Greater Govanhill Issue 1

Issue 1

THE STORIES THAT MATTER TO YOU

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Rachel Dallas on launching the Glasgow South Anti-Racism Art Project

PLUS: Roma News and Views • A Literary Tour of Govanhill • Looking After Your Wellbeing Pickles in a Pandemic • The Benefits of Bartering • A Transylvanian Recipe and much more!

Годи сме Годи смеда даобслужваме обслужваме

kufaano faanoinaan inaan u adeego ku u adeego moiteil aa bhith moiteil bhithaa’frithealadh ’frithealadh stolz stolzzu zuDienen Dienenਸੇਵਸੇਾ ਵਕਰਨ ਾ ਕਰਨ ਲਈਲਈ ਮਾਣ ਮਾਣ ਹੈ ਹੈ পরিবেশন করতে বিত পরিবেশন করতে গর্গর্ বিত περήφανος που υπηρετώ περήφανος που υπηρετώ

Proud Proud to serve to serve

orgulloso servir orgulloso dede servir वा करने गर्वगर्हैवसेहैवासेकरने के केलिएलिए

‫روخف‬ ‫ةمدخل‬ ‫روخف‬ ‫ةمدخل‬

mândru sa servesc

mândru sa servesc

‫موک تمدخ ېچ مړایو‬

orgulho de servir

orgulho de ‫האג‬servir ‫תרשל‬

‫ےئل ےک ےنرک تمدخ ےہ رخف‬

‫ےئل ےک ےنرک تمدخ ےہ رخف‬

‫موک تمدخ ېچ مړایو‬

‫תרשל האג‬

bucurime te te serviu bucurime serviu

Govanhill Govanhill

hrdý na službu

hrdý na službu

orgoglioso di di servire orgoglioso servire

dumny, że mogę służyć

dumny, że mogę służyć

a FREE COFFEE

awithFREE COFFEE any purchase over £5 5

with any purchase over £

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trots om trots om te dienen

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hizmet etmekten hizmet etmekten gurur duymak

gurur duymak

горд служить

горд служить fier de servir

fier‫تمدخ‬ de servir ‫راختفا‬

‫تمدخ راختفا‬

zero waste refills

local349 produce Organic foods zero waste refills Victoria Road www.glasgowlocavore.org 0141 423 8685

Letter from the Editor

Featured Contributors

Dear Readers

Welcome to the first issue of Greater Govanhill, dedicated to the community who helped turn an idea into a 52-page reflection of the neighbourhood.

In January, we asked folk what they wanted from a magazine. So many said they were sick of hearing about Govanhill in a negative light. They wanted positive stories that celebrated diversity and reclaimed the narrative. These ideas have shaped what this magazine has become.

It’s impossible not to mention the impact of a pandemic, which has left no life untouched. Our plans to launch a a print magazine in May were put on hold. Instead, we set up the website to share good news, as a counterpoint to the often-overwhelming surge of doom and gloom.

In September, when the time felt right, we launched a Crowdfunder and were blown away by the support we received. We put a call out for contributions and the magazine started to take shape.

I’m so proud of what you now hold in your hands, because this magazine is a true community effort, made possible by our survey respondents, contributors, supporters and now you – our readers. If you enjoy the magazine and want to see more, visit greatergovanhill.com/support and get involved.

Rhiannon J Davies

Editor, Greater Govanhill CIC

Cover Photo by Lisa Miller Magazine Design by Laura Hurst www.laurabelle.co.uk

Mina Baird

has lived in Govanhill for four years now, and loves the sense of community here! She set up the Facebook group Queers Park for LGBTQ+ people in the Southside, supported Greater Govanhill with work on the online noticeboard, and is currently offering email tarot readings as Mina Arcana.

Maryam Abbas

is a freelance illustrator. She spends her days working on her online shop, private commissions and project work like illustrating for books and magazines like this one!

Editing Support Annie Muir, Chris Jarrell, CJ Lazaretti, Conrad Landin, Giverny Tattersfield, Mikey Jarrell, Natalie Whittle, Polly Rappaport, Rachel Carmichael, Saskia McCracken, Tim Nunn Featuring the Photography of David Marog, Dylan Lombard, Giacinta Frisillo, Jamie Dyer, Jeff Holmes, Kate Samuels, Lisa Miller, Michael Paley, Michal Lausch, Niall Miller, Paul Reich, Simon Murphy, Tom Barr, Toni Bruce Words by Arthur Oliver, Ciara Giblin, Craig Hunter, David McGuire, Dylan Lombard, Giacinta Frisillo, Giverny Tattersfield, Iona Shepherd, Jamie Dyer, Kate Samuels, Keir Hind, Marzanna Antoniak, Marek Balog, Mina Baird, Natalie Whittle, Niall Murphy, Rachel Dallas, Rhiannon Davies, Romana Lav, Rumpus Room, Saoirse King, Sumayya Usmani Illustrations by Giacinta Frisillo, Maryam Abbas, Laura Hurst Translation Support Alosha Lopatin, Andrea Vegh, Ebrahem Alissa, Riz Gul, Marek Balog, Romana Lav, Roland Den

Niall Miller

is a recent photography graduate with industry experience. Based in the southside, he took photos for several of the features for issue one.

All content, unless otherwise stated, is copyright © Greater Govanhill CIC. All rights reserved. No part of this independently published magazine may be reproduced without permission.

Greater Govanhill CIC is a community interest company registered in Scotland: SC656194. Any queries or comments, get in touch: hello@greatergovanhill.com

Contents 06 NEWS IN BRIEF

FEATURES 17

The South City Way A slice of Copenhagen in Govanhill?

REGULARS 08

Like My Grandmother Used to Make

20

09

Meet the Volunteer

Black Lives Matter The story behind the southside’s new murals

10

24

Life in the 1930s Part one of our ‘peek into the past’ series

Roma News and Views in English, Romanian and Czech

26

12

A Fair Exchange The benefits of bartering

Style Icon

13

Moments of Beauty

29

13

Local Maker

Pickles in a Pandemic In search of home in English and Russian

15

32

Behind the Portrait

16

In Conversation with

Growing Up in Govanhill David (57) and Saoirse (12) share their experiences

34

A Komplex Situation Opening a gallery during lockdown

36

A Taste of Home Pakistani Food in Govanhill in English and Urdu

38

Don’t Look into the Abyss How two local businesses adapted to the pandemic

40

Looking after your wellbeing in challenging times Tips for staying well in a crisis in English and Arabic 04

Issue 01 December 2020

Govanhill Language Quiz

'EXCELLENT!'

By Marzanna Antoniak

1. Who says ' ' /moom-taz/ to say 'excellent'?

- Polish speakers - Pashto speakers - Arabic speakers - Farsi speakers

42

For Roma, By Roma - Rom Romeha How the Roma community are supporting others in English and Slovakian

44

Govanhill’s Past and Future in Four Buildings If these walls could talk

TO CLOSE

46

49

Under the Moon and Stars A literary tour of Govanhill

48

Demands and Dreams for the Future Fixing our broken food system

What’s on

50

Poetry Corner

50

Hot Shot

Competition time!

To be in with a chance of winning some amazing locally produced prizes, share a photo on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram of you reading this magazine somewhere in the Govanhill area. Make sure to follow us on social media and tag us, including the hashtag: #GreaterGovanhill1

@govanhill_mag greatergovanhill @greatergovanhill

Winners will be announced at the end of January.

How do you say 'excellent' in Polish?

- Harika!

- Świetnie!

- Braw!

- Ausgezeichnet!

3. When you hear 'braw!' you know it's in...

- Romanian - Persian - Scottish - Czech 4. How do you say 'excellent!' in Russian? ! /at-leech-na/ ! /veed-meen-noh/ ! /exochos/ /viśiṣṭayi/ 5. ‘Puikiai!' /puĩkiai/ is how people say 'excellent' in: - Romania - Poland - Lithuania - Italy Email your answers to notices@greatergovanhill.com to be entered into a prize draw.

05

news in brief Buena Vida Community Radio Station Launched As well as having its very own magazine, Govanhill now also has an online community radio station. Launched in the last week in October, Radio Buena Vida has showcased an awe-inspiring array of talent, featuring many of Govanhill’s finest DJs (who knew there were so many?!).

Shows are being streamed live from the window of Some Great Reward record store and cafe at 520 Victoria Road. As well as playing music, Radio Buena Vida is a platform for DJs to discuss social issues.

It is the idea, two years in the making, of David Fleming and Susan O’Neill, inspired by time spent in Barcelona. They’re also hoping to find a permanent home for the station in their own café/bar.

They are seeking to collaborate with local charities and community groups, through workshops and shows, to ensure the voices and music of all communities are welcomed and heard regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or disability.

Tune in live on Wednesdays from 11am to 9pm, or Friday and Saturday nights from 6-11pm on www.buenavida.co.uk Keep your ears peeled for a Greater Govanhill radio show, coming soon.

Giacinta Frisillo

Govanhill Living Rent Branch Takes Action on Cleansing There is now a dedicated Govanhill branch of the tenants’ union, Living Rent. They have been working to build a campaign for greater investment in cleansing services for the area. The branch is joining up with cleansing workers from GMB Scotland to demand ‘real solutions to the problems of overflowing bins, fly tipping and pest infestations’.

Through hitting the streets to speak with their neighbours, they have amassed hundreds of signatures to their petition which calls for: 1. “An enhanced cleansing service involving a backcourt team to supplement the existing cleansing workforce. This team would be responsible for the cleansing of the entire backcourts rather than just the bin sets and bulk uplift items. This work was once done as part of the general cleansing service and the severity of the current situation calls for it to be brought back.”

2. Greater enforcement to crack down on fly tipping and litter in the area 3. A more targeted education programme on recycling and waste, including educational materials translated for those with English as their second language”

Michal Lausch

Remade Network launched a pop-up repair hub The ‘Repair Stop’ at 21 Nithsdale Street opened earlier this year. They repair household, tech, electrical and textile items for affordable costs while reducing waste to landfill, creating jobs and supporting community cohesion.

They are currently asking people to donated unwanted laptops and phones to be distributed to those in need. Open 12-2pm Monday to Saturday.

Building Community in a Pandemic

By Marzanna Antoniak, Community Connector – Thriving Places, Govanhill

Numerous Govanhill residents, including Roma, Pakistanis, Afghanis, and individuals from rural Nepal and Syria have been denied the privilege of education in their home countries. It takes years to develop study skills and learn a language, yet pre-pandemic many were working hard to learn English. Lockdown meant these classes were interrupted.

Even though some have resumed, many people aren’t able to join lessons online.

Digital exclusion touches a high percentage of Govanhill’s population. In times when almost all communication takes place online, digital inclusion becomes a basic need.

Alongside food, household essentials, mental health, and welfare support, digital inclusion has been a priority in our response to Covid-19, resulting in projects that aim to bring devices, connectivity and training to those most in need.

We are doing our best to make information accessible to everyone; a printed support directory was distributed to every household. This will be complemented by community noticeboards, which we’re working to install.

The 2020 Govanhill International Festival had to be completely reimagined, taking photography exhibitions, film screenings and music performances outdoors. As such, more people had a chance to experience them. A positive legacy of the pandemic will be planning more inclusive outdoor events.

In crisis, Govanhill has shown powerful community spirit, new levels of creativity, good will and resilience. New businesses popping up in the area, and the consultations taking place are a sign that we’re looking into the future – beyond the temporary circumstances we’re caught up in.

news in brief Queen’s Park Set to Become Designated ‘Pollinator Park’ Queen’s Park is set to become a designated pollinator park in plans that have been laid out for the area. An assortment of crocus and muscari bulbs have been planted in the park in hopes of improving the local biodiversity and addressing ecological emergencies.

Parks Development manager Seamus Connolly said that the plans for the park will be beneficial for its environment: “We’re looking at developing further plans for Queens Park. Further wildflower planting, bulb planting, tree planting, hedge planting to assist the local ecosystem and biodiversity… we’re wanting to get the balance right with our local wildlife.”

This is part of larger plans from the City Council to improve the park for the benefit of its wildlife and the communities surrounding it. Similar plans have been carried out at Ruchill Park in Maryhill.

The project encouraged public involvement and enthusiasts from the Friends of Queen’s Park group and The Conservation Volunteers planted bulbs in two different areas of the park. Ciara Giblin

Govanhill Photos Displayed in Space!

You may have seen the incredible portraits by Simon Murphy when he held a photo trail exhibition around the neighbourhood as part of the Govanhill International Festival this year. But did you know two of them were also exhibited 130,000 feet up in the stratosphere? The photos of a young Roma girl, Sara, and Victoria Road tattoo artist, Scott formed part of the Portrait of Humanity’s project, ‘Sent Into Space’, which aimed to ‘broadcast a message of peace and unity from humankind to space’.

Innovative Food Pantry Opened An innovative community food initiative from the Govanhill Baths Community Trust opened at 488 Cathcart Road in September. Named The People’s Pantry and operating via a low-cost membership model, the project aims to combat the food poverty that is acute in some parts of Govanhill.

Funded by Glasgow City Council and other partners, the pantry’s business model works by collecting food otherwise destined for landfill.

A welcoming, dignified environment is a key part of the support offered by The People’s Pantry: Though the food available will not be ‘free’ as such – it’s £3.50 to join, entitling members to £15 worth of shopping per week for £2.50 – the plan is to keep costs as cheap as possible, so everyone can access it.

Natalie Whittle

OFFICE SPACE TO RENT GOVANHILL Are you an essential services provider or keyworker urgently looking for Covid safe, short-term, flexible office space? Or a local business or enterprise looking for a Govanhill office base?

GCDT Commercial Property currently have offices for rent in Govanhill at Govanhill Workspace, Dixon Road, ranging in size and price.

•

We offer fully-serviced offices in a beautiful listed building, allowing you to focus on running your business, charity or social enterprise

•

Flexible rolling leases include 24-hour access, reception services, CCTV, repairs and maintenance, heating, waste disposal & cleaning

•

Excellent transport links - close to buses, trains, M8, M74 and a mile from the city centre. Off-street parking for bikes and cars.

•

Assistance from GCDT to grow your business, make local connections and access support

Get in touch for more information -

call Marie on 07741 893 008 or email mmcbeth@govanhillha.org

Govanhill Community Development Trust is a subsidiary of Govanhill Housing Association

like my grandmother used to make

Romanian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls There’s nothing quite like your grandmother’s cooking to transport you to a more familiar setting. And the kitchens of Govanhill tenements are filled with the aromas of a multitude of different cuisines reflecting the diverse make-up of the neighbourhood.

In this series, we ask Govanhill locals to provide a recipe that transports them to their homeland, starting with Transylvania.

Got a recipe to share?

Get in touch: hello@greatergovanhill.com

by Rhiannon J Davies

In the middle of lockdown, a new shop opened up in the middle of Victoria Road. Playing up to the Dracula connection, Transylvania Shop and Coffee sports a vampire on its logo. But owners Alex Ghimpu and Daniel Radu want to show that Transylvania, the region they’re from in central Romania, actually has much more to offer.

The result is a colourful explosion of fruit, vegetables and flowers, along with freshly made cheese, cured meats and intriguing jars of pickles and preserved vegetables. A counter packed with cream cakes and sticky baked goods completes the offering.

The walls are adorned with traditional Transylvanian textiles and trinkets as Alex explains: “Most of the decorations are from my grandma. My mother sent them to us to put it in our shop and show people our traditions. Normally, these types of materials would be passed from mother to daughter, as wedding gifts.”

The recipe they’ve shared is for sarmale cu mamaliga (stuffed cabbage rolls served with polenta), which Alex says are a Romanian specialty: “My grandma used to make these around Christmas, Easter or any time when we had guests in our home. According to old traditions, on Christmas Eve our parents are supposed to sacrifice a pig and make many dishes from the meat. This is one of the dishes we make. At Christmas, after butchering the pig, we would usually have people visiting and sharing best wishes for the new year, with a lot of carol singing too.”

Sauce ingredients 2 tbsp. Bunica (literally meaning ‘grandmother’) oil 1/2 large onion 3 cloves of garlic 2 tbsp. tomato puree 2 cans of chopped tomatoes 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp. brown sugar 2 tsp. dried oregano Salt & pepper to taste

Cabbage roll ingredients 15 pickled cabbage leaves 450g pork (or beef) mince 50 g white rice 25 g breadcrumbs 1/2 large onion, 2 tbsp. fresh parsley Salt & pepper to taste

Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160ºC fan).

2. First make the sauce. Chop the onion and garlic. Then, in a large deep pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft.

Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.

Pour over the canned tomatoes then add vinegar, sugar, and oregano.

Lower the heat and simmer for around 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon a layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish.

3. Then for the rolls, first chop the onion and parsley and, in a large bowl, mix together with the meat and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Prepare the cabbage leaves by cutting out the hard triangular rib from each leaf. Put a little of the meat filling onto each leaf, then roll up, tucking in the sides as you go. Place the rolls seam side-down on top of the sauce in a baking dish. Spoon the rest of the sauce on top of the rolls then cover with foil.

5. Bake for around 1 hour 15 minutes, until rice and meat are cooked through. Serve with sour cream, polenta and a green chilli.

08

Meet the Volunteer Aisha The Well As told to Natalie Whittle Photo by Paul Reich

M cultural resource centre in Albert Road. I interpret Urdu

y name is Aisha. I volunteer for ‘The Well’, a multi-

and Punjabi for them. I used to go to an Urdu school on the weekends, and I did an A-Level in Urdu as well. You hear it an awful lot in Govanhill.

I was born in Battlefield, Glasgow, and stayed here all my life. Apart from when I got married when we moved down to Birmingham for a year. I didn’t like Birmingham to be honest; I found people down there weren’t mixing with other people. I found them a bit rude and a bit nosy: “Where are you going?” and “Where did you come from?” I didn’t like that.

It’s more polite and friendly here. I have got friends from all backgrounds – American friends, Scottish friends, Moroccan friends – and these connections were made through The Well.

I first started going to The Well when my little son was born, nearly 11 years ago now. I wanted to learn to crochet, and my sister said they’d teach you there. That’s how I got involved. Then, I was told about a toddlers’ group run by The Well. I started going there as well. And to the ‘Chai and Chat’ group. I go there regularly; I don’t ever miss it. We keep in touch through WhatsApp too, and meet at our houses. Some of the staff have become my friends. It builds up confidence.

My parents were born in Pakistan and my dad came to Glasgow when he was a young boy, eight or nine years old.

He came with his uncle to go to school here. Back then, things were very different. In those days you’d have a telly on, sit with your family or do your homework. You’d have time to go to friends, families. The person you’d visit would have dinner ready for you. Life is so busy now, with hectic lifestyles and giving so much time to the phone.

If The Well wasn’t here, there’d be nowhere else to go to discuss personal problems. You know they’ll keep it confidential. You feel a lot better. I know someone whose husband had passed away; she used to come and sew her dresses at Chai and Chat. She said it passed her time a little bit faster. I’ve seen The Well be good at helping people, they’re like a family.

*Name changed for privacy

“It’s a real joy being in Aisha’s company! She’s so generous in sharing her time and skills with others. But it’s her personal integrity and reliability that has meant she has become such a valued part of our community language interpreting team - as a volunteer and sessional worker.”

- Penny Macleod, Deputy Manager

“Over to our correspondent in Lugoj!”

“Predăm legătura corespondenților noștri din Lugoj!”

by Romano Lav

New transnational multilingual news broadcasting programme created

Echipa de tineri Romano Lav creează un program transnațional multilingv de difuzare a știrilor

O

P

n 4 November 2020, Romano Lav premiered the first episode of a new pilot project, Roma News and Views, on YouTube.

The project was developed during lockdown and is a creative response by Govanhill’s Roma youth to the constraints imposed by the pandemic. It is transnational: enabling young people who fled from the pandemic to Romania to continue working with their peers who remain in Govanhill.

It is also multilingual, with coverage switching between Romanian, Czech, and English, with subtitles in all three language provided throughout. Ultimately, the idea is to combine coverage of local news with international stories; from happenings on the ground in Govanhill to the transnational struggle for Roma rights across Europe and beyond. The first episode features coverage of:

R O M A N IA

e 4 noiembrie 2020, Romano Lav a prezentat primul episod al unui nou proiect pilot, Roma News and Views pe YouTube.

Roma News and Views a fost dezvoltat în timpul carantinei și este un răspuns creativ al tinerilor romi din Govanhill la constrângerile impuse de pandemie. Noul proiect este transnațional, și permite tinerilor care au fugit de pandemie în România să continue să lucreze cu colegii lor (care rămân în Govanhill) până când aceștia se pot întoarce în siguranță. De asemenea, este multilingv, cu diverse reportaje în limba română, cehă și engleză, precum și subtitrări în toate cele trei limbi. În cele din urmă, conceptul constă în combinarea știrilor locale cu poveștile internaționale; de la evenimentele din cartierul Govanhill până la lupta transnațională pentru drepturile romilor din Europa, și nu numai. Primul episod prezintă:

• A special feature on the European Roma Rights Centre’s Roma Rights in the Time of Covid report which examines the impact of COVID-19 on Roma communities across Europe (including cases of rights violations and police brutality in Romania, Slovakia, Belgium, Italy, and Bulgaria).

• un reportaj special despre raportul „Drepturile romilor în timpul pandemiei”, întocmit de Centrul European pentru Drepturile Romilor, care examinează impactul COVID-19 asupra comunităților de romi din Europa (inclusiv cazurile de încălcare a drepturilor și brutalitate polițienească în România, Slovacia, Belgia, Italia și Bulgaria)

• A landmark anti-discrimination court case that Roma women have won against a hospital in Hungary.

• o cauză de referință împotriva discriminării, câștigată de femeile rome împotriva unui spital din Ungaria

• The launch of ‘The People’s Pantry’ — a new, community food shop in Govanhill that allows members to shop for £15 worth of goods for £2.50 per week.

• deschiderea magazinului People’s Pantry, un nou magazin alimentar comunitar din Govanhill care permite membrilor să cumpere bunuri în valoare de 15,00 GBP pentru 2,50 GBP pe săptămână.

Each episode is developed, designed, and produced by a talented team of Roma youth.

Ashli Mullen, Creative Director of Romano Lav, says: “The increasing sense of isolation that we all experience as a result of the pandemic makes the world feel smaller and, at times, like it is closing in. We want our young people and their communities to be opened up to the world, whilst creating greater consciousness of the human rights issues that Roma communities are experiencing across Europe – and to foster stronger transnational solidarities along the way”.

Rahela Cirpaci, Project Coordinator and news anchor, added: “Believe in yourself and you can achieve your goals. Stay Roma, mara phral hai mara pheia (my brothers and sisters).”

You can watch the first episode via Romano Lav’s YouTube channel and subscribe to see the next one as soon as it is released.

In the meantime, as one of Romano Lav’s young news anchors put it: “Stay strong; stay safe; stay home; stay Roma.”

Fiecare episod Roma News and Views este proiectat, dezvoltat și produs de o echipă talentată de tineri romi. Descriind proiectul, Ashli Mullen, directorul creativ al organizației Romano Lav, spune că „Sentimentul tot mai mare de izolare pe care îl trăim cu toții, ca urmare a pandemiei, face lumea să se simtă mai mică și, uneori, ca și cum s-ar închide în jurul nostru. Vrem ca tinerii noștri și comunitățile lor să fie deschise lumii, conștientizând în același timp și mai mult problemele legate de drepturile omului pe care le întâmpină comunitățile de romi în toată Europa, precum și să încurajeze parteneriate transnaționale mai puternice pe parcurs ”.

Rahela Cirpaci, co-ordonatorul proiectului și prezentator de știri, a adăugat: „Crede în tine și îți poți atinge obiectivele. Rămâneți romi, mara phral hai mara pheia” [frați și surori].

Puteți viziona primul episod pe canalul de YouTube Romano Lav. Abonați-vă pentru a vedea următorul episod imediat după lansare. Între timp, după cum a spus una dintre tinerele ancore de știri ale lui Romano Lav la sfârșitul Episodului 1: Rămâneți puternici; stați in siguranță; stați acasă; rămâneți romi!

10

N

“Přes naše korespondenty v Lugoj!”

Tým mládeže Romano Lav vytvořil nadnárodní vícejazyčný program pro vysílání zpráv

CZECH

D

ne 4. listopadu 2020 uvedl Romano Lav na YouTube premiéru první epizody nového pilotního projektu Roma News and Views. Roma News and Views byl vyvinut během uzamčení a je kreativní reakcí romské mládeže Govanhilla na omezení vyvolaná pandemií. Je to nadnárodní: umožnit mladým lidem, kteří uprchli z pandemie do Rumunska, pokračovat v práci se svými vrstevníky, kteří zůstávají v Govanhillu, dokud se nebudou moci bezpečně vrátit. Je také vícejazyčný s přepínáním pokrytí mezi rumunštinou, češtinou a angličtinou a titulky ve všech třech jazycích. Myšlenkou je nakonec kombinovat pokrytí místních zpráv s mezinárodními příběhy; od dění na místě v Govanhillu po mezinárodní boj za práva Romů v celé Evropě i mimo ni. První epizoda obsahuje pokrytí: • dopad COVID-19 na romské komunity v celé Evropě (včetně případů porušování práv a policejní brutality v Rumunsku, na Slovensku, v Belgii, Itálii a Bulharsku), zkoumaný ve zvláštním článku o právech Romů v době v Evropském středisku pro práva Romů zprávy Covid.

• významný antidiskriminační soudní spor, který romské ženy vyhrály proti nemocnici v Maďarsku • spuštění People's Pantry, nového komunitního obchodu s potravinami v Govanhillu, který umožňuje členům nakupovat zboží za 15,00 GBP za 2,50 GBP týdně.

Každou epizodu vyvíjí, navrhuje a produkuje talentovaný tým romské mládeže.

Ashli ​​Mullen, kreativní ředitel společnosti Romano Lav, říká: „Díky rostoucímu pocitu izolace, který všichni pociťujeme v důsledku pandemie, se svět cítí menší a občas se blíží.

Chceme naše mladé lidi a jejich komunit, které mají být otevřeny světu, a zároveň vytvářet větší povědomí o otázkách lidských práv, s nimiž se romské komunity potýkají v celé Evropě, a podporovat při tom silnější nadnárodní solidaritu “. Rahela Cirpaci, koordinátorka projektu a zpravodajská moderátorka, dodala: „Věřte v sebe a můžete dosáhnout svých cílů.

Zůstaňte Romové, mara phral hai mara pheia” [moji bratři a sestry].

První epizodu můžete sledovat na YouTube kanálu Romana Lva a přihlaste se k odběru, abyste si mohli hned zobrazit další. Mezitím, jak Photos of Romano Lav youth team by to jeden z mladých moderátorů zpráv Romana Toni Bruce (taken pre-COVID for a film Lva dal na konci epizody 1: Zůstaňte silní; zůstat project by Cherryman media) v bezpečí; zůstat doma; zůstaňte Romové!

Style Icon Morgan Woods, is a Govanhill-based musician who performs as solo artist, Emme Woods, and as a member of the bands Joy Hotel and Fake Taxi.

Hey Morgan! What are you wearing today?

A banging purple cord Lucy and Yak boiler suit – and a fur coat, which accompanies every look of mine. It is my bandmate’s dead gran’s coat. Thank you Luke, and his gran – RIP. This necklace I’ve had since I was, like, two-years-old that my grandad got me with matching rings and bracelets.

To top it off, I’m wearing my ‘Fuck the Tories’ earrings to exercise my civil liberty.

What would you call your style?

Wine ready.

Do you have a style icon?

Prince was one stylish man. A sprinkle of Stevie Nicks’ witchy look wouldn’t go amiss.

What’s your favourite article of clothing?

I love boiler suits because you put one on and that’s you, ready. But my fave is my dressing gown, which has been a blessing and a curse during lockdown. I don’t know how we’ll ever part.

Is deciding what to wear onstage different than deciding what to wear to the shops?

Na. I always look fabulous.

What colors, textures, or prints make you feel good?

I really love cords and stripes. My papa used to wear cord trousers and I hated them at the time, but things have changed. I always wear furs, but I’m vegan so they’re faux.

I did buy a red suede tasseled biker jacket. It’s a real dead animal. I’d feel a lot worse about it if it wasn’t so bangin’.

Where do I get your look?

I’m not a big shopping fan, so I get most of my clothes online. Some of my fur coats were gifted and my gran bought some of the others.

Final thoughts?

Creativity is hard to conjure at the minute, but I’ve been in the studio working on my next record. It’s the only thing that ‘rona can’t take from me. Freedom will prevail. Until then, wine will help.

Interview and photos by Giacinta Frisillo

moments of beauty

When and how did you start working with glass?

I started years ago making mosaics. From that, I moved into glass. They are similar in techniques – but with glass you bring light into play. I took a night class when I lived in Brighton and then forgot about it for a while.

When I moved to Govanhill, it was very important to me to begin something new in my life and I wanted to work with my hands. For many years I had been doing ‘head’ jobs with endless talking, little doing. Seeing all the stained glass around Glasgow, I remembered that I had these skills, so I set up a studio.

The Govanhill Baths Memorial Plaque

by Niall Murphy | Photo by Niall Miller

Tucked between the entrance porticos on Calder Street, the Govanhill Baths bronze memorial plaque is the fulcrum around which the elevation of the Baths was composed.

Though credited to Glasgow’s City Engineer, Alexander Beith Macdonald, the elevation is more likely to be by architect Thomas Gilmour.

Famously, it formed the backdrop for the Battle of Calder Street.

Though the sculptor is unknown, the plaque features the Glasgow coat of arms (signifying that the building belongs to all Glaswegians) and a medallion portrait of Sir Daniel Macauley Stevenson, the Lord Provost who laid the foundation stone on 3 July 1914.

Macauley Stevenson is an interesting character who, before turning to politics, had been a shipbroker and coal merchant. He espoused a philosophy of municipal socialism, being a radical liberal with a social conscience.

He was the brother of Glasgow Boy, Robert Macauley Stevenson and his grandfather, Daniel Stevenson, was an early trade unionist.

To improve Glaswegians' access to culture Macauley Stevenson secured Sunday opening at Glasgow's art galleries and museums in 1898.

The following year, he introduced Glasgow's free library service.

When he died, Macauley Stevenson left part of his estate for the creation of a building for physical education at Glasgow University.

He also left money to promote international understanding amongst young people in the aftermath of the First World War. Given his life’s work, it seems only appropriate that he has been immortalised in bronze above what is to be the main entrance into the refurbished Govanhill Baths. It is worth catching a glimpse of it now, before it disappears behind the hoarding as repairs are carried out over the next few years.

Niall Murphy is an architect, and deputy director of the Glasgow City Heritage Trust as well as Chair of the board at the Govanhill Baths.

Local Maker Brian Morgan: Jangling Space Brian Morgan is a stained glass artist, originally from Coatbridge. After spending some years in London and Brighton, he came ‘home’ to Scotland in 2014, swapping his council flat with someone in Govanhill.

He has lived in the neighbourhood ever since. He runs Jangling Space, a co-operative makerspace based in Shawlands Arcade.

What glass objects do you create and what kind of techniques do you use?

I make mainly leaded glass – often used for windows – as well as copper-foiled work for lamps and more delicate pieces.

During lockdown, I started to learn techniques for fusing glass in kilns, to make things like bowls and plates. But rather than the objects themselves being important, Jangling Space was set up to build social connection among people. Making things together is tremendously powerful for forging friendships and bonds – something Glasgow lost when traditional skills and work were taken away.

Are you working on any interesting projects in Govanhill?

I am just completing a big project with Govanhill Housing Association. I worked with some of their tenants to design and make their own bespoke pieces.

The idea for this project came from when I lived in my first Govanhill flat. I made a window for my stairwell ‘lightstealer’. It was an Islamic design, because I love the geometric patterns.

When I moved out, I gave it to my neighbour downstairs who cleaned and swept the close.

She was Muslim and loved the design. She was overwhelmed at the idea of having something so personal, beautiful and unique – the power of that was the catalyst for this project.

What is special about stained glass for you?

Glass has life in it. Light hits colour and texture to make something totally unique that constantly changes. Stained glass is rather magical. Maybe that’s why it has always been used to tell stories in windows?

It makes you look, really look.

BEHIND THE PORTRAIT

Interview by Rhiannon J Davies

14

Alan Tanner is a familiar face in Govanhill’s café scene.

You may have spotted him at a table outside Milk Café or Some Great Reward wearing his trademark fisherman’s hat, having a smoke and sipping a latte.

Alan was a prominent artist in the 1960s and 70s psychedelia scene in London. His trippy works found an audience on album covers for notable bands including Procol Harum and Hawkwind. He also created illustrations for counter-culture magazines Oz and Time Out. He left London to live in a cottage in the Highlands before settling in Govanhill.

This portrait by photographer Simon Murphy forms part of his Govanhill project. It won the Richard Coward Scottish Portrait Award in Photography at the Scottish Portrait Awards in 2019.

Dali was mad as a hatter, he really was. I went to see him at his house in Spain, and we had a long conversation in Spanish and English. Dali only talked about himself. That’s all he did. He just spoke about Dali. I don’t think he knew anybody else.

I was just a little man in the second world war. But being a child in Kent I can remember it right from the start. It’s always going to be there. It’ll never go. I suppose it influences my art, in a way.

The psychedelia scene in London was good for a short period of time. But it gets too much. I used to party a lot. I lived in Notting Hill Gate around the corner from Jimi Hendrix. All those people in London; they’re great, but they all fade away.

Going up north was the best thing that I ever did, I think. After I left London, I lived in Auchindoun, a village just outside Aviemore, miles from anywhere. I wanted fresh air. I got stuck and loved it.

Dragonflies eat everything around them. They’re amazing creatures, but they’re buggers though, they really are. They’re born killers. They kill everything. I used to try and catch them.

The Scots are friendly. They always have been that way. And they’re adventurous people too.

They like talking to you about things — talking, talking, talking. You sit and listen. I listen very hard. I love it.

Strokes flatten you. I had a big one a few years ago. I was in hospital trying to remember who I was. I really don’t like strokes.

I’m still drawing. I draw quite well. Most of my ideas come from my head. They have to, because you’re thinking all the time. I’m painting a large piece at the moment. I use acrylics.

They’re fun to paint with, but I get cramp in my hands now.

I don’t really like to be known. You talk to Dali and he’d tell you all about him. I’m not like him.

I like the freedom of anonymity. You can say what you like and no-one minds. I’ve never been interested in fame and fortune. That’s the last thing I want.

For the portrait, Simon covered my hands with paint. We wanted to see what would happen.

And I like using my fingers. I had paint all over my face. I don’t mind being the subject, it’s just another face.

If I could do my life over again, I’d spend more time in New Zealand. I was there for a year, wandering and painting. It’s a stunning country. The Maori people really understand life and this world we live in. And they can talk.

I spend my days talking to friends. They’re all in Govanhill. I like Milk Café. It’s two lassies that look after it. They talk to you and I like to listen and keep my mouth shut.

Life is getting quicker, much faster than I like anyway. I’m now 83, so I’m catching up with it.

I feel much younger. I think because I’ve been around a long time. All those years you can’t remember. Half of it is gone. I’m still getting over my stroke.

I just wander off somewhere sometimes. The mind takes you and you have to go. I love the journey. Here I’ve got the park, and all these places I can go to. It’s more like the country than anywhere else.

We’re all in a bubble. It’s breaking out of it that counts.

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in conversation with...

Let the Music Play Qonain Fahad (14) and Aarush Bakshi (13) are both violinists in the United String Orchestra, part of the Big Noise Govanhill programme run by the Sistema Scotland music charity. The project aims to use intensive, immersive orchestral music to ‘foster confidence, teamwork, pride and aspiration in the children taking part – and across the wider community’. Together they’ve performed some high profile concerts, including for the First Minister in the Scottish Parliament.

In this Zoom conversation they discuss what it’s meant to keep the music playing.

How did you find keeping up with violin practice during lockdown?

Aarush: It’s been pretty decent I guess. But it could also be better, because you can’t hear anyone play – and if you do then all the timings are off. But that’s Zoom’s fault.

At the moment, I’m just trying to play faster, have more control and do vibrato more fluently. If I didn’t have Big Noise, I’d probably be really bored... and also rusty.

Qonain: For me, it’s been kind of the same, except it’s difficult because Qonain Fahad sometimes I can’t see people, or there’s buzzing noises. I do like that I don’t have to walk to practice any more! I’m probably better at playing now, because if we’re told to learn something, we actually have to learn it. Normally in orchestra, no one actually learns it. We literally all just follow you, Aarush.

A: I mean, that’s kind of nerve wracking, you saying that!

Q: Do you remember, when we first went into lockdown, someone made a Big Noise group chat on Snapchat. We talked for like a day.

A: Yeah we said hi to each other and knew that we all still existed and that was it.

Q: It’s dead now.

Q: I used to go three times a week, but now I only go twice because I go to mosque. I have to go and read and stuff like that. During lockdown, my mosque shut down as well and only just started doing stuff online. So we were really bored, but then we knew that at 4 o'clock we’d have a music lesson.

A: I don’t have a lot of stuff to do at home, but for some reason I really enjoy playing violin. It’s just fun. Sometimes I’m really exhausted and don’t want to go. But you have to.

What do you get out of playing the violin?

Aarush: You have to practice if you’re playing the violin. It teaches you that you have to practice to be good.

Qonain: My hand gets sore sometimes. But it’s like, really fun and you get to learn a lot of stuff. And it really helps with the music we learn in school, because it’s some of the same thing, so I normally get a good grade.

A: Same. In music class, it’s really good to know all the stuff already. I’m pretty much the best in class because not many others know much about music.

This one time, the head of music called me over. She told me that one of her friends used to play an instrument, and it was because she could play really well and had good Aarush Bakshi skills in her fingers, she actually became a doctor. She’s really good because she had good dexterity from music.

How did you get into playing music?

Aarush: None of my family plays any instruments. My dad can’t understand how I’m so into music. No one has done anything musical. It was a big surprise. Now I’m in the conservatoire in the same class as people way older than me. It makes me feel good.

Qonain: Literally nobody likes music in my family.

A: I started playing when Big Noise came to school during class. After that, I thought it would be fun and was something I wanted to do. I didn’t think I’d be coming to Big Noise for this long.

Do you have any ambitions to play music professionally?

Qonain: I just want to keep it as a hobby. So if I get a different job, I’ll know how to do something else as well. I’m going to try to become a dental nurse or dental hygienist.

Aarush: My parents, and me as well, really want me to be a doctor. And the teacher said playing an instrument is really good for developing skills for that.

Photos by: Jeff Holmes

16

The South City Way A slice of Copenhagen in Govanhill?

By Iona Shepherd Photos by Michael Paley

I

ve always loved gazing at old photographs of Glasgow; working out where they are and comparing the old streetscapes to how they look now. In particular, I’ve always been struck by the view of Victoria Road from Queen’s Park. The width of the street in those old pictures seems immense and the space within it draws you towards the magnificent vista of the Campsie Hills in the distance. But, over the years, as motor traffic and congestion has slowly taken over, that sense of space has been lost.

When I first started commuting on my bike through Govanhill (before subsequently moving to the area), I felt Victoria Road was claustrophobic and overpowered by motor traffic. But, in the last couple of years, I’ve started to notice an urban transformation.

If you can close your eyes and ears to the continuing construction works scattered along Victoria Road, you will have noticed, like me, that cafes and shops have started spilling out onto the street. People are lingering, browsing, spending more and actually hanging out. And this isn’t just a result of the Covid lockdown. Now that the street alterations have moved the traffic and parking inwards, we have managed to win back some of the important shared space we once had — and people want to use it again.

The new cycle lanes, officially branded the South City Way (SCW), are based on the stepped track design popular in cities like Copenhagen. They keep people on bikes separate from traffic, which is considered key to encouraging cycling as a means of transport. The stepped kerb further separates the cycling space from pedestrian space with a vertical drop. But the bike lanes are not finished yet, and there is still a long way to go before Glasgow has any kind

of joined up cycling network. Although it will be some time before we see more people using the cycle lanes, I have noticed more people joining me on the Victoria Road part of my commute.

The South City Way hasn’t arrived without its issues. It’s new, it’s different and, as with any change, it will take a bit of getting used to. These bike lanes are the first of their kind in Glasgow and some parts of their design aren’t perfect. For example, wide, sweeping junctions at side-streets and the colour of the lanes don’t always make the priority of people on bikes clear.

Cycle campaigns such as ‘GoBike’ have been working with the council to have these designs improved before the construction phase is completed. Aspects of design could be improved at very low cost: bollards, brighter markings for the path and visual narrowing of the corners at side- streets. GoBike, in partnership with environmental project South Seeds, has installed pretty planters at one section as an experiment in deterring parking in the lanes. And the newly opened ‘protected junctions’ make righthand turns onto these lanes so much safer.

The use of ‘bus stop bypasses’ has presented another worry. These are not new to Glasgow and their use on London Road through the East End, for example, has been without incident. However, there is room for design improvements with staggered crossings and incorrectly-placed tactile paving — both of which don’t work well for visuallyimpaired people. But this bus stop design is the standard in Europe, and the more we

18

The South City Way in Numbers

12

minutes to cycle from Queen’s Park to the City Centre and only minutes on foot.

30

3 6.5 km in length when completed

million pounds to complete

start to see European zebra crossings here, the better the interactions at them will be.

Another design issue is that buffer zones haven’t yet been fully incorporated where there is parking parallel to the lanes. The idea is that a painted bufferstrip to the right-side of the lane helps keep people on bikes out of the door opening zone. And people getting out of cars are recommended to use the ‘Dutch Reach’ to open their doors – reaching for the handle with their opposite hand, forcing them to look behind them when they do.

The speed and the cost of the build are also often pointed out as a concern.

Although Rome wasn’t built in a day, the SCW build began in December 2017 and the time it is taking to finish this three-kilometre stretch is frustrating. Both the Scottish Parliament and Glasgow City Council have declared a climate emergency, and so we really need a city-wide cycling network as soon as possible. But, to put it in perspective, the scheme has been delivered at a comparatively low cost. We should remember that an average of £15m is spent on repairing potholes alone on Glasgow roads every single year. The M74 extension cost a total of £692m and the environmental costs that go along with it. The £6.5m spend on the complete build of the SCW proves the economic benefits of active travel.

Infrastructure changes like this aren’t new to Govanhill. In the 90s our side streets were changed from two-way to one-way and a bus gate was added. Looking at how they are working now, it’s hard to imagine that there was a furious backlash against those changes. A quick search through the letters pages of the newspapers of the time shows that, even back then, people were afraid of change. They understandably worried that it would impact businesses and create congestion. Neither happened – in fact quite the opposite. Now, more recent street changes are starting to bring similar benefits to our local economy. Even during road closures associated with the Shieldhall Tunnel works and the cycle lane construction, congestion has not increased.

But why do we want to have more people cycling anyway? While cycling isn’t for everyone, there are many car journeys that could be swapped for walking, cycling, wheeling or public transport. Reducing

19

those unnecessary car journeys would leave our roads clearer and less congested for those who really do need to drive. At present, in Glasgow, travelling by car is actually the easiest option. We desperately need to make some changes to allow sustainable transport to be the easiest option.

The recent Connectivity Commission Report outlined that a quarter of the space in our city is used for roads and parking — yet less than half of Glasgow’s residents, and just 38 per cent of Govanhill’s population, actually has access to a car. We need to redress this balance of space usage.

Our streets should ensure sustainable transport such as active travel provision and improvements to low cost public transport makes good financial sense.

I recently took my four-year-old nephew and his bike to the finished section of the South City Way. He zoomed along it shouting, “I LOVE bike lanes Aunty Ona!!!”

My heart melted. Currently I wouldn’t dare take him on any of the roads that lead to or from Victoria Road. But these bike lanes might just have started a move towards the day when he has the option to cycle through Govanhill. He could be fully protected from traffic all the way to school and, when he grows up, to work, to the shops and to see his pals. The South City Way is a solid start to ensuring that there will be a safer, cleaner, and healthier future for him, for Govanhill, and for Glasgow.

Iona Shepherd is a photographer living and working in the Southside of Glasgow. She spends a lot of her free time volunteering for safer streets campaigns including Pedal on Parliament and GoBike.

BLACK

S E V LI

MATTER

By Rachel Dallas Photos by Lisa Miller

t the height of a pandemic that stopped the world in its tracks, another story dominated headlines. In May, millions of people raised their voices (and continue to do so) in response to the brutal murder of George Floyd and the ongoing racial injustice in the United States. Around the world, Black Lives Matter (BLM) became a household topic — it trended on social media and it made its way into every national newspaper.

Here in Glasgow, thousands showed up to socially-distanced protests in Queen’s Park, Glasgow Green and George Square.

These protests were not only the result of legitimate frustration after decades of failure to reform in the US, but also an opportunity for us to speak out against the same racism which is often downplayed in Scotland.

It is important that the BLM movement in the UK expresses our solidarity with the US. However, I also hope that it forces Scotland to acknowledge the reality of

racism in our own country. Racism is not new, and it is not limited to the US. As a person of colour living in the UK, I have personally experienced racism in our city.

I have been verbally and even physically assaulted, but some of my worst instances have been caused by people I had considered friends.

Despite these experiences, the response to Black Lives Matter from our city gives me hope for a better future; one where the impact of racism in Scotland is acknowledged and not accepted. Walking around the Southside today, several months on from the protests, I still see banners, posters, and flags reading ‘Silence is Violence’, ‘Justice for Sheku Bayoh’, and ‘No Justice, No Peace’.

It has been comforting to feel seen in my local community and I want to encourage everyone to keep talking about racism in all its forms and questioning what we can all do to challenge it. As we continue to advocate in the memory of countless Black

victims of racial injustice worldwide, it is important to ensure the effect for our local community is long-lasting and impactful. Overcoming racism is a constant battle, so we must be both persistent and specific in our approach.

Because of the support of the Glasgow Southside community, I was able to launch the ‘Glasgow South Anti-Racism Art Project’, which aims to create meaningful and lasting displays of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

I am very thankful for the local venues who volunteered to host the murals, the people who donated to the fundraiser, and the amazing artists involved – King Listy and Barry the Cat. The fight had been going on long before George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. It started here in the UK before Stephen Lawrence and Sheku Bayoh. However, the impact of racism in Scotland is still often unacknowledged or downplayed. I hope that these murals will be a reflection of how far we have come — but also a reminder of how far we still have to go.

Each mural has benefitted from significant input from the Southside community. In Shawlands, for example, a mural was painted on the temporarily boarded up windows of Gulp, a bar that has sadly now permanently closed. The word STAND is written across a Black power salute. It has two meanings for me. It is taken from the phrase ‘I will not always understand, but I will always stand’, meaning that non-Black people do not need to understand our struggles to know when something is wrong and to take a stand against it.

It is a message from our community that we will look out for each other and fight for what is right. It also represents the need to work as one in our fight for equality of all: “together we stand, divided we fall.” This mural is of great

personal significance to me. I have been lucky enough to surround myself with friends and family here (and now it feels like a whole community) who choose to be racially aware and to continuously educate themselves on

the effects of racism in our society.

The owners of Rumshack on Pollokshaws Road chose a portrait of Benjamin Zephaniah for their mural.

Zephaniah is a Black British political poet, novelist, playwright, and musician whose work portrays the underlying seriousness of the Black experience and the reality of racism in Britain.

Brian Austin, co-owner of Rumshack, says, “He’s a Black Caribbean UK voice that is non-conformist, principled, funny, honest, and perceptive.

Freedom of thought is needed in order to change things, and his poetry helps us to think.”

The Govanhill Baths Community Trust mural, located at the new Govanhill People’s Pantry on Cathcart Road, incorporates BLM drawings from the Govanhill Youth Club (which they had created before I approached them). It represents the importance of the younger generation in our fight against racism. Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to attend a previously allwhite school in 1960s Louisiana, once said: “Racism is a grownup disease, and we should r-offathe stop using our kids to and eer engin gas ee train Sheku Bayoh was a 31-year-old in Scotland from Sierra Leone ed spread it.” arriv He Fife. aldy, Kirkc in two living 2015, soon after being restrained The owner of Jodandys as a young teenager. On 3 May, to d died in hospital and was foun by up to nine police officers - he coffee shop in Shawlands one no that year last ed decid e have 23 injuries. The Crown Offic nce came to light, casting chose to celebrate evide new After d. ecute pros would be unts, the Black Scottish doubt on some of the officers’ acco ntly a public inquiry was subseque cultural contribution to announced, but it is expected in the form of a be take up to four years. It will a ine exam portrait of the first to and the first in Scotl to death in custody and intends Black international or investigate if Sheku's "actual football player, in perceived race" played a part Andrew Watson, h. events of his deat who began his

22

career in Glasgow. Unfortunately, racism is still the most common form of discrimination in football, despite the undeniable contribution of the Black community in the UK, and beyond, to the sport as whole. Directly across from Watson’s portrait, I commissioned a portrait of Pelé, who is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time. The intention is for the combination of these murals to be a celebration of the immeasurable legacy of Black footballers’ past, present, and future.

The Glasgow South Anti-Racism Art Project is just a small part of the Scottish response to the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many more whose names should be said. The Scotland-wide BLM Mural Trail continues to grow, creating powerful and impactful visual reminders of the importance of acknowledging, discussing and challenging racism in our country. The recent defacing of two of the BLM murals shows that some members of our community are further behind than others on our journey to equality. This reminder should not discourage us but motivate us to work harder to leave no one behind.

Thousands of people around Scotland showed up for Black Lives Matter protests and know the names of specific victims of discrimination.

But few know or acknowledge the true extent and impact of institutionalised racism in Scotland today. For example, just one staggering statistic which has been repeatedly reported in the UK is that Black women are five times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth. It’s for this reason my intention is that my next mural will be dedicated to the Black women who die during and after childbirth as the result of medical racism.

The recent death of one man has been viewed by us all as an unnecessary and evil tragedy worldwide. But with my proposed mural I want to reflect the effect of institutionalised racism in Scotland and the resulting racial health disparities. Although more subtle than a knee on the neck and a bullet in the back, the outcome is just as significant.

For decades, the deaths of millions of Black people have been minimised in the form of unexplainable statistics. My new mural, and all other Glasgow South Anti Racism murals, I hope, will stand as a lasting reminder that our community has pledged to fight racism together.

peek into the past

LIFE IN THE

1930s

By Arthur Oliver

A

t the present time, Govanhill is one of the most multicultural areas in Glasgow – probably even in Scotland. It is estimated that some 88 languages are spoken in the area and it has a resident community made up of people from Eastern European countries such as Poland, Slovakia and Romania, as well as the Middle East and Pakistan – to name a few. I was born in Govanhill, way back in 1932. In those days, if you moved to Govanhill from ‘The East’ it meant you had come from Tollcross, Parkhead, Shettleston or similar districts!

Govanhill in those days, was an entirely different place to

what it is today. And in the first article of this series, I will try to provide an insight into what life was like here back in my childhood.

In the 1930s, the area was predominantly made up of Victorian tenement buildings with ‘single-ends’ (now known as studio flats) and one and two-bedroom apartments. You first entered the tenement through ‘the close’, which usually had two family homes, and then each floor of the tenement had either two or three homes, much like today. These homes were very basic at the time, with no bathrooms. The toilet was on the half-landing and shared by all the families

24

on the floor above. In today’s terms, these conditions would Govanhill has always been fortunate in having adequate be classed as unhygienic. But as everyone was in the same schools. But back in the 1930s, the tuition was, at times, quite boat, we didn’t think of it like that. brutal and getting the strap was a fairly regular occurrence.

The close-proximity folk were living under did have its In those days, corporal punishment by both teachers and benefits, however, because everyone helped each other. parents was carried out to ensure that children respected Sometimes two or three families would club together to buy their elders. It was not an ideal method and fortunately not more expensive toys – such as pedal motor cars – for their used that often in my experience. children to share and play with together.

Govanhill was also well catered for in the way of In those days there were no iPads, smart phones, entertainment – we had five cinemas in the area. There computers or televisions. was a host of excellent And not even the basics films featuring ‘stars of of today such as washing the screen’, which meant machines, fridges, cookers all the cinemas were well or freezers. As children patronised. In the 1930s we had to make our own there were two films on fun and games. We played the programme, first the hide and seek, kick the can, main feature and then what peever and sometimes, was called the ‘B’ movie. for the more adventurous, Another unique feature at Ring Bang Scoosh. This this time, which was done involved tying two door away with many years ago, handles together, ringing was that at the end of each the doorbells and then programme all the patrons getting off your mark Victoria Primary School class, late 1930s. had to stand to attention Arthur Oliver is in the third row back, third from the right. pronto – hence the name. whilst the National Anthem The quieter streets also was played. It must be said, doubled up as football pitches with the lamp posts at the however, that there was a mad rush for the exits the minute side of the pavement used as goalposts. In those days, the the film ended so people could avoid standing to attention – footballs were made of leather, which meant they got very so much for patriotism! heavy in wet weather thus making the ball very hard to kick This is just a small insight into what life was like in at any length.

Govanhill during the 1930s. Little did the community realise When I was a child, tasks such as preparing food and what was about to face them as this decade came to an end. weekly washings were carried out manually and there was no such thing as a ‘throw away’ mentality. If you had a hole in your sock or jumper you darned it; or if you wanted Arthur Oliver is an 88-year-old man who was born and brought up something but hadn't the money to pay for it you just saved in Govanhill, living in Jamieson Street and latterly in Carfin Street until the age of 28. In this first of a series of reflections, he gives an up until you could afford to buy it. We didn’t have credit outline of what life was like living in Govanhill in the 1930s. cards in those days.

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A fair exchange The benefits of bartering

By Rhiannon J Davies Illustration by Giacinta Frisillo

W

hen Hannah* found out that, after years of being on the waiting list, she was finally getting keys to her own council flat, she was beyond excited. But it was short notice, and she realised that she had nothing to furnish it with, nor much money to spend on kitting it out. She posted in a Facebook group, Brilliant Bartering, and within minutes she was inundated with offers of furniture, white goods, pictures, wallpaper and more.

Hannah was overwhelmed: “I was actually moved to tears by the generosity and kindness of the community of people on this forum, to give a helping hand to a complete stranger. It’s so lovely to see during difficult times. Thanks to these people who I’ve never met, I can start to make my house a home and have a new start.”

Brilliant Bartering was set up as a Facebook group by Sarah Poppins* in 2014, after she successfully bartered a shoe tidy she no longer wanted for some tea bags, via her personal Facebook page. She says: “It got me thinking about whether I could start to reduce the amount of things I bought, by bartering what I already had instead. So I set up the group to give me and my friends a platform to do this, and it just snowballed from there. Some storage boxes for a house plant; a pair of jeans for a loaf of bread; a wardrobe for a big pot of home-cooked food. One of the early barters that has for some reason stuck in my mind is a barter of an adult tricycle for a bespoke tattoo.”

There are now nearly 17,000 people in the Glasgow group, and versions have been set up in 16 different regions across Scotland.

During the height of lockdown, the group was suspended until admins felt swaps could be carried out responsibly and safely. ‘My sourdough starter for your kombucha scoby’ has become something of a cliché of the Southside’s locked-down urbanites. But there have been some much more surprising barters too – from swapping a watermelon for a printer, to swapping a VW Polo for a few craft beers, and everything in between.

Poppins feels it’s been such a success because it’s become a community: “There’s a personality and a heart to the group. I’ve heard people say lovely things about the group, like it being a happy little corner of the internet or that it restored their faith in humanity during difficult times. I love it when the group comes together to help people out.”

She adds that members use it for different reasons: “Some people come at it from an environmental angle, wanting to reduce items going to landfill. Some love the idea of a society that doesn’t rely on money. Some people like to know an item will be used and treasured by someone else. For some it’s a way of making ends meet, filling the cupboards, getting a birthday present for their kid or furnishing a home when they have very little. For some it’s a way of stocking up on booze for Christmas! It can also just be a brilliant anecdote to tell your friends. Brilliant Bartering is all these things, and more, to its members and that’s why it’s so great.”

The barter economy – the direct exchange of goods – is often cited as the precursor to our current monetary system, but research has found little evidence for this. Instead, anthropologists have found examples of gift economies being prevalent. In these systems, the exchange is usually a result of existing social relationships rather than the impersonal market relationships we’re used to. These tend to exist more informally between pals who do a favour without expecting something in return, but who might find the kindness returned to them in time.

These types of exchanges don’t just happen between individuals; companies can get involved too. Lockdown saw some local businesses adopt a ‘pay-it-forward’ model. The queer bookstore, Category Is Books, created a queer books fund that worked digitally when the pandemic forced them to close their doors. Piatto café, in Shawlands, implemented a scheme whereby people could buy NHS workers a meal, which was then free for them to collect.

From September 2018 until October 2020, Govanhill had its own

For many people... it’s not so much about the goods themselves, but the sense of community that comes with it.

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dedicated bartering space. The Govanhill Swap Market grew out of the People’s Bank of Govanhill project, initiated by artist Ailie Rutherford.

It turned a former pawn shop on Victoria Road into a community hub. Over the two years it operated, around 2000 people signed up as members. It operated a ‘swaps and shares index’ which fluctuated according to community need. For example, thick coats were worth more points in the winter, when people were asking for them.

Beyond the exchange of goods, it also became a place to exchange knowledge, skills and ideas. One year into the project, 123 skills had been swapped and 8 languages shared through workshops, talks and more informal social events. The multilingual team that ran the shop created a welcoming environment for people of all different backgrounds to stop by.

Unfortunately, funding came to an end and the lease ran out on the Victoria Road space.

Rutherford says it will be missed: “The Swap Market’s closure is quite a big loss for a lot of people – particularly those who don’t have access to the internet. It was a place where people could just come and hang out. But it was a tiny space and even if it was to reopen, it wouldn’t work in today’s context.”

But there was more to the Swap Market than a simple exchange of goods, skills and services, as Rutherford explains: “The People’s Bank of Govanhill project was about feminist economics and what that looks like in practice at a local level. We’re now developing a new project called String Figures, which is looking at how we can form a decentralised exchange network that is based on the principal of mutual care. We’re working with different local creative or activist groups, looking at how we might create this non-monetary exchange

network of mutual support, and how we can support each other through these increasingly difficult times.”

Like ‘lockdown’ or ‘furlough’, ‘mutual aid’ is a term that became common parlance in this, the strangest of years of the 21st century. Social media platforms played host to formalised networks where people provided services or goods, without explicitly receiving anything in return, much as is seen in gift economies.

The Southside Self-Isolation Supporters group was one of the first to form. Online tools such as Google forms were used to create backend systems and spreadsheets. People were encouraged to sign up to be ‘Street Champions’, to have a better chance of reaching those not online.

Volunteers received phone calls asking them to contact a vulnerable neighbour and collect their messages, pick up a prescription, walk a dog. By providing these services without expectation of monetary compensation, it enabled new, meaningful connections to be made. Like Brilliant Bartering, the SIS group grew exponentially in a short space of time, with thousands of people joining to offer support.

For many people who have exchanged favours or household items, it’s not so much about the goods themselves, but the sense of community that comes with it.

As one member comments: “The best barters are when you end up in an area of town you have never been in, and meet some wonderful people whom you wouldn’t otherwise have met. The conversations are the best bits.”

*some names changed for privacy

Your Most Brilliant Barters

“I’ve bartered a tent for a wall clock and a briefcase for a guitar. I’ve also swapped old wine corks for coffee beans and a lawn mower for chickpeas and baked beans. I love this site!”

“I got a beautiful vintage walnut wardrobe I picked up from a lovely couple in Crosshill!

They just asked for veggie cupboard staples and felt so bizarre getting such a lovely antique for some tins of tomatoes and bags of lentils!

Only on brilliant bartering!”

“I’ve met some lovely people through this page and had some great barters – my most useful barter was swapping a lovely chair for a lady’s husband to come and wire a light and a switch for me. So helpful and so very appreciated!”

“Got a 6ft Christmas tree in exchange for my 7ft 6in Christmas tree – my children are grown up and I now can’t be bothered to put up the whopper tree, the other family have a young daughter who’ll enjoy the Christmas magic of a bigger tree. Win, win.”

“I bartered a watermelon for an excellent printer. At the time my kid got chicken pox, so messaged to tell the person I couldn’t collect.

Turned out she was working nearby so she dropped it off – and was a fountain of knowledge on pox tips too!”

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“As anyone from Eastern Europe will tell you, finding pickles abroad is easy, but finding good ones locally is hard.”

Pickles in a Pandemic

D

uring the twelve years I’ve lived in Glasgow, I have moved ten times – never by choice, always uprooted. When I arrived in Govanhill three years ago I found myself going back to my old neighbourhoods, instead of engaging with the place I actually lived in. This behaviour pattern mirrors that of my early years, spent moving between eight different schools and more houses than I can count. A big move for me came when I was nine years old, when I left my home in the Ukraine to come to the UK. As I stepped off the plane in Heathrow, I realised that life would never be the same.

I felt a similar, overwhelming feeling as I sat in my friend's living room in Govanhill listening to the prime minister announcing that non-essential shops and workplaces would have to close. My normal life and plans stopped and, instead, I spent my days in a state of panic. I stayed inside for twelve days at a time, worried for my health and safety.

There was a part of me that learned to adapt, doing online

By Kate Samuels Portrait by Niall Miller Additional photos by Kate Samuels

In search of home

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quizzes with friends and practising yoga at home – but a part of me still felt lost.

As months passed, still wrenched away from my normal life, I realised that it was up to me to create moments of happiness and connection. It was going to be a long time before life as we once knew it would resume. One way or another, I needed to make a connection with the new outside world.

I had my first breakthrough during a walk around my neighbourhood. While passing someone coming from the other direction, both of us keeping our distance and looking away as we hurried by, I heard a loud barking. Although we humans were doing our best to keep our distance, her dog wasn’t. The black and white border collie tugged and sniffed, struggling to identify the human in her path.

She was oblivious to social distancing or the two-metre rule. The dog reminded me of one my family had when I was growing up. It also reminded me that, despite my anxieties and fears of the outside world, the dogs still go on barking and the plants still go on growing – no matter what we humans do.

On my subsequent walks (all within a few miles of my house) I vowed to pay attention to living things. I would stop and take a photo of a cat lounging in the window or a leaf blowing in the breeze. After a few months, I ended up with a collection of about 50 photographs of pets and plants.

Perhaps this project of mine was not just about reminding me that life goes on, but also about connecting to my surroundings. I noticed that I started to pay more attention to people: that girl in a bright pink jacket, the guy with a big bunch of sunflowers, and the shopkeeper carrying a birthday cake. My soul craved some kind of stability, an anchor in these uncertain times.

Although I have lived in the area for three years, I’ve never really spent that much time using my local resources. Before the national lockdown I spent a lot of my time travelling. I worked in the city centre. And holidays exploring Germany, Poland or Portugal just seemed more exciting than staying close to home. I used to never sit still and for the first time I had to. The lockdown period has been the longest time that I have not been on a plane since I was ten.

While I can’t wait to feel safe enough to get on a plane again, I now know that I can rely on my neighbourhood to provide me with everything I need. In July, I made my first trip to a shop since March. I was homesick (a trip to the Ukraine had just been cancelled) and craving pickles. A more Eastern European sentence you will not find. As anyone from Eastern Europe will tell you, finding pickles abroad is easy, but finding good ones locally is hard. I decided to avoid crowded supermarkets and, instead, I walked to Polish Daisy – a shop that I had never visited before.

To say that I came out with a few extra items would be an understatement. Polish cherry tea, spices and juice filled my arms as I walked along Victoria Road with a big smile.

I went back again, this time to fill my arms with spices for my homemade pickles that, while not entirely successful, did make me feel calmer and more at home.

In August, trying to avoid the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ crowd, I got a takeaway from Sacred Tum Tacos and caught up with a school friend in Queen’s Park. The pork tacos were some of the best I’ve ever had and as we chatted away, on one of the sunniest days of the year, it finally felt like summer.

I decided to keep on exploring the area. I encouraged a friend to come with me to a Romanian shop on Calder Street.

We bought Romanian elderflower Fanta, which I’ve only ever found in Slovakia, and Ukrainian milk biscuits, which made me feel a little less homesick.

Restrictions eased but I was still apprehensive about eating out and decided to stick to takeaways. By doing so I learned the importance of supporting local businesses – not only because they need the money, but also because spending locally makes you feel more rooted in your community. As I snapped photos of golden leaves and cats running across the Govanhill streets, I took the time to chat with local business owners and to get a cup of coffee or cake.

A particularly stressful day was soothed by a babka from Canary Girl Coffee; a sunny day was brightened by the colourful tomatoes from the Transylvania Shop and Coffee; and a hungry walk was boosted by Patricia’s Coffee Bar, which opened during the pandemic.

Without these local places, bad news and government announcements would be so much harder to take. Without human connection, the loneliness and anxiety that arise from a global pandemic are almost unbearable.

On one of my first walks of the autumn, striding through newly fallen leaves, I felt a sense of calm – happiness even. My life had slowed down.

I hadn’t seen some friends for over a year but, somehow, I felt like it all may one day be ok.

I wonder if I would have felt this way without the support of my local community and without the diversity of Govanhill.

Or without the friendly smiles of people giving me coffee or my much-needed pickles. I wonder if, without stopping, I would ever have felt as at home here as I do now.

“Without human connection, the loneliness and anxiety that arise from a global pandemic are almost unbearable.”

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R U S S IA N

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GROWING UP IN GOVANHILL Portraits by Niall Miller

David Mcguire (57) and Saoirse King (12) interviewed each other about their experiences of the neighbourhood.

Saoirse King is 12 years old. She loves animals, and learning about the sea creatures. She likes to play sports and double bass. She’s lived in Govanhill all her life.

David McGuire is 57 years old. He enjoys catching up with his sons, walking the dogs and spending time with friends.

He also likes cinema, playing football and eating out. For the last 12 years, he’s been a fire officer serving Govanhill at Polmadie Fire Station.

What was your style growing up?

I grew up in the 1970s, so my style was flared jeans – usually Levi’s or Wrangler. Diamond jumpers were in style, so I had some of them and Adidas t-shirts with three stripes on the shoulders. I liked Adidas trainers, but I wore brogues or weejuns to school. In my late teens, I quite liked to wear smart clothes when I was going out.

SAOIRSE ASKS DAVID...

What changes do you see between Govanhill then and now?

The biggest change is the variety of nationalities. When I was young, there were pretty much just Scottish, Irish and Pakistani. Another change I see is that the newest arrivals live more like we did back then. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we had lots of love and friends. Families all knew each other and we made our own fun. We spent a lot of time hanging out on street corners, as some of the Roma kids do now, and a lot of time in the park. We may have looked like a gang if someone drove past us, but we were just a big group of pals. It’s just history repeating itself with a new population.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was 15, I wanted to leave school so I wouldn’t have to leg it for my paper round every day. I had to run from my school in the Gorbals through Dixon Blazes estate at full speed to pick up my papers and run up to Larkfield bus garage to sell to the workers. I used to think: ‘I really want to leave school so I can sit on a bus and not be running’.

My oldest brother worked in a bar in Spain, which made a big impression on me. So, when I was 21, after I had finished my apprenticeship as a painter and decorator I went to work in Spain.

It was a great experience and it opened my eyes to different culture and ways of living. Painting and decorating was not my first choice of work. It was a good job, but I much prefer being in the Fire Service.

What did teenagers used to do for fun?

We had an absolute ball. We used to build gang huts in empty backcourts.

We skipped into the cinema; one person would pay and open the fire exit to let ten more of us in. The manager would spend half the film trying to find us. It was great fun. We played hide and seek in Larkfield bus garage on Butterbiggins Road, the street I was born in. We went jumping from wall-to-wall over the bin stores as we walked through the back lanes. Once a week, we went for a bath at Calder Street, as most of us didn’t have baths at home. In the winter we would wrap up well and build bonfires. We rarely stayed in.

Did you get pocket money? If so, how much?

I remember, when I was about 10 years old, getting 50p pocket money on a Saturday morning. This was a good amount of money and it lasted a few days. As I got older,

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makes the world go around. I think being open minded will help me when I am bigger and want to travel the world. I’ll have the respect for the countries I visit.

What is the best thing about living in Govanhill?

The diversity and the choice of food. Wokstar Chinese is my favourite. I go there some Fridays for lunch with my pals from school. The guy Andy that owns it is so funny. Nanika is another favourite, where I get to eat Japanese food, which is tasty. Patricia’s Cafe, is so good. I went for breakfast with my mum and it was delicious. The staff are lovely.

What would you change about where you live ?

Probably the litter, there’s too much furniture outside.

Could people not donate to charity or give it away on Gumtree? They should hire more binmen to deal with the amount of rubbish. Me and my friends use the bins, and recycle when we can.

Do you think there is a lot for young people to do in Govanhill?

Not really. I go to a Govanhill Youth Club. They’ve got a new place and I am excited to get back to the groups. But we can’t be inside the base yet, due to COVID. I go to the park sometimes, but it isn’t great.

What would you like to work at when you grow up?

When I wee, I wanted to be a vet, but as I grew up the reality of that job was scary, I’d probably cry all the time. I’m 12 years old. I don’t actually know what I want to do. I’m happy living in the moment.

Did you know that there are lots of women in the Fire Service?

No I didn’t, that’s fantastic. It would be cool if I could visit the fire station, maybe I could be a firefighter! There are still very sexist views against women. People still think women should only do jobs that are seen as motherly, like being a teacher or nanny. That’s not fair. Women can do ‘manly jobs’ and they probably do them better. Women are rocking at taking up roles as firefighters and doctors, just like men are equally amazing who are teachers and nurses. Society just needs to get better at not labelling everything, if you’re good at a job then amazing. Why do we need to be certain genders to be in the role?

this increased. By the time I was 15, I had my paper round and earned £7.50 a week, which was fantastic.

What did your parents do for work? Did this influence your job choice?

My dad was a merchant seaman and was away for months at a time. My mum was a home help. I had a lot of input from my aunts. My dad died when I was 10 and my mum brought us up on her own. I think subconsciously I probably have a mix of my parents’ influences. From my Dad, I like to travel and have been to some far-flung places. From my mum, I have hopefully taken the social justice helping side of her nature, hence joining the Fire Service and trying to do good work in the community.

Do you call Govanhill home ?

Yes, as I said it’s the only place I know. If I had the choice I would live near a loch. I love freshwater swimming. I have been all over Scotland, but my first experience was at Loch Lubnaig. I went camping with my family and it was a chilly day. That didn’t stop me, but I only had my costume.

I learned from this and got a wetsuit for the next time. I like how fresh the water is; there’s no yucky salt water. One time, the youth club took us to Pinkston Watersports Centre up Maryhill. We got to try paddle boarding and canoeing, I would love to do more of that after COVID.

Are you happy?

I am. I appreciate everything in my life. I know what is valuable; family, friends, relationships, walking in the park.

I spend a lot of time in Govanhill, both at work and on my days off, and I still love wandering around it. I have a deep connection this place. Each street holds a memory for me. When you have lived a varied life and gone through different stuff, you realize what is important in life; it’s the people in it.

DAVID ASKS SAORISE...

Do you feel young people have a voice in what goes on in Govanhill?

At the Govanhill Youth Club, the staff value our opinions and we get to decide on what we want to do. Anything outside of there, pretty much no. We should be included in all the consultations and decisions, as we are the future.

Do you enjoy living in Govanhill?

Yeah, but I don’t know anywhere else. Growing up here has taught me to respect different cultures. I think knowing about other cultures helps us grow as people, especially as I am young. I want everyone to be treated the same; diversity

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a KOMPLEX situation

By Craig Hunter

“I’m sure it’s not a recommended business model – opening a gallery in the middle of a pandemic.”

This year has presented massive challenges to the art world, with galleries largely shutting up shop since March. Yet, despite the circumstances, Komplex gallery owner Altron.Ix (Altron to his friends) decided to press ahead with plans to open a new art space on Victoria Road. Having lost several bookings earlier in the year from the Southside Fringe and artists planning to rent the space, Altron, who is also a furniture maker and artist, focused on organising the gallery’s first in-house exhibition.

“Initially it was easy as I had a lot of time on my hands and I had nothing else to do,” he recounted.

“But other people are in the middle of a pandemic too so it was difficult getting hold of artists, especially as it’s a new unproven gallery, and people weren’t mingling.”

“I was thinking, ‘How can people see art without being around anyone else?’ I thought the only way would be to book an appointment, so everyone had a 15-minute time slot to come and see the art. It was a good turnout. The useful thing with the appointments is I knew when people were coming and could get on with other stuff when there was a gap.”

“I was worried that people wouldn’t want to go online and choose a time and a date, rather than just casually passing by and

deciding ‘let’s go to the gallery’ — which would normally happen.

It was slow on the uptake but as soon as the art was up, and people could see the teaser photos I put out, it really picked up. It was all local. I don’t think anyone drove.

People wore masks and were very careful.”

The exhibition, featuring paintings and sculptures from a variety of local artists, was welcomed in a time of limited cultural activities. And it was a model for how the community can proceed during the pandemic – Queen’s Park Railway Club, Tramway and other galleries have

See our ‘What’s On’ calendar on page 49 for info on the Komplex Kristmas Art Fair since introduced similar gallery booking systems.

Now the groundwork has been laid, further exhibitions are planned. These include a second open-submission show in November and there is talk of a community-based project with children’s art. Ultimately, the plan is to offer a permanent shop selling gifts and art supplies (something notably lacking in the area), regular exhibitions and seasonal art fairs (starting this Christmas).

The contemporary art gallery is located in Victoria House on Victoria Road and is nestled between eateries in a building

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purpose — built as a bakery for ‘AF Reid and Sons’ in the early 20th century. A tunnel for carts to what was the underground stores is now the main gallery.

Neighbouring Lagom has replaced the old ovens and Nanika was once the bakery shop. The Studio70 yoga studio above housed the old confectionary department.

Komplex sprawls out below the building with two studios rented out for music production and a workshop for Altron’s other projects. An additional room leading from the tunnel (available for daily and weekly hire) will also function as an overflow gallery.

The location holds additional significance for Altron as it faces onto the ground which held the Streetland sculpture park in 2014. His contribution, ‘The Release’, was one of three pieces welcoming visitors to Govanhill in the temporary exhibition, which ended up in place for more than a year. Constructed entirely out of scrap pallets, the soaring sculpture was intended to represent the pressure of city life coming out of the ground. “But,” said Altron at the time, “everyone called it the Govanhill monster.

They all thought it was a dragon, but it wasn’t – just a tumble of triangles, reaching into the sky.”

“Back then this was just a garage door,” he remarks now, eyeing the glass-fronted gallery entrance, and the swooping tunnel visible in the background, with clean white walls and hand-crafted furnishings. It has come a long way since then, and is a fitting home for Komplex.

advertorial

“I believe that there is a silent power in every single act of creating a meal together” Kaleyard: The Southside Cook School on a Mission

By Giverny Tattersfield

S

umayya Usmani is an award-winning cookbook author as well as the founder and principal cookery teacher at Kaleyard, the Southside’s very own non-profit social enterprise cook school. Speaking about the project, she says: “Kaleyard’s mission is to unite people through cooking, eating, and sharing food together.”

Kaleyard has been around since 2018; first as a pop-up, and now as a permanent cook school. Its warm and welcoming kitchen – kitted out with gleaming stainless steel, vintage wooden pieces, and jars upon jars of spices – now hosts affordable commercial cookery classes, workshops, and events, all of which are made possible by a committed group of dedicated volunteers and supporters. As a social enterprise, any profits from this thriving and wideranging programme are then reinvested into providing free or subsidised classes for children, as well as socially isolated and disadvantaged people.

“We believe that anyone can cook costeffective, seasonal, and nutritious food from scratch, says Sumayya. “With a little help from us, we hope to inspire people to find the confidence to cook, eat, and share,” And indeed they have. Before the pandemic, the weekly classes were packed with local people drawn by the sense of community and shared passion the space provided. Families who attended classes together shared that they’re now cooking together more often; an invaluable habit, even before lockdown necessitated it.

Over the summer, like many other businesses, the Kaleyard team found ways to adapt to the new reality, by offering online classes. Showcasing recipes from some of the school’s most in-demand classes, attendees learned how to make real Pakistani homecooking, from chickpea korma to the perfect vegetable pakoras with seasonal chutney.

The classes – and Kaleyard’s catering business, which has provided delicious food for Bike for Good, Govanhill Baths, and other local charities – focus on organic, wholesome, and local produce and celebrate the multicultural fabric of Glasgow itself.

“Once the pandemic has subsided, more than ever, a place like Kaleyard is needed to bring the community together,” adds Sumayya. We couldn’t agree more.

For now, you can experience Kaleyard through its upcoming season of online classes. Check out the website for more details: www.kaleyard.org

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On my first visit to Glasgow about seven

A Taste of

years ago, I felt a sense of unexplainable familiarity.

I wondered whether it was the air, the people or the atmosphere. Or maybe it was that because I was originally from Karachi, a city forever in the shadow of Lahore. It could be why I had a natural affinity for Glasgow, a city also shadowed by another. Either way, something about the city felt like home.

HOME

So I made it my home. In 2015, I left London and my

12-year legal career for Glasgow and the adventure of writing, teaching, and finishing my first book, Summers Under the Tamarind Tree. It’s a memoir-based cookbook of my family recipes and memories of growing up in Pakistan. Cooking my heritage food at home had helped me find comfort when I moved to Britain, but I had not found it in any restaurants in London.

They all missed that definitive Pakistani flavour.

Pakistani Food in Govanhil

All that changed when I moved to Glasgow. On

By Sumayya Usmani Translated into Urdu by Riz Gul Illustration by Maryam Abbas

my first visit to Govanhill I was taken by how many restaurants served the food of my homeland, championing the true flavours of Pakistan, those haunting barbeques and rich slow cooked curries.

It’s no surprise really; many Pakistanis migrated to

Scotland in the early 1960s to work in the flourishing weaving trade in Paisley, a few miles west of Glasgow, and many settled here. Pakistanis can’t be without their food, which is why the cuisine gained a strong foothold in the city – and how I came to discover the local Pakistani food scene.

Pakistani cuisine (as distinct from “Indian” food, which in the UK can refer both to all South Asian food and the regional cuisine common in many curry houses) is all about layers of intense spices infused deeply through meat, especially barbecued meats. This is especially true of the cuisine of my hometown, Karachi – a city whose food is also influenced by Middle Eastern cuisine.

Govanhill in particular has Pakistani restaurants

that make me feel like I’ve flown home. Kebabish Grill on Victoria Road, which specialises in Pakistani-Punjabi food, was an accidental find, but is now one of my favourites. It’s all in the way they marinate their barbecue meats: a smoky combination of dark spices ground to make an in-house garam masala that goes into many of their grilled dishes.

Order their mixed grill platter with tandoori rotis, which comes with lamb chops, seekh kebabs, chicken tikka on the bone, and fish tikka. Their open kitchen allows you to see the meat grilling, similar to the style of Pakistani street food. They don’t serve alcohol, but you go for the food.

Their style is very Pakistani Punjabi, like that of Lahore.

There are plenty of other places to sample Pakistani cuisine too, such as Karahi Palace, Lasani Grill, and Yadgar Kebab House. Though I don’t usually have a sweet tooth (like most Pakistanis), I do love a good bit of mithai (Pakistani sweets). Do try Glasgow Sweet Centre, a small storefront on Allison Street that specialises in Asian sweets.

I recommend the jalebi saffron donuts dipped in sugar syrup and barfi –milk fudge flavoured with cardamom.

I feel blessed to live in a city where I can get a real Pakistani takeaway, anytime I am not cooking myself.

Maybe this is why living in Glasgow truly feels like home.

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DON’T LOOK INTO THE How two local businesses have adapted to the pandemic

By Mina Baird Photos by Niall Miller

Category Is Books founders Charlotte and Fionn Duffy-Scott

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any independent businesses have been having a difficult time over the past few months, with some having to close their doors entirely. But despite the challenges, those that have remained open have found new ways to adapt and be there for their communities.

Both ‘MILK’ (a social enterprise café on Victoria Rd which aims to improve the experiences of refugee and migrant women living in Glasgow) and ‘Category Is Books’ (the queer bookshop on Allison Street) had to close to customers between March and August. I spoke with their founders to hear how they have managed to keep going, changing up their offering in order to keep serving their communities.

MILK launched a Crowdfunder before the furlough scheme was introduced, raising more than £10,000 from over 300 supporters. “We were really fortunate to have so much support in the local and national community,” says Gabby Cluness, co-founder. While closed, staff members were voluntarily cooking for one of Glasgow’s homeless shelters, and with volunteer support they are still providing 60 meals a week for people staying in hostels.

When Category Is Books closed its doors, founders Charlotte and Fionn Duffy-Scott shifted their focus to book

times, people often spent a long time in the bookshop, hanging out, seeing friends, drinking tea, and it could get particularly crowded at the weekends.

When we reopened, we wanted to make sure that people would still be able to get the feeling of browsing, and of being around the books and being around each other, but in a way that was safe.”

MILK reopened as a takeaway venue in August and has since re-started a sit-in option. But social distancing rules mean the café can only fit two tables safely. They also launched a supper club at the start of August, which has proved very successful, with the café offering takeaway dinners from different cuisines every Thursday and Friday.

The cafe started out with the cuisines of their volunteers’ countries of origin but has now branched out further. Staff have been doing lots of research to ensure the recipes are as authentic as possible, given budget and location constraints.

So far, this has included dishes from Belarus, Sichuan and Sri Lanka.

“Juggling the café, homeless shelter and supper club is now quite difficult,” says Gabby. “But we are just trying to make everything work and get through winter relatively unscathed.”

For both MILK and Category Is, planning for the future is difficult in these

deliveries. They did this “so that people could still have access to queer books (as well as the joy and culture they provide) without needing to leave their homes.”

They ran a pay-it-forward shelf before the pandemic hit; people would buy books in the shop and leave them on the shelf for others to pick up for no-charge.

When the shop closed, they moved this ‘shelf’ online. People can now pay into a ‘queer book fund’, and when someone orders a book they can use the phrase ‘bookcode solidarity’ to have the cost covered by the fund.

“It's been especially important this year as people are struggling financially” say Charlotte and Fionn. “And a lot of local libraries are still closed. Since March, we've sent out over £3,620 worth of queer books to people, and both the fund and shelf is still used each week.”

Businesses started to tentatively reopen when the first full lockdown lifted, but had to find different and creative ways of operating. When Category Is Books reopened, the bookshop was redesigned to be ‘inside out’ so that stock could be browsed from outside without needing to come in. Books can now be bought through the ‘book kiosk’ (a hatch in a Perspex screen). Sadly, they’ve had to close again in Tier Four lockdown.

The founders explain: “Before COVID

uncertain times. But they are trying their best to keep going and to ensure that they are able to support the people involved and the customers they serve.

For Charlotte and Fionn, keeping community going is important: “Sometimes it feels like the best thing we can do is just take time to chat to somebody, ask how they are and check in – but also, making sure we are actively making the space for being joyful with one another.

“Aside from the pandemic, it’s been a very difficult year, especially for the transgender community. So, we want to try to give people moments of queer joy where we can. This includes making time to listen, giving someone a plant cutting, a free sticker, adding little notes and drawings on book deliveries, and being extra thoughtful about recommendations.”

At MILK, 39 Gabby says

MILK co-founder Angela Ireland

that she and co-director Angela Ireland have tried to create a space where the women they work with feel as little stress as possible. She adds, “We have all been trying to keep calm and get through each day and continue to enjoy the nice bits of life. ‘Don’t look into the abyss’ – that’s our new company policy.”

Looking After Your Wellbeing in Challenging Times

By Vicky Kakos, founder of The Wee Retreat CIC Translation into Arabic by Ebrahem Alissa Illustration by Maryam Abbas

Positive Practices to Try • Yoga • Meditation • Drawing/painting • Regular walks in the park • Journaling or creative/free writing • Breathing exercises

We’re all feeling the effects of what is happening around the globe. With unexpected pressures, very different day-to-day lives and ever-changing circumstances, it’s difficult to quite know what to do with ourselves.

Living with uncertainty and change is challenging. However, there are things we can do to help navigate our way through this. Many of these techniques stem from ancient practices such as yoga and meditation, and are as relevant as ever to today’s challenges.

Most importantly, these practices help us keep our attention in the here and now.

By living in the present, we are less concerned with the future and the past, and therefore have fewer things to “deal with”. We’ve noticed how having a regular self-care practice has helped us navigate our way through these past months.

If you are feeling the consequences of the dramatic change we are facing, here’s our advice: if you already have a self-care routine, double what you are doing. If you don’t look after your wellbeing on a regular basis – start!

There are many ways to look after your wellbeing. The most important thing is to do something.

You can experiment with different modalities and see what works for you. Ask friends or family what they do, and just give it a go.

Once you’ve found a class or method that you like, the next part is to create a regular practice.

This can be a challenge in itself.

Here are our top five tips for sticking to a routine and creating a practice that works for you:

• Pausing and listening to sounds around you • Positive Affirmations

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PATIENCE

It would be difficult to become fluent in a language or learn how to play the piano overnight, and it is the same with looking after your wellbeing. Whenever you feel yourself getting frustrated or unmotivated, remind yourself you are learning a new skill or deepening your existing practice. Be patient with yourself.

KINDNESS

We can be so good at being kind to others, yet it can feel so difficult to be kind to yourself. Notice the way you speak to yourself – the tone of voice and language you use when you’ve forgotten to practice or think you’ve made a mistake.

Imagine you are talking to a friend and see if that makes a difference.

YOU DO HAVE TIME!

There is a Zen proverb that says “you should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day, unless you're too busy – then you should sit for an hour.” Believing you are too busy to spend 10 minutes looking after your wellbeing is a red light warning that you need to slow down.

CONSISTENCY

Just as you wouldn’t take one vitamin and expect to feel the difference, looking after your wellbeing needs consistency. This also means looking after your wellbeing when you feel on top of life. By maintaining a consistent routine through life's ups, we are able to cope better through the downs.

NO ONE CAN DO IT FOR YOU!

Making the decision to look after your wellbeing has to come from you. Once you’ve made that decision, jot down a few of the reasons you want to look after your wellbeing, then stick it somewhere visible to remind you when you feel your routine or commitment slip.

ARA

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BIC

ROM ROMEHA

By Marek Balog, project leader at Community Renewal Photo by David Balog

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shared these on social media to try and counter misinformation that was spreading.

We have two hubs in Govanhill, and we usually provide a range of support including a community canteen every Thursday. The canteen has been suspended so we have changed tactics. We teamed up first with the Clutha Trust then with Glasgow South East Food Bank to deliver food parcels to local families. Our advice team has been successfully supporting the community to deal with job losses and drops in family income. We have been trying to keep people engaged with English language classes, family activities and community forum meetings.

Like many people across the UK, the Roma population are experiencing job losses and hardship, many having previously worked in industries that have been negatively impacted by the virus.

We were already working alongside the community to enable and empower them towards positive change. Many are working in roles described as key workers and taking part in community activity before lockdown began. We don’t know what the longterm effect of all this will be, but our team of Roma workers will be there to respond to the challenges.

The Roma team at Community Renewal describe our approach as Rom Romeha, meaning For Roma, by Roma” – this was the case before the crisis and will continue long after lockdown ends.

once attended a meeting that was being held to discuss issues affecting the Roma community. I was the only Roma person in the room. Organisations were speaking about us or for us, but not with us. That was when we realised that we needed to take a different approach with the work that we do.

Like so many Roma people, I left the country I was born in because of discrimination experienced back home. In my home country of Slovakia, things are slowly starting to improve, but it will take time. Many Roma are still treated like second class citizens and segregation is common. COVID-19 has only widened these inequalities.

I work for Community Renewal in Govanhill. The organisation began working with the Roma community in 2009, then employing Roma people from 2016 with the ethos ‘supporting you to support yourselves’. To do this, they employ a Roma team of eight people, myself included. For us, it’s so important to have someone who understands Roma culture and what people have been through when they arrive in Glasgow.

At the start of the crisis, we were aware that the Roma community was not receiving safety messages as quickly as everyone else. Roma in Govanhill speak several different languages and dialects, so our first response was to translate the social distancing and ‘stay at home’ messages into a variety of languages including Romanes, Slovakian and Romanian. We

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For Roma, By Roma

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az som sa zúčastnil stretnutia, ktoré sa konalo s cieľom prediskutovať otázky týkajúce sa Rómskej komunity. Bol som jediný Róm v miestnosti. Organizácie hovorili o nás alebo za nás, ale nie s nami. Vtedy sme si uvedomili, že pri práci, ktorú robíme, musíme zvoliť iný prístup.

Rovnako ako vela dalsich Rómov, aj ja som opustil krajinu v ktorej som sa narodil, kvôli diskriminácii doma. V mojej domovskej krajine na Slovensku sa veci pomaly začínajú zlepšovať, ale bude to chvíľu trvať. S mnohými Rómami sa stále zaobchádza ako s občanmi druhej triedy a segregácia je bežná. COVID-19 tieto nerovnosti iba zväčšil.

Pracujem pre Community Renewal v Govanhille. Organizácia začala pracovať v Govanhille uz v roku 2009 po boku Rómskej komunity v roku 2016 s étosom „podporovať vás, aby ste sa podporili sami“. Aby sme dosiahly uspech zamestnáli sme Rómsky tím ôsmich ľudí, vrátane mňa. Je velmi dôležité mať zametnancov, ktory rozumia Rómskej kultúre a tomu, čim si ľudia prechadzaju, keď prídu do Glasgowa.

Na začiatku korona krízy sme si boli vedomí, že Rómska komunita nedostávala bezpečnostné správy ohladom boja proti korone tak rýchlo ako všetci ostatní, a taktiez že im poniektory nerozumely . Rómovia v Govanhill hovoria niekoľkými rôznymi jazykmi a dialektmi, takže našou prvou odpoveďou bolo spravy o tom ako si udrzat odstupy a že maju zostať doma doma do rôznych jazykov

vrátane Rómčiny, Slovenčiny a Rumunčiny. Zdieľali sme ich na sociálnych sieťach, aby sme sa pokusili znizit šírenie dezinformácii.

V Govanhille mame dve kancelarie kde poskytujeme roznu pomoc a obvykle každý štvrtok prevadzkujeme komunitnu jedáleň.

Jedáleň bola pozastavená, takže sme zmenili taktiku. Spojili sme sa najskôr s Clutha Trust, potom s Glasgow South East Food Bank, a zacali sme doručovat potravinové balíčky miestnym rodinám. Náš poradenský tím úspešne podporuje komunitu pri riešení straty pracovných miest a poklesu rodinných príjmov online formou.

Snažíme sa, a podporujeme ľudi aby sa venovali kurzom anglického jazyka, rodinným aktivitám a stretnutiam na komunitnom fóre.

Rovnako ako mnoho ľudí vo Veľkej Británii, aj Rómska populácia zažíva stratu pracovných miest a ťažkosti, mnohí predtým pracovali v priemyselných odvetviach, ktoré boli vírusom negatívne ovplyvnené.

Už sme pracovali spolu s komunitou, aby sme im umožnili a posilnili ich smerom k pozitívnym zmenám. Mnohi z nich pracujú v rolách, ktoré sa označujú ako kľúčoví pracovníci, a zúčastňujú sa na komunitných aktivitách pred začatím blokovania. Nevieme, aký vplyv bude mať toto všetko dlhodobý efekt, ale náš tym Rómskych pracovníkov bude pri vzdy napomocny pri riešení týchto výziev.

Rómsky tím z Community Renewal popisuje náš prístup ako Rom Romeha, čo znamená Pre Rómov, s Rómami “- tento pristup sme praktizovali už pred krízou a bude trvať dlho po ukončení lockdownu tiež.

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Govanhill’s Past and Future in Four Buildings G

ovanhill has a thriving community that has changed over the years as different immigrant communities arrive and make it their home. But throughout these changes, its striking architecture remains largely unchanged – its built environment tells stories of a dynamic past.

The local domestic architecture began emerging in the 1870s, providing housing for the workers of the local ironworks, known as ‘Dixons Blazes’.

The influence of many of the Glasgow’s great architects Glasgow can be felt throughout Govanhill. Just look up and you can see detail and beauty in the design of domestic, religious, and entertainment

spaces that remain standing today.

Govanhill was in danger of almost full demolition in the 1960s to make way for modernist high-rise blocks and other interventions. The resilience of local people who saw value in community – through local shops, bars, small businesses, and the Govanhill Housing Association – helped stop a policy which is now commonly viewed as having failed the areas it primarily impacted.

A period of modernisation improved the quality of many of the domestic buildings, but this process was never fully completed. The fight continues to fully realise a Govanhill that is safe and beautiful for everyone who comes to live here.

Words and photos by Jamie Dyer

Lost buildings of Govanhill include an elaborate ice rink situated on Victoria Road, which was demolished to make way for housing in the second half of the 20th century.

A church on Langside Road, designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson was laid to waste by a bomb during the Second World War. And there have been changes of use too, reflecting the changing demographics; what was one a church on Dixon Road now houses the Al-Farooq Education and Community Centre mosque.

It feels like things are always in flux here in Govanhill, and the same is true of some of its iconic buildings, the stories of which reveal both the neighbourhood’s past and future.

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Langside Synagogue

angside Synagogue is located near Govanhill on Niddrie Road. The building was constructed in 1926, opening the following year, and becoming one of the only purpose-built synagogues in Scotland. The building is one of two synagogues of Eastern European style in the United Kingdom. The interior has folk-art style features, many of them carved by Lithuanian born cabinet maker and member of the congregation, Harris Berkovitch, and is similar to synagogues built earlier in Romania, Poland and Ukraine.

Glasgow’s Jewish community was once much larger than it is today. At one point much of the signage in the Gorbals was in Yiddish before most of the community moved further south towards Govanhill. Today the greatest proportion of the Jewish community resides in Giffnock, just south of Glasgow.

Due to this movement of community, the Synagogue closed in 2014 before being sold in 2019. Some of the interior decoration was removed before sale and donated to the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre in Garnethill.

Following moves to demolish most of the building for the creation of flats, a campaign was launched to try and save the building and return it to its original function.

The campaign was spearheaded by a new wave of Jewish presence in the area. Pink Peacock, a soon to arrive queer-friendly, Yiddish speaking kosher café gave online traction to the campaign. The building became category C-listed in September 2020.

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ovanhill Trinity Church was built between 1878 and 1880 in a Neo-Gothic style and designed by the architect Robert Baldie. It has changed names and brought together different congregations several times over the years.

The building was a functioning part of the community right up until 2015 when it closed its doors for the last time following the unification of two local congregations.

The building has occasionally played host to community activity and church operated canteens and there is currently an open forum to discuss how best to utilise the building for community use moving forward.

Speaking about the public community conversations about what comes next for Trinity Church, Thriving Places Community Connector, Marzanna Antoniak said: “Early discussions have highlighted the need for a welcoming, affordable and accessible space where the community can come together. Many emphasise the need of creating a space for celebrating rituals and cultures. Groups and individuals are keen to explore how the building might support local crafts, and take advantage of the wide range of skills and experience in the area, such as cooking classes or a community cafe. Other discussions have centred around health and wellbeing creating spaces for performance, dance, yoga and physical exercise, while others have spoken of the need for more growing and greenspace in the area.”

Govanhill Trinity Church

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Govanhill Picture House

t one point there were up to five cinemas local to the Govanhill area. Built for independent operator James Hamilton, and designed by the architect Eric A. Sutherland, Govanhill Picture House opened for the first time on 2nd May 1926.

There was a craze for the Egyptian style following the discovery of Tutenkhamun’s tomb in 1922. This influenced the Egyptian style entrance with bright coloured letters on cool, white stone, which stand out alongside the lotus bud columns on each side, flanked by square turrets and octagonal domes.

The cinema was very popular [as Arthur Oliver recalls in his article on life in Govanhill in the 1930s on page xxx]. However, it closed in 1961 with a screening of Song Without End, starring Dirk Bogarde. The building reopened soon after as the first dedicated bingo hall in Glasgow. This lasted into the 1970s. Then the building was used as a commercial warehouse, until finally losing all utility and becoming vacant.

In 2007, plans were accepted to demolish most of the building to make way for flats, but these plans never came to fruition, and in 2012 the building was reroofed. In 2018, the B-listed cinema was used once again as a cinema by Queer Classics Film Festival. The following year a screening of the 1920s film, The Open Road was also shown here. The event was co-organised by Glasgow Artists’ Moving Image Studios (GAMIS) with ongoing proposals formulated to return the cinema to function in the future. The Egyptian-style facade is now listed and the current occupiers are the popular local business Lalli Fashion.

Lydia Honeybone, Chairperson of GAMIS explained more: “The project to regenerate Govanhill Picture House and return it to civic use is underway, managed

by GAMIS, the charity set up to reinstate the B-listed building to use as a cinema, events space, cafe and artists’ studios. Capital works are on hold due to funding restraints and the global pandemic, though plans are afoot to develop an openair screening space adjacent to the site for the spring. If anyone is interested in supporting our efforts, we welcome donations and notes of interest in volunteering via glasgowamis.org”

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ovanhill Baths, Glasgow’s last surviving Edwardian public bathhouse opened between 1912 and 1917. The upper floor provided hot baths whilst there were three swimming pools on the ground floor, and a seating gallery around one of the pools allowed for spectators at events. The baths gave local people the provision for clothes-washing facilities, with many homes in the area also lacking the facilities for bathing (some people even bathed in the Clyde before the Baths was built!) and there was a wash house (known as a steamie) at the rear of the building.

The baths formally closed in 2001 because it was too expensive to maintain and refurbish. A campaign to save the baths began almost immediately, which included a community protest occupation of the building between March and August of that year. Finally, in what became known as the ‘Battle of Calder Street,’ mounted police removed protestors and shuttered the windows; a violent and turbulent end to a place that served such an important function for almost a century.

Govanhill Baths Community Trust campaigns, and has secured public funds, to help return the building to its original community function. Through the trust the building has staged everything from art exhibitions to drama performances. The trust also runs several important community projects across Govanhill and has commissioned Bruce Downie to write a book on the history of the building.

Do you have memories of the Govanhill Baths?

Govanhill Baths

Bruce Downie, author of ‘Loved and Lost: Govanhill’s Built Heritage’, published in 2019, is writing a new book about the history of Govanhill Baths, from the opening in 1917 to the present day.

The most authentic way to tell the story will be to find stories from people who used the building over the years. When it first opened, it transformed the lives of local people and for decades afterwards, it was a place for fun, for recreation and for health, a place where the community came together and grew together.

The new book will celebrate the first one hundred years of Govanhill Baths by collecting and preserving the memories of people who have worked and played in this amazing building and will look ahead to the long-awaited redevelopment and beyond.

If you have any memories or stories about the baths, about swimming in any of the pools, the hot baths, the Turkish Baths, the gym, the steamie or any part of the building, any mementos or photographs, please get in touch with Bruce via email on bruce.downie@outlook.com

Under the Moon and Stars A Literary Tour of Govanhill

By Keir Hind Photo by Paul Reich

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ovanhill may not be Manhattan or the Left Bank of Paris, but there’s plenty here to engage the literaryminded.

Let’s start our tour at the library. Govanhill Library on Langside Road first opened in 1906, one of sixteen libraries part-funded by Andrew Carnegie. Closed at present because of Covid-19, with no current re-opening plans, local people are staging regular read-ins to show the demand for its services.

It’s an impressive Edwardian, Baroque building. On the roof are statues, representing knowledge, of women reading to children. The pioneering psychiatrist RD Laing grew up nearby, and wrote in his autobiography: “Outside my bedroom window was the dome of a public library on top of which was an angel, poised on one foot as though to take off to the moon and the stars...”

A blue plaque marks Laing’s childhood home round the corner on Ardbeg Street. Known for his psychedelic approach, we can only imagine what dreams and ideas the angel inspired.

From Govanhill Library, head up Calder Street then right down Cathcart Road. A bold little shop front at number 636 houses a different, much newer library. Glasgow Zine Library was established as an archive and library for the many self-created magazines produced in Glasgow and beyond. It’s closed at the moment, but staff are still running a busy programme of events through their website.

Continue along Cathcart Road and turn right into Queen

Mary Avenue. Number 34, formerly Florence Villa, was a childhood home of the author John Buchan. In his essay Urban Greenery, he described the garden and told of a small cannonball, believed to have come from the Battle of Langside, once found there.

Buchan was a literary giant in his day, writing several successful novels and biographies. He also became Governor General of Canada and was the first Briton to address the United States Congress. Nowadays, he’s best known for the spy thriller The 39 Steps, made into a classic film by Alfred Hitchcock. Don’t linger at the house to count the steps; it’s best not to disturb the residents, and there aren’t 39 anyway.

As a student, Buchan used to walk from here to Glasgow University but our next walk is less arduous. Continue down Queen Mary Avenue, turn right down Langside Road, then left and along to 14 Albert Road. Here you’ll find the little gem that is Outwith. This bookshop is a serene, plant-filled creative space with desks for writers seeking a quiet working area (currently unavailable due to Covid-19). It’s stylish and airy with bespoke shelves for bibliophiles to covet. Don’t ignore the books though – there’s an expertly curated selection of literary fiction available to buy and an efficient book ordering service. Currently open reduced-hours, Thursdays to Sundays.

Turning right down Victoria Road a short distance, we find the Oxfam bookshop. This is something of a treasure trove, with a well-chosen selection of second-hand books

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and a friendly atmosphere.

From Oxfam, head right up Victoria Road and turn right at Bowman Street. Number 96 was the first home of playwright CP Taylor, who described his childhood as being ‘in the rough heart of Glasgow, full of knives and broken bottles’.

It’s unclear if that was ever really true, but now? Well, there’s a cycle path being put in and it’s about a minute’s walk from some artists’ studios.

Taylor moved to northern England when he was 28, and worked prolifically there. But his Glasgow connections remained strong – one of his later plays, Walter, is about an ageing Glasgow music hall comedian. And David Tennant (who also played RD Laing in the 2017 biopic) is due to play the lead in a revival of Taylor’s most famous play, Good, when live theatre resumes.

Walk back to Allison Street and the junction of Niddrie Road, and you’ll see the eye-catching corner premises and colourful book-crammed windows of our last stop, Category Is Books. Currently open Thursday to Sunday, with home book deliveries available through their website, this is a ‘fiercely independent queer bookshop’ for the LGBTQIA+ community. It has been operating successfully since 2018 and is a great addition to Govanhill. They’ve been selling books out of a hatch since reopening after lockdown. Read more about them on page 39.

I hope you’ve enjoyed your tour. Is Govanhill a richer literary location than you expected? It’s amazing what you can find under the moon and the stars!

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FIXING OUR BROKEN FOOD SYSTEM

A FOOD MANIFESTO • No food poverty - sanctions on the governments that allow it • No food banks/pantries because we don’t need them • Free food for all • No industrial agriculture and no pesticides/herbicides • Community gardens for everyone

Demands and Dreams for the Future

• Public space is used for food growing

By the Rumpus Room food working group Illustrations by Giacinta Frisillo

• Everyone has access to their own plot of land

• More food education

• A cyclical food system

Our food system is broken. It is vital we re-think that

system and the civic role of food. Food is political, as show by growing debates on food inequality and inaccessibility, as well as on the right of communities to control the way food is produced, traded and consumed.

Food can be an act of solidarity. It can be used to explore social relationships and the places where we live.The table becomes a way of telling stories. Performative meals can be used as tools for addressing social concerns and political dilemmas.

Govanhill-based youth organisation Rumpus Room, worked with Camilla Crosta from Küche and Jess Routley from daikon* on ‘Becoming a Food Citizen’. Young people from Govanhill and across Europe, aged 18-25, came together to ask how we could use food as a way to care for our community and imagine alternative food systems based on equality, fairness and justice.

Beth Cloughton is a member of the group: “One of the reasons I think a food group like this is important is because it has core principles of community-ownership, possibility and transformation. Conversations and actions are cyclical and need to be led by local groups, not corporations, especially not conglomerates greenwashing themselves. It is about collaboration not individualism.

“The issues of our food system are a way to access and challenge the global issues we face more broadly. Food underpins everything we do, it is literally fuel. But, it is also a way to learn about different problems through its lens. Inequality; sustainability and environmentalism; fair labour; exploitation; supply chains; colonialism; and more. Food is one way to access almost all the socio-political and economic problems we face.”

Thalia Groucott also joined the group: “I think that the problems in our food systems today are the result of many combined factors, including the supermarket hegemony in food access and the isolated manner in which we view food and eating, but I think that there are lots of creative ways in which we, as communities, can begin to tackle these.”

During these sessions, the group drafted a manifesto on food solidarity, sharing demands and dreams for the future.

A young persons’ food solidarity working group is now being established and the group are hosting small monthly outdoor meetups in the yard at Rumpus Room in Govanhill. If you are aged 16-25yrs living in the Govanhill area and interested in joining the food solidarity group then get in touch via rumpusroomteam@gmail.com

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• Housing built with sustainable food systems • Food growing integrated as a bathroom/kitchen • Waste re-thought and less water used • Better access to fresh food and right to growing space • Community fridges and freezers • Food corporations 1) dont exist, 2) if they exist, there is no food monopoly and their profits are put into the local community • Illegal for food to be thrown away by supermarkets • Cooking food for yourself everyday is difficult and lonely, can we cook for each other?

• Everyone will be fed, healthy and happy • Public space is important for food, public space is yours, reclaim this space that is yours • People should be a part of this process • Free school meals • Dignity around food • Food support for new families • Mutual food-giving and sharing • Community is extended family

What’s On

Below are one off events. For more regular events and groups, see our noticeboard: www.greatergovanhill.com/noticeboard As with everything at the moment, all events are subject to change. Please check online for more information.

DECEMBER

Winter Solstice Workshop by Studio 70

When: Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 Dec. 10am-6pm.

Where: Komplex Gallery, 72a Victoria Rd, Glasgow G42 7AA What: A mix of modern and contemporary arts will be available including: paintings, sculpture, photography, and household goods. A Dear Green Place will also have a plant pop-up.

When: 20 December Where: Online What: Michelle Lang will use a blend of yoga and shamanic journeying to support you to shift negative habits, thoughts and behaviours and create space to invite in new possibilities that help you work towards reaching your full potential.

Unsilent Night An Online Festival

Rajni Perera: Traveller

U Belong: Joy When: Sunday 13 Dec. 6:30-8pm.

Where: Hosted by Glasgow Zine Library online What: This is a new multilingual platform in Glasgow featuring BPOC, LGBT+ and disabled poets, artists, musicians, and comedians to perform.

This is Not a Christmas Market 2020 When: Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 Dec. 11am-4pm.

Where: The Deep End, 21 Nithsdale Road, Glasgow G41 2PZ What: Two days of local makers // unique crafts // arts // ceramics // one-off Christmas gifts // homeware // upcycled treasures // clothes // jewellery and more!

Times are difficult at the moment for so many.

Here’s where you can find essential help: Al-Farooq Education and Community Centre 32-38 Dixon Avenue Glasgow, G42 8EJ

Komplex Kristmas Art Fair

When: Sunday 13 Dec at 4pm Where: Hosted by Music Broth online What: Join from the comfort of your sitting room for their fantastic annual fundraiser.

With so many great acts you'll want your dancing shoes on or dancing slippers at least!

Where to get free food around Govanhill

When: Until 14 Feb, 2021 (closed in Tier 4) Where: Tramway, 25 Albert Drive, Glasgow G41 2PE (visits by advanced bookings only) What: Sri Lanka-born Torontobased artist Perera’s bold and intricately crafted paintings, sculptures, textile works, and installations explore issues of ancestorship, hybridity, futurity, and identity through the lens of science fiction.

Mon-Sat, 4:30-5:30pm Hot meals and fresh food, pick up only Queen's Park Govanhill Foodbank Queen's Park Parish Church 170 Queen's Drive Glasgow, G42 8QZ Thursdays, 10am-12pm Food supplies for three days Al-Khair Foundation 441a Victoria Road Glasgow, G42 8RW Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm Hot meals to take away & Food parcels. Halal only Glasgow SE Trussell Trust Food Bank Glasgow Elim Church 42 Inglefield Street Glasgow, G42 7AT Mon, Wed & Fri 12:30-2pm Food parcels to pick up Trussell Trust referral voucher needed People's Pantry

FEBRUARY

Govanhill is hosting the BHASHA Glasgow Language Festival in February 2021. The festival celebrates the International Mother Language Day which promotes awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity. The programme will include language taster sessions, quizzes, talks, street art, multilingual song and poetry, and more. If you’d like to lead an activity, go to tinyurl.com/GetInvolvedGovanhill or contact Thriving Places Govanhill on Facebook.

488 Cathcart Road Glasgow, G42 7BX Mon-Fri, limited hours Membership costs £3.50, and entitles members to do a weekly shop for £2.50 Currently operating waiting list

P C OE O T R R N Y ER

The Glamorous Southside

Created as part of the Govanhill Queer Community Banner Project Words by Anna Walsh, Bel Pye, Etzali Hernández, Michelle K Jamieson, Rose O’Doherty. Edited by Dean Atta

You collect some of those

petal bunches as you leave.

Leave the quietness,

down the weathered stone steps, past the runners, past the trees, past the childhood memories

of lessons on trees and shrubs and plants and flowers.

Out the gates, into the hustle and bustle of Govanhill,

Hot Shot

where so many memories

were made. Are still made.

I love to take photos in my local park because it’s somewhere I know very well and it’s somewhere I feel safe in my community. I go to Queen’s Park every day because it is peaceful. One day I was walking there and watching the squirrels. I take photos of them and try and get as close as I can to see their faces.

I watched a squirrel climb quickly up a tree. I found myself not watching the squirrel but looking up at the trees. One tree had these beautiful bright orange leaves that stood out against the clear blue sky. There was a leading line from where I was standing which makes you look at the leaves like a flower blooming.

I feel this photograph of this tree shows signs of autumn and nature. Since I took this photograph, I have looked up more to see a different perspective. Taking photographs makes the ordinary look extraordinary. I like to see the beauty in the world around me. I try to show this beauty in my photographs.

The glamorous Southside

with red lipstick on, studded boots, denim jacket with an anarchist patch

and an orange bandana in the left pocket.

An oasis of queerness

in a gentrified neighbourhood, in a city with a rich dark past connect to the Caribbean,

to slavery and colonial destruction.

The lines of the road fan our crumbling, Dylan is 17 years old and attends Shawlands Academy. He achieved his Higher Photography last year and hopes to go to City College to study Photography.

Dylan loves to take photos, dance with Indepen-dance and Horizons, watch football and spend time with his family.

Read more about him in our interview on www.greatergovanhill.com

a ball rumbles up against the fence, two kids, one teaching the other

how to ride a bike, how to stay upright.

You have fallen, joyfully.

50

Thank You We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this first issue, as much as we enjoyed producing it. Thanks so much to the 60+ members of the Greater Govanhill community who have contributed to this magazine in some way.

But none of this would have been possible without the support of: Jimmy Davies, Sue Jarrell, Terry Richardson, Carolyn Sawers, Paul Houlihan, Lynne, Jennifer Leybourne, Jean Alcock, Lynn Forsyth, Angela Ireland, Beth Harvey, Ellie Moffataje, Yasmine Ben-Afia, The Glad Cafe, Izzy, Denise Allen, Emilie Reed, Natalie, Whittle, Iain Smith, Dylan Macdonald, Claire Gormley, Lewis Olsson, Neil McDermott, Fiona Quillec, Fatima Uygun, Jonathan Davies, Bruce Downie, Saskia McCracken, Rose Davies, Marzanna Antoniak, Joe Trodden, Jill Keegan, Mikey Jarrell, The Feel Good Women’s Group, Marion Eele, Gary Painter, Marian, Ian Aitken, Kirsty, Lauren Neil, Bill Breckenridge, Alex, Vivienne Wilson, Ruby Zajac, Ben Duax, Toni Tochel With additional help from: The School of Social Entrepreneurs, Brewin Dolphin, RBS Back Her Business, Good Ideas Glasgow And we’d like to give a special thanks to our advertisers: Locavore, Milk Cafe, Awesome Foundation, The Wee Retreat, Kaleyard, Govanhill Community Development Trust & the Al Khair Foundation.

If you’re interested in advertising in a future issue, contact: notices@greatergovanhill.com Tell us what you think of issue one! If you can spare a few minutes, we’d love it if you could answer a few questions by going to: greatergovanhill.com/suvey And if you want to support us to keep producing Greater Govanhill, become a member by visiting: greatergovanhill.com/support

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