FREE STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES
SOAS
SPIRIT
STUDENT
RIOTS:
MISREPRESENTED OR MISUNDERSTOOD?
DECEMBER 2010
page 3 | VOICE OF SOAS
THE CASE OF SHIA-PHOBIA WITHIN ISLAM
page 9 | WORLD
VIEW
JAKE THURSTON EXPLORES THE IMPLICATIONS OF FREE SPEECH
page 20 | SPORTS
SOAS BASKETBALL TROUNCE GOLDSMITHS
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SOAS SPIRIT
Page 2: Feature Article Violent student protests Voice Of SOAS Page 3: Shiaphobia Exclusive interview w/ Tariq Ali Page 4:SOAS Face-off: Education cuts Page 5: SOAS Society Spotlight Merely a coincidence? Page 6: Why I Love SOAS SOAS Grumbles Page 7: Somali culinary pleasures A review of The Vagina Monologues Page 8: Poetry from Palestine Satire: Witty banter Culture: ‘Kwaito’: Dancing for Liberation Buttress root drumming
All of the team can be contacted via [number]@soas.ac.uk Editor: Saquib Malik (211225)
SPORTS: Page 11: Round up Page 12: Historic basketball victory Squash Profile Football 2nds form
Deputy Editor and Voice of SOAS Editor: Nick Rodrigo (213890)
Back page ‘Movember’ watch
World View Editor: Gloria de-Waal Montgomery (249014)
SOAS World-view pullout
Layout Editors: Lily He (227704) Jake Thurston (274926)
Culture Editor: Michael Pote-Hunt (227875)
MIDDLE EAST: Egypt’s mirage of democracy A shared history between Armenians
Sports Editor: Amit Singh (231158)
GLOBAL MUSINGS: I’m with Arundhati Roy Budget cuts: An unsustainable deficit DOMESTIC: Why wikileaks is important
‘Like’ OUR FACEBOOK PAGE: SOAS SPIRIT
This paper could not have been done without the continued help of the following:
Satire Editor: Joe Buckley (248264)
AFRICA: Elections in Conakry Sudan: Unknown future
ASIA: Free speech in China Aung San Suu Kyi released From Delhi with regrets
Copyeditors: Rob Cusack (205343) Jonathan Marsh (230763)
Dougal Wallace Jefferson Regan Jasper Kain Sebillio Uribe SOAS Student Union Comment Middle East Michael Pope A special thanks to you all!
Round two for the Spirit and We’ve come out of the green corner swinging. A more balanced account of the student protests headlines Decembers edition delivering an uppercut to the right wing medias gross misrepresentation of the events. In World View a defensive Haymaker is sent as a riposte to the critics of Wikileaks. Former writers are up on the ropes as readers e-mail complaints in our new “correspondents” section. Finally this heavy weight performance is rounded off with a piece recounting SOAS Basketballs drubbing of Goldsmiths. We have presented you with a myriad of views and opinions from around SOAS as well as interviews with those who make this place what it is. You. If you feel that you have any qualms or comments on this month’s issue. Just e-mail the relevant editor and they can submit your piece. Happy reading from the editorial team!
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DECEMBER 2010
FEATURE STORY ROB PINNEY PRESENTS A MORE NUANCED EXPLANATION FOR THE ‘VIOLENT’ PROTEST People don’t care about when they but training houses for the future Rob Pinney The 10th of November and live news footage is streaming into living rooms up and down the country. 52,000 die-hard anarchists are marching through the streets of London intent on smashing any pane of glass that has come within a country-mile of conservative politics, hell-bent on bringing about an apocalyptic revolution of blood, knives and horror. A mere fortnight later, and an altogether different monster rears its head: 20,000 violent and outof-control youths, attired in school uniform and including girls in their number (as the Mail kindly pointed out, the rebels!), have taken over Whitehall destroying anything and everything in their path. Questions arise, how on earth will down-toearth Dave get to and from work without that bus-stop? In fact, none of these things ever really transpired. Those who have marched against the proposed reforms to education funding, not just in London but nationwide, are not all anarchists or the revolutionaries they are reported to be, and they are most certainly not violent. They
are students, sixth-formers, and have to pay back the debt, they children – the so-called ‘Apathetic’ care about having to pay it back generation. They are also lecturers, in principle. This is a generation tutors, and teachers, not just from of people that are unsurprisingly universities but also from all levels scared of debt; every day we hear of Britain’s education system. They about the drastic need to fix Britain’s are parents – mothers and fathers debt problem (or the deficit for the who have seen and experienced more sensitive amongst us). These first hand how destructive the proposals do not fix Britain’s debt; marketisation of state-run services they merely transfer it to innocent people has been who had “Those who have marched u n d e r little or previous against the proposed reforms to no part Conservative education funding, not just in in in its governments, creation. London but nationwide, are not all and we all fear the anarchists or the revolutionaries But this struggle effects they they are reported to be, and they is about will have on m o r e are most certainly not violent.” the younger t h a n generation. tuition People are f e e s angry, and it should come as no and EMA. It is also about the gross surprise. For a huge number of undervaluation of certain subjects. If people, the £30 a week awarded passed, the cuts in funding to Arts, under the EMA scheme has made Sixth Form education possible. Humanities, and Language subjects So imagine being faced with the (these courses already fall in the potential debt of £27,000 on tuition bottom two funding-brackets) will fees alone. Let us not buy into confirm the creeping monetization Clegg’s request that we should of different university courses, and consider the terms of the proposed will serve to make universities not institutions of academic exploration legislation before protesting.
Young schoolgirls protect Police riot van from violent protestors (PHOTO: Rob Pinney)
accumulation of capital. This is where the issue lies. This is not a decision made on the basis of necessity but on the consideration of the return to the government on their investment, and in particular higher education courses; the application – as per Phillip Green’s report – of business principles to the education sector. The estimated reduction in government funding for education is between £4-5bn, a sum that could easily be realised by clamping down on tax evasion and loopholes, and by simply axing the proposed reduction in corporation tax. Such options for filling the gap in funding have not been considered. The reason being because taxing the rich for the provision of social goods and services doesn’t fit in with the Tory ethos and it is ‘Bad for business’. Incidentally, free higher education does still exist in Britain - at Sandhurst, Cranwell, and Dartmouth. In fact, it gets better – they will pay you a salary to attend. Why? Because these are military colleges, officer training centres, a profitable investment in the eyes of the government. Let us make no mistake, the proposed cuts to higher education funding and the trebling of tuition fees are in no way necessary, nor practical;- they are ideologically driven. But there is hope. The studentled protests of the 10th, 24th, and 30th of November, along with all of the action that has taken place in between constitute probably the best exercise of democracy seen in Britain in decades. Never before have I seen such a broad variety of people of different ages and backgrounds protesting together, united under a common cause. An entire section of society, labelled as apathetic for too long, have finally sprung onto the stage as they see their futures being pulled from underneath them. They have aspirations, ideals, and most importantly anger – and the government treads a very precarious path if they choose to ignore them. See you on the streets.
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SOAS SPIRIT
VOICE OF SOAS SHIAPHOBIA WITHIN ISLAM Anonymous Whilst Muslims feel discriminated against for their religious beliefs and practices under what is known as Islamophobia, more extreme sentiments are directed within Islam towards the Shia sect. “Shiaphobia” is not limited to the public rebuking of Shia beliefs and practices from the pulpit, which often conclude by categorising Shias as “kuffar” (non-believers), but has on several occasions gone to the extent of suicide bombings taking place in Shia mosques during prayers. In Pakistan, hit-lists are compiled with the names of Shia clergymen and doctors simply because of the sect they belong to. For the outsider, Islam may appear as one religion believing in Allah as the single God and Mohammad as the messenger of God, but stark contrast exists beyond this between the Shias and other Muslims. Shias have their own mosques, pray differently, break their fast at a later time during Ramadan and celebrate Eid on a different day, with all this and more stemming from differences in jurisprudence. For many Muslims, the lofty praises given to Ali ibn Abi Talib, who Shias believe to the the rightful successor to Mohammad, are felt to be exaggerated whilst the negative views Shias hold about some of majority Islam’s most respected personalities are felt to be intolerable. London based Shia scholar Sheikh Yasser al-Habib was forced to flee Kuwait in 2004 to escape imprisonment for mocking and cursing some of mainstream Islam’s most revered personalities, with his Kuwaiti nationality revoked in September 2010 for airing similar sentiments via Youtube. Among Muslims, admitting to being a Shia brings with it tension and uneasy feeling which become apparent on the listener’s face. For Shias, integrating into the mainstream Muslim brotherhood is a challenge, for praying together with someone who prays differently would be seen to
invalidate the prayers, not only within one’s own school of jurisprudence but poses questions about the acceptance of the prayer by God. Within the context of higher education, despite a single prayer room for all Muslims, Shias rarely pray behind other sects, nor do other sects allow Shias to lead the prayer for the fear of the invalidity of prayer. Socially, union activities are divided with Shias congregating under the Ahlul Bayt Society (masked at SOAS as the Salam Society), rather than the mainstream Islamic Society. The reality of the divide is rarely discussed outside of Islam for the sake of a show of so-called unity to people outside the religion, but internally Shias are constantly challenged about their beliefs. Even the most convincing arguments in favour of the Shias from the Quran and Hadith (sayings of Mohammad) are often ignored and accused of being exaggerated or misinterpreted. Shias find their religious freedoms and opportunities in Muslim countries in which they find themselves to be a minority very limited, except for in the case of Bahrain (and also Saddam Hussein’s Iraq) where despite comprising of two-thirds of the Muslim population and being an overall majority, Shias face blatant discrimination, unequal opportunities and find strict restrictions imposed upon what can be said on the pulpit. In the future, before Muslims cry of Islamophobia, they ought to reduce their hypocrisy by making active efforts of rid themselves of Shiaphobia.
SPIRIT EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: MEETING WITH TARIQ ALI Nick Rodrigo 213890@soas.ac.uk Tariq Ali is not only a world renowned Playwright, Film maker, editor and political commentator in his own right, but a political activist with a history of activism that runs back to his days at university. I caught up with him before a lecture he gave at SOAS, in an interview on the imcumbent cuts and how we could best fight them. Firstly, I should comment that the lucidity in which Tariq Ali addresses you is memorizing, and as he lectured me on the history behind the cuts I could not help but nod along profusely, as though like a bobble-headed doll. “Thatcher and her successor did not impose tuition fees, it was a decision by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and the NUS leadership accepted it,” declares Ali. Dressed in modest apparel, Ali’s
caramel voice filled the room and enriched its surroundings with an almost warm and comforting ambience. “Do they shout Labour scum at these protests?” Ali proceeded, “The NUS leadership are in total cahoots with New Labour and did nothing when the first top-up fees were introduced”. When I queried Ali, himself a seasoned veteran of political activism, as to the most conducive methods that bring about constructive change, he appeared to have his own theories on political activism. “Students who get caught up in the ‘Run of the mill politics’ of the main stream parties - [and] all of them have no fundamental differences, they all adhere to the same neoliberal program,” he commented.
However, Ali appeared ever the optimist and - looking towards a progressive future, he stated, “Something new has to be created to the left of these organisations that is not sectarian and can fight and [can] offer an alternative, [something] that unites students and workers, because housing and pensions are being looted by the banks.” Indeed, Ali has a long history of involvement in leftist groups and publications;- in his university days in Lahore he was active in demonstrations against the ruling military regime. In the Sixties he organised marches in Great Britain against the Vietnam War. “Since the Blairites captured New Labour they have destroyed the Left. If there aren’t debates within organisations then they can’t move forward,” quoth Ali, nevermore, “One big tragedy of the left historically, has been the model of party that they
accepted was the model devised to work under a dictatorship.” Ali has lived through some turbulent and changing times and has seen the changes that depression and war have brought to Britain, and when I asked him as to whether these cuts would in his opinion politicise a new generation like that seen during the street-fighting years of the Sixties, Ali’s response remained again optimistic: “During the Blair years - locust years that destroyed the left in this country, the fact that students became active is very positive,” said Ali, “I wish they had done it during the Blair years, but they didn’t;- the NUS was taken over by New Labour Hacks.” “If the government makes concessions then that will be a signal that protest works - that you’re not going to get demands through, unless you fight for them.”
DECEMBER 2010
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SOAS FACE OFF:
SHOULD THERE BE A HIERARCHY OF SUBJECTS?
AGAINST Louis De La Moriniere 234737@soas.ac.uk In recent weeks thousands of students have taken to the streets to demonstrate against cuts to university funding and proposed increase in tuition fees. Many agree that these cuts, based on a hierarchical structure of monetary value, will heavily detract from the range of knowledge that is available across many disciplines at SOAS. The cuts would mean the dissolution of certain courses, over 90 and counting, available to students; this we cannot allow. We cannot allow this because it legitimizes the idea, disseminated by the sitting coalition, that certain disciplines have more value and, as such, should be given precedence over others. We need only look to the Brunei Gallery, and the burgeoning support for the occupation, to see that this is a belief shared by many
at SOAS, but do we all agree? Recently, my attention has been brought to an ongoing dispute between the students and lecturers of two different courses – one a Social Science, the other African Studies. The dispute surrounds a claim, made by the lecturer and students of one course, that the class occupying the lecture hall before them had consistently overrun its allotted period by 10 or 15 minutes. Members of the class felt that their teaching time had been significantly reduced by the over-run. Moreover, it had been further disrupted by the lack of haste in students exiting the hall, despite the fact that both the lecturer and students of the next class were assembled at the front of the room. In the sixth week the
lecturer and students of the African Studies class entered the lecture hall at 2.55pm, when students are scheduled to begin exiting, to ask that this process begin. This intrusion was met with jeers, some stopped to voice their opinions whilst leaving, one saying ‘noone cares’, others suggesting that given the comparatively small class size and more niche focus of their discipline that it did not merit the full length of its allocated time. This triggered an email campaign on the part of the African Studies students directed at the HoD and the lecturer of the politics course. The emails written were met with an alarming reaction; not only was any overrun denied by the lecturer of the previous class but the HoD alluded
FOR Aaron Dias 213890@soas.ac.uk The coalition government’s proposals to implement, at least in part, the recommendations of the Browne report may adversely affect the amount of subsidisation many students receive toward studying particular degrees. In his report, Lord Browne drew a distinction between courses which should be given priority due to their societal importance, particularly identifying medicine and sciences, and courses which offer less to society, such as humanities. If such measures from the Browne report are adopted, universities across the country will inevitably be compelled to discontinue certain courses from their repertoire. Resultantly, institutions will necessarily have to assess and prioritise courses in contra to each other in determination of which ones will no
longer continue. The question then posed is, which courses are of such apt benefit to society they cannot justify their running in light of their being subsidised by public money. The Guardian reports that law graduates earn, on average, £60,000 more in a lifetime than other degree holders. On this basis, such degrees undoubtedly return more to society in monetary terms. On the other hand, are the more niche degrees (particularly some of those taught at SOAS) of a similar value to society, or do they exist simply to satisfy the personal interests of those studying them? Should society really be
paying for individuals to pursue their own personal interests or should those people studying such niche courses pay as much to study them as they value them? As SOAS student Amit Singh comments: "The problem with the way higher education works at the moment is that the average tax payer should not be forced to subsidise someone to study something like the study of religion, when there's no direct benefit to the said tax payer who probably himself or herself did not go to university and if these courses are not in high demand it is
to the fact that the class was a ‘core course for politics and has over 100 students’. Furthermore, it was suggested that ‘to mobilise students around this issue before discussing it with HoDs or timetabling or, to use them to “gather evidence”’ was unacceptable. Understandably, this has led many to feel they are not fully supported. As one student puts it; ‘To not only undergo the weekly humiliation… but now even here on this platform as we address the issue…members are coming under attack… The negative reception of the…cause disturbingly translates into an alarming discrediting of the course.’ That one class should detract from another is not acceptable. Every class is as legitimate and worthy as any other, regardless of class size or discipline. If we want to overturn this dangerous attitude, I believe we should start here. If we cant convince ourselves, how then, can we hope to convince others?
arguably not cost effective to have staff to teach them." When approximately 43% of people in the country go to university, it is arguable that we should be aiming to reduce that amount. Prima facie it would appear that educating more of the country would be nothing but beneficial, however, it has the oblique effect of diluting the effectiveness of degrees in securing employment. Additionally, higher education clearly simply isn’t appropriate for every field of learning and can indeed be detrimental to the quality of services offered following graduation, as some would argue was the case in nursing. I would argue that it is nonsensical to suggest that, for example, a degree in African studies is as beneficial to society as a degree in medicine and from the economic stand point; it would be difficult to say otherwise. Therefore, a prioritisation of the importance of courses is not only now necessary, but desirable.
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SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT SHINES ON… Japan Soc Caroline Ward 238120@soas.ac.uk SOAS Japan Society has been around for years. So many years, in fact, that no-one seems to be able to remember who started it, or why. What is certain, however, is that nowadays they’re pretty busy bringing you as much Japanese-style joy as possible. Their website has the following mission statement: “The Japan Society is for anyone who has an interest in Japan at SOAS, as well as native speakers and students of Japanese. We aim to promote understanding of Japanese culture within SOAS by organising a variety of events throughout the year, and we aim to give
11:11 – MERELY A COINCIDENCE? Harry Duncan 276024@soas.ac.uk My first coincidental sighting of the numbers 11:11 happened around a month ago and each sighting I describe in this piece has happened after that time. The first sighting was on a digital clock and gave me a momentary feeling of excitement and nothing else. However I began to notice that I was seeing 11:11 more and more to the point of it becoming a daily and at its peak twice daily occurrence. At the outset I must stress that at no point did I or do I pre-empt looking for the numbers 11:11, each time I saw or see them it is a spontaneous act and often I haven’t previously looked at the time for at least an hour. As my sightings of 11:11 continued, most commonly via digital clocks: at train stations, on ovens and once in the timing of an e-mail they were also accompanied by a positive feeling. At first I only discussed these experiences with my girlfriend as I felt them to be a set of unexplainable coincidences and that I would be branded a nut job if I harked on about my 11:11 puzzle. Until this point I had not come across
SOAS SPIRIT
you as many opportunities to meet like-minded people as possible.” It’s no lie, either. A regular language exchange night happens every Tuesday during term time, where students can come and practise their Japanese either with their fellow Japaneselearning classmates, or with native Japanese speakers. Then on Thursdays you can nibble on treats while watching Japanese films at Vernon Square (don’t worry, they’re subtitled). But for those non-Japanese speakers who just enjoy Japanese culture, I’m assured that more karaoke is in the mix, plus some Japan-based career events next term. (I should probably mention to the anime fans amongst you, however, that they have a separate society all of their own…) But the Japanese Society doesn’t just end at the walls of SOAS; they aim to publicise not just their own events but all Japan-related events in London, such as lectures, plays and exhibitions. There are also regular collaborations with other societies, pub crawls and an upcoming Christmas ice-skating trip, with an izakaya-style afterparty; you heard it here first. Anyone can join, simply by emailing soasjapansociety@gmail.com and/or by signing up on the Facebook page. Members are free any other sources regarding 11:11. Though, whilst browsing the web, without entering a direct 11:11 search, I stumbled across a youtube video entitled ‘11:11 a new earth’. Obviously through my utter intrigue I watched it and afterwards I was truly overwhelmed. Although part of it is hard to fully comprehend (ie. the term ‘lightworker’) its fundamental message relates to ideals which motivate how I try to live my life – those of peace, love and unity, thus I was naturally drawn to it. Later that evening I found a website called
The New Reality which happened to be holding global meditations at 11:11am and 11:11pm for a total of 11 minutes over 11 consecutive days
to get involved as much or as little as they like, and there’s a good mix of Japanese and nonJapanese members, so don’t be shy! starting from the date 11-11-10. Again I was astonished at finding these numbers purposely ordered in such a way – having only previously experienced them in random fashion. The numbers 11:11 have taken on a more significant meaning to me as I am now aware that many other people have had similar 11:11 experiences. Incidentally Rodrigo y Gabriela’s latest album is called ’11:11’ (also I nicked their album artwork for this article). I then explored the ideas underpinning the New Reality Transmission, a group set up by a ‘full-time international team of physicists and mathematicians’, who essentially propose that human consciousness is unified – this has been called by some thinkers as the ‘noosphere’. The implications of which are colossal and all of them cannot be explained in such a small space. But in essence, this could mean that human beings have the potential to will into existence their focused intentions if carried out collectively. In other words, if enough humans have positive intentions simultaneously it could have positive consequences for the Earth in reality. Conversely, by the same token, the reverse could happen if humans are unified in negative thought. My experiences of 11:11 make it difficult for me to rationally reduce them to the realm of coincidence. As Rabindranath Tagore once said: “a mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it”.
DECEMBER 2010
WHY I LOVE SOAS... Tom Perez 457681@soas.ac.uk This year I graduated from Cambridge, where I had been offered a place on their new African Studies course, but had been put off by the fact that after 3 years I was genuinely fed up of the Cambridge “bubble” and the lack of deep intellectual, social and cultural diversity there. Luckily, someone told me about SOAS. I’d heard the name, but had never realised how highly regarded SOAS was in the academic world. Neither had I realised what a cultural fusion this place really was. I fell in love with SOAS straight away. When I first walked in, there was African music playing in the JCR and a diverse mix of people hanging out in its welcoming open space; some chilled on bean-bags eating Hare Krishna lunches, others talked animatedly in languages I’d never even heard before. There were posters everywhere offering a rich variety of potential cultural experiences, and even a small mini-shrine to Nirvana by the pool tables, proudly displaying evidence of their gig at SOAS in
SOAS GRUMBLES THIS MONTH: TECHNOLOGY
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1989. For once, I truly felt culture shocked, because SOAS’ own culture was so different to anything I had ever encountered. It defies labels, it changes and grows according to circumstances or context, or even according to who you ask about it, and yet it seems to retain certain core values that are crucial prerequisites for the flourishing of cultural fusion: Tolerance, respect, openness, friendliness, a thirst for social justice, pride in creativity, and most importantly of all, a staunch defence of pluralism. Immediately, I immersed myself in the wonderful world of SOAS. I found that Swahili, a course I’d taken as a floater, took over my life, as I became enthralled by east African culture and addicted to its main language, spurred on in this addiction by Yussuf, a brilliant young Swahili teacher who sadly had to leave his family behind in Zanzibar to come to teach at SOAS, yet still manages to teach with a constant smile on his face. Absolute legend. Luckily, I got into the football team, which is truly one of the most incredible fusion of ethnicities, cultures and beliefs I have ever had the honour to be a part of. One moment we’ll be talking about the Premier League’s latest gossip, and the next we’ll be involved in a heated debate on religion, with everyone pitching in with different views and voices often being raised. Yet on the pitch our harder than expressing a neutral opinion at a UGM without being stoned. And that’s only in Russell Square – in Vernon almost any time you try getting into the computer room you’ll be told
Maddy Fry 211658@soas.ac.uk I’ve often heard it remarked that if SOAS became its own country it would be a badlyrun dictatorship. The Great Leader seems aloof and actively disinterested in mingling with his subjects (until recently I had assumed Paul Webley was just an urban myth), people and things go missing and/or get damaged for no specified reason, and those employed to handle everyday matters quite obviously wouldn’t be allowed near any industry where a premium was placed on efficiency or sanity. SOAS’s approach to IT is a particular area that makes the life of the average student that extra bit more frustrating. As part of the new reconstructions in aid of what we can only assume must finally be the SOAS Five-Year Plan, the School in its infinite wisdom chose to remove about a third of its computers, in an environment where accessing them any time after 6 am is
it’s being used for a seminar (something to do with classrooms bringing too much comfort to the bourgeoisie). Attempts by myself and several cohorts at occupying the CISD computer room on the fourth floor were made more interesting when someone tried to make us leave. Alas, it
differences are forgotten and we all play as brothers, united under the SOAS banner. For the first time, I have also become involved in student activism, and have proudly participated in the 3 days of student protests so far as well as in the Occupation at SOAS. I’ve never seen a student body as politically active or at least politically conscious as that of SOAS, and in times of widespread ignorance and apathy, this is a true blessing. We stand out as an example to other universities, and it is evidence of how loved SOAS is that even students whose education here is almost finished are still willing to do everything in their power to stop SOAS from being destroyed by the cuts. Together this makes for a powerful and dynamic community full of fascinating complexities. It is a community which transcends simple stereotypes, and instead thrives on its complexity and diversity so that its students truly reflect the benefits of cultural fusion: Unity despite and not instead of diversity, altruistic cooperation rather than egoistic competition, and an open-mindedness that rises above superficial differences such as race or ethnic background. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some amazing people here, both in terms of students and staff, and every day I find another reason to love the place. probably wasn’t a long-term solution. The printers are another issue in themselves. With a maximum of four existing in a building meant to serve the needs of over 4, 000, breakdowns are inevitable and cause no end of anguish any time one wants to actually, well, print something. The elevators similarly appear to be based on a system where one working cancels another out, and the cash machine in the JCR seems to enjoy brief periods of workability amidst long bouts of breakage. Since SOAS got rid of its Chaplaincy (yes, we did have one on the fourth floor of the Faber building and no, no-one went in it) your correspondent’s attempts at finding an exorcist have proved futile. Last but not least, I was writing this in the arctic temperatures of the library, an area that is stiflingly hot for every month of the year except the one where it’s most needed. When I asked why in a time of budget cuts and job losses the School was wasting so much money having the heaters on during the summer and switched off in winter, I was met with a smirk. “We have no engineering department,” came the reply. Touché.
NOVEMBER 2010
SOMALI CULINARY PLEASURES Edl Ahmed 251660@soas.ac.uk Thoughts of my childhood are always permeated with the rich, spicy stickiness of cardamom infused custard. Golden, piping hot and flecked with green seeds, promising explosions of eastern delight. This heady mix of eastern influence on a true English classic epiphanies the treats of my childhood; exotic, comforting and a little bit naughty. Memories of sitting by the stove, eating fresh anjeelo straight of the daawo are as fresh in my mind as if they were yesterday. I can almost taste the sweet butter melting in to the pancakey goodness of the hot anjeelo. A gastronmical delight that has lost none of its charm to my adult self. Haalwad, possibly the most calorific of all my childhood delights, but we know calorific is often the best way with these things. A desert of pure solidified sugar, almost impossible to describe without experiencing its exquisite tastes. A quasi jelly akin to the texture Turkish delights but with a nutty bite giving way spicy goodness. I remember sneaking this out of the pantry very late at night. Moving on to kimis, also known as sabaayad. It has long been my trusted after school treat, a hybrid of the Pakistani chapatti and the Indian paratha. A pan fried bread, moist and dry all at the same time. With a crunch that satisfies the ears as well as the stomach, eaten with lashings of strawberry conserve and a cold glass of milk. For adults, it’s eaten with a dates and spicy cup of herbal stove tea. As a sworn and dedicated lover of all things sweet, people are often surprised that I’m actually a raging carnivore, posing as sweet lover. Dinnertime often saw feasting upon an entire slow roasted lamb. Coupled with a rice that sets the most sophisticated of pallets watering. Moist basmati rice cooked in clarified butter, infused with cinnamon, cardomen and cloves. Decked with sultanas and caramelised onions. Freshly blitzed chilli sauce was optional. The description alone sets off a wave of nostalgia as well as hunger. However, the one thing that defines my childhood food is the simple banana. For most Brits banana is an everyday fruit, a breakfast good if you will. But for me, it is the greatest, the mightiest, the champion of accompaniments. It can turn a rather bland plate of rice in to an altogether more interesting affair. It can be added to a salad to provide sweetness against crunch. It can turn a plate of sloppy spaghetti in to a meal fit for a queen. It is the sweet and sour chicken of Somali cooking. I would say it’s rather like marmite, you love it or you hate it, only problem is everyone loves it! Now off to the kitchen I go.
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THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES & THE LESSON Rob Cusack 205343@soas.ac.uk
Amateur university dramas are a difficulty for reviewers. Too often, an overly punitive wit and a propensity to decimate egos by the masked, inked beholder has ended a prospective actor’s career, and too, too early. Often even, a middle ground has to be met by the reviewer over how good the show was and how well he wants to describe it. Usually, it turns out that the play was either too amateur or too grandeurish - or maybe the acting was plain crap, but rarely, if ever, could an amateur production of this scale be described as ‘Professional’. But that was my reaction from the ‘The Vagina Monologues’, performed to in G2 from 6th-9th December. The performance was powerful and the delivery was engaging, and I was left feeling that what was delivered was nothing if not a professional level of theatre, acted out by SOAS students and directed in-house. Highlights included Malica Scott’s heart-tearing rendition of a gang rape scene in Africa, and the subsequent outburst of emotional relief by Justine Arden. “Fuck tampons!” She screamed, “And fuck rape too!” –“Hear, hear,” the audience laughed but that haunted feeling never left. For this is the true power of the Monologues, and one fully understood – it has the ability to pervade minds and force upon questions that you do not want to ask. What does an angry vagina sound like? Does it like tampons and would you call it a cunt? As to “The Lesson,” which followed on precisely, the standard never dropped. To all intents and purposes the correct and proper rigamarole it was always designed to be. On stage, we witnessed an explosively funny David Maggs mirrored by Ellie Dagustan in an incredible presentation of what SOAS understands too well: La bizarre. Indeed, it was Maggs’ chorusing of the ‘Neo-Spanish’ language effaced with Dagustan’s facial mastery that completed what was a night of sheer quality. And in this country where the future of education and the arts looks bleak, (quoth Osborne, ne’ermore) SOAS should be proud that this level of excellence endures. And the old adage, “You’re so SOAS,” shall remain strong, if not stronger. As it reflects our potential to offer such high quality, as was shone out tonight.
Africa SUDANESE ELECTIONS Asia IMPLICATIONS OF FREE SPEECH Middle East EGYPT’S MIRAGE OF DEMOCRACY Global Musings I’M WITH ARUNDHATI ROY
SOAS WORLDVIEW
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SOAS WORLDVIEW
AFRICA ELECTIONS IN CONAKRY
SUDAN: UNKNOWN FUTURE
Maddy Fry 211658@soas.ac.uk
Shahinda Adil Seedahmed Abdullah 250520@soas.ac.uk
November’s presidential elections in the Guinean capital appear to be, as far as the world of non-SOAS media is concerned, some of the best political news to
emerge from Africa in years. Putting aside how teeth-grindingly irritating it can be for anyone who studies West Africa to abide the endless reports on war, famine and corruption from the mainstream press, the situation is an interesting one nonetheless. Alpha Conde, the winner of the presidential elections and head of the opposition party the Guinean People’s Rally (GPR), was previously jailed in 2000 for “endangering state security” before being exiled in France. The turn-out to mark his release in 2005 did much to demonstrate his popularity among voters, but was kept away from power due to the 26-year authoritarian rule of President Lansana Conte and the military government put in place after his death in 2008. Violence was endemic under the rule of Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara, involving the gunning-down of over 150 protesters in September 2009. Yet in May of this year the military vowed to respect the moves back to civilian rule, with
the first round of elections held in June. Although they produced no obvious winner, Conde was allowed to stand against the former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, who had served under President Conte and is now head of the party the Union of Democratic Forces of the People of Guinea (UFDG).
Although the result of the election, which was a resounding win for the former, saw clashes between the supporters of the two sides, the consensus among Guinean officials has appeared to be that the result must be respected and a popular civilian candidate will go on to rule. The fact that the Supreme Court was able to issue and enforce a final verdict on the matter of Mr. Conte’s win also suggests the country can have faith in its highest decision-making bodies. Similarly, Guinea sits on a considerable wealth of the mineral bauxite, the resources of which have not yet been utilised due to corruption. Under a more secure regime however, Guineans could see their living standards rise considerable; something arguably shown by the high voter turn-out. With many excited by the fact that the country looks set to have a real democracy after over 50 years of repressive governance, one can’t help but feel cheered over its future prospects.
Sudan, both Africa and the Arab world’s largest state, is month away from a referendum, which will not only determine its future but that of many other nations in the region. We are about to witness one of the most important moments in modern history, and no one is quite sure what to expect. According to a report by Frontier Economics, Sudan could suffer a loss of $50bn in GDP if civil war breaks out again, costing its neighbours $25bn. Kenya and Ethiopia are predicted to lose over $1bn. Abyei, which lies on the border between the North and South, could be a trigger for bloodshed. Until now, there has failed to be any agreement on whose rule the oil-rich region would fall under. As a result, Abyei is scheduled to have its own referendum on January 9th, to decide whether to associate itself with the Northern capital, Khartoum, or the Southern centre,
Pushing for a Southern secession is none other than the usual ‘triumvirate’ of the USA, the UK, and Israel. The US seems to be particularly keen on promoting a peaceful referendum. However, once again, it seems to be completely oblivious to the nature of politics in Sudan, despite the failure of many years of economic sanctions to yield any policy changes. Will a government disapproved of by the USA for already a decade, comprised of men wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of genocide and war crimes, be changed by a referendum? Furthermore, no amount of US agricultural aid will replace a loss of 80% of oil revenue, which makes up 95% of Sudan’s total revenue. “Oil has become the livelihood of this government…and they got used to lavish spending” says Former Interior Minister Mubarak al-Fadil al-Mahdi. “Our information is that the National Congress Party will not let go of the oil” he adds. More so, it fears that should it let
Juba. However, preparations for both referendums seem to be running behind schedule, and there have been several talks about their postponement, especially considering the recent one-week extension for voter registration to December 8th. Even so, the South requires 60% voter turnout to ensure the referendum’s validity. Though, with the North inflating the numbers of Southerners living in the North, it seems like their chance for independence might just slip away.
go of the South, other regions in Sudan will push for their independence, particularly Darfur. Sudan, a country at a crossroads: A country on the verge of independence…or war? Throughout Sudan’s postindependence, North and South have always been in a tug of war. Decades have passed, and the rope is wearing thin. The rope will break, and the country will fall into chaos if neither side lets go. But the question remains, who will let go?
DECEMBER 2010
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MIDDLE EAST A SHARED HISTORY BETWEEN ARMENIANS AND TURKS Christopher Sisserian 214468@soas.ac.uk
millet) - reflecting their loyalty and commitment to the Ottoman State. Indeed, Armenians participated in all aspects of Ottoman life and as faithful subjects of the state they inhabited and occupied positions in all aspects of Ottoman life. Sinan’s contributions to the empire must be viewed as a part of this shared history. In fact, celebrating the interaction and the inseparable history that occurred between Armenians and Turks would instead do great service to recent ‘football diplomacy’ attempts at reestablishing relations between the two states. This necessary endeavour faces many obstacles however, of which history is perhaps the largest. In order for an understanding to be reached between the two nations regarding the genocide of 1915, it is first necessary to re-discover the history of two peoples that lived side-by-side harmoniously for hundreds of years. In turn, I should hope that greater efforts at understanding our shared history will eventually open the door towards reconciliation.
On Saturday the 20th of November the Times featured a DVD and article on the life and works of the famous Ottoman architect Sinan. I was disappointed to find no mention of the Ottoman architect Sinan being Armenian in either the DVD that accompanied the Times on Saturday, or the article on the same topic. The DVD briefly alluded to this, stating that the village he came from was inhabited by both Christians and Muslims - a common occurrence in the Ottoman Empire up until the First World War and the resulting demographic upheaval. Rather than neglecting or avoiding Sinan’s Armenian heritage, I feel that such facts should be emphasised and celebrated in order to truly reflect the diverse nature of the Ottoman Empire. In this empire of many languages, religions, cultures and ethnicities, Armenians were often referred to as the millet-i sadıka (the loyal
EGYPT’S ELECTIONS: JUST AN ILLUSION OF DEMOCRACY Abubakr Al-Shamahi 231028@soas.ac.uk This week saw the latest manifestation of the Middle East’s attempts at democracy - the parliamentary ‘Elections’ in Egypt – and as per the norm it appears, those in charge of the elections have not quite understood the concept of a democracy. The previous parliamentary elections saw the main opposition group - the Muslim Brotherhood return 88 MPs, despite being officially banned. This modest return has now apparently disappeared and initial results show the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) winning 97% of the vote. There has, of course, been gross manipulation in every stage of this farce. In previous elections judges determined the fairness of the elections; however an electoral commission which is supposedly independent has now replaced this - despite its unfair appointment by the government. No prizes for guessing how many of the glaring irregularities in this election have been reported by the commission. And there have been many irregularities. From already marked ballot papers to police intimidation at polling stations, the list is unfortunately a catalogue of the depths that Mubarak has sunk to in order to keep power for himself and his NDP. Indeed, if anything, these latest Egyptian ‘Elections’ have resulted in the country’s march towards democracy falling back by more than a couple of steps. This is all despite the many encouraging
signs that are appearing from Egypt. The different shades of the opposition have been grouping together, finding common ground in their calls for reform and the will of the people. Mohamed el-Baradei, the former head of the UN nuclear watchdog, returned to his home country and has emerged as a strong challenger for the presidency. Civil society is also taking off, fuelled by the Internet and the blossoming social
networks. Protests have been taking place, and not the type that the government approves of. However, it is interesting to note that the blatant falsehood of the Egyptian election has been severely underreported in Western media outlets. Compared to the coverage given to the Iranian presidential elections of 2009, it is miniscule. There has been no push to place it at the top of the news agenda. This is despite there being arguably more wrongdoing in the latest Egyptian incarnation of Middle Eastern democracy. Why? Well, President Hosni Mubarak is a vital ally to the USA and the simple fact of the matter is that a fair and free election in Egypt would not result in a government that is supportive of the USA and its interests in the Arab world. A commonly held belief in Egypt is that Mubarak’s successor would have to be approved by Israel. In a free and fair election, no such Israel-friendly candidate could or would emerge victorious and that is the reality of the Egyptian street. So it appears that Mubarak and his cronies are to continue their rule - at least for the foreseeable future. The West has fought wars to bring democracy to the Middle East, yet democracy is only pressed for when it suits Western needs. What is oft forgotten however is that this misguided policy - to speak of hypocritical manoeuvrings by Western policy makers in the Middle East - will only cause more animosity to the West. It is a seemingly endless cycle that will mean that if there were ever to be real elections in Egypt, anti-American groups would emerge as victors. And that, of course, results in no real democracy for Egypt.
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SOAS WORLDVIEW
ASIA ON FREE SPEECH IN CHINA: FROM AI WEIEI TO ASSANGE Jake Thurston 274926@soas.ac.uk Long before the events of the 1989 Tian’namen Square, incident-free speech in the PRC had been regarded by all with a keen access to a soapbox as a logical fallacy. This sentiment, along with others, is arguably correct, but reeks of that half-arsed, first-world, ‘holier-than-thou’ POV that we’ve ridden shotgun with America on for so long. Officially we deplore the suppression of individual freedoms and human rights violations that occur in the PRC, but when so much of our import economy and quaternary industry manufacture comes from or is sourced in this same region, we’re very hesitant to push further for affirmative action. We know who our paymaster is, and so do they. Now, we have Chinese artist, political dissident and activist, Ai Weiwei, reaching recent domestic headlines with his charming installation on mass consumption and collectivism, ‘Sunflower Seeds’, at the Tate. In late November Weiwei was refused
passage from China to Korea for fears that he may contravene the Chinese government’s wishes to attend the Nobel Peace prize ceremony the following week in solidarity with the imprisoned Liu Xiaobo. The government has of course widely condemned the decision to present Xiaobo with the Peace prize and is actively boycotting the ceremony on a domestic level, raising again the pertinent issue of free speech against tyrannical governments. However, I can’t help but feel that by flogging this Chinese horse we’d be missing the elephant closer to home. I am of course alluding to the recent diplomatic cables exposé by Wikileaks, and before that the short-lived, ill-publicized leaks on the British government’s censorship of our internet. Freedom of speech and freedom of information are two very different things, but we like to think of them in a uroboric sense [ie. cyclically – Ed];- both inalienable rights, but perhaps because we believe we’re exercising both everyday. However, to what extent can these
actually be guaranteed for us? In the fallout of the most recent leaks, Assange has been called a ‘Coward’, an ‘Anarchist’, and a ‘Terrorist’; but what has he done other than expose (or confirm) the atrocity of our own establishments? And why are the media – that is to say - our media, sniping at the man who will fill their pages for months to come? I was under the impression that whilst newspapers often peddle their own agenda in commentary, large scandals like this would be non-partisan. Assange is simply providing hard proof of events that have occurred. This raises the ugly issue of when free speech crosses a line and is no longer subject to that freedom, and when public opinion changes on the matter. Ai Weiwei has criticized the actions of his government, and he is widely celebrated for this in a capacity separate to that of his art, Julian Assange has provided us with proof of wrongdoing elsewhere, and currently evades an Interpol arrest warrant. The circumstances may only be superficially similar, but the sentiment is uniform.
AUNG SAN SUU KYI: LESSON IN NON-VIOLENT PROTEST Austin Cooper 277490@soas.ac.uk It is an irrefutable statement, in my view that the liberation of Aung San Suu Kyi should serve as an evocative reminder to U.K. citizens of what exactly non-violent direct action can mean. That the leader of Burma’s National League of Democracy - a widow and mother - would not leave her country’s territory, for fear that the ruling military junta would not allow for her return – and even upon learning of her husband’s imminent death from prostate cancer, leaves one to consider the potential of any human being and their potential to embody a movement in which they believe. In the context of Burma’s struggle for democracy, Daw Suu’s release is an important step, but not one to be crowed over by democratists as an unequivocal victory. Ever since the resignation of the military leader Ne Win in 1988 and the resultant mass rallies for democracy met with the sanctioned murders of thousands at the hand of General Saw Maung,
protests have been met with violence on behalf of the government and election results have been annulled without reason. In 1990, the NLD won 392 out of 489 seats however the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) refused to acknowledge their defeat. To this day incidents such as the Kolkang incident and the subsequent state-sponsored violence which precipitated the exodus of thousands of ethnic minorities to the bordering Yunnan province in 2009 have
severly blighted the peaceful nature of what is a predominantly Buddhist nation. The fact that Aung San Suu Kyi is granted her freedom in a country under martial law is testament to her place in the hearts of its citizens, and testament also to the resurgent democratic power of those citizens. Indeed one can say that this enigmatic woman has become, for want of a better word, iconic in the eyes of the media and supporters of democracy (the non-imposed style) throughout the globe. The Burmese Constitutional referendum of 2008, self-appraised as upholding a “Discipline-flourishing democracy,” was farcical in the extreme, held in disregard worldwide and condemned by U.S. congress (the last bastion of democracy!). What we can see through Suu Kyi’s struggle is a demonstration of what humans can achieve without violence. And even if it be through reading books in the path of traffic, the ‘Crude Awakening’ protests at Coryton oil refinery, or through peacefully occupying your student union – we all have to start somewhere.
DECEMBER 2010
FROM DELHI WITH REGRETS Charlie Harding “I really, ah - enjoyed Delhi,” yawns a young yuppie-type, cigarette elegantly balanced between her fingers, as we sit in a typically threadbare travellers’ café. We’re in McLeod Ganj, my patient girlfriend and I, in a charming hill-station nestled on the just habitable fringes of the Himalayas. It’s the home-away-from-home of the Tibetan government in exile. It’s also populated by a hundred and one smart-ass ‘Travellers’ who will be more than happy to regale you with their tepid travel stories. This one in particular, ‘Emma’ as she shall be hereafter known, has been travelling in India for 4 months or so. She monologues with the conviction of a Simon Schama, “Yah, so Chennai was depraved and unsafe, faeces literally everywah. Shimla - Himachal Pradesh’s greatest hill-station, was all hustle and bustle. But yah, Manali was just amazing!” I nod, eyes wide and mouth agape, a look similar to the one you may choose to adopt when forced to humour a geriatric relative whilst he recounts his time in the ‘War’. It’s a well-rehearsed look. But something is bothering me. It’s the Delhi comment I think. It has become a litmus test of sorts. I harbour a categorical mistrust of anyone who ‘Enjoys’ Delhi. So much so that I want to jump up, grab this jabbering ‘Gap yah’ casualty by her ludicrous Ali Baba pantaloons and pull them over her head. This abhorrence for Delhi is my own fault, and it can be traced back to our arrival in India two weeks ago. In our infinite wisdom we had booked our flight to Delhi at the same time that the government was ‘Reclaiming’ land from puzzled streetvendors in an attempt to make the roads wider for traffic. Traffic was expected to engulf the streets of Delhi as it spilled over during the XIX Commonwealth games. Not an issue, I can almost hear you mumble. Yet please reader, bear in mind that this
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land ‘Reclamation’ was not conducted by health and safety ‘Nazis’ in high-visibility jackets and hard hats;- it was literally administered by unemployed Indian men who ‘Thwacked the shit’ out of alley-side real estate until nothing but rubble remained. Upon our arrival in Delhi, drunk with jet-lag, the landscaped appeared essentially like Bosnia (post-war presumably– Ed.), albeit with less ethno-religious strife and a great deal more road side defecation. Being hit by flying shrapnel or having a cowsized slab of building dropped on your head was a genuine fear as we negotiated our way
through the dust and humidity to our hotel, positioned right in the nexus of all this tumult. We spent the evening clinging to each other. An inability to digest such naked culture, fatigue and what can only be described as lily-livered panic had left us questioning why we so willingly left the soft-corned western bastion of England to go romping amongst such hellish climes. Now ‘Culture Shock’ is a term I court at arms length. Despite humming of cliché it seems to me an idea evocative of our embarrassing colonial past, a time when our ancestral forebears would shirk at the thought of anything less than the Queen’s English and the reassuring sound of willow on leather. Yet it certainly seemed a reasonable explanation for our completely unreasonable behaviour upon arrival. The horrible gastric implications of ‘DelhiBelly’ had left us grazing on Tesco’s
vacuum-packed peanuts and dried apricots, for Christ’s sake. Needless to say, the night was long and hot. We awoke with replenished vigour. Like our brazen-nosed ancestors had done before us, we would conquer this foreign land and have some jolly good fun whilst doing it. Yet, much like how Ghandiji’s steely pacifism had gradually uprooted the truculent British from his homeland, we found ourselves thwarted at every turn by Delhi’s anodyne resistance. Need train tickets? Fine, so long as you have the mettle to simultaneously dodge the legions of unscrupulous touts and read cunning street con-artists. Being the polite Englishmen that we were, prone to bouts of flattery and congenial conversation, we were repeatedly waylaid by gentlemen that professed to having friends from increasingly bizarre locations in Britain. I’m not sure what surprised me more - the fact that a grubby street urchin from Delhi had made an acquaintance in Norwich, or that a slack-jawed hobbit from the latter had made it any further than the threshold of his local corner shop. I would believe you if you said that you had enjoyed Delhi. But you’d have to be a cocaineguzzling diplomat or some other grotesquely wealthy bigot cut from similar cloth. You could tour Delhi’s captivating minarets and its crumbling old Fort, observing the masterful architecture with faux-wonder from the interior of your hired Bentley Continental. Upon fancying a spot of retail therapy, you could have your personal driver whisk you off to Delhi’s ‘new city’ where western shopping franchises are spreading faster than the country’s AIDs epidemic. Sure, it’s a stroll in the park if you can afford to avoid where we hunkered down for the duration of our stay: the Paharganj area, a dust-encrusted shit-heap located in Delhi’s ‘Old city’. Which, squatting at the heart of Delhi’s urban sprawl, is a whirling dervish of cash-strapped travellers, impoverished traders, dealers and have-a-go business men who swarm like honey-drunk bees amongst its gaudy colours and labyrinthine bazaars. Needless to say, we fled Delhi with all immediate haste. Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, was next on our itinerary, and for us both it couldn’t have come sooner.
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WORLD VIEW
GLOBAL MUSINGS famine having a potentially biblical colouring. In light of this, it is my hope that authors such as Roy will not go unheard. She speaks of not one government, but many - her own Indian one included. She talks about the numerous US interventions all over the globe, many of which have been magically portrayed in a heroic light thanks to the spectacular American manipulation of the propaganda powerhouse that is Hollywood. Her evidence for this is Columbus Day, and the hypocrisy and sheer audacity of making a celebration out of what was essentially a massacre, and a destruction of an ancient culture: “How has the United States survived its against lung cancer on terrible past and emerged cigarette packets, against smelling so sweet? Not choking on Kinder Egg by owning up to it, not toys, against slipping on an by making reparations, icy train platform. Yet none not by apologizing to of these warnings seem to black Americans or native have any effect; people still Americans, and certainly smoke, give their children not by changing its ways... small toys, and run to it has enlisted the services catch that train despite the imminent arrival of the next. of the most powerful, most successful publicity firm The same is in the world: Hollywood.” applicable to warnings of (p52) a greater scale; there are This is chilling, physical manifestations of when the scope of the signs of global warming, Hollywood’s influences yet short of telling people are taken into account, to turn their lights off there and then furthermore the is no real governmental grip that the US has on it. initiative to curtail the Hollywood is a quick and damage. Politically, we have sure way for America to the privilege of individuals who step out of the comfort extend its influences over zone, into the grey area of political asylum, exile, and punishment, in an attempt to educate those of us who do not have the courage or initiative to do as they have done. Yet they too are dismissed with a wave of the hand, or a snide laugh. Why is this? In 2009 when warnings of an increasingly global famine were spread, food production and consumption remained unaltered, despite this
I’M WITH ARUNDHATI ROY Nayela Wickramasuriya 226250@soas.ac.uk
I have just finished reading “The Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire” by Arundhati Roy, and have come away from it a little astounded, to say the least. Astounded by my personal lack of awareness, astounded by the scope of deception that governments are seemingly capable of, astounded by the willingness of the average citizen to do nothing, to leave their power unwielded, and the times unchanged. Of course I do not propose that we all ‘turn French’ and take to rioting about everything (though that seems to be the current trend in the UK these days), but perhaps that we choose to educate ourselves more. And Roy’s book is the perfect place to start. She writes with such passion that one feels ashamed at not having had the same initiative and conviction that pours from her pages; her facts and figures are damning, and she is relentless. She writes with enough fervour to draw out fervour. Whether you choose to side with her or not is of course your choice, but I challenge you to challenge her. Before I discuss Roy herself, I must let some of my own inner Roy out. Much of society at the moment is about warnings; this can be seen throughout the media. Whether it is a warning about climate change, impending war, or as Hollywood would have it these days, alien invasion, we are faced with warnings wherever we go. Warnings
the world, yet most frighteningly of all, without people necessarily noticing. However, Roy is balanced in that she does not hold “antiAmerican” views, as is fast becoming the political fashion. She in fact denounces anti-Americanism, rightly pointing out that much of the most succinct and cutting criticism of American policy comes from American writers, such as Noam Chomsky, Edward Said and Chalmers Johnson, to name but a few. She is clearly against sweeping statements and bland generalization: “What does the term ‘antiAmerican’ mean? Does it mean that you’re anti-jazz? ...Does it mean you don’t admire the hundreds of thousands of American citizens who marched against nuclear weapons, or the thousands of war resisters who forced their government to withdraw from Vietnam?” (p16) She has a point. While anti-Americanism may be an emerging trend, it is surely an uneducated one. Roy is clearly a firm critic of American foreign policy. It is clear to any individual, scholars and laymen alike, that America’s global interests were, and
are, isolationist. Each political move made on the international chessboard is calculated, but coldly so. A steely ruthlessness runs like a thread through American policy; a thread that at any second may be used to sever a connection, loss of life unaccounted for: “About half a million Iraqi children have died as a result of the sanctions. Of them, Madeleine Albright, then US Ambassador to the United Nations, famously said, ‘I think this is a very hard choice, but the price we think the price is worth it.’ ‘Moral equivalence’ was the term that was used to denounce those who criticized the war on Afghanistan. Madeleine Albright cannot be accused of moral equivalence. What she said was just straightforward algebra.” (pp31-32) However, I feel that I should not mention any
NOVEMBER 2010
(continued from previous page) more directly for fear of detracting from the enlightening experience that is reading her book. Its concise nature (157 pages including footnotes) and clean style make it not only accessible, but unputdownable. It opens the floodgates to a wealth of emotion and inquisitiveness; I was overwhelmed with the desire to find out more, to read in more detail about the events she described. It is therefore with a small knot of excitement in my chest that I now pick
up Noam Chomsky’s “Fateful Triangle” – Roy speaks highly of Chomsky. Finally, Roy talks of the “loneliness of Noam Chomsky”, in his political convictions, as he toils in the blood-soaked arena of American politics, with few calling his name. She likens him to the wood bore that lives in her bookshelf, day and night gnawing away at the wood while burrowing towards an end goal. She affectionately calls him (the wood bore) “Noam Chompsky”. In light of this, I for one shall not contribute to the loneliness of Arundhati Roy; her convictions should not go unheard. I’m with Arundhati
THE BUDGET CUTS: AN UNSUSTAINABLE DEFICIT Ilan Strauss 296662@soas.ac.uk I’ve looked everywhere and cannot seem to find a definition for the word ‘fair’ which would fit the current government’s use of the term in describing the cuts. £83bn is being slashed over the next four years from government spending as part of a £110.3bn tightening designed to amputate the ‘staggering structural deficit’ thereby restoring profitability to the British economy. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimates that, excluding the wealthiest 2% of the population who will be the hardest hit, the poorest 10% of the population will on average lose about 5.5% of their net income, compared with roughly 4.5% for the top 10%. The Treasury’s analysis of the Spending Review, which suggests that the cuts are fair, happens to exclude 1/3 of the scheduled changes to
benefits and does not go up to 2014/15. According to Stephanie Flanders, the BBC Economics Editor, once households are ordered by spending
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to give International Aid; and its social housing reforms which are “responsible, flexible and fair”. These claims however are paper thin: recent research conducted by the Financial Times has shown that 2/3’s of English state schools will have their daily budgets cut. These cuts will be further exacerbated by the forecasted increase in enrollment sizes. In terms of healthcare, NHS budgeted spending will rise by a measly 0.1% annually after inflation (some argue 0.4%); but this paltry rise will be overwhelmed by the current growing demand for health
“these cuts, along with the new rates that housing associations could charge, will see approximately 80,000 households forced from their current homes in London’s City centre ” rather than income then the bottom 30% of households all contribute more to the deficit reduction effort as a share of their spending than the top 10%. Besides for pension reforms, which will benefit current pensioners, the government uses 4 key budgets to illustrate that its reforms are ‘fair’. These include its protecting of school expenditure; increasing NHS annual spending in real terms (i.e. taking inflation into account); continued pledge
care and hospitalization. On the social housing front, government has placed a £400 weekly cap for larger houses. Those on Jobseeker’s Allowance will also experience a cut of 10% after one year on housing benefits. It is not coincidental that that these cuts, along with the new rates that housing associations will be allowed to charge, will see approximately 80,000 households forced from their current homes in London’s City centre. (What London Mayor, Boris Johnson,
has labeled an “ethnic cleansing”.) Lastly, we have International Aid, which will increasingly go towards propping up Britain’s military-industrial complex, as a leaked Whitehall paper has exposed. Aid projects in the developing world must now make the “maximum possible contribution” to British ‘national security’. All of the above cuts will be felt even more keenly when councils have their budgets slashed by 19% on average over the next 4 years. This will leave councils seeking deep cuts in the services they usually offer such as care for the elderly and vulnerable. Briefly, the other primary motivation which the government is using to sell the cuts is that they will promote “long-term growth, and create the conditions for a private sectorled recovery”. Last year government borrowed £1 for every £3 that it spent, with
the interest payments on this public debt amounting to £43bn. This is clearly not helpful for an economy nor is it sustainable. On the other hand the predicted loss of 500,000 public sector jobs from the proposed amputation will also have clear ramifications in the real world, which is not governed by the governments “pre-Keynsian faith”. By treating the economy as no more than a sum of its parts, the current government has given itself the illusory luxury of not having to be concerned with precipitating further troubles such as Keynes’ Paradox of Thrift. Until the persistent and growing income inequality is placed at the centre of most developed governments’ priorities, contradictions in the workings of the global economy and its interconnected parts will continue.
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WORLD VIEW
WHAT IS LEGITIMATE PROTEST? Jonathan Karl Pillay 233871@soas.ac.uk
The numbers of students who have taken to the streets over the past few weeks has been astounding. There’s no denying that this has become a large student movement. The media’s love affair with the small minority who are willing to cause damage to property, and in some cases take on the police, has created much debate concerning the forms of protest that are legitimate. Hence I (possibly falling into the same trap as the mainstream media) have decided to ask for the opinion of SOAS students regarding what can be deemed legitimate action in the face the current cuts. Many of the comments centered around the idea that if individuals were harmed as a result of what transpired then the acts were unjustifiable. Pravin Wadhwani said “the endangerment of life is completely unacceptable” and the now fabled fire extinguisher thrown from the roof of Millbank tower is the extremely isolated (and across the board condemned) example of that. But do we need to draw a distinction here? Rozie Wild pointed out that it was “not justified to inflict harm on people or even property”. Despite this, she sees “civil disobedience is a viable option which is part of the British protest tradition”. The numerous occupations of universities, and in the case of UKuncut, buildings used by corporations with
fraudulent tax practices, has been an excellent example of this – an example of protesters using their time and space creatively. However, in the process of civil disobedience are there also times of violence? One student voiced that “violence should be avoided. Ideally the solution should come from diplomatic sources. Yet, when this is not possible, people turn to coercive and desperate means. If coercion cannot be avoided it must at least be ensured that it is controllable”, when we find ourselves constrained both politically and/ or physically, do we find ourselves in a situation were coercion becomes understandable and a necessary tool? Do we just condemn the situation or do we need to look more closely at it? Jasper Kain highlights our need to “contextualise the violence, not only see it in a vacuum”. Are some of the scenes we are witnessing on the streets a response problems in the political landscape of the country? Samson Gebreselassie said that “our right as citizens should be to decide; when that is taken away violence becomes understandable”. The coalition government has been accused of acting without consulting civil society nor with those within the ‘coalition’. This has angered many - it has invoked claims that our current government is
undemocratic and ideologically led. James Meadway added to this debate that “any violence that happens at protests is in the hands of the police”, citing the mounting police charges at one of the protests. A second year student brought to my attention some footage of a friend being violently thrown onto the floor in the case of mistaken identity. The death of Ian Tomlinson and the questionable tactics of kettling has brought about distrust. Furthermore, the relationship between the anarchists groups and the riot squad seems to have been one brewing over many years (since the reclaim the streets movement in the 90’s). Taking all of these factors into account, would it not be more appropriate to view the violence as a dialectical relationship between the people and the state rather than one of random, thuggish violence? Only time will tell how the movement decides to progress; the debate is one to have with others and in ourselves. Yet, if there was one consistent and clear point I heard from everyone I spoke to, it was that the safety of both others and ourselves should be paramount in our minds, whatever direction we choose to take.
When Tariq Ali mentioned the long history of protesting in France, the idea came to me to write about the ‘French method.’ But the more I thought about describing how a student movement becomes a nationwide cause, the more discouraged I was. How to describe the demonstrations, the occupations, the blockades, and the collaboration between students, workers and national unions? How to describe the passion, the engagement... and also the violence? No words can describe this better than images...
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WORLD VIEW
DOMESTIC WIKILEAKS: GOOD FOR SECURITY, DEMOCRACY, AND AMERICA AND BRITAIN Josh Kitto 297493@soas.ac.uk The Wikileaks’ revelations do not put you at threat: they make you, your friends and family safer. Whether the allegations against Julian Assange are true (and these allegations are not completely convincing), there is a need to separate the man and the organisation, especially considering that Interpol have not been able to determine what justified Assange’s ‘Most Wanted’ status. What we need to look at is the Wikileaks cables and the importance they have in three significant areas: 1) It’s good for security Not only have these cables, the first released several months ago, not been proven to have endangered a single life, and not only have both Wikileaks and the papers they worked with redacted the names of agents, informants etc., but they reveal policies that are endangering our security. This includes the secret war waged on Yemen, and the blind eye turned towards Iraqi torture chambers. These policies are proven jihadism recruiters and they can only be changed if we are aware of them. That politicians who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, a CIA agent whose husband was criticising the war, and who covered up the death of former football star turned soldier (the experience turned him into an anti-war Chomsky reader) Pat Tillman, are willing to endanger their own citizens’ lives for political purposes should put much doubt on claims that Wikileaks is threatening your security. Indeed we can see from one cable that diplomats acknowledge the security threat Saudi Arabia pose by being the biggest financer of Sunni terrorist groups, while the US decide to arm them with $60billion worth of weapons, that politicians are willing to sacrifice security for various interests (in this case oil). But to reiterate, only if this is engaged with in the public discourse can these policies be changed. 2) It’s good for democracy You may have noticed that the mainstream media is awful. It isn’t just FOX news or the Daily Mail hate machines that are bad, but even the more “centrist” organisations, like CNN and increasingly (depressingly) the BBC. The increasingly corporatized media is not just a bad thing for
our democracy in terms of an independent regulator being compromised, but it is also a very bad business model. More people would be buying The Guardian if they had been holding power to account over a longer period of time, in the same way they have been doing in the last few weeks. We need a media that is willing to challenge the narrative of powerful interests. Remember that the Nixon administration wanted to criminally prosecute not only Daniel Ellsberg but indeed the New York Times for leaking the Pentagon Papers, until the Supreme Court took the radical Commie viewpoint that free speech can entail… embarrassing the government. Wikileaks, contrary to the mainstream media narrative, are the model for media reporting, not a parody of it (for great coverage about Wikileaks, I’d recommend Democracy Now!, Glenn Greenwald, Johann Hari and Greg Mitchell at The Nation) 3) It’s good for America (and Western countries) Western allies of the US are being shown to have been screwed over by the US. Diplomatic cables laugh at the UK’s “humorous if it were not so corrosive” belief that we can effect US foreign policy. This need not be an embarrassment, but rather a sign that we need to finally get rid of the imperialist mind set we have clung onto in denial after losing India and our “possessions”. Spain and Germany are outraged by allegations that show the US ordered a suppression of any attempt for prosecution of US officials over the death of a Spanish journalist, and that an innocent German man was kidnapped and tortured and the US also ordered a suppression of any prosecution. In Australia, home to a similarly poisonous right-wing as the US (as well as Assange), even imperialist race-baiters like John Howard are blaming the US rather than Assange. All of this, as well as US war crimes in Afghanistan and policy choices that make them less secure, namely their relationship with the disgusting House of Saud, allows the US to look at what an alternative America could look like. The sun is setting on their empire, but if the Washington junkies start telling the truth to the arms manufacturer dealers, they can still save a country that is increasingly out of control. Wikileaks may not have just saved the lives of more Iraqis, or Afghans, or Yemenis, or even Russian and Chinese democrats empowered by what the cable leaks reveal-they may yet well save us too.
POETRY FROM PALESTINE At a roadside cigarette break I saw Jim Crow Brutish lacerations carved into a sawed off broom handle Notches of pride, of prowess etched into the side of a stick Telling a story of who’s the master Putting the subservient serfs in the place not just where they long but where they will forever be And I thought the end of Jim Crow anywhere was the end of Jim Crow everywhere But Jim Crow always works a 24 hour shift He never takes a break, fool ain’t even human so he’s never got to take a piss or get himself a cup of coffee He eats the fear that’s in the air, the ignorance and aggressive one sided apathy that hovers like a cumulus cloud chained like a kite Jim lifted his stick casually, not the first time and sure as shit ain’t the last Wiggled it a bit before stiffly putting it against the throat of a man his age Wanted to put the pride aside and let the man know who was in charge While several of the man’s relatives who were taken off the bus watched beside him, Jim shouted unanswerable questions in a foreign tongue in the man’s face, more spit and dogshit breath than words But you don’t need the Rosetta Stone language program to know the language of fear, the scourging slang of indifference Jim saw myself and my companions shrugging our way through jokes until we saw his stick in the man’s neck and we became silent He gestured with his stick for us to move back as if we’d do the same thing if we didn’t have another job My moral fiber is all too often stitched with scotch tape and other flimsy materials, but my mother’s voice wailed in my heart that what I saw was wrong as wrong could be So I stared, I had to watch this man with the stick in his neck and his family members witnessing the routine dismantling of their scrap metal shelters in which they stashed near forgotten memories of how things were when they used to be human. It was maybe a minute and a half, but I wanted my eyes to turn into starving whales so I could swallow the situation, glugging it’s indigestible acerbic poison into my belly so that I could at least have the taste of humiliation in my mouth, rather than the pithy feeling of helplessness clinging to the back of my tongue. We tossed our half done cigarettes, got back on the bus, flashed our passports to the soldiers, and enjoyed yet another moment as individuals superior to citizens of a country which we were not from. Onward to Ramallah.
NOVEMBER 2010
SATIRE
We don’t need no education...
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SANTA TO BE PRIVATIZED Joe Buckley 248264@soas.ac.uk
PRIMARY SCHOOL ANTICUTS RALLY GETS VIOLENT Caitlyn Merry 219960@soas.ac.uk Thousands of protesters from primary schools across the nation descended on London yesterday to demonstrate their solidarity in calling for greater cuts to the education budget. The relatively peaceful protest quickly turned violent after a minority occupied a local nursery and started throwing crayons, Haribo, and soiled nappies at puppets of teachers and parents. Deeming the current levels of funding ‘exorbitant,’ thousands of oppressed school children are finally stepping up to a government they say has no consideration for their interests. ‘Something has to be done about our country’s ridiculously inflated education budget,’ said Timothy Smith, 10, head of the Committee to Support the Education Funding Cuts (CSEFC). ‘Yes, they have talked about getting rid of art class, but learning all about maths is ridiculous because we have calculators, and science is just boring because they won’t teach us how to blow things up.’ This sentiment was strong amongst protesters. Placards read, ‘Less skool (sic) and more feeld (sic) trips’ and, ‘Down with our woeful destiny of years spent in compulsory education.’ Reaction to the CSEFC movement was mixed and contentious. The Education Minister has made a statement against the protest, stating that, ‘the credibility of their cause has been completely undermined by senseless acts of violence.’ He continued, ‘We may have taken the reasons for their anger into consideration if they had acted maturely. But this, from 8 year olds? It’s extremely damaging to their reputation as upstanding members of a democratic society and, as a result, they have ultimately quashed their own right to freedom of expression. We will not take them seriously anymore.’ Thousands of students, however, have expressed support for their comrade Khalil Hassan, 6, who threw a lolly off the roof of a nursery, narrowly missing a nursery supervisor. Mr. Hassan has been grounded for three weeks and will be forced to attend Saturday school every week until he turns eighteen. Lily O’Reilly, 7, stated, ‘My school friends are prepared to support further acts of civil disobedience to get our point across. We are employing a policy of refusing to sleep at nap time to show how serious we are.’ When asked how she felt about the fact that being noisy during nap time might affect other students not participating on the strikes, Miss O’Reilly stuck out her tongue, rolled her eyes, and spat out her chewing gum.
In the latest attempt to pull the world out of the global financial crisis, there are plans for Santa to be privatised - after months of mounting claims that he has become bloated and inefficient. The claims have been developing since the beginning of the economic crisis in winter 2007. People were no longer able to get mortgages to move into houses with bigger chimneys. Assertions that Father Christmas had become unfit soon began to emerge. That Christmas, 60% less mince pies were left at the bottom of chimneys; there were 23% more carrots. The latest move was revealed late last month. A government spokesperson explained, ‘Father Christmas is now nothing more than a burden on the taxpayer, and a waste of government funding. By privatising Santa, we are confident that he will provide a less bureaucratic, more streamlined, and, ultimately, more beneficial service for his clients.’ A number of companies have openly expressed an interest in acquiring Father Christmas, including Santander, Nestlé, and Mattel. Each has different ideas about how they would streamline the delivery service. Santander have said they would promote the giving of loans rather than physical gifts, in order to reduce transport costs; Nestlé would give a central role to the chocolate coins at the bottom of stockings, to reduce production costs; and Mattel would outsource all toy production to China. However, the plans have faced strong criticisms and resistance. The Elvin Workers’ Union (EWU) have released a statement condemning the plans, ‘Privatising Santa would be disastrous for our members. Because of our size and inextricable connotations with Christmas, it is very hard for elves to find permanent stable work. Working for Father Christmas is one of the few options we have, but with privatisation comes job losses and pay cuts – all of our members’ jobs are in jeopardy. Furthermore, our skills at perfectly handcrafting presents will cease to be appreciated, and we will become nothing more than a factory line.’ The EWU have called an international strike on 23rd December – traditionally the busiest day in an elf’s work year – which is being supported by the Reindeer & Magical Transport Union (RMT). The RMT are also worried about job losses, but have been split by a controversial comment made by Blitzen, the RMT’s Lapland Branch Secretary. Blitzen has been accused of prejudice after saying in a statement, ‘We should all be worried about our jobs. Apart from Rudolph, he’s definitely safe due to the ridiculous disability quotient.’ Santa faces a second concern this Christmas - British border control has revealed that he has not yet applied for his visa. If he doesn’t get his application in soon, Father Christmas may enter the country on Christmas Eve as an illegal alien. ‘Santa’s visa always takes a long time to process, due to the size of his luggage and the animals he brings with him,’ a border police spokesman said.
The Elvin Worker’s Union (EWU) adamantly opposed to recent proposals to privatise Santa.
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SOAS SPIRIT
CULTURE ‘KWAITO’: DANCING FOR LIBERATION Adam Tiran 211728@soas.ac.uk After over forty years of institutionalized racial discrimination under the apartheid regime, the ANC finally achieved a majority vote in the first election of universal suffrage in South Africa’s history in 1994. Independence ushered in an unchartered period for the new Democratic Republic of South Africa: a period of progression, proposed equality, and perhaps most importantly, relief from the struggle. As South Africa was reincorporated into the world community (following trade embargos and cultural boycotts during apartheid) the nation was inundated by popular culture from all over the world. With regards to music, US Hip-Hop was particularly well received, due to the similarities between the struggles of the African Americans and black South Africans. In a method of ‘glocalization’, the newly liberated youth looked to assert their own unique cultural identity by borrowing traits from hip hop and electronic music, and the diverse local music styles, like mbaqanga and ‘bubblegum’. Consequently, kwaito was born.
Kwaito is typically slowed-down house music with mostly female vocals that complement mostly male emcees dropping simple rhymes and chants in tsotsitaal, the creole language of the township. The origins of the word kwaito are disputed, but most likely stem from the Afrikaans word kwai, meaning ‘angry’, or in the modern context, ‘cool’. The music is primarily recreational and purposefully apolitical in its content – it’s party music. The incredible success of kwaito in South Africa since the demise of apartheid, has seen national broadcasting companies increasing their output of black cultural productions, propelling the music onto every TV and radio station. Access to cheaper technological goods, particularly stereos and music production equipment, meant the industry grew rapidly creating competition, stylistic diversity and a more unique
sound. In this way, kwaito accurately represents the cultural affluence of South Africa and is indicative of the nation’s dynamic cultural identity. Arguably the genre’s leading artist, having achieved worldwide success
the 70s and 80s had to be violent to make a point, the generation of the 90s had to deal with freedom and that is hard. Whoever said the struggle continues didn’t tell us how. Kwaito came out of that” (Neate, 2003).
with his album Umdlwembe (2000), and featuring in two of the most successful South African films, Drum (2004) and Tsotsi (2005), Zola identifies why kwaito has experienced such a degree of success: “As much as the children of
The music has become the new voice of the liberated youth and, as commercialized party music, is one example of the nation taking the next necessary step in its political continuation, by acting as a ‘debrief’ from the decades of struggle that preceded its inception. For this reason, kwaito is an essential element for the reparation of a traumatized nation, and is a fundamentally relevant cultural production with a view to real psychological progression from the atrocities of apartheid. The struggle continues nonetheless, with South Africans now facing new questions of race and class. For this, kwaito provides the necessary cathartic release.
SPIRIT SPOTLIGHT: BUTTRESS ROOT DRUMMING This month Spotlight caught up with Drummer/Producer/ DJ, “Buttress Root Drumming”. What do you do: I make beats with bass! Dubstep; but I’ve tried Trip-Hop, Drum & Bass, chilled beats. Anything I’ve listened to in my life can be found somewhere in my tracks – style or samples. It’s sometimes hard to say what genre my music is. So I have to work out where my music will - or can - fit into the industry. I often find myself going off on one in my production. I want to start incorporating electronic and live acoustic sound. I am in various drumming groups, playing traditional music from West Africa and Cuba, and have played in bands.
Influences: Ninja Tune, Drum & Bass, African music, traditional drumming, Trip-Hop, Jazz, Dubstep and Classical music (C17th-19th.) State of the scene: There’s been a huge increase in bedroom DJ/producers and this is one of the best things that has ever happened in music. Anyone can now have a go and share their stuff with other people online. However in terms of the industry there are lots of great tracks but also lots of not so great tracks, so it’s hard to make your music stand out from the crowd. There is obviously the problem of an artist making a living from music, if everyone is downloading, but the music industry always finds a
way. They thought that the illegal printing of sheet music in the 19th century, radio and cassettes in the 20th century would be the end of the industry forever! It’s all poised, ready for something huge to happen electronically, with thirteen year olds getting their hands on Logic for little or no cost, and making beats like Magnetic Man! Stuff like that is happening, and the standard of dance music is going to rocket. The SOAS effect: I came to SOAS to meet musicians who were interested in music from all around the world, and open to new routes into ‘musicking’. That’s exactly what happened. I have played with some great musicians last year, and was lucky enough
to play in Wara, a Cuban-based project fused with urban beats, Reggae and Hip-Hop. We did a few festivals over the summer including Glastonbury. The point is, we all met at SOAS, and it goes to show that this place is amazing for finding musical sparks. Think Portico Quartet! This year there are a lot of very talented freshers. Top Listening: Bonobo Groundation Blockhead Thievery Corporation Massive Attack Mr. Scruff www.soundcloud.com/buttressroot-drumming
DECEMBER 2010
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SPORTS RESULTS ULU LEAGUE 1.11.10 SOAS Women’s Basketball: 52 - 18 Goldsmiths Women’s 1s 3.11.10 SOAS Men’s Badminton 1s: 1 - 7 University of Kent Men’s 1s 6.10.10: SOAS Men’s Football 1s: 3 - 0 University College London 2s 14.11.10 SOAS Women’s Football 1s: 2 - 0 King’s College London 13.11.10 SOAS Men’s Football 2s: 6 - 0 University College London Men’s 6s 15.11.10 SOAS Men’s Squash: 3 - 2 LSE 4s SOAS Women’s Basketball: 31 - 83 London South Bank Women’s 1s SOAS Men’s Basketball: 103 - 33 Goldsmiths Men’s 1s 17.11.10 SOAS Men’s Football 2s: 6 - 3 Goldsmiths Men’s 2s
SPORTS ROUND-UP 29.11.10 SOAS Men’s Squash 1s: 4 - 1 St Barts Squash Men’s 1s SOAS Men’s Basketball 1s: 80 - 69 Queen Mary Men’s 1s Holloway 1s 31.10.10 Women’s Football 1s- 3-5 St Georges Hospital Medical School 1s
BUCS LEAGUE 3.11.10 SOAS Men’s Basketball 1s: 64 - 26 University of Hertfordshire Men’s 2s SOAS Men’s Football 1s: 1 - 3 Canterbury Christ Church Men’s 3s SOAS Women’s Netball 1s: 3 - 61 King’s College London Women’s 2s SOAS Women’s Tennis 1s: 0 - 12 Kings College London Women’s 1s 10.11.10 SOAS Men’s Basketball 1s: 51 - 44 Universities at Medway 1s SOAS Men’s Squash 1s: 2 - 1 Imperial 4s
19.11.10 SOAS Men’s Basketball: 81 - 54 Imperial Men’s 2s
SOAS Men’s Tennis 1s: 10 - 2 University College London 3s
SOAS Women’s Basketball: 51 - 63 Imperial Women’s 1s
17.11.10 SOAS Men’s Squash 1s win via walkover versus City University 1s
20.11.10 SOAS Men’s Football 1s: 0 - 1 Queen Mary Men’s 1s
SOAS Men’s Football 1s: 5 - 4 University of Westminster Men’s 2s
SOAS Men’s Football 2s: 4 - 1 Kings College London Men’s 4s 21.11.10 SOAS Women’s Football: 3 - 6 King’s College London Women’s 1s 22.11.10 SOAS Men’s Squash 1s: 4 - 1 St Georges Hospital 2s 27.11.10 SOAS Men’s Football 2s: 7 - 3 Royal Holloway Men’s 4s
SOAS Men’s Tennis 1s: 2 - 10 Kings College London Men’s 2s SOAS Women’s Tennis 1s: 2 - 12 Kings College London Women’s 1s SOAS Men’s Rugby 1s: 10 - 32 University of Reading 3s 1.12.10 SOAS Men’s Badminton 1s: 8 - 0 University College Medical School Men’s 1s
In comparison with local rivals, it would appear fair to say that SOAS’ sports teams are without doubt chronically and blatantly underfunded. However, with a student body of only 5000 students it’s also definitely fair to say that we are punching well above our weight – with several of our 17 sports teams sitting at the top of, or near to the top of their respective league tables. The Men’s Basketball team suffered a shock premature exit in the BUCS cup this year, despite showing excellent form this season. However, they still remain undefeated in the leagues, with a 100% record in both the BUCS and ULU leagues; and have broken records along the way with a classic defeat of Goldsmiths’ Firsts - 103-33. One of SOAS’s form teams so far this year have been the Men’s Football Second XI who’ve got off to a flying start, having won all their games (bar one) and stealing the limelight from the much-celebrated football First XI. However, the highlight for the Seconds has to be against SOAS’ bitter rivals, Royal Holloway, which resulted in a bad tempered 7 - 3 thriller. With this great form in mind, many members of the Seconds team will be itching to be promoted up to the Firsts, which could potentially spark a bitter row over player selection between Omar Salha and Joseph Watfa. And despite their exceeding expectations last season - with a 2nd place finish in the ‘ULU Weekend One League’, SOAS Men’s Football Firsts have struggled to hit those heights this season, having initially faltered with two successive draws, and meeting against some excellent goalkeeping performances. SOAS have however still managed to keep local rivals, UCL, in their place with a comfortable 3 - 0 win over their Seconds team. SOAS also managed to record an impressive 2 - 0 victory over Royal Holloway Firsts - breaking a four year losing streak. And have maintained a 100% start to the BUCS campaign with three wins out of three. The loss of top goal scorer Toib Olomowewe will also
seriously test the First XI’s resolve and strength in depth, as they look to challenge in all three leagues. November was not so joyous for the Women’s Tennis team, who slumped to not one but two heavy defeats at the hands of local rivals, Kings College London. SOAS Badminton and Netball teams also suffered heavy defeats this month, but there’s no doubting that they will all bounce back once the teams have had more time to gel and get to know each other. Men’s Tennis experienced mixed fortunes having beaten UCL 3s easily 10 – 2, but went on to lose the week after against Kings College London 2s, demonstrating the competitive nature of the BUCS league. The SOAS Rugby team (SOAS Warriors) have in recent years been one of the most successful teams at SOAS after a succession of astounding back-to-back league victories. However, the loss of several key players this season including talismanic captain Jake Goldsmith amongst other players such as Sam Wylie, top try scorer Rhodes Edewor-Thorley and the tough tackling Jan Paprockjy, has left SOAS Rugby in an initial difficulty with the formation of its new-look squad - however, hopes are high that the new team will gel quickly. In a different vein, SOAS’s previously much-maligned squash team continue their stunning form, as they sit at the top of both the BUCS and ULU leagues, having trounced Royal Holloway and St Barts along the way and they look to remain in pole position after the Christmas break. Hopefully SOAS’s teams can continue their good form in the New Year, and those teams that are struggling will surely get into the swing of things as the season progresses.
SOAS SPIRIT
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SPORTS SOAS BASKETBALL 103-33 VICTORY OVER GOLDSMITHS Chuck Madekwe 243174@soas.ac.uk
TEAM PROFILE: SQUASH Amit Singh 231158@soas.ac.uk Captain: Amit Singh Players: 1. Parth Jindal (JYA Politics and Economics) 2. Jamie Morrison (BA Chinese) 3. Alexander Jaatma (BA African Studies and Development Studies) 4. Jan Fox (BA History) 5. Amit Singh (BA History) Results: WLWWWWW League position: BUCS 1st ULU 1st The SOAS Squash team last season was the object of some ridicule. Finishing a disappointing 5th out of 8 in the ULU League and an even more humiliating 7th out of 8 in the BUCS League where we failed to win a game. However a year is a long time in squash. The introduction of Parth Jindal, our Junior Year Abroad student from Brown University, has spearheaded what can only be described as a SOAS Squash renaissance with
the team recording 6 wins in 7. Notable victories include overcoming Essex 2nd team in the BUCS League and a 4-1 mauling of St Georges in the ULU League. Parth has been a positive presence both on the court and off it, his most sensational victory coming against St Georges as he romped to victory, 9-0, 9-0, 9-0, barely breaking a sweat. As well as this, Jan Fox’s rise to prominence has been nothing short of a revelation after failing to make it into the team last season, but he is now unbeaten in 5. Jamie Morrison has also thankfully returned from injury after missing the second half of last season, his importance to the team was demonstrated in the great character he exhibited to overcome Essex in a 5 set thriller that saw us edge a tight game 3-2. Of course losing Parth, who leaves for Brown after Christmas, will be a huge blow, but hopefully we’ll still be in good stead to push on and gain promotion in the ULU and BUCS leagues.
SOAS’ Basketball has long been regarded as one of the poster teams of the university, and indeed the results of the record breaking 103 – 33 smash against Goldsmiths seems to only cement SOAS’ position as heavy-weights of the University of London Premier Division. SOAS has a very impressive record against Goldsmiths. This was their fourth meeting in three years and although SOAS have always come out on top, it has only previously been by relatively low margins. And ten minutes into this fiercely fought match and 25-8 up, we could sense a rout in our opponents. Our once fierce rivals were crumbling fast at the trumpet call of the mighty elephants. Successive time-outs from the opposition did little to halt the assault. It had been two years since SOAS had lost a game in the ULU league and all indications were showing that this record-breaking streak would not end tonight. Power-Forward Jostein Hauge and Centre Conrad Pfaff were the personification of domination. They were on sparkling form and controlled the paint with relative ease. It was an overall and prolific team-display. Every player ended up on the score sheet as SOAS bossed Goldsmiths, physically, technically and tactically. Jostein hit the 100th point with three minutes left amid celebrations. They had become the first team to record over 100 in the highest ULU league. Captain Chuck Madekwe commented afterwards, “We are very competitive and wanted to test the strength of our offense. We moved the ball well and were aggressive on the board. This performance was about much more than securing the points, but about sending a shockwave through the league. We worked our bottoms off at practice. We deserve this.” SOAS’ Basketball remains top of the ULU league with an insurmountable 88 point difference. They are also top of the BUCS league and have their sights fixed on the cup. A treble championship this year will build on previous seasons and add to the ever-growing SOAS trophy cabinet.
SOAS FOOTBALL 2NDS Omar Salha 204864@soas.ac.uk
Having gained promotion last season under the leadership of Amro Sinjab , rather than struggling with the demands of the ULU Division 2, the SOAS 2nds have thrived with an astonishing 41 goals in 10 games. Despite the fact that this season has seen every position filled with a new player, the 2nds have won nine and drawn one game out of the last ten and are through to the quarter finals of the ULU Plate Cup. This is the best start and performance of the SOAS Men’s 2nds team to date since its inception over 10 years ago. The 2nds also boast one of the best defences in the league having only conceded 15 goals. One of the defining performances for the SOAS 2nds was
their 7-3 victory over Royal Holloway at Egham that saw SOAS maintain a two-year winning streak as well as becoming the only team to score seven goals in one match this season. A huge reason for the 2nds early success is the form of strikers Daniel ‘ DJ Furious’ Gayle and Abdelrahman ‘Boody’ Morsy. Daniel has scored 19 goals this season so far, and should cruise to the golden boot if he continues such stunning form. The players understand that the concept of winning is not merely to score but to play good quality football and win with passion and desire. I am extremely proud of my boys, and I am certain that they have the belief and momentum to win the double and gain our long awaited aim to reach the top division.
A STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES
‘MOVEMBER’ WATCH Pravin Wadwahni: BA Politics
1. How has Movember affected your love life? I’m not going to lie to you, the situation is pretty ‘tang’ bad. I expected Movember to add to a bit of sophistication and character to my game. I thought I was pulling off the Bollywood star look quite nicely, but the women obviously felt otherwise.... 2. Do you think Movember has been successful in raising awareness about Prostate Cancer? I really hope Movember has raised awareness for prostate cancer, otherwise people will just think there has been a mass influx of paedophiles into SOAS. 3. How much money were you able to raise this Movember? I managed to raise £5, although that was from my mother, who was simply paying me to get rid of my moustache as I ‘looked too much like a stereotypical sleazy Indian.’
Nick Wood: LLB Law
1. How has Movember affected your love life? I have always thought of myself as hairy, single and ready to mingle but I’ve never got very far. Adding more hair made no difference in getting any girls to take too much notice of me but it definitely excited many of them to make hilarious jokes like, ‘police, help’ and ‘let go’. It was a lot of fun. 2. Do you think Movember has been successful in raising awareness about Prostate Cancer? Definitely, people now associate the mo’ with the disease and you can see that recognised by establishments like Byron Burger. It’s like the breast cancer and the colour pink. It just means people think about it which is always a positive step towards fighting it. 3. How much money were you able to raise this Movember? Me and four friends raised £200 by walking around the University of London buildings with buckets, all in all though we raised about £700. Personally however, I gained nothing but abuse and the low self esteem. Bottom left: Pravin Wadwahni (BA Politics)
Top Right: Nick Wood (LLB Law)
Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men with 36,000 men being diagnosed every year, which is compounded by what is a perceived lack of awareness about the cancer. Prostate Cancer charities have been vocal for some time about not receiving adequate support from the NHS. Breast cancer research is widely regarded to receive far greater funding and publicity than prostate cancer, with the NHS spending £72 million a year on Breast cancer screening, whilst no such equivalent exists for prostate cancer. The aim of Movember is to encourage men to grow a moustache for the month of November in order to raise money and awareness for Prostate Cancer. Movember was a movement started in Melbourne Australia in 2003. Inspired by what women had achieved through various breast cancer movements. The mo’ has now blossomed into an internationally recognised symbol for prostate cancer during the month of November. You can make a difference by donating via uk.movember.com with all proceeds going to The Prostate Cancer Charity.