January 2016

Free!

THE

FOUNDER The Independent Student Newspaper of Royal Holloway, University of London

Volume 10, Issue 4

Two Women Assaulted in Egham and Englefield Green

January 2016

Inside: News

What would happen if North Korea nuked Egham? page 4

Comment

BY SAMI ROBERTS EDITOR, DESIGNER

Two responses to Rhodes Must Fall page 9

Early in the morning on 15 January at around 3:30am, two men approached a woman on St. Jude’s Road in Englefield Green and attempted to sexually assault her.

Just three hours later in Egham, around 6:30am, another man approached a different woman to attempt to sexually assault her.

All three men were described as white men in their early twenties wearing black hoodies, and they have now all been arrested and kept in custody while the police continue their investigation.

During this time parts of St. Jude’s Road and Bond Street were closed for investigation. Police officers have been dispatched to supervise the areas in order to continue investigating and assure safety for Englefield Green residents.

Surrey Police request that anyone who has information on the incidents call the police to report it. They reported, “These offences are extremely worrying and have understandably caused concern in the local community.”

They are advising students and other residents of Egham and Englefield Green to avoid walking alone at night or early hours in the morning.

Features

Witnessing the front-line of the refugee crisis page 11

Arts Upcoming Shakespeare events in 2016 page 14

Music A tribute to David Bowie page 16

Film

A tribute to Alan Rickman page 22

Lifestyle

Photos provided by getsurrey.co.uk

HARBEN LETS your oldest and largest private landlord www.harbenlets.co.uk 07973 224125

Are veganism and feminism linked? page 26

HL

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

FOUNDER Editorial

EDITORIAL

2

Editor@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Content 3 News 8 Comment 11 Features 13 Arts

16

Music

22 Film

About The Founder The Founder is the independent student newspaper of Royal Holloway, University of London. This means we are not affiliated to the students union or college. We pride ourselves on our investigative journalism and aim to keep our readers up to date with news on and off campus.

The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Editors, particularly of comment and opinion pieces. Every effort has been made to contact the holders of copyright for any material used in this issue, and to ensure the accuracy of its stories.

How to get involved The Founder is always looking for contributors - without them, we wouldn’t have a paper! As you’ll see from this issue, we print a huge variety of articles. If there’s a particular topic you’d like to write about and you aren’t sure whether it’s appropriate, just email our editor (editor@thefounder.co.uk) and they will be happy to discuss any ideas you have.

25

Lifestyle

27 Sport

Our Editorial Board 2015/16 Editor Jasper Watkins Managing Editor Dominic Pini Deputy News Editor Daniel Brady

Editor/Designer Sami Roberts News Editor Kyle Hoekstra Comment Editor Joe Burns

Features Editor Alex Santema

Arts Editor Laura Burnett

Lifestyle Editor Eleanor McCloskey

Sport Editor Sam Williams

Music Editor Natasha Barrett

Film Editor Zak Derler

THE FOUNDER is printed in Cambridge by Iliffe Print

The next content deadline is 11th February!

3

January 2016

NEWS

FOUNDER News

THE FOUNDER

News@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Campus Construction Intensifies This Term

BY KYLE HOEKSTRA NEWS EDITOR Osborne contractors will begin working six days a week rather than five as campus development moves into a “busier stage” in the construction process, which also sees the arrival of cranes to the site.

In the principal’s January 10 newsletter to students and staff, Paul Layzell announced that Saturday morning working is expected to continue until June 2016.

Updates on the estate plan website indicate that large cranes will arrive on site in January for the construction of the two wings of the new Library and Student Services Centre, with the footprint of the building to take shape by Easter.

The construction work has attracted concern about disruption and inconvenience to students, staff and neighbours in the local community.

Royal Holloway has said that it is “committed to being responsible neighbours and doing everything we can within the factors we can control to minimise the impact of the building work,” extending to the use of machinery and vehicular movements.

Instead of traditional methods, for instance, the contractor Osborne will begin to drive steel sheet piles into the ground using hydraulic pressure, a “much better option” which “will cause

almost no additional noise or vibration.”

Additionally, an operational group within the College has been working on mitigating the impact of disruption and has been informed by communication with local residents.

Other parts of campus will see increased attention in the Spring term, raising the prospect of further disturbance issues.

Access to Englefield Green via Harvest Road has been closed until midApril, as a planning condition to the extension of Car Park 14 in the North Campus requires making a section of the road two-way.

“It’s annoying, because now I need to use the overpass (via the North Campus) to get to classes,” says Vince, a second-year computing student.

The installation of high voltage electricity cable will affect main roads through campus from January to March with phased excavation work.

The new cable will replace extant infrastructure from the 1970s in preparation for the new Science building, a project which will involve the removal of the Queen’s Annexe and the erection of hoardings. Renovated rooms in the Boiler House will replace lost seminar space.

Former Chief Inspector of Prisons, New Royal Holloway Professor

BY KYLE HOEKSTRA NEWS EDITOR

The new Professor of Criminal Justice at Royal Holloway’s School of Law is former Chief Inspector of Prisons and robust critic of prison conditions Nick Hardwick.

Professor Hardwick will deliver his public inaugural lecture on Monday 29 February, commemorating the launch of the School of Law. Professor Rosie Meek, Head of the School of Law, said that Prof Hardwick will “join colleagues in the School in undertaking original research in Criminal Justice, and will contribute to teaching on the MSc in Forensic Psychology, as well as our undergraduate and doctoral programmes.”

Speaking on January 7, Prof Meek said that the department was “delighted” with the new addition to the School, adding that “our students and academic staff are look-

Photo provided by www.thetimes.co.uk

ing forward to working with him enormously.”

Prior to his appointment as Chief Inspector of Prisons, Harwick was Chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission and prior to that, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council.

From 1986 to 1995 he was Chief Executive of the charity Centrepoint.

As chief inspector, Hardwick highlighted increased violence, staff shortages, overcrowding and suicide rates in jails in England and Wales.

His lecture will address the United Nation’s introduction of the Mandela Rules which regards the treatment of prisoners and will reflect on their importance in light of prisons in England and Wales.

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

FOUNDER News

NEWS

4

News@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

What Would Happen if North Korea Nuked Egham?

BY KYLE HOEKSTRA NEWS EDITOR More than 7,000 people would perish if North Korea dropped a hydrogen bomb in the centre of Egham, reveals a computer projection following North Korea’s January 6th announcement that they have successfully tested a device.

A statement from North Korea’s official news agency describes "the H-bomb of justice” having been tested in "the most perfect manner,” however the international community is skeptical over whether the hermit kingdom has developed such a powerful weapon.

In the not-impossible, though highly improbable, eventuality that the London commuter town of Egham was targeted with such a device, The Founder thought it prescient to run Dr Alex Wellerstein’s (of Stevens Institute of Technology) Nukemap simulation to evaluate the fallout of an explosion.

If the bomb had a ten-kiloton yield, Egham would be instantly and almost entirely flattened and approximately 7,210 people would die. A further 20,360 would suffer injuries.

Egham train station and the Runnymede Christian Fellowship would be consumed by the 150-metre radius nuclear fireball, while the 1.5-kilometre airblast would destroy everything else, including Royal Holloway’s entire campus and Runnymede Chicken & Ribs.

Yet it looks as though the tennis courts would escape unscathed besides exposure to thermal radiation, which would give any players third degree burns; often painless, for the pain nerves are destroyed.

Residents of Egham and of Tuke, Williamson and Butler would be within the 500-metre radiation radius of the blast, and without medical treatment can expect between 50% and 90% mortality from acute effects alone.

Meanwhile, everything north, south and west of The Armstrong Gun would be sheltered from immediate effects.

It is believed that North Korea only has missiles with a range of 6000-kilometres, however, rendering Egham safe from the Supreme Leader for the foreseeable future, unlike other global metropoli like Tokyo and Seoul.

Photo provided by unknown

Student Nurses and Midwives March on Downing Street Over NHS Loans

BY KYLE HOEKSTRA NEWS EDITOR

Student nurses and midwives protested in central London on Saturday 9 January against the chancellor’s plan to replace the NHS student bursary with loans.

The march, which included members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), proceeded from St Thomas’ hospital to Downing Street where a rally was organised featuring guest speakers.

Carmel Lloyd, RCM’s head of education and learning, said the “appalling” plans will “undoubtedly deter many committed and talented people from considering a career in midwifery.”

She said the change has “huge implications” for RCM’s student midwife members and an understaffed maternity service, many of whom have “substantial caring

and financial commitments.”

Heidi Alexander, shadow health minister, met cheers as she told students they had the support of the Labour party before reading a message from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

She added that “the government is taking a huge gamble with the future of the NHS… We will oppose them and we will not let them put the future of the NHS at risk.”

5

January 2016

NEWS

THE FOUNDER

FOUNDER News Around You News@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Egham is 10th Busiest Station in Surrey

BY KYLE HOEKSTRA NEWS EDITOR Egham train station had 2,121,684 passenger journeys in 2014/15, according to figures released by the Office of Rail and Road, making it the tenth busiest in the county. The statistics record an increase on last year across the Waterloo to Reading Line, highlighting strains on rail transport in Surrey and across the South East.

Total station usage increased by 4% in Britain in 2014/15 with 2.78bn journeys. However, journeys increased by only 1% on last year at Egham, and at Staines, Twickenham and Richmond.

Yet even this modest growth underlines concerns about inadequate rail infrastructure when services are already overcrowded and often delayed.

Department of Transport figures released last September show that four train services heading through Surrey were among the ten worst in the country for overcrowding. Two South West Trains services from Woking to London Waterloo were both at a load factor of 160%, meaning each had over 430 passengers in excess of their capacity of 738.

Additionally, a November poll for Get Surrey found that ‘Overcrowding’ was the most frustrating issue with rail travel among 180 respondents. Just under 80% said it was not value for money.

Leading to further disruption were icy rail conditions on South West Trains services on January 8th.

Head of customer experience Chris-

tian Neill said he was “very sorry” and explained that forecasts had not indicated the need to deploy “de-icer” trains, despite the recent heavy rain and predicting a “sudden decrease in temperature.”

Meanwhile, Surrey County Council wants Crossrail 2, proposed as a longterm solution to transport problems in the South East, to extend deeper into Surrey.

With five million more journeys daily on the transport network expected by 2030, Crossrail 2’s publicised benefits include capacity for 270,000 more people travelling into London and freeing up space on National Rail lines.

"If we can shift more people onto Crossrail 2 we can free up capacity,” said deputy leader Peter Martin, which will “bring benefits to people coming in from further afield in Guildford, Haslemere and Farnham."

It is unclear how this might affect rail services on the Waterloo to Reading Line, a slow line predominantly used for commuter traffic into London that stops at Egham.

Surrey’s busiest station, Guildford, had over eight million passenger journeys in 2014/15, and London Waterloo was the busiest station in the country with 99.2 million.

‘Cyber-Attack’ Cripples Royal Holloway’s Internet Service

BY DANIEL BRADY DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR Royal Holloway’s Internet Service Provider JANET came under attack in early December, causing chaos amongst students and staff. The malicious network attack occurred on Tuesday the 8th of December, causing problems with access to externally hosted websites and services.

Whilst internal services and systems such as Outlook, the Royal Holloway website, Moodle and Campus Connect were unaffected, externally hosted services such as Turnitin and mail.rhul.ac.uk were inaccessible.

JANET engineers identified the cause of the attack as a DDoS attack and worked to identify the source of the attack and implement blocks. This type of attack works as the webpage acts as if it’s being accessed millions of times all at once – massively slowing down the network.

The attack came days before the end of term, a crucial time for students who require external services such as Turnitin to submit work before deadlines. End of term deadlines are stressful enough for students, so being unable to access material, submit assignments and even print puts even more pressure on students.

First-year Biomedical Sciences student Jasper Murrell told The Founder of the inconvenience he faced when researching for a lab report due at the end of term.

“Despite some services still being available, it’s a massive inconvenience for all students who already had work related pressures to deal with,” Murrell said.

As the reliance on physical books and journals gradually decreases within universities, attacks like these place more strain on institutions than ever before; simply due to the sheer weight of material and services that need to be accessed online on a day to day basis.

The issue was resolved and external systems were made available soon after.

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

NEWS

6

FOUNDER News Around You News@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Arrest Made After Charity Shop Arson Attacks

BY DANIEL BRADY DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

Photo provided by getsurrey.co.uk

Elderly Woman Mugged in Egham

BY DANIEL BRADY DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR An elderly woman was left "very shaken" after being mugged by a hooded man who grabbed her bag and fled the scene in broad daylight.

The victim, a woman in her 70s, was walking along the road when she was approached by a man with his hood up.

The incident occurred at around 2.30 pm near the Proctor and Gamble site in Whitehall Lane on the afternoon of Friday the 4th of December. He snatched her bag before fleeing the scene in a blue vehicle, which is believed to be a Renault.

Detective Constable Sarah McCabe stated, “I am urging anybody

who saw the incident or noticed anything suspicious in the area to contact Surrey Police on 101. This incident has left a woman very shaken and any information you have could help with our investigation.”

Police are still searching for the man in question, therefore anyone holding information regarding the mugging and who can help is asked to contact Surrey Police on 101 or via the online reporting system, quoting reference P15310979, or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Surrey Police have been questioning a 20-year-old male arrested on suspicion of arson after donation bags were set on fire outside two charity shops in Egham High Street.

The incident, which occurred between 4am and 6am on Saturday the 28th of November, left thousands of pounds’ worth of damage to both Oxfam and Blue Cross; however, the impact these attacks have on the local community are wider than just monetary loss.

Jasmin Shelley, Manager of Egham’s Oxfam, said, “Arson is bad enough anyway, but to target charity shops is malicious and inconceivable. We’ve had lots of messages of support, nice messages on our Facebook page and from Oxfam’s director of trading Andrew Horton."

The fire caused damage to Oxfam’s door frame and front window. Fortunately, the shop was open again by the afternoon of the 28th. Blue

Cross also sustained similar damage to the front of the store, which reopened the following Wednesday.

Detective Constable Jack Yearwood said, “This was a dangerous and despicable act where the charitable donations of members of the public have been destroyed in a mindless attack.

This was also a very upsetting incident for the owners of the charity shops as there will be a financial cost to them to repair the damage caused by the fires.”

“Fortunately offences of this nature are very unusual in Runnymede but the local Safer Neighbourhood Team have increased high visibility patrols in the area to reassure residents and businesses.”

The man in question has been released on bail until the 12th of January 2016.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting reference 45150107942, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

11 Bedford Square Re-Opens After Refurbishment

BY DANIEL BRADY DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR After a multi-million-pound refurbishment and nine months of work, Royal Holloway’s central London base has officially re-opened. Located close to the original location of Bedford College which merged with Royal Holloway in 1985, 11 Bedford Square now provides a historic venue with essential modern facilities, just minutes away from the British Museum and Senate House Library, the central library for the University of London.

The space now boasts a restored stone cantilever staircase that ascends to the top of the Georgian building, whilst simultaneously providing teaching space and resources that are expected of a modern university.

There is a new common room for current students, staff and Bedford Society members, as well as office and small

group spaces on the second and third floors.

Almost 100 students, members of staff and alumni, together with partners of the project, came to the official opening on Tuesday the 1st of December. Principal Paul Layzell expressed his gratitude to all those who had contributed to the project, saying, “Your work has protected and preserved the building’s heritage for future generations while also creating an inspiring environment for our students and staff. It delivers a quality statement to everyone who studies, works or visits.”

Bedford Society Committee Chair Professor Caroline Barron thanked Bedford Society members for their support, who over the past year have donated over £100,000 towards the refurbishment of the building and the newly established Bedford Scholarship Fund.

Students, We Want You! If you are interested in writing about newsworthy events, new album releases, the most recent Marvel film adaptation, how to lose the Fresher’s Fifteen, or anything else that interests you, send an article to The Founder!

Writing for The Founder is a great way to get journalism experience, contribute to the community at Royal Holloway, and get your voice heard. For any further questions, email editor@thefounder.co.uk.

Email your article to the corresponding section editor:

Kyle, News - news@thefounder.co.uk Joe, Comment - joe@thefounder.co.uk Alex, Features - features@thefounder.co.uk Laura, Arts - arts@thefounder.co.uk Natasha, Music - music@thefounder.co.uk Zak, Film - film@thefounder.co.uk Eleanor, Lifestyle - lifestyle@thefounder.co.uk Sam, Sport - sports@thefounder.co.uk

The next deadline is 11 February

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

COMMENT

FOUNDER Comment

8

joe@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

The New Year Should be Green

BY JOE BURNS COMMENT EDITOR

New Year’s Day marks the start of a new goal, hope and change for many. Although rarely pushed into full swing, January 1 marks a time to contemplate your year ahead and plan new endeavours in your life, whether it be to improve grades in a class or finish House of Cards. Even though most goals are individual, a global resolution was made only a month ago.

At the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris during December 2015, world leaders negotiated a potentially historic set of rules to cut carbon emissions in their counties, with the admission to reduce global climate change. The sum of the agreements was that 196 nations of the world made voluntary commitments to reduce carbon pollution and pledged millions of pounds to help the vulnerable nations of the world deal with the impacts of climate change. The most important part of this deal was the creation of a group atmosphere. There were no distinctions between the first and third world, as the burden of a ruined climate is caused by and lived with by everyone. So, by grouping everyone in the same boat, the Paris agreement underscores an essential truth. We have one atmosphere, and if we ruin it, everyone suffers.

Like most New Year’s resolutions, I feel as if this one might drift into the void. U.S. President Barack Obama said that the deal is strong because “everybody is locked in” and “we're going to do this.” I still do not know what exactly it is that’s to be done. The

Paris deal is just an agreement between several people, but nothing has been truly changed or enacted yet. No international conference like this is going to ban coal plants or internal combustion engines. The Paris agreement is not totally legally binding, which means it is only as strong as the s u b s e qu e nt laws put in place to protect it. According to Rolling Stone journalist Jeff Goodell, even if all nations make good on their spoken commitments, the planet will still warm by nearly 3 degrees by 2100.

Only last week, a group of 12 leading climate scientists issued a letter to The Independent denouncing the Paris agreements. They claim the deal is only a “hollow” show of governmental alliance, which only offers false hope to millions around the world. According to the professors, the agreement contains “deadly flaws” that give the impression that climate change is being sufficiently dealt with, when in fact, it is not. The letter’s final paragraph begins, “the high political and environmental risks associated with this must be made clear so that it is

never used as an alternative to making the carbon cuts that are urgently needed.” Indeed, it seems that the folks most qualified to give judgement

energy – the cost of solar power has fallen by 80 percent in the past few years – has made it far easier to imagine a future without fossil

No international conference like this is going to ban coal plants or internal combustion engines. on this are not so happy.

Here in England, an actually real world outcome from the Paris climate deal has surfaced. In the very first week of 2016, our global resolution was broken. Air pollution in one of London's busiest roads had already breached the proposed limit for the first half of 2016. It is difficult to react positively and have hope for the year when a set limit is so easily broken, without intervention or outrage from leaders. If it is so easy to disregard our rules on emissions, why set them up in the first place? Simply, it is a moral boost for the public and a little pat on the back for Dave and his colleagues.

This is incredibly frustrating for many, as the rapidly declining price of clean

fuels. All we need now is a governing body that will truly implement and undertake this great green task, rather than agreeing to the idea of the prospect of a potential change in how we do things.

Although we rarely make it the year of finally losing weight, quitting smoking or saving money, it may soon become too late to simply leave it until next year. For the coming months, I hope to see the resolutions made in Paris happening in front of me, so that this can finally be the year we will keep our green resolution.

9

COMMENT

January 2016

FOUNDER Comment

THE FOUNDER

joe@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Decolonisation:

A response to the Rhodes Must Fall campaign

BY ISABELLE FINN Tucked in an alcove above the entrance to Oriel history. Modern day South Africans who suffered College, Oxford is a small statue of The Right Hon- through Apartheid must understand all too well the ourable Cecil Rhodes. He was a Victorian Imperi- impossibility of erasing the effects of imperialism. alist, businessman, mining magnate and politician. What those against RMFO do not seem to take into He was also the founding father of Apartheid who account is that the statue is, in its essence, a physical envisioned a white-man’s Africa stretching from Cairo to the Cape and stole one million square miles of the African continent.

In May 1895, an area of 1,143,000 km² between the Limpopo River and Lake Tanganyika was officially named ‘Rhodesia’, a territory known nowadays as Zimbabwe. In 1877 he declared: ‘I contend that we are the finest race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit, the better it is for the human race.’ Rhodes found an admirer in none other than Adolf Hitler, who described him as the only Englishman who truly understood Anglo-Saxon ideals and destiny.

If you were not looking attentively, you could miss the statue easily. Nevertheless, its presence at Oxford University has sparked violent debate over recent months. The Rhodes Must Fall campaign began in March 2015 at the University of Cape Town and resulted in the removal of a similar Rhodes statue a month later. The Rhodes Must Fall Oxford campaign (RMFO) has so far achieved mediocre progress, the university having removed a plaque commemorating Rhodes and agreeing to a consultation about the statue’s future in February 2016.

The aim of a statue is to celebrate an individual society considers a worthy representation. It is with disgust and shock that I consider the reprehensible damage Rhodes’s colonialist project inflicted upon black individuals and the history of the African continent. No one defends or denies the unjustifiable actions of Cecil Rhodes.

Yet the reaction of the British media to RMFO is itself an insight into the internalisation of impe- Photo provided by warwickglobalist.com rialist ideals. Historian Sir Michael Howard has condemned the ‘attempt to rewrite the history of the tribute to the silencing of thousands of personal hiscollege and the university’ as comparable to the de- tories through the efforts of colonialism. Whether struction of ancient heritage sites in Syria by ISIS. one likes it or not, symbols such as the Rhodes statThis is not an issue of rewriting history. ue are as important as an explicit message. In this History books are for learning history. No one is case, the message seems to be ‘we accept the idea of suggesting the erasure of Rhodes and his legacy from racial equality, but we will not alter the structures of

our society to properly accommodate it.’

The RMFO campaign is neither an issue of hypersensitivity. Co-founder of the RMFO, Ntokozo Qwabe, is from the KawZulu-Natal province in South Africa and currently holds the Rhodes scholarship at Oriel College. He has been accused of harbouring a culture of victimhood; a generation ‘raised to believe their feelings are all that matter.’ He has also been accused of mass hypocrisy for having accepted the Rhodes scholarship. Again, what this doesn’t seem to take into account is that Cecil Rhodes’ fortune is money derived from a systematic exploitation of the African continent. The man built a business out of colonialism.

The money he left to Oxford University is not his own. Qwabe is in a prime position to criticise the Rhodes legacy. In fact, his acceptance of the scholarship became a means of destabilising it.

A primarily philanthropic view of Cecil Rhodes is founded on an implicit concept of the West as ‘giving’ and the Third World gratefully and humbly ‘receiving’. The Rhodes statue is not a neutral – it is a loaded symbol. Its presence represents violence at one of the most highly valued centres of education in the world.

It is not just about the physicality of the statue.

Removing it is part of a greater mission of decolonisation. The Oxford Student Union’s Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality survey shows that nearly 60% of BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) reported that they had been made to feel uncomfortable on the basis of their race.

Taking down the Rhodes statue is not a silencing of history. Rather, it is a critical engagement with history. History, and how we perceive history, is not set in stone, as the statue of Cecil Rhodes is. The continued commemoration of a figure of colonialism at Oxford University is, in fact, a distortion of both history and truth that will not be tolerated in the 21st century. Along with Rhodes, ignorance must also fall – a culture of ‘gratefulness’ must fall. The Rhodes Must Fall campaign seeks to destroy the Rhodes Statue. But at its core, it is constructive rather than destructive, seeking new and significant ways to read our past.

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

COMMENT

FOUNDER Comment

10

joe@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

On Rhodes Must Fall

BY WILL COLES

Photo provided by postcolonialist.com

The study of history is something that has fascinated humans for millennia. The human experience grips us because very often we can find a voice separated by a great distance of time which expresses concern about, laughs at, or even cries over something that even today we could relate to.

However, what also keeps us wanting to learn about the past is how alien it can also seem. The thought of Western Europe at war with itself in 2016 seems almost unthinkable, yet it was not long ago that the contrary was true. The notion of whether Britain should impose her rule on and exploit a quarter of the globe is not a debate that would be heard in BBC Question Time today, mainstream opinion has moved on and rightly so.

In March last year a campaign to remove a statue of Cecil Rhodes from the University of Cape Town’s campus gained momentum amongst the student body and it was brought down. Rhodes Must Fall has now reached Oriel College, Oxford where a statue of the same nineteenth-century businessman and politician stands on the Rhodes Building looking out on to Oxford High Street.

Cecil Rhodes was a staunch believer in colonialism and by most modern definitions he was a racist.

Let’s be clear, if a politician today held Rhodes’ views there would be gasps, horror, and despair from across the political spectrum as that now shunned politician is lead away from their soapbox with their spin doctors cursing him or her in hushed tones.

Rhodes donated generously to Oriel College where he studied as an undergraduate and created a commonwealth scholarship, which according to his will he intended to benefit future leaders in the hope that they would “render war impossible.” One hundred and fourteen years (and indeed numerous wars) later, the scholarship is still going strong.

Thousands of people have benefitted from the Rhodes scholarship, including former President of

the USA Bill Clinton, the former Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott, and ironically a co-founder of the Oxford Rhodes Must Fall campaign, Ntokozo Qwabe.

Supporters of the campaign have argued that the existence of his statue in the twenty-first century is a celebration of colonialism, a continuous embrace of it that has lasted over a century if you like, and indeed there are very few people left who would embrace such an exploitative policy as colonialism. But to argue that the statue of Rhodes is a celebration of it is very misguided. A monument is not necessarily something that celebrates but more accurately is something that reminds, the term ‘monument’ comes from the Latin ‘monumentum’ meaning the same thing, and this in turn comes from the verb ‘monere’ which means to ‘warn’ or ‘remind’.

It is very unlikely that an undergraduate would walk past the Rhodes Building only to have the skillfully crafted stonework propagandistically brainwash them into believing that somehow imperialism is defensible. The statue stands to remind the public, if anybody can be bothered to notice it, of a patron to the institution who also founded a highly regarded scholarship and not necessarily of the man’s politics.

If we were to pull down statues of individuals whose views contradict contemporary values, then very little stonework would be left standing. To bring this closer to home, take the statue of Queen Victoria in Founder’s north quad. Disraeli gave her the title ‘Empress of India’ in 1876 and this title can be found podium. Imagine the outrage if her statue was pulled down due to its associations with Britain’s imperialistic past.

It doesn’t stop there. Churchill’s views on race were very questionable to say the least, and there is no campaign to remove his statue from Parliament Square because of this. Let us take it even further and

point to the marble grandeur of Rome, surely the numerous ruins still standing today are a product and symbol of an imperialistic foreign policy which exploited, enslaved and even caused the death of thousands. Would this justify the destruction of the city’s antiquities? If the past is at conflict with what we hold today as just then so be it, there is nothing that can be done to change the actions of the past no matter how heinous they seem in our eyes.

In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, the feminist author Naomi Wolf condemned Rhodes Must Fall as ‘childish’ and part of a wider movement amongst student groups to censor stupid ideas. Wolf is spot on. Editing the past so that it aligns with our notion of what is right and (even removing traces of it) is a dangerous route, however wrong an idea seems.

Wolf continued saying that ‘trying to silence bad ideas is the worst way of dealing with bad ideas.’

Again, she is right, and removing remnants of imperialism would be tantamount to outright denial of the past, surely that is a greater injustice?

As stated above, our word ‘monument’ comes from the Latin verb ‘monere’ which can mean to ‘warn.’ With supporters of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign calling for decolonisation, I think it would be more fitting to retain Rhodes’ statue as a reminder to everybody of our problematic history.

Let Rhodes stand as an ‘anti-exemplum’ if you like.

If you would like to respond to any of these articles, or want to offer an opinion on university events, current affairs, entertainment or anything else, please email replies to joe@thefounder.co.uk with the subject line ‘IN REPLY TO’.

11

January 2016

FEATURES

FOUNDER Features

THE FOUNDER

Features@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Witnessing the Frontline of the Refugee Crisis

BY ZAK DERLER FILM EDITOR

It is around 3:45am. I am on a beach just south of the airport, on the eastern coast of Lesvos. I am with a doctor from London, a writer from Munich, and an aid worker from Stockholm, along with about ten others––all of us volunteers. It’s about 2 degrees Celsius. We are burning a couple of lifejackets along with some bramble we found from a nearby tree. We have placed a large receptacle over the makeshift fire and we are warming up enough soup to feed over 50 people. We have cars placed haphazardly along the sand, facing outwards to the sea, blasting out their full beam lights. We are talking about anything and everything, huddled together like penguins, trying to keep morale high.

Then we hear a cry…our heads turn like deer in the headlights – we know this sound all too well.

As we look into the darkness, another cry, and then another, and some whistling ring out into the night

They do not come here for our benefits; they do not come here to terrorise. They are here because they have nowhere else to go.

sky. We know the procedure. We turn our headlamps onto flash mode, grab the supplies from our cars and run towards the shoreline. The boat is maybe 100 metres out, but we still cannot see anything. That is the worst part: hearing the cries, but not being able to match them with a visual cue. Within 30 seconds, the shape of the boat comes into sight, and then gaunt faces emerge from the darkness, their eyes bewildered in terror.

One volunteer wades out into the water, tells the passengers to turn off the motor in Arabic, and then pulls the dinghy to the shoreline.

For the next 15 minutes, we get over 60 people off the dinghy safely. Some are passing out from shock, others have never been so happy to be alive, but almost all of them are on the verge of hypothermia, including children and babies, who account for half of the dinghy’s capacity. I wrap

I spent a week on the island of Lesvos, Greece.

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

FOUNDER Features

FEATURES

12

Features@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

It is around 3:45am. I am on a beach just south of the airport, on the eastern coast of Lesvos. I am with a doctor from London, a writer from Munich, and an aid worker from Stockholm, along with about ten others––all of us volunteers. It’s about 2 degrees Celsius. We are burning a couple of lifejackets along with some bramble we found from a nearby tree. We have placed a large receptacle over the makeshift fire and we are warming up enough soup to feed over 50 people. We have cars placed haphazardly along the sand, facing outwards to the sea, blasting out their full beam lights. We are talking about anything and everything, huddled together like penguins, trying to keep morale high.

Then we hear a cry…our heads turn like deer in the headlights – we know this sound all too well. As we look into the darkness, another cry, and then another, and some whistling ring out into the night sky.

We know the procedure. We turn our headlamps onto flash mode, grab the supplies from our cars and run towards the shoreline. The boat is maybe 100 metres out, but we still cannot see anything. That is the worst part: hearing the cries, but not being able to match them with a visual cue. Within 30 seconds, the shape of the boat comes into sight, and then gaunt faces emerge from the darkness, their eyes bewildered in terror. One volunteer wades out into the water, tells the passengers to turn off the motor in Arabic, and then pulls the dinghy to the shoreline.

For the next 15 minutes, we get over 60 people off the dinghy safely. Some are passing out from shock, others have never been so happy to be alive, but almost all of them are on the verge of hypothermia, including children and babies, who account for half of the dinghy’s capacity. I wrap emergency blankets around wet shivering 4-year-olds, change their shoes and socks and pass around bananas and sweets. A woman next to me is holding another elderly woman who is crying uncontrollably, her screaming piercing the night. I have never heard such fear and terror in

Film

my life. student and After Film about half Editor for The an hour, a Founder small coach Zak Derler pulls over travand the ref- eled to ugees line Lesvos, Greece up to get to help on, ready refugess.

Photos to be sent provided to a transit by Zak camp, their Derler next horrific destination. I let some of the volunteers take charge of this, and as the sun begins to peak over the Turkish mountains across the water, I climb into a friend’s car, put my hood up and sob.

I spent 8 days on Lesvos on a self-initiated filming trip for a project in my third year documentary practice class. I planned to stay on the north coast, where the majority of the refugees land, to shoot footage of both the refugees and the volunteers. Midway through my trip, a game-changing deal was made by the EU, which allocated 3 billion pounds to Turkey to help stem the flow of migrants into European waters. Turkish coastguard ships lined the strait between Turkey and northern Lesvos, which forced the smugglers to change route and divert refugee boats to arrive onto the eastern shores of the island. I did not stick to my exact travel plans and journeyed to various landing beaches and transit camps across the island during my trip.

The island of Lesvos is doing incredibly well considering it is coping with the biggest humanitarian crisis ever seen on its shores thanks to the help of kind-hearted volunteers that are flying in from across the world. Large charities and aid agencies (mainly the UNHCR and International Rescue Committee) have done shamefully little to help. As a primary source, I want to point out that we should not always believe the emotional, but propaganda driven, adverts they produce. For example, I vividly remember two UN representatives standing at the top of the dirt track, ‘assessing the situation’, while unpaid volunteers were risking their lives to bring a boat of refugees in to safety.

It is the kind of thing that happens on a daily basis on the island. Agencies plas-

ter their name everywhere, collect millions and pounds of donations internationally, and then pocket a vast portion of it. David Miliband is currently receiving £400,000 a year as head of the IRC. My point in writing this is to spread awareness. When you are there, on the beaches and in the camps, it truly hits you as to why refugees are risking their lives. They do not come here for our benefits; they do not come here to terrorise.

They are here because they have nowhere else to go. I have heard many harrowing stories from the people themselves. Warsan Shire’s poem, Home, expresses their realities perfectly: ‘no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark…no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.’

On my third night in Lesvos, I was in Moria Refugee Camp. It was about 2am and the Greek riot police had forced a few hundred refugees to sit down in a line and wait to be registered.

These people were shivering and starving, lying on the floor, forming a 700 metres long human snake. It was the most inhumane sight I have ever seen. I left at 4am, distressed, knowing that people would freeze to death that night, literally. All they want is to be safe – the millions of people that have risked their lives on the boats just need a new start.

These are the people of nowhere. We can give them a somewhere. We can give them a home.

(For more information on tips on how to help, email me: zakdd@hotmail.co.uk. To view the documentaries I have made on my trip to Lesvos, visit my YouTube channel and subscribe: ‘Zak Derler’).

13

ARTS

FOUNDER Arts

Lost Potentialities

January 2016

THE FOUNDER

Arts@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

An installation piece by Luke Gregory-Jones

BY CONNOR NEWSON

Photo provided by Connor Newson

Luke Gregory-Jones, a third year History and Politics student at Goldsmiths University, recently curated his debut art installation piece entitled Lost Potentialities. The piece exhibited a plethora of statements from various citizens of London, taken prior to the installation on the 2nd December 2015, which manifested their individ-

ual hopes, dreams, aspirations and regrets.

Using theoretical influence from the likes of Henri Lefebvre, David Harvey, and Guy Debord, Gregory-Jones intended to challenge the city and question the role of the citizen within their own city by creating a space of mourning for all of our in-

dividual hopes, dreams and regrets that never came to fruition, because capitalism and the metropolis prevented it.

As you walk through a small door into the site of Deptford Town Hall, you place your trust in the ushers that lead you down and through a series of doors underneath the building. Upon approaching the space, you are subject to the effects created by the chilling atmosphere of a derelict shower room.

It is a space forgotten, with no conceivable use-value to the modern-day city, held within an area of New Cross that is becoming hugely susceptible to gentrification by the neo-liberal, capitalist agenda. It was the suitable location to depict the themes of rejection and isolation that are present in this piece, with an ambience that is powerfully enhanced by the dilapidation of the site.

The cold and murky tiles lining the walls and floor of the room echo the coldness and isolation that is effectively a deleterious result of hypermodernity and exponential

capitalism.

Fifty different glasses sit on the floor, each containing a hope, dream, aspiration, or regret of an individual that is submerged in water. The glasses are again, like the location, isolated from one another. The fragility of the glass seems to characterise the del-

icate nature of the accompanying individual’s dream or regret that is contained within, whilst also replicating the presence of modernity.

A single candle floats inside each dream-filled glass which represents a lost potential or a regret that has since been suppressed by the city, and laid to rest. The dim, warmness of the lighting is effective in creating an element of calm amongst the changing and transient audience for this site of mourning, and does particularly well in paradoxically opposing the coldness generated by a neglected site.

As the audience are invited to walk and observe the space, they listen to a soundscape of pre-recorded aspirations and regrets that are cleverly interrupted by the intrusive city noises of buses, cars, and other typical city sounds that bounce around the tiled walls, often drowning out the audibility of the individual.

The intruding mechanical sounds of the city efficaciously elucidates the oppressiveness of the city. Audiences are then invited to write one of their own dreams, desires, or regrets, and place it inside a glass.

The inclusion of the audience is crucial in creating an equal space of mourning, it fulfils the intention of fashioning a space that citizens are able to temporarily utilise in order to compassionately and mindfully put to rest the parts of themselves that never were.

In an interview, Gregory-Jones explains that, “despite us all being geographically closer, we are emotionally, spiritually and politically taken apart from each other.” This seems to be a statement that is successfully expressed throughout the installation piece, it effectively captures the oppressiveness of urbanity and the metropolis––an ever-present catalyst for capitalism. Be sure to look out for Luke Gregory-Jones’ next compelling spectacle.

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

FOUNDER Arts

ARTS

14

Arts@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play for the Nation

Shakespeare in Ten Acts

The British Library, 15 April – Royal Shakespeare The- 6 September 2016 atre, StratfordThe British Library are exhibiting rare items that have survived Upon-Avon, from Shakespeare’s career includ20 February 2016 – ing the only remaining play-script in Shakespeare’s hand, two of only 19 March 2016 six authentic Shakespeare signaFor the true Shakespearean experience, why not travel to Shakespeare’s birthplace to watch one of his most popular plays. Magically interweaving professional and amateur actors in its cast, this production promises to be an innovative take on the nation’s favourite Shakespeare play.

tures, and rare printed editions including the First Folio, alongside film, paintings, photographs, costumes and props. This exhibition explores the impact of ten significant theatrical moments from Shakespeare’s first production of Hamlet to a digital-age deconstruction for the 21st century, revealing the redesigning and recasting of his plays.

As 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death, here are the best Shakespearethemed events coming your way around the country this year.

Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Leicester Square Theatre, London, 26 April – 11 June 2016 A favourite at festivals worldwide, Shitfaced Shakespeare comes highly recommended for their famously unique and comical portrayal of Shakespeare’s plays. Each night one cast member, a professional Shakespearean actor, performs their part drunk while audience members control how much they drink throughout the performance. A promising drinking game: literature students take note.

Photos provided by shitfacedshakespeare.com

15

ARTS

FOUNDER Arts

January 2016

THE FOUNDER

Arts@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

in 2016 The Tempest

Sam Wanamaker Theatre, London, 17 February – 22 April 2016 A unique opportunity to see one of Shakespeare’s great plays in candlelight at the mesmerising Sam Wanamaker Theatre. A must-see for any wanting to see the Bard’s late work in its original intended setting: the intimate indoor Playhouse.

Shakespeare in Art: Tempests, Tyrants and Tragedy Compton Verney, Warwickshire, 19 March – 19 June 2016 A master of capturing a spectrum of human emotion, Shakespeare’s plays have unarguably influenced numerous artists.

This unique exhibition focuses on plays that have motivated artists across the ages including many contemporary painters and sculptors. Alongside these static pieces, RSC actors will perform scenes from some of the major works exhibited to bring to life some of Shakespeare’s most famous and cherished lines. This is an event for both art and theatre lovers alike.

Shakespeare Midscale Tour Birmingham Royal Ballet, 10-18 May 2016 For a very limited time only, the Birmingham Royal Ballet are showcasing an illuminating mix of works that demonstrate fragments of ballets inspired by Shakespeare.

The programme begins with Jessica Lang’s innovative new one-act ballet Wink, capturing the poetry of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Excerpts from popular pieces Romeo and Juliet, The Dream and The Taming of the Shrew follow and are closed

by The Moor’s Pavane, which distils the drama of Othello into a one-act tragedy

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

MUSIC

‘Turn and face the strange’ is in my opinion one of the most powerful lyrics ever written and really

BY NATASHA BARRETT summar is es the impact of MUSIC EDITOR an immense icon. In 1964, a seventeen-year-oldB o w i e announced during an interview that he intended to start the ‘society for the pre v e n tion of cruelty to long haired men’ and from then it became obvious that he wasn’t just an artist but a political activist fighting to help society embrace differences.

Sure, this is a semi-comedic example, but David Bowie really did help people broaden their definitions of gender, music, sexuality and appearance. Social media this week has been full of statuses, articles and comments that provide evidence of this impact that he had on the lives of young people of multiple generations. Bowie openly admitted his flaws as well as his oddness and showed the public that there was no requirement to be super-human in order to be significant.

His newest album ‘Blackstar’ was released for his 69th birthday the same week that he passed away having suffered from cancer. The album has been described as a parting gift to his fans, something to remember him by as he was apparently aware he was not expected by doctors to survive another year. Songs from ‘Blackstar’ as well as chart toppers from as far back as the 1970s have taken over the online charts since his death, making Bowie as dominant in this week’s lists as Justin Bieber. I think the reason he stood out so much in the music industry and the reason his influence spanned such a long time period was due to the sentiment behind his music; one of acceptance, differences and the inspiration to believe in yourself no matter what life threw at you. Although they may be the most obvious and I’m willing to admit to being seriously mainstream, my top five Bowie tracks have to be ‘Heroes’, ‘Life on Mars’, ‘Ashes to Ashes’, ‘Let’s Dance’ and ‘Starman’.

Despite being released way before my time, these are the songs that got me through my first few months of sixth form as an angsty teen with recently divorced parents and a whole new academic setting. Bowie’s music makes you feel capable of taking on anything and as if you can be whomsoever you wish and still have the potential for success.

He became a timeless mystical figure projecting confidence into people’s lives and even now his music never fails to uplift me no matter how bad my mental health is or what is going on at that moment in my life. His lyrics may sound like he’s totally high but they create a make believe place where the boundaries of social constraints are removed and where people can relax. David Bowie redefined what it meant to be a man, which, considering how much of an icon he was, assisted the blurring of gender boundaries and helped to break down society’s enforced roles of femininity and masculinity. Bowie didn’t care what the media thought of him or about the comments of his critics; he raised awareness of the LGBTQ+ community and openly referenced his own fluid sexuality and gender.

People are quick to say that prejudice doesn’t exist anymore but it definitely does, so in the ‘70’s this was even more necessary and a very new concept that was crucial for the progression of humanity.

Since his death a lot of negative press on Bowie has emerged with questions being raised; sexual abuse scandals, appropriation of queer culture and paedophilia have been referenced all over the internet. Despite my respect for social justice, I found myself deciding to save these questions for another day. I need time to mourn the death of a great icon before I mourn the fact that I may have been ignorant of allegations he faced. Many people would quickly condemn this but as someone who very rarely gets emotional over celebrities I doubt I have the mental capacity to find out so much about a hero of mine in one week. A friend suggested we have to separate the art from the artist and I feel this is the perfect explanation. Perhaps as a person, someone could be condemned, but their legacy may still have had a great impact on a variety of people and that on its own is immensely valuable in a world that so often turns us against one another.

A Tribute

16

17

January 2016

MUSIC

THE FOUNDER

Feeling that my own views do not do Bowie’s work justice, I asked people to offer their comments.

‘Sometimes when I'm having doubts about my social skills he comes and strokes my beard and tells me everything is going to be just fine. Or I'm sure he would, if we ever met, and he hadn't died. God I miss Bowie.’ – Max Wells, RHUL student ‘His whole image projected that he didn't give a fuck. He was so weird, and embraced it rather than apologising for it, and he was so beautiful. He somehow confused a very judgmental world into admitting that this glorious gender fucking, queer as hell man, was wonderful, and someone we all wanted to be like. And he acted like he loved and accepted all his fans, and created this little space to exist as a freak, knowing that even if no one else would, Bowie would accept you. – Elena Doran, Manchester ‘Bowie did wonderful things for queer and bisexual visibility.

Even if only talking openly about his image and experiences, it gave his fans a rare LGBT icon in celebrity culture. Also he just gave no fucks what critics felt about him or wanted of him. He'd kill off personas/images and create new and equally brilliant ones just as critics thought he was only getting started with the last one.’ – Kate Noble, Manchester ‘He was a magical figure, who seemed to exist outside of the tedious, unhappy world I had to inhabit, who welcomed me into something bigger, something spectacular, effervescent. Somebody who made me realise it was okay to be a walking question mark, that you didn't need to know the answer to 'What am I?' in order to say, proudly, 'I am.'’ – Quen Took, Manchester

to

David Bowie

‘The first time I heard him I was eight and our Head Teacher played Space Oddity at the start of assembly, although my first thought was "wow this guy’s poor wife she probably will need to pay the mortgage by herself now" (I was quite an advanced child) it awoke something in me. Some kind of warm fuzzy feeling (I have never been very advanced in the articulation of emotion) and I think a lot of people have that when they hear Bowie for the first time.’ – Ellie Arden, Stowmarket

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

FOUNDER Music

MUSIC

18

Music@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Music Welcoming the New Year

BY JOSEPHINE CHICK Are you brimming with enthusiasm, plunging into the challenge of 2016 and finally making proactive life choices that help you become the person you’d love to be? No, I didn’t think so, me neither. Rather than making new friends, make new playlists. And then use your newly found superior taste to impress the general populace and win them over as your allies. Vital to this vision of achievement is the nugget of wisdom I am about to impart: music that is new to you does not have to be new in itself. It can still be excellent and have reached its sonic fruition, like fine wine. Here are three albums to start the New Year with.

3.

1.

Volery Flighty – Babe

Standout Tracks: Tilt, Great Coat, Aerialist Barbette.

Babe are based in Glasgow and signed with Moshi Moshi. A strange, flowery and arty Scottish/French fourpiece with the serious music to back up their whimsical music videos. With keyboards reminiscent of Air and shimmering guitar that begs Egyptian Hip Hop to return to their 2010 funk-led pop, Volery Flighty has a lot going on. They’re versatile for sure, taking a listen to ‘Great Coat’ will prove a large surprise in the center of the album, which comes across as being rooted somewhere between a ballad and some sort of medieval chant. In other words, it would fit snugly into a Lord of the Rings soundtrack and somehow that becomes endearing.

Surrounding this harpsichord-drenched mystery is a collection of hearty and incredibly sharp pop rock. Take a listen, find more of their music, buy a t-shirt and get their faces tattooed on your back (pronto).

2.

Love is King (Compilation)

Standout Tracks: Amor Celestial-Chris McClenney, Only One-Esta, I Still Really Love You-AbJo Published by Soulection in early 2015 and distributed for free on Bandcamp in celebration of 200,000 listeners, this compilation album has all of the synth driven gravitas that you would expect from Joe Kay and co. Whilst toting the well-established names of oshi, Chris McClenney and Esta, the collection contains a fresh crop of talented producers including starRo and Zikomo, all of whose offerings center around the theme of love. Named as a tribute to Sade this album will hook you immediately and keep you enamored with its smooth curation until February, at which point you can show it off to your crush and then saunter off into the distance if it doesn’t go down well, knowing your soundtrack is sorted. Grab it while it’s still free.

Our Love – Caribou

Standout Tracks: Second Chance, Silver, Can’t Do Without You The band’s most recent offering appeared in 2014, boasting an expansion into the realms of fully danceable tracks, which Caribou have teetered on for the past 8 years. Tracks like Odessa (from the 2010 ‘Swim’) set the precedent in tone for this album and it is succeeds to an incredibly high standard. Switching from the finesse of Hot Chip-esque percussion to a more polished reliance on automated instrumentation, the live instruments in the record are now a discernable highlight, rather than the very pleasant but sometimes distracting set of polyrhythms that Caribou previously sported. As fuel for your January gym fire or an accompaniment to a long train journey, this album will warm you, chill your summer out and leave you pretty much ready to cry.

And you’ll enjoy every moment of it.

Photos provided by oldheadsyoungshoulders.com, 00individual.wordpress.com, amazon.com, filckr.com, davidbowie.com

19

January 2016

MUSIC

FOUNDER Music

THE FOUNDER

Music@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Red Hot Chili Peppers – New album To coincide with the announcement of their headlining slot at Reading, the Red Hot Chili Peppers also announced that they would be releasing a new album shortly before the festival. Their first album since 2011’s “I’m With You” was described once by bassist Flea as “super danceable”, but then later described as “very emotional.”

Albums to look out for in 2016

Expected release: sometime this year.

Kanye West – Swish One of the most-talked about potential releases, with West slyly teasing his audience constantly with songs being premiered at fashion shows, accompanied by videos projected on buildings, and being dropped on New Years with references to events from mere days before, it finally has a release date! Will he change the game again, entirely? Or will this be the follow-up clunker that everyone has been predicting since “Late Registration”?

Expected release: 11 February, but really he could drop it on us anytime.

Radiohead – yet untitled Studio work under their belts, a rumored Glastonbury appearance, and the release of the song they recorded for Spectre all add up to make people wonder if there might be a new album coming soon.

Expected release: Please, this is all just rumours.

BY SAM BARKER

The 1975 – I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It Terribly creepy album title notwithstanding, the funky staccato-guitar laced track “Love Me” which was released to tease the album release suggests The 1975 may very well be able to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.

Expected release: 26 February

The Last Shadow Puppets – yet untitled Alex Turner’s side project, which last released an album in 2008 – the Mercury Prize nominated “The Age of the Understatement” – is supposedly finished.

With Arctic Monkeys unlikely to release anything any time soon, this may be the next best thing for Monkeys fans. Fans of Last Shadow Puppets have been waiting long enough as it is.

Expected release: Soon-ish? I mean, they’re done…

Rihanna – Anti Rihanna’s first album since her 2012 release “Unapologetic,” which was the seventh album released in eight years, has been plagued by cancellations and delays.

Will it finally come out this year? Will it even be any good?

Expected release: At this point, does even Rihanna know that?

Frank Ocean – Boys Don’t Cry I mean, we can dream right? Maybe this year will finally be the year.

Expected release: Before he dies. Hopefully.

Blink 182 – yet untitled Well, the drummer said it was happening, who am I to deny that?

Expected release: Some time this year

Blood Orange – yet untitled The only music I ever put on at a party, and there might be another album soon? Yes please. I’m sick of parties that can only last two hours…

Expected release: Some time soon…

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

FOUNDER Music

MUSIC

20

Music@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Lion Babe Live at Heaven London - 24/11/15

Alexandra Palace, London November 28th 2015

BY ANDREW MITCHELL

BY FRANCESCA MUDANNAYAKE Lion Babe seems to have exceeded every duo’s dream of securing a large following before any debut album has even surfaced. This was largely proved by the immense turn out at their recent London gig at Heaven.

So who, or what is Lion Babe? The New York neo-soul duo consists of vocalist Jillian Hervey (AKA Vanessa Williams’ daughter) and musician Lucas Goodman (the suspicious doppelganger of Adam Driver AKA Kylo Ren). The immaculate combination between Hervey’s Badu-esque vocals and Goodman’s electronica/RnB fusion turned heads and led to the release of a very successful EP (with even a guest appearance from Childish Gambino). 2015 seems to have been their best year to date with Hervey securing a spot on Disclosure’s Caracal album and a collaboration with Pharrell for their debut which is slated for a February 2016 release. So how did they hold up live?

Before anything had even begun, the audience were treated to a smooth mix of RnB and Hip Hop as the packed venue pulsated with energy in preparation for their arrival.

Lion Babe did not disappoint. Weaving their way through a good set of familiar along with as yet unreleased songs, the duo kept the entire crowd moving as they crossed the boundaries between funk, RnB and soul.

Predictably, the old favourites played out well amongst the audience who got their sass on (where am I getting these phrases from?) for Superwoman and allowing them to groove to the more sensual ‘Jungle Lady’. Some surprises were the various one minute covers including ‘Work It’ as a salute to Missy Elliot’s comeback and A

Bring Me The Horizon

Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Can I Kick It?’ Hervey’s tribute to New York by way of Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ was slightly underwhelming but we’ll forgive her for that.

From the get go its clearly obvious Jillian Hervey is nothing short of a spectacular performer. Sporting her signature mane, knee-high silver platform boots, a star-studded black leotard and grey angel wings, the former dance student sashayed around stage pulling hypnotic shapes at every opportune moment. There was even one point where she landed in splits that probably had many a drama student go YAAAAAS. Or maybe that was just me. The problem though is that the performance aspect regularly overshadows or even makes up for her okay-singing voice. At the best of times her pitching is vague and her words tend to get muffled. Then again, if it works for Madonna…

It’s also easy to forget that Lion Babe is a duo with a lot of the attention focused on Hervey instead of Adam-- I mean Lucas, who remains a bobbing presence behind his MIDI and synthesisers.

For all of its fast-paced nature, the gig ended with Lion Babe’s best and most vulnerable production to date ‘Treat Me Like Fire’; a song that has indubitably cemented their position in the RnB genre. As the song came to the end Jillian Hervey paused side profile, and flashed the audience a glance accompanied by a slow wave before finally strutting off stage. Music, yes. Performance, yes. Lion Babe taking over 2016...let’s see.

The tour following the release of ‘That’s The Spirit’ was always going to be very different for Bring Me The Horizon. Their shift from metalcore to an approach based on the merging of heavy electric guitar riffs and synths was a gamble; but it has allowed Oli Sykes to expand his vocal range, and has enabled the band to produce an album filled with both headbanging riffs and sing-along chroruses. Their success of their subsequent sell-out tours has proved this formula to work, and considering that tickets that went on sale for their November 2016 have already sold out (with new dates being added), their success is only going to continue.

Their return to London on the ‘That’s the Spirit’ tour saw them sell out Alexandra Palace extremely quickly. The show was opened by Pvris, a post-hardcore synth threepiece from the United States. Pvris shot to fame in 2014 after signing a record deal and being championed by such magazines as Rock Sound and Kerrang!; they were popular with those at the front, but the perhaps lighter, more melodic nature of their music led them to being a bit overlooked. I have no doubt however that this was partly as a result of the fact that the queue to get into the venue still stretched all the way down the hill outside.

Neck Deep, who have seen a meteoric rise since the release of ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You,’ last year followed, exploding onto the stage with ‘Citizens of Earth,’ before rolling through songs that have already

become pop-punk classics, like the hit singles, ‘Gold Steps,’ and, ‘Can’t keep up the roots.’

The excitement for Bring Me The Horizon however had peaked; they kicked off with ‘Doomed,’ before running quickly into the sing-along single, ‘Happy Song,’ and 2013’s, ‘Go To Hell, for Heaven’s Sake.’ Their set-list that followed contained a mix of old and new, including ‘Sleepwalking,’ ‘Chelsea Smile,’ and ‘The House of Wolves,’ from the back a catalogue, and ‘Throne,’ ‘Shadow Moses’ and ‘True Friends,’ from the newer releases; both were received with the passion and energy that have become synonymous with BMTH’s live shows, that has been easily replicated from their infamous festival performances into arena shows- a feat few bands manage to achieve.

They finished with the old metalcore hit ‘Antivist,’ before the encore, after which they returned with, ‘Blessed with a curse,’ before ultimately finishing with the mellower, softer, ‘Drown.’

Their sound, and their lineup, may well have changed, but their passion for live music has not. The combination of heavy riffs, epic live shows and sing-along choruses has already pushed the band from the metal fringes to the mainstream, and for a band that are only looking up, who knows, they could be a festival headliner before too long.

21

January 2016

MUSIC

THE FOUNDER

FOUNDER Music Music@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Rat Boy 19-year-old Jordan Cardy, known as Rat Boy has huge prospects for this year. He gathered his following with his carefree indie-rap mash-ups and has been widely recommended as one to follow in 2016.

Rat Boy sings, raps, plays and produces his tracks, along with a few band mates for good measure.

Check out track ‘Fake ID’ for some cheeky upbeat goodness.

Fresh Meat for 2016

BY CERI-ANN HUGHES

Whilst 2015 was a year filled with huge new albums from established acts like Foals and Tame Impala, it seems as though 2016 is going to be a year for a new wave of artists that are testing the boundaries of modern music. The new-age blend of influences from different genres in many tracks makes the music scene so interesting at the moment, and suggests promising things for the year ahead. Here’s a few of the acts I’m tipping for a successful 2016.

NAO

Hackney’s NAO is one of the most exciting R&B artists to come onto the scene since we first heard from Aluna George. The experimental mash-up of R&B, House and soulful vocals in her music gives it an edge that is distinct and should surely thrive. New single ‘Bad Blood’ is sultry and sassy which makes it one to have on repeat (loudly) this January. She’s already selling out shows across London so I’m absolutely on the look-out for her upcoming shows.

The Magic Gang Cullen Omori Formerly a member of band Smith Westerns, Cullen Omori has set out on his solo venture, which I stumbled across on Soundcloud with track ‘Cinnamon’. It’s heavily ‘80s pop inspired with soft vocals and jangly synths which makes it the catchiest thing I’ve had on my playlist in a long while. Omori’s announced that his debut album ‘New Misery’ will come out in March on label SubPop – I can imagine that it’ll sound great on vinyl so it’s in my wish list already!

Hailing from Brighton, The Magic Gang have been around and about for quite a while, but its only recently that they’ve really been getting attention from magazines and radio stations across the country. I first saw them as supports a couple of years back, but new track ‘She Doesn’t See’ really ups their musical game and makes them strong contenders for cheery-but-sad indie newcomers this year.

Photos provided by www.thefader.com, consequenceofsound.net, www.cfaruolo.com

Sarah Briggs COUNSELING

for adults and teens

07907 361372 sarah@sarahbriggscounselling.co.uk www.sarahbriggscounselling.co.uk

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

FOUNDER Film

FILM

22

Film@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Alan Rickman 21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016

The Loss of a Legend

BY CASSIE PARKES

I was in a lecture filled with English and Dra- Potions Master who you would never, never want performances, no matter how many times you ma students when the news of Alan Rickman's death for a Professor. And wherever you place yourself on might rewatch the Harry Potter films. broke out. Everyone was frantically checking social the eternal “Snape Debate” spectrum—thinking him On a sadder, more personal level, his death media feeds on their phones to see if it was a hoax, a good guy, a bad guy, or something in-between— also reminds us of the fierce nature of cancer, all of us mumbling to one another, passing the news you have to appreciate what he brought to the role and how we still haven't managed to stop it from back along the benches and sending claiming so many lives, even in an age of out mass texts to confirm if it had recontinuing scientific and medical advanceIn a room full of people so driven ally happened. It had. ment. If you want to help fight cancer, you There was a lingering sadness, after by characters, and stories, and per- can text BEAT to 70200, to donate £3 to that, when we all realised that RickCancer Research UK. formances, it was tough to try and man had left us. In a room full of Celebrity deaths can be quite faddish people so driven by characters, and stories, and grasp the idea that someone who these days—names might trend on Twitter performances, it was tough to try and grasp the for a couple of hours, a few Facebook phoeveryone admired for his ability to idea that someone who everyone admired for his tos with misattributed quotes are shared ability to bring life to fiction was now gone forever. bring life to fiction was now gone around friends' feeds. But Rickman's death Of course, you don't have to be studying English seems like more of a hard hit, a loss which or Drama to be affected by Alan Rickman's death. forever. spans several generations and people from Whether you know him for his grand Shakespearall walks of life. He affected too many peoian roles, or the fact that he broke poor Emma ple to be forgotten so easily. I think if you Thompson's heart in Love Actually, everyone can of Severus. I think it entirely impossible to see how want to ask the question of whether or not we appreciate his talent as an actor. To many people of beautifully Rickman plays such a broken, lonely, will remember him as years go by, the answer is my generation, we know him as Severus Snape, the conflicted character without feeling moved by his a very simple one.

23

FILM

FOUNDER Film

January 2016

THE FOUNDER

Film@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Getting Ready for The Revenant

A

BY FEDERICO D’ACCINNI

Why Iñárritu's new film is one of the most anticipated movies of 2016.

lejandro González Iñárritu is back. ally stunning films of the last few years (Children One year after winning four Oscars of Men, The Tree of Life, Gravity), decided to use for his black comedy-drama Birdman and making only natural light. The crew had only a very short us wander through the corridors of a Broadway amount of hours every day in order to shoot what theatre like no one has ever done before, the most they needed. This demanded the actors to be exoriginal and intriguing Mexican director of the last tremely precise and choreographed when it came to few years returns with something quite different a take: only a small mistake could mean having to from his previous films. repeat the whole sequence the day after. Everything The Revenant is set in the 1820s and follows the we see in the film (apart from the bear attack) is fur trading expedition of an American frontiers- real; Iñárritu didn’t want to use any computer-genman named Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) to- erated effects: “If we ended up in greenscreen with gether with his half-breed son and his companions. coffee and everybody having a good time, everyAfter a sudden and brutal bear attack, Glass is in a body will be happy, but most likely the film would critical condition. While his caretakers are worry- be a piece of shit.” ing about him, his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom The film premiered in Los Angeles on December Hardy) decides to betray him. Left alone in the wil- 16th. The very first reactions by American critics derness, Glass manages to survive and embarks on have been enthusiastic. Variety has defined it as “a a comeback adventure in order to find Fitzgerald movie of pitiless violence, gruelling intensity and and make him pay for what he has done. continually breathtaking imagery,” while The PlayThe project was in pre-production for sever- list has called it “an unforgiving tale of survival and al years before it was made and has now finally vengeance that’s also a meditative tone poem about come to life thanks to the visionary talent of such the ones we have loved and those we vowed to proa courageous director like Iñárritu. There has been a lot of controversy and discussion regarding how hard and troubled the production was. Some members of the crew decided to leave the set, admitting it was by far the worst experience of their careers. The film went over budget, the production had to be moved from Canada to Argentina because of the weather conditions and the temperatures dipped 25 degrees below zero: “Everybody was frozen, the equipment was breaking; to get the camera from one place to another was a nightmare,” says Iñárritu.

Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who has shot some of the most visu- Photo provided by telegraph.co.uk (above) and theodysseyonline.com (left)

tect.”

The images from the trailers released online look stunning and incredibly intense. A few critics have noticed an interesting Malickian influence on some of the sequences: it is not only a film about adventure and survival, but it also includes flashback dreams and naturalistic reflections. The score composed by Ryūichi Sakamoto contributes to make the film epic and emotionally poignant.

This could also be the perfect opportunity for Leonardo DiCaprio to finally win an Oscar. He admitted that he could name 30 or 40 sequences that were some of the most difficult things he has ever had to do as an actor: “Whether it’s going in and out of frozen rivers, or sleeping in animal carcasses, or what I ate on set…and I was enduring freezing cold and possible hypothermia constantly.” Since having very few lines throughout the entire length of the film, DiCaprio’s performance is mainly based on physicality and eye-contact. But from what critics have said, Tom Hardy’s performance is also outstanding: after starring in one of the most successful films of last year (Mad Max: Fury Road), he is now reunited with DiCaprio after working together in Nolan’s Inception.

As Leo said, “it’s going to be one of the most unique film-going experiences that audiences have seen in modern times.” That’s why I highly recommend you to watch it on the largest screen you can possibly find. It’s going to be epic.

The Revenant opens in UK cinemas on January 15th.

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

FILM

FOUNDER Film

24

Film@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

The

l r i G h s i n a D

Film Review

BY CHARLIE GRANBY The film, directed by Tom Hooper is set in beautiful Copenhagen; focusing at the start, on the life of Einar (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife Girda (Alicia Vikander) in their seemingly happy and secure marriage as artists making their mark in the world.

As the film progresses we begin to notice that Einar is struggling with inner conflict about his identity. We reach 'the moment' when his identity crisis happens, and it was from this moment that I panicked. Not because I don't agree with the film, or how the character was feeling, I panicked because it is this 'moment' in films sometimes where the story takes a wholly unforgivable turn, making the story into something it's

Photo provided by variety.com

grand set design and costume, stunning locations, and of course a sublime cast; almost a mirror image in spectacle and style to his 2012 version of Les Miserables. Yet there has been a lot of criticism about the choice of actor for the role of Einar/Lili, as Eddie Redmayne was thought to be cast wrong due to the fact that he is not transgender. However, while to an extent I can understand those views, after watching the film, and seeing how the filmmakers portrayed the character, to me it makes perfect sense that an actor such as Redmayne played the character of Lili, because of the character's backstory before Einar became Lili.

This incredible character study is not the kind of role unfamiliar to Redmayne, as he has previously completely transformed himself into Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything (James Marsh, 2014); a stunning film about the scientist’s life. Hooper and Redmayne have worked together before and the close friendship and working relationship between the two men is very apparent in the film, simply because you just know that they are both working well together and getting the most out of the film in terms of story and craft.

Would definitely recommend, and would definitely watch it again!

The Danish Girl is a beautiful film; a stunning depiction of Lili Elbe, a transgender woman from the 20th century. not.

Now, I'm no expert on the Trans community, but it's clear to see that it was far from a glamorisation, and was in fact incredibly heartbreaking and truthful. This surprised me because a film with such subject matter could have so easily lost its way and got 'preachy' or just completely wrong and out of context, but it didn't, in fact it was made with complete respect and dignity.

The film is inherently 'very Hooper' with the

A few upcoming films: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi 29 January 2016 Deadpool 10 February 2016 Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice 25 March 2016 Captain America: Civil War 29 April 2016 Triple 9 2016

25

January 2016

LIFESTYLE

FOUNDER Lifestyle

THE FOUNDER

Lifestyle@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

A New Year, a New Me

BY BRIAN CLARKE

If you thought this article was going to be a full and frank exposition of my own inner depravity and my quest resolve to it, I’m afraid you have been cruelly misled. No, imperfect as I am, I will spare you all any such cri de coeur from the depths of my tortured soul.

At this time of year clichés like turning over a new leaf or opening a new chapter in life are bandied about like the plague, and in reality are about as short-lived as the new fad diets that accompany them.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all new well-meaning resolutions, the claws of consumerist advertiser’s latch on to any

lingering self-doubt we have in our minds, exploiting our fears and convincing us of the urgent need for their assistance, claiming their product is the panacea to all our woes. But I fail to see how consuming more yogurt based products will vastly change my life beyond recognition.

Equally, trying any sort of new detox regime by consuming endless amounts of obscure juices and smoothies seems an equally flawed pursuit, as my liver and kidneys have served all my detoxing needs thus far in my life. I don’t see a particular need for any overwhelming body of evidence that proves that these products actually provide any discernible assistance in the entire process.

Not wishing to be pejorative but one can question whether the smoothie-guzzling, juice-chugging crowd really understand how toxins are removed from the body at all. Alas, such trivialities are beside the point, we all deep down know that the secret to all our ailments, fears and anxieties can be solved by not missing the sale at DFS. However, in all seriousness, are resolutions really a force for good? Do they not magnify our flaws, inflate our insecurities and serve to denigrate our selfworth rather than improve it? Indeed, the very nature of resolution bares a negative connotation on the inherent need to fix or solve something. Granted, giving up smoking, consuming less alcohol have obvious health benefits.

So where does this leave the already healthy crowd? What can they

do? For many of us, we are what Jane Austen’s character Mrs. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice would describe as ‘disgustingly healthy’. Perhaps this takes the concept of resolutions too literally, viewing it only as tangible and specifically making health-related changes. Perhaps we should all take a more attitudinal perspective: increased positivity, or swapping gluttony for generosity, consumerism for compassion, and care for others.

To some, this suggestion may reek of sentimentality, and for others, it may just be considered too much effort.

However turkey stuffed we may be, to dismiss change because of the effort it requires seems a rather fatalistic and lethargic way to approach the New Year.

Change as a concept is not well liked. It speaks of the unfamiliar and unknown. Those who resist it assume things can only get worse. Not all change is good, granted, but think of how backward we would be if the stewards of the status quo stood in the way of progress. We would have had no change to voting rights, no Paris Agreement on climate change and no double-sided sticky tape.

Hyperbolic as this may be, surely novelty breeds excitement, and so the unknown idiosyncrasies of 2016 lie waiting to be discovered and explored. Resolutions come and go, and of course are only but one small part in the passing of time, and so with or without resolutions, I wish you all a very happy New Year.

Are resolutions really a force for good? Do they not magnify our flaws, inflate our insecurities and serve to denigrate our self-worth rather than improve it?

THE FOUNDER

January 2016

FOUNDER Lifestyle

LIFESTYLE

26

Lifestyle@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Veganism and Feminism.

Is there a link between them?

BY ELEANOR MCCLOSKEY LIFESTYLE EDITOR Oh here we go. Veganism and feminism? Christ Eleanor, give it a rest, I hear you say, one at a time please. But listen up. I’m not a vegan by any means. I’m drinking a tea made with cow’s milk as I tap away on the laptop, and I’ve just polished off a prawn sandwich. Usually I’d wolf both of these things down cheerily, but over the last few weeks it’s come to my attention that my eating habits might be compromising my feminist principles.

I’m still eating what I have always eaten, but with a dollop of sombreness on the side.

I was listening to Woman’s Hour on Radio 4 one morning, as usual, with my coffee and one of the points of discussion was veganism. I wasn’t really listening properly, until a young woman called Hannah Phoebe Bowen began talking about her realisation that feminism and veganism were connected. My ears pricked up then.

Bowen explained that the link lay in the dairy and egg industry where it is the “female non-animal that is particularly exploited.” She spoke about how dairy cows are forcefully impregnated, so that they can produce milk for us, and then, within hours, have their babies taken away from them.

She said how we “turn their lactation into a commodity” and that it was the same for “a hen, we turn her menstruation into a commodity.”

Have you ever thought of eggs benedict in this way? Nor had I. But what Hannah said next really floored me.

“When we start to commodify a female body, it has a huge impact on the societal psyche, so the fact we have this huge industry that is based on the domination of the feminine will have a huge

impact. We ingest their terror; we ingest their suffering.”

An entire industry based on the domination of the feminine. Just mull over that for a while, and think about what that really means.

I look guiltily to my left where my coffee sits. A tall glass of female suffering. Not so delicious now.

A friend of mine, Paige Cowell, is a vegan and agrees that “animals are treated differently due to gender within animal agriculture. Females are more "useful" because of certain natural processes, for example, their menstruation is how we get our eggs and their lactation is how we get our milk and cheese. None of the animals within this industry are treated well, but females do have it worse and that's because they are female.”

And that’s sort of what feminism is, isn’t it? Recognising that there’s a lot of the shit in the world, but knowing that women have a considerably worse deal, purely because we are women, and trying to rectify that.

Paige also said, “I think that the word equality should relate to not only issues surrounding sexism but issues surrounding speciesism. Different genders should be treated equally, different ages should be treated equally, different races should be treated equally and different creatures should be treated equally. An animal that is not human should have as much right to live as an animal that is human, and the rights of that animal should not stop at the right to live but should include the right to not endure unnecessary pain purely because of their species, in the same way that people should not have to endure things just because of

their gender.”

In order to properly gauge how abhorrent the dairy industry treats females, you must look at it as if it were exploiting human women. Imagine if up and down the country, all around the world, millions of women were hooked up to milking machines, being impregnated against their will, having their children snatched away from them, their entire reproductive system turned into something useful for us. Their bodies no longer their own.

It is a sobering thought, and not one that I seem to have been able to shake off lightly.

Now, I’m not one to chastise someone for being a ‘bad’ feminist. There’s enough infighting in the movement already. A lot of competition and ‘calling out’ and I’m-more-feminist-than-you type vibes blah blah you’re-not-a-good-feminist-because-you-like-Caitlin-Moran blah blah––there’s tons of it. Of course you can still be an excellent, proactive, sparkling feminist and still drink milk and eat cheese. I’m not even a vegetarian. But I can’t pretend to not have been deeply moved by some of the things I have heard and come across recently.

I urge everyone, feminist or otherwise (even though if you aren’t, why not, you dick) to perhaps consider how the dairy and egg industries influence our ideas about the usefulness of the female body, whether it is that of a human or animal.

I will leave you with this quote from William Wilberforce as it captures what I am feeling at the moment, “You may choose to look away, but you can never say again that you did not know.” Maybe put that coffee down.

27

SPORT

FOUNDER Sport

January 2016

THE FOUNDER

Sports@thefounder.co.uk / @rhulfounder

Female Sport Campaign Success

BY SAM WILLIAMS SPORT EDITOR

Photos provided by www.sportengland.org, netivist.org, www.thedrum.com

With the New Year building up a head of steam, many people decide to make the resolution to live a healthier, more active lifestyle. While most people decide to forego this change after the first few weeks of a gym membership, results from a recent study by the This Girl Can campaign show that more and more women are choosing to take part in sport and become more active.

Highlighted by the BBC’s own Get Inspired movement, This Girl Can is a nationwide campaign formulated by Sport England in order to increase the amount of women getting involved with sport. After conducting their original research a year ago, the leaders of the campaign found that in England, 1.73 million fewer women played sport compared to men.

Their research found that this gap in participation came from both the potential time and cost exercise needs. However the most worrying reason given by women aged in a range from 14 to 40 for not getting active due to a ‘fear of judgement’ ranging from their ability to their general appearance while exercising.

To combat this attitude in those women, the campaign used taglines like “I kick balls, deal with it” and “Sweating like a pig, feeling like a fox”, hoping to change the attitudes of women towards sports and the general idea of being more active. The CEO of the campaign, Jeannie Price, stated that “In This Girl Can we want to tell the real story of women who exercise and play sport. They come in all shapes and sizes and all levels of ability. They have a myriad of reasons for doing what they do.

If you are wondering if you should join them – or carry on – this campaign says it really doesn’t matter if you are a bit rubbish or completely brilliant, the main thing is that you are a woman and you are doing something, and that deserves to be celebrated.”

After a year of campaigning celebration is needed because from their original research, the This Girl Can campaign has claimed that 1.6 million women have changed their lifestyle and become involved in some sort of regular exercise.

People across genders can be intimidated at the idea of trying something new, even more so when that something new involves taking a risk and putting yourself out to potentially be criticised. However, living an active lifestyle has been found to increase a person’s wellbeing not just physically, but also mentally and socially. While starting out can be difficult, it can be exciting to track your progress as you improve over a period of time and the friends you can make through being active always serve as great motivation.

Here at Royal Holloway, there are many different pathways to get involved in sport or exercise. Whether it is a gym membership or trying a sport that you never have before, Royal Holloway Sport is a welcoming environment for any and all who want to get involved. It’s never too late to start on those damn New Year resolutions, so get up and get stuck in!

For more about This Girl Can, go to www.thisgirlcan.co.uk and for more about Royal Holloway Sport, go to www.royalholloway.ac.uk/ sports/home.aspx.

@

THEPAD@CRM-LIMITED.CO.UK 0844 371 5607 CRM-STUDENTS.COM/THEPAD