Edition 3

FREE STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES

SOAS

SPIRIT

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SOAS SPIRIT

THE SOAS SPIRIT EDITORIAL TEAM Editor Saquib Malik 211225

Worldview Gloria Montgomery 249014

Creative Director/Layout Lillian He 227704

Satire Joe Buckley 248264

Graphics & Layout Anna Jennings 257489

Culture Michael Pote-Hunt227875

Voice of SOAS & Deputy Editor Nick Rodrigo 213890

Sports Amit Singh 231158

Middle East Copyeditors Abubakr Al-Shamahi 231028 Rob Cusack 205343 Jonathan Marsh 230763 Africa Elizabeth Day 257641

All editorial staff can be contacted by SOAS email.

Front Page illustration by Anna Jennings

Asia Jake Thurston 274926

Round three for the Spirit and we’ve taken on a whole new direction. A more jovial and light-hearted read, with practical information for those of you bogged down by heavy readings in the library.

A rich edition with information for freshers living out next year, reviews of local eateries and the truth about the erection of the LGBT flag flying above SOAS. So enjoy your read and as usual if you have any qualms or comments, each of your editors is just an email away, always ready to submit your piece or tend your grievance.

Happy reading from the SOAS SPIRIT!

‘Like’ OUR FACEBOOK PAGE: SOAS SPIRIT THIS PAPER COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MADE WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE FOLLOWING: Dougal Wallace Jefferson Regan Jasper Kain Sebillio Uribe SOAS Student Union www.commentmideast.com Selina Rand Michael Pope Peter Baran

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MARCH 2011

THE GATHERING STORM Nick Rodrigo 213890@soas.ac.uk It seems that the ripples from the big splash in Whitehall last October have reverberated along the halls of Russell Square. The sand bags are being erected early by management, in anticipation for the onset of these cuts, and the first barrier to preventing the economic destitution and bankruptcy of SOAS is a proposal for a new academic structure.

I managed to get my hands on the Proposals and discovered some uncomfortable truths about SOAS and its attitude towards its studies and its departments.

The document includes an appendix, which cites the deficit of certain departments within SOAS, this ranges from £10,000 in Art/Archaeology to £73,000 in the Africa department to a staggeringly stratospheric £830,786 in the SOAS Language centre.

Finance and Communications officer Sebilio Uribe has more of a reserved attitude towards these troubling statistics. “In my experience when dealing with schools statistics in justifying budget allocations, they have often been over-inflated” The document goes into mediocre detail of three characteristics that “diminish our effectiveness and make for inefficiencies”. One of these inefficiencies is poor student-to-staff ratio especially in the languages and cultures section.

The paper articulates that the highest staff to student ratio is in the law and social science. The document then concludes that the gulf between the two departments student to staff ratio means that the Law and social sciences department has to keep the language and cultures faculty afloat with its own income. I spoke to Aaron Dias, a law student at SOAS who believes that (quote on channelling of money).

The aims of the review are to bring about a more effective concentration of academic staff to encourage team teaching, restructure the schools language and disciplinary teaching provision, reduce cost and provide an opportunity to develop a cadre of effective academic managers at the departmental level for larger, stronger, departments.

Three options for change have been proposed by management.

The first option is the merging of faculties to streamline their capabilities the plan sets to unite Arts and Humanities with Languages and Cultures. When I spoke Camillia Yuill, third year economics and Politics student, about this proposal she articulated her misgivings over the attention granted to merged departments, “I do not believe that subjects will get a sufficient amount of attention if they are merged and less popular subjects are bound to get side-lined.” It is clear with this proposed option that management has had cost and expenditure in mind.

However, it seems that they have not held the regional identities of departments into consideration, as this is what is at stake with this option. Maham

Hashmi second year South Asian Studies stated “The loss of regional identities will mean that education will be a product that will serve the market rather than the individual. You will end up with courses that are streamlined for the purpose of the economy turning students into products”.

A second option is to retain the current three Faculty structure but to consolidate departments, merging smaller departments to make large stronger units.

The second option was pitifully small.

The third option would be to abolish Faculties altogether and create in their place five larger schools with strong executive heads. The effect on the ProDirectors of faculties would be to essentially turn their attention from the strategy of their schools to general managerial duties.

The documents proposals are fundamentally concerned with the marketization of the subjects and disciplines that make SOAS so unique. Some students fear that it is the first step towards turning SOAS into a completely private institution.

Based primarily on disciplines that can funnel students into economic areas of employment. What’s more troubling is the candid attitude of our management in the face of implementing these changes.

Illustrations by Anna Jennings 257489@soas.ac.uk

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SOAS SPIRIT

SOAS POLITICS SOC The SOAS Politics society is a non-partisan political platform for discussion.

We hope to balance between global issues and local ones, giving SOAS students a place where they can express their views and listen to each others.

Film screenings, talks, debates, networking events, SOAS alumni events supported by the politics department are all on our schedule but more importantly we want input from the SOAS populace.

So send over your innovative ideas and suggestions to SOASpolsoc@gmail.com.

You can also join us on facebook – SOAS Politics Society. So if you too once again, to stand up and have a different opinion in have an interest in politics of any front of a marauding crowd of the disagreeing. He or she may kind – remember you don’t need well be shouted down and vilified, but they had their opinion Ali Khan to be a politics student to join noted, and sometimes even accepted. They were the ones that 204550@soas.ac.uk sign up to the society. We should injected the adrenaline, and SOAS used to bounce to the beat be having our first meeting in the Maybe it’s official. Maybe SOAS has finally become a Nir- of noise, and discussion, and pure argumentative funk - on its next few weeks, so keep an eye vana of unity. Of unity of mind, of unity of spirit, of unity own if it had to. on the SU emails and we hope to of belief. Huzzah, let us celebrate by the Bunyan tree and Now, SOAS seems to pass everything, and as it meanders into hear from you soon! sing songs of... I don’t think so. the passive, like a velvet morning passes over a London night Just a vague perusal for coffee and procrastination through the JCR will invite the ear to vague discontented murmurs emanating from the mural clad corners. “What is a UGM?” they howl. “Oh it’s that thing that happens once-monthly where they decide stuff,” comes the reply.

“What stuff?” “Just, you know... SOAS stuff.”

Two years ago, a particularly famous Union General Meeting lasted three and a half hours, ending in no less than a verbal brawl – the topic revolving around the necessity of a Union Black Officer. What heat SOAS lifted that evening, the windows were dripping with the sweat of linguistic fisticuffs, as speaker upon speaker exonerated their limbs in the air to have their voices heard, and tens amongst hundreds would rally in force behind each exclamation mark in each dialect as if their very opinions were on the line.

So where are the Right now? Where are the extreme Left? Where are the sportsmen who happened to have a militant opinion on trade unions? Where are the musicians who were diametrically opposed to music festivals?

What happened? The UGM used to be revered as the holy temple of SOAS culture. UCLU used to ridicule the amount we cared about enough to shout about it, and yet we shouted louder still.

Maybe we’ve all just realised that there are more important things in life, or that SOAS Union’s vote is miniscule compared to the world’s plight, or that there isn’t anyone around to fight against anymore.

But I do not believe for one iota of a semi-second that Matt Richards speaks to an this beloved university of mine has finally come down out, the red and blue beat now passes into the wildering hum from its adrenaline high. It’s too interesting and diverse of copy-printers and coffee cups. Good or bad thing, the win- uninterested JCR to do so, and I celebrate that. If only it were to celebrate dows definitely don’t sweat anymore.

Another UGM? *Yawn*

MARCH 2011

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DEAR SOAS UNION, Maddy Fry 211658@soas.ac.uk I would just like to assure you that although I may be centre-left, I am so very, very centre-left; so much so that in what I think is an unprecedented move, I have decided to formalise the system of space reservation in the library by staging an occupation on floor C. So far it’s gone unmolested, although attempts at marking my territory with yellowing copies of The Guardian, alongside aborted efforts at cobbling my own sandals out of tofu, have attracted a few stares. It seemed the most pragmatic solution to ensuring I actually gain a seat, whilst simultaneously making a stand on the issue of Palestine. Or was it Tibet? Or something. Either way I am convinced the Israelis will take note soon.

With this in mind, please be assured it has nothing to do with escaping from the guards that have been stationed outside my house since the last time I was openly neutral within the university’s walls. That said, I would be grateful if they were removed whenever you see fit, as climbing out of a toilet window loses its novelty very quickly.

I would similarly like to request at the next UGM the formal recognition of my decision to self-identify as a yurt. Although I know in days past, members of the petty bourgeois, neo-patriarchal and pseudo-capitalist elite have claimed that inanimate objects don’t qualify for protected status, the trans-yurt is clearly an oppressed sub-group. This was so wonderfully demonstrated by the decision to plough thousands of pounds into erecting one on the lawn next to the Brunei Gallery last term – I’m sure we’d all agree a particularly wise move in such times of austerity and funding-cuts.

I also wish to stress that my onewoman protest is meant as penance for having attended pitifully few UGMs in the last two years. I accept now that I am completely in the wrong for disapproving of the Union’s policy of openly branding all non leftwingers as fascists. The militant voting blocks of socialists, one of the numerous happy legacies left by our Dear Leader in ULU, are also there to make the decisions that should by no means be left to the common SOASian. The nonsensical right-wing campaigns arising as a backlash (straight white man’s officer anyone?) must simply be endured.

The printers barely work, computer access is scarce, courses are being axed and students are getting screwed over. But obviously, that’s not your problem. Every wrongdoer in every nation must know

“Climbing out of a window loses its novelty very quickly

WHY I LOVE SOAS Joe Buckley 248264@soas.ac.uk

At the last UGM in January, James Meadway, a PhD Economics student, proposed a motion to ‘Defend the Critical Academy’. His argumen was that SOAS takes critical stance, focusing on critical theory, towards the so cial sciences, and that this is being threatened by the cuts to SOAS. Meadwa said that the Economicsdepartment, specifically, was the only Economics in th UK where students don’t spend their entire degree doing rock hard sums to tr and prove to themselves that the free market capitalist system is the best, and only, possible system. The motion passed.

This is the reason why I love SOAS; the fact that it takes critical stances to wards subjects. For example, in International Politics, we have had a stron focus on Critical Theories such as Post Colonialism, Feminism,and Historica Materialism. Of course, one of the brilliant differences between religion and aca demia is that you don’t have to agree with whoever’s at the front of the room talking to you, but the fact that these Critical Theories are being discussed is, think, wonderful. For this to be lost with the upcoming education cuts would b an absolute tragedy.

Secondly, the obvious focus on Asia, Africa, and the Middle East is a fantasti thing. When I go home and debate with friends who went to other, great univer sities, they often make a coment about how ‘capitalism is a Protestant ethic for example. I respond by pointing out that the theory falls down when you loo at 16th century Japan or China, for example. They look at me as if I’m bizarre ‘obviously we didn’t mean those sort of places.’ I think Orientalism should b mandatory reading in schools. Before I came to SOAS, I tended to agree wit my Dad that all non-European countries are ‘a bit weird and sort of somewher over there.’ Thank God SOAS saved me.

Having said this, there are lots of things that SOAS misses – it’s almost im possible to study Central Asian politics, history, or languages at undergraduat level, for example. And in the Southeast Asia department, you can forget abou requesting modules in Tagalog or Lao. In fact, in my Southeast Asian politic module, Laos, the most bombed country in history, doesn’t even get a mention I fear this will only get worse once the cuts hit. SOAS is a truly wonderful plac at the moment, but, and I might be being overly pessimistic, I’m convinced tha it’s about to become shit.

SOAS SPIRIT MARCH 2011

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UNKNOWN HEROES RAISE LGBT FLAG Art Mitchells-Urwin& Belle Mckenzie 244974@soas.ac.uk & 212889@soas.ac.uk

Walaa Quisay & Sara Mohanna 297897@soas.ac.uk & 260277@soas.ac.uk

We don’t know how... and we don’t know when... but despite the school’s insistence that we were not allowed to fly the LGBT pride flag on the SOAS flag pole, to celebrate LGBT History Month this February... somehow... in the middle of the night on the 3rd of February... that beautiful symbol of our movement was GLORIOUSLY raised high

tian people do not yet have a culture of democracy, proving that the Egyptian government still has a very condescending view that is out of touch with the Egyptian people.

For me, being at SOAS at this very critical point in history is second best to being in Egypt. There are

SOAS, every day during this revolution. It is crucial to expose the Egyptian government’s brutality and deceit, and the people’s reaction. It exposes the falsifications of The people’s revolution in both the government and the Egypt has put the country in mainstream media. the spotlight of world affair.

United, the people At SOAS, the sense of revojoin their Egyptian brothers lutionary comradeship has reand sisters, ally inspired me. demanding People, here, are SOAS Charitable Fundraising Society hosts that Mubarak quite prepared to Charity Auction for UK Egyptian Association & and all the show an amazRed Crescent, Friday 11 March JCR 6 PM manifestaing sense of solitions of dicdarity. The Junior tatorship in Common Room, with its live coverage of the constant debates and solidar- Egypt depart. To give hope protests in Tahrir Square, ity events here. I know that to the future generations, and brings out a feeling of both the revolutionaries in Egypt peace to the past. To make homesickness and immense appreciate the international- this world a just and more ist solidarity that the world is hopeful place to live in. pride.

SOAS will remain an

The Revolution in showing. Here in London, and Egypt was unexpected, in so especially at SOAS, we find institution famous for its revmany ways that my personal that the progressive youth is olutionary spirit and this will excitement and anger is am- encouragingly empathetic to continue until every country in the world is freed from desplified. Omar Suleiman, the the Egyptian people.

This is exactly why potism. new vice president, said in his interview that the Egyp- Al Jazeera is being aired, at

above SOAS.

We should point out, that at this point, we have NO idea, who these dedicated freedom fighters, these rainbow renegades, these devilishly dashing activists are... BUT whoever they are, they braved the cold winds to celebrate LGBT History Month with all of SOAS’ Students, through the recognized display of our flag. These anonymous officers… cough… activists, are simply joining and playing a small role in the history of the LGBTQ movement to show their pride and presence in this crazy world.

The next morning, the school removed the flag, and told us that their opposition was due to the fact that, the raising of the flag was against University of London policy to raise anything other than the SOAS, University of London or Union Jack flag at SOAS. Despite the fact that during our three years at SOAS, we have never seen anything previously raised on the flagpole, and since removing the LGBT flag, the pole has remained lonely and empty. Alongside this, UCL, the largest constituent member of the University of London, have raised their flag for LGBT History Month.

We are fighting the school on this issue, and desperately want to re-raise the flag before the end of LGBT History Month. Wish us luck!

One last note, because we are still confused as to the identity of the masked flag-raisers, and in order to give you an idea of what the raising of the flag might have looked like, we have “photoshopped” ourselves, holding a flag, on SOAS roof and smiling. All in the name of distracting attention from the real maskedactivists.

MARCH 2011

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A SOAS SPIRIT EXCLUSIVE: Helpful hints to make your university life easier...

FASTED ROUTE BETWEEN VERNON & RUSSELL REVEALED! OK guys the debate is over.

For too long I’ve had to listen to my uniformed friends suggestions as to which way to walk over to Russell after my class in Vernon. Everytime they make me go their non-sensical route, which I know is longer than mine. Every one knows that you should wait till the College before you swing a right. Harrison Street or Cromer street are school boy errors. You’ll find yourself losing valuble minutes on your journey if you make this rookie mistake.

So here it is, literally drawn out for you. You can do this in 15 minutes for those of you with more impressive strides. 21 -22 minutes, for those of you who like your leisurely walks.

Here we go: - Turn right onto Acton Street (Not Swinton Street) - The walk down Grays Inn until the college then turn right onto Sidmouth Street (Don’t turn too early onto Cromer street or Harrison Street - you’ll end up going back on yourself) - Keep going till you hit Generator Hostel then spot Marchmont Street on the left - Walk down you’ll end up at Russell Square then you’re home and dry So next time someone tries to lead you astray you can tell them where to go.

ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS LIVING OUT NEXT YEAR:

Memorise this Bus Number, it might just be your saving grace next year.

All students planning on living out next year, the 91 Bus visits both Kings Cross and Russell on its daily route. If you’re planning on living next year and can’t decide where, anywhere along the 91 Bus route would be highly advisable.Not only does it hit both SOAS campuses but the 91’s route is accessible from Caledonian Road, Holloway Road and Seven Sisters Road - all popular student living locations.

For nights out it’ll take you to the heart of London in Trafagular Square and has been known as one of London’s more realiable buses, rarely being late. It’ll save you having to buy an expensive tube pass and just to make things even easier, it’s a 24hr bus.

Some other great routes? Check out the 390, 63, and 7.

SOAS UPPERCLASSMEN: What’s your favourite bus? Email us your commuter perferences and flat renting tips so we can pass on the love on to your first-year counterparts!

Not to upset all the Arsenal fans but...

Gunners fans might get angry but William Hill have got 9/2 odds of Barcalona beating Arsenal by more than 3 goals, on their return leg on 8th March. Loyal gooners might scoff at this but the rest of us have the luxary of being realistic. This is the best Baralona team perhaps of all time. If you need a reminder have a look on Youtube at their last match against the Glalacticos of Real Madrid.

This is best advice anyone can give you at SOAS right now (apart from maybe doing essays on time) Take this bet. Arsenal are going to get battered.

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SOAS SPIRIT

TO TWEET OR NOT TO TWEET? Ayesha Kalaji 249168@soas.ac.uk

This morning I had the most divine cherry jam on my toast. Do you care about this fact? I shall be surprised if you do not, as five people clearly found my choice in condiments so interesting that they consciously made the effort to click the follow button, and in return for their efforts they will henceforth be updated with every nuance of my life that I choose to share with them.

Welcome to the world of Twitter.

With each “tweet” I can share with the world what would normally be thought of as the most banal and inane aspects of my life. You may not deem it so, but to the denizens of the internet it is frankly of great interest that I wore odd socks the entirety of yesterday; another four people followed me.

Furthermore, I can share photographic evidence of my exciting life with my disciples. Yesterday, for exam-

ple, I had fifteen minutes photo of the pizza I of things

of fame after I tweeted a had bought. Just the sort total strangers would want to see. can also retweet things other people have said, so when I have no droll or witty tales to regale, I can simply retweet something that someone funnier and smarter than me has thought of.

But Twitter is not just a place for mere mortals to go on ego trips; it is the home of tweeting giants such as Stephen Fry, Russell Brand, and Fern Britton, who have millions of followers. Most of us can only dream of that.

Simply because these people are famous, their lives are vastly more interesting than our own. For example, a few days ago Jonathon Ross tweeted a photo of his dog at breakfast and, if you are not content with mere tabloid coverage, you can now witness first hand Amy Winehouse’s philosophising on her tweetfeed.

METAPHOR THE ANSWER IN AN AGE OF TERMINAL THREATS

John Cooke 491470@soas.ac.uk

In a groundbreaking Middle East peace initiative, launched early Tuesday, President Obama successfully convinced Israeli and Arab leaders to adopt a radical new rhetoric when contemplating future acts of aggression.

According to a New York Times exclusive, the Honolulu man recommended the use of “bathroom products” in place of long-standing invectives of death, damnation and destruction.

The proposal aims to cement common sanitary items as bywords for the declaration of future wars or the threat of bloody, unexpected violence.

President Ahmadinejad, of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was first in-line to ap-

Follow the SOAS SPIRIT @soas-spirit-twits

plaud the new measures, vowing to engage in a “2-in-1 shampoo of nuclear cleansing” in the near future. Similarly, Israeli premier, Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu, assured the US that he would continue to buy “a massive arsenal” of “plugs, soaps, toilet and tooth brushes”, direct from American suppliers.

According to CNN, the inspiration behind the new bathroom blanket terms came from Kim Jong-il’s November 2010 broadcast, which promised to rain “a shower of dreadful fire” on his South Korean neighbours. A concurrent Seoul survey found that, far from inciting public panic, the news flash caused widespread relief in the capital, alongside a sudden spike in Kita Soo™ conditioner sales.

In a follow-up US Senate debate, Paul Tibbetts, chair of the revolutionary RLWS (Really Late Warning System), explained the thought process behind the initiative, “Look folks, we want to ensure that the international community remains blissfully unaware of impending disaster at all times – ideally, we’d like to see everyone die in his or her bed.” US diplomats expressed hopes that the newly dubbed ‘All Surfaces Dictionary’ would continue to soften the impact of regular

THE PIED PIPER OF HALLAM Joe Buckley 248264@soas.ac.uk

Even SOAS is on twitter now, recently telling us of the exciting upcoming camel conference. But, although it’s hard to believe, even the most exciting tweets about camels are peppered with bromidic posts at times, perhaps about flared entrances to roundabouts in Ouagadougou or something. I don’t do this though; what would these total strangers think of me? I wouldn’t want my fans to think I was unintelligent or boring and, god forbid, unfollow me.

As a result of such great pressure to not bore my minions, I shall now spend a good five minutes deciding upon the most interesting way of tweeting that I have just written this article.

small print.’

When he spoke at my cousin’s school, a bright, perky, 6 year old Amongst the grit bins with ‘Kill member of the audience raised Clegg’ scrawled on them, and his hand and began, ‘But you’re posters with his picture and the giv...’ The School had suspected words ‘WANTED: This man is that this chap may have wanted claiming to be a Liberal Demoto engage Clegg in debate, so crat,’ Nick is now on a speaking had positioned a teacher behind tour of primary schools in Shef- him, who promptly smacked her field Hallam. He opens with: ‘I’m hand over the boy’s mouth. Is this sure you’ve all heard about tuition what democracy looks like? fees. But people need to read the

MARCH 2011

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HARE & TORTOISE DOES POOR SERVICE OUTWEIGH QUALITY FOOD? Amit Singh 231158@soas.ac.uk With its location only 5 minutes away from SOAS in the Brunswick H ‘n’ T makes an ideal place to grab lunch between lectures or a post-uni dinner after a long day in the library.

With queues varying in size one is never usually forced to wait more than 10 minutes for a table. The service is frankly horrendous, staff is rude, inattentive and yet still deem it appropriate to add on a service charge to the bill... but despite this the food always arrives quickly and although portion sizes have lately been suspiciously decreasing they are still large. The Tori Katsu Curry at £6.50 is a personal favourite and you cannot go wrong with either the Duck (£6.75) or the Singapore Noodles (£6.50). If you go there and only get tap water a filling meal for around £6.50 is an absolute bargain as long as you don’t go there too much.

RONNIE SCOTT’S

for the curious, the musicians, and the jazz fans Anna Jennings 257489@soas.ac.uk

You’ve heard of Ronnie Scott’s.

One of the oldest and most respected jazz clubs in the world.I was surprised to find out that so few of my londoner or jazz fanatic friends were aware it is FREE monday to thursday nights after 11pm. Just show’em your student ID and walk straight into the intimate atmosphere of the dimly lit rooms. I need not go into the quality of the music the players whip out of their timeless instruments,the fame of the place speaks volumes. Don’t be surprised if the barman steps up onto the stage and skats along to the tunes, every snap of the finger is heartfelt. A history of jazz is exhibited on the walls through David Sinclair’s genius photography.

I almost regret giving away this pearl of knowledge in fear that the news will spread to enough ears they discontinue the free entry due to overcrowding. Now you have it, make the best of it, gather a couple of friends and sit down to a good time and a bottle of wine.It’s a 5min walk from Tottenham court road station and Leicester square station.

COMEBACK!

Anna Jennings & Gloria Montgomery 249014@soas.ac.uk

Amit, this is why you don’t go to one restaurant for 4 days a week for the ENTIRE year. If you’re a regular student on a regular student loan and you are looking for a nice place to have lunch and a break for the wallet, then Hare and Tortoise is what you are after. It is a feast not only for the taste buds but also the eyes, as one’s gaze drifts off to what everyone else ordered before your delightful platter of Asia is served. In our experience - the positive people of the paper - it has been far too hard to settle for one meal a time. We’ve ended up sharing our meals to double the food fun. This has even got us bickering thereby drawing attention to our attack of each other’s plates. However, this tends to amuse the staff so they offered us to join the crew by suggesting we fill in an application.

So whether you’re looking for a job, or just a nice Asian place nearby where you can check out the cooks while enjoying some cheap food, come dine with us at H&T!

AND FOR THE

HUNGOVER...

What to do with a saturday afternoon assuming you spent the morning in bed with a looming hangover and nothing but noodles in the cupboard?

You’ll probably be out on lash again by saturday night so I suggest you get some food and a healthy break for fresh air. Other than Hari Krishna food, there are many free things in London we should be relishing. Art galleries, museums, street markets and even street acts call for your attention. And if you want escape from the action, how about a stroll in one of london’s many parcs. Damian Burns recommends primrose hill as “watching the sun set over london’s beautiful skyline is sick”. You heard the man, your flat smells like cigarettes and alcohol anyway so go get some oxygen.

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SOAS SPIRIT

“M doing tahte, when you ever so e readings, d’re maybe.rt of... somet o you imes . feel lik glorify.in e t h e y’ g terror ism?” re

“I’m not gonna NOT touch him because he’s a homosexual.”

“Chinese language lecture? So THIS is where all the white people at SOAS are!”

“Fuck off, I ho pe all your childre turn out to be consen rvatives.”

“Is lec tha dru tu t m g d rer an ea or a a ler ?”

“Who DR Co is ngo?”

“SOAS is the university whonly you’re more li ere get a husban kely to find a boyfried than nd.”

MARCH 2011

re a e r e “Whu really yo m?” fro

PAGE 10

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“I hate living with Marxists, they keep trying to collectivise my milk.”

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PAGE 11

ANOTHER BETRAYAL Ibrahim Adaci 500939@soas.ac.uk

Trying to explain my outrage about the recent ‘Palestine Papers’ to some may be difficult to understand to understand to some. However when one re-calls the fact we been humiliated by revelations that our chief negotiator at one point was pandering so shamefully to Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni that on the eve of the Israeli elections she said ‘I would vote for you’? This shame is quite hard to convey.

Despite these un-elected negotiators bending over backwards for the Israeli’s they have still been told this is not enough.

So useless in fact is our chief negotiator, that when Ehud Olmert refused to show him the map of Palestine they were proposing, he was still more than happy to reveal all his cards and essentially give away his entire strategy.

It is the nature of the proposal that Saeb Erkat (pictured right) gives us thatSaeb Erkat deep in thought... makes question whether this is the biggest and most disgraceful betrayal by his ians as the Ottoman Sultan Abdul-Hamid II put it ‘to compromise on it would be cronies upon the Palestinians, yet again? like plunging a dagger into our hearts and twisting it several times over.’

These recent leaks have revealed that major concessions that would be abso- This is essentially how these revelations about our (illegitimate) leadership have lutely unacceptable to Palestinians have been offered on almost every single felt to Palestinians. We knew they were corrupt and that many had sold out the core issue of this conflict, the main two being refugees and, of course, Jeru- majority of their principles a long time ago, whether it was crackdowns on Hamas salem. It is the controversy over Jerusalem that needs to be explained as this in the West Bank or pictures of high-ranking Fatah officials being caught drunk city, in particular the old city, which Erekat offered to give up large parts of, is with Israelis. However on this key issue we were under the impression that all Palthe most important site in the whole of the region and is in many respects the estinians, no matter how treacherous, felt the same way the rest of us did, yet as foundation of this land. the last few decades have taught us, this group always stoop to a new low, and It can be difficult to explain to some as to why we believe there is no equivalent this one could very well be the straw which breaks the camel’s back. place or nation like this on earth, for this city is the heart and soul of all Palestin- The worst part? There is still more to come.

THE FLAME OF REVOLUTION

Abubakr Al-Shamahi 231028@soas.ac.uk

Mohammed Bouazizi.

This is the name of the man whose death has ignited the flames of revolution in the Arab world. His desperate act in setting himself alight revealed the frustrations of millions of other Tunisians, and tens of millions of other Arabs.

It should not have been like this.

Like many other Arabs he was an educated man, going to university, obtaining a degree.

In return for the hard work and sacrifices he had made in working for this education, he expected a reasonable job, a way to support his family. Instead, he joined the ranks of the unemployed Arab.

There are millions. Whilst the world fears the spread of radical ideologies in the Arab world, it is this oft-forgotten statistic which, if nothing is done about it, will be

the harbinger of destruction for the region.

States like Yemen, with a median age of 18, and unemployment at 35%.

Jordan, median age 22, unemployment 13.4% (officially). Libya, median age 24, unemployment 30%. These figures are the fuel that men like Bouazizi have been burning themselves with. Bouazizi’s act inspired Tunisia to rise up, to no longer tolerate their corrupt regime. Within a month Ben Ali was gone, the first Arab people’s revolution since 1964. The Arab street, long in its slumber, had awoken.

The flame has become a fire in Egypt. This country, the de-facto leader of the Arab world, has seen the rule of one man, the modern day Pharoah, Hosni Mubarak, for 30 years. Drawing on the inspiration of Tunisia, the 25th of January was set as the date of the first mass protest, the first day of the revolution. The event was organised through Facebook, used

by Arabs to discuss matters other than Sharon getting with Brad. The wisdom that ‘Egypt is not Tunisia’ was quashed by the events of the following days. The hated security services have been forced

The now iconic image of Mohammed Bouazizi has reverberated around the world

off the streets, and protesters dance on the tanks that rumble through Cairo. Neighbourhoods are defending themselves against looters, many of whom are members of the security services, trying to scare Egyptians into giving up their fight. Instead, it is quite clear that Hosni Mubarak will be the one to receive the knockout blow.

The flames of the Arab revolution have spread even further. Yemen, Jordan, Sudan, and Algeria have all seen protests. People are simply not afraid anymore. The game is up. The mukhabarat spy agencies, the secret police, the army; none of these have intimidated the battered Arab individual who is fighting for his rights.

Growing up it was pointed out to me that it was the Arab psyche that was the reason for our poverty and tyrannical rule. The Arab needed to be ruled by a strongman, democracy would never work. The Arabs are too weak to rise up against the dictators that rule over them. All of this is wrong, and it is my generation who have proved it so.

It is Mohammed Bouazizi who sparked it off, and who is the first martyr of the Arab revolution. He died so that the Arabs could live.

MARCH 2011

PAGE 12

Liz Day 257641@soas.ac.uk In our last edition, we thought it refreshing that Guinea had managed to pull off relatively smooth democratic elections, but Africa seems up to its usual electoral antics with Ivory Coast now boasting two presidents. Despite Alassane Ouattara, winning by 54 percent and Laurent Gbagbo losing by 46 percent, both declared themselves president. The United States, France and the UN Security Council have all recognized Ouattara’s success, but he remains barricaded in the luxury Hotel du Golf in Abidjan, whilst Gbagbo, sworn in by the Constitutional Committee, still enjoys the support of the military. The big question of course is whether or not Gbagbo will step down and accept defeat.

Gbagbo, originally a social democrat, entered the Ivorian political scene as a resistant to Houphouet Boingy, a paternalistic ruler who had firmly held the reins of power since independence. Ouattara, on the other hand, was summoned by Houphouet Boigny in the early 1990’s to get the flailing economy back on track and was nominated Prime Minister shortly after.

The two men have been at daggers ever since.

As it stands now, Laurent Gbagbo has employed two notoriously unscrupulous French lawyers, Roland Dumas and Jacques Verges who are attacking the internationally recognized leader for fraud. As for Ouattara, he is in the hands of international lawyers, who are stopping cocoa exports in order to block state revenues. Banks have also frozen Gbagbo’s accounts abroad, all in an attempt

to make him step down.

Since this political crisis has started a series of prominent African politicians such have visited Abidjan. Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo found Gbagbo unreasonable when it was alleged that he would not enter into negotiations with Ouattara until four conditions were met: First, the departure of the Armed Forces of New Forces of the Hotel du Golf, then to stop the appointments of ambassadors by Ouattara , third, the restitution of Gbagbo’s signature on the accounts of the Central Bank of West Africa and finally the departure of all the political figures from the Hotel du Golf. Efforts of mediation made by the Kenyan Prime Minister Odinga were also rejected by Ggbagbo.

At the time of writing, the African Union Summit is being held in Addis Ababa with both Ivorian Foreign Ministers lobbying for their respective presidents. Back in December there was near unanimous support for Ouattara but it seems that many leaders at the summit, including President Zuma from South Africa are now asking for a peaceful resolution to end this crisis. What this effectively means, is brokering a power sharing agreement like those in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Both have proven to be extremely fragile and fractioned.

As Prime Minister Odinga stated on the 29th of January, “Cote d’Ivoire symbolizes the great tragedy that seems to have befallen Africa, whereby some incumbents are not willing to give up power if they lose. This refusal is particularly egregious in Cote d’Ivoire’s case, since never has there been such internal, regional and international unanimity among independent institutions about the outcome of a disputed election in Africa.”

IVORY COAST IN LIMBO

Election results snatched

by Gbagbo supporter

PAGE 13

SOAS SPIRIT

DHOBI GHAT: Mumbai Diaries.

Aashi Gahlot -529059@soas.ac.uk As you sit tight clutching the camcorder in your hands, you take in the vast blue sparkle and a deep breath. The red recording dot in the corner holding steady against the flicker of the sun drenched Mumbai Ocean. The salty breeze seeps in, engulfing the inside of the taxi and lingering in your hair.

This is the opening scene to Dhobi Ghat.

Through this camcorder is how you build a relationship with Yasmin; a human relationship and journey through the means of an electronic device.

Aamir Khan Production’s presents Dhobi Ghat- a beautiful and honest collage of human emotion that pierces ones heart with the love, disappointment, insecurity and loss through four characters.

Whether you are new to Bollywood or a devoted follower, you must check out Dhobi Ghat. Aamir Khan Productions always strike a chord. Past films such as Lagaan and Taare Zameen Par did not fail to surprise and celebrated human courage in different contexts.

Yet one thing seems to bind the films together: the strength of the human spirit.

Dhobi Ghat is a celebration of life and the dilemmas that accompany it through Arun, Shai, Munna and Yasmin. Munna is the dhobi, a cloth washer who aspires to become a Bollywood actor. Through Munna one experiences his trials and tribulations as he fights to survive in a gritty, dark Mumbai world. Arun is the artist; this may seem a better world but as is the case in reality, this world is also not without its trials.

Shai’s character seems to be a catalyst who sparks up curiosity for both Arun and Munna, challenging them to question whether it is ‘okay’ to love in the context of social norms, and through the human insecurity and fear

Countdown to Coup

Matt Crook -291716@soas.ac.uk

There’s a familiar tension simmering in Thailand. Growing dissatisfaction among the middle and lower classes is close to ruining a bubbling political hotpot in the hands of Abhisit Vejjajiva, an unelected pretty-boy prime minister whose rise to power was only possible thanks to deals struck with the army and corrupt politicians.

But the people have had enough -- in more ways than one. The rural electorate yearns for its exiled patron saviour, Thaksin Shinawatra, while yellow-shirt supporters, unhappy with how events have unravelled since they brought down an elected government in 2006 with a little help from the army and the palace, are getting stuck into yet another radical campaign.

The predominantly yellow-shirt middle classes, who have historically been happy to tout the virtues of democracy until they start to lose control, have once again reacted negatively to the lower-class upsurge that has gripped the nation for the past few years.

Yet there is another factor in play and one that is blossoming thanks in no small part to social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook: middle-class antagonism towards the upper class. Examples of this can be seen in the public outcry in the wake of a car smash that left nine people dead last December.

16-year-old girl, Orachorn “Praewa” Thephassadin Na Ayuttaya, was on January 5 charged with reckless driving causing death and injury to others and

of love.

Munna is a Dhobi, and not so high up on the caste ladder. He finds himself falling for an upper class American Indian. An impossible dream?

Arun fights his skeletons from the past and tries to keep Shai away from his world. The story unravels when Arun discovers a box hidden away, maybe forgotten, in a dusty drawer of a cupboard. This pandora’s box brings to life Yasmin Noor. Through the video cassettes Yasmin opens up her world and reaches Arun’s closed up heart, forcing him to feel much feared emotion. Relationships formed. Altered. Broken. Lost. Reclaimed.

After Dhobi Ghat, I was left with an aftertaste of grief entwined with sparks of hope. The audience sat there staring at the screen, dazed, as the credits rolled down against the black background. Aamir Khan Production’s... You have done it again.

driving without a licence after her car slammed into a full passenger van on the Don Muang expressway in Bangkok.

But it wasn’t the accident that had people foaming at the mouth – it was Praewa’s family name. Coming from a privileged background in a country with a fundamentally flawed justice system, Praewa quickly became the target of a middle-class online lynch mob – a powerful analogy for social frustration if ever there was one.

More than 300,000 Thais showed their support for a Facebook group of people who “hate” Praewa while Twitter came alive with an onslaught of death wishes and vulgar insults. Could this be a sign of a growing displeasure with the status quo in Thailand?

The irrational nature of Thailand’s online fanatics has been seen before, most notably last year when a wave of nationalist sentiment gripped yellow-shirt supporters unhappy with what they perceived to be biassed reporting by foreign media during the Battle for Bangkok in April and May. The yellow shirts have now put their nationalist cards on the table with protests against the government’s laissez faire approach to disputed territory on the border with Cambodia while the red shirts are back on the streets with monthly demonstrations seeking justice for the 90 people killed in last year’s street clashes with government troops.

With Thai society falling apart at the seams and an ailing monarch’s network frantically pulling strings, it’s only a matter of time before the military steps in and the whole palaver begins again.

MARCH 2011

PAGE 14

Now picture a fisherman. A fisherman who was not killed in the violence or hunger of the brutal clan war, or by the tsunami, or by toxic waste-caused diseases. What is left but infected fish the clans will end up stealing anyway? Local fishermen chose to defend their waters and aquatic life. They chose to steal the Ocean back. As K’Naan comments, “one man’s pirate is another man’s coast guard”.

Today the International Maritime Bureau has reported 440 attacks in 2010 resulting in 601 hostages and 25 ships currently held. The people of Eyl, pirate capital of Somalia, say they “live in a state of fear”. Thing is, catch a pirate and you can’t condemn him, because there is no functional government. Are the Europeans reaping the seeds they have sown or has Somalia cofused righteous defence and evil attack?

In a poem on ‘good and evil’, the poet and philosopher Kahil Gibran writes: “For what is evil, but good tortured by its own hunger and thirst? Verily when good is hungry it seeks food even in dark caves, and when it thirsts it drinks even of dead waters.”

THE TRUTH ABOUT TODAY’S

Anna Jennings 257489@soas.ac.uk

The trade route between Asia and Europe is threatened by piracy. Not the good kind embodied by Johnny Depp and sailing around the Caribbean. These pirates are after money.

Hang on, though, these guys call themselves “gentlemen” not pirates, there’s got to be more to it. They are driven by loss, rage and poverty. As pointed out by the Somalian rapper K’Naan, “according to so many Somalis, the disruption of Europe’s darling of a trade route is just Karma biting a perpetrator in the butt”.

It all begins in a war between clans. The Hawiye clan rebels, who overthrew the unpopular Siyad Barre, had two leaders, namely Ali Mahdi, and General Mohamed Farah Aidid. Their respective desire to usurp power took no time to turn Somalia’s liberators into warlords. In the face of war expenses Aidid’s men stole on the land, and Mahdi’s stole on the Indian Ocean.

December 2005, a tsunami hits the Somalian coast, kills 300 and releases toxic waste from containers which had seemingly been dumped there since the early 90s. It turns out, Ali Mahdi Mohamed’s signature allowed Swiss and Italian compa-

“one man’s pirate is another man’s coast guard”.

PIRATES...

Gloria de Waal-Montgomery 249014@soas.ac.uk

Given SOAS’ knowledge of the enormity of human rights violations, it was surprising that only 5 percent of those questioned were able to cite more than 4 of their 30 rights. Students were asked to name as many rights as they could that were embedded within the UN Declaration of Human rights. Each survey was conducted within a one-minute time frame. I was surprised tha SOAS, being such a hub of intellectual thought, could be caught so unaware

Another side of Italy: Vigil for the truth on the Iraq War Virgina Fume 291067@soas.ac.uk ‘Blair to The Hague’ was the slogan shouted by activists of the Stop the war coalition and other movements while the former Prime Minister was arriving for the Iraq Inquiry on 21st of January, 2011.

But looking carefully, an observer would recognize a group of Italians who were more cold and sleepy than the others - these were activists and MPs of the Nonviolent Radi- We had various questions to cal Party transnational and propose to the Commission transparty. I was w i t h these people and I spent all night in front of the Commission in a ‘Vigil for the truth’.

The London sky was fused with warmth from our torches and our bodies were heated with sips of red wine combined with attempts to disperse flyers on the issue.

We had various questions to propose to the Commission: what occurred prior to the 20th of March that prevented the exile of Saddam Hussein? Would Blair be asked to how he would explain the cable of Wikileaks in which Ellen Tauscher claimed that Jon Day had promised her that ‘London would be active in order to protect US’ interests’ during the Chilcot Inquiry?

Some may think it foolish to spend an entire night in the cold, demanding a fair inquiry. Yet, that night made me reflect on the issue of ‘whether a different outcome was possible’ then surely it was both right and necessary to demand for fair questions to be posed and answers.

It was amazing to experience the positive vibe that resulted from trying to be ‘the change that I want to see in the world’ – an inspiration I drew from Gandhi’s face printed on the flag of the Nonviolent Radical Party.

PAGE 15

HORROR: GHANAIAN PERSPECTIVE Adam Tiran 211728@soas.ac.uk From the classically gothic films of Hammer Productions in 1960s Britain, to the emergence of the Hollywood ‘slasher’ in the late ‘70s, the horror film has established an extensive history within Western cinema, and now occupies a prominent position in cinemas around the world.

The genre’s success has largely been attributed to its ability to re-interpret contemporary stresses of everyday life. Expression and containment of these anxieties provides catharsis for the viewer, allowing him to forget - if just for a moment – the far more horrifying realities that lurk outside the dark confines of the cinema.

Horror has become a significant part of the African and Asian film industries, particularly in Bollywood where it dates back to the 1940s, and more recently in West Africa. In Nigeria, the rise of affordable filming technologies led to an explosion in video productions in the 1990s-2000s, causing Nollywood to overtake the US as the second largest film industry in the world, churning out over 200 videos a month.

While Nollywood has been in the limelight in recent years, Ghana has also begun to emerge from the shadows, to rival its neighbour in the video industry. Whether or not it will be dubbed Ghollywood remains to be seen.

Ghanaian horror typically combines classic Western horror texts with traditional African folklore. Most films deal with the presence of evil and juju in everyday Accra life, while the power of money is attributed great importance, perhaps reflecting Ghana’s ‘modernization’ – or rather, Westernization.

Money earned through illicit means is often portrayed as the source of evil. In Diabolo (1991), a man takes the form of a snake when having sex with women, causing his victims to vomit forth money before perishing. Inspired by An American Werewolf in London, director William Akuffo instead decided to use a snake to depict local anxieties. Such a focus on the perilous nature of money reflects a society now governed by capitalism, whilst allowing the viewer momentary relief from financial stresses.

Special effects are a particularly large part of Ghanaian horror’s success, and whilst they may seem rustic and at times comic to audiences brought up on Hollywood blockbusters, Ghanaian viewers often find it difficult to distinguish between reality and fantasy. The special effects in Diabolo were so realistic for Ghanaian audiences that the actor who played the snake-man was mistaken for having the ability to truly transform into a snake.

These kinds of effects create huge curiosity in the local community as to how these impossible, unnatural things are imaged.

It’s no wonder these films are so popular if audiences believe these unnatural images to be real.

Perhaps there’s even more relevance for the horror film in contemporary Africa because of indigenous religions’ unquestioned beliefs in the spiritual and supernatural. Regardless, this interesting development in Ghanaian culture represents the definitive need for any individual to relieve themselves of societal stresses, and the horror movie is a useful tool for that.

SOAS SPIRIT

MARCH 2011

PAGE 16

Buddhist Goddess Tārā Worshipped as Hindu

Bhadrakālī in Itkhori, Jharkhand, India

Ken Ishikawa 165795@soas.ac.uk

My keen interest in the esoteric Buddhist goddess Tārā brought me to India again this winter. I had to visit a small village called Itkhori, Chatra, Jharkhand, to see a very important life-size Tārā image dating back to the 8th year of the reign of Mahendrapāla (the last decade of the 9th century C.E.) for my study of archaeology. Itkhori is around a hundred kilometers to the northeast of Bodhgaya, the holy site and place of pilgrimage, where Buddha attained his enlightenment but also where I was writing my essay on Kālidāsa and Gupta inscriptions, which was due on 10th January. I finished it at the last-minute in the ‘Busshin-ji’ Japanese temple, and emailed it to my great American Sanskrit teacher Dr. Whitney Cox. He warmly replied to me ‘I remember very clearly that the coldest I have ever been in my life was in Bodhgaya in January, so here’s hoping that you are well, and staying in decently heated accommodations.’ ‘Bodhgaya in January’ or ‘January in Bodhgaya’ was indeed freezing without any heating facilities, quite unlike the imagined weather of ‘hot, hotter, hottest’ India.

On 12th January, I started out early on a foggy morning to head off from Bodhgaya to Itkhori. I decided to go by public transport to take full advantage of the Hindi language I had acquired at SOAS. I took a cycle-rickshaw, sharedauto and shared-taxi to get to the bazaar of Itkhori. I was expecting to see the Tārā image in one or another of the Hindu temples there. The biggest temple in the village called ‘Bhadrakālī’ was further still, and I had to jump on another auto with some pilgrims from

Gayā. We finally got to the temple around noon but it was closed till 1 pm.

While waiting, the same pilgrims and I had oblation in the nearby Niranjan river and I also bought the most expensive cloth for an offering to Bhadrakālī. Then, finally, the temple opened… ‘Bloody hell!’ I was surprised to find that very Tārā image worshipped as the presiding deity of Bhadrakālī there. The priests or pujarees welcomed me as a guest, and they dressed Bhadrakālī’s neck with my offering cloth. More importantly to me, they allowed me to take detailed photos of Bhadrakālī!

Susan Huntington suggested that the Itkhori Tārā might have been ‘transported from another place of manufacture,’ ‘possibly even Bodhgaya,’ based on its stylistic affinity with images from the Gayā district. I support her view and offer some evidence of my own: out of hundreds of Buddhist images in stone at Itkhori, only a very few are in black stone as in the Tārā image. There are two other strikingly similar Tārā images in the Mahant’s complex in Bodhgaya. The river route for the transportation of the completed image is another consideration, as both Bodhgaya and Itkhori are located on the banks of the same Niranjan river. I also had to take photos of the two Tārā images in the Mahant’s complex back in Bodhgaya, no matter what! The Mahant’s complex is home to the leader of Śaivas and the photography of religious images there is prohibited. It was only after I was accepted to take part in Mahant’s evening pūjā for lord Śiva by means of smoking chillum, chanting Śiva mantras and playing the damaru drum together with pujarees, that I was allowed to take photos of the two Tārā images. It is so hard to be an archaeologist! Jai Maa Bhadrakali!

JAMAICAN VIRUS MUSICAL PROFILE Michael Pote-Hunt 227875@soas.ac.uk As I was passing through the JCR early last week I was greeted by the sunshine sounds of the ‘Dub Station’ show, a recording from SOAS’s Open Air Radio transmissions. What struck me was the timeless bass lines of late 70s golden era dub and reggae. The output of a few studios in Kingston, Jamaica during this period has had an undeniable impact on the UK underground music scene fuelling over twenty years of bass music. Indeed this is what DJ, producer and academic Steve Goodman a.k.a. Kode 9 has referred to as a virus that has spread through various strains of the music.

In the 1970s Jamaican immigrants brought sound system culture to the UK. Systems run by the likes of Duke Vin, Count Shelley, Lloyd Coxsone and King

Tubby’s were among the early, custom built, bass blasting monsters. With the sizeable Caribbean population in the UK the sounds of reggae and dub became commonplace. As music production equipment became cheaper and easily accessible the early 1990s ushered in new twists in the ever evolving journey of this Jamaican virus. New electronic forms like Hardcore and Jungle took the element of the dub bass line and used it to underlie mad experiments in break science. Producers such as Foul Play, Goldie and Roni Size were among those at the helm of these new electronic explorations.

In the mid to late 1990s jungle began to give way to what we now know as drum’n’bass and the audiences at raves were more healthy than ever. In the following few years from the end of the 1990s to the early 2000s this form was mongrelized by UK producers, many of whom had come from jungle, form-

ing what we call 2-step garage. The slick and sexy production of this music attracted a larger female following ushering in a period which scene historian Simon Reynolds labelled ‘feminine pressure’.

As UK garage gained mainstream attention the core producers of the scene began to retreat back in to the underground worried about the direction of the music. A new, darker form of garage began to be played, particularly at a night called FWD>> and from this sound we can trace the roots of Dubstep.

With its low frequency bass dubstep was once again another reincarnation of Carribean sound system culture, this Jamaican virus.

Essential Listening:

Dubbing You – Foul Play (Oblivion Records, 1992) Terrorist - Renegade (Moving Shadow, 1994) Destiny – Dem 2 (Locked On, 1997) The Judgement – Skream & Benga (Big Apple Records, 2003) Anti War Dub – Digital Mystikz [feat. Spen G] (DMZ, 2006)

PAGE 17

SOAS SPIRIT

CULTURE SPORTS EDITOR SINGH’S MONTHLY SPIRIT ROUND UP Amit Singh 231158@soas.ac.uk There have been few matches played by SOAS this January, but those that have been played have been typically mixed.

SOAS 1st men’s football team managed to progress to the semi-finals of the ULU cup by beating Queen Mary 1-0. This sets up a mouth-watering tie with UCL 1s SOAS bitter rivals who unfortunately effectively

ended SOAS title bid on the 22nd beating SOAS 2-1. As a result SOAS will probably be left waiting for the illustrious premier division title for another season.

The football 2nd team also continue the year unbeaten romping to a 6-0 win against UCL 4s on the way. Unlike the firsts their bid for the title is still well on course, despite LSE’s best attempts to foil them with their Primma Donnas claiming the 2nds home pitch was ‘unplayable’ and claimed to have never played a game without football nets....

The SOAS women’s football team also continued in similar vein demolishing Goldsmiths 7-1 having now scored an incredible 33 goals in 6 games which sees them move up to 2nd in the table.

Rugby continued their stop start season with a 7-8 loss against Kingston leaving captain Bradley Hopkins lamenting the commitment of his ‘warriors’ after several players dropped out before the game leaving him with a nonexistent bench as the ‘warriors’ went down to 12 men in the latter stages of the game. Bradley’s passionate plea for an improvement was however met with a thrilling 19-15 victory over local rivals Kings. Hopefully a sign of things to come.

Despite losing star player Parth Jindal SOAS

RUGBY: APPEAL FOR

Squash recorded a 5-0 victory over RVC with every player winning their respective match 3-0, this is the biggest win to date for SOAS Squash. SOAS are now joint top of the 3rd division and will need to beat Royal Holloway on the 7th February if they are to win the league.

NEW PLAYERS! Ali Khan 204550@soas.ac.uk Once upon a time, in the not so distant past, rugby was regarded at SOAS as a sport for a select few, sweating for no real gain and drinking for no real loss, no less, no more. But times have indeed changed at this university, and the sport has been thriving in recent years. A peek into the SOAS Union trophy cabinet, and yes there is one, will show you a plaque attained by the team a couple of years ago, as the result of an unbeaten season of triumph in the face of adversity. This season we have finally burst into a league worthy of our name, and face talent and challenge worthy of our team.

But SOAS RFC continually faces more adversity than the rugby pitch could provide. Training on Regents Park, we have no scrum machine, no coach, no money compared to the teams we play. Whereas other teams boast clubhouses and physios, we can only celebrate clout and physicality. But we celebrate it fully, deciding not to create an atmosphere of initiations and drinking stupour, instead ball-play and banter.

But in order for us to continue changing the face of rugby, we need players. Big or small, experienced or not, you’re more than welcome, indeed

you’re needed. We have a full team of guys ready to put their bodies on the line for their club and university, but we lack a solid squad to pick from and celebrate wins with. All it takes is an hour and a half on a Sunday at Regents Park to train, followed by Wednesday afternoon matches and a drink. As opposed to other sports, Rugby revolves primarily not

on talent, nor pace, nor skill, but on effort. That’s why we play it. That’s why we’re proud to play it. And that’s why we need you. Join the mighty SOAS warriors, and show every other uni on the circuit why we have an ethos to be celebrated too.

Email soasrugby@soas.ac.uk for more details.

PAGE 18

MARCH 2011

Team Captain: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Alexander Jaatmaa

Alexander Jaatmaa Zahron Mitchell Alexander Elletson Faraan Sayed

Last year SOAS men’s tennis team finished third in the BUCS league South Eastern Conference 2B, behind LSE 2nd and Essex 1st. And having been very close to getting the second place it was felt that this season would be the one when SOAS really could have a chance at the top. Over summer the former captain and number one player Tom Finn went off to Yemen to become a success-

ful reporter and in his place Alexander Jaatmaa took over as captain. Last year’s fresh recruits Alexander Elletson and Faraan Sayed stayed on and former UCL player Zahron Mitchell came in as this year’s new addition, bringing a solid volley to the team. player Zahron Mitchell came in as this year’s new addition, bringing a solid volley to the team.

And so, feeling strong and quite confident, the team headed off for this season’s first match – However, in preparation for spring the team has been working hard on the court Kent away – and lost. The bad start left its marks on the rest of the season, which has been uneven so far, draw against UCL 2nd, loss against King’s 1st and a win against UCL 3rd, as well as off it, under strict instruction of gym coach Elletson.

The results have been obvious, not only beefier boys but also more wins, and the team came through to the 3rd round of the BUCS cup, where Essex 1st put a stop to SOAS in the closest match in the history of the tennis team, decided by the infamous “tie break shoot-out”.

THE LATEST SOAS FIXTURES AND RESULTS Basketball Women’s: 37-98 Imperial 1s

31.1.11

Squash Men’s: 4-1 Royal Free & University College Medical School 2s

29.1.11

Football Men’s 1s: 2-2 Imperial 1s Football Men’s 2s: 3-0 LSE 6s

2.2.11 15.1.11

Football Men’s 2s: 6-0 Queen Mary 4s

19.1.11

Football Men’s 2s: 0-0 UCL 6s

22.1.11

Football Men’s 1s: 1-2 UCL 1s

23.1.11

Football Women’s 1s: 7-1 Goldsmiths 1s

24.1.11

Squash Men’s: 5- 0 RVC 1s

Football Men’s 2s: 5-2 Royal Holloway Men’s 5s

5.2.11

19.1.11

Rugby Men’s 1s: 7-8 Kingston 2s

Football Men’s 1s: 1-4 UCL Men’s 1s Basketball Women’s 1s: 20-91 LSE 1s

26.1.11

7.2.11

2.2.11

Squash Men’s 1s: 3-2 Royal Holloway 2s

14.2.11

Squash Men’s 1s: 5-0 LSE 3s

ULU Cup:

Football Men’s 1s: 1-0 Queen Mary 1s

Rugby Men’s 1s: 19- 15 Kings 2s Squash Men’s 1s: 1-2 Essex Men’s 2s Squash Women’s 1s: 3-1 Royal Holloway Women’s 1s Rugby Men’s 1s: 14-17 Imperial Men’s 3s

A FREE STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES

THIS MONTH WE ASKED:

What do you think of the SOAS yurt?

AYDAN STUART

JO TOUQMATCHI

2nd year, Religion and Thai

3rd year, Law

“I haven’t seen it in use yet, so I don’t really know what it’s there for, but it looks nice. It’s too small though.”

“If it makes people happy, they should keep it... but it can be unclean, so they should clean it more.”

THE SOAS SARTORIALIST

JOSEFF THOMAS

JOHNNY PETERS

3rd year, Economics

3rd year, Politics

“It’s a brilliant idea. I’m really interested in seeing how other people live because I’m from Wales myself.”

“There are other things they could have spent money on.

Most people at SOAS don’t even use it.”

LONDON FASHION

WEEK AW12

BRINGS

YOU THE LAUNCH OF SPIRIT’S

NEWEST

STYLE FEATURE

Left:

Caitlin Egen

BA Economics and History, 2nd year

Right:

Hamza Beg

BA History and Politics, 2nd year