The Journeys Gazette

Gazette JOURNEYS FESTIVAL

August 2022, Issue 1

Art Reach & Writing East Midlands

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER

artreach.org.uk/journeysfestival

Exclusive

The Journeys Festival Gazette has been commissioned by Art Reach, in partnership with Writing East Midlands and curated and edited by lead writer, John Berkavitch in collaboration with community groups across Leicester and beyond.

Journeys Festival International was first delivered in Leicester in 2013 and since then has hosted regular editions in Manchester and Portsmouth too. With this festival we create a platform for artists from sanctuary seeking backgrounds, a showcase to share artistic talent, community cultural exchanges and incredible live events.

Together with audiences and artists, we explore journeys, migration and the world around us.

LOOK OUT LEICESTER!

We embrace different cultures; we explore what it means to seek and find sanctuary and we celebrate our different journeys together. We are proud to be the UK’s first Festival of Sanctuary, showing our commitment to sanctuary seeking artists and audiences.

We’ve been working to improve the festival’s accessibility for all and have been accredited with the Attitude Is Everything Bronze Charter Status, which means we’re welcoming to all and have made provisions for Deaf and disabled artists, audiences and participants too. We strive to make the festival inclusive, safe and enjoyable for all.

We’ve worked hard to produce an amazing festival experience and we want you to join us on the journey.

Together we will celebrate Leicester as an international and diverse city. We’re taking over the streets with a family-friendly programme of outstanding outdoor arts, incredible performances, live music from around the world and jaw-dropping shows that you’ll be talking about for years to come.

Image: Journeys by George Sfougaras

Journeys Festival International Returns To Leicester ​Journeys Festival International brings together artists and communities to explore big ideas and create experiences that will excite and entertain.

Visual Arts Dance & Music

Rush - Southpaw Dance Company, The Leicester Music Scene - Carol Leeming Mbe. Page 8.

Diaspora - George Sfougaras, Windrush - Safiya Kamara, Bring The Paint - International Graffiti Festival. Including some highlights from the recent Bring The Paint International Graffiti Festival. Page 12.

SPOTLIGHT

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CONTENTS 02-03 Spotlight A letter to my younger self - Nupur Arts Daily Definitions - Inua Ellams 04-05 Journeys 15th July 2016 06-07 Poetry Lemn Sissay and Chie Hosaka 08-09 Dance & Music RUSH The Leicester Music Scene 10-11

Games & Relaxation

Cooking with Bindu, Puzzles & Horoscopes 12-13 Visual Arts Safiya Kamaria Kinshas George Sfougaras Bring The Paint 14-15

Journeys

The first time I saw snow Call me Ana 16

Sport

Vichai Statue Tiger’s new kit Sport in Leicester

A Letter To My Younger Self.

Created By The Ladies Of Nupur Arts Once a week the Peepul Centre in Belgrave plays host to Nupur Arts coffee and chat sessions. Poet John Berkavitch has been working with this fine group of Aunties to explore some ideas of creative writing.

The following piece was created from the prompt.

“What advice would you give to your younger self?”

Dear younger me, Your life will bring many eventualities.

Some good and some challenging. Remember to face each with courage and an open mind. This is possibly the most important thing in life. It’s harder than you think.

Try to have lots of friends but also be cautious. Do not trust everyone. People can take advantage of your naivety if you are not careful so maybe try to keep some distance.

You will never walk alone. Blessings of our ancestors shower down upon us. First time I arrived in my flat I put up a picture inscribed “God bless and protect me!” I still have it now.

Try to endure the moments you cannot change. Take life as it comes.

I have never worked as hard as I have over here. I feel like I achieved my independence. I am very happy as I’ve been blessed with good health. Walking and talking is like my therapy, you should try that when you feel lost.

Money can’t buy time gone by. Love the people you are around. See how happy you feel when you help someone.

The days that have passed are not in your hand to change you can only take hold of your future. Try to spend more time with friends and relatives.

I want to forgive myself for not reaching my parents expectations and I regret not spending more time on myself instead of living under other people’s commandments.

My advice is you have one body and you should look after it.

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You must eat home cooked food, lots of protein and carbohydrate and vegetables.

You are what you eat so eat less meat.

No smoking, no drinking and no lazing around. Make sure you get lots of outdoor exercise like walking and gardening. I like to plant vegetables to use for cooking and if there is more than I need I can freeze to keep me going for 5-6 months.

Make sure you get enough rest and sleep.

I am always giving this advice to my children and grandchildren so I am giving it to you too.

The children are always working too hard and they spend a lot of time on the computer which I think is bad for their health.

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If I never had a smartphone then imagine how much time and energy I would save. I could be doing more gardening, or visiting my family and friends to play with my granddaughters. I could be more creative with my time.

If I had never got married I would never have had my beautiful children.

I believe family is very important and no matter whatever happens you will always have them standing by and blessing you so make time for them.

Do look after your health my dear. Eat nourishing food and also feed your heart.

Love the life you live. Happiness comes from within and comes out in good company. Do not crave for material things, they are not important. Make friends that inspire you in a positive way. Education is also so important in life. It can make you independent.

Finally do not have grudges on those that hurt you, learn to forgive and move on.

I wish you a beautiful life.

Yours sincerely Older you.

“Love the life you live.

Happiness comes from within and comes out in good company.”

Wake up early to have more time to yourself. Exercise and eat healthy. You will learn to hate ready made meals and sometimes it’s OK to eat bhajis and samosa.

I know you have gone through lots of ups and downs but your parents and brothers and sisters have been very supportive.

You will achieve your goal to study and you will be very sporty at school. You will take part in many competitions for sports at your school. You will be very happy in your life. Because your children will be doing well and it will make you happy to see how much they grow.

Think about all the things you can do. I know that there are lots of things I would have regretted never doing.

If I never came to Britain my life would not be what it has been. Not this much freedom or safety or financial comfort.

If I never came to this country I could never have improved myself so much.

I would never have eaten chocolate. I remember trying it when I first arrived here. It was delicious but always too expensive in my country.

Nupur Arts is a dynamic dance organisation based in the heart of Leicester since 1990. Specialising in Bharatanatyam, Bollywood and Folk, Nupur Arts offers dance classes to all demographics. Alongside their outreach work of engaging with artists, practitioners & other arts organisations to develop, promote and support South Asian arts in Leicestershire & beyond.

The organisation plays a key role in enriching local communities and engaging with people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, through a range of arts and cultural activities reflecting the diversity of contemporary England. www.nupurarts.org.uk

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SPOTLIGHT

Every Day Inua Ellams Creates A Tiny Poem Zooming In Born in Nigeria in 1984, Inua Ellams is an internationally touring poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist & designer. He is an ambassador for the Ministry of Stories and his published books of poetry include Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars, Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales, The Wire-

Headed Heathen, #Afterhours and The Half-God of Rainfall – an epic story in verse. His first play The 14th Tale was awarded a Fringe First at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival and his fourth Barber Shop Chronicles sold out two runs at England’s National Theatre. He recently completed his

first full poetry collection The Actual, is currently touring An Evening With An Immigrant and working on several commissions across stage and screen.

In graphic art & design, online and in print, he tries to mix the old with the new, juxtaposing texture and pigment with flat colour and vector graphics.

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“I wanted a writing challenge, a simple framework that would allow me to access my creative impulse, one that would not be too taxing, that would also act as a sort of diary…and this popped into my head.”

He lives and works from London, where he founded the Midnight Run, a nocturnal urban excursion. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. www.inuaellams.com

“We are small worlds made cunningly” Inua Ellams Daily Definitions

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JOURNEYS

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On 15th July 2016, A Coup Was Attempted In Turkey The coup threw the country into turmoil with hundreds killed and tens of thousands of people arrested and imprisoned. Over the next few years, many fled in fear for their lives.

We arranged a zoom call with the University of Leicester’s Sanctuary Seekers Unit and people who had fled the conflict in Turkey to discuss their journeys so far and explore what the future may hold for them.

My husband decided to go abroad, to London. After two months my children and I came too. I remember that I had both emotions : nerves and happiness.

Tugi

My husband was a doctor in Turkey. Two days ago after four years of study he passed 3 exam and now he is a doctor in UK. Language is a barrier for me. Once I jump this barrier I can do so many things for UK. I am excited to make my new home in this lovely country.

My home is where I feel safe. If I have safety then that is my home. I love my country but I have to feel safe. So the UK is my home now.

This journey is not just about democracy it has to be about real justice.

When I left it was only the Greek border that was our gate. Now that gate is closed.

All borders are closed.

Turkish people don’t have the same asylum rights as some other refugees.

I am in the UK now and I can look after my life and my family. To my friends who remain in Turkey I wish all these people can go somewhere that has democracy and real justice. Especially for young people. It is our children that face a lot of problems. Their future is in danger.

I wish that all of these people can go somewhere safe. I wish they find safe places to build their lives.

We have to be optimistic.

If more people know about the situation then maybe it can be changed. Maybe we can do something. Maybe sharing our stories will help. I came here and now maybe I can do something. May merciful people build our futures.

Gulsen

My name is Gulsen. I come from Ankara, which is the capital of Turkey. I was a Turkish Language Teacher for 16 years. I have 3 children. I used to work 6-8 hours daily. I like reading books and walking in the park. We had to leave from my country. This is because we didn’t feel safe.

Every day we saw clearly that our friends who were innocent were sent to prison.

We waited when the police came our house. The situation was terrible.

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I was nervous because I didn’t know anything about this country, I couldn’t speak English. On the other hand I was happy to meet my husband and I could feel excited and safe. Although I had to leave my lovely country, but I could not stay there any longer.

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I remember a woman who had 2 daughters. They were 9 and 15 years-old. She was worried because she’d been in prison for political reasons. After being released from prison she decided to escape, she told me her husband was still in prison.

5 years later he is still there. Some people had no choice. The atmosphere and emotion in Turkey is not giving people the energy they need to live.

People want to leave and live in a happier land. People want to be happy. People want to be free. They want to think freely and express themselves.

In Turkey you cannot share your ideas.

In Sweden where I am now and in the United Kingdom where my friends are you can express your ideas freely. It is important not only for us but for people behind us.

We want to share their stories too. There are many common things we can share.

The world is now so separated. There are so many differences. I think people should leave behind their differences and all people around the world should come together through love and empathy.

People can solve all their problems through dialogue. By talking. Some things are global. You don’t have to be a member of a state that doesn’t empower you. You can be anything and find the good things in life.

It is our right as human beings. We can solve all problems through humanity. We are all human.

Mahmut

At the end of June, I couldn’t stand the injustices and I decided to leave my country and contacted foreign smugglers to cross the Maritsa River. I met with them

Ubeyde

I was born in Izmir, Turkey. I grew up in Izmir until I was 20 years old when I have moved to Ankara for studying. I was there until 2018. The government started to investigate innocent people on 15th July 2016.

After some time they decided they wanted to arrest me. I had no choice, I had to leave. I have left my country in 2018.

I felt that this was a horrible thing that happened to me. It is difficult to leave your family and your life.

We had to start a new life from the very beginning. I had to learn a new language, I had to get to know new people. There was a lot to learn and a lot I still don’t understand.

Levent

I was an engineer. I worked 10 years in a government company before I was fired because of political conflicts in Turkey.

Many of my friends were arrested although they were not guilty. People were held under violence including women, babies, sick and old people.

I had been judged guilty of crimes although there was no proof. So, I escaped.

Because there is no justice and no such thing as an equal justice system in Turkey.

There was no future for good people there. I escaped in a boat at night with 14 people.

‘We Carry our Homes in Our Souls’ By George Sfougaras www.georgesfougaras.com

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in Istanbul. They took me to Edirne. In the evening, when it got dark, we got out of the vehicle and started walking. I was brought together with other Turks. 8 people across two families. The oldest of whom was 64 years old (he had just been released from prison after 38 months).

One of the families had 2 children, a 9 year-old boy and a 3 year-old.

We started walking and then accelerating into running. We travelled for about 3 hours until the older boy could not walk anymore. His father was holding him in his arms, but he was too weak and exhausted, so he could not carry him and both fell.

The mother was trying to carry the smaller boy and his backpacks. We all had backpacks and they were getting heavy.

I took the older boy from his father and another friend who was alone took their bags and we got a little faster now. But after a while, my strength started to run out too. But we couldn’t stop. Stopping meant wasting time and potentially getting caught by Turkish soldiers.

Since we were near the creek and wet with sweat, there were a lot of mosquitoes and they started to bite. After waiting for about 1 hour, we passed the Meriç and entered the wooded area on the Greek side. We waited here for about 30 minutes not knowing what to do. While we waited, sat in silence, we started to hear footsteps. We had heard that masked people trying to cross into Greece were often soldiers in disguise. Taking the clothes of refugees and beating them and sending them back to Turkey.

We all crouched. The footsteps were getting closer and closer. The moonlight illuminated the night. And as the footsteps approached, our fear increased. Now everyone was crouching on the ground, waiting with their eyes closed. I couldn’t stand it anymore and looked in the direction where the footsteps came from. And after a while I saw a wild boar and its 3 cubs pass by. I don’t know how, but they passed by without us noticing.

After walking about 1 km on the Greek side, a military vehicle suddenly started to approach. We hid among the fields.

The soldiers came into the fields with lanterns and came to us and told us to leave in English. We raised our hands and went outside. The children started to cry. The soldiers made us sit on our knees on the dirt road and told us to put our bags and phones on our bags. I thought they would send us back, and that if they sent us back, we would be subjected to torture.

I told them to kill me there if they had such thoughts. I would rather die here than go back to that. The soldier looked at me said “No we will not lead you back.” Ten minutes later, the border police came, put us in the prison vehicle and took us to the police station. That was the start of my journey.

JOURNEYS

The footsteps were getting closer and closer.

The moonlight illuminated the night, and as the footsteps approached, our fear increased.

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University of Leicester’s Sanctuary Seekers’ Unit. The University of Leicester is striving to make itself a place that is understanding towards the needs of refugees and asylum seekers, is welcoming to them and provides opportunities through a range of initiatives.

The University of Leicester started the process of becoming a University of Sanctuary in October 2017, formally declaring itself as a University of Sanctuary on 11 November 2018.

In becoming a University of Sanctuary Leicester is striving to make itself a place that is understanding towards the needs of refugees and asylum seekers, is wel-

coming to them and provides opportunities through a range of initiatives. The University of Leicester recognises how people with refugee status or who are in the process of applying for it can enrich our institution. We are working with Leicester City of Sanctuary in order to ensure that we can effectively contribute to local activities aimed at creating a culture of hospitality in the city as well as the University.

As a University of Sanctuary, we can provide a range of opportunities by which staff and students across campus (and beyond) can contribute to ensuring that we are a genuinely welcoming place for people seeking sanctuary in the UK.

Bogswamp’s Top 5 Festival Picks Aalborg Karneval Festival Launch

By Aalborg Karneval, Spice Queen Productions & Mandinga Arts 12 August 2022, 7.00 - 7.30pm Clock Tower & High Street, Leicester.

LE1 5YA Aalborg Karneval is the biggest carnival in Northern Europe and attracts crowds of 100,000 people each year. Aalborg Karneval, with young Danish graffiti artist Frida Still Vium and Mandinga Arts, working with Spice Queen Productions have created a carnival float which celebrates themes of liberty and is touring European festivals this summer.

A Little Breeze

Bogswamp is a Leicester local with a monster appetite for culture. Here are their top 5 picks of things to get your teeth into.

Liberty Orchestra

By Swinging Europe with Compositions by Kenneth Dahl Knudson 13 and 14 August 2022 1.00 - 1.20pm High Street 3.40 - 4.10pm Jubilee Square The Liberty Orchestra lifts the spirit of the festival with live Jazz and features young musicians from around the world.

Inspired by sounds of folklore from all over the planet, the orchestra creates sounds inspired by places, countries and people across the world.

By CNC Danse – Nathalie Cornille 14 August 2022 3.00 - 3.30pm 4.30 - 5.00pm Curve Theatre, 60 Rutland St, Leicester. LE1 1SB Enjoy the new performance by French dance company CNC Danse, which creates spellbinding work for young audiences and adults who are young at heart. Based on the freedom of the wind and the blocks that life can occasionally place in our way.

The Write to Rave

By Debris Stevenson 14 August 2022, 6.00 - 7.30pm 2 Funky Music Cafe, 23 New Parks Street, Leicester. LE3 5NH

Based on her passion for rave, dancing and social justice, Debris has created an evening of lively, funny and thought-provoking musical poetry, supported by music producer Gabriel May and Drummer Chloe Rianna.

The show is inspired by themes developed in workshops with young people from Runcorn and Widnes as part of the Liberty EU programme.

Undocumented Love By the Finnish National Theatre 14 August 2022 1.30 - 3.00pm Leicester Guildhall, Guildhall Lane, Leicester. LE1 5FQ Join us for an evening of live music from Finnish duo Sanna and Ali, who perform Middle Eastern folk and pop music as well as new arrangements and original compositions.

Ali Saad and Sanna Salmenkallio are an Iraqi-Finnish duo, exploring Arabic and European culture through music.

The Write to Rave is a grime-poetry and live music performance developed by artist Debris Stevenson.

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POETRY

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Our Editor believes that good writing is about putting the right words in the right order, but good poetry is about using the best words in the best order.

Below are the winners for our poetry competition responding to the theme of journeys and Leicester as a place of welcome and home.

Golden City Oviya Thirumalai I walk through the doors, And the glorious gates, Greet me, A testament to the city, Has not been swept away, By time, Step into the warmth, The light of promise, Hope propels us upwards, The golden mile, The generational smile, My community has the space, To live and thrive, Leicester isn’t a branch, In my family tree,

It’s the trunk, That holds us steady, A chance to be connected, With the future, Our dreams within reach, Part of a new constellation, With the past, Where royalty pulses, In those that are forgotten, Leicester, You’ve borne me, You’ve bred me, A home filled with happiness, I’ve never felt threatened, You’re a well kept secret, A wondrous city in England, That glows and grows, As do I. Thank You Leicester.

Dangerous Journey

by Sarfraz Ahmed

Life In A Floating Boat Abwe Lovett Ngwese

They undertake a dangerous journey Full of pain and such heartache They do it for themselves For their children’s sake

Silent is the night blown by an unfriendly wind.

Chirping sounds of crickets communicate the voice of nature.

Our voices broken whispers.

Fear wraps us in his baby’s blanket.

The boat plunges into sea like a fisherman’s net.

Angry waves tossing the boat back and forth like a baby giraffe wobbling in panic.

Turning back may be our only option but it’s too late now.

Tight, the grip of hands in prayers of hope that still breathes courage in the heart of the shipman to move on.

At last, at the mercy of the sea, the floating boat gets tossed out on the shore.

Bringing joy and hope upon the faithless travellers.

Clustered together Skin to skin Breathe in breathe out The anxiety begins Fleeing persecution Desperately searching For a better future Running from poverty and decay Fighting prejudice and anything else That comes their way Hoping, that you will one day They have the right to stay.

To stay in a new land Far from injustice Ignorance and hate Every day they can live in hope, That they shall succeed, And from a poverty stricken life, Be freed.

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First Generation Pratibha Savani we are the first generation that listened to hindi songs while also hearing the popular western ones

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I Want This Place To Feel Like Home Ojo Taiye It’s September and I burn to be part of the world growing out of a cockcrow. There is no earth between my fingers and the rain won’t stop falling. Today, I stay indoors and watch LazyTown on TV. In old Norse, the word for home is lenda. I invent my childhood and licked from my yester- love— a knife body standing under the moon glow in a landscape thick with bird songs and the chatter of evening chores.

What’s desire if not some kind of grace, my heart, a faithful dumb muscle beating only for puffins. If childhood

we are the first generation that would watch lots of english films but secretly enjoyed watching bollywood!!

Stranger At Home Karuna Mistery

we are the first generation that would eat our mums handmade gujarati dishes as well as loved eating chips and beans

The natives here live foreign lives But all I have are foreign ties

we are the first generation to wear those colourful indian outfits while also enjoying a comfy pair of jeans and top we are the first generation that learnt everything in english but had to go to gujarati school to read our mother tongue we are the first generation that got to study and go to University and didn’t have to commit to an arranged marriage we are the first generation that enjoyed going out clubbing with friends and had to lie where we had been we are the first generation that had a proper boyfriend or girlfriend but couldn’t tell our parents we are the first generation that found a partner outside our community or religion but still withheld our culture and heritage we are the first generation to live in the UK and appreciated where our parents and ancestors came from

How can I be at home When I struggle not to be alien?

The old ways familiar to me The new things familiar to you Many things you do not realise Like how hard it is to modernise My country exports to yours But its human labour no one wants I see your country with foreign eyes And you see my face has foreign eyes Time and the law had to adjust That we are determined to live:

My Leicester Day Jianna Bhayani, (Age 9) As I wake up in the morning, a glimpse of sunlight crawls into my bedroom, which is pretty pink. It gets me up and ready to start a brand new day, in the wonderful world of Leicester.

As I bounce out of my bed, I brush my shiny white teeth and eat my scrumptious cereal. I am ready to take on my Leicester day.

Starting from my home I venture out to take in all the cheer and brightness that surrounds me.

is a body, let me be its hand.

To hold firmly its freckle-dirt and bright yellow butterflies of deep joy. A hand crawling with some human-size worship of God. Sometimes I feel like the green tang of a woman singing a song in which the world is unlistening, unlistening. I dream, moon-struck and a tongue licks the salt from my upper lip. This is how it finally begins. Three boys ago, I language myself into a spring-fed lake— but most of all— at night, in my hand’s a coffee cup whose emptying bears the ash of want. What is the word for home? What is the root of that word that kisses me insanely?

“Paki’s” from India and “Indians” from Pakistan “Asians” must only be from China or Japan “Africans” must be from Kenya and Jamaica Whilst “Europeans” are hidden in plain sight The entire world is here in miniature The Commonwealth countries and more Do you still see us with narrow eyes?

When will you discard the old lies?

To serve one Queen and country To stand united in this great nation Humanity’s only hope to rise Is to see each other with real eyes.

I love how I can enjoy the nature and breathe in the wonderful scent of flowers.

I can take a walk with my family down the fascinating streets and peer into the vibrant shops.

Every day I go to school to learn extraordinary things and seeing my school friends always brings a smile to my face.

Spending time at the park is one my favourite things to do.

To conclude this Leicester journey, I would like to say that Leicester is one of a kind, no other city could ever be like it.

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POETRY

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‘Singular Thomas Heath You can’t own bone, chemical and nervous, unnerved because you live, breathe hard, soft in open lungs as the tails of your nerves burst passing clean air through you experience into you re-uses ghosts to keep above the water with the sun in our eyes, re-use beauty with sweat that slips down to meet and greet your stomach, navel and you definitely don’t own that but it is definitely yours.

You can’t own bone, your own blood that drips egg-shaped into perfect shards, atomic and energised.

You can’t own, you go through them, rainy summers through skin, muscle, which comes becoming, and so you become them, you have been becoming you ever since you first kicked chubby, infant legs out into unknown space over there, translating yourself into the distance.

Translate stories into joy, swallow the music through which you speak embrace and become it to grasp it and hold it in warm nylon tones, birthing you in brevity, in chasms, in huge, old, brand-new space.

Said the sun to the moon

Said the head to the heart

You are matter and you matter to us.

If you enjoy poetry then you might be interested in joining a group.

Writing East Midlands run lots of workshops and groups for people of all ages. Visit the website and join the mailing list for more information. www. writingeastmidlands. co.uk

‘We have more in common

Than sets us apart’.

Words by Lemn Sissay www.lemnsissay.com

Illustration by Chie Hosaka www.chiehosaka.com

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DANCE & MUSIC

Southpaw Dance Company Presents

Delivered in partnership with Journeys festival International, and produced by Pinwheel, Rush is a large-scale mass participation dance spectacle, featuring a huge cast of members of the Leicester community.

“Rush is going to be epic. It’s a really special project with opportunities for people city- wide to come together in a true celebration of community in a once in a lifetime performance in Leicester City Centre this August! RUSH is based around social challenges we as communities across the UK face, but also a celebration of our strength in the face of adversity, and the support we have witnessed in trying times.

We have a world class team of creatives and designers working to make sure it is truly a spectacle, but the best thing about the piece is the power of hundreds of people performing together! It really does have some explosive moments! The stage is huge, the audience will be great and we have local people from Leicester ages 16 + coming and joining in the free weekly workshops, meeting new people, and learning the choreography for the show. Previous casts for RUSH in Blackpool and Hull were in the hundreds, and we want Leicester to the biggest and best version yet!”

Robby Graham Artistic Director of Southpaw Dance Company.

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www.southpawdancecompany.co.uk

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DANCE & MUSIC

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The spectacular performance takes place at Lee Circle on Saturday 13 August.

Carol Leeming and Hariboy Trivediness performing as part of Cosmopolitan Carnival

Leicester Music

By Carol Leeming

Carol Leeming has been at the forefront of Leicester’s diverse music scene for over 3 decades. She is a champion of artists from the global majority and a key voice in conversations of representation and inclusion.

Having lived in Leicester all my life, I’ve been able to watch the music scene grow. In 2018 John Helps said Leicester’s music scene ‘is in better health now than it has been for years’.

This was in response to those who said that Leicester had ‘dropped off the map’ many who missed the Charlotte or Summer Sundae. Even those who go further back to the halcyon days of the Abbey Park Music Festivals, which programmed the best music of the city. This particular festival, subsequently, ended in an unsatisfactory hotchpotch. Even though previously, it was seen to be inclusive of a wide range of music genres. The absolute pinnacle, for Leicester music scene, which to date has not been matched, are the Leicester BBC Live Festivals of the early noughties.

These BBC Live festivals reflected the rich diversity of music available right across Leicester. I had the pleasure of being involved as part of a team of programmers on those festivals. The success of the BBC Live Festivals, was due to a consortium approach, of different individuals from a range of groups, organisations and music venues, reflecting the cultural diversity of Leicester. All of us working together with the City Council

and BBC offering: music genres: of Gospel, RnB, House, Hip Hop, Drum & Bass, Reggae, African, Jazz, Funk, Rock and Folk. With more than eight stages, street music ensembles, across the whole city centre. Along with an Leicester audience of 100,000, people.

In other years there have successful Oxjams, iterations of Handmade Festival and the Leicester Carnival with influential pubs and music venues like The Musician, The Donkey, The Hind, The Sound House, Firebug, and The Shed leading the charge for Leicester music.

There was also a more informal music scene hosting jams and open-mic nights, which were a lifeline for Leicester’s musician community and its musical development.

Over the last half a decade we’ve lost a few important venues. Notably the Charlotte and the closure of Leicester University Queens Hall, a key venue for World Music.

In recent pre-covid years I’ve seen African, Asian and Caribbean nights run by community groups at the Y theatre, Jazz programmed by Leicester Jazz House and our city has been enriched by Art Reach Journeys Festival, which programmes music by Asylum Seekers & Refugees from the Global Majority as well as African, South & East Asia and Eastern European Music. In addition to this Cosmopolitan Arts Festival programmes a huge range of culturally diverse music, both local, regional and international.

So where are we now in the Leicester music scene?

In the wake of Covid 19 and the Black Lives Matter Movement. With a number of venues closed or struggling to make ends meet, and with a lot of people still reticent about going out to see live entertainment due to people having less money to spend, hence falling footfall in the night time of the city centre. Of course we adapt. During lockdown the paramount importance of the arts, and music in particular, for peoples overall mental health and wellbeing was hugely apparent. There were other discoveries

too. For example I programmed bands for an online series of concerts featuring local and regional acts for 2Funky Arts.

Viewership of these online concerts, exceeded the live audience capacity 300+ of 2Funky’s Music Cafe venue. A great opportunity, for artists and bands to retain their existing audiences and to find new ones. Also a great opportunity for audiences across the world to see what Leicester’s scene has to offer.

Now we have old and new players in our city’s music scene. 2Funky Cafe programme a wide range of styles including Ska, Reggae, Pop, Soul, Rock and Tribute Bands. As well as offering open-mic nights hosted by HQ Familia Music Organisation. Alongside this pub venues like The Musician, The Donkey and The SoundHouse have regular events again.

Plus there are open music jams at the Black Horse Pub on Braunstone Gate and The Exchange Bar. We still only have a few venues suitable for up and coming musicians and bands or experimental music artists to play or get support slots. Those that we do have don’t always have the greatest sound and facilities and some are less accessible to certain demographics. But I believe that the artists and musicians of this city will continue to do what we have always done.

We will keep pushing forwards singing from our own songbook and marching to the beats of our own drums.

Carol Leeming was awarded MBE as poet, playwright, and for her contribution to Leicester arts and culture. Carol is hailed as a polymath, a UK Cultural Olympian of 2012, a multi-award winning, multi-disciplinary artist in literature, performing arts and digital media. www.daretodiva.org

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GAMES & RELAXATION

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Self Love & Kindness Meditation

Created by Indy Samra

rhythm. Maintain your breathing at its own natural pace. Become more and more relaxed with each breath.

Repeat the following phrases silently in your own mind.

AUGUST 2022 | ISSUE 1

Welcome Crossword Every answer is another way of saying welcome.

May I be safe and protected........

We all need a sense of selfworth, and inner fulfilment.

These along with others need to be part of our underlying core beliefs. We really need to send these messages to ourselves, so I want to invite you to take a few moments, and we’re going to send some messages of loving kindness to ourselves.

Let’s cultivate a little selfcompassion and little kindness towards ourselves.

Find a nice quiet space where you won’t be interrupted for a few minutes. Sit comfortably on a chair, ensuring your spine is straight, and keeping your shoulders relaxed. Eyes softly closed.

Take your awareness to your breath, no need to change its

May I be healthy and strong……

May I experience love and joy……

May I live my life with ease…..

And may I be at peace……

Take a few nice deep breaths in and out, then return to your natural breathing rhythm. Focus your attention on your heart centre. Our heart is the centre of love, compassion, and joy.

Knowing we can always return to that place. Repeat a few times the following silently in your own mind, I am enough, and I am loved.

Whenever you feel ready, take a few deep breaths, and gradually open your eyes and bring your awareness back into your room.

I hope you meditation.

enjoyed

this

Clues Down

10. Persian (5/6)

7. Tagalog/Filipino (10/9)

1. Portuguese (3/5)

11. Swahili (6)

8. Urdu (4/6)

12. Romanian (5)

9. Somali (3/6)

Clues Across

10. Hindi (7/2)

2. Greek (5/7) 3. Vietnamese (4/4) 4. Punjabi (7/3) 5. Turkish (11) 6. Polish (6) 7. Tamil (9) 8. Afrikaans (6) 9. Slovak (7)

1. Arabic (6/3)

11. Yoruba (5)

2. English (7)

12. Shona (5)

3. Zulu (12)

13. Bengali (7)

4. Gujarati (7/3)

14. French (9)

5. Kurdish (2/3/4)

15. Chinese/Mandarin (8)

6. Japanese (6)

Sanctuary Sudoku Fill the grid so that every row, column and 3×3 box contains the all letters, without repeating.

Welcome to the Library, Photo by Karuna Mistry

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Crossword and Sudoku solutions available on page 14 >>

GAMES & RELAXATION

AUGUST 2022 | ISSUE 1

Cooking With Bindu Bindu is the lead for the Shama Women’s Centre Cookery Course. We caught up with Bindu as she was preparing to begin her regular Thursday cooking class at Shama Women’s Centre. “I grew up Diu in India, it’s an old Portuguese colony.

I started cooking when I was very young and I learned a lot from my mother and grandmother.

Traditionally in my family every morning we start with the tea and bread but the bread is handmade. When I was about 7 I would watch my mum cook.

My grandma had taught this to her so I watched and they taught it to me. So since my childhood really I’ve always been cooking.

My mum would not allow me to be in the kitchen so she made a small stove for me from a tin container using the metal tin to make my own small stove with some charcoal and she’d make the flame and I’d use this to learn my cooking. I’d start to prepare the rice and small curries and slowly slowly she’d start to let me roll the roti. So she’d bring a little roti board and a small roller for me so I would just copy her and slowly I started to not need the help so much and that’s how I learned all this.

Then as I grew up I started doing many experiments and inventing my own versions of the recipes using other ingredients some traditional and some from here in England.”

“Today we will make a kind of salty cake called Khaman Dhokla. This is traditionally very popular in Guajarati families and in my family, my grandma, my mum; they all made this.

Quite often we would have two pieces of khaman and one roti at brunch time. If you ordered this in a restaurant they’d probably serve with some kind chutney to have like a dip so we can do that too.

There are various different types of chutneys. A few people are using just cumin, coriander and green chili and lemon juice that’s it and just mixing like a paste and eating it straight with the khaman. Some people are

11

Khaman Dhokla Ingredients

using coconut for an extra texture and help the binding with the chutney and giving it some body. Some people prefer no body just a liquid and just soaking it with a spicy tangy chutney, some people like peanuts some people use sesame seeds, whatever is available in your home you can use, you don’t have to worry about not having all the ingredients just make it to your flavour and taste. You have a lot of options.”

Shama Women’s Centre Shama Women’s Centre came into existence 35 years ago, when a group of Global Majority women got together to provide culturally inclusive support and activities to local women.

The project grew rapidly, and the unincorporated organisation received support from Leicester City Council to provide an array of services to the increasingly diverse local community.

1 cup and 3 tbsp of flour 1 tbsp powdered sugar.

1 pinch turmeric powder ½ tsp lemon juice, (traditionally we used nimbu ka sat which is a kind of citric acid).

1 tbsp oil 1 cup of water ½ tsp salt ½ tsp Baking Powder

Method 1. Sieve the flour and powdered sugar into a bowl and add the turmeric, lemon juice, oil and ½ cup of water and start whisking.

2. Gradually add the other ½ cup of water and keep mixing maintaining consistency.

3. Preparing the steamer for steaming.

Preparing The Tadka (Seasoning) Ingredients

Method 1. Put the oil in a pan 2. Add the chilies, mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafetida and sesame in order.

4. In a pan place a stand and add water.

1.5 tbsp oil

5. Heat the water on a medium flame

2 spicy chillies

3. Once the sesame is fried add the water and sugar and bring to the boil.

1 tbsp mustard seeds (sarso)

4. Let it cool.

Some curry leaves (Kadi Patta)

5. Meanwhile remove the Dhokla from its mold and transfer to a plate.

6. Take a 6 by 6 inch tin and grease with oil.

A little bit of asafetida (Hing)

7. Add the baking powder to the Dhokla mixture and mix well

1.5 tbsp of white til (sesame)

8. Transfer the mixture into the hot tin and cover the top.

2 tbsp sugar

9. Let it steam for about 15 mins.

10. Let the Dhokla cool.

Horoscopes Created by Curve Young Writers

Aries: Your mind is a dense cloud: you need it to rain. Five of the planets are in perfect alignment so be careful as not everything is as it seems for you.

Taurus: Opportunity shines on vegans this month.

Try to stay meat free this week to reap the benefits.

Gemini: You are experiencing unnecessary stress for a test you have under your belt. This may be because Mars is in retrograde so take advantage of this by seizing that new opportunity.

Cancer: Your life is a sunny day, time to get adventurous! With Venus in the sky new opportunities are on the horizon.

Leo: You are risking a lot and winning often. With Venus is in retrograde you will be unlucky, beware of risks but embrace the challenges.

100 ml water

6. Cut the Dhokla into squares 7. Pour the seasoning on top and sprinkle with grated coconut and coriander.

Grated coconut Finely chopped coriander

8. Serve.

Virgo: Uranus is unstable. Avoid tense situations.

Libra: This week you will feel that gravity is pulling you down. Duties and losses are tipping your normally balanced scales over.

Scorpio: You’re getting crushed under the jaws of overwhelming emotions. Mars is break dancing in your house right now, shattering some windows in the process. Remember to kick your inhibitions straight out of your front door and stay positive.

Sagittarius: Go for your dreams, no matter how impossible they seem, as impossible is just ‘I’m possible, come and get me!’

Capricorn: Pluto is raiding your house right now.

This means you will have to be wary of large mammals: if you stay by small mammals, fortune may come your way.

Aquarius: Stay clear of ANYTHING that is too good to be true and remember, bees are good for the environment.

Pisces: Saturn is asleep on your couch. Beware of anything described as a work event.

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VISUAL ARTS

AUGUST 2022 | ISSUE 1

Windrush Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa

‘Last year I was sent a Windrush deportation letter by the UK home office despite being born in England.

I created a visual poem from the help letter to process the trauma of the ordeal. The Windrush Scandal was horrific and I have nothing but compassion for the people who were wrongfully deported and families still waiting for compensation.’

Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa is a British born Barbadian raised poet, dancer and choreographer.

Her interdisciplinary art, braids dance and poetry on the page and stage. She is also a phd student in cultural studies.

Her first collection cane, corn & gully is forthcoming with out-spoken press in November 2022. www.Safiyakamaria.com

Diaspora

The face is an idealised version of ‘John’, (Yiannis) a long-lost relative who immigrated to Siskiyou County in Northern California in the early 1800’s, from Greece. His name I discovered on a plaque placed in his final resting place was Yiannis Ethimiou, a stonemason.

What remains, besides the name is the story of a young man leaving wartorn Greece, to search for gold in what was the ‘Wild West’. The following is from my research with the Siskiyou Genealogical Society.

George Sfougaras

It started as a pen and ink drawing about all the people that preceded us, long lost relatives, family members who sailed to the ends of the Earth, literally, and the thousands of others, all now all but lost, save for the trail of DNA....

“The community of Happy Camp never had a newspaper, the closest regular newspaper was published in Yreka, the County Seat, a long distance to travel. In 1902 the community was more Wild West than other communities in the County. Happy Camp was a Mining town, the population fluctuated from under 100 in the wintertime to several thousand residences in the summer months. Mining was very difficult in the winter months due to the river level rising and flooding the Mining camps and snow made it tough to travel and obtain supplies. There was also very little law enforcement in Siskiyou County at the time, there was one Sheriff and 3 or 4 Deputy Sheriffs to cover the whole County which has a land mass of 6300

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square miles, it is the largest County in the State of California.” John married a local Karuk woman and raised a large family.

Whilst I was researching John E. I had in mind a poem by a talented friend Michele Benn entitled ‘Uprooted from Sefarad’.

The padlock on the forehead, initially a statement about lost information and evidence locked away in ways that cannot be unravelled any longer, refers to this interminable search for information, lives and struggles unrecorded, histories discarded for a new life...languages half-forgotten; it also reminded me of the tefillin (boxes containing sacred prayer scrolls) worn by Orthodox Jewish men. The tension be-

tween the new lives sought by many of my ancestors (escaping from war, persecution, failed political systems and poverty) and their traditions read like a ledger of losses and gains. There are many other

references within the face and symbols which allude to the lives of these men, and women, including my own parents, some still locked away somewhere, waiting to be discovered.

VISUAL ARTS

AUGUST 2022 | ISSUE 1

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Bring the Paint May 2022 saw the 3rd instalment of Leicester’s world leading Bring the Paint Festival. For one week artists from as far a field as Mexico, Holland and Australia descended on Leicester producing 48 new large scale murals across the city. www.graffwerk.org

Black Heritage Matters Black Heritage Matters is a project, funded by the Heritage Lottery UK and created to coincide with Black History Month in 2023. Created in Unity games engine, this experience celebrates the Windrush generation and the legacy they have left in Leicester and throughout the UK. Through visual scripting and simple

videos, this experience allows the users to learn about the Windrush generation through interactive environments. The main objective of this experience is to celebrate the Windrush generation and the impact they have had on life and culture in the UK. www.irdtdesign.com

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Call me Ana Tara Goldsmith

Her name was horrid to spell, embroidered with never-ending consonants making it an awfully long time to dictate it to anyone on the other end of the phone. Their patience would wear thin, and they would ring off for no apparent reason except the endless attempts to get the right letters. To an innocent observer, the whole process gave the sense of word scrabble over the phone, and for this reason, she decided to call herself Ana, even though that proved to be a hassle too.

People would ask is it Ana, or Ann with double n? She often thought the spelling rules should be abolished, at least for names, to make them phonetic. Call me Ana. Simple A–N–A! The new name in the new country didn’t mean anything. She forgot who she was the day she landed at the airport, leaving behind her family to fight someone else’s war in some obscure Eastern European country. The feeling of being nobody was formalised six months later at the Home Office reception desk when she was officially stamped ‘Refugee’.

In the desperate quest for a place to call home, she moved more than 12 times from one rented place to another in less than a year, and developed a strategy for moving efficiently, without asking her few friends for help or using expensive removal firms.

Her strategy was very simple. You must not own anything bulky even if you could afford to buy it: washing machine, fridge, TV. These appliances are burdensome to

Reflection by Yusra Warsama

To find yourself the occupier of several cultures is a strange and wonderful thing, to find yourself on a different land to your ancestors because their land was occupied by bullies...and by chance you had one of those ancestors who had hope occupying their mind, so by some accumulation of such chances you happen to stand where you’re standing right now...or sitting… whatever you’re doing, I arrived in the U.K. aged 1 in the late 80s displaced by war, I grew up in a home that had its own integrity outside of the mainstream status quo of society, and in provided me with fertile ground to grow in unique ways, - and no not always easy but indeed unique and I took see the blessing in it all, We grew up not being understood at times by those around us, they would say things like “who were these people...they wear headscarves but they’re not south Asian, and they can’t be black because they’re not Caribbean” - and not really in such polite terms, There was hostility and there was also good, like old school good - the “do you want a cup a tea?”, the “how are you doing?” from the a lot of people,

ARTREACH.ORG.UK/JOURNEYSFESTIVAL

JOURNEYS get through the ticket barriers at tube stations and too heavy to take on escalators.

Save money by investing in travel bags, preferably sturdy ones. Samsonites, circa 1970, are good ones. The only issue is that once closed they can’t be opened. A knife and chisel are very handy here.

From her experience, the best solution is to have a medium to large suitcase, of any make actually, with a sticky airline label wrapped around the handle. This way you can avoid suspicious looks from the occasional dopey London underground staff. These labels are easily obtained on the Piccadilly Line, the one which goes from London Heathrow all the way to north London. If you are unlucky and there are none lying around you can always approach a real traveller and ask for their luggage label. They are in holiday mode and happy to get rid of some rubbish. Just don’t be shy. If you find this process daunting, invest some money in a ticket to any terminal at Heathrow (there are other airports in London – choose the most economical one) and pick out labels from the rubbish bins. This exercise will be beneficial for your soul too as you will see happy people freely travelling. This will give you the hope that one day you may be in the same position – at the airport, travelling home to see your family who you haven’t seen since lord knows when. In your right hand you will be holding tickets and a valid passport while the left one will be busy too, wheeling the new suitcase, one for which you don’t need a knife and chisel to open.

That would be a real fairy tale moment, even just for a short time.

If your financial situation doesn’t allow you to invest in sturdy cases, do not deThat human connection and love makes all the difference because it’s an invitation to say “you are this place also”. So the stones thrown by the ones who would call us “black P*$%s felt less heavy then.

To find yourself a migrant, a mover in a new place, a place a lot different to that of the generation before...everyone must recognise that migration is nothing is new, what’s new is the idea that migration is alien and dangerous, The dangers being ignorant...I wonder who you might find amongst your ancestor if you chose to look, I think we all just trying to crack on, to occupy several spaces and areas of identity or whatever...you’re lucky in so many ways. To see different perspectives is a super power, trust me Free To Fly is a group of LGBT Asylum seekers and Refugees who meet at the LGBT centre in Leicester. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month at 1pm. We support and advocate for each other in seeking asylum and the application process. We organise and attention national LGBT events, we raise money to contribute towards these commitments. We engage with the wider public and encourage each other to get to know Leicester and life in the UK.

spair. You can always buy bin bags, but make sure they are not the black kitchen ones. Ana learned very early on, at the beginning of her ‘moving around’ career, that kitchen bin bags are very thin. The temptation is huge as they are cheapest version available. If you must get them, make sure you travel early in the morning or late in the evening when traffic on your desired tube line is more sparse.

This way you’ll avoid all the embarrassment if the plastic bags suddenly burst open and your lacy red knickers pop out on platform 1 on the Central Line to the delight of avid readers of The Sun. Once she had moved all her valuables in a few trips on the Central Line, Ana would try painfully hard to settle into her newest so-called home. The arduous journey of settling into the new dwelling, marred by never-ending longings for her family, her lack of friends or a sense of belonging to anyone or anything, made her drink herself into oblivion. The enormity of her stumbling soul would be clearly visible the following morning when, surrounded by empty cans of beer, Ana would wake up in her own vomit.

That day, the day before she turned 26, she got up early and over a strong coffee brought over from her decaying country, she decided to change her life. Over the rankness of a cigarette mixed with the familiar warm, soothing coffee, she decided to become a human again. To feel human, one needed to feel sense of belonging and although she had a wellpaid job at a fast-food restaurant, she was working under somebody else’s name.

The room she was sharing with two other girls, in a big house, was under somebody else’s name too. Her old documents, the ones with which she entered this country, had expired a long time ago, and even if they hadn’t, no one would recognise a passport from a country which had ceased to exist. Her new documents, accrued here in this country, were reduced to a bus pass with a photo of her overgrown hair.

She was slowly forgetting who she was and where she come from. In her previous life, the one before she become nobody, she was an avid reader, with a book always close by, ready to take her into different worlds, even for a short time. Since she had landed on the shores of this island, her reading was restricted to adverts on the long bus journeys to

Solutions How did you do? Here’s the answers to the Crossword and sudoku puzzles on page 10.

AUGUST 2022 | ISSUE 1

Home, Leicester City Poem And Photo By Edie Richards A celebration of Multicultural Magic fantastic Living side by side Tightly packed pretty city Little bit gritty That’s what makes it tough Robust yet it’s filled with love, Trips down the back lanes Busy street corners Getting stuck in traffic Observing matic If you shut your eyes You can picture the city, For each person, aDifferent story, Glowing lights at night People passing by, It’s ‘Aye up me duck’ ‘Welcome to Leicester city’, UnforgettableInexplicable Individuality, Leicester is a home

work. She couldn’t afford journeys on the tube but she comforted herself with the thought that the adverts would be the same and so she wouldn’t lose out on improving her language skills.

That morning she decided to join the local library.

The full version of this story is available to read as part of the other side of hope: journeys in refugee and immigrant literature. A UK-based literary magazine edited by refugees and immigrants. www.othersideofhope.com

AUGUST 2022 | ISSUE 1

The Roots Group is a collective of refugees and asylum seekers in Leicester. They meet regularly to explore creative endeavours and share stories and experiences. The pieces on this page were created in those sessions for Journeys Gazette

The First Time I Saw Snow My oldest friend once told me that England has 4 seasons of weather.

The first time I saw snowflakes was in the winter of 1972. My family had arrived in the UK as refugees from Uganda.

Uganda being on the equator meant that it was always warm. I was 15 years old when we arrived here. We arrived in September, autumn time. After seeing the leaves fall from the trees and turn to yellow we approached winter where the sky gets dark so early. I remember the first time I saw it snow. Very fascinating.

I hadn’t realised that the snowflakes were all different. I thought it would just be like drops of water but someone told me that each snowflake is different. Just like people. We did not have a fridge in our house so we kept the milk bottles outside in the cold.

The snow had started to settle on the ground. I remember seeing the kids and adults playing and making snowballs.

Enjoying the cold snow all together.

Holding snow was very strange in my hands. It was so cold.

JOURNEYS England is a very cold and multicultural place. When I arrived I wondered why people here lived so long.

Then I realised it’s because the whole country is like a freezer.

The scene of snow spreading across houses and parks looked amazing. It was like a scene from a fairy-tale. I’d never seen anything like it.

People were wearing winter coats, wellington boots and hats and scarves.

Our family had never worn coats like these before. The hats felt funny on our heads but without them we were too cold.

I was shocked by how short the daytime was in winter. This was the biggest change from Uganda. It would start getting dark at 4pm and it felt so confusing.

I remember the taste of the snow. I hadn’t seen it before arriving in England. I remember my siblings and I ran outside to try and catch the snowflakes on our tongues. It tasted like nothing but felt like magic.

When I was My Daughter’s Age, Bharti Negi I lived in the busiest city in India. It was very crowded. Mostly it was busiest in the morning time when people are rushing to their work. I remember sellers are selling food and shouting a lot, dogs barking, birds tweeting, it was always 38-48 degrees centigrade and there were lots of horns and vehicles. There were a lot of traffic jams and it’s really hard to

control as people make their own rules when they drive in India. They just cross however they want and drive everywhere.

Some people think it’s not safe but that’s India. I was very happy. I’m a happy kind of person.

Now my daughter lives in Leicester and we are very happy with each other.

Leicester is quite similar to where I grew up culturally but of course it is part of the UK and I have seen people following the rules more here. Especially traffic rules; in India people make their own rules but here they follow the rules more. When I first came here what I liked the most was that people follow the rules.

My daughter’s school is very different to my school. I think she is living a lavish life. I really must say that. In my class in year-8 there were 40 children. We had to walk to school and carry our backpacks. I remember the straps hurting me so much and cutting into my shoulders. We had to carry school books for every subject and homework books and a lunch box and a water bottle. So you can imagine it’s very heavy. We had no time to play only Sunday off. Here parents drop their children in the cars, no walking at all. In India we never did this.

I’ve never taken my daughter to India but fingers crossed next year we will try and go. I think she will be surprised by seeing a lot of people. Also the traffic and the traffic noise will be a lot for her.

She doesn’t like noise. Also seeing all the sellers selling vegetables and fruits outside in the middle of the road and

15

the traffic jams and pollution. And the power lines just touching each other and fixed around on every house. She will be shocked by the negative things but she will be amazed by the positive things as well. She can see our culture there.

She can see the clothes, the good Indian clothes and she’s very foody so she will enjoy the food and the snacks and she can get a chance to meet all my family. She was a baby when she came here so she’s only ever seen them on video calls so she will have a nice experience. I would definitely take her to my family’s village in the Himalayas near Nepal. It’s very calm and clean you can touch the sky with your hand she will love it. I think she will maybe like milking the goat. It’s a great experience. It’s such a nice place.

I think I know how she will react. I know my childhood was very different. She never had to help her parents carry water in the buckets when there was a shortage.

We used to help when we were little in the summertime. She will definitely be surprised when she sees how I lived when I was her age. Children here are living in luxury. She doesn’t even carry one book.

They have computers and iPads in school and all these things. I think she would be very surprised.

We Remember by Josie I remember he smell of rain as it reached hot soil. I remember the feel of the tiny hands of my new born son. I remember Zimbabwe, The sounds of busy roads every morning. The daily sound of wailing as the president’s motorcade passed through the city. I remember my dad coming to visit me at work when I was an adult and when I was a child I remember the taste of the honey that my dad dug out of that hole. I remember the sound of the siren that signalled lunch break. I remember being grateful for the food. I remember seeing the sunset at Victoria Falls and feeling happy because I won a holiday from a lucky dip. I remember when I left for the UK, I remember being so far away from my brother and my family.

I remember my home.

Takoua Ben Mohamed www.takoua.net ARTREACH.ORG.UK/JOURNEYSFESTIVAL

JOURNEYS

16

Nagin and James Lad in front of James’ mural at the Tiger’s Welford Road Ground

AUGUST 2022 | ISSUE 1

playing rugby and coming to the Tigers with me. Sunday’s were spent as a taxi service ferrying him to his matches for Westleigh, Belgrave and Syston.

The loss to Brive in the European Cup was hard to take but the Stade and Munster finals more than made up. I have only ever missed one European Cup final and two premiership finals due to work commitments.

Whether its good times or bad times I always back the Tigers.

26 years ago my Dad took me to my first Tigers game at Welford Road. He’s been going since the 70s. We’d go up and down the country to watch them every week.

He used to work with a couple of players and I got to hang out with them and they’d get me all the autographs I wanted.

On my 14th birthday he got a message to come up on the scoreboard for me and I was so buzzing. Today I got to repay him.

Last year, I got a call from Izzy Hoskins with an offer for a job I may be interested in. The job was to design the away strip for Leicester Tigers this season. I said yes in a heartbeat. A couple of months later it was finished and I sent the final designs over. A few weeks ago I went to the ground to see the kit. To my surprise, they put the design on the home kit and the training kit as well as the away strip!

New Vichai Statue Unveiled The Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha statue – inaugurated at King Power Stadium on 4 April 2022 – is an eternal tribute to a man whose vision, kindness and humanity made our dreams come true.

Sports in Leicester

Families walking, Traffic building, Horns beeping, Crowds gathering, Music playing, Supporters smiling, Stadiums filling, Whistles blowing, Fans roaring, Non-gender dividing, Chants echoing, Foxes scoring, Tigers tackling, Our city is home to diverse professional players and supporters that unites us.

By Maneet Gosal (age 11)

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Keeping it in the Family Nagin Lad supported Leicester Tigers since the 70’s. This year his son’s designs featured on the kit.

My father arrived in England in 1956 and worked on the railways. In 1961 my mother and my siblings came to England and I was 5 at the time. When I was 9 my father died and my brothers had to leave school to support the family. We were so poor that the only holiday I had was through the Mablethorpe Children’s Holiday Home Charity.

Typical of Asian families my brothers worked hard in factories to make sure one member of the family got a good education to break out of the poverty trap. Tragedy struck again in 1973, at the end of my first year of A levels when my mother passed away when I was 17.

I completed my A-levels and then went to the University of Kent to do a degree in accounting. I was the first from my family and relatives to do A levels and a degree.

During my 3 years at the University 1975-78 some of my friends were from Wales and that was my first introduction

to rugby and I was hooked. When I returned to Leicester I started to go to Welford Road. In those days the season consisted of trying to beat Bath home and away, nothing else really mattered.

In the early 1990’s John Liley the Tigers full-back started working at the accountancy practice where I was employed and that was the start of attending home and away games every week. John became a good friend. At the same time my son James had started

We went to the club shop today to look and it was mind-blowing to see my design all over the place. It’s such a buzz to see it in real life. My dad is happy too. A massive thank you to Graffwerk and Leicester Tigers for giving me the opportunity and making this happen. Also big shout out to Sam Grubb and Kieran Lad for your help.

COME ON TIGERS!