Contents
Meet The Editors
3
I Once Trapped Time
4
The Alarming Growth of the Far Right
5
Don’t Die a Copy of Someone Else
7
A Short Story
9
The Past is Recurring
12
South Asian Superwomen
13
Musical Highlights 2019
16
Meet The Editors Hi, I’m Anna and I’m really glad to be taking this opportunity to act as artistic director of the Wally Street Journal. It poses an exciting new challenge and an interesting opportunity to make use of my creativity. I look forward to creating for you.
Anna Gungaloo Hi! I’m Antara and I love being one of the editors for the WSJ, as I’ve always enjoyed political and historical debate. Hopefully you enjoy this edition just as much as we enjoyed creating it!
Antara Singh
Hi I'm Pragati and I'm really excited to be one of the new editors of the Wally Street Journal as I have always loved reading. I can't wait to read your next submissions!
Pragati Gupta
i once trapped time seconds and seconds and seconds a world will combust for its seconds. not i. maybe several seconds ago i did yield, for they can be a balm to a dry mind in the ticking of movement and this very gateway, but i have discovered their sophistry. i, not alone, not with many, have held the seconds in my palm, observing the curious, wriggling creatures. for you see, when looked at from afar, they may seem nebulous and magical. don’t be deceived if you can help it, when the seconds are caught in the cage of a fist, though they writhe and they squirm to get back to their stream, they have no way out. homogeneity and hardness – they cannot be denied. you are your time, so be it.
Sarita Williams
The Alarming Growth of Right-Wing Populism – Antara Singh Trump and Johnson are not the only examples of right-wing leaders coming to power: in fact, they’re far from it. Unfortunately, they aren’t the first of this kind of leader, nor will they be the last. The world is seeing a dramatic shift on the political spectrum, whereby right-wing nationalism and populism are booming and worryingly, gaining lots of support. It is disturbing. In fact, it is terrifying. These are people who want to curb immigration, who are overtly racist and clearly, at least in my opinion, have no consideration of basic human rights. How have we allowed these leaders and parties to come to power? Naturally, every country has right-wing parties, but many have them in power. From the USA to India, and even China (who claim they’re communist but look at the way they’re treating Uyghur Muslims), the most powerful nations subscribe to this notion, and the world as we know it is undergoing rapid transformation. Though there are different hypotheses for this phenomenon, the general consensus is as follows: people are fed up of the traditional political Establishment. Voters are frustrated about immigration, feeling their national identity is being diluted (or even polluted), and are seeking radical leaders who promote chauvinism. This global march is claiming countries at an alarming rate. Many see the right as a way to protest against the Establishment, or the elite, who are unaligned with the will of the people. It’s seen as power being given back to the citizens, almost with an anti-political sentiment. We distrust political leaders more than ever before, because corruption and lying are ubiquitous, and frequently reported by the media. Yet there are more worrying reasons for the growth of populism. People are becoming more insular – they want to ‘protect’ themselves from the ‘pollution’ of different cultures, and preserve their sovereignty. Stereotypically, European right-wing populists oppose immigration, particularly from the Islamic world, and are Eurosceptic. Cast your minds back a whole four years to that fateful Brexit referendum, and the advertising surrounding it. Without a doubt, Brexit is a result of discontent with the economic and immigration policies of the EU, but also this renewed sense of a loss of autonomy. UKIP, the Brexit Party, the DUP, and god forbid even some members of the Conservative Party and our own Prime Minister share this viewpoint. Why did Brexit happen? Well, that isn’t an easy question to answer by any stretch of imagination (there’s a whole Wikipedia page on it if you’re interested). But 52% voted for it. Among their concerns were the power of EU over British legislation and ‘gaining back control of our borders’, which were seriously helped by the media and companies like Cambridge Analytica.
But across the world too, populism is everywhere. Let’s observe the most prominent example: our favourite Mr Trump, whose antiimmigrant and anti-free trade rhetoric attracts masses of support. It is even possible that he’ll be re-elected in 2020, and we’ll be subjected to this egotistical, incompetent, orange buffoon who hates everyone that isn’t like him for another four years (I could come up with pages of words to describe him and his complete idiocy, but you get the point). I can’t blame Americans as a whole for voting for him, but when a man locks up Mexicans in literal concentration camps, lets Turkey assault the Kurds and attacks dead people, it’s difficult not to get a little… angry. These ruthless and idiotic traits of such an improbable presidency are not just characterised by Trump. If we take the example of Modi in India, we see something similar. The recent Citizenship Amendment Bill has essentially banned Muslims from entering the country, as part of his nationalistic ‘reforms’. India was created as a secular country in 1947, yet here is a Prime Minister who enforces fascist laws and an agenda to rally Hindu support. And the worst part of all of this is, that people love these leaders. They have almost a personality cult around them: these men and yes, sometimes women (Le Pen, for example) have masses of support and are placed in power, sometimes never to give up their power in a sort of dictatorship (i. e. Putin and Jinping). Our world as we know it is becoming more and more xenophobic. People are listening to these right-wing politicians and are believing that they’re entitled to more, to more than immigrants are, to more than people from other backgrounds. Of course, there are differences between these nationalist systems across the world, with different economic, political and cultural conditions. But the premise is the same: there is more anxiety about order, or a lack of it, and these parties promise to restore order against the traditional Establishment. Whether its lowering crime rates, stabilising economic growth or preserving national identity, people are frustrated and are looking for people who share their anger. So yes, we should be afraid of the rise of right-wing populism, because it’s is transforming our world into something rather dangerous.
Don’t Die A Copy of Someone Else This is an important message that I want to spread and that I think everyone needs to hear. Blocking out what people think of you and not caring about what they think of you is the best way to live your life. It seems that these days, a lot of us want to be so called “popular”. We see the people in our classes, they seem to have it all, the expensive clothes, the attention, they are always going out, they have a relationship, they seem so ‘happy’ and you might want to be like them, you might want to fit in. Sometimes you feel down and tell yourself ‘I am not enough’, and you question why you can’t fit in and why everyone doesn’t like you, and why you feel so terribly lonely. But I am here to tell you that popularity does not give you real happiness, it puts pressure on you, and you don’t always know who your real friends are. The point is you are more than enough, you were born with something so special that no one can imitate, raw and true originality that others wish they had. You are more than what people think of you, don’t waste your life chasing to be like someone else, don’t die a copy. You were born to stand out, stop trying to throw that away by trying to fit in. Seriously popularity does not mean quality. And I know, I understand that today we unfortunately live in a society where people are loved for being their fake selves and others are judged for being unique and expressing who they are. And you have to be you and shine like you are supposed to, be genuine, be real. It is better to be hated for who you are then liked and praised for who you are not. It doesn’t matter if you don’t fit in. So, what if you aren’t perfect? Do you know how diamond experts differentiate between which diamonds are worthless and which aren’t? The diamonds that are fake have a perfect shape whereas the diamonds that are real and worthy some have flaws and imperfections. Just like fake people in this world appear perfect, but real people make actual mistakes and have flaws. The truth is that cool people don’t worry about being popular or cool. But the people that do care about that are the people who go home, not happy at all with who they really are. Popularity is when others like you, but true happiness is when you love yourself. Sometimes the universe has to shield you from the things that you want. You not being popular allows us to work on ourselves and be the best people we can be. And when you do that everything changes, it is like the room has been ridden of its darkness and light has illuminated it fully. And when you have the courage and confidence to be you, you love yourself for you and block out other’s thoughts, people will start coming to you. You will realise that you are enough already and that you don’t need others praise and opinions as validation of
yourself. Nobody has been through your life or can preach your story, so hold your head up and stop hiding your true colours and shine underneath the shade. Most importantly don’t trade your dignity for silly thing called ‘popularity’. You may not be popular at this moment in time, but you will be great one day, you will be worth knowing. So, work on you and forget about what people think because most people don’t think. They will judge you based on someone else’s opinion of you. Cut these people out of your life completely, they don’t deserve to be anywhere near it, they are dimming your light. Focus on you. I want to tell you that right now it might be hard to realise that in 5 years none of this popularity business is going to matter to anyone, especially you. Popularity ends when school ends. But the person that you become, and build will last the entirety of the rest of your life. So, don’t let them write you own story. If you carry on worrying about what others think of you. You will forever be their slave. And you are so much more than that. I know it. So never forget the person that you are, because it is that living being inside of you that makes you absolutely incredible.
Jannah Abdul – Wadud
10 Curie
This story explores the stream of consciousness of an unwell man, and the helplessness of his sorrowful wife. Metaphorically, they are so far apart. In reality, it’s just a case of a glass screen and a breathing mask separating them. The persona’s disorientated, damaged subconscious manipulates him into believing he is on a beach; his throat as dry as sand, the chemicals from his surgery give out a salty odour, and his mind is drowned in waves of pain and question. The man’s joyful moments of his life are exhibited only through memories, he always had the most genuine intentions, but instead, constantly ends up causing pain to his loved ones. Mentally and physically. His wife of forty years refuses to let go of her beloved; she can sense the presence of him flickering in the hospital halls. She knows he will fight, he was never one to give up easily. She won’t let go until he does. ... That noise. A patient voice… gentle footsteps... Again. I hear it again. Where is it coming from? Echoing within my battered body? It can’t be, it is almost harmonious. It is familiar, previously embedded. Yes… I know this sound; it soothes these infinite dilemmas away. What? What? How does one grasp the notion of moving their lips? They’re sewn shut, I think. Is that sand crumbling in my throat? This imprisoning island wears a rough coat of maroon. The strong stench of salt is drowning me, it sets my chest on fire. I am being dragged into darkness, I think. I wish to stay above! What is this force clutching me? “Will you fight?” Far into the horizon, I see the sun finally settling down. “Will you?” I accept the challenge, whomever this challenger is. I will fight for freedom, anything for relief from this entrapment of endless affliction... That noise. Again. I hear it, again! … Her wistful eyes desperately searched his, in hope of a sign, yet already foreseeing the answer. She pondered: how was he coping? What he was feeling? Did he know he was near the end? Will he fight? He squinted as the iodine was spilled out onto his chest – preparing for surgery, again. Even behind the compact screen of the mandatory hospital separation, the stench of salty chemicals reached out distantly, like a glove of death pulling her in. The breathing tubes tangled. He was tied down, essentially. Similar to how she couldn’t save him; her hands were tied. They explained that they “needed” to operate; they’ll try their best – but no guarantees would be made.
Could he hear her? Would he recognise the woman he spent the last forty years with? For they had grown old together, protected each other – or had least tried. An eternity of love – slowly deteriorating before their eyes: hers wrinkled, his protuberant and fixed, permanently caging unimaginable pain. She lent a hand, first tracing the grey, glacial bar of the bed, before searching for his hand under the sheet of tattered, brown cloth. It had the consistency of paper, so thin she could visualise the brittle bones beneath the blanket. Their intertwined fingers seemed to temporarily halt his agitation. … The warmth of her touch relaxed me. The noise. It is a voice! I think. Of course; the noise had caused a harmonious headache, curable only by the voice of my beloved. She is always, always there. I miss her, I really do. If it is the last thing I remember, it is bound to be this: back when we were sitting on a hospital chairs, positioned on the lush grass, enjoying my last days in reality: “Till’ death do us part” The familiar voice had promised. “I mean it. I really do.” I had squeezed my wife’s hand firmly, with pure and sincere gratitude. Instead, I had unintentionally clamped down, and despite my head screaming, imploring me to release the clasp, my body profoundly ignored. It was another episode. It was unstoppable. Hence, I was forced to unwillingly listen to the piercing sound of a... Snap! It took the echo of torture to bring me back to my senses. The echo of torture, for my oblivious brain to allow my hand to release my unconscious iron grasp. I’ll never forget the look on her face: Hurt, but calm. Broken, yet balanced. Understanding, and beautiful. Truly elegant; even in the midst of her upset. … She remembers too. The sheer remorse he felt, the utter disgrace he thought of himself. She had tried to calm him. For, her hand was only sore – or so she claimed. She’d read the confusion on his face, like a book she’s read a thousand times before: he didn’t know what to do, how he’d done such a thing; unaware of the significant strength he carried. He was even hesitant to stay with her; he believed he was an inevitable danger to everyone – both emotionally and physically, now, and later. She had refused to believe the statement’s accuracy, and that's when another, the most distressing stroke struck. He suddenly turned around in a circle, bewildered. Blinking thrice to ensure his eyes didn’t lie, although he hadn’t moved from the place he had been for the last hour – situated on freshly mowed grass, yet never without an IV dripping tasteless nutrients into his frail bloodstream. He flinched at his wife’s tranquil touch of her crushed hand; “Who are you, may I ask?” he feebly questioned. His memory may fail him for names, but polished manners will remain embedded in psyche.
How do I even begin? My actions don’t, won’t, can’t speak the tender words etched in my faulty heart. I wish I knew! I wish I knew the right words to say. I wish I knew where I was, and where to begin. I wish I knew a lot of things right now. But I know one thing for sure: it is her. It always has been. For her, I will fight. … Zara Khan 12AST
Faheema Mukhtar Ahamed The Past is Recurring 2020. Welcome to a new decade. I was born in 2006- that weird era where everyone wore gothic makeup and listened to (a very different) Panic! At the Disco. The earliest trends I remember were when bands were hugely respected and everything, from clothes to TV shows, with special cameos, had produced a good portion of the UK and the USA’s economy. In the present day, we base our whole lives on nostalgia. I cannot walk on the street without seeing someone wearing flared corduroy trousers or hearing a car blaring 80’s rock music. Our entertainment continually caters to our hunger with more and more artists, from the likes of Post Malone and Khalid, changing their styles of music to ‘old-school’ as well as TV and film including references to the Old Days. Even our politics may be influenced by the past with previous acts to recur. I personally believe that it is entirely possible to have another dictatorship deal between two certain people who are ruining our lives like Hitler and Stalin did. I also think that it is entirely possible to have World War III happen when it is left in the hands of two of the world’s stupidest and most powerful men, don’t you agree? Reader, I am not here to complain, but to tell you of the many possibilities of the future. May Brexit be a recurrence of the dismantling of the British Empire? Could the Corona Virus be a repeat of the Bubonic Plague? Could whales become extinct? Could we become hippies in the future (Noooo)? Alas, we also say goodbye to famous people who have changed the way we perceive ideas. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the following: Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, Stan Lee, Luke Perry and most recently, Kobe Bryant. Thank you for inspiring us as the younger generation and may you rest in peace. Plumes of contemporary words lace their way into our dialect and hang about in the nitrogen and oxygen we breathe in every day. More people from different cultures and ethnicities populate the land and the numbers are slowly ascending. New generations are learning about the world we live in and are currently thinking of solutions to make it a better place, like their ancestors before them. Fresh opportunities arrive by the masses, waiting to be claimed. The populace will mature steadily into fully flourished citizens. I don’t know what’s going to happen next in the future, but in the meantime, you will most likely find me reading random books, listening to Bleachers or eating large amounts of Ben and Jerry’s.
SOUTH ASIAN SUPERWOMEN If you were asked to think of any influential figure from any time period, modern to prehistoric, the chances of you thinking of a person of colour is low, let alone a South Asian woman. The lack of diversity in not only the media, but also the national curriculum, is problematic and shameful and so we must bring it upon ourselves to acknowledge and celebrate what the government and media fail to: the South Asian superwomen throughout history. South Asian women have influenced the world in every aspect – from media to culture to academia and below are just five examples of significant South Asian superwomen from history. Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi Born on the 19th November 1828, Lakshmibai became the queen of the state of Jhansi in India and one of the leading figures in the Indian Rebellion in 1857, defying many of the patriarchal cultural expectations of the time. She was a symbol of bravery, patriotism, respect of girl child, perseverance, generosity and resistance to British rule for Indian nationalists. After initially being reluctant to rebel against the British, the turning point came in June 1857 when the British broke their word of peace and mercilessly massacred between 40 and 60 sepoys along with their wives and children and Rani realised that peace and cooperation would no longer be an option and vowed to fight for Indian independence. Being trained in horsemanship and fencing, Rani would mount her horse and go into battle with an army she reared herself, allowing women to receive military training as well as men. Fighting alongside her army she fought the British for Indian independence till her last breath on the 18th June 1858 after being wounded in battle Noor Inayat Khan Noor Inayat Khan, of Indian and American descent was born on the 1st of January 1917 and became the first female wireless operator to be sent from Britain to France in WW2 to aid the French Resistance and the first Muslim war heroine. Shortly after the First World War broke out, Noor and her family moved to England from Russia and then to France in 1920. Upon her father’s death in 1927, Noor took it upon herself to take care of her grief-stricken mother and younger siblings before studying child psychology at the Sorbonne and beginning a career in writing poetry and children’s stories. After the outbreak of the Second World War, she and her family moved to Cornwall in 1940 and although being deeply influenced by pacifist ideals, wanted to contribute to end the Nazi tyranny and so joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, which she found incredibly boring, before being sent to become a wireless operator and then being trained as a wireless operator in occupied territory. Her superiors regarded her as being ‘too feminine’ as she preferred to ‘not have to do anything two faced’ and mocked her dislike for weapons. Despite concerns of others, Khan’s competency, ability to speak fluent French, and a shortage of wireless operators meant she was given the extremely dangerous task of being a wireless operator behind enemy lines - a job with a life expectancy of just 6 weeks in 1943.
The job of an operator was to maintain a link between their location and London, sending and receiving messages about planned sabotage operations or about where arms were needed for resistance fighters. Without such communication it was almost impossible for any resistance strategy to be coordinated, but the operators were highly vulnerable to detection. She would have to wait alone for hours for a reply to confirm messages had been received but staying on the air transmitting for more than 20 minutes, their signals were likely to be picked up by the enemy and so she had to move around, carrying the bulky equipment with her, avoiding Nazi soldiers. Khan relayed invaluable information from behind enemy lines back to England until she was betrayed by a double agent to the Germans and held as a prisoner of war, where she refused to give up information and was eventually sent to Dachau concentration camp where she was executed on the 13th of September 1943. In recognition for her contribution to the war, Noor Inayat Khan was posthumously awarded the George Cross citation in 1949 and a blue plaque outside her London home in February 2019. Agnes de Silva Born in Colombo, 1885 Agnes De Silva was a Sri Lankan women’s rights activist from a progressive society who, during the 1930s, pioneered issues related to women and in particular women’s suffrage or franchise for women in Sri Lanka, campaigning for women’s right to vote and was instrumental in establishing the Women’s Franchise Union of Sri Lanka, which was established in 1927. At that time her aunt, Winifred Neil, was a leading medical doctor who pursued activism to get franchise rights for women and organised a delegation of women members of the Franchise Union to present their case at the 1928 Donoughmare Comission on Constitutional Reform constituted by the British government, which was in control of Sri Lanka at the time. Agnes had testified before the Commission that women in Sri Lanka should have the right to vote but initially the Commission had agreed to only grant franchise to women over thirty. Agnes then visited Britain with her husband to present the case of Sri Lanka, not only for suffrage but also for other reforms, which were accepted and became a part of a new constitution in 1931 which allowed women above twenty-one to vote. She then became a member of the Executive Committee of the Labour Party and worked for Sri Lankan independence, which was granted in 1948. Cornelia Sorbaji Born 15th of November 1866, Cornelia Sorbaji was the first female graduate from Bombay University, the first woman to study law at Oxford University, the first female advocate in India, and the first woman to practice law in India and Britain. Her father was a Christian missionary and a key figure in convincing Bombay University to allow women into their degree programs and upon completing her degree wrote in 1888 to the National India Association assistance in completing her education. Her plea was championed by Mary Hobhouse, the wife of a member of the Council of India and Adelaide Manning.
Sorabji arrived in England in 1889 and stayed with Manning and Hobhouse and in 1892, was given special permission (mostly due to the petitions of her English friends), to take a post-graduate degree at Oxford, becoming the first woman to do so. Upon returning to India in 1894, She got involved in social and advisory work on behalf of women who were forbidden to communicate with the outside male world called ‘purdahnashins’, who in many cases, owned considerable property, yet had no access to the necessary legal expertise to defend it. Sorabji was given special permission to enter pleas on their behalf but was unable to defend them in court since not holding professional standing due to the fact she was a woman. In response to the injustice, Sorbaji presented herself for the relevant exams yet in spite of her success was not recognised as a barrister until the law barring women from practising was changed in 1923. It is estimated that Sorabji helped over 600 women and orphans fight their legal battles, sometimes for free. In 1924, law was opened as a career option to women in India, and Sorabji began practising in Kolkata. However, due to male bias and discrimination, she was confined to preparing opinions on cases, rather than pleading them before the court and retired from the high court in 1929. Dreya Seyhan Arman Derya Seyhan Arman is a Turkish transgender rights activist, actress and drag queen who openly talks about her experiences as a transgender woman in Turkey, the country with the highest transgender murder rate in the last 10 years with approximately 60 murders in the last decade and Turkish police firing tear gas at people gathered to celebrate pride in 2019. Despite the dangers of being LGBTQ+, she continues to campaign for the rights of trans people in Turkey and further her acting career. She was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in the theatrical drama Küründen Kabare, which translates to Cabaret of Sham, which she wrote and produced over two seasons, telling the story of her life as an LGBT+ individual. After this success, she starred in several TV series and movies and most recently has been working dubbing the voice of drag queen character Electra in the Netflix series Pose.
Some Highlights in Music from 2019 Immunity - Clairo Immunity Clairo
Igor – Tyler, Tyler, the Igor the Creator Creator
Ginger -- Brockhampton Brockhampton Ginger
When When II Get Get Home Home--Solange Solange
Cuz I Love LoveYou You- -Lizzo Lizzo
Norman F*****g Norman F*****g Rockwell Rockwell––Lana Lana Del DelRey Rey
Psychodrama Psychodrama - -Dave Dave
Nothing Great Nothing Great about aboutBritain Britain- slowthai slowthai
Brol, la la suite suite ––Angèle Angèle Brol,
Pony–– Rex Rex Orange Pony Orange County County
Fine Line Line –– Harry Harry Styles Fine Styles
The Sailor Sailor – Rich The Rich Brian Brian
We hope you enjoyed reading this edition of the Wally Street Journal! Any new submissions for the next editions would be great, so please send any to asingh14@wallingtongirls.org.uk or agungaloo14@wallingtongirls.org.uk