In-Sight

Creative ‘underbelly’ of the developing world Issue 1 July/August 2011

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Contents Editor’s letter Contributors World in a Month

Ethnic Perception The TGA Boys

Fashion Introducing...

Philosophy from the east Recipes of the world Travel Plucked from Obscurity Reviews

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Editors Letter Well, what can I say, In-Sight’s first official issue has been a long time coming- to the point where people thought we weren’t even in existence anymorebut no matter how rocky the road, the wheels have kept turning and this issue is a testament to the blood, sweat and tears that have poured in buckets throughout the lack of funding and even lack of a team, but here we are….

We’ve gone against all odds to bring you a positive portrayal of the developing world through the richness of its arts and culture, in hopes of dispelling the myth that the only art worth knowing is from the West. And just to dispel a few more myths that we have right here in the UK, we’ve kicked off this issue with the article, Ethnic Perception, as an example of some of the issues In-Sight deals with; racial stereotypes that still exist in a multi-cultural society.

Our cover star, Tunisian born, singer/songwriter, Samia Farah, will definitely revitalize your musical sensibilities with her straight talking, no BS attitude, as she talks about her aversion to Sony and commerciality in a culture of ‘overnight celebrity.’

And as well as our regulars we have dedicated a section to aspiring comic artist, Omar Hernandez, who’s bound to put a few things into perspective on world affairs with the introduction of his character, Grim, finishing In-Sight off with a bit of twisted humour. …And if that isn’t enough, with the possibility of funding and team expansion, we will keep bringing you In-Sight every two months.

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Team

Omar Hernandez art director

Nur Hannah Wan Assistant art director

Omar is an aspiring artist within illustration, film, and music, and a film graduate from the university of the arts.

He has lived in south London nearly all his life, and has grown up within latin-american culture due to his heritage, and takes many inspirations from his surroundings. This is his second time contributing to in-sight, and hopes to be a regular contributor in the future. peace out bitches!!

Nur Hannah is a fine artist, illustrator, writer, painter and decorator that lives in London.

She has given her good hand to this issue of In-Sight and produced some visuals (for your eyes), and an inspiring story (for your ears).

Should you feel not completely satisfied you should holla at a sistuh so she can indeed up her game for the next issue. P E A C E!

Aaron Spencer Charles Staff writer

Elizabeth Evans fashion editor

Ruweyda Dool assistant editor

Having a need to promote cultural diversity, through writing and conversation, Aaron-Spencer is a visionary, eager to make positive changes in anyway possible. Residing in southLondon, this 22-year-old connects music lovers with his blog (www.thefunkydeli. tumblr.com) and has a current stint as an intern at the Metro newspaper.

Lizzie Evans is a freelance journalist and radio broadcaster for Reprezent Radio. She has worked for the likes of Glamour, Red, Zest and The Times Magazine.

She splits her time between working on magazines, and working for various PR companies, as well as volunteering for numerous festivals around London.

Ruweyda Dool is a couture inspired British Fashion Designer based in London.

Apart from fashion she is also the CEO/Founder of a not-for-profit organisation called 窶連rt to EastAfrica; changing the lives of young people through art and creativity, in which she plans to travel to EastAfrica later this year; running art workshops for neglected communities.

Contributors Michael Batt(Web Designer) Luis Rubim(Photographer) Sam Pepper(Photographer) Damien Cruz(Writer) Ashlinn Romagnoli (sub-editor) James Craig(sub-editor) Lauren Ashi(journalist) Becky Yeung(PR)

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World in a Month

India >

Thousands of young girls from India’s poorest communities have been inspired to pursue and continue their education thanks to the “Girl Stars” film project. Created by UNICEF and the NGO Going To School, the multimedia project has provided India’s girls with role models in the form of female stars who have achieved success through education in a nation where 54% of girls remain illiterate. Their positive stories have now become part of school textbooks.

Brazil >

Brazil’s President, Dilma Rouseff, declared a continuation of her campaign goal to eliminate Brazilian poverty within the next four years.

With a vision of distributing wealth across Brazil, Rouseff aims to uplift more than 16 million impoverished people through the “Brazil Without Misery” program.

Financial aid, better education, and sufficient sanitation are just a few of the improvements on the agenda.

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Congo >

President Denis Sassou N’Guesso of The Republic of Congo promised to plant 1 million hectares of trees by 2020 as a means of restoring forestation and providing wood for paper and fuel.

The Three Forest Basins Summit aims to limit forest destruction, thus easing climate change.

Although 5.4 million hectares continue to be deforested across Congo each year, there has been a reduction in cutting by 25% in the last decade.

Philippines >

Children of the Layag-layag village in the Philippines no longer need to swim across chest-deep waters to get to school thanks to a government employee blogger.

Jay Jaboneta used Facebook to fundraise for the transport of the village children. A boat was donated to the cause “New Hope� and is also used by village fishermen and seaweed farmers who then set aside profits for gasoline to ferry the children to school.

Two more boats were built and donations also provided the children with school bags, slippers, and

Angola >

Families who were forcefully evicted from their homes in the Angolan capital of Luanda are to be re-housed by the government.

Hundreds of families’ homes were demolished to make way for the construction of luxury housing. The Angolan capital government is making positive steps to provide new housing for the evictees, who were aggressively removed by police in the period 2004-2006.

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Ethnic Perception How deep-rooted is ethnic prejudice in modern society?

When applying for jobs we are often asked to state our ethnicity, at our own discretion of course, but what relevance does our ethnic background have to do with how we perform at work or, in fact, as a fully integrated member of a multi-cultural society? Does ethnic identification matter?

With ethnic diversity growing in the workplace and society in general, we are now, more than ever before, exposed to a multitude of ethnic groups, experiencing different cultures and even forming meaningful relationships; developing an understanding and appreciation of other races.

We still seem to judge in terms of race

However although an understanding does exist, there still appears to be a racial divide in modern society, and what often fills this divide are ethnic stereotypes.

We still seem to judge in terms of race, sometimes making wrong assumptions and we have to ask ourselves, what are these assumptions based on?

With growing international tensions depicted in the media, it’s no wonder how we can sometimes ‘jump to the wrong conclusions’, often not grounded in fact or by an individual’s own merits. However, one bad experience with just one person from a different ethnic group can also alter our way of thinking, as well as that of our peers.

But Surely we cannot ‘paint everyone with the same brush, Can we?

In an attempt to provide a platform for debate and open discussion, In-Sight has developed it’s own, self-styled race audit, fashioned on an old ad campaign that featured in The Observer, The Observer Race Audit, 2001.

By seemingly asking you to decide what each of the following subject’s occupations may be, it’s really an attempt to challenge some of the stereotypes we, as a collective society may have, or indeed just on an individual basis.

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Gang Member

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Pimp

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Basketball Player

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ETHNIC PERCEPTION

Drop Out Baby Factory

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Arranged Marriage

x Broadcaster Oppressed

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Drug Dealer Weed Smoker

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the T.G.A BOYS

WORDS BY NUR HANNAH WAN IMAGES COURTESY OF NURLIZA KHALID

For the troubled boys of East Los Angeles, the streets were familiar turf; abandoned by mothers or kicked out of school, some found refuge at the T.G.A- Taqwa Gayong Academy- where they learnt the South-East Asian martial art, Silat. Teacher, Sulaiman Sharif, explains how these same troubled teens, not only found refuge, but a place they could call ‘home’.

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“Salaam Selay-kum, Ak! Salaam Selay-kum!”- For those of you not familiar with T.G.A. vernacular, this was the greeting between students as they met on the streets of New Jersey. In a swarm of baggy pants, hoodies and high tops, they touched knuckles and bowed their heads in salute. Of course, what they had intended to say was Salaam Alay-kum, the Arabic for ‘Peace be upon you,’ Ak being the abbreviated slang term for Akhi, or my brother. Aimen chuckled as he recalled this story to me, amused at how his boys had managed to take an ancient Middle Eastern greeting and transform it into something uniquely theirs.

Imperfect though their Arabic may have been, Aimen was still proud of their attempts- their mispronounced greetings were a far cry from the profanities that would have previously left their mouths. For most of them, the streets were familiar turf. Abandoned by mothers who could no longer handle the challenge or kicked out of school repeatedly for bad behaviour, most of these boys had street life thrown at them with no choice but to grab with both hands.

At least now they were spreading peace, and not their arms across the bonnet of a cop car, face down, surrounded by a flood of sirens and blue flashing lights. In fact, three months into T.G.A. schooling, some had already traded in their medallions for prayer beads- they had come a long way from the lives they had previously lived, and were now counting blessings instead.

to the rougher streets of Philadelphia, or- as the locals referred to it- The Wild Wild West Philly, so called because of its reputation for drugs, gangs, shootings, and prostitution. He describes how some mornings he would find himself sweeping bullet shells off the pavements, instead of leaves: “You ask anyone about 51st & Market street- they’ll know what I’m talking about.”

It was here that Aimen decided to open the first Halal food outlet in Philadelphia. He recalls that- “When we first arrived, they had bullet proof glass at the counter, you know? Like in a bank,” but “the first thing we did when we got there was take it down…the locals thought I was crazy.”

Of course, the story of a successful man is never complete without a woman guiding the way. He did not journey alone through America’s roughest neighbourhoods. His wife Nurliza Khalid was with him each step of the way.

Eventually, having earned a reputation within the community, the couple were asked to “school-sit” a Muslim private school whilst the owners were away.

They were expected to teach the academic syllabus as well as Islamic and were so successful that, as word spread of their work, they were asked to teach privately in New Jersey. They packed their bags to relocate, and it was here that the story of The T.G.A. began.

Sulaiman Sharif, or Brother Aimen as the boys would call him, is a teacher in the art of Silat, originally developed in the Malay archipelago. Silat Seni Gayong, the particular style taught by Aimen, was developed in the villages of Malaysia in 1813: “That was the only thing we - the Malays - had at that time that belonged to us and was readily available at nearly every other Malay village”.

Aimen’s interest in the art began at the young age of nine and he soon became familiar with several different forms of Silat. Eventually, in the early 90’s, the founder of Silat Seni Gayong, Dato’ Meor Abdul Rahman, asked him to leave his native Malaysia and spread his knowledge to the U.S.A. He held seminars at various locations including East Los Angeles in California where he demonstrated at the Inosanto Academy, owned by Danny Inosanto- martial arts legend Bruce Lee’s protégé. His next stop took him

So what exactly is The T.G.A? The Taqwa Gayong Academy was set up unofficially in 1990, with twenty students initially, mainly boys and mainly African American. As most had been suspended or expelled from school, the T.G.A offered home schooling; many students were pulled back. a grade or two to go over subjects in which they performed poorly. With over twenty students and only two teachers, Aimen and Nurliza split students into groups and taught them everything offered by the American school syllabus and more. in-sightmagazine.com | In-Sight | 15

Children came from all over, from the streets of West and North Philadelphia to New York and Atlanta, as their parents (mainly single) or foster parents heard about the school through simple word of mouth. Some days, boys would arrive at their doorstep “with bee-hive hair and gold medallions around their necks…sometimes with a trash bag in hand, carrying all they had.”

wake as early as 4am to gain some additional training: “The students really enjoyed these sessions with Aimen and their spirit reverberated through the entire tiny town of Paulsboro,” says Nurliza of the energy she witnessed. “Prior to this, most of them would be roaming the streets till 2-3am and at times cops had to be summoned to round them up.”

The students lived and studied at the T.G.A residence. Having twenty students in a onebathroom, three-bedroom house proved to be a bit much, so the couple decided to relocate and opted for one of the largest buildings in Paulsboro, New Jersey. Eventually, the family grew to a total of thirty-two students. Their youngest, *Armand and Shaun, had come to them at the ages of six and seven, respectively. “[Armand] had been suspended from Kindergarten six times! He would pick a fight with anyone, he didn’t care what size,” Nurliza tells me. He was sent to the T.G.A by foster parents who were on the brink of a “nervous breakdown.”

Silat training also immersed them into Malay culture, the way of life of the Nusantara that valued humility and respect, especially of elders.

“They would kiss the hands of their elders upon entry and exit, eat with their hands, sit on the floor when their elders sat on chairs, wear kain pelikat (traditional attire), watch Silat movies and eat Malay food.”

And, of course, with Malay culture came the teachings of Islam. Nurliza and Aimen were practicing Muslims, praying five times a day and fasting once a year, during the month of Ramadhan. As some students were born into Islam, they were able to revert to their old practices under Aimen and Nurliza’s guidance.

His cousin Shaun had a slightly different story.

For those that weren’t, Having lost both his sister and mother to AIDS it was a chance while his father served a fifteen year sentence for them to gain a for rape, he was also under foster care and different perspective prescribed with all the pills the doctors could on life. “We never think of to ensure he too did not have the virus. forced our beliefs upon He was also diagnosed with Attention Deficit them,” says Aimen, Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, and so had an “They were living with additional supply of pills to complement the first us, and so through that set. His foster mother pleaded with Aimen and gained a taste of the Nurliza to take him in. “The first thing we did way we lived our lives”. was send the bags of pills home with the foster mum,” Nurliza says. “Though it was difficult for him at first…he nevertheless persevered and was Although an undeniably excellent form of discipline, I questioned whether teaching one of drug-free for the rest of the time he was with the deadliest forms of martial arts to a group of us.” She explained how silat helped these two “troubled’’ children and teenagers ever had its hyperactive children: drawbacks. “Yes, it was a big risk, I was teaching problem kids but the problem they had wasn’t “It did wonders for them, it channeled their with us but their past,” replies Aimen. hyper-activeness. Armand was one of our best students- he actually graduated from high school “All we had to do was listen and provide the yesterday. Shaun now has a baby and is attending attention and care that was missing from their pasts, together with the discipline that the Silat The University of Atlanta where he obtained a provided, and the kids became just kids. No football scholarship.” longer as problematic.”

Silat lessons took place after academic sessions, where the boys would train for three solid hours. Nurliza and Aimen ran the Taqwa Gayong Academy for thirteen years, providing shelter, Some of the more dedicated students would

with the discipline that the Silat provided the kids became just kids. No longer as problematic as they use to be”

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education, and, most importantly, attention to children and teenagers that were otherwise deemed problematic and troubled. Sadly, after the tragic events of September 11th, things began to change. As the media were pointing the fingers of blame at Islam, living in America as a Muslim became a lot more difficult.

“We were not even able to leave our house,” says Nurliza, of the harassment that they were now facing as a result of the perceived association between 911 and Islam. The T.G.A, seen to be associated with Islam, received a letter from the Borough with an order to “cease and desist”. I ask Aimen if they attempted to appeal against the order to save the T.G.A, into which they had put in over a decade of their life. “When they tell you leave, that’s it. No arguing,” replied Aiman. The T.G.A was forced to shut down.

Nurliza and Aimen are now settled back in Malaysia where they have established a tuition centre. Aimen still teaches Silat and Nurliza is using her experience to complete a masters degree in Youth Studies. Looking back at the times they spent building up the T.G.A in America, Nurliza recalls the “sweat, blood and buckets of tears” endured during those years. She also recalls the lessons she learnt: “Looking back now, the students were actually the ones who taught me to fight back with the resilience of youth that I borrowed from them to strengthen my inner resolve”.

They are still in touch with their former students in the U.S.A, mainly via Facebook. To their satisfaction, they have been able to see from there that some of their former charges have graduated, got married and are themselves proud fathers of their own children. Nurliza often looks back to those days they spent in the United States, trying to help young people who have dropped out of society to come back and contribute to it in ways that they never thought possible.

Now, in a different surrounding, even simple chores will bring her back to her past. She may be stacking things into the shelves of her pantry and this may trigger a memory of Ramadhan in Paulsboro where she had to keep her refrigerators constantly stocked, even when funds were scarce, so that her students wouldn’t go without. Cooking certain dishes will stir up memories of having to ward off a stampede of hungry children out of her kitchen.

As she looks back at old photographs to be used for a university project she is reminded of grocery shopping on weekends where she would walk the streets of New Jersey with an entourage of her T.G.A students. She laughs as she tells me of some occasions, where police officers would stop her and ask whether she was being harassed. “It’s okay”, she would tell them calmly, “these are my boys”. *Names have been changed in-sightmagazine.com | In-Sight | 17

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Photography - Sam Pepper Make-up - Ria Fox Model - Naima Westmaas

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FASHION

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FASHION

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Photography - Luis Rubim Make-up - Ria Fox Model - Cipriana Sequeira Fashion by Ruweyda Dool

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African Queen

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For more info on Ruweyda Dool fashion check out: www.ruweydadool.com

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Introducing...

How would you explain your sound?

My songs are a mix of different things from Jazz to Reggae.

I’m also in the process of doing another album, which mixes Arab music with modern music.

What inspires your sound?

My father was a lover of music and art and he inspired me. He pushed me towards it .He allowed me to express myself when I was growing up and encouraged me.

fluenced me more in my mentality and to be more open to the world.

So what did influence your Reggae sound?

When I was an adolescent, I went to live in Tunisia for one year and I met a lot of young people like me. They were listening to a lot of Reggae and the first track I experienced was ‘Amigo’ by Black Slate.

What things did your father introduce you too?

He likes Jazz, so I like Jazz and he’s open to every type of music, from rock to Egyptian music. He’s very eclectic and that has made me eclectic myself.

Have any particular reggae artists inspired your sound?

I love Peter Tosh, he used to play the guitar with Bob Marley, and I like Bob Andy for his lyrics. People should know about Bob Andy; he comes from the same generation as Peter Tosh, but is not as recognisable, but he should be.

Did your father inspire your Reggae sound?

No, he was not into reggae; he in-

What has been your most recent music project?

I recently worked with two Japa-

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nese bands called the Sistemonegro and The HeavyManners.

I recorded with them for two weeks.

How did you end up working with a Japanese band?

They contacted me through MySpace and some of them were working with big bands, mainly reggae-dub. They contacted me a few days before I was to leave for a three-month trip around Asia.

Who else have you collaborated with?

I’ve worked with Lee Perry, I’ve also worked with Adrian Sherwood. Doing a lot of compilations helped me get a lot of worldwide recognition.

So how did you break into the music industry?

I was lucky because I signed with Sony when I was 29. Some

“...no oppressor can remove my voice, my freedom of speech. I can still shout and say what I like.�

Title: Chang Mai by Samia Farah

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[Opposite page] “Mask 1” taken from the series, Masks by Samia Farah This page: “The Scars and The Mask” also taken from the series, Masks by Samia Farah

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body heard my songs and it went through somebody else who knew somebody that worked for Sony, and they decided to sign me. So it was all ‘word of mouth’, I didn’t push for it. However, I finished with Sony a long time ago.

Why? I want to have control over my own career and pick and choose what I do. Sony did not like this attitude, so I left. Now I am the producer and I own all the licenses.

Did you do well as a Sony recording artist?

I didn’t do very well in France.

Maybe I don’t have talent, but I did very well in other places, like California.

You seem to play your musical talent down, why is that?

I don’t really know how to sell myself; I’m not very good at it. The only thing I’m good at is getting my work out there by showing it

to the right people. To the people that I am quite sure will respond.

You can’t force people to buy your music; it has to be a natural progression.

Do you perform?

I haven’t performed for a long time to tell you the truth.

How long?

Umm, let’s just say a long time.

It’s not something that I really like to do. I would like to do some gigs but not for the sake of it. I don’t want to sell myself short.

I want to be appreciated for my work, if not I’d rather focus on my artwork.

Why do you think you didn’t do so well in France?

I have a big mouth and I am a woman and they don’t like that.

It’s also a very restrictive country, if you are a black, Arab etc. They let you think that you can evolve and progress further up, but it’s not true. I think in English they

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call it the ‘glass ceiling’. Even if you are good at what you do, you have to go elsewhere to pursue it.

They only promote the idiots from within these ethnic groups that don’t have anything to say, like in French hip-hop. You can’t put me in a box so easily, so for them I’m considered difficult.

Do you think it could also be because of the controversial content of your songs?

Maybe, my songs do have strong underlying messages.

Can you give an example of the content of one of your songs?

I wrote a song called’ “Ottenthot”, which was to demonstrate how judging others by appearance can be extremely harmful, and sometimes people make big mistakes because of it.

I used one particular example from within French history about a woman called, Sarah Baartman.

She was a black, South-African

Title: Darwin Was wrong by Samia Farah

who was treated like an animal by the French and the British.

She was very voluptuous and had a big bottom and to them, her resemblance was closer to a monkey than a human being. It was the French who examined her organs and body, as if she were an experiment.

Maybe that’s why you did well in California then, because of the language barrier?

Maybe, because they can’t understand what I’m saying. (She laughs)

the moment?

I’m producing a book of over 300 of my art works, which span 10 years of my life. The works are mixed media, but I don’t have a publisher yet.

What inspires your artwork?

It’s my pain -- the pain of how I see the world and how sometimes it is so difficult to digest.

The only way for me to digest it properly is to use my art. It’s how I get it out of my system.

So are you not concerned with fame?

I don’t care. I won’t loose myself for the fame, even if people were to ask me to do something for a lot of money, I won’t do it. I want to stay true to myself. You may not have a lot of money or a lot of friends but in the end you’re the winner.

Can you give me an example of this?

In “The Scars and the Mask” piece, I have an open wound on my neck, where my vocal chords have been removed. It’s to do with the Israeli army taking organs from the Palestinian people.

It’s like saying no oppressor can remove my voice, my freedom of speech. I can still shout and say what I like.

What are you focusing on at

I notice also there are a lot of

foetuses in your work, what’s that all about?

I can have children, but I have no one to make babies with, that’s why they are everywhere, because I want them, but I think I freak men out. I have done a lot in my life, except have babies.

And finally, where would you be without your art in your life?

I would be in a mental home (she says laughing) I would just go crazy.

Take a listen to Samia Farah’s reggae-inspired music: www. myspace.com/samiafarah, or www.soundcloud.com/samiafarah To see examples of Samia’s artwork: www.samiafarah.blogspot. com, or www.samiafarahmasks. blogspot.com.

Words by Tanya Bay Images by Samia Farah

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An Eastern tool for western hands Words by Damien Cruz Artwork by Nur Hannah Wan

‘‘To say that life is pain, distress and affliction, neglects many of life’s many joys’’

In this hectic and fast-paced day and age, there are so many messages, vying for our attention, time and money. With the pressures of keeping just a foothold in the rat race we run, we can sometimes loose focus, get swamped and begin to feel that our targets are unattainable.

Graduates coming out of University have a shrunken and hyper competitive job market to navigate and contend with and, often, are forced to take on jobs not related to their targets, just to have financial means.

Not many of us in the west want to live hermetic lives given over to the pursuit and attainment of a single quest. We want to get involved; yet it can be good sometimes to get outside all of this and find a moment of reprieve.

At times, when standing outside of our situation is needed, it may be handy to implement the Buddhist concept of Dukkha.

Dukkha is the fountainhead realisation from which the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism stream from and put simply, to move on from this life and reach Nirvana, perhaps in the next life or with some future reincarnation .

Often Dukkha is translated and oversimplified to mean ‘suffering’ and although suffering is a component of Dukkha it’s too narrowing as a definition and in addition ‘Suffering’ gives a negative and too heavy a slant; to say that life is pain, distress and an affliction, neglects many of life’s many joys.

Dukkha is comprised of ephemeral elements and not only suffering. As life itself wont last, things in life wont last, things that cause suffering wont last just as things that bring joy wont last: flux and metamorphosis is the tale of the tape and one has to roll with the punches, overcome and in a single life reincarnate oneself.

Using the manifold teaching of Dukkha, passed on to us today from the Buddha, that not only incorporates suffering, but also the ephemeral nature of things, we can use Dukkha like a surveyor’s plumb line. Standing back and taking a moment to take stock of our lives, plan and navigate the hectic field of everyday life, putting events and situations in a perspective from which to grow out towards goals and targets in a straight line.

Our aspirations may be hindered by immediate circumstances but if worked upon they can be overcome and we can realise our targets.

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Title: One Love Artisit: Nur Hannah Wan www.the-n-a-h.blogspot.com nurhannahone@hotmail.com

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Recipes of the world

Courtesy of The Lemongrass, Camden Photography by Luis Rubim

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Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken Ingredients 6 oz chicken 3 colour peppers-half of each 1 garlic clove ½ a lemongrass straw 2 tbsp Fish Sauce 3 tbsp sugar Cooking time: 10 minutes Preparation time: 5 minutes

Preparation Cut chicken into cubes Marinate chicken in salt, pepper and corn flour before cooking Instructions 1. Heat oil in a wok and fry chicken for 5 minutes until slightly browned. Make sure the chicken doesn’t stick to the wok.

2. Add peppers and garlic to the wok – this will give some basic additional flavour to the dish 3. Add 6-8 tbsp of water to the mix and cook for an extra minute.

4. Then add the rest of the ingredients; the fish sauce and lemongrass straw.

5. Cook for an additional 3 minutes.

6. Once finished, serve with a choice of rice or spicy noodles

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‘Pindi’ street scene

Rawalpindi With only a 30-45 minute drive you arrive in the fourth largest and authentic city; Rawalpindi.

With almost 2.1 million people in its population, it’s fascinating bazaars sprinkled across the streets really do represent Pakistan culture. The rustic, aged streets have a sense of beauty you wouldn’t believe. It’s an environment that you just want to explore!

Photography By: Jamie-Buchanan Dunlop

Pakistan

Rawalpindi, locally known as Pindi, is a great place to go shopping – as they have practically everything!

When I say everything, I mean everything that you would not find in the UK. Get your Rupees out and get spending! Have fun.

Islamabad

With the highest literacy rate of Pakistan, the young up-andcoming capital city of Islamabad is such an excellent resort & destination for us westerners.

If you want luxury, designer, style and comfort, Burj-Al-Arab Boutique Hotel is the place to be staying!

After a two-week expedition to Pakistan intrepid explorer, Ruweyda Dool, experiences one of the most moving and emotional moments of her life, as she discovers a land of hidden beauty and hospitality.

For only £40 or less all Inclusive What more could you want?

The unique exterior & glass gold artistry interior really does give the Hotel a chic and glamorous feel. The hospitality is great as the bilingual staff really do cater to your needs, regardless the situation.

With only a 5-10 minute walk to the local open space, Jinnah Supermarket, you can get all you can for your loved ones for a really cheap price!

For hotel info: http://www.southtravels.com Photography By: Ruweyda Dool

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Ruweyda with EDIC children

Truck Depot If you are a creative, artistic individual you definitely HAVE to visit a Truck Depot.

If you think the UK has talent – Pakistan’s art industry is beaming with artists. However, there is no acknowledgement for their talent, as these artists only paint and produce art work/ pieces to provide for their families and put food on the table.

Regardless, the innovative and unique ways of them making art work is captivating.

“The jangle and flash of trucks on the road from the airport, the smell, calm, bustle and hum of a Pakistan evening” Jamie-Buchanan Dunlop (Expedition Leader)

Mirpur Mirpur was an adventure as it’s a destination and city that isn’t really open to foreigners.

However, we luckily got the opportunity to have a peak for two nights.

The most moving and emotional experience in my life occurred in this city. I discovered EDIC (The Educational Development for Inconsidered Children) which is an amazing heart-warming project that betters the lives of street children and those who have to provide for their families at such a young age. We visited the school that was built to educate 30 children.

The active citizens of Mirpur, Pakistan are paving the way for the younger generation.

Accommodation: The Regency hotel – A marvelous huge hotel equipped with games room and en-suit gym For more info on EDIC: http://edic-school.org

Truck Art

“The jangle and flash of trucks on the road from the airport, the smell, calm, bustle and hum of a Pakistan evening, the allure of a new country, life lived on the street in the open, vats of dye bubbling, rolls of cloth unfurled with a flourish, kind faces, warm greetings, hot tea, experience after experience, preconceptions jettisoned, thoughts shared, and so to sleep.”

Quoted by Jamie-Buchanan Dunlop (Expedition Leader)

Photography By: Sarah Hobbs

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PLUCKED FROM OBSCURITY

Dressed in the robes of an Indian beauty queen--acquired on one of her latest visits to India--Millie Moonstone talks about ‘jamming’ across the world and why she’s not too fond of Cuba over a rather milky ‘cuppa’ at In-Sight’s HQ. What instruments do you play?

Guitar, Sarangi, Chinese Flute, Zimbabwean Mbira….

What’s a Sarangi?

It’s an ancient instrument. It was just two strings and then in the 8th century it developed, maybe becoming eight strings and then in the 13th century even more, and it’s just gradually grown.

How long have you been playing the Sarangi?

Seven to eight years. I still don’t really understand it. It has its own unwritten rules. It’s all improvised, so there’s no sheet music.

And what interested you in playing so many exotic instruments?

I studied music and South East Asian Studies at SOAS and there were all these amazing instruments to learn.

What other influences did you have?

I was bought up on classical, so I studied that from seven to seventeen. …And what have you been doing since?

Playing, writing, gigging. I Just started acting in Indian movies And did that come from travelling?

A Pakistani pop star found me on MySpace and when he was here touring he came to one of my gigs. Shortly after, he was performing in Calcutta and he told me to come over. The last time I went back, I worked with this PR guy, who is now a director of movies Do you ‘busk’ in India as well?

No, busking is like the lowest of the low. If you’re on the street busking, it’s like you’re one of the untouchables.

So there are not many buskers in India?

No. In Indonesia, there are loads of buskers. It’s very much part of the culture and everyone will give a coin. I was thinking to go busking.

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So what was Indonesia like?

I found that the people wanted to teach me; they wanted to share their culture I went to one little village where I was the only white person to visit in many years. I met the son of the village chief, and stayed there for a few days. One day, a woman came busking door-to-door. She made an instrument out of a box with a hole in the middle that had three strings across it, and she was drumming with one hand and plucking with the other, as well as singing. I’d never seen anything like it.

Where else have you travelled?

I’ve also travelled to a lot of South-East Asia, Nepal, Cuba, Australia, New Zealand…

How did you find Cuba?

I was there for month, to see how it was politically, and experience the music. I was expecting to see people dancing on every street corner, but I didn’t, and I didn’t find the ‘music’ and other people I know have. If I’d spoken Spanish, it would have been different.

Do you think it was because of the political structure of the country?

I don’t know, I mean maybe it was just my experience. The only music I found was in the main square where all the tourists go and there was some busking, but it was hard to find the real people just ‘jamming’ like in Indonesia.

Would you go back to Cuba?

Maybe. In my warehouse days, I was living with a lot of Cubans, so maybe if I went back with somebody.

So what does the future hold for Millie Moonstone?

It feels like in the last year it’s been taking off in India. I’ve got a deal in India to record an English, Hindi, Punjabi album.

I’m working with Ladakhi musicians, from the Himalayas.

Milli’s latest album, “Lose Myself” is out now, available at www.millimoonstone.com Words by Tanya Bay Photography by Luis Rubim

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The Kalahari Surfers

Richard the Third – Dragonfly Slip

African Dope

African Dope Electro music is a paradox – it’s been done to death by the skilled and less so, yet the endless capacity to create new sounds sets up a world of infinite possibility.

Richard the Third scratches the surface of the futuristic potential of the genre on this engaging new release Dragonfly Slip.

Following that epic tendency of dubstep, the tracks on this EP wade through the senses knee-deep; ‘Slip’ featuring South African singer, Black Porcelain, is a subtle dubstep track in its more recognisable form, and ‘Dragonfly’ has some delicate vocals from internationally acclaimed vocalist, Zaki Ibrahim, over a beat with a two step garage imprint between its layers. Refreshing and compelling, this four-track treat is firmly on replay.

Lauren Ashi

Hijaz – Chemsi African Dope For a jazz album with a difference, look no further than the latest offering from Hijaz, a Belgian based sextet who borrow heavily from North African, Middle Eastern and Greek musical influences to create their latest masterpiece Chemsi. Gentle ivory-tinkling on ‘Hems’ and stunning flute on ‘Sidi Bous Said’, paralleled with traditional instrumentation on the Tunisian oud and the tabla combine old and new, East and West, with remarkable balance.

Lauren Ashi

Reviews

MUSIC

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Originally starting out as a string of studio projects, The Kalahari Surfers was put together by composer and musician Warrick Sony.

Formed in 1982, their mixture of hard dub rhythms and controversial social comment pushed the barriers of local independent music, making their experimental, psychedelic sound unique and original. Their avant- garde approach to music has given them many opportunities, including a tour with Massive Attack around South Africa, and playing concerts all over the world, including Berlin, Moscow and Riga. Warrick Sony claims to have many influences, and this is evident within tracks such as ‘Temptation’ and ‘Kicked

By The Ball’, with a mixture of heavy basslines and relaxing slow drops.

Elizabeth Evans

The Constructus CorporationThe Ziggurat African Dope The Ziggurat is a project by South Africa’s resident loon - Waddy Jones. Previously involved in hip-hop collective Max Normal and Max Normal.tv, and currently in rave-rap group Die Antwoord, Jones has worked with almost everyone on the South African music scene. Best known for one of the most original concept albums, The Ziggurat, the haunting lyrics and underground trip-hop beats have kept their alternative sound at the forefront of everyone’s minds, with controversial songs ‘Brotherly Love’ and ‘Jellyfish’ being the centrepieces on the album. The album, consisting of an 88-page graphic novel hand-written by Jones, follows the adventures of two children on a futuristic world called The Ziggurat, and combines futuristic storytelling with vocal performances and sound effects.

Elizabeth Evans

Reviews

Impunity A film by Juan José Lozano & Hollman Morris 2010

FILM

This Is My Land...Hebron A film by Giulia Amati and Stephen Natanson 2010- Israel Described by an Israeli journalist as ‘the place of evil’, the city of Hebron exists with a social, historical and religious conflict so intense that the docu-movie, “This Is My Land...Hebron”, may only be touching the surface.

Winner of five awards, including the Audience Award at the Al Ard Doc Film Festival in February, “This Is My Land...Hebron” reveals the unjust ideals of ethnic cleansing by the Jewish settlers against the Palestinian population of the region.

Video footage by Palestinian residents and human rights groups unmask the severe threats and daily tensions between the two communities, giving an emotional backbone to the film. Palestinian school children are publicly pelted with stones, while Israeli soldiers gaze with little interaction. Anger is also caught on tape as Jewish youths verbally harass a member of a pro-peace Christian group.

Not only does the film succeed in highlighting the problems using raw footage, it also features interviews with Jewish community leaders, a pro-peace journalist and ex-Israeli military members, most notably Yehuda Shaul, who defied army commands in support of the freedom for Hebron’s Palestinians.

Lost Angels A film by Thomas Napper 2010 The gripping story of “Lost Angels” gives a personal insight into the lives of the people who call, Skid Row – an area of downtown Los Angeles, immersed in poverty and homelessness – their home.

Scenes of the surreal struggles faced by the movie’s individuals make “Lost Angels” attention grabbing. LeeAnne, an elderly collector of junk, pushes her over-flowing trolley, past the syringes and filth, accompanied by her much younger, ex-basketball player ‘boyfriend’, “KK”. Moments like this give the film its raw edge as it shows how unusual relationships can grow out of poverty.

Issues with finding one’s-self and family matters, arise in the film with many problems from the past having created a domino effect.

Studio interviews give the homeless space to express their feelings on camera, but most notably, interviews with the many organisation leaders and social workers, provide detailed information on the economic dilemmas Skid Row faces.

Although the conditions on Skid Row are detrimental, there is still a sense of hope and warmth within the community as the film hones in on the relationships created between friends and lovers, giving it sentimental value.

The un-bias yet humanitarian approach of the film enhances its credibility and lays out a canvas for much needed debate. “This Is My Land...Hebron” encapsulates the meaning of a morally aware movie that transcends all ignorance of the situation in Hebron.

When We Leave Feo Aladag 2010- Turkey

If you imagine your child’s killer telling you that he was just “following orders”, then you are imagining the experience of Colombian families, who have suffered losses under the AUC paramilitary regime.

“Impunity” documents the recent state of injustice caused by the ongoing conflict between Colombia’s This film follows a young woman AUC paramilitary group and the called Umay, who is married to a FARC guerrillas. It focuses on the man she no longer loves and a confessions of ex-paramilitary victim of domestic violence. In an commanders (AUC members who attempt to escape a life of strict were granted shortened prison tradition and abuse, she flees sentences if they confessed to from Turkey to seek solace with their crimes) and the emotional imher blood relatives in Germany, pact it has on the victims’ families. only to find that she will have to face the same issues and family The many years of unanswered opposition, she so desperately questions surrounding the horrific tries to flee, aggravated by the massacres and disappearances fact that she is now a single of many innocent civilians, show mother who has fled her husthe reality of what little rights band. the communities have. Grieving families enduring revelations of While director Feo Aladag has dismembered bodies and mass put forward a compelling piece of graves, makes for the most emowork that submerges the viewer tional parts of the film as moments in a somewhat alienated culture of sadness and loss of hope are in western societies, the film captured on screen. proved in the beginning, somewhat, confusing in what concerns The Colombian people are looking the setting, with the seemingly for honesty and protection from instantaneous transition through their government, which claims to continents, with sporadic changhave solutions, however, “Impues in language (from German to nity” demonstrates that corruption Turkish and vice-versa) which and politics are synonymous. could leave some viewers a bit Relatives lay the bones of their disorientated. However, Umay’s loved ones to rest with little else journey continues unhinged with offered to them. strong performances from all cast members, particularly from Sibel Although the movie doesn’t go into Kekilli (Umay). intense detail about such foul-play amongst the upper echelons, it Despite Kelili’s great perfordoes mirror the years of pain felt mance, it felt at times that in by these families, all in less than scenes where Umay showed a two hours. certain purity, Kekilli was slightly unconvincing, later discovering Kekilli’s past as an adult entertainer; there was a certain semblance of a woman not quite so innocent in her eyes. Nevertheless, it does not really detract from an overall, good film and a definite recommended viewing.

Words by Luis Rubim

Words by Aaron Spencer-Charles

Words by Aaron SpencerCharles

Words by Aaron SpencerCharles

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Tales of Grim

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Artist and Writer: Omar Hernandez

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Title: Tales of Grim Artisit: Omar Hernandez www.the-strangist.deviantart.com