E D I S E H T N I U Z O S AG A M
tS ha t l e al pl g n o i s pe g ca n w on u o o nd y sh o l ut th bo u a so od in go
T R O P S C I S E U R M TU L ON U C HI S A F
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HER E A T SO AIM TO INS MOTIVATE AMB LENGE S T E R E MB R A C E D I ARE ABOUT P YOUNg PEOPL A POSITIVE ING QUIET PE
U THS ID E WE PIRE HOPE, BITION, CHAL EOTYPES AND IVERSITY. WE PRESENTING LE L I K E U S I N L I G H T . GIVOPLE VOICES.
SOUTHSIDE MAGAZINE
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CULTURE
SLANG STOP ENOUGH
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Ogu n d Nigel
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hen a close friend is taken away from us unexpectedly in knife violence we may feel depressed and miserable, however for Alexander Rose it only fuelled his burning desire for a change in society. This tragic event caused him to give birth to his well recognised “STOP” campaign. Nigel Ogundele interviews 19 year old Alexander Rose, political activist and entrepeneur. In an interview with this interesting character he revealed a series of insightful things. When asked what he aimed to achieve by his project he replied: “I wasn’t expecting dramatic change, but I hope that the message will deter people from a life of crime; changing the world one life at a time”. The ideals of this young man have already seen him have an audience with Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Alex has a bubbly personality as well as a sense of humour that shone throughout the interview. When
asked what his favourite food was he said “Ackee and Saltfish with ketchup on the side and chicken”. In spite of his light-hearted approach to the interview, he works extremely hard and has had to make a lot of sacrifices to see his dreams come true. This shows his dedication for his project to succeed. Some people have diaries, others write songs, Alex carries a famous sketchbook with him that contains all his plans and ambitions. He had this on the day of his friends funeral and since then every idea and thought he has had has been jotted inside. When I asked why he decided to do this he said “I have been told a lot of very wise things in my life, as well as having my own personal thoughts and inspiration. It seemed the best way to remember all of this was to write them down.” This is a young man I believe will go far. World get ready for him.
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o you know your ‘bredrin’ from your ‘breeze’? You will need to if you want to try and understand young people today. Neka talks about modern slang and wonders: is it a means of communication – or just confusion? “I went to that shubz with my bredrin Sarah last night down in Brixie. You should have come coz Leon tore the place down.” “Seriously?” “Yeah, you dunno, he can spit. Zoop Zoop!” Did you understand any of that? I’m guessing half of Southside Magazine’s readers did while the other half were just baffled. Jonathan, 33, a banker, thought it was nonsense, while Michael, 45, knew it was slang but couldn’t work out what was being said. Well, this shows up the problem with slang.
Young people are always saying that adults don’t understand them, but how can they if regular English isn’t being spoken? The whole point of language is to help people communicate, so if people can’t understand your language, then what are you doing? Slang makes communication harder because it excludes people – the very people that young people want to be heard by. If young people feel that slang is an expression of their identity, they need to think again. Slang is a mash-up of cultures, such as Bangladeshi and Jamaican, so unless that’s where a young person is from they need to wake up and realise that it’s not their identity – it’s someone else’s. What’s so wrong with the English language that some young people need to adopt a weird fakeJamaican
G N A SL
A G N I T A E R C G N G A N L U S O Y IS R O F E G A M I BAD PEOPLE? NEKA
accent? I’m sure no one’s parents speak like that, and while young people often rebel against being like their parents, se-
SOUTHSIDE MAGAZINE 7 riously: since when have all young slang users been part-Jamaican? It’s easy to think slang can be reserved for when one is with their peers, but it’s inevitable it will be used in inappropriate situations. Just like text language, it will start to appear in homework and it will affect spelling. And if the possibilities of failing exams aren’t a deterrent enough, how would a young person feel about the possibility of ruining a job interview? The following is an example of a possible job interview remark: ‘I organised a successful music showcase. Lots of people came and everyone wore these
‘sick’ t-shirts that I designed’. Now let’s get serious. Since when has ‘sick’ been an adjective? It’s not impressive and no employer is going to hire someone who can’t speak professionally. How would that look to prospective clients and
customers? Let’s examine a few words. ‘Gash’ and ‘sket’ are just two of the many derogatory slang terms used for women. This means that the few ‘positive’ slang words, such as ‘boomting’, which can also make a girl feel like a sexual object, are taken as compliments. But what’s wrong with the word ‘beautiful’? Yes, it sounds a bit old-fashioned, but what’s going to make a girl feel more special: being referred to by guys as a ‘boomting’ or as ‘beautiful’? Slang just makes young people sound inarticulate –
which shouldn’t be the case because expressing oneself properly doesn’t have to be difficult. If young people don’t want to run the risk of being misrepresented by adults, they will have to change their diction. There’s no excuse not to, after all, we have a thesaurus.
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CULTURE
G N A SL
D O O G S I G SLAN mole Tolu Dan
If you don’t understand a lot of modern slang that may be because it is not designed for you in the first place, argues Tolu Danmole But that doesn’t mean it is not serving an important social function Words such as ‘wah gwan’, ‘safe’, and ‘bless’ can be heard frequently amongst teenagers on the streets of South-East London. Parents may have also heard slang from their children at home and thought, “what on Earth are they talking about?” But there is a reason that most adults don’t understand slang: they are not meant to. London youth use slang as a form of group identity. It is used by teenagers to communicate with other teenagers. If teenagers wanted to communicate with adults then they would come about with a different approach – just as adults do when they want to speak to teens. We all know that the way adults speak to their colleagues
is not the same as the way they speak to teenagers – ‘alie?’ So, why is there a problem when it’s the other way around? The different slang words you hear are simply a part of today’s youth culture, and they reflect the ethnic diversity of this city’s population. Some of the slang words come from other countries, such as Jamaica (‘wah gwan’), or the hip-hop culture of America. This is then mixed with local styles, such as classic cockney rhyming slang and UK grime. Over the years history has shown that some slang becomes part of ‘normal’ English language. Words such as ‘wicked’ and ‘cool’ may seem ordinary now but these were once slang words. So who is to say that some of the slang in use today cannot be accepted into society as part of the English language? Slang is more than just words and phrases; it is a way of living. This doesn’t mean that it is the ‘hoodies’
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language – or that people who use slang are criminals, as some may ignorantly believe. The image of slang users has been tarnished further by the media, which has described people using slang as chavs, and associated them with ASBOS. People should be judged on what they do, not how they speak. Normal dictionary words can be offensive and derogatory towards women and all types of people. And of course there is slang that can also be seen as offensive or derogatory. This is to be expected. But then again, slang words can also be very flattering and kind – such as someone being described as being a ‘boomie’, which means ‘very beautiful’ or ‘sexy’. This can only be seen as a word used to treat women as a sexual object if you want it to be although I believed that the idea of being boom/ a boomting/ choong referring to a sex object is very forced on your behalf. Slang is slang. It changes every year. The slang used ten years ago is not the same as the slang used at present, and I am sure the slang used
n o w would not be the same in ten years. What I know for sure is that slang is here to stay and if someone decides to use slang then it’s their choice. And when they feel like growing out of it, they can – after all, it is a free world. I will now include a mini slang dictionary; hopefully in the future some of these terms and words may be included in the Oxford English Dictionary.
T IO N A R IC D G N A L S
Y
Link - To meet someone Alie? - Don’t you agree? Sick - Good Boom ting - Good looking Butters - Ugly Swear down - I swear Flyboy - Someone who has style
and dresses well
minor - It’s not important Shubz - A party or rave Jamming - Just hanging about Pz / papes / dough - Money kool - Are you alright/ ‘bye
10 CULTURE
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s the world continues to feel the effects of the credit crunch, London is beset with its own problems. Lyndon Adade reports on the capital’s violent underbelly and examines what is being done In September over 700,000 children made the leap from primary to secondary school, and many were confronted with the social changes associated with moving from childhood to adolescence. However, this process is becoming increasingly compromised by the constant threat and fear of youth crime in London – especially involving guns and knives. There is a growing consensus at community level that the problem with youth violence can no longer be ignored and that many people want to do something about it. The question is what? July of
this year saw a call to action as MP Simon Hughes arranged a gathering of a number of local youth workers, and young people, who were interested in talking through the issues surrounding youth crime and violence in London. The conversation quickly progressed from discussing the problem to beginning to think about how people in the local community could be empowered to become part of the solution. One good example of this is Southside Radio. In response to the early signs of increasing youth disenfranchisement, local youth worker Pete Brierley set up a radio station for local communities in South London. Called Southside Radio, the station was successful, and this was exemplified by London Mayor Boris Johnson’s continued and vested interest. The radio
H G U O EN ! H G U O N E IS Lyn do
de n Ada
SOUTHSIDE MAGAZINE 11 station can now be found online at www.southsideonline.co.uk. Young people find positive outlets for their creativity at Southside and find positive distractions from being on the street. As well as this young people are given the opportunity to learn new skills that makes them more suitable for employment. In spite of Southside radios efforts the issue of youth violence continues to be set high on the media agenda as the rates of knife and gun crime amongst youths soars. Another attempt to tackle it is a campaign called Enough. Enough is a campaign that recognises The solution to the crime endemic is in the hands of local grass roots organisations – those who are tirelessly engaging young people in positive and constructive activities.
ENOUGH! is about empowering our communities by encouraging volunteering and lobbying the Government to act. The ENOUGH! campaign will also seek to keep
youth violence on the agenda when it stops being sensational and promote a positive perception of young people. It is a campaign for anyone and everyone who has had ENOUGH! of the growing problem of youth violence on our streets. Those involved believe that together we can be the solution. ENOUGH! will be publicly launched at the Royal Festival Hall on the 23rd October. It is open to anyone who wants to add their voice to the campaign to “Make Youth Violence History.” With over 100 known gangs in London alone, Enough is facing an
uphill struggle against youth violence. However, with several communities joining forces to tackle them the capital may be on the brink of a new dawn.
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FASHION
FASHION
HOODIES
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S E ? I S B D O Y o OR HO OUTH F Y O N O I FA S H a Andre
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hat a person wears says a lot about them, especially now as we live in a society where we judge mainly on first impressions. Unfortunately for young people some adults are being too judgemental on what the youth of today are wearing and have even brought more attention on the negative label given to young people - Hoodies. Andrea Campos takes a long hard look at hoodie culture. Fashion changes every year; from the glamorous style of the fifties, to the unforgettable spandex of the eighties. Today, some adults seem to be less aware of what ‘fashion’ means to young people. Call me ignorant, but if adults knew what was actually ‘hip’ in youth culture, old ladies wouldn’t look so intimidated if they saw a teenager wearing a hoodie or a
tracksuit; something which happened once to me on the way back from a dance lesson. Hoodies first became a major fashion item in the 1970s when the Hip Hop scene began to emerge. They were stereotypically worn by criminals and young men involved in gang violence in the United States. Hoodies became even more popular in the late 1990s as Nike began to use them in their collections. It was around this time that, regrettably, the negative label for teenagers was born. More often than not, youths who wear hoodies are doing so not because they are yobs trying to instil fear into the community, but because hoodies are now a fashion ‘norm’ for teenagers. Today, we live in a society where
14 FASHION we hugely look down on discrimination, yet the term hoodie couldn’t be more discriminatory against the youth of today. Am I not wrong in thinking that there is a lot of hypocrisy in today’s society? Politicians like David Cameron who think that they are helping by starting campaigns such as ‘hug a hoodie’ don’t realise that this draws more bad attention towards ‘hoodies’ than good. This is mainly because in his speech about said ‘hoodies’ he mentioned that people must ask themselves ‘’What is it that brought that young person to commit that crime
at that time?’’ In a young person’s eyes, it seems as if he is implying that hoodies are criminals or troubled teenagers. I’m sure that if some adults read that quote alone, they would also relate all teenagers wearing hoodies with crime. David Cameron also mentioned that wearing a hoodie is about anonymity, which relates back to the origin of hoodies and anonymity in the Hip Hop/crime scene. Although again, Mr Cameron got the wrong idea. He suggested that we are wearing hoodies to be invis-
’ E I D O O H ‘ M R E T “THE E R O M E B t ’ N COULD ” Y R O T A N I M I R DISC
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“TO ME, WEARING A HOODIE IS NOTHING BUT THE FASHION OF THE TIME” ible in the street in order to ‘blend in’ for negative reasons – for antisocial behaviour to go unnoticed. The truth is, the young people who want to be invisible in the street do it because they know that if they don’t, people will feel intimidated or feel that they are dangerous, trouble making yobs. To me, wearing a hoodie is nothing more than me following the fashion of the time. I don’t necessarily do it to be invisible or to make a statement against politicians, but I do feel affected by the negative labelling used daily towards teenagers. It’s not fair that whenever a newspaper is opened and a youth crime reported, the main headline is normally something like: ‘Hooded yobs causing trouble.’ The word yob negatively replacing the word teenager here and the word ‘hood-
ed’ adding to the negative press related to hoodies and teenagers. If this language was used occasionally, only in certain types of media, I don’t think that teenagers would look as bad as they do right now. But because the word yob or hoodie is continuously used by politicians, newsreaders and even broadsheet newspapers; teenagers are receiving more negative attention than ever before. So next time you see a teenager wearing a hoodie, why not try thinking of them as someone who isn’t involved in any gang violence or crime? See them as a normal teenager just following the fashion of the youth of today. After all, if you accepted neon lycra and platforms, hoodies shouldn’t be too hard to accept either.
16 MUSIC
INFLUENCE BREIS GRIME
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How does music influence young people? Tosin Ogunsanya
M
usic is importamt to young people, but what is it doing to our minds? Tosin Ogunsanya reflects on how young people can be easily influenced by the messages in some genres of music. Genres like r & b, hip-hop and grime can affect us negatively by not letting us see the reality of a life of crime and violence. For example, Gigs’ lyrics are mostly about violence and gun culture. His hit ‘Freestyle’ shows the grim side of life, giving us an idea that life is all about “everyone snorting my Charlie”, as he puts it. Hip-hop videos tend to show a fake side of life, by featuring beautiful girls who quite obviously have had plastic surgery to enhance their ‘beauty’. This can be seen in the music video ‘Work It’ by Nelly, featuring Justin Timberlake, where there is a playboy mansion full of attractive women. This music video was shown at all times of the day, and was therefore accessible to children and young people. Music
videos like this can lead young girls to have low self-esteem, because they only promote women with so-called perfect bodies. The grime and hip-hop scene affects boys as well, by showing them the dark side of life and glorifying one night stands. An example of this is Akon and Snoop’s ‘I Wanna Love You’, which glorifies pimps. This could make young men think that treating sex like this is normal. Grime in particular paints a glamorous picture of a life of crime and disorder. Artists like Gigs are meant to be good role models for young men, but instead their lyrics encourage anti-social behaviour as a way to deal with the struggles of life. Music plays a big part in our lives, more artists need to start inspiring young people through their songs with aspirational messages. More hip-hop, r & b and grime music needs to jump on a much needed bandwagon of positivity. As young people we shouldn’t take the negative messages in these types of music into our hearts. We are positive young people, let’s reflect that in the music we listen to!
18 MUSIC
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ap and hip-hop artist BREIS not only sounds cool – he is bringing a breath of fresh air to the whole culture he is part of, writes Sarah Gyazi
In a hip-hop world, which currently encompasses Soulja Boy preaching ‘yah trick, yahh’, London-based hip-hop artist BREIS (pronounced ‘breeze’) is definitely a welcome addition. But I don’t use the word ‘addition’ to imply that he’s new to the game. The multi-talented rapper, writer and producer has been “doing this rap thing” for many a year now and has performed all over the world, alongside artists such as Les Nubians and Angie Stone, to name a few. Instead I employ this word because lyrically BREIS is refreshing to say the least, using his skills as a writer to encourage and uplift the listener. The letters of his name spell it out: Brother
Reaching Each Inner Soul. “I remember being young and my mum telling me ‘watch the words that you say because you never know when an angel’s gonna’ pass around and say amen’,” reminisces BREIS on the track Word Power, which through intelligent word play highlights the influence that music can have on its listeners, and also the influence that the words we speak can have on our destinies. This is a message which isn’t just contained in his music, but one that BREIS also conveys through inspirational talks and workshops, held in schools and colleges. Is there any chance that he’d sell out to make a quick buck, then? “Erm… No,” he says. “Saying that though, DJ’s need to support the music.”
f o e m o t i p E e h r T e w o P d Wo r Sarah
G ya s i
SOUTHSIDE MAGAZINE 19 And how would he describe his music? As British-African. Tracks such as Identity, which infuses horns with African percussion, providing an organic feel, are a testament to this classification. Add to that the fact that he sometimes drops Yoruba (a dialect from his native Nigeria) into the mix and you get the sense that there is a certain level of honesty fuelling his music, not only lyrically but also as a true reflection of who he is personally. Perhaps this is why at a young age he rejected the idea of being in competition with other emcees, coming to the realisation that “everyone has a different style – their own way of saying things”. And perhaps this helps explain the variety of his musical influences, which range from the late Afrobeat
l e g e n d Fela Kuti, to English musicians Coldplay. “Sometimes I feel a bit guilty that
the older generation [of British hip-hop artists] like me didn’t do more to make it easier for the new generation to enter this industry,” explains BREIS of the hustle that is the music industry. “But the reality is that we ourselves are still fighting our way”. This may be true, but with BREIS having recently filmed his first video, and with talks of an album coming soon, the fight may shortly be over! The Identity EP is currently available for purchase on iTunes
20 MUSIC
E M I R C = E GRIM ANMO TO LU D
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e don’t need no crime where we’re living, yutes now a days a sell Grime for a living” These words are taken from Kano’s new single, ‘Hustler’; which shows grime’s continuous struggle to disassociate itself from crime and violence. This stigma has followed the scene since its early days and it’s proving difficult to shake off. Tolu Danmole looks at why grime is not always synonymous with crime. The two almost identical words grime and crime have been associated with one another on a number of occasions in the media, but grime IS the sound of London. It could even be argued that grime tunes are like an audio documentary of how some people are living in London. So if they
are living around crime poverty and violence, then that’s what they would be talking about as they are able to voice their issues through music over grimey, hard hitting beats that illustrates their struggles and troubles. The youth of today are angry! They are angry with the world, angry with the way they are treated and angry by all the negative stereo types. . Grime is a way for
“ I n e v e r w ake u p p u z z l e d , I w ake u p kn o w i n g t h e r e ’ s a s t r a i gh t u p s t r u g g le ” GHETTO
these people to direct their anger into something positive. Grime artists are not only just shouting angry nothings down the microphone. A good example of this is
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“We don’t need no crime where we’re living, yutes now a days a sell Grime for a living” Kano Dagenham resident Devlin. “Kids are getting killed everyday, it’s not a game like the commonwealth, this is common knowledge but still they don’t wanna help”
Some mcs use grime to speak about how they see the world. Some document how their life has been; what’s for certain is that it’s not shallow and cannot be dismissed as lurid lyrics for no reason. A good example of this is South East London Mc: Dot Rotten.
“I represent the homeless, let down by a nation that’s more interested in war and invasion”
GRIME
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Devlin voices issues such as homelessness and crime through music and is able to let out his frustration in this way. Lyrics like these show that these grime artists have opinions and views that need to be heard. As well as this it shows how talented they are to create smart rhymes that are then performed over beats going at 140 BPM. Well it impresses me!
S o let’s be honest, not all grime is healthy but maybe it’s healthier than the alternative, a world where no one expresses truth, passion, or grittiness. I for one love the genre of music and want to wholeheartedly defend it against those who reduce it to lyrics about crime.
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OPINION
I
n a recent Home Office survey it says violent crime is down 12%, vehicle-related theft is down 11%, vandalism down 10%; the list goes on. Despite these falling crime levels around two-thirds of people (65%) thought crime in the country as a whole had increased in the previous two years. Mark Jenkins is a young leader, trying to tackle youth crime in South London, here are some of his reflections on the capitals crime problems. Why is the Government telling us all these statistics about crime decreasing yet the general perception is that crime is on the up? The media plays a massive role. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels as if, day after day, another teenager has been stabbed and killed on the streets of London. The Home Office report includes a section detailing the perception of crime rates compared with the national papers you read and, as
would be expected, those reading tabloid papers believe crime has increased a lot more than those reading broadsheets, which shows just how much influence the media has on us. The papers we read describe young people as yobs, thugs, delinquents and, sometimes, inhuman! It seems to me that we are slowly but surely dehumanising young people. Which makes us want a legal system which will punish them harshly for their crimes – as opposed to one that could help them in life and prevent them re-offending. No wonder everyone I speak to thinks that we are too soft on crime. How can a couple of hours of community service and a slap on the wrist be punishment enough for these ‘inhumane thugs’?!
T F O S O O T E W E AR ? E M I R C N O MARK
JENKIN
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SOUTHSIDE MAGAZINE 23 At present we have a system that, instead of punishing harshly, tries to educate criminals and reintegrate them into society by equipping them with the necessary skills to get a job and earn an honest living. When I read statistics about how crime is decreasing I really want to believe that the system is working. If less people are offending year on year then surely we can’t be too soft on crime? A year ago I accompanied a young person through the courts system when he was accused and found guilty of committing actual bodily harm (ABH) and robbery. One year on he is in the perfect position to comment on whether we are too soft on crime. I spoke to him last month
to ask him about his experience. As a result of his offence he was given 20 hours of community service and 10 months on probation.
While speaking with him he told me that for the crime he committed he thought his punishment was fair. He spoke about his experience over the last year and said, “I don’t want to go through it all again.” ‘Brilliant!’ I thought. The system is working, the statistics are true, people aren’t going to re-offend, crime is going down. I started to get a bit carried away! Then it struck me. “One last question,” I said. “When you say you don’t want to go through it all again are you saying you’re not going to offend again or that you just don’t want to get caught?” I was
met with a silence as he thought about the question. Then came his response, and with it the stark realisation that maybe we are too soft on crime. “I just don’t want to get caught…”
24 SPORT
E H T N I G N I N N O I N T U C R E R I D T H G I R ttr Ami Ra
ay
Thinking back to when I was a young boy (I’m actually only 21 now but you get my meaning!) growing up in Lambeth, if someone asked me how sport features in my life I would have shown them my art book, filled with all manner of football drawings. I would then have shown the grazes all over my knees from falling over on the concrete so many times. And I probably would have shown them the Arsenal kit that I used to spend a large portion of my time wearing/ getting dirty. And when I look at some of the young people I coach today I see that this passion for sport that once dominated my waking hours (and my dreams too for that matter!) is still alive and kicking in this community. I have been working with Sport Action Zone (SAZ) for about four weeks
now. Sports Action Zone is a charity working in areas of deprivation using sports to inspire children and young people to a different way of living, a better, safer healthier way of living. It is based at Lilian Baylis Old School and the range of sporting activities that are available to the young people is amazing. I have seen faces light up at the sight of Darren Campbell and Linford Christie at the Street Athletics programme, which chose SAZ to stage the London heats of their national 60-metre sprint.
“My first love is the s p or t , an d i t w i ll al ways be my priority.” Linford C hristie
I have seen our under16, under-14, and under-12 football teams win trophies in various tournaments around London, including the Summer World Cup at Fulham FC’s training ground
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“I just love the feeling of beating my op ponent knowing all the e ffort you have put in has paid off.” Mas si Sh i ri n sh a
in Motspur Park. I have seen NBA New Jersey Nets star Vince Carter come down to Larkhall Park to talk to young basketball hopefuls about basketball, education and success. Certainly the idea I get from the young people is that sport figures hugely in their daily lives. Without sport many of them would either be at home getting fat and playing PlayStation or out on the roads doing not much at all. Sport is an outlet, a safe environment, in which they can spend time with their peers learning new skills,
might have felt excluded. But now there are so many opportunities to try new sports. So why not try a bit of badminton, boxing, BMX-ing. Or you could fling a shot put or a javelin, or bad a man up over 100m on this track ting . You could even come and do the dance class and bust a few moves.
ially c e p s e , l l tba I l o v e f ocoo r e i n t h e t o p w h e n I sC a m il o S a n c h e z corner. making new friends and taking on new challenges. Thinking back again to when I was young, all I ever thought about was football but there wasn’t really much else to do, so if you weren’t a budding Ian Wright or Andy Cole you
For more information on taking part go to http://www.thesportactionzone.org also check out our YouTube channel to see what you could be a part of at http://www.youtube. com/thesportactionzone.
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NE O L PSOTAENM A D IB Y A D E S O L A
I stand alone So when you see me walking, don’t try to stop me from doing my business Get out of my way Please I stand on my own two feet, I don’t need anyone else, I’m fine just by myself Otherwise, they’ll be in my way ‘I’m a warrior’, that’s what I’ll say, ‘A fighter in fact’ So as I said, I stand alone and ONLY alone, so stop bothering me ok? When you see me walking, don’t try to block my path Who do you think you are? Move out of my way, or I’ll shoot you right here on the spot Don’t you see? We’re in a war Don’t you even know what I’m doing? You’re only stopping me from doing what’s right Don’t pull my arm back like that! Let go of me! What’s wrong with you people? Aren’t you even listening to me? I want to be free, I want to make a revolution! I want to make a stand once and for all All I have to do is this! I know you think that I’m going to get hurt, but you see, we’re in a war, And if I don’t do this now, this war will never end When you see me pointing a gun at an enemy, please don’t scream, Or else you’ll ruin the surprise altogether And don’t make quick phone calls to the police, I’m not blind you know, Or stupid I’m not doing anything wrong, I’m just trying to make a point
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How dare you point a gun back at me Don’t you see my friend? I don’t want to hurt you, I’m not here to make violence, I’m here to help you So whatever happens between us, let’s put that back to the past Because killing someone doesn’t solve anything, It will just make the situation worse So put your gun down And let us end this war Once and for… When you see me dead, covered in a pool of blood, Don’t be surprised This stuff always happens It isn’t anyone’s fault, I was just trying to make a difference But sadly, it took a turn for the worse But at least I know, that no matter what I do, This war will never ever end.
Chinwe Ojielo e team - Sade Buckle, Tolu Danmole, Sarah Gyasi, Mark Jenkins, Nigel O unsanya, Chinwe Ojielo,Jack Thompson RAPHY: Petros Gilazgi, Jack Thompson, Alex Winn and Tosin Showenim
guru - Jack Thompson thank you to Southside magazine advisors: Emily Dent for your patie effort, Andrew Polson for the sub editing , Daniel Baldwin for your nd general knowing how to do stuff, Luke Halls for being a design ou to all of the contributors ou to our funders, Lambeth YOF, Southwark and Save the children