Issue 1: October 2017 by The SOAS Spirit

SOAS SPIRIT

THE

FREE

30 OCTOBER 2017

YOUR INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

‘WARNING SHOT’ OVER UNIVERSITY p3 DEFICIT

HUMANS OF SOAS

ISSUE 1

THE CHAGOSSIANS’ RIGHT TO RETURN HOME p12

SOAS management announces end to outsourcing by September 2018 Ali Mitib, BA Law and Politics On 4th August 2017, Paula Sanderson, the Registrar of SOAS, notified the Student Union that SOAS will ‘stop outsourcing its core support services to private contractors from September 2018’. In contrast to the previous plans of SOAS management to bring only the cleaners in-house by 2019, this announcement will apply to all outsourced workers at SOAS. The shift from using the outsourcing companies of Elior and Bouygues to direct employment is estimated to impact approximately 120 workers at SOAS. By September 2018, staff in central facilities teams and all core support staff -including cleaners, security guards and caterers–will be guaranteed the equal workers’ rights extended to all employees of SOAS. These rights include the right to sick pay, pensions and paid holiday leave. In their letter to the Students’ Union, SOAS management committed themselves to ‘engage with every single colleague affected so that they are fully involved throughout the process, working closely with both companies to enable a smooth transition over the next 12 months’. This announcement followed the student occupation of the Directorate over the summer as a protest against the proposed closure of the Refectory announced on the 12/6/17 – on the day that, exactly eight years ago, 9 workers were rounded up in the Luca Lecture Theatre handcuffed, and forcefully deported, and SOAS students were remembering and commemorating the event. This announcement follows a similar announcement that cleaners in LSE will be brought in-house by Spring 2018. For 11 years, the green Justice for Cleaners (J4C) and the purple banner of the Justice for Workers (J4W) campaign have been banner under which the SOAS community

Members of the J4W Campaign celebrate the announcement

– staff and students alike – have resisted and fought in the pursuit of workers’ rights. The campaign has been spearheaded by the outsourced workers, a majority of whom are migrants of Central and South American descent. Through protests, occupations and negotiations, the campaign has confronted management – who have claimed to hold the values of “promoting equality and celebrating diversity”–on the lack of basic workers’ rights for the outsourced workers, who perform vital services essential to the operation of the university.

History of the campaign

The campaign began in 2006 after Ocean, the outsourcing company operating in SOAS at the time, did not pay the workers for three months. The cleaners began to organise with UNISON representatives on the SOAS campus and three cleaners (Luis Ojeda, Consuelo Moreno and Lenin Escudero) were elected to the role of Union Representatives. After securing their wages, the cleaners unionised to achieve their aims of procuring the right to the London living wage, holiday pay, sick pay, pensions, to not have to suffer from zero

hour contracts, and sexual harassment. From 2007-2009, the campaign turned into a movement that was inspirational to other outsourced workers in London’s universities. Notably, the Birkbeck University gave in to the demands of their workers and brought them in-house. On the 12th June 2009 the Home Office Raid occurred – an event that is marked annually by the J4W campaign. According to the J4W campaign, UK Border Agency officials stormed into an Continued on page 3

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Contents News

Letter from the editor ‘Warning shot’ over university deficit p3 Hamas and Fatah reconcile following decade long rift

Features My First Time

Humans of SOAS: the man behind the iconic Hare Krishna stall

Comment The Chagossians’ right to return home

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The Most Friendless People in the World

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Sport

Your SOAS Spirit Team Ali Mitib · Managing Editor · 611359@soas.ac.uk

Ahmad Watoo · News Editor · 625576@soas.ac.uk Hannah Somerville · News Editor · 266256@soas.ac.uk Zain Hussain · News Editor · 594404@soas.ac.uk Marta Perez Fernandez · Features Editor · 628547@soas.ac.uk Amelia Storey · Features Editor · 636016@soas.ac.uk Abigail Joanna Moselle · Reviews Editor · 630182@soas.ac.uk Holly Sampson · Sports Editor 638061@soas.ac.uk Peter Smith · Senior Layout Editor · 629625@soas.ac.uk Khadija Kothia · Junior Layout Editor · 637933@soas.ac.uk Sudha Palepu · Junior Layout Editor · 656024@soas.ac.uk Uswa Ahmed · Junior Layout Editor · 638268@soas.ac.uk Cleo Prevost · Junior Layout Editor · 640247@soas.ac.uk

Interview with SOAS Sports Officers

Ali Mitib Managing Editor, The SOAS Spirit

Ashutosh Nagda · Co-Editor-in-Chief Arooj Sultan · Co-Editor-in-Chief · 611281@soas.ac.uk

Reviews Journeys to Independence

Dear readers, Welcome to the first edition of the relaunched SOAS Spirit! The Spirit is back and the Spirit team aim to return it Spirit to its former glory and to make it bigger, better and more relevant than ever. We aim to hold those in positions of power accountable and produce content which students will find informative, thought provoking and entertaining. In our first edition, we cover the historic decision by SOAS management to bring all workers in-house by September 2018. Following the Student-Staff Forum earlier on this term, we delve into the University’s deficit.

Elsewhere, we examine the decision by the U.S. to leave UNESCO, the Catalonian Referendum and the criticism of SOAS Alum, Aung San Suu Kyi, over the Rohingya Crisis. Our Features section includes our newly launched Humans of SOAS feature, which will focus on Dominik–the man behind the iconic Hare Krishna stall. This section also includes a selection poetry, Lockyer’s History–an interview with Dr. Angus Lockyer. The plight of the Rohingya, the Chagossians’ right to return home and the writings of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Liu Xiaobo, are amongst the topics discussed in our Comments section. Our Reviews section covers the Death of Stalin, the Journeys of Independence exhibition at LSE and the Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power. An Interview with Sophie Bennet and Danny Edwards, the SU Sports Officers is enclosed in our Sports section along with a list of SOAS Sports fixtures and coverage of the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign.

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Tom Matsuda · Online Editor · 652408@soas.ac.uk Sumayyah Lane · Social Co-ordinator · 637349@soas.ac.uk

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30 OCTOBER 2017 Continued from page 1 early morning meeting of all cleaning staff called for by the company and conducted a raid in the Djam Lecture Theatre. 9 cleaners were instead arrested by UK Border Agency officials. They were detained and subsequently deported to their countries of origin. One of the deported cleaners was sixth months pregnant. She gave birth to Lucas, and in commemoration of the event, the DLT is now known as the Lucas Lecture Theatre (LLT), by both students and staff. SOAS management was complicit in this raid. Representatives of the J4W campaign told the Spirit that they believe the Home Office Raid was intended to intimidate the workers and that it achieved the desired effect. Many workers were fearful of campaigning, and as a result, the campaign was effectively inactive. In 2012, the SU held a referendum in which 98.2% of the SOAS community voted for the cleaners to be brought in-house. However, the results of this referendum did not result in a policy change by SOAS management. By 2014 the campaign had resurged. Following strike action, the outsourced workers won the rights to 6 months sick pay and 30 days annual leave. The campaign was not satisfied with these

developments and were actively campaigning to bring all workers in-house. An eight-week long student occupation of the Brunei Suite supported the campaign in their aim to bring cleaners in-house. Following the occupation, SOAS Management agreed to conduct an independent review into the costs of outsourced, which SOAS UNISON had offered to commission. Previously, SOAS management has stated that bringing the cleaners in-house would negatively affect university finances. While they have agreed on the ethical value of bringing the cleaners in-house, they feel that the financial aspect of the new arrangement will cause a major financial loss. The report, which was conducted by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) and published in January 2016, found that bringing the cleaners, the caterers and security staff back in-house would be “cost-neutral”. Despite these findings, SOAS management did not immediately respond by bringing the workers in-house.

The future of the campaign

While some may see this announcement as a victory, many are hesitant to call it so until all outsourced workers are brought in-house and guaranteed the equal workers rights.“This is not a victory. We have the

promise but we think it will be quite hard and difficult to make it reality. The main goal is get that promise into reality,” a representative of the campaign told the Spirit. In the letter to the SU, SOAS management committed themselves to “engage with every single colleague affected so that they are fully involved throughout the process, working closely with both companies to enable a smooth transition over the next 12 months.”

“I am very happy to have won the end of outsourcing at SOAS University, but our struggle for social justice will continue, and it won’t stop until to see all outsourced workers in other workplaces to be treated with Justice, equality, Dignity and respect.” The campaign hopes that SOAS management honours this commitment so that the outsourced workers can be involved in the process and ensure that important issues

are raised and resolved during the transition. Representatives of the campaign told the Spirit “there is an expectation we will be brought in-house, but we are not sure how it will happen”. The SOAS J4W campaign also aims to use their experiences to help similar campaigns at other universities, such as the King’s College London Justice 4 Cleaners campaign. In a Facebook post on the “SOAS Justice for Workers – End Outsourcing” page, Lenin Escudero (who was one of the first three cleaners to be elected as a Union Representative) said “I am very happy to have won the end of outsourcing at SOAS University, but our struggle for social justice will continue, and it won’t stop until to see all outsourced workers in other workplaces to be treated with Justice, equality, Dignity and respect.” A representative of the campaign told the Spirit, “We want to help other campaigns around SOAS and strengthen them. So doing whatever we can to help them.” The representative went on to say “We hope the victory will inspire others and we aim to support other movements around London Universities and in other workplaces.”

‘Warning shot’ over university deficit Hannah Somerville, MA Arabic Literature Calls for clarity were issued last week as SOAS squares up to a deepening financial crisis.The university is facing a £4.7m projected deficit this year and its executive board has been tasked with finding at least £3m of savings between now and 2020, with fears raised that staff salaries could be in the firing line. Speaking at an all-staff meeting on Wednesday, October 4, SOAS director Valerie Amos said: “I want to make it clear, because it’s a deeply unsettling situation when you look at these numbers, that we have no plans for compulsory redundancies.” But she added: “We are all going to have to work together to be much more effective in terms of our management of our money, the decisions we take and our priorities, and where we need to invest.” A ‘perfect storm’ of increased competition in the UK and globally, the impact of Brexit on the student body and staff, marketisation of the education sector and SOAS’s faltering position in league tables have contributed to the situation. Partly as a result of the unviersity’s decision not to lower its UCAS tariff for 2017/18, new undergraduate enrolments plunged from 1,069 in 2016 to 864 this year – the lowest since 2011 –and have led to a shortfall in revenue for the university, which relies on fees for 75 per cent of its income. This has been compounded by the tuition fee cap that came into force this year. The decision taken by the university not to lower its UCAS Tariff for 2017/18, the number of UCAS points required for an applicant to receive an offer, is thought to have contributed to the shrinking volume of applicants. At present the school is bringing in income of about £95m a year and spending £100m, with at least £1m projected to be saved through its One Professional restructuring programme. Speaking at the annual Student Staff Forum on Wednesday, SU Co-President Dmitri Cautain said he understood

that a large proportion of the remainder could come from staff salaries. He added: “A lot of things are changing. People’s jobs are moving around, offices are moving around and the executive board has been given the tasks of cutting millions of pounds.” Dr Meera Sabratnam, chair of the SOAS Academic Senate and a lecturer in international relations, said over the past five years income at SOAS had increased by about a third – but at the same time staff costs had increased by 22 per cent, and indirect costs by 65 per cent. She said: “It’s not clear to

“A lot of things are changing. People’s jobs are moving around, offices are moving around and the executive board has been given the tasks of cutting millions of pounds.” me where that extra spend is going. We need much more clarity about what exactly it is that’s happening, and where. Information has not been forthcoming. I don’t know what mechanisms there would be to produce this volume of savings without some form of voluntary redundancy.” The news was greeted with incredulity by some staff at the meeting, with SOAS Unison branch secretary Sandy Nicoll issuing what he called a ‘warning shot across the bows’. He said: “Every member of staff ’s job at SOAS is going to be looked at over the next 12 months. There’s a cloud over what the school plans to achieve by restructuring. That means the encouragement and enthusiasm of our members to engage is going to be coloured by the fact that they are looking at this as a process that could leave many of them out of the job. I’ve seen members of my branch having to confront situations at the start of term, and people put on sick leave because of

SOAS faces a projected defecit of £4.7m (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

the stress. We are not going to sit back and let that happen to everyone over the next year. We would appreciate clarity from the School about what its timetable is and how it’s approaching this. It’s a warning shot across the bows on behalf of Unison.” Dr Richard Alexander, a law lecturer at SOAS, echoed similar sentiments on behalf of UCU, adding: “We feel it would be naïve to think that savings are going to be on professional services; it’s going to be on us as well. It’s the UCU position that should there be threat of redundancies, we will take the appropriate action.” When contacted by the SOAS Spirit for comment, a University spokesperson said SOAS would seek to return to a surplus position through a combination of income growth and cost reduction.She added: “ We will take a “zero-based budget” approach, which means we look at all budgets from a zero base and build them up in a cost efficient way to meet our needs and strategic priorities.“In growing income and making these savings, our commitment is to protect and improve frontline services to our students. There are no plans for compulsory redundancies for staff.”

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Aung San Suu Kyi criticised over Rohingya crisis Lucy Beach, BA History Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has come under scrutiny in recent months from the international community over the violence of the army towards the Rohingya people of the Rakhine state in Myanmar.

Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor of Myanmar and Nobel Peace Prize Laurette, criticised over Rohingya (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Ethnic tensions between the Buddhist majority and the Rohingya have always been taut, and violence is not a new issue, dating back to the end of the Second World War when the Union Government refused to grant the Rohingya people citizenship, though the last few months have seen an increased international awareness of the conflict. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes, many fleeing the country for refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh. Those who survived are now sheltering in the vast camps that have become an all-too-common sight in a conflict-ridden world. The military has claimed that it is the Rohingya themselves who have been carrying out the violence in the Rakhine region, but the evidence is highly dubious. When questioned by correspondents from the BBC, photos were presented supposedly depicting Rohingya burning down houses of Buddhist monks in the village of Maungdaw. However, these seem to have been faked, and poorly so, with ‘lacy tablecloths’ used as headscarves and some of the supposed Rohingya recognisable to the journalists as people they had just met in the village. The situation of government in Myanmar has improved, if slowly, over the last few decades since Suu Kyi’s civil govern-

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ment took on the governing of the country, after the 70-year period under military rule. However, the military still retains a significant measure of constitutional power, meaning that democratic reform in the country has been painstakingly slow. In 2015 MPs voted against the removal of the military’s constitutional veto, a major setback to reform. As such, some have argued that Ms Suu Kyi can’t move too far against the army due to threat of another military takeover that would dash all hopes of reform.

“The military has claimed that it is the Rohingya themselves who have been carrying out the violence in the Rakhine region, but the evidence is highly dubious.” However, it is questionable as to whether Suu Kyi’s civil government is doing all it can to help alleviate the violence towards the Rakhine Muslims.In a recent speech, Suu Kyi finally detailed relief plans announcing to the press that measures would be put into place to help repatriate those who have been forced to flee the country, commenting on how she believed that many would not have the documentation that would allow them over the border, which is seemingly still in the hands of the military.But it is difficult not to question why it has taken so long for these plans to be put into motion in a humanitarian crisis that has been developing for several years. One of Ms Suu Kyi’s advisers has claimed that she is very much concerned about the violence against the Rakhine and is dedicated to solving the problem at hand as opposed to addressing the cause. But only by dealing with the roots of the ethnic divides in Myanmar is the violence going to be brought to its long sought-after conclusion.

IMF states higher tax rates would not harm economic growth Tom Matsuda, BA International Relations and Japanese The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released a report saying that higher tax rates would not necessarily harm economic growth rates in major economies.Moreover, the Washingtonbased international organisation has also stated that this would reduce the high levels of economic inequality seen across the globe.Although external inequalities between countries has lessened, the report highlights, income inequality within countries has increased. Austerity has been a key economic policy of the current UK government, which the IMF report goes against. In fact, it suggests that policies proposed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn are in fact more economically viable.Rather than cutting public services and reducing access to higher education, it states governments should be aiming to spend more on public services, in contrast with the policies of Theresa May and previous Tory governments. However, as the report suggest, this is not just an issue in the UK. China, India and the United States have also witnessed higher levels of income inequality. Due to a failure to tax the upper one per cent, the wealth has mainly stayed in the higher echelons of society without trickling down. If this worrying trend continues, the report warns of lack of “social cohesion… political polarisation and ultimately lower economic growth”.These elements can sadly already be seen today in the UK and also internationally.

Hamas and Fatah reconcile following decade long rift Ahmad Jamal Wattoo, BA Politics After a decade-long rift, Hamas and Fatah announced their reconciliation in Cairo, Egypt on October 12th. This settlement between both Palestinian factions will likely play a large role in strengthening the Palestinians’ bargaining power vis-a-vis Israel. It has been agreed under the settlement that the Rafah Crossing to Egypt will be reopened under the control of Palestinian Authority (PA)Guards on November 1st. The PA government has also been empowered to carry out its responsibilities in administering the Gaza Strip by December 1st. While both parties already agreed several weeks prior to the settlement that the PA would take responsibility for Gaza, they had not previously set a conclusive deadline. Furthermore, a PA-formed committee will resolve the employees issue by February 1st.

While the committee works to resolve the employees issue and after the PA is enabled to carry out its administrative and financial powers in Gaza including tax collection, the PA will pay the Hamas-appointed employees their salaries. After Hamas ousted the Fatah-dominated PA from Gaza in 2007, the PA ordered their estimated 55,000 employees in the small coastal enclave not to report to work. In response, Hamas appointed some 40,000 new employees, who have run Gaza’s ministries and other government institutions for more than the past ten years. Hamas has said it wants the PA to absorb of all of its employees onto its payroll as a final solution to the employees issue. Meanwhile, Fatah has said it wants to resolve the employees issue, but cautioned that it cannot pay for every Hamas-appointed employee. Furthermore, according to the agreement, border crossings in Gaza with Israel and

Raffa Crossing will be reopened under the control of the Palestinian Authority (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

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30 OCTOBER 2017 Egypt will be transferred to the PA by November 1st. Fatah Central Committee member, Azzam al-Ahmad on Thursday told a press conference at the Egyptian Intelligence Directorate in Cairo that the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings between Gaza and Israel would be handed over to the PA by November 1st. However, he said the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would likely be transferred to the PA later than November 1st.

PA security leaders will go to Gaza to discuss ways and mechanisms to rebuild the security services with relevant parties. According to Azzam al-Ahmad, the two parties agreed that the US-trained PA Presidential Guard will control the EgyptianGazan border. However, it is unclear if they reached any other security arrangements. A major point of disagreement on security between the two parties is the future of Hamas’s armed wing, the Izzadin Kassam Brigades. PA President Mahmoud Abbas has

demanded that Izzadin Kassam hand over its weapons, while Hamas’s leadership has said this will not happen. Hamas’s armed wing has 25,000 members, who have thousands of weapons including firearms, mortars and rocket propelled grenades.A meeting in Cairo will take place in the first week of December to evaluate the implementation of what was agreed between Hamas and Fatah. All the Palestinian factions that signed the Cairo reconciliation agreement in 2011, will meet on November the 14th in the Egyptian

UGM Report: A Summary Ali Mitib, BA Law and Politics The first SOAS Union General Meeting (UGM) of the academic year took place on 13th October 2017. UGMs are meetings involving all members of the Students Union (SU), where members of the SOAS community are welcome to put forward, discuss, amend and pass motions that will become SU policy for the next three years.

Fight for Free Education – Passed with amendment

The first motion centred on opposing the “government’s agenda to marketise education” through tactics such as rising tuition fees, student debt and the scrapping of maintenance grants. In this motion, it was argued that the focus of the higher education had shifted from aiming to ensure the welfare of students to treating students as consumers in the quest of profit. An amendment put forward to change the date of the national education demonstration from 14th October to 15th October was passed. The passed motion resolved three points to achieve a free education. Firstly, to hold regular campaign meetings aimed at engaging all members of the SU to discuss what free education should look like and to “propose alternatives to the current higher education system”. Secondly, to “build a bloc” for the national free education demonstration on the 14th November and commit the SU to work with other students’ unions to host a series of events and meetings prior to the demonstration. Thirdly, the motion commits the SU to improve transparency around the hidden costs of education at SOAS, such as library fines and instalment fees, as well as utilising the student representative system to develop universally accessible alternatives to services for notes, proofreading and essay banks.

SOAS Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy – Passed The second motion centred on developing the university’s Sexual Violence and Misconduct policy. This motion notes that the report of the Universities UK Task Force in 2016 recommended that universities involve their students’ unions in developing, maintaining and reviewing all elements of a cross-institution response. The report also

notes that there must be a clear, accessible and representative disclosure response for incidents of sexual violence and rape is available. The passed motion resolves three points to develop such a policy. Firstly, committing the SU to work with the university to create a clear policy on sexual violence and misconduct. Secondly, to make to his information “prominently available” in a single location on the SU or university website. Lastly, to “better promote” existing policies and procedures by Union staff.

Eliminating Plastic Cutlery at SOAS S.U Shop and Bar–Passed

This motion called for the replacement of plastic cutlery in the SOAS S.U. shop and bar with other more environmentally friendly options, such as compostable cutlery, bamboo cutlery, toxic free wood and biodegradable cutlery. This motion builds upon a previous motion passed which supported the “Take it to the Tap” campaign. The passed motion also calls for the S.U. to call upon SOAS to abandon the use of one-use plastics and to condemn the use of it elsewhere. The motion also commits the S.U. to “organise campaigns to promote environment friendly cutlery, (the) impact of environmentally friendly cutlery and eco-conscious choice in all spheres of student life”.

Using SOAS Main Building at weekends – Passed

This motion was proposed in response to the S.U. being asked to pay for extra security on Saturday and Sundays after 6pm. Many societies and community groups use the university space during this time to organise and gather. The motion states such groups “have contributed an enormous amount to community building at SOAS”. The motion states that the Main Building remains open past 6pm on weekends and that it is unfair to put extra security costs on the students during this time.The passed motion compels the S.U. to reinstate full reception and security staff of the Main Buildings on the weekends.

Securing and improving student representation during restructuring – Passed

This motion centred on ensuring student representation during the restructuring process. The process will reorganise the three faculties into eleven schools. The year of

2017/18 will be an interim year. This arrangement was announced on 1st August 2017. The motion states that the ‘abrupt manner in which the structure was introduced does not reflect discussions students and staff had about the restructuring”. The passed motion commits the S.U. to all student reps to be involved in the Restructuring Process. One way this motion aims to achieve this is the invitation of all student representatives, as full members with the equal status, rights and responsibilities, to school meetings. Secondly, the S.U. executive team will work with student representatives to develop a new ‘Code of Practice’ for student representatives to “ensure student representation is not simply maintained but increased in the new school structure”. The motion aims for this code to be passed at the Academic Board meeting in 2017/18 to ensure the departments are accountable for inviting reps.

Emergency Motions In support of the academic senate motion on “Campus Events” – Passed

This motion supports the Academic Senate who recently brought a motion titled “Campus Events” to the floor on the 11th October. The “Campus Events” calls for the SOAS Management be held accountable for their role in organising an event at SOAS where Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev spoke on the 27th April 2017. The Students’ Union report on the event, which was realised on 9th May 2017, noted that SOAS students and staff were subject to harassment, intimidation, racial abuse and filming without consent by pro-Regev supporters and Israeli security. The “Campus Event” motion states that “the Director’s emphasis on free speech as a justification” cannot be at the expense of “violating hundreds of SOAS students and staff ’s rights to free speech, privacy, or physical integrity”. The event was held, despite the protests of SOAS students and staff. Furthermore, the Academic Senate motion notes that the invitation of Regev “contravenes the 2015 SOAS BDS referendum,” which returned a yes vote of 73% but was not acted on by SOAS Management. The Academic Senate motion demands that the Director and Registrar outline a plan to the SOAS community to

capital to discuss the 2011 agreement. In addition to the aforementioned six clauses, the agreement included a preamble; it refers, among other things, to achieving Palestinian unity for the sake of “ending the occupation, establishing a sovereign Palestinian state on all of the lands occupied in 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital, and the return of refugees.”

prevent the recurrence of assaults and intimidation of students and staff on campus and to ensure perpetrators who are not members of the SOAS community are held liable and excluded from SOAS premises. The passed motion compels the S.U. to support the motion, to release a statement in support of it, call upon staff to vote in favour of it and encourage students to urge the staff to vote in favour of the motion by the deadline of the 23rd October.

Halt the changes to student spaces in the Doctoral School – Passed with an amendment

This motion is in response to the decision of the SOAS Doctoral School to convert the student space on the first floor of the school into an office space. The school proposes that the students will receive new study space in the “smaller office space” on the third floor. This motion also notes that the school did not consult the student body about these changes and notified all students on the 12th of October, 6 days before the planned changes were to take place. The passed motion notes that the S.U. believes that the Doctoral School must consult all staff and students “concerned by changes” in the School and that decisions without full consultation works against the interests of staff and students who use the spaces. Furthermore, it is noted that the S.U. any policy or space changes impacting PhD candidates must be “meaningfully consulted and disseminated well in advance”. The motion was passed with the amendment that students will consider further action in the event of an unsatisfactory response following the executive committee meeting on Monday 16th October. The union also resolved to lobby SOAS Senior management and the Doctoral School to halt the planned change in the use of space on 18th October. The passed motion also demands a full consultation “on the use and needs of the Doctoral School building” and to ensure consultation on future issues effecting PhD students. Prior to the meeting on Monday, the doctoral students were informed by the that the move would be delayed and that a consultation would take place with the Research Students’ Association and PhD students.

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U.S. withdraws from UNESCO due to ‘anti-Israel bias’ Maya Alsughaiyer, BA Politics and World Philosophies On October 12th, the U.S. State Department declared that the country will be withdrawing from UNESCO at the end of 2018 citing the organisations “continuing anti-Israel bias”. The announcement was followed by Israel’s decision to also quit the 72-year-old world heritage organisation which focuses on promoting international cooperation through education, science, culture and communication.The decision by the United States has been anticipated following the cessation of funding to UNESCO following its admission of Palestine a full member in 2011.In a statement, the State Department stated “This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects U.S. concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organisation, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO.” Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN stated that the UNESCO’s “extreme politicisation” has become “a chronic embarrassment”. Previously Ms Haley has criticised UNESCO for designating Hebron’s Old City and the Tomb of the Patriarchs as residing within Palestinian territory. Haley added “U.S. taxpayers should no longer be on the

hook to pay for policies that are hostile to our values and make a mockery of justice and common sense.” According to a report published by Foreign Policy, the decision to quit UNESCO was also attributed to the desire to make budget cuts.It is estimated that by the end of the 2018, the unpaid U.S. bill to UNESCO will amount to over $600 million. Prior to the cessation of funding following the admission of Palestine, the U.S. provided twenty two percent of the UNESCO funding.

“..it is deeply regrettable for the United States to withdraw from the United Nations agency promoting education for peace and protecting culture under attack.” This decision received praise by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who referred to this decision as “brave and moral” as “UNESCO has become a theatre of absurd. Instead of preserving history, it distorts it.”However, this move was criticised by other member countries.France’s Ambassador to the UN, Francois Delattre criticised the move

UNESCO stated the Tomb of the Patriarchs was designated as residing in the Palestinian Territory (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

stating “we need an America that stays committed to world affairs.” Tatiana Dovgalenko, a Russian representative to The Associated Press, told the agency that the departure of “one of the countries that founded the UN system” is a “shock and a pity.” UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, expressed her “profound regret”

over the decision of the U.S. stating that this was “a loss to both the organisation and the U.S.”Bokova added “At the time when conflicts continue to tear apart societies across the world, it is deeply regrettable for the United States to withdraw from the United Nations agency promoting education for peace and protecting culture under attack.”

SDF liberate Raqqa from ISIS control Ali Mitib, BA Law and Politics

On the 18th October, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) retook Raqqa Stadium, the last ISIS stronghold in the city. The liberation of the city marks the end of the Raqqa campaign, codenamed “Operation Wrath of Euphrates”. The SDF operation, which was supported by the International Coalition, lasted for almost a year. The SDF suffered heavy casualties due to the use of tunnel networks, booby traps and car bombs by ISIS militants The city of Raqqa was captured in 2013 by a coalition of rebel forces comprising of ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra and the Free Syrian Army. Less than a year after the coalition of rebel forces took the city and pulled down tbe SDF fighters in central Raqqa (photo: Wikimedia Commons) statue of former President Hafez al-Assad, ISIS had taken complete control of it. ISIS declared Raqqa as the capital of the so-called caliphate. The loss of both Mosul and and medical supplies. Furthermore, citizen testimonies of Raqqa are huge blows to the image of ISIS as a powerful the battle state that they were often used as human shields by force that is able to redraw the maps of the Middle East ISIS fighters, especially in the skirmishes for control of the and establish a caliphate. municipal stadium and National Hospital. Life in the city under the control of ISIS militants was While the stronghold has been retaken, the SDF are marked by executions, repression and the destruction of still conducting clearing operations. These operations aim places of worship (such as the Armenian Catholic Church to seek out any sleeper cells and hidden militants that may of the Martyrs). Civilians suffered from a lack of food, water have remained in Raqqa. Another aspect of the clearing

missions is the neutralisation of mines, IED’s and booby traps, which are widespread throughout the city. The presence of hazards such as these in addition to the destruction the city has suffered during the battle has meant that many families are unable to return. The rebuilding process is thought to take years. Thousands of civilians remain inside the city and are currently being transported to areas under the control of the SDF.

The loss of both Mosul and Raqqa are huge blows to the image of ISIS as a powerful force that is able to redraw the maps of the Middle East and establish a caliphate. Following the liberation of Raqqa, the SDF are preparing for their next battle with ISIS – the battle of Deir ez-Zour province. SDF fighters are currently being transported to the province, part of which remains under the control of ISIS militants.

NEWS

30 OCTOBER 2017

Catalan Referendum:

Everything You Need to Know Indigo Eve Lilburn-Quick, BA History and Politics On October 1st, I sat with my flatmates in pure horror and disgust watching video after video of peaceful protesters getting assaulted by an armed police force in Barcelona. Right there and then, I was ready to get “Visca Catalunya” tattooed across my chest and go out into the street and protest for Catalonia’s right to self-determination. It wasn’t until I asked a Catalan friend their opinion – which was in opposition to independence –that I realised it wasn’t so simple. Looking into statistics and news articles I saw the arguments and facts

Catalan and any form of political dissidence including Catalan nationalism. Since Franco’s death and Spain’s return to a democracy system, Catalonia has enjoyed relative autonomy as specified in the 1978 constitution. So why do people want to leave? There are several reasons some people want independence, although all these arguments are disputed by opposing sides. Many claim that Catalans culture differs from Spanish culture, most obviously in their different language and shared history. There is also a purely economic reason: Catalonia is a highly industrialised and wealthy region (it contributes 19%

Catalonia self-rule it affirmed “the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation” preventing regions from breaking away. Only a majority vote from the Spanish government could change the constitution to allow Catalonia to leave. Regardless of its legality, is the referendum justified? The Catalan government has stated if the yes vote wins there will be an immediate unilateral declaration of independence regardless of turnout. Considering that in the most recent opinion polls most Catalans did not want independence and were not willing to vote in an unconstitutional referendum it certainly is a questionable move. Furthermore, when the Catalan government voted on the issue, those from antiindependence parties (representing a large proportion of the Catalan population) were not included in the decision, and there was no cross-party debate meaning only pro-independence opinions were represented, so the referendum could also be considered undemocratic.

Protests and Police violence

Police violence is a worrying issue and many people from around the world have been horrified at the level of violence being used. Human Rights Watch has confirmed that there was an unlawful and excessive use of force from Spanish police with hundreds injured. The figures are disputed but they range from 250 to over 900. This violence was justified by the Spanish government and King as “proportional and professional.” In addition, it is reported that many key figures of the independence movement have been detained unlawfully. This violence has generally been condemned by leaders throughout Europe and the world. However, most are still against Catalan independence and their right for self-determination, and it highly unlikely that they will be allowed to join the EU, should they succeed.

Protests for independence in Catalonia (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

I wasn’t aware of. So if you’re struggling to get your head around what has happened, like I was, here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know that is key to understanding the referendum.

A very brief history of Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous region in the North East of Spain with around 7.5 million residents. Since its initial unification with Spain in 1469, Catalonia has had varying degrees of self-rule ranging autonomy to Spanish absolutist rule. These periods of Spanish tyranny have left a dark mark on Catalonia’s history, the first being in 1716 when Bourbon Philip V of Spain, angry at a betrayal by the Catalans, terminated many Catalan institutions, laws and rights and made Castilian Spanish the official language. In the 19th century the region became the industrial centre of Spain, boosting Catalonia’s wealth. This lead to a Catalan cultural renaissance and the growth of Catalan nationalism. There was a brief period of democratic rule from 1931-1939 and Catalonia had increased autonomy but this was swiftly removed when Francisco Franco came to power. During Franco’s rule Catalonia was increasingly repressed with a ban on the public use of

of Spain’s GDP) but many feel they are not getting what the Spanish government takes out of the region put back in. Then there is the political reasons: the central government is made up of mainly centre to right-wing parties which are unrepresentative of Catalonia’s left leaning politics. These structural factors have built up over time leading to the disenfranchisement of many Catalans, but the independence movement really kicked off in 2006 when some parts of Catalonia’s autonomy statute were deemed unconstitutional by Spanish courts – denying Catalonia’s right to nationhood, since then the Catalan government has been trying to open a dialogue with the Spanish government in order to allow more selfdetermination but has been shut-down at every point. Subsequently, Catalonia had a referendum on independence on October 1st with over 90% voting to leave, although the vote only had a 43% turnout, but it was deemed unconstitutional by the Spanish government.

Why was the referendum deemed unconstitutional?

The Spanish constitution was written in 1978. This constitution allowed for the relative autonomy of Catalonia and was approved by over 90% of Catalans. Although giving

Human Rights Watch has confirmed that there was an unlawful and excessive use of force from Spanish police with hundreds injured. The figures are disputed but they range from 250 to over 900. What’s next?

Many believe that the future is not bright for those who are pro-independence. Catalonia’s president, Carles Puigdemont, has refused to give up his bid for secession but has suspended plans for independence in order to open a dialogue with the Spanish government. Despite this, on the 19th of October Spain’s president, Mariano Rajoy, invoked Article 155, an unprecedented decision that will suspend Catalan autonomy and impose direct rule of the Spanish Government. However, before implementation, it will have to be debated and passed through the Spanish Senate. Regional elections have been called by the Spanish government in the hope of Catalonia voting for a party more amenable to Spanish demands – though this strategy is a risky one, as proindependence parties could increase their share of the vote and gain a bigger mandate for secession. Although the future is unclear, Catalonia’s independence is looking less likely by the day.

FEATURES

30 OCTOBER 2017

Lockyer’s History: #QuestionsInTheAtrium By Lucy Beach Why do you think you were asked to speak for #QuestionsInTheAtrium? Because I have the shtick...Many of our students come through the English system– you learn a lot about Henry VIII, or Hitler. The first time I taught Global History was in 1999; it was then that all the history I’d taken in started to make sense, because I started connecting it up. A lot of stories don’t make any sense until you’ve put them in a global context. And that doesn’t mean that you have to talk about international trade all the time–you can go down to very small things, such as villages, or very big things–but you should talk about the whole world. After I had started teaching global history I managed to compress the whole of world history into 50 minutes. Since then it’s become a bit of a party piece! The point isn’t to learn about everything, it’s to give you a way of thinking about how everything is connected. This seems to make sense to people, particularly young people. Many of our books still use language or a way of thinking that doesn’t correspond to the world we live in now. We should think about the whole of human

history–where we are now and what kind of story we’ve seen. We need a story. How would you say global history and the study of it is affecting the present day? The problem is that we often have bad stories. Even if you’re not working in history, you’re telling yourself a story about how we got into this mess and how we’re going to fix it. And often for me that story is odd, wrong, or problematic, frequently because it’s framed in national terms–because that’s easy and how data is collected. I don’t think most of us live our lives as national people–we have very complicated identities. Because we live in the world we do, we’re plugged into much bigger things than the place we’re from. So, when Boris Johnson gets up and starts pretending to be Churchill, he’s telling bad stories, based on bad information, using idiotic frameworks. And the idea that our fate relies on people like that…we need better stories if we want to be in a better place. If people were to take one lesson from the lecture, what would it be? We need better stories about how we got to where we are; we need stories that don’t just work in one place for one group of people. To tell those stories we need to be

My First Time V. A. Douglas Amongst the heaving crowd of pulsating blue and searchlight red, I was there. I was a woolen jumper in a sea of cotton singlets, a head of blonde hair amongst baseball caps. My eyes scanned the vastness of the place, its bare torsos and clambering limbs, the smell of sweat and excitement clinging to the darkness. Now, several years later, the leaves are yellowing and many young LGBT people, freshly eighteen and in university, will also be going to a gay club for the first time. It is impossible to generalise people’s experiences going to gay clubs, and I can say with conviction that your experience, if you do ever go, will be utterly different to the one that follows. Nevertheless, let me recount my own first time... It was the January after my eighteenth birthday and I had moved to London for an internship. It marked the beginning of my life as an adult (albeit a baby one), it was a surge of independence, and I was living a life I had chosen for myself. I

prepared to look from lots of different perspectives, rather than to insist we are right. What are your hopes for the future? You guys…I’m quite optimistic. I think we’re going through a horrible moment, like many before it. But actually when I teach students, the younger the better, I do get very hopeful. People my age were trained to think in a particular way which worked well for the Cold War: ‘If we only get the numbers right, then eternal peace will break out’… But the world is changing very radically. You guys understand that you’re going to

had made a friend in a gay man a little older than me who suggested that we go to Heaven, an infamous name that I hadn’t actually heard of until that night. We queued and entered in a ritual of process that aroused a delicious nervous excitement in me. People giggled in playful conspiracies and bouncers searched suspiciously. It took a while to get in, and I remember not wanting to seem too young (I, too, wasn’t quite convinced that I was eighteen yet). My friend took my hand in his, and we glided into a vault of almost physically tangible pop music. We put my velvet jacket in the cloakroom, and made our way to the bar. What happened next? A man may have bought me a rum and coke, and the rest is a patchwork of all the other times I have been back since: furiously amiable chatter with strangers in the smoking area, claustrophobic dancing, losing and finding friends new and old and avoiding (or sometimes returning) stares from the blurry shapes of men across the packed room. And there it was, finally, a space in which gay sexual expression was in the open. I had never been in a context before in which I was an object of sexual desire, and although it excited me at first,

change career at least four times before you retire, if you ever retire–you don’t assume that there’s the safety blanket that we always assume there was. You don’t think that there’s just one way to fix things. I see an openness, a pragmatism, and underneath it all, a real commitment to stuff we talked about but didn’t actually do anything about–which was equity. SOAS is one of the places where we can. We’re at a tipping point. Inequality is on the agenda and it’s not going away. We don’t have the answers, but you guys might be in a better position to find them.

I quickly came to understand (with some bitterness) how I was viewed. I was objectified as a twink; a young, effeminate, pretty gay man- like the American sweet from which it takes its name: delicious but lacking in any nutritional value. People are often surprised when I take offence to this name, but it isn’t a compliment. This just wasn’t the way in which I wanted to express my desire, nor was it the way in which I wanted to be desired. I felt claustrophobic and restricted, because it just wasn’t me. And that is perhaps why I became, for a while, so embittered with the whole institution. But now, I look back at the me who turned up to a gay club in a velvet jacket, and laugh, because it was so sweet and unaffected. Over time, my views on how I fit into the gay community and how I function within the world would change and my ideas would be challenged. Now I assert myself in no specific subcategory at all. I am, still, a little conflicted; whilst I find a comfort in gay clubs, I also know that I don’t fit in. But that’s alright, I don’t need to. And that’s quite exciting.

30 OCTOBER 2017

Humans of SOAS

FEATURES

Dominik – the man behind the iconic Hare Krishna stall How long have you been giving out food for? I’ve been doing this for like fifteen years. What made you start doing it? We try to present healthy food and it’s also helping the students and the people. We usually feed a thousand people every day, from the universities and homeless people. How did you get into Hare Krishna? I was born in a very small country, it’s called Croatia. There are different religions there, more like Roman Catholic. But something happened in my country, a war that maybe you remember, in Yugoslavia there was war. But I was dissatisfied by all this war. We should not fight, it is better to live together. We are all human beings. But in my country all these divisions, like Catholic and Orthodox in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Islam as well…people are divided and it’s not good. If you are hungry for example everybody feels the same. If you cut your finger or something, it’s all the same. And we try to see in that way the universal humanity in life. In these circumstances many people would turn towards the religion they’ve grown up

around, so what made you go towards Hare Krishna? Then I started reading books and I liked Hare Krishna explaining the soul. The soul is beyond this external material of the body, some people are black or white, or man or woman, or rich or poor. This is all external, but internally you can see (we are all alike in philosophy?). But similar, Jesus also teaches the same with respect. If somebody hits you, you don’t need hit to back. It means forgiveness. And Karma, we believe in Karma. If somebody hits you, naturally you want to hit him, it’s called Karma. If someone helps you, naturally you want to help him or others in that way. For every action there is a reaction. Do you think Karma is a force of the universe? Yes, even science understands it, Newton, every action there is the same reaction. Whatever action you’re doing. Similar, if you are negative towards some person then he may be negative towards others in that way. Similar, if you are positive you are creating a circle. One day that circle may come back to you. That’s why it’s called the cycle of Karma. photos: Uswa Ahmed

FEATURES

Do Not Read By: the devil on your shoulder I’m the little voice in your head. You see me every day; I’m invisible, but I’m probably wearing a beige trench coat and dark glasses. Perched on your shoulder. Sat on that one empty chair in your tutorial. With a pad of paper and a pen. Thoughtful and silent and just a little bit outraged. I’m going prematurely grey, guys. It’s week 4, and it’s not looking good. This week we have X, indignant, going on about individualism and why its reductionism will kill us all. I stayed wisely quiet (I don’t like having things thrown at me) but I found a pen and paper, and I thought I’d take the mic for a second. Individualism makes sense methodologically, peoplethe world is made of individuals. I am not a collection of the groups I’m a part of. I start at the me and expand to the they, not the other way around. That’s how my economic decisions work. The theory says selfish, rational, isolated individual. Am I a selfish person? I’d like to think I’m not. Am I rational? I should hope not. But I maximize utility- that’s what ‘selfish’ and ‘rational’ means in this context. You can be a utility-maximizing charity donator: there’s someone By MapsofMilhouse (facebook–etsy)

30 OCTOBER 2017

in a suit somewhere whose job it is to figure out how to appeal to the utility maximizing individual. Utility is how the decision is made; everyone, from the mega-rich to the bottom billion, maximizes utility. Isolated is a contested point. What influences the decisions we make? A Robinson Crusoe-like desert island where our economic decisions are influenced by nothing BUT utility? Schumacher thought so; Hayek disagreedthat’s two giants of individualism at odds. Whoops. Hayek saw ‘methodological individualism’ encompassing not just the decisions of individuals but how those individuals relate to one another, and to the wider world around them. That makes sense to me. Even if what I just said were all a right wing lie, it would still make methodological sense. In economics, we want to model reality. We want to break down the truths we experience to the bone so we can understand and fix problems. We learn from the other social sciences and apply. We want to start with the individual, because that’s what I am- that’s what the basis of this world is. 1+1+1+1+1+1, and the web between us. I’ll compromise- we need a better understanding OF individuals. But the individual is a good starting pointthe best one we’ve got.

Spotlight

Who: Hi! We are Hayah (President), Fatima (PR Director) and Michael (Events Director) What: The Self-Empowerment Society is new to SOAS and we’re here to help you with your personal developmentand to build your confidence in the long term. Where: A round table discussion on a student chosen topic. When: 16th November, 5-6pm, Location TBC. Updates on Facebook! Coming Up: Events with guest speakers and organisations for their experiences, and interactive workshops where everyone gets involved!

Advice Column Psst! Hey! Is there something bothering you? If you’ve got a concern, question, situation, or anything else that’s keeping your brain up at night, I might have an answer. Send an email to soashelpfulspirit@gmail.com and we’ll keep everything nice and anonymous. The helpful spirit is here to help. Have a happy Halloween.

FEATURES

30 OCTOBER 2017

Poetry Is Peng 衬衫

Shirts

星期三上午的伦敦地铁我眼前可以看到的男士站着的坐着的对面车厢的他们都穿着衬衫

Wednesday morning, London Underground The men in my sight Standing, sitting or even in the next coach Are all wearing shirts

大概这就是成年日子就是打着领带的衬衫和敞着第一颗扣子的衬衫

This is probably what being an adult is like Time is just shirts with ties And shirts with the first button let loose

好也好,坏也好 Be it good or bad, 生活不过是脱下一件衬衫 Life is no more than taking off one shirt 换上另一件衬衫 And putting on another By Ruixuan Li, MPhil/PhD African Languages and Cultures

City of Orphans Fields of Gold, India go Back, Burhan town is Here, Softy from little Hut, Foreshore to Nigeen, Tuj from the Dars, City of Orphans, Fields of Gold, Jawaharnagar is Home, The floods killed my Home, Nanu in the Maqbarah, Aba reflects in Sadness, The Hamam has the best Wifi, My house is no longer a Home, Where did Hasana Kaka Go? City of Orphans, Fields of Gold, Aapi is Married, Musa will be Soon, Grey clouds fall Down, Sunlight bleeds Through, I see it Now, Hazratbal singing the Testimony, The men pray on the Dal,

City of Orphans, Fields of Gold, Falcons are Soaring, Wazwan a Burden, Prayer for Mamani, Shikara upon the Waters, Save Burma save Gaza, City of Orphans, Fields of Gold, Rivers of Red, Streets of Stones, India go Back, Aazadi will Come, Where is my Home? I don’t speak Koshur, You keep dying for What? A city of Orphans? For fields of Gold.

An ode to the brown woman they don’t deserve you crawling in your anger – you scare them, but you empower us. it take courage to express what many have never bothered to do giving the brown woman a voice we belong here and we’re here to stay. being skilful and intelligent, that’s what got us here. your latest diversity report says different, but we know the score. we’re not ashamed to be brown anymore we’re enlightening you all… By Raheema Khan, MA Postcolonial Studies

By Eissa Dar, MA Near and Middle Eastern Studies

COMMENT

The Chagossians’ right to return home

30 OCTOBER 2017

Thea Busuttil, MSc Violence, Conflict and Justice Decolonisation is not a thing of the past. The Golden Age of the British Empire has long been over but its remnants still linger. A few islands around the world are still British colonies, and in the Indian Ocean, somewhere under the Maldives and to the right of the Seychelles, you will find the Chagos Islands; a small, beautiful and strategically important archipelago. In 1814 these islands legally became a British colony, as part of Mauritius. However, in 1965, Britain decided to annex the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, just three years before Mauritius declared independence. The UK entered into an agreement with Mauritius to purchase the archipelago for £3 million to create the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). However, the UK gave the Mauritian government certain assurances in writing as part of the sale. In 1966 the UK settled an agreement with the U.S. to lease out the largest island, Diego Garcia, for the creation of a U.S. military base. From a strategic perspective the island is perfect–the atoll gives the US control over the Indian Ocean and surrounding countries. The agreement meant that the U.S. could use the BIOT for defence purposes for 50 years until 2016, and the lease could be extended for 20 years.

The 1,500 or so Chagossians who still remained on the islands were forcibly deported to Mauritius and the Seychelles. Since then, the Chagossians have never been allowed to return home. No money changed hands to purchase the archipelago (thus the U.S. government avoided asking Congress for funds) but the US wiped out $14 million in UK military debt, which effectively discounted the sale of the Polaris missiles. The creation of this base gave the U.S. the capacity to utilise longrange bombers in their past wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and whilst the US Army might have nicknamed it the “footprint of freedom”. The U.S. has now admitted that the CIA used the atoll as a black site in its rendition programme. To add insult to injury, in order to provide the United States with an “uninhabited”

U.S. Marines train at Diego Garcia (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

island, between 1968 and 1973 the UK used a variety of methods to remove these people from their islands. Firstly, whomever left the archipelago for a vacation or for medical reasons was not allowed back in. They then restricted food and medical supplies to the residents to push them to leave voluntarily. In a macabre and brutal tactic, the British personnel rounded up and gassed all the pet dogs on Diego Garcia in front of their owners. The 1,500 or so Chagossians who still remained on the islands were forcibly deported to Mauritius and the Seychelles. Since then, the Chagossians have never been allowed to return home. An entire nation was exiled for no good reason, dependent on states, which saw them as aliens and gave them meagre help. The community won a court case in Britain in 2002 in order to be eligible for British citizenship and many moved to Britain over the years. However, the Overseas Territories Act of 2002 only gave citizenship to those who were native born and some second generation (born between 1969 and 1983), thus splitting families apart. Besides the serious human rights violations, which have been laid at Britain’s door, Mauritius has claimed that the separation of the Chagos archipelago in 1965 was in violation of UN Resolution 1514, which bans the breakup of colonies before independence. On the other hand, the British government has stated that its claim to the islands was part of the agreement it made with Mauri-

tius in 1965 and therefore legitimate. Britain continues to promise that it will return the islands once they are no longer needed for defence purposes. In 2010, Wikileaks leaked a diplomatic cable, which stated that the UK aimed to establish a marine reserve around the BIOT, in order to prevent the former residents from ever returning home. Wikileaks quotes Colin Roberts, a Foreign and Commonwealth Office official, who said the BIOT’s “former inhabitants would find it difficult, if not impossible, to pursue their claim for resettlement on the islands if…[they]…were a marine reserve.” He even went on to say, “We do not regret the removal of the population”. In April 2010 the Chagos Marine Protected Area (MPA) was declared, which also took away the livelihoods of Chagossians living in Mauritius who had continued to fish around the BIOT. Mauritius objected to the establishment of the MPA, and took the case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which declared it a violation of international law in March 2015, as Mauritius had fishing, oil and mineral rights in the archipelago and the right to its eventual return. The judgement was based on the assurances given by the UK to Mauritius in 1965 as part of the sale, which the tribunal argued became legally binding once Mauritius became an independent state. In 2016, when the lease was up for renewal, the Chagossians waited to hear whether they would be given the right to re-

turn home from the Foreign Office, however they were denied that right in November. The latest development in this case happened in June 2017. Mauritius brought a resolution before the UN General Assembly to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago. In a surprising turn of events the UN delegates voted overwhelmingly to back Mauritius, effectively referring the legal status of the BIOT to the ICJ. The UK has argued that this is a bilateral dispute and should be resolved as such. They have further pointed out that both states party to the conflict have to agree for their case to go before the ICJ, which is clearly not the case here. The Chagos Islanders Movement is pushing to change UK law so that all Chagossians and their descendants can have the opportunity to register as British Overseas Territories Citizens. They are outraged that the UK is still ignoring them and taking no responsibility for the Chagossian people, even when the UN has them an indigenous people. Crawley’s MP Henry Smith will present an amendment to the Nationality Law to Parliament, and if you wish to show your support, please sign their petition on change. org. In the meantime the Chagossians will keep fighting for the right to return home. Check out the Chagos Islanders Movement at www.chagosislandersmovement.com to see what else you can do to help!

30 OCTOBER 2017

The Harvey Weinstein Mania Naela Cruz, BA Studies of Religions and World Philosophies There is nothing surprising about a sexual predator lurking behind the scenes of Hollywood. The Harvey Weinstein mania hardly shocks many of those who are aware

However, those who are victimised should never be let down by those who can come forward. of sexual assaults that happen every day at work, school, and practically everywhere else.

The main pattern that seems to be present, aside from carnal abuse, is the bystanders that allow these acts to continuously happen. In addition to the women who are coming forward because of the behaviour they have encountered from Weinstein, there are also those who come forward and admit they knew what was going on, but did not do anything about it. For example, Quentin Tarantino told the New York Times “there was more to it than just the normal rumours”. So why did he not come forward then? Tarantino does not seem to be a shadow of a figure. All can agree that he has as powerful of a presence as that of Weinstein. Nonetheless there are many examples of people who choose to remain uninvolved in sexual assaults. This alarmingly occurs repeatedly within the

circles that are dominated by powerful individuals. If we look back to the Jimmy Savile scandal, there is no doubt that people stood by. Why? we ask. Are people scared? Are they terrified of the sexual predator that they visibly see abusing another being or do they want their career to stay in perfect structure? There seems to be no conclusive answer. However, those who are victimised should never be let down by those who can come forward. As a diabolic sexual perpetrator commits unlawful acts, being a bystander to these acts still allows for unlawful acts such as those that Weinstein committed to take place.

COMMENT

Harvey Weinstein, Film Producer, has been accused of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Remember Liu Jennifer Ngo, MSC Migration, Mobility and Development A group of artists and activists have put together a poetry reading of works by the late Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Liu Xiaobo, and his disappeared widow, Liu Xia. The event is to remember the prominent Chinese dissident not just as an activist, but as a poet and a literary critic, and to raise awareness on the plight of his widow, whose freedom is still limited. Liu died of multiple organ failure on 13 July in captivity. He has been in jail since 2009 for “inciting subversion of state power” by co-

writing the Charter 08 democracy manifesto. Liu was barred from leaving the country for treatment even in his last days. He became the only Laureate to die in captivity since Nazi Germany. His remains were then unceremoniously cremated and dumped into the South China Sea. Liu’s widow, Liu Xia, had been on house arrest since his imprisonment, and have disappeared since her husband’s hasty funeral, except for one YouTube video of her asking for time to mourn in August, and a phone call with a Hong Kong activist in early September. “I was prepared to stand up [for Liu] as an activist, but what blew me away was his writing…And that’s the thing which had been

lost,” said Daniel York, a director, actor and scriptwriter who had actively campaigned for equal rights for creative East Asians. The bilingual event will feature writing by both Liu and his artist widow, Liu Xia, read out by a group of Asian artists. “Doing [this event] would be to remember and commemorate him as an artist.” York said awareness of what happened to Liu, and the unknown future of Liu Xia, was low. The Chinese community in the UK had also remained silent, which York, himself of mixed Chinese and English descent, attributed partially to a fixed idea that East Asians aren’t very vocal culturally, and may even think they deserve less.

“It’s almost like, generally Chinese people… we don’t deserve freedom, basic human rights, as much as the world,” he said. Liu was first jailed after the June 4 Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, where he had flew back to China from his visiting professorship in the United States to take part in the student-led pro-democracy movement. He opted to stay in China after his release, despite the limits on freedom. His death had led to critiques that the international human rights community had abandoned him, and China’s oppressive and authoritarian rule was “overlooked” by nations due to the country’s economic clout.

Messages of condolence and flowers are left for Liu Xiaobo (photo: Etan Liam, Flickr)

COMMENT

The Most Friendless People in the World Jennifer Ngo, BA Economics and Politics Last Friday, in a report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund, it was stated that an estimated 340,000 Rohingya children are living in dismal, insalubrious conditions in Bangladeshi refugee camps, where they have little to no access to enough food, water, shelter and healthcare. The 600,000 Rohingya people that fled to Bangladesh after the brutal military crackdown in Myanmar now live in a state of limbo. Bangladesh doesn’t fully recognise them as refugees and wishes for the Rohingya people to be repatriated back to Myanmar as soon as possible, yet the Burmese government has historically refused citizenship to the Rohingya because they believe them to be illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Though the Rohingya have long been persecuted in Myanmar and subsequently forced to live as aliens on the fringes of their own country, the recent military crusade against them has driven them out of their homes and across borders, effectively making them stateless. Many of the Rohingya people had to no choice except to flee from the violence, into neighbouring countries where they are an unwelcome burden. Those that now live in refugee camps, are fearful that they may be expelled and forcefully resettled in the Rakhine State where the Burmese military might restart it’s campaign of terror and torture. And whilst grappling with those fears, the Rohingya now also have to contend with thundering storms, bearing down on Bangladesh, that are tearing apart their makeshift shelters in the refugee camps. In October 2016, nine border policemen were killed in an attack claimed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army —a militant proRohingya group, which is considered a terrorist organisation by the Burmese state. The Burmese military launched a full-scale security operation, in Rakhine state, against ARSA however what followed was sustained military action in Rohingya villages. During the crackdown government troops were accused of severe human rights abuses, involving rape, arson, torture and murder. Many activists and former residents have described the horrors perpetuated by the Burmese military, actions such as firing indiscriminately at unarmed villagers and burning alight entire villages. Those actions all signal to a planned campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya people. Though the Burmese government and military continue to deny any wrongdoing, citing wrongful western media coverage they imply that it was ARSA themselves that set fire to Rohingya villages in order to malign Myan-

mar. However, many international human rights agencies, including the UN, believe they posses enough evidence to state that a mass scale ethnic cleansing campaign is taking place in Myanmar. The situation in Myanmar is eerily reminiscent of the Armenian Genocide, where approximately 1.5 million people were killed in a similar manner. Human history

Economic and political reasons, among others, serve as a cause for many nations to only pay lip service to the plight of the Rohingya people. is rife with examples of ethnic cleansing and genocide, like that in Bosnia and Herzegovina or Rwanda, and events in Rakhine state are unfolding in much the same way, yet apart from hollow condemnations or some aid efforts the international community has failed to rally together to stop the atrocities being committed in Myanmar. Breaking off diplomatic relations with Myanmar or collectively placing sanctions upon Myanmar are just some of the ways that other nations can effectively exert pressure upon the Burmese

state to end their persecution of the Rohingya but none of this is happening. The answer to the international community’s inaction lies in the geo-politics of the area. Although neighbouring states, Muslim countries and western nations have criticised out Myanmar for its despicable actions, no concrete action has been taken and that is because their political interests align with not isolating Myanmar. China is firm ally of the Burmese state and has defended the military crackdown, as necessary action needed to restore peace and stability in Rakhine state, where coincidentally China has planned an economic zone that will be part of its larger ‘One belt, One road’ economic scheme involving Myanmar and other neighbouring countries. Thus, China and many other countries in the region will not act decisively against Myanmar because it goes against their own economic interests to do so. The US probably wary of China’s hold in Myanmar also does not want to cut ties with Myanmar, as it would serve as push towards increasing loyalty towards China in that region. These economic and political reasons, among others, serve as a cause for many nations to only pay lip service to the plight of the Rohingya people. The Rohingya, very aptly termed by a UN spokesperson as ‘the most friendless people in the world’, are currently bereft of home,

Hashimiah Orphans Madrasah at Pasar Borong Selayang, Myanmar (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

30 OCTOBER 2017

country and identity as no country is willing to claim them as their own. And given the inaction of the international community it does not look as if this crisis is going to end anytime soon. Therefore, the least we can do is continue to talk about the issue and keep attention on it. It is that attention that has forced the Burmese government to plan to resettle the Rohingya and allow them back into the country. Thus, some small concessions can be won for the Rohingya people if this does not become another forgotten conflict of the world. However, it is clear that attention alone is not enough, since although the Rohingya have been offered a passage home they are still quite unwelcome — hundreds of hardline Buddhists are protesting their potential return, and those of the Rohingya who choose to return will probably find themselves worse off than they used to be as the Burmese state is only accepting those with id and documentation (something that the Rohingya have categorically been denied in the past), thus many will be unable to lay claim to their land and property. The return of the Rohingya people has become a catch-22 sort of situation. The Rohingya desperately need help and we can provide that, in some small way, by at least donating to relief organisations working on the ground such as the UNHCR etc.

REVIEWS

30 OCTOBER 2017

London in Time:

Museum of London Sumayyah Daisy Lane, BA History Since the renovation of the Museum of London’s entire ground floor, reliving London’s past is now an experience reimagined. Complete with reconstructed Victorian streets, spoken accounts and 7000 objects, the museum’s nine galleries present a detailed and engaging history of the city. This historical journey begins in the London before London gallery, taking a step back from the birth of the capital to explore Roman Britain. Around the corner lies the

This historical journey begins in the London before London gallery, taking a step back from the birth of the capital to explore Roman Britain. most well-known gallery, War, Plague & Fire, bringing the harrowing story of the Great Fire of London to life through an immersive audio and visual experience. A short walk into the dimly lit Expanding City thrusts you into a recovered London laden with glamorous colonial goods from the British Empire, the lack of light serving as a metaphor for the darkness that underlined Britain’s imperial projects. Nevertheless, intricately painted fans, silk gowns and

delicate china all combine to reinforce the ever-present quality of London as a city of opportunity. The timeline of London’s milestones continues through to the Victorian Age. People’s City provides incredibly detailed Victorian street scenes before transforming into an era of pre-war vintage glamour. Prepare to be whisked away on a time-travelling adventure surrounded by flapper dresses, elaborate jewellery and the gorgeous Selfridges’ art deco lift. Previously the galleries had ended just before the Great War. Now London’s story goes further, leaving a slightly apocalyptic feeling in the mouth by showcasing the legacy of the present day. The modern exhibits include an in-depth display on the Suffragette movement amongst interviews and diary entries of child evacuees during WWII. Exhibits on the gay rights movements, the fight against racism, clothing of contemporary Muslim women, and the 7/7 tube attacks are amongst the treasure to be found in World City, reinforcing a view of the capital as a “mosaic of diverse communities and neighbourhoods.” All in all, the Museum of London paints London as a fast-paced, buzzing city that does it all. Aside from the obvious selling point that the museum is free, it offers a unique nine-stop whiz tour of London’s past that is easily digested and engaging – great for Londoners, and perhaps perfect for international students interested in learning all things London outside the classroom.

The section of the exhibition covering the expansion of London after the Great Fire. (photo: Sumayyah Lane)

Black Art in Tate Modern Kornelia Jaroc, BA History According to the curators, the exhibition Soul of the Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power was to celebrate the works of Black American artists in the politically and socially eventful two decades following 1963. The question is, is it enough? The exhibition offers layers of sociohistorical nuanced narrative which help to understand various artistic responses in the turbulent times of Civil Rights Movement. Over 150 works by more than 60 Black American artists are organised not regionally or chronologically, but according to different aesthetic strategies, different stances in the debate about what

it meant to be a black artist at the time, which resulted in different approaches to artistic production and presentation. The works span from political figuration to collage, abstraction to assemblage to ‘Black aesthetic photography’, and were exhibited in the mainstream art institutions, newly funded museums and on the streets. This curatorial approach has been widely deemed fresh and successful for showcasing the diversity of nonconformist, radical, politically-engaged art in the first two decades of Civil Rights Movement. For what it intended to do, it was a successful exhibition, but I dare to question those intentions. UK’s most prestigious public art galleries are taking turns in presenting major survey exhibitions of

Black art, and all of them show some kind of fixation on the past narratives. Don’t get me wrong, I think that historical insertion of so-far-excluded black art to the not-souniversal story of art is absolutely vital. But I also feel that recycling the familiar format and line-up to retell the story over and over again just won’t do, and it is not only in collective and on history that black artists can speak. In these sort of surveys, rich arrays of individual creative practices of artists like Joe Overstreet or Sam Gilliam are by necessity represented by one or two works, which can barely represent their oeuvres. ‘Celebrating black art’ slogans also ring kind of hollow when the contemporary artists and their aesthetic strategies of reflecting on troubled today never get the

attention. Tate Modern is well-known for their in-depth retrospective exhibitions of individual modern and contemporary artists. Since it opened in 2000, it has yet to present a major exhibition by AfricanAmerican artist, and in the meanwhile, it was stars like Georgia O’Keeffe, Robert Rauschenberg, Bruce Newman, Eva Hesse, or Wolfgang Tillmans who were taking the floor instead. While we enjoy much-needed historical explorations and acts of broadening the suffocatingly narrow canon, we must demand those are not used as excuses for not dealing with black artists in the present.

REVIEWS

30 OCTOBER 2017

Journeys to Independence:

Informative insight into 20th century India Khadija Kothia, BA History As India celebrates 70 years of Independence LSE’s exhibition Journeys to Independence: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh captures the pivotal moments that shaped the subcontinent during the 20th century. Upon entering I am instantly intrigued. It’s a modestsized room but with an abundance of content: a glass cabinet containing archives, a live screen to my right and an eye-catching sculpture. The sculpture is copper-coloured with an authoritative glory, a bust of Bhimrao Ramji Ahmedkar, one of LSE’s most notable alumnus, champion of Dalit (Untouchables) rights and a strong campaigner for the rights of women in British India. Spread across a glass cabinet at the centre of the room are a selection of Ahmedkar’s letters, texts and forms, all from the LSE archives. The sources continue with diary extracts from the journals of Beatrice Webb (co-founder of LSE). The public exhibition at LSE. (photo: Khadija Kothia)

With the significant focus on individuals connected to the university itself, as well as the abundance of sources from its archives, this exhibition is a celebration of the connection between LSE and India. However, just as the focus of LSE-South Asia connections become more apparent, I also notice an angle I don’t initially expect. Repeated within the exhibits are arguably anti-Gandhi sentiments, displayed within sources ranging from LSE individuals, such as Ahmedkar himself, to British articles, with one titled, “Does Mr. Gandhi know women?”. One possible explanation for this could be the focus on British perspectives of Indian Independence.

The exhibition presents an informative insight into 20th century India Nevertheless the exhibition presents an informative insight into 20th century India. For the entry level enthusiast, the exhibition’s simply-worded placards describing British rule, partition, and the 1971 War of Independence present an interactive chance to gain an insight. For the more learned individual, the exhibition displays a range of voices through first-hand archival perspectives on key events in 20th century South Asian history. Journeys to Independence: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh is definitely worth a visit. Situated just 15 mins from the SOAS steps, it is great way to take a stroll, grab a bite of lunch, and spend the afternoon amongst a great range of sources and stories about a monumental piece of history. (‘Journeys to Independence: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh’ is a FREE exhibition, situated in LSE’S library gallery until 15th December 2017)

Film Review

Death of Stalin: Comedy in the incompetent 16

Azeem Rajulawalla, BA History Armando Iannucci returns to the silver screen in this comedythriller-tragedy to remind us all that he has mastered the art of satire. The Death of Stalin follows Stalin’s inner circle in the immediate aftermath of his death as they attempt to plot and panic their way to power, hindered by their own incompetence, their feigned loyalties to Stalin, and the brutal systems they themselves have established. The film boasts a spectacular cast, all of whom get their moments to shine in this star-studded feature. Steve Buscemi plays the nervous Khrushchev whose attempts to prevent catastrophe end up making things worse. Jeffrey Tambor is perfect as Malenkov,

Standing proudly on the right, a sculptre of Bhimrao Ramji Ahmedkar. (photo: Khadija Kothia)

completely out-of-his-depth and more concerned with his appearance as leader than actual leadership. Michael Palin is the laughably pathetic Molotov, and Jason

“Iannucci’s newest project may be his most ambitious and so far, it’s definitely the funniest film of the year.” Isaacs channels Sean Bean as the rough and plain-spoken General Zhukov, gaining some of the biggest laughs in the process. The highest praise must be awarded to Simon Russell Beale’s portrayal of the slimy Beria, a genuinely frightening presence whose black

heart brings much of the morbid humour to the film. It’s mesmerizing to watch. The Death of Stalin, in all its hilarity, has an edge that keeps the comedy grounded. Iannucci has stated that he wanted to create a tension behind each laugh, and does so by establishing the lifeand-death stakes for his characters. The comedy comes to a sudden halt in the final minutes of the film, perhaps in respect to the grim real-life events it is based on. Iannucci’s newest project may be his most ambitious and so far, it’s definitely the funniest film of the year. The Death of Stalin is in cinemas from 20th October 2017. 15 certificate, running time 105 minutes.

SPORT

30 OCTOBER 2017

This Girl Can

‘A kick right in the stereotypes’ ‘I can give mud mask a new meaning’ ‘Sweating like a pig, feeling like a fox’ ‘My gameface has lipstick on it’ ‘Hot and not bothered’ Holly Sampson, BA Middle Eastern Studies and World Philosophies

These are just a few of the campaign slogans used by The National Lottery’s This Girl Can Campaign. First set up in 2015, its aim is to encourage active women everywhere in their endeavours and it all revolves around one powerful insight: the biggest barrier preventing women and girls from getting active and participating in sport is their fear of judgement. A fear that they will be judged due to their lack of skill or ability; their appearance; or even the fact that they are spending some time on themselves instead of their loved ones. Sport England did some research that revealed that one in every four women claimed that they “hate the way I look when I exercise or play sport”. But this fear isn’t just skin deep; research also showed that a quarter of women believed they didn’t have the skill or ability to

perform well in their chosen sport. It is this fear that makes women want to participate less and so the This Girl Can campaign was set up to target exactly that. Since it has been set up there has been an outpouring of motivational videos, pictures and stories that demonstrate participation of real women in an array of different sporting activities, showing that it doesn’t matter what you look like, or how good you are, it simply matters that you are doing it. One photo in a particular stands out here–it is of a red-faced woman cycling up a hill and the slogan reads, ‘I’m slow but I’m lapping everyone on the couch’. This seemingly epitomises the campaign; it is all about participation and enjoying yourself. This year SOAS has decided to participate in the This Girl Can campaign running events from throughout November. Keep your eyes peeled for more information about how you can get involved in the coming weeks!

SOAS Warriors Fixture List

Come and support the SOAS Warriors at our home games! All information is accurate at the time of printing. Please check https://www.bucs.org.uk/BucsCore/InstitutionProfile.aspx?id=146 for accurate information closer to the time of the matches.

British Universities and Colleges (BUCS) 1/11/2017

SOAS Men’s Badminton 1st Team v LSE Men’s 3rd Team League - South Eastern 4B Time and location: TBC SOAS Men’s Rugby Union 1st Team v Portsmouth University Men’s 4th Team League - South Eastern 5A 14:00 @ The Hub (NW1 4RU) SOAS Men’s Tennis 1st Team v Kingston University Men’s 1st Team League - South Eastern 5A 14:00 @ Clissold Park Tennis Courts (N16 0HY) SOAS Women’s Netball 1st Team v Queen Mary Women’s 6th Team League - South Eastern 10B 17:45 @ Highbury Fields (N5 1QN) SOAS Men’s Basketball 1st Team v Brunel University Men’s 3rd Team League - South Eastern 4A 19:30 @ Islington Arts and Media School (N4 3LS)

8/11/2017

SOAS Women’s Badminton 1st Team v Buckinghamshire New University Women’s 1st

South Eastern Conference Cup - Knockout Round Time and location: TBC SOAS Women’s Volleyball 1st Team v Buckinghamshire New University Women’s 1st South Eastern Conference Cup - Knockout Round Time and location: TBC SOAS Men’s Badminton 1st Team v TBC South Eastern Conference Cup - Knockout Round Time and location: TBC SOAS Men’s Rugby Union 1st Team v Canterbury Christ Church University Men’s 2nd Team South Eastern Conference Plate - Knockout Round 14:00 @ The Hub (NW1 4RU)

15/11/2017

SOAS Women’s Volleyball 1st Team v University of Essex Women’s 1st Team League - South Eastern 3B Time and location: TBC SOAS Men’s Badminton 1st Team v London South Bank University Men’s 1st Team League - South Eastern 4B Time and location: TBC

SPORT

30 OCTOBER 2017

SOAS Men’s Tennis 1st Team v Brunel University Men’s 3rd Team League - South Eastern 5A 14:00 @ Clissold Park Tennis Courts (N16 0HY)

SOAS Men’s Basketball 1st Team v Roehampton University Men’s 1st Team League - South Eastern 4A Time TBC @ Islington Arts and Media School (N4 3LS)

22/11/2017

SOAS Women’s Netball 1st Team v King’s College London Women’s 1st League - South Eastern 10B 17:00 @ Highbury Fields (N5 1QN)

SOAS Women’s Volleyball 1st Team v Queen Mary Women’s 2nd Team League - South Eastern 3B Time and location: TBC

29/11/2017

SOAS Women’s Badminton 1st Team v King’s College London Women’s 2nd Team League - South Eastern 3B Time and location: TBC

SOAS Women’s Netball 2nd Team v Queen Mary Women’s 7th League - South Eastern 11B 18:00 @ Highbury Fields (N5 1QN)

SOAS Men’s Badminton 1st Team v King’s College London Men’s 3rd Team League - South Eastern 4B Time and location: TBC SOAS Women’s Volleyball 1st Team v University of East London Women’s 2nd Team League - South Eastern 3B Time and location: TBC

London Universities Sport Leagues (LUSL) 4/11/2017

SOAS Men’s Basketball 1st Team v Regent’s University London Men’s 1st Team League - Competitive Division 1 19:30 @ Islington Arts and Media School (N4 3LS)

6/11/2017

SOAS Men’s Squash 1st Team v King’s College London Men’s 3rd Team League - Competitive Division 1 19:00 @ Sobell Centre (N7 7NY)

11/11/2017

SOAS Men’s Football 1st Team v King’s College London Men’s 2nd Team League - Competitive Division 1 12:00 @ Market Road Football Pitches (N7 9PL) SOAS Men’s Basketball 1st Team v Birkbeck University Men’s 1st Team League - Competitive Division 1 19:30 @ Islington Arts and Media School (N4 3LS)

12/11/2017

SOAS Women’s Football 1st Team v University of Greenwich Women’s 1st Team League - Intermediate Premier 17:00 @ Market Road Football Pitches (N7 9PL) SOAS Women’s Basketball 1st Team v University of Greenwich Women’s 1st Team League - Competitive Premier 17:00 @ Globe Venue (SE1 6AG)

13/11/2017

SOAS Men’s Squash 1st Team v UCL Mens 4th Team Cup - Knockout Round 19:00 @ Sobell Centre (N7 7NY)

SOAS Women’s Football 1st Team v UCL Women’s 3rd Team Cup - Knockout Round 12:00 @ Market Road Football Pitches (N7 9PL)

20/11/2017

SOAS Netball Women’s 1st Team v Imperial College London Medic’s Women’s 4th Team League - Intermediate Division 2 17:45 @ Highbury Fields (N5 1QN)

25/11/2017

SOAS Men’s Football 2nd Team v King’s College London Men’s 6th Team League - Intermediate Division 2 Time and location: TBC SOAS Men’s Football 3rd Team v Royal Holloway University Men’s 4th Team League - Intermediate Division 3 16:00 @ Whittington Park Football Pitch (N19 4RS) SOAS Men’s Football 1st Team v UCL Men’s 2nd Team League - Competitive Division 1 16:00 @ Market Road Football Pitches (N7 9PL)

26/11/2017

SOAS Mixed Badminton 1st Team v University of Greenwich Mixed 1st Team League - Intermediate Premier Time and location: TBC SOAS Mixed Hockey 1st Team v Barts and the London Mixed 1st Team League - Intermediate Division 1 16:30 @ Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre (E20 3AD)

18/11/2017

SOAS Men’s Football 1st Team v King’s College London GKT Mens 3rd Team Cup - Knockout Round 14:00 @ Market Road Football Pitches (N7 9PL)

19/11/2017

SOAS Mixed Badminton 1st Team v Imperial College Mixed 2nd Team Cup - Knockout Round Time and location: TBC

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

30 OCTOBER 2017

Interview with SOAS Sports Officers Holly Sampson, BA Middle Eastern Studies and World Philosophies This year sees the introduction of our new sports officers, Sophie and Danny. We sat down with them to discuss what sports has in store for this year... What are your aims and objectives? Sophie: In terms of planning our aims and objectives for the year, Danny and I did not want to give pointless aims and objectives, so we will only have an aim if we have an action plan to support it. For example: one of our biggest aims is accessibility, so what we have done for sports like badminton and football is to try to include non-competitive aspects. For example, our badminton team plays in BUCS and LUSL but there’s also recreational badminton. So to be involved you do not have to be involved competitively. We also try to do that with mixed hockey. We play in a very casual 7-a-side league on a Thursday night against other local London teams. So it’s about having two parts to our sport: the social and recreational aspect, and the competitive aspect where we represent our university. Danny: I think one of the main things that increases accessibility when it comes to joining a team is that we have banned the word 'initiation'; we don't have any initiations at SOAS. I know at other universities across the country there have been cases where players, who should obviously be playing first team, can't get on to the team because they refuse to do the initiation. So that's another thing about pushing accessibility here at SOAS. Anyone can play sport, you don't have to do any crazy initiation or change the way you act. Sophie: Further to the accessibility, we also want to make the off-pitch events accessible as well. We will have sports socials and sports nights. Some of them will be designated dry spaces, some will not be. The point is that they will not revolve around drinking. So it won’t be 'come to the JCR and play beer pong'; it will be 'come and play zorb football' or 'netball versus basketball'. If you want to go and have a drink afterwards, feel free. The point is to allow you to be a full participant without drinking. We think it is important for people to enjoy themselves on and off the pitch, and whether you drink or not should not impact your ability to participate in SOAS sport, just as your religion, race or gender doesn’t. What are you doing to improve the quality of sports at SOAS? Sophie: We’ve done lots! Firstly, we’ve ordered brand new kit for every team and this will unify our teams. We’ve redesigned all the stash as well. We have some really nice

leggings, tracksuit bottoms, shorts, polos, quarter zips. We’ve gone all out on kit so our presentation has been improved. In terms of logistics, we have tried to make it as accommodating as possible in terms of where all the teams play. I think the biggest achievement is that we have moved all the men’s football games to Market Road or Whittington Park, which means instead of travelling 45 minutes to a home game, travel is 10 to 15 minutes from SOAS. For me that improves the quality of sport because it improves accessibility. If you can get to SOAS you can get to your game, most people can probably get there for free if you have a bike. That is a big aspect of it for us. I would say those are the big changes we’ve made so far, but we are open to ideas and feedback for things sports is currently lacking - we are always looking to improve. Also in terms of equipment, we are ordering loads of new sports equipment for all the new societies and making sure they are all ready to go for their first games next week. What is varsity? Sophie: On a wider sport level, Varsity is traditionally a longstanding rivalry between two institutions. For SOAS, it is SOAS versus London Met. Last year was our first year. Actually, I’ve just come from a meeting now about Varsity with London Met. We will be playing them at pretty much every sport we do, with a few exceptions. We’ll play them at Rugby, Basketball, Volleyball, Netball, Football and Badminton. The only official sport we don’t play at Varsity is Hockey. It is going to take place on the provisional dates of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the last week of February. SOAS will host the warm up party the Wednesday before and London Met will host the closing party afterwards. It’s basically a time to showcase our best athletes, and to come together with a London university. It’s a bit of healthy competition and something for teams to work towards. What benefits do you think Varsity brings about for sport here at SOAS? Danny: I feel that varsity was a great great thing to come out of SOAS sport last year. For me it was the fact that loads of people within SOAS sport, and some people who don't do sport, could come and watch people play. For example, the first match, the rugby match, which was hosted in the evening had a crowd of SOAS people in the stands. It may not seem like much but to the players on the pitch that means a lot, and that was simply people bringing their friends along to support SOAS. It was great to see! Sophie: I think for me one of the big benefits of varsity is the sense of teamwork and cohesion it brings within your own team, because you really band together to smash London Met! I think it’s fantastic in terms of

SPORT

a goal to work towards and bringing your team together. What support do the SU provide in terms of funding and acquiring space for your events? Sophie: The SOAS Student Union is incredibly supportive of all of our sports teams. They support us both financially and with the time they give us. As most people are aware SOAS, unlike other universities, don’t own their own pitches so the majority of our budget goes on booking pitches and hiring umpires, refs and coaches. If you take a look at the SOAS SU website, our SU budget is open for everybody so you can see all of our accounts. The amount we spend on pitch bookings may seem disproportionately large, but without it we literally couldn’t function. It’s important to remember when looking at the budget that the amount we spend on something is not proportionate to the amount we value it. Take the welfare budget, which I believe is approximately £4,000. If we are running a campaign you may not need that much financial assistance, you may need to simply make banners and print leaflets. However, there is a high volume of man hours that go into that. Hiring rooms at SOAS is free but for sport, in order to do the basic function, we need to buy footballs, book pitches and book refs and that is already hundreds of pounds. So when people look at it and criticise how much we spend on sport, it is important to note that a pound doesn’t represent a worth so to speak. Furthermore, in terms of how they support us with space, in terms of room bookings for our sports socials, Ian Cole and Mehdi are very helpful. We’ve just been planning varsity this morning and ‘This Girl Can’ Week and they’re really on board with supporting it. Are SOAS sports affordable? Sophie: I would argue SOAS Sport is one of the most affordable universities to play sport at. Unlike most other universities, all we charge is a £15 base charge and for that you can play as many sports as you like. You can be a part of one team or five teams. The way this works is that this covers the insurance, so if something were to happen to you, you

would be covered by SOAS. It also contributes to pitch hire, minibus hire for far away games and the new kit we provide. This has to be paid by the 31st October. Obviously if you join later you can pay later. In terms of where we train, we tried to make it as local as possible to as many people as possible. Training is all central, or slightly North London, so that you can get there for free by cycling or walking, or it is within Zone 1 or 2. If anyone is struggling with the costs of university, in particular the cost of playing sport, we would hate for this to be an inhibiting factor so speak with Danny, Ian Cole or me and we can work something out. Sport at SOAS doesn't mean that if you can’t afford it, you can't participate – that’s not how we work at SOAS. Funniest sporting moment... Danny: Funniest sporting moment...oh goodness...I think it would have to be when I was 10 years old - I lived in Thailand at the time. My football team made the final of a big tournament and were playing against a team from Bangkok. It was 0-0 and the last kick of the game, and we were defending manically. I had my head down running back to defend as fast as I could when a friend on my team passed the ball to me. I wasn't looking and kicked it mid stride. The goal was perfect, an absolute screamer, top corner... But obviously it was into my team's goal. They ended up winning gold and I ended up crying after the match for like half a day. So yeah that's probably my funniest sporting moment... Haha so sad....

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, editor and much more.

SOAS SPIRIT