The Beaver - #928 (25 October 2023)

Issue 928 | AT Week 5

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Making sense of LSE since 1949

LSE lecturers mixed on teaching Israel and Palestine Pedagogical approaches have varied by modules and department, page 3

by Vanessa Huang, Frontside Editor. Photograph sourced from LSE Alumni.

NEWS

FEATURES

OPINION

UCU strike update: Pension cuts reversed for university staff

On speaking Russian amid the Russia-Ukraine war

Is voluntourism just rich people’s way of feeling better?

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& flip for Tito

2 Meet the team

Photographed by Ben Chen and Angus Timmons Executive Editor Alan Nemirovski executive.beaver@lsesu.org Managing Editor Eugenia Brotons Batista managing.beaver@lsesu.org Flipside Editor Sana Agarwal editor.flipside@lsesu.org Frontside Editor Vanessa Huang editor.beaver@lsesu.org Multimedia Editor Claire Yubin Oh multimedia.beaver@lsesu.org

News Editors Iraz Akkus Chenoa Colaco Features Editors Liza Chernobay Amadea Hofmann Opinion Editors Honour Astill Kieran Hurwood Part B Editors Emma Do Julietta Gramigni Review Editors Christina Jiang Sheila Mutua Social Editors Rhea Jethwa Kaviesh Kinger Sports Editors Robert Khandzhyan Matt Sudlow Beaver Sound Editors Kate Banner Laila Gauhar Illustrations Editors Francesca Corno Mithalina Taib Photography Editors Ben Chen Angus Timmons Videography Editor Lamisa Chowdhury Website Editors Hila Davies Christine van Voorst Social Media Editors Emma Gallagher Fay Qian

Issue 928 | AT Week 5

On the tension between freedom and responsibility Eugenia Brotons Batista Managing Editor

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ife is plagued with contradictions. Freedom and responsibility, an especially salient one for us young adults. As students, we step into the university environment with great ambitions for our future, but also with an urge to explore, and rediscover ourselves.

At first, freedom feels like the crème de la crème pursuit. It brings great feelings of openness and potential: we can do anything, go anywhere, be anyone, when we are free. Drawn by a desire to

discover the richness of experience, the unknowns. What was previously off limits is now open, accessible, waiting to be explored - explored thoroughly, turned inside out, only limited by the extent and breadth of our desires. But then, limitlessness turns into excess, and freedom begins to lose its charm. With too much freedom, one confronts loneliness and purposelessness. The bareness of being attached to nothing. The coldness of ever changing people and environments. Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose because when one is truly free, one has nothing: no baggage means no memories, nothing

We're busy being awesome Claire Yubin Oh Multimedia Editor

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think my friends are gonna remember you as the Beaver girl, was one of the first things someone said to me during our long overdue catch-up session, when we could have easily talked about his summer trip across the states, my new place in London, and just about anything new in life other than the good old Beaver. Frankly, I don’t know why that comment stuck in my mind for such a long time: was I ranting too much after that 10-hour formatting streak a few weeks ago? Did I bring too many copies of our latest issue back home? Or was my last multimedia spread so good that everybody managed to remember my name? (Which is terrifying in itself, too.) I have definitely heard of a ‘Goldman Sachs Claire’ or a ‘PwC Claire’, but being ‘The Beaver Claire’…well, that’s something else.

inspirations (as well as their pricey news subscriptions unfortunately), and to have one year of my life defined by something I truly care about.

Sure, disagreements exist even in the safe haven of the Media Centre and the ever-growing message lists on Slack are definitely not a pleasant sight to see, but even when reflecting on moments like this, I am grateful to be surrounded by people who actually care about this small little newspaper as much as I do.

And perhaps the best part of sticking around with The Beaver is to witness other people defining that phase of their lives with the impressive array of interests they are exploring at the LSE. Call it an echo chamber, but it is these day-today mess-ups and experimentations, strikes and disapprovals that inspires me to continue what I do, chugging that third cup of boba of the day. Ditch the careers talk and the endless list of activities on your CV, when was the last time you sat down to do something just for But at the same time, I find yourself? this incredibly romantic – to meet with random people at Anyways, enough of me overLSE that I never knew existed thinking over a five-minute to create something tangible conversation. Happy reading and spectacular, to be lost in – and stay awesome. the sea of stellar articles and

to hold on to, even when the going gets rough. Eventually it gets slightly depressive: the lack of ambition, of commitments, of real love; one is left yearning for something more.

At the brink of freedom, one turns and plunges into responsibility: taking up projects and commitments. Finally, the excitement of having something to work towards – a great master plan. The comfort of having someone to count on and fall on when things fall apart. But upholding one’s commitments is difficult, effortful, taxing. Take up too much responsibility and life begins to feel like it

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is no longer being lived, but rather performed: a monotonous execution of necessary tasks. The walls begin to cave in, the burden of responsibilities, those things that you owe to others (or to yourself) becomes so great, that you want to break free again. You bust your chains and run away, leaving all progress behind.

You are free again.

The cycle repeats eternally – teetering between freedom and responsibility, always running, between creation and destruction, always in contradiction.

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NEWS

NEWS Editors Iraz Akkus Chenoa Colaco news.beaver@lsesu.org

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LSE lecturers mixed on teaching Israel and Palestine

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mid current reports of violence in Israel and Palestine, lecturers at LSE have differed in their approaches to teaching content focused on the region. These mixed approaches have created an uneven footing for students to examine these topics across courses and departments.

Dr Sonia Exley, course leader for SP400, International Social and Public Policy, announced in a lecture on 9 October that reading for that week covering Israel and Palestine would not be covered in the lecture, and that “it’s probably best if

we don’t in the seminars also.”

Students were, however, welcome to read and discuss this “in [their] own time.”

Professor John Chalcraft, course leader for GV328, Middle East Politics in Transnational Perspective, delivered lecture material on Palestine as planned. In a lecture on 10 October, Professor Chalcraft expressed “sympathy and concern” for anyone affected by the violence, but emphasised education on this topic was a “responsibility nonetheless that has to be shouldered.”

For IR312, Genocide, Dr Howie Rechavia-Taylor announced on Moodle on 13 October that content on Palestine would remain part of the course. In a week dedicated to “cases of collective violence that do not meet/are not consistent with the UN definition of genocide, but that some scholars argue ought to be classified as having genocidal features,” Palestine was available as one option for students to choose.

Dr Rechavia-Taylor, having “gone back and forth about what is appropriate given the

Students gather on campus to rally for Palestine Iraz Akkus Chenoa Colaco News Editors Cameron Baillie Contributing Writer Photographed by Ben Chen

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n 19 October, LSE students gathered in the Centre Building Plaza to show solidarity with Palestinians through a peaceful rally, in light of recent events in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

According to a reporter from The Beaver who attended, there were at least 100 students at the rally. The rally consisted of several speakers, who reiterated their support for Palestinians and condemned LSE for its investment into Israeli banks, describing Israel as an “apartheid state.”

Jack Farrar, an MSc Human Rights and Politics student, spoke at the rally as Activism Officer at Amnesty Interna-

tional and Director of Fundraising at the LSESU Amnesty International Society. First expressing condolences to all families affected by the conflict and describing the entire conflict as a needless loss of life, Farrar highlighted the rally as a moment for speaking “truth to power.”

Among the chants called out by attendees were “no justice, no peace,” “free Palestine,” and “stop arming Israel.”

The key demands set out were for LSE management to “acknowledge and condemn Israel's war crimes against Palestinians and call for an immediate ceasefire,” “unequivocally oppose the silencing of students and staff who take a stand for the Palestinian struggle,” and “divest from all investments, direct and indirect, in Israeli apartheid.”

Razeen Surtee, a third year Philosophy, Politics and Economics student, told The Beaver, “The rally was a very

positive experience in support of the Palestinian struggle – hearing from a range of voices, from Jewish people who feel betrayed by Israel to lecturers who felt their academic freedom being threatened, as well as a from a range of students.”

He continued, “It was a great way to bring everyone together and unify us all in this struggle. It allowed all those present to appreciate that everyone’s journey towards solidarity is unique and it helped people to understand the different ways in which people have sacrificed in support of the Palestinian cause.”

Many student societies have also been showing their support throughout the week. On the same day as the rally, a bake sale fundraiser was held, with proceeds going to humanitarian aid in Gaza. This was organised through a collaboration between the LSESU Palestine Society, Grimshaw Club, Amnesty International Society, and Intersectional Feminist Society.

news,” encouraged students to engage with the texts “in a manner that analyses where it sits within scholarship in genocide studies.” Further provided in the announcement was that seminars would not focus on “any individual case” and that students were welcome to “step away” from readings and the classroom.

One student commented, “The role of teachers and professors is to educate students about the content of the course. They should not include content on the conflict if it risks shifting discussion

away from the course content.”

Another student said that “it is now, more than ever, essential to discuss these issues,” while emphasising that “deal[ing] with these topics sensitively” was not only possible, but “the only way forward.”

“As LSE, we’re a place that hopes to enact progress and change in the world, and so if we shy away from discussions where change and progress can occur, then what are we really doing as a university?”

Pension cuts reversed for university staff Klara Woxström Senior Staff Writer Photographed by Rayyan Furreedun

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n 5 October 2023, the University and College Union (UCU) and Universities UK (UUK) issued a statement of “collaboration towards scheme stability, USS benefit improvements and reduced contribution rates.” This entails that the UUK has agreed to reverse the 35% cut made to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and to restore pensions lost by 1 April 2024.

The restoration to pre-April 2022 levels is worth between 15 and 17 billion pounds.

Moreover, an additional oneoff pension payment of around 900 million pounds to restore the money members have lost since April 2022 will be made.

Since 2018, UCU members have taken 69 days of strike action in defence of their pensions, including 14 days in 2018 when the benefit element of the scheme was threatened and 55 days since 2019 in response to contribution increases and cuts in benefits.

Hence, UCU General Secretary called the pension cut reversal a “historic victory” for

the UCU. She further stated the union needs to continue working to ensure “justice on pay, working conditions and job security” and “create a higher education sector that properly values its staff and students.”

An LSE spokesperson told The Beaver, “Pensions in UK higher education are a sector-wide matter and as such LSE will follow the nationally agreed decision between UCU and UUK about the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). We welcome the positive developments reported, and remain strongly committed to constructive engagement with our local UCU branch on issues of shared concern.

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NEWS

Rosebery Hall flooded after water pipe blockage Chenoa Colaco News Editor

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osebery Hall experienced flooding on several floors after a water pipe blockage on 4 October, causing malfunctioning bathrooms and requiring all students to have dinner as a takeaway in their room for one night.

said that the “floods got out of hand” when her floor and the lifts began to flood and all the female bathrooms had to be locked.

Furthermore, the closure of the female bathrooms meant that some female students had to use the male bathrooms for three hours, which Chowd-

hury describes as a “health and safety concern” as some of the male bathrooms do not have locks. While students were permitted to use the bathrooms in Rosebery's Myddelton Wing, another student describes a pact made between the third and fourth floor wherein the third floor male bathroom was ‘giv-

According to the university, the blockage was caused by wet wipes and sanitary products.

en’ to the girls for privacy.

For one night, the daily dinner served to Rosebery students could not be hosted in the usual restaurant due to basement floors being flooded. As a result, students were given their food in takeaway boxes.

Students praised the Rosebery Hall staff for being efficient and helpful during this time.

Parniyan Bashar, a third-year Sociology student who has lived in Rosebery Hall for three years, stated that while “stuff like this happens a lot, I know they're really accommodating when mishaps

Lamisa Chowdhury, a second-year Law student, described the whole situation as a “nightmare.” Chowdhury

happen and they really do try their best to fix it as quickly as possible.” She further describes that the situation was solved in “a few hours” and the restaurant was “literally fixed in one day.”

While the pipe is still being repaired, standard operations, including dinner provision, have been restored.

Rosebery Hall’s Warden, Jack Winterton, stated, “We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your support and understanding during the recent flood in our restaurant. We understand that the situation was not ideal, and we appreciate your patience and cooperation

LSE leadership meet with students at New Creative opens mixer Cameron Baillie Contributing Writer Photographed by Ben Chen

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SE’s senior leadership gathered on 9 October in the Shaw Library to introduce themselves to the student body. It was presented as an opportunity to meet a selection of the leadership and “get to know'' them, and one another, with an emphasis on the event’s interactivity and informality.

The agenda consisted of brief speeches before over an hour of student-staff mixing. Whilmany members of the senior leadership team were present, only Eric Neumayer (Interim Vice Chancellor) and Emma McCoy (Vice President and Pro Vice Chancellor) spoke to the crowd. Larry Kramer, who will be assuming the role of President and Vice Chancellor in April 2024, was not present.

Neumayer began with an expression of concern for events that took place over the weekend in “Israel and Gaza,” foregrounding LSE’s principal aim to support anybody affected.

McCoy’s speech acknowledged challenges faced by the leadership. She spoke of LSE’s recent silver Teaching Excellence Framework score, which she commended as an improvement on the previous bronze rating in 2017. She continued,

saying that the gold score for student outcomes shows how students do “incredibly well because of their time at LSE,” but there remains a “long way to go.”

The silver score, she reiterated upon questioning, would be improved by “consistency across the school” in “going for gold.”

“Community and general wellbeing” require a “wholeschool approach”, McCoy continued, since it is “the responsibility of all [the staff] to make sure that [students] have a great time here” at LSE. McCoy and Chris Adewoye, LSESU Activities and Communities Officer, were asked for comment on the greatest challenges facing the leadership bodies. They agreed that bringing student representatives into the fold was very

important, where there has historically been a divergence between the student and staff leadership teams.

Since sabbatical officers change each year, leaders agreed that cooperation is needed to overcome short-termism and engage lasting projects with “institutional memory”. Adewoye hopes to show people what they can achieve within the large university community, lead by example, and encourage the exploring of different communities at LSE. McCoy wants to embrace the diversity of views within the School by allowing people to feel their “whole selves”, in part through the fostering of “principal spaces” and a sense of “social safety”.

A written feedback box was available for any comments not made directly to staff members.

Chenoa Colaco News Editor

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SESU's Creative Network hosted its first exhibition on 6 October, returning for the 2023/24 academic year.

The exhibition hosted more than 15 student artists in the Weston Café, with various different forms of media, including photography, painting and textiles on display.

The Creative Network strives to establish spaces within the LSE community where art can be celebrated. They plan to host events ranging from live music to pottery workshops, aimed at reviving a sense of spirit within the LSE student body.

Among many of the artists presented was Emma*, a second year History student who described the atmosphere as “inspiring.” Emma presented a drawing that represents her queer identity.

“It was really nice to be able to present my work at university, and see all the artwork that my peers have worked so hard on. It was also nice to be able to share my personal work with the creative community,” Emma said.

The Creative Network was

Network

originally formed in 2021, but the new committee is seen as a branch within the Students’ Union alongside the Athletics Union and RAG (Raising and Giving). This year's delegation hopes that this change will help to make it a permanent fixture of the LSE community.

This year's co-chair of the Creative Network, Lois Thomas, describes the community as a “space for painters, poets, film-makers and photographers to feel at home on campus and be confident in their passions, even if these passions won't induce a career in finance.”

“The interests of the people that surrounded us at LSE were not comprehensively reflected in the culture which the university fosters,” Thomas states.

The network hopes to act as a community for all 23 creative societies at the LSESU. They stress their values of communication, collaboration, and community.

According to Thomas, these societies previously did not have the support, resources, or attention to thrive, thereby requiring a representative body.

Thomas believes that “the future of the arts at LSE is exciting and full of promise.” *Names have been changed to preserve anonymity.

NEWS 5

LSE students take action against sexual misconduct

Iraz Akkus News Editor

Content warning: sexual harassment

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rise in on-campus sexual misconduct has sparked a push for university based campaigns surrounding consent education and programmes against sexual assault. Many doctors, academics, and students are now pressing for universities to review and implement rigorous consent training for all students and staff.

LSESU upholds mandatory Consent Ed training for all students who wish to attend SU events and societies. This mandatory implementation stands in contrast with overall figures from the sector, where men make up only 25% to 30% of the audience in consent workshops.

One representative of Consent Ed stressed the importance of its provision, stating: “LSE is a very diverse place,

it’s important that we create a baseline understanding of what consent means.”.

Tuns and SU society events.

For LSE students, the first line of response is the “Report it, Stop it” page, which any student can access to report misconduct, as well as the Safe Contact page which promises a response within 48 hours.

This year, in collaboration with LSESU Women’s Officer Tito Molokwu and Advisor to Women Sarah Trotter, Women’s Forums will take place twice a term to discuss where and how reporting happens. The forums will also provide general guidance on how to support yourself and your friends.

Molokwu has also been working on a new initiative to ensure that drink covers are readily available and mandatory at every LSE event. The SU are working on offering drink covers for SU related events, both on and off campus. This will also include popular student venues like Sway, The Three

Charlotte Lewis, alongside Georgie Andrews and the committee of Hands Off, have launched a new initiative called “Locker Room Talks”.

The goal of this meeting will be to instigate discussion around sexual violence and harassment culture in sports with Athletics Union societies, especially those with diverse members like Cricket, Netball, Lacrosse and Rugby.

This is intended to create further awareness on issues of student safety and ensure all society members feel comfortable in the Athletics Union. Some key topics include continued misogynistic attitudes, the value of Consent Ed and being an active bystander.

It will also discuss pre-emptive measures for student safety ahead of big events like Carol and the AU Ball. This will take place the week of 6 November.

Students will also see the relaunch of anonymous disclosure forms. An anonymised format will ensure anyone can share their experiences voluntarily and without risk.

When submitting, students are not making an official report, but the form provides a helpline for students who may find the official reporting process daunting.

However, Molokwu and Lewis emphasise that there is a long way to go in ensuring students feel safe on campus, in halls, and during university-related activities.

A representative for LSE has stated that, “LSE has worked with the LSE Students’ Union to develop a Consent.

Ed educational programme designed to explore issues around consent and create a positive respectful culture where everyone feels safe on campus. Taking part in this programme is expected for all members of the LSE com-

munity and a requirement for anyone in a leadership position on a SU committee, society or club as well as for those wishing to attend some of the biggest Students’ Union events throughout the year.

"LSE is committed to a working and learning environment where people can achieve their full potential free of all types of harassment and violence.

We take any reports of sexual misconduct or violence extremely seriously and any member of the LSE community who has experienced or witnessed incidents of this kind is strongly encouraged to get in touch with a trained Safe Contact for information and support or use our dedicated online portal Report it Stop it. Anyone affected by sexual violence can also access free, confidential, independent support and counselling."

Black History Month: key events summary Iraz Akkus News Editor

4 Oct

Speaker Event: Recovering enslaved peoples' perspectives from archives, literature, and art Organised by LSE Events

5 Oct

8 Oct Speaker Event: Reggie Nelson Fireside Talk Organised by LSESU Advancing Black Careers Society

ACS Takeover: LSE Sports Night Organised by LSESU African & Caribbean Society

Empowering Black Women Organised by LSESU Women Leaders of Tomorrow and ABC

Afro Dance Charity Class with Afia Organised by LSESU African & Caribbean Society and Dance Society

Brixton Farmers Market Organised by LSESU

9 Oct 17 Oct

'Your Take' : A Black History Month Student Discussion Organised by LSESU African & Caribbean Society

20 Oct

UoL ACS Internship Insider Event Organised by LSESU African & Caribbean Society and University of London

18 Oct

23 Oct 30 Oct

Speaker Event: Black Feminism in Europe Organised by LSE Events

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FEATURES

Features Editors Liza Chernobay Amadea Hofmann features.beaver@lsesu.org

Loaded language: speaking Russian amid the Russia-Ukraine war Liza Chernobay Features Editor Illustrated by Francesca Corno

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ollowing the full-scale invasion of Ukraine led by the Russian military in February 2022, the Russian language has become increasingly politicised, causing psychological and practical distress among many Russian speakers. With language being an integral part of national and cultural identity, as well as the primary tool for communication and connection, what are the implications of associating the Russian language with its mother country’s political regime?

The unravelling conflict, which continues to bring destruction and loss to Ukrainian households every day, has conditioned Ukrainians to react sensitively to almost every attribute of Russian culture, including Russian speech.

Olya, a recent university graduate, was raised in a Russian-speaking Ukrainian family** and shares that she instinctively feels suspicious when encountering Russian speech, pointing to the “inner defence mechanism” her mind has constructed in response to the Russian invasion. Eva, a French-Ukrainian student, experiences a similar tension and unease when confronting Russian language; to her, it symbolises aggression and violence.

Another Ukrainian student, Eugene, highlights the sense of uncertainty he often experienced when communicating with his Russian-speaking friends following the full-scale invasion, as he didn’t know how they would react to his choice of language.

Nevertheless, Ukrainian students acknowledge that the language dilemma is “not black and white,” expressing worry that any linguistic stigma among Russian speakers brings more harm than good. Fight-

ing over which language to speak will “shatter our nation into pieces,” notes Olya, and questions whether denying the place of the Russian language in Ukraine’s history is worth the “rift” it might create.

Some Russian speakers of mixed national backgrounds told The Beaver that they had grown uncomfortable speaking Russian in public while abroad, as well as reluctant to disclose their cultural ties with Eastern Europe. Alan, a Canadian student of mixed East-European origin, prefers to veil his background for “ease of life, just to avoid any political discomfort”. Although he hasn’t experienced language-based stigma in Canada or the UK, Alan chooses to avoid potential confrontation due to the sensitive nature of language in times of conflict. “It’s more a fear of being judged than being actually judged,” pointing to the power of language to divide communities in the context of war.

Alan highlights that he doesn’t intentionally hide his connections with Russia. However, it is certainly not the first thing he would share about himself because his fluency in Russian no longer seems integral to his identity. “Modern Russia, or modern Eastern Europe, doesn’t accurately represent who I am”.

Mark*, an American student with Jewish-Russian roots, also reports feeling uneasy about speaking Russian in public, especially when he meets a Ukrainian person.

“Before the conflict, I would walk up to literally anybody [who spoke Russian], but now I am nervous because I know that I mean no harm, but I don’t want [anyone] … to feel that I am condoning any sort of actions by choosing to speak Russian.”

Mark notes that regrettably, his fear of “send[ing] the wrong message” often prevents him from bonding with Ukrainian people and building friendships over a common lan-

guage.

Dr Olga Sobolev, Language Coordinator of Literature and Russian Courses at LSE, relates to the students’ emotional experiences: “At the beginning [of the invasion], I did apologise practically in every conversation about what was happening between Russia and Ukraine at the time” because she felt “personal responsibility as a representative of Russian culture” at LSE. “You can’t avoid this sense of guilt,” she says. “It is still there”.

However, Dr Sobolev believes that Russian speakers shouldn’t feel ashamed of speaking Russian, because “to narrow everything down to Putin’s regime will be reductive and unfair … in the same way that German culture shouldn’t be reduced to Nazism”. In her view, “to abandon their native idiom and culture only because of this unfortunate situation would be a shame.”

According to Dr Sobolev, the central value of language is its role in defining “patterns of thinking and the way you interact with the world,” which in turn shapes individual and community identities.

A speaker of four languages, Alan agrees that languages offer “different perspectives on how we can exist on this planet,” and emphasises the practical benefits of expanding one’s linguistic repertoire.

Aside from shaping identity and world perception, language is the fundamental tool for communication and friendship-building, especially in an international context.

The “bonding moment” and “instant connection” accessible through a common language remains a strong motivation for students to seek Russian-speaking friends at university.

Ultimately, language is a portal into a unique cutural context: recalling TV shows, jokes, and nursery rhymes in a shared language can melt the barriers of communication within

seconds. Apart from facilitating new bonds, language is key for maintaining long-distance relationships with family.

acknowledging the historical and cultural background which informs individual language choices.

LSE students seem to be navigating a balance between political views and linguistic practice, showcasing the urgency and practical possibility of separating the two elements. Eugene, a Russian-speaking Ukrainian student who nowadays predominantly speaks Ukrainian, claims to be flexible and “neutral-positive” towards the Russian language.

As Dr Sobolev noted, “you need to change mentality” to stimulate change, which is a “question of several decades, if not centuries.” And yet, the value of human connection and free expression of identity through language is worth the effort of rewiring oneself and withholding prejudice, linguistic or otherwise. Peace, after all, is a product of individual moral choices combined into a sustainable pattern of thought and behaviour, thus giving any person the right to co-exist in this turbulent hive of a human swarm.

Eugene’s motivation to speak more Ukrainian didn’t come from any “negative feelings towards Russian”, but rather from “the desire to speak Ukrainian better.” Hearing Russian in public often “drags my interest”, Eugene says, and therefore he uses the language as a medium to connect with people in a non-political way.

“I treat each

Russian individual positively until they prove otherwise,” he says. “Because of that, I will speak to them in Russian freely.”

Despite its sensitive nature and the tendency to associate language choice with political stance, its fundamental purpose as a tool for communication, connection, and engagement with the world highlights the need to reconsider our daily linguistic practices.

Tolerance, respect, and patience are central to re-building any relations, especially those tarnished by conflict. This is a very difficult and often painful process, and it starts with

**For historical reasons, associated with Russification policies carried out in Ukraine at the age of the Russian Empire and the USSR, most Ukrainian people are fluent in Ukrainian and Russian (with geographical variations). * Names have been changed to preserve anonymity.

FEATURES 7

The importance of the unquantifiable Amadea Hofmann Features Editor Illustrated by Francesca Corno

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e live in an increasingly data-driven world, where emphasis is often placed on the things that can be quantified: the state of the economy, coding languages, and algorithms, just to name a few.

Empirical pursuits – as opposed to the people-orientated social sciences – are often lauded as being the more “serious” and “demanding” disciplines.

Commentators have long argued that there is a humanities crisis, as students are increasingly abandoning the social sciences in pursuit of better job prospects.

Dr Anjana Bala, an LSE Fellow in the Department of Anthropology, considers her profession in the social sciences worthwhile. Although she initially attained a degree in Biology, she found the empirical side of science to be “limiting.”

So, she opted to pursue a Masters and PhD in Anthropology instead.

Dr Bala’s primary focus is the anthropology of mental health, which involves working with people who have been diagnosed with psychosis and schizophrenia. She describes their conditions as states in which “they don’t share the same sense of reality as those around them.” The individuals Dr Bala works with often have visual or auditory experiences, as well as altered recollections of the past.

It is a unique field of research because the subject matter is immaterial; the personal experiences of individuals cannot be quantified or generalised.

Consequently, there seems to be a dichotomy between the medical and anthropological understanding of psychosis and schizophrenia. Dr Bala says that “psychiatry tends to systematise [psychosis and schizophrenia] as delusion or hallucination, but my research

focuses on how there might be a broader truth or reality … in the supposed delusion.”

In cases where a purely medical diagnosis seems unsatisfactory – that is, dismissing hallucinations as things that categorically do not exist – an anthropological approach allows Dr Bala to look further.

She argues that, as an anthropologist, she can utilise “lived experience and narrative as forms of evidence.”

This sheds light on Dr Bala’s point about how the empirical sciences can be “limiting.”

If we constrain ourselves to a data-driven, black-and-white approach, the conclusion is either that the hallucinations are real or that they aren’t.

In contrast, anthropologists emphasise the subtle nuances of personal experiences by sitting with individuals and listening to their stories. Although this methodology may be less exact, it can also produce more insightful conclusions.

The individuals’ hallucinations may not be fully grounded in reality, but Dr Bala’s research finds that there can often be a “message behind their psychosis about themselves or the world, how they understand social relations.”

“That which we assume is unreason,” she says, “can actually be a form of social critique.”

According to Dr Bala, the need for a more nuanced approach is not unique to her research.

It could also ameliorate the ongoing mental health crisis, which is increasingly affecting young adults.

Dr Bala points out that “since the 80s there’s been hundreds of interventions on the most specific psychiatric drugs.

You have really individualised medicines … countless scientific articles published … but we’re actually not any step closer to solving our mental health crisis.”

“Depression

rates,

anxiety

rates are still skyrocketing despite the fact that we have all this quantifiable knowledge about the subject,” Dr Bala says. This suggests that the evidence-based approach alone is not enough. According to Dr Bala, scientists have been heavily reliant on methods that lead to tangible outcomes, but these outcomes aren’t solving the issues at hand.

“There is this drive for data and numbers and science and knowledge,” Dr Bala says. “But at the same time, we have all that knowledge but nothing is really quantifiably changing.”

Instead, she argues, we should turn to the humanities and social sciences to aid our understanding of mental health, as they “offer a different take on wellbeing which is rooted in ethical reflection … working with the person and individual histories can be of importance.”

Dr Bala adds that an anthropological lens could be applied to countless fields. Instead of it being an isolated subject that is only studied by a small fraction of students, it could form an instrumental part of most professionals’ educations.

If medical students were required to take an anthropology course during their studies on, for instance, how race and gender operate in the hospital,

“they would approach the patient differently,” Dr Bala argues.

Similarly, if law students had to take a course exploring how the law can be “culturally subjective” and analysing the “racial and gendered politics” that shape the criminal justice

us that there is value in the things that can’t be quantified.

In fact, the subjectivity of the social sciences and humanities – the same quality that attracts criticism – is what makes them indispensable. Their subjectivity allows us to tackle the questions that have no

“As Dr Bala notes, while ‘we have so much knowledge about the world,’ we still need to enhance our ‘knowledge of the world, life, and existence.’” system, they might practise law differently.

There is a tendency to shrug off the more theoretical considerations of our world and focus on data collection and black letter law. But we do not exist in a vacuum; countless immaterial factors affect our every action.

As Dr Bala notes, while “we have so much knowledge about the world,” we still need to enhance our “knowledge of the world, life, and existence.”

The world is not black-andwhite, and neither should our methods of studying it be. Anthropology – and the social sciences and humanities more broadly – shine a light on all the shades of grey and remind

objective answers. Countless “insights of life can be gleaned from anthropology,” Dr Bala says.

The unquantifiable is important not despite us living in a data-driven world, but because of it. Only when we utilise both the empirical and social sciences can we truly make sense of our world.

Dr Bala observes that “at the end of the day, everyone has to endure life. Even if you have data and numbers, you still have to deal with things like pain, relationality, death.”

In her view, we need to ask ourselves: “How do we relate to each other and what are our ethics and how do we live?”

8

FEATURES

LSE, the land of micro-communities Kaviesh Kinger Social Editor Illustrated by Mithalina Taib

A

ny prospective LSE student browsing online would only need a quick minute to find a disenchanting description of LSE culture on The Student Room, YouTube, or Reddit. Scathing reviews by students describe us as “cold” and “soulless,” with our reputation being “trust fund sponsored kids” wanting to “sell out.” Our university rankings this year were widely celebrated as third best in the UK, while we collectively turned a blind eye on our student satisfaction rating falling by two points to 58th place in the country.

Inside the library, surrounded by huddled students frantically pressing ‘submit’ on their spring week applications, I sat with Stella Bongiorno, a second-year Politics and Philosophy student.

Stella is one of many students I met to discuss the social culture at LSE. Stella is part of the student team involved in starting a ‘Creative Network’ at LSE. When asked about her thoughts on LSE’s social culture, Stella noted that “if people are coming here because they want a good job and to meet people useful for their future, then LSE’s a great place to be.’’

However, “if you want to have three years [of] enjoying what you study, meeting creatives … doing interesting things for your soul,” she says, “then I don’t know if the LSE is the right place to be. Maybe it is if you find the right people, but it’s really hard to find them.”

I was subsequently interested in the unique social culture at LSE. Through closely interviewing several students and surveying 60 individuals, I explored how LSE students felt about the social dynamics and culture in their university.

My starting point was investigating ‘micro-communities’ at LSE. These consist of small groups of individuals who connect over a specific point of interest. Examples include living in Bankside

House, being from Delhi, or studying in the Department of Finance. According to my survey, 78.3% of LSE students met most of their friends through micro-communities. Circling back to Stella’s words, I became curious about what connects students at LSE apart from micro-communities.

One student from the Department of Economics says: “I think we are all hustlers.” Another student studying Politics and International Relations agrees: “No one has got here easy, everyone has worked …

I think that’s really inspiring.”

A second year Politics and Economics student agreed, referring positively to the intellectual conversations he has on campus that “bring people together.”

But not all students agreed with LSE being a ‘philosophical hub’ and London’s very own ‘Les Deux Magots’ where intellectuals come to thrive socially. 28.3% of students agreed, and another 28.3% strongly felt that LSE students are predominantly focused on competition, networking, and academics.

One Accounting and Finance student felt especially strongly about the isolating atmosphere at LSE, describing the university culture as “very toxic” and “based around academia, spring weeks, stuff like that.”

“When I first came [to LSE] it was a bit scary, confusing … a bit too office-like and professional. I think now it’s a lot better, being a second year feels so much nicer … but I don’t think LSE’s improved, I think I’ve just got more comfortable.”

Hence, many students feel that what connects them to a wider community are their academic and professional ambitions.

However, multiple individuals did not feel that this connection translated into a thriving university-wide social culture.

“Career prospects and progression” seems to be the uniting component in LSE’s culture, as a Philosophy and Economics student Rhea describes. Other interviewees shared ‘horror

stories’ of ‘chronic networkers’ attending LinkedIn dinners every night, as well as competitive students refusing to help others with problem sets or exams.

This highlights an important point of tension underlying LSE’s student culture. On one hand, we are a university with dedicated and ambitious intellectuals. On the other hand, we are a body of young adults yearning for connection and warmth alongside our studies.

thread. Regardless of whether students felt positively or negatively about their social interactions at university, most students agreed with the prevalence of micro-communities at LSE: social interactions remain relatively confined to these groups. But how can we foster a university-wide social culture at LSE? The current starting point seems to be Sway, the infamous LSE Sports Night, hosted by

social culture may be the solution to this. One Accounting and Finance undergraduate mentioned that they enviously yearned for university-wide events, such as the freshers balls, summer balls, and silent discos that Royal Holloway hosts. This view is shared by 43.3% of students, who believe that the current university-wide social events need to be developed further.

At a university where 78.3% of

It is important to note that many students described the wonderful friendships they have nurtured within their halls, or among coursemates with whom they can have meaningful intellectual conversations. Umberto Belluzzo, President of the LSESU Italian Society, describes the LSE as the best in the UK for its “culture” and “the international community.”

For many, LSE has been the starting point of life-long connections. However, these flourishing micro-communities do not automatically translate into a flourishing university community. Rhea describes how “there are very rarely LSE wide social events … freshers is probably the last time … I’ve mixed with people from any kind of course or background.”

53.3% of students in the survey expressed that there are not enough opportunities outside of the micro-communities for people to socialise, with interviewees citing frustration over not only social, but also financial departmental divides, with the opulent Department of Finance’s funding overshadowing other departments. According to one General Course student, “I think the university’s mission is a little bit different … it’s kind of hard to understand how such an ambitious student body can come together and get along.”

Speaking to students of different backgrounds and opinions highlighted one common

the Athletics Union. One student outlines these as “the only events” that all LSE students seem to go to. But is Sway enough? Even Sway, while being open to all students, is segregated on the basis of sports societies, with specific dress codes for different sports teams and ‘pres’ for each team beforehand, contributing to the fracturing of the student body into a multitude of micro-communities.

Leah, a postgraduate student who previously studied at the University of Pennsylvania, describes LSE students as “a bit jaded” towards the university and lacking the pride she experienced at her alma mater.

Fostering a university-wide

students claim they have made most of their friends through micro-communities, and overall student satisfaction is declining, it is both important and necessary to view these two as connected. Rather than viewing dedication to academic rigour and fostering a thriving social community at LSE as antithetical, it may be better to regard them as complementary. After all, it is precisely those who work the hardest that need the most avenues to blow off steam. Hence, finding a balance between these two priorities, and a sustainable way of connecting them, is an important challenge that would complement the administration’s agenda.

OPINION

Opinion Editors Honour Astill Kieran Hurwood opinion.beaver@lsesu.org

9

The fate of statues of colonial figures: Is removal the final answer?

Samantha Lo Contributing Writer When you visit Parliament Square, take a moment to marvel at the grand statues surrounding the greenery and you will discover something quite bizarre. The statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the famous leader of the Indian independence movement, is erected just a short walk away from the statue of his ageold political enemy, Winston Churchill. The blatant irony here prompted me to reflect on the nature and function of statues – they are associated with prestige and honour, conveying the message that the person depicted ought to be remembered and looked up upon (quite literally). If Gandhi is placed in Parliament Square to celebrate his victory for Indian independence, isn’t it problematic that Churchill’s statue stands alongside him as one of India’s colonisers?

Perhaps the irony is precisely the point – the statues silently invite us to confront history as it happened.

Around London, the former capital of the British Empire and historical centre of the Atlantic slave trade, many

statues of figures involved in the colonial project are erected to commemorate what were once regarded as their “achievements”. The statue of Robert Clive, for example, proudly stands in King Charles Street, Whitehall. Clive was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency and a significant figure in laying the foundation of the East India Company. Venerated in the 19th century for his military service and acquisition of wealth for the British Empire, Clive is now unable to escape criticism for his ill treatment of his colonial constituents, being labelled a “vicious assetstripper” by historian William Dalrymple. What message is Britain sending by failing to tear down these many statues of colonial officials? By living in the city today and not actively opposing the existence of such monuments, are we also guilty of pushing a long-outdated colonial narrative?

With the Black Lives Matter movement raising public awareness of race and colonial issues, many now advocate for the removal of monuments of figures complicit in colonialism in a wider call for what can be termed as “landscape justice”.

Many find the presence of such statues symbolic of the country’s unwillingness, or incompetence in acknowledging its problematic past. After all, isn’t it highly offensive that we are still paying tribute to people who would have been deemed war criminals by today’s standards? Many UK residents share such sentiments, firstly due to the rise of immigrant communities whose ancestors might have been oppressed by colonial systems, and secondly because the general public is becoming more conscious of how colonial history is deeply embedded in the landscapes we are surrounded by. Removal seems to be the way to go, the way to correct past mistakes, the way to enact “justice”. But I have an issue with such an arrangement.

Removing controversial statues is like over-applying concealer to an acne spot – the “ugly” bit gets covered for a prettier appearance, but it is still lurking underneath the surface. Statues of colonial figures represent a problematic past – granted – so the heart of the question is whether we want the public to learn and confront the past or let it drown gradually.

Taking these statues down

“Removing controversial statues is like over-applying concealer to an acne spot – the “ugly” bit gets covered for a prettier appearance, but it is still lurking underneath the surface.” essentially means covering up a part of history that should be known and discussed, despite the discomfort that these conversations might bring.

Instead of censoring the past, I believe it is way more productive to take the existence of these statues as a starting point to educate ourselves about the background of these historical figures, the reasons why they are controversial and the ongoing effects of their actions in today’s world. When done right, these statues can act as opportunities for the public to engage with history on their own terms in our local environments.

I suggest a new perspective that challenges the notion of colonially problematic statues as being universally offensive.

If statues are presented with contextualisation and sensitivity, they can actually highlight precisely why they

are controversial in the first place. Instead of seeing statues as something to be admired, they can exist neutrally as educational tools for the public. Take for example Oriel College at the University of Oxford, where the statue of Cecil John Rhodes has been a subject of contention for many years. Despite being a major benefactor of the College, Rhodes’ statue is hugely unpopular amongst students due to his exploitation of people in the then Cape Colony in today’s South Africa. However, due to legal challenges, the College has faced difficulties in taking Rhodes’ statue down. This led the College to begin work on contextualising the statue, including placing an explanatory plaque under the statue and creating a website detailing the biography of Rhodes and his relationship with the College.

I believe that this arrangement brings nuance to Rhodes’s presentation, showing how incorporating sensitivity can be a better way to approach the problem of statues than removal.

Living in London, it is easy to be charmed by its glamour that we forget to step back and critically think about its strong ties with the colonial past, and what that means in this day and age. My hope is that this article convinces you that the removal of controversial statues is not the only answer, and that contextualisation can be an effective method to tackle the complicated past of colonial legacies. Look closely, next time, at the statue on the street that you perhaps walk past every day.

10 OPINION

Building codes: a necessary evil Lucas Ngai Contributing Writer Illustrated by Mithalina Taib

I

was too engrossed in my lunch, but at least I’m going to make it on time to my Intro to Logic Class on time!” I thought triumphantly, as I happily aligned the room number to the one listed on my calendar.

I sheepishly knocked on the bright blue door, only to feel the imminent shame and dread as I just realised I was standing in front of a professor’s office (of Social Policy, no less). My friend happened to walk past, also puzzled by the labyrinth of hallways and classrooms.

“Is this Kingsway?” I asked.

“No, it’s the Old Building…” he replies, trailing off.

I heave a sigh of frustration as the initials “KSW” on my screen taunt me, laugh at me mistaking the Kingsway Building entrance image on the website for a virtually identical Old Building door up the street.

The LSE fresher’s plight – acclimating to living costs in London, sifting through the avalanche of welcome information, enduring the shoving of GIAG events at one’s face at the Welcome fair (not to mention the hard tap water, ick…), and now, being late to class for no good reason?

Must the sighs of frustration from three initials add to this harrowing list as well?

Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely enjoy spending time on the LSE campus; the buildings here emanate an air of modernity that brilliantly juxtaposes the Gothic architecture of Lincoln’s Inn. However, I am most indignant about this travesty: such rich culture and history in each and every building on campus, reduced by the bureaucracy, to three letter initials and grey rectangles on a tacky, red cube. Could they at least have added some landmarks on the map to help people orient themselves, like the Globe in front of the Student Union Building (SAW)? But

no, in the name of aesthetic, minimalistic graphic design, the burden falls on the poor freshers (many of whom whose first language is not English) to decode the cryptic image.

“Well, just gotta suck it up, innit?” you may think. After all, the finance bros are too busy toiling away at their spring week applications (into the wide, heathen gates of corporate slavery before term’s even started, what?!) to be bothered by this senseless drivel. To my pitifully ignorant readers, there is ample evidence to suggest that this issue is anything but trivial.

During fresher’s week alone, the phrase “lse ckk” has been googled a grand total of 184 times. Worse even, on October 2, the phrase “lse sal” has been googled 90 times at 2 in the morning (I couldn’t make these statistics up even if I tried)! If building codes are able to keep students up at night two weeks after Welcome Week at the time of writing, something clearly needs to be done – and just when you think it couldn’t be worse, this problem also leads to significant financial losses, which I will explain below.

Before we begin, I will elaborate on our hypothetical LSE student: based on conservative estimates, school fees will be £23,330 (reflective of LSE’s international student majority), and the average first year will only miss class for the first two weeks. Within those two weeks, I will assume the student has four modules composed of 2 periods that are 50 minutes long: 1 lecture + 1 seminar a week, as well as an LSE100 seminar (can’t forget about that!).

Within these two weeks, the student would be late to only ¼ of classes, or 4 periods, due to building mix-ups, each mix-up costing ten minutes of (productive) class time. For the purposes of this experiment, time is quantified into money – after all, the knowledge learned in lectures and seminars is what you paid for!

To quantify potential losses to the student, I will calculate the total cost of each school week at LSE (discounting reading weeks and Spring Term). To account

for full days off, the cost of each week will be divided into cost per period, rather than per day. As a history student, I apologise in advance for my rudimentary math skills, but the numbers are outlined below for your scrutiny:

Oh, to think that for each minute one sits idly in lecture, they squander not one, but two lovely Greggs sausage rolls! On a more serious note, if even by the “cheapest” Tier 1 overseas fees and rounding down the numbers, the fresher still loses over £100 from getting buildings mixed up. One can only imagine the losses for overseas students in Tier 2-3 fee courses! To think that such first-world inefficiencies can have such far-reaching financial consequences…

Yet as I sit in deep thought, thinking a b o u t how to continue articulating this opinion, I cannot help but respect why this system is necessary.

Think about it – how would “Pankhurst House and Fawcett House, Ground Floor” fit on my tiny little calendar tile?

Truly, imagine the power of communicating a precise location in a handful of characters – so streamlined and precise (when I can get used to it, that is)! If we can write complex essays and solve complicated equations as students here, surely this simple skill is within our grasp. On second thought, perhaps seeing the locations for all my classes and meetings for my societies without any ellipses is quite satisfying.

Perhaps it’s just a necessary

evil, transitioning from a simple 3-digit room location system from high school to this building code system at LSE. Perhaps this “necessary evil” can just be... “necessary”.

In my humble opinion, I think that the solution to this problem was under our noses all along – the pre-enrolment form. We all have to do this anyway, right? Picking the LSE100 topic, filling in the questionnaire for the Careers team, and getting the email account sorted are all very important tasks, but is getting to know the campus you’ll be spending the next 3-4 years on any less important? What if, as a part of this form, is a set of flashcards, followed by a quiz or test requiring students to match building codes, their names, and appearances (the easiest test at LSE, I’m sure)?

Intuitively enough, adding this segment to the pre-enrolment process will surely decrease the odds of freshers getting

lost significantly and help students make the most of their tuition.

Imagine a world where you sit in front of your computer, one month before start of term at the LSE. You eagerly open your pre-enrolment email (which still takes a millennium to arrive), not knowing what to expect. As you carefully match the “building with the glass box sandwiched in the middle” to “SAL” and the “mosaic in the concave quarter dome” to “KGS”, you sit in your plush swivel chair, enlightened: your feelings of foreboding, dread, fear of financial loss, begin to fade away into the wind as the drab map on your screen springs to life. And when Week 1 starts, you proudly sit in your seat 10 minutes before each of your lectures start, knowing full well you earned those sausage rolls you’re going to get at that Greggs down the street once the clock hits 5 minutes to the hour.

Now, that’s a world you should want to live in.

OPINION 11

Voluntourism: selfless or sabotaging?

Sana Agarwal Flipside Editor Illustrated by Paavas Bansal

T

his summer I volunteered in Makuyu, a small village in Kenya for two months. Living in a new country just by myself, teaching children from disadvantaged backgrounds and helping with the administration of vaccines.

I also met locals and volunteers like me from all around the world. My trip overall was an insane experience that I cherish. While my trip was fully funded, it did make me think about voluntourism and the industry in general.

The word voluntourism comes from a mixture of ‘volunteering’ and ‘tourism’. Voluntourism is a 2 billion dollar industry and is growing at a rapid rate with key customers being students. The industry breeds by advertising trips as a fairy tale mix of leisure and altruism, when in reality it centres around exploitation and egoism. It is harmful to both parties at play, the volunteers themselves who most likely have kind intentions of serving society but even more so, the community or charity itself.

They do so by capitalising on their impoverished conditions hidden under the facade of being ‘charitable’.

During my time in Kenya, it often struck me that I was potentially snatching away employment opportunities from the locals. Even though, as a student at a top-class university, bring certain skills to the table, I highly doubt that someone else couldn’t have taught basic Mathematics and English to 3-7 year-old kids.

And I think that stands true all across the board.

Economically, voluntourism does more harm than good.

When volunteers come in to work many times it leads perhaps inadvertently - to the unemployment of the locals.

Companies and charities, instead of hiring local labour and paying them for their work, decide to capitalise on their hardship instead. After all, what’s better than having

people pay you for their labour?

Another challenge I faced in Kenya was the language barrier. It is hard to help someone when you can barely understand them, let alone teach them or provide healthcare facilities. Even though I had Swahili lessons every day, it wasn’t until the end of my trip I started having a command of the language. I am sure a Kenyan teacher, or even a regular Swahili speaker, could have done a far better job than I did, this would also save hours of Swahili lessons and the resources put into it.

Most volunteers only go abroad for a short period thus, engaging in low-skilled work: therefore the ability of the volunteer to make a long-term impact in dismantling poverty or even just making significant gains for a community is very limited.

T h e same goes for construction volunteering; it has been reported that when a group finishes building bathrooms at a local school they are stripped down for the next group to come. The utter waste of both resources and labour speaks to the exploitation of such an industry and highlights its only aim – profit.

However, there is a far more alarming and dangerous byproduct of voluntourism – white saviourism, the idea that people in the Global South must depend on white people to ‘save’ themselves from their misery. It puts the communities at risk of feeling inferior and, incompetent giving the volunteer just the perfect saviour complex to feed into

their ego, deeming it a perfect trip for their social media and CVs. The danger of such a sentiment is way deeper than the consumers realise. What starts as a charitable initiative can take the dangerous turn of neo-colonialism. It strips the volunteer of their altruistic intentions and can be deeply degrading to the community, causing damage to both parties involved.

Once I was back from my trip I decided to read more about voluntourism, and what was revealed was beyond unsettling.

The industry has been tipping the line of unethical and deeply exploitative in ways that are unimaginable to most of its consumers. There have been several reports by big newspapers like The Guardian as well as local newspapers about ‘orphanage voluntourism’ in Nepal, Haiti,

“The industry breeds by advertising trips as a fairy tale mix of leisure and altruism, when in reality it centres around exploitation and egoism.” who frequently has talked about the same said, “Voluntourism is one of the drivers of family break up in very poor countries.

It incentivizes 'orphanages' that are run as businesses."

year around 2 billion dollars are spent on voluntourism, which is more than the GNI (gross national income) of the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo combined.

Moreover, donating the hundreds or sometimes even thousands of dollars spent on a trip instead would be far more impactful.

The intentions of companies promoting voluntourism opportunities are often perfectly camouflaged, and that is the very reason it is very dangerous. It is this very banner of altruism that has become a money magnet targeting students.

These companies sell themselves for the experience of providing a world view and being a helping hand along the way. Unfortunately, many people fall into this trap every year despite their intentions being fundamentally kind. For others, it is a filler for their gap year, a tick off their bucket list or an achievement on their CV.

More often than not, these charities or communities

Cambodia and Uganda.

That refers to the practice of i n s t itut i on a l i s i n g

children and recruiting them into orphanages even though they have parents. JK Rowling

need financial support; they don’t need an engineer to cook them food, they can do so themselves. It has been reported that every

It is important to ask ourselves what we would want to gain from our participation in voluntourism. Do you want to escape your monotonous life and take on an adventure? Enhance your prospects of getting that UN job? Get some cool pictures for socials? Or do you really want to serve others? If your answer is the latter it is clear what your actions should be.

Either donate the money you would spend on your trip or start where you are.

As one often says, charity begins at home.

So the next time you book your flight to a far-off destination, all geared up to save the world, think to yourself.

Are your actions selfless or sabotaging?

RIVIERA

fOR THIS ISSUE OF THE BEAVER, WE ASKED ONE POET AND ONE ARTIST TO PRODUCE A POEM ON AN AGREED THEME, THEN TO TRANSLATE the poem into comic illustrations. the resulting artwork, presented here, is a unique visualisation of poetry in which two brilliantly different creative visions breathe in tandem.

minds of an illust e h t o rato Illustration and Text by Int r Mithalina Taib and Francesca Corno

As illustrators at the Beaver, there are a few things we have to grapple with: one constant, for example, is finding the right balance between the message of the article whilst offering our own creative interpretations. After all, we are also journalists who aspire to tell stories, but only with a slightly unconventional approach.

The first prompt being “Drip” was almost comical. The bathroom ceiling in my flat gave way the week before, and my flatmate and I braved up and tackled the issue with all our might (we put a cup where the drip was and called the relevant authorities). No problems with inspiration here, it was extremely fun to get started and I actually felt myself healing from the recent tragedy.

y2 Da

The Price of Modernity in Tibet

Day 1: DRIP

Propaganda in China fits a certain stereotype of the genre: loud, bold, and imposing, reminiscent of its ancestral roots in Maoist China.

Inktober is a concept created by artist Jake Parker in 2009, in which artists respond to a random prompt for the entire month of October to improve and experiment with their styles. For the third week of AT, we decided to stretch our own creative minds by responding to a random prompt everyday, and share our process with The Beaver readers!

: TOAD

Photography and Text by Ben Chen

Da y4

TUNE OR :F

“Fortune... very apt for the LSE. How do I do this with minimal reference to finance and econ?” I wonder, before settling on a classical theme inspired by the class I have in about an hour (don’t we just love the Ancient Greeks). I ask Humayra, who’s sitting across from me, if I can use her as a reference.

I pray she doesn’t get annoyed if I start moving her arms around to get the positioning just right.

Spicy things are tasty things. How could you not like biting into food and being sent into another dimension?

There’s the kind that goes straight into your brain (beautiful, beautiful wasabi) then there’s the sweating, crying, screaming type of spice.

My personal favour“I really don’t ite? Cili want to draw the padi, sun”. I complain while picon FaceTime to a friend. tured “Then don’t! What’s the theme?” “Rise” here.

“How about a phoenix?”, I think back

5 ay

EY PIC S :

But at what cost? Tibetan culture is increasingly commodified and eroded, government power permeates via unavoidable propaganda, concrete shells of planned cities, slowly crumbling, the totality of it all acted in front of snow capped massifs and the overwhelmingly barren plateau.

Through these images, I want to express what I saw and felt, and the sheer absurdness of it all.

For “Toad”, I put my general dislike of amphibians to the side for this one. I put the TV adaptation of Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad on, and looking out the window, I saw a jogger. “Shirtless, in this weather?” Inspiration hit. I present to you, jogging Toad (with shirt).

: BOUNCE

Fenced off from the rest of the city, Jokhang is a literal “tourist trap”.

Yet, commodifying the “Exotic” is a more recent phenomena. Take the Jokhang Temple district in Lhasa: a maze of cul-de-sacs, populated by colourful facades, each selling identical trinkets and services, all advertising “authentic” Tibetan culture. The most absurd of which are studios that specialise in taking photos of Han Chinese wearing Tibetan clothing, at a premium rate.

Roadside billboards, typically reserved for corporate propaganda, are instead plastered with of empty signifiers of ethnic unity and the “Chinese Dream” upon a blood red canvas; erected along remote mountain roads, they serve as a persistent reminder of the power and reach of Beijing and the Party.

Day 3

Fetishising the “Other” is nothing new; the mystique of radical alterity, combined with human curiosity, has inspired countless to explore, expand, and exploit.

Rapid economic growth, coupled with infrastructure improvements and a drive towards “Ethnic Unity”, has resulted in the explosive expansion of domestic Chinese tourism. Places previously prohibitively expensive, or simply inaccessible, are now just a flight, train, or (long) drive away. Such is the case for Tibet: a sparsely populated mountainous region, whose people, culture, and landscape serves as the “Exotic” to the Han Chinese majority. Now, the populace of inner-city Han Chinese can comfortably, and cheaply, satisfy their curiosity.

Illustrating movement can be a challenge - take a ball bouncing on some pavement, my first idea, how do you demonstrate that it has bounced to get to its current position? You need a surface that demonstrates some kind of reaction… Nothing better than the fluidity of water for that - skipping stones it is.

6 ay

D

to all the times I rewatched Harry Potter, smile, and start drawing.

D WANay 7: DE

R

Making art is the best feeling in the world - and the best ideas come when I do nothing. To practice wandering is to give in to the flow of your thoughts, or to embrace the lack of it. I used to think it was a waste of time, but wandering has given me some of my most precious pieces. As we end with the last illustration, the pocket watch, we appreciate you for wandering across our illustrations with us.

E : RIS

MULTIMEDIA

Edited by Claire Yubin Oh

D

As part of the Central Committee’s plan for rural modernisation, massive urbanisation schemes were implemented. Barren six lane roads walled off by empty apartment blocks that can be best described as simulacra;bare concrete structures containing wage labourers subsisting off 8 yuan cigarettes; and plain poverty. Although modernisation has worked, largely because Tibetan standards of living have drastically increased, the scheme’s implementation clearly outpaced its demand.

RIVIERA

fOR THIS ISSUE OF THE BEAVER, WE ASKED ONE POET AND ONE ARTIST TO PRODUCE A POEM ON AN AGREED THEME, THEN TO TRANSLATE the poem into comic illustrations. the resulting artwork, presented here, is a unique visualisation of poetry in which two brilliantly different creative visions breathe in tandem.

minds of an illust e h t o rato Illustration and Text by Int r Mithalina Taib and Francesca Corno

As illustrators at the Beaver, there are a few things we have to grapple with: one constant, for example, is finding the right balance between the message of the article whilst offering our own creative interpretations. After all, we are also journalists who aspire to tell stories, but only with a slightly unconventional approach.

The first prompt being “Drip” was almost comical. The bathroom ceiling in my flat gave way the week before, and my flatmate and I braved up and tackled the issue with all our might (we put a cup where the drip was and called the relevant authorities). No problems with inspiration here, it was extremely fun to get started and I actually felt myself healing from the recent tragedy.

y2 Da

The Price of Modernity in Tibet

Day 1: DRIP

Propaganda in China fits a certain stereotype of the genre: loud, bold, and imposing, reminiscent of its ancestral roots in Maoist China.

Inktober is a concept created by artist Jake Parker in 2009, in which artists respond to a random prompt for the entire month of October to improve and experiment with their styles. For the third week of AT, we decided to stretch our own creative minds by responding to a random prompt everyday, and share our process with The Beaver readers!

: TOAD

Photography and Text by Ben Chen

Da y4

TUNE OR :F

“Fortune... very apt for the LSE. How do I do this with minimal reference to finance and econ?” I wonder, before settling on a classical theme inspired by the class I have in about an hour (don’t we just love the Ancient Greeks). I ask Humayra, who’s sitting across from me, if I can use her as a reference.

I pray she doesn’t get annoyed if I start moving her arms around to get the positioning just right.

Spicy things are tasty things. How could you not like biting into food and being sent into another dimension?

There’s the kind that goes straight into your brain (beautiful, beautiful wasabi) then there’s the sweating, crying, screaming type of spice.

My personal favour“I really don’t ite? Cili want to draw the padi, sun”. I complain while picon FaceTime to a friend. tured “Then don’t! What’s the theme?” “Rise” here.

“How about a phoenix?”, I think back

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EY PIC S :

But at what cost? Tibetan culture is increasingly commodified and eroded, government power permeates via unavoidable propaganda, concrete shells of planned cities, slowly crumbling, the totality of it all acted in front of snow capped massifs and the overwhelmingly barren plateau.

Through these images, I want to express what I saw and felt, and the sheer absurdness of it all.

For “Toad”, I put my general dislike of amphibians to the side for this one. I put the TV adaptation of Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad on, and looking out the window, I saw a jogger. “Shirtless, in this weather?” Inspiration hit. I present to you, jogging Toad (with shirt).

: BOUNCE

Fenced off from the rest of the city, Jokhang is a literal “tourist trap”.

Yet, commodifying the “Exotic” is a more recent phenomena. Take the Jokhang Temple district in Lhasa: a maze of cul-de-sacs, populated by colourful facades, each selling identical trinkets and services, all advertising “authentic” Tibetan culture. The most absurd of which are studios that specialise in taking photos of Han Chinese wearing Tibetan clothing, at a premium rate.

Roadside billboards, typically reserved for corporate propaganda, are instead plastered with of empty signifiers of ethnic unity and the “Chinese Dream” upon a blood red canvas; erected along remote mountain roads, they serve as a persistent reminder of the power and reach of Beijing and the Party.

Day 3

Fetishising the “Other” is nothing new; the mystique of radical alterity, combined with human curiosity, has inspired countless to explore, expand, and exploit.

Rapid economic growth, coupled with infrastructure improvements and a drive towards “Ethnic Unity”, has resulted in the explosive expansion of domestic Chinese tourism. Places previously prohibitively expensive, or simply inaccessible, are now just a flight, train, or (long) drive away. Such is the case for Tibet: a sparsely populated mountainous region, whose people, culture, and landscape serves as the “Exotic” to the Han Chinese majority. Now, the populace of inner-city Han Chinese can comfortably, and cheaply, satisfy their curiosity.

Illustrating movement can be a challenge - take a ball bouncing on some pavement, my first idea, how do you demonstrate that it has bounced to get to its current position? You need a surface that demonstrates some kind of reaction… Nothing better than the fluidity of water for that - skipping stones it is.

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D

to all the times I rewatched Harry Potter, smile, and start drawing.

D WANay 7: DE

R

Making art is the best feeling in the world - and the best ideas come when I do nothing. To practice wandering is to give in to the flow of your thoughts, or to embrace the lack of it. I used to think it was a waste of time, but wandering has given me some of my most precious pieces. As we end with the last illustration, the pocket watch, we appreciate you for wandering across our illustrations with us.

E : RIS

MULTIMEDIA

Edited by Claire Yubin Oh

D

As part of the Central Committee’s plan for rural modernisation, massive urbanisation schemes were implemented. Barren six lane roads walled off by empty apartment blocks that can be best described as simulacra;bare concrete structures containing wage labourers subsisting off 8 yuan cigarettes; and plain poverty. Although modernisation has worked, largely because Tibetan standards of living have drastically increased, the scheme’s implementation clearly outpaced its demand.

SPORT

the team even managing to build wholesome, inter-year traditions. For example, building bonds between freshers, second/third years and even alumni; referring to freshers as “baby freshers”, second and third-years as “sisters”, and alumni as “grannies.” Vivien further described a mentor-mentee relationship between first and third years that extends beyond the football pitch, creating what feels like a supportive extended family.

EDITED BY ROBERT KHANDZHYAN Internally, the club has also seen an improvement in organisation over the last few years. This includes having more regular and accessible training - which by the AND MATT SUDLOW way isn’t a hundred miles away in Berrylands but in Islington - and varied socials

A Sporting Sisterhood

by IRAZ AKKUS & photo by LSEWFC

that don’t revolve around drinking. To cater to all their members’ interests, the team alternates between drinking then non-drinking related activities, like pizza dinners, creating an approachable and comforting culture. In fact, this extends to more than just undergraduates as the society boasts a very even split of under and postgraduate ratios.

Moreover, the team does not shy away from supporting important social causes.

A recent example can be seen within their Rainbow Laces sale for Stonewall in support of National Coming Out day. The laces sold out in three and a half hours, being supported by their counterparts in Men’s FC and other prominent societies raising over £140. This initiative was started last year by Teresa Petralia (President of WFC 2022) during pride week.

The team have also exercised immense effort to become a financially sustainable society, having budgeted incredibly well last year to have concrete funds for the 2023 term. However, Vivien states,“Kits, training grounds and expenses” all cost the club a significant amount and to keep the motivation high and be organisationally consistent, capital is key. Receiving this capital is dependent on SU funds and membership revenue, so there is certain anxiety surrounding budgeting for the year at the beginning of the academic term. This also reveals potential financial difficulties of growing from a small or medium size to a large society within the AU - a vicious cycle where SU funding depends on membership, but membership depends on an organised society, which in turn depends on how much funding a society is entitled to.

With a history of unstable membership levels and fear for the society’s survival, LSE Women’s Football Club (WFC) has not had an easy succession from yearto-year. However, after interviewing three committee members, Vivien Equestre (President), Maddie Osborn (Vice President) and Ana Van Der Ree (Secretary), it is evident that there has been immense progression within the club. This growth owes its stability and success to both the dedication and genuine love from its members, and the pivotal changes in the international scene for women’s football.

Looking through a global lens, the recent environment for women’s football has been a forceful factor in inspiring more girls to show up and give WFC Soc a go.

The two major events, the Euros in 2022 and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, gave a platform for England’s ‘Lionesses’ to showcase their skills as a leading footballing nation. Their success winning the Euros last year and becoming runners-up in the World Cup this summer sparked mass media recognition, inspiring a new generation of female footballers. The club has been capitalising on this growth and incorporating it within the society to keep up the spike in interest, for example organising day trips to see women’s football matches at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

The club now has around 70 members, which means they will, for the first time ever, enter a second competitive girls team for matches. The girls explained that this growth is not only from new LSE freshers and postgraduates, but rather girls who had previously been in other societies such as Hockey and Lacrosse. For example, Ana started her LSE sports journey as a Netball member up until her second year, but as WFC became more structured, she explained that, “it was a better fit for [her],” adding that, “the culture here is just super inclusive, there is no pressure to be a certain way or show up as someone other than yourself.”.

Alongside this success, the club will see the introduction of an event membership (meaning you can join the socials and not play football) for only £30. The small, nuclear family atmosphere of a few years ago has expanded exponentially with

Last but not least, when I asked the girls what’s one thing they would want people to take away from this interview, they stressed “You don’t need to be good at football to play, everyone is welcome!”. Ending the interview in the most appropriate feeling of inclusivity that the society radiates in excess. If you’re looking to find your LSE sisterhood, look no further.

NFL Takes London by Storm

written & photographed by JOSETTE PEACOCK On Sunday, October 8th, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was filled with avid sports fans – but not the kind that usually frequents the football ground. Instead, spectators packed the stadium for the long-awaited American football match between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars in a thrilling National Football League (NFL) game. The showdown was more than just an American football game; it exhibited the international expansion of the NFL fandom through its arrival in London.

In a close game between the Bills and the Jaguars, the Jaguars ultimately emerged victorious with a final score of 25-20. The game was an upset to the Bills, who are projected as serious contenders for this year’s Super Bowl, the NFL’s annual championship. Throughout the game, both quarterbacks - Josh Allen for the Bills, and Trevor Lawrence for the Jaguars, showcased their talent. Though the Jaguars held the lead for the entirety of the game, the Bills mounted a dramatic comeback attempt at the end of the fourth quarter. The Bills’ Josh Allen, under immense pressure, ran a remarkable 75-yard, 45-second touchdown drive. With seconds remaining on the clock, the game was on the line as the Bills attempted a potentially game-tying touchdown run, before fumbling and losing possession to the Jaguars, securing Jacksonville’s victory. This match-up perfectly illustrated the

Each season, there are two championships: one for the teams (constructors), and one for the drivers. It is worth mentioning that both championships have already been awarded for the 2023 season, with Red Bull taking the Constructors’ Championship, and Max Verstappen taking his third Drivers’ Championship in a row. Points are given to the top 10 Grand Prix finishers, with first place receiving 25 and others getting incrementally fewer.

The Narrative unpredictable and electrifying nature of American football.

This year’s appearance in the UK marked the sixteenth year of the NFL’s London Games. During the Bills vs Jaguars game, the NFL celebrated the exciting achievement of having the most fans at an NFL game outside of the United States in history, a testament to the league’s growing global popularity. Fans of the NFL travelled from all corners of the globe to share in the excitement of an American football game. One fan from Nuremberg, Germany shared his excitement about being able to see the Buffalo Bills play in-person, expressing that being able to travel to London was convenient but that he hoped to one day be able to see the Bills play in New York at the Bills Stadium.

The NFL’s global expansion is not only about sharing the game but also about bringing the culture of American football overseas. American football offers fans a unique and exciting experience, from tailgating to halftime shows. Fans have the chance to savour traditional American game-day food, from hot dogs and nachos to hamburgers and wings. In turn, American fans could be seen throughout London during the weekend of the game, sporting Bills and Jaguars gear as they toured the city after travelling to see their teams play abroad. An announcer characterised the stadium scene as resembling a home game for the Bills. Huge credit should be given to the prominent presence of ‘Bills Mafia’, a term for Buffalo Bills fans, who could be spotted all around the stadium proudly wearing the team’s red and blue colours.

The NFL’s venture into London brings together sports enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds. As international fans continue to embrace American football, the league’s presence in London is a bridge between various cultures and nations, where a mutual love for the game serves as a symbol of unity. Beyond the exhilaration within the stadium, the streets of London were awash with the colours of both teams as American fans mingled with locals, celebrating their mutual affinity for the sport.

The vibrant cultural exchange and shared enthusiasm of the NFL’s London Games underscores the remarkable ability of sports to bring individuals from all corners of the world together.

Championships Wrapped Up, What’s Next? by SKYE SLATCHER

With four rounds left of this year’s Formula 1 season, it’s as good a time as ever to start watching! The globe-trotting spectacle is the pinnacle of motorsport and speed. This weekend, the drivers take on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico, a track with 17 corners in a race of 71 laps.

This brief introduction will tell you everything you need to know to get to grips with the race weekend.

The premise of the sport isn’t particularly complicated: 20 drivers, 10 teams race around 23 tracks around the world (increasing to 24 tracks next year). Each car has to use a turbocharged V6 engine, but teams can make their engine and chassis themselves. A series of regulations govern the cars, but the overall freedom each team has to design their car is the key element that distinguishes F1 from series like F2 or IndyCar.

So, the next Grand Prix is in Mexico. It’s the home race of Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. A recent online rumour caused a bit of a stir when it suggested that he would be announcing his retirement - so watch out for that! Even if this isn’t the case, his performance in the last few races of the season is vital in ensuring he holds on to the coveted RB seat for next season - rumour has it if he loses second place in the championship, he might be out. His teammate and world champion Verstappen holds the record for most wins at this track with four. Given the way this season has been going so far, I’d say it’s a pretty safe assumption that he will be able to make it five this weekend, though someone else taking the top spot on the podium would be a lovely surprise.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have had an incredible run of races recently, with rookie Piastri earning his first sprint race win in Qatar and Norris on three podiums in a row.

Perhaps we could see one of them get their first GP win. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz remains the only non-Red Bull driver to win on a Sunday this season, so could he repeat it here? His performance in Mexico has been improving every year. Maybe Hamilton could take the second place championship spot from Perez this weekend.

A key challenge of this track is the altitude, meaning the air is thinner, causing issues in terms of grip and engine overheating. The track’s massive 1.2km start-finish straight is critical for the race start, with a good getaway being critical for the drivers. The track’s turns mean we can expect slightly less wheel-to-wheel racing than other races. But, as with every weekend, potential for crashes and team strategy to change everything mean it’s all to play for!

Race Weekend Format

This weekend’s GP will follow the standard format of two practice sessions on Friday, a further practice followed by Qualifying on Saturday, and the Grand Prix on Sunday. The alternative sprint weekend includes one extra, shorter race, though we won’t see any more of those this season.

Sunday’s Mexico City GP starts at 8pm UK time.

SOCIAL EDITED BY RHEA JETHWA AND KAVIESH KINGER

Let me paint you a picture: LSESU Art Business Society

by MIKHAIL KORNEEV

Have you ever seen a 100-year-old art piece in the news, sold for a 9-digit figure, and wondered just how this works? Well, behind every such sale, there is a bustling community of small galleries, themed exhibitions, auctions and drink receptions.

The best part is - for LSE students, there is a way to get involved.

To help you learn more about the LSE student community, for this print edition, I spoke with Uriel and Maria Constanza - members of the LSESU Art Business Society committee - about what their society does and how one can participate.

As Uriel, the LSESU Art Business Society treasurer, puts it, in the UK, the art world is a professional community with highly restricted access. The role of the LSESU Art Business society is therefore to provide LSE students with an opportunity to get a taste of the London art scene and experience semi-public openings and exhibitions.

This academic year will be the third year for the LSESU Art Business Society.

Maria Constanza, the society’s secretary, says that a lot of people in the society’s committee are not only passionate art enthusiasts but also have personal and professional ties with the art world. This allows the society to access a wide range of unique art events and invite speakers with real experience in the industry.

The philosophy of the society is that the art world is as much about doing business, as about aesthetics and ideas. In the words of Uriel, artists are part of the art industry. This is why the society welcomes people from all backgrounds and interests. In the world of art, there is a place for lawyers, painters and businesspeople alike!

Exhibition openings and gallery visits are the society’s signature events. However, the range of activities that the society provides is intentionally wide. What caught my attention in particular is a student-led magazine on art business that the society publishes. The last year’s edition on NFT art is incredibly well-designed and contains some insightful contributions from LSE students that can explain NFT in an accessible way, helping break it down for those who are new to the topic.

This year the society’s committee are looking forward to running events on a weekly basis and have so far maintained this pace. Maria Constanza shares the society’s future plans to expand its activities and potentially run workshops for those interested in getting involved with the art industry.

So, I would highly recommend keeping an eye on their social pages. They are mostly active on Instagram but also have a WhatsApp chat and a LinkedIn page.

In my view, what makes the LSESU Art Business Society unique is that they focus on a highly contentious topic - money and art - and take it with all the seriousness it deserves. London might not quite be a student town, but it has a lot to offer if one knows where to search. The LSESU Art Business Society is a part of the LSE student community that assists you with exactly that.

A Frank Ocean song for every mood

by VIRGINIA LUEMBA

Frank Ocean has been one of the most influential artists in the past decade. Having only released two studio albums, his music still captivates his fans. Though we are (patiently) waiting for another album, his music remains timeless and manages to fulfil his fans through a range of different moods. Here’s a guide on what Frank songs to listen to while we wait for new music: In need of an energy lift? ‘Monks’ from his 2012 album Channel Orange is the perfect song to play when you’re on your way to a 9am class and need something to make life feel bearable. The opening chords frankly make the journey to campus feel like a walk in LA. Most people in university tend to feel adulthood looming and crave feeling youthful again. ‘Ivy’ from Frank’s 2016 Blond album is the perfect song to cry to whilst contemplating the dreaded thought of no longer being young. His lyrics “we’ll never be those kids again” capture the feeling of the realisation, while applying for internships, that your teen years are well and truly behind you.

If you’d like to forget about this impending doom of leaving your teen years behind you and need a Frank song for when you’re getting ready to go out, ‘Novacane’ is the best song to play. His lyrics “I can’t feel a thing” will likely resonate with most LSE students, but I wouldn’t advise using this as an excuse to do an excessive amount of drugs, which he also mentions in the song.

Many people go through heartbreak during university, which really adds to the excessive workload at LSE. If you need help mending the pieces of your heart, ‘White Ferrari’ will be a shoulder for you to cry on if your flatmates are busy doing their readings. You might shed a few tears while listening to it, but probably no more than when watching an economics lecture in the Peacock Theatre.

The best motivation for attending all of your lectures is the hope you’ll bump into your campus crush. ‘Thinking Bout You’ is the perfect song to listen to if you’re feeling a bit delusional and are obsessed with a man who cares more about his spring weeks than your existence.

It’s not uncommon to start questioning your purpose in life while at LSE and debating whether it’s even worth living.

Luckily, Frank has made a song to help us cope with that. ‘Pink Matter’ finds Frank questioning what the human brain is made for, what the sky and stars mean, and what a woman’s body is made for. So if you ever find yourself wondering what you’re doing here, this is the perfect song to help ease your imposter syndrome.

If LSE were to do a survey on how students feel studying here, I’m sure an overwhelming majority would vote stressed as the most common feeling. A song that not only captures this feeling but also relieves it, is ‘Nights’. It is best known for the beat drop that comes in exactly halfway through the song, a drop that is guaranteed to relieve any type of stress you’re feeling.‘Nights’ contemplates how demanding a busy life can get when you’re working towards a better future.

To end on a positive note, a song that’s perfect for whether you’re sad, depressed, angry or well, essentially any emotion, we have ‘Pyramids’. Any Frank Ocean fan can agree that this song is 9 minutes and 52 seconds of mastery, as he explores themes of race, religion, sexuality, and love. So, no matter whether you’re heartbroken, deluded or stressed, there’s no situation or mood that a bit of ‘Pyramids’ can’t solve.

The ultimate know-how to shopping on Vinted by HILA DAVIES

Second-hand shopping can seem daunting, but once you’ve got the knack for it, you’ll never return to the horrors of high-street shopping again. My favourite way to shop second-hand is through Vinted, what I like to think of as Depop’s slightly less cool, older sister. With fewer scammers and actual charity shop-esque prices, Vinted facilitates second-hand shopping seamlessly. So close the ASOS tab on your laptop, and read my guide on bagging a bargain and not breaking the bank… or the planet.

1. Want to buy something new? Check Vinted first!

Vinted is full of items that people have clearly forgotten to return and are desperate to make some money back from. So, if you’re thinking of buying a new Skims dress or pair of New Balance trainers, check on Vinted first and I can guarantee you’ll find something brandnew for a fraction of the price you would spend online. Brand new & Other Stories jumper for 4 quid? Yes, please.

2. Use the filters Instead of blindly scrolling through the thousands of search results for a ‘white cropped t-shirt’, make use of the Vinted search filters to find exactly what you’re looking for. My favourites are ‘Size’, ‘Brand’ and ‘Condition’. Think of some brands where you know the clothes fit you well and use the filter option to increase your chances of a successful purchase. ‘Condition’ allows you to decide how worn you want the clothes to be (if you’re looking to buy a bikini, I’d suggest maybe only sticking to the ‘New’ options…). You can also filter by ‘Material’ but this feature is relatively new, so be aware that a lot of sellers might not have listed the material of their item.

3. Negotiate!

Always message a seller first before purchasing an item. Not only is this good to make sure that the item and seller is reliable, it is also a great opportunity to bargain a little. 9/10 times I’ve bought something on Vinted, I’ve got it for less than the asking price. Vinted has processing and postage fees, which means you usually get charged about 3 quid extra, so why not try and knock some off? Especially if an item is new, check how much it retails for and don’t settle for anything less than 20% off.

4. Search for good quality brands If you’re shopping secondhand, there’s a likely chance that the clothes aren’t going to be brand new. So, you want to make sure that the item you are buying is going to last. Whilst buying secondhand is always going to be better for the planet, the end goal should be slowing down our consumer habits, which is only going to happen if we’re buying into the unsustainable trend cycle. Given that you’re probably spending less than buying brand-new clothes anyway, I tend to search for brands that are usually just outside my price range so I can up the quality while not actually paying much more. Usually buy clothes from Zara?

Search instead for brands like second-hand COS or Massimo Dutti for a better-made item for the same price.

5. Use Vinted to experiment with your style One of the main benefits of Vinted is the variety of unique pieces you can find. If you’re trying to find your personal style at Uni, or are just experimenting with different ones, use Vinted as an opportunity to get items you wouldn’t usually go for. By searching for more vintage brands, you’re more likely to find interesting pieces that aren’t available in everyone’s go-to Primark on the high street.

Use platforms like Pinterest to find inspiration, and then search for specific items that fit the vibe. My favourite Vinted purchase is a handmade quilt jacket - it’s the same aesthetic as all the Scandi girl ones you can buy on Zara, but at least I know I won’t be committing a fashion faux pas in the library sitting next to someone wearing an identical jacket…

Dear Jannah Hames Hi! My name is Jannah Hames. I’ve always been passionate about empowering people to live their best lives and to help with their problems. A little about me, I’m qualified to give social advice thanks to my undergraduate degree in Armchair Psychology.

This year, along with my postgraduate degree, I thought to myself, ‘I want to start an advice column to help the less fortunate solve their personal problems and challenge myself to give golden advice that you could never find elsewhere’. Let’s get started, shall we?

Dear Jannah Hames, how do I find a girlfriend?

There is this idea going around that women are horrifically complicated people who vary a lot in what kind of interactions they enjoy and value. However, there is a fool-proof way to impress and attract any woman regardless of class, education level and age, and that is to offer them financial advice. When you do this, make sure you’re speaking with clear diction to avoid confusion and explaining every financial term you use in great detail, e.g. “dividend”, “cryptocurrency” and “inflation”.

A bonus point that helps to woo foreign women is to ask them about their home country, and then explain to them the political situation within that country to the best of your knowledge. Most importantly, demonstrating confidence when presenting your opinions is key as women value confidence in potential suitors.

Dear Jannah Hames, am I completely out of line for telling my friend she shouldn’t have gotten engaged? I asked if she was sure this was the right decision, which then turned into a big argument and we haven’t spoken since.

Should I have just kept my mouth shut?

I went to a wedding this Summer, and a wise auntie told me (after commenting on my weight and career prospects) when you share your opinion about someone’s life, you should always stand your ground. You are the main character of your life, and should never allow yourself to be silenced.

Maybe you should have a casual sit-down with your friend in a coffee shop or an abandoned county court and explain why you feel the way you feel and why that is valid. It’s important to emphasise that spending your 20s on dating apps with various noncommittal men builds character and therefore, greatly opens up a multitude of career choices unavailable to married women.

When the two inevitably break up due to your persuasive powers, please forward this man to me, along with his financial information, just in case he can be used as a case study for one of my…psychological tests.

Dear Jannah Hames, is there any good way to tell your friend that they suck at something? My friend has built her entire personality around this idea that she’s a ‘‘writer’’ . The problem? Her writing is awful. It is honestly painful to read. Do I just smile along when she sends me her stuff to read or talks about her future novels?

I know you think you’re slick putting this in an anonymous form, but I know it’s you, Lily. You thought I wouldn’t be able to identify a dedicated hater just because your submissions are anonymous? I am a writer because self-expression and language are what I’m passionate about. It’s what I was put on this earth to do. I have a Nobel Peace Prize in literature, something that you could never achieve because you are too afraid to attempt to do anything. Barely coherent? My sheer coherence has been compared to the current President of the United States. If it’s “painful to read”, that means my writing makes you feel something, and evokes emotion. Whether it brings you joy to tear down an artist or not, I don’t care.

Mark my words, I will be known as the Oscar Wilde of our generation. My work will be quoted for years to come whilst you rot away in your consultancy firm, never to be remembered.

Get out of here.

PART B

EDITED BY EMMA DO and JULIETTA GRAMIGNI

Gravitational Theory written & illustrated by ANOUK PARDON

My little cousin has built a pillow fort around me.

He has wrapped me in blankets bedded me in cushions and now he tells me stories about his friends.

and I am glued to the floor while my little cousin is cosied up right between my arms.

And the darkness settles in every corner of the room but it’s warm, and it’s safe, and there’s air in this womb made of pillows.

And I sleep among people (I got lost, but now I’m found) at the center of the universe and I feel weirdly connected to the soft ground as if there is bark where I should have skin as if there are roots where I should have legs

Riviera by DEFNE YAVUZ

His sister is stroking my hair with her small, little hands in the sweetest manner I have ever felt as if she could never get tired of it as if she could go on for days and she tells me that my skin feels like the leaves of a water lily and that my eyes look like ponds and I watch the water in her blue eyes rush to the shores of her irises and I believe her.

There are some things I know I should love so I love them obediently and then there are others (with which I don’t even have to try) And as I am lying I can feel every fibre in my body every cell aching and hurting.

I am exhausted.

I bleed fatigue and it oozes through my pores, and my skin spills onto the floor, the wood, and the carpet as if my body is a heavy sponge that is so full already it cannot absorb any more.

My sister joins us.

She is laughing alongside my little couin and he pretends that he does not like being kissed and hugged by us but I know he is lying because he stays right between the pillows and the blankets and his tiny body is curled up in a way that reminds me of the small, little boy I first saw more than a decade ago.

Oh, my bones are so heavy my flesh weighs a thousand kilograms

If sounds could live I would like mine to live in a nice house with white walls and a flat roof close to the sea where the breeze carries the smell of sea salt, sometimes.

The air would be damp just like the dirt housing the foundations.

Let the concrete find a home in foreign wetland.

Cup my hands near my chest and speak upwards so my prayer would carry.

Sometimes it’s difficult to speak and hear every woman who spoke in the same voice first.

What is not usually spoken about sound, is that, it’s quite hard to remember how a sound moved up your throat when the walls and the roof feel frigid-unfamiliar but it was you who wanted to move in, it was you.

The guilt in your roots is the only thing truly yours, Because you knew the foundations would sink deep.

If instead you’d built the house in your body, The sounds would find home in your chambers.

The sounds, if they could speak, would say something you couldn’t understand (you never really learned the mother tongue).

It would sound familiar And maybe you’d reply (you can still reply) Cadence yours, welcome home.

The language of grief by SEBASTIAN CHING & illustrated by FRANCESCA CORNO The peculiar thing about funerals–the traditional expression of the finality of mortality–is that they do not involve the kind of emotional outbursts one might expect. One may not cry at all, much to one’s own puzzlement.

The strangeness of it all is reinforced by the sniping glances from the gaggle of exertive mourners who have suddenly re-emerged after a prolonged hiatus in the deceased’s lifetime. In those moments, you are keenly reminded of the performative absurdity of a funeral service. The public nature of a funeral is sinisterly voyeuristic and almost darkly comedic – if you weren’t burying someone you loved.

Paradoxically, no one grieves in a funeral.

Grief comes long after the slow crawl of the hearse that has left your mind. It comes when you wake up and expect to find them in their study. You brush your fingers against the grain of their desk and faintly recall the smell of cigarettes. But it is like grasping at vapour. Those small absences gather to announce its presence.

Grief expresses itself through the ordinary. Director Celine Sciamma understands this fully. In Petite Maman, Sciamma excels at unearthing the emotional depth of the ordinary, instilling weight and rhythm in every action. A child wrapping their arms around her mother from the backseat of the car is conveyed delicately and intimately. It is a reassuring gesture for someone who has just lost her mother. Death recontextualises the ordinarily rigid role we see our parents occupy. With this brief reversal of familial roles, Sciamma poses a question deeply personal to her: What would my childhood relationship with my mother have been like, were we not separated by adulthood?

It is this central question that propels Petite Maman. Nelly (Joséphine Sanz), our protagonist, is an eight-year-old girl. Her grandmother (Margot

Abascal) has just died, and she never got to say goodbye to her properly.

She travels with her parents to her grandmother’s home to clear away her things. Sciamma brilliantly captures how overwhelming this is for Nelly’s mother (Nina Meurisse). Silence emanates from pastel walls and kitchen tiles. All objects in the house indicate absence. Death has disenchanted her childhood home. Overwhelmed with grief, she flees, leaving Nelly to her own devices for the next few days. A fantastical sequence of events ensues, in which Nelly meets a child named Marion (Gabrielle Sanz) in the woods behind the house. Marion shares her mother’s name and looks shockingly like Nelly. Marion lives in the same house.

Marion is Nelly’s mother.

Time loses its arrow of direction as the barrier between past and present is blurred. With this twist, Sciamma achieves her wish of dissolving the hierarchy between mother and daughter.

As children, they are both each other’s equals.

Introducing time travel in a story ordinarily creates paradoxes and contradictions, but rarely are they effectively employed to explore a character’s internal landscape.

Sciamma uses it to convey the depth of empathy Nelly is capable of, and with it, we are given the chance to once again see the world with wonder, sincerity and clarity–qualities too often mistaken for naïveté. The asymmetry of time separates childhood and adulthood as distinct categories, but Sciamma argues they are continuous with one another. Nelly and Marion share similar dreams and anxieties. They are akin to sisters.

Knowing this allows Nelly to understand who her mother was, and who she is now. The gulf between adults and children lessens. Loss becomes an easier burden to bear together.

pretty lěng bái pí

by JESSICA-MAY COX & illustrated by FRANCESCA CORNO pretty, lěng bái pí is that all that you see? red stands out on a white background do you know how hard it is for me?

of our beloved motherland i know i’ll always be half-bred there is something in the way between us, i crawl along, two thousand miles both sides, i have betrayed

skin fairer than paper, cursed by a blue eyed devil i struggle with slanted eyes but in the mirror i see:

when you look at me, i hear what you think a glimpse through your eyes. i have no mandate to choose i don’t know who i am, where do i belong? of one thing, i am sure i’ll never be like you

and my tongue gets tied, you don’t understand lost in pitch, i really tried as a white man, i’ll never fly but i bleed red! just like you, like the flag

i don’t belong anywhere so i cut myself bare oh, pretty lěng bái pí, do you know how hard it is for me?

REVIEW

EDITED BY CHRISTINA JIANG AND SHEILA MUTUA

BFI London Film Festival 2023 illustrated by CHRISTINA JIANG and CHARLIE TO

Priscilla

by SHEILA MUTUA Beloved filmmaker Sofia Coppola returns with Barbie for the girls who love Lana del Rey and I certainly believe that it starts off as such. Coppola’s iconic visual style and impeccable music choices initially produce something akin to a coming-of-age romance. The chemistry between Spaeny and Elordi is equally charming and chilling, to the point where I consciously had to catch myself when I felt like smiling. It's unexpected and slightly jarring, yet so rewarding. We’re presented with Priscilla’s illusion of agency without neglecting the ways in which she was disconnected from her own life, and prevented from forming her own identity independent of Elvis.

However, the film paradoxically loses a lot of its momentum as it approaches the tumultuous parts of their marriage. The second half finds itself stuck in a monotonous cycle of heated arguments and partial resoltuions. This may have been purposeful, but it results in something less layered and ambitious.

I still believe that Sofia Coppola was the perfect person to tell Priscilla’s story, but I can’t help but feel that limited time and resources prevented this pretty good biopic from being great.

All of Us Strangers

by VANESSA HUANG

There’s nothing quite like the gentle weeping of a packed cinema audience early on a Sunday morning. And who better to induce the waterworks than writer and director Andrew Haigh, known for his modest tales that ache with the melancholy of humanity.

Andrew Scott plays Adam, a gay man in his forties living an utterly isolated life – when new love and ghosts from his past, twinned with one another, shatter this everyday banality. Magical realism features here, though not in a way that detracts from the film’s intimacy: it’s an astonishing story of missed connections, unhealed wounds, and words that will forever remain unsaid.

Unsurprisingly, Barry Keoghan is fantastic as our fish out of water in Jacob Elordi’s world of riches and excess, whilst Rosamund Pike’s dry line delivery is an absolute highlight. Although, the real heart of Emerald Fennell’s all-star team is Linus Sandgren, his captivating cinematography dragging you into Saltburn’s absurd and beautiful world, that I expect many will never want to leave.

Saltburn may not be particularly groundbreaking nor as clever as it wants us to believe once it’s all said and done but it’s an absolute joy to watch and a must see when it hits UK cinemas on the 17th November.

Killers of the Flower Moon

by TRISTAN JOSEPH ESPINOZA

Based on the historical thriller of the same name by David Grann, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon fully brings awareness to the Osage Nation’s troubled history while respecting the culture of the subject matter. From the very first scenes, audiences not only get to hear the Osage language for the first time on-screen, but witness a renaissance in Osage art, fashion, and customs. Following this, the Osage history is perfectly laid out through Ernest Burkhart’s (Leonardo diCaprio) as he arrives in Osage County, Oklahoma. While most of the film is spent with Robert De Niro and DiCaprio’s stellar performances as an unforgiving, crime-ridden uncle and son, the real scene stealer and soul of the film is Lily Gladstone’s performance as Mollie Burkhart. Gladstone by far surpasses her costars by displaying an acting range for the ages and accomplishes something that no performance has ever made me do before: leave the theater in tears.

As a proud Osage Native myself who has heard whispers of this story for as long as I could remember, it’s surreal to see my tribe’s culture and history finally be represented in such a powerful way. For anyone interested in learning more about the Osage Nation after this film, I implore you to research with kindness as this story is still very real and heavy for many of us Osages, and to learn more about how you can support the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement. Finally, if you take away anything from this experience, I hope that the last scene will always stay with you as a reminder for generations to come - that we’re still here.

May December

by JACK BEECHING

Saltburn

by RUDI GOODMAN “Lots of people get lost in Saltburn” and I’m afraid I didn’t heed that warning. Saltburn is so gorgeous, so twisted, so joyfully perverse that I found myself yearning to step back into its world just as quickly as I was immersed in it.

Having seen Saltburn’s trailer, I must say it expertly reserves shocks and surprises whilst frustratingly underselling the film. I imagine many could be deterred by the uncommon 1.33:1 aspect ratio and moody atmosphere. However, the film is by no means the sombre coming of age drama for cinephiles that the trailer would have you believe. In fact, Saltburn is a hilarious dark comedy – the most fun I’ve had in a cinema for quite some time.

Natalie Portman plays a TV actress seeking “complexity, moral grey areas” in her next role. She finds it in the suburban home of Gracie (Julianne Moore), a housewife who seduced a middle-schooler at 36, briefly went to prison, then had his children. Their relationship survived the tabloids: 20 years later, only the occasional anonymous delivery of faeces disrupts their idyllic life. All, of course, is not as it seems. Family, friends, and neighbours do what they can to placate Gracie’s delusions, but who is manipulating who? Just as Portman’s character tries to understand, then embody, Gracie, the satisfaction in watching Todd Haynes’ film is in trying, and failing, to work out what makes these people tick.

REVIEWS

RECOMMENDATIONS illustrated by CHRISTINA JIANG WILL recommends The Wicker Man (2006): Most people don't actually

ARJAN recommends A Haunting in Venice (2023): Kenneth Bran-

SEBASTIAN recommends Hannibal (2013-15): Marrying the macabre

A Haunting in Venice tries to offer suitably spooky viewing. As night falls on the titular city, Branagh’s regular cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos expertly captures the dark blue skies and shadows of spires to evoke a subtly eerie atmosphere. This film definitely gets you in the mood for Halloween, if it doesn’t do much else. Unfortunately, the film is brought down by Branagh’s work on the other side of the camera. His direction feels too by-the-numbers, and lacks the emotional investment of the performances and cinematography.

like being scared on Halloween: Nicholas Cage certainly doesn’t seem to. Wearing the 1974 original like a bad costume, he brings a frankly impressive levity to a script which seemed designed to be a gritty reboot. Unable to meet the horrors around him with anything other than a dumb squint, he will make you laugh at a car crash within five minutes. And that’s ok, because everyone will be laughing with you. Unless they’re scared of bees. and sensual, Hannibal will simultaneously delight and terrify its viewers with its flawless marriage of aesthetics, psychological-horror and romance. Tasteful cannibalism indeed.

agh is back (as is that ridiculous moustache) for a third time as Hercule Poirot.

Following on from Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie’s legendary Belgian sleuth returns for another big-screen outing, with the actor once again also in the director’s chair.

SHEILA recommends Coraline (2009): This film is a familiar childhood

Overall, A Haunting in Venice never really rises above being an hour-and-ahalf ’s entertaining Halloween viewing. However, taken as what it is, it’s ultimately a satisfying watch that might leave the hardcore Christie fan a bit cold, but will definitely get the average viewer in the mood for the spooky season.

Read the full review online.

GIULIA recommends Ari Aster: "Hereditary", "Midsommar," and “Beau

CHRISTINA recommends Saw X (2023): Over a decade after the end of

Whether it be an eerie ambiance or a stunning landscape, Aster’s ability to delve into the depths of the darkest aspects of the human psyche and the impeccable attention to detail are what sets apart his films as cinematically unique.

This newest instalment is a prequel set between the first and second film. Tobin Bell returns as the original Jigsaw killer John Kramer, the man who got cancer and decided to make it everyone else’s problem. He and my all-time fave, Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith), wreak vengeance on the ringleaders of a medical scam targeting cancer patients.

classic to most. The Other Mother is simultaneously my favourite movie villain of all time and the root of my arachnophobia. Yet, over time, it has become a comforting reminder of how important it is to be a little more forgiving of my parents.

is Afraid” are not your typical jump-scare horror flicks. If you’re looking for a Halloween watch that will leave you questioning your sanity, Ari Aster’s filmography offers an immersive vision that combines humour and horror in the most psychological, grotesque, and unforgettable way possible.

ARWIN recommends Bones and All (2022): “You look like the kind

that’s convinced himself he’s got this under his thumb. But you pull on one little thread and... but maybe love will set you free, man.”

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and adapted from the 2015 novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis, Bones and All is something of a spectacle. Through his exploration of identity, sexuality as well as addiction, Guadagnino finds a way to humanise cannibalism. Haunting performances by both Mark Rylance and Michael Stuhlbarg are contrasted flawlessly through the chemistry between the two leads, Taylor Russell and Timothee Chalamet, stabilising the mix of genres and creating a well-worked romantic road-trip horror film. This juxtaposition is advanced by the murky yet vibrant and colourful cinematography, as well as the melancholic soundtrack. Weaknesses surrounding pacing, especially within the second act, can be overlooked with how well the film depicts the emotion of “otherness” and finding love within such a feeling.

Read the full review online.

The Father and the Assassin

By ELENI ANAYIOTOU

The story of Nathuram Godse (Hiran Abeysekera), the Man Who Killed Ghandi, is nothing short of riveting, incisive, and chilling. Guiding us through his formative years as a boy raised like a girl by his superstitious parents, the protagonist grows up surrounded by angst and rage. In a quest to find himself, Godse is swayed by the tides of political movements — first by Ghandi’s (Paul Bazely) Pacifist movement, later by ex-British raj prisoner Vinayak Savarkar’s (Tony Jayawardena) Hindu nationalism ideals. The themes of Childhood and Family, Identity and Belonging, Power and Resistance permeate his story.

Read the full review online.

the original Saw series and two underwhelming revivals later, Saw X is a welcome entry to the iconic torture porn franchise in time for Halloween.

Some criticise Saw X as just another cash-grab, but to me it seems the franchise has finally accepted what made the original run so successful: no more disappointing attempts at furthering the story beyond John Kramer’s death, and back to watching people hack their own legs off.

Horse Jumper of Love

by WILLIAM GOLTZ

Venue: OSLO Hackney Modern slowcore standard-bearers Horse Jumper of Love played their first-ever London gig Touring in support of their sweetly subdued fourth record Heartbreak Rules, Boston slowcore group Horse Jumper of Love showed no signs of being worn down by the road in their London debut. Balancing their newer prettier cuts with the fuzzy emotional heft of their debut album, HJOL brought a sweet authenticity to a set which felt like a characteristically mellow celebration of just how far their slacker anthems have taken them.

TITO MOLOKWU: LSESU Women’s Officer

interview interview by

by SANA SANA AGARWAL AGARWAL photography photography by

by ALAN ALAN NEMIROVSKI NEMIROVSKI

Every day, as the afternoon rolls in, many of us queue in front of the Hare Krishna cart for a steaming hot plate of healthy vegetarian food. The perfect rescue from our rushed mornings, skipped meals, and crumbling bank accounts, and a delightful escape from London’s rocketing food prices. It is safe to say that most students at LSE have had Hare Krishna food at least once.

W

e have all had our bellies full and hearts grateful for the kindness and dedication of the volunteers and the organisation. Thus, for my first Flipside interview of the year, I decided to interview the Hare Krishna volunteers: Volodymyr Ferhardt who serves food at LSE, Ibragim Dimesinov who often serves at SOAS, and their manager Peter O’Grady. The interview took place at their Euston Foodbank where every morning they prepare food for thousands.

The Hare Krishna movement, also known as the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was started in 1974 by Srila Prabhupada. Despite being a religious organisation the philosophy to this day remains the same – to serve the needy. It is the world’s largest vegetarian food distribution program serving millions of meals daily and has grown to include 300 temples, 40 rural communities, and 80 restaurants in 71 countries. In London specifically, Food for Life in London affiliated with the FL global charity is an initiative from London’s Radha-Krishna Temple, and has been feeding hot vegetarian meals to the homeless in Central London since 1994.

As I walked into the Euston Foodbank, I was quickly enwrapped by the positivity of the place and the friendliness of the volunteers. We sat outside on a little bench on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. Volodymyr and Ibragim started by telling me a little bit about themselves: Ibragim first explained that he joined the organisation a few months ago. He came to London after quitting his job. “I am originally from Kazakhstan. I was studying in Moscow, and recently, I was working with the Kazakh government as the chief expert in data analysis in the Department of Culture and Sports.

I loved my job, but I wanted to do more than just my job – [I wanted] to help people.” Explaining the move to London, he expressed he has “been involved in Hare Krishna since my childhood; my parents started volunteering in 1996, after reading the Bhagavad Gita.” He further explained his motivations as not just religious, but dually cultural: “In our Kazakh culture, the general motto is that it is better to give than to receive, to share food and spread a positive mood with people. It makes us truly happy.” He further emphasised the importance of the work the organisation does and the need for it in today’s world with increasing poverty and homelessness. “22% of Great Britain is in need of financial support. Food will not solve the problem, but it helps!”

Similarly, Volodymyr exclaimed that he too, after reading the Bhagavad Gita, was inspired to join the organisation. “I am originally from Ukraine.

I was born in Kyiv, [and] I came across the book when I was searching for some higher knowledge about life. I wanted to understand the consciousness of the soul, and I found it to be very logical and scientific.” He lived as a monk in a temple in Denmark for a few years and eventually decided to move to London about a year ago. “It’s nice here because there is a Hare Krishna community

along our temple in Watford,” to which Ibragim the swimming pool. Oh, and [with] the rockets added, “Yes, and my goal is to initiate one in my are flying overhead.’’ home country Kazakhstan too.”

Peter then took me to his food delivery van, showing me bullet holes that pierced through it.

As we were talking, a rather gleeful man walked He exclaimed, “See the holes come here and they in, greeting me with a big smile – their manager go to the ceiling there, it was at night and I was Peter O’Grady, a lovely Irish man in his 60s who in the bunker.” To this, I asked, “What gives you has been a volunteer for 41 years. He kindly sat the courage to step into such a vulnerable situadown on the bench with us, delighted to join the tion?” Peter answers in a jiffy, “Once you [have] conversation. The three of them went on to ex- all these children queuing up, once my commuplain, “For us, and many of the volunteers, the nity and my friends are there, I have to be there. centre of our work is not our religious beliefs, Everything in life is risky, you never know what but the desire and philosophy to help people. We will happen, so why not take risks for a reason.” have volunteers from every background – Christians, Muslims and agnostics, but we are all alike I inquired, “Why university campuses?”, curiin our belief to serve others.” ous to understand the contrast between LSE and war-torn places. “You may have so many dreams “And then, of course, there are the bankers from at the LSE of what you’re going to do with your Goldman Sachs, Barclays, who come to chop the wealth, and how you’re going to make your busiveggies in the morning to wash off their sins, you ness. But in one second, it can all be changed. know,” Peter wittily remarked, making the room Nobody expected their material dreams [could] giggle. be shattered as Putin [sent] his soldiers across the border,” Peter said, emphasising the need to When I asked Peter about his journey as a vol- recognise our money-oriented mindset, to ponunteer, he said: “Well, I started off at a restaurant der on what’s beyond – rooted in his experiences in 1989, which closed at eight o’clock at night, over the years. The trio went on to express how and we would take all the old food. We’d mix it universities these days are focused on teaching all up – the samosas and the pizzas, throw it in people how to make money, and students are there and it tasted very nice.” He smirked. ‘Super- simply viewed as human resources. “And then markets throw so much food away. So we collect there is us in the middle of that, distributing free more and more food, and redistribute it to people, food,” Volodymyr smirked. “It’s confusing, right? and that really is what the original philosophy is Isn’t it?” about,’ signalling to the founder of ISKCON Swami Prabhupada and his famous words, “Nobody As we reached the end of the interview, I asked: should go hungry within 10 miles of a temple.”

“What impact do you want to leave on the students you serve every day?” Peter, a man who As our conversation progressed, the trio empha- has been volunteering for almost his entire life, sised the environmental impact of the organisa- thought to himself for a brief moment and contion and their work – that “it’s not just a handout. fessed: “Students should know that real wealth This is [also] an environmental initiative. [We is not measured in money, but measured in a live in] a consumer society; we make stuff, and we substance that you cannot steal. It’s a real quality chuck it. This food has been diverted from land- life. It’s not on the debit cards. Because the peofills. We take them [and] we use them straight ple in the city of London, they’re so poor that all away instead of polluting the environment. So they’ve got is money. But real wealth is measured this is a delicious way to protect the environ- in the things that you cannot have stolen away ment; [it’s a] good solution.” Peter smiled wide- from you.” As his words settled in the room, I felt ly, rubbing his stomach to mimic a full belly. He lucky to witness this profound glimpse of faith, adds, “We don’t work with a menu; we make the of humanity. most of what we go. We take all this food that’s been thrown away by the companies and reuse Peter and his team then showed me around the it, especially the Walkers Crisps.” Peter laughed food bank, taking us through the kitchen, showin a heart-warming manner as he handed us all a ing me the storage areas, the huge pots that can packet and insisted we indulge. cook for 5,000 people, and their compost area around which they were making flower beds. As The trio went on to tell me about the various Peter explained every element to us, one thing places Hare Krishna is present and the reach of was clear: his devotion to serving others, to makthe organisation – Ukraine, Morocco, Turkey, ing this world better one belly at a time.

Syria, and more. “We had a team last week in Morocco, distributing food in Casablanca after the When asked for a final remark, the team exearthquake hit, [and] thousands of people lost pressed, “What’s lacking in the world is a bit of their home, their everything.” He proceeded to love. So this food is cooked with love by volunshow me pictures. He further expressed, “I was teers and is given with love to students. And then in Kherson, Ukraine a couple of months ago and we hope that love will echo within the people.” a man had just finished building his house with a So, go grab yourself a plate of love from our specswimming pool. Then the war happened. All his tre of humanity and hope on campus, our very plans are finished. And he gave us the keys and own little magic against the backdrop of this chatold us to cook in this place. So we cooked inside otic and sometimes selfish world.

ISSUE 928

AT WEEK 5 2023

REVIEW

PART B

SOCIAL

SPORT

Beaver at the LFF

pretty lěng bái pí

How to shop on Vinted

NFL in London

in conversation with TITO MOLOKWU