Issue 19: 8 February 2022

SOAS SPIRIT

8 FEBRUARY 2022

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YOUR INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

ISSUE 19

POOL TABLE RETURNS

MOROCCAN ZAALOUK

YARNED AND

TO SOAS

RECIPE

DANGEROUS

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SOAS Running Out of Money? Not This Year: £11.2m Surplus Announced

The sun sets on Senate House, the view from a SOAS classroom (Credit: Frances Howe)

Lara Holly Gibbs, MA Gender Studies In December 2021 SOAS released their financial statement for 2020-21. The statement announced SOAS’ £11.2 million unrestricted surplus as opposed to its 2019-20 deficit of £0.9 million. The document details SOAS’ finances as well as their Strategic Plan going forward.

According to SOAS, their surplus comes as a result of ‘continued actions taken to monitor costs and strong student

recruitment.’

The statement explains how SOAS has returned to a surplus-generating position, following their Transformation and Change policy in which they aimed to lower spending by £17 million for their 2020-21 budget. This resulted in many cuts across the School. The document also showed that ‘total staff costs fell from £59.1m to £50.6 as the School completed its restructuring programme.’

Sandy Nicoll, UNISON Branch Secretary, told the SOAS Spirit that initially SOAS had projected an £18m deficit

which he claimed was SOAS ‘projecting the most negative imaginable numbers.’ He described the figure as ‘way outside of anything that is reasonable,’ saying that at the time had urged SOAS to wait until accurate figures were available before making such projections. He went on further to say that the projected £18m deficit was put forward to ‘scare people into accepting the cuts that they were trying to push through.’

Continued on page 3

Letter from the Editor

Contents News

SOAS Finally Welcomes the BA Africa and Black Diaspora

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National Uproar Over Downing Street Parties

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Syria Joins China's Belt and Road Initiative

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Opinion Patel's Wishlist Legal Terrorism: the Nationality and Borders Bill

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Features SOAS Agony Aunt Artemis' Amman What Can You Do as a SOAS Student to #FreePalestine?

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5 Korean Designers You Must Know in 2022

What Does the Future of SOAS Look Like?

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Frances Howe Editor-in-Chief of the SOAS Spirit

Frances Howe • Editor-in-Chief • Artemis Sianni-Wedderburn • Co-Deputy Editor • Naaz Hussein • Co-Deputy Editor • Lara Holly Gibbs • SOAS News Editor • Rishika Singh • National News Editor • Clayton Barrington-Rusell • International News Editor • Leehoo Pansky • Opinion Editor • Zaynab Mufti • Features Editor • Mat Hick • Culture Editor • Mahek Arora • Sport & Societies Editor •

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Anneka Shah • Senior Sub-Editor • Phoebe Parsons • Sub-Editor • Maryam Abdul-Mujib • Sub-Editor • Arthie Sivanantharajah • Sub-Editor • Millie Weighton Glaister • Sub-Editor •

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Yi-Chun Huang • Layout Editor • Aisha Fatima • Layout Editor • Frances Howe • Layout Editor •

Artemis Sianni-Wedderburn • Co-Deputy Editor

Jacynthe Roesch • Senior Online Editor • Anna Fenton-Jones • Online Editor • Millie Weighton Glaister • Online Editor • Clarissa Mondeh • Social Media Co-ordinator • Aisha Fatima • Social Media Co-ordinator •

Sports & Societies Djokovic's Short Stay in Detention

article reintroducing a fond member of the SOAS community (the pool and foosball tables) and its keen players.

National News and International News as always provide us with a recap of the biggest events happening in the UK and around the world. We look into Prince Andrew, the Downing Street parties and a well-crafted article on Syria joining China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Speaking of our team being settled into the task, our Opinion Section returns under the strong leadership of Leehoo Pansky who as Section Editor takes us on an analysis of the word solidarity. This analysis takes us from the Nationality and Borders Bill to Soup Kitchens, Amal Nahkleh and then to Ben and Jerries, of all places! We’ve been lucky to feature some original illustrations by our team member Millie Weighton Glaister which feature in our Opinion and Features Sections.

In Features, Zaynab Mufti is reintroducing some beloved aspects of the Spirit as we have a Moroccan Zaalouk Recipe brought to life by Amelia Casey-Rerhaye and an agony-aunt in Kit King. In our Culture Section, Mat Hick brings us some longer form articles, working on what he does so well in making us think harder about the music, film and popculture that we consume so frequently.

Finally, Mahek Arora brings Sports and Societies to life once more, from Djokovic to the Conch Art Collective, quite frankly I’m not sure how you’re going to read this section without signing up for more at SOAS – whether that be Sambatage or the SOAS Palestine Society.

So that’s Issue 19! As always, we hope you enjoy reading the SOAS Spirit and above all encourage our readers to get involved with writing and more! Just drop as an email or follow our social media – everything you need to know is on the back cover of this issue.

Your SOAS Spirit Team

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Culture Interview with Linus Karp

Dear Spirit readers, Welcome to Issue 19. I like to think as you join us again for another issue of the SOAS Spirit that you are able to follow along with our progress as a team. As you’ll see below this letter, we make up a team of 20 students. With such a big group of us and with the task of producing four issues of the SOAS Spirit annually, there is inevitably going to be a fairly steep learning curve going into the job. As this issue rolls around, and if you’ve been reading for a while, I hope you’ll get the feeling that the nerves are gone and our team has settled into the task of creating what should be a really entertaining newspaper to read. We think so anyway.

To prove my point, Lara Holly Gibbs has produced a full section for SOAS News. We continue to follow the Justice 4 Workers Campaign at SOAS. This article is accompanied by a sort of ‘elephant in the room’ in our front page story which announces SOAS’ 11.2 million pound surplus for the year. SOAS News isn’t always so serious as evidenced by our

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8 FEBRUARY 2022 https://soasspirit.co.uk/category/news/ News Editors: Lara Holly Gibbs, Rishika Singh, Clayton Barrington-

SOAS News

News

Continued from page 1

Nicoll added that the cuts made during the restructuring process ‘almost broke the institution’ as staff were lost ‘in virtually every area,’ with a disproportionate effect on cleaning and catering staff. He raises the question of how SOAS will spend the surplus money, explaining that additional funding should be invested in resolving issues created by the cuts as well as ‘properly compensating staff.’

Marie Staunton, Chair of SOAS Board of Trustees, says that the surplus will allow the School to invest in improving the student experience and to implement the new Strategic Plan. In addition, it will facilitate investments, which have already been approved, in ‘capital expenditure relating to our estates and IT infrastructure.’ Staunton explains that SOAS having a stronger financial position is vital for improving their ‘academic project and student offering.’

Nicoll highlighted the increased workload that comes with reduced staff numbers and an increased student intake. He

argues that SOAS needs to look at gaps in terms of admin staff and describes the workload that many staff have taken on as ‘almost inhumane.’ In view of the surplus SOAS has obtained, he asks ‘but at what cost?’

In a press release SOAS said: ‘SOAS University of London has published its audited accounts for financial year 2020-21 showing continued strengthening of its financial position.

Our results for 2020-21 show an unrestricted surplus of £11.2m, which is due to the continued actions taken to monitor costs and the strong student recruitment we achieved in September 2021. This is a significant improvement from the deficit of £0.9m in 2019-20.This stronger financial position is vital for SOAS to plan confidently for the future and to continually improve our academic project, student offering and infrastructure. SOAS successfully delivered its teaching and research during the most challenging times of the pandemic.

The impact of Covid required academics to rapidly adjust

their teaching and research and, for professional services staff, their way of working.

'The School also has in place a strong new leadership team to steer SOAS forward, under the directorship of Professor Adam Habib. In line with our Strategic Plan, we will be using surpluses to improve the student experience and the continued development of our academic endeavour. This will include investing in and developing our student responsiveness – where the student journey is at the heart of the plan – and research intensity. The Strategic Plan also articulates a vision for a new model of international partnerships which is responsive to the transnational character of our global challenges. It commits SOAS to ensuring a socially just institutional community in which everyone experiences belonging and is treated with respect.’

saying ‘it’s time to start trying now.’ Singh did not speak much throughout the game whilst Harris could also be heard saying ‘that is perfect placement there’ about his own strikes.

Singh potted the white ball a second time, Harris again failed to take the opportunity presented to him. Singh pots a second ball at 12:57 making the score sit at three to two with Harris in the lead. Singh quickly sank a third ball, evening the score. Harris could be heard saying, ‘I have to say it, credit where credit is due.’ To which Singh responded, ‘keep saying it.’ Harris was also heard telling bystanders that he was being thrown off by the light, the wind coming through the door, and by the gloss of the new table.

Over the next few minutes, both players continued to sink balls but Singh was the first to sink all of his balls and begin attempting to sink the eight ball. Harris was heard explaining his tactic to bystanders as utilising Pythagoras’ theorem as he attempted to sink his final ball. At 1:07 PM, Harris sank his final ball and immediately after sank the eight ball. At the end of the game the players shook hands.

Following the match, Singh told the SOAS Spirit that Harris ‘played well.’ Harris told the Spirit, ‘All I can say is, he had a lot of fair chances at the end there to monopolise on my mistakes. At the end of the day I was the better player, the disparity between our skill set really shone at the end.’

The players exchanged numbers with the plan to organise another game.

Khaled Ziada, Commercial Services Manager at the Students’ Union, spoke to the SOAS Spirit inviting students to ‘come to the bar’, but to keep it clean and tidy and not to put food or drinks on the tables.

Harris also went on to christen the foosball table with Jay Atheron, BA World Philosophies, with Atherton taking home the winner’s title. After the match Atherton spoke to the SOAS Spirit saying: ‘I came down not realising these tables were back. My face filled up with glee. The competitor in me that’s been dormant for a long time was reawakened.’

Anna Draperi, 2nd year BA Arabic and Anthropology, was a part of the second game played on the pool table and spoke to the SOAS Spirit saying: ‘I literally can’t believe there’s a pool table and a foosball table. No work will be done.’ Gabriel Rahman, second year BA Politics and Development Studies, was instrumental in organising two foosball tournaments at Dinwiddy in 2021 said: ‘It’s very nice to have it back. I think it builds a sense of community. It was a core part of lockdown [in Dinwiddy] so it’s nice to have it back.’

The pool table costs one pound to play and the foosball is free.

Too Pool for School: The Pool and Foosball Tables Return to Campus

Jared Harris playing pool on 19 January (Credit: Frances Howe)

Frances Howe, LLB Jared Harris, third-year BA History, became the first student to play on the new pool table at 12:45 PM on Wednesday 19 January 2022. Playing on his own, Jared described the experience as ‘incredible’ saying the table ‘has this really smooth feel about it.’ He continued, ‘the balls are perfectly smooth with a great weight to them.’

Not long after, at 12:47 PM Sushant Singh, masters of law student, challenged Jared Harris to a match asking him if he was ‘ready to win or lose.’ Before the game Singh stated that he was ‘feeling excited’ and that it was a great thing to have a pool table back. He said it was not just about the game but also ‘a way to interact and communicate with people.’ He said it was a ‘must’ to have at SOAS, especially considering it is an indoor activity keeping people socialising whilst out of the cold.

Harris potted the first ball and Singh quickly followed.

Harris met Singh’s pot by sinking two more quickly after.

Singh then potted the white ball but Harris, now having an additional shot, failed to make the most of the opportunity.

At 12:55 PM Harris attempted to pot the ball by putting the cue behind his back but failed to do so. Harris could be heard

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News

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Support the Cleaning Staff, Sign the Petition

The current resting space for SOAS cleaning staff (Credit: Justice 4 Workers Campaign)

Gabriel Rahman, BA Politics and Development Studies and Frances Howe, LLB The Justice for Workers Campaign has launched a petition ahead of its meeting with SOAS Management on 3 February 2022. The petition is being circulated around students and demands that ‘SOAS Management honour their obligations to the safety and wellbeing of all staff, especially during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and increasing risks of the Omicron variant.’

The petition demands that SOAS replace the staff that were cut due to the Transformation and Change Policy in 2020. The Justice for Workers Campaign states in their petition that over 50% of all SOAS cleaning staff were let go during the summer break in 2020. This made up twenty-two of a total forty members who were cut from the team of staff. At the time, the SOAS Spirit reported that UNISON branch secretary, Sandy Nicoll had estimated that 1 in 4 professional staff members had been made redundant at SOAS due to the policy.

In speaking with the SOAS Spirit, a student member of the campaign, Gabriel

Rahman (2nd year Politics & Development Studies), said that the need for the petition was clear: ‘After firing over half the cleaning team during a pandemic, SOAS management are further turning their back on the remaining staff members who are ever more overworked. The cleaners are some of the lowest-paid staff members on campus, and most are from migrant backgrounds. The fact SOAS continuously mistreats them, ignoring their working conditions in times of health and economic crises, only further speaks to the hypocrisy of this supposedly ‘decolonial’ and global institution.’

The full demands of the petition are as follows: 'REPLACE the workers fired during Summer 2020. HIRE more workers to mitigate the impact of workers fired during Summer 2020.SHIFT the rota so there are more cleaners in the morning and less during the day to make cleaning more effective. ESTABLISH a suitable resting space and common room for the cleaning team that includes basic provisions such as a: Fridge, Changing space, Resting space. MEET with UNISON representatives and cleaning staff to clarify the specific details of these demands. PROVIDE English classes to the cleaning team as promised. STOP planned

dehumanising timing of individual tasks of the cleaning team and trust them to carry out their work efficiently, as with other members of staff.’

Hala Haidar, a first year Global Development student, shares with the Spirit that: ‘SOAS prides itself on its progressivism yet continuously mistreats the essential workers who have been working tirelessly to keep our community safe during the pandemic. The demands in this petition, from hiring more cleaners to ensuring the cleaning team have a proper resting space, are necessary.’

The Justice for Workers Campaign asserts that ‘not only are staff mitigating this destructive reduction in capacity, but they are also expected to fulfil more responsibilities required of them due to COVID-19 cleaning policies. As a result, cleaners are evermore overworked and underpaid.’

In speaking with the Spirit, campaign member, Charlotte Müller (MSc Migration, Mobility & Development), drew links between strike action at SOAS and the pay cuts made in part due to the Transformation and Change policy: ‘especially in the context of the ongoing strike actions at SOAS against pay cuts; casualisation; race, gender and disability pay gaps as well as unsafe workloads, the unacceptable treatment of the cleaning

team should be a key issue. In these powerful moments of collective political action with potentially more strike action to come, the struggle of the cleaning team for dignified working conditions is your struggle too.

Signing the petition is a first step to highlight your solidarity with ALL members of staff at SOAS.’ Finally, the Justice for Workers Campaign urges readers to ‘scan the code and sign the petition to stand in solidarity with the cleaning staff who kept our university open and are now being callously ignored by SOAS management.’

Students and staff are able to find the petition by scanning the QR code below.

SOAS Finally Welcomes the BA Africa and Black Diaspora Frances Howe,

LLB

SOAS announced the launch of the BA Africa and Black Diaspora programme on 17 January 2022. The programme will accept entrants from 2022 onwards and seeks to replace the BA African Studies programme which was controversially discontinued by SOAS in 2020.

The Tab reported on 6 October 2020 that the decision to discontinue BA African Studies was due to ‘decreasing student numbers’ and was incorporating it into a new BA Languages and Cultures programme to avoid the ‘othering’ of Africa and it being taught as a ‘country rather than a continent.’ Despite this, the MA African Studies programme was never discontinued.

Over the summer holidays of 2020, the ‘Transformation and Change’ policy at SOAS saw the cutting of 60 programmes and 247 modules in order to keep the University financially viable for an additional year.

According to SOAS, the degree programme is set to ‘enable students to situate and engage with Africa in the global stage by acquiring substantive knowledge of historical and topical issues that are related to the continent.’

Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to

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‘engage with their own understanding of contemporary themes including migration, colonialism, economic change, climate change and popular culture.’

Dr Ida Hadjivayanis, lecturer in Swahili Studies and Dr Wayne Dooling, Senior Lecturer in the History of Southern Africa, co-designed the degree programme. Dr Hadjivayanis said of the programme: ‘In the process of developing the course, we negotiated some of the key tensions in the study of Africa and its multiple diasporas. We centred the continent and sought innovative ways to engage with its history, its people, its languages, perspectives, politics, cultures etc. This programme fits squarely into what it means to study Africa at SOAS, it carries the expertise of various colleagues within SOAS including Awino Okech, Lutz Marten, Mashood Baderin, Marloes Janson, Alastair Fraser to name a few.’

‘We are extremely proud that students will be able to combine their study of disciplines including Politics, Social Anthropology, Languages and Cultures, and International Relations with Africa and Black Diaspora. They will be able to do meaningful projects, explore the regions of their interest through our summer or year abroad programmes where they will travel to African Universities.’

Students who undertake the four-year degree program will have the opportunity to partake in language studies through the year abroad at Zanzibar State University in Tanzania and Kenyatta University in Kenya for a term each.

The introduction of the BA Africa and the Black Diaspora programme is said to mark ‘SOAS’s broader social justice agenda found in the institutional community pillar of the new strategic plan.’ The ‘institutional community pillar’ of the new strategic plan sets SOAS to ‘take action on racial justice’ including to implement the Race Equity Action Plan 202124 and to implement the recommendations of the Statement on Racism and Anti-Blackness at SOAS, which was made in response to Habib’s use of a racial slur during an all-students meeting on 11 March 2021.

Speaking on the new programme, Habib has said: ‘Through reimagining SOAS for the 21st century we are seeking to pioneer new models of education that transcend national boundaries. This new BA demonstrates our firm commitment on rethinking how we study our regions Africa, Asia and the Middle East - in order to prepare a new generation of graduates who are technically skilled, socially responsive and committed to the building of an equitable planetary community.’

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National News

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National News

Into the Third Year: The UK's Covid Roundup

Ladywell street art London (Credit: Loco Steve via Creative Commons)

Jasmine Gadhavi, MA Comparative Literature On 4 January 2022, the UK reached a record number of 218,724 positive cases of Covid-19. Four days later, it surpassed 150,000 covid-related deaths.

As the Omicron variant surges through Britain, the Government has been adamant in underpinning that the country should continue with daily life.

In light of the news on the UK’s record Covid-19 death toll, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that ‘Our way out of this pandemic is for everyone to get their booster or their first or second jab if they haven’t yet.’

The Government’s decision to accelerate the rolling out of booster vaccinations - which have reached more than 60% of the population - may have prevented a return to the lockdown measures seen in the earlier phases of the pandemic.

Although Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations are

dropping – particularly in areas where there is a strong uptake of the vaccine – UK daily cases are likely to have been influenced by the reduced requirement for people to take PCR tests.

Nevertheless, Downing Street is cautiously optimistic that the booster program is ‘offering massive protection to the public.’ The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson has said that ‘in terms of the data, there are some encouraging signs that infections are falling across the country,’ adding that there were also some signs of falls ‘or at least plateauing’ in admissions and occupancy in hospitals.

However, it remains the case that the NHS is under significant pressure, with over 160,000 Covid-19 patients in the hospital in England alone. Chronically underfunded and notoriously understaffed, the sustainability of this pressure on the NHS is a cause for concern.

To help staff shortages, the quarantine period has been reduced to a minimum of five full days, provided that people

produce a negative lateral flow test on days five and six of their isolation.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that reducing isolation to five days would ‘reduce the pressure on essential public services over the winter,’ as data from the UK Health Security Agency showed two-thirds of positive cases were no longer infectious by day five. Despite this, as the restrictions imposed on the public are relaxed, increasing pressure is mounting on the British Prime Minister.

Emails leaked from the PM’s private secretary revealed that Boris Johnson joined No. 10 staff for a party in Downing Street during the first lockdown in May 2020 when rules at the time allowed only two people from different households to meet outside, at a distance of 2 metres.

The Prime Minister’s apology has conjured significant discontent among the population, with pressure mounting for a resignation.

National Uproar Over Downing Street Parties: Calls for PM Resignation Aydan Mohnatova, Economics BSc The exposure of celebrations at 10 Downing Street during lockdown measures in 2020 has led to backlash across the United Kingdom, with many calling for Prime Minister Boris Johnson resign.

The United Kingdom was exposed to strict lockdown measures in 2020 to decrease the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The lockdown enforced laws and regulations that prevented families from meeting with one another - including those in critical conditions.

Evidence, in the form of videos and photographs, of parliamentarians and civil servants meeting in a social setting while the measures were in place has generated outrage from the public, claiming inconsistencies in public policies. Since the appearance of these videos in December 2021, almost every week there have been accounts of more secret parties

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released.

On 25 January, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that investigations would be launched into the multiple parties that took place in Downing Street during the lockdown.

"Many in the public sphere feel that the parties are disrespectful toward those who respected the lockdown rules."

Savanta ComRes – a market research company – observed that almost half of the voters calling for Boris Johnson’s resignation are members of the 2019 Conservative Party. According to the poll, some believe that this public outrage is being

advertised by the Labour Party for their own advantage.

Despite this, the conservatives argue that the visitors of these parties were not conservatives, but civil servants. Senior Civil Servant Sue Gray is in charge of conducting further investigations into the events at Downing Street.

The parties have also attracted additional criticism for being held mere days away from the funeral of Prince Philip.

A judgement on the issue has yet to be passed, and the PM has not yet faced consequences.

Many of the public expect Johnson to fully acknowledge and admit to the remorseful actions the Downing Street party has accommodated.

Peter Aldous, Conservative MP for Waveney, has confirmed that most of his conservative Brexit supporters have been negatively influenced by the No. 10 parties. Boris Johnson’s local councillors have cooperated to express their repugnance against his conduct. It is expected that future elections will be the turning point in Johnson’s career.

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National News

8 FEBRUARY 2022

Prince Andrew’s Case Proceeds After Maxwell Conviction

Prince Andrew will retain his 'Prince' title. (Credit: Jamie J Gray)

Anisah Islam, BA Global Liberal Arts Content warning: this article mentions sexual abuse and related terms.

On 29 December 2021, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, was convicted of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by the American financier Jeffrey Epstein from 1994 to 2004.

The month-long trial featured horrific details of the exploitation of girls as young as 14, which led to the jurors deliberating for five full days before finding Maxwell guilty of five out of the six charges against her.

Maxwell faces the possibility of years behind bars since the maximum prison terms for each charge ranges from five to 40 years in prison.

"Maxwell faces the possibility of years behind bars since the maximum prison terms for each charge ranges from five to 40 years in prison."

The verdict earned a positive reaction from the women who fought in the civil court for years, hoping to hold her accountable for her role in actively recruiting and grooming minors and sometimes joining in the sexual abuse.

Maxwell’s conviction has reshifted attention to Prince Andrew who has recently been notably disgraced due to his association with Jeffery Epstein. However, Maxwell was the only person on trial so the convictions only apply to her.

The Duke of York, 61, is not facing criminal prosecution

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in the United States. He is however, being sued by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, 38, one of Epstein's victims who accused the Duke in August 2021 of ‘committing sexual assault and battery’ when she was a teenager. A US judge recently denied Prince Andrew's plea to dismiss the sexual assault lawsuit brought against him, paving the way for the case to proceed.

It came after a sealed legal agreement made between Giuffre and the late Epstein in 2009 was revealed to the public.

In it, she accepted $500,000 from Epstein, protecting him or anyone else ‘who could have been included as a potential defendant’ from prosecution.

The Duke's lawyers tried to contend it was grounds for Giuffre's case to be dismissed. Had Maxwell been acquitted, claims made by Giuffre could have been significantly undermined.

"Andrew retains his birth title of ‘Prince’ and remains the Duke of York."

Maxwell’s conviction has thus served to strengthen Giuffre's claims, clearing the way for her lawyers to proceed with their case against Prince Andrew. The Prince has since denied any claims of being a co-conspirator of Epstein and on 26 January, insisted on a jury trial in Giuffre’s lawsuit against him.

Consequently, the Queen has revoked Prince Andrew of his honorary military titles and patronages. Buckingham Palace announced the decision following the publication of an open letter signed by more than 150 Royal Navy, RAF, and Army veterans that urged the Queen to remove the Prince's eight British military titles.

Despite this, the Prince ‘has not lost everything’ wrote Craig Prescott, a law lecturer at Bangor University, in an article on The Conversation. He claims the Duke retains his birth title of ‘prince’ and remains the ‘Duke of York’ along with his rank of vice admiral in the Royal Navy. He continues to be ninth in line of succession to the throne.

Many wish for his title of ‘Duke’ to be removed, particularly in York, where a city council member has launched a campaign backing the move. However unlike military titles, Andrew’s peerage (a centuries-old ranking system for British nobility that includes duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron) can only be removed by an Act of Parliament.

This article discusses content that some readers may find distressing. If this is you, please see the following recourses that may be of help: the Student’s Union offer ​​specialist support contact information on the SU website: https://soasunion.org/support/personal/ Outside of SOAS: Survivors Network telephone helpline (Open Mon 7-9 PM & Wed 12-2 PM) 01273 720 110; Rape Crisis UK telephone line (Open every day 12:00-2:30 PM and 7:00-9:30 PM including public holidays) 0808 802 9999, they also have a live chat function on their website (www. rapecrisis.org.uk); Survivors Network also have an online chat, text and call service (Open Mon – Sun, 12pm-8pm) accessible on their website (www.survivorsuk.org); Samaritans have a free telephone line open 24 hours every day of the year at 116 123.org) ; Samaritans have a free telephone line open 24 hours every day of the year at 116 123.

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International News

8 FEBRUARY 2022

International News

Syria Joins China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Return To Homs (Credit: Chaoyue Pan)

Anna Fenton-Jones, BA Middle Easten Studies China continues to expand its Belt and Road Initiative into the Middle East, finalising a deal with Syria that President Bashar al-Assad’s government hopes will allow it to begin the process of rebuilding the country after more than 10 years of civil war.

A meeting between the Head of Syria’s Planning and International Cooperation Commision, Fadi Al-Khalil, and the Chinese Ambassador to Syria, Feng Biao, on 12 January has seen the two sign a Memorandum of Agreement to bring Damascus into Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Khalil stressed the importance of the two countries' historical ties to the deal, commenting that 'Syria was one of the foundational nations of the ancient route, especially the cities of Aleppo and Palmyra, and therefore we shall revive this road through joining this initiative'.

The signing comes during a period of increasing Chinese diplomatic activity in the Middle East. Foreign ministers from various Gulf states and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Nayef bin Falah al-Hajrah, are currently in China to discuss energy security and a potential free trade agreement. Foreign Minister Wang Yi spent much

of July touring North Africa and the Middle East where he met with the chief of the Arab League to discuss Syria’s readmittance.

The regional body expelled Syria a decade ago over the Government’s brutal crackdown on pro-reform protesters, but an official at the Arab League said in November 'The decision to suspend Syria's membership [in 2011] was hasty and contributed to the complexity of the situation in Syria'.

Over 130 countries have signed BRI-related Memorandums of Understanding to date. Syria will join the China Central Asia - West Asia Economic Corridor programme as part of an offshoot that includes Iran and Iraq. Significantly for Syria, officials from Iran and China signed a 25 year cooperation agreement in March. Leaked documents suggest China could invest up to $400bn into Iranian infrastructure projects including a redevelopment of the port of Jask and new rail networks linking Istanbul to Islamabad via Tehran.

Detailed plans for the deal with Syria have yet to emerge.

There is some speculation that support from Beijing will allow President Assad to revisit the Five Seas Strategy (FSS) that he championed before the outbreak of civil war in 2011.

The FSS involved the construction of rail, road, and energy networks between the Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, Black Sea, Red Sea, Caspian Sea, and Syria. In 2009 Assad

commented on the project, ‘Once we link these [...] seas, we become the unavoidable intersection of the whole world in investment, transport, and more.’

Crucially, the Syrian government hopes the BRI agreement will allow it to rebuild much of the estimated $120bn worth of damage done to its cities and infrastructure after more than 10 years of civil war. The conflict led to the forced migration and internal displacement of over half the population - the world’s largest refugee crisis. 80% of Syrians who remain in the country live below the poverty line amongst the complete collapse of healthcare and other essential services.

Assad has declared victory in the conflict, despite rebels retaining control of large portions of northern Syria. Fighting has decreased significantly since a ceasefire in opposition stronghold Idlib was agreed to by Assad’s ally Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Reycap Egordyan in 2019.

In December, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that almost 4,000 people, including 1,505 civilians, were killed over the course of 2021. This added to the total of 350,000 verified deaths since the beginning of the conflict.

The UN has commented that the actual number of deaths is significantly higher.

India. Hate speech is not a new phenomenon in India, but lately there have been organised attempts to target individuals for their liberal and progressive views.

The conservative discourse on social media revived after the electoral success of Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

In the past few years, the distinction between right-wing commentators is prominently visible. The group behind the organised campaign is popularly known as ‘trads’, an informal connotation for ‘traditional,’ contrasted with the ‘raitas,’ who are considered to be more moderate in their approach towards Hindutva.

Journalist Archis Chowdhary engaged with Trads on social media and described them in a conversation with Smita Sharma for the Scroll’s Weekly Fix. According to Sharma, trads have always been a part of the conservative discourse on social media but they were relegated as a fringe.

What we are witnessing now is mainstreaming of their discourse.

The movement draws its inspiration from the alt-right movement in the USA. Their goals are tailored for the Indian audience but it is similar to their western counterparts: self-proclaiming themselves as ‘civilisational warriors,’

maintaining the ‘purity’ of their community and stressing the importance of duty towards the nation and community.

Journalists Alishan Jafri and Naomi Barton’s investigative report for the Wire highlights the techniques that trads borrowed from the American alt-right discourse. Memes like Pepe the frog, Doge, and Wojak face are used to comment on political matters. Chowdhary mentions that humour is used as a tool to justify unconscionable beliefs which include misogyny, casteism, and Islamophobia.

Anushri Satavlekar recently conducted an interview with victims of the Sulli Deals controversy for the Security Television Network. She says that mainstream Indian media has largely ignored the issue of the online auction of Muslim women and that it is the independent digital news portals who have been following up on the case regularly.

According to Satavlekar, the motivation behind the attack is clear: suppress counter-narratives against majoritarianism.

The trad discourse points to a larger issue of radicalization among young Hindus in India. The Ministry of Women and Child Development, the National Commission for Women, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has been silent on the matter so far.

Trads: The Face of India’s Vicious Alt-Right Neeraj Shetye, MSc Politics of Conflict, Rights and Justice In India, there have been two instances of vocal Muslim women being put on ‘auction’ online in the past six months, both an attempt to intimidate and silence prominent voices from India’s largest religious minority.

After a significant public outcry on social media and support from opposition parties, the police filed an official complaint. They have managed to arrest four young people between 18 and 23. The young people have been involved in developing the Bulli Bai app and the Sulli Deals controversy in 2021, where Muslim women were auctioned online.

After India’s loss to Pakistan in the T20 cricket world cup last year, Mumbai Police arrested a 23-year-old engineering student from Hyderabad. He was arrested for issuing rape threats against Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s 9-month-old daughter. Kohli had also spoken in support of his Muslim teammate, Mohammad Shami, who was trolled for his performance against Pakistan.

What connects these two incidents is youngsters' involvement from a radical ecosystem prevalent on social media in

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Opinion

8 FEBRUARY 2022

http://soasspirit.co.uk/category/opinion/ Opinion editor: Leehoo Pansky

The SOAS Spirit's Take on Solidarity

Opinion

Patel’s Wishlist

Priti Patel announces her plans to tackle eco protesters and tighten asylum laws. (Credit: UK Prime Minister via Creative Commons)

Madihah Najeeb, BA Global Liberal Arts As we enter 2022 feeling oblivious as to what will be thrown our way, a certain Home Secretary has made her New Year's Resolutions known to the nation and it seems she does not plan on backing down.

Home Secretary Priti Patel's New Years video message, shared across social media, delivered her promise to crack down on environmental protestors. She claims the environmental protests have ‘caused misery to the law-abiding public.’ She also vowed to put an end to the ‘legal merry-goround’ of ‘spurious’ asylum seeker claims in 2022.

Along with this message, Patel reflected on the achievements gained in 2021 such as the anti-violence strategy for women and girls, and the recruitment of more than 11,000 police officers - out of the 20,000 that were initially promised.

Following from this, the Home Secretary stated there was ‘much more to do’ to tighten the current asylum laws, stating: ‘I will also continue to prioritise fixing our broken asylum system. It has been untouched for two decades, but passing the (Nationality and) Borders Bill into law in 2022 will finally give us the powers we need to deliver long-overdue change.’

The Nationality and Borders Bill is a new plan aiming to reform the current asylum system. The bill should supposedly make it fairer and more effective to protect those in genuine need of asylum, deterring illegal entry into the UK. Patel hopes that this new bill will break the business

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model of criminal trafficking networks, save lives, and remove from the UK those with no right to be there. However, the bill can be perceived as problematic.

Some see the bill as an intensification of a hostile environment for asylum seekers who are fleeing the life-threatening circumstances of their home country. One of the most concerning aspects of the bill is Article 9: ‘Notice of decision to deprive a person of citizenship.’ These new amendments permit the government to strip individuals of their British citizenship without warning or explanation.

In regards to the environmental protests, eco-protestors have been taking to the streets for peaceful protests since September 13th, 2021. By blocking roads and disrupting court proceedings, the protestors aimed to share their concerns on the government’s lack of action to address the climate crisis.

Political awareness of this was raised when activists of Insulate Britain blocked major roads across London, the ports of Dover, Manchester, and Birmingham on 19 different occasions. Politicians named the protestors selfish for their tactics.

Whilst both issues appear to be causing much disruption to the ‘law-abiding public’ of this country, Patel’s ‘legal wishlist’ does little to resolve the problems. The reasons for the eco-protest and the increasing number of asylum seekers are not motivated by malice.

Eco-protestors are spreading their concern for the lack of government action regarding the climate crisis, and asylum

seekers are left with no choice but to flee from the dangers of their home country to seek refuge. Both these occurrences require fast resolving actions from the government.

Instead, the Home Secretary has resorted to imposing a harsh agenda which criminalises the peaceful eco-protestors and asylum seekers. Essentially, the causes are being manipulated to look illegal, when they are not.

With the government aiming to suppress both matters, where does our role lie when it comes to showing solidarity for these causes? Does the Home Secretary’s plan to criminalise eco-protestors and asylum seekers criminalise our show of support for these matters? With the callousness of these promises, it appears that the government is using such plans to evoke a sense of fear in the participants of these causes rather than addressing the matters with actual solutions.

Patel’s determination to suppress both matters causes the UK to become a hostile environment, for both asylum seekers and peaceful environmental protestors.

Once again we can see the government hiding away from addressing matters of great urgency and channelling more of their efforts into extinguishing these situations entirely rather than providing support to them.

It seems the Home Secretary’s plan for 2022 is to resort to the blame game instead of providing solutions to pressing matters.

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Opinion

8 FEBRUARY 2022

The SOAS Spirit's Take on Solidarity

Misguided Solidarity or Perverse Late-Stage Capitalism:

Corporations Engaging with Public Activism Millie Weighton Glaister, BA Politics and International Relations

When you see companies or brands online attempting to engage with niche internet humour, from Twitter beefs between fast food companies to Ryanair on Tiktok joking about their charges for extra baggage, it raises a level of dissonance.

It is almost fine, but at the same time there is a nagging feeling that you are being manipulated. I believe this phenomenon is exemplified by brands executing public displays of so-called solidarity. Whether adding Black Lives Matter to their Twitter bios or slapping a pride flag on their product, companies are evolving to incorporate appropriated language of solidarity into their marketing campaigns.

However, when it comes to public advocacy, the stakes are much higher than feeling tricked by a marketing tool. The heightening of this insincerity comes from the fact that it is not simply whether a company has improved their public image from a cheap laugh.

Rather, insincerity arises when a company can raise public perception without making any substantiation to their support and oftentimes continuing to benefit from the exact inequalities they claim to stand against.

Ben and Jerry’s has always been well versed in incorporating social movements, with speciality flavours such as Change is Brewing to support ‘safety and liberation for all.’

Despite their continued support for societal reform, the company was acquired by Unilever in 2000. Unilever has been subjected to accusations from environmental pollution to human rights violations, demonstrating that they can profit from the public political image of Ben and Jerry’s without incorporating any of those values into their wider organisation.

Similarly, Nike has benefited enormously from public advertisements endorsing social change, such as their feature of Colin Kaepernick after he took a knee to highlight police brutality and racial injustice which resulted in the loss of his NFL contract. Yet again, this was accompanied by voices within the company demanding that internal issues with a lack of diversity and representation of people of colour in leadership positions be addressed first.

Kellogg’s had the spotlight in 2016 for removing their adverts from a right-wing news site, Breitbart, stating that the site didn’t ‘align with our values.’ However, despite these selfproclaimed values, they were unable to support their workers’ demands in contract negotiations, resulting in a strike of 1400 workers. During this strike, Kellogg’s went even further and attempted to hire permanent replacements for striking workers.

"Can companies engage with solidarity in a genuine sense or is it always just virtue signalling?"

It doesn’t take long to discover the farce of public displays of solidarity such as these; it becomes apparent very quickly that there is little effort made to incorporate substantive changes alongside their marketing ploys. Some companies do, at least monetarily, benefit causes. For example, Absolut’s partnership with LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, and their support through their Pride edition vodka bottle.

However, it is impossible to separate those benefits from the capital gains that ensue; there is no definitive way to

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Brands often attempt to align themselves with social causes to win over the consumer. (Credit: Millie Weighton Glaister)

determine their motivations. It raises the question: can companies engage with solidarity in a genuine sense or is it always just virtue signalling?

It appears that consumer power has dictated a society where political engagement is expected from corporations. However, this raises yet another question of if we can demand their engagement, why have we not been able to demand the structural change that should accompany it?

Fundamentally I think this comes down to the capitalism of it all: the public displays of solidarity win in their cost-benefit analysis. They stand to lose very little, bar a few individual consumers. However, the structural issues of capitalism - the exploitation, the ingrained discrimination, the rampant inequality - are how such corporations can maintain their immense profit margins.

To change any of these conditions would cost the company and potentially cost those in charge their power. When it comes down to it, a capitalistic enterprise will prioritise profit over anything else, including the rights and safety of its consumers and workers.

Solidarity here has been commodified and turned into a transaction, whereby there is a culture of fear for not speaking out, but there is no requirement to go beyond releasing a statement. This breeds performative activism that undermines what true solidarity is.

Coming to this conclusion lands us in the discussion of late-stage capitalism, in which the depths of inequality created have changed the way consumers engage with businesses. Essentially, capitalistic corporations must engage with the very issues they depend on to survive. Thus we end up with brands as evil as can be (Amazon) releasing statements on the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement: a veritable capitalist hellscape.

This analysis doesn’t limit itself to corporations or brands, it runs through every institution where profit plays a role.

To bring it closer to home, SOAS itself is guilty of this very phenomenon.

I certainly made my choice of university-based on the reputation of SOAS as a left-wing and just a fundamentally good institution - how naive I was. SOAS actively perpetuates this idea and yet it took less than a term of being enrolled to become aware of the structural issues that lie so close to the surface. In a recent press release, SOAS has referred to their ‘broader social justice agenda found in the institutional community pillar of the new strategic plan.’

The truth is that SOAS is supporting Adam Habib as the director despite his use of a racial slur in an all-school meeting in 2021. They are failing to support academic and support staff resulting in strikes while continually shrinking the departments that they claim to champion. The list goes on.

In their drive to make SOAS a profitable institution, they have failed to address the real issues that affect students and staff alike.

While all of this seems unchangeable and frankly quite depressing, we are not out of options yet. The only practical solution I can see is to make it unsustainable for institutions and companies to continue like this.

Until we can revolt out of this capitalist society, we have to engage with them in a language they understand - profit and power. We must utilise our collective consumer power and demand that organisations actually commit to making structural changes, and be ready to enact our threats if need be. If companies want to benefit from appropriating solidarity, let’s hold them accountable and demand that they actually represent that change from the top down.

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Opinion

The SOAS Spirit's Take on Strikes:

8 FEBRUARY 2022

Solidarity: crime in the making The Sea-Watch 3 after weeks of waiting off the coast of the island of Lampedusa. (Credit: Sea-Watch handout/EPA)

Eleonora Catenaro, BA Social Anthropology and Arabic It is June 2019, 53 migrants departing from Libya have been waiting for weeks on the board of the ship of the German NGO Sea-Watch. The summer heat is taking a toll on people, as is the lack of food and water.

In the meantime some kilometres away, heads of the Italian government have already comfortably decided to forbid the NGO to drop anchor in the southern Italian port of Lampedusa. Instead, this anchorage has been advertised as a punishable crime. According to the Italian government, it is completely justified to send them back to civil wartorn Libya.

In the sea of endless wait and uncertainties about migrants’ futures, Sea-Watch’s German activist Carola Rackete resiliently decided to dock on Italian soil, despite the intense disagreement of the Italian authorities. She rejected the walls of ‘Fortress Europe’ and completed her mission of helping people reach the land they left their homes for.

The rise of anti-migration laws in Europe transforms humanitarian workers like Carola into heroes of activism because of their positions as righteous people in times of extreme hostility against migrants.

Believe it or not, Carola was held accountable for her action of solidarity. Her desire to save lives became a crime whose supposed victims are the Italian state and its people.

She was accused of encouraging ‘illegal’ migration under the Security Bill passed a month before the event. Under this Bill, the supposed threats to national security – the vessels that

bring migrants to shore – would risk fines up to 50 thousand USD. The far right-wing leader Matteo Salvini was coordinating all of this from afar, sitting in his armchair in the Ministry of Interior. The new Bill authorised him and his cabinet to deny any access of Italian waters to ships suspected of opposing Italian immigration laws.

Clearly, this Bill is directed at NGOs, criminalising their missions of rescue at sea. Several UN experts have severely condemned Salvini’s Security Bill due to its breaching of Article 98 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which confirms the humanitarian responsibility of helping any endangered person at sea (not to mention the complete aberration of International Human Rights Law).

As unsurprising as this can sound, Italy is not alone in its right-wing strategies on immigration. Amnesty’s 2020 report denounces the epidemic of restrictive anti-migration laws across Europe, that includes punitive and sanctioning measures against people who defend the human rights of migrants and refugees.

Despite the punitive risks, many humanitarian groups and workers like Carola Rackel persist in putting their lives on the line for others. Among the many prominent examples are the activists Seán Binder and Sarah Mardini who risked up to 25 years in prison for volunteering in a rescue centre in Lesvos Island, Greece.

Another example is the Croatian NGO Are You Syrious, who are a constant target for the Croatian government for supposedly encouraging illegal migration. Youth activists, priests, mountain guides, or any person who performs acts of

solidarity in welcoming newcomers also immediately place themselves as a target against the government.

Criminalisation for activism sounds very close to what is intended by the new Nationality and Border Bill suggested by the UK’s Home Secretary Priti Patel. On 27 January 2022, the bill will pass its last stage - the Committee stage - and will threaten the prompt removal of British citizenship in case of non-compliance to the prescriptive but extremely vague guidelines.

These guidelines criminalise undocumented arrivals in the UK and the activism that supports them, as well as activism that does not comply with government rules. The structural racism enrooted in the British government implies that this unfairly targeted new law is at the expense of many people of Caribbean, African and Asian descent.

The UN is condemning the UK for the omission of its protection duties of migrants and asylum seekers, and exposes the violation of Human Rights as the obvious aftermath of such damaging law.

Solidarity is not seen as a natural human emotion anymore. It has become a dangerous tool to facilitate undocumented migration if we listen to the local news in many European countries.

Migrants' drive to find a better life will not be halted by armchair leaders’ caprices. Humanitarian workers will continue to use their natural and dangerous solidarity to pursue the goal of their job. For this, we must support their fierce desire to do so.

Legal Terrorism: The Nationality and Borders Bill Nayah Kelly, LLB

The UK parliament has commenced the finalisation of its legal assault against refugees and immigrants. Home Secretary Priti Patel’s Nationality and Borders Bill, which was passed in the House of Commons in December 2021, aims to restrict illegal entry to the UK and remove ‘those who have no right to be in Britain’. Although these aims seem rooted in nationalist nobility, the methods are unnecessarily hostile and archaic in their portrayal of immigrants.

The Bill wishes to criminalise those entering the UK without permission and increase the sentence from 6 months to 4 years imprisonment. This further perpetuates a narrative of unlawful convicts being associated with immigration.

This harsh increase portrays a sense of ‘othering’ that the UK has historically imposed on those born elsewhere. It creates a non-empathetic and antagonistic view of Great Britain in an attempt to reduce pull factors for immigrants.

Problematic delegated powers surround the entirety of the bill; it gives power to the executive to define who is a victim of modern slavery. Under the new legislation, victims who miss the deadline for admitting information about what happened to them are seen as less credible and in turn, can

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be refused help. Parliament shows its acknowledgement of the hardship many immigrants face and yet responds with opposition and scepticism.

Despite the harshness of these protocols, they can be justified with a sense of unwavering sense of national protectionism. However, clause 9 of the Bill wishes to legalise the revoking of British citizenship. The clause seeks to do this without giving notice to those being deported.

The government justified this drastic inequity by stating the clause will only be used for the betterment of ‘public interest.’ Parliament uses vague terminology that allows the termination of a person’s stay in the United Kingdom to fall solely to the whim of those in power.

Much like the Shamima Begum case, unsympathetic judgments change the course of vulnerable lives. Here, a major issue arises with the dominance parliament wishes to have over its citizens. Parliamentary sovereignty seems to have escaped the confinements of democracy and many people have taken to petitioning against the clause.

By installing this law into our government, we strip people of the ability to personally appeal their wrongful termination and make living as an ethnic minority in the UK that much more unbearable. The Bill is said to affect up to six million citizens, predominantly from ethnic minorities with

dual nationalities. It proves what those of ethnic communities have always known ‘citizenship is a privilege, not a right’ found in clause 60 of the Bill.

Despite the great social changes being made within society, parliament fails to reflect a progressive mindset and continues with the ‘ship em’ out’ philosophy delivered to the Windrush generation. Shouldn’t a true democracy translate the tolerant views of its people? Perhaps this is an indication of the improvements that need to be made in society.

The Bill inadvertently treats those not born in Britain as lesser than, unprotected and ultimately disposable. It is now being debated in the House of Lords after being discussed for only 9 minutes in the House of Commons. Parliament will only consider petitions that get more than 110,000 signatures for another debate.

The Bill has received nearly triple that in a petition for its review. Whatever parliament does next will be influenced by the nation rallying against the Bill.

Paying attention to national news is imperative to the shaping of our democracy.

If this article has moved you to sign up for the petition to stop the Nationality and Borders Bill, search petition.parliament.uk !

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8 FEBRUARY 2022

The SOAS Spirit's Take on Solidarity

Opinion

Soupidarity: Why Food Aid Needs More Solidarity, Not Charity

Food banks are now a permanent fixture of the UK welfare system. (Credit: The Trussell Trust )

Rachel Coxon, BA Economics and Politics By compensating for austerity measures, organisations like food banks enable policymakers to construct food poverty as a matter of charity rather than a political obligation.

When Britain’s first soup kitchens emerged in the early 1800s, they were immediately controversial. There was no shortage of need; with Britain in the throes of an industrial revolution, hunger was practically a hallmark of urban life.

Yet, Victorian society despised them, arguing that such aid would encourage ‘dependency’. The suggested remedy for this: the workhouse, in which punitive conditions of labour would allegedly deter any but the ‘truly destitute’ from applying for relief. Of course, what could make the profligate poor work if not the immediate threat of starvation?

As much as I would like to avoid historical reductionism, I cannot help but think that in the two hundred years since the public debate of food poverty began, not much has changed.

In our current era of neoliberalism, the ‘dependency’ argument serves to justify the rolling back of welfare.

One needs only look to the idea of the ‘welfare queen’ to see this. In much the same way that we have returned to a workhouse-adjacent social safety net, charities are once again picking up the slack for the welfare state. This time around, it is the Foodbank, not the soup kitchen, which is the focus of public discussion.

Unsurprisingly, the 2008 financial crisis followed by the

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welfare reforms of 2013 (not to mention the pandemic 2020) rendered the UK food system unnavigable. Food Banks serve as a response to the violence of austerity: situated in basements and church halls across the UK, their primary role is in the provision of emergency food parcels in the event of delays or reductions in benefits.

The majority of these food banks belong to the Trussell Trust, a charitable organisation, though a few are independent. However, as much as they intended to be a temporary fixture in a wider system, some 15 years after the first branch opened, food banks are now a permanent fixture of the UK welfare system.

"The practises of a colonising state should not be left in the dark" And herein lies the dilemma: while it is true that food banks should not exist and should not have to exist, their very existence is the means through which welfare was rolled back in the first place. By compensating for austerity measures, organisations like food banks enable policymakers to construct food poverty as a matter of charity rather than a political obligation.

The ability to access food is framed not as a right but as a gift, only given to those most ‘deserving’ of it.

At the core of this dilemma is the nature of charity and its dynamics; a giver and a receiver, one with more and the other with less, a moral judgement. The Trussell Trust, which is responsible for a wide network of food banks across the UK, has long been criticised for its use of a voucher system as a means of establishing ‘genuine need’.

This practice betrays a moral judgement, it is a means to distinguish the ‘deserving’ from the ‘undeserving’ according to arbitrary criteria. In this sense, the charitable organisation is merely taking on the role of the neo-liberal state. The discourses of charity constructed within foodbank practises, whether intentional or not, serve to uphold and further embed neoliberal ideologies of welfare.

In spite of all of this, I am not arguing that food banks should cease to exist, nor am I arguing that they are irredeemable. Put simply, my argument is as follows: in order to address the fundamental injustices in the food system, food aid organisations need to move away from principles of charity and towards solidarity. Practically, this could mean moving beyond voucher systems and instead embracing selfreferral and unconditional giving.

In smaller independent and community food banks, much of this has already been achieved through involving people experiencing food insecurity in the design of food aid systems. Importantly, solidarity is recognising that food aid should not be conditional, it is merely returning to people what has been stolen through the cruelty of welfare reform.

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Opinion

The SOAS Spirit's Take on Strikes:

8 FEBRUARY 2022

Freedom for Amal Nahkleh!

A photograph of Amal Nahkleh (Credit: Alarabiya News)

Panagiotis Gkagkatsis, PhD in Law Amal Nahkleh is a 17-year-old Palestinian who is being unethically detained in an Israeli prison. Amal suffers from a severe autoimmune system disease that’s called 'gravis.'

Gravis is a neuromuscular illness that destroys the communication between the neurons and the muscles, resulting in weakness of the skeletal muscles and acute paralysis of the voluntary muscles (i.e. eyes, mouth, throat, limbs). This is a situation that does not seem to be preoccupying the Israeli occupation forces.

This article is aiming to raise concern about the terrifying acts of settler occupation and of an imperialist state - the state of Israel - alongside making Amal’s story heard.

Amal was arrested on 2 November 2020 when police forces raided the car he was in with his friends, resulting in arrests. Amal’s parents paid his bail so that he could be set free, however the military prosecutor suspended his release and extended his detention period in prison, due to ‘confidential information.’

This is information that has not been shared with Amal’s lawyers and family goes against basic elements of the rule of law. Israeli forces put Amal in 'administrative detention'.

The prosecutor recalled evidence of Amal throwing stones at an Israeli tank when he was 14. You read it right, stones at a tank at the age of 14 seemed to be sufficient cause to hold and detain an ill person in prison. As I am writing this article, Amal’s detention was extended until mid-May. Administrative detention was a common habit during the

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rule of the British Empire and is still in widespread use by the Israeli occupation forces. Israeli law states that this type of captivity cannot last for longer than six months, however it does not set a limit on the times that it can be renewed - a convenient legal loophole that serves the inhumane practises of the Israeli state towards Palestinians.

More than 500 Palestinians are currently being held under administrative detention. Jessica Montell, the leader of an Israeli human rights group suggests that as of September 2021 six minors were being held under administrative detention.

Amal’s situation however differs due to his medical condition. His family, who is rarely allowed to see him, states that Amal had trouble breathing and moving during the military court proceedings. Amal cannot be vaccinated against Covid19 and is at grave risk since prison settings are not ideal to treat autoimmune diseases such as gravis.

His father Muamar added that ‘we are all very worried about his health’. The United Nations Relief Work Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) has called for the immediate release of Amal due to his health being at great risk.

During the trial of Amal, the detainee told the judge that if he does not rule on his immediate release he is going to start a hunger strike, something that will deteriorate his already exhausted body. All of these alarming and disheartening facts are not enough for the Israeli state to order the teenager’s release back to his family, where he can receive adequate treatment and love.

This is just one example of the many cases of systematic

and consistent mistreatment and torture of Palestinian people and children from Israeli occupation forces. According to a previous report from the 'Defense for Children International-Palestine' organisation, an average of 204 Palestinian children are held in prison every month. In 2021, Israeli forces killed 73 children using arbitrary force. Amal’s situation is a show of the brutality and vindictiveness towards Palestinian people.

"The practises of a colonising state should not be left in the dark" Voices from all over the world become louder and louder each year as Israeli forces continue their occupation of Palestinian lands and systematically engage in human rights violations. The state of Israel is defending these accusations with vague statements which are in complete contrast with international legal treaties. In an era where colonisation - in the sense that we know it - is over, Israel keeps exercising settler-occupation in another country. The results of this are evident.

Amal’s story needs to be heard and it needs to be heard now. His immediate release is basic adherence to humane principles and respect for international legislation. The practises of a colonising state should not be left in the dark.

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Features

8 FEBRUARY 2022 http://soasspirit.co.uk/category/features/ FEATURES EDITOR: Zaynab Mufti

Features

The SOAS Agony Aunt: Your Problems, (Occasionally) Helpful Solutions

Agony Aunt is back and in the form of Kit King. (Credit: Millie Weighton Glaister)

Kit King, BA Languages and Cultures and Arabic Q. ’Dear Agony Aunt, I must confess - I strongly believe SAaW is scamming us. Let me explain. On the SU page and in a couple of emails from SAaW, there exists an advert of sorts for 'light-box therapy' in Room SL48. But that room simply does not exist! It's present on all the signs and on the SOAS map, but unfortunately remains confined to its written form.

Since my first week at uni, I have hunted for this room in search of some personal photosynthesis time, but I simply cannot find it. When asked, the staff simply point me in the general direction of the careers office or towards the yellow armchairs in that area. I'm in agony without my daily dose of sunlight between classes. Especially now that the days are shorter. Please help!

Sans-heureusement, Your sad potted friend.’

Dear reader, The language you’ve used - notably ‘personal photosynthesis time’ and describing yourself as ‘potted’ - suggests you are a very sentient, literate plant. If you are an actual plant, then your owner needs to put you in a sunnier spot, but, if you are in fact a real human person just seeking some vitamin D, go outside, bathe in the sun and do some self care babe. Supplements are also a good alternative.

Long story short, you don’t need a light-box to catch some rays, the sun is free and the days are now getting longer. Stick a warm jacket on and go for a long walk.

Avec-heureusement, Agony Aunt

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Q. ‘Dating international students?’

Dear reader, Yes, you should.

Q. ‘How does one have a successful dating life at SOAS (preferably via the library)?’

Dear reader, Follow these steps to the letter my friend and I can guarantee you will find love. I’m picturing you sitting in an ambiently lit corner of the library. Floor B, to be exact.

You’re mysteriously reading an old classic novel in a rarely spoken language that you actually don’t understand, but you read it to look cool. Your hair is softly blowing in the breeze coming from a nearby open window. The only sounds that can be heard are the turning of pages and the scurrying of the SOAS mouse infestation. The partner of your dreams is at the adjacent book shelves, searching for content for an essay that was due six days ago. They pick up a book and reach for their wire-framed glasses, only to find them not there. You see their panicked search from the corner of your eye and notice a pair on the floor. ‘Looking for these?’ you ask as you gently place them in their hands. A wave of relief washes over their face. Your hands briefly touch and a Hotel Transylvania-esque spark moment occurs. You hit it off and end up spending hours together, talking about everything and nothing. You come to find that they are insanely boring and get off with their flatmate that same night in the smoking area of the JCR.

I think this is quite a universal SOAS experience, one that I have certainly struggled with so don’t worry, you are not alone amigo. While I can’t give you advice on how to navigate the mitigating circumstances system or how to deal with ADHD because I am in no way a psychologist, I can tell you that one good way to get your essays done quickly is to simply get someone else to do them for you.* Alternatively, we could do what SOAS students do best and stage a massive protest outside on the steps against management and the unsatisfactory level of student support they provide. Either way, I wish you well and hope things start looking up. <3 *This is plagiarism, please do not genuinely do this.

To see your question, query, quandary, or qualm answered in the next issue of the SOAS Spirit, scan the QR code and complete the anonymous Google Form!

Love and Peace, Agony Aunt.

For questions and worries about mitigating circumstances, deadlines and assessments people can get free, confidential & independent advice and support from the SU via the Advice Caseworker https://soasunion.org/support/academic/

Q. ‘How do we tell university that our deadline extensions still aren’t enough, I am STRUGGLING and am literally so behind and have severe ADHD and soas is like “babe, deal with it ;)” HONEY I THINK I'M HAVING A HEART ATTACK PLEASE HELP’ Dear reader,

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Features

8 FEBRUARY 2022

Artemis’ Amman

Marhaba and welcome to Artemis’ Amman. In this column, I aim to bring to light questions relating to heritage, legacy and history. Over this year, we will look at how they interconnect in Amman, Jordan where I am doing my Arabic year abroad. I hope to use the medium of storytelling to look at political and social issues through a personal and therefore, focused, lens.

Water, the Desert and Dessert Artemis Sianni-Wedderburn, BA Hons Politics and Arabic Ahlan wa Sahlan - over the past few months, we have shared music, cinema, and art together in Jordan. In this instalment of the column, I hope to explore the effect that Jordan's rich heritage continues to have on its present and future, as striking historical sites simultaneously awe and provoke questions related to identity.

Jordan finds a way to stay true to self whilst keeping up with the rest of the world, seen through Amman's water collection system and the country's favourite dessert. An addictive fusion of cheese and pistachio nuts, ‘knafeh’ - like Jordan - fills the heart first then the stomach.

survival. The downside of an economy that depends on tourism is that when it stops, so do the livelihoods of its dependents.

Water The walls in Petra demonstrate unique mineral deposits, showcasing the natural flow of water throughout the ancient city. The Nabateans who built Petra were exceptionally clever in designing water collection systems and waterways, harnessing often violent storms that plagued the region to collect the water. This past week, Amman has been bitterly cold - so cold that classes were moved online and grocery stores closed.

As the snow melted, the water flowed downwards through the city to water cisterns, filling the dams to 26.77 per cent capacity. Amman's governorate even issued a mandate urging people not to litter so that the water could flow unobstructed. Making use of geography to survive in an arid land is a practice that began with the Nabateans - and continues in modern day Amman.

Wadi Rum My mum sits at the top of the rugged terrain in the Wadi Rum desert - pensive. Her position mimics that of the Bedouins that we had coffee with later that afternoon - legs crossed and heart hospitable. Over a cup of cardamominfused coffee, our bedouin guide showed me his TikTok account - TikTok has reached the Jordanian desert. It primarily involved him drinking coffee in various desert locations.

The bedouin are a historically nomadic people, living in tents. That being said, TikTok requires a charged phone and traditional bedouin tents do not have power sockets. A shift has occurred and when it comes to the preservation of culture, TikTok is as good a medium as any.

haven of 'Cailv Kailun’, with young people at the forefront in what a souk merchant described as a "novelty" after the pandemic.

While hoarding toilet paper is now a thing of the past, the newfound environmental consciousness - particularly amongst young people - is not. Secondhand clothing and responsible sourcing of fashion is a step in the right direction, even if it's shopping for Christmas in Dubai.

Souk Al Jumaa (Credit: Artemis Sianni-Wedderburn)

Petra (Credit: Artemis Sianni-Wedderburn)

Petra Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage site, frequently described as the ‘red-rose city.’ It was originally built by the Nabateans around the third century and later abandoned in the eighth century. Now in 2022, the ancient city is a centre of mass-tourism.

In 2021, Petra experienced a 118 per cent increase in tourism with the number of hotel rooms set to almost double by the end of 2022. The pandemic however devastated many who depend on tourism for work, meaning the next tourist seasons have to make up for losses.

At the site, visitors are warned against going to the top of the treasury; it is illegal for structural integrity reasons. High levels of footfall would result in the collapse of a monument around 2000 years old.

Whilst visiting Petra earlier last year, I was offered by three different guides to make the trip to the top for roughly £40 - the price of heritage does not compare with that of

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Knafeh (Credit: Artemis Sianni-Wedderburn)

Wadi Rum (Credit: Artemis Sianni-Wedderburn)

Souk Al Jumaa Weekends in Jordan start with the phrase ‘Hala bil Khamis,’ translating to ‘Welcome Thursday’ - the Middle East's response to ‘TGIF.’ Alongside Thursday, Amman residents welcome the opening of the ‘Souk Al-Jumaa’ (Friday market). Jordanian and non-Jordanian alike flock to this

Knafeh Knafeh is a traditional desert in the Middle East and the countries surrounding the Mediterranean ocean, delectably blending cheese and pistachio with history. The pastry can be customised in a variety of ways, most famously (and deliciously) in ‘Knafeh Nabulsiyeh’, originating from Nablus in Palestine.

The popularity of this version of knafeh in Amman is reflective of the fact that more than half of Jordan’s 6.3 million population is of Palestinian origin. There is always room for dessert.

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Features

8 FEBRUARY 2022

Migrateful: Empowering and Celebrating Refugees and Migrants Through Cookery Classes

Chef Elahe and Chef Parastoo guide participants in making Iranian recipes (Credit: Fede Rivas)

Carina Low, MSc Development Studies Migrateful’s mission is to support refugees and migrants with their integration in the UK. It does this by helping them lead cookery classes where they teach their home country’s cuisine. Founded in 2017, Migrateful now hosts classes in four cities - London, Bristol, Kent and, most recently, Brighton.

Chefs are provided with training, opportunities to build employability, language skills, confidence, and the chance to be part of a supportive network.

The concept for Migrateful came about at a skill exchange project for refugee women in East London, set up by the charity’s founder, Jess Thompson. During discussions, it was clear that most of these women faced barriers to work despite their eagerness and, for many, experience and qualifications. This had left them socially and economically isolated.

Cooking appeared to be a shared ability amongst much of the group and as they sat sharing with each other about their different traditional dishes, the Migrateful idea was born: ‘the cooking skills of refugee and migrant communities, combined with our universal love of food, could be harnessed to bring people together.’

The organisation is represented by its community of 52 chefs hailing from a number of different countries including Jamaica, Nigeria, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Eritrea, and China. Among them are mother and daughter duo, Elahe and Parastoo. They were forced to leave Iran in 2006 after the political situation became dangerous. Although Elahe had spent seven years training to be a psychologist, she struggled

to find employment in the UK because of language barriers and because her qualifications were not recognised.

She was one of the women in the aforementioned skills exchange project and hosted the first ever Migrateful class making Baba Ganoush on camping stoves. She shares that, ‘Not being able to communicate and meet people were the biggest barriers to integration I faced when I arrived in the UK…Migrateful is really helping me find purpose. At our cookery classes, the people I meet seem so excited to talk to me and now I feel really welcome in this country.'

Parastoo started assisting her mother when she met challenges finding work after graduating from university with a nutrition degree. She explains that, ‘Iranian food is very colourful and takes attention and time to prepare. I grew up eating my mum’s food and feel very inspired by her creative and bold cooking. Cooking together has brought us even closer. I feel very proud when we get a chance to share our Iranian food.’ Now Parastoo hosts her own classes as well as continuing to work alongside Elahe.

Another long standing member of the charity’s community is Ahmed. He was a Red Cross paramedic who was paralyzed when shot during the war in his home nation of Lebanon, leading him to flee. Ten years on, as well as regularly training class participants in making Moussaka and Tabbouleh, he takes part in the UK wheelchair basketball championships and has starred in The Russell Howard Hour representing Migrateful. He believes that, ‘life has many different stages. One moment you’re up and in the blink of your eye you’re down. But you must never give up. Every

stage involves a new version of you. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. What’s happened to me in my life has taught me that sometimes life throws strange things at you.

I believe life gives you the message for a reason, only time shows you the meaning of this message. I feel very grateful for my life. I know that I’m still better off than a lot of other people.’

As well as being powered by its chefs, the organisation wouldn’t be able to run without its volunteers. Over the years, they have helped to make a difference to the lives of so many of the Migrateful family through their essential support in the smooth running of classes. To recognise and celebrate this, an initiative has been introduced where valued ‘class sidekicks’' receive a variety of rewards. These include class vouchers, Migrateful aprons, and exclusive events (e.g. regular parties to welcome new recruits and celebrate everyone's hard work), not to mention the dishes enjoyed after every class when the chef, facilitator, participants, and volunteers sit round a table to share food, reflections, and stories.

With the newly launched Brighton location, an increasing number of advocates (including Meghan Markle and Jamie Oliver) and a growing community of chefs and alumni, the future looks bright for the Migrateful family.

Migrateful’s regular public and private classes take place in London, Bristol, Kent and Brighton, to book, buy vouchers or enquire, visit www.migrateful.org Volunteers sign up for six week cycles as part of the Orange Onion Club, to apply or find information, visit bit.ly/ orangeonionclub

The Rise of NFTs in The Contemporary Art World: Singapore Art Week Alex Lew, BA History of Art & Archaeology Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been booming, particularly in city-state Singapore. NFTs can be anything digital in the blockchain world - a painting, an art piece, or an autograph.

The majority of NFTs are linked to the Ethereum blockchain.

The current NFT craze sees huge sums of money being spent on ‘Bored Apes,’ a collection of 10,000 avatars featuring variations of a bored-looking cartoon ape.

NFTs are a highly risky investment. The market is built on proof of exclusive ownership, which is mainly important for bragging rights and the possibility of selling the NFT in the future.

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Singapore Art Week 2022 is a celebration of Singapore's visual arts, as well as local and regional artists, and is in its tenth year of development. This year, blockchain platform Tezos is presenting NFT artwork from some of Asia's top digital artists, which is a first.

Titled ‘NFTs: The New North Star,’ the Asia-centric NFT collection, held at the S.E.A. Focus gallery space, features works minted from over 15 digital artists from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, India, and Brunei.

Terence Lo, an avid Bitcoin and cryptocurrency enthusiast, says that he is happy that cryptocurrencies and NFTs have picked up and more people are accepting digital forms of payment. Today's mesmerising exhibition is a testament to the infinite possibility of the art work.

These days though, NFTs have impacted the art world from the ground up approach and have given an opportunity to all. But, they have also created concern about money laundering. Critics have claimed that NFTs are just ‘one inflated balloon’ built on celebrity culture and have no inherent value.

Ten years ago it would seem impossible to turn to a platform like TikTok for investment advice. Times have changed, and now, people flock to experts online for advice and do their own research on social media.

The constellation-themed collection aims to empower artists of various professions, with themes ranging from nostalgic 90’s comic book designs, to conventional aesthetics.

Singapore Art Week took place from 14 January to 23 January 2022.

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Features

8 FEBRUARY 2022

What Can You Do As a SOAS Student to #FreePalestine?

SOAS Palestine Society

Do you really care about Palestinians? Or did you quieten down when the momentum faded after the world forgot about Sheikh Jarrah and Gaza last summer?

Do you really care about Palestine? Or do you just wear your kuffiyeh, turn up to your Palestine module, and call it a day?

If you want to know how to show your solidarity, then here’s what you can do. The simple answer is to respond to what Palestinians have collectively asked from you.

Palestinian civil society has called on the international community to support our cause by doing three basic things.

These are to boycott Israeli institutions and products, divest from Israeli companies and corporations and sanction the Israeli state.

So, you may want to know how you can apply this at SOAS. We, at the SOAS Palestine Society, are taking the ‘B’ from BDS and campaigning for SOAS to commit to an academic boycott. This would mean that SOAS ends its complicit partnerships with any and all Israeli institutions.

Despite SOAS branding itself as a decolonised university, it has a history of partnering with Israeli institutions. Previously, SOAS had a partnership with the Hebrew University where they sent students studying Modern Hebrew during their year abroad. Once they ended this contract, they immediately entered into a five-year contract beginning 2020/2021

with Haifa University. This is the institution we are now calling for SOAS to cut ties with.

So, why boycott Haifa University? Haifa University takes a political stance and actively upholds Israeli violence in several ways. In fact, its very existence is reflective of what Israel was founded on: the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and the destruction of their land.

Haifa University, located in the city of Haifa which saw its population reduced from 61,000 to 4,000, was built on the old Palestinian village of Al-Khureiba, which was attacked

by Zionist troops and reduced to rubble in April 1948 during the Nakba.

Haifa University also has a very friendly relationship with the Israeli military. It grants special benefits to student soldiers, manages three military colleges, and recently secured a tender with the IOF to organise higher education courses for future military intelligence officers, offering them direct support by having a military base on campus.

It institutionally discriminates against Palestinian students through racist housing policies, expelling Palestinian students for political activism, and banning them from raising the Palestinian flag during events and demonstrations.

So, what have we done as the SOAS Palestine Society to combat this?

We have actively been pushing for SOAS to end this relationship with Haifa University since we learned of its formation. We have been in conversation with members of

the academic board to discuss the possibility of an academic boycott since last summer. So far, the meetings have been very debate-oriented, which we deem to be a pathetic excuse for solidarity and action on the part of the institution.

This is proof that our university sees solidarity with the Palestinian people as something that can be theoretically discussed, not actually implemented. We have been working on mobilising students across campus to raise consciousness about our campaign. While we find it important to continue to make the case for academic boycott, we want to emphasise the power that we hold as students.

There are things that you can do to show your solidarity at SOAS - these may seem small but will speak volumes. You can start by joining the Palestine Society and come along to some of our weekly meetings where we organise for the campaign. You can also buy one of our #BoycottHaifaU T-shirts and wear them around campus.

Our campaign stickers are also available to be stuck around SOAS, emphasising our presence as a society and what we stand for. You can also sign our petition in favour of an academic boycott, which we will be presenting to the Board of Trustees. The more signatures we obtain, the more it shows SOAS that we do not stand for this blatant normalisation with Israel and insulting disregard for Palestinian lives.

There is no excuse. This is the bare minimum. Join us in demanding that SOAS #BoycottHaifaU.

chilli quantity can be changed to taste, and though it is best with fresh chilli, I normally just use chilli flakes as that’s what I have around. Finally, as mentioned, the spices are rough measurements. It is always safer to go with a little too much than a little too little.

These proportions serve at least two, if not three people as a dip (although, for reference, I can easily eat the whole thing in one sitting alone if I’m hungry enough); and three or four as a pasta sauce.

this point. This should take two or three minutes.

Once sizzling, add in the boiled aubergine and leave in the pan with a lid on until the aubergine is soft, almost melty, this takes around ten minutes, but it is always better to go by texture rather than timings.

Cut the tomato in half and place on top of the aubergine mix in the pan, cut side facing down. Once the skin starts to blister and peel, gently pinch the skin and peel it off (I use my hand for this but if it’s too hot you can use a knife or fork).

Once all the skin is off, use a spatula to roughly chop up the tomato and mix into the aubergine.

An alternative method for the tomato would be to score a cross into its skin, place it into a bowl of hot water and leave for five-ish minutes. The skin will peel at the score, remove it from the water, peel off the skin, dice and throw into the aubergine mix. This works perfectly well, I just find it takes longer.

Leave for a minute or two, then go in with a potato masher and mash everything together. Mash for longer than you think, it should be a real arm workout. I never whizz it up, as I think the beauty is in the rough mashing, however if you want it to be the consistency of baby food then, by all means, whizz away.

If it is still a little watery, leave it simmering, uncovered, until it reduces down. It should be a little thicker than baba ganoush.

Once as thick and smooth as you can get it, turn off the heat and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.

Finally drizzle with a bit of olive oil and serve with bread or traditional moroccan salads.

Moroccan Zaalouk Recipe

Moroccan Zaalouk (Credit: Idris/My Moorish Plate)

Amelia Casey-Rerhaye, BA Arabic My personal favourite way to eat it is smothered on a thick piece of bread – it also works amazingly with goat's cheese and maybe a squeeze of lemon, or in a sandwich. My dad once even mixed it in with a spoonful of pasta water and used it as a pasta sauce. It lasts a good three to five days in the fridge, so don’t be scared to make a big batch and eat it throughout the week.

It should be noted that getting a comprehensible recipe out of any one member of my Moroccan family is almost impossible. It’s always ‘a little bit of this’ and a ‘pinch or two of that’ and ‘well of course you put garlic and cumin in, why would I even have to mention them.’ So forgive the recipe if the measurements are not exact. The best measurement of olive oil I received was ‘a lot.’ I have translated this to at least five tablespoons, however I usually just go by what feels right, and all recipes should be adjusted to the cook's preferences anyway.

Accordingly, no one Zaalouk recipe is ever the same. Each family makes it their own way. Some people grill the aubergine instead of boiling it, some use different spice mixes and even my grandmother’s and my dad's versions differ. I’m not sure if it was ever meant to have any black pepper in it, but we have always used it and I think it adds a lovely warmth.

For this reason, I need to mention a few little things that can be changed depending on what you own.

When I first came to university, I only owned smoked paprika. This is fine, just use half a teaspoon of smoked paprika and ignore the normal paprika. This adds a smoky flavour to the dip, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The

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Ingredients: 1 Aubergine 1 Fresh Tomato 5 tbsp Olive Oil ½ tsp Cumin ½ tsp Paprika ¼ tsp Smoked Paprika 4-5 Cloves of Garlic 1 Fresh Chilli or a tsp of Chilli Flakes 1 Small Bunch of Parsley Method: Dice the aubergine into small-ish cubes and boil in salted water until just soft and spongy (if they go a bit softer than expected don’t worry too much as they are going to be mashed later anyway). Drain well and leave in the colander to allow the steam to evaporate while you prepare the other ingredients.

Put the oil, spices and garlic into a pan on medium heat.

Leave them until the aromatics come alive and start to sizzle.

The scent of cumin should be starting to fill the kitchen at

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8 FEBRUARY 2022 http://soasspirit.co.uk/category/culture/ Culture Editor: Mat Hick

Culture

Culture

The Myth of Girlboss Influencers: Molly-Mae says work harder!

Molly-Mae Hague filming the Diary of a CEO podcast. (Credit: YouTube/The Diary Of A CEO)

Anisah Mahamoud, BA

International Relations

Molly-Mae Hague of Love Island has been blasted for being insensitive after making statements on the Diary of a CEO podcast about how ‘strong’ her potential in climbing the corporate ladder was. PrettyLittleThing (PLT) appointed her as creative director in 2021, and she stated that she will go to ‘whatever length’ to succeed.

The concept of ‘everyone has the same 24 hours in a day’ is not new; it has origins in 20th-century individualism and meritocracy, as well as the conviction that the more you work, the more successful you will be.

Influencer culture revolves around this concept. It appears democratic because anyone may create a social network account. Not only do beauty standards play a big role in Instagram's visual economy, but the amount of money and time you put into creating an aspirational environment can be the difference between relative obscurity and internet celebrity.

That's not even taking into account who gets what external opportunities. You can spend years and thousands of pounds on perfecting your look in order to be placed on programmes like Love Island, but the bulk of candidates, including Hague, are now requested to apply.

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Her job as a creative director at PrettyLittleThing pays her a wealthy sum yet the company is a well-known exploiter of its garment workers, having been chastised for paying employees as little as £3.50 an hour in Leicester to create the items she advertises. Who is Hague to tell people they aren't 'working hard' enough when her money is built on the exploitation of these garment workers?

"Her job as a creative director at PrettyLittleThing pays her a wealthy sum, yet the company is a wellknown exploiter of its garment workers, having been chastised for paying employees as little as £3.50 an hour in Leicester to create the items she advertises."

Many garment workers, including those employed by PLT, work in hazardous environments, with factories routinely failing to meet basic health and safety requirements. During

the pandemic, these factories were a hotbed for Covid-19 due to overcrowding and a shortage of facemasks, hand sanitizer, and sanitary toilets. It's no surprise that garment manufacturers had a higher rate of Covid-19 mortality than other industries, with sewing machinists four times as likely to die as their counterparts in other industries. Surprisingly, women from diverse ethnic backgrounds are disproportionately represented among those working in these appalling conditions.

Hague’s beliefs are representative of a broader Thatcherite ideology that has been around for years and has been internalised by generations of individuals. The belief that people can work themselves out of poverty is a Conservative myth that ignores underlying disparities and defends political decisions like successive Conservative Governments' lack of assistance to the working classes.

The notion that simple hard work can lift you out of poverty implies that poverty is a choice based on laziness, and it is founded on a damaging, reductionist, individualistic worldview that demonstrates stunning ignorance about inequality and privilege. Perhaps it is time to channel our indignation at Hague into a critical examination of our government, which promotes the same mindset, with hazardous policy ramifications that continue to widen the chasm in our society.

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Culture

8 FEBRUARY 2022

How to Live a Jellicle Life: An Interview with Linus Karp

The poster for Karp's How to Live a Jellicle Life: Life Lessons From the Hit Movie Musical Cats. (Credit: Linus Karp)

Mat Hick, MA Music Following two sold out runs of his solo show ‘How to Live a Jellicle Life: Life Lessons From the Hit Movie Musical Cats,’ Linus Karp is embarking on a 21 venue tour of the show including a performance at the Two Brewers in Clapham on 11 March! Ahead of the tour, I spoke to Linus about all things Jellicle, and how the show creates an interactive space for community and Queerness.

Q. So, I suppose the easiest place to start is to tell us about the show!

I find that really hard actually, to define it; it is a powerpoint presentation, sort of like a TED Talk vibe, about how you can live a more Jellicle life by looking at all the cats in ‘Cats,’ and how you can be more like them. I mean, there are also loads of details like various games, dancing, and queer moments.

Q. What was it about the movie ‘Cats’ that got stuck in your brain the way it did?

I mean I just love it and I’ve never seen anything like it; I just watched it and it kind of took over my life, I could not stop thinking about it. And I just wanted to know everything from a filmmaking perspective like, how did this happen? And why did this happen? There were so many choices in it that were so weird and questionable and wonderful. And also, if this is the truth and this is the world they live in, what does it look like? Like, what do the cats do?

How do they relate to each other? If this is what cats look like, what do the humans look like and what do the dogs look like? Why do certain cats have certain relationships with each other? Why do some of them work well together even though there is nothing to gain from it? I just wanted to explore the full world; the Jellicle society.

Q. The movie was so negatively reviewed, did that impact your choice?

I do not think so. Maybe subconsciously I will choose to like things that others do not, but it was not a deliberate decision. I think that it was fascinating; ‘Cats’ is not the greatest film you’ve ever seen but it’s not the worst

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one either, it became a competition of slagging it off as much as possible and people wanted it to fail because it was a big Oscar-winning director and a musical theatre legend doing this thing. And, with an all-star cast and all this money going into it, people relished in it flopping. Which I guess is understandable, but it’s also not as bad as people made it out to be.

Basically, there are many questionable things in it, and I actually like the visual effects, but many of them are very weird and inconsistent. But it is not the worst film you have ever seen. I think what really makes it interesting is that it is so good and bad at the same time. It is visually great, if inconsistent, and the performers and music have the visuals and really bad dialogue on top of it as well. People can compare it to films like ‘The Room’ or ‘Rocky Horror’ but these films did not have the same things going for it as this film did; I would say there has never been a flop on this scale before.

Q. What was the process of adapting such a complex film to a solo show that includes so much media?

It was probably freeing because I can talk about whatever I want.

Like, there is a section in the show where I focus on Taylor Swift and her music and how you can see ‘Cats’ references in that, if you choose to! I think things like that, you have such a vast smorgasbord of things to pick from and I could easily have made the show a lot longer if I had wanted to. But, I wanted to make it as interesting and accessible to people who aren’t as big Jellicle nerds as I am.

Q. Outside of Cats, what were other influences that shaped the show and the creative process?

At the time I was also watching a lot of ‘The Simpsons,’ and the silly sense of humour they have in the first 10 seasons or so, hopefully some of that comes through as well, because the show is very playful and stupid. I created the show in lockdown and wanted something that was escapism and that would also bring the audience together.

So, it was more of a joint experience rather than someone just watching the show and then leaving - they actually get to do and experience something together. I was really missing the theatre community, so I wanted to created a show that brought people together, and I wanted to make it very Queer.

Q. What are things for you that define a Jellicle life or your Jellicle community?

It is funny because the word Jellicle doesn’t really have a meaning, like, when T.S. Eliot wrote the poems it’s based on, I think his niece was trying to say ‘Dear Little Cat’ and it came out sounding like Jellicle Cat. And in the lyrics in ‘Cats’ they are saying all the things a Jellicle Cat can do, but never define what it is. So I think I decided, if these are the Jellicle Cats, what they do must be Jellicle, so let's take a look at what they do so that we can be Jellicle as well. Whatever their actions are, they are Jellicle, so, how can we live our Jellicle lives the way they do?

Q. As an undefined work it’s an imaginative space for you to interpret their actions as a way of defining what that word is, but also leaves things quite open to interpretation?

It is nice to have something that is unclear in a way - you get to define it the way you want. Or, rather, I do not think my show would share T.S. Eliot’s meaning or what they wanted to say with the work. But it’s interesting when you take something and put your own spin on it, you colour it with your own world, and your own thoughts and imagination, and political beliefs.

Q. I suppose the openness of Jellicle creates a space for you to work those meanings in, so, as a performer how were you able to incorporate aspects of Queer culture and your own identity into being a Jellicle Cat? I think this is the Queerest show I have done and I really wanted to create something that was as Queer as possible. Queerness has also influenced my work but this more than ever. And I guess the show is about ‘Cats’ but I want to make it personal; my identity is important to me and so I wanted to include that in the show.

Q. Finally, when are the tour dates and how can we support you?

The Two Brewers in Clapham on the 11 March, in Norwich on 2 February and Nottingham on 6 February. And on our social media @awkwardprods and @linuskarp, the link in either bio has links to tickets at all the venues and also CrowdFunder. We also have a Jellicle clothing range so you can announce it to the world around you!

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Culture

8 FEBRUARY 2022

Five Korean Designers You Must Know About in 2022

Left to right: Kyuyong Shin and Jisun Park of Blindness (Credit: Seoul Fashion Week) Minju Kim of MINJUKIM (Credit: MINJUKIM) Ko Taeyong of Beyond Closet (Credit: Beyond Closet)

Carlotta Rose Busetto, BA International Relations and Chinese

The rapid popularisation of Korean culture, also known as the ‘hallyu wave,’ has made itself ever more present nowadays. From the explosion of K-pop among young people, to the exponential rise in demand for Korean skincare, the made-in-Korea trademark is sinking deeper into the average person's wish list. The same can definitely be said for fashion.

More and more Korean designers have been showing at the major fashion weeks and many celebrities, like Rihanna, have been seen sporting their pieces. It's fair to say that Western audiences are starting to show a significant interest in what Korean designers have to offer. The purpose of this article is to uncover a part of fashion that has been hidden for too long, so, here is a compilation of 5 Korean designers based in Seoul challenging conventional approaches to dressmaking. Some are just beginning to make themselves heard in the industry, like Shin Kyuyong, Park Jisun of Blindness, and Minju Kim, while others have already established themselves as major players, such as Ko Taeyong of Beyond Closet and Han Hyunmin of MÜNN.

Jang Manwol in the K-drama ‘Hotel Del Luna’. One of their dresses, which was part of their Spring Summer 2020 collection ‘Flower Garden’, went viral online after Rosé of K-pop group BLACKPINK wore it for a performance in Fukuoka during the ‘In Your Area World Tour.’ But these are just a few mentions of Lang&Lu's impact in Korean entertainment.

Their designs have regularly appeared on variety shows, on idol's Instagram feeds, and even on red carpet events in South Korea. Graduating from Seoul's prestigious EWHA women's university, Park Miseon and Byun Hyejung took the brand into a route of personal reinvention, whereby buyers are urged into an individualistic way of dressing filled with bold colours and patterns. Through their designs they wish to ‘reject conventions’ and bring their ideas to a global level.

Their style combines playfulness with sensuality targeted at women with an age range between late 20s and 30s, who are ‘professional and cosmopolitan.’ As with many Korean designers, elements of Asian culture are definitely not missing, but are explored through a modernist lens. Although, Lang&Lu are not unknown in Korea, their designs are definitely going to stand out elsewhere, thanks to the millions of K-pop enthusiasts.

Minju Kim of MINJUKIM The name Minju Kim might sound familiar if you've watched Netflix's ‘Next in Fashion.’ After securing a first place win, from which she gained $250,000 and a place for her brand on Net-a-Porter, she is on route to making herself a household name in the industry. Graduating in fashion from the Samsung Art & Design Institute in Seoul and later on at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, she went on to win the H&M Design Award and to be shortlisted for the LMVH Young Fashion Designers Prize. Her talent has also been appreciated by the stylist teams of K-pop groups BTS and Red Velvet, for whom she has designed tour outfits and worked with on album promotions. As if that wasn't enough, her creations have featured in the popular K-drama ‘It's Okay Not to be Okay.’ The style backing her road to success centres itself in a ‘combination of youthful playfulness and avant-garde haute couture,’ which seeks to combine ‘bold silhouettes and femininity with a dominance of joyfulness.’

After her breakthrough on Netflix, we should expect to hear much more of Minju Kim in the future.

Ko Taeyong of Beyond Closet As mentioned earlier, Beyond Closet by Ko Taeyong is not unheard of. It has established itself as an internationally acclaimed menswear brand, whose most recent achievements include the Excellence Designer Award at the Korea Designer Fashion Awards and the Minister Prize at the Korea Federation of Textile Industries Awards in 2019. After winning the Designer of the Year award at the Premium Brand Awards in 2016, he went on to collaborate with Colette, the famous Parisian concept shop, for a collection based on simplicity, conceived to make casual-formal styling easier. Ko Taeyong talks about his designing intention being rooted in his brand's name: Beyond Closet. He wishes that his pieces might urge people to look through themselves, in particular through their personalities and lifestyle, to provoke a rethinking process to one's everyday approach to clothes. His style is based on American preppy influences, which feature wide colour ranges and ‘witty graphics.’ As BTS have frequently been spotted wearing his creations, Beyond Closet is probably already going through a rise in popularity amongst younger generations both within and outside South Korea.

Park Miseon and Byun Hyejung of Lang&Lu This brand would probably be unknown to you unless you are a K-pop fan. In fact, Lang&Lu, led by Park Miseon and Byun Hyejung, has established itself as a favourite of Korean entertainment companies and of K-idols themselves.

The designers' pieces were worn throughout Hyuna's ‘Flower Shower’ promotions, as well as throughout IU's ‘Blueming’ promotions and occasionally during her performance as

Kyuyong Shin and Jisun Park of Blindness Like the other designers mentioned here, who are quickly catching the eyes of conventionalists and non-conventionalists alike, Shin Kyuyong and Park Jisun of Blindness are among the few who are doing it through genderless fashion.

Made up of an interesting combination of a fashion graduate and furniture graduate from Hongik University, the brand has become sought-after by the major fashion weeks

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and events, and is well on the way to becoming a household name. Despite their outstanding achievements, which include a Best Designer award at Soul Fashion Week in 2018 and making it on the shortlist for the LMVH Prize in 2017, as well as their rapid success, Shin Kyuyong and Park Jisun shy away from collaborations with celebrities, as they say their prime focus is their genderless mission. In fact, their pieces symbolise an act of breaking gender norms in fashion through clothes that include a mixture of stereotypically feminine and masculine elements, such as pearls, ruffles and trousers. In fact, they often mask their models so the gender identity of the person underneath the garment is purposefully unclear. The designers' style also includes a refreshing combination of contemporary art and youth culture. Even though they avoid popularising their creations through influencers and other celebrities, Blindness is undoubtedly going to become one of the main exponents of genderless fashion.

Hyunmin Han of MÜNN Like Beyond Closet, MÜNN has secured its place at major fashion weeks, such as London and Milan Fashion Week, attracting the attention of international audiences. Led by Hyunmin Han, graduate of the Samsung Art and Design Institute in Seoul, the brand boasts numerous awards, including Best Designer of the Year award at Seoul Fashion Week in 2018 and the Asia Menswear award at the International Woolmark Prize in 2016. In a further boost to his success, in 2020 he collaborated with Mulberry for a bag collection featuring Korean flower motifs and other elements of Asian culture, and, later on in the year, he teamed up with the ‘Phantom of the Opera’ Musical in South Korea making masks. At the forefront of MÜNN's creative inspiration lies the expression ‘Luxurious Defamiliarisation,’ which is about pushing the boundaries of the ordinary. In fact, Hyunmin Han commits his approach to dressmaking through stitching in ways not thought of before, to reach a level of designing that is purely original and that rethinks traditional approaches to fashion. Creativity is key, as he aims for his pieces to take the dullness out of the everyday and to present audiences with fun and interesting alternatives. Sustainability is also one of his biggest aspirations. He hopes that through using materials that are made up of ‘50% of ecologically grown fabric’ MÜNN can play a role in limiting the devastating effects of the fashion industry on the environment. Animal rights are also significant to his creative mission, as the brand is committed to using cruelty free alternatives, such as faux fur and leather.

As Korean culture continues to make itself heard amongst audiences across the globe, the rock that has been hiding Korean fashion design for so long will be lifted completely in the next few years. It will gain more and more presence in the industry and it's quite possible that these 5 designers might be the ones to lead this change.

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& Societies 8Sports FEBRUARY 2022

7 DECEMBER 2020

Sports & Societies

https://soasspirit.co.uk/category/societiesandsport/ Sport & Societies Editor: Mahek Arora

Yarned and Dangerous

Members of the Conch Art Collective knitting (left) Yarned and Dangerous poster (right) (Credit: Conch Art Collective)

Anne-Kingsley Bishop, BA International Relations Most often when we think of knitting, we are constrained to a very popular perception of the craft. Imagine swathes of elderly white women sat in rocking chairs, needles in hand, yarn in lap, and a cat at their feet. In reality, as with all creative outlets, the contemporary base of knitters across the globe is actually far younger, blacker, and off the wall. From knitted bikinis to bucket hats, these skills have no bounds.

Conch Art Collective’s SOAS-based society aims to shine a light on this untold narrative and others, producing creative and intellectual events for those whose access may have been traditionally limited. After all, knitting is a skill easily enjoyed by all, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or class.

With intersectionality at its core, attendees of the art collective’s events are encouraged to abandon previous notions of creativity, self-growth, and intellectual credibility, instead of learning from those around them in an environment that values self-expression above all else.

Yarned and Dangerous, an event borne out of our cofounders’ love of the craft, was first held on the 21 January and is open to all. Friends of attendees and non-SOAS students are always welcome. In particular, the collective encourages beginners to attend and learn a new skill. Held in BG01 and also open to the public, there is little besides a lecture clash stopping SOASians from attending. Having

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spent so long in lockdown, many young people have the same desire to escape their bedrooms and explore creative and convivial spaces. Regular event releases, updates, and ways to get involved are posted on their Instagram @conchartcollective.

From knitted bikinis to bucket hats, these skills have no bounds.

Since 2021, the collective has hosted several successful online talks open to the public on issues like sexual preference, fast fashion, and overconsumption. Thus, in a bid to also encourage sustainable living practises, the collective aims to encourage more advanced knitters to move beyond expensive and mass-produced synthetic or animal yarns. Instead, led by the Conch team, future sessions will include a masterclass in using waste materials (plastic bags, netting, and fabric) as knitting materials. Yarned and Dangerous attendee, Francisco said of the Collective: ‘I've attended lots of Conch events before and I'm a sucker for anything creative. I'd never done any knitting but am now working on a balaclava for my girlfriend haha.’

Conch events are not to be missed, even if you despise knitting! The art collective’s values encourage discussion at all

opportunities, so if you want to attend, get caught up in knots and move on to describing whether neoliberalism has rendered collective action obsolete – we’ve got you. Their spaces aim to be as safe and supportive as possible, and attendees are reminded to be respectful and mindful of others and their experiences to ensure everyone in attendance feels at ease.

In the previous Yarned and Dangerous, knitters worked on an array of items, from scarves and sweaters to underwear and balaclavas.

Conch Art Collective was founded by three SOAS students during lockdown last year and has grown to host online and in-person events of 80+ attendees, as well as build a loyal online following of students, poetry lovers, and creatives.

Upcoming events include a self-care focused writing workshop with poet and inspirational speaker Andreena Leeanne, as well as various talks and film screenings to take place in Shoreditch, East London. These will take place in addition to our already highly successful and international poetry sessions held on Zoom every 2 weeks.

The collective offers a number of opportunities for students and creatives, providing internships, networking events, and acting as a platform for written and artistic work.

To learn more about getting involved with the collective’s work visit: conchartcollective.com or drop us an email at conchartcollective@gmail.com

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Sports & Societies

8 FEBRUARY 2022

Djokovic’s Short-Stay in Detention

Djokovic's visa was cancelled by Australian authorities. (Credit: xeno_sapie/Creative Commons)

Emily Dickinson-Holdcroft,

BA Social Anthropology

Serbian tennis player, Novak Djokovic, has continued to dominate many news headlines this week with his refusal to confirm his vaccination status in order to play at the Australian Open. He initially flew to Australia with a ‘vaccine exemption’, arriving in Melbourne on 5 January, 2022 and was denied entry to the country.

Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, has spoken publicly requiring Djokovic to present sufficient medical reasoning as to why he has not been vaccinated, or otherwise face deportation as his visa does not allow for medical exemptions.

Djokovic spent five days in hotel quarantine at the Park Hotel, which has been acting as a detention centre for asylum seekers for many years. After this, Judge Anthony Kelly ruled that the Australian government pay visa costs and Djokovic to be released from detention within thirty minutes.

Despite this apparent success, four days later immigration officer, Minister Alex Hawke, reestablished the penalty.

Although Djokovic appealed the decision once more, he lost his judicial review against the visa cancellation in his Sunday hearing and has since been deported from Australia. This deportation ruling also included a three year ban on applying for Australian visas, extending the consequences of Djokovic’s ‘anti-vaxxer’ sentiment.

Whilst Djokovic has brought to light an interesting discussion surrounding vaccine mandates and their social, legal consequences, his situation also highlighted those indefinitely stuck in Australian detention centres.

Many publications such as the Guardian, the BBC, and the NY Times have spoken to some of the 32 asylum seekers who are detained in the hotel described as a ‘torture cell’. Many of those that are currently living in the hotel were brought to Australia in 2019 from offshore processing islands under temporary medevac laws, having already been detained for a number of years.

Reports of the hotel have exposed deteriorating, inhumane conditions including meals with maggots being served to detainees, as well as a number of fires breaking out and causing harm to those inside.

During the pandemic the hotel was reported to be the centre of the outbreak of a second Covid-19 wave in Victoria, as well as a more recent Covid-19 outbreak in October and November that led to detainees testing positive and at times needing to be hospitalised.

The contrast between the outrage of Djokovic’s detention - first revised after just five days and acted on in the space of half an hour - in comparison to those detained for almost a decade, highlights the stark, unjust reality for those legally seeking safety.

Australia is a signatory of the UN refugee convention

and in need of migrants to continue building its economy.

Despite this, immigration policies are aggressive and harmful.

The government has been transferring asylum seekers offshore to Papua New Guinea and Nauru since 2012 yet most residents have been offered no settlement options.

One asylum seeker reported being illegally detained from 2013 to 2021, revealing the clear negligence and disregard for individuals. The consequences of these environments are drastic, leading to hunger strikes, self-harm, suicide, medical negligence deaths and endless rights violations.

Human Rights Watch spoke on the matter in July 2021 stating that ‘Australia’s abusive offshore processing policy has caused immeasurable suffering for thousands of vulnerable asylum seekers’, with similar criticisms coming from Amnesty International and many refugee activists.

Despite this negative commentary surrounding Australian immigration policies, it has been highlighted how many Australian elections have been won and lost over the topic of ‘boat people’, using the campaign ‘stop the boats’ to win over voters. The shameless use of asylum seekers as political pawns continues to be a common trend as politicians promote illusional fear surrounding ‘extremism’. It is the hope of many of the detainees at the Park Hotel, that Djokovic’s brief scandal will bring attention to their indefinite, illegal detention and provide needed momentum for their freedom.

An Insight into SOAS 180 Degrees Consulting Minahil Aziz, BSc Management 180 Degrees Consulting (180DC) is the world’s largest student-led consultancy for non-profits and social enterprises. The company operates across 150+ branches in 30+ countries, offering high-quality consulting services to social impact organisations to help them develop and extend their services. It exists to improve the effectiveness of worthwhile companies by helping them overcome challenges such as limited resources, staff, and funding.

Inspired by 180DC’s mission, co-presidents Manvi Laddha and Hania Imran launched the SOAS branch in September 2020, hoping to provide members of this incredibly diverse and unique student body the opportunity to get involved with amazing projects that have a lasting impact across the globe.

Since launching the branch, they have trained over 50 consultants, secured seven partnerships, and provided highquality strategic and innovative solutions to clients across several different business functions such as finance, marketing, operations, partnerships, and sponsorships. SOAS 180DC completed projects in industries of human rights, education, sustainable development, and youth empowerment services locally and globally, having worked with clients in the UK, South Africa and India.

Some of the phenomenal work done by the consultants

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includes a project with ‘Together We Thrive’, an organisation that creates initiatives to connect like-minded Muslim women with different people from all backgrounds across the UK. They aim to inspire and support people from religious communities, enabling them to use their knowledge and experiences to help themselves and others. Consultants supported ‘Together We Thrive’ with their ‘Open My Mosque’ initiative, where teams were tasked with collecting data on women in mosques and designing key deliverables and roadmaps to assist with the project’s marketing campaign. The completion of the project resulted in a larger platform for the British Muslim population to speak about their experiences and opinions on mosque discrimination, with the intent to increase female accessibility in mosques. June Derz, a consultant working on this project, described her experience as ‘an amazing process, learning about the struggles of Muslim women accessing mosques has been eye-opening’. Derz regarded the 12-week project to be an ‘invaluable time spent working with SOASians on such an important social cause.’

Another successful pilot project was executed with ‘Opportutoring’, a student-led organisation that connects refugees from all around the world with English speaking tutors, who can provide weekly one-to-one language tutoring. Consultants assisted in expanding their outreach to refugees and displaced individuals in the UK and the Middle East, by establishing an effective monitoring and evaluation system to assess the impact of Opportutuoring on

beneficiaries. Furthermore, teams supported the firm in their re-envisioning and provided essential market research to uncover opportunities for expansion, that centred on possible client collaborations.

Working with such organisations allows our consultants to gain insights into the industry, with the strong support of our executive committee and professional mentors from companies like Deloitte and Strategy. Outside of our projects, we have also had various workshops and training sessions in collaboration with SOAS Consulting Society and our partner organisations. The most recent event was co-hosted by Consulting Masters and covered key skills that consulting firms look for in applicants, provided model CVs, and discussed how to stand out amongst a crowd.

In the new year, we will be running a second round of recruitment for our new project cycle. This is the perfect opportunity for anyone interested in getting involved with a hands-on consulting project that aims to deliver a social impact - no prior experience is needed! Finally, to discover more about our branch and stay updated on our projects, events and recruitment cycles, check out our socials and sign up to be a branch member here: https://linktr.ee/ SOAS180DC, and email us at soas@180dc.org, should you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you at our next event!

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Sports & Societies

8 FEBRUARY 2022

SolidariTee: A Crisis of Solidarity?

"Wearing our values" (Credit: SOAS SolidariTee)

Ahra Jeoung-Sun Choi, BA International Relations Legal aid is essential for people seeking asylum. The process of seeking asylum is already fraught with difficulty when facing a legal system that is entirely foreign. Following the international law established by the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, asylum seekers must prove that they are personally facing persecution in their home country on the grounds specified in the Convention. Many countries also place a high burden of proof on asylum seekers to provide evidence of this. In an asylum interview, individuals are required to recall every detail of their account which can often be deeply distressing and traumatic. Yet, even a mistranslation or misunderstanding can be ruled as an inconsistency, which is enough to lead to a rejection of their claim to asylum.

In Greece, state lawyers are overworked and legal aid is underfunded. Thousands of people therefore seek asylum without legal guidance. Legal aid reduces the incidence of individuals who have a legitimate claim to asylum being rejected, and consequently being deported back to unsafe situations or left destitute. Legal aid is a way for forcibly displaced individuals to access their right to a fair trial, which may secure them a safer future, as an inalienable right, rather than as charity. It is thus a respectful form of aid empowering individuals.

Where does SolidariTee come in? SolidariTee is an entirely student-led charity that fundraises to provide grants for 8 legal aid NGOs in Greece. It increases awareness of and provides sustainable solutions to support globally displaced people. Funds are primarily raised through the selling of t-shirts, featuring artwork by refugees and asylum seekers. Two thirds of the price go directly to legal aid: the rest is spent on manufacturing these sustainably and ethically produced tees, with less than 1% spent on admin and

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operational costs.

The charity was launched in 2017 by Tiara Sahar Ataii, a then first-year Cambridge student who printed 600 t-shirts using her student loan and delivered them around her university by bike. Since then, the charity has expanded to over 60 universities across the UK and abroad, with 900 student volunteers in 10 countries. In the past year, volunteers at SolidariTee raised a grand total of £103,000 for 6 different NGOs! This year, we have pledged £142,000 to our NGOs. SolidariTee also works to shed light on the ‘refugee crisis’ through addressing harmful narratives and misinformation surrounding the issue on social media. This is increasingly important in the wake of populist anti-refugee rhetoric. The ‘refugee crisis’ is depicted in the media as a crisis in numbers.

However, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, of the world’s 26.4 million refugees, 86% are hosted in countries in the Global South. The UK receives a small fraction of forcibly displaced people, approximately 1%. Despite this, the UK creates the impression of needing to tackle ‘waves’ or ‘swarms’ of migrants, with less consideration given to the circumstances which drive refugees to risk everything and flee their homes.

Raising awareness about global displacement is becoming ever more important in the current context of European countries implementing hardline policies to reduce access to asylum. Denmark is attempting to return Syrian refugees to Damascus, with almost 400 Syrians already stripped of their residency permits and rights to work since 2019. In the UK, the proposed New Plan for Immigration will privilege asylum seekers who arrive through legal channels whilst creating barriers to those who arrive ‘illegally,’ despite a documented lack of safe and legal routes for entry. If implemented, the plan will undermine the 1951 Refugee Convention that protects the right to seek asylum internationally.

So, what could you do to make a difference? First of all,

SolidariTee is on campus this year at SOAS! We are looking for more representatives to sell t-shirts and get involved in our fundraising and awareness-raising events. Alternatively, you can support us by attending these events. We will be hosting a film night on 10 February and a panel event with guest speakers on 19 March - check our Facebook page for further information!

"Providing individuals the right to a fair trial through legal aid means forcibly displaced people can access a safe and stable future as an inalienable right, rather than as charity."

Beyond campus, you can also support SolidariTee by buying one of our beautiful tees, featuring designs inspired by refugee artwork. T-shirts cost £10 or £12, with £7.50 and £8.10 respectively going directly towards legal aid NGOs in Greece. And if you already have too many t-shirts, you can set up a monthly ‘coffee cup’ donation of £4 a month. £13.50 pays for a full-time volunteer caseworker and £75 pays for a lawyer for a day in Greece, so making a tangible difference could not get much easier!

Finally, check out @teesofsolidarity on Instagram and SolidariTee on Facebook for informative posts on global displacement, as well as our SolidariTee SOAS Facebook page! If you would like to get involved on campus, email mouna_m1@outlook.com!

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Sports & Societies

8 FEBRUARY 2022

What Does the Future Look Like for SOAS? Lulu Goad, BA Arabic

What does the future look like for SOAS?How does providing proof of bereavement for an extension support the wellbeing of the university community/student body?What kind of teaching do we want to experience at SOAS and how can knowledge be optimised in the space offered?

These questions formed part of the discussions that took place at a SU and UCU collaborative webinar on the 20 January 2022 titled, ‘Reflections on Bell Hooks: What kind of a University do we want to build together?’ hosted by SOAS academic Sophie Chasmas and SOAS SU Co-President (Equality and Liberation) Hisham Pryce-Parchment. A discussion influenced by the strikes at the end of 2021, it aimed to replicate the coming together of students and staff for a common goal, with the hope of continuing this narrative at SOAS in the future. Envisioning the ‘perfect’ classroom experience, the group was invited to comment upon what the challenges to achieving this were, how the university might go about tackling them and what role the union could play in this process. After an hour and forty-five minutes of conversation, and a few silences for contemplation, it appeared that perhaps a total reconstruction of teaching and learning was necessary to achieve what was collectively agreed to be the ‘ideal’ university.

The hosts opened the discussion by recalling the strikes from the previous term, recollecting the putting-up of gazebos, the fairy lights, the sharing of homemade food and drink, but most importantly the coming together of people in order to improve the working conditions of the university.

Remembering this moment could easily have been disheartening, but, instead, the strikes were considered as a moment of possibility, driving us to consider what our university could be, beyond the confines of the institution as it exists in the present.

A quote from ‘Teaching to Transgress’ was shared in order to inspire discussion and with the strikes at the forefront of our minds many students and members of staff remarked on the importance of well-being in the university environment.

Teachers shared their experiences as members of staff, with many commenting on the lack of consideration for their well-being and that of the students. Pryce-Parchment shared a particularly apt analogy which suggested that the classroom dynamic saw the student as consumer and teacher as authority figure or expert. With the student as consumer, it made sense to then consider the teacher as the product. Thinking about my own encounters with academic staff, whether over Zoom or in-person, the analogy feels very similar to the reality I have experienced during my time at SOAS. It is possible that students and teachers no longer exist as whole beings but just cogs in a system that continues to, as Hooks notes, ‘restore life to a corrupt and dying academy.’ Where is humanity in education? And how does providing proof of bereavement for an essay extension support the well-being of the university community?

"For the academic staff, it was suggested that vulnerability on their part would support a move towards a holistic model of empowered education. This would also require the abandoning of power dynamics, including dimensions of race, class and/or gender, entirely."

It also became clear that a shift in the student-teacher dynamic is necessary, turning instead to classroom conversation and interaction which is wholly reciprocal. For the academic staff, it was suggested that vulnerability on their part would support a move towards a holistic model of empowered education. This would also require the abandoning of power dynamics, including dimensions of race, class and/or gender, entirely. But how would that be possible

within an institution which is considered to be founded on imperialism, imperialist ideologies and pedagogies grounded in whiteness? Throughout the discussion, Chasmas shared links to relevant talks and articles. One article in particular from the ‘Journal for Body and Gender Research’ considered how we should address traditional epistemologies in order to improve our education system. But it was the writer’s thoughts on how we engage with and challenge subject matter inherent to the institution of SOAS, were the most interesting. As a university that focuses hugely on the study of postcolonial and transnational theories, engaging with colonial structures within areas such as the ‘Middle East’ and ‘South Asia,’ the question was raised of how we, at SOAS, could displace Eurocentric ideologies in the classroom. It was suggested that in order to achieve appropriate teaching and learning on such subject matter would require the liberation from traditional means of the two by dismantling these pedagogies and re-building frameworks from scratch. It became apparent that if we were to continue as usual, centering whiteness and Eurocentric frames, that there was the question of what this learning environment was even for.

Leaving Zoom, I wondered how possible it really was to create the ‘perfect’ university, with so many issues to tackle.

The conversation suggested to me that a whole re-evaluation of individual values was necessary, especially from those upholding the flawed ideologies that keep academic institutions afloat. Having been sitting in the National Theatre cafe I promptly left, heading home trying to think of where I’d last seen my self-help books.

Wrapping up, we were asked to recount anecdotes from a positive experience in the classroom at SOAS but as soon as the invitation had been given, those who had previously been avidly adding their thoughts to the conversion suddenly went silent. A few teachers chimed in to mention one or two encouraging stories from online lectures, but that was it. It seemed the classroom was even less inspiring than we’d all previously thought.

Our Top SOAS Society Picks!

Mahek Arora, BA Development Studies and Economics SOAS Feminist Economics Network Are you passionate about creating a society that is more just, equitable and fair? Interested in applying a feminist lens to economic theory/policymaking? The SOAS Feminist Economics Network is a network of academics, students, practitioners and campaigners working toward a more gender-just society by seeking to further the goals of feminism in the field of economics.

We are a broad church and welcome all those who believe in gender equality. Part of our mission is to expand our own understanding of what it means to both be a feminist economist and to view economics through a feminist lens/ pluralist lens.

We are always interested in showcasing the research, thoughts and musings from our network on making the economy work for women. Contribute your ideas to our blog and join the revolution! Write to us at soasfemecon@gmail. com or dm us on IG at femeconnetwork!

We’re always available to help! If you need help formulating your ideas or would like to access a blog/article template, dm/email us and we’ll help get your idea off the ground.

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SOAS Palestine Society Did you read the article on the SOAS Palestine Society and want to get involved? You can start by joining the Palestine Society and come along to some of our weekly meetings where we organise for the campaign. You can also buy one of our #BoycottHaifaU T-shirts and wear them around campus.

Or you could scan this QR code to sign their petition right now to #BoycottHaifaU!

Sambatage logo. (Credit: Sambatage)

Sambatage Sambatage is SOAS’s very own Samba-fusion band! We are usually found at parties, demonstrations and strikes at SOAS and beyond. We use drumming as a tool in protests. If you would like to get involved and learn to play different Brazilian drums, come along to a practice, every Tuesday 7 pm-9 pm in the Russell Room - no experience is required!

We frequently update our Facebook page for gigs and protests we will be playing at! Feel free to reach out to us at sambatage@gmail.com

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Sports & Societies

8 FEBRUARY 2022

Join your student-run newspaper!

Interested in journalism, writing, design, or photography? Want to gain valuable experience to pursue a career in the media or publishing?

Want to express your opinions?

Email spirit@soas.ac.uk to find out about your student-run newspaper!

The SOAS Spirit is your independent student-run newspaper; an on campus presence since 1936.

We publish monthly throughout the term.

We have opportunities to join our team as a writer, photographer, and much more

: @soasspirit

SOAS SPIRIT