Street Cred Magazine - July 2017

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017 - Page 15

20 YEARS AS THE EYE OF ENTERTAINMENT

JULY 2017

www.streetcredmagazine.com

Kabaka Pyramid A Man on a mission

Page 16 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

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Editors note With all the tragedies that is happening all over the world you still have to live with positivity dream believe and achieve.

We can only keep going and do the best while we are here. Streetcred always continues to be the platform for young people to express their talents and we simply help to push dreams. What is your talent? we really want to know the next best thing. Send your stories to info@streetcredmagazine.com

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iopic movies are the current trend today and mainly for artists who we have lost such as Tupac Shakur, Notorious BIG, Left Eye and Aaliyah, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

We now have the latest story of music and fashion mogul P DIDDY titled for his famous words ‘cant stop wont stop’.

Zane Lowe of Radio 1 did a fun and friendly indepth interview with the man behind the Bad Boy Empire and he reveals that now is the greatest time in his life and that the music industry is something to look into right now for this generation.

Most would feel that the music industry is dying but for Puff who is still the highest earning entertainer, says that we haven’t seen nothing yet and that the music can only get bigger.

Artists like Drake and Future are the leaders of the young generation and they have pushed the Hiphop culture bigger han it has ever been.

This movie is more about showing how far you can come go though trials and tribulations and still be victorious in the end.

This film is exclusively available to view on Apple Music only.

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017 - Page 17

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Artists For Grenfell Tower

T

he Grenfell tower incident has completly shocked the nation and we all have come together in these terrible times, despite questions unanswered and false information given.

Even Stormzy has blasted the

media for giving out the wrong information.

It’s good to see that artists of influence are speaking up. This single that has an array of stars that have covered the legendary song Bridge Over Troubled Water and we must say it’s definitely the most heartfelt version

you will ever hear.

A big up to Simon Cowell who stepped up to the plate to help raise funds for the families.

If anything positive can come of this, it has made communities stronger and proven that we will not be divided.

ENTERTAINMENT

Page 18 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

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FUTURE TO TOUR UK

T

his year saw Future make history by being the first artist to have two albums, the selftitled ‘FUTURE’ and follow up ‘HNDRXX’ debut at no.1 on the Billboard chart in consecutive weeks (His 4th and 5th to reach the top spot in the space of 2 years).

Continuing his reign over the world of modern Hip-Hop, Future has announced a run of 3 UK dates for October including a show at London’s O2 Arena.

Setting the pace and changing the game with every subsequent album, Future engaged a full court blitz in 2015 that resulted in one of rap’s most impressive winning streaks ever.

In under a year, he achieved three back-to-back #1 albums on the Billboard Top 200—the platinum DS2, platinum What A Time To Be Alive with Drake, and EVOL. His catalog encompasses double-platinum smashes such as “Low Life” [feat. The Weeknd] and “Where Ya At” [feat. Drake], platinum hits “Stick Talk,” “F*ck Up Some Commas,” and “Turn On The Lights,” and has amassed over 1 billion streams worldwide.

LORD MESA W

Interview by Vivek Rajkhowa

e caught up with Lord Mesa in his preparation for Con Season to find out how he got started, as well as what is in the pipeline!

VR: For those of our readers who don’t know much about the person behind the drawings, could you tell us a bit about yourself?

LM: “I was born in the Philippines and my parents brought me over to the USA when I was two, I grew up in the Bay Area, San Francisco, California.

“When I was growing up I really wanted to become a comic book artist, people like Jim Lee who drew the strips in comic books but also created their own characters and story lines were influential in driving that desire in me.

“Then, one day as I was at a café at school , I saw someone drawing and was so impressed by what they were doing that I just had to ask what it was that they were doing.

“They told me they were doing an illustration major, and I knew then that that was what I should

be doing instead of design.

“I switched over to illustration from design, but took a break from school for a brief period.

“I always got the feeling that my tutors saw myself and my fellow students not as people to help grow and learn, but as competition for the outside world, and that was never healthy for me.”

“Being able to draw is a necessity for me, like breathing. “ “It was my wife who helped me get my first break, at the time after graduation she told me that she was going to LA to work in an entertainment company and she asked if I wanted to come with her.

“I said yes, and for the first few months I didn’t have a job, but then a friend of a friend put me in contact with a t-shirt company that was looking for a designer.

“They used a lot of computer software, and as I hadn’t got that much experience with the computer software they used, it was a real on the job learning experience.

“The two tools I used initially were Illustrator and Photoshop, and man was it different. It was a real journey for me as I became a convert to the computer cause.

“The first thing I ever drew properly for myself using the software, was Wolverine, and I really liked how it turned out.”

“And since then I’ve been draw-

ing a lot, being able to draw representations of the shows such as Arrow and The Flash, that I love is really cool, and having people give feedback on the drawings is just something else entirely. It’s really awesome.”

VR: What’s the favourite drawing you’ve done?

LM: “Ah, that’s like asking a parent who their favourite child is! Generally, my favourite drawing is the most recent piece that I’ve done.

“Though a stand out one would be the drawing I did for the four way cross over between Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow for the CW. “That drawing included more characters than I’ve ever included on a single piece before, thankfully there was no speech

required for it, so some space was reserved, but I really liked how the drawing turned out and it got a very good response, so I’m really happy with it.

“It tends to take me between an hour and half and two and a half hours to complete a drawing using Clipstudio, and I’ve noticed that I have a habit of thinking about ideas for the next piece that I want to do when doing another piece, so I think it all seems to be bouncing around in my head at once.

“But to get back to your question, I don’t have a specific favourite piece, I love them all, but I do have notable ones.”

VR: Are you doing any pieces now/ or have any planned for the future?

LM: “I’ve done a few illustrations for Wonder Woman-which I thought was a brilliant movie by the way, if you haven’t already been to see it, you should- I’ll probably do another one for Wonder Woman.

“I’m also waiting for Spider Man: Homecoming to come out so that I can get inspiration from there as well, and also because the movie looks like it will be really good!

“Doing a lot of preparation for San Diego Comic Con in July, because it’s become a pop culture event and fans often have interests in a lot of other shows as well as the comic book ones, so it’s good to have a variety of work on show.

“And finally, currently preparing artwork to incorporate into an app that will be launching at San Diego Comic Con.” VR: Is there anything else you’d like to say for our readers?

LM: “I’d just like to say thank you for the support and encouragement, and thank you for giving me the chance to speak about my art.”

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017 - Page 19

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Page 20 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

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COAST : Whats in a name?

Interview by Vivek Rajkhowa What led to the band’s formation and choice of name?

“The band was formed in 2007 in the South of England near the coast line, and both myself and my brother grew up all over the place, mainly on military bases, but we spent a lot of time in the Western Isles as well, so we got a broad cultural education, and took in a lot of that traditional Scottish/ Celtic culture present on the isles.

“The name itself sort of came from a show that Neil Oliver used to star in called ‘Coast’ where they would go around the UK showing the coastal areas of the UK, and also from having grown up on the coast, seeing the sea lap at the ground. We found that it was quite an ambiguous name, but we liked it.”

“Be it classic music such as Beethoven or Rock music such as Bruce Springsteen and Big Country.

“There was a very varied music background growing up, which was great and gave me and my brother a chance to really explore the music world and find out what we liked.

“There are some orchestral examples on the new album ‘Windmills In The Sky’ that have the best orchestral players in Scotland on them, such as Lorne Macdougall, and Lorne really helped with adding to the size and sound of the tracks.”

Favourite song on the new album/ what inspired the album title?

“I’d have to say my favourite song on the new album is definitely That Old Atlantic Sky. Like our other songs it’s about a historWhat influences your music ical event, but this one was really style? different.

“Grew up with a lot of music “It’s about an event that playing in the house. There was happened during World War 2 that also a lot of cultural influence dur- very few people know about, and ing our time moving around the the music and the lyrics really are B17_A5_flyer.pdf 1 12/05/2017 09:21 place. something special.

A Summer of Rock, Pop and Sunshine in Tenerife

“As for the album title, well it comes from the title track ‘Windmills In The Sky’ which was written about five or six years before we started recording the album.

“Windmills is about being away at sea. I used to live in Southampton and I’d get the ferry to work, and I’d see all of these other ferries and ships and I’d write down their names on my iPhone and then when I’d come back they’d be there as would new ones.

“It’s sort of about being away from friends and family and then coming home, with ships and boats mentioned as well.”

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What was it like having a song on Outlander?

“I’ve got a confession to make, we sort of took a clip from Outlander and put one of our songs over it.

“We thought it would be a good thing to do because it’s based in Scotland and about Scotland, so we thought the song we chose was appropriate.

“And it’s been good for us, because we’ve had a whole bunch of new fans come and join us, a lot of Homeland_A6_2017 Outlander fans have started looking into us and buying our music

Those looking to combine a sunny beach break with great music this summer should look no further than Tenerife.

As the largest of the Canary Islands, Tenerife has idyllic beaches, all year-round sun and so it’s been great.” is this summer hosting a number What plans have you got for of unmissable music festivals the future? and concerts.

“We’re currently doing a lot of The main event, which has promotion on the US and will be been dubbed the most important doing another promotion cammusic event in the Canary Ispaign in Scotland and England. lands for the past 30 years, is the Hopefully next year we’ll be out final gig of Aerosmith’s farewell touring through Germany and tour on 8th July.

Denmark, maybe the USA and the Also lined up are concerts UK as well. from electro house musician “We’d also like to start writing Steve Aoki, DJ Kayper, as well for a new album, maybe make it as the singer of the UK’s cura concept album with some darker rent number one, “Despacito”, elements but keeping the hisaw.pdf 1 still 20/03/2017 18:10 Luis Fonsi, who will all be pertorical elements as well.” forming in Tenerife during the months of July and August.

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017 - Page 21

ENTERTAINMENT

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GLASTO SMASHES THE RECORDS AGAIN!

Kabaka Pyramid: a man on a mission

F

resh from making waves across Europe with his “Contraband” tour, which included three dates on these shores and a special Q&A in Birmingham, he is in a good place and definitely has an affinity to the UK. “I was surprised at how the people actually knew the songs on my trip last year – some of the tracks that I didn’t expect them to know – particularly in Birmingham and London.

“You can tell that the UK people aren’t just watching who is being spoken about – you have people who are really penetrating the music and the messages, and are real fans of the movement.”

“The love is there from the people from the first time we came here and that’s why we wanted to come back this year.”

That love is also spreading globally. “Early on I never thought about actually performing the music – I was definitely a studio artist, but when u start working on shows you start thinking about the parts that people can connect to.

“If you have a message and it doesn’t connect then it doesn’t make sense. Not just for Jamaican audiences, but ears from all over.

“It has helped me to grow and helped me to be more rounded.”

The backbone of the roots scene has been strong generationally for over 40 years, but recently it seems that there has been a strong resurgence in it’s popularity.

The late 90’s roots scene proved influential on Kabaka. “Sizzla’s era of music was one of the key factors of me accepting Rastafari and helped me when I was growing up.”

It’s not just reggae that influenced the young Kabaka. Hip Hop played a key role in his musical shapings, and he acknowledged this on his Major Lazer produced “Accurate” mixtape.

“My hip hop roots were displayed on that session – working with a icon like Raekwon was next level for me – just knowing

the connection with him was a big look.

“He is a man that some of the hip hop legends rate, so for him to work with me is a good look.

“I tried to show the people what I was about and I’m thankful to Walshy and Major Lazer for the opportunity.

So what does he feel about the current relationship between Hip Hop and Dancehall? “I think it is very strong right now – the early 90’s was pretty strong too – the works that Shabba Ranks and others did was amazing.

“Now you look at what Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Drake are doing with the dancehall sound and it shows the strength.

“It’s a good look for the public to see that reggae culture is a real thing. We have a lot to do to establish our own industry, so if others are coming to strengthen it, then it is now down to us to make it stronger.

“Popcaan, Mavado, Konshens are all out there doing their thing.

Jay Z was in Jamaica recently with Gong (Damian Marley), and I got to meet him.

“Some of the pictures made him look uncomfortable, but that definitely was not the vibe when we were there.

“He was cooling out with Gong, Junior Reid, Tarrus Riley and a few of us. I got to speak to him and told him of my favourite verse of his – the first verse from The Dynasty album – and he said it was his favourite verse too. I got a good vibe from him. He came across as a humble brother.”

The link with Damian Marley is strong. “Gong executive produced the album which is due in October.

“His label (Ghetto Youths) are in partnership with my team Bebble Rock. He produced five tracks on the album too.

“Most of the mixing has been done in his studio. The link up came about when he reached out to me before “Well Done”, which he produced.

“The vibe was strong and we

B sat down and he proposed doing a project. Gong has always been a major influence and inspiration to me.

“We had a listening session where we focused on the tracks I had already done and we then started to work on music that would compliment those.”

The latest single “Can’t Breathe” is a strong piece of lyrical commentary which has a relentless and forceful energy which has been received very well by audiences.

Kabaka tells me the driving force behind the track. “I was listening to Lauryn Hill and felt that I need to add more emotion to my music so people can feel it.

“It helped me to channel my “inner” Sizzla – some of those early Kalonji tunes, and lay it all out there.

“We worked tracks in the dances in Kingston and the reaction has been amazing.”, he says enthusiastically.

An artist with something to say, and wants to say it to as many people as possible. His Q&A at the Afro Caribbean Millennium Centre on Dudley Road must have been a good platform to spread that message.

The sold out event on a hot summer’s evening attracted a wide cross section of the community, and that’s something that was pleasing to Kabaka.

“I believe that many of the problems faced around the world are similar, regardless of where you come from.

“Being at the session in Birmingham was good – the vibe was nice and progressive conversations with friends and people who want to expand each other's ways of thinking. It’s all positive.

“I'm glad I had the chance to do this and look forward to coming back soon – real soon – to perform again in Birmingham.”

By Maurice Delauney & Ray Paul

ritish music is at an all time high and the last Glastonbury Festival proved that!

This is probably the biggest and best festival in the world! Starting out as mainly a rock fest but now the ultimate weekender that embraces all music genres.

This year we seen the likes of Bee Gees, The Jacksons, Craig David, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Kano and many icons smashing that 100,000 crowd and even Jeremy Corbyn tipped to be our future prime minister came onto the main stage to receive a warm welcome.

Imagine the response Theresa May-‘Hem’ would have received... we leave that to your imagination.

This is the massive

one to be at people and sure next year will be just as good as this.

Got to thank the organizers for making this a hit with real people unlike the Brit Awards who wont embrace the new times we are in and properly represent multiple genres.

Page 22 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017

GRENFELL TOWER TRAGEDY

Burned, Bruised, B Continued from Front Page

Social media has been alight with videos and articles about wh a t might have happened, what could have happened and what happened and all the reasons for why an apartment tower in the capital of Great Britain went up like kindling.

There has been a lot of soul searching because of this atrocity, and much like the aftermath of 9/11 and 7/7, people have been left asking, why, what could be done differently, how can we stop this from happening ever again?

The death toll continues to grow, the authorities are not going to be releasing a definitive figure until the end of the year, at the earliest, the number of missing continues to grow as well.

It is that last bit that has drawn a lot of questions on social media, the fire was brutal, everyone who watched the news coverage or has been to the site or read the reports knows that.

If there are people missing still, one must ask, where did they go, how did they get there, and what is being done to find them?

It is one thing to listen to the discussion online or on the television, it is quite another to actually be there to see for yourself what the situation is and what more could or should be done.

On 20th June, I travelled down to London, to Kensington and to Grenfell, to see for myself what was what, and what I found is something I will never forget.

To get to Grenfell, I walked underneath a bridge, that was plastered with the pictures of those who were missing, pleas for any information on their whereabouts, and for them

to come home were prominent on the pictures and the accompanying posts.

This was a stark reminder of the uncertainty many are still facing.

I came out from under the bridge onto the main street, approaching the tower and was hit immediately by a dark and stringent smell, like fire and brimstone or sulphur.

It was pungent. The smell was not the only terrible thing though, a quick glance up and there it was.

The blackened, charred and ruined husk of a building that was once home to hundreds of people. Grenfell Tower.

Seeing the images of the ruined and charred tower on television or online is one thing, but to see it in person, is something completely different.

It really hit home that this was a tower that caught fire for no apparent reason other than for some faulty equipment.

Grenfell Tower was a home for countless people, many of them

families, and now there it stood, a charred and broken wreck, and there were countless people without a home It didn’t seem real to me, how could this have happened here? In Britain?

A place that prides itself on its high living standards and its ability to solve a problem before it becomes a problem.

Grenfell Tower was somebody’s home, it was a family’s home, it was a student’s home, and now it was nothing.

Nothing more than a charred, scarred and broken ruin, when down the road there were mansions.

Trying to reconcile myself to that fact was very difficult. I still don’t know whether I’ve been able to truly accept that this happened, here in Britain.

Layton Memorial Church was at the entrance to the road that led to Grenfell- the tower itself was cordoned off by police- and in front of the church, a memorial had been set

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017 - Page 23

GRENFELL TOWER TRAGEDY and in the aftermath of the tragedy at Grenfell, it was even more dangerous.

However, instead of turning on one another, the people who were at the church banded together to criticise a man who held up a sign criticising the fire service’s response time.

Whilst the man had a right to ask questions, the people in attendance in front of the church did not appreciate him asking those questions.

It was a highly charged atmosphere, a very emotional atmosphere, and one could understand why a man holding a sign that was provocative would not be appreciated.

The police got involved as well, asking the man to kindly depart, before someone started something.

For a brief moment, in the quiet and the sorrow, there was unity, the man left, and the people nodded to one another before returning to their own silent thoughts and sorrow.

Kensington Council have taken a lot of criticism in recent weeks for the way they’ve handled the Grenfell tower disaster.

Slow response times in meeting with residents, in visiting the site of the fire, and ensuring that things are being handled properly.

The most recent sign of their failings comes when they tried to prevent the press and the residents of Grenfell Tower from attending the

But Still Standing up that included pictures of those residents who had lost their lives in the blaze, as well as those residents who were still missing.

Flowers decorated the spots set aside for the memorial, and little notes were left, notes that spoke of the sort of people who lived in Grenfell Tower, that described standing with the people of Grenfell.

The flowers, the pictures, the notes, all of them emphasised just how real the fire was, just how real the consequences of the fire were, something that the news hadn’t done.

People were without homes now, struggling to find a way to survive and to handle their grief and anger.

People, who lived within the area as well as those who had come to help in whatever way they could stood before the memorial and tried to comprehend what had happened at Grenfell and why it had happened.

There was a mix of moods and

attitudes. Some wanted to do what they could to move forward, whilst others were angry and wanted immediate action for those they felt were responsible.

A man named Raj, who had come from East London to help in whatever way he could had this to say.

“It’s absolutely tragic what happened here. People are sad and angry, and rightfully so.

“But, there’s not much that we can do, apart from try and help people, give them food, water, anything that will help them in some small way.”

His sentiments were echoed by Qasim and Riz from International Aid. “We saw what happened on the news and we drove down from Blackburn.

“We’ve been giving water, food, clothes and just trying to help the people here.

“We’re going to be here tomorrow as well, and then some of our colleagues will be down during the

weekend to keep helping.”

Others such as Jan, who has lived in the area for close to fifty years took a different stance.

“I’m angry, and I know a lot of others are angry as well. How can you have two different qualities of life in one area I do not know.

“You’ve got absolute wealth in one part of Kensington and then absolute poverty here. I don’t know why it’s been allowed to stay like this.”

Anthony, who lived near the tower agreed with Jan: “There’s a lot of anger amongst the people here, and they’re right to be angry.

I’m angry.

“We wrote to the council; we always wrote to the council. And nobody did anything. They just ignored us. It’s not right, and it’s not fair.

“Hopefully now we can do something to ensure this never happens again.”

This mix of emotions is a potent combination at the best of times,

council meeting that would start the discussion about what happened at Grenfell and how to prevent it happening again.

It took a court order from the High Court at the eleventh hour for members of the press, and aid workers to be allowed to attend the council meeting on Thursday 29th June.

Residents still weren’t allowed to attend the meeting. A move that suggests that the council is struggling to handle the pressure and is beginning to crack.

A video from the meeting shows just how poor the handling of this situation is.

One aid worker had this to say in the video. “I’ve been working with these people since day dot. I’ve been helping them from the beginning trying to provide them with the aid and attention that they need and that they deserve, but it doesn’t seem to be enough.

“I’ve seen people coming into the community centre without shoes or socks. I’ve seen them coming in scared and traumatised.

“I’ve seen children looking as if they’ve got the weight of the world on their shoulders because they’ve not spoken to their friends or been able to act as children.

“I’ve seen the donations being taken elsewhere, I’ve heard about schools raising money and the money going somewhere else. I’m sorry, but we cannot allow this to

happen.

“We must continue to put pressure on our officials, we must provide for these people. We cannot and will not let this die down.”

In the video, every time this aid worker spoke, she was met with rapturous applause, showing the very strong feelings that her fellow aid workers have about what is happening as well as the wider community, the council members did not seem to have a response to her words, another telling sign.

The residents of Grenfell Tower who survived the fire, and those of the surrounding community might be bruised, they might be scarred and they might be hurting more than anyone can comprehend, but they are doing their best to come to terms with what happened.

I got the impression that they are trying their hardest to rally around one another, to help one another and to ensure nobody gets left behind.

It will take time, but they are moving forward, one step at a time.

Page 24 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017

NACHURAL SUMMER BUSINESS BALL AND AWARDS 2017

www.streetcredmagazine.com

l Entrepreneur Award Winner : Paul Lalli

O l Business of the Year Winner : Salisbury Poultry

l The Darren Cooper Start Up Winner : National Electrical Services

l Community Excellence Award Winner : Akaal Tv

l Promoting Apprenticeships In The Workplace Winner : Salop Design

l Lifetime Achievement Award Winner : Roy Richar

n 30th June at the Wolverhampton Racecourse, hundreds gathered to celebrate. Their reason for celebrating? The business community of the West Midlands.

The event, why only the biggest summer awards in the entire region, the Nachural Summer Business Ball and Awards Ceremony.

This year’s event was a big one, with Tommy Sandhu of BBC Asian Network as the host and Black Country legend Roy Richardson as the Key Note Speaker.

After a drink’s reception where networking and introductions galore took place, the guests filled out the hall in preparation for the foodwhich was amazing- and for the awards ceremony.

The first speaker, after an introduction by Tommy Sandhu, was the man of moment himself Ninder Johal.

Ninder’s speech was to the point and very thoughtful.

“We live in uncertain times, it feels as if we’re becoming more connected with social media, but even more disconnected politically.

“The old order is being

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017 - Page 25

www.streetcredmagazine.com

NACHURAL SUMMER BUSINESS BALL AND AWARDS 2017

l Business Person of the Year Winner : Paul Nichol

rdson

shaken up, and now with Brexit happening, we are seeing just how important business is, to ensuring a smooth transition and a stable economy and country.

“Tonight, we’re here to celebrate you, the people in the West Midlands business community, who contribute so much to this region and to the country.

“Let’s celebrate, let’s enjoy tonight and prepare for tomorrow.”

Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Roy Richardson spoke a few words for the attendees, his speech was

filled with words of wisdom, something that would be expected after nearly six decades in business.

“Life is there to be lived. At work, don’t leave at five if the phones are still ringing, only leave when the last phone has stopped ringing. And always give your one hundred percent.”

The awards included the Darren Cooper Start Up Award for new businesses that could demonstrate success and growth, creating jobs and wealth for the future, the Community Excellence Award for outstanding

achievement in community involvement, International Enterprise Award for a business that showed innovation or entered an overseas market in a substantive way and Business Woman & Business Person of the Year among others.

The awards ceremony was filled with fun, laughter and prizes galore, and is sure to live on in the memories of those who were there for some time. A better celebration of the West Midlands Business community, there is not.

l Regeneration Award Winner : Wolverhampton Council

l Hospitality Business of the Year Winner : Mount Hotel

l International/Enterprise of the Year Award : Wing Wah Group

l Business Woman of the Year Winner : Angela Bir

Page 26 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017

BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW AND GARDENER’S WORLD LIVE

www.streetcredmagazine.com

The Good Food Show

T

he premier food and gardening show came to Birmingham’s NEC from the 16th to 18th June, 2017 and brought with it a great many food, drink and gardening companies, all there to sell their wares to the people of Birmingham and the surrounding area.

The Phoenix Newspaper attended the show for the entire weekend and found itself pleasantly satiated with all the food and gardening equipment any one person could handle.

Your writer in particular enjoyed perusing the food stalls.

The Good Food and Gardening Show has always brought the best of the best in food and gardening, as it rightly should.

There were stalls selling premium Hereford Steak Burgers, stalls selling some of the finest whiskey to come out of

Scotland, and stalls selling cakes and deserts that were mouth wateringly good.

And there was a unique brand of cider that was quite popular with the visitors to the festival.

The cider in question was named Himachal, after the state in India, where it is made, and it tasted quite refreshing and new.

Something that should be tried and tested.

As for the gardening equipment on display, it certainly looked impressive and drew quite a lot of

attention from those who were there for the day.

The atmosphere of the entire event was definitely memorable, there were a lot of people there, eagerly tasting samples, or observing demonstrations, the staff were friendly, and all in all the event was well run and organised.

The next Good Food show is at Birmingham’s NEC from 30th November to the 3rd December 2017. Don’t miss it!

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017 - Page 27

ENTERTAINMENT

www.streetcredmagazine.com

Popping the Cork with Magnum

B

by Vivek Rajkhowa

irmingham and the West Midlands are famous for producing some of the greatest bands to have ever graced the world, from Black Sabbath to UB40, from Lemmy Kilmister and Motorhead to Magnum, the area is a hotbed of musical activity, and one of the stand out bands from the eclectic mix is Magnum.

Formed in 1972 in Birmingham by Bob Catelyn (vocals) and Tony Clarkin (guitar) the band has for forty-five years consistently played quality rock music, charting numerous classic albums such as ‘Chase the Dragon’, ‘Kingdom of Madness’ and ‘Into The Valley Of The Moon King.’

Bob Catley was kind enough to take time out of recording the

band’s new album, to sit down and talk to The Phoenix Newspaper about Magnum’s career and the future.

The first thing that always strikes Magnum fans and even the casual listener about the band is the name. Many think that the band’s name comes from either Magnum Ice Cream or from the gun type Magnum. However, Bob Catley stated that the name was suggested to the band by one of their mother’s after the champagne, as Magnum champagne was quite a popular drink at the club where Bob Catley’s original band Fred’s Box used to play at.

After Fred left, and Tony Clarkin joined, they needed a new name and so Magnum was suggested and after some discussion, taken up by the band.

It was as Magnum that the band

started building a following, playing the club circuit in Birmingham and the West Midlands their brand of rock was new and invigorating, driven by Bob’s soaring vocals and Clarkin’s roaring guitar, the lyrics added fire to the potent mix of music.

Numerous rock stars came to watch the band play including Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath fame and Roger Taylor from Queen (Taylor would later go onto produce an album for the band), and as such when Magnum sat down to record their debut album -1978’s Kingdom of Madnessthey already had quite the following and the success of the album proved that.

Considering the length of their career, many could be forgiven for thinking that Magnum might be considering other things, however

Simmer Down is Back This Time it’s Crucial

I

T’S BACK! After its hiatus, the UK’s largest free reggae festival returns with it promising to be even bigger and better than ever before.

The Simmer Down Festival returns to Handsworth Park with the annual event - now entering its 7th year – of music, arts workshops, participation activities, a children and young people's meadow, information and craft stalls, a dedicated Prostate Cancer UK village area and a wide variety of food stalls to add to the fun.

Headlining this year’s free, family music & arts festival will be the multi award winning legend that is none other than Freddie McGregor, who will be bringing his Big Ship Band, to Birmingham to perform his massive catalogue of hits including; ‘Big Ship,’ ‘Push Come To Shove,’ ‘Rasta Man Camp,’ plus many more…too much more to mention.

Also at the day-long festival of music and family fun will be British-based Jamaican superstar Macka B with full backing band, who will be bringing a career spanning thirty years of unparalleled music to the stage.

Jesse Gerald, chairperson of Simmer Down Festival CIC said: “As a flagship festival Simmer Down harnesses the passion and talents of local individuals and organisations, it reflect the diversity of Handwsorth and North Birmingham and it contributes to unity in our community by bringing people together.”

Other major artists billed to Simmer Down 2017 include Black Voices - who has gained a reputation as Europe’s finest female acappella quintet, the internationally renowned Ras Tweed backed by the Friendly Fire Band, classic Motown meets roots reggae with Motown In Dub’s spectacular stage show, the influential Ras King Bobo 1, plus Khalique and a whole lot more.

Freddie brings a career of internationally renowned music to Simmer Down 2017 – with main headline corporate sponsorship coming from Birmingham-based food manufacturing company, The Crucial Sauce Company, whose backing for the event reflects their pride in their roots and values - to the heart of Birmingham on Sunday July 23, with the Festival Charity partner this year being Prostate Cancer UK

with support from the Leon Group Security and Events Security Services.

Festival Director, Mukhtar Dar, said: ‘’The Leon Group is a local company with an international reputation. They have supported the festival from its inception providing security and many of the infrastructural resources and equipment.

“We are also delighted to be working with Prostate Cancer UK to spread their important message which affects many people in our communities.”

Crucial Sauce Commercial Director, Paul Cotran, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with and sponsoring the 2017 Simmer Down Festival. It gives us a unique and fantastic opportunity to both support and celebrate with our local community.”

Simmer Down 2017 is expected to draw 20,000 family audiences from near and far with performances across two stages both from established and emergent artist reflecting many musical genres as well as workshops and participatory activities in visual and performing arts.

And, as always, it’s absolutely free!

as Mr Catley said.

“We’re really enjoying what we’re doing. We’re having fun, and the music is good, the fans seem to be enjoying it as well. And that’s important.”

It helps that Magnum continue to release great albums, avoiding the curse that seems to plague some bands, and thus continuing to bring their fans plenty of joy and inspiration.

One such album is 2009’s ‘Into The Valley Of The Moon King.’

With its alluring title and the sheer brilliance of the title track, the album was an instant classic with fans.

When asked about the title track, Mr Catley had this to say. “Tony’s always been fascinated by the moon; he’s sees a lot there. I do as well, I always see the man on the moon, waving.

“The song’s a great one, it’s really quite good structurally and lyrically.”

Magnum are currently in the studio recording their 20th studio album, when asked about the album, Mr Catley had this to say.

“We’re about halfway done with the album. It should be released in January, and when it’s done it’ll be announced on our Facebook page.”

The secrecy with which the band are keeping their album under is only serving to build up anticipation for its release, especially after the last couple of scorchers that their previous albums have been.

I Want! I Want!

Art & Technology AN ARTS COUNCIL COLLECTION NATIONAL PARTNER EXHIBITION AT BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM & ART GALLERY

1 APR – 1 OCT 2017 This exhibition will present the work of contemporary artists working with technology.

birminghammuseums.org.uk @BM_AG Funded by:

/birminghammuseumandartgallery

#ACCNationalPartners City of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery Development Trust

Arts Council Collection is managed by Southbank Centre on behalf of Arts Council England.

Image: Rachel Maclean, Feed Me 2015. Courtesy of the artist, Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London.

Donations welcome

Page 28 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

Agony Aunt

A Rose Between Thorns

l Dr Saroj ‘Rose’ Duggal

I

broke up with my boyfriend last month after he decided he didn’t want to commit to a long term long distance relationship.

I was devastated at the time, because I do love him dearly, but he just wasn’t able to give me what I needed at this point in my life.

On top of this, communication between us was pretty bad, I’d be waiting half the day for a response to an urgent question, or he’d say he missed my messages because he was gaming. I also rarely got responses to my good night/morning texts, which hurt.

I was getting on with my life and trying to get over him when out of the blue I get a message from him saying how sorry he is that he made the biggest mistake of his life.

That he wakes up every day regretting the decision he made and wants to know if I will get back together with him.

I still love him, and he says he will change for the better, but should I take him back? I was moving on but now I feel like I’m stuck in a bubble unable to move anywhere until this is concluded one way or another.

Thanks for your help, Holly, Birmingham Thank you for your email You need to weigh up all the issues you had before, and if the promise of him changing and committing to the relationship is enough to outweigh the issues you had in the past. This is completely person so I cannot tell you one way or another.

Bear in mind as well that his promise is just that, a promise, not a guarantee. If you tried to discuss it with him before to change to move forward together to no avail, what makes you so sure he will succeed this time?

Good luck with it!

Don’t forget you can contact me by emailing your queries in to rose@thephoenixnewspaper. com. I look forward to hearing from you!

www.streetcredmagazine.com

BIGScreen

N

ick Morton is a soldier of fortune who plunders ancient sites for timeless artefacts and sells them to the highest bidder.

When Nick and his partner come under attack in the Middle East, the ensuing battle accidentally unearths Ahmanet, an Egyptian princess who was entombed under the desert for thousands of years after making a deal with Death and betraying her family.

With her powers constantly evolving, Morton must now stop the resurrected monster as she embarks on a furious rampage through the streets of London.

The "Cinematic Universe" is a relatively new concept and a successful one can be an absolute goldmine for studios, which is why everyone is trying to develop their own.

Like them or not, it's undeniable that Marvel are the only studio that have successfully built a long-running cinematic universe, with separate characters who have their own movies while simultaneously intertwining with others and working towards much bigger team up movies where all of the characters unite.

Through meticulous planning, years of hard work and dozens of movies, it has reached a point where it's difficult to remember a world without Marvel Studios and everyone is trying to emulate this success.

Cue the "Dark Universe" - Universal's own attempt at a cinematic universe.

They're taking all of their classic movie monsters e.g. The Mummy, Frankenstein's Monster, The Wolf Man and The Invisible Man, and they are trying to unite them in an interwoven Universe, a-la Marvel Studios, and The Mummy is the movie to kick everything off.

Now, the opening movie of your proposed Universe should be something special.

It should make a statement and immediately hook people in for future movies. Unfortunately, I don't think The Mummy is that

BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY

July 01 The Vamps 04 Travis Scott: Road To Wireless 07 Catapult Club feat.

Chinatown Lights 07 Propaganda feat. Frank Turner (DJ Set) 08 Straight for the Sun 09 Progress Wrestling Presents Chapter 51: Screaming for Progress 09 Konstantinos Koufos Live!

14 Catapult Club feat. Sunday 44 14 Propaganda 15 Mary J. Blige 21 Propaganda 27 Jake Mitchell 27 Sacred Reich 28 Propaganda 29 Unchanged

O2 INSTITUTE

July 01 InstaJam the Reunion 2017 ft. Lotto Boyzz

review

wORDS by antony brown

The Mummy movie.

It's a suitably entertaining but uneven experience that doesn't know what it wants to be. Does it want to be a fun Action/Adventure movie? Does it want to be a Comedy? Does it want to be fullblown Supernatural Horror?

Nobody seems to know and instead of focusing on one direction, they attempt to make it all of those things at once and the tonal changes throughout the movie are jarring.

The most unfortunate thing about this is that, individually, each of the elements work to a certain degree.

When it's trying to be a fun Action/Adventure movie, it works.

When it tries to be a dark horror movie, it works. But when it's trying to be everything at once, it fails.

Tonal issues aside, The Mummy looks great. Director Alex Kurtzman and Cinematographer Ben Seresin have collaborated wonderfully to deliver some excellent visuals, which is at its most

evident during action set pieces, as Kurtzman delivers action that manages to be both quick and frenetic, without being dizzying and confusing.

One set-piece in particular, involving a plane crash, is fantastic and will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Unfortunately, this particular scene played a huge part in the promotional material, so if you've seen the trailers then you've pretty much experienced the entire scene.

This is perhaps the most frustrating thing about The Mummy, and modern blockbuster cinema in general for that matter - you feel like you've seen most of the movie before you even sit down to watch it.

There's so much information crammed in to the trailers and other promotional material that there are very few surprises left to enjoy in The Mummy.

Without showing their hand in the trailers, The Mummy could have been a much more surpris-

14 Red Jumpsuit Apparatus 16 Jacek Stachursky 29 Star Shaped Festival Feat.

The Bluetones 29 Torous

NEC

Until 23 Aug Dinosaurs In The Wild 30 June-2 July Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts 20-23 Antiques for Everyone Summer Fair

BARCLAYCARD ARENA July 06 Linkin Park 07 Blink-182 27 Céline Dion

GENTING ARENA

July 01-02 Live Your Legacy Cheerleading

l Celine Dion visits the Barclaycard Arena on the 27th!

TOWN HALL & SYMPHONY HALL

July 01 Musical Picnic - July (SH) 01 2017 Brant International Piano Competition: The Final (TH) 01 Jimmy Carr: The Best of, Ultimate Gold, Greatest Hits Tour (SH) 02 Arabesque School of Dance - Once Upon A Time (TH) 02 Gladys Knight (SH)

ing and intriguing experience.

The cast do a great job. Annabelle Wallis is far more than the cliched damsel in distress who is just there to be saved.

She's a strong female character and actually does a whole lot of saving herself.

She's beautiful, stern, intelligent and funny all at once and emerges as one of the strongest, most enjoyable characters in the movie.

Sofia Boutella gives it her all as the titular Mummy, even if Ahmanet's backstory leaves a lot to be desired.

It's essentially a slightly revamped version of Imhotep's backstory from The Mummy (1999) and it just doesn't quite feel different enough to feel new.

I won't speak of Russell Crowe's character too much, as to do so would be to delve deeper in to plot elements and spoiler territory, but it seems his character will play an integral role in this Dark Universe.

New Girl's Jake Johnson is the resident comic relief, whose char-

03 Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 in Concert (SH) 04-08 Music For Youth National Festival (SH) 05 Igor Levit performs Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues (TH) 07 Soweto Kinch presents Music for Youth’s Jazz Evening (TH) 09 Arabesque School of Dance - Once Upon A Time (TH) 09 Community Spirit (SH) 12 Symphony Hall Tour (SH) 14 The Spooky Men’s Chorale (TH) 15 Moving Brass Band Trails with Bostin’ Brass (SH) 15 CBSO Vibrant Voices (TH) 16 Greg James and Christ Smith ‘Kid Normal’ (SH) 16 Big Heart Big Sound Solihull Pop Chorus in Concert (TH) 22 Sacred Sounds: Sikh Music Traditions and the First World War (TH)

acter arc is essentially to provide all-too-convenient information and exposition about the history of Ahmanet and how to defeat her, even though there's no logical way his character could possibly know this information.

He just does.

And, of course, Tom Cruise is...

Tom Cruise, complete with all of the running and jumping and explosions.

While I'm certain Universal had hoped to kick their "Dark Universe" off in a much stronger way, The Mummy does the job it needs to do.

It sets up the protagonists, lays the groundwork for things to come, therefore setting up future instalments and manages to be just interesting and engaging enough to keep you intrigued.

It also includes a plethora of entertaining Easter Eggs and references, one of which is a direct reference to The Mummy (1999) and, while it's a fun little throwback, it mostly serves to leave audiences wishing they were watching that equally preposterous but far more entertaining take on the story.

It's difficult to believe audiences will be clamouring for sequels, but perhaps The Mummy's disappointing financial reaping will motivate Universal to embark on a course-correction - evaluating everything that didn't work about The Mummy and ensuring they don't repeat those same mistakes.

Thankfully, even with its many issues, The Mummy is an enjoyable leave-your-brain-at-the-door type movie and, while there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, its hard to believe thats what Universal were aiming for.

In order for their Dark Universe to succeed, they should be pushing the boundaries and taking some risks.

Do we really need another franchise full of action and explosions?

Universal’s classic monsters are horror characters, through and through. Therefore, their Dark Universe should honour the history of these characters and take a more serious, blood-curdling approach to the material.

Hell, you can’t use the word “Dark” in the title for your cinematic universe and proceed to give us light entertainment. But hey - what do I know?

23 Shapla Salique (TH) 24 Indigo Girls (TH) 27 UFO (TH) 28 Town Hall Tour (TH) 28 Keith Emerson: A Musical Celebration of Life 28 Palestine Jazz: Nai Barghouti, Mohamed Najem & Friends 30 CBSO Youth Orchestra Academy

SLADE ROOMS, WOLVERHAMPTON

July 01 Our World Below 02 American Young 07 Whitesnake UK and White Tyger 08 Tour of the Valkyries 15 VIP Music Fair 15 Solsara 22 The Dickies - 40th Anniversary Show 27 Jessica Lynn

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017 - Page 29

www.streetcredmagazine.com

MOTORING

V8 For Aston Martin DB11

A

fter its successful global introduction in 2016, Aston Martin’s definitive GT - the acclaimed DB11 - is now available with a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine.

Perfectly complementing the DB11’s existing 5.2-litre twin turbocharged V12 engine, this new powerplant has provided the opportunity to reveal more of the DB11’s sporting character, while expanding its global appeal with a combination of exceptional performance and improved efficiency.

This new V8 derivative brings further significant benefits in markets where car taxation policy is structured around engine capacity, such

as China.

Aston Martin Chief Technical Officer, Max Szwaj, commented: “As an engineer I find the DB11 a fascinating car. One with great depth of character and ability.

“Of course the V12-engined variant is an icon - an ultimate, if you like, but the V8 is very much its own car.

“One with a distinct and carefully crafted character that’s truly seductive. It has been hugely rewarding to put our stamp on this new engine - both in the way it sounds and performs - and to use its impressive attributes as the impetus to reveal a little more of the DB11’s sporting character.”

Confusion on 20mph limits hampering views on speeding

M

aking speeding as unacceptable as drink driving still seems a long way off given the results of today’s speed compliance statistics from the Department of Transport.

While 96% of drivers rate drink driving unacceptable, 81% of cars are exceeding 20mph speed limits on a regular basis.

It’s slightly better news overall with speeds coming down since 2011 across most roads, so more drivers are clearly getting the message that slowing down saves lives, helps the environment and doesn’t add much to your overall

journey time.

Exceeding the speed limit was a factor in 15% of all fatal crashes in 2016 which was slightly down from the 2015 figure of 16.5%.

But, with around half of all car and van drivers still willing to ignore limits on motorways and 30mph roads, more work is clearly needed to change behaviour on our roads.

Neil Greig director of policy and research said, "It’s really good news for road safety that the roads with the highest speed compliance are actually our most dangerous 60mph rural single carriageways.

“Recent government, police and road safety charity campaigns have highlighted this issue and it does appear that the message is getting through."

Page 30 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2017

CAMARA’S SPOTLIGHT

www.streetcredmagazine.com

Hibo Wardere

Welcome to my column where I feature some of the most Welcome to my column where Iand feature some of the most special Charities, Organisations People I have come across. special Charities, Organisations andbeing People I have come across.

Be a part of my journey and enjoy inspired...

Be a part of my journey and enjoy being inspired...

I

n this months’ Spotlight, I would like to introduce you to someone I had the privilege meeting just two years

ago.

Every time I see this woman, her courage, intelligence, determination and sincerity inspires me. This is why, I would like to cover just a small part of her powerful journey.

A campaigner against Female Genital Mutilation, activist, public speaker, lecturer and author - meet Hibo Wardere.

Imagine for a moment that you are 6-years-old and you are woken in the early hours, bathed and then dressed in rags before being led down to an ominous looking tent at the end of your garden. And there, you are subjected to the cruelest cut, ordered by your own mother.

Forced down on a bed, her legs held apart, Hibo Wardere was made to undergo female genital cutting, a process so brutal, she nearly died.

As a teenager she moved to London in the shadow of the Somalian Civil War where she quickly learnt the procedure she had undergone in her home country was not ‘normal’ in the west.

She embarked on a journey to understand FGM and its roots, whilst raising her own family and dealing with the devastating consequences of the cutting in her own life.

Today Hibo finds herself working in London as an FGM campaigner, helping young girls whose families plan to take them abroad for the procedure. She has vowed to devote herself to the campaign against FGM. Eloquent and searingly honest, this is Hibo’s memoir which promises not only to tell her remarkable story

that.

I currently speak at various conferences, support professionals in an advisory capacity and currently giving lectures in schools to year 13’s.

I love when I am talking with older people but especially young people.

All I can think of when I see young people is the ‘future, future, future’.

What are some of your most memorable projects to date?

but also to shed light on a medieval practice that’s being carried out in the 21st century, right on our doorstep.

FGM in the UK has gone undocumented for too long and now that’s going to change.

Devastating, empowering and informative, this book brings to life a clash of cultures at the heart of contemporary society and shows how female genital mutilation is a very British problem.

Your book CUT - why did you want to tell your story?

I wasn’t planning to write any

book, til I was contacted by a lady on Twitter, Anna Wharton.

She is a ghost writer who writes about people’s personal stories - she is very talented.

She was researching the topic of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), found me online and expressed that she wanted to cover my story.

We started speaking and eventually met up. We met up for 7 months straight, we were glued to the hip!

Everything was recorded and it was emotionally hard.

I couldn’t shy away from the details, I had to bear my soul. Anna has become so knowledgeable about FGM. People have reacted really well to the book.

I never thought people would want to read about FGM let alone my personal story.

The day the book was released, I had an interview with Lorraine Kelly and also with BBC’s Woman’s Hour.

This really gave the book a boost of promotion. This book has been used as an educational tool for professionals, doctors, nurses, teachers and has even been translated to Lithuanian.

Many women have opened up about their own experiences and I am glad my talks help women to feel and be brave.

Many people do not realise, FGM is connected to domestic violence, mental depression, early marriage etc.

I wanted to help those in their dark tunnels, yes sometimes you will go there but there is always a light at the end.

Do you witness pro-FGM today?

I have come across some great ignorance and stupidity. I was recently shown a video on Twitter of an Egyptian man on Egyptian TV stating that FGM has economic benefits, I really had to calm myself down, I was so angry and I had never heard of that before.

For example, FGM was banned 10/15 years ago in Egypt but an MP proposes ridiculous mandates that women should undergo FGM to curb ‘male sexual weakness’.

It really is crazy. Integrate UK – made a brilliant video called CLIT, in response to an Economist article that argued for a form of FGM to be performed in hospitals in the UK, on the grounds that ‘a symbolic nick from a health worker is better than being butchered in a back room by a village elder.’

That is like saying, let’s allow a little child abuse. The video is so powerful, “no way I’m having a little nick”, “my clitoris is staying where it is”, it makes it clear that there is no way to justify mutilating girls and that no form of FGM is acceptable.

Why do you think it is important to educate ‘westerners’ on the topic of FGM?

It is so important. People think it has nothing to do with them. The excuse of race, religion or culture needs to be left alone.

FGM is violence, one of the worst forms of child abuse. Everyone has a right to challenge it. We all have blood and water flowing through us, we are human beings.

It should be your business, it needs to be my business, it needs to be everyone’s business. That is why I am so passionate about education.

Knowledge is freedom.

What projects are you currently involved with/running?

I am currently swamped with training offers. I recently came back from speaking at a conference in Canada.

I have been booked to speak in Seattle and Holland, to speak about FGM and my personal journey.

I am happy that FGM is becoming globally recognised. There is a shift happening and I am so happy with

The first time I spoke to students at a school in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. My local MP Stella Creasy invited me to speak.

There was an exercise where we had to write down a wish on a piece of paper. I sat beside a lady who saw my wish.

I wrote down, “I wish somebody could give me a chance to speak with students”. The lady asked, “what do you want to speak about?”, I told her briefly about FGM and she said, “it’s my school, consider it done.”

I could not believe this headteachers’ support. It was a dominoes effect from one school to the next. I began 3 years ago and we have come this far.

The Guardian newspaper covered the students’ feedback following my talk, and it brought awareness on FGM.

What are the things most important to you?

I want to see this horrific practice of FGM finished in my lifetime. It affects a woman as a whole and most suffer in silence.

As long as I have the voice, I will continue talking till my last breath.

Men are also important to me. It is usually always women discussing FGM on panels but men are part of the solution and the discussion.

My family are the reason I wake up, they fill me with energy, they are my saviours. I became a proper human being 26 years ago, when I had my first child.

Then came along the additional blessings, my six other children. I am blessed. I have nothing to complain about, the most traumatic part of my life has become a blessing.

Do you think your family are proud of you?

They are extremely proud. My daughters always say ‘we are so lucky to have you’. My boys are so proud and the eldest says how much courage I have, to be able to tell my story.

What are some of your hobbies?

Dancing! Religiously I go out with my friends every week. My best friend works hard, a 9-5 just like me yet we always manage to squeeze in some dancing.

It’s also a way of exercising! (we laugh) There’s nothing more satisfying than shaking your body to great music. (we laugh again) I love reading and I also love history.

Is there anybody who you would like to thank?

My family. The public of the UK. I will never be able to thank them enough. My local councillors - Clare Coghill and Stella Creasy.

My colleagues in primary school where I started. They have all been so encouraging.

For example, when I am feeling low or frustrated, all I need to do is share my thoughts on Facebook and people take time to send their love.

I also thank many journalists, people usually have negative experiences with them but thankfully I have had positive experiences with them.

I also want to thank you Camara.

Thank you for highlighting the issues around FGM. Unity is powerful.

I am seeing change happening, it has been a collective of everyone putting in effort to share and that is what I am seeing.

Do you have a message or encouraging word for people out there?

Yes. This is a humanity issue.

What hurts another human, should hurt you, what makes another human cry, should make you cry – this should make you want to do something, something positive, make a change.

Humans are special, we must have empathy and compassion for one another. We have seen how the recent events at Grenfell Tower has brought people together, this is the type of support we need everywhere.

I would personally like to say a big thank you to Hibo for taking the time to speak with me.

I would encourage you all to take the time out to buy her book in a local Bookstore or online and read this moving story – ‘CUT’ by Hibo Wardere.

Find her online Twitter: @HiboWardere Facebook: Hibo Wardere

Get in Touch with Camara camara@thephoenixnewspaper.com www.camaraofficial.com www.linkedin.com/CamaraFearon Camara (aka mizzcamara for websearch)