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The South West’s Best Student Publication
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ISSUE 723 26 OCT 2021 exepose.com @Exepose
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987
Students boycott clubs in response to spiking fears AU MISCOMMUNICATION SPARKS OUTRAGE AND CONFUSION
Image: Chloe Pumares
Bridie Adams and Oliver Leader de Saxe Editors
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TUDENTS across sports clubs have been left outraged and confused following the Athletic Union’s miscommunication surrounding club socials. In an email sent to club captains on Monday 18 October from AU President Katy Daglish, clubs were informed that socials were being paused “due to a large number of complaints and disciplinary cases” that the AU had received. The email went on to state that “until we can be sure that these incidents are a thing of the past and that there has been a serious step change in social behaviour, we will have to take this zero-tolerance policy.” Clubs were also informed that Christmas dinners would also be subject to this pause. Following this email, the Amateur Boxing Club sent an open letter to Daglish, highlighting how blanket bans on socials feel unjust, as well as asking for a clear timeline and clarity over which specific events led to the current situation. This was followed by a second open letter penned jointly by the Taekwondo, Jiu Jitsu and Karate clubs which also outlined that “holding every club responsible for the actions of clubs that we do not
associate with beyond being AU affiliated” is unfair. The second letter also pointed out the disproportionate impact that this would have on smaller clubs recovering in a post-pandemic landscape, highlighting all three clubs have less than 55 members. Both letters made clear none of the clubs involved had engaged in either hazing or initiations, and that the social pause would impact local businesses. Exeposé reached out to the Amateur Boxing, Taekwondo, Jiu Jitsu and Karate clubs for comment. A spokesperson from Jiu Jitsu said: “At Jiu Jitsu, socials allow us to connect with other people based on a common interest. The AU sent an email on Monday evening right before close for the day, creating mass panic within the community because it was out of nowhere and didn’t detail much.” On Tuesday 19 October, clubs received a second communication from both the AU President and from Alison Davidson, Director of Sport and Grounds. In the statement, Davidson acknowledged that all endorsed AU socials being cancelled for the foreseeable future was a “miscommunication”. She stated that the pause was only for “this week to allow the AU staff to re-engage with all club committee’s following the earlier training which was held in Freshers’ Week.” She also stressed the importance of the event declaration form,
stating “it is not a box ticking exercise and needs engagement of your committee in the process.” Many students have been outraged by the AU’s decision. An anonymous student told Exeposé, “It’s a kick in the teeth for all the clubs that actually put so much work in to make sure members are comfortable at socials.” Two students admitted that they have concerns surrounding hazing, but they explained that they found the AU’s disciplinary action against all clubs unfair. One student said: “The social events did mainly centre around playing drinking games but we were always asked by committee members whether we wanted to drink and told that there was no pressure. I always felt pretty safe and looked after but I’ve heard disturbing stories. I’ve also heard general rumours about bullying taking place. Seeing as hazing and initiation rituals by clubs are secret and not advertised anyway, banning socials won’t prevent them. I think the AU needs to investigate the individual clubs rather than doing a blanket ban. I’m now just worried that I won’t really make any friends.”
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Megan Ballantyne News Editor
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campaign of student nightclub boycotts in response to a wave of spikings across the country has reached Exeter, with an Exeter ‘Girls’ Night In’ declared on Monday 25th. This is alongside a national nightclub boycott on Thursday 28th October. The Exeter boycott is being organised on the @officialgirlsnightinexeter Instagram page, which at the time of writing, has 2000 followers. The page has published an, ‘Open Letter to the Clubs and Bars of Exeter,’ stating that they have, ‘received many testimonies describing spikings and harassment that have happened in Exeter, in every club and bar.’ They believe that, ‘the onus is not just on clubbers to protect themselves,’ and want clubs to make sure that they have a “defined action plan for if someone has been spiked”. The boycott comes in the wake of concerns spreading across the Exeter student community regarding the many spikings in nightclubs and bars since the beginning of term. These concerns have been heightened by reports of spiking by injection in clubs all across the country, with an unofficial report of a student being spiked with a needle in Fever and Boutique Nightclub in Exeter. In response to these concerns, Exeter University sent an email to all students on Thursday 21 October, expressing sympathy for those who have experienced or been affected by spikings. They urge those who think they have experienced an incident of spiking to report the incident to Devon and Cornwall police, “so that they can investigate without delay,” and to make use of the university Wellbeing Service to receive support following the incident. In a new measure to help protect
Black History Month Coverage throughout
students, the university has also, “made spiking detection kits available for collection from halls receptions, the Estate Patrol Office in Northcote House, the Ram bar, the Sports Park, and the St Lukes SID desk. These include drink stoppers and passive alarms as well as testing strips.” The leaders of the Sit Down and Shut Up movement, who recently organised a protest against the Exeter Students For Life group, say that this peak in spiking incidents, “re-emphasizes the idea that women will never be safe.” The group are also known for organising a protest against sexual assault on campus last year. “We have had meetings in regards to the Club boycott which is happening on the 25 of October and are planning for there to be a ‘Big Night In’ on campus.” The group told Exeposé. Details of this are to be confirmed at a later date. At the time of writing, most nightclubs around Exeter have been silent in response to public concerns. Exeposé spoke to Charlie Kay about a Spiking Awareness Event his group, Safe Night Out Exeter (Instagram @safenightoutexe), plans to run with Unit 1 on the day of the Monday boycott. Their usual Sin Mondays club night is cancelled in response to the Girls’ Night In. Exact details of the replacement event are yet to be confirmed, but Charlie does think clubs should be doing more to protect their customers from spikings. “I believe there is not enough being done to combat this issue, certainly from the viewpoint of a student in Exeter… We are hopeful that this event will kickstart the conversation between students and clubs, and begin to create a safer, more enjoyable nightlife for Exeter.”
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EXEPOSÉ Devonshire House, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4PZ
Editors
Print: Bridie Adams & Oliver Leader De Saxe Online: Millie Betts & Anna Wilmot Deputies: Lucy Aylmer, Cassia Grace & Chloe Pumares editors@exepose.com Social Media Executive Emily Imistired News Editors Print: Megan Ballantyne Online: Meg Allan & Orla Mackinnon news@exepose.com Comment Editors Print: Cassia Grace Online: Rachael Powell & Eirwen Abberley Watton comment@exepose.com Features Editors Print: Bridie Adams Online: Issac Bettridge Foreign Correspondents Co-ordinator:s: Ryan Gerrett & Elen Johnston features@exepose.com Lifestyle Editors Print: Bridie Adams Online: Katie Edgar & Sophie Porteous lifestyle@exepose.com Arts + Lit Editors Print: Ella Minty Online: Clemence Smith artsandlit@exepose.com Music Editors Print: Harry Hawkins Online: Tom Bosher music@exepose.com
Editorial
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E hope you are all doing well as we reach the halfway point of the autumn term. For our next issue, we are delighted to be welcoming some new members of the editorial team (who are yet to be decided in our autumn election!) But for now, we hope you enjoy our fourth issue of the year. Coming up we have a News article on the AU's recent miscommunication (Front page), as well as a piece on scammers, which focuses particularly on scams surrounding nightclub tickets (page 4). We've also got several interviews: one with VP Liberation and Diversity on page 5, a Comment interview with Exeter alumni Bryan Knight on page 9 and a Features interview with journalist Jonathan Dimbleby on page 10. Black history is, of course, incredibly important all year around. However, with October being British Black History Month, we are delighted to share several articles to promote learning about the work of Black pioneers, celebrating Black communities, discussing representation and recognising the issues and barriers that remain very present today.
Print: Archie Lockyer & Francesca Sylph screen@exepose.com
Print: Chloe Pumares Science Editors Print: Ellen Rogers Online: Daisy Scott & Imogen Poyntz-Wright sciandtech@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Oscar Young Online: Floris de Bruin & Henry Hood sport@exepose.com Copy Editors Danni Darrah, Sophy Cullington, Clemence Smith Proofers Bridie, Oliver LDS, Lucy, Cassia, Chloe, Clemence, Evan, Oliver L, Ana, Megan, Zoe, Kate
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editors@exepose.com The opinions expressed in Exeposé are not necessarily those of the Exeposé Editors nor the University of Exeter Students’ Guild. While every care is taken to ensure that the information in this publication is correct and accurate, the Publisher can accept no liability for any consequential loss or damage, however caused, arising as a result of using the information printed. The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss or damage to artwork or material submitted. The contents of this, unless stated otherwise, are copyright of the Publisher. Reproduction in any form requires the prior consent of the Publisher.
In Lifestyle, we celebrate Blackowned fashion and beauty brands as well as recommending some fabulous Black lifestyle bloggers (page 14). Arts + Lit (page 16), Tech (page 24) and Science (page 28) highlight influential Black figures in their respective fields. Our Music Editors were keen to discuss the miscategorisation of Black musicians, an issue that has been ongoing for quite some time, and you can read about this topic on page 18. In Screen, we feature reviews of the Netflix hit Squid Game (page 23), as well as a piece on Black filmmakers. And, of course, let's not forget that it it also spooky season - don't miss our article on 'Scream queens' (page 22)! Sport celebrates Black sportswomen (page 30) and a breakdown of the infamous Black power salute (Back page). As always, if anyone has questions about writing for either Print or Online, feel free to reach out via editors@exepose.com or our social media. Have a lovely reading week (if you have one!) and enjoy our Black History Month edition.
2020 Best Publication 2021 Best Publication in the South West
NEWS Student scammers PAGE 4
FEATURES Interview: Jonathan Dimbleby PAGE 10
ARTS + LIT
The importance of diversity in theatre PAGE 16
SCIENCE BHM: Scientist Spotlight PAGE 28 Images (top to bottom): Free SVG, Wikipedia, Pixabay Pixabay
Ollie & Bridie
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Screen Editors
Tech Editor
SPA AWARDS
'Essay mills' to be made illegal in crackdown on cheating students
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HE Department of Education plans to make ‘essay mills’ unlawful under a new Skills and Post-16 Education Bill. Whilst the companies themselves deny these claims, and argue that their resources merely provide example responses to guide students as opposed to aid in cheating, The Minister of Skills, Alex Burghart reminds students that, "essay mills are completely unethical and profit by undermining the hard work most students do". For those who have used these websites, there are reports claiming that these sites have also blackmailed students with plagiarism claims. Former Univiersities Minister Chris Skidmore explains they were given "threats of being reported to their universities by employers." Around 932 of these websites are thought to run in the UK, with the government hoping to be able to ban all of these as a result of this new bill.
EU student numbers drop by 50% at UK universities
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OLLOWING the UK’s departure from the European Union, fewer EU nationals are choosing to study at UK universities. ViceChancellor at UEA Professor Richardson states the halving in numbers is “happening across the university sector nationally.” Despite only a 6 per cent recorded drop in the overall international applications, EU applications, in particular, were seen to plummet 43 per cent against data from the previous academic year, according to the University and College Admissions Service. It is speculated that a key reason behind this dip in EU nationals attending UK universities is because Brexit EU students will no longer qualify for the standard £9,250 tuition fees and can now be charged as high as £40, 000 per academic year. There is currently no special support in place for these students, but with the Department of Education keen to boost the number of international students again, this may be reviewed again in future.
University of Hong Kong 17,000 Indian students likely to calls for removal of Tianemen return to Australia soon Square massacre statue
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OLLOWING Australia’s re-opening of international travel and easing of border controls last week, 17,000 Indian students will be allowed to return to Australia for their studies. This comes as a result of the country approving the Indian produced ‘Covishield,’ vaccine for travelling into the country. This deal was agreed in a meeting with the Indian and Australian Education Ministers, Dharamendra Pradhan and Alan Tudge on 5 October, with Tudge emphasising that steps were being taken by the Australian government to ease the return of Indian students to Australia. The ministers "laid emphasis on both countries commitment to supporting Australia-bound students at every stage." Images (L to R): Flickr, WikimediaCommons
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STATUE depicting those who were killed in the massacre of Tiananmen Square is under threat, with Hong Kong University leadership calling for its removal. The eight metre tall bronze artwork, which has been standing on campus since the 90s, was erected on campus as a reminder of the suppression of the freedoms of the young by the old Chinese regime of Deng Xiaoping. The Hong Kong University Student Union has been arguing that it should be allowed to remain on campus The attempted removal has been seen as an attempt to erase the memory of Tiananmen – which is already missing from the internet in China – and its continued importance is being heralded by the artist, protest groups, the HKUSU and a former leader of the Hong Kong Executive. By Anabel CF, Anabel CF, Megan Ballantyne & Rhys Wallis
26 OCT 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
3 NEWS
“It now feels like students are scammed every day”: students criticise rise of ticket scammers building a reputation. “It’s really nasty to be honest, we’re all students” stated EVERAL students have Poppy Treadaway, a fourth-year come forward to talk to student who lost £25 to ticket Exeposé about the rise of scamming. Other students we ticket scamming on the online talked to lost money ranging Facebook group ‘Overheard at from £7.50 to £15, and numethe University of Exeter’. rous people on Overheard also allege losing money to scam....... The rise in ticket scams mers. The rise in ticket scams corresponds with the increased corresponds with the increased rise of ticketed club nights rise of ticketed club nights and events, leaving many students searching tickets through unofSpeaking to those that have ficial channels. “Overheard experienced scamming first- should be much more regulated hand, many of the experiences with background checks and I are similar, with figures on Fa- think clubs should just sell on cebook with little connection to the door.” Exeter offering tickets at inflaLikewise, Paula Scherba, ted prices only to block students who was similarly scammed, beonce the money has been sent lieves that it is “mainly an issue over. The scammers in question of control from the Overheard also demand the money is sent admins. No university student via PayPal Friends and Family buys or resells tickets in other in order to make getting a re- Facebook groups.” Meanwhile, fund or raising a dispute more third-year Ritvika Kedia who difficult. Other tactics include was approached by two scamrushing payments, putting pres- mers believes it is more the sure on potential buyers using responsibility of clubs and “the the fear of missing out to en- new ticket system which I percourage quick transfers, and sonally think is a bit arbitrary. changing profile names to avoid You could simply have tickets at Oliver Leader de Saxe Editor
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doors like before for normal weekday clubbing and simply turn people away if the capacity is full.”
... Putting pressure on potential buyers using the fear of missing out to encourage transfers A spokesperson for the Student Guild states: “We’ve been made aware of recent cases of students being scammed and losing money when trying to purchase tickets for events, and we are sad to hear that this is happening within our community. Whilst it is always the scammer at fault in these instances, we are aware that this is likely to continue to happen so we want to actively support our students in protecting themselves. We’ve got information and advice on our website (exeterguild.org/finance/scams) on how to reduce your chances of getting scammed as well as what to do if you have been.”
Images: Pixabay
XpressionFM gets nominated for four SRA awards Cassia Grace Deputy Editor
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PRESSIONFM has been nominated for four Student Radio Association (SRA) awards. The nominations came in
Images: Chloe Pumeras
the categories of Best Entertainment Programming, Best Technical Achievement, Best Station Branding and Best Multiplatform Initiative. XpressionFM has been the University’s campus station since 1976. The society, which is run by students,
broadcasts 24 hours a day from its two studios in DH1. It has four content teams: music, news, sports, drama. XpressionFM received the alumni fund last year, allowing them to up-
....... Despite the difficulties... we managed to fill the year with high quality, engaging content grade their equipment and studio to state-of the-art-standards. The SRA works to “act on behalf of the student radio community,” this includes any university or college based station. In addition to the annual Student Radio Awards which run every November, the SRA also provides workshops, conferences and advice to student stations. The awards are judged by presenters such as Scott Mills and Greg James, as well as other famous names from the audio indus-
try and are supported by BBC Sounds and Global. Katie Bell, the Station Manager from last year, stated: “our four nominations mean the world on both a personal and a station-wide level”. She added that she was especially proud that “despite the difficulties we had with COVID-19 hitting at the same time as the installation of new equipment, we managed to fill the year with high quality, engaging content”. Xpression hosted many events throughout the year, notably their Love Is Blind show, which was a joint project with Exeter RAG. XpressionFM has won gold SRA awards twice before, in 2011 and 2012, both times for Best Student Ra-
Images: Guild
dio Chart Show, which Katie stated was a “testament to the supportive and ambition station culture”. XpressionFM is open to anyone who wishes to join (with a small members fee) and can be listened to online. The awards will be announced on the 10 November at the O2.
News Team
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23 NOV 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
Exeter Christmas market returns Megan Ballantyne News Editor
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N Thursday 18th November 2021, Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market on Cathe-
dral Green was reopened. The market
Daubeny on Pride of Britain ceremony: “It felt surreal” Bridie Adams Editor
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EREMY Daubeny’s nomination for a Pride of Britain award came after his ‘Tour de Full English’, in which he cycled all over the United Kingdom in hunt of the
will be open until 18th December, and sells food and gifts at around 90 stalls. On the same day, Exeter city’s Christmas lights were turned on. Lighting installations around the city include an oversized bauble and present, alongside the word ‘Exeter’ lit up. Elsewhere in the city, local businesses are also getting in the festive spirit. The Stoke Arms is continuing its tradition of decorating the entire pub with colourful Christmas lighting, a process which has taken two weeks.
country’s best full English Breakfast, all in aid of the Brain Tumour Charity and the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association. Despite having an initial target of £2,500, Daubeny managed to raise £37,500 for the Brain Tumour Charity and the MND Association. Earlier this year, he received a regional Pride of Britain award, and recently attended the national award ceremony. Exepose spoke to him about his red carpet experience and the importance of charity work in raising both funds and awareness.
Princesshay already opened twelve chalets around the popular shopping area on 12th November, offering a mixture of gifts, food and drinks options for shoppers.
Cavern host gig in aid of Afghan refugees Lucy Aylmer Deputy Editor
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N 28 October, Cavern hosted a charity fundraiser night for the Red Cross emergency appeal for Afghanistan
refugees, and raised £383. Cavern invited four bands to play - 51st State, Gimic, The Issues and Horses in Disguise and DJ’s Leah and Maisie, from the Masionettes. Both bands and DJ’S voluntarily offered to come and play for free. Pippa Wragg, a spokeswoman for Cavern stated that the inspiration to raise money for Afghanistan came from “the harrowing footage of people trying to leave the country in a panic when the Taliban regained control of the country”. She also told Exeposé that “everyone at Cavern wanted to do something to help. It’s easy
NEWS
Image: Jeremy Daubeny
É : What was the experience of going to the Pride of Britain awards like?
It felt surreal (you know, walking down the red carpet, brushing shoulders with celebrities and stuff) and incredibly intense. É : What was it like meeting the other nominees? Everyone had an absolutely amazing story. The majority had been dealt really awful cards. We’re all still in touch over email which is exciting. É: Were there any particular stories, when talking to people, that really resonated with you and were inspiring? Yeah. I think George Kavanagh was my age, one year younger than me, and he’d lost his dad about ten years ago. He’s from Grimsby; not a lot happens up there music eventwise, it’s quite a boring entertainment scene really, so he saw a hole in that. He basically puts on comedy shows, tribute acts, music nights, and it’s all fundraising. When it comes to these things, you can do anything.
É: What was it like getting to share the experience of the Pride of Britain awards ceremony with your sister and to bring her along with you? It was really brilliant to be able to experience it with her. I think we know each other better than anyone else. We knew the story and we knew where we came from and it was really lovely to see her again because I hadn’t seen her for eight weeks. We’re probably closer than your average siblings so it was really lovely getting to see her again in general. É: Are you planning anything else for charity at the moment to support both the MND Association and the Brain Tumour Charity? I’m a young ambassador of the Brain Tumour Charity which is a two year thing. Now that I’ve got all the cycling kit, when COVID’s over, I’d love to go into Europe and cycle. I think I’ll do a bit of the UK and just take it into Europe.
Movember Chloe Pumares Deputy Editor
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NOTHER anonymous student said: “I have heard about some bad initiations. But I think a lot are rumours and I’m not sure that all of them hold a lot of truth. All the banning of socials is doing is further ruining the uni experience of students not involved in the stupid initiations anyway. I think the lack of explanation is very strange. I feel sorry for the bars who have been let down.” Several students have told Exeposé that they understand the AU’s reasoning for taking action. A third year Law student said: “I think that a crackdown on the activities of AU clubs has been sorely needed for years. However, an overly apologetic email from the AU and the cancellation of a few socials doesn’t mitigate the fact that
there are very few policies governing AU clubs or a cohesive complaints process. Frankly, the move has come a few years late and does little to deal with the structural issues that have caused the situation to get so drastic.” was for one week to allow the AU to re-engage all clubs in event declaration processes, for which training has since been carried
to feel helpless in the face of problems of that magnitude but we thought – we can help by doing what we always do. Let’s put on a gig”. Wragg and the team at Cavern were extremely grateful to everyone who contributed and remarked that the gig was a great success.
Diwali celebrations at University event include dance performances and fireworks Lucy Aylmer Deputy Editor
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Image: Wikimedia Commons
HE Asian and Hindu societies at Exeter University kickstarted their Diwali Celebrations at Streatham Campus on 14 November. The celebrations began with a Puja at 2.30PM led by a Hindu Chaplain followed by a schedule of activities and workshops, with catering provided by Namaste, a local South Indian restaurant. The event culminated with dance performances in the Great Hall, a musical parade and fireworks.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lisa Rob- Images: Conor Béhard Roberts erts, said: “The University’s Diwali celebrations are one of the highlights of the year for everyone in the University community and in the City of Exeter, and it is fantastic that this year we will once again be able to welcome people to the in-person events. Our students have really done an outstanding job organising the event, and I am really excited to be joining my very first Diwali celebrations at Exeter as Vice-Chancellor.” Diwali is the five-day Festival of Light, celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world.
5 NEWS
26 OCT 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
In Conversation: Marion Ojua, VP Liberation and Diversity Image: Guild
Chloe Pumares and Oliver Leader de Saxe Deputy Editor and Editor We sat down to speak to VP Liberation and Diversity, Marion Ojua, about her day-to-day duties, Black History Month and improving diversity at the University of Exeter. É: So to begin, can you give us a little background about what you do as VP Liberation and Diversity? M: So this role has a new title developed from VP Welfare and Diversity, but wellbeing is still very much under my remit. I also do things for liberation groups. so I work with BAME and disabled students, as well as mature students and care leavers. I also look at safety; gender safety in particular. É: It’s Black History Month this month and we want to know how you think this month has gone for the University? Any favourite events? M: So I’m going to be quite biased and name the Guild stuff, as I’ve been organising the events with help from other teams. On Monday we had Sophia Thakur who is a spoken word and performance poet. It was definitely my favourite event, it went well and was really fun. I think the University have had good communication with me, they’ve hosted some events that went well, and there’s a few more to come. Different colleges and departments are hosting different things as well so there is always a lot going on. I do think it has gone better than previous years with speakers, as there have been issues in previous years with people who have come to speak. They have given a platform to great black figures who should be given a platform. É : We noticed you commented on an Overheard post regarding women’s night time safety mentioning a scheme in conjunction with the University. Given the recent spate of sexual assaults we want to know what is involved in this scheme? How do you plan on making the University safer, especially in wake of increased spiking incidents? M: Students in general have been rightly concerned and worried, and a student commented on this particular Overheard post wanting to set up something to keep people safe at night. I directed them towards this gender safety project, under the University’s education incubator scheme, which also runs the anti-racism project; students can apply for up to £5,000 in funding for a project to combat either racism or gender safety. It has to be a project that will impact for years to come. I will be on the panel for that as well. So I think it’s going to be good this year for that to be running and to make change that will last even when I’m gone. É: In your manifesto you mentioned introducing an ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor) how is this going? Is this something we can expect to see soon? M: Back a few months ago I introduced that idea to the University, but they were already in the process of a new role in conjunction with the Devon and Cornwall Rape Crisis, a partnership for student support. So with that it’s great this has come about, not specifically the ISVA, but of course when you discuss things with the University things change. Not that it’s completely out of the question, but I think it’s good progress that we have this new role. É: You also mentioned creating a training system for
committee members to help support members who approach them with discrimination or sexual assault claims, is this something you are still planning to do? How exactly will you go about this? M: So this is something that heavily involves societies and I have been speaking to Izzy, the VP Opportunities, about. So this has actually been happening with society committee members, but there has been a bit more in terms of how to manage situations to do with sexual assault, violence or harassment. It’s a working process, especially the Hub idea I wanted specifically, but the training has definitely been going on and we are looking at ways to improve that and make committee members feel confident in how they react to these situations. É: A statement you made in your manifesto was championing the University to provide the option for disabled students to continue learning remotely, do you feel this has been achieved? It seems that lectures and seminars are usually either in-person or online, and therefore do not offer the blended option you appear to advocate for. M: So this year the University have said that they promised an in-person learning experience to students and that’s what they want to give them. I do understand that, because there are a lot of students from last year who were ready to come out and be in-person which is brilliant, and I’m glad we are able to do that and do it safely. But we must remember that last year was great for disabled students and students with care responsibilities to be have that blended learning, all Officers do agree that there needs to be more of an option to be able to work from home, the threshold for that currently is quite limiting and it means a lot of students aren’t granted that. As Officers we’ve read different emails with really intense reasons and we believe that students with these reasons should be granted. There are issues for the university, such as not having enough hybrid rooms which can do both online and in-person teaching. They are looking at the option to make more rooms into hybrid rooms, where we, as officers, can have an impact maybe by revising the threshold requirements and hybrids, we are trying to. Ultimately, the university have the final say, but we are very much in agreement that more needs to be done for students that cannot come onto campus for various reasons. É: When could we see these hybrid rooms and changes to threshold requirements happen? M: I can’t comment on when we would see it in terms of this year but I do know the University has plans. As part of the Global Enhancement Strategy which is to take place over the next ten years, they do want to look into these things, but I can’t comment on anything more recent. É: Your role is to uphold inclusivity; as such, how did the Exeter Students for Life manage to get affiliated? Surely there should have been checks in place to prevent harm to the student body? Do you think the affiliation process works against your ability to uphold inclusivity across the University? M: So with the pro-life society, the situation it is obviously a very difficult one, we have made many statements and spoken to many students which we are grateful for. When they apply for affiliation, we are looking at their aims in terms of our conduct and guidelines,;then the society can be affiliated. We look at training and how a society can run, so with this particular one it is still ongoing, we aren’t ruling out things to ensure they
run in a way that makes people feel safe. I do get that even their existence may not make some students feel safe. How societies get affiliated runs under the charity commission, it’s not just an Exeter Guild process, we are governed by these things. There are both sides. Yes it might have an impact on inclusivity because legally you can’t say no to them being affiliated because they are not doing anything illegal by just existing. Obviously it would be different if they were a society promoting something illegal. Then on the other side it might be upholding inclusivity because if we don’t platform them then we are not being inclusive of different views. É: Given the COVID-19 pandemic last year, we wanted to know whether the number of international students has been affected? M: I believe the international student population this year has increased, but I do know there are obviously problems at the moment with travel. I know the university have put things in place to mitigate that, there is a period to apply to come back which is extended by two weeks to allow for isolation. So the University has got a seven week period in terms of international student being able to fly back. I have seen an impact in terms of study with online learning, but I haven’t been receiving most of those emails that would be Bella, VP Education, I have just been hearing things from her. É: University of Exeter is 87.98 per cent white and 34.4 per cent private school based on data from 2020. Why do you think that is? What is it about the University that attracts these demographics? Given the lack of diversity that exists here in Exeter, what are your plans to improve that? M: I think when a university has a reputation and a label it is quite hard to shake that. Once it appears to be a university that has a lot of private school students and white students, it may attract more because they see it as a place where they will find people like them. It can be damaging because it may make students who don’t fit into that demographic not want to come. I would love to do as much as I can but my role doesn’t allow me to control who enters the University. My purpose in this role as the first Black Guild Officer is for people to be able to see me in a position of leadership and think, oh my gosh, I can get there too, I belong here. This year I really want to spotlight the BIPOC students on campus, so there is more representation, they can see themselves in spaces, and have opportunities for them to have their voices heard. The blogs I have added to the Guild page, check them out, Black students for Black History Month. I want to continue that throughout the year not just with Black students, but with Asian students and other ethnic minority students. In my role and my limits, I want to do everything I can to make sure students see themselves here, belonging is such an important thing. I know a lot of Black students here may not feel they belong. It’s great to hear from people I’ve spoken to that seeing my face on the screen makes them feel they belong, and that’s amazing to hear. I want more people like me to be in these positions of leadership and make change and make them think this place is for you. I do think the University has increased diversity over the years, they do like to in-
crease the international population mostly. I really want to break up the University’s BAME statistics, and show the actual diversity because Black students are the lowest, very low compared to other minority groups. É: Do you think the University misrepresents BAME statistics for commercial interest? M: I think the reason they group everyone into BAME is that it looks better when doing a pie chart; you see the flaws more when you split it up. But I think being open and honest is so much better and makes it more truthful. Saying it was bad five years ago but we are improving, (and I’m not saying it’s great now), but we are working on improving it. É: What are your views on the recent AU situation and the rumours circling about the initiations that led to it? Do you think the guild should be working closer with the AU to ensure that values of inclusivity are upheld across the University community? Are you currently working with them now? M: Definitely this year we really want to, all the Officers have met Katy [Daglish, AU President], we get along she’s great. We want to work closer with the AU President and AU in general for things that are relevant. Izzy and Katy have worked together for the Society Hardship Fund which is a great collaboration. With the shutting down of socials, I’m not sure with the facts of that, this is quite an AU situation, because the Guild sports societies don’t have to, but we could definitely have some conversations with Katie about where we can help and just to be clearer about what’s going on. Next month we will be working quite closely with the AU during Movember. We involve them when we can and they involve us when they can. É: Do you think the AU is failing to uphold values of inclusivity,;do you think they could be doing more? Do you think the way they are handling initiations is the best way they could be handling it, and what’s the best course of action they could take? M: We are aware that initiations are a problem, not just in Exeter but in lots of universities, I know the AU are looking at that and really want to ensure committee members are trained and know the dangers. I can’t really comment on what they are doing and what I think they should be doing, as I need more information about what is being done before I could comment on what I would do.
6 NEWS
9 NOV 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
In Conversation: USS Pension Officer, Professor Barrie Chloe Pumares Deputy Editor
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S voting has just concluded on UCU balloting, Exeposé sat down with USS Pensions officer for the University of Exeter Dr Barrie Cooper about what the union wants to achieve. É: Could you explain what you do here at the University of Exeter I am Dr Barrie Cooper, I am an associate Professor in Mathematics Postgraduate taught director and an educational scholarship member of staff. I’m also director of digitally enhanced learning in the College of engineering, maths and sciences which means I had a great deal of responsible with what happened last year during the coronavirus pandemic and the response to it. From the Unions point of view I am USS Pensions Officer and a past branch President. É: How did you come to be a part of the UCU? What swayed your decision to join the UCU? As long as I’ve been a member of staff I’ve been a member of UCU, I feel very strongly to protect the staff and student experience. We need to come together as a collective and that’s what the union does perfectly. We know that if we leave it to the employer wages fall, workers conditions get worse, pensions get slashed and you need to come together as a team to challenge these things and fight for fairness. É: As USS Pension officer what led you to this role and why did you want to become so involved in the UCU? I saw it as an opportunity to give staff voice, where sometimes they feel they are ignored. Opportunity to influence policy and practice, so when I saw things that weren’t right on behalf of members and all staff I could try and make a difference. É: If you could give a brief overview about what the UCU are balloting for? So there are two national disputes, there is a dispute around pensions, for the last 10 years or so we have seen repeated cuts to our pensions because the model they are using is completely broken. Every three years there is an evaluation and every three years they say there is no money, and try to increase our contributions or reduce our benefits. Unfortunately we are in that position again, not only are they using a broken model but decided to conduct the evaluation while the economy was collapsing during the coronavirus pandemic. They made a poor decision to judge the value of the scheme at that specific point. The other dispute is called four fights. Its on pay, we have seen pay cut in real terms in the last decade, now a new member of staff is earning 20 per cent less than 10 years ago. We are also seeing workloads increase, so for less pay we are given heavier workloads. We worked tirelessly over the last year, during the lockdown, to ensure as good an experience as possible was given to students. The third element is on casualisation, there are far too many staff who are employed on casualisation contacts rather than fixed contracts, it means they don’t get all the safeguards you would expect when employed. We have had some PHD students here at the University of Exeter in the first half of this term that are teaching without a contract, because the university has not got around to issuing them a one. We want to stamp that out. The fourth element is on equality, there are still massive gaps for different genders, disabled staff compared to non-disabled staff, and staff across different ethnicities. The university have to report the gender pay gap,
but we want to go beyond that and take accountability for that. These low percentages are not badges of honour, we need to expose them and take action. É: Did negotiations take place before the decision to launch a ballot was made? Were you involved with these? So, most of the negotiations are held nationally, pension negotiations and pay negotiations. Balloting for industrial action is always a last resort when we can’t make any more progress. In the case of pension changes to our benefits and to the scheme are being forced through without the agreement of the UCU trustees on the USS board, we have gone past the period for negotiations, the aim of industrial actions is always to bring negotiators back to the table and find a settlement, but we are not being taken seriously. They are pushing through things without our agreement. With pay, the pay offer yet again is far below inflation which means a real terms cut, I am really concerned about the future of the profession, with new academics starting on wages 20 per cent lower than those 10 years ago. There are things that happen at local level, we have been working with the university over casualisation. Local level discussion and agreements are great but we also need to see national level action so it’s not just at the behest of some better employers to implement some of this stuff. É: How does the UCU make the decision to create a ballot for members across the UK to vote? Is it up to individual institutions to opt in on whether to have the opportunity to vote? Is this made by the committee? Every institution branch that is eligible. Not every member of UCU will be in the USS pension scheme, many newer universities are in the teachers pension scheme. So they might only be balloted on the fourth fights rather than the pensions dispute. É: Were you involved in the last strikes that took place at Exeter in 2019? Were you on the committee? Yes, I was on the committee as representative of College of engineering, maths and sciences. I took part in the strike action. I think it is vitally important to show how seriously we take those issues. But also to disrupt the business of the university, its only this way we can put enough pressure for a return to negotiations. It’s important for students to be aware of these issues as well, I would love for it not to get to industrial action. Students can stand with the staff, its not a staff vs student thing. We need to close these issues in terms of equality. I think this is something students are really passionate about, especially intergenerational equality. Big student demonstrations and local support will be heard by senior staff at the university and nationally. Action together can prevent industrial action that might come along. É: What was promised after the strikes last year? Anything that hasn’t been delivered? In 2019 we managed to fight off a closure of the define benefit. They were going to make an entirely
definable contribution scheme which means you don’t know what you get paid. Define benefit is paying in 10 percent and the university pay in 20 percent, then what you get paid at the end is dependent on the average salary of your career and number of years you’ve been employed. You know exactly how much you are getting. With a definable contribution scheme you pay in but you have no idea what you get out at the end. It is subject to the fluctuation of the market, you are worried at every stage, can I afford to retire, will this money last me? So we fended that off in 2019. One of the employers committed to do was look at the models being used, there were some working groups doing that but no significant changes have been implemented as they are using the same models, it means it looks like there is not enough money when in fact there is plenty to cover the cost of the scheme. É: How do you feel that the current balloting is about the same issues as the last one? Do you feel that the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) have let you down with an offer of a 1.5 percent or for lower-paid staff 3.6 percent pay increase? I think they take staff for granted if I’m honest. That is on top of a zero percent increase last year. 1.5 percent is way below inflation which is nearly at 3 percent and we have seen this year after year. I think there has been one year in the past decade where we have had an inflationary pay rise. This effects the lowest paid members of staff most of all. É: Chief Executive of UCEA Raj Jethwa said ‘We are disappointed that UCU is encouraging its members to ballot for action which is specifically designed to disrupt teaching and learning for students who have endured so much recent upheaval’, what is your opinion on that? Do you think students would be unfairly effected if a strike was to go ahead? I don’t think anyone wants industrial action to go ahead. We can turn that around and say how unfair it is of the UCEA to make such a poultry offer on top of the zero percent pay rise last year, on top of all the hard work staff did, not the senior management, in order to make sure the learning experience was there. Now to come and pick this fight instead of rewarding their staff. Last year staff at Exeter agreed, because we knew finances were in a difficult situation, to freeze promotion, to freeze any pay rises we would be entitled to through progression. We did that in an act of solidarity with the university. Finances ended up being alright and the university were able to pay back the increments. Yet it seems the UCEA are taking that for granted and have pocked this fight as a time where it will be disruptive for students. É: Speaking of students, what advice would you give to them in regards as to how best to support their staff? What is the best way students can get involved and show they agree with the demands of UCU? Always be to be well informed about the situation, I have given my arguments but there will be other points of view you need to find. Tell your staff that you sup-
port them, it makes such a difference to know, every staff is agonising over the impact the strikes would have on their student. They are in this profession because they love teaching, they love working with students, they love that environment. I think the way we can avoid industrial action or bring it to a close quickly is if students are vocal about their support: demonstrations, writing to the VC and senior members of staff. It is a joint issue. Students I’m sure want staff who are not stressed in terms of too much workload and not having to live in tents. You might have seen the article in The Guardian, one of our members of staff before she worked here, was living in a tent, she was at one point our AntiCasualisation officer at Exeter. She was teaching while living in a tent at a different university. This is not in students interest. We just need to get employers negotiating again. É: What would you like to see the Guild do in support? Do you feel supported? I think at the moment they are just waiting to see what is going to happen. The action four/five years ago was really strong student support which made a massive difference. A few years ago it was a bit more equivocal. If students feel strong about this talk to your guild officers and put through motions that can become policy. Think about how to do that at an individual and collective level. É: When do you find out the results of the vote? Midday today the ballot closes. It comes fairly quickly, we might be notified by the end of the week but I don’t know for certain. We have called a branch meeting for Wednesday next week. É: Has a course of action already been decided or is it decided once the decision has been made by members? Once we get the results of the ballot, nationally there will be a discussion involving all the branches and the executive committees to decide what to do now. It may well be different in different branches, they will decide on their plan of action. It is possible there will be strikes before Christmas, if we were to vote in favour of strike action. At any time the employers can come to us and discuss negotiations again, the industrial action can be called off at any time. The big question is not whether staff will vote in favour to not but whether enough members will vote it needs to be 50 percent plus one. É: Do you know the percentage of University staff who are members of UCU? Around about 1200 members in this branch and not every member of staff is eligible. We have unite and unison which look after different areas of staff. É: Finally, is there anything you’d like to say before we finish? I find it really interesting that the people who say we can’t afford a good pension, we can’t afford to have free university tuition, we can’t afford to buy houses because prices too high and salaries are too low. They were the ones benefitting when things were the other way round. The ones now making the decision had better pensions, salaries much higher than they are now, free university education. This is an intergenerational thing, I’m worried that if we lose these pensions what is going to happen for the next generation. There are all sorts of things we can fight together on, it seems totally unfair that we are being told we can’t afford that, also we have messed up the climate and you have to IMAGE: Courtesy of UCU Website deal with that.
26 OCT 2021| EXEPOSÉ
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Comment
GUEST COMMENT EDITOR:
Cassia Grace
War drones on: the myth of withdrawal
Evan Thomas GDL student
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war that will be older than many of you reading this, is finally over. Joe Biden is the third president elected on the promise of withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan and the only one to follow through. During his speech on 31 August, many of those critical of US foreign policy were pleased to hear the President passionately defending his refusal to “extend this forever war”.
The weapons that mutilate, orphan and murder our fellow man He’s faced a barrage of criticism, with claims that the lack of US presence will create a hotbed for terrorism, which had been kept at bay over the past two decades. While the President’s steadfastness in pulling the plug on what is largely considered to be a failed war is certainly admirable, the clear signalling in the second half of the speech is often overlooked. “We will maintain the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and other countries. We just don’t need to fight a ground war to do it. We have what’s called over-thehorizon capabilities.” The key takeaway, purposely ignored by many of the pundit class, is that the violent empirebuilding endeavours of the US are still alive and well. The pro-war lobby has nothing to fear; the weapons that
mutilate, orphan and murder our fellow man are very much here to stay. The removal of ground troops acts as an optical illusion. A see-saw; as troops leave, drones take their place. It’s a modern reinvention of a very old tactic. Inevitably, it’s only a matter of time before a protracted, unwinnable military engagement overseas against a guerrilla army, who are specialists in their own terrain, becomes unpopular. Previously, troops would be replaced by US-funded foreign militias fighting their proxy wars. With the nation’s increasing capacity for AI warfare, they can cut out the middleman and prevent the type of public blowback received when utilising traditional methods. This approach was popularised by Obama, who ordered ten times the number of strikes of his predecessor, while yo-yoing troop numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan, giving the perception of a drawdown. Trump famously sold himself as the anti-war candidate, a position that was almost blasphemous in the Republican leadership during 2016. Nevertheless, he continued the AI escalation, while revoking an Obama-era policy requiring that the number of civilians killed by drones (outside war zones) be published. It still remains to be seen to what extent Biden will continue or expand the programme, but so far drones remain an integral part of US foreign policy. Neither the Democratic nor the Republican establishment has any desire to discontinue the big business of violent imperialism. Lax restrictions on corporate donations allow weapon
companies to, in all but name, bribe parties and candidates needing a boost to their campaign coffers. During the 2020 election cycle, Democrats and Republicans combined received over $46 million in donations, with a 48-52 per cent split. They most certainly get a return on their investment. It is an understatement to say the US military budget is bloated. As of July 9, China, India, Russia, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Italy and Australia have combined military spending of $761 billion. The US spends $778 billion. It maintains 750 military bases in at least 80 countries. A large chunk of this spending is on lucrative arms contracts with defence companies such as Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing and Raytheon. Together, in 2017 just those three organisations raked in $12.2 billion in profit. Fortunately for them, the face of war being faceless makes it an easy sell to the public. It’s perceived that, with the drone substitution, the risk to US ground troops and civilians is lower and the precision is higher. In 2013, a Gallup Poll found that 65 per cent of the US public supported the use of drone strikes. The following year, it was shown by the same polling company that a greater majority of Americans believe involvement in the Afghanistan war to be a mistake than believed the same of the historically unpopular Vietnam war. While the American people have very little appetite for ground invasions, drone strikes are seen as short in-and-out operations
with minimal consequences. Since 9/11, the US has run over-the-horizon programmes, and caused the deaths of at least 22,00048,000 civilians, in seven countries. Can you name all of them? If you can, you’re most certainly in a wellinformed minority, whether that be internationally or in America. One reason for this ignorance could be that drone strikes do not need to be passed through Congress, meaning there is very little public scrutiny applied to these decisions. The Authorisation for the Use of Military Force Act, drafted by the Bush administration, allows the President to strike individuals and states with no geographical limitations. Military contractors such as Lockheed, Boeing and Raytheon are clearly capitalising on this lack of public awareness, reinventing themselves as socially conscious organisations, striving for a diverse workplace, complete with PRIDE flags and privilege workshops. The victims of their warfare are much less diverse; they’re almost exclusively Muslim people of colour. It’s very difficult to know the true civilian casualty rate. What we can say for sure is that it’s much higher than is being reported by US sources, which count “all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants”. What little we do know exposes the façade of surgical precision. Look no further than the recent strike in Afghanistan after the US claimed they had successfully staged a counter-attack against IS-K. It caused the deaths of
ten innocent people, including seven children. The “IS-K militant” was an aid worker. The alleged explosives were water bottles. This provides a clear explanation for the wide discrepancy in support between the US and countries where military drones operate. Take Pakistan for example, where a 2013 PEW survey found that 65 per cent of the population opposed drone strikes. That number has since risen.
The face of war being faceless makes it an easy sell to the public The horrors of drone atrocities will never be on full display while the consequences faced by whistleblowers are so dire. Daniel Hale, a former NSA analyst, leaked classified documents detailing the devastating toll drone strikes had taken on civilians, and in essence, accused those in charge of being war criminals. For his service, he was sentenced to 45 months in prison. It was certainly a very different picture than the one presented by official sources. Clear issues with transparency of information, lack of accountability and public apathy ensure that drones are the future of warfare. If scrutiny is not applied to what proceeds after each troop withdrawal, we can be sure of one thing. The West’s version of humanitarianism will continue to be served with a hefty dose of spent shells, dead children and violent radicalisation.
Image: Wikimedia commons
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26 OCT 2021| EXEPOSÉ
COMMENT
Should we ban red meat on campus? Emma de Saran Third year History
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HE University of Exeter claims to be a sustainable university. Ever since the declaration of a climate emergency, and subsequent White Paper was published however, rhetoric and promise has not matched up with practice, especially when it comes to our catering outlets.
Animal agriculture is responsible for 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions
Animal agriculture is responsible for 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and the production of red meat accounts for 41 per cent of those, with cattle alone representing about 65 per cent of the livestock sector’s emissions, not to mention the fact a serving of beef requires 20 times more land than a serving of plant protein.
The 2019 White Paper commits the University to becoming carbon neutral
It may sound radical to remove red meat from the menu, but the science is clear. If the latest IPCC report is anything to go by, we are in a climate emergency, carbon emissions are set to increase by five per cent next year and the production of red meat is an extremely environmentally damaging and inefficient protein source.
meal deal options (bring back How on Earth Deli wraps!) clearly show that profit is being placed over policy commitments. We have been working with the University, showing up to catering meetings, and trying to push towards a just transition to a local sustainable food system, for over a year now. Cambridge University has already successfully banned beef and lamb with a positive response from staff and students and a 33 per cent decrease in carbon emissions per kg of food The 2019 White Paper commits the University to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and estimates emissions from food and drink alone contributes five per cent of carbon emissions. The University explicitly stated it would take action ‘by immediately reducing meat’. But where is the evidence? The recent addition of Isca Eats to the list of unsustainable suppliers, the new rollover hotdog machine, and significant reduction in vegan
purchased.
The University explicitly stated it would take action Banning beef would help the University become more carbon neutral as well as indirectly reducing our land and water use. There is no reason why Exeter shouldn’t be setting a precedent. Personally, I’d like to see us offer more plant-based alternatives, not just ‘less meat’. The climate emergency is upon us and we need to be pushing our environmentally damaging institutions to clean up their acts.
We need to be pushing our environmentally damaging institutions to clean up their acts That can start with us holding Exeter to account to keep on track with its own targets. Images (from left to right): Pixnio, Piqsels, Scimex.org
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Reproductive rights and ESFL Connor Goddard First year French & Politics
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TUDENTS can agree that university is a place where freedom of expression is a key part of the experience, and for many
people it will be the first time they feel safe and comfortable enough to express themselves.
University is a place where freedom of expression is a key part of the experience
Recently a lot of attention was put onto Exeter Students for Life Society which is a group that opposes abortion.
A lot of attention was put onto Exeter Students for Life Society Whichever way you feel on the issue, the society holds a very controversial view on a sensitive and divisive topic. The society garnered much attention from all corners of the country. Many people were shocked that a society concerning the issue existed, however Exeter is not the first or only university to have one. There are several societies all over the country that support the ‘pro-life’ movement in Bristol, Birmingham, Aberdeen, and surely many more.
The society garnered much attention from all corners of the country
The issue of abortion and reproductive rights is a very important topic that should undoubtedly be discussed and suppressing either side’s opinion would be counterproductive. Most people would agree that simply silencing people that don’t agree with your view is not an effective way of arguing your point. Debate Society would be a very good outlet for both sides to have it out in a controlled environment without having a whole society solely dedicated to the issue. One positive thing to come out of this issue is that it has triggered many students to stand up for what they believe in. Nobody would want this society to be disbanded if it did not threaten reproductive rights that were won through decades, centuries even, of protest, blood, sweat and tears. Abortion rights in Northern Ireland were decades behind the rest of the United Kingdom for far too long. In Northern Ireland women have only had access to safe abortions since October 2019. It’s easy for those of us in a privileged position to forget that many women still don’t have
access to safe and legal abortions in other parts of the world.
Abortion rights in Northern Ireland were decades behind However, the issue with the ‘pro-life’ society goes deeper than just reproductive rights. Many see it as an attempt to control women rather than to protect the foetus’ life. Something I find very ironic is that many ‘pro-lifers’, and in particular ‘pro-life’ American politicians, are conservative. They claim that they support life but many of them also support the death penalty. A conservative ideology supports small government and strict spending limits. Pro-lifers’ main message is that they want to preserve and support life, but often that support ends as soon as the baby is born. The ‘pro-life’ society feels like such a step backwards when we have come so far in protecting a woman’s right to choose. Images: Wikimedia Commons
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26 OCT 2021| EXEPOSÉ
COMMENT
In conversation: Bryan Knight Lucy Aylmer Deputy Editor
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RYAN Knight is a Londonbased journalist and oral historian. After graduating from the University of Exeter in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in History, Knight has produced the popular podcast Tell A Friend and written for numerous publications including Al Jazeera, BBC News, The Guardian and Novara Media. In this exclusive interview, Knight recalls his fondest memories at Exeter and how his experiences studying History and writing for Exeposé helped shaped his interest in Black history and broadcast journalism.
Exeposé: What are your best memories of Exeter? Bryan Knight: My best memories of Exeter are Exeposé. Even though I had always had an interest in journalism, I initially felt quite daunted to join the student paper and throw myself into a society that already had an established friendship group. It wasn’t until someone from the previous committee, who had read my writing, suggested that I go for a committee position. It is thanks to Exeposé that I was able to interview a range of public figures like the Labour politician Dawn Butler and Nick Davies, the renowned investigative journalist. It was through Exeposé that my writing skills improved as well as shaping my interest in pursuing a career in journalism.
It was through Exeposé that my writing skills improved É: How did Exeter help shape
your interest in Black history? B: I credit my interest in Black history to Simon Heplow, a lecturer in History at the University of Exeter. He conducted a module called ‘Race and Immigration since 1945’. This was my first exposure to Black British history where I learnt about the Black Panther Movement and the Windrush generation. This was prior to it being the hot topic that it is now and before the Windrush scandal too. Without him, I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing now. It was Heplow’s enthusiasm that encouraged me
to delve deeper into this subject.
É: Why you think that there has been such an increased engagement in Black History Month? B: I think it is being led by the white guilt that was generated from the Windrush scandal because of the Home Office issue. The problem is that people are paying attention to the scandal but not actually considering why it happened in the first place. It’s one thing reminiscing about the history, but can we talk about what’s going on in the Home Office and the institutional racism that led to it happening? I’m happy that people are engaging in this history, but I also wish that people would engage with the real issues of why they were falsely deported.
I initially felt quite daunted to join the student paper
É: Is the University doing enough to support students of marginalised communities? B: There is a lot more that needs to be done. The way in which Exeter responded to racist incidents from students that fell victim to racism were unsatisfactory as these students were not given adequate support.
We tried to push the University to take more action but little was done. Historically, Exeter has a reputation for racist incidents, most notably those involving the Bracton Law Society. Therefore, Exeter needs to do a lot more to ensure that ethnic and minority students feel listened to and to rid themselves of that name.
É: Are there any specific incidents
you would like to draw attention to? B: No, it is not my position to bring them up as it was nothing that happened directly to me, but there were incidents that happened to friends of mine.
É: You have written extensively about Black history for publications, so in your opinion, why is Black History Month so important? B: In some ways Black History Month is good because it it shines a light on people and moments of history for marginalised communities that often don’t get recognition. Equally, it can feel conflicting as why is there only a month to commemorate this? I feel weird when companies approach me for Black History Month as it feels tokenistic. It is becoming apparent that Black people are refusing to work over Black History Month. Similarly, I have been turning down work opportunities this month
I’m happy that people are engaging in this history
because of the conflicting values that Black History Month creates. Of course, these work opportunities would help my career, but equally it feels fake. Instead of calling me in October, try calling me in January and then we’ll see what we can do.
We tried to push the University to take more action
É: What would you recommend others do if they are interested in learning more about Black history, and commemorating the month accordingly? B: As an oral historian, I believe people should engage in oral history. People should actively talk to people and find out the history themselves — don’t wait for people to write the history out in a book for it to be presented to you. There are so many easily accessible online resources so it’s not a question of accessibility, its more about people taking the initiative to research it for themselves. É: Could you discuss your speaker event: ‘The Black Power Movement’? B: I spoke about the Black Power Movement and Black radicalism in the UK. I wanted to highlight key people that I think everyone
should know about such as Altheia Jones-LeCointe and Leila Hassan Howe. These people made a huge difference through their activism, and they deserve credit for that. I also discussed key campaigns like the Mangrove Nine campaign which was one of the most significant legal trials in history that everyone should know about.
É: What are your opinions on the conclusions from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report? Why do you think the conclusions came as they did? B: I must be a bit careful here. Obviously, I did not agree with conclusions of the report. In fact, I think that a lot of Black people were hurt by the report. The report downplayed the institutional racism and barriers felt by Black communities in society. Currently there is a trend to place Black faces in positions of power with the assumption that what they say is gospel. But it is not. Just because a Black person says it, it doesn’t make it true. I believe that Tony Sewell, who chaired the report, was used for this specific reason. É: I notice that you have been writing about institutional racism within the police force. Do you think Cressida Dick should resign given the controversy surrounding stop and search? B: I don’t see how she can remain in that position. Dick has been presented with countless facts as evidence for institutional racism but has tried to downplay it. In a time where the public are calling for drastic change in how the police force operates, I don’t know how someone like Dick can remain in that position. She is not receptive to what the public at large are saying. People have lost confidence in her, and once you lose the public’s confidence, I don’t see how you can remain in a position of authority. É: Lastly, what are your future projects for the year ahead? B: For me it is less about journalism and writing, but rather meeting people, sharing people’s stories and teaching others about underrepresented topics. In the long term, I am hoping to become involved in TV work.
Image: Bryan Knight
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Features
26 OCT 2021| EXEPOSÉ
FEATURES EDITOR:
Bridie Adams
Interview: Jonathan Dimbleby
Joshua Hughes talks to journalist Jonathan Dimbleby about his career and personal life
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HEN I had the pleasure of sitting down (albeit in a virtual setting) with ex ITV and BBC journalist, Jonathan Dimbleby, we discussed his career, the future of interviewing and his thoughts on our current government, among other topics. I began by asking about his impression of Prince Charles, as Dimbleby famously interviewed him in 1994. He pointed out that the Prince was one of the first public figures to speak out about the environment and the pollution of the oceans. Renowned for his tough, pressing and direct interviewing style, Dimbleby lamented the increasing absence of the long-form interview from mainstream media, describing it as a “great loss.”
There are a large numbers of unhappy politicians in the Labour Party and the liberal wing of the Conservative Party Referencing the benefits of this form of interview, he explained that people want to see a “persistent, courteous and tough” interview. The long form interview allows people to have the opportunity to drill down the issue and see the implications. When asked about his views on misinformation and fake news, he conveyed that it is important to not be totally pessimistic when you look at campaigns such as the anti-vaccine movement and the conspiracy theories which circle around the internet. While these movements have been able to gain momentum on online platforms, he noted the surge of those reading and watching the BBC during the pandemic. Explaining that “people turn to the BBC in drama and crisis”, he underlined the significant viewership of the news bulletins which give people area-specific advice. Commenting on the divisiveness of modern-day politics, he emphasised that there are a large number of unhappy politicians in the Labour Party, the Liberals in
the middle and those in the liberal wing of the Conservative Party. He expressed that the absence of consensus “doesn’t bode well” for a country with significant issues. He strongly made the case of the benefits of consensus to society, highlighting the importance of values such as fairness, justice and equality. He doesn’t know how historians will look back at this period, saying that we live in really difficult times. He professed that he’d always been an optimist, but no longer is as confident, stating, “we are in a fragile state in every relevant respect.” Speaking on Brexit, he admitted that, at the time, he couldn’t believe that we’d go down the “Brexit route”, suggesting it was “culturally and historically terrible.” He explained that we are yet to see what the long-term effects are. He also stated that we are “going to have to come to terms with our new global status,” pointing to promised trade deals with huge economies such as that of the United States and Australia
Image: Elekes Ando, wikicommonsr
which he suggested mean “virtually nothing to them.” We also touched on the subject of his personal life. He grew up in the country, living on a “minifarm.” Growing up in a rural setting inclined him to move towards a career in agriculture, wanting to be a farmer. He attended the Royal Agricultural College in order to pursue this career.
In the modern job market ingenuity, the ability to communicate effectively and a readiness to work hard is required However, when his father died he “had to be serious”, deciding to attend University College London (UCL) where he read philosophy. The main commencement of his work as a journalist came at UCL where he became engaged in demonstrations, particularly against the Vietnam war and the Portuguese dictatorship. He found that he enjoyed provoking people, speaking on platforms at protests
and also in print. At UCL he became the editor of the student newspaper, Pi, and eventually found his way into newspapers and television despite his “early reluctance to get into it.” When asked about whether we can expect a Jonathan Dimbleby farming programme, in a similar fashion to Jeremy Clarkson, he chuckled. Giving some career advice for current students, he suggested that students should find a balance. He highlighted the changing nature of the jobs market, explaining that what is required is “ingenuity, the ability to communicate effectively, a readiness to work hard”, and to also ask yourself, “What do I want from this life?”
We control our own future and we should take the world and grasp it He said that we control our own future, and we should “take the world and grasp it.”
The impact of Devon’s rising house prices
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OUSE prices in Britain have been rising. Right here in Devon, we are surrounded by a particularly significant increase in prices, as reported by Devon Live. A shortage of residential properties on sale, with elevated demand from buyers, is forcing up prices. A critical cause of the soaring popularity of Devon’s housing market is a mass departure from large urban areas like London. Movers are seeking additional space in locations along the coast, with a desire for peace and quiet after so long avoiding physical contact throughout the pandemic.
Movers are seeking additional space However, there are numerous areas which comprise properties that are based on a Devon Restriction. A Devon Restriction means that it is only possible to purchase properties in some parts of the county if you have lived and/or worked in Devon for three years prior to the transaction. This, naturally, makes it hard for non-local buyers to relocate. On the flip side, there are tales floating around of million pound residences being sold within hours of being put up for sale, with a jump in cost even at the low end of the market which is pricing locals out. When it comes to the current housing market, many are struggling; individuals planning to relocate to Devon will struggle to navigate the busy market and are met with the Devon Restriction, whilst local people who are looking for a new home in the area face unrealistic and unaffordable prices. The rental market is another issue entirely, with demand hugely exceeding supply, prices rising in and around Exeter, and properties being snapped up just minutes after going live on Rightmove and Zoopla. The situation is not ideal for anyone on the hunt for a new home in Devon; hopefully a solution can be reached that will make buyers’ and renters’ lives a little easier.
Bridie Adams, Editor
26 OCT 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
11 FEATURES
The importance of Black History Month
Bridie Adams, Editor, reflects on this October
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CTOBER marks Black History Month in Britain. Lately, considerable notice has been given to the significance of the Windrush generation and the Black Lives Matter movement, mainly after the death of George Floyd in May 2020. According to the BBC, the Department of Education says that Black history "is an important topic and schools have the freedom to teach it within the history curriculum, and can do so from
primary school age onwards.” However, even now, nearly all educational institutions teach a history syllabus which centres on the achievements of non-black figures. Black History Month is a good chance to think about what needs to be done to ensure that our education system is more suitable. It presents everybody with the opportunity to share, commemorate and appreciate the effect of Black legacy and culture. Black history is all of our history. Images (L-R): Frankie Fouganthin, Socialist Appeal, Alisdare Hickson (above), Taymaz Valley
All about greenwashing Lucy Aylmer, Deputy Editor, explains the rise of greenwashing, a misleading marketing spin
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REENWASHING is not a modern phenomenon. In fact, its history predates the 1960s when the anti-nuclear movement raised questions about the environmental consequences and health and safety of using nuclear energy. Westinghouse, a nuclear energy provider, retaliated with a series of ads conveying the cleanliness and safety of nuclear power plants. One striking image included a nuclear power plant located on a lake with the tag line “We’re building nuclear power plants to give you more electricity” and that nuclear power plants are “odorless, neat, clean and safe." Since then, it has been proven that this statement is largely untrue. Nuclear energy produces radioactive waste that if leaked, can be dangerous to human health and increase the likelihood of cancer and cardiovascular disease. In addition, radioactive leaks are detrimental to the environment
as evidenced by the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 that damaged reproductive tissues of plants for several years thereafter. This proves these incidents involving nuclear power plants were clean or safe. Yet Westinghouse continued to deny the risks of nuclear energy and instead verify their environmental credentials through false product claims. Greenwashing persists today. One of the major greenwashing scandals of the 21st century involved Volkswagen. In 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency found that Volkswagen had employed a device that could detect when a vehicle’s engine was being tested and thus change the performance results accordingly. The device monitored speed, engine operation, air pressure and the position of the steering wheel. In doing so, Volkswagen managed to not only break the trust of customers through deceit, but also produce engines that emit nitro-
gen oxide pollutants up to 40 times above US regulatory benchmarks. The rise of greenwashing has been facilitated through drastic developments in state-of-the-art technology that has enabled the likes of Volkswagen to circumvent environmental laws and falsify environmental claims through specialised machinery to cheat emission tests. Volkswagen is one example of how many multinationals use their extensive cash reserves to portray themselves as beacons of environmentalism — when in reality, it is far from the truth. According to the BBC, regulators are clamping down on the intensification of greenwashing. This will involve regulators launching inquiries to assess environmental claims made by businesses in the energy, waste and transport sector. The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) will endeavour to research companies that have pledged net zero and carbon neutral targets in
advertisements. In the past, the ASA has taken a strong regulatory stance to environmental advertorial claims. Most recently, these have included bans on a Ryanair ad campaign that claimed to have the lowest airline CO2 emissions and food company Gousto which made false claims about their 100 per cent plastic free and recyclable packaging. Both were found t to be false claims.
Patagonia boss Yvon Chouinard is an outspoken critic of the damages Patagonia boss Yvon Chouinard is an outspoken critic of the damages incurred from greenwashing. Chouinard rejects the popularised green image adopted by clothing companies for the sake of competition and marketing strategies. Instead, he encourages businesses to implement a sustainable corporate strategy that looks beyond
the so-called “profit first syndrome” that big corporations fall victim to.
Implementing recycling will have zero impact on the environment Dana Thomas, author of Fashionopolis, uses the example of in-store recycling schemes at major retailers. This is because implementing recycling will have zero impact on the environment due to the low quality clothing sold; low quality textile fibres have limited ability to be used again. Through amassing voices from industry leaders, writers and regulators, greenwashing can receive the criticism it deserves and be brought to the public’s attention. In doing so, consumers can become more aware of their purchases and the real impact it has upon the environment.
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STUDY BREAK Puzzles by Matthew and George 26 OCT 21 | EXEPOSÉ
lifestyle Halloween and cultural appropriation Ana Anajuba explains why cultural appropriation at Halloween is still an issue
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VER since the popularisation of the term ‘cultural appropriation’ circa 2014, countless articles and videos have been published around the topic. Around the beginning of October, as you and your friends plan your costumes and retailers advertise outfits based on whatever pop culture breakout happened that year, the issue begins to crop up. There are people on both sides: those who believe that it is an incredibly important and pervasive issue that needs to be addressed, and those who believe it is an unimportant occurrence that has been blown out of proportion.
RETAILERS ADVERTISE OUTFITS BASED ON WHATEVER POP CULTURE BREAKOUT HAPPENED Many people, however, lie somewhere in the middle. In fact, the majority of people are likely to be apathetic or simply not understand the topic. To put it simply, cultural appropriation is when privileged individuals adopt items (clothing, hairstyles, music, etc.) from a minority group, often without understanding their significance, mislabelling and commodifying them. It would be taking something that a group of people have been discriminated against for having or doing and then using it yourself. For example, the traditional headdress that Native
American tribes have worn has been misappropriated as a fashion statement even though it has deep symbolical meaning.
A COSTUME REDUCES IMPORTANT PIECES OF IDENTITY TO TRIVA AND FUN The idea of wearing something as a costume reduces important pieces of identity to trivia and fun. It also exploits marginalised communities who have long been mocked for what they wear and how they wear it – and often, it is not just what the costume signifies but also what the seller and consumer intend. Costumes in the past have ranged from “ghetto thug” stereotypes of Black people to “suicide bomber” costumes with traditional Arab Image: Karen Arnold
garb and an imitation of a suicide vest. Additionally, too often costumes that should be benign have been called by names that are insensitive at best and outright bigoted at their worst. It is not just race or ethnicity-based costumes – these also mock many groups including sexual and religious minorities. Everybody likes to have fun at Halloween – it is often the one day a year that people can look ridiculous and have everyone be in on the joke. And that is the point – for everyone to be in on the joke. There is no lack of great Halloween costumes. Couples’ costumes of loofah and soap or a painter and the painting can be light-hearted. People often can go down the traditional horror route of witches, vampires, ghosts and werewolves. There is also a plethora of pop culture references: Netflix and chill, Cruella and dalmatians, and this year’s breakout costume of a Squid Game competitor. To portray a character or real-life person that belongs to a different race does not necessitate painting your face a different colour. The dresses of Disney and Pixar princesses are iconic enough without attempting to imitate Princess Tiana’s skin tone. Often, cultural appropriation in costumes feels more than just crass and insensitive but also unnecessary. Perhaps it is likely that as some people do not grow up in multicultural communities, they do not recognise the importance of certain cultural elements. However, more and more people are
avoiding this act, instead enjoying one of the many fun Halloween costumes that stores have to offer. Contrary to popular belief, this has been an issue for many years, preceding the internet and social media which have brought it to light. In 2011, students at Ohio State University launched 'We’re a culture, not a costume' which aimed to provide a visual understanding and explanation of the issue. The response was mixed, split between those who agreed and understood the sentiment, and those who felt it policed behaviour. Even now, it can be a difficult - albeit necessary - subject to breach. What do you do if your friend wants to go as a Tibetan monk or an elusive Native American princess? What do you do when you want to avoid being labelled a ‘buzzkill’ or ‘wet blanket’? Perhaps it is easier to ignore how uncomfortable it may make others feel. But the better thing to do is most likely to have a conversation about it. Maybe your friend will agree with you and change their mind. Maybe they’ll disagree – but at least you have planted the seeds in their mind. There are an infinite number of alternative costumes. It would likely be a lot more fun to go with a kitschy outfit rather than one that is based on mocking whole swathes of people. It is easy to understand why many people are confused about the subject – it has been muddied and sullied – but it is simply a concept of respect. Respect people’s culture and heritage. Respect fellow human beings.
Turtle Bay launches new cocktail menu Ella Minty, Arts + Lit Editor and Ellen Rogers, Science Editor review a collection of tropical cocktails
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STAPLE for quality cocktails for students, Turtle Bay is a Carribean themed restaurant. A lot of their old cocktails have been revamped. The popular Raspberry Reggae has changed, and the Sidechick Martini has now been rebranded as a Passion Martini; this is a revamp of the popular drink made with passionfruit and vanilla, where rum is used instead of the traditional vodka. My favourite beverage, though, is the Grapefruit Fizz. Made with aperol, passionfruit,
grapefruit and prosecco, it is the perfect blend; the flavour of passionfruit, which is sometimes too sweet in a Passion Martini, is nicely balanced by the aperol and the fizz from the prosecco is an enjoyable element of the drink. It resembles another of Turtle Bay’s drinks, Tingaling, with slightly differing flavours. All in all, with great service and ample time for happy hour, Turtle Bay is a must for students!
Ella Minty, Arts + Lit Editor
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URTLE Bay, one of the go-to cocktail bars in Exeter, recently introduced a bunch of new cocktails, I tried out the Pineapple Daiquiri (pineapple juice, lime juice, Jamaica Cove Pineapple and triple sec) and was not disappointed! Turtle Bay’s Pineapple Daiquiri is served in a classic coupe glass and is not dissimilar looking to a pornstar martini (but a little more opaque and with some slight foam on top). It’s a pretty yelloworange colour reminiscent of the Caribbean sunset. I felt very classy holding it!
This feature was produced in collaboration with Turtle Bay Exeter.
I could definitely taste the tang of the quite sweet pineapple cutting through. Because of the slightly thicker texture, a small sip packs a big punch. However, there was almost no noticeable alcoholic taste (somewhat dangerous!) Turtle Bay make their drinks strong! I would definitely recommend hitting happy hour (7pm or 9:30pm-closing) if you want a proper cocktail night out on a budget. Ellen Rogers, Science Editor
EDITOR: Bridie Adams
exhibit | lifestyle
26 OCT 2021 |
Spotlighting Black British bloggers
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Chloe Pumares, Deputy Editor, focuses on her favourite Black bloggers and influencers
LACK content creators and lifestyle bloggers aren’t always given the recognition they deserve. Patricia Bright is the first to come to mind. She is a YouTube sensation turned talk show host, whose Insta feed is guaranteed to brighten up your day. She started her channel more than ten years ago. This dedication led her to becoming one of the first Black British YouTube channels to gain one million subscribers. She is incredibly easy to watch, feeling more like a friend or a sister with her down to earth nature and tendency to share everything going on in her life. Her content makes her truly a great lifestyle blogger as she covers everything from beauty and fashion to finance and business. She even has a finance and personal development channel called Break. She has had amazing career highlights so far, appearing on magazine covers, and I can’t see her slowing down anytime
soon. She is definitely a Black British blogger everyone should continue to watch thrive.
A BLACK BRITISH INFLUENCER TO MAKE NOTE OF IS BELLA MICHELLE Another notable influencer is Sharmadean Reid MBE, a British Jamaican entrepreneur, and the founder of WAH Nails and Beautystack. She is incredibly active on social media which showcases articles from her website as well as giving insights into her personal life. The message of her job as an influencer is heavily focused on female empowerment through technology and media. Her website lists some impressive achievements, such as writing two books, creating pop-up nail salons across the world as well as creating products with Boots and, perhaps most impressively, she was awarded an
MBE from the Queen in 2015 for her service to beauty and women. This is outstanding. A Black British influencer to make note of is Bella Michelle who goes by onlybells_ on Instagram and Only Bells on YouTube. The London-based creator posts hair and makeup videos as well as inspirational travel content. At only 24, with 262k followers on Instagram and 187k subscribers on YouTube, this creator is definitely one to watch. Regular vlogs showcasing her travelling and daily life to keep her followers updated are scattered on her YouTube channel, alongside try-on-hauls to bring subscribers in. However her bubbly and engaging personality is what makes them stay. This has clearly served her well as she has already racked up a rather impressive range of partnerships having worked with Google Chromebook, Selfridges Beauty, Liz Earle and ASOS. Recently in June, Michelle launched her first collection with Quay Australia as she
selected all of her favourite glasses, choosing from both best sellers and brand new options. Clearly the only way is up for this British lifestyle blogger, and I cannot wait to see what exciting things she will do next!
THERE ARE SO MANY BLACK INFLUENCERS A few honourable mentions, as there are so many Black influencers who deserve to be spotlighted, include: Jennie Jenkins, a London-based beauty, fashion and lifestyle blogger with her own beauty brand, Shirley B. Eniang, a leading British BAME fashion, beauty and lifestyle creator with a YouTube channel, one of the first in the UK to make makeup tutorials for black and darker skin tones, and Stephanie Yeboah, a body image and selflove advocate and author of Fattily Ever After.
Black-owned fashion and beauty brands Lifestyle writers discuss some important Black-owned brands.
Fenty Beauty
C o l o u re d Ra i n e
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ENTY Beauty, founded by Rihanna, is one of ORRAINE R. Dowdy founded Coloured Raine my favourite makeup and skincare brands. in 2013. After ditching her high-profile The quality of the line makes it easy to fall in and lucrative job in the finance industry, love with, from the primer to the brushes Dowdy set up a cosmetics line that embraces (which are seriously on the racial diversity and encourages self-exsame level as professional pression. Coloured Raine advocates products). The makefor experimentation, no matup is used on many ter your age, race or gender. famous faces; in Dowdy has always had a Ariana Grande’s passion for playful and track ‘make vibrant colours, which up’, she even is threaded throughname drops out her make up line. the brand, From scrolling through singing, Coloured Raine’s In“Highlight of stagram feed, it is my life, just clear that representalike that Fenty tion of different genBeauty kit.” ders and races of peoI had been ple are also key aspects to drooling over RiDowdy’s ethos and brandhanna’s make-up line ing, with make-up artist and Image: Wikimedia Commons for years after watching Gilbert Estrada modelling a rather my favourite beauty gurus rave regal and distinctive eyeshadow ensemble. about it. This summer, I finally got my hands on some of the products (better late than never!) and now they are absolute staples in my routine. My favourites are the Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation and the Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Recently awarded Allure's Best of Luminizer in the shade ‘Fu$$y’. These products, Beauty for 2020, Coloured Raine has mul- particularly the foundation, may be costly, but tiple accolades to its name and a pro- they are much cheaper than other luxury choices. gressive attitude to boot. It gets my vote.
DOWDY FOUNDED COLOURED RAINE IN 2013
Lucy Aylmer, Deputy Editor
THE MAKEUP IS USED ON MANY FAMOUS FACES
Sancho's
As well as makeup, Fenty has an excellent skincare line. For example, Rihanna’s Fenty Skin Combination Facial Toner and Serum prides itself on numerous ingredients like witch hazel water and Australian lemon myrtle to stabilise unwanted moisture in oily skin. In addition, Fat Water is made with cactus flower extract for added hydration, antioxidant-rich green tea and Japanese raisin tree to help cure dry areas of skin. The label’s skyrocketing reputation is down to its embracing of models of colour and use of cosmetics on all genders. Initial support from Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) also paid towards the brand’s ease of access and affordability. Rihanna created Fenty Beauty “so that women everywhere would be included,” focusing on a broad scope of commonly difficult-to-match skin colours, with formulas that function for all skin types. Products such as her highlighters and lip glosses also utilise universally flattering shades. Forbes says that the majority of Rihanna’s significant wealth is from Fenty Beauty, which made over $550 million in 2020 - more than Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics. While Rihanna receives less of a pay-out than Kylie from her make-up line, Fenty Beauty generates a greater amount of revenue overall. Slice Intelligence compared both brands’ first month of business and found that Fenty made five times as much. Fenty Beauty is an example of a Blackfounded brand that has had remarkable success. You can’t deny that Rihanna is a fantastic businesswoman, as well as having created some absolutely banging music. Bridie Adams, Editor
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N a world of climate catastrophe and unethical clothing production, Exeter-based business Sancho’s is a ray of sunshine.
SANCHO'S IS A RAY OF SUNSHINE Founded by University of Exeter alumni Kalkidan Legesse and Vidmantas Markevicius in 2014, and named after Legesse’s lovingly given nickname from her Ethiopian family, the business is a direct response to the fast fashion industry and its devastating global impact on countries such as Ethiopia. Each product sold is made ethically from sustainable materials, and with hundreds of brands being curated, Sancho’s has bucketloads of variety from jewellery to accessories to both womenswear and menswear for you to choose from, and not feel guilty buying.
EACH PRODUCT SOLD IS MADE ETHICALLY With free shipping, next day UK deliveries and the endorsement of major publications like The Guardian, The Independent and Drapers, there is very little excuse not to pop into their store on Fore Street and support one of Devon’s premier Black-owned businesses.
Oliver Leader De Saxe, Editor
arts + lit
Black History Month creatives Arts + Lit writers talk about their favourite Black artists
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Rachel Harvey
Bernadine Evaristo
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Natasha Gordon MBE
ACHEL Harvey, or @artist_named_nobody as she is N her eighth novel Girl, Woman, Other, BerATASHA Gordon MBE is a British playwright of Jamaiknown on Instagram, is a young Black nardine Evaristo tells the stories of 12 characters can heritage; previously an actor, in 2018 she became artist trying to reformulate what it as their lives intertwine and intersect. The charthe first British Black female playwright to have a play means to be Black and female in a society acters are all connected in one way or another, staged in the West End. She was born in North London to parwhere it is impossible to avoid new-age racism whether as friends, relations, or simply ents who were both migrants from Jamaica, and performative wokeness. She depicts Black through fleeting interactions. Throughout her grandparents having arrived by boat as people who are flawed yet attractive, and althe novel, the reader discovers the different part of the Windrush Generation in the 1950s. ways beautifully human. She has worked with characters and their connections, as they Her debut play, Nine Night, sets her apart both watercolour and computer programmes, also discover each other — and themselves. from other playwrights. It directly celebrates always to give a message that you must at no The unusual, flowing style, where little Black culture as the play is inspired by the tratime compromise your true identity (whethpunctuation is used, reflects the winding, dition practiced in the Caribbean, ‘Nine-nights’, er this is your race, background or sexualentwining lives and narratives of the charan extended wake that lasts for several days ity). She does this by integrating an amazacters. The resulting text is an effortless where friends and family come together in the ing, natural confidence into her every craft. Image: @artist_named_nobody on Instagram blend of poetry and prose. It is also an inhome of the deceased, eating food and sharing In spite of the fact that spaces for Black dication of the constant flux of themes that stories. Rated highly by critics, it was dubbed work are important, Harvey creates her work on the barun throughout the novel. Much like Amma, the character Image: Penguin an “impressive debut” by The Guardian, and sis that Black fine art should not exist only as a small-scale with whom the novel opens, Evaristo tackles race, gender, sexuality, had extra resonance in light of the Windrush scandal, which category — there should be more fine art that gives promiand class divides head on. We are made to question our own stance began to surface the year Gordon’s play was performed. nence to Black individuals without this kind of work always on these topics, to question our perspectives as we are presented Before turning to writing plays, Gordon had an imbeing forced into a racially focused box. Harvey paints with 12 alternative ones. The novel is honest and raw and powerful. pressive record as an actor. She has previously appeared portrait after portrait of Black faces without making use Evaristo has received international acclaim for Girl, Woman, in Line of Duty and Eastenders, to name a few television of symbolism or backdrop. This makes the person themOther. In 2019, the novel won the Booker Prize, making Evar- shows, but has also shown her skill as a stage actress in selves the focal point. She puts her artwork up for sale isto the first Black woman and the first Black British person As You Like It and Red Velvet. Backstory and character still in her shop and prints her work on ethically made postto win the award. Evaristo also became the first Black British play an essential part for her in both acting and writing. ers, books, unisex and size inclusive clothes, and more. writer to reach number one in the UK paperback fiction charts. Gordon has stated that she doesn’t want Black playwriting Harvey’s aim is not to teach others about racism but, as an Evaristo’s work alone is inspiring. But, perhaps even more inspiring presence in the UK’s West End to come to a halt after her play, alternative, to disconnect the link that is drawn between Black is her active advocacy for the inclusion of writers and artists of colour. and we can question whether it really is a celebration of diverindividuals and racial discrimination. In an interview with LaEvaristo founded the Brunel International African Poetry Prize and co- sity to break the record of first Black female playwright in the vande Magazine, she stated that, “My primary goal is making founded Britain’s first Black women’s theatre company,Theatre of Black West End only three years ago. Why don’t we have more plays people feel beautiful without focusing heavily on their identity.” Women. Even when she is not writing, Evaristo continues to inspire. in the mainstream celebrating Black culture as Gordon’s does?
Bridie Adams, Editor
Isabel Caine
Ella Minty, Arts + Lit Editor
Does distress generate the best art? Daisy Leason discusses whether the state in which art is created affects its quality
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ICTURE the scene: you’re at a house party when you hear ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ by Joy Division. The young man next to you, leans over and says, “He killed himself, you know.” You can interchange this artist with countless others. Perhaps this time it’s “Can you believe she was on cocaine in this scene?” or “He was an alcoholic when he wrote this - I can barely write a text after I’ve had a drink!” All of these things are said with a tinge of awe in the voice. We know that we do not want to suffer. Yet again and again we associate mental illness, addiction, poverty, and suffering with the ability to produce great art.
WE KNOW THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO SUFFER It is true, tragedy can be a catalyst for
creativity. Even the most stoic amongst us are often drawn to let their feelings out in a journal at times of great pain. Furthermore, it feels like there is a lot of external tragedy to write about. Take your pick from COVID-19, the climate crisis, or just read the news and pick a headline. When there is so much sadness and anger in the world, it is no wonder that there are passionate, creative people who pick up on it and turn it into art. However, the claim that distress is necessary for good art is reductive, doing more harm than good. Foremost, it implies that artistic talent comes from pain rather than hard work. Whilst it is true that distress may serve as inspiration for many artists, I believe that it does a great disservice to artists when we reduce their talent to the adversity they have overcome. We fail to see the hours of work and the years of practice that have gone into developing their craft.
Looking at a painting and saying it is the result of the drugs the artist is addicted to or a great trauma they have suffered is an insult to the work they put in. Furthermore, it makes people believe that they must have some level of distress in order to create great art. They look at artists like Ernest Hemingway, Amy Winehouse, or Robin Williams, and think, “These are depressed alcoholics. I’m not a depressed alcoholic. I only want to write/ sing/act about happy things and not take mindaltering substances.” Our understanding of art has become intertwined with that of distress, but this is not healthy anymore in a society that is continually learning about mental health. In his 2000 autobiography Stephen King states, “the idea that the creative endeavour and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-
intellectual myths of our time,” . I am inclined to agree, and I think I can add mental illness and distress to the list.
WE ASSOCIATE SUFFERING WITH THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE GREAT ART When we insist that great art must come from great tragedy, we put artists in an uncomfortable position. We revere their art yet insist they must either be in pain or take inspiration from the suffering of others to create it. If distress is used to create art that is not a problem, but it is time we move on from the narrative that it is the only way to create great art.
exhibit | arts + lit
EDITOR: Ella Minty
26 OCT 2021 | 17
Black culture within literature F
OR too long, Black characters have been excluded from mainstream literature. Thankfully, that is gradually starting to change. The importance of this movement cannot be overstated. It works to undo stereotypes of the white hero arc, helping to normalise the prominence of powerful and inspirational Black characters in fiction and in real life. Of course, they also provide an insight into the Black experience; this is needed not only to make BAME members feel represented and heard, but also for white readers to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for the unique struggles of their Black peers.
THIS IS NEEDED TO MAKE BAME MEMBERS FEEL REPRESENTED Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give is the ultimate representation of Black culture and the struggle for justice in modern times. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, the novel portrays the challenging life of Starr Carter, a 16 year old
girl whose life is split between her poverty stricken neighbourhood and her prestigious prep school which is dominated by white students. The book highlights this struggle of being caught between two conflicting worlds perfectly and how difficult it is to balance the two. Yet this is only the backdrop. After her best friend is killed by a police officer, Starr becomes the subject of abuse by police and drug lords alike, all pressuring her to stay quiet about what transpired the night of the murder. Clearly, this is incredibly topical, pre-empting the events of summer 2020. What is so perfectly and heart-breakingly displayed by Thomas, is that the pain of losing ones best friend runs true and remains the focus throughout. It not only motivates her to fight for justice and the truth, but it also makes the story relatable to absolutely everyone. Despite police brutality and racial injustice being a complex political issue, The Hate U Give places the suffering caused by this on a personal level. The juxtaposition of heartbreak and the enormity of the situation only serves to highlight the weight that racial inequality has.
Image credits Walker Books
Cassia Grace, Deputy Editor, explores how Black culture is represented in The Hate U Give
Image: School Library
The importance of diversity in theatre Isabel Langguth discusses how theatre is changing in a positive way to reflect the diversity of society
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HE theatre’s problematic and vastly whitewashed history is likely familiar to everyone. The lack of diversity and restriction of Black people in theatre began long before Shakespeare and ended decades after Ibsen. For centuries, in England, white men acted as all characters in the theatre, regardless of race, ethnicity or gender. This controversial presence within theatre only grew as playwrights and theatre became more prolific in England and round the world.
THIS PROGRESS IS LONG OVERDUE IN THE THEATRE INDUSTRY Ira Aldridge was the first famous Black actor in Britain, rising to fame in the 19th century, after touring internationally with the the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, Shakespeare’s Theatre Company. Aldridge experienced extreme amounts of racism and ridicule during his 40-year career
as a Shakespearian actor. Despite this, Aldridge’s talent, courage, and perseverance created a paradigmshifting moment in history - the beginning of more Black actors being cast in theatrical performances. However, this was not a quick and easy process and Minstrel shows still continued during this time, where white actors in blackface would perform plays written by white playwrights.
THIS WAS NOT A QUICK AND EASY PROCESS The movement to have more diversity within the theatre has been met with some resistance, mainly when introducing more colour-blind casting. Often arguments were heard that such casting would not be ‘historically accurate’. This argument seems entirely redundant, considering that historical plays are often musicals, largely dramatised and missing large chunks of history.
The most captivating and compelling performance in a Shakespearian play that I have ever seen was the 2015 production of Othello by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), where Lucian Msamati was the first-ever Black actor to play the role of Iago. Masamati gave Iago a complexity and brand of villainy that I have never quite seen before and will probably never see again in a production of Othello.. Othello He was strong and vicious, deceptive and charismatic, combined with the underlying turmoil of a weak shell of a man who felt he had little to live for. The praise Lucian Masamati received for his performance is well deserved and marks a a different shift in the theatre industry, where the boundaries imposed upon Black actors were breaking. As a result, we are gradually seeing more Black actors cast as characters previously cast as white. West-End Hamilton exclusively casts Black and Hispanic actors to play the originally white founding fathers of America. This is long overdue and has resulted in
some truly incredible performances by actors such as Karl Queensborough, the current Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton Hamilton,, and SimonAnthony Rhoden, who plays the role of Aaron Burr alongside Queensborough. The most recent West End show to announce new additions to their cast through colour-blind casting is Les Misérables. They announced new actors joining the cast just before the reopening of the show last month.
WHITE MEN ACTED AS ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THE THEATRE Notably, Jordan Shaw, playing Enjolras and Chanice Alexander-Burnett, playing Fantine; both characters which were previously played by white actors in both the movie and the theatre production. Hopefully, the West End and smaller theatre productions will continue to diversify casts to increase opportunities and representation for Black actors within the theatre.
MUSIC
Segregation of rap at the Grammys O
Henry Hood, Online Sport Editor, investigates prejudice within the Grammy awards
NLY in the past year have the Grammys removed their ‘Best Urban’ album category. Urban may perhaps seem a harmless tag or an umbrella term to house the ever-changing popular styles of the music industry. But looking at the past list of winners in this category suggests almost no correlation in music style: Lizzo - ‘Cuz I Love You’ (2019 winner), The Weeknd - 'Star Boy’ (2017 winner), Beyonce: - ‘Lemonade’ (2016 winner), The Weeknd: - ‘Beauty Behind the Madness’ (2015 winner) and Frank Ocean - ‘Channel Orange’ (2012).
URBAN MAY PERHAPS SEEM A HARMLESS TAG OR AN UMBRELLA TERM TO HOUSE THE EVER-CHANGING POPULAR STYLES As NME noted in an online article, there is only one thing in common here: the artists' skin colour. The fact that the Weeknd has won it twice with two albums that are completely different styles speaks volumes. The Weeknd has constantly evolved his sound, with his synth-based 80s style album After Hours being the latest example. Yet even when his style evolves, he remains packaged by the Grammys as an ‘urban’ artist. Frank Ocean and Lizzo are completely different yet still both are defined by the ‘urban’ tag. It seems even the Grammys don’t know what urban means, suggesting it is based more on racial profiling in lumping Black artists together rather than actual musical analysis. The award has since been renamed ‘Best Progressive R&B Album’: a knotty term that does little in alleviating the legacy issues of the urban award. This also comes alongside an overarching ‘R&B’ award and a ‘Traditional R&B’ award too. At the very least, though, the title of the award involves a musical term, not one that assumes the artist’s impoverished background.
THERE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A CATEGORY FOR EVERY SONG Categorisation in the music industry is a tricky game. On the one hand, there doesn’t have to be a category for every song that is made; many songs make an active effort to stray from the norm of the industry and by nature become category-breaking. On the other hand, awards must be adapt-
ed to highlight and reward the artists in an ever-evolving industry, so the constant creation of new names and phrases is inevitable. The issue is how songs are categorised. Tyler, the Creator recently spoke out about his album IGOR winning in the ‘Rap’ category, while also criticising the organisers for their ‘Urban’ category back in 2019, labelling it as a politically correct version of ‘the N-word’. IGOR does contain elements of rap but defining the whole album in that category raises questions. As more and more rappers choose to both sing and rap over their song, think Drake and his smooth, auto-tuned choruses), surely the categorisation must keep up. There now is a category for ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ but there is no extension of this perhaps more fitting name into the single or album categories. The Grammys also have a strange idea about rap as a whole. One instance is Macklemore’s controversial win of ‘Best Rap Album’ with his and Ryan Lewis’ album The Heist back in 2013. The album contained massively popular hits like ‘Can’t Hold Us’ and ‘Thrift Shop’, which would justify a nomination for the award, but not winning it. For reference, Kendrick Lamar’s album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City lost out despite it containing
‘Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe’, ‘Backseat Freestyle’, ‘Money Trees’ and ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’ alongside the rest of the songs which as an album are a masterpiece well worth listening to in its entirety. Drake’s album Nothing was the Same also lost out despite having ‘Started from t h e Bottom’ a n d ‘ H o l d On, We’re Coming H o m e ’. S u r e , Macklemore had more hits on his songs, but then is that what defines what makes the best rap? The same logic does not apply to other awards, with a very recent example being Roddy Rich’s ‘The Box’ not winning ‘Best Rap Song’ in 2020 despite it racking up over a billion views. Roddy Rich was actually beaten in multiple categories not based on chart hits in the industry, but because other artists made m o r e nuanced or meaningful or simply better music that year. Kendrick Lamar’s 2013 album explored all aspects of his life from alcoholism to imposter syndrome to anxieties about his legacy. Macklemore churned out party anthems. For such a big organisation, the Gram-
mys do tend to get a lot ‘wrong’ when it comes to mainstream songs, hiphop, rap, pop and R&B.
Kanye West has boycotted the Grammys in solidarity with countless artists, and controversially posted a video of himself urinating on his own Grammy with the caption "TRUST ME … I won’t stop" in 2020. The Weeknd is the most recent to boycott after his album After Hours and his single ‘Blinding Lights’ failed to garner even a nomination in any category. Other artists to boycott the awards include Jay-Z, Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Frank Ocean and 50 Cent. The ‘Best Rap’ awards were controversially not even televised in its first iteration back in 1989 which led to all of the nominees from that year boycotting the show. There are countless categories for classical music, country music, jazz, ‘traditional’ forms of music and there never seems to be much controversy about who wins in those. But each year the Grammys overlooks an artist or snubs a deserved winner and it does start to raise the question: are the Grammys even relevant anymore? Have they kept up with the times? Time will tell, and perhaps continued efforts to boycott the show will either force genuine change or push the awards into obscurity. Music is subjective, but the Grammys seem entrenched in prejudices society has long since worked to move on from.
Images (L-R): Wikimedia Commons, Flickr
exhibit | music
EDITORS: Charlotte Bend and Harry Hawkins
26 OCTOBER 2021 | 19
Pieces of a man?
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Harry Hawkins, Music Editor, takes a tour through the life and tracks of the seminal bluesologist
IL Scott-Heron was a figure who has been regarded as a genius in a variety of fields – writer, poet, musician and activist. It has taken ten years since his death in 2011 for him to finally be recognised in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, which in some ways is too little too late, but also
demonstrates how much of an impact his work continues to provide on modern musical landscape, as well as conceptions of how to speak to power or investigate systems which oppress Black communities. More than anything else, Gil Scott Heron should be considered as a literary figure, standing well within traditions of
Black renaissance and the poetry within it.
HE HAS BEEN SAMPLED BY DRAKE Starting out as an English undergrad at Lincoln (inspired to go there by alumnus jazz poet Langston Hughes of the Harlem Renaissance), Scott-Heron ended up dropping out to finish two novels in 1969. His most streamed Spotify song is the groovy 'Lady Day and John Coltrane'. Another one of his most recognisable tunes is 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised', which describes how real revolution is shot down through the process of co-opting by the status quo. It’s pretty damning how the lyrics “There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay” still hold water after more than 50 years. As the '70s rolled on, Scott-Heron became more involved with activism within his performances, such as 'We Almost Lost Detroit', a spectrally beautiful neo-soul tune which combines Brian Jackson’s glistening keys with descriptions of a nuclear meltdown and was performed at the No Nukes concert in 1979.
SCOTT-HERON ENDED UP DROPPING OUT In 1975 he wrote on the subject of apartheid in 'Johannesburg', which is set to a bustling beat but emphasises the
Image credit: Flying Dutchman Records, and Arista Records
need for sympathy and action from those abroad to help in the South African plight. Gil Scott-Heron’s influence on hip hop is vast – works by him have been sampled to effect in 'Take Care' by Drake and Rihanna, Common and Dwele’s 'The People' and twice sampled by Kanye West on 'Who Will Survive in America' and 'My Way Home' – the former being an extended excerpt of spoken word piece ‘Comment #1’ set to hip-hop beats.
REAL REVOLUTION IS SHOT DOWN Whilst Scott-Heron was not entirely a hip-hop fan (he was quite disdainful of the gangsta rap periods of the 90s), he returned favour to Kanye in 2010, sampling ‘Flashing Lights’ on the bookending two part piece ‘On Coming from A Broken Home’, which reflects on how one can live in damaged circumstances, but challenges the notion that one must be driven to fatalism and surrender their agency through having “no strong male figure” – Scott-Heron notes that “My life has been guided by women, but because of them – I am a man”. The final words of his recorded output are “God bless you mama – and thank you” – a fitting send off for a man described not only as significantly talented, but also a kind soul.
HE WROTE ON THE SUBJECT OF APARTHEID
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Sample this!
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Charlotte Bend, Music Editor, shows how Kanye West's sampling prowess is just as important as his rapping
AMPLING, the reusing of a portion of auditory elements was first seen in 1971 with John Kongos’ 'He’s Gonna Step on you again'. As digital technology has advanced over time, samples which can comprise bars of music, speech or other sounds, have become increasingly manipulated to the extent where they can even become unrecognisable in their new form. With Stevie Wonder’s 1979 The Secret Life of Plants being one of the first mainstream albums to make use of samples, it is clear that sampling has been on the rise ever since.
KANYE HAS BEEN CALLED THE KING OF SAMPLING American rapper and producer, Kanye West, is known and celebrated for his extensive use of samples. With ten studio albums and over 100 million digital downloads, West’s success is unquestionable. Kanye’s producing background comes to the forefront from the beginning of his music career with his first album, The College Dropout (2004) containing one of his most famous hits, 'Through the Wire'. This contains samples of four songs: 'Through the Fire' by Chaka Khan (1984), 'Player’s Ball' by Outkast (1993) and 'I Don’t Wanna Grow Up, I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid' by Linda Kaplan Thaler. West’s extensive use of samples from the beginning of his career sets him aside
larity today. The second is Graduation (2007), Kanye’s third studio album inspired by house-music and indie-rock. This stand-out release makes use of synthesisers, electronics and sampling from various music genres. His ability to fuse gospel, jazz, pop and rap is unlike any other artist today. The best example is 'Good Life', where Kanye takes mere seconds of Michael J a c k s o n’s keyboard outro in 'P.Y.T' to form t h e main basis o f h i s song. This tiny loop t aken Image credit: from a Kim Erlandsen and Def Jam
from others, reinventing the use of sampling in hip-hop and paving the way for other artists to exploit samples in their work. Out of Kanye’s entire repertoire, two of his albums stand out. The first being The College Dropout (2004). This was imper-
ative in Kanye’s career as it was his most experimental work whilst still retaining popu-
specific song out of nowhere shows Kanye’s impressive ability to work as a producer on his own work. With this information it is no wonder that Kanye has been called “the King of Sampling” by uMusic. Alongside Alapatt stating that he is doing some “amazing stuff” as other people have sampled and “have not come anywhere near doing anything like he did”. The idea that Kanye takes snippets of songs which are so recognisable and alters them for his own work to the point where people no longer hear the original, proves his immense talent.
HIS ABILITY TO FUSE GOSPEL, JAZZ POP AND RAP IS UNPARALLELED Another reason Kanye has been so successful in his sampling career is his ability to obtain the correct rights. In comparison, the well-known song by The Verve 'Bittersweet Symphony', made less than a grand due to the Rolling Stones Manager, Allen Klein, owning the copyrights of all of the band’s songs pre-1970. Klein did not give permission for the rights for the six-note sample despite The Verve gaining permission from the recordings copyright holder. This emphasises Kanye’s expansive knowledge for sampling and his ability to retain his position as the best sampler in the music industry.
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exhibit | screen
EDITORS: Archie Lockyer and Francesca Sylph
9 NOV 2021 | 22
Denis Villeneuve Spotlight Screen Writers discuss their favourite films from Dune director Denis Villeneuve Incendies- Adam Simcox
Prisoners - Ella Buckley
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ENIS Villeneuve’s Prisoners is a film that
will keep you hooked from the get-go. With dynamic pacing, a spine-tingling atmosphere created through the cinematography, script and soundtrack, and powerful performances by Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, it is a masterfully executed thriller. The film centers around two families whose daughters are kidnapped and the desperation and destruction that comes with trying to find them. Hugh Jackman plays the father of one of the lost girls, and his performance as a deeply religious, determined father is electrifying as he battles with his grief, resorting to alcohol and extreme violence as he seeks vengeance. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the detective assigned to the case, who is left haunted by all the sinister secrets the case reveals. One of the most powerful scenes was Jackman and Gyllenhaal arguing in a car, Jackman’s violent outburst of despair and anger over his daughter is heartbreaking and powerful, both actors displaying their talent. Though they aren’t as central to the film, the supporting cast’s performances are just as impactful, such as the unnerving suspect played by Paul Dano. Sadly, Prisoners was snubbed in awards season. The bleak, noir-like cinematography of
Roger Deakins brings the haunting story to life through the harsh rainy weather and the deep black and blues of the color palette, heightening the isolation, the coldness and the anger of its characters. The morose and chilling soundtrack by composer Johann Johannson only adds to the cold dread the film elicits. Prisoners was a captivating watch throughout Villeneuve’s first Hollywood feature film, making his mark as a major Image:IMDB talent in Hollywood for his well- constructed films. His films are visually striking with enigmatic performances all around, for me Prisoners only goes to show how phenomenal of a director Denis Villeneuve is.
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RIGINALLY a play by Lebanese-Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad – who received the film with open arms: “I’m as delighted for Denis as I would be for a twin brother” – Incendies follows actual twins Jeanne and Simon Marwan (Mélissa DésormeauxPoulin and Maxim Gaudette) as they travel to their ancestral home to recover their family’s terrible past and honour their mother’s (Lubna Azabal) dying wish. Taking place all over Lebanon, both during and after the country’s bloody civil war, it’s a story largely concerned with the life-altering trauma of warfare and that generational disfigurement that seems to linger wherever it appears. It’s really beyond the death we see that there comes the sense that no one who manages to escape the violence with their life will do so entirely intact – some part of them will be lost or fundamentally changed. It’s a fact that impacts not just them but all those with whom they’re connected. Violence is inevitable, then, and when it rears
its head Villeneuve renders it in barbaric strokes. But a crucial emphasis is placed on the real horror therein, rather than the morbid spectacle. What’s unnecessary is dispensed with. Villeneuve wants to, and succeeds, in shaking you deeply, but he’s entirely uninterested in one-note provocation and emotional manipulation. Incendies presents a Villeneuve in full command of his craft, knowing exactly when to let loose with both barrels, and when to ease off to give us space enough to grapple, alone, with what’s occurred; with what all this loss and all this pain means.
VIILLENEUVE IS IN FULL COMMAND OF HIS CRAFT Though, as Dune shows, Villeneuve knows how to construct a spectacle, it’s more in those pregnant pauses between the violence he constructs that he really shines. So there’s something bittersweet about the filmmaker’s breakthrough into the world of blockbuster success. Villeneuve’s long-awaited mainstream recognition is welldeserved and something to be celebrated, but in comparing Dune to Incendies, there soon comes the feeling that he’s lost some sight of what made his work so special in the first place.
The Evolution of the Caped Crusader Archie Lockyer, Screen Editor, discusses Batman on the big screen
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ITH the release of the new The Batman trailer; the David Fincher-esque visuals, the muscle-car aesthetic of the Batmobile and Matt Reeves desire for a focus on the detective side of the caped crusader. I think of how much DC’s most iconic character has changed over the years. We have to remember how influential the original Batman and Batman Returns has had on the superhero genre, before Tim Burton’s pioneering direction movies like Superman and the original Captain America were seen as fluorescent, family friendly fun. Burton’s gothic style was a polar contrast, Michael Keaton’s Batman was a character who did not hold back in his pursuit of justice, sometimes to the detriment of the film with more than a few characters dying at the hands of the hero who swears never to take a
life. Burton was also able to bring his grimly dark humour to the character of Joker, with Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the character combining the wit associated with the clown prince of crime and a psychotic glee that only Nicholson could possibly pull off. Despite the years following the Tim Burton films, with Bat-Credit Cards and provocative batsuits. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy reintroduced the world’s greatest detective to audiences with a focus on contemporary issues like terrorism and the questioning of absolute justice and the acidic effects that this can have on both morality and the legal system. I feel as though sometimes it is understated
the effect that Nolan’s directional choice has had on Batman as a whole, whether it’s the iconic performance of Heath Ledger as Joker or Christian Bale’s distinctive voice (which seems to continue into Robert Pattinson’s performance) that now are by and large permanently associated with the characters or the tank-like qualities of the Batmobile that remain in the style of Matt Reeves’ The Batman. In The Batman trailer, I would argue that we see the middle point between the stylistic beauty of the Burton films and the realism of Nolan along with a dash of noir to add his own flair to the caped crusader. What interests me most particularly is the Zodiac Killer inspired portrayal of The Riddler from Paul Dano, whose previous roles from Paul Thomas Anderson There Will Be Blood or Denis Villenueve’s Prisoners shows his
ability to play characters just as unnerving as the chilling nature of this reinterpretation of a classic Batman villain. The work of Nolan and Burton have always had a clear impact on Batman as well as superhero films as a whole; with their dark or realistic takes leading to Matt Reeve’s hopefully bringing his own take whilst taking influence from directors of the past.
Image Sources: IMDB
EDITORS: Archie Lockyer and Francesca Sylph
exhibit | screen
26 OCT 2021 | 23
To Squid Game or not to Squid Game? Squid game is tenta-cool
Other shows run calamari rings round Squid Game
Danni Darrah
Adam Simcox
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OMETHING akin to a Korean marriage between The Hunger Games and The Handmaid’s Tale, Squid Game earned its spot as Netflix’s biggest international show for more than just its nailbiting cliffhangers and sadistic child’s play. A series based on six classic innocent Korean children’s games, 456 bankrupt players are granted the opportunity to participate and win an extortionate amount of money by being the last one standing. Despite the intense and gripping plot of the series already reeling a mass audience in, there is an entire host of deeper aspects that make this show genius. The consistently shifting dynamic between the masked authority and the players already presents a microcosmic reflection of society, with the players handing their personal information over while the authorities stay entirely private. However, the players interestingly develop a form of identity through the individual numbers they don throughout the duration of the games, while those in authority all wear the same uniforms. In addition to this, aesthetically Squid Game is a beautifully framed and shot show. The colours used in scenes are childishly gaudy and contrasted so starkly against the mood of the scene,
enough to make anyone feel more uncomfortable than the narrative already made them feel. Eagle-eyed watchers may have also spotted some of the several Easter eggs planted throughout the episodes that allude to the ending of the show, making it a series one can watch time and time again. Another notable aspect of this series is the score and music chosen carefully for each scene. The classical music paired with the gory scenes, albeit sometimes overused, confuses the senses enough to cleverly provide some temporary desensitisation to the gruesome slow motion massacres. Squid Game is a brilliantly devised series. International filmmaking has taken the West by storm and I am here for it.
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HEN I heard the premise of the new Netflix phenomenon, I was immediately taken back to when I first encountered – probably a little too young – some of the edgier stuff the horror genre had to offer. At that age, they were films that elicited a kind of naïve, morbid curiosity. You may know what I’m talking about, that revulsion turned excitement you felt the first time you encountered films like Saw or Battle Royale (to which Squid Game has been widely compared). But one film always stood out to me: Michael Haneke’s Funny Games. Its premise is simple – it’s a violent home invasion film – but what’s different about Funny Games is that it constantly challenges the audience in a direct manner. It’s a film that questions its own audience’s desire for (fictional) blood-
shed. In the same breath that Squid Game decries its blood sports, though, it’s also gleefully indulging in them for our entertainment. In the very first episode a nameless horde is massacred, their deaths depicted unflinchingly, but when it comes time to kill off a main character, the show pulls its punches, granting them more dignified deaths – usually away from the (up until now) cold, panoptic camera – afraid to see things through to their necessary conclusion. There’s a moment in the show where a group of ‘VIPs’ are invited to witness the penultimate game in-person. It’s a moment that should give pause. For the first time, we’re confronted by those whose demand for the televised violence perpetuate it. The analogy here should be obvious, but Squid Game never realises it. Instead, the group are constructed as caricatures, an unknowable wealthy elite. Of course, they’re nothing like us, the innocent viewer. Though, overall, I enjoyed my time with the show, let’s not pretend it’s a marvel of modern TV. In a world in which systemic criticism is increasingly being defanged and commodified, Squid Game appears not so much as biting deconstruction but more as a rather shallow piece of entertainment, less Funny Games, more Hunger Games.
Image: Pixabay, Chetraruc
Bond franchise shaken (not stirred) by departure of Daniel Craig W
Gracie Moore gives her thoughts on the end of the Craig era
ITH Daniel Craig hanging up his Walther pistol after a 15-year-long stint as James Bond, we have to wonder how the legacy he left behind can truly be sustained. Who is brave enough to take over this iconic role? Bond has changed dramatically since Sean Connery’s first appearance in 1962. Under Craig, the character has transformed into someone we can almost relate to. The poor continuity and development of Bond’s past that has frustrated us for nearly 60 years is finally healed in No Time to Die and, as an audience, we can finally watch without wincing at his forceful sexual advances on almost every woman, paired with his excessive day drinking. We can also rejoice in the newfound diversity of the films. Notably, Skyfall (2012) presents a vulnerable, layered James Bond that makes the character less dull and soulless — traits we had come to expect every time a new film was announced. He was forced to confront his painful past, showing us a man potentially past his prime but still with the tenacity to do the right thing, giving us the final catharsis we yearn for after 23 films of the same skeleton plotline. Along with this, the diversity of Skyfall also came with the casting of a woman of colour into the role of Miss Moneypenny. After
a while, we had become tired of the archetypal blonde, passive actresses that filled the role. The relationship between witty Naomie Harris and Daniel Craig was a refreshing change to the legacy of Bond, proving beneficial for Daniel Craig’s fame. While these previous problems have been resolved, we can still be thankful that many of the stereotypical “badass” spy effects from the Sean Connery era are still present- predominantly in the all-time great chase sequence in Casino Royale (2008) that had Bond parkour-ing over a construction site. However, while we have to celebrate Daniel Craig’s achievements and his range as an actor, we are also forced to address the very large elephant in the room: Spectre (2015). Not the worst James Bond film of all time but a depressing come-down from Craig’s outstanding performance three years’ prior in Skyfall. Simply put, it was too long with too little action, a direct insult to its predecessors that were packed with it. It felt like a step backwards for the Bond franchise; the very fibre of its being is centred in the impressive action and creative gadgets. So much so, you could almost feel the embarrassment of Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan — the character they had built up as a punchy, thrilling spy had fallen flat under the boring
performance of Daniel Craig. Thankfully, these problems appear to have been resolved in the latest film, we’ve only had to wait six years to recover from the mess of Spectre but we’re back to the powerful, exciting Bond we know and love. But with this, the question still remains: who is brave enough to take on the position now Craig is gone? Talk seems to be centred on Tom Hardy or Idris Elba. Both are hypermasculine, dapper men with a smoulder to
die for. But do these actors have the emotional capabilities that Craig has? Do they have the charm of Sean Connery, the wit of Roger Moore or the warmth of Timothy Dalton? James Bond is a character far removed from any other role these actors have depicted so it would be interesting to see how Bond is portrayed under either of them. But for now, we should pour our martinis, kick back in the cinema and hold on to Daniel Craig’s legacy in No Time to Die while we still have the chance.
Image: Wikicommons Image: The - www.GlynLowe.com French Dispatch, IMDb
TECH
NASA’s Hidden Figures F
Paris Gill, discusses the Black female mathematicians behind many NASA successes
ROM Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book Hidden Figures, to the 2017 Oscar-nominated film of the same name, the story of the African American female mathematicians who were crucial to NASA’s respective projects during the 1960s has gained fame in recent years. However, with a 50-year difference between the events of these incredible women and the popularization of their efforts, it begs the question: why has this acknowledgement has come so late? Hidden Figures (2016) covers the work of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson respectively, with the truth not being as fictionalised as one might suspect. Vaughan, for example, did in fact become the first African American woman to become head of personnel at NASA, nine years before the ban on segregation came into force in 1958, when the institution NACA – National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics – was incorporated into NASA. Mary Jackson was NASA’s first Black female engineer in 1958 after taking advanced engineering
classes. After being repeatedly denied management-level positions, Jackson left engineering to become the manager of the women’s NASA program and sought to improve opportunities for women until her retirement. Katherine Johnson was a member of the Space Task Group and was the first woman in her division to receive credit as a research report author, as well as having a crucial role in the Mercury program and the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to get a man on the Moon.
from the American Community Survey between 2017 and 2019, and found that 67 per cent of all STEM jobs were taken by white adults, with just nine per cent attributed to Black adults in contrast.
Bind: The Price of Being a Minority Woman in Science (1976), designed to make recommendations for recruiting and retaining minority women scientists.
THESE WOMEN’S ACHIEVEMENTS ARE INCREDIBLE AND INVALUABLE TO NASA It is safe to say that these women’s achievements are incredible and invaluable both to NASA’s respective projects, as well as influencing the desegregation of the workplace and the incorporation of African American women in STEM industries. All three women were also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and have each had respective dedications made by NASA, from research centres to lunar craters. However, it is a bittersweet recognition that these accolades have happened within just the last decade, with only Johnson receiving the Congressional Gold Medal during her lifetime. The general lack of women in STEM has become an issue that both
government and educational bodies in all degrees of authority are trying to rectify, and with this, racial disparities have also been a major topic of discussion. The Pew Research Center published a graph based on the analysis of data
It is also stated in the article that women remain underrepresented in the specific fields of physical sciences, computing and engineering, and so can be assumed that, proportionally, African American women are even less represented in these jobs. It should also be noted that “the share of women working as atmospheric and space scientists”, although has risen significantly in previous years, remains at just 24 per cent overall. With a direct underrepresentation of African Americans in STEM fields, it is unfortunately no wonder that there is a general lack of representation of both their work and efforts to influence STEM demographics. Dr Marie Maynard Daly, for example, is another incredible Black female scientist who is often overlooked, both in her achievements of becoming the first African American woman to obtain a Ph.D. in chemistry, but also her pioneering research in cardiovascular disease, DNA, and the effects of smoking on the heart and lungs. In 1975, Daly attended an American Association for the Advancement of Science conference as one of 30 “minority women” scientists, which resulted in Dr Shirley Malcolm’s report The Double Image: IMDB
So why hasn’t this report worked? One plausible reason is that the recommendations set out in this report have never been taken seriously, so have never been turned into policy nor managed to be fully implemented, even 40 years after its publication. As a result, men and women of colour have remained in a disproportionate minority, both in STEM careers and in acknowledgements of subsequent achievements. One key figure that demonstrates this disparity is that there has never been a Black recipient of the Noble Prize for Physics, Chemistry, or Physiology or Medicine. As of 2021, of the 943 recipients of all Noble Prizes, only 17 have been Black, and of this number only three women. The acknowledgements of Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan’s respective work, although 50 years late, provide an opportunity for more African American women’s achievements to be recognised in STEM as well as wider society, with the hope that the pioneering research and achievements of Black scientists might become more widely recognised as they continue to produce ground-breaking work in STEM. Images (L to R): Wikicommons, FitzFox Pixabay
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TECH
26 OCT 2021 | 25
EDITOR: Chloe Pumares
Facebook - a very bad week I
Oliver Leader de Saxe, Editor, delves into all the problems Facebook has faced recently
T is difficult to feel sympathy for Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook’s serpentine CEO has a lot going against him: creating an app that preys upon those with addictive personalities; his failure to effectively tackle fake news; or the time his company just kind of sold 87 million user’s worth of data to infamous political consultancy firm CambridgeAnalytica. But I’d be lying if I said that the tiniest of my little, rotten heartstrings didn’t feel a momentary flicker of sympathy as the bad ol’ ship HMS Facebook beached itself once again upon its own negligence.
FACEBOOK ACTIVELY IGNORED WARNINGS ABOUT THE HARM THEY CAUSED I am, of course, referring to Facebook’s mind-blowingly awful month which has become the talk of the technology town this month. From whistleblowers going public to huge technical outages, the social media giant finds itself once again under siege, now with extra congressional and parliamentary hearings thrown in for good measure. For those who have been scared into dwelling under a rock by Exeter’s horrific rent prices, here’s a quick recap of what went down. Throughout September the Wall Street Journal published the “Facebook Files”, a damning series of leaked internal
documents that revealed that Facebook as a company actively ignored warnings about the harm they caused. From the company being aware of the damage they caused young girls, calling even younger tweens a “valuable but untapped” market, to failure to respond appropriately when employees flagged human traffickers using the platform. Much of the information uncovered was as horrifying as it was revelatory. Congress thought as much at least, scheduling two hearings, one with the Facebook’s global head of safety on the 30 September and, more interestingly, one with the mysterious unnamed whistleblower on the 5 October. With that much needed context out of the way, let’s get onto the main event. On the 3 October, former programme manager Frances Haugen made herself publicly known as the whistleblower on CBS television programme 60 Minutes, just two days before her hearing. Not only did this draw even greater attention to what The Verges’ Casey Newton calls Facebook’s “biggest crisis since Cambridge-Analytica”, but provided even further insights into Facebook’s negligence, such as the dissolution of the Civil Integrity programme after the 2020 presidential election. For context, the programme was designed to curtail the spread of misinformation and the potential harm that can do to democracy. Already Facebook’s week was off to an absolute blinder and it would get worse. Imagine if you couldn’t access the internet for six hours. Just think about that
for a second. Six hours. Imagine the inconvenience that would cause, the important information you’d miss, the communication breakdowns that would cause. Well, that was the similar experience users around the world on 4 October when, out of the blue, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went down. 3.5 billion users suddenly didn’t have access to the most popular platforms in the world. Facebook’s stock was in freefall; it’s estimated that roughly $47 billion was knocked off the company’s market value. And whilst it was chaos on the outside, it was equally frantic within the company too. The reason for this is simple: Facebook runs itself on Facebook. To quote The Guardian’s Alex Hern in the simplest way possible, “Facebook (accidentally, we assume) sent an update to a deep-level routing protocol on the internet that said, basically, “hey we don’t have any servers any more
Images (L TO R): Anthony Quintano Flickr, Hermann Pixabay
xoxo”, and this message applied to the internal systems that Facebook runs on. In other words, Facebook made everything think it had deleted itself, including Facebook, which impacted everything from employee workspaces to security systems. This made it very difficult to diagnose the problem and resolve it too. And by the time they brought everything back online, all the damage was done, with the company’s relationship with shareholders reaching perilous lows. Which raises one question: what next? The answer, in my humble, vaguely informed opinions, is very little. This is not the first storm Facebook has weathered; it certainly won’t be the last. From anti-trust lawsuits to data breaches, it’s increasingly clear that tech companies like Facebook are becoming a law unto themselves. What it does demonstrate, however, is how important it is be aware of the dangers surrounding increasingly manipulative social media, as well as how fickle the systems and programmes we rely on really are. Our reliance on these platforms is only truly evident when they’re gone, and maybe one day there will be an instance where they don’t come back. What Facebook’s month from hell should be taken as is a warning: if we allow tech corporations to get away with next-to-murder with no consequences, if we allow ourselves to become solely dependent on these organisations, then we’re in for an increasingly bleak and uncertain future. And the sympathy we give to the men responsible won’t be repaid in kind.
All-time gaming greats: Mario Kart
Chloe Pumares, Deputy Editor, explains why the beloved Ninetendo game is unbeatable
W
HEN it came to choosing the best game I had ever played, a few sprang to mind. However there was one that was clearly superior to the rest, the absolutely phenomenal, Mario Kart. There are few games more iconic than this, and that is because it provides hours of entertainment for any age and constantly brings people back for more. Recently I played one of its first versions, and despite the graphics being incredibly outdated it was still so much fun to play. The first time I played this was on my DS. It was a treasured game in our household with my brother and I fighting over who would get to slot the little game card into their console first, until our parents eventually got round to buying another one. Despite having a number of other games to play, my first, and usually last game, would always be Mario Kart. It started my affinity for driving games. I doubt I need to explain the concept of Mario Kart to you, unless you have been living under a rock, however, I will explain its background. Lauched in 1992 to worldwide acclaim, it lead to a total of 14 games on nine different consoles, as well as several arcade games and a mobile version all under the umbrella of the Mario Kart series. Only great
games can achieve a feat like that. One of the best things about Mario Kart is the ability to play it alone or with other people. Purchasing it for the Wii allows you to play with up to four people, with the added bonus of actually feeling like you are driving if you use the wheel add-ons that come with the game. This allows for competitions to be set up and hours of fun or arguing to be had. The numerous roads you can race, that alter slightly with each new version, adds enough variety to ensure you never get bored. Although, everyone has their tried and true favourites, mine personally being Coconut Mall, as well as the one you always dread to see come up, (Rainbow Road anyone?) Ultimately Mario Kart is a game that people will always come back to no matter their age or situation in life because it is pretty easy to pick up, social, colourful, and most importantly, competitive. If after reading this you don’t have the sudden urge to dig through your stuff to find your old Wii or DS and pop the Mario Card game in, then I don’t know what to say to you, other than that you are truly a lost cause. Images: Nintendo, Mario Kart Wii cover-art
study break | 26 OCT 2021
exhibit | 26
STUDY BREAK CROSSWORD
SUDOKU
Across
Down
1 3 5 9 10 11 12 14
1 2 3
16 19 21 24 25 26 27 28
Place to sleep (3) Retain (4) Female servant (4) Cloth made of flax (5) Gush - ‘Wot foul?’ (anagram) (7) Complete (8) Wager (3) Nary it (anagram) - office container for new work?) (2-4) Gentle - currency (6) Save (it can precede 11 answers here) (3) Ominous - left (8) Reasoning correctly (7) Ancient Greek letter - me ago (anagram) (5) Cipher (4) Test (4) 1016 kg - 2240 lb - 100 (informal) (3)
4 6 7 8 13 15 17 18 20 22 23
(Ringing?) instrument (4) Computer symbol - it’d bang (anagram) (7) ‘OK, Ned?’ (anagram) - Japanese martial art (5) Mass departure (6) Improvise (a speech, say) (2-3) Decline (in business, say) (8) Greek goddess - ethane (anagram) (6) Very cruel - satanic (8) ‘Ha, cuss!’ (anagram) - in a particular capacity (2,4) Most low (7) Large arrival (of people, say) (6) Stiff (5) Tempest (5) Obtain - advantage (4)
ANSWERS
Trivia corner
1. WHO WAS THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN IN SPACE? 2. WHICH FAMOUS BLACK NURSE SAVED MANY BRITISH LIVES DURING THE CRIMEAN WAR? 3. WHAT DOES JUNETEENTH COMMEMORATE?
4. WHAT EVENT IS MARSHA P JOHNSON CREDITED WITH STARTING?
5.WHO WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN TO WIN FIVE GRAMMY AWARDS IN ONE YEAR? 6. HOW LONG WAS NELSON MANDELA IN JAIL FOR?
cans in the U.S 4. Stonewall Riots 5. Lauryn Hill 6. 27 years Trivia: 1. Mae Jemison 2. Mary Seacole 3. The emancipation of enslaved African AmeriDown: 1 Bell, 2 Dingbat, 3 Kendo, 4 Exodus, 6 Ad-lib, 7 Downturn, 8 Athene, 13 Diabolic, 15 As such, 17 Deepest, 18 Influx, 20 Rigid, 22 Storm, 23 Gain. Across: 1 Bed, 3 Keep, 5 Maid, 9 Linen, 10 Outflow, 11 Absolute, 12 Bet, 14 In-tray, 16 Tender, 19 Bar, 21 Sinister, 24 Logical, 25 Omega, 26 Code, 27 Exam, 28 Ton.
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Science
28
26 OCT 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
SCIENCE EDITOR: Ellen Rogers
Black History Month - Scientist spotlight Bridie Adams, Editor, honours Marie Maynard Daly’s contributions to biochemistry
M
ARIE Maynard Daly (16 April 1921 – 28 October 2003) was a biochemist. If you’re a slightly clueless Humanities student like me, and are wondering what exactly a biochemist does, I’ll give you a brief rundown. Essentially, biochemists learn about the chemical and bodily principles of living things and organic processes, like cell growth and illness. They carry out academic work on chemical processes and chemical transformations in live
P
organisms. Daly was an excellent and highly successful biochemist, the first Black female American to graduate with and receive a doctor’s degree in Chemical Science. Considering the huge barriers that were in place for people of colour during her lifetime, this was an incredible achievement. Of course, she is also a key figure when looking at prevalent women in STEM. Historically, and even in the
present-day, the sciences have been male-dominated, so it is especially important to celebrate women when considering influential black scientists. Daly was in control of key academic work on cholesterol, sugars and proteins. She detailed the sequence of amino acids in histones. All of this was groundbreaking work, forming a significant contribution to scientific discovery. Later on in her career, she made strides to grow the admission
of minority students in med schools. Although diversity is still an issue in many areas of STEM, as well as within academia more generally, pioneers like Daly truly paved the way for the ongoing attempts to encourage marginalised people to enter higher education.
Sciences have been male-dominated Image: Queens College
Daisy Scott, Online Science Editor, discusses Patricia Era Bath and her work on treatment for cataracts
ATRICIA Bath invented the Laserphaco probe - one of the biggest technological advancements within the medical field. Her probe has benefited thousands suffering from cataracts, an ailment becoming increasingly prevalent in the global ageing population.
She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1964 Patricia Bath was born on 4 November 1942, in Harlem, New York City. After graduating high school
in only two years, Bath headed to Hunter College where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1964. She then pursued her medical degree at Howard University and graduated in 1968. After graduating medical school, she began pursuing a fellowship in Ophthalmology at Columbia University in 1973 and was the first African American to complete a residency in this field. The idea for her invention, the Laserphaco probe, was first conceived in 1981 and received a patent in 1986. The probe was intended to be a quick and painless method for the treatment
of cataracts. Cataracts are cloudy blemishes that form in the lens of a person’s eye and are most often seen in people over the age of 60. The probe consists of an optical laser fibre surrounded by irrigation and suction (aspiration) tubes. The laser probe can be inserted through a tiny incision in the eye. The laser then emits energy, which breaks down the cataract and diseased lens matter. The decomposed lens is removed from the eye after being washed out by fluid from the irrigation line.. The replacement lens is then inserted, which restores a person’s vision.
Prior to the invention of Bath’s probe, cataract removal involved the manual grinding of the cataract - which is both inaccurate and painful. Using her probe, Bath was able to restore the vision of patients who had been blind for more than 40 years efficiently and painlessly. In recognition of the contribution she has made to medicine, Bath was inducted into the International Women in Medicine Hall of Fame in 2001 and the probe is now the internationally-accepted method through which cataract eye disease is treated.
Image: Patricia Bath
Ellen Rogers, Science Editor, chronicles Charles Drew’s path to becoming the father of America’s first blood bank
C
HARLES Drew (1904-1950) is best known for his pioneering work in blood plasma preservation and the organisation of America’s first large-scale blood bank. After having his interest in medicine sparked by a biology professor at Amherst College (which he attended on a sporting scholarship), Drew attended the McGill University College of Medicine in Montréal, where he shone academically – winning scholarship prizes for neuroanatomy, staffing the medical journal, and being elected to the school’s medical honour society. He graduated in 1933 as the second-highest performing student in his class and began a surgical residency at Montreal Hospital, studying the use
of fluid replacement to treat shock. Whilst studying for a doctorate at Columbia in 1938, Drew won a fellowship alongside the renowned surgeon, Allen Whipple, who assigned him to work with John Scudder on the first experimental blood bank.
Drew (1904-1950) is best known for his pioneering work in blood Drew’s doctoral dissertation (which, upon completion, made him the first African American to earn a medical doctorate from Columbia) was focused on blood preservation and how anticoagulants (that pre-
vent blood clotting), preservatives, and different containers would affect the longevity and chemistry of blood and plasma in storage. The key findings of his research established Drew as a pioneer in his field, and he was later appointed as head of the Blood for Britain project, which aimed to transport blood and plasma to Allied states fighting in World War II. Led by Drew, the project transported huge amounts of plasma (over 5,000 litres) to Britain and facilitated the extraction of contamination-free plasma for use in life-saving transplants for injured soldiers. Drew’s work has saved countless lives since the introduction of blood transfusions – they are commonplace
procedures, and many of us are likely to benefit from his work at some point in our lives. (or at least know somebody else who will). However, he did not consider this his greatest contribution to medicine – instead, it was the training and distribution of other talented African American surgeons who could continue to nurture excellence and medical advancement across the world. Drew’s early death in a car crash in 1950 was tragic, but his legacy continues to this day, and we thank him for his work, both for the progression of medicine and society. Image: Darwinek, Wikipedia
SCIENCE
EXEPOSÉ | 26 OCT 2021
29
Lucy’s ambitious mission to the Trojan Asteroids Amber Hogan discusses NASA’s new mission, which aims to send a spacecraft ‘back in time’
T
HE science and space communities are buzzing with excitement over the Lucy mission - a record-breaking trip all the way past Jupiter using revolutionary technology in the search for our solar system’s annals. Launching a new endeavour into space feels like a shared human collective experience, and the Lucy mission is historical to Earth’s scientists in a unique manner. Not only is Lucy set to mark several milestones in human space travel, but it shall also delve back through time to the start of our solar system, encompassing both its past and potential future in a single mission.
It shall delve back through time to the start of our solar system, encompassing both its beginning and potential future To be specific, Lucy is a discovery mission to the Trojan Asteroids, led by principal investigator Harold “Hal” Levinson. The goal is to explore the numerous Trojan asteroids over 12 years, with the early opportunity for launch being the 16 October at 5:34 AM. Jupiter’s Trojan Asteroids are primitive asteroids – and are an incredible four billion years old. They orbit the sun on either side of Jupiter in two equidistant clusters, balanced and stabilised by the sun’s gravitational pull. These clusters are entirely untampered with (by humans at least) and are believed to be remnants of the primordial material
that formed the outer planets: the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, and the ice giants Uranus and Neptune. Accessing and studying these asteroids could almost be considered time travel – and thus the mission has been named Lucy, after the fossilised skeletal remains of a long-distant human ancestor, which were fundamental to understanding human evolution. Lucy will fly by seven Trojan Asteroids during its mission, which exceeds the record for most separate destinations around the sun reached in one trip by any spacecraft. Interestingly enough, the asteroid clusters are as far away from Jupiter as they are from the sun! As such, Lucy will not actually come close to Jupiter during the mission, but will go a bit further past it. No spacecraft has travelled this far out and returned safely before. In total, it will take 12 years to complete this mission. During this time, Lucy will travel nearly four billion miles and, at cruising speed, will be travelling about 39,000 miles per hour. Some of these statistics seem too vast to comprehend. For example, Lucy is travelling the equivalent of 160,901 circumferences of Earth – but even this comparison struggles to make the scale of this mission, if successful, comprehensible.
Lucy is travelling the equivalent of 160,901 circumferences of Earth It’s a lot easier to imagine Lucy’s spacecraft, however. The craft takes the shape of two large bronze disks with a silver pod between them. The disks are the solar arrays, each 23.89
feet in diameter, or about two thirds as tall as a typical telephone pole. The entire spacecraft with these solar arrays unfolded is 51.89 feet wide - about four-fifths of a bowling lane. Remarkably, Lucy will improve on previous missions by being primarily solar-powered whilst travelling further from the Sun than any previous solar-powered craft has before. Although these massive disks pose a slight difficulty in manoeuvring, the remarkable technology behind them is crucial to Lucy’s possibility. Let’s take a closer look at the three scientific instruments that Lucy will carrying. ‘L’LORRI’ or the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager is a black and white camera with a high spatial resolution, able to record incredible details of the Trojan Asteroids as Lucy passes them.
to research the target asteroids - most of which were named after heroes in Homer’s ‘The Iliad’: Eurybates, Queta, Polymele, Leucus, Orus, Patroclus and Menoetius, for example. All of these asteroids will be neared by Lucy in the upcoming mission. Lucy will fly by these asteroids at a fuel-conserving speed of 15,000mph, at which it will be possible to gather images and information such as spectrographic compositions and compositional information through Doppler
ning and execution of future missions much easier. If you are interested in Lucy’s mission, you can watch the launch online or on NASA TV. Lucy is a revolutionary step in space travel, and the team deserves high commendation for their incredible work.
The entire spacecraft ... is 51.89 feet wide Meanwhile L’Ralph is a component that acts as both a colour camera (or a Multi-Spectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC)) and a infrared imaging spectrometer (or Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA)). The LEISA allows Lucy to determine the composition of materials on the asteroid surface. And finally the L’TES, or the Thermal Emission Spectrometer, effectively, a touch-free thermometer. It will enable Lucy to measure the temperature and thermal properties on the surface of a Trojan Asteroid. Lucy will use these instruments
Tracking (to measure the asteroids’ mass). This informat ion and increased understanding of o u r solar s y s t e m will make the plan-
Image: NASA
Climate modelling work wins Nobel Prize
T
George Edwards discusses the climate scientists awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics
HR EE scientists have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize for Physics for their work on creating systems to model the Earth’s climate very precisely. This news breaks with less than a month to go until the next UN Climate Change Conference, currently set to take place over the f irst week of November. Syukuro Manabe, K laus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi, by building on top of each other’s work, have been able to produce models that can predict the complex systems that cause changes in climate.
Models that can predict the complex systems that cause change in climate
In the 1960s, Manabe showed, using a mathematical model, how increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere can increase the surface temperature of the Earth. He predicted that bet ween 1970 and 2000, there would be a 0.57o C increase in global temperatures due to increasing carbon dioxide pollution. Whilst there was only actually a 0.54 o C increase, this estimate is frighteningly close! Just a decade later in the 1970s, Hasselmann used Manabe’s models to create a model that linked weather and climate. This larger model was able to predict changes in weather and show how they would affect the Earth’s climate. Unlike Manabe and Hasselmann, whose work was clearly climate related, Parisi focused on the study of copper and iron atoms in a metal alloy called spin glass.
Parisi is known in the f ield as one of the experts in the study of complex systems.
One of the experts in the study of complex systems In stable systems, atoms will align parallel to one another, forming a seemingly ordered structure. However, in more complex, non-stable systems, they will align randomly. Parisi discovered that, even in these systems, there is symmetry and rare patterns only noticeable when comparing how the atoms arrange over different scales. Using this, it is possible to f ind patterns of atoms and molecule arrangements in the atmosphere, allowing us to predict
climate and weather events. The three scientists each found ways to apply physics and chemistry to create equations and f ind patterns, which, when fed into supercomputers, are capable of
simulating the Earth’s climate, and thereby predicting climate events. The use of these models is reported to form the basis of evidence to be used at the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November. Image: Hackspett, Wikipedia
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26 OCT 2021 | EXEPOSÉ
SPORT
Greatest Black sportswomen Bridie Adams, Editor, explores her list of some of the most inspiring women in the history of Black sport
H
ISTORICALLY, Black women in sports have faced dual discrimination due to their gender and race. Black History Month is a yearly celebration with its origin in America, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has been given formal acknowledgement from the governments in America and Canada, and lately has also been observed in Ireland and the United Kingdom. So, as we reach the end of October (the British Black History Month), now is the perfect time to celebrate Black sportswomen. Who is your Black sporting hero?
Black women in sports have faced dual discrimination due to their gender and race Alice Coachman (1923-2014) Prior to the summertime of 1948, a Black woman had not once won Olympic gold. Alice Coachman (born 1923), despite an injury, jumped to a record-breaking high point of over five feet and six inches at the London Games to become the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal. This historic victory
made competitive sport more accessible for other Black women. “I made a difference among the Blacks, being one of the leaders,” Coachman said. “If I had gone to the Games and failed, there wouldn't be anyone to follow in my footsteps. It encouraged the rest of the women to work harder and fight harder.” Coachman went into retirement from competition after the London 1948 Olympic Games. She became a pioneer in women's sports and has served as an example for Black, female athletes. Tessa Sanderson (1956-) Jamaican-born Sanderson moved to Britain at eight years old and grew up in Wolverhampton. A six-time Olympian in the javelin from 1976 to 1996, she won the gold medal in 1984 for Great Britain, and in 1996 became the second track and field sportsperson, following discus thrower Lia Manoliu, to take part in six Olympics. She became the first British Black woman to be victorious in gaining an Olympic gold medal at the Los Angeles Games in 1984. Sanderson won a World
Image: Robbie Dale
Image: Yann Caradec
Cup gold medal in 1990 in addition to three Commonwealth gold medals. Truly a queen of British sport.
Sanderson took a World Cup gold medal in 1990
Serena Williams (1981-) Serena Williams is an American pro tennis player. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles. The Women's
Tennis Association ranked her singles world No. 1 on eight different occasions between 2002 and 2017. On her voyage to becoming one of the greatest players the world has seen, Williams has helped to publicly show the young generations of Black sportswomen precisely what they are able to achieve. In addition, Williams is an absolute fashion icon, being the subject of headlines like “Serena Williams is the picture of sophistication in stunning all black ensemble” (Hello!) and “Serena Williams stuns in knee high boots on date night with Alexis Ohanian” (Mirror). Jessica Ennis-Hill (1986-) Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill DBE is a British former track and field sportswoman, specialising in multieventing disciplines and 100 metres hurdles. At the age of 13, she was acquainted with Toni Minichiello, who would continue to coach her through her sporting career. As a contender in heptathlon, she was the 2012 Olympic champion, a three-time world champion, and the 2010 European champion. She has so far piled up an approximate wealth of £5 million, according to the Daily Mail. She carried on with her work as a role model, campaigning for nonprofit organisations that she cares about and inspiring others to live in a physically fit and healthy way. Dina Asher-Smith (1995-) Dina Asher-Smith is a British sprinter. She is the fastest British female in recorded history and one of the UK's most influential
individuals. On 17 February 2017, Asher-Smith broke her foot in a training mishap, but nevertheless carried on, acquiring fourth place in the women's 200m and a silver medal within the Great Britain 4 x 100 m relay later that year at the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships in London. Simone Manuel (1996-) Simone Manuel is a pro swimmer who is particularly into freestyle events. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Manuel became the first Black American woman to take home an individual gold medal in Olympic swimming. In addition she won two gold and two silver medals - gold in the 100-metre freestyle and the 4x100-metre medley, and silver in the 50-metre freestyle and the 4×100-metre freestyle relay - just to complete her astonishing Rio performance.
Simone Manuel is a pro swimmer who is particularly into freestyle events Simone Biles (1997-) Simone Biles is an American artistic gymnast. With 32 Olympic and World Championship medals, Biles is the most awarded gymnast of all time. She had an extremely successful Rio 2016 Olympics, winning four golds. She has been praised for raising awareness for issues of mental health in sport, after she withdrew from multiple events.
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Olay! Olay! Ole?
Stanley Murphy Johns questions whether the Manchester Utd manager will have his job much longer...
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Y the time this article is released, Manchester United will have played Manchester City, and the never-ending circus will have rolled on to its next stop, but for now Man United’s past 4 results; 3-2 win, 5-0 loss, 3-0 win, 2-2 draw, do their very best to confirm that Man United games are indeed scripted. How else could one club incur so much drama on a weekly basis? As a United fan, this seemingly endless swing from spectacular comeback to devastating defeat is extremely taxing to watch, but also creates magical moments which I will absolutely remember for a long time. Gary Neville has repeated many times ‘this team exists in moments’, and never has that been more accurate than in the past 2 weeks. So, in this article I want to unpack whether that is what we are now, is our main function to provide occasional brilliance surrounded by dismal performances just so that the incredible moments feel even better? If that is what my team is now, then Ole is the right man for the job. He’s a likable yet bland club legend, and his winner in the 1999 Champions League final will carry him through each bump in the road, allowing him to continue his every high and every low without being displaced. However, if my team would like
to compete for footballing prizes rather than a BAFTA for the best sporting TV, then they need a real change. Without a shadow of a doubt we have good players, too many attacking options to fathom and a defence which on paper should be one of the best in the Premier League, so why do we concede goals every game, and why are we seemingly unable to deconstruct teams with our attacking prowess? At a certain point the blame as to shift from the players to the manager and their coaching staff, and I think we have certainly arrived at that stage. Ole Gunnar Solskjær must be commended on the ethos he has reinstalled in United as a club, but must be criticised for their lack of ethos on the pitch. In many a game against a mid-table side, it feels as though Ole simply picked 11 names out of a hat and went ‘go on, go and play’- the switching between the double CDM partnership of McFred, the attempted axis of Fred, Pogba, and Fernandes, and the occasional choice all 4 of those players at once would perhaps suggest that the midfield is the issue. So against Tottenham last weekend, Ole said to himself ‘the midfield can’t be a problem…if it just doesn’t exist, picking a formation which is perhaps best described as 7-3. His absence
of tactical knowhow is not unsurprising, this is his 3rd job in management and his other two were not exactly equivalent experiences, but then he comes up with these strange outlying results which keep him employed. I want this article to provide my opinion on whether Ole will stay or go but annoyingly I still don’t know where I stand. If Manchester United were any other club in world football, a different manager would now be employed, but at United you can follow the logic behind his continued existence in the club. By all possible metrics, we should lose
against City on Saturday, but I honestly think that we will probably win. Ole’s job will be secure for a few more weeks, in which we will lose repeatedly and then we will pull of another ridiculous result. Whether I like it or not, that seems to be what we are now. Looking back though, we could lose every game this season and I would still prefer him to Mourinho, and if that doesn’t explain everything you could possibly need to know about why Ole has not yet been sacked then I don’t know what will
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Braves the World Series
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Sports Editor Oscar Young looks at the fairytale playoff run from the Atlanta Braves
ASEBALL is not exactly a well-followed sport over this side of the Atlantic, but there is always one moment a year that is worth noticing. This week, my team, the Atlanta Braves, won the best-of-seven World Series, baseball’s equivalent of the NFL’s Super Bowl, over the Houston Astros. They closed out the final game winning 7-0 in Game 6, to take the series 4-2 and deliver the city’s
Image: Arturo Pardavila III
first sporting championship in 26 years. This was a story of an underdog, having just about survived throughout a season where they encountered seemingly every obstacle and bump in the road you could in the sport. Back on the 11 July, while treading water with a 44-44 record, their best player Ronald Acuña Jr. was lost for the season with a torn ACL. They lost arguably their best pitcher a month earlier, and
one of their star new outfielders from the previous season was arrested and has not seen the field since. Not exactly a recipe for success. It was at the moment of Acuña Jr.’s injury that the Braves were given a 12% chance of making the playoffs, and a 0.5% chance of winning the World Series. Despite this, they ploughed on. At the Trade Deadline they added four new outfielders who would go on to be instrumental in the team’s playoff run. They slowly rose through their division rankings and won their division in the final week of the regular season to secure their playoff spot. In the playoffs, the Braves seemingly caught fire, entering the underdog in each of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers, yet dispatching both with relative ease. I might add that the Dodgers were and might still be seen as the best overall team in base-
ball, along with being the clear-cut favourite to have won this year.
This was the story of an underdog, having just about survived throughout a season where they encountered seemingly every obstacle The final obstacle to overcome was the Houston Astros, who along with the Dodgers have had a strong claim for the title of best team in the sport over the past five years - once again putting the Braves in the underdog role heading into this series. They have also been embroiled in a cheating scandal over the past few years, when it emerged that they stole signs en route to their 2017 World Series win. The trend for this series, however, was set from the first at-bat in last week’s game 1. Jorge Soler stepped up to the plate and hit a towering home run off the Astro’s Framber Valdez. Soler would go on to win World Series MVP for his efforts, which also included another home run in the decisive game 6 to bookend the series – this one leaving the ballpark as a whole.
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SPORTS EDITOR: Oscar Young
Cardiff Met their Match at Sandy Park Image: Flickr
Rhys Wallis
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T was a game of two halves at the annual Varsity match last Wednesday. Exeter started slowly and were unable to get out of their half for the majority of the first fifteen minutes; Cardiff Met put the pressure on, and it told on the Exeter defence, who were scruffy at the breakdown, conceding penalty after penalty, really stunting the development of the game. These penalties would invite Cardiff Met’s number 10, Brad RoderickEvans to punish the Exeter team from the kicking tee, slotting two penalties over the posts from over 40 metres out to put the visitors six points up before Exeter had even had a realistic chance. This first chance of the match would be telling, however, after brilliant work from Exeter’s openside flanker Oliver White at the breakdown led to a change in possession. From there, it was a well-dictated line break from skipper and scrum half, William Yarnell which allowed Eddie Bullock to cross the white line making it a one point game. Unfortunately, Josh Barton was unable to make it the full complement of points from the tee for Exeter, so the score stayed at 5-6, but the mo-
mentum seemed to be shifting. That was until Cardiff Met brought their game back to the match, forcing errors again and again as penalties pushed the Exeter line closer and closer to the try line. After one offence too many, Arthur Thomas was sent to the bin, and then with 14 men on the field, Exeter couldn’t stop the Met players diving underneath the posts. The Met crowd went wild – then it was the turn of the Exeter fans to show their appreciation for the refereeing team spotting the forward pass – no try, the score remained 6-5 to Met.
The second half was a completely different game
After this scare for the hosts, the game opened out with two line breaks in as many minutes before once again, the referee was reaching for his whistle – penalty to Met, and Roderick-Evans made it three from three, to set Cardiff Met 9-5 up, with 28 on the clock. Five minutes of solid defensive rugby from both teams later, it was the turn of Barton to pass 50 points in this BUCS Season, as he scored his first penalty of the day – 9-8 to the visitors with 5 left in the half.
The remainder of the first half was summed up by few actions of note, save from White and McCraig for Exeter, and the full back, Silvester for Cardiff Met. Silvester was nearly flawless in the first half, but would make two key errors when on line breaks which could have turned into more, marring his performance. Marring the entire Met half was an injury to their captain and hooker, Nelson, forced off before the 40th minute. That was how it went into the half, with one point in it, Cardiff the better team, but Exeter not out of it. The crowd were in good voice for the half time entertainment, although Snappy was rather the worse for wear, but he gave it a commendable effort. The second half was a completely different game. Where the first half was tight and tactical, seeing penalty after penalty, the second half opened up and went end to end.It only took 8 minutes of the second half for the second try of the match to be scored – and it went the way of Exeter, who deserved it from their pressure. Clearly on the receiving end of some level of hairdryer treatment at the half, the pressure from McCraig, Yarnell, White and Jenkins told when the ball found its way to Barton-Bayfield who gained possession on the wing to dive
into the corner, making it 13-9 and giving Exeter the lead for the first time in the match. Barton missed his conversion from a tight angle; but the game was now on. Roderick-Evans was then given the chance to tighten the match up again, and to make it four from four, from just outside the 22, but to the shock of most of the Met fans, the ball was sent wide thanks to the wind and a bit of a hook. Exeter had the opposition a little rattled, and tried to make the pressure pay, but were unable to do so, before the momentum swung again – but it wouldn’t last. Once again, Cardiff Met were across the white line, this time with the ball in the hands of Roma Zheng – who had been electric on the wing – after a wonderful lob pass from Roderick-Evans – but the pass was forward. Cardiff couldn’t make the pressure pay, and that pendulum swung back towards the Exeter team in humorous fashion. It was a comedy of errors from the Met back line, first Lloyd, then Rigg, gifting the ball to Barton-Bayfield one more time to go underneath the posts. White was on fire with turnovers all second half, stunting any burgeoning momentum from the Met side, and any final vestiges of a battle from the burgundy and black
boys was vanquished with a solo effort from Jack Potter, who lit up the afterburners and landed another try underneath the posts, which Barton converted, to make the score a humiliating 27-9. 19 unanswered points from the hosts had put this game out of reach for the visitors, and even with the try from Roma Zheng – who finally put Met over the line without it being disallowed in the 80th minute – the score line 27-14 reflected far more on the first half than the second half. A bitty and frustrating first half, which left Exeter on the back foot, was outshone by a thrilling display from Exeter in the second, leaving Met for dead. In the second half, they were on it from the first second. Barton was popping over kicks for fun, and Barton-Bayfield and Bullock were making defensive players panic every time they got near. Yarnell’s quarterbacklike style helped massively, but the team really pulled together to pounce on CMU’s errors and pull ahead by quite some way. Refereeing decisions will likely be pointed to by CMU as a cause for their loss, some interesting calls in the scrum made by the officials, and also three disallowed CMU Tries, but they never turned up in the second half, only adding their points in the 80th minute, and the loss was deserved.
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SPORTS EDITOR: Oscar Young
Black History Month
Oscar Young Sport Editor
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HEN you think of symbolic moments and images across the history of Black sport, the first things that come to mind might be Muhammad Ali standing triumphantly in the ring above Sonny Liston, or Usain Bolt’s celebratory pose that has come to define his dominance of the sprinting world. Indeed, more recently, gestures have sometimes been much more political, such as Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the American national anthem, or Premier League players taking a knee before kick-off. However, one of the most powerful and divisive political gestures in the history of Black sport happened almost a half
century ago, and its message has never been more relevant Picture the scene. It is the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, an October morning at the Olympic Stadium in the city’s historic district. This morning would play host to the final of the 200 metres at the games, where Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos took first and third place respectively. While approaching the podium to receive their medals and hear their national anthem, photographer John Dominis sat in the stands a fair distance away, expecting to watch a similar medal ceremony to all the others he had seen many times throughout that Summer. However, this time was different, and the picture Dominis was about to take would hold an important place in American
society and sport in general. As The Star-Spangled Banner began playing, the two African American athletes turned to face the flag and each raised a black-gloved fist. This was in support for African American civil rights, as well as human rights in general.
Three men who led completely separate lives, all brought together unexpectedly by one timeless moment
This very public show of solidarity had lasting effects on Smith and Carlos’ lives. In the immediate aftermath, they were ostracised by the US sporting establishment, who attacked the politicis-
ing of the Olympics. They never competed in the Games again, and faced heavy criticism in the American media. Later in life, their reputations have been reconsidered, and they have been praised for their persistence and continued support for their message. The raised fists were not the only signs of solidarity. Carlos unzipped his top to represent American blue-collar workers, and Smith wore a necklace of beads to remember those African Americans who had been lynched or killed throughout slavery and the American Reconstruction period. Not only this, but Peter Norman, the white Australian who occupied the secondplace spot on the other side of the podium, wore the same human-rights badge on his jacket as the two Americans.
Image: Flickr
Norman’s story is also fascinating. Despite not taking part in the salute, Norman sympathised with Carlos and Smith’s views, and suffered as a result. He was reprimanded, arguably recording strong enough race times to qualify for the 1972 Munich Olympics, but was not selected by the Australian Olympic Committee. When Norman died in 2006, Smith and Carlos were pallbearers at his funeral – three men who led completely separate lives, all brought together unexpectedly by one timeless moment in sport. When Carlos and Smith raised their fists and Dominis took that picture, they probably anticipated the backlash that would come their way, but never once hesitated, as they knew how important and longlasting their message would be.
For more coverage of Exeter and world sport, head to @exeposesport CONTINUED ON PAGE 31