in a bubble. You lose contact with people and become dependent on them.”

“Most obviously, you lose contact with a lot of your old friends. Because drinking is not allowed by Islam, you stop going to pubs, clubs and even people’s houses where alcohol might be served. I remember going to visit an old friend at uni and asking him to take down any posters of women he might have up. He did, but a lot of people wouldn’t bother and so you’d lose contact with them.”

And there was another element to Sabir’s new-found faith.

“There were strict rules about men and women mixing”, he recounts, “and that led to problems with my family.”

From what he describes as a ‘traditionally large’ extended family, Sabir increasingly found himself making excuses not to attend weddings, birthday parties, and family gettogethers because he knew the company would be mixed.

“In the end, I stopped making excuses to my parents and told them the truth: that I didn’t think men and women should mix in social gatherings unless they were closely related.”

How did his parents react to that?

“They were shocked,” Sabir recalls. “They had brought me up in this religion and now because of it they could see me isolating myself from the people who loved me most.”

Even if many members exist – in the words of one former member – in an “extremist, separatist, utopian mindset from which there’s no escape”, Sabir began to have doubts. Becoming curious about religion, he began independently reading about different interpretations of Islam and what he found surprised him.

“Hizb ut Tahrir is based on a form of Islam called Wahhabism,” explains Sabir, “which stresses a literal reading of the Quran. I began reading about other schools of thought that had different interpretations and different views.”

However, Sabir is quick to quash the idea that he left the party because he started believing in a different school of thought.

“It wasn’t like that at all,” he explains. “There are still some things I think are true about that way of thinking. But other schools of thought also have important things to say. No one way of thinking will ever provide all the answers. If you can’t engage with other views, you’re going to miss the truth they bring to the table.”

“It’s not something I think is specific to religion: the danger is with any ideology that you unquestionably stick to. No one system of belief can ever provide all the answers: you have to continually question things.”

That, it seems, is as good a description as any for Sabir, the ex-radical extremist turned questioning sceptic. I wonder though how far his liberalism goes? Does he, for example, agree with those calling for Hizb ut Tahrir to be banned?

Sabir shakes his head. “The best way to fight extremism is with evidence and facts. When you have reasoned arguments, why resort to a ban?”

Names and personal details have been changed by request. The views expressed in this article are those of the individual and not necessarily those of brap. For more information about Hizb ut Tahrir visit their website.

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comment

Chris Allen

explores whether Christmas can survive in a multicultural city

Christmas comes but once a year…* Beginning earlier each year – this year it officially began on 27 July when I saw my first Christmas card for sale in a shop – the rampant commercialism of Christmas is such that if we are unable to get the latest Playstation/ Wii/ X-Box (delete as applicable) we will be officially deemed ‘bad parents’ by one and all by the morning of Boxing Day. Our consumer tendencies don’t even get a rest on Christmas Day itself either. Last year, whilst 2.8 million people attended a Church of England service, 3.7 million logged onto the web to spend more than £52 million in the ‘January’ sales. Maybe they were all looking for the Playstations, Wiis and X-Boxes they couldn’t find beforehand. All pretty depressing.

Christmas, Eid, Diwali, Vaissaki, St Patrick’s Day, Pride et al are – in many ways - very similar to the prawns and strawberries in that they are not always to everybody’s taste or preference. Whatever’s on offer though, you have the choice to either politely say ‘thank you’ and move on or indulge yourself and enjoy. You can even be downright rude by ignoring the offer and stomp off muttering various curses and swear words under your breath. No offence, no outrage and you may even – metaphorically at least – get a money-off voucher.

Something much more entertaining and fun are the now obligatory ‘PC gone mad’ stories that regularly pepper the tabloid newspapers. In recent years, the tabloids have proclaimed that ‘Now Christmas is Banned’ and lest we ever forget Birmingham’s very own ‘Winterval’ debacle from the late nineties. What then will offend or outrage this year? Whatever it is, here’s a simple analogy that will assist all and sundry to ‘get over it’.

In the past I have tried a bit of everything: Holi in Tipton, Eid in Small Heath, Christmas in Stourbridge and St Patrick’s Day in Digbeth amongst others. This is not to say that everyone has to do this or that I want to be a part of any particular ‘culture’. Instead, I just like ‘trying’ even if I’m not ‘buying’. On the other hand, I also accept that some don’t like to ‘try’ - we all have that right not to as well.

Imagine for a moment that you’re in your local Asda/ Morrisons/ Sainsburys/ Tesco (again, delete as applicable). At the end of the aisle you see a ‘try before you buy’ display. Usually, it’s something that you would never normally buy - let’s say prawns in strawberry compote for example. As you walk closer to the display, you begin to weigh up whether or not you want to indulge yourself. You ask yourself whether you’re in the mood for prawns and strawberries.

In our increasingly diverse society, wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just do this and not just offer some kneejerk ‘PC gone mad’ reaction when we see one or other group, community or culture doing something different? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all respect each other’s differences without being threatened or fearful of them – or even believing that they are trying to ‘replace’ or ‘substitute’ those things that we hold dear?

On approaching the display, the assistant welcomes you and offers you a free sample (typically accompanied with a money off voucher – let’s be honest, no-one’s going to pay full price for it).

As they do, you choose to either indulge and enjoy, or politely say ‘thank you’ and move on. Irrespective of your own choice, you’ll accept that somebody else may make the opposite decision. Rarely though – if indeed ever – would you be outraged or offended.

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Last year when in M&S, I was offered me some champagne. I neither got upset nor outraged. Instead, I just said ‘no thanks’ and left the champagne for those far more desperate than me to have a free sip of alcohol on a Friday lunchtime.

SpeakOut autumn/winter 2008

Maybe, but we’re not there yet.

So in the true spirit of Winterval, I wish everyone – as and when they apply - Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad, Wesółych Świąt etc), Shubh Diwali, Happy Ayyám-i-Há, Eid Mubarak, Happy Hanukah, Joyous Samhain, Vaissaki greetings and anything – or anyone – I might have overlooked. No offence…

* thankfully

comment

Have a politically incorrect Christmas It’s that time of year when newspapers are full of stories of PC councils banning Christmas trees, mince pies, and Santa Claus. But how true are they are? Here Speak Out offers a quick look behind the headlines…

THE HEADLINES: In 1998, Birmingham Council decided to rebrand the Christmas holidays ‘Winterval’ for fear of offending ethnic minorities. The Archbishop of Birmingham said: “I confess I laughed out loud when our city council came out with Winterval as a way of not talking about Christmas.”

THE FACTS: Winterval was a marketing ploy attempting to exploit the three month period of religious and secular events running from October to January, including Bonfire Night, Diwali, Eid, New Year and Christmas itself. A spokesperson for the council said: “Christmas is the very heart of Winterval. Far from not talking about Christmas the events within Winterval and the publicity material for it are covered in Christmas greetings and traditional images, including angels and carol singers.”

THE HEADLINES: In December 2005, the Daily Express reported: “BC is used for dates leading up to the birth of Christ to help place the timing of eras throughout history and is internationally accepted. But officials at the Cheddar Caves museum in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset say that is not politically correct and have changed all exhibit dates to BP [Before Present].”

THE FACTS: BP dating is a year-numbering system counting back from 1950, usually used by scientists when carbon dating. The Cheddar Caves Museum decided to use the new system because it is easier to understand. “We’d still use AD and BC when a piece can be dated, but BP when its age is effectively prehistoric,” a spokesperson said.

THE HEADLINES: In 2004, The Sun reported that Luton Council had cancelled Christmas for fear of “offending Muslims”. Instead, it is holding a “Harry Potter themed” event called Luminos. The same story also ran in a variety of newspapers in 2005 and 2006.

THE FACTS: Luton Council once held a festival called Luminos in November 2001. “We started with a Friday lantern procession to mark Diwali and ended as usual with the traditional switching-on of the town’s Christmas lights on Sunday,” explains council leader David Franks. “Reports that we cancelled Christmas were nonsense then and we were most annoyed to see The Sun repeat the lie three years later.”

And one for Easter…

THE HEADLINES: The Daily Telegraph reported in 2003 that “schools across Britain have been ordered by local authorities to abandon the ancient tradition of serving hot cross buns at Easter”. The decision was taken because the sign of the cross “will spark complaints from Jewish, Hindu and Muslim pupils or their families.”

THE FACTS: Complaints about the article were received from six councils involved claiming they had never had an official policy on hot cross buns and that councillors had never discussed banning the buns. The paper subsequently apologised.

What does Christmas mean to you?

Divij I always enjoy celebrating Christmas with relatives. This is the first Christmas I will be in Birmingham, so it will be strange without them. I’m seeing now all the lights and decorations are being put up, and I really admire them.

Aftab People say Christmas has gotten too commercial, but I prefer it commercial! We always go the German market. You get wine, fruits with chocolate – it’s really quite Christmassy.

It’s commercial but it’s good commercial because it gets people together.

Graham I think Christmas is too commercial nowadays. Advertising for Christmas starts as soon as the last one’s finished and you get Christmas cards in the shops at October. I like the lights the council put up because they make the city look pretty, though.

jennifer I find it difficult to get into the Christmas spirit because it has become far too commercial: the majority people have forgotten the religious element of it.

Matthew I don’t really celebrate Christmas because I’m a Christian and nowhere in the Bible does it say Jesus was born in December, so it’s actually more a tradition. For me, Christmas is about spending time with my family. I like the decorations and lights people put up but in the end I see it as meaningless.

Jennifer I work as a waitress so Christmas for me is one month serving turkey, roast potatoes, Christmas pudding…England is very religious. In Spain, Christmas is a lot more about having fun – going out with friends and enjoying yourself.

Emma Christmas to me means spending quality time with my family, which is really important. Having said that, I think Christmas is a bit too commercial – I like the idea of giving presents, but people definitely spend too much.

autumn/winter 2008 SpeakOut

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feature

CHINA

C.R.A.Z.Y (2005) Director: Jean-Marc Vallee

Fire (1996) Director: Deepa Mehta

Raise the Red Lantern (1991) Director: Zhang Yimou

Covering a 20-year period, this bittersweet film, packed with 60s and 70s tunes, tells the story of Zach, the fourth of five kids in a typical, working-class, religious Canadian family. Zach, though, is no ordinary fellow – unlike his macho brothers, he likes wearing his mom’s jewellery and wants a baby stroller as a birthday present, much to the horror of his dad who buys him a hockey game instead. Ten years later, when his dad suspects him of having a sexual relationship with a boy, he takes Zach to a psychiatrist to cure him from his “disease”.

Fire, the opening film in Mehta’s trilogy about Indian society, tactfully and artfully narrates the story of two disaffected, middle class women (Sita and Radha) in modern Delhi who, mutually unhappy with their married lives, get closer to each other in a lesbian relationship. With Sita’s husband only marrying her because of pressure from his family to have children (his real love is his Chinese girlfriend) and Radha’s husband’s religious beliefs having led him to take a vow of celibacy, the film portrays relationships triggered not by love or respect, but duty.

Set in 1920s China, Raise the Red Lantern follows Songlian, a young woman reluctantly accepting the life of a concubine as the only means of financial survival after the death of her father. Educated and eager to experience the world, she is now confined to the estate of her rich husband, Chen, along with another three wives who fight for his attention as their only means of control. Initially repulsed by the sexual politics of the age, Songlian eventually becomes embroiled in the ‘game’, realizing that her status within the house is directly proportional to the attention she receives from the ‘master’. For the most part, the film deals with the ever-changing balance of power between the concubines, and Songlian’s attempts to win favour by scheming against the other wives and even faking a pregnancy – the ultimate source of her downfall.

Exploring the emotional dynamics of a family - a family many can relate to - this is primarily the story of a teenager trying to fit in whilst balancing personal, family and societal demands. The story of a father and son relationship (early on in the movie Zach breaks one of his dad’s favourite, rare Patsy Cline records and desperately searches for a replacement for a good 15 years), this is also a story of self-discovery and acceptance of difference in a world that values conformity and sameness. Zach spends most of his teenage and early adult life wondering whether he is gay and an atheist - values diametrically antithetical to the ones endorsed by his parents. Repulsed by himself, Zach ironically prays for his salvation whilst trying to fit into the masculine world that his father and brothers represent.

Only after his heroin addicted brother dies does he finally manage to break free and come to terms with his sexuality and beliefs.

And it is only then he finally earns the acceptance of his family.

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INDIA

CANADA

In Focus: global perspectives on inequality. Different worlds, different eras, but similar struggles

SpeakOut autumn/winter 2008

The women’s relationship is forbidden, but their physical and spiritual desire and genuine love draws them together and helps them defy duty, traditions and conventions in pursuit of emancipation.

Fire is not so much a story about a lesbian relationship as a story about freedom and self-expression which challenges traditions and oppressive social orders.

Banned and received with great uproar in India (despite the discreetness with which Mehta handles the only lesbian scene in the film), Fire is also about the dangers of fanaticism which can deprive us of our humanity and compassion.

Not only does the film depict a viciously patriarchal system in which women lack control of their lives and are objectified, it is also a searing metaphor for a closed, authoritarian society. Filmed shortly after the Tiananmen Square massacres, Red Lantern was banned in China for a long time. The artificial harmony of the house with its bright colours and detailed ritualistic customs masks a bleak, stifling existence manifest in its vast, empty and lifeless corridors. The camera shots are excruciatingly beautiful, yet also painfully cold, lonely and claustrophobic – we rarely get a glimpse of the sky or, indeed, the master himself, that distant, overpowering presence.

feature

La Haine (1995) Director: Mathieu Kassovice

City of god (2003) Director: Fernando Meirelles

Filmed in documentary-style black and white, L’haine follows a day in the lives of three ethnically diverse young people in an impoverished Parisian estate the day after a riot, during which their Arab friend was shot by the police. Arab drugs dealer Said, black boxer Hubert and Jewish thief Vinz have a lot in common: unemployment, poverty, a lack of both education and a future. Aimlessly wandering their neighbourhood getting into trouble with skinheads and the police, the trio try controlling their anger over their friend’s potentially fatal injury and their own miserable existence, impotence and isolation. When Vinz gets hold of a police revolver the gun dominates and casts a shadow over all subsequent conversations, setting the scene for the grim, inconclusive ending.

A fast-paced, colourful portrayal of the cycle of violence among the poor young criminals in the so-called City of God (one of Rio’s most ill-famed slums), this dazzling film is based on an autobiographical novel by Paulo Lins, who managed to ‘escape’ the slum himself.

Although seen through the eyes of Rocket, a young kid with a passion for photography, the film it is not his own story – it’s what he sees through his photographic lens that actually matters. And what he sees are scenes of rape, barbarity, violence, intimidation and revenge by kids as young as seven who are involved in serious gang crime. In the Rio slum, life has little if any meaning or value and crime seems to be the only option. Poverty has undermined family and other kinds of value, and gangs rule – evident in the transformation of what used to be a family home into a drug dealer’s den.

Far from a feel good movie, this bleak, realistic representation of life for the working class, minority ethnic segments of Parisian society shows lives fuelled with social tensions and often hatred and violent conflict.

An urban, empty landscape – empty parks, empty trains, empty streets, an empty shopping mall – fights for space with the concrete council estates the protagonists live in. A feeling of sterility and inevitability permeates a film that refuses to allow us to believe these young people can control their fates. The societal constraints and limitations imposed on them are nearly impossible to overcome. Engaging, disturbing and brilliantly acted, this movie is particularly relevant with the rise of the far right in Europe and Sarkozy’s presidency victory.

Meirelles chose 200 kids from the slums to act in the film, asking them to improvise during key scenes. The result is a frighteningly realistic aura that convinces the viewer the only way to escape the crime is to escape the City of God. An exciting, inventive, adrenaline pumped, cliché-free and visually stunning cinematic experience which begins and ends with blood in the streets.

ENGLAND

BRAZIL

FRANCE

and a common humanity. Anna Sirmoglou looks at some of the best films from around the world.

Dirty Pretty Things (2003) Director: Stephen Frears Multicultural London: the only white English characters in the film are immigration officials. The characters – Nigerian, Turkish, Russian, Indian – are ‘non-people’, the invisible underclass, the new arrivals who struggle to survive in a less than welcoming city, working endless shifts and living in crammed environments.

Such is Nigerian Okwe, a taxi driver by day, porter in a dodgy hotel by night, he early on discovers the dark secret of the hotel: the owner exploits immigrants by asking them to sell their kidneys for a passport. The film, part thriller, part love story, follows two characters as they try to survive a hostile environment and eventually take revenge on a corrupt and corruptible system.

A passionate plea for humanity, Dirty Pretty Things shows how human bonding can exist in a world of sleaze, emptiness and blackmail.

autumn/winter 2008 SpeakOut

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reviewed

Babul & the Blue Bear Review by: Selina Mehra

‘Babul and the Blue Bear’ is a play that strikes an intriguing balance: from beautifully touching through wonderfully innovative to undoubted humour, a combination which makes for an entertaining performance for both younger and older audiences alike.

The story follows Benny, an emotionally complex young man full of angst, humour and above all youthful naivety, who is struggling to reconcile his identity as a mixed heritage male growing up in West Yorkshire, a predominantly white area, and it is this identity struggle that the play explores.

The play begins with the death of Benny, and from this end point begins a journey that takes us back through Benny’s childhood. This narrative trick has been used before, but is often executed clumsily, with clunky transition scenes between what has already passed and what is yet to come. However, in Babul and the Blue Bear, actor Johnny LeighWright switches with apparent ease between the younger and older Benny, which gives the audience the opportunity to look more closely at the events in Benny’s lives and reflect on the challenges he has faced.

The play makes use of symbolism to encourage the audience to gain a more in depth understanding of Benny, and to identify Benny’s need to escape to a place and time where he can be safe and loved. This is most significantly demonstrated by Benny’s stuffed lion Babul, which also gives the play part of its name. The stuffed lion is present throughout the play, even as Benny jumps between the different ages. The audience witnesses Benny’s regression from the independent angst-ridden teen to the naïve and vulnerable Benny that seeks the protection of the lion, babul, in order to escape the deprived nature of his life.

Benny’s story returns primarily to a turbulent and difficult time, characterised by his time spent in care, his tragic dependence on a relationship with his alcohol addicted white mother and his quest to find his absent black father, symbolising his constant search for love and security. There is a certain tragic reality to the portrayal of Benny’s relationship with his mother, one which perfectly demonstrates Benny’s need to be loved regardless of the compromising situations he finds himself in. This is demonstrated most poignantly in a scene where the young Benny has to act as parent to his mother, ensuring she takes her medication and gets to bed safely. This scene all takes place to a backdrop of poverty and the soothing tones of Ella Fitzgerald.

Benny’s confusion over his identity is attributed to a number of things that are ‘missing’.

For instance, Benny’s lack of contact with, and understanding of his black ‘roots’ becomes a source of sorrow and pain. He is desperate to know his father in order to have a role model to look up to and guide him. To Benny’s dismay, this dream is dashed, when his father appears as a black comedian in an old eighties videotape hidden beneath his mothers bed. Telling racist jokes through a resonant thick Yorkshire accent, the father is a figure of ridicule, using song (including a rendition of ‘you were always on my mind’) and poor humour to expose his own sense of loss and mask his insecurities.

For the audience, Johnny Leigh-Wright is a particularly engaging actor who through his use of word, song and dance passionately articulates the raw naivety trapped in the soul of the character. Similarly, the use of racist jokes and names teamed with the portrayal of the constraints of growing up in a small West Yorkshire town raises numerous questions about self, ‘race’, and most importantly, identity: challenging yet at the same time, intensely emotional.

All in all, the play is both a provocative and thoughtful piece of art that reminds all of us that there is always a story to be told.

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SpeakOut autumn/winter 2008

competition

1.

Can you name these inductees on Birmingham’s Walk of Stars?

If you unscramble the faces of these Birmingham celebrities, you could win a pair of tickets to the Real Deal Comedy Jam at the Alexandra Theatre on Saturday 6 December 2008, featuring Will-E Robo and Donnell Rawlings The Real Deal Comedy Jam will be held at the Alexandra Theatre on Saturday 6 December 2008 TBC Line up includes: Slim, Lateef Lovejoy, Ava Vidal (BBC2 ‘The Crouches’), Will-E Robo (‘Def Comedy Jam’, ‘MTVBase Gods of Comedy’), and Donnell Rawlings (The Dave Chapelle Show’).

3.

Send your answers to the Speak Out team at Brap: Email: speakout@brap.org.uk Post: Speak Out, Floor 9, Edgbaston House, 3 Duchess Place, Hagley Rd, Birmingham, B16 8NH Winners will be announced in the next issue Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. All entries must be received by Monday 24 November 2008

Look out for the Spring issue of Speak Out in January 2009 Don’t forget if you have something to say, or want to share your stories, photographs or work with the rest of Birmingham get in touch. email speakout@brap.org.uk or for more information go to www.brap.org.uk

autumn/winter 2008 SpeakOut

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