Issue 6: December 2018

SOAS SPIRIT

5 DECEMBER 2018

FREE

YOUR INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

NEWS MADE EASY: UNIVERSITY p6 FUNDING

IS CELEBRITY CULTURE POLITICAL?

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ISSUE 6

BEYOND THE SCENES OF BTS

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Financial Crisis strikes SOAS Credit: Khadija Kothia & Peter Smith

Jude Omidiran, BA Economics & Development SOAS management has disclosed that the university is facing a massive deficit, following a 40% collapse in undergraduate enrolment over the past two years. The Executive Board called an emergency meeting to reveal the £7.1m gap in the budget.

This steep income fall has partly been a result of the school’s over-reliance on tuition fees, accounting for 70% of its budget.

The university has made commitments to maintain its frontof-house staff but is reportedly planning major restructuring to survive. If current spending levels are maintained, the university’s cash reserves would be emptied in just 18 months.

Students’ Union Co-president for Equality and Liberation, Youssra Elmagboul, told The SOAS Spirit that a significant factor in the university’s floundering recruitment is likely its sinking position in league tables. A large part of this decline came from the potential skewing effect of the unsuccessful boycott last year, where students with an axe to grind about the strikes may have been the primary participants. Though a SOAS spokesperson stressed that applications nationwide are falling due to the UK’s overall demographic changes,

alongside ongoing expansion in several major London universities, it is unlikely that this accounts entirely for the observed slump in numbers.

The planned restructuring may fall most heavily on smaller courses, Elmagboul continues. While many other universities reassessed niche courses after austerity measures removed subsidies for specialist teaching, SOAS resisted in some departments despite class sizes often hovering in single-figures. To support the wide range of courses (roughly as many as the far larger University of Manchester), a system of extensive crosssubsidisation emerged, shifting funds across departments to keep the loss-making courses in operation. This process has left the university reliant on a few high-revenue courses, making the ranking drops of the usually lucrative economics and law departments particularly alarming.

In contrast, the master’s degree intake has remained within predicted levels, offering some breathing room for budgeting. However, this still presents a future hazard; the university will only be receiving funds from this intake for one year, with the possibility of a similar effect occurring among post-graduate applicants, threatening a further sharp drop in income in the following years.

The school’s management was last forced to take major action on falling intake in 2016, when they decreased entry tariffs to target a wider pool of applicants. Elmagboul is quick to condemn the implementation of these measures, criticising the lack of university support offered to this new group of students admitted with lower prior academic attainment.

She comments on how this contributed to a greater proportion leaving at the end of their first year, not only letting the students down but also rendering the attempt to boost attendance ineffective. However, she doubts that they would resort to such a strategy easily a second time, adding that they appear to have learnt the value of consistent entry criteria. A spokesperson for the university confirmed this, telling The SOAS Spirit that they wished to “continue to admit only those students who will thrive at SOAS.” Tuition fees aside, the university is also struggling to engage donor funding. While numbers are healthy, a high proportion of the largest donations are earmarked for specified causes, such as the HEFCE grants for the ongoing Brunei Gallery renovation or the £5m endowment for the Institute of Continued on page 3

5 DECEMBER 2018

Contents

Letter from the Editor

News

Dinwiddy House Intrusion

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News Made Easy: University Funding p6 Jamal Khashoggi Murdered at Saudi p8 Consulate

Features Postcards to SOAS: Amina in Alexandria

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Interview with Dr Kehinde Andrews p12 Humans of SOAS: Saif the Writer

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Opinion Is Celebrity Culture Political

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100 Word Rants

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Culture Beyond the Scenes of BTS

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SOAS Fashion Column

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Dear Spirit readers, Welcome to Issue 6 of The SOAS Spirit. In my opinion, it is our best paper yet!

For those wondering how we jumped from releasing Issue 1 in October to Issue 6 this month; this is part of our bid to finally create some continuity with The Spirit, which we relaunched last year, printing our first four editions. We hope that the legacy of SOAS’ best and only student paper will continue its reign for many years to come and many more hundreds of issues.

As our front page demonstrates, SOAS’ financial crisis, alongside news of NUS’s bankruptcy puts university funding at the centre of our news discussions. We have aimed to explain this best through this issue’s News Made Easy analysis piece, which centres on breaking down the complicated web of university funding.

Climate change is also a recurring topic across several sections. In Opinion, Chloe gives her view on the recently banned Iceland advert as she questions what it means to be “too political” in the 21st century. In

Features, Gaia, our resident illustrator, has again graced our pages with yet another amazing comic strip. This time, he draws the alarming ways in which we are killing our planet, as Camilla discusses the ways in which fighting for climate change can lead to a fairer world.

Personally, the Culture section has my heart for this issue. The section was previously reserved for reviews but in our new and revised Culture section, the pages have now become a hotbed for discussion on the latest arts, fashion, and entertainment as we move towards the festive season. Our writers have given their views on Doctor Who’s long-awaited Partition episode, the recent Queen biopic; Bohemian Rhapsody, Hasan Minhaj’s well-acclaimed Patriot Act, and we even have a new SOAS fashion column!

Our Sport and Societies section has also thankfully been given its own kiss of life, for which all credit must go to the societies that have sent in their latest controversies, events and news about society life all over campus. For Sport, our Sport Editor, Holly, places the spotlight on the SOAS Women’s football team.

As ever, The SOAS Spirit is always looking to expand and ensure that every single student has a read, sees our papers and knows that they have the best student newspaper at their very fingertips. We have a bunch of crazy brains that live and breathe ways to improve The Spirit (aka our marketing and social media team), and we hope this is reflected in the growing presence of the newspaper across campus.

However, being a *student* newspaper, we also need your corroboration. So spread the word, follow and interact with us on social media, and write to us about the stories you would like to read and hear about in your one and only campus newspaper!

Khadija Kothia.

Managing Editor of The SOAS Spirit.

Your SOAS Spirit Team

Khadija Kothia • Managing Editor • 637933@soas.ac.uk

Societies & Sport

Arooj Sultan • Co-Editor-in-Chief • 611281@soas.ac.uk Uswa Ahmed • Co-Editor-in-Chief • 638268@soas.ac.uk

Society: #ThisIsNotConsent

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Sport: SOAS Women’s Football

p28 Arooj Sultan Co-Editor-in-Chief

Jude Omidiran • News Editor • 640661@soas.ac.uk Frances Everett • News Editor • 646889@soas.ac.uk Ludovica Longo • News Editor • 639997@soas.ac.uk Syraat Butt • Features Editor • 648141@soas.ac.uk Fisayo Eniolorunda • Features Editor • 657593@soas.ac.uk Hana Qureshi • Opinion Editor • 647808@soas.ac.uk Sumayyah Daisy Lane • Culture Editor • 637349@soas.ac.uk Holly Sampson • Societies and Sports Editor • 638061@soas.ac.uk Filip Kostanecki • Copy-Editor • 652972@soas.ac.uk Indigo Eve Lilburn-Quick • Copy-Editor • 640261@soas.ac.uk Alexandra Bate • Copy-Editor • 628256@soas.ac.uk Swareena Gurung • Copy-Editor • 666887@soas.ac.uk Peter Smith • Senior Layout Editor • 629625@soas.ac.uk Anna Pax, Sarah Andree, Uswa Ahmed • Junior Layout Editors

Uswa Ahmed Co-Editor-in-Chief

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Swareena Gurung • Online Editor • 666887@soas.ac.uk Sumayyah Daisy Lane • Social Media Co-ordinator • 637349@soas.ac.uk Zahraa Choudhury • Marketing Co-ordinator • 638600@soas.ac.uk

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5 DECEMBER 2018 https://soasspirit.co.uk/category/news/ News editors: Jude Omidiran, Frances Everett , Ludovica Longo

SOAS News

News

Continued from page 1

Zoroastrian Studies. Management is often powerless to redirect any of these funds into ailing departments, resulting in a series of attractive new developments using cash that may be more beneficially invested elsewhere.

SOAS is not alone in its financial woes. Earlier in November, three unnamed institutions outside of London were widely reported as being at real risk of bankruptcy, with one already in discussion with insolvency lawyers. Commenting on the cases, Nick Hillman, director of the think tank Higher

Education Policy Institute, said that “a university going bust is more likely than at any other point in the last generation” while also raising concerns about the even greater number that are resorting to bridging loans to survive. Co-President Soph Bennett shares Hillman’s views regarding the severity of the situation, saying, “it’s all gone to s***.”

In the competitive atmosphere of the increasingly marketised higher education system, the government has issued statements confirming that they would allow universities to

crash if they were unable to sustain themselves, though BBC Education Correspondent Sean Coughlan doubts any Education Minister would stand aside without some interventional measures, given the challenging questions of liability for students’ wasted time and fees. A common fear is that even a single bankrupted institution could lead to “contagion” within the sector, as plummeting confidence could create difficulty for universities in finding creditors or attracting valuable overseas students.

SOAS Academic Accuses University of Looting 13th Century Sculpture Caren Holmes, MA Postcolonial Studies In March 2018, SOAS accepted a controversial gift from American alumni, Mary and Paul Slawson. The gift, a 13th-century Thai sculpture, housed within the Brunei Gallery, is estimated to be worth more than €60,000 but lacks documentation of its transactional history.

Dr Angela Chiu, who has a PhD in Thai Art History, discovered the sculpture in the Brunei Lobby. Immediately recognising its significance as a 700-year-old Thai sculpture, she led efforts to retrieve answers from administrators surrounding the acquisition of the piece, publishing her findings on her blog, SOASWatch.org.

Given the severity of looting throughout the colonial era, international governing bodies have endorsed policies to redress centuries of pillaging, facilitating efforts between national governments to return stolen cultural artefacts. Under international ethics requirements, art museums agree to pay particularly close attention to the history of their artefacts in an effort to prevent the continued circulation of stolen goods. The UK Museums Association says within its guidance on ethical acquisition, that museums should “reject any item that lacks a secure ownership history unless there is reliable documentation to show it was exported from its country of origin before 1970” (Clause 2.8).

Paul Slawson, the alumni who provided the donation, explains in emails with the university, that he bought the Thai Lopburi Buddha torso in the UK during the 1980s at the Ormond Gallery on Portobello Road.

Following an FOI request, released email exchanges between Slawson and SOAS showed that Slawson had no records of the torso arriving in the UK, but he was told by the art dealership where he purchased the piece that it had been acquired in the US in what is described in emails as a “California Hippy Shop.” There is though, no evidence of the sculpture’s whereabouts which would satisfy the 1970 standard outlined above.

In its guidelines for museums, libraries and archives, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport calls on institutions to undertake due diligence in checking on the provenance of their artefacts.

“Museums must be able to establish where an item came from, and when and how it left its country of origin and any intermediate country.” The policy explains that museums have to establish one of three things: have

“Dr Chiu argues that the university’s efforts to meet standards of due diligence under SOAS policy are insufficient as the policies are not designed to handle the complexities of acquiring cultural artefacts.” evidence that the piece was in the UK prior to 1970; have evidence that the piece was out of its country of origin prior to 1970 and have evidence of its importation into the UK; or have evidence that it was still in its country of origin after 1970, and have evidence documenting its legal exportation to the UK. The Buddha Torso donated to SOAS doesn’t meet any of these three requirements.

In a public statement on the acquisition of the statue, a SOAS spokesperson explained that the university followed its own internal policies of due diligence “carried out by SOAS in accordance with SOAS’ Collections Management Policy and SOAS’ Due Diligence Procedure for the acceptance of Philanthropic Gifts.” However, the relationship these policies have to national and international standards of cultural artefact acquisition is unclear. A SOAS spokesperson explained that the internal policies in question are due to go under review this year.

Dr Chiu argues that the university’s efforts to meet standards of due diligence under

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SOAS’ Indiana Jones (Credit: SOASWorld)

SOAS policy are insufficient as the policies are not designed to handle the complexities of acquiring cultural artefacts. Administrators have argued that their efforts to track the item on two looted artefact databases, clear the item of suspicion, but Chiu explains that the databases they used “have little or no information regarding Thai artefacts,” suggesting that such searches would provide little assurance that the sculpture was not looted.

In June, Chiu contacted Thai embassy authorities about the artefact. They confirmed the Thai origins of the piece and agreed to open conversations with the university surrounding its history. According to a SOAS spokesperson, the Thai ambassador has been shown the sculpture but there has been no further discussion about its history and provenance.

The “Decolonising SOAS Vision,” approved by the academic board of the university in 2017, dictates a requirement to

develop “a stronger commitment to actively make redress for [impacts of colonialism] through ongoing collective dialogue within the university and through our public obligations.” When asked how the acquisition of this sculpture aligned with the goals of decolonising the university, a SOAS spokesman explained that the artefact “provides a platform for just these kinds of discussions and for them to be evaluated.”

In promotional material produced by the university, advertising Slawson’s donation to the school, Slawson explains, “One should never aspire to truly own such an ancient statue as this … just a shared living experience for a while and then returned to be shared with others.” But perhaps, like artefacts housed within former colonial empires, this 13th-century sculpture may actually belong somewhere other than SOAS. Without following internationally recognised standards of ethical acquisition, the SOAS community cannot know this for certain.

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SOAS News

5 DECEMBER 2018

Dinwiddy House Intrusion Creates Student Safety Scare Khadija Kothia, BA History An intrusion at Dinwiddy House has caused students to become anxious about security failings at the SOAS undergraduate accommodation.

Students report that at 3 a.m. on Sunday 14 October, a man in his twenties entered the accommodation building behind a few

“One of the intruder’s victims described the incident as ‘traumatic’, saying that she was sure that she would have been sexually assaulted.” students, chased two female students up the staircase whilst shouting sexual abuse, and attempted to enter another female student’s

room. The intruder also reportedly set off the alarm causing students to leave the building. Victims say that though they informed security of an intruder in the building, the situation was not handled and students were blamed by security for his entrance.

Following the incident, the company that owns the building, Sanctuary Students, failed to address the incident and emailed students with a warning about the risks of playing with fire equipment. Despite Sanctuary Students’ initial silence regarding the intrusion, the company told The SOAS Spirit that a “full review of the circumstances surrounding this incident is being carried out,” and reminded students to “keep the building secure by ensuring no-one is able to gain entry by following them.”

However, students have complained about the incompetence of Dinwiddy House security. One student described their presence as “close to being non-existent” and went on further to describe security as “rude” and guilty of not checking for student identity at

the building’s entrance. Memes mocking the security guard’s sleeping habits at the building’s entrance have also been circulating on social media, suggesting that many students share this view.

Dinwiddy House is the primary accommodation building for SOAS undergraduates, housing over 500 students. The building is managed by Sanctuary Students, a company that manages numerous student accommodation buildings across the country, including SOAS’ postgraduate accommodation building, Paul Robeson.

The incident on 14 October has created unease in the building. One of the intruder’s victims described the incident as “traumatic,” saying that she was sure that she would have been sexually assaulted. “The days following it, I would not be able to sleep properly, or I would not want to go to the kitchen alone, because I was scared someone would come in and harass me again.”

SOAS management has also told The SOAS Spirit that they are “very concerned”

to hear about the unauthorised entrance, and have raised this matter themselves with Sanctuary Students and the students affected.

They state that all those affected should contact the SOAS Advice and Wellbeing department.

Credit: @soaskmeout

Anonymous Reporting Tool Coming Soon to SOAS Holly Sampson, BA Middle Eastern Studies and World Philosophy In the next term, SOAS will be implementing a new tool for reporting an incident of harassment or abuse to the School.

Report+Support is an online reporting tool that was initially created by the University of Manchester and can be bought by other universities to be used in their establishments.

The aim of Report+Support is to increase report rates of harassment and abuse by creating an option to report anonymously.

This will then allow general trends to be identified, so that new specific policies can be implemented to combat them.

However, it is important to highlight that if a report is anonymous, then individuals cannot be investigated, even if named. This is due to the UK’s norms of justice; a person has the right to know who is accusing them, what

they are being accused of and what evidence is being used. However, if the report rates increase, it is hoped that they will begin to show trends in areas such as the basis for harassment and abuse, the location of incidents, and between whom these incidents take place.

“With the option to report anonymously, the hope is that these report rates will increase.”

These trends are important because it means that the Students’ Union will then be able to tailor the implementation of new policies to specific needs. Similarly, it

will help to give evidence of an epidemic of harassment and abuse that many people believe exists at SOAS, just as it does in the wider world. The Students’ Union needs proof to show these epidemics and trends to the Board of Trustees when explaining why they need to implement new school-wide policies tackling this subject. Whilst the Students’ Union and the School both have reporting systems in place, they are hardly used. Youssra Elmagboul, Students’ Union Co-President for Equality and Liberation, stated that only 17 reports were filed last year, and so do not accurately demonstrate the vastness of the problem of harassment and abuse at SOAS. The idea is that once the anonymous reporting system is in place this problem will diminish as more targeted school policies are put in place.

As well as the anonymous reporting tool there is also a support side to this new

BME Attainment: Bridge the GAP! Sonya Nahata, BA Politics and International Relations According to the Equality Challenge Unit “there continues to be a considerable gap between the proportion of white British students receiving [2:1] degree classifications compared to UK-domiciled students from minority ethnic groups.”

What are the root causes of the gap?

Dr Meera Sabaratnam, a senior lecturer in International Relations at SOAS, identifies that “one element [of the gap] is the curriculum” of the universities. She elaborates that in order to identify the causes it is important to look at “pedagogies, school systems and

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the various structural factors affecting student attainment.”

Finding Solutions There have been an increasing number of reports that have identified the BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) attainment gap as an issue, and as a result several university initiatives–such as the UCL BME Attainment Project, UWE Bristol Equity programmes, and joint initiatives by the NUS (National Union of Students) and UUK (Universities UK)–have emerged to increase awareness and find solutions to rectify the issue.

What is SOAS doing?

Following the “Degrees of Racism report” produced by the SOAS Students’ Union in January 2017, SOAS’ involvement in bridging the degree attainment gap between black and minority ethnic students has become more prominent.

Dr Sabaratnam explains that SOAS has recorded a set of solutions in a report and are attempting to take action by “moving to an anonymised marking system, working out issues with peer support and endorsing training for staff on questions of bias.”

In June 2018, SOAS announced that it was working in collaboration with the NUS to lead a new initiative to improve the attainment of BME students. UUK discussed the programme,

initiative. The support side is going to be introduced slightly later in next term and is a way in which someone can file a full report with their name attached to it and then receive support. It also will contain articles that serve an educational purpose. Often when people arrive at SOAS they are thrown into conversations that they are ill-equipped to be in. This can then lead to comments that are offensive, even if they are from a place of ignorance, and therefore need to be corrected. In order to assist in this correction, there will be a way for people to go and educate themselves on topics that often come up at SOAS. For example, the difference between sexual harassment and sexual assault; what is white feminism; using POC as opposed to BME. This tool will then be used as a way of pointing people towards a hub of information that they can use to educate themselves on topics they may know little about otherwise.

stating that it aims to “increase understanding of the barriers of BME, identify initiatives that have been successful in addressing this, share experiences and best practice of what works in narrowing the BME attainment gap.”

What should SOAS do?

SOAS can try to speed up the implementation of its initiatives, as in December it will have been two years since the problem was first identified in the ‘Degrees of Racism’ report.

The findings of the joint initiative between SOAS and the NUS are due to be published this December, the results are expected to be crucial in informing policy and decision making in universities and by government officials and parliamentarians.

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National News

5 DECEMBER 2018

Only 57% of SOAS Students Know Their Academic Advisor Will Durrant, BA History More than half the students at SOAS have never met with their Academic Advisor, The SOAS Spirit has learnt.

A Students’ Union survey, which has reached 147 students so far, found that only 57% of students know who their

“Several students even demonstrated no awareness of the Advisors scheme.”

Advisor is, whilst just 38% have ever met with their advisor.

Several students even demonstrated no awareness of the Advisors scheme.

The survey has highlighted a lack of uniformity across the School’s departments. Students in interdisciplinary departments and the Finance & Management Department were least likely to have had contact with their Advisor. The results also highlight that those in the East Asian Languages & Cultures (EALC) and Language, Cultures & Linguistics (LCL) departments may face difficulties contacting their Advisor.

Breaking the results down, first-year undergraduates generally have the best experience with the Academic Advisor programme, as 84% of respondents have been in contact with their Advisor. The opposite could be seen amongst returning undergraduates, with one third-year BSc Economics student writing, “We were never told that we had Academic

Advisors.” Amongst postgraduates, the proportion of negative responses was also high.

Hau-Yu Tam, the Students’ Union Co-President for Democracy & Education, is concerned that SOAS “seems to be really behind on advising systems if we’re still at the stage where more than half of students [are failing] to meet with their advisors.” Hau-Yu adds, “This is a worrying sign.”

Hau-Yu warned that the results should not be generalised, but stressed: “Judging from the responses we have, there is plenty that students want to say not only about their advisors but about their learning experience in general. My concern is now about following up with the students who do not know their advisors. The SU is working with the School to issue more guidance for Advisors and students. I am very focused on embedding the conversation on Advisors in as many places as possible.”

Speaking to students, it was clear that awareness of the Advisors scheme is low. Some students who know about the scheme have also had poor experiences with the scheme. One student told us that: “Last year, I tried to contact my Advisor twice when I needed help. I never got a response, which really upset me at the time.” They also told us that not having an accessible tutor has negatively impacted their mental health and wellbeing: “To be honest, I dealt with [my concerns] myself and with a few mates. It would have been nice to have support, but I passed my first year, and that’s what mattered most.”

When asked about the survey, SOAS stressed the importance of the Academic Advisors scheme: “Each year, all students are assigned an academic advisor who should act as the first point of contact for any personal or general academic

issues. We have worked with the Students’ Union to undertake surveys for both staff and students to help inform how we improve academic advising, which is a key development for SOAS. We know we need to do more to ensure students know who their Academic Advisor is and there are some important practical steps that we will take following the survey.” A SOAS spokesperson told The Spirit that these steps include requiring Advisors to reach out to and meet with their advisees, alongside “more effective ways to communicate information to students.”

Results of the survey will be published by the Union soon, along with new posters to introduce ways to get support from Advisors via department offices and the SU. In the meantime, the survey remains open.

SOAS Library Reading Room (Credit: Creative Commons)

National News

Flagging of Left-wing Essay by Prevent Causes Academic Outcry Frances Everett, BA International Relations and Development Studies Students at the University of Reading have been told to take “extreme precaution” when reading an assigned left-wing academic text after it was flagged as “sensitive material” under the Prevent programme. This flagging of a text, which is described by Waqas Tufail (a senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University) as being a “mainstream” academic essay, has caused an outcry in the academic community. Tufail described it as a “hugely concerning” move.

Prevent is part of the UK government’s counter-terrorism strategy which requires universities to monitor access to ‘extremist’ material by students and academics. It is aimed at stopping the spread of extremism before it develops into terrorist activity. As a result of the policy, students were warned not to access the text on personal devices and were instructed to read it in a secure setting, where it cannot be spotted by

Credit: Khadija Kothia

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“those who are not prepared to view it.”

The essay in question was of a left-wing nature, penned by the late Professor Norman Geras. The text is titled “Our Morals: The Ethics of Revolution” which explored the ethics of socialist revolution. It was listed as essential reading for third-year students studying the Justice and Injustice politics module at the University of Reading.

A number of prominent academics have come out in

“Normal topics that are discussed as a matter of course in our educational spaces are being treated as criminal.” opposition to this usage of the Prevent policy, arguing that it curtails academic freedom. Tufail, who wrote a report on Prevent last year, said that: “This text was authored by a mainstream, prominent academic who was well-regarded in his field, who was a professor at Manchester for many years and whose obituary was published in the Guardian.

This case raises huge concerns about academic freedom and students’ access to material, and it raises wider questions about the impact of Prevent.” In this case, the text was actually highlighted as being “sensitive material” by an academic convening the course. Tufail argued, “This is almost worse because it means academics are now engaging in self-censorship.” Illyas Nagdee, the Black Students’ Officer for the National Union of Students argued that the case highlighted

the “misunderstanding of the [counter-terrorism guidance].”

Nagdee continued by saying: “Prevent fundamentally alters the relationship between students and educators, with those most trusted with our wellbeing and development forced to act as informants. As this case shows, normal topics that are discussed as a matter of course in our educational spaces are being treated as criminal.”

In response to the criticism, the University of Reading stated, “Lecturers must inform students in writing if their course includes a text deemed security-sensitive, and then list which students they expect will have to access the material.”

They emphasised, “As laid out in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, the University of Reading has put policies in place to take steps to prevent students from being drawn into terrorism.” But Fahid Qurashi, an academic from Staffordshire University, argued that this anti-terrorism policy is “being applied far beyond its purview.” This case forms part of the wider discussion surrounding counter-terrorism strategies on university campuses across the UK. The SOAS Students’ Union has come out in opposition to the policy, maintaining that there is a need to defend freedom of speech on campus so that ideas can freely be discussed and challenged. The Union’s statement on the matter also highlights that the policy may demonise Muslim and BME students and victimise those with mental health issues. The counter-terrorism policy behind the Prevent strategy maintains that the policy does not harm minority groups and that there is “no reliable evidence” to suggest that Prevent curtails free speech on campus, despite criticism from numerous academics.

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National News

5 DECEMBER 2018

News Made Easy: University Funding Benjamin Jackson, MSc Violence, Conflict and Development

Where do universities get their funding from?

Universities UK (UUK), the principal advocacy organisation for higher education providers, provided a comprehensive document explaining university funding in 2016, aggregating data from universities across the UK. UUK data revealed funding comes from a variety of sources, especially because the majority of universities that receive public funding are charities.

What are these sources of income?

Government teaching grants: In England, this is managed by the Office for Students (OfS), the successor of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). This is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Education. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own body. It allocates funds through a ‘recurrent funding’ scheme on an annual basis. The amount allocated depends on the costs of the teaching being provided and the number of students (i.e., classroom-based degrees cost less to teach than laboratory-based degrees).

• Government research grants: These are given by the UK Research Councils. Through a ‘dual support’ mechanism, universities are provided with an annual grant and grants for specific research projects.

The latter requires an application to ensure quality research and competitiveness amongst universities.

There are seven councils: 1. Arts & Humanities Research Council 2. Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council 3. Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council 4. Economic & Social Research Council 5. Medical Research Council 6. Natural Environment Research Council 7. Science & Technology Facilities Council The University of Sheffield—one of the few universities who provide accessible information on university funding— point out that other government departments, non-departmental government bodies, local authorities and the NHS also fund research in universities, often by way of a research contract under which the sponsoring body obtains rights to use the results of the research.

• Research grants: Non-public funding for research is provided by charities, industrial and commercial organisations and the European Commission, although this list is not exhaustive.

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UUK data from 2014-15 (Credit: Benjamin Jackson)

The Browne Review and 2012 changes Since tuition fees trebled in 2012, there has been much scrutiny on university funding, but less information—the majority of students are unsure of how universities are funded.

The Browne Review, published in 2010, laid out the coalition government’s new funding system for higher education, signifying a significant drop in government funding.

This tectonic shift was a response to increasing admissions to university, which meant the level of government funding was not sustainable.

The government also argued this would, in theory, ensure universities were bound by less bureaucracy and thus could invest how they wished.

More recently, the Prime Minister launched a government review into ‘post-18’ education and funding. The review stressed that the government deem the system to be accessible to all, representing value for money for students and taxpayers.

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Student fees: Tuition fees represent a significant percentage of university income. Undergraduate fees are capped at £9,250; most universities charge this as a flat rate regardless of course of study. Postgraduates tend to pay upwards of this and non-EU students pay even more.

Endowment: These are financial assets donated to universities, often for restricted activities. For example, the Paul Webley Wing refurbishment was funded by this.

Other: UUK reports that a significant chunk of university income is generated from ‘other’ sources, which may seem rather ambiguous. Generally, this is where universities share their expertise and collaborate with businesses and the wider community—known as ‘knowledge exchange’, which drives innovation and economic growth locally and nationally.

How is SOAS funded?

SOAS’ financial statements reveal that in 2016-17, 72% of its £88.268 million income came from tuition fees; 10% from government teaching and research grants; 7% from other research grants—particularly the European Research Council; 5% from endowment; and 6% from other income.

Does the current funding system work?

In April this year, UUK stated in its Parliamentary Briefing that it considers the current undergraduate system, which shares the cost of education between taxpayers and students, to be working, with “significant benefits” for universities who are presently “sustainable and highly progressive.”

Students are the losers in this current system: graduating with debts of over £50,000 thanks to rising interest rates.

Whilst students will continue to feel aggrieved, UUK emphasises that the income that universities in England receive just about covers the costs of all their activities.

Therefore, unless there is a change in government policy, it is unlikely that university fees will be reduced in the foreseeable future.

NewsBites: Rohingya Minority Refuse to Repatriate Until Justice is Achieved

NewsBites: Disputed Keystone Pipeline Project to Halt After Judge’s Ruling

Return of the first 2,000 of the 700,000 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, scheduled to begin on 15 November, has been suspended and postponed to 2019 following protests in Cox’s Bazar province–leaving one of the world’s biggest refugee crises unresolved. The minority group, highly persecuted on the basis of their ethnicity, had been forcefully expelled from Myanmar in 2017 and now demands to be given back citizenship and to be allowed to return to their own homes before their repatriation can commence.

After Obama’s rejection of the project in 2015, widely acclaimed as a major step in the USA’s role in curbing climate change, Trump, two days into his term in office, overturned his predecessor’s decision and started dismantling his climate policies by resurrecting the project. The planned construction of the 1,179-mile transboundary pipeline has now been blocked by a court ruling on 9 November due to the judge’s dissatisfaction with Trump’s failure to provide factual findings disproving the harmful impact of such big infrastructure.

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National News

5 DECEMBER 2018

National Union of Students Evaluating “Radical” Changes to Survive £3m Deficit Jude Omidiran, BA Economics & Development The National Union of Students has confirmed that it is facing deep financial difficulties following the emergence of a leaked letter warning of a potential £3m deficit should their “income streams suffer as much as [they] predict.” A shortfall of this size cannot be bridged with their existing reserves.

The bankruptcy threat is attributed to structural issues and simultaneous hits to several of their revenue streams.

The NUS is a confederation of students’ unions in the UK, organising to represent the interests of students around the country, while also funding research to influence national policy. Its funding comes from affiliation fees from individual students’ unions, including SOAS Students’ Union, as well as services provision and its student discount card Totum (formerly NUS Extra).

“The letter calls on the intended recipients’ SUs to take part in ‘reshaping our governance to address the root causes of our issues.’”

The document was co-authored by National President Shakira Martin and sent to executives of affiliated students’ unions, promising urgent reform in multiple areas, after already having taken professional advice on maintaining enough funds to survive. The descriptively-named “get to safety” measures are revealed, with a list of options that includes mortgaging buildings, staff cuts and slashes to their range of services to “free up some cash.” The letter calls on

Shakira Martin, National President of NUS (Credit: Creative Commons)

the intended recipients’ SUs to take part in “reshaping our governance to address the root causes of our issues.”

The letter also discloses, in vague terms, some of the causes of the crisis, citing “structural problems” compounded by the union’s well-documented struggles adapting to increased competition in the student discount market. This comes alongside parallel hits to income from the NUS’s trading, policy, and strategic support services, in a perfect storm that has “rarely” been faced before.

The NUS organised a “Strategic Conversation” event to gather and engage stakeholders from students’ unions on 27 and 28 November. Peter Baran, General Manager of SOAS SU, attended the event, telling The SOAS Spirit that he saw the problems as having been caused by “internal complexity of decision making, and budget holding.” Though the NUS has yet to release an account of the meeting on their website or social media, Baran shared that “it seems NUS will be shedding a significant number of staff, cutting back on some of their functions and slimming down their expensive labyrinthine democratic processes.”

This is not the union’s first brush with financial problems, having successfully navigated a £700,000 deficit in 2005. The period saw a reduction in the scale of annual conferences, a reassessment of affiliation fees, and the sale of its London headquarters to reestablish its main operations in Manchester.

Government Proposal to Reduce Tuition Fees for Humanities and Social Sciences Doulton Hall, BA Development Studies and Social Anthropology

In February of this year, the UK’s Education Secretary, Damian Hinds, revealed new plans for universities to reduce tuition fees for humanities and social sciences to £6,500 instead of the £9,250 currently charged.

Critics of the proposal have voiced fears concerning the enhancing of an already entrenched elitism in the country’s education system. The proposal, which could also see STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subject tuition fees increased to £13,500, has been deemed an attempt by the UK’s Conservative Party to narrow education and employment prospects for marginalised groups. Data accumulated by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) reveals that of all the degrees enrolled in by students from low participation neighbourhoods, who achieved grades ABC or higher at A-level, the largest proportion opted for STEM subjects or law. Critics of the plans, therefore, stress that underrepresented groups may be discouraged from accessing the STEM subjects, choosing instead the cheaper option of a social science or humanities degree. This decision, they fear, will be reflected in an even smaller representation of marginalised groups in the highest paying jobs.

Supporters of the proposals have been quick to stress the positive impacts the plans may have on mature students. According

to HESA, since the coalition government’s announcement of increased tuition fees in 2011, the number of mature students applying to university each year has decreased by 25%. The reduction in tuition fees for humanities and social science subjects could see a resurgence in mature students applying to undergraduate courses, opening previously inaccessible avenues of employment.

Yet, the proposals present a potential funding gap. Students and academics have stressed concerns that the proposals may lead to a ‘two-tier’ higher education system, with humanity subjects held in a lower regard and therefore in receipt of less funding. Universities offering STEM courses may find that the increased tuition fees for STEM subjects even out the loss of funding from reduced tuition fees for humanity and social science subjects. Yet, for institutions not offering STEM subjects, such as SOAS, the question of a potential funding void is posed.

Scope for addressing potential funding issues may lie in the government’s recent proposal of a two-year Undergraduate course, charged at £11,000 for domestic students. Supporters have stressed the positive impact of the proposed plans on mature students who may feel the two-year course to be more appealing. However, the UCU have expressed concerns that students taking the

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course will “miss out on periods of reflection, critical thinking and a ‘deep approach’ to learning,” as well as predicting potential difficulties for those who are juggling childcare and financial commitments alongside higher education. Critics have also warned that students from underrepresented groups could be omitted from the opportunity to complete their Undergraduate degree and move on to employment or further study at an accelerated rate, out of the need to subsidise their studies with part-time work; something that will be made difficult with the compressed 45-week courses and additional contact hours.

For SOAS, a university so heavily invested in humanities and social sciences, the materialisation of these proposals could have a large impact on the institution’s dynamics. The Students’ Union’s General Manager, Peter Baran, predicts that “even if any reduction in the fee was matched by a grant, [course] places would be capped at a number which is unlikely to increase revenue to SOAS, and likely to itself be frozen or increased below inflation.” Baran predicts a “greater involvement in transnational education” as a way of plugging the fee deficit, such as the recent establishment of the “SOAS-Singapore Programme,” in partnership with Ngee Ann Academy. Yet he stresses

University Tuition Fees protest outside parliament, London, December 2010 (Credit: Neil Cummings)

that whilst a fee cut may incentivise mature students to enrol in “vocational courses in metropolitan universities,” it is unlikely that the cuts will increase the number of mature students enrolling in undergraduate courses at SOAS. “If Undergraduate fees are cut significantly,” Baran adds, “SOAS may have to start revisiting whether it can provide Undergraduate courses at all, or become a Postgrad only institution.”

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International News

5 DECEMBER 2018

NewsBites: Victory of South African Tribal Community Over Australian Mining Project in Xolobeni After 15 years of protests and campaigns, particularly fought by The Amadiba Crisis Committee, the Pretoria High Court has said no to Transworld Energy and Mineral Resources’ incredibly disrupting mining plans in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The Pretoria High Court declared that the Mineral Resources Department cannot issue mining rights licenses without obtaining prior consent from the affected community.

This decision has therefore given communities the power to make decisions over the development pathways and the usage of their natural resources.

NewsBites: Possible US-Mexico Deal to Make Thousands of Migrants Wait in Mexico for US Entry Approval Ongoing talks between Donald Trump and leaders of the incoming Mexican government seemed to suggest a deal was being made allowing migrants from Central America to stay in Mexico until their asylum petition to the US is resolved.

Mr Trump declares he will not allow the asylum seekers to wait in US territory and threatened to close the Southern border of the country. Olga Sánchez Cordero, incoming interior leader of Mexico, denies a deal has yet been reached between the two countries.

Vietnamese Children as Young as 12 Found Hidden in a Refrigerated Lorry Sumayyah Daisy Lane, BA History Twenty-one migrants thought to be from Vietnam were found inside a refrigerated lorry entering the UK. The group included eleven children, some as young as twelve, and ten adults.

The lorry, transporting crates of sparkling water which hid the group, was discovered at the port of Newhaven in Sussex. The lorry was

“The children were reported to have been cold but unharmed and safe.” searched upon its arrival following a previous search at Dieppe Port in France.

The BBC reported that a criminal investigation had been launched following the group’s discovery.

The children were reported to have been cold but unharmed and safe. They are now being looked after by social services. Two of the adults were sent back to Vietnam, the rest are currently being held at an immigration detention centre.

A 29-year-old Romanian man named Andrut Droma, who is thought to be the lorry driver, was arrested and charged with assisting unlawful entry into the UK. He will remain in custody until appearing at Lewes Crown Court for his hearing on 26 November.

This is not the first time that groups of Vietnamese immigrants have attempted to make their way into the UK illegally. In 2017, The Guardian reported that a camp of Vietnamese nationals was hidden in Northern France, not far from a motorway leading to Calais, indicating they may have been trying to reach the UK. In 2015, nine Vietnamese teenagers were also found in a lorry at the same Sussex port.

International News

Jamal Khashoggi Murdered at Saudi Consulate Sumayyah Daisy Lane, BA History

Five Saudi officials are currently facing the death penalty for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist, was murdered during a visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018.

Formerly loyal to Saudi Arabia’s royal family, Khashoggi fell out of favour and moved to the US last year. There, he worked as a Washington Post columnist and was often critical of the Saudi government.

“The CIA has concluded that the Crown Prince ordered the killing of the dissident journalist.”

On 2 October, Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate to obtain documents necessary to prove the divorce from his ex-wife in order to marry Turkish fiancée Hatice Cengiz. The last time Khashoggi was spotted alive was whilst entering the Consulate building at 13:14 Turkish local time.

Waiting for him outside the building for

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over 10 hours, Cengiz says she did not witness her fiancé re-emerge. She came back the next morning when he had still not returned.

Saudi officials strongly denied all responsibility for Khashoggi’s death for three weeks, their story constantly changing. Without substantial evidence, they claimed he left the Consulate on the day of his death.

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz claimed media reports of Saudi officials ordering the murder were “lies and baseless allegations against the government of the Kingdom.”

On 19 October, Saudi officials admitted that Khashoggi was killed in an altercation inside the Consulate. At first, they claimed it occurred during a fist fight. However, it later emerged that the murder was pre-planned. A Saudi prosecutor confirmed agents waited for Khashoggi who was then drugged, beheaded and dismembered. Within two hours, the journalist’s body was smuggled out of the Consulate in luggage.

The most consistent part of Saudi’s story remains that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not know about or order Khashoggi’s murder.

The CIA has concluded that the Crown

Jamal Khashoggi (Credit: Creative Commons)

Prince ordered the killing of the dissident journalist. This definitive assessment from the agency places more pressure on US President Trump who has been reluctant to reject the kingdom and its crime despite the huge global outcry and condemnation from the international community calling for justice for Khashoggi. Trump continues to define the Saudi Kingdom as a “steadfast partner” of the US. Turkey’s Foreign Minister has accused Trump of “turning a blind eye” to the crime committed by the Saudi government. President Erdogan’s deputy chairman dismissed Trump’s unwavering support of the Saudi regime as “comic.”

Jamal Khashoggi’s death sheds light on the

lack of freedom of the press in Saudi Arabia, with many journalists facing threats, harassment, assault, or even death for speaking out against the government. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued an “incident report” on Saudi Arabia’s press freedom amid news of Khashoggi. In a statement, RSF said, “Despite a facade of modernism, the regime stops at nothing to silence critical journalists.” In the 2018 World Press Freedom Index, Saudi ranked 169th out of 180 countries with a predicted fall for next year.

Members of the Saudi royal family are reported to have discussed blocking the ascension of Mohammed Bin Salman to the throne following this tragedy.

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International News

5 DECEMBER 2018

Can #MeToo Really Make a Difference for Women in India?

Bella Saltiel, MA Middle Eastern Studies India’s #MeToo movement has been gathering momentum.

The hashtag has been used to call on perpetrators to account for their sexual misconduct and has primarily been focused on the CEOs of English Language media outlets. Many powerful men have already been asked to resign including the Minister for External Affairs MJ Akbar, Times of India Hyderabad Editor KR Sreenivas, and Hindustan Times Editor Prashant Jha. There is a genuine hope that this public shaming will lead to real social change.

Women such as Mahima Kukreja have taken to Twitter to publicly denounce their male colleagues. Kukreja and many others assert that they are finding themselves in unsafe work environments where men in positions of power are forcefully distorting boundaries.

Kukreja tweeted that “@Wootsaw [twitter handle for Utsav Chakravarty, an Indian comedian] is a piece of s***. He sent me a d**k pic, was creepy, then cried saying I’ll ruin his career if I tell others. I told two of the most influential men in comedy in India. Nothing happened.” During an interview with Aljazeera, Kukreja explained that male colleagues protecting the perpetrator is contributing to a culture of silence that normalises sexual assault.

In the same interview, Trisha Shetty said that we are dealing with an “ideal victim narrative” which has prevented women from reporting abuse. Shetty claims women are forced into corners where they are accused of being responsible for the abuse they receive: due to their clothes;

because they were drinking; because they knew the man who assaulted them; and so on and so forth.

Due to this culture of victim blaming some women report feeling elements of ambiguity in the attack. For example, when bosses have invited them to their hotel room late at

“#MeToo in India is rising—but can it truly be subversive when it is a movement in the English language?” night to discuss a meeting or suggested going for drinks alone, they felt partly responsible for the abuse they then received. This supposedly ambiguous element left many women feeling ashamed, confused and ultimately afraid that if they speak out they would lose their job. Which is what makes calling perpetrators to account on a public forum so unprecedented and impressive. #MeToo in India is rising–but can it truly be subversive when it is a movement in the English language? This is especially problematic as the vast majority of the Indian population will receive their news and entertainment in their regional language, and there are 22 official languages in India. Despite the fact that regional channels have reported on the movement until harassers from regional cinema or news outlets are also publicly named, this will always be a movement for upper-caste and upper-class women from the English media.

The fact that #MeToo has operated almost entirely in

English has excluded women who do not have access to literacy, the English language, electricity, or the internet. Some regional journalists are wondering if #MeToo is actually reinforcing brahminical (highest caste) oppression on Dalit (lowest caste) voices by not taking these women’s experiences into account. They also cite Raya Sarkar, a Dalit activist and law student at UC Davis, who revealed a “List of Sexual Harassers in Academia” as the original person who started this movement in India, a full year before #MeToo took off.

This perspective becomes all the more pertinent considering the recent Twitter storm by upper caste individuals, decrying these voices after Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was pictured with a poster calling to ‘Smash Brahminical Patriarchy’.

Dalit activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan designed the poster to raise awareness of an “interlocking system of caste, gender norms and rituals under Brahminic tradition that enforce caste through women and their reproductive function.” She argues that with no real discussion about the ways that caste systems interlink with sexual violence and oppression in India then there is no way forward towards freedom for the majority of women in Indian society.

Social activist Ruth Manorama credits the #MeToo movement with breaking the prevalent culture of silence in India, however she went on to elaborate that it should be inclusive to include Dalit women as well. “The women in the movement are speaking out and it is necessary that the culture of silence be broken, but it should be holistic.” Manorama is of the view that Indian women cannot be fully emancipated if other systemic problems in society like caste are not addressed simultaneously as well.

The Whole World is Asking: “Where is Asia Bibi?”

Sara Komaiszko, MA Media in Development Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman convicted for blasphemy, was acquitted last month by Pakistan’s Supreme Court. The joy over her regained freedom lasted less than 24 hours. Her release caused Muslim communities to violently protest on the streets of Islamabad, Lahore and other Pakistani cities, with some even demanding for her to be hung.

Bibi, a mother of 5, lived in a rural area 3 kilometres from Lahore, inhabited by 1.5 thousand Muslims and only three Christian families. She worked as a fruit picker. She offended Prophet Mohammed on a hot June day in 2009, by refreshing

Asia Bibi (Credit: Creative Commons)

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herself with a glass of water from a communal well that was used by her Muslim neighbours. She also offered some water to her female co-workers. In their opinion, water touched by the Christian turned unclean and they demanded she convert to Islam, but she refused. On the same day after work, she was beaten up by the women in her own house.

“Bibi and her family, who are subjected to violence and are being hunted by Muslim extremists, are now in hiding.”

The intervention of the police saved her life, but she was then arrested for blasphemy and was sentenced to death, spending 8 years in prison before being released.

Her release was demanded by human rights activists worldwide, and both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis called for her to be set free.

For Bibi, staying in Pakistan is life-threatening. Nevertheless, the government, pressured by Khadim Hussain Rizvi (the leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, an Islamist party that supports blasphemy laws), has put her name on the Exit Control List to prevent her from leaving the country. The question of her destined residence has become an international issue. Bibi and her family, who are subjected to violence and are being hunted by Muslim extremists, are now in hiding. They are staying in a safe house in Pakistan, despite

offers of asylum of Western countries like Canada, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Poland.

Bibi’s husband, Ashiq Masih has also turned to the British government for help. Despite former foreign secretary Boris Johnson’s (and many other MPs) endorsements, the UK has denied asylum to Asia Bibi, as the government fears a backlash among British Muslims of Pakistani heritage. The Muslim Council of Britain stated in a tweet that “such insinuations’’ are “nonsensical’’ and “divisive’’.

According to Bibi’s lawyer, Saiful Mulook, there is only one way for Bibi and her family to escape Pakistan. Mulook, himself a Christian, is now staying in Frankfurt as he also had to flee Pakistan due to death threats from Islamists for defending Bibi. Mulook stated: “The whole world is asking why she’s not coming. To leave Pakistan she needs a visa or a passport of another country.’’ He’s been calling upon German Chancellor Angela Merkel to issue passports for Bibi and her family conferring German nationality. “So far, no government has come forward in such an open and free manner,” he said.

Pakistan is known for its inhumane blasphemy laws.

Over 60 people accused of blasphemy have been murdered before their respective trials were over, and some of those who opposed the blasphemy law have been assassinated.

Since 1990, a total of 62 people have been killed as a result of blasphemy allegations.

This case has raised the issue of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws on the global stage and the world is still wondering: where is Asia Bibi?

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International News

5 DECEMBER 2018

Brazil’s Bolsonaro Confirms The Camp Fire Rages On Embassy Move to Jerusalem

Holly Sampson, BA Middle Eastern Studies and World

Gabriel Huland, PhD Media Studies In a recent interview with the conservative newspaper Israel Hayom, the future Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro announced his intention to move the Brazilian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Brazil will soon join the United States and Guatemala in the short list of countries that have moved their embassies to Jerusalem in defiance of a long-standing international consensus.

Bolsonaro received 55% of the votes in one of Brazil’s most disputed elections since its transition to democracy in 1985. The former army captain has long been a sympathiser of the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil for 20 years. He promised to reduce corruption and criminality by carrying out a conservative agenda including privatisations, cuts in social programmes and loosening labour regulations. He also plans to crush criminal behaviour by allowing the police to go a step further in the deployment of violent methods in Brazil’s more impoverished areas.

Fayrouz Sharqawi, the global mobilisation coordinator of Grassroots Jerusalem, expressed her concerns with the news, stating that: “moving embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem fits the general diplomatic atmosphere where the international community does not make enough effort to uphold international law. It normalises the continuous violation of Palestinian rights by Israel and its control over both parts of occupied Jerusalem.”

The UN Security Council Resolution 478 condemns the idea of Jerusalem being the “indivisible capital of Israel.”

Whether Bolsonaro will be able to proceed with his plans remains unclear, as reactions from world leaders have been conflicting. Whilst Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the measure as “the right one,” Egypt’s authorities cancelled a Brazilian foreign minister’s visit to the country following the announcement.

Since 1947, when Brazil voted in favour of UN Resolution 181 that partitioned Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state, the country has maintained economic, political, and diplomatic relations with both Israel and Palestine. In 1981, it supported UN Resolution 3379 considering Zionism a form of racial discrimination. More recently, during the centre-left Lula government, it opened a representative office in Ramallah and recognised Palestine as a sovereign state. In 2017, bilateral trade between Brazil and Palestine totalled $27 million US dollars.

The proactive attitude towards the recognition of a Palestinian state, however, has not prevented Brazil from maintaining a thriving relationship with Israel. Bilateral trade between both countries reached more than $460 million last year. Brazil is Israel’s fifth largest weapons importer, as well as acquiring a large proportion of technology and other security products. Israel, by contrast, imports agricultural products from the Mercosur: the South American free-trade area including Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela; with whom it signed a trade agreement in 2007.

Bolsonaro has recently announced a visit to Israel early

Philosophies

Bolsonaro and his supporters in an airport during the recent Brazilian presidential elections (Credit: Creative Commons)

next year with the objective of purchasing drones and signing cooperation agreements for the exchange of water desalination techniques. The drones, which, according to Bolsonaro, would be used to fight Brazilian drug cartels, could also play a role in curbing social movements and other oppositionist activities.

Bolsonaro is a long-time supporter of Israel. In a video posted on his Facebook profile in 2016, he describes the Jewish state as a “guarantor of democracy and freedom.” In recent Brazilian polls, the Brazil-Israel Zionist Association, an organisation that sees Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, openly supported the far-right candidate. Bruno Huberman, a Brazilian Research Student at SOAS said, “The embassy move represents a legitimising gesture of the Israeli settlercolonial project from a major global south state.”

Bolsonaro’s political and financial ties with the neo-Pentecostals, a branch of the Evangelical Church with more than 40 million followers in Brazil, are well-aligned in the recent announcement. This group, which owns numerous temples and media organisations in Brazil and abroad, follows the Christian Zionist doctrine. They see the return of the Jews to the ‘Holy Land’ and the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 as the consummation of a biblical prophecy.

Nonetheless, the Jewish community in Brazil is divided regarding the future Brazilian president. During the recent elections, the group “Jews Against Bolsonaro” opposed his racist, sexist, and homophobic comments in an open letter that received thousands of signatures in a few days.

Religious preferences aside, the controversial announcement signals that on the international level Bolsonaro will prioritise the relationship with what might be called the “conservative axis” formed by countries such as the US, Israel, Hungary, Poland, and others. It is possible that by moving the embassy to Jerusalem, Brazil could become isolated in the international community. Furthermore, if, as Sharqawi suggests, this move “normalises the continuous violation of Palestinian rights by Israel,” it could pose more obstacles to finding a solution to the conflict.

With 83 confirmed dead and more than 500 people missing, Northern California is facing one of the worst outbreaks of wildfires in recent history.

Since 8 November there has been an upsurge of fires across California, the largest and most destructive of which has taken place in Butte County, Northern California. Named The Camp Fire, it has so far killed 83 people and caused mass destruction of property. The Camp Fire is set to be one of the most devastating wildfires that Northern California has ever seen. In the centre of the disaster is a town called Paradise, which now resembles something far from its namesake.

With the majority of the town burnt down to the ground, it contributes a large percentage to the total of nearly 13,000 structures that have been destroyed.

Whilst the cause of this wildfire is yet to be confirmed, fingers are being pointed at Pacific Gas & Electric who reported damage at a high-voltage transmission line that failed at around 6 a.m. on 8 November, mere hours before Paradise was engulfed in flames. Others argue that climate change is a contributing factor to the rise in US wildfires this season, but there is no hard evidence to support this yet. President Trump, however, places the blame on poor forest management and used the example of Finland (where they rarely experience wildfires) raking their forests to prove his point about the multitude of wildfires. However, President Sauli Niinisto of Finland has since told a Finnish daily newspaper that he doesn’t recall ever discussing forest raking with President Trump.

It is not just in Northern California, however, that wildfires have raged over the past few weeks. In the afternoon of 8 November, the Woolsey Fire began with a fire that ignited on the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Ventura County, Southern California. Due to the powerful Santa Ana winds, this fire spread rapidly, reaching Malibu and, further north, Thousand Oaks. With the fire spanning over 70,000 acres, over 295,000 people were evacuated and there were 3 civilian fatalities.

However, unlike the Camp Fire which, at the time of writing, is 95% contained, the Woolsey Fire is fully contained.

However, the implications of these fires will go beyond their containment. Thousands are now homeless in Northern California, an entire town with hospitals, schools, and local amenities has been destroyed and an unprecedented number of people are still missing. People’s health may be affected by smoke inhalation as Northern California’s air quality has now been ranked the worst in the world. As California faces longer fire seasons every year, it seems that the Camp Fire is only the beginning of a bigger state-wide, and potentially country-wide, problem.

NewsBites: Khmer Rouge Leaders Sentenced to Life Imprisonment Over Genocide The Kampuchea Democratic regime (run by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979 in present-day Cambodia), responsible for the deaths of millions of people, can officially be called guilty of genocide after the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC)’s verdict sentenced Khmer Rouge leaders to life imprisonment. The highly contested process followed a particularly slow pace due to the controversy over the definition of the term “genocide” and whether or not it could be applied to the brutal policies of persecutions carried out against Cham Muslims and ethnic Vietnamese Cambodians.

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A California wildfire engulfs a forest in flames (Credit: Creative Commons)

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5 DECEMBER 2018 http://soasspirit.co.uk/category/features/ Features editors: Syraat Butt, Tania Monica Ruiz

Features

activities include walking across the Corniche, a 3km walkway along the harbour, with the view of the beach and several historical sites which I have yet to visit. The opposite side is full of busy coffee shops full with locals having some downtime that includes a lot of shisha. The street stalls selling corn on the cob and my favourite beverage, fresh mango juice that comes down to less than 40p. I’ve also taken up horse-riding lessons, which is something I’ve never experienced before. The biggest culture shock for

Postcards to SOAS Amina Abubakar Ali, BA English Literature and Arabic

Credit: Amina Abubakar Ali

I grew up listening to; understandably as Nubians have roots in East Africa. My phone died, and I didn't care unlike other times before, because I was in another world. I was soaking up everything around me. Going on a year abroad has been a chance for me to improve my Arabic, in the most organic way possible, as I have the opportunity to consistently use my language skills and improve by speaking to and interacting with locals. For example, I was surrounded by Bedouin Egyptians, and Arabic was the only form of communication. Another thing I

Amina in Alexandria (Credit: Amina Abubakar Ali)

I am a British-Somali, currently studying Arabic, on my year abroad in Alexandria, Egypt. Before I started my year abroad, my friends and family questioned how I felt, as a Black woman travelling to the Arab world.

My experience overall has been a positive

Credit: Amina Abubakar Ali

me was definitely how late everything runs.

Growing up in London I’m used to running to appointments, meetings and lectures.

However, the culture around time here is far more relaxed and laid back so I try to be at least ten minutes late for everything.

The experiences available are amazing and I hope to tick off all the cities in Egypt before my return.

Credit: Amina Abubakar Ali

part of Sinai, Egypt, located on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. I had the opportunity to watch a Nubian-Egyptian band perform in the middle of the desert, underneath millions of stars. It was a heart-warming experience as the music resonated with the Somali music

Credit: Amina Abubakar Ali

one perhaps, as I’m viewed as British before anything else. It is often assumed that I am Egyptian at first, however once my British accent is heard, when talking to friends I’m quickly asked “Inte minayn” “Where are you from?” This, then, sparks the conversation of why I decided to come to Egypt. A major reason I chose Egypt because I was intrigued by all the cities within Egypt that I could explore and travel to.

I just came back from a music festival in Nuweiba, a coastal town in the eastern

Credit: Amina Abubakar Ali

Credit: Amina Abubakar Ali

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love about Egypt is that wherever you go, you will always find people just open to have a chat. My favourite town thus far is definitely Dahab, where I dove 12.4 meters underwater. It was by far one of the most memorable moments so far. These few examples are what I’ve done in the past two months and my travelling around Egypt continues as I’m off to Siwa next.

Aside from travelling around Egypt, Alexandria is where I study Arabic. Popular

Credit: Amina Abubakar Ali

Postcards to SOAS is a Spirit exclusive series that aims to share the experiences of SOAS students on their year abroad. If you are a year-abroad student or know a year-abroad student who would be interested in writing a profile for the Spirit, send an email to spirit@soas.ac.uk, or message us on social media!

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Features

5 DECEMBER 2018

We need to stop fighting social media and take control Does social media affect us mentally, for better or for worse? Whose responsibility is it to check users’ wellness? Is there a way of using social media to positively empower people?

These are questions that need to be raised and answered. I decided to create a poll asking students questions such as how much time they spent on social media, how it made them feel, and which social media sites they used. These were important to ask as it seems increasingly evident that social media can sometimes have a negative effect on one’s well being. However, I wanted to see if that was the case with everyone and whether or not there was any way of changing that around. After asking some questions in a poll around SOAS, here are some of the findings.

We have all heard that social media is bad for us. That’s what we have been fed by the press for a long time. Meanwhile, there is also a huge pressure to have a social media account. 42.9% of poll respondents said they felt pressure to have some form of it. But the real point of discussion should be regarding how can we use it to our advantage and to improve our wellbeing. Only 4.8% of people said that social media made society better.

How can we use the tools that technology and social media give us to better ourselves and be happier. It has come to a stage now where social media is part of most of our daily lives. In fact, 71.4% of people in the poll said they find it hard to put down their phone for more than a couple of hours.

Therefore, it isn’t time to fight it, but rather

effectively use it!

One of the ways in which this can be done is by charging the big technology companies for wellbeing services which users would use. This was suggested by Simon Stevens, the head of the NHS, who said that sites like Facebook should pay compensation for the mental issues that young people face due to these sites. However, the transparency of these technology giants is not one to rely on.

Especially when they are doing their best to avoid paying taxes, this might be too idyllic of a proposition. Another proposition is a social media app for therapy. An instant messaging app, just like Facebook or WhatsApp. In a generation where face to face communication is becoming replaced with virtual conversation ever so quickly, this might be the right answer. 55% said they would use a service like this and 30% said maybe, which is logical as the rest of the students said it didn’t have an effect on their mood. Countless times I have scrolled through endless images of girls in bikinis, wearing clothes I could never afford and getting thousands, even sometimes millions of likes. It’s easy to think that this is the way I’m meant to be if I want validation in this society. Countless times I have felt like I have missed out on something all my friends have experienced.

And countless times, my virtual self not being validated online has been reflected in my own view of myself.

Pauline Blanchet, Auntie Po (Credit: Khadija Kothia)

The important aspect here is to see how we can turn the idea of social media around to make it empowering and positive in our lives.

It is there to communicate, connect, and for activism. There are already platforms which are created. We have to treat them as facilitators but we need to be in control of our own content, what our feed is, and our relationship with it. Ways of doing this are unfollowing the accounts which make you feel bad about yourself, which make you have FOMO (fear of missing out), and make you think about your body image negatively. Start following the images you want to see on your feed everyday.

You’re the one in control of your feed.

Once you remember that, you can reclaim your social media space into a positive and enriching one.

Interview with Dr. Kehinde Andrews Interviewed by Sumayya Hasan Dr Kehinde Andrews is Associate Professor in Sociology, School of Social Sciences, Birmingham City University. Recently, Dr Kehinde Andrews was involved in a Piers Morgan interview that went viral, in which Dr Andrews argued that the Churchill should not be celebrated. In 2013, Dr Andrews published his first book “Resisting Racism: Race, Inequality and the Black Supplementary School Movement.” He is now Director of the Centre for Critical Social Research and is “the UK’s first professor of black studies.” Professor Andrews also regularly writes for the Guardian and is a major contributor to the public discussion on diversity in the curriculum.

Here are a few of his views from the discussion of “Black Revolution: The Global Politics of Black Radicalism,” a seminar held by the SOAS Department of Development studies on 13November.

Q: Is the idea of what the Empire is being lost or misunderstood by people?

A: It is on purpose. There is a reason why it is that way: slavery for 200 years was said as abolished. The Act of the Slave Trade was abolished in 1807. That was the abolishment of slavery not the trading. Mostly because they were terrified after the Haitian Revolution, they were mostly African born people and were scared of an uprising, but they kept slavery for another 30 years. In 2007, they celebrated in the newspaper the end of the West Indian slavery, not

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mentioning Britain's role in slavery, because it is seen as abolishing slavery the saviour of the people. Because it is Britain and you cannot talk about these things. This is how Britain sees itself, even when David Cameron gave a speech about why Scotland should be independent he had mentioned that it is because Britain has ended slavery. Is it really what happened?

Britain is the country that benefited the most from slavery.

Q: Is Twitter ruining the political dialogue?

A: It can be, but one of the worrying things about Twitter is the lack of research, it hasn’t got any education there, the study there … why do I know what I know? That is because my parents had two big books about politics on the shelf, that’s how I know. But it seems that has disappeared. It is now 240 characters, with no research. There was an African American academic who told me the story in his college, where a guy had an “Assata taught me’’ t-shirt.

So he asked what did Assata teach you? He’d said “I don’t even know who she is!’’ he just had the t-shirt. Partly it seems bad to say that’s what’s happening, I think hashtags are not helping. Maybe watch videos, but no one is reading and studying anymore and it’s important.

Q: Does this delegitimise the debate?

A: The study is really important, if you’re not studying you’re not revolutionary and I think we’ve kind of lost the study element of it. It’s good that people are having a convo, at least having them. But to a level it is lacking.

Q: Is black identity commodified?

A: A quote a used in the book “Malcom” says “this word revolution is being misused.”

If it was misused then, by God it’s misused now—Beyonce! One of my chapters starts with Beyonce and the Superbowl (sigh) I got a lot of criticism because I had written a piece in the Independent. It came across as if I was trying to police her. I don’t have a problem with Beyonce! I actually watched her live. I had absolutely no reaction to it, it’s just that Beyonce was doing what Beyonce does. The next four days all it was “Beyonce is so radical she is so revolutionary” I was like what do you mean? The Superbowl is the highest point of commercialism in the entire world, it was all practiced and advertised, even the way she represented the Black Panthers, it was all prepped up and a sexualised image of the ‘sassy black woman’ that’s not the Black Panthers, that were around for a long time. So it’s a particular representation of radicalism that’s disrespectful of black women. Black women were 60% of the Black Panthers, they had a uniform, then come with the uniform! You know you couldn’t do that. Because this is a shirt and jacket and wouldn’t fit the narrative. What Beyonce did was market her own, it sold her lots of copies.

And that’s the perfect example of going from proper revolutionary culture to this.

Q: Comment on the new movie “Sorry to Bother You” and how black people navigate the work space.

Dr Andrews (Credit: Jai Bhatai)

places you could ever work in. You have to conform intellectually in the way you dress and speak, that’s one area where when you look at progress, there ain’t no progress! If you look at the top, top, top jobs there’s just white people! A lot of that is cultural, and cultural capital. You have to conform, be the right way, talk the right way, I see it all the time in universities. So I progressed quite far in my career, even if management is the next level I ain’t never gonna do it! Because all the managers are white. I can’t stand it! I can’t do it! To do it would have to be completely changing me, you can’t do this stuff, you literally can’t do it. What we end up doing is changing ourselves, that’s why it don’t make a difference if it’s a white or black. A manager, is a manager is a manager! A manager is a white person and they do what managers do. Black or white. They’d introduced a head of department, she’s a manager, a black guy came in for an interview, laid back, dreadlocks, perfect candidate, she’s talking and asking questions, no problems. The feedback, I’m not joking of this white woman was “he was really aggressive’’ (sigh) What are you talking about???

A: I work in universities, one of the whitest

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Features

5 DECEMBER 2018

Fighting Climate Change For a Fairer World Camilla Macciani, MA Migration and Diaspora Studies Each time we hear news about climate change, the language of catastrophe is deployed and it seems that there is little hope to “save the planet.” However, there are many effective ways to act in order to make a difference.

The last Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released in October stated the innumerable vantages for mankind and nature to keep global warming at 1.5 °C. Massive changes are needed to reach this target: CO2 emissions should be cut by 45 per cent by 2030 and reach zero by 2050. According to a study recently published on Nature Communication, major economic powers’ ambitions to cut emissions are not satisfying.

Indeed, under the present trend, global commitment is not fairly shared and temperature will rise by at least 3°C by the end of the century compared to pre-industrial levels.

Individual behavioural changes, although necessary, are not enough. Indeed, according to a 2017 report by the environmental NGO CDP, only 25 fuel companies are responsible for more than 50 per cent of global emissions from 1988 till nowadays. Political actions are needed to put pressure on governments in order to achieve fast and effective changes.

The IPCC scientists affirmed that the necessary changes are possible under the laws of chemistry and physics, but political will is crucial. This is the right moment to mobilise, not only to limit global warming but also to pursue a fairer world.

All around the world, people have started to take action in order to bring about change through different means. “Climate action is no longer confined to the direction given by policy makers–it is now a social movement,” as claimed by Pedro Faria, CDP technical director.

Between the many ways to take actions, climate litigations are becoming increasingly common as a mean to push governments to cut emissions. The first successful climate change litigation of this kind took place in the Netherlands, under the name of Urgenda Climate Case. The Hague Court of Appeal confirmed in October 2018 the previous court decision, requiring the Dutch government to cut greenhouse emissions by at least of 25 per cent by 2020. The Urgenda Case has been a source of inspiration for other similar actions around the world. In 2015, 21 young students sued the US government (Juliana vs US) claiming that the federal government’s lack of action to tackle climate change and reduce fossil fuel related emissions was violating their constitutional right to life, liberty, and property. In July 2018, the US Supreme Court allowed the case to proceed.

However, climate litigation is not the only way through which citizens can act in order to push their local institutions and governments to reduce carbon emissions and accelerate the transition towards a sustainable society.

In the UK, for instance, environmental activists decided to use the tactics of civil disobedience, and founded the movement ‘Extinction Rebellion’ (ER) in order to push the British government to reach zero emissions by 2025. The government is accused of having failed to protect its citizens and future generations with its environmental policies (ER Declaration). As all the other strategies, such as marching, polite lobbying and consumer activism have not succeeded, rebelling by causing nonviolent disruption to the institutional and economic system has now become not only a right but a “sacred duty.” On 17 November the movement called a “Rebellion Day,”

where thousands of people blocked five bridges in central London and there were 85 arrests. The promoters hope that ER will be a source of inspiration for people around the world and will expand globally.

ER Rebellion Day, 17 November, London (Credit: Camilla Macciani)

If it is yet premature to assess the effectiveness of these actions, it is important to bear in mind that similar tactics succeeded at a smaller scale. Indeed, in 2017, one of the CoFounders of ER, Roger Hallam, carried out eight weeks of escalation of civil disobedience actions, culminating in 14 days of hunger strike, after which Kings’ College University accepted to disinvest from fossil fuels by 2022. According to Hallam, “entrenched power systems are not going to change unless they are seriously challenged,” and the most effective way to bring about this change in modern society is through an escalation of actions of civil disobedience. This requires a serious commitment on the side of the campaigner. Indeed, as George Monbiot, ER promoter and The Guardian columnist stated, “the only time that people know it is serious, is when people are prepared to sacrifice their liberty in defence of their beliefs.”

The actions mentioned above are just some of the many ways in which people are mobilising to reduce the impact of human activities on earth. Whether our society is going to achieve the transformation needed will depend on the ability of these movements to act together.

We are killing our planet (Credit: Gaia Tan)

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Features

5 DECEMBER 2018

HUMANS OF SOAS: Saif the Writer Interviewed by Uswa Ahmed, BA World Philosophies The SOAS Spirit sat down with the author of “The Pacifist’s Sword” and SOAS Alumni “Saif the Writer” to talk about the difficulties of pursuing a career in writing.

Uswa Ahmed: Introduce yourself?

Saif: My name is Saif. I am a former SOAS student and author of “The Pacifist’s Sword.”

UA: When were you at SOAS and how has your time here influenced your writing?

S: I came to SOAS in 2013 to read History and Study of Religions. I’d say that my time at SOAS has been a hugely influential factor in my writing.

SOAS always brought a very different approach to pretty much all the core beliefs I held dear and forced me to challenge my perceptions. In doing so it brought me face to face with alternative perspectives that I would have otherwise overlooked or dismissed. Now as a history teacher, I bring in a lot of what I learnt about the problematic complexities of world history into my lessons.

UA: In the book everyone prescribes to the religion of “WIFIism.” How did that come about?

Part of my joint honours was the Study of Religions and I feel that it hugely informed how I went on to construct the idea of religion in the book. I was thinking about how dependent we are on the internet today and felt it was an important metaphor not just for our relationship to the internet but also how our obsession with it is almost religious.

UA: The book is set in a dystopian Whitechapel. What was it like growing up in London and how has that informed your writing?

S: I was born in Newham and we lived in the part of Stratford that went on to be renovated and demolished for the 2012 London Olympics. I myself was displaced by the council and moved elsewhere in London. At the time I was around 11–12 years old watching this wave of gentrification take over my community. I myself have witnessed a lot of change in our city.

UA: What challenges have you faced as a minority pursuing a career in writing?

S: I come from a traditional immigrant household and as you can imagine, the importance of attaining a good education is drilled into us from a very early age. I picked up by 12/13 years of age that I was really into poetry and art.

What I picked up on at 12–13 years of age was that I was big into poetry, rap, and those kinds of art forms. But what I quickly recognised was that coming from an Asian background you can’t exactly go into music or writing because of the way in which these types of careers are stigmatised in our communities. I mean how do you even have that conversation with your Asian parents who want you to become a doctor or engineer. It’s then even more difficult to initiate a dialogue about these kinds of things with family. I remember thinking to myself that I know I’m good at putting words together, but I also had to think about what was considered a “respectable” profession, one that my parents would support me in. A lot of my friends have that urge to go into alternative career paths but they feel as though they can’t do so because it’s such a taboo to even contemplate the possibility and with that, their dream dies. But then I decided that I wanted to use my passion and just begin writing something, which eventually led to this book.

UA: Do you feel as though you have a responsibility towards the young people of this city who grew up in similar circumstances to yourself to pursue their passions and in that sense be a role model in your community?

S: I initially did struggle as most first-time writers do. I got so caught up in the process of getting published that it drowned me in self-doubt. This is problematic on a number

Credit: Uswa Ahmed

of levels because it has the effect of killing the art before it gets a chance to be out there. After my book came out I saw all these young people were starting to look up to me which was flattering but I somehow didn’t feel as though I was worthy of that praise.

But I feel as the imposter syndrome wares off, I realise that I want to hold the torch for British born Bangladeshi creatives and show them it is possible to break through the glass ceilings we sometimes find ourselves under.

UK Racial Profiling: My Experience as an “Abnormal” Migrant Andrew Awad MA International Studies and Diplomacy 42 out of 195 countries are chosen by the UK government for the compulsory “Police Registration” process. Don’t worry if you have an American, French, Scandinavian, or any other “normal” nationality. I hate using the binary “normal/abnormal” but that is, in my opinion, how the UK government categorises the people holding the nationality of these 42 “abnormal” countries. The laws of immigration oblige citizens of these states, mostly Middle Eastern, Asian, and South American ones, to perform a long process of submitting themselves to the police as part of the residence permit that allows them to stay in the UK. If the country is on the list, the person is 16 or older, and is staying in the UK for more than six months, the registration process becomes a must. The official UK government website states that “some people need to register with the police after arriving in the UK with a visa, or after getting permission to stay for longer in the UK.” The latter is without any reasons for why only “some” need to register while others do not.

Moreover, the “abnormal” person has to register within seven days of arrival in the UK. Being a master’s student in the UK from one of the “abnormal” countries, namely Egypt, I decided to share this

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as an exposure and awareness of something that most of the people from the “normal” countries know little about. I personally had to start applying in the first days of my arrival in the UK and I initiated the process through SOAS. I got the feeling and the sense of being put under a microscope for investigation with the amount of personal details required.

After filling out the long form and attaching two pictures at SOAS, I got a letter to prove that I am legally going through the process. I was told at SOAS that I must never lose this letter as I have to show it to the authorities in case I am randomly questioned.

40 days later, I received the most irritating email from SOAS informing me of my registration appointment at the “OVRO,” which is the Overseas Visitors Records Office. The horrible email, in bold letters, read “Failure to attend this appointment without good reason could lead to curtailment of your visa, a prison sentence or a fine of up to £5,000.00.”

Just take a breath and try to figure out the whole picture with me. Because I am Egyptian, I have to undergo this nearly two-month process that ends with me going in person to an imposed registration appointment for what I can only understand as “legal censorship” or I will be imprisoned, fined, or have my visa curtailed! Isn’t the picture so horrible? It is even more awful when one goes there personally and queues outside this OVRO with people who all look like oneself. It seemed that only because of your skin colour or

your physique that you have to submit yourself for surveillance. The censorship even goes further, that the registered person, who within this picture could only be understood as a “dangerous object on society that has to be surveyed and monitored MORE than others,” has to inform the police with any change in the registered details for further “censorship” obviously. Ironically, the person has to pay 35 pounds for the registration as if paying for being censored! This racism is not performed by an extremist group or a political party, but it is legally performed by a state. This is “institutionalized racism” when a group of people is officially treated by the state differently just because they are from a certain country and not another. So if you are reading this today, this is a call to unite against racism.

(Credit: Creative Commons)

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Features

5 DECEMBER 2018

Like a Mosquito, Fight the HIV Stigma on World AIDS Day Sara Komaiszko, MA Media in Development 2018 has been a significant year in the history of HIV/AIDS. After 40 years of the epidemic, the last 10 years of research has shown evidence that people living with HIV and taking medication cannot pass on the virus. This has been the most revolutionary statement since 2012, when doctors stopped talking about HIV/AIDS as a terminal illness and started calling it a “chronic disease, like diabetes’’ instead. Health issues are no longer the biggest problem for people living with the virus, as those diagnosed and on antiretroviral treatment, unless hit by a truck, will most likely live to an old age.

It is the HIV/AIDS stigma that is the most challenging in their everyday lives.

Therefore, the campaign Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) rolled out by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), has been a game-changer not only for people living with HIV but for pretty much everyone who is sexually active.

So how does the U=U work? As reported by UNAIDS, three large studies of sexual HIV transmission among thousands of couples, one partner of which was living with HIV and the other was not, were undertaken between 2007 and 2016. In those studies, there was not a single case of sexual transmission of HIV from a virally suppressed person living with HIV to their HIV-negative partner. Hence, in addition to enabling people living with HIV to stay healthy and have a lifespan similar to people not living with HIV, antiretroviral medicines now provide an opportunity for people living with HIV who have an undetectable viral load to have sex without a condom with effectively no risk of passing HIV on to their partner. Antiretroviral drugs suppress the viral load in an HIV-positive person’s blood, which makes it undetectable (less than 50 copies per millilitre of blood) and impossible to transmit during sexual intercourse.

Strikingly, it turns out that it is not people diagnosed with HIV who are causing the risk of transmission of the

virus (as they are usually taken care of by doctors and are on treatment, so are uninfectious), but people who do not know their status. Hence, they are unknowingly most likely to pass it on their partners when having unprotected sex.

Undoubtedly, by knowing our HIV status, we can consciously and actively contribute to fighting the pandemic and eventually bring the number of new infections down to zero.

“People living with HIV and taking medication cannot pass on the virus.

By knowing our HIV status, we can consciously bring the number of new infections down to zero.” ‘’Know Your Status’’ is the theme for 2018 World AIDS Day. Celebrated annually on the 1st of December, it is a great opportunity for people worldwide to unite against the stigma and show support towards those affected by the virus. This year’s theme is supposed to destigmatise HIV-testing and, on a larger scale, to help stop AIDS. In the UK, about one in eight people with HIV are undiagnosed and unaware they have the virus. Prince Harry, who is on the mission to call for society to embrace HIV/AIDS testing, has taken his own test publicly every year since 2016.

He says: “There is still too much stigma which is stopping so many of us from getting a simple, quick and easy test. Taking HIV test should be something to be proud of, not something to be ashamed or embarrassed about.’’

World AIDS Day is a yet another perfect occasion to remind ourselves that our world is in our hands. “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.’’ By the way! Mosquitos do not transmit HIV. Undiagnosed human beings do. Be like a mosquito and make a difference for World AIDS Day this year.

The campaign Undetectable = Untransmittable rolled out by UNAIDS has been a game-changer not only for people living with HIV, but pretty much everyone who is sexually active (Credit: Pixabay)

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Revolutionising 21st Century Healthcare: The Babylon Health App

Frederika Ofong, MA International Journalisms It’s freshers’ week. You have just moved to London and you are adjusting nicely; you have found the nearest pizza spot on Deliveroo, downloaded the UNiDAYS app for those life-saving discount codes, and topped up your halls laundry allowance on Circuit. Thanks to the digital age, each activity took no more than minutes on your mobile phone. But what happens when you need to arrange to see a doctor? Is student healthcare provision as responsive and innovative as providers of other basic daily services, or is access to healthcare the Nokia 6310i fighting for survival in a smartphone dominated world?

It may be that from your first day on campus it is made very clear to you where to go if you’re feeling ill. You know exactly who you need to speak to and the best way to contact them. Whether it be 2 p.m. or 2 a.m., you can make an appointment and see a GP all just within minutes. There are no queues when you get to the practice. No fuss. As mental health issues have become a growing problem for students and academics, never before has it been more pressing for students to have access to affordable and reliable healthcare.

While universities have promoted health through campaigns that reinforce healthy behaviours and offer advice on sleep, nutrition and stress management, the seamless scenario described above was not a scenario I experienced. After speaking to many other students, I discovered it was not a scenario they had experienced either.

Lots of us might not be aware of this but as a student in London arranging to meet with a GP face to face can be done instantaneously and from the comfort of your own room.

By combining artificial intelligence with the best medical expertise of humans, health tech giants like Babylon Health are revolutionising the way in which health care is accessed.

Via the Babylon Health app, the GP at Hand service provides people living in London with access to an NHS GP on their phone. In just a few hours you can speak to a doctor via video appointments which are available 24/7. As part of the NHS, your healthcare remains free and wherever you are, your GP is too. Once you’ve downloaded the Babylon Health app and registered with GP at Hand, the service becomes your sole GP provider, and you cannot remain registered to your home GP once you are registered with GP at Hand. At the moment, GP at Hand is a London based service, but plans to extend the service nation-wide are underway.

While the university healthcare providers might be doing the best they can, we still have other options that are available to us. So, if it takes over a week before there is availability at your university GP practice and once you arrive there, queueing is par for the course, explore some other options. You would not travel to a bank branch and wait in a queue just to check your account balance. That is because your banking app is representative of your life as a student in the 21st century. Should your access to healthcare not be as representative?

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Features

5 DECEMBER 2018

Poems & Short Stories Homecoming “I looked upon the sea, it was to be my grave” I am in in London, I am longing for the sea.

The truth of the sea, (relentlessness of it, inevitability of it).

Cancel my prescription, take me to her.

Salt. On tongue, on skin.

But it’s never enough, somehow, like catching that whiff of petrol, we are wild in a quest for more of it.

This exquisite stench of real life, like the way the room smelt when the dog gave birth – These are the things which remind us that we are not much at all.

Chopped waves, white and brown, slap the slanted wall, with green sea spit and slime, that you weren’t allowed to climb because “you will fall!”

Oh, but to fall?

To slide down under a wave and stay there?

That’s coming home, when you realise what has been lacking.

It’s just like this: When I was a child, crying, and the nursery teacher held me against her chest.

When she spoke, I heard the insides of the words.

Do you understand?

They were louder.

- Megan Hassett

Beauty

oh sunshine, you are like a companion in the days of dark. you comfort me when I can hear the singing lark. but most of all, you are a reason to live, to see the hopeful future and my past mistakes I can learn to forgive.

- a best friend in the sky Eyes like promise, lips like Satan, like a whisper the promise of pleasure Looking into your face is like looking into water that shine from the surface A glow you can't measure you just treasure as your eyes get drunk gulping down that trace that somehow, impossibly shines off your face.

I wish I could touch your body Because your face already sold me a dream.

- Georgia Cassidy

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Arriving at SOAS

A Sensory (and Socio-economic) Journey from Goodge Street to SOAS Francis Martin, MA Religion in Global Politics The staircase corkscrews from the street to the underground platform and you’re climbing against gravity, circling round and round as your bag seems to grow heavier. Then it levels off, there’s a corridor, one final flight of stairs, ticket hall, barriers, and you burst onto the street, sped along by the smell of coffee wafting from the hatch by the station entrance. Well-dressed office workers sit in the square between Starbucks and Caffe Nero.

You barely glance at the other benches, the ones round the back where cans and bottles are strewn amongst the dead leaves. A man is slumped next to the mound of grubby blankets under which he slept last night. But you have to hurry on—the pedestrian lights are turning green, and you need to cross to the other side.

A faint odour, slightly sour, rises from a bundle of duvets beneath the window of Habitat. On the other side of the glass the sheets on the beds are as smooth and spotless as untouched snow. The bedding outside, though, is covered with stains as virulent as bruises, fluff haemorrhaging from scars in the material. As you hurry on, feet clapping against the pavement, the chrysalis of a sleeping bag twitches. Bicycles whistle past. There’s no time for a coffee or a quinoa at Planet Organic, but you turn your face to the open door to take in the aroma. You don’t admit to yourself the other side of your gesture: to avoid eye contact with the beggar who pleads for your attention, gently rocking on her knees.

It’s easier to listen to the accordion player. He’s there every day, squeezing out chords that never quite cohere into a tune, but at least he never calls out.

The farmers’ market is on, and as you stride past the eager customers and growing mounds of polystyrene takeaway boxes you pass through a spectrum of smells: the fragrance of lamb and herbs give way to Mughlai spices which cede the air for the heady perfume of raclette ... but you keep walking—your six-quid selection can wait. Students are bustling out onto the avenue between the main building and the Brunei Gallery, the atmosphere a-buzz with chatter. You mount the steps to the revolving door and are propelled inside by the momentum of the swirling two-way traffic. The man by the desk sees your card and nods you through. You’re in, you’ve arrived—you’ve left the world outside.

Goodge Street Station (Credit: Jamie Barras–Flickr)

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5 DECEMBER 2018 Opinion editor: Hana Qureshi http://soasspirit.co.uk/category/opinion/

Opinion

Iceland’s Christmas Advert is “Too Political”?

Chloë Cochran, BA Global Popular Music It is the 21st century, and I would go so far as to argue that everything is political in some way or another. In 1984, George Orwell predicted a world where a totalitarian, authoritarian government existed, changing society and history in order to manipulate the populous. Now I am nowhere near as cynical as saying we exist in this Orwellian state in this day and age, but I would go so far as to draw parallels. Advertising and marketing target our insecurities on a personal and a cultural level in order to encourage us to consume the latest trends. The encouragement ignores what this does to the detriment of the environment, developing nations, fragile ecosystems, and the health of people all over the world.

But what does it mean for an advert to be “too political”? Is there such a thing as being “too political” in advertising? Iceland’s Christmas advert was deemed just that by Clearcast, the organisation which advises on the status of adverts made for television.

The organisation stated, as quoted by The Telegraph and The Guardian on 9 November 2018, that it “had been unable to clear the Iceland ad because we are concerned that it doesn’t comply with the political rules of the

Children of a Lesser God Arooj Sultan, BA Economics and Politics Asia Bibi’s case, perhaps more so than any other of its kind, has become symbolic of Pakistan’s relationship to blasphemy. The case has a long and bloody history. Those who have dared to defend her were either silenced forever or forced to flee the country. Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Federal Minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti were both murdered, and Bibi’s current lawyer Saiful Mulook was forced to seek asylum in Europe. All of this occurred whilst Asia Bibi herself languished in prison, on death row, for eight years.

Pakistan’s blasphemy law is incredibly flawed and dangerous, and should not exist as part of the legislation. It has been severely misused, and more often than not the cases registered under it stem from a desire to settle personal scores and vendettas as opposed to protecting the honour of the Prophet. Once someone has been accused of blasphemy it becomes almost impossible for them to live in the country. Also for a law with the ultimate

BCAP code.” But what exactly is this omniscient code that apparently all adverts follow?

A code set out by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) states that ads must not be run on television if they are “inserted by or on the behalf of a body whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political nature” or “an advertisement which is directed to a political end.” The law then goes on to state that “political nature” means many things but I would like to highlight the following: “influence public opinion on a matter which, in the United Kingdom, is a matter of public controversy.” In layman’s terms, this means advertisements are not allowed to be put forward by a group or individual whose intentions are to influence the public’s opinion on controversial topics.

I take issue with this for a myriad of reasons, so lets address some of them. Firstly, the definition of “political nature” in the law put forward by the BCAP is too vague, and can be manipulated to suit a political agenda.

Secondly, I would argue that many adverts break this rule. For example, during the 2018 FIFA World Cup viewers were exposed to 90 minutes of gambling adverts, as reported by The Guardian, which is equal to about one minute in every six. Now these adverts don’t have a direct “political nature” but I would argue that gambling is a matter of public

punishment of death there is a surprisingly low burden of proof required. And if by some miracle the accused survives long enough to be acquitted, like Asia Bibi, then the would-be defenders of the faith line up to mete out their own brand of justice. Ever since her acquittal, Bibi and her family have been in hiding, owing to the very palpable threat to their lives.

The Tehreek-e-Labaik Party, a far-right religious party coincidentally born out of desire to safeguard the blasphemy law, led widespread protests against her release. The streets were blocked with protestors destroying shops and public property, the blood-thirst even reached social media with calls for her to be

“By defending Asia Bibi’s freedom the state can rewrite the narrative and turn it from one of fear and oppression to one of equality and tolerance.” hanged immediately. There are even reports of religious extremists leading door to door witch hunts in Christian neighbourhoods to find and kill Asia Bibi and her family. The frenzy around her release illustrates the plight of minorities in Pakistan, and the power of the

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Credit: Iceland

controversy. With 25,000 children under the age of 16 being addicted to gambling in the UK according to Tom Watson, the Deputy Leader for the Labour Party, it would seem that gambling adverts have a indirect political nature. Therefore, surely these adverts should have been banned under the same laws? If anything, is gambling not more politically controversial than palm oil?

So this leads me to assume that the laws regarding advertising are less concrete than

they appear, and can be worked around when there is a financial gain. It wasn’t the reimagined version of a Greenpeace advert that was the issue it seems, but the attack on palm oil, which is widely used by corporations in the United Kingdom. An advert which strives to inspire its audience to be more environmentally conscious should be embraced and celebrated, not chastised and banned due to legislation which doesn’t seem to be strictly enforced.

tide of religious extremism.

Asia Bibi’s treatment is indicative of how far Pakistan has succumbed to a blight of religious bigotry. The wave of religious extremism that has been building in Pakistan seems to have come to a head now, as the government bowed down to the demands of the protestors and agreed to allow Asia Bibi’s acquittal to be reviewed. Although that agreement may have been an attempt to diffuse the tension around this case, in reality, the message it sends out is that violence works. The visible narrative then becomes one of the state’s weakness in the face of religious extremism. It shows that even the state—the prime institution obligated to protect all—cannot or will not step in to save those that have been marked out by religious extremists. It seems as if religious minorities in Pakistan are the children of a lesser God, with a weaker claim to the basic rights of life.

After all, the reason for Asia Bibi’s suffering was an argument with her Muslim coworkers when they refused to share water with her, believing her to be tainted due to her Christian faith. Owing to that dispute she was accused of blasphemy and robbed of her normal life. Pakistan has a track record of treating its religious minorities terribly, from the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims to the forced conversion of Hindu girls.

Over the last few decades the politicisation of Islam has empowered religious

fanatics to gain a space within the mainstream culture of the country. Pakistan, despite its struggle with religious fundamentalism and terrorism has still not seceded control to the far right: until now a far right or religious party has never been elected to govern the country. However, parties like the Tehreek-e-Labaik are gaining ground at an alarmingly fast rate. In the last general elections in many constituencies their votes were tailing those of the main three parties. Thus, Pakistan now is at a crossroads where it must decide what sort of country it wants to be: one that is safe, progressive, and a haven for all those who inhabit it, or one whose practices are so toxic they become a miasma choking its own people. The protests against Asia Bibi are not just about blasphemy, they are, in fact, part of larger movement that seeks to impose its violent, stringent, and intolerant brand of religious identity and culture upon the country. Hence, in order to break free of that narrow vision, Pakistan needs to uphold its secular and democratic values. By defending Asia Bibi’s freedom, the state can rewrite the narrative and turn it from one of fear and oppression to one of equality and tolerance. Pakistan, by virtue of resisting the demands of religious extremists can finally take the first step towards being a country that embraces all of its people, irrespective of their caste or creed.

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Opinion

5 DECEMBER 2018

Is Celebrity Culture Political?

Zionism Prevails in Hollywood, Again Yasmin Elsouda, BA International Relations Whether or not celebrity culture should be politicised is incessantly debated in the media. Is Kanye crazy? Shouldn’t Kaepernick just stick to sports? Why is Kim in the White House? The notion that popular culture is somehow isolated from the rest of the world and does not intersect with politics is ridiculous. Politics is the study of power and interests that exist in all social interactions, especially those of celebrities in the world’s biggest pop culture producing institution.

This manifested itself grossly on 1 November, when a number of Hollywood stars attended the annual FIDF (Friends of the Israeli Defence Forces) New York Gala.

As an institution, Hollywood has historically been highly political. In fact, there are fields of politics dedicated to the analysis of the popular culture it produces. If that isn’t convincing enough, consider the fact that The Pentagon has to sign off on any material produced that involves specific mention of weapons or war. All those Marvel movies that involve “Stark Industries” have been reviewed (i.e., censored) by the Pentagon.

Think about the incessant equation of the Jewish identity with the Israeli one on “Friends” and the release of movies about alien invasions like “Star Wars” at the height of the Cold War. These are examples of how politics filters into fictional productions, not to mention explicitly political productions like biographies and historical films.

Credit: Bloomberg

The making of such material and the culture it creates is inherently political, not least because it gives those involved a platform that comes with certain power. Why else would party candidates like Hillary Clinton ask celebrities for their support? Ashton Kutcher can bring attention to gun control legislation reform because of his platform.

He is able to use the power of his fame to direct people towards a certain interest, a process that is indisputably political. Pharrell Williams demanding that Donald Trump does not play his song “Happy” during his rallies is an exercise of his agency to demonstrate his opposition of Trump. Gerard Butler visiting Israel and remarking that he wished his house would burn down so he could move there is political because it erases

Israeli apartheid from the narrative. So when these three celebrities among many others decide to attend a Gala fundraising for the Israeli army, it is irresponsible to not politicise their decision to go.

It is not coincidental that this year a record breaking 60 million dollars were raised for the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) at the Gala. The celebrities’ attendance drew unprecedented attention to the event thus helping in generating the funds. It also doubled as an effort that is actively normalising a historically depoliticised representation of the IDF, completely disregarding its human rights violations and its colonial role in the violent establishment of the state of Israel and its maintenance through apartheid practices. The event also emphasised the

hypocritical nature of Hollywood’s philanthropy, celebrities are completely comfortable endorsing a Zionist militant institution whilst simultaneously claiming they support human rights. It also erases the Palestinian narrative. Since 30 March, the IDF have murdered over 200 peaceful protesters (including children, journalists, and medics), as well as injuring a further 18,000 people in northern Gaza.

It is incomprehensible to suggest that celebrity culture is not political. There is a lot of power that comes with fame, and the interests that power is directed towards is worth critiquing. It doesn’t get more political than making the decision to support an army that is known for human rights violations and is inherently colonial. Politicising that is important.

The Troubles Facing Alaska Natives Streisand Neto, MSc International Politics When we think of Alaska, what springs to mind are snow and Sarah Palin. However, what I unearthed is something striking and sinister. “I don’t think the state of Alaska takes sexual assault seriously,” says Elizabeth Williams, the Founder of the “No More Free Passes Campaign.” What Elizabeth Williams is referring to is the limited follow-ups by the Alaskan government to eradicate the rape culture that has affected Alaska Natives, who make up 20 per cent of the population in that state.

Sara Bernard, a writer for The Atlantic, identified Alaska as “the rape capital of the US.” When interpreting this remark from her article, titled “Rape Culture in the Alaskan Wilderness,” it encouraged me to examine the statistics to validate this claim. As highlighted on the National Institute of Justice

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research report from 2010, “56.1 percent experienced sexual violence.” Similarly, the 2010 Alaska Victimization Survey found “59 percent of Alaskan women have been victims of sexual assault.” These statistics suggest minimal government efforts to protect Alaska natives and bring the perpetrators to justice. A year before the report was released, the Alaskan governor Sean Parnell launched “Alaska Men Choose Respect,” a campaign which hosted “annual rallies” and provided incentives on areas surrounding “increased sentencing for sex offences.” What could be the mitigating reason behind eradicating these extreme crimes? And what does this go to show concerning the treatment of Alaska Natives?

In answering the first question, the most prominent case of sexual violence was the Justin Schneider case, where an Alaska native woman was kidnapped and masturbated on. It gathered mass outcry from the public, concerning the decision of Judge Michael

Patterson, where he gave Justin a lenient sentence that has been interpreted by many as a “free pass.” In a video from AJ+, titled “How Alaska Natives Are Fighting Rape Culture,” it addressed the failure of the judicial system that caused mass protests and campaigns against the decision. In the video, Mike Patterson, who is also part of the “No More Free Passes Campaign” highlighted the racial discrimination of Alaska Natives, whereby he points firmly to the institutions which were created by “white, womanizing, indigenoushating” people. The strength of his point is justified with the case of Justin Schneider: it did not meet the legal standards of a sexual assault case, which is appalling. When thinking about the second question, what it goes to show is the continued historical marginalisation of natives in general, with judges turning a blind-eye to native grievances.

In the lead up to the US midterm elections, there were significant pressures from Alaska Natives against the Supreme Court

nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The reason being was Kavanaugh’s recent sexual assault allegations. Their demands came in the form of advising the Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski to vote “no” on Kavanaugh. However, Umair Irfan, a writer for Vox addressed how other government officials announced “their intentions to vote in favor of Kavanaugh’s nomination.”

The discrimination and sexual assaults against Alaska Natives is a notable epidemic.

John Sutter listed states starting with those where rape cases are less frequent. Alaska topped the list with 79.7 reported rapes per 100,000 people, upholding Sara Bernard’s point of Alaska being the rape capital. Hopefully, with the “No Free Passes Campaign” and other advocates of judicial reform in protecting vulnerable and targeted Alaskan women, the appeal for change will resonate with the institutions.

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5 DECEMBER 2018

There is No Glory in War

Opinion

We Must Revise Remembrance

Lt Gen Ouvry Roberts greeting men of 25 Indian Division ready to retake Malaya by force when Japan capitulated (Credit: PUB/640 INTERSERVICES PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTORATE, INDIA // Flickr)

Khadija Kothia, BA History Annually, the clocks go back, poppy stalls begin to appear, and public discourse turns towards remembrance of the 11 November– Armistice Day. It is the day that Europe lays down its wreaths in memory of the “War to end all wars,” and to remember those killed by the catastrophic bloodshed that ensued as Europe’s great powers fought over their slice of the power pie. By 1945, both world wars had killed over 75 million people. Many died for nations they had never seen.

At 11a.m. on 11 November, the nation pays tribute to its war heroes who, on this day, laid down their weapons and promised peace. This year, Theresa May lay down a wreath in memory of those killed in war.

Perhaps not in memory of the twenty million civilians currently starving to death at the hands of British weapons in Yemen. Behind her stood former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, appearing solemn and silent, though probably not in memory of the 400,000 Iraqis he is responsible for killing after 2003. Definitely, however, for the 179 British soldiers who fell in combat on that same land.

In recent years, British war memory seems to be less white-washed, as posters of brownskinned soldiers wearing shalwar and turbans in place of helmets flood textbook pages; a cheers to the blacks and browns who victoriously fought alongside whites in what was described as “The Great War for Civilisation.”

But “civilisation” was the same word that Britain had taken to the shores of South Asia, to West Africa, and to the West Indies on their quest to colonise its people and “civilise the barbarians.” To portray the diversity of the British army as a collective unit of togetherness is a huge injustice to the non-White lives lost in the name of British victory, not least hypocritical. There was no collective unity.

Those in the colonies were forced to fight in a white man’s war that should never have affected them. To defect was to be killed at the hands of the British muzzle. Even the abolishment of slavery was put on hold during the war effort. Despite Europeans establishing themselves as the founders of civility, slaves were still used to fund the war economy. As David Olusoga describes in his article, “Black soldiers were expendable–then forgettable,” he states that, “when the guns fell silent in 1918, both victors and vanquished turned against the black and brown men who had fought in

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what the victory medals then being struck for each allied soldier called ‘The Great War for Civilisation’.” Displays of the British army’s diversity are wholly insincere without a holistic discussion of Britain’s role in the coercion of a diverse army.

“Memorial Day has become the shallowest facade against the cruel reality; for the establishment, lives lost in war just do not matter.”

As poppies start to populate public spaces and war memorials become ever more present, it is almost an ironic display. Our government remembers war whilst creating war, and claims to sincerely remember those killed whilst sending for more lives to be killed. It is almost pantomimic, sadistic by the lowest of standards. It is to mock those who lost their lives in war, and to say that we haven’t yet learnt our lesson. Thus, Memorial Day has become the shallowest facade

against the cruel reality that, for the establishment, lives lost in war just do not matter.

Remembrance is not only unjust towards non-white lives that fought for the British army. We place down wreaths and read Wilfred Owen poems without comprehending the trauma that soldiers return with from war. Trauma that can’t be swept away by the memorials standing solemnly in Parliament Square. Of course, this does not mean that we must not remember war and the lives tragically lost. However, it is extremely hypocritical to remember war whilst not learning from its lessons. By remembering war every 11 November, as politicians pay respects whilst raising their hands in support of airstrikes abroad, and poppy funds raised by the annual poppy appeal are used to take a burden off the Ministry of Defence by financing veterans of present-day conflicts, we must also question the Ministry we are benefitting, and the destructive role of their “defence.” War hurts and devastates all it faces, and whilst we continue to brush over non-politically advantageous lives and garnish over trauma with red-petalled symbols of “remembrance,” we must revisit how war is remembered, and to what extent we are paying true justice to all lives lost.

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Opinion

Is China On Its Way To Global Supremacy, And If So, At What Cost For Developing Countries?

Streisand Neto, MSc International Politics “The ambition is immense”–one economist explains in their analysis of “What is China’s Belt and Road initiative?” (BRI). The strategy which was launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping involves supplying trillions

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5 DECEMBER 2018

of dollars as part of an infrastructure project to reroute global trade. For instance, gas pipelines from the Caspian Sea to China.

It has gained notable attention across the world, mainly the U.S. who always seem to take an interest in non-western agendas.

The programme has received a fair share of plaudits and critics.

In a video titled “China’s trillion-dollar plan to dominate global trade,” the programme discussed China’s efforts to be a major power. There are two parts to the initiative, the “Economic belt,” where China can import and export goods from other countries, and the “Maritime Silk Road,” a “chain of seaports stretching from South China to Africa.” Both are essential mechanisms in China’s pursuit of global domination. When interpreting the remarks made in the video, China plans to shift developing countries from continuously looking West (the U.S. being the primary source) to looking at China as an alternative trading partner.

60 states have signed up to the programme.

The partnership involves China lending money to these countries in the form of loans, which may jeopardise the chances developing states have of growing exponentially from this agreement. John Hurley, Scott Morris, and Gailyn Portelance wrote a policy paper titled “Examining the debt implications of the Belt and Road Initiative from a Policy Perspective.” It pointed out how Pakistan is suffering from “debt distress” due to its continuous borrowing. In the case of Sri Lanka, China loaned $1.5 billion to support constructing a seaport. Due to Sri Lanka lacking the financial means to repay its loans, a Reuters article stated China is to run a “$1.5 billion Chinese-built port on a 99-year lease.” This ties in China’s military agenda, alongside its pursuit of oil and gas. Not only Sri Lanka, but Pakistan, Djibouti and soon Myanmar will look to open up naval bases.

It has been dubbed as the “String of Pearls,” according to commentators.

Ms. Lagarde, IMF’s managing director, believes it can lead to a “problematic

increase in public debt.” In Montenegro’s case, this is seen as a big “risk” regarding China’s projects, which involves building railroads. Similar to Sri Lanka, China will be able to seize their territories and pay a low tax. However, Vatroslav Belan, an advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister claims that Montenegro is “not in a dangerous position.”

The likelihood of Montenegro being able to repay its loans looks slim, due to its already stagnant economy and public debt. Is this a debt trap?

With America’s isolationist agenda, this leaves the door open for China to dominate global trade via this BRI strategy. Although it has proven to be fruitful for China, it remains a leap of faith for those signed up to the agreement. As evident with Montenegro, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, the BRI strategy has caused significant implications for their economic sustainability. This ambitious project seems only to favour the one governing it: China.

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5 DECEMBER 2018 https://soasspirit.co.uk/category/culture/

Book

Culture editor: Sumayyah Daisy Lane

Stormzy launches #Merky Books Kitty Walsh, BA History and World Philosophies

Credit: Creative Commons

Film

Culture

On 1 November Penguin Random House, via #Merky Books, released the long-awaited story of grime artist Stormzy’s elevation to fame in “Rise Up: the #Merky Story So Far.” From Brit Awards to Mobo awards, Ibiza festivals and sold-out shows, Stormzy is undeniably one of the most prominent musical voices of the UK in 2018. It’s funny to think that it has been only four years since “Dreamers Disease” and three since Kanye West’s Brit Awards performance that inspired his viral “Shut Up” (now at 82 million views).

An explanation for this monumental success has been a long time coming.

The book is collaborative, co-written and edited by up-and-coming author Jude Yawson and composed of interviews of members of the #Merky team. From his beginnings in Croydon, Stormzy has consistently proved himself to be a champion of aspiring talent, assigning his close friend

Beyond The Scenes of BTS

Syraat Al Mustaqeem, BA English BTS: an acronym oft-heard relating to “Behind The Scenes.” On 13 June 2013, an alternative was offered—bangtan sonyeondan (방탄소 년단). The South-Korean boy band whose namesake offers many alternatives (see: bulletproof boy scouts, Beyond The Scene) has since erupted as a global sensation. “Do you know BTS?” is easily the most heard phrase of the past year. As their popularity continues to grow, many are left wondering what the big deal is and their answer lies in Burn The Stage: The Movie.

“‘Do you know BTS?’ is easily the most heard phrase of the past year.”

Burn The Stage: The Movie was recently released as a follow up to their YouTube Red documentary series of the same name. So far it has broken the US record for the highest grossing event cinema musical production, previously set by One Direction in 2014, with a total of over $14 million being made in the first week of release. With little to no advertisement, BTS’ popularity speaks

for itself. Despite the cautionary tales of overzealous fans in cinemas, the 85 minutes easily immerse the viewer. From their barbeque pool party to the concert rehearsals where members performed each other’s solo songs for fun, the bond between these boys is apparent and allows the audience to connect with them on an intimate level.

From the hip-hop debut as a rookie idol group in 2013, BTS’ style, genre, and even some of their stage names have changed, but one thing that is consistent is their genuity.

The Korean term “beagle personality,” used to describe youthful excitement, perfectly encompasses the wholesome spirit they exude– a contagious state. While it’s almost impossible to watch this film without cracking a smile, the narrative arc also follows their burdened rise to fame. With the metaphor of the desert–taken from their hidden track “Sea” from the Love Yourself: Answer album–the leader RM relates the physical and mental exertion their hard work has taken on them. To a newcomer, this film might seem no different from the number of pop documentaries already out there, however the one-on-one interviews and vlog-style footage personify the foreign celebrities.

Among the scenes that resonate with audiences are the funny and the philosophical. For example, although each member can boast a net-worth of around $8 million,

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Tobe to be his manager, DJ TiiNY as his DJ, and his long-time friend Flipz to #Merky president despite a clear lack of industry experience. As Yawson puts it, “He could easily have secured an established writer with decades of experience, but he asked me, someone who has never worked on a book before.”

“An explanation for Stormzy’s monumental success has been a long time coming.”

Stormzy speaks about being continually underestimated, particularly since he has entered the mainstream. Repeatedly he has been forced to prove himself and his music, that he can mean different things to different audiences. One of his biggest obstacles was the music industry’s expectations for black British musicians. The album “Gang Signs

the youngest (Jungkook) was seen flaunting his free BTS merchandise with excitement.

As the narration states “Their fame was far outpacing their growth as a boy-group.”

Despite this pressure, rapper Suga mentioned how they persevere because there will come a time when they won’t be able to perform even if they want to. To fans this introspective, humble nature is a breath of fresh air in a world where hubris reigns.

As artists their technical ability is widely appreciated, with the older members being well-versed in producing and writing their own music (and mixtapes). This creative autonomy only further detaches BTS from the

and Prayer,” for instance, is clearly a combination of grime, gospel, and R&B. But as his brand manager Akua observes, people generally “want to put you in a box and they don’t know what to do with you if you don’t fit in that box. There’s always a reason for those boxes but they only serve the people who put you in them.”

Stormzy leaves the impression that he feels a duty to change the scene and make way for the next generation of talented young people, perhaps explaining why this book, why now. He thanks his mum, his friends, his community and his faith for his success, narrating how he “ran off into the world like, s***, I’ve got to go get it, I’ve got to go get it for everyone.” He has set up a scholarship fund at Cambridge for black students, openly criticised the government’s handling of Grenfell, and even called Theresa May a “paigon.” Whether or not you’re a fan of his music, there is truth in Ghetts’ line in “Bad Boys,” “it was all calm before Stormzy, now it’s lightning.”

calculated process of South-Korean groups.

With lyrics discussing subjects like mental health, education, and poverty from very early on, BTS offer a voice to these often ignored topics. Having also recently spoken at the UN to promote their end violence campaign in collaboration with UNICEF, they consistently prove that they have immense substance.

As easy as it might be to conclude with the typical “they are just like us,” one should perhaps consider something different–they are better. As this film depicts, there are numerous barriers to break (the language, prejudices, and hard work) and BTS continue to rise above them.

BTS won awards for both Album Division and Global K-pop Artist at last year’s Golden Disk Awards (Credit: Creative Commons)

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Culture Film

5 DECEMBER 2018

Bohemian Rhapsody: He Will Rock You

Indigo Lilburn-Quick, BA History and Politics • Rating: 4/5 • Running time: 2 hours 13 minutes

Jason Blum at Israeli Film Festival (Credit: Creative Commons)

Film

Get Out Producer Booed Offstage after Criticising Trump

Sumayyah Daisy Lane, BA History

TV

Hollywood producer Jason Blum was booed and then escorted offstage at the Israeli Film Festival in LA following his criticism of US President Trump.

During his acceptance speech, Blum, of Jewish heritage, pointed the finger at Trump for the rise of anti-Semitism in the United States.

He said: “There has been a lot going on over the last two years, it was difficult for anyone who cares for freedom as citizens of this country. The wonderful thing about this country is that you can love Trump, but I do not have to, and I can tell what I feel about it—and I do not like it!”

Videos show Blum giving his acceptance speech to an audience growing evermore hostile and leaving the theatre in protest.

They also show him trying to appeal to them. “As you can see from this auditorium, it’s the end of the civil discourse.

We have a president who calls the press the enemy of the people. Thanks to our president anti-Semitism is on the increase.”

Some of Blum’s best-known works include Oscar awardwinner “Get Out” and “Whiplash.”

This vibrant biopic follows the rise of Freddie Mercury, frontman of the British rock group Queen, on his turbulent path to international stardom. His journey is filled with success and personal struggle, from his romantic endeavours to the often-damaging effect of fame, making the film a rollercoaster of emotions. Scattered throughout are renditions of Queen’s greatest hits, which are upbeat and emotive and do a great justice to the late Freddie Mercury’s unique talents and fascinating charisma.

Despite a lukewarm response from critics, Bohemian Rhapsody is a joy to watch. The box office figures demonstrate that the public love the film but critics cannot seem to accept that sometimes a film does not need to be anything more than enjoyable and are too busy looking for deeper meaning to appreciate this unapologetically feel-good movie.

Like Queen themselves, it is kitsch and cheesy—culminating in an electric re-enactment of their Live Aid performance in 1985 that begs you to sing along.

The stand out feature that really brings the film to life is definitely Rami Malek’s thrilling impersonation of Freddie Mercury. His acting is captivating and he has managed to recreate Mercury’s idiosyncrasies to the point where the two are almost indistinguishable. Each gesture is performed with such accuracy that you cannot take your eyes off him. His portrayal is emotive, humorous, and refined. The interaction between the cast feels organic and adds a light-hearted comedy to balance out the drama.

Ultimately, if you like Queen, you’ll love this movie. It may not go down as a masterpiece but it is incredibly enjoyable, so ignore the pretentious criticism and lose yourself in the colourful world of Queen.

“His acting is captivating and he has managed to recreate Mercury’s idiosyncrasies to the point where the two are almost indistinguishable.”

There has been a public outcry that the film glosses over the more graphic details of Mercury’s sex life and I agree, there is definitely still space for a more poignant and in-depth portrayal of Mercury’s sexuality. Moreover, the change in timelines to use Mercury’s AIDS diagnoses as inspiration for the band’s reemergence is certainly problematic. However, with a certificate of 12A, the film certainly has family audiences in mind so it is unsurprising his sex life is not covered in greater depth. Mercury’s sexuality is certainly not ignored and the film explores both healthy and toxic gay relationships in a way which is rarely seen in films aimed at all ages. Most audiences will come away with a nuanced idea of Mercury’s sexuality even if the film falls short when it comes to the finer details.

Freddie Mercury (Credit: Creative Commons)

The Homecoming King’s New Netflix Show: Patriot Act Amaani Master BA International Relations

Credit: Creative Commons

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“I’m Hasan Minhaj, welcome to ‘Patriot Act’, we did it!” This is how the first episode of “Patriot Act” began. Minhaj, who gained recognition as a senior correspondent on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” and his stand-up special “The Homecoming King,” is now the first Indian-American to host a comedy show on Netflix. “Patriot Act” follows a similar setup to “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” a popular show that dives deep into topical events outside the current administration in the United States, and instead tries to focus on the rest of the world.

So far, “Patriot Act” has already covered a variety of different subjects, from the hype around the brand Supreme to the exploitation of workers at Amazon.

There have been a number of similar shows on Netflix that have been cancelled, such as “The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale,” “Chelsea,” and “The Break with Michelle Wolf,” so why has “Patriot Act” attracted so much attention?

As the first Indian-American to host a comedy talk show, his voice stands out from the numerous white men with identical haircuts that we see on TV today. Minhaj speaks directly to America’s minorities, and gives South Asians a special place to vent their frustrations about the current political climate in a humorous, yet informative manner. His first two episodes about Affirmative Action and Saudi Arabia are both topics that are controversial in the Muslim and South Asian communities. Minhaj isn’t hesitant to call out the inauthenticity of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s reform efforts, or anti-black

sentiments in the Asian immigrant communities, allowing his content to reach a wider audience.

But Minhaj gives a lighter touch to these topics, giving the audience an insight to a background that many other hosts cannot provide. From explaining the Islamic bidet known as a lota, to showcasing the different reactions from White parents to Asian parents on SAT scores, Minhaj is able to say what a lot of talk show hosts cannot precisely because of his background as the son of Indian immigrants.

The show’s greatest strength is Minhaj’s ability to talk about and relate to events from his own experiences and perspective; one that is often underrepresented by the media.

It will be interesting to see how his show progresses through 32 episodes, in a time when an alternative voice is not just welcomed, but necessary.

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Doctor Who

TV

TV

5 DECEMBER 2018

Takes on Partition

TV

Killing Eve

Benjamin Jackson MSc Violence, Conflict and Development

Zahra Banday, BA English The TARDIS has always been a vessel for adventure and exploring different histories. This week’s episode did just that with “Demons of The Punjab.” Written by Vinay Patel (the mastermind behind “Murdered

by My Father”), the plot centred around Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill) and her family’s history during the turbulent time of Partition in 1947.

The story itself is a simple one without an over-complicated plot and focuses on the human cost of Partition. The script is well penned by Patel, whose comments on his Twitter feed show his great interest in the importance of telling this catastrophic, often overlooked period in history. The aliens of the piece are significant in that they are there, like the audience, to witness the unfolding tragedy. The Thijarian aliens’ purpose is to mourn the unacknowledged dead. They are not the enemy, the only threat is the looming violence that Partition will incur. Unlike the bloodthirsty Stenza alien shown in the first episode (teeth skin and all), it doesn’t have the confusion that most of the “Doctor Who” episodes in the Capaldi era had. It’s an important history told through good writing and breath-taking location filming.

This is a purposeful episode told by a team who have wanted to tell this story for a while and fits into what this new Doctor’s legacy will be. This is a refreshed “Doctor Who,” free from the constraints of its old

Culture

The Doctor at Comicon (Credit: Creative Commons)

tired plots and predictable dialogue. In an interview with Stylist Magazine, current Doctor Jodie Whittaker spoke out against the criticisms that “Doctor Who” was ‘too’ politically correct and that they were missing the mark, by saying, “what’s the point of making a show if it doesn’t reflect society today?”

This episode reflected that our society can take accountability for its past and honour the lives that were lost.

The episode poignantly aired on Remembrance Day, its aim to educate a wider group of people on a history that is both lesser known and seldom remembered in the way that it should be. Aside from the obvious colonial critique, the episode highlighted the number of minorities who fought in WWII as disposable bodies who barely made it out alive to then be thrust into the horrors of Partition.

Partition is a shameful part of British history and as a result it is not really taught or spoken about. However, the “Doctor Who” team should be commended for bringing this history to the forefront and making it primetime viewing.

Off the back of the highly successful “Fleabag,” English Director Phoebe Waller-Bridge blessed BBC viewers both at home and across the pond with a bold, innovative adaption of Luke Jennings’ novel. “Killing Eve” is the funny yet gripping story of MI5 agent Eve (Sandra Oh), frustrated by her humdrum desk job yet driven by an acute obsession with female assassins, and Villanelle (Jodie Comer), a ruthless killer—terrifyingly psychotic and schizophrenic, whilst at the same time endearing.

“A spy thriller, a story of cat and mouse, infused with dark comedy, English wit, and sexuality.”

It was a story of cat and mouse, infused with dark comedy, English wit, and sexuality—a must see. Oh’s character Eve is intrepid, expletively challenging and defies her male boss Frank (the hilarious Darren Boyd), who refutes her claims that the killer they seek to catch is a woman. She subsequently risks her marriage through her obsession to catch Villanelle, perhaps more out of a desire to work the mind of her nemesis rather than have her imprisoned. Comer’s character Villanelle, a skilful assassin, is seemingly incapable of emotion.

Her bizarre lifestyle, fashion and kills are evidence of the dark and comic imagination of Waller-Bridge; her use of multiple

Jodie Comer as Villanelle (Credit: Creative Commons)

settings to film the series give the thriller an exotic edge.

In the process of the hunt for Villanelle, both of the protagonists become possessed by the thought of each other. Throughout its eight episodes, deep undertones of sexual attraction and promiscuity developed between the pair.

“Killing Eve” unequivocally reverses the paradigm of its genre: its protagonists are not only women, but also subtly display feminist qualities. It is of no surprise that this is the show everyone is (still) talking about. It is gripping in a theatrical sense, yet it will surely stay in the mind of viewers for its courageous departure from the archetypal thriller, where men tend to play the lead roles and fall in love with women. It is likely to have positive implications for both the role of women and the theme of sexual liberty in high-profile television in the future.

The full series is available to watch now on iPlayer.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Dark Makeover to Cult Favourite

Credit: Creative Commons

Zahra Banday, BA English When the news broke that “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” was to be rebooted by Netflix, die-hard fans felt a sense of trepidation. What was to become of these beloved

characters? Especially since the producers taking on the project were the brains behind the endlessly frustrating “Riverdale.” It is safe to say that showrunner Roberto AguirreSacasa’s portrayal of Sabrina Spellman’s world is nothing like we remember. This is deliberately not your childhood Sabrina, so purists look away.

This time the story is based on the darker Archie Comic of the same name, and depicts the backdrop of Greendale as a town that Sabrina remarks, “always feels like Halloween.” It follows Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka), half-witch, half-mortal, on the lead up to her dark baptism, a.k.a her 16th Birthday, a satanic ceremony that will make her relinquish her mortal side and become a full witch. Sabrina struggles with finding her identity as her relationship with her mortal side and witch side come into conflict. Unlike its predecessor, there is a very real capacity for evil in this new dark and violent world. Sinister, demonic threats strive to force Sabrina to relinquish her dual nature, but throughout she is depicted as fierce, outspoken and far from the somewhat passive first incarnation. She rallies

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around her friends and family, even creating a safe society for women at her mortal high school when her friend was brutally bullied for being non-binary. This version of Sabrina is very much reflective of the now: she is confronted with issues that are now receiving more attention on screen such as the stigma surrounding mental health, explaining disabilities and the exploitation of women. Sabrina, in her wake, fights the Devil metaphorically and literally, as well as the patriarchy. Sacasa may be tapping into the current idea of young women who fight back against the systems of oppression put upon them, themes which are also echoed in the upcoming “Charmed” reboot that features three women of colour in the leading roles. When these women use their powers, they use them to fight back, a strength perhaps drawn from the prominent women’s movements happening now such as the #MeToo movement or Time’s Up. Although refreshing to see these themes, the show is not without its faults. Sabrina’s domineering and more powerful Aunt Zelda reigns over her meeker, gentler sister Aunt Hilda. In context, they represent each of

Sabrina’s halves, the light mortal side and the dark witch side. Yet, original fans will reminisce the warm and fuzzy relationship held by the previous counterparts and miss the adorable geekiness of Zelda and the hilarity of Hilda, who has birthed many a meme with her dry, relatable observations. Furthermore, the once innocent Archie Comics have reworked themselves for an older audience with their new themes of sex, violence and horror completely ignoring the younger market who were watchers of the first show.

Without the same audience or target market they can distance themselves more from the fun, light-hearted, young show and create a wholly new one.

Regardless, this is the Sabrina of today and with the series greenlit for another season, hopefully they can expand the characters and create new cult favourites.

When viewing the show, there needs to be a line drawn. Melissa Joan Hart’s Sabrina and Kiernan Shipka’s Sabrina come from different times and different worlds. If nothing else, the lack of hair clips, chokers and chunky flip flops clearly indicate that time has truly moved on, and us along with it.

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SOAS Exhibition

From Kabul to Kolkata: Of Belonging, Memories and Identity

5 DECEMBER 2018

Fashion

Gallery

Culture

The Diversity Agenda

Maliha Shoaib, BA English and World Philosophies

Photograph from the Exhibition (Credit: https://www.kabultokolkata.com/)

Swareena Gurung, MA South Asian Area Studies In 1892, Rabindranath Tagore’s short story, “The Kabuliwala” introduced to the Indian literary landscape the enduring figure of the peddler from Kabul. Since then, the loving bond between Tagore’s young heroine, Mini and her Kabuliwala has been reprised through translations and cinematic adaptations. The photography exhibition “From Kabul to Kolkata: Of Belonging, Memories and Identity,” looks at the ‘real’ Kabuliwalas of Kolkata, who, unlike their fictional counterpart, have received little attention. It draws inspiration from the literary imagination of Tagore and looks beyond–towards the lived realities of today's Kabuliwalas and their modes of fashioning a Pashtun identity within the metropolis of Kolkata.

Over a period of three years, photographers Moska Najib and Nazes Afroz undertook a visual ethnography of the Afghan community in Kolkata, a city that also houses a distinct but dwindling Chinese community, amongst others. Today, there are estimated to be around 5,000 Afghan families living there, many of whom are second and third generation residents. Traditionally, Afghans came to India from around the mid-19th century as peddlers and money lenders. The photographs display the seclusion and assimilation of those that stayed on and formed families.

The Brunei Gallery exhibition, having acknowledged its literary precedent in Tagore’s story, first showcases photographs of the Kabuliwalas within their homes and community. Photographs of communal praying and eating in the traditional style of sitting on the floor point to means of preserving the Pashtun culture in their private lives. A portrait of a man longingly holding his mother’s dress from almost half a century ago, communicates the reliving of memories of a past homeland through material objects, as do the presence of old trunks and photographs lining their walls.

Beyond the homes, they are also pictured in

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their workspaces, many having now moved on from earlier occupations such as door-todoor peddling to tailoring and cloth trading.

The photographs traverse the everyday sites inhabited by the Kabuliwalas, and in doing so, highlight the dichotomy between the private and the public.

Even as they publicly celebrate Eid at Victoria Memorial which is arguably the most iconic site in Kolkata, and are pictured eating local food and attending a Bengali wedding, the exhibition presents the question: what is home for the Kabuliwalas? As photographs of them holding on to Indian as well as Afghan documents indicate, on the one hand, they share a sense of affiliation with a city that has accepted them but simultaneously fictionalised them. Tagore’s “Kabuliwala,” while being an endearing figure, was an outsider nonetheless and still today, many of the Kabuliwalas, though born in Kolkata, have no citizenship documents. On the other hand, their nostalgia also pulls them towards a homeland which has changed drastically from that of their memories and is now deemed unsafe by some of them.

The photographers have managed to draw attention to a community that had largely only been read about in Tagore’s fiction, and have problematised and exemplified their conditions of living. However, as has been pointed out by viewers of the exhibition and addressed by the photographers themselves, the exhibition only presents a male-centric Pashtun community, and photographs of women are visibly absent. According to Afroz, permission to photograph the women, many of whom are Indian Muslims, was not granted. Spaces within their homes tend to be gendered and most of the photographs were taken in communal living spaces during which time the women were not allowed in. So, while the exhibition probes into the lives of the Kabuliwalas, it is also a very guarded presentation.

“From Kabul to Kolkata: Of Belonging, Memories and Identity” is on display at the SOAS Brunei Gallery until 15 December 2018.

Representation matters. A statement passionately declared by our generation. Young people see diverse representation within the fashion industry as integral: diversity is demanded as socio-political awareness rises, the population continues to both become more diverse and recognise minority groups.

Modern ‘call-out’ culture via social media means we aren’t afraid to publically criticise brands who fail to be inclusive. New marketing schemes recognise this increase in accountability and newfound demand for diversity, manipulating a movement towards inclusivity for the sake of corporate growth and popularity in the media. But should we support diversity in any form, regardless of authentic intent?

Diversity is treated as a means to an end— to gain publicity and attention. With the increase in models with wider shade ranges, advertisements championing the LGBTQ+ community and monopolising on pride, and slogan t-shirts promoting social justice (though, ironically, made in sweat-shops), diversity marketing has become a quick fix for brands to prove that they are socially and politically aware—that they’re “woke.”

And it works: recent studies show that 37% of LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to support a brand based on its superficial support of minority groups. Trends Editor Nicola Kemp, highlights “peaks in engagement where a diverse cast was shown” in advertisements by Aerie, ASOS, and H&M. Minority groups flock to support these brands because diversity in campaigns broadcasts the idea that this product is for them–that they fit with society’s ideas of the standard target market; that they fit within society’s ideas of “normal.” Furthermore, minority groups and allies who see diversity in advertisements are more likely

to support a brand because they see them as progressive, often naively believing that these corporations care about social justice.

Diversity becomes a buzzword used to tick boxes—a numbers game that profits off the desperation for cultural acceptance and representation from minority groups.

And so the cycle continues: the superficial tokenisation of minority groups becomes a fleeting popular trend: a gimmick amongst marketing experts that exploits our hunger for inclusion.

Tokenisation is often equally as diminishing as exclusion. In an ideal world, diversity would come naturally and wouldn’t be thought of as a sweeping political statement.

Fashion writer, Molly Chinner says, “the day a respected fashion house send out a cast of fully integrated minorities without making a political or creative statement through it, is the day diversity is truly here to stay.”

Diversity should not be used as a “convenient marketing tool,” as Rihanna once critiqued, but rather an ethically necessary and long overdue subversion of the exclusionary nature of the fashion industry. Diversity is not a supply-in-demand commodity. People are not products to be used as a marketing ploy.

However, as consumers we must support diversity in all its forms—celebrating these “small wins” and incessantly promoting inclusion and representation in the fashion industry whilst remaining ever-critical of the exclusionary foundations of the fashion industry and acting to dismantle them.

Ultimately, the inherently liberating effects of diverse representation in the fashion industry outweigh the morally dubious and often inauthentic intentions of fashion brands.

Only through our support for diversity may we see change, as we look to a future where diversity becomes essential to the values of the industry as a whole. Only then can the act of inclusion—the diversity agenda— become truly sustainable.

SOAS Street Style SOAS students are notorious for our trendy and unique style. Send an OOTD photo to Maliha Shoaib, 660809@soas.ac.uk to be featured in the next issue!

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5 DECEMBER 2018 Societies and Sport Editor: Holly Sampson https://soasspirit.co.uk/category/societiesandsport/

Societies & Sport

FemSoc

#ThisIsNotConsent

Victim-blaming and the State of Justice of it Céline Raynaud, BA Southeast Asian Studies The viral hashtag #ThisIsNotConsent began trending when media reports on 6 November 2018 highlighted a rape trial in Northern Ireland. In this trial, the defence lawyer passed the 17-year-old complainant’s underwear around the courtroom as evidence, claiming “the possibility that she was attracted to the defendant and was open to meeting someone and being with someone” could not be ruled out based on “the way she was dressed” because “she was wearing a thong with a lace front.” The acquittal of the 27-year-old male defendant by the jury has caused public outcry condemning the victim-shaming sanctioned by the justice system and the creation of the hashtag #ThisIsNotConsent.

Under it, womxn have been sharing pictures of their underwear on social media to make the point that, whatever the type of underwear, they are not asking for rape.

Susan Dillon, one of the hashtag’s creators was quoted as saying that “clothing is not consent. This kind of victim-blaming is archaic and has no place in our court system.” Irish MP Ruth Coppinger produced

a pair of underwear in the Irish Parliament (Dáil) in protest of “routine victim-blaming” and to ask the question “how do you think a rape victim or a womxn feels at the incongruous setting of her underwear being shown in a court?” We have to ask ourselves, what is the jury expected to learn from the victim’s choice of underwear? All that can reveal is the deeply entrenched rape myths and slutshaming in our society, with the jury and court acting as a microcosm of this problem.

This case also highlights the fact that those who perpetuate rape myths and victimblaming can also be womxn, as the defence lawyer in the case, Elizabeth O’Connell, is a womxn.

Protesters have also taken to the streets after rallying in a private Facebook group called Mná na hÉireann (Women of Ireland), for example in Dublin on 22 November where they dressed in revealing clothes with slogans painted on their bodies including “This is Not Consent” and “I’m Not Asking For It.” Sir John Gillen, a retired senior judge, has written an interim report calling for measures to change the way rape is dealt with by the criminal justice system in Ireland, which could also have implications for the rest of the UK. His report calls for limiting

MP Ruth Coppinger holding up underwear at a protest (Credit: Facebook/Ruth Coppinger)

public access to court in rape trials, providing complainants with legal representation, training juries in debunking rape myths and imposing harsher penalties on them for accessing social media about the trial.

He also calls for a shift towards an explicit expression of consent so that a lack of resistance is not to be taken as consent.

Although his review is ongoing, these proposals, once put into action, would very likely help improve the current deplorable statistics showing that only 15% of those charged with rape are convicted of it in Northern Ireland, with 45% of those defendants being charged with another offence instead. In contrast, the conviction rate for non-sexual offences is 88.2%. We have to think about the impact of this culture of victim-blaming, with cases like that of 17-year-old Lindsey Armstrong in Scotland in 2002, where a 15-year-old boy was found

guilty of raping her and she took her own life two weeks after her court case. She had been made to hold up her thong in court during the trial and read out the slogan on it which read “Little Devil.” Lindsay’s mother has stated in regards to the Irish case that “it is disgusting if a jury took into consideration that a girl was wearing a thong. They should hang their heads in shame if they considered it.”

Our society FemSoc (Intersectional Feminist Society), is currently planning a display of solidarity with the #ThisIsNotConsent movement so keep an eye out for this and if you want to, share your underwear with the hashtag #ThisIsNotConsent to protest victim-blaming! You can follow us on Facebook/Instagram: @soasfemsoc. Stay updated with our events throughout the year by signing up to our mail list by emailing us @ 640962@soas.ac.uk.

SOAS Unicef Society

UNICEF on Campus Mehraj Sheikh, BA History

Credit: SOAS UNICEF Executive Team

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SOAS UNICEF on Campus is a student-initiated branch supporting UNICEF’s work, by hosting events to fundraise for the charity’s cause. We are proud to say that 100% of the money raised goes directly to UNICEF. This is the first year that the society is running at SOAS, and we have been overwhelmed with the phenomenal support that we have received so far. Without your ongoing support and participation in events, we would not have been able to have such success.

The fantastic executive team has been working hard to produce some great events since the start of term. Along with dedicated members of the society, there is a strong and passionate group behind every UNICEF on Campus event. We have hosted an exciting treasure hunt, a spooky pumpkin carving event, a tricky Halloween escape room, and most recently, a 24-hour sponsored fast.

Congratulations if you were able to stick it

out for the 24 hours–that is some dedication!

We have also had some extremely successful collaborations, including with L’Amuse Bouche, a wonderful creperie with both sweet and savoury options. Fundraising was so successful that we invited the lovely team back for a second time.

UNICEF on Campus is excited for what the year is yet to bring. We will be hosting more events, including more delicious bake sales, so keep your eyes open for the noise we are about to create. There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you are working to help make children’s lives better across the world.

You can get involved by becoming a society member! Help us raise money for a great cause, plus, at the end of the year, you will receive a certificate for your society involvement, participation and volunteering hours!

Want to become a member or know more about our society? Drop us an email at soasunicef@gmail.com and we will be in touch with fantastic fundraising opportunities!

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Societies & Sport

5 DECEMBER 2018

SOAS Uni Boob Team

SOAS Oxfam Society

The Power is in Your Hands (Mariyam) Malika Azeez, BA Social Anthropology and Study of Religions You might have seen us wearing huge boob suits, glittering people up at the JCR or selling yummy bakes: We are the Uni Boob Team! Ours is a new society on campus, aiming to raise awareness about breast cancer among young people.

As a society, our aim is to educate, empower, and embolden young people. We aim to educate the importance of regularly checking your boobs; to “Trust your touch” and to empower and embolden young people to take control of their bodies. We believe that it is really important to be proactive about your health, your body and the changes it experiences. After all, you are in charge of your body and you should know your body best!

The Uni Boob Teams works in association with a charity called Coppafeel! which was founded in 2009 by Kristin Hallenga who was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer at the age of 23. She founded this charity to increase awareness as “education about this subject often overlooks young people.” Awareness and education of breast cancer lead to early detection and treatment,

Credit: Ciara McDonald Heffernan

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which she believes is the first step in improving survival rates of breast cancer in young people. Coppafeel! collaborates with brands and social media influencers to spread boob knowledge and love, conducts talks and campaigns to encourage and normalise regular checkups, and also provides resources that teach you the signs and symptoms you can look out for from the comfort of your own home.

As the Uni Boob Team, we want to teach people that it is fun and important to check your boobs and pecs every month. If you’re worried that you may forget, you can sign up for a free monthly reminder by texting “UBT SOAS” to 70500.

We have a ton of exciting events planned for the year, so be on the lookout for some delicious bakes, our glitter takeovers, dodgeball and so much more. We always welcome new members to help us spread love, glitter and all things boob-related around campus, so if you want to get involved follow on us on Facebook (SOAS Uni Boob Team), Instagram (@ubtsoas), or send an email to Dilly, our President, to 638061@soas.ac.uk.

Oxfam: Their Theory of Change and How You Can Be Part Of It Jacob Loose, CISD Masters

Oxfam’s Behind the Barcodes Campaign Rankings of Supermarkets (Credit: Oxfam Website)

When we visited Oxfam’s London office, we learned about the Oxfam Theory of Change. It is based on the principle that first people ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

Our visit was designed to help representatives from various universities set up their own societies, and we are excited to say a SOAS Oxfam society is currently forming!

We encourage everyone who is passionate about bringing about change to join us.

John McLaverty, former SOAS student and current Education and Youth Advisor at the Oxfam Campaigns team, has been instrumental in helping to bring together the SOAS Oxfam society. John said he was surprised to see SOAS did not already have an existing society, considering the fact that the student population is so politically engaged. The objective of our society will be to channel political engagement into student-led Oxfam campaigns that hopefully result in meaningful change.

At this event, we learned this kind of meaningful change will only be possible with strategically targeted campaigning. In any campaign, the planning stage is critical in identifying a realistic and achievable objective. We learned that in order to do this, it is necessary to first identify who holds power. John referred to those in power as the potential ‘blockers’ of the changes you are trying to make.

The blockers could be the decision-makers in big corporations or those in government. While the blockers’ power may mean that progress on a campaign is slow, John pointed out that a campaign without blockers is a campaign that has already been won.

A current Oxfam campaign we’re

interested in is called “Behind the Barcodes.” For this campaign targeting corporations, Oxfam have conducted extensive research into publicly available documents about how supermarkets treat their suppliers on a range of metrics. This research has recently been compiled into a league table of supermarkets, with Aldi currently being the worst performing. We were told this campaign was a challenging one for Oxfam, as the supermarkets with the least documentation about their supply chain were all budget-priced. It is important to emphasise that this campaign’s objective is not to ask those on a limited budget to boycott individual supermarkets. Instead, Oxfam are encouraging members of the public to hand a letter to the manager of the supermarket that they use, saying that this issue is important to them and asking the company to improve their Behind the Barcodes table ranking.

While SOAS’ Oxfam society is still very much in the planning phase, we do have an initial idea of how to implement the Behind the Barcodes campaign on the SOAS campus. We want to host an event, possibly in the JCR, informing students and others about this campaign. Then, we will work together to write letters and deliver them to supermarkets! This is a campaign that directly relates to student lives, as most of us have a tight budget for our weekly shops, but we agree that supermarkets should deliver a fair wage to their suppliers.

If you are inspired to be part of this change-making, please join our brand new society!

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Societies & Sport

5 DECEMBER 2018 SOAS Netball

Inclusion not Initiation in SOAS Netball Anna Jordan, BA Development Studies and History Holly Ogborne, BA International Relations and Developmental Studies Anna: Getting back into netball has been the highlight of my time at SOAS but has previously been a source of fear at other establishments. Many university sports have long-standing traditions of initiations which range from peer pressure to excessively drinking to sexual assault. These are all done in the name of bringing the teams closer together. First years are often told that, whilst everyone hates it, everyone does it and that when they progress out of first year, they

will do it to the new first years themselves.

These traditions are hugely alienating to many people who may want to simply play the sport or join a community. Not only this, but socials seem to be largely focused on drinking, going out, and hooking up with random boys. Rarely are there any openly queer people or trans people. For a university in the centre of London, with a huge percentage of international students, clubs are often dominated by white people who make

Holly: As the new pastoral/welfare officer for SOAS Netball, I’m hoping that the role can provide a channel for people to easily access help with any issues they’re encountering, whether that is within SOAS Netball or otherwise. It should hopefully also provide another level of accountability to the society as it seeks to become even more inclusive for its members and prospective members. I’m inspired to do this role because of my experience as a member of SOAS Netball so far. I was sure of who I was before coming to university but

SOAS Netball 2017/18 (Credit: Ali Mitib)

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

What is BJJ? Lucy Dunnet, BA Chinese (Modern and Classical) When I tell new people that I am off to “BJJ training,” more often than not I receive a confused, slightly surprised look in response, and it is clear that a variety of curious and not so PG thoughts are whizzing through their brain. I then have two options, either the serious explanation of what BJJ is, that it stands for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, also sometimes referred to as “human chess,” and it is a grappling-based martial art derived from both Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, whose central theme is the skill of controlling a resisting opponent in ways that force them to submit.

Or the not so serious explanation, that BJJ is “like wrestling, but with a lot more BDSM” or simply “aggressive yoga in pyjamas.” Those

up a disproportionate majority of teams’ committees.

As a university that prides itself on being self-aware, inclusive and diverse, are SOAS sports more inclusive? Has SOAS Netball found a way to create comradery without initiations? Whilst we haven’t completely, we are trying to fight the stereotypical university sports teams experiences. Over the past few years SOAS Netball, in particular, has swelled from having one team to having three teams, a recreational squad and open sessions for queer people! This makes Netball the most active womxn only society at SOAS, with three training sessions per week and at points up to four matches and a social.

So what are we trying to do? We are lucky to have a vocal mass of LGBTQIA+ people, which has meant that more and more people have started to feel comfortable in coming out. It also means that SOAS Netball is not just an accepting space for LGBTQIA+ people but one in which they can thrive. We also have a social secretary, Roshni WhiteSaini, which means that the onus of organising socials doesn’t fall to the captains. By having a specific person to organise these socials, a sufficient amount of time and energy goes into organising events that are inclusive and not entirely centered around drinking. One of the key changes this year has been the addition of an independent welfare officer to our committee, Holly Ogborne.

people who think that I have misspoken and added on an extra “J” to what I am doing, usually prefer the second explanation.

BJJ is one of the fastest growing fighting arts in the world, and for many practitioners, it has become more than merely a martial art or a sport; it has become a way of life. BJJ is something everyone can benefit from, no matter your age, fitness level, or fighting lust.

It improves your self-confidence and general well-being, both physically and mentally.

Additionally, you become part of a world-wide, tight-knit community of likeminded individuals, all eager to help and support each other. Here at SOAS BJJ, even after just one session, you will see that all of these things are true. Our instructor has unmatched enthusiasm for both BJJ and his students, and training has enriched many of our lives both inside and outside of SOAS. In the fast-paced and stressful environment that most of us feel surrounded by, I have found BJJ to be one of the most effective and enjoyable stress-relievers. As pointed out by American psychologist and BJJ brown belt David J. Ley, “when you have a two-hundredpound opponent sitting on top of you and trying to choke you into unconsciousness,

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it is psychologically impossible to devote mental resources to worrying about the rent, school or work.”

Whilst some people train just for fun, as a means of weekly exercise, or to learn self-defense techniques, we also have many people aiming to compete competitively. On Sunday, 11 November we entered our first University BJJ league competition as a SOAS BJJ team and came away with two gold and

not confident that I was worth other people’s time and friendship. Netball, especially in my second year, became somewhere where my confidence grew; I was accepted and supported even though I wasn’t always the life and soul of the party or what I thought others expected me to be. I only realised how much Netball had helped in my growth at the end of year Sports Ball when I looked back at what I was like before the year began and how much I’d grown. Though my experience hasn’t been perfect, the committee has always sought to learn and improve how the society is run, and we should continue to do so.

This year and in years to come I hope Netball can have a similar confidence-building effect for other womxn who join. This can only happen if we continue on the path of becoming more inclusive and develop an atmosphere of encouragement and acceptance. Competition in sport can be fun but the competitive element should not extend beyond that into the social aspects of a club. No one should have to prove themselves through initiation rituals or feel excluded by social hierarchies. I hope this year, and in future years, sports clubs can be places where everyone feels equal and included just as they are.

Anna: Representation is important everywhere and, in SOAS Netball, we believe that sports societies should model themselves on more political societies, with democratic elections and accountability, because our sports club is a community as well as a grouping of individuals who want to play the sport. At university, sport can be a crucial outlet for people, with many students having mental health issues, sport can be a great help and therefore people must strive to make them as inclusive as possible.

SOAS Netball is a community of womxn who support each other, so as we grow, we must become as self-aware and as accountable as, for example, the feminist society or LGBTQIA+ society etc. two bronze medals. But most importantly we came away with a heightened sense of comradery, competitiveness, and determination to continue to beat other university BJJ teams!

If you haven’t already come to try out one of our free classes, do come down to the SOAS basement gym on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays at 13:00.

SOAS at the University BJJ league competition (Credit: Lucy Dunnet)

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Societies & Sport

Spotlight: SOAS Women’s Football Miriam Amrani,

BA History and African Studies SOAS Women’s Football is back this year looking to get as many women at SOAS playing football. We are an inclusive team that is open to all, as we work on developing existing players as well as helping ladies who are new to football to get into it. A Guardian article written in November of this year spelt out how women have been excluded or discouraged from playing football and rugby.

Sometimes getting into the sport can be difficult, especially if you are inexperienced or have never really had the opportunity to give it a go. At SOAS Women’s Football, we are trying to break down those barriers as we want to get as many people playing as possible to show people how fun playing football can be. Anyone who is interested in joining the team, getting back into football, or giving it a try is more than welcome and we would love to meet you whether you’re interested in playing competitively or not.

University can be a stressful place at times. Football can be an excellent form of stress relief and a highly effective break from rigorous academics (final-year students and postgrads, we are looking at you). The football

pitch is also a great place to make friends and develop confidence both on and off of the ball.

The team hosts socials, post-match meals and random little meetups which can be a great way of getting to know people from around London and can be a little less daunting than approaching people in the JCR or corridors.

Last year, we had a really good squad with a range of players of different abilities and skill and this year we are back with a new group of players that are equally talented. We managed to finish second in our league last year so we are hoping to win it all this year.

So, if you are looking to play competitively we definitely have something for you.

SOAS is lucky to be an international university and that diversity is reflected in the players that we have. Some of our players are from places such as the USA, China, Malaysia, France, Norway, Sweden, and Jordan. But we don’t just have a range of nationalities, we also have a range of experience in footballers. Some of the best players in the squad are those that have only just started playing football recently as well as those who are getting back into the game after a few years away.

Our coach, Mani, is a goalkeeping specialist who has years of experience developing players at all levels, including working in the Arsenal development camps that are

run locally. Mani has been working on developing training drills and skill-based work to help develop us as a team in order to compete in our league and to progress as individuals. We are also lucky enough to train off Caledonian road, on the Market Road 3G pitches. These artificial pitches are great to play on as they are perfect all year round, enabling us to develop passing and skills based ball movement with no mud to be seen.

5 DECEMBER 2018

So far this season, we have only played one match but as we get closer to Christmas our matches will start to be back to back.

Hopefully, this will mean back to back wins for us! Our matches are played on Sundays with home matches played at Market Road and away matches located across London.

If you have any questions or queries, don’t hesitate to get in touch with myself or Lois, the co-captains: 650175@soas.ac.uk, 626081@soas.ac.uk.

SOAS Women’s Football 2017/18 (Credit: Lois Iddles)

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