The Voice Newspaper April 2020. Buju Banton: 'It's not an easy road'

APRIL 2020 ISSUE NO. 1907

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‘IT’S NOT AN EASY ROAD’

‘Institutional ignorance on race’: Windrush report

Exclusive: Reggae superstar says young people should be wary of social media

SEE FULL STORY INSIDE ›› PROTEST: Anger over the Windrush Scandal led to protests in Lambeth and all over the country

By Alannah Francis

T

HE WINDRUSH scandal, which saw thousands of British citizens born in the Caribbean classed as illegal immigrants, was “foreseeable and avoidable” according to a major independent review.

Wendy Williams, author of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review said that there was “an institutional ignorance and thoughtlessness towards the issue of race” in the Home Office but stopped short of branding the Home Office as institutionally racist. 30

CONCERNS

Her report, which was published on March 19, also stated that those affected had “no reason to doubt their status or that they belonged to the UK”.

Williams, an inspector of constabulary, wrote in her report: “While I am unable to make a definitive finding of institutional racism within the department, I have serious concerns that these failings demonstrate an institutional ignorance and thoughtlessness towards the issue of race and the history of the Windrush generation within the department, which are consistent with some elements of the definition of institutional racism.”

MESSAGE: Buju Banton

Continued on page 4

Inside THIS MONTH

ROUNDUP NEWSPAPER

Spotlight Wayne Elcock

News, views, stories & videos Pre-Windrush doctor’s honour

Voice exclusive interview: Bell Ribeiro Addy p6-7

IN 1919 Dr George Alfred Busby left his native Barbados to work in east London before finally settling in Ghana.

He began his career as a general practitioner in Walthamstow, east London, staying at 66 Erskine Road from 1926 to 1929. He won a reputation as a doctor who would go the extra mile.

Now his life and work have been honoured with a Nubian Jak blue plaque which was unveiled on Monday March 9.

‘My kidney saved my dad’s life’ p10

Jamaica implements UK travel ban

JAMAICAN PRIME Minister Andrew Holness has declared the island a disaster area and imposed a travel ban on travellers from the UK in response to the outbreak of coronavirus.

He said that the country is trying as hard as possible to contain the spread of COVID-19, and as such the Government has activated the 2015 Disaster Risk Management Act, the Emergency Powers Act and the Public Health Act.

The 10-year-old set for kickboxing fame p16 How to save for your kids’ future

THE 10 MOST POPULAR STORIES ON VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK

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APRIL THE VOICE | 33

Destination Haringey: Your special guide p33

Destination

Haringey INSIDE: Leader of the Council, Cllr Joseph Ejiofor talks to The Voice Young people use film to stand up to knife crime Tottenham Hotspur Foundation creating opportunites

· · ·

Breaking the mould: Kenny Jones p47 Why you need to start power walking p69

1. Coronavirus: Jamaica may impose UK travel restrictions 2. Jamaica declared a disaster area amid coronavirus outbreak 3. Family of autistic man appeal his deportation to Jamaica 4. Jamaica confirms first case of coronavirus 5. Ethiopia all-women flight marks International Women’s Day 6. Barbados confirms first cases of COVID-19 7. ‘Total tragedy’: Met Police sack senior black female officer 8. Honour for pre-Windrush doctor who served poor communities 9. Racist attack: Family of barman call for tougher laws 10. Coronavirus: Idris Elba confirms he has tested positive for COVID-19

MARCH 2020 marked the 11th anniversary of former British and Commonwealth middleweight boxing champion Wayne Elcock’s retirement from the ring.

However his philanthropic nature and community spirit means that he’s possibly spending more time in the gym now than during his fighting days!

The Brummie was in retirement mode long before his final bout.

“In the last five-six years of my career, it dawned on me that I couldn’t box forever,” he recalls.

“But I was troubled by the many ex champions I had met that had achieved more or boxed longer that were struggling to make a living, doing jobs just to get by. I’d been in the game 25 years, amateur and pro. If you’re in a job that long you would expect to walk away with something. I wanted to do something related to the sport.”

Since his retirement, Wayne has established an amateur gym, The Wayne Elcock Boxing Academy (WEBA), with a stable of over 30 boxers. Also, through Box Clever, he has provided non-contact boxing training in close to 40 schools across the Midlands.

He’s also found the time to make a brief return to the ring: in 2018 for a fundraising match in aid of Libby Mae’s Little Angels, a charity that supports the provision of vital medical equipment for neonatal units across the Midlands such as ventilators and incubators. “In a moment of madness I agreed to come back – just for one night!” he says.

Wayne has launched yet another venture: the Kronk Birmingham professional gym, as Head Coach: “I’m an all or nothing person and giving my all to my kids in the gym, gives me a lot of joy.”

By Veron Graham

Got a story? email us at yourviews@gvmedia.co.uk NEWSPAPER

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APRIL 2020 THE VOICE | 3

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EXHIBITION PUTS FOCUS ON FORGOTTEN BAME MINERS

High Commissioner HE Seth George Ramocan pays visit to incredible display

T

HE NATIONAL Coal Mining Museum for England in Wakefield, Yorkshire welcomed Jamaica’s High Commissioner HE Seth George Ramocan, his wife Dr Lola Ramocan and Vivienne Siva Community Relations Officer, to the first ever exhibition in the UK celebrating African Caribbean contributions to the UK mining industry.

The Digging Deep: Miners of African Caribbean Heritage exhibition tells the story of African Caribbean miners who worked in the UK mining industry and mining industries across the globe.

The exhibition included many archive images and contemporary photographs, educational panels with audio recordings, original artwork, as well as poetry, artefacts, coal sculpture and innovative, coal jewellery design products.

High Commissioner Ramocan was joined local community guests and welcomed by former miners William Rose aged 82, who came to the UK aged 18 in 1955 from Kellits, Clarendon, Jamaica and worked at Markham Main Colliery, Don-

Alliance of Sport gets £1m cash injection

CELEBRATING HISTORY: From left, National Coal social history curator Anne Bradley, HC Seth George Ramocan, historian and exhibition curator Norma Gregory and Dr Lola Ramocan; inset below left, Rupert Meikle a coal miner from Nottinghamshire in the 1950s caster, South Yorkshire for 30 years from 1957-1987.

Also present was Sheadrock Allan, aged 91, who came to the UK from Jamaica aged 19 in 1948 and became a coal miner for fifteen years at Brodsworth Colliery, South Yorkshire.

This pioneering exhibition was the result of over eight years research by historian and curator, Norma Gregory along with support from former miners and their families and volunteers.

During and after the Industrial revolution, between the 1700s-1900s, coal was one of the UK’s largest industries.

But like many industries, it was heavily affected by labour shortages following World War II. When Britain made an appeal for additional labour, men and women from Caribbean colonies supported the call for help from Britain. They took often lower grade, industrial work to support their families back home as

well as their new families and communities in the UK. Many of those who worked in the mining industry were Jamaican and had no mining experience but soon found jobs in UK collieries.

They eventually became a significant yet overlooked part of mining’s social and political culture and growth.

TOUR

The exhibition was supported by the UK National Lottery Heritage Fund Midlands & East and National Lottery Players and will now form part of the Black Miners Museum project.

It will also tour across the UK, the Caribbean and Asia.

Gregory said: “I grew up in a coal mining community less than a mile from Gedling Colliery, Nottinghamshire.

“I discovered I had a relative who was a coal miner for 28 years, which I included in my book, Jamaicans in Nottingham,

Narratives and Reflections (Hansib Publications, 2015). As my curiosity and understanding of the industry grew, I noticed that experiences about black miners were not recorded or available in books or broadcast media on the TV, radio or online.

“No one was talking about these miners’ contributions and sacrifices made.

Gregory said: “The project helps ensure that African Caribbean miners’ narratives and experiences are heard and shared.

I am proud to take a lead in ensuring this happens.

“So far, we have over 250 names of black miners and their collieries and have interviewed almost 70 surviving former miners. This project is so much bigger than I had initially anticipated and I am so grateful for the valuable support and input.”

To find out more visit

blackcoalminers.com or

nottinghamnewscentre.com

ON THE BALL: The money ‘will improve children’s lives’ CHARITY THE Alliance of Sport has secured a record-breaking £1m grant from the London Marathon Charitable Trust.

The grant, which was secured with support from the Youth Justice Board (YJB), will be used to deliver a new project called Levelling the Playing Field, which will use sport to help prevent young people from entering the criminal justice system.

It is believed that the award is the largest ever awarded by the London Marathon Charitable Trust.

The project will take place over the next three years and will use sport to improve the health and life outcomes for over 11,200 black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) children aged 10-17.

The initiative will focus on BAME children who are at risk of entering, or who are already disproportionately involved in the criminal

justice system, and will provide them with support and opportunities in sport and physical activity. The target delivery areas are in London, the West Midlands, South Yorkshire and Gwent.

Levelling the Playing Field aims to tackle these concerns through a number of methods: l Increase BAME participation in sport l Advance youth justice policy to support a reduction in disproportionality in the youth justice system l Foster more active partnerships between sport and criminal justice agencies l Develop an effective model that is fit for expansion across England and Wales.

Keith Fraser, YJB Board member, said: “This grant from the Trust presents a significant opportunity to have a huge positive impact on the lives of many children.”

4 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

News

‘WE DESERVE MORE THAN THIS WINDRUSH REPORT’

Senior political figures react as Lessons Learned review casts light on scandal

By Vic Motune Continued from page 1 The independent adviser for the Windrush Lessons Learned Review said: “The Windrush Generation has been poorly served by this country, a country to which they contributed so much and in which they had every right to make their lives.

“The many stories of injustice and hardship are heartbreaking, with jobs lost, lives uprooted and untold damage done to so many individuals and families.”

The review led

by Williams, inset right, makes 30 recommendations for change and improvement and she has urged ministers to implement them in their entirety.

Among the recommendations are for the Home Office to acknowledge its failings, open itself up to greater external scrutiny and change its culture to recognise that migration and the Home Office should put people are the heart of policy making.

These recommendations fall into four main categories: the Home Office’s interaction with the communities it serves and with external stakeholders; its interaction with its people; its role in wider interaction with ministers and government; and

This is part of an ongoing mission to put this right the Home Office’s approach to race, diversity and inclusion.

Williams’ recommendations include a call for ministers to admit that serious harm was inflicted on people who are British and for the home secretary to set a clear purpose, mission and values statement that has “fairness, humanity, openness, diversity and inclusion” at its heart.

Supporters of the Windrush Generation have raised concerns about the timing of the publication of the report, feeling it and its recommendations will be overshadowed by the coronavirus outbreak.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said: “We shouldn’t allow the fact that the review has been published at [the] time of national crisis to mean that the review and its recommendations are buried the Windrush Generation deserve better than that.”

The home secretary, Priti Patel, who published the report on March 19, apologised for the

ANGER: Hackney and Stoke Newington MP and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott leads a Windrush Scandal protest last year

scandal and said she had been “deeply moved” by reading the report.

“Today’s publication is part of an ongoing mission to put this right and ensure events like this can never happen again as there were far too many victims of Windrush,” Patel said.

Theresa May, who introduced the hostile environment policy, which largely contributed to the scandal, also apologised for the treatment of the Windrush Generation.

Labour MP Yvette Cooper called the report “deeply disturbing”.

She said the conclusions on racism were “particularly damning”.

APOLOGY: Home Secretary Priti Patel said she had been ‘deeply moved’ by reading the Lessons Learned report

POLICIES

Responding to the publication of the review 15 race equality and migrant rights organisations, including the Runnymede Trust, Race on the Agenda; JCWI; Migrant Rights Network and the Race Equality Foundation called for an independent review into the extent of institutional racism in the Home Office and whether its immigration policies are in accordance with equality law around racial discrimination.

Dr Zubaida Haque, deputy director, the Runnymede Trust, pictured below far right, said: “The findings of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review are alarming, wide-ranging and profound: a terrible injustice was done to the Windrush generation, but the events and policies leading up to it were entirely predictable. Wendy Williams, the Independent Reviewer, makes it very clear that the injustice was not an accident, but a result of institutional failures to understand race and racism, in comparative ways as defined by Lord Macpherson’s definition of institutional racism over 20 years ago.

“It is now incumbent on this government to not only ‘right the wrongs’ suffered by the Windrush Generation (and other ethnic minority groups) as a result of the government’s

@thevoicenewspaper

hostile environment policies, but also to understand how and why Home Office culture, attitudes, immigration and citizenship policies have repeatedly discriminated against black and ethnic minority British citizens. Unless the issues around institutional racism are meaningfully addressed, we risk the same mistakes and injustices being repeated.”

Windrush campaigner Patrick Vernon OBE said: “It has been two years since the Windrush Scandal was exposed highlighting how the government systematically, as part of the Hostile

@thevoicenews

Environment, abused the human rights and dignity of British citizens from the Windrush Generation and descendants.”

He added: “We now need effective leadership from the Prime Minister to swiftly implement the recommendations with independent oversight of the Home Office.

IMPACT

“The report is more than lessons learnt, it is an indictment of the nature and impact of structural racism in government and how politicians and senior civil servants over the

voicenews

years have failed to have a duty of care and respect to the Windrush Generation.”

There was an equally forthright response from Tottenham MP David Lammy, pictured left.

Writing in The Guardian, he said: “The Windrush scandal, which resulted in the systematic and unlawful detention or deportation of at least 164 black British citizens, is just the most grievous example of Home Office failure. But as Wendy Williams’ blistering Windrush Lessons Learned review shows, the department’s problems are broader and deeper than one scandal. The review exposes the department as unfit for the society it is supposed to serve, after a series of colossal failures, rooted in a toxic internal culture and an ingrained misunderstanding of Britain’s colonial history.”

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6 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

News

‘I THOUGHT, ‘RIGHT, From student activism to becoming one of Labour’s most exciting MPs, Bell Ribeiro Addy says her political career has been a long time in the making – and thanks Diane Abbott

By Vic Motune

I

T’S OFTEN been said that student activism proves a springboard into national politics.

Long before many MPs first sets foot into Westminster, they have spent many years campaigning on issues they care passionately about.

This proved true for Streatham MP and shadow immigration minister Bell Ribeiro Addy.

Although describing herself as not particularly political while growing up, her time at Bradford University in the early 2000s as a biomedical sciences student marked the beginning of her journey into becoming the much lauded MP that she is now.

“When I was at university in Bradford there was quite a big BNP presence in the area,” she recalls. “They put campaign leaflets through the door and those leaflets were some of the most racist stuff I’d ever read.

“Coming from Brixton Hill, if someone put stuff like that through your door they’d be in trouble but these guys just casually put it through the letterbox. So I got involved in my students’ union and anti-racist campaigning.”

It was the threat of a fellow student being deported that stepped up her political activism.

Her friend Victor, who came from Kenya to study in the UK, had been working part-time at a gym. Unknowingly he’d worked more than the hours permitted under the terms of his international student visa.

He was promptly put in a detention centre despite the fact that many European students had been given warnings for doing the same thing.

Addy worked tirelessly with local campaign groups to block her friend’s deportation.

“We were fighting his deportation. But despite our efforts he was deported back to Kenya,” she recalls.

She went on to become National Black Students’ Officer for the National Union of Students (NUS) from 2008 to 2010, national co-ordinator of the Student Assembly Against Racism, and the national convenor

When I was at university there was a big BNP presence in the area of the NUS’ Anti-Racism/Anti-Fascism campaign.

Today, Addy is still fighting unfair deportations – but now she’s doing so from the influential position of being shadow immigration minister.

Since being elected as the Member of Parliament for Streatham in the December 2019 general election, Addy has made a big impact in a relatively short space of time, gaining a reputation as a community focused MPs who cares passionately about people in the constituency she grew up in as well as being a strong ally of equality and social justice campaigners across the country.

In her maiden speech she spoke of her pride in being the daughter of Ghanaian migrants, how that underpinned her experience in the UK, her fears about the rise of hate crimes and the need for the government to address the historic injustices of the British empire such as slavery and colonialism if it was going to negotiate a post-Brexit world.

Addy has also played a key role in campaigning against the government’s deportation policies, fiercely criticising the

government over the planned deportation of Osime Brown, a young autistic man awaiting a final appeal against a Home Office deportation decision.

Brown, 21, who has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome with the mental capacity of a five- to six-year-old, currently resides in Stocken Prison, Leicestershire, where he is serving a five year sentence.

“The government’s callous treatment of Osime Brown, a young man with severe learning disabilities, proves once again that the Hostile Environment shows no mercy, even to extremely vulnerable young people,” she told The Voice earlier this year.

“Our Byzantine immigration system is confusing enough for anyone trying to navigate them and still more so for someone with learning disabilities.

HORROR

“The government must seriously reflect on the mental health implications of expanding its detention and deportation policies. I can only imagine the horror and confusion Osime must have faced coming up against the inflexible and inhumane structures of the current system.”

Addy also hit the headlines following a terrorist attack in her Streatham constituency.

Bell was only a few months into the job when Sudesh Amman, 20, stabbed two members of the public on Streatham High Road, before being shot dead by police.

She visited the scene of the attack spending hours reassuring people in the wake of the attacks.

“I remember being on my way back from church and just the normalness of the day,” she says.

“I thought to myself, ‘Yes, I’ve got the afternoon off’.

I was looking forward to catch

@thevoicenewspaper

up on some admin. There’s enough admin at work, but your letters pile up at home.

“Then all of these messages kept coming through to my phone. I was with a friend and once we’d heard what had happened we just got in a car and just drove straight up to Streatham High Road to see what was happening and to speak to people who were scared and apprehensive.

MP’s home? Personally I have to question, and my family has to question this decision.

“There are hundreds of bail hostels in the country, I’m sure that there are not many of them that are near the homes of members of parliament.”

Addy’s close connection to the area goes a long way to explaining why she’s forged such a connection with constituents, perhaps an ever stronger

The most important thing to me was just to make sure that everybody felt safe “The most important thing was just to try and make sure that everybody felt safe. And I understand why everybody was quite nervous. I found out a few days later that the man who had carried out the attacks said he wanted to kill MPs. “The bail hostel place that they put him in was round the corner from my house.”

She continues: “Why was someone who has designs on killing MPs put so close to an

@thevoicenews

one that her predecessor Chuka Umunna, who at one time was being tipped as Britain’s first black prime minister.

She grew up in Brixton Hill, one of the eight wards of her Streatham constituency.

Her parents came to Britain in the early 1970s from Ghana, although family members had been settling in the area since the 1950s.

Although the idea of a career in politics and public service

voicenews

wasn’t pushed on her as she was growing up she only recently realised that there was something of a family tradition.

“I’ve only recently found out that my maternal grandfather was involved in the independence struggle in Ghana.

LEADER

“He was a member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and was one of the right hand men of Kwame Nkrumah who led the country to independence in 1957. He was also one of the signatories to Nkrumah’s will after he was overthrown and he went into exile. My grandfather was also put into prison for a year,” she says.

In 2010, following her time as NUS Black Students Officer she worked with Umunna on his general election campaign.

“I thought it was great that he got elected as the MP for Streatham,” she says. “At that time our politics were similar and he was a young black guy from our area, usually at that time in politics people were being parachuted from everywhere, or they may have been your average run of the mill

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APRIL 2020 THE VOICE | 7

News

LET’S GET INVOLVED’’

POLITICAL FAMILY: Clockwise, from main, Addy with current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn; Addy says that working with Diane Abbott helped inspire her own campaign; speaking in the Houses of Parliament; the recent terror attack in Streatham was too close for comfort for Addy

person that may not even look like the community they’re supposed to represent. So looking at him, I thought, ‘Let’s get involved’.

“It was activism that got me involved in politics but in terms of joining the Labour party that day, it was Chuka.”

Soon after she also got the opportunity to work with Hackney and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott at first on a parttime basis and then as her chief of staff and later her political adviser.

“I officially joined her staff in 2012 and I got to manage a lot of her campaigning work and special projects, such as all the stuff she did on London Schools and the Black Child which was great for me because I’d been the NUS Black Students’ Officer, and also the work she’d done around black women in business.

“Jeremy [Corbyn] was the leader when she became shadow secretary of state for international development, then health, then home affairs.

“I worked with her as a political advisor in all of those roles and I suppose that the

home affairs policy work that I did with her stood me in good stead to be shadow immigration minister.”

She continues: “Also, being the most senior person in the office, I also took on the chief of staff role, managing her parliamentary team and her staff.”

She cites Abbott as being a major influence in her path to becoming an MP. Abbott had suggested that she stand as an MP on several occasions.

RELUCTANCE

Perhaps Addy’s reluctance came from the fact that she knew all too well the kind of virulent abuse that black women in the public eye can receive.

According to research published by Amnesty International in 2017, Abbott alone received almost half of all the abusive tweets sent to female MPs in the run-up to that year’s general election.

She came under a relentless campaign of racist and sexist abuse in the weeks before the June 2017 poll.

The research found that the abuse directed at her amounted

to 10 times as much as was received by any other female MP. In the previous six months, she received just under a third of all abuse sent to female MPs. Last year Abbott said she wanted social media companies to record the real identities of people using their platforms in order to tackle the problem.

It’s a stand that Addy agrees with.

“I think social media com-

who are abusive on social media often can’t be held to account because you can’t find them.

“They say all of these horrible things, some of them dangerous, like death threats, but you can’t find them. It doesn’t make any sense.

“Social media platforms just don’t want their number of users to go down. But that’s not good enough if there’s a threat

Social media platforms just don’t want their number of users to go down – it’s not OK panies have allowed racism to thrive in a way that’s completely unacceptable,” she says.

“They keep talking about freedom of speech but actually it’s about them allowing people to abuse us. These people hide behind names ‘stinkypants’, or whatever, but when they register for the platforms they should be compelled to provide their full details so if they do break the law they can be held to account. Right now people

to anyone’s safety. It’s not OK.” After being elected in December 2019 it seems that Addy has easily made the transition from running an MP’s office to being an MP herself as well as holding the post of shadow immigration minister.

“Politicians, commentators and the media often don’t help with their rhetoric on immigration,” she says.

“They whip up the issue with sensationalist headlines be-

cause it sells newspapers but they don’t think about what the practicalities of it are which is that people are actively being treated in a disgraceful way and that people are losing their lives because of racist hate crimes.”

She continues: “Look at the situation we’re in now with the spread of coronavirus.

“We face the worst public health crisis in God knows how long and we are 46,000 nurses down and we are thousands and thousands of care workers down.

“We are also thousands of doctors down and part of the reason we’re in this situation is because we don’t want people to come into this country and it’s for bigoted reasons, not because we couldn’t sustain more people in this country.

“Politicians and the media keep saying we need to listen to the public’s concern about levels of immigration.

“But what I’ve always found is that if you listen to people’s concerns on this issue, yes there are some out there that just don’t want to see black people.

“But when you break it down, what people are actual-

ly saying is that we don’t have enough housing, we don’t have enough healthcare, we don’t have enough this, we don’t have enough that.”

She adds: “All of their gripes seem to be with resources so surely it stands to reason that of the government properly resourced certain public functions in this country then you’d probably find that people’s greatest issue was not black and brown people arriving here.

STRONGER

“Also, as far as the Labour party is concerned, every time we lost an election people had this idea that we had to be stronger on immigration.

“But when Diane [Abbott] was shadow home secretary we had the most progressive polices on immigration ever and nobody doubts us on it.

“At Labour party conference delegates gave a standing ovation to closing down detention centres. You wouldn’t have seen that in previous years.

“We’re in a position where nobody in the party can roll back these policies without facing major backlash.”

8 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

News

FAMILY’S ANXIOUS WAIT

WORRYING TIMES: Osime Brown, left, has been clinically diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, and often self-harms, as the picture below shows*

Osime Brown facing prospect of deportation, despite his autism

A

BLACK COUNTRY family and concerned friends are awaiting the date of a final appeal against the deportation of an autistic young man to his Jamaican birthplace where he knows no one.

Osime Brown, 21, who has been clinically diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome with the mental capacity of a five to six-year-old, is currently in Stocken Prison, Lincolnshire, where he is serving a five-year sentence.

cial care since 2014, and official court papers report Brown committing a series of offences since the age of 16 which “culminated in a sentence of five years’ detention in a young of-

DISMISSED

fenders’ institution for robbery, attempted robbery and perverting the course of justice,” in August 2018.

He has been relocated several times, allegedly without consultation with his family.

Foreign national offenders who receive a custodial sentence are referred to the Home Office for consideration of deportation action.

Brown’s case has been supported by the senior pastor of his family church, Barry

His deportation was set for December 3, until a last-minute appeal was lodged. That appeal has since been dismissed pending a final appeal with the Upper Tribunal, which is expected to be heard this month.

Brown came to the UK aged three to join his mother Joan Fairclough, a qualified mental health nurse, and his three older siblings.

He has been living in so-

Hutchinson of Cornerstone Community Church in Dudley, family friend Pauline Campbell and the Jamaican High Commission, who backed the previous appeal.

Mrs Campbell said: “Osime is quite slow in understanding things. The family framework gives (him) a safe and supportive environment where he can flourish and just be himself despite the mental health barriers.

*Image pixelated

We are all scared that he is going to end up dead if he is SAFE sent back

“Withdrawing him from his family will break down the protection of a safe place to live and cause him to suffer greatly.”

In a joint statement, Brown’s older siblings Semoy Thompson, and Yonique and Camile Strachan, said: “Our brother is a loving caring person, however he fell in with the wrong crowd as he is easily manipulated and has ended up where he is now. We would be distraught if our brother was to be sent back to a country that

he knows nothing about. We are scared that he is going to end up dead as he is so trusting and does not understand the culture or the people’s nature.”

A report completed for the Immigration Tribunal

by Chartered Psychologist John Hall last October quoted Brown’s “general cognitive ability is within the extremely low range of intellectual functioning. Osime may experience great difficulty in keeping up

with his peers in a wide variety of situations that require thinking and reasoning abilities.”

LACERATIONS

That report contains pictorial evidence of Osime self-harming since 2016, with multiple lacerations on his arms, and Hall’s “concern over his mental health difficulties, troubled presentation and the fact he is suffering from high anxiety.”

Reportedly depressed and

confused, it has been claimed Brown attempted to commit suicide on January 4, and prison officials claim he continues to self-harm.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Foreign national offenders should be in no doubt of our determination to remove them, and since 2010 we have removed more than 50,000 of them. It would be inappropriate to comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.”

Groups join forces to highlight the impact of FGM A SERIES of community events and outreach programmes in north London is aiming to highlight the mental and physical impact of female genital mutilation (FGM).

Thousands of women living in Enfield are estimated to have been affected by FGM according to the latest figures from the north London borough’s public health team.

The first of the community events was at Edmonton Green Shopping Centre in February, held jointly with the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM. It was hosted by Alimatu Dimonekene, a prominent activist, campaigner and survivor of FGM who lives in Enfield.

She was accompanied by volunteers and Enfield Council officers who gave passers-by advice, leaflets and resources.

Further events are expected to follow later this year.

Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member

CAMPAIGN: A new initiative in north London is aiming to highlight the mental and physical impact of FGM

neighbour or colleague right here on your doorstep surviving with the effects of FGM. “It’s our duty to help make sure girls and women are safe and can get the help and protection they need.”

In Enfield, the North Middlesex University Hospital Iris Clinic specifically provides care and support for women experiencing problems as a result of female genital cutting.

SENSITIVE for Public Health, Cllr Mahtab Uddin, said: “A substantial number of women living in Enfield have been affected by FGM. “Large numbers of girls in Enfield may also be at risk because they have been born into communities where FGM is more likely to be practised.

“It is good that our campaign has

started just before the school halfterm holiday, where girls could be at risk from being taken abroad for FGM to be performed.

She added: “FGM must be confronted – it can no longer be seen as a problem for other countries far away to deal with.

“It could be your child’s friend, a

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The clinic provides an environment where women are invited to discuss their health needs in a sensitive and non-judgmental environment.

Women can self-refer to the clinic and all appointments are confidential. In 2018/19, over 120 attended the clinic for care and support related to FGM – half were Enfield residents.

Grace Aidoo, Lead Midwife for the Iris Clinic, said: “FGM has serious health consequences that can cause long-term emotional, psychological

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and physical effects from the damage.

“I encourage women to come and use our services where they will be treated with dignity and get the support they need.”

Women in the borough have been supported by Samafal, a local notfor-profit company that aims to help families and individuals overcome barriers and integrate into wider society. Enfield Children and Young Persons’ Service (ECYPS) is also engaging with local communities and parenting programmes.

The Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion, Cllr Nneka Keazor, said: “There is a strong determination to provide the services, support and education to prevent FGM. We will continue to engage with our communities, be vigilant and provide as much information as possible to make sure women and girls get the protection and advice they need in a nurturing and confidential environment.”

www.voice-online.co.uk

APRIL 2020

THE VOICE| 9

10 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

News

‘MY KIDNEY SAVED MY DAD’S LIFE’ 20-year-old urges community not to ‘opt out’ of organ donation

D

ERRICKA SIMPSON’S life changed in June 2018 when she learnt that her father Derrick had end stage kidney failure.

Rather than see him go on dialysis she immediately decided to become his living donor – a brave and selfless undertaking for a 20-year-old woman.

Derricka underwent a series of rigorous physical and psychological tests before she successfully donated in November 2019.

She said: “Since donating to my dad, he’s been active – like 15-year-old boy!

“He is now able to resume playing his favourite game of dominos of Friday, he can follow me grocery shopping on weekends and just do the simple things that we normally took for granted.

“He’s honestly a new, happy and healthy man since donation and we cannot thank the kidney

team at Guy’s for their support throughout this journey.”

Now the Southwark resident is urging the black community not to ‘opt out’ of the forthcoming organ donation law.

IMPERATIVE

“I think it’s imperative for the BAME community not to ‘Opt Out’ of the forthcoming Organ Donation Law because last year alone over 630 black people were on the waiting list for a kidney transplant but there were only 25 living kidney donors,” she said.

“Sadly, some of the people waiting for the kidney died.

“If we opt out then people in our community will continue to die because of chronic diseases like kidney failure.”

Miri Vutabwarova, clinical nurse specialist, living donation at Guy’s Hospital said: “Kidney disease is more common within the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups. This is

mainly due to the high rates of diabetes and high blood pressure within this community.”

She continued: “The law on organ donation in UK is about to change, many people are opt-

There has been a lot of misinformation and fake news around laws ing out without understanding how this can greatly affect them.

There has been a lot of misinformation and fake news sent around concerning the new laws.

I would recommend people reading the official information from the NHS Blood and Transplant website to be best informed.”

Dela Idowu, founder of the charity GOLD (Gift of Living

Donation) said: “Our mission is to increase awareness of organ donation and living donation in the BAME community.

“We do this by aiming to change some of the cultural attitudes towards donation and kick start conversations within the black community about organ donation and transplantation.”

But there is still a stark imbalance between the numbers of BAME donors and those patients in need of a lifesaving transplant.

People from the BAME communities represented eight per cent of all deceased donors last year, compared with 31 per cent of those on the transplant waiting list.

Although consent rates have risen, with 42 per cent saying yes to organ donation when asked in hospitals, still only around half as many black, Asian and minority ethnic families support donation compared with families from a white background.

GIFT OF LIFE: Derricka with her dad Derrick

APRIL 2020

THE VOICE | 11

Guest column

‘WE MUST TAKE NOTICE OF LABOUR’S NEW DIRECTION’ The battle for Labour’s leadership is an important one for BME voters, says Lester Holloway

Y

OU’VE GOT to feel sorry for Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer.

His Labour leadership election campaign was centred on the slogan of ‘unity’, but he may be destined to play the role of referee between wings of his party fighting for and against the case that a future Labour government should intervene in the market economy.

But who is announced as the party’s new leader matters for black communities.

During the recent December general election the party promised to “eliminate race inequality from our economy” in its race and faith manifesto.

IDEALISTIC

This sounded like one of many idealistic but unachievable goals. Yet it might just be possible – but only if the government is willing to tackle the private sector.

Five times more people work in the private sector than the public sector, so dealing with racial disparities can only really come about if we stop free enterprise from racially discriminating against people from black and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.

Leftwing supporters of Jeremy Corbyn are prepared to do this, but centrists aren’t.

Going forward this will be a key battleground in the struggle for the soul of the Labour Party.

The first battle will likely be over nationalisation.

Corbynites will want to guarantee that the former party leader’s promises on the issue won’t be watered down, especially as polls have shown the public are fed up being ripped off by privatised utilities.

Reclaiming public services was only ever the first stage of the socialist mission to transform society.

Transitioning to a green economy is as much about

a major restructuring of the economy by investing big to create a million new green jobs as it is to save the planet. And that offers a unique opportunity to ‘design-in’ equality so that BAME communities and women aren’t under-represented.

And there are other key questions.

H o w willing is Labour to insist for instance that businesses getting

state money employ black staff proportionally and don’t face an ethnic pay gap?

A recent study by race equality think tank the Runnymede Trust found staggeringly high levels of Labour support among most BAME communities; 80 per cent for black Africans, 90 per cent for African Caribbeans.

Both the 2017 and 2019 general elections saw Labour get a higher vote share from minority ethnic voters (77 per cent and 70 per cent respectively) than at any election since Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide.

RADICAL

This shows that BAME communities put faith in a more radical agenda.

Corbyn moved Labour from austerity-light to resolutely anti-austerity, and this resonated with black citizens who have been among the hardest hit from job losses in the public sector, where a significant number of black employees are concentrated, and from benefit cuts including those for working people.

It felt like Labour had finally stopped taking black votes for granted.

The party had become more pro-equality domestically and anti-imperial internationally. But where does it go now?

The party’s experience of Ed Miliband, left, should have highlighted something important – you can’t claim to be for diversity while at the same time tossing antirefugee red meat to the red top tabloids.

Thankfully, Labour appears to have progressed beyond the buzzwords of diversity, cohesion, integration or other equally meaningless terms; it’s now about equality of outcome.

The questions that black voters will ask are:

A CALL FOR UNITY: Sir Keir Starmer’s campaign is focusing on bringing both the country and his party together – something which Jeremy Corbyn, inset left, had failed to do during his tenure is the party going to go back to being all things to no people, or move forward with radical policies to achieve equality?

So what will it take? We could start with reform of our equalities laws.

Currently they cover businesses once discrimination has

While those that hate ‘red tape’ tend to tolerate discrimination and low wages.

If the goal of eradicating racism from employment is to mean anything then it has to be central to the transformative mission of a Labour government. Labour already has a

and multi-faith working class.

Examples could include tax reforms to benefit the poor alongside fiscal measures to designout racial unfairness or, more boldly, introducing new positive action plans to have BAME representation on job selection panels backed up by the stick of reserved affirmative action places if that fails.

Starmer is likely to shy away from socialism, but he will be DISPARITIES There’s a world of socialist poslobbied hard by the black left sibilities open to Labour in the quest to eliminate racial dispariand hopefully the wider left already happened, by giving people the right to take their boss to an employment tribunal.

The public sector, on the other hand, has a set of ‘duties’ to make authorities proactively prevent discrimination from happening in the first place.

Extending these duties to the private sector is simply logical.

But that bumps up against free market ideology that says anything that can be seen to work against firms making money is bad. Yet we know equality is good for business. Companies that take equality seriously make serious profits, which more than outweighs the cost of efforts to promote diversity.

wider general commitment to government-wide race equality, but it needs deepening so that the Left can raise the bar with a vision that takes stock of the challenge of systemic racism and aims to eliminate it.

To achieve this the Left will need to be armed with an antiracism that is made up of both affirmative and preventative action, that uses the levers of state while simultaneously targeting cultural change by winning hearts and minds.

A strategy that takes the white working class on the journey by locating the agenda within a class analysis of the common interest shared by the multi-ethnic

ties.

Starmer is likely to shy away from such ideas, but he will be lobbied hard by the black Left and hopefully the wider Left.

The result of these internal tussles will have profound implications for the future appeal of the party to African and Caribbean communities. And when the party does eventually win power, it will determine whether or not Britain turns a corner to be a far less racist nation or not.

Lester Holloway is communications and events officer for the trade unionsponsored think tank CLASS (Centre for Labour and Social Studies)

12 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

News

HIT THE HARDEST

BAME staff most likely to feel the effects of coronavirus in the workplace, experts say

By Vic Motune

B

LACK AND minority ethnic (BAME) employees are likely to be hardest hit by the outbreak of coronavirus, experts and campaigners have warned.

A number of recent reports have highlighted the fact that BAME workers are much more likely than white workers to be in insecure jobs that have zero-hours contracts in industries such as travel, leisure and hospitality.

Prime minister Boris Johnson said earlier this month in response to the growing public health crisis that Britons should stop non-essential contact with others.

He said employees should work from home where they could.

Johnson, pictured below, also urged the general public to avoid places like pubs, clubs and theatres, as well as stop all unnecessary travel, especially in London which is “a few weeks ahead” of the rest of the UK. However with selfquarantining actions in place, campaigners fear that low-wage workers who rely on tips or have zero-hour contracts in industries such as travel, leisure, catering and hospitality will be placed in a very tough financial situation because

they have much less opportunity to work from home.

They say that this group is likely to be forced between having to follow the prime minister’s advice, which means cutting shifts and losing income without the prospect of sick leave, or showing up to work and risking infecting

If I’m ill, I’ll have to keep working so my family doesn’t starve not only themselves but other family members.

Research carried out in 2017 by the Trades union Congress found that BAME workers are much more likely than white workers to be in insecure jobs such as zero-hours contracts.

Its survey of more than three million BAME employees in the UK, found that nearly a quarter of a million were in temporary jobs or on zero-hours contracts that do not guarantee workers a min-

imum number of hours in any given week.

A study published earlier this year by the Carnegie Trust UK, the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies and Operation Black Vote further highlighted this trend.

The research found that young people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are 47 per cent more likely to be on a zero-hours contract.

It also found that they were five per cent more likely to be doing shift work, and four per cent less likely to have a permanent contract than white workers.

One black Uber driver based in London told the BBC: “I need to work, this is my bread and butter. If I become ill I’ll have to work, what am I going to do, my family will be starving? Everybody who is self employed is worried about what is going to happen.”

INSURANCE

Another Uber driver said: “If I catch it I’m in Catch-22 because I can’t afford not to work. I don’t think the insurance will pay me. If I selfquarantine, I don’t know if the insurance will cover it.”

Lord Simon Woolley, founder and director of Operation Black Vote told The Voice: “What we could see is more elderly black people suffering and dying in disproportionate numbers precisely because of the numbers involved in the gig economy. Unless the government is clear about those

What companies are doing l Uber said it would “compensate drivers when proper documentation shows they have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, or if they are placed in quarantine, asked to self-isolate, or removed from the app for up to 14 days at the direction of a public health authority”. It also said it was in contact with local public health bodies and “continue to follow recommendations”.

l Deliveroo said it will offer financial support to workers who are diagnosed with the virus or told to self-isolate. It has sent its riders official guidelines on how to keep themselves safe, including best practice while they are out delivering food. l Delivery service DPD said: “We are looking at a range of ways to provide additional support for any

DPD driver, should they need to self-isolate and we will be making a further announcement shortly.” l Hermes, whose 15,000 couriers are normally paid only if they complete a parcel delivery or collection for retailers, including John Lewis and Asos, said it had set aside a £1m support fund for self-employed workers.

CAUSE FOR CONCERN: Many within the catering industry are on zero-hours contracts and are facing the prospect of losing their only source of income

who are on zero-hours contracts and how they will get paid because they are not going to work, then people will take risks because people’s first priority is to provide for their families.

“And, if people take risks, more people will die. Because they need to work, they are more likely to pass it on to those elderly people who are very vulnerable to this kind of pandemic.

Coronavirus can be very bad for our communities.”

Lord Woolley , pictured inset right, continued: “When people say the advantage of this style of working is flexibility, well this might be the case for 10 per cent of people.

“I’d say 90 per cent of the people on zero-hours contracts are doing so, not because it’s a lifestyle choice but because it’s a necessity to earn a living and putting bread on the table.”

Speaking about how he would like the government to respond to these issues, he said: “Organisations such as OBV are now urgently calling on the government to look at the negative racial disparity that could affect BAME communities and act accordingly.

For example, to support BAME community and faith groups that might be best placed to support their elderly citizens during this difficult time.

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“Equally, important for the government is that it must ensure that those on zerohour contracts do not lose any money if they are not working due to coronavirus.

“The government keeps telling the nation that it’s acting upon the clear evidence to confront all aspects that come from the coronavirus.

Well, there’s a racial aspect that cannot be ignored and must be understood and effectively dealt with.”

On March 17, Johnson and chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak announced a series of significant new measures aimed at halting the economic impact of Covid-19.

These included £330bn for companies to access loans, support for airlines, grants of up to £25,000 for the smallest leisure, hospitality and retail businesses, the extension of 100 per cent business rate relief to all businesses in these sectors, help for small firms without insurance and a threemonth mortgage holiday for those experiencing difficulty paying their mortgage.

Johnson promised sick pay from day one for all those with suspected coronavirus rather than the fourth day as it stands now and hinted at further measures to stop gig economy workers losing pay if they need to self-isolate.

He hinted that people with-

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out sick pay provision could claim universal credit.

Speaking at prime minister’s questions, he said: “We will take every step we can to make sure that … no-one whether employed or self-employed – whatever the status of their employment – is penalised for doing the right thing.”

CRITICS

However, critics have pointed out that universal credit may be considered by many as too slow and cumbersome to apply for to be a workable solution.

Theodora Hadjimichael, CEO at Responsible Finance, said: “The assertion that the selfemployed can apply for universal credit instead gives little comfort to these individuals, given the fact that affected workers cannot afford the wait for their first payment.

“At the same time, benefits claimants who miss Jobcentre appointments or medical assessments may face sanctions.

So those on low or precarious incomes risk facing further vulnerability with the spread of the coronavirus.”

She continued: “We urge the government to release emergency funding so people aren’t forced to borrow from highcost lenders to pay for essentials whilst in isolation and unable to work or claim sick pay. Responsible finance providers, as trusted and affordable lenders, are well placed to deliver this funding.”

www.voice-online.co.uk

APRIL 2020 THE VOICE | 13

News

MET POLICE SACKS OFFICER OVER CHILD ABUSE VIDEO Decision ‘will erode black community’s trust and confidence in the police’

By Alannah Francis

O

NE OF the most senior black female police officers in the UK was sacked after she was found guilty of possessing video footage of child abuse.

Supt Novlett Robyn Williams was convicted in November and sentenced to 200 hours unpaid work over the possession of an indecent image of a child. She was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years.

In a fast-track misconduct hearing, Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Helen Ball ruled that Supt Williams’ conviction was “discreditable conduct” and amounted to gross misconduct.

Former chair of the Black Police Association Charitable Trust and Met Supt Leroy Logan told The Voice the decision was a “total tragedy” and would have a negative impact on the Metropolitan Police’s relationship with the black com-

munity and its recruitment of black officers.

“It’s a total tragedy. I truly believe it will make such a massive impact on community trust and confidence to know that such a high profile officer

only been brushed under the carpet,” Logan said. “This level of scrutiny that black officers face is significantly higher than a white counterpart.”

The BBC reported that Ball said racial bias played “no part” in her decision.

High profile PREMATURE condemned the Met for cases like this Logan going forward with the hearbefore Williams’ appeals have an impact ing against her conviction have exhausted. on recruitment been “You would have thought that the Met would have waited of officers has been subject to a real lack of objectivity in a case which really could happen to anyone,” he said.

He added: “This will erode the black community’s trust and confidence in the police. Highprofile cases like this also have an impact on recruitment of officers so it’s going to have an impact on the Met’s aspirations to be a reflective organisation on the streets of London.”

Williams’ supporters, including the Black Police Association, have also said that the case will have a negative impact.

“I can’t discount the possibility that this has happened to a white officer and it’s never seen the light of day. It’s

for that result before they made this decision,” Logan said. “I think they’ve been extremely premature.”

Williams has lodged an appeal against her conviction but the Met said the hearing was required to take place without delay.

Williams, a senior officer and recipient of the Queen’s policing medal for distinguished service, maintains that she did not view the footage which was sent to her unsolicited by her sister Jennifer Hodge.

Hodge forwarded the clip to her 17 WhatsApp contacts after she received it from her partner, Dido Massivi.

Jurors believed Williams’ claim that she did not view the footage but disagreed with her that she did not know the clip was on her phone. Williams has the right to appeal the misconduct hearing’s ruling.

RULING: Supt Novlett Robyn Williams maintains she did not view the footage Responding to the decision in a strongly worded statement Tola Munro, president of the National Black Police Association, said that Williams had “for more than 30 years served the communities of Nottinghamshire and London, going beyond.

“She has drawn public confidence for her work with the survivors and families of the Grenfell tragedy.

“Unfortunately, as Robyn rose through the ranks from Constable to Superintendent, the Met has kept looking for reasons to discredit her exemplary service and success as a female black senior officer.

“She has this in common with other black, Asian and ethnic minority officers; it is an indicator of institutional racism.”

He continued: “How can a black female police officer after 36 years of unblemished service end up on a sex offender’s register?

“How have her employers summarily dismissed her?

MESSAGE

“The Met is dysfunctional, it is trying to recruit more black, Asian and ethnic minority officers, while at the same time appearing to send a clear message to London’s BAME communities: “You are not welcome

in the Met, will never be one of us and will never lead us”.

This message comes just as Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invested in 20,000 more police officers.

“I absolutely reject the Met’s Special Case Hearing, as have white, black and brown people from all four corners of the UK who have expressed their horror at this case.

“When a white, male Police and Crime Commissioner has recently been found to have held multiple images of indecent nature for 13 years without recourse, I am left asking of Robyn’s case, is it because she’s black and a female?”

Liverpool charity awarded £95k to ‘bring together’ community

PROGRESS: Sonia Bassey, right, and members of Mandela8 (photo: Wesley Storey)

MANDELA8 HAVE been awarded £95,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to establish and deliver a major oral history programme ensuring the history and stories of community activists in Toxteth and their firsthand memories of anti-apartheid struggles are told.

The project will record the memories of Prince’s Park, collect photos and memorabilia and deliver a range of engagement activities with people of all ages to ensure a long-lasting digital

educational resource for many years to come. The project will create employment opportunities and develop 15 heritage research volunteers with support and training from National Museums Liverpool.

HERITAGE

Fifteen young people will also be provided with digital skills training to support recording of heritage stories.

Sonia Bassey, MBE, Mandela8

chair, said: “We are excited to get started with this project that will leave a lasting legacy for our community.

“We are delighted with the additional funding secured for the engagement programme for the Nelson Mandela memorial.

“It will be a truly inclusive centrepiece of the park, ensuring his legacy, values and ideals are formally marked, promoting social and racial understanding, tolerance and tackling issues around cultural diversity.”

David Renwick, director of England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Communities are at the heart of the projects we invest in, and we are proud to be supporting Mandela8 in their project to remember and record important stories of anti-apartheid struggles.

“The project not only ensures that these memories will be safeguarded, but also share them with the next generation of the community.”

14 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Dotun Adebayo

Rate him or hate him - you can’t ignore him!

Join the debate online voice-online.co.uk/opinion

WHY ONLY WASH NOW?

Maybe we should question why the importance of hand washing is being highlighted

I

T IS quite something, isn’t it, when the government of the United Kingdom has to tell the people of the country to wash their hands.

WASH YOUR HANDS! WASH YOUR HANDS! WASH YOUR HANDS! The fact that Boris Johnson has to repeat the mantra over and over and over again, ad infinitum, is a worry beyond coronavirus proportions.

Wot, you mean I’ve been living here all these years and only now you are telling people to consider their personal hygiene? And, in the most fundamental of ways.

CHICKEN

WASH YOUR HANDS! WASH YOUR HANDS! WASH YOUR HANDS! When I consider the number of times I’ve bought chicken and chips for 99p and the government is only now telling the chicken shop guy to wash his hands!

And what about the ice cream, man? Ever wondered where he goes to toilet when he sits all day in an ice cream van and where he washes his hands afterwards before he hands you an ice cream cornet with a Flake in it.

Confusingly, it’s a 99, just like the chicken and chips.

It reminds me of the time when I went to buy a pizza and the bloke comes out of the bathroom scratching his crotch before he hands me my margherita.

WASH YOUR HANDS! WASH YOUR HANDS! WASH YOUR HANDS… AND YOUR NUTS! Of course, you don’t have to tell black folks to wash our hands. For one thing, we don’t shake hands.

You dun know that we ‘spud’ each other rather than shake hands. We bump fists.

And remember when that was looked down upon by our teachers and headmasters when we went to spud them after winning the school prize, now it seems everybody is spudding in an attempt to fight this coronavirus thingy that has got

even the most upper class white folks looking like they are from the streets.

All they need now is a hoodie and they will be bonafide. Talk about cultural appropriation.

But let’s not forget that we invented the ‘spud’. Because our mothers told us from time that you never know where a next man’s hand has been.

So when man and man wanted to shake hands I would be like, “No, it’s all right” and hand them my fist to bump instead.

Imagine how hard it was for

Posh people only have a bidet to appear civilised me to do that with all the big supes here at the BBC. Man like the Director-General and all.

They looked at me as if I was trying to play ‘street’ with them, when all I was trying to do was to let them know that they don’t know where my hand has been and I don’t know where their hand has been, so let’s just bump.

Yeah, like everybody is doing now. With all this coronavirus going around you either bump fists like us black folks or you bow like the Japanese. It’s up to you. But just don’t shake hands.

That’s easy enough to get your head around, but what the government are not telling you is: WASH YOUR BATTY! WASH YOUR BATTY! WASH YOUR BATTY! No, hold up. It’s no laughing matter. You see man and man bumrushing the show wherever toilet paper is available for sale.

They’re clearing out the shelves like there’s no time like the present to stock up, and that if they don’t have more toilet paper than everybody else the world will come to an end.

But this makes me even more nervous about the state of Britain’s cleanliness. Surely if you

QUESTIONABLE: Prime minister Boris Johnson was keen to suggest that washing hands was enough to contain Covid-19 wash your batty like you’re supposed to, toilet paper is not a life and death issue (or should that be ‘tissue’).

In fact, the toilet paper is only there to give the semblance of civilisation. That’s the only reason to buy it.

FOUNTAIN

You’re not supposed to rely on it. It’s like a bidet. The first time I ever saw one was in the bathroom at the home of Lord and Lady Hoff when they used to live up on Heath Hurst Road in Hampstead Heath, back when I used to crash at their house on account of me being homeless at the time.

I was only 17 and we didn’t have bidets in Tottenham where I came from so I thought it was a drinking fountain.

It was years later before I

realised that posh people only have a bidet in their houses to give the appearance of being civilised.

Meanwhile, back in north London, at our house on Lordship Lane, our ‘bidet’ was a plastic bucket. And that wasn’t just for show.

WASH YOUR BATTY! WASH YOUR BATTY! WASH YOUR BATTY! Like the great oracle of wisdom that was the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti sang in his seminal song African Message (the original afrobeat): “Don’t worry about my nyash-o Because I deh use water to clean it – every morning.

You see, every time I deh use toilet paper My nyash (batty) still deh smell-o”

Ah, my African forefathers teach me the right way for Africa…”

Of course our African forefathers didn’t just teach us the right way for Africa, they taught us the right way for Africans.

HARMONY

And it is beholden on us Africans to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony the African way because we are ultimately all Africans – that continent being the birthplace of mankind and that continent being the paradise in which everything man could possibly need for his survival on this planet is to be found.

And, no doubt, when the cure for this coronavirus is finally found it will be in its purest form in some plant or combi-

nation of plants that are to be found in Africa but which will no doubt then be chemicalised into a tiny white tablet which will have a patent taken out so that some pharmaceutical company or otherwise can charge us for the very solution that our forefathers cultivated for our inheritance.

You couldn’t make it up, could you. First our spuds will be culturally appropriated to save the planet and then Africa will be plundered for its natural medicines in the pharmaceutically rich forests of Congo, taking advantage of weak governments there, and we will have to pay for the privilege of being shafted once again.

And that is being shafted by someone who probably doesn’t even wash their batty, let alone their hands.

DOTUN ADEBAYO, BRITAIN’S MOST CELEBRATED BLACK BROADCASTER, IS KNOWN AS THE KING OF THE NIGHTTIME AIRWAVES. ALL VIEWS HERE ARE HIS OWN. LISTEN TO HIM OVERNIGHT ON BBC 5 LIVE FROM 1-5AM SATURDAY MORNINGS - MONDAY MORNINGS & 1AM - 4AM ON BBC RADIO LONDON (WEDNESDAY TO FRIDAY MORNINGS). FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER: @dotunadebayo

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15 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

ADVERTORIAL

www.carib-export.com

Caribbean eyes rise of the gluten-free market

By George Ruddock

A

gluten-free diet is the new way of life for millions of people around the world, including the Caribbean.

This unique food market is expected to grow to the value of £26 billion by 2025.

Wheat-based flour contains varying levels of the protein gluten which has gained significant notoriety over the past decade due to increasing prevalence of gluten related health

complications.

On the other hand, the gluten-free products market has witnessed substantial innovation in terms of new product launches along with research, development and collaboration by the industrial players because there has been a general switch by consumers to more health-conscious options across the board.

WORLD-WIDE

Also, the overall increasing disposable income of the consumer and their

evolving buying pattern over the past few years has led to a surge in the sales of gluten-free products worldwide.

HEALTHIER

Increasing health and wellness concern among the population is a major factor for the growing demand for these food products. The strong belief that gluten-free products are generally healthier is one of the key factors responsible for purchase among consumers.

There is also high perception among consumers that gluten-free food adds to the nutritional content and helps in weight management. The linkage of increased energy and weight loss is also another factor for its popularity.

SUBSTITUTES

The Caribbean, with its range of natural starchy tubers like cassava, yams, sweet potatoes and breadfruit has long been using these edibles as substitutes for flour and a few companies from the region have launched

themselves into the huge gluten-free food market.

Last September, a number of these companies participated in the Caribbean Export sponsored CARIFORUMEU Business Forum and Authentic Caribbean Expo in Frankfurt, Germany.

Here we look at two of these companies – Carita Jamaica and O’s Foods from Barbados - that are using their innovative ideas to manufacture gluten-free products for baking, light snacks, pastry or desserts.

Barbados O’s food ready Make exciting recipes with Carita’s breadfruit flour for the European market white flour that makes some people gluten intolerant.”

O’s gluten-free flour can be used in many versatile ways including as a pancake mix; a delicious porridge; coating for fried chicken and browning for meat and fish. Theophilia said: “With our glutenfree flour you can fry or bake with it and forget about the other traditional flour. Try and be healthy by using our products.”

O’s food founder Theophilia Louisien-Stoute

O

’S IS is a familyrun food business in Barbados, managed by Theophilia Louisien-Stoute.

It first started as a home based business, but has gradually developed into a factory run operation which manufactures healthy gluten-free products such as alternative flours made from cassava, plantain, breadfruit, sweet potato, coconut as well as mixes, coating, cassareep and virgin coconut oil.

Theophilia sees herself as a gluten-free flour expert as she has been in business for over 13 years and has over 13 products which promote her range. These include Breadfruit fishcake mix; breadfruit flour; Breadfruit pancake mix; Cassava flour; Cassava dumpling mix; Coconut coating and Fry and Bake coating.

Theophilia explains why going gluten-free is the healthier choice: “White flour usually has gluten included which is why when you add water it turns into a paste that can make you feel bloated.

On the other hand, water will run through gluten-free flour without forming a paste. It’s that paste in the

PARADISE

A wife, a mother of four and now the grandmother of nine, Theophilia LouisienStoute, who is affectionally called Offee, is a true Caribbean woman. Born in the beautiful island of St Lucia she is married to a Guyanese and lives in the paradise island of Barbados.

She said: “We cherish the public’s opinion and for the last

six years, we have been launching new products and have exhibited them at the Barbados Manufacturer’s Expo (BMEX). We have formulated our products so that they are easy to use to make your favourite meals and deserts.

“Our mission is to provide the highest quality products for our customers and our vision is to have our O’s products used worldwide.”

To achieve this end, Theophilia took her O’s brand to the Caribbean Export sponsored CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum and Authentic Caribbean Expo in Frankfurt, Germany which gave her an opportunity to meet face to face with potential buyers and distributors.

She said: “Since our participation in the Forum, we have had many people calling us about our products, but it’s the cost of freight and getting the volumes secured which will decide on who we will partner with on any distribution agreement. We are ready to export our products to the European market and have received HCCAP certification.”

O’s – Barbados: https://ofoodsbarbados.com/

Carita Jamaica is an import / export food company which has been in existence for over 30 years and is one of the many Caribbean-based entities which has marketed gluten-free food products as part of its offering.

While the company specialises in fresh produce, owner Rita Hilton lists three of the popular value-added gluten free products in her range as baking flour made from breadfruit, cassava and sweet potato which are perfect for creating fritters, chips or flat bread to make a pizza crust.

ADDITIVES

“It is how creative and innovative people can be in using the flour”, she said.

Rita is also proud to note that the gluten free flour range which can make exciting recipes like Jamaican Sweet Potato Pie, Breadfruit Banana Bread, Breadfruit Pancakes and Breadfruit Vegetable Burger, do not have any foreign additives in them as they are all made with Jamaican products.

“We are authentic Jamaican”, she said.

Hilton’s company, Carita Jamaica, is an exporter of fresh products and processed foods from Jamaica. Carita not only grows produce for export, it also sources produce from local farmers across the island, thus supporting local rural communities.

After switching from her first career of teaching in 1984, Hilton founded Incorporated Marketing Developments Limited, a year-round exporter of fresh seasonings, vegetables and ground provisions from Jamaica to the United States, Canada and the UK. The company’s name was later changed to Carita Jamaica.

Rita Hilton founder of Carita Jamaica food brand She explained why she moved into agricultural export: “I did this based on my passion for Jamaican food and wanting the world to access it, not from cans, but fresh, just as we consume it in Jamaica. I built this firm from one person to over 30 employees today,”

FARMERS

“I live in a rural agricultural community and have seen the lives of the families there. I understand how critical it is to earn enough to care for a family. This has fuelled my commitment to source from rural farmers and to always keep looking for new suppliers and also engaging them and national partners in farming improvement techniques,” she said.

This passion has also led her to branch out into the industry of product development and innovation. The company has grown to include, not only the gluten free flour range, but also vacuum-sealed ready to prepare meals, herbal teas, soup mixes, and frozen foods.

Hilton now has her eyes set on taking the ‘ready to eat’ fresh food, pre-cooked and

vacuum-seal products to the international market. “All you need to do with this is add your own flavouring, seasoning and it is ready to serve. We have eight products in line for that,” she said.

Last September, Carita Jamaica participated in the Caribbean Export sponsored CARIFORUM-EU Business Forum and Authentic Caribbean Expo in Frankfurt, Germany which gave the company an opportunity to put its products in front of potential buyers and distributors.

Hilton felt the exposure in Frankfurt was extremely valuable as some important contacts from Europe and the UK were forged. She said: “We are looking for a distribution partnership who understands the vision that we are providing a healthy option with natural foods coming from Jamaica.”

She also praised the Caribbean Export initiative. She said: “They are doing an amazing job and I commend them highly for giving businesses, like ours, the opportunity to meet potential international partners.”

Carita – Jamaica: http:// www.caritapremium.com/

This article is part of a series featuring Caribbean entrepreneurs and businesses sponsored by the Caribbean Export Development Agency. Working together with the European Union, the Caribbean Export Development Agency supports the sustainable development of Caribbean brands ultimately to increase employment in the region, inclusiveness, particularly for youth, women and indigenous groups, and secure overall poverty reduction. www.carib-export.com

16 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Midlands News

NEWS IN BRIEF Time to Change seeks ideas on mental health THE LATEST Nottingham Time to Change Champions meeting took place in the city’s Central Library recently, where plans were discussed to decide which champions could be supported. It also explores further ways to reduce mental health stigma. The organisers are keen to receive feedback and suggestions for future action via healthandwellbeing@ nottinghamcity.gov.uk.

Brum seeks city heroes A SEARCH to find the unsung heroes of Birmingham to spearhead an exciting new community campaign has been launched by Birmingham City Council.

The Community Champions will play a key role in the local area as the city prepares for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Heading up the campaign is local volunteer Hector Pinkney MBE, known to his neighbourhood as ‘Mr. Handsworth’.

Hector explained: “We’re looking for community heroes. They could have helped a neighbour in need, coached a local sports team, or given up their free time to help others.”

The successful nominees will have made a positive difference to public life and as Community Champions will perform a vital liaison role, working with the city council to create a direct link to their community.

This will help the council to better understand how local people feel and to develop exciting activities throughout the journey to 2022.

People can nominate friends, relatives or colleagues, or someone who has made a positive difference to their life. Alternatively, people can put themselves forward.

Hector added: “This is about bringing people together. My gift is to support my neighbours, friends and community.”

For further information visit birmingham.gov.uk.

Paper nomination forms are available from selected libraries in the city.

by Veron Graham

DONAEO, 10, HAS SIGHTS ON KICKBOXING FAME Incredible city youngster has string of titles – and he’s just getting started

A

10 -YEAR OLD Birmingham kickboxer, with two arms full of newly won titles, has been rated as the best prospect his respected trainer has seen in over three decades of coaching.

Birmingham’s Donaeo ‘The Rocket’ Corbett – holder of the WMO English, WKO European and BLCC British kickboxing titles in the under 35kg category – is taking care of all before him in the ring, having first en-

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT: Donaeo ‘The Rocket’ Corbett is impressing both his trainer and his family after showing his commitment and talent in kickboxing

Donaeo’s training has benefitted him in other ways, too – he is more disciplined and confident tered Highgate’s Aerokick gym, run by trainer Colin Treasure, with his younger brother Dre, nine, just six years ago.

“I’m totally blown away by Donaeo – he’s had three title fights in just two months and is winning the titles back to back,” said Colin.

“He’s a freak of nature for his age. I’ve never seen talent like this in 35 years of coaching.

“He has to spar with teens and adults now, he’s that good!

The wonderful thing about him though is that he’s a humble and helpful child, as well as a great fighter.”

Donaeo’s mother Claudette added: “I’m just so proud of him. I don’t encourage violence but I am glad Donaeo and Dre are doing kickboxing because it’s an art and a skill, which Colin ensures remained disciplined to and that their schoolwork doesn’t suffer, otherwise the kickboxing stops.

“The training keeps them occupied and they are enjoying it.

“Donaeo is good at many sports and so in a few years’ time, as he goes through secondary school, he may take up another one or something else,

but at the moment it keeps him and Dre busy.”

The brothers were introduced to the gym by their grandfather, Derek Corbett.

He said: “I used to watch a lot of martial arts back in the day and one day when Dre was about four, he showed an interest in it and because him and his brother were so lively, I thought it would be a good idea to take them across to Aerokick.”

Claudette Brown, Donaeo’s

@thevoicenewspaper

grandmother, added: “Donaeo always showed an aptitude for sport, especially gymnastics, but shone without tuition. He was very good at summersaults.

AMAZED

“We went to a wedding when he was very young and the photographer was amazed at the moves Donaeo was making – not dancing but gymnastics!

“I wanted him to do gymnastics but Derek got to him before me!

@thevoicenews

“The boys are always practising moves associated with kickboxing. They are very committed and want to improve their skills all the time, watching films like Creed and the recent Karate Kid to improve their technique.

“The training has benefitted Donaeo in other ways, too. He’s more disciplined, confident and obedient, with a determination to be successful and be an encouragement and support to his brother. I’m so proud that the

voicenews

kids are able to have something for themselves.

“There’s no youth clubs or provision for them around here but in Aerokick they have a great club to go to.”

SCHEDULED

Donaeo, who also holds a European boxing title in his weight class, has set his sights on becoming the first universally famous kickboxer and has another title fight scheduled this month.

www.voice-online.co.uk

APRIL 2020 THE VOICE | 17

Midlands News

‘THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL IS GOING TO BE SPECIAL’

L

E T’S DANCE International Frontiers, Leicester’s popular annual dance festival, will celebrate its 10th anniversary by bringing a comprehensive collection of performers from across the world to selected venues across the East Midlands city, when it returns between April 29 and May 16.

This year’s celebration LDIF20 – will again be curated and produced by Serendipity, a local diversity-led arts organisation. Its CEO and artistic director, Pawlet Brookes, said: “The 10th anniversary is going to be very special.

THRILLED

“I’m thrilled that we’re celebrating 10 years of bringing dance from around the world to audiences in the city and beyond, and that we have, over those 10 years, supported and developed work by a huge number of talented young artists.

“During LDIF20, we will revisit some of the highlights from past festivals. We are delighted to be welcoming back Kyle Abraham with a new solo work Cocoon, in his only UK performance, and PHILADANCO! with an exciting mixed-bill of work. I’m particularly proud this year of the new

ON THE BILL: American choreographer Kyle Abraham will showcase new work Cocoon at the festival in his only UK performance

LDIF20 artistic director says event will showcase diversity work we’ll be presenting in our two development programmes: Autograph and Signatures.

“Annabel Guérédrat and Henri Tauliaut are presenting a site-specific work inspired

by Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending the Staircase at New Walk Museum’s spiral staircase.”

LDIF20 will include films, talks, workshops and its annual conference with respected keynote speakers including the US-based, British-born disabled dancer/ choreographer Alice Sheppard and the dancer/ choreographer/writer/curator Makeda Thomas who splits her time between Trinidad and New York.

Pawlet, pictured left, continues: “I wanted to create a forum where t h e art-

ists are centre stage, particularly artists who have paved the way for dance from the African and African Caribbean Diaspora, whether providing opportunities, developing techniques or creating new aesthetics.”

Serendipity work closely with Leicester’s venues and will be presenting work at Curve, All Saint’s Church, Leicester Guildhall, Leicester Gallery at De Montfort University and New Walk Museum.

British talent will be high on the agenda in LDIF’s development programme, Autograph, in which artists who have been mentored by Serendipity perform their work.

PLATFORM

Since Pawlet founded LDIF in 2011, it has provided a vital performance platform for artists from across the globe, developed into a prestigious international festival, while through three initiatives (Signatures, Autograph and Biography) it supports artistic development at different career stages.

“At Serendipity we are enormously proud of what we’ve achieved with LDIF in bringing global dance to audiences in Leicester and showing that dance really is a universal language where everyone is welcome.”

For more visit https://serendipityuk.com/programme/

NHS: ‘We need more black men to donate their blood’ THE NHS is turning to black men to become blood donors.

The appeal by the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) aims to redress the gender imbalance between Black donors.

During 2019, 43 per cent of new Black donors were men for every 100 women who donated blood for the first time, only 74 were men.

This gender imbalance in new donors is the same across all ethnicities and the issue is not specific to the black community. However, there is already a shortage of black do-

nors overall, which puts black patients at greater risk of transfusion reactions. People from the same ethnic background are more likely to have the same blood groups, so black patients will often get the best match from a black donor.

Men have higher iron levels, and only men’s blood can be used for some transfusions and products. So without more men starting to give blood, blood stocks will come under increasing pressure in future years.

People from the same ethnic

background are more likely to have the same blood groups, so black patients will often get the best match from a black donor. However there are currently not enough black blood donors.

The NHS place a premium on male donors because, first-

ly, they have higher iron levels, so they’re also less likely to be deferred for low haemoglobin. That is crucial for helping to maintaining a strong donor base. Secondly, women can produce antibodies during pregnancy, even during short pregnancies they don’t even knew about. Antibodies are part of the body’s defence system and they make transfusions more difficult. This means men’s blood is only used for some specialist transfusions and blood products.

Mike Stredder, the head of

donor recruitment for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Everyone who donates is special. But we need more men to start donating blood this year.

Blood donation is quick and easy, and your blood can be used in extraordinary ways.

“We need more black donors to help with the overall shortage but we especially need more male black donors.

Please give if you can – seriously ill people need you, and you will save lives.”

For more visit blood.co.uk

If you have a story for the East or West Midlands, call/text Veron Graham on 07954 572 988, email veronpgraham@ gmail.com, or find him on Facebook or LinkedIn

18 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

by Abigail Reid

Northern News

‘CHILDREN NEED INCLUSIVITY’

Ayesha A-Chouhury on a mission for all youngsters to be celebrated in literature

I

N AN attempt to address the woeful lack of representation in children’s literature one woman is on a crusade to champion authors of colour and promote diversity in the publishing industry.

Ayesha A-Choudhury launched Mirror Me Write in Manchester, at the same time promoting Leicester-based author Pamela Aculey who used her own experiences to write a book about a boy with autism.

Mirror Me Write is an independent seller of diverse, relatable, relevant and inclusive books, for children and young adults.

RESOURCES

“We believe that children need to learn from resources that are inclusive of all voices from around the world, so that we can truly raise global citizens who foster respect and tolerance.

“These are not always stories that fit the media agenda. Often, we find stories about terrorism and being refugees. We have something positive to say and we want to empower children from our communities.

“When I see children fearing other people from other cultures I think that is one of the saddest things,” said Ayesha Newly published author, Pamela, has written a book that represents the values Ayesha supports.

Pamela, who has three mixed-race sons, says that she

is saddened by the fact that there has been very little progress with representation since her own childhood.

“My eldest son, Walter, has autism and it has completely opened my eyes to the work that still needs to be done in terms of representation. I feel really strongly that we need to change.”

Her book, Buster Finds His Beat, is based on Walter and is

There was a lack of representation from an ethnicity and disability point of view a heart-warming story about an autistic boy with a sensory processing disorder.

Autism is a spectrum disorder meaning that people with autism may have a wide range of mild, moderate, or severe symptoms.

Walter was non-verbal until the age of four and they found communication extremely difficult when he was a child, using visuals to stimulate communication and learning.

“We soon realised that he had this love affair with words, visuals and pictures.

“Walter loved books and although he couldn’t read, he loved having mummy and daddy read a story to him.

TEAMWORK: Ayesha A-Choudhury, left, and Pamela Aculey at launch of Mirror Me Write in Manchester “This was great except for the fact there weren’t any books where he could see himself in the pages.

“So, there was lack of representation from an ethnicity and disability point of view,” said Pamela.

“I decided that I was going to start my own picture book series where at the heart of each story I will champion rep-

resentation, inclusiveness and kindness.”

Despite much talk of building inclusivity in publishing she found it very difficult to get the book published through the traditional route – she claims that publishers loved the story because autism is not talked about but advised her to change the ethnicity of her character in order to sell more volumes.

“I found this shocking and really hurtful so I decided to publish my book myself.”

PASSIONATE

“Moving forward, what I would like to do is find a way of getting these books to children in Manchester.

“All children should have access to books like these and I’m very passionate about that. I

believe in Pamela and what she is saying and this is one of the books children should be reading,” said Ayesha.

Along with touring schools and other establishments Ayesha’s vision is to have a Mirror Me Write Independent bookshop in Manchester one day, “Manchester definitely has space and a need for a new cool independent book shop.”

FAMILY AFFAIR: Pamela with sons Stanley, three, Hugo, one and Walter, six, and husband Alex

@thevoicenewspaper

@thevoicenews

voicenews

www.voice-online.co.uk

APRIL 2020 THE VOICE | 19

Northern News

MURDERED YOUSEF’S FAMILY: ‘LIFE HAS BEEN A LIVING HELL’ Sister issues plea for further investigation

A

Y EAR AFTER the fatal stabbing of Yousef Makki in Hale, Greater Manchester, his family, who say the last 12 months have been ‘a living hell’, sent an emotional message to his former best friend, Adam Chowdhary.

Speaking at a press conference on the anniversary of Yousef’s murder and just days after his killer, Joshua Molnar, was released from prison, his sister, Jade Akoum, made a plea to Adam to come forward and reveal details about the last moments of her brother’s life.

Molnar served less than a year of his 16-month sentence for possession of an illegal flick knife and lying to the police.

Although he admitted delivering the fatal knife wound that killed Yousef he was controversially cleared of murder and manslaughter after claiming it was self-defence.

Yousef was a 17-year-old bursary student at the prestigious Manchester Grammar School at the time of his murder. He and Adam were close friends and although Adam was there at the time of his death and consequently given a fourmonth detention and training order after he admitted possessing a flick-knife he has never

spoken about what actually happened to Yousef, a fact that leaves the family in anguish.

They had no reason to worry about Yousef not returning home on that fateful day because he often stayed at his schoolfriend Adam’s house.

“Adam used to enjoy being around our family and Yousef used to secretly be in awe of the

going to trial we also learnt that Adam and Josh colluded to make the situation seem different to the one that unfolded on the night of March 2.

“They spent six minutes getting their story straight while Yousef lay bleeding to death at their feet. During that time, they hid the knife that Adam had purchased online and made up a story.

When Yousef was away from he would stay in touch

CHARACTER

big cars that would come and pick up Adam when it was time to go home.

“When Yousef was away from home he kept in regular contact with his family without us needing to pester him. He was a good boy.”

On that day, March 2, 2019, Yousef was stabbed and collapsed in Hale, close to Adam’s home.

“In the 15 weeks between Yousef being stabbed to death

by Joshua Molnar and the case

“Adam, who Yousef had routinely referred to as his best friend phoned himself from Yousef’s phone to make it appear he was elsewhere,” said Jade.

She added that her brother, a keen amateur boxer who aspired to be a heart surgeon, always assured them that he would “never carry a knife” and despite the story concocted by the two boys Jade wanted to remind people “that no evidence, DNA or otherwise was presented in court to confirm that Yousef had ever touched or held any of the knives”.

While reports from his school of Yousef’s good behaviour were inadmissible in the trial Jade said the defence ‘went about freely assassinating Yousef’s good character, unchallenged.’

QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERING: Sister of Yousef Makki, Jade, right, and her partner Mazen Akoum at the recent press conference

“From the minute the lies of the police began on the night of Yousef’s death, the selfpreservation of family names, the damage control of reputations and the many unanswered questions that have been left, particularly, we believe, due to Adam Chowdhary not taking the stand during the trial, the situation became strikingly clear – wealth and privilege were dominant.”

Jade said that the returned verdict of not guilty compounded the family’s dismay but they now anticipate that they will be granted a full inquest, which they believe will provide answers to the ad-

ditional questions they have about Yousef’s death.

“In the short term we remain hopeful that Adam will engage with our family to reveal what truly happened on March 2, 2019.

FACTS

“We believe that his side of the story could reveal the true facts as to why our beloved son, brother, nephew, cousin and friend is no longer with us.

We are ready to speak to Adam whenever he is ready to talk.”

On March 1 a private event was held to remember Yousef, which was attended by Mayor

of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.

“Andy publicly came out in support of our family’s fight for justice and we thank him for his continued support as we look to reignite public awareness surrounding the senseless death of Yousef and the injustices our family has encountered over the last 12 months.

“Having the support of such a public figure gives us a renewed sense of hope of achieving our goals going forward.”

Search ‘Justice for Yousef’ on change.org to find out about

the family’s ongoing campaign.

The sky’s the limit for David in latest show CIRCUS theatre artist David Ellington champions everything disability-focused theatre company Extraordinary Bodies represents.

In his forthcoming show he is once again hitting the mainstream with an aerial performance in What Am I Worth?, which will make its debut at The Lowry, Manchester, at the end of April.

David, pictured right, is profoundly deaf and a British Sign Language user. His career to date has been nothing short of impressive. He discovered his talent for acting in 1997 when he performed as part of

the Deaf Festival at the Swan Theatre. Consequently, he landed a presenting job with BBC Education, which helped him to pursue his career in television, film and theatre. Since then, David has enjoyed being involved in numerous acting and experimental film-making projects.

But it is his latest interest in the enthralling world of aerial that pushes all boundaries to create a striking art form.

Taking his passion to new heights, David will perform alongside others in a show that promises to leave audiences ‘amazed, moved and challenged in equal measure.’

Described as ‘joyously bold and exhilarating

gutsy’, What Am I Worth? features ground-breaking physical moments and an electrifying mix of circus, theatre and original live music.

WORTH

Seven extraordinary bodies are made to prove their worth.

Among them is Peggy who doesn’t have the correct paperwork; Kelly Boy who is about to have his benefit cut, the rebellious Trish and Evie who’s in charge of it all. Against the odds, they dance, fly and sing on a tipping and spinning stage where the ground becomes the sky and the floor becomes the

ceiling. Extraordinary Bodies is a professional circus company and a partnership between Cirque Bijou & Diverse City.

It is the UK’s leading, professional, integrated circus company and their leading artistic practice increases national awareness of the integration of D/deaf, disabled and non-disabled artists working equally together.

Two BSL interpreters enable David to practice his craft alongside able-bodied performers. He is no stranger to the stage – he has been part of multiple productions with D/deaf and disabled theatre

company Graeae. He won Best Actor for DEF in the Deaf Oscars and he was also part of the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony. In the summer of 2016, David landed a ground breaking in-vision signer role on TV trailer We’re The Superhuman – The Road to Rio and on a Channel 4 Paralympic TV commercial.

At the time of going to press, performances of What Am I Worth? at The Lowry were due to take place on April 24 and 25. The tour then continues to Barnsley, Sunderland and Plymouth.

20 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

APRIL 2020 THE VOICE | 21

VIEW FROM NEWSPAPER

Windrush report: More needs to be done

THERE ARE some families who have been affected by the recent Windrush scandal who may take comfort in Wendy Williams’ Lessons Learned independent review.

Williams’ report into the causes of the crisis, which saw thousands of British citizens born in the Caribbean classed as illegal immigrants, found that what happened was “foreseeable and avoidable”.

Home Secretary Priti Patel apologised for the scandal and said she had been “deeply moved” by reading the report.

The feeling of betrayal that Windrush Generation members, many now elderly, must feel after giving so much of their lives to a country that they thought was their home still remains strong.

They contributed by working tirelessly for the buses, British Rail, the National Health Service and other organisations to help rebuild the economy after the Second World War and their culture have also contributed to this as well.

A 15-strong coalition of equality and migrants rights campaign groups have not only urged the government to act on the

SECOND CHANCE

Re: Family of autistic man appeal his deportation to Jamaica IS THERE a campaign that can be set up to stop this deportation?

There must be something that can be done to stop this corrupt Home Office from just booting vulnerable people out of the country.

This kid needs a second chance and it seems they locked him up on an old ‘by joint venture’ clause which can no longer be used in court.

Stephen Porter via voice-online.co.uk

recommendations of the Williams report but claim there needs to be further investigation into whether Home Office immigration policies are in accordance with equality law around racial discrimination.

It’s not enough for the government to just “right the wrongs” suffered by the Windrush Generation as a result of its hostile environment policies.

There is a real need to find out why we have arrived at this point.

As the coalition says, we need to understand how and why Home Office culture, immigration and citizenship policies have too often discriminated against black and ethnic minority British citizens.

The recommendations of the Williams review can play an important role in helping ensure the appropriate legislative protection is in place to ensure that this never happens again.

This is where effective leadership from the Prime Minister to swiftly implement those recommendations is needed.

This will have a far greater impact and provide a more effective redress than well-meaning words from government ministers.

COMMUNITY TRUST

Re: ‘Total tragedy’: Met Police sacks senior black female officer MR LOGAN is wrong in his assumption that this will have a negative impact on the recruitment of black police officers or the Met’s relationship with the black community.

That would negate the substantial contribution that Ms Williams has achieved in her distinguished service with the Met Police and also belittle the concern that the black community has over child protection.

The tragedy to me seems to be the fact that she failed to

Letters

Letter o f the month

A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE Re: Family of autistic man appeal his deportation to Jamaica THIS HAS been a serious case of miscarriage of justice.

I for one have been involved on this journey with the family and can say without reservation that the system is corrupt and blindsides the importance of truth regardless of race, colour and ethnic background.

It is a utter disgrace that some people who are in a position of authority abuse and deliberately deny individuals of their rights… clearly inhumane behaviour.

Due to the ongoing nature of this particular case, not all of the details can be divulged.

However, you, the reader, will be shocked and sickened by some of the behaviour and treatment given to Osime Brown.

Patricia Ross, via voice-online.co.uk

convince her own sister of the important contribution that she was making to society.

Nigel, via voice-online.co.uk

NO SURPRISE

Re: ‘Total tragedy’: Met Police sacks senior black female officer THIS IS a disgrace, but we shouldn’t be surprised.

It does not matter how senior your position is as a black man or woman, when you are working for a white supremacist organisation pushing an agenda that is by design there to benefit the dominant society you will always be at their mercy.

Alex Benenson, via Facebook

‘RACIST’ RULING

Re: ‘Total tragedy’: Met Police sacks senior black female officer A VIDEO like that could be sent to anyone without realising.

This ruling was racist. Black people will never trust the police and here’s the evidence.

Ruth Brown, via Facebook

HEALTH MATTERS

Re: Coronavirus: Jamaica may impose UK travel restrictions I’M DUE to go in two weeks,

too. Gutted to think it might not happen. I agree completely with your comment.

The most important thing is the health and wellbeing of the people. Holidays can be rearranged, a life lost can never be got back.

Some are too selfish to understand that. How would they feel if it was their frail loved one?

We all know the answer to that question, don’t we? They would scream blue murder.

Disappointment beats loss of life every time.

Anon, via voice-online.co.uk

TEST CONFUSION

Re: Coronavirus: Idris Elba confirms he has tested positive for COVID-19 WHAT I want to know is how come he has been tested when they’re saying that they have stopped testing people now unless they’ve been admitted to hospital.

Answers on a postcard please.

Michelle Church, via Facebook

‘SICKENING’: Osime Brown is facing deportation to Jamaica

dia going on at the moment by the right wing, in collusion with certain parts of the media, to narrow the definition of racism to one that suits them better, so they can do things like this and absolve themselves of the more sinister underhand behaviour and gaslight people.

Lorraine Hibbert, via Facebook

MOVING STORY

Re: Why I decided to give my kidney to a stranger I AM so moved by this story.

My son is also in need of a kidney transplant.

He has a symptom called “Alport syndrome” which affects the functions of his kidney resulting in loss of hearing and eyesight.

SINISTER BEHAVIOUR

Re: Dave’s Brit Awards performance: Ofcom dismisses racism complaints TO ME it looks like there’s a definite campaign in the me-

POSITIVE: Idris Elba

Potentially it could be fatal.

We are in desperate need of a donor.

My son is an aspiring professional footballer.

He is a beautiful and kind soul who loves life. If anyone out there can help — as this woman has done — it would be a godsend.

We need to promote kidney donation within the black community as it can help save lives — not only for my son but for others in our community.

Thank you and god bless you all.

Adjero Gerald Akpojotor, via voice-online.co.uk

LESSONS TO LEARN

Re: Should Grenfell Tower be demolished with a new flat built or remain as a memorial to the lives lost?

GRENFELL SHOULD be rebuilt to provide much needed homes to the community.

It should be a glittering example of all that is good in architectural design for the modern age and provide an opportunity for the construction industry to learn their lesson, enabling them to develop new exemplary methods through the supply chain and with the workforce.

Kate Jackman, via voice-online.co.uk

22 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

International News

STOP CARNIVAL?

FEAR OVER FUN?: There’s concern surrounding the economy, the spread of coronavirus and much more – but will the show go on?

Carnival is built into Trinidad’s DNA – but where do you draw the line?

By Debbie Ransome

I

N TRINIDAD, they have a phrase for it: “Carnival is Bacchanal.” That means it’s a time to get wild and free, with no thought for tomorrow and, indeed, the usual restraints on bad behaviour.

But for this year, as the dust settles on the Caribbean’s road marches and the long wait for Notting Hill Carnival begins, it’s time to take stock of the revelry and learn the lessons from what went well – and what didn’t.

From Trinidad & Tobago in the southern Caribbean to Haiti in the north, there were more than enough obstacles to February’s events, from public unrest to public health.

For the second year running, Haiti didn’t make it. Carnival events in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, and the northern city of Cap-Haitien were cancelled at the last minute the day before.

Protests, strikes and unrest have been plaguing President Jovenel Moïse’s government for a year over the use of Venezuelan aid money, price rises and alleged corruption. Even the police have staged protests, demanding better work conditions and union representation.

On Carnival Sunday, news footage showed crowds of young men prowling the streets of Port-au-Prince before a gun battle erupted. The shootout, involving off-duty members and supporters of Haiti’s National Police and the president’s reconstituted army, lasted several hours around the Champ de Mars, the main Carnival staging area.

By Sunday night, the gov-

ernment had cancelled the festivities “in order to avoid the planned bloodshed”.

That didn’t stop former Haitian President Michel Martelly (also a singer with the stage name of Sweet Micky) holding an impromptu jump-up on Carnival Monday in Cap-Haitien.

Images on social media showed a large gathering of Martelly’s friends and supporters partying through the streets.

Meanwhile, CARICOM announced it was sending a mission to the country to look at solutions to the political and economic turmoil.

passengers showing flu-like symptoms. Trinidad reportedly introduced thermal screening at its airport and ports.

In late January, Trinidad Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh announced restrictions on travellers from China to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus strain. He said: “Persons who are presently living in China or visiting China, regardless of your nationality, will not be allowed to enter Trinidad and Tobago for 14 days after leaving China.”

The Trinidad media wondered aloud whether carnival

There are people who live their entire year based on what they do during Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Virus fears

Elsewhere, it was a different story. The region’s largest carnival in Trinidad, which provides the template for diaspora carnivals in the UK, the US and Canada, went ahead as usual across the twin-island republic, through to las’ lap (the final jump-up) on Shrove Tuesday night.

In Dominica, revellers also packed the streets for their own, more old-fashioned style of merry-making. But potential health scares overshadowed both nations’ festivities.

Caribbean countries have introduced a series of measures aimed at warding off the coronavirus.

Notably, several Caribbean cruise ship destinations in the region closed their ports from early February to any ship with

should even take place. In the end, the Trinidad Guardian’s business desk editor, Curtis Williams, pointed out that the carnival was the high point of Trinidad’s tourism season, with hotels reporting 100 per cent occupancy rates for Carnival 2020.

Airlines, caterers, logistic experts and fete promoters had all invested “a great deal of money” in the country’s billion-dollar tourism industry.

“There are people who live their entire year based on what they do during Trinidad and Tobago Carnival,” he said.

‘Abundance of caution’

In early February, Dominica and St Lucia barred a cruise ship from entering their ports “out of an abundance of cau-

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tion for human health and safety” as a high number of passengers had respiratory tract infections, even though it wasn’t the coronavirus.

One of the main cruise lines calling in the Caribbean, Carnival Cruises, went on to advise all upcoming passengers that anyone who had travelled to China in the last two weeks would not be allowed to board any of their ships.

In the end, Covid-19’s impact on Carnival was minimal, although the threat did put a dampener on preparations.

Emmanuel Loblack, the public relations officer for Dominica’s Karnival Korner band, told Dominica News Online the week before events that registration had been slow “because people have a number of concerns with that virus”.

The region’s caution paid off, with no reports of the virus as the celebrations took place.

The Trinidad Express summed it up in an editorial headlined: “Carnival’s resistance”.

It said the event had “cut its path through the predictable series of bacchanals that have come to define the season”.

“Anxieties about the impact of the stagnant economy, rising crime and the fear of coronavirus dissipated under the weight of the public’s love, loyalty and commitment to the national festival which continues to prove itself as a fount of creativity, forever evolving and pushing the envelope in unexpected directions,” it said.

The paper concluded that Carnival had “once again proved itself as a national powerhouse, both as art form and economy”.

@thevoicenews

THE WORLD AT A GLANCE CARICOM summit over violence THE CARIBBEAN Community (CARICOM) is to hold a special summit in April to look at high rates of crime and violence. Leaders announced the event at their latest meeting in Barbados. The current CARICOM chair, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, said faith-based organisations, artists, sports personalities and teachers would be invited to the “frank” talks in Trinidad. The Caribbean is home to 8.5 per cent of the world’s population, but about 27 per cent of the world’s homicides are committed there.

African women celebrated

AS PART OF ITS ongoing celebration of International Women’s Day, and under the banner of the theme #EachforEqual, Facebook is honouring women from across Africa who have made a significant impact in their communities. Nunu Ntshingila, Regional Director Africa, Facebook Inc, said: “We’re proud to continue to support and celebrate all women who continue to achieve so much.”

Solar power move for Ragged Island RAGGED ISLAND in the Bahamas is to move completely to solar power. The solar energy project had been delayed by Hurricane Dorian but will soon service the small island. The project is part of a US$12m job to restore public infrastructure on Ragged Island after it had been ravaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017.

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Canada offers JA ‘justice units’

CANADA HAS given Jamaica two new mobile justice units to take its local Legal Aid Council (LAC) to rural communities. The new units follow the roll-out of one LAC bus, equipped with a lawyer, a record and research officer, which has provided consultation for 4,000 people since its introduction three years ago.

Queen honours Kenyan doctor

A KENYAN doctor has been honoured by Queen Elizabeth II for her work with some of the most vulnerable in East Africa. Dr Stella Bosire was awarded the Commonwealth Point of Light award, at an event hosted by the British High Commission in Nairobi, focussed on empowering women.

Jane Marriott the British High Commissioner said: “I am delighted that Dr Stellah Bosire has been named as Kenya’s Commonwealth Point of Light Award winner. [Her work] is fully deserving of this recognition and acclaim.”

Are you a ‘carnivalist’?

THE WORD “Carnivalist” has received official recognition in the crowdsourced online dictionary for slang words and phrases, Urban Dictionary. It defines a Carnivalist as “a person who loves and attends Carnival.

It is also someone who partakes in the Carnival Arts”.

Former BBC Caribbean Service Head Debbie Ransome currently runs the website caribbeanintelligence.com.

www.voice-online.co.uk

APRIL 2020 THE VOICE | 23

International News

COVID-19: WHY AFRICA SHOULD BRACE ITSELF As the number of cases rises, the continent’s capacity to deal with the virus is yet to be tested, says Akebe Luther King Abia

T

HE NOVEL coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, now offically declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation, has taken the world by surprise.

The good news is that tremendous scientific and technological advances have permitted scientists to understand a lot about this virus in a short space of time.

DETECTION

Within just two months of the first case, the causative virus has been identified, its genetic makeup has been determined, and detection methods have been optimised.

Scientists have also found that there is more than one strain circulating.

Despite these rapid advances, there is still significant uncertainty.

Scientists don’t yet fully understand its transmission route, although person-to-person transmission, through inhalation of droplets in the air, is the most common mode.

Another uncertainty is its low detection rate, especially

PRECAUTIONS: Many Africans are opting to wear masks, but a more robust approach to hygiene and cleanliness in the home must also be observed

with mild or asymptomatic cases. A third is how weather could affect transmission.

Currently, Africa has very few cases of COVID-19 compared with most other parts of the world.

Facilities need to be wellequipped to identify new cases The highest number of cases has been reported in Egypt (almost 300 cases at the time of going to press). It remains unclear why this is so. But the trend has generated several kinds of reactions, such as doubts around the slow spread despite the weak health systems in most of the countries, and some attributing the low spread to a low level of urbanisation.

Other factors being cited include the fact that cases are

more recent, giving countries more time to prepare, as well as a lack of testing capability.

There is also speculation that the virus has not spread because it cannot thrive in warmer regions, like much of subSaharan Africa.

The environment and respiratory virus transmission Among the several environmental factors that influence the survival and spread of respiratory viral infections, air temperature plays a crucial role.

Cold weather makes the respiratory system sensitive to infections. This is why people tend to suffer from respiratory infections during cold winter months. In tropical climates, influenza and respiratory viruses are transmitted more during the cold rainy seasons.

Despite the uncertainties surrounding its spread, the SARSCoV-2 – or COVID-19 – virus may be following this pattern.

Other members of the coronavirus family have displayed a certain degree of sensitivity to weather patterns. For instance,

FACING REALITY: There are more checks taking place – but will they be enough? cases of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) were 10 times higher in lower temperatures than higher ones.

However, the effect of air temperature is also related to other factors, such as relative humidity as these viruses prefer low humidity.

Also, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus was stable in air at low temperatures which could favour its spread.

Despite this, the virus did not observe a seasonal trend but rather occurred sporadically.

Other factors, such as animal (camel-to-human) transmission and weakened immune systems, also favoured its spread.

Temperature and SARS-CoV-2 A look at the temperature data of the most affected countries outside China – South Korea, Italy, Iran and Spain – shows that the mean monthly temperatures between January and March of 2020 range between 6 and 12 degrees Celsius.

In sub-Saharan Africa, most countries that have recorded cases of COVID-19 – such as South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon and Benin – had mean monthly temperatures of 20 to 32 degrees Celsius in this same period.

Meanwhile, Algeria and Egypt – North African countries that have seen cases – had

monthly temperatures between 11 and 17 degrees Celsius.

Therefore, previous coronaviruses spread more during the colder winter months. Also, there are marked temperature differences between the most affected (colder) and least affected countries (warmer) in the COVID-19 pandemic.

But this pattern alone cannot fully explain the current low number of cases in affected African countries.

MEASURES

The first reason is that following the onset of the outbreak in December in China, measures were taken to prevent the transportation of the virus to other places outside China. This allowed many countries to prepare for any new cases.

Secondly, the cases in the African countries are recent, and the first affected persons have been quarantined.

Thirdly, many countries do not have adequate capability to test for the virus. These factors, together with the higher temperatures, could contribute to the apparent lower spread.

African countries need to prepare more Now that the virus has made its way into Africa, countries on the continent need to be more prepared for greater action to contain the virus, especially if

it follows a seasonal pattern.

For example, the peak circulation of flu in South Africa is in the winter season between April and July.

In Senegal, the peak season is in the rainy season, from July to October. Many other African countries experience these peaks during the cold rainy season.

This could mean that the preparedness of most African countries may soon be tested when these seasons come, especially as many more countries are confirming imported cases into the continent.

African countries need to strengthen their capacity in terms of identifying new cases.

Healthcare facilities and personnel need to be well equipped to manage identified cases.

The general public needs to be sensitised on how to go about getting medical attention if they suspect any signs or symptoms.

Personal and household hygiene practices using detergents, such as bleach, need to be encouraged to prevent possible environmental transmission.

Akebe Luther King Abia is a research scientist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is also an Aspen New Voices Fellow, Class of 2020. This article originally appeared in The Conversation.

24 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

BACE 2020

BRISTOL AFRICAN CARIBBEAN EXPO RETURNS FOR 4TH YEAR

Two of our community organisations, African Voices Forum & Ghana Community Bristol, engaging the public

B

RISTOL IS a very diverse and mixed city with a large African Caribbean community, described as eclectic and cosmopolitan. The city benefits from a high representation of African heritage leaders which has created a uniqueness for a

city outside London. The emergence of black excellence and in particular in entrepreneurship has been consistently rising for the past five years

SUCCESSFUL

Following on from the third successful Bristol African Car-

Minister Consular, Jamaican High Commission UK, Mrs Tracey Blackwood (r) & BACE 2019 event volunteer, Winsome Lee

ibbean Expo (BACE) in 2019, the annual African Caribbean Expo returns to Bristol on Saturday May 2, with some major changes.

The event maintains its identity as one completely organised

by African heritage individuals in the city whose aim it is to

encourage black-owned small to medium enterprises (SME’s) to promote themselves, network and showcase their presence.

The event is sponsored by a variety of larger businesses and organisations that offer support and services to these SME’s.

This year’s theme is ‘Rise Higher

and Inspire’.

The event will have a new home at Colston Hall in Bristol city centre, Bristol’s largest concert hall, presenting concerts and entertainment by major names in rock, pop, jazz, folk, world and classical music, stand-up comedy and light entertainment, as well as local choirs, orchestras and schools.

Audiences have been enjoying music here since 1867 and the building remains at the heart of cultural life in the city. Its imposing and iconic foyer has made Colston Hall an architecturally significant and striking addition to Bristol’s skyline.

SPECIALISE

In 2019 The Expo hosted the first ever Great Bristol Jerk Fest. This was a showcase of local and national chefs who specialise in jerk/BBQ cuisine to showcase their food and participate in a competition where the winner won several prizes as well as media promotion. The event targeted young people from those interested in

the catering trade, in an aim to engage a demographic that The Expo wasn’t already attracting.

This year the organisers will separate the Expo and Jerk Fest as both events are successful in their own right and will form a two-part event schedule with the Expo happening first and the Jerk Fest at Trinity later in the year.

SPONSORSHIPS

BACE 2020 promises to be bigger and better as we continue to grow. They have formed further sponsorships with new businesses; will have mini business seminars covering a variety of topics including trading online presented by a 15-year-old international trading expert. Special guest will be barrister Shaun Wallace who is also known as the ‘Dark Destroyer’ on the popular ITV Quiz Show, The Chase.

The event is the only one of its kind outside of London and open to businesses outside of the South West.

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APRIL 2020 THE VOICE | 25

BACE 2020

BACE 2020 ATTRACTIONS The Bristol African Caribbean Expo has several unique attractions that have enhanced its presence both in the city of Bristol and nationally. The attractions come in the form of endorsements, sponsorship and the businesses that are present

Every business has a place at BACE. Patrice Edwards of Keona’s Future Childcare with a young visitor

ENDORSEMENTS

The event has been endorsed and supported by the City of Bristol since its beginning in 2017. It is officially opened by the City’s Lord Mayor, Bristol’s First Citizen, who also spends further time getting to know the exhibitors and supporters.

The Jamaican High Commission has endorsed the event since the beginning and has a visiting Consular Service at the event. This allows for Jamaican nationals and Jamaican heritage individuals to conduct matters relating to citizenship and

The First Ever Great Bristol Jerk Fest Winner Chioke Ferguson collects his prizes flanked by our Event Hosts, Bristol Deputy Mayor Cllr. Asher Craig, VMBS UK Representative Mrs. Jane KerpensLee, Grace Foods UK Representative Jemima Douglas & BACE Founder Primrose Granville. enquire and/or learn about any other services offered by The Mission.

SPONSORS

The event sponsors are very

much part of the success of the expo. The ethos is one of affordability that allows for exhibitors to be able to afford attendance.

Sponsorship also allows for free entry to the public, many of

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whom might not have been able to access or experience an event such as this.

Sponsors are very important to the expo and include (but isn’t limited to) the following companies and organisations.

• Victoria Mutual UK • Grace Foods UK • The University Of Bristol • Coston Hall • National Commercial Bank • NHS Blood & Transplant • Avon & Somerset Police • Wings International • Shipping & Forwarding • E-Com Media • Simba Productions • Bcfm Radio • Young Bristol’s Got Talent

SUPPORTERS

BACE 2020 also receives support and services from other

businesses and organisations through the form of support services and presentations at the event this year.

These include: • Evadney Campbell – Shiloh Pr • Jason Hayles – Intelligent • Protection Solutions • The Ben Salmi Family • Lola Odujinrin

EXHIBITORS

Without our exhibitors there would be no Bristol African Caribbean Expo. The event is aimed at and is mainly for them as they form the fabric of its success. BACE have been very successful because of the quality of past and present exhibitors. These include but isn’t limited to;

Bristol First Citizen, The Rt. Hon. Lord Mayor, Cllr. Jos Clark & BACE Founder Primrose Granville enjoying the event & weather in 2019 Health & Beauty; Baked Products; Clothing and Accessories; Food and Nutrition; Art and Graphics; Candles; Event Ticketing; Financial, Administrative, Accounts, Insurance Services; Childcare; Entertainment, Broadcasting & Filming services among others.

26 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Education

BAME WORKERS ‘MORE LIKELY TO BE IN UNSTABLE EMPLOYMENT’

Research shows black millennials’ jobs are more at risk, with 47 per cent from minority ethnic backgrounds on zero-hour contracts

B

L ACK MILLENNIALS are at a greater risk of being in unstable employment according to a new study.

Research from Carnegie Trust UK, the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies and Operation Black Vote (OBV) found that young people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are 47 per cent more likely to be on a zero-hours contract.

The research also found that this group have a 10 per cent greater chance of working a second job, compared to their white peers. And BAME millennials are also five per cent more likely to be doing shift work, and four per cent less likely to have a permanent contract than white workers.

At the report’s launch in parliament earlier this month (March 2), the authors called on the government, mental health services and employers to take action to tackle racial inequalities in access to good work.

Lord Simon Woolley of OBV said: “This report must be a serious wake up call for the government, industry and our mental health practitioners. The

race penalty in the work space is further exacerbated by mental health issues. It’s a double hit if you’re from [the] BAME community. We can, however, turn this around, but we need collective leadership.”

The research draws on information from more than 7,700 people living in England who were born in 1989-90 and are being followed by a study called Next Steps.

STATUS

The researchers compared the employment status of 25-year-olds from different ethnic backgrounds – white, mixed-race, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, black Caribbean, black African, and other minority ethnicities.

They also examined the experience of people in different types of employment.

Although BAME workers on the whole had more trouble finding stable employment than their white counterparts, experiences in the job market varied for different ethnic groups. For instance, Pakistani millennials were more likely to

be on a zero-hours contract, and less likely to have a permanent job or be working shifts than their white peers.

However, Indian and black Caribbean workers were no more likely than their white counterparts to be in these types of employment.

Black African 25-year-olds had lower odds of being in a permanent role and were more likely to be doing shift work than white workers of the same age.

The findings held even when other factors that could affect labour market success were taken into account, including gender, family background and educational attainment.

The research also showed that, on the whole, millennials from BAME backgrounds were 58 per cent more likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts.

But again, experiences differed for each ethnic group.

Although 25-year-olds from Pakistani, black African, and mixed-race backgrounds were

ON EDGE: A report highlights the disparity between BAME and white workers’ hours in the UK more likely to be unemployed than their white peers, Indian, Bangladeshi and black Caribbean adults were no more likely to be out of work.

However, even though ethnic minority groups faced more challenges in the labour market, the overwhelming majority of millennials were in permanent employment at age 25.

HEALTH

Indian and white workers (89 per cent) were the most likely to be in a stable role, followed by mixed race (87 per cent), black Caribbean (86 per cent), Bangladeshi (85 per cent), Pakistani (84 per cent), black African (81 per cent) and other ethnicities (80 per cent).

Researchers found that unfavourable employment status was also found to be linked to poor mental health.

While the greatest disparities were between those who were unemployed and those who were working, millennials in unstable employment also suffered poorer mental health than those not working under

these conditions. The report outlines 13 recommendations for action. These include: l The need to better address racial inequality in the work place, including the ethnicity pay gap with the government urged to improve access to good work. l Employers to carry out internal audits of race disparity, in consultation with their employees and with support from trade unions and race equality bodies. l Developing guidance for mental health services on how to improve access for ethnic minority groups is an urgent priority.

Douglas White from Carnegie UK Trust said: “Good work can have a really positive impact on people’s wellbeing – but we need to tackle the inequalities in who has access to good quality jobs.

This report highlights that young people from BAME communities are particularly likely to enter into pre-

carious forms of work. We need policy and practice to recognise and respond to this to ensure that good work is available to all.”

Dr Morag Henderson, of the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, said: “Our findings suggest that broad brush policies to improve employment conditions for BAME groups are unlikely to work for everyone.

“We need to better understand what’s driving the particular challenges different ethnic minorities are facing in the job market.”

Responding to the report, Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE, pictured left, said: “These new research findings paint a familiar pattern that I discussed in my Government Review Race In The Workplace: Persistent Race Penalties At The Lower Pay Scale.

“A key solution we recommended, and which remains valid, is the introduction of ethnic minority pay reporting.

Until organisations publish data and put plans in place to reduce pay gaps, nothing fundamentally changes. It is time for action rather than words.”

Jackman standing for election to Labour’s NEC SINGER Jermain Jackman, who won the third series of talent competition The Voice UK in 2014, has announced that he intends to stand in elections to the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

The NEC is the governing body of the UK Labour Party and sets the overall strategic direction of the party and policy development.

Writing for Labour List, the Labour party’s news website, the Hackney-born singer, pictured inset right,

said: “There is a reason for which Britain’s BAME communities feel such a strong connection to the Labour Party.

“As the party of social justice and equality, it was a Labour Prime Minister that reached out with the invitation to the West Indies in 1945 to help rebuild our country after years of war. I remember my grandmother’s stories of her arrival to this country from the Car-

ibbean to fill the labour shortages as a nurse working in our NHS, and the support a Labour council in Hackney provided.

“Ethnic minority members of the Labour Party have achieved so much to get us to where we are today. Yet we still have a very long way to go.”

Speaking about the party’s need to better reflect Britain’s black communities Jackman went on: “While

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we as a party will always fight racism and hatred, I do not believe that our BAME structure has been strong, honest or radical enough to make a difference both internally to the party or across society.

DISAPPOINTING

“For example, it was disappointing not to see an official BAME Labour presence at national conference, or protesting outside 10 Downing Street

@thevoicenews

voicenews

against the chartered deportation flights to Jamaica two weeks ago.

“This national executive committee BAME representative election is crucial. It marks a potential turning point for BAME members. The NEC BAME role has, for too long, been used as a political stepping stone or a box-ticking exercise. Instead, with the support of new guidance, I would transform the role into a megaphone for BAME concerns, ensuring no voice goes unheard in our party.”

www.voice-online.co.uk

APRIL 2020

MUM: BAN RACIST BOOK FROM CLASS

THE VOICE | 27

Education

Kerry-Ann Graham calling for schools to remove children’s novel

By Darell. J Phillip

A

MOTHER WHO has called for a children’s book to be removed from her child’s school for use of inappropriate content has had her complaint upheld.

Kerry-Ann Graham was shocked at the content she found in the key stage 1 book sent home with her daughter to read.

According to Graham, the book Beetle and the Hamster written by Hilary McKay et al, contained “information that I deem to be wholly unsuitable for children at any age”.

The mum-of-one, who regularly spends time listening to her daughter read to her and

explaining the meaning of any unfamiliar words was left horrified with themes in the book which in her view were a reinforcement of negative stereotypes based on gender and race.

In a letter to the Department of Education she said: “The book seemingly innocuously introduces the concept of having a boyfriend/girlfriend but went on further to where the characters pursue a line of dialogue and behaviour that it is perfectly acceptable to give kisses/hugs and other forms of affection to people in return for gifts and favours.”

She continued: “What is also not lost on me is the portrayal of this unsuspecting innocent white boy, who only wants to dig for worms, is being preyed on by a black girl – portraying,

teaching and reinforcing an even more egregious stereotype of the aggressive/angry black woman. The images to include the cover of the book, Lulu lurking over the fence predatorily are offensive. The illustrations I believe are deliberate in making her ‘kind’ to be villains.

In addition to child pornography, sexualising our children, I find the book racist.

NEGATIVE

“Any book that reinforces stereotypes which are mostly negative, have no place whatsoever in our education system.”

While Graham had made a case to the Department of Education and Redbridge Council (where the school is based) to remove the entire series of

books from the National Curriculum, she was left disappointed with the response that such decisions were left at the discretion of individual schools.

Graham’s experience comes after research from BookTrust – the UK’s largest children’s reading charity – found in an analysis of children’s books between 2007 and 2017 that fewer than two per cent of British children’s authors and illustrators are people of colour. Jill Coleman, director of children’s books at BookTrust, said: “The world that children’s books represent has a huge impact on how young readers see themselves and the world around them, and on their aspirations for the future. All children need and deserve to hear a range of voices and perspectives.”

‘HORRIFIED’: Mother-of-one Kerry-Ann Graham Coleman continued: “BookTrust is passionate about helping to create a real change across the ecosystem of the book industry. We are eager to support and encourage any efforts that help to move this forward, so that all children will see themselves accurately represented in books.”

Award-winning author, Benjamin Zephaniah told The Voice that while there is work going on to address the issue, there is still some way to go. “The rep-

resentation of black people is not just for black people – it’s for everybody. BAME writers must be creative, innovative and always thinking outside the box to attract a wide readership which is inclusive of all cultures and race.

“Publishers can also play their part by embracing books by black people which are imaginative and go against the representations and stereotypes that often the mainstream comes to expect.”

28 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Business & Money

SAVE FOR YOUR KIDS’ FUTURE

I

A HELPING HAND: Whatever the amount you can afford, having a plan in place is important to see real benefits later down the line

There are a number of ways you can boost their cash, says John Ellmore

T IS an issue a lot of parents might initially overlook.

In reality, ensuring some sort of savings plan is in place sooner rather than later will deliver significant longterm benefits if approached correctly. So, with that in mind, here are some options on how to save for your child’s future.

Instant access savings accounts As the name might suggest, these savings accounts allow account holders to withdraw money whenever needed. A parent or legal guardian is able to open an account on behalf of their child under the age of 16 (although the age can vary, depending on the bank).

Instant access savings are a popular option for many parents taking the first steps towards saving for their child’s future. This is because they al-

low parents to save at their own pace. However, the interest paid from instant access savings accounts is not very high, so there is a risk that the money pooled into the account might not hold its real value against inflation.

Fixed term savings These savings accounts, also referred to as fixed rate bonds, allow parents to earn fixed interest on their savings for a specified period of time (usually ranging from one to five years).

Similar to instant access savings accounts, parents or legal guardians can open an account on behalf of their child under the age of 16. However, neither the parents nor the child will be able to add or withdraw funds until the specified bond period is over ‘without losing the rate benefits the bond has achieved’.

Whilst this might frustrate account holders, patience tends

to be rewarded with higher interest rates. Naturally, these rates will vary depending on the bank, however, they are typically higher than everyday savings accounts.

Junior Cash ISA Put simply these are tax-free savings accounts, which enable parents to save up to £4,368 per year for their child, tax free.

Parents or guardians can apply for a Junior Cash ISA on behalf of their child; the money saved will be locked away until the child reaches the age of 18. This ISA tends to be low risk, provided that it is with a UK-regulated provider Once the child reaches the age of 18, they can independently access and withdraw money from the ISA. Junior Stocks and Shares ISA These are similar to Junior

Cash ISAs, although rather than leaving the money to gain interest in the style of a savings account, the money is invested into stocks and shares, chosen by the parents.

The same basic rules as the Junior Cash ISA apply; the money cannot be withdrawn, until the child is 18.

Any profits earned by investments are tax free, so when the stocks are performing well,

there is potential to make generous gains.

That said, there are risks. The price of stocks and shares can fluctuate, and the value of the investment can go down as well as up.

Whilst those listed all have their own benefits and drawbacks, my main piece of advice would be to consider your options carefully.

Have a realistic understand-

ing of how much money you can dedicate for your child, and whether future circumstances could change this. What’s more, it is always advisable to seek professional advice to properly understand the different options available.

John Ellmore is director for Know Your Money, an independent financial comparison website, launched in 2004.

APRIL 2020 THE VOICE | 29

News

‘PUBLISH PAY GAP DATA’ Call for British firms to address ethnic disparity

U

K COMPANIES should be willing to voluntarily publish their ethnicity pay gap data, rather than waiting for government to make it mandatory, according to a new report.

Bridge the Gap, a new guide from the CBI in collaboration with law firm Eversheds Sutherland, says that closing the ethnicity pay gap is about making society fairer and overcoming inequalities.

The CBI added that the business case for it is watertight.

According to figures published in the report bridging the ethnicity pay gap could uplift UK GDP by up to £24bn a year, and companies with the most ethnically and culturally diverse executive teams are 33 per cent more likely to outperform their peers on profitability.

The report acknowledged that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to closing the ethnic-

ity pay gap at work, but recommended three areas where companies should focus their efforts.

These were building inclusive company cultures; leading from

Firms have got to get better about speaking about race the top, and encouraging open, inclusive conversations about race at work.

Matthew Fell, CBI chief UK policy director said: “Companies who are already reporting their ethnicity pay gap understand what long-term, meaningful action they need to take to tackle race inequality at work. They are leading from

the front – improving how they attract, hire and promote employees from ethnic minority backgrounds. But many companies have so much more they can and should be doing.”

STRATEGIES

He added: “Firms have to get better at speaking about race at work; developing campaigns to encourage employees to share their ethnicity; and creating strategies to improve BAME representation all the way up to the boardroom.

“Business can be a real force for good. But to build a fairer society, all of us business need to take action now.

“The CBI is committed to help companies learn from each other and make progress – until UK business is truly representative of the society it serves.”

Naeema Choudry, a partner and equality expert at Eversheds Sutherland, said: “It is

STRIVING FOR EQUALITY: The CBI is urging businesses to be more willingly transparent imperative for businesses to create the right environment for career advancement and development for all their employees – whatever their ethnicity.

“Ethnicity pay gap reporting

is a key step in ensuring such progression, as it enables businesses to understand any ethnicity pay gaps that may exist and then to carefully consider what practical steps need to be

taken to close them. This guide provides plenty of advice to organisations that are unsure of where to begin and much needed clarity on the support that’s available.”

30 | THE VOICE FEBRUARY 2020

People.

Purpose.

Passion.

To find out more about the new JN Bank go to uk.jngroup.com

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32 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

News Feature

HOW IS THE CARIBBEAN DEALING WITH COVID-19?

Lyndon Mukasa says the region is working together to tackle the virus

O

N FEBRUARY 27 2020 the Director-General of the World Health Organisation Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a stark warning about the spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus).

He said: “No country should assume that it won’t get cases.

That could be a fatal mistake, and quite literally.”

Since its origins in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus has spread rapidly across the world.

At the time of going to press, the Caribbean had a confirmed total of 90 cases, including in Barbados, Jamaica and Guyana.

While the virus has so far been shown to be threatening to elderly people and individuals with pre-existing symptoms, a sustained and ongoing global response to the disease is operating to limit its spread from turning in to a global health crisis.

With this global effort has come significant economic costs and restrictions on travel and day-to-day business that could have long-term effects for the global economy for much of the year.

The Caribbean is not immune from the economic effects that have resulted from the spread of the coronavirus.

As a middle income developing region, the Caribbean faces significant challenges in terms of restricting and monitoring the spread of the virus and limiting the entry of infected individuals in to the population.

With up to 24 million cruise

We stand ready to provide support and guidance ship passengers travelling through the region in 2019, 35.5 per cent of global cruise ship destinations concentrated in the Caribbean and with an additional 30 million tourist arrivals, the region is particularly vulnerable to the rapid introduction and spread of the coronavirus.

What is known is that many areas already affected by the coronavirus have direct flights to many Caribbean countries.

On February 22 the Dominican Republic became the first country in the region to confirm a case of coronavirus infection. Following this, the Regional Health Agency of Guadalupe has confirmed three cases after a resident and his parents who live in the French overseas territory of St Barthélemy tested positive for COVID-19.

The regional response This has led to cruise ships across the Caribbean being barred from docking amid concerns of spreading viral infections.

At the time of writing at least three cruise ships have been turned away from Caribbean ports even though there has been no confirmation of passengers on any of the ships having the disease. On March 1, Caribbean health ministers and prime ministers met to discuss and plan for how to deal with the virus.

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has

now upgraded the risk of coronavirus disease transmission from moderate to high.

CARPHA Executive Director Dr Joy St John has urged health authorities of CARPHA member states to shift their mindset from preparedness to readiness and rapid response.

Dr St John encouraged member states to increase their capacity for surveillance and to adapt their national pandemic preparedness plans to include the COVID-19 infections as a matter of urgency.

RESPONSE: Clockwise, from main, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Dr Joy St John; and Thierry Breton

PLAN

She said: “We stand ready to provide support and guidance to member states on how to strengthen their health systems response should there be importation and any subsequent person-to-person transmission in the Caribbean. We are currently working with regional partners to develop a CARICOM Regional Plan to manage the COVID-19 outbreak.”

The Prime Minister of St Lucia and outgoing chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, Hon Allen Chastanet, pictured inset left, praised the region’s response to the coronavirus as an example of “regionalism working”, and has backed the Regional Security System (RSS) and CARPHA for their role in the region’s response, particularly in the area of transporting and testing samples in time. He said recently: “You had Saint Lucia’s back and we thank you.

This is what being part of CARICOM is about.”

CARPHA has further established the reference medical microbiology laboratory (CMML) to test samples of suspected cases of the coronavirus.

Further public health responses in the Caribbean There are no longer any direct commercial flights to the Caribbean from China and travellers to the region have been screened multiple times before their arrival. On January 31 the Jamaican government

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announced a series of travel restrictions between Jamaica and China, which at the time of writing travel between the two countries has been forbidden.

Additionally those entering Jamaica, who have recently travelled to China, would be subject to immediate quarantine for up to 14 days. The country has also put a ban on those travelling from the UK in place. Trinidad and Tobago have issued infrared scanners for visitors entering from countries with infection cases.

St Lucia, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Guyana, the Bahamas and Belize also have similar travel restrictions and quarantine procedures in place.

Challenges ahead for the Caribbean The selectiveness of the travel ban calls in to question whether there is an economic motive influencing public health policy in the Caribbean.

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The region as a whole is the most tourism dependant region in the world with the industry employing over 2.4 million people, contributing more than $62 billion (15.5 per cent) to the GDP in 2018.

LOSSES

With the damage that the coronavirus outbreak has already done to tourist sectors around the world there may be a concern of losing much-needed foreign exchange if the travel ban was extended to other countries.

This fear is not completely unfounded as Europe’s tourism sector has taken huge losses since reports of the coronavirus emerged.

The EU’s Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, stated that the tourism sector is already losing €1 billion a month because of coronavirus travel fears. However, by limiting the travel ban the Caribbean risks an infection outbreak

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from Europe or North America instead of China.

Nonetheless the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on travel may take effect anyway regardless of travel bans.

If cases of infection continue to increase then in the coming months, particularly around the Easter and summer holiday months, tourist arrivals to the region could severely drop based on fear of travelling alone.

Time will show whether the Caribbean’s tourism industry will be resilient enough to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.

However, it is important that the region’s policymakers continue to build upon and reinforce protections for nationals across the Caribbean and if necessary be prepared to extend any travel restrictions to other countries that have an outbreak regardless of whether they are a source of tourism or not.

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n o i t a n i t s e D

y e g n i r Ha INSIDE: · Leader of the Council, Cllr Joseph Ejiofor talks to The Voice · Young people use film to stand up to knife crime · Tottenham Hotspur Foundation: creating opportunites

34 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Destination Haringey

‘LET’S ENSURE THAT YOUNG PEO Haringey Council leader Joseph Ejiofor talks to The Voice about his political journey, priorities, the best parts of his job and the mighty Spurs

By Rodney Hinds

CHAT: The Voice’s Rodney Hinds with Joseph Ejiofor

T MR SPEAKER: Joseph Ejiofor

he leader of the council is elected every four years by all members of the council. Joseph Ejiofor is the current incumbent. Joseph was born in the midsixties to Nigerian parents of Igbo backgrounds. He was fostered in north Kent throughout most of his childhood.

His first job was stacking shelves in a Fine Fare supermarket, and he worked for London Underground for nearly 10 years before graduating as a mature student

management, then in risk and performance management, and most recently in iBusiness development.

He has been married to Anne since 2000, and they have two teenage daughters.

Here, the leader talks to The Voice. (in politics & government) and going to work for an MP in Westminster.

Over the past 20 years, he

has worked as a manager in the public, private and voluntary sectors, specialising first in diversity and change

RH: How did your political journey start?

JE: Every politician whatever you set out to do wants to

TIPS FOR PARENTS AS SCHOOL CLOSURES KICK IN a stretch and then enjoy a longer break”

GET RID OF DISTRACTIONS

“It’s really hard to focus when the TV’s blaring, the radio’s on or there is lots going on in the place you’re working, so try and get rid of the distractions. Also, concentrating is easiest when you’re in a quiet, comfortable place, so play around with how you study – sitting, standing or lying down; inside or outside; with lots of light or without – and find a method that helps you concentrate.”

work to be done, it can be hard to resist the urge to multitask and try and get lots of jobs done at once. This is best avoided though, as, in essence, you’re dividing up the amount of brainpower you have available to a given task, meaning you might miss out on important bits of information.”

Have a Little Grubb in Tottenham

DIVIDE UP THE WORK

H

ARINGEY ARE aamongst dozens of councils who have had to shut their schools. With schools shutting for the foreseeable future, Oxford Home Schooling, one of the leading home education providers in the UK, has given its top tips for parents on how to homeschool their children.

Oxford Home Schooling is a sister company of Oxford Open Learning, one of the best adult The company’s operations director, Greg Smith, lists a number of ways to get the most out of homeschooling.

Smith said: “If you had a hundred home educators in a room, each of them would likely have a different approach, but there are a number of

things you can do to get the most out of homeschooling.”

TAKE BREAKS

“A bit of experimentation should identify what works best for you. You might find 30-minute blasts followed by ten-minute breaks help keep your concentration up. Alternatively, you might prefer to work for longer periods at a stretch and then enjoy a longer break.

“Boring as it might sound, giving your learning a predictable structure and routine does help to make sure you get everything done!”

“You might prefer to work for longer periods at

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“Sometimes it can be difficult to motivate yourself when faced with a really big or difficult task.

The best solution is to break it down into smaller pieces, planning out the various stages that need completing before you start. This way, you’ll know what needs doing and you’ll get a good sense of progress as you work.”

GET LOTS OF SLEEP

“It’s an accepted fact that if you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll find it harder to concentrate, learn and retain information. The trick is pretty simple – get some sleep! Most people between the age of five and 11 need 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night, while 11 to 18-year-olds need 8 to 10 hours.”

DON’T MULTITASK

“Sometimes, particularly when there’s a lot of

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ONE OF top eateries in Tottenham is Little Grubb. The proprietors are constantly striving to improve their service and quality in order to give customers the very best experience.

As a result. Little Grubb have unveiled improvements to their new online ordering website. Customers can now relax at home and order your favourite meals.

Little Grubb prides itself on always offering great food at affordable prices.

Little Grubb is situated at 658 High Rd, Tottenham, London N17 0AB. Visit: littlegrubb.co.uk

voicenewspaper

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APRIL THE VOICE | 35

Destination Haringey

OPLE FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES’ be able to direct the improvement within your own borough.

I have been a councillor for 19 years, nine years in Newham and ten years in Haringey.

It’s been a long journey to get there. It’s been a unique experience but I’m immensely proud to be here. Obviously, I cannot pretend that it’s easy.

What are amongst your priority goals and ambitions?

Ten years of Tory austerity meant that most local authorities cut their youth services.

When I first got a chance to look at what my priorities were I had to refocus resources, so that money went back into youth services. We have more outreach workers now. We have people working with gangs, we have people signposting our young people to diversional activities and alternative opportunities.

REALITY

We are trying ensure that young people can be focused on the positive aspects of being young. The reality is there is

only a finite amount of money and every council has to make it’s own priorities. We are also investing in building spaces as it is important that young people have a safe space. As a council we also invest in people of advancing age, it’s important for my administration.

What’s the best part of the job for you?

I’m passionate about community wealth building. Where we spend a pound of public money, you get the maximum amount of service for that pound. That

ensures that the money we spend rattles around the local economy. We spend it on local businesses who then spend it with other local businesses.

Also, changing the way that services are delivered. Several years ago, Haringey was a commissioning authority which meant that it paid other people to deliver services for it.

We now deliver many of these services ourselves, that’s our direction of travel currently. It means that as local residents we get more for our money. I don’t do what I do for the thanks. I just want to make my community better.

How would you entice people to visit the borough?

Haringey is a wonderfully diverse, multi-cultural, multiethnic borough where people with different backgrounds live side by side. It’s a lovely place to be! Did you know that it’s the only borough in the country with both a castle (Bruce) and a palace (Alexandra)?! (above) We have well known markets and of course the mighty Spurs!

There are many reasons to visit Haringey. There is much to do and see.

You’re a Tottenham fan, give me your views on the new stadium and what it can do for the area.

As an arena, a citadel to watch football, it is beautiful.

As a catalyst for further regeneration we need to look at what

things to me is how can I use my knowledge and experience to motivate and enthuse the next generation of black political leaders. I think that it is really important that the community looks at the leaders that it has at the moment and says ‘how can you mentor them?’

I want people to come into local government and think ‘this is something that we can

One of the most important things to me is how can I use my experience to motivate the next generation we hope it can deliver. It’s in an area that needs some regeneration. We are trying to work with residents and businesses to see how we can improve the neighbourhood.

What are amongst your future goals for the communities that you serve?

One of the most important

get involved in and change things that impact upon our own communities.’

All too often people look at decisions being taken by others which have less interest in the outcomes that they themselves do and think ‘that’s just the way that things are done’.

We stand outside the window of the rooms where deci-

sions are taken and the most we can do is throw tomatoes at it which is nonsense.

What people have to expect is that they are going to have representatives sitting around the decision-making table and making decisions that are in the best interests of the community.

That has to be our aspiration.

COMMUNITY

That’s got to be where we see ourselves. Our community cannot accept that things have to be done to it. They have to be down with the community and they have to be part of that doing. That’s where we have to be going forward.

That’s the most important message I want to get over to fellow Voice readers like myself, is that the black community is very much part of the broader community and where decisions are made, that impact upon our lives, we’ve got to be there.

That means that those of us that have the ability and the time have to give that commitment to helping the community to move forward.

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36 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

J.D. Okoro is a London-based author Destination Haringey of historical fiction including Beetle Reich, nonfiction articles and some children’s stories

T E SCRUFFH APILLA

R

”This is not that story where he flies off into the sky After changing in to an absolutely beautiful butterfl y. “ The Scruffapi llar eats leaves all day bu t the other anima ls he meets along the way are not very nice to h im. However this is no ordina ry caterpillar stor y. He’s about to face great dan ger. He’s not wor ried though because he has a se cret that is quite unexpected. The Scruffapillar show s that you are nev er too small to make a differe nce.

Amazon: n o d n a s p o h d” Now out in s t that Flappe a R e h T “ d n e Brute)” a “Sir Newt(Th

E REICtsHevents in BEETL ble which recoun

Beetle Reich is a fa e e Third Reich. Set in th the brutal history of th it tells the tale of how s, ct se in of ld or w al ur nat ng Brigade came to Fa s hi d an l ol gr n Du Vermen expanded and the cata power, how their empire . on the rest of their world d ha is th ct pa im ic m clys

Author Name: JD Okoro Twitter: @JDOkoroAuthor Web: www.JDOkoro.com Email: info@JDOkoro.com Available now via Waterstones and all good bookshops: “The Scruffapillar” and “Beetle Reich” voicenewspaper @thevoicenewspaper @thevoicenews www.voice-online.co.uk

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Destination Haringey

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USING FILM TO STAND UP TO KNIFE CRIME PAKS VOICE AD MAY 2019.indd 1

20/05/2019 18:14

Students create and star in their own three-film series showing the impact of youth violence

By Rodney Hinds

Y

OUNG PEOPLE in Haringey have become movie stars as part of their stand against knife crime.

Students from Haringey Sixth Form College in Tottenham have created and starred in their own three-film series showing the devastating impact youth violence can have.

The films – called I’m Out – show the consequences of getting caught up in violence, by telling the stories of young people involved and the impact on their families.

The series was recently premiered at Cineworld in Wood Green.

Among those who attended the event was Tottenham Hotspur Ambassador and ex-England star Ledley

YOUNG FILM-MAKERS: Cast and crew from I’m Out at the recent premiere of the film series King.

The project – led by young people, for young people – was created with the support of Haringey Council and the Metropolitan Police, produced by Casual Films.

The name I’m Out was chosen by young people to encourage others to seek the support and opportunities they need to keep out, and stay out, of youth violence.

Among the actors in the films was student Jordan Anaedozie.

He said he hoped that the films show young people the consequences of getting involved in violence and how quickly things can escalate.

He said: “Will knife crime ever cease? We can only hope. Many films have been created showing how im-

mense knife crime is in certain communities but who has really shown its effects on others?

“Knife crime is a decision made by an individual, primarily based on what they have been exposed to, but many

PURPOSE: I’m Out actors address audience members at the premiere they all have a dream, but how hard are they chasing it and what sacrifices are they making to achieve those aspirations? It is always the ‘easy way out’ that leads to unnecessary regrets.”

More than 20 young people took

The film shows how quickly things can escalate don’t know the effects and consequences of their decisions.”

Anaedozie added: “Being a part of this film has opened my eyes to the aftermath of this crime – not only that but the potential that each and every individual has.

“Everyone who is a part of a gang,

part in the project, starring in the films, helping on set and working in production.

Cllr Mark Blake, Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Equalities, said: “Knife crime is affecting the lives of this borough’s young

people, families and communities and we all have to work together to tackle it. It is an issue across London, but in Haringey we have decided to do something different: to let our young people use their own voices to beat this.

“I want young people involved in gangs – or who are at risk of getting involved – to know that there is support, and there are ways out. I’m Out shows just how quickly things can escalate and how they can affect you, your friends and your family. There are better futures for you here in Haringey.”

‘There are ways out’ Detective Chief Superintendent Treena Fleming, [Met Commander for Haringey and Enfield, said: “I welcome and applaud the initiative taken by our young people to show the devastating consequences of knife crime, not only for those directly involved but also those closest to them.

“I hope the films are seen far and wide so that our young people think long and hard about carrying a knife and becoming involved in a gang in the first place. This is a message created by our youths for our youths and I couldn’t think of a better way for us to start this debate and help put an end to the serious youth violence we are seeing on the streets of London.”

To watch the films please visit www.imout.org.uk

38 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Destination Haringey

THE BERNIE GRANT ARTS CENTRE: A very special landmark

History

The Bernie Grant Arts Centre is a unique venue in Tottenham, north London, inspired by the vision of the late Bernie Grant MP. Designed by Sir David Adjaye, the purpose-built complex opened in 2007, comprising a 274-seat theatre, multi-purpose studio spaces, boutique cinema, a clustering of 20 enterprise units, and an award-winning caribbean café/bar.

The design of the complex intentionally lends itself to fusing and promoting the endeavours of artists, entrepreneurs and learners.

What we do

The centre hosts a busy calendar of theatre performances, talks, dance, live music, film screenings and exhibitions in collaboration with local artists, as well as some of London’s biggest names, including LIFT Festival, Royal Court Theatre, Tate Modern, Dance Umbrella, and Film Africa.

The BGAC also works with a range of artists and visiting companies to deliver creative learning programmes

at the centre, in the local community and in Haringey schools.

ent. We’ve grown to be part of the fabric of Tottenham, itself experiencing rapid change and growth. Our reputation continues to grow as a venue that supports, promotes, and showcases work by emerging and established artists alike.

Local area – Tottenham More than any other area, Tottenham

Future The Bernie Grant Arts Centre is cur-

represents the inclusive and diverse nature of London and the Bernie Grant Arts Centre is at the heart of that. Bernie Grant, MP, recognised the extraordinary breadth of artistic talent in Tottenham which, too often, was held back by a lack of support.

The impetus behind the Bernie Grant Arts Centre was to create a place where artists of black and minorityethnic heritage and those growing up in disadvantaged circumstances can train, develop new work, and build foundations for the rest of their careers.

Mission Bernie Grant firmly

believed that the arts have the power to transform lives, combat inequality, and help us build a fairer and more equal soci-

ety. Our founding mission was to reduce the bias in the arts world that has contributed to significant underrepresentation of black and minority ethnic heritage, those growing up in disadvantaged circumstances,

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and those without the connections to encourage, support and build career success.

Ten years on, our commitment remains steadfast, although the world we operate in is significantly differ-

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voicenewspaper

rently going through a period of rapid growth. In 2019, the centre appointed a new Artistic Director and CEO, Hannah Azieb Pool, who is steering the venue in a fresh direction, bringing the work of Black and local artists to the forefront, with aims of taking the centre to NPO status. This year, the centre was awarded with £100,000 from the Arts Council’s Elevate fund to use across a two year period. This will enable the Bernie Grant Arts Centre to invest in the future of the organisation by expanding its staff force, developing its artistic programme, and creating more opportunities for Black artists and diverse audiences to engage with the arts, thereby redressing the participation diversity gap within the sector.

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Destination Haringey

COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE

H

ARINGEY COMMUNITY Gold uses a strengths based public health approach to engaging young people and benefits from a network of connected community programmes to listen and respond to young people.

The programme made up of detached youth work and community programmes allows young people to find local provisions which range from sports, training and employment, future leaders programme, mental health support and a BAME careers service.

The three-year funded programme’s outreach workers are already working closely with schools, youth clubs, and the voluntary sector.

Young people can choose which programmes they are interested in to create a bespoke experience for themselves.

We want to support you to stay on track, take the opportunities you want, develop relationships and leadership skills and have good mental health and wellbeing.

Engaging with young people where they are comfortable, building their confidence and giving them the opportunity to understand their potential by providing them with options for their future.

community leaders through training, internships/placements and employment to advocate for their communities.

HARINGEY COUNCIL Street outreach: in community - your road, estate, park, shopping centre, sporting group Detached and mobile outreach: ‘as needed’ in community locations, including home visits, schools, community centres, libraries and other public places for young people referred by others Assertive community outreach: what would you like? Football provision in your local park? A girls group in the local community centre?

For young people who may not be engaged with other services NORTH LONDON PARTNERSHIP CONSORTIUM (NLPC) Future Leaders: Developing

Who are the ten Haringey Community Gold partners?

HARINGEY PLAY Positive activities to enable social and emotional wellbeing. The playground features amazing equipment, including a massive slide, a sandpit, a whaler, swings and jumpingoff platforms.

Broadwater Farm estate.

EXODUS A groundbreaking intervention programme tackling knife crime, youth violence, gangs and child criminal exploitation through county lines.

12 week rolling programme for 12-21 year olds including high risk offenders and those excluded and at risk of exclusions.

MY TRAINING PLAN Fitness sessions with personal trainer. Body, light and heavy weight lifting with circuits, training plans, diet plans and mentoring.

THINKING SPACE Service supported by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust.

We facilitate a safe space where individuals can talk about their feelings, share their stories and thoughts, and develop insight.

OFF THE STREETS LESS HEAT Universal sport provision for young people aged 13-21 on

ACCESS UK BAME careers service for 1621 year olds, working with

young people across Haringey and supporting them into employment.

WORK WORKS Empowering young people from all different walks of life by upskilling them and creating a tangible avenue that lead to sustainable careers. Targeted provision for the most prolific re/offenders aged 12-21 on court orders and in prison.

BRIDGE RENEWAL TRUST Evaluating the programme through tools including peer research mechanisms Email: hcg@haringey.gov.uk

N BR IX TO 2 SW RO AD LAMB

ETH

BORO

UGH

NOVEMBER 2019 ISSUE NO. 1902

NEWSPAPER

8-page

£2.50 A word from Leon Mann and Rodney Hinds

TEAM: FBL co-founders Leon, left, and Rodney IT’S THAT time again! We reveal the nominations for this year’s Football Black List on these pages and there’s no doubt that the quality of nominations just gets better.

This year, for the first time, we have a category dominated by women. In administration we have a quintet of women that are leading the way.

A look at all the names reveals that women make up some 50 per cent which indicates that football is not the exclusive bastion of men.

The judges had a real struggle on their hands. Creating the shortlist was demanding, but well worth it – so congratulations to our judges.

But a bigger well done goes to those named on the Football Black List. If you didn’t make it, your time will come.

All that’s left now is to deliver the FBL Celebration on Thursday, November 21.

We can’t wait – it’s going to be another special night!

The judges are...

Coaching and management

Chris Ramsey Crystal Palace in the communiMBE, ty, with an impressive resume, CHAMPIONS nurturing the likes of Wilfried technical OF NEW Zaha, Nathaniel Clyne and director – TALENT: Victor Moses.

Queens Park Justin He has an exceptional unRangers Cochrane, left Chris is the technical director derstanding of recruitment in and Michael of Queens Park Rangers and London, heavily involved in tryJohnson are most qualified football coach ing to find the next generation both up for in England. He has a clear of talent at Fulham. gongs in the passion and commitment to mentoring young coaches coaching and Coreen Coree Brown, from grassroots level to elite management academy acade level, assisting in their develcoach category opment. Chris uses his tactiCoreen formerly fo cal nous to assist the QPR first worked closely team in their planning throughwith Arsenal’s A leadership out the league season and for is responsible for the club’s girls development. She also oversaw the cohort of coaches academy.

Justin Cochrane, head completing his Pro License. Guyana that work alongside her at the National side, recently coach – England Justin is recognised for his inclub. guiding the Golden Jaguars to Colin novative approach, boasting She holds an UEFA ‘A’ li- under-15 team the finals of the CONCACAF Omogbehin, Omogbeh cense, her dedication to Justin has gained a reputation exceptional knowledge and Gold Under-23 Cup for the first time. coaching has been acknowl- for his excellence as a coach, understanding of youth footacademy Michael is now involved in edged far and wide, work- currently working with the Eng- ball and the England player head coach – the England U21 set-up as part pathway. ing with England’s national land U15 development team.

Fulham FC of the FA’s Elite Coach Placeteams as part of the FA’s The former Tottenham youth Colin is the Michael Johnson, ment Programme, making founder of Junior Elite and an BAME coach bursary scheme, coach is a role model for as- national team manager – waves as a board member of academy coach at Fulham. an essential commitment to piring coaches, holding a Guyana National Team the Sports People’s Think Tank He first took up coaching with develop greater equality of Masters in Leadership and Michael enjoyed immense suc- and graduating from opportunities. the UEFA Management, most recently cess during his tenure with the MIP Master’s course.

Administration Amanda Joanie Evans, MAKING of success for Birmingham isham and also Hudson, as a deputy co-president City. Lungi, who sits on the chief THINGS director of executive of the London – Federation HAPPEN: board for Women in Football Development agency. education – of Gay Games was also named as a NextGen Lungi WADA Joanie hhas been Leader for 2019.

Macebo Amanda Hud Vivienne Huda long standing son is the director of educa- contributor Aiyela, to the LGBT com comSarah Ebanja, tion of the World Anti-Doping munity, non-executive championing inclusivity CEO, Association (WADA), tasked in sport, director – through her work with Tottenham with overseeing anti-doping Hackney London FA Women FC. Hotspur Vivienne is the policies and testing across the Having tasted gold at the Lungi Macebo, chief Foundation first black woman to be named operating officer – world of sport. A pioneer in her Sydney 2002 Gay Games, Sarah is current current- as a non-executive director Birmingham City FC field, her involvement in sport Joanie in works tirelessly towards ly the CEO of the football in the long and storied Lungi’s role as COO sees her and education spans over 30 encouraging Tottenham Hotspur Founda more people of support Founda- history of the FA. Commended the board of directors tion, a role years. Amanda’s focus has colour culminating over 20 for her great contributions to get involved with the and senior management. to always been to harness the Gay years working at a senior level administration, Games. in addition to Her efficiency in planning, in both power of education, currently local and regional gov- her passion She received a nomination for gender equalorganising and working collab- ernmental managing the WADA’s social at the roles.

British LGBT Awards in oratively ity, Vivienne is viewed upon as to influence, design science grant scheme and the She has previously worked a pioneer, ‘Outstanding Contribution and deliver leading the way for initiatives, are es- in the London boroughs education committee. to LGBT Life’ category. of many BAME women striving to sential to the accomplishment Hackney, Islington and Lew- work at boardroom level.

MEN OF EXCELLENCE Leon Mann, FBL Rodney Hinds, FBL Funke Awoderu, The FA Al Bennett, The Premier League

Nick Roberts, The EFL Wayne Allison, The LMA Simone Pound, The PFA Troy Townsend, Kick It Out Lianne Sanderson, professional footballer Jordan Jarrett Bryan, broadcaster

Michelle Moore, sports consultant Jeanette Kwakye, broadcaster Lincoln Moses MBE, community leader Rayan Wilson, Elite Sports Performance expert

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Get ready to celebrate black football’s best...

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40 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Destination Haringey

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES THAT CHANGE LIVES

T

The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation is the club’s award-winning charitable body

INNOVATIVE

Percy House opens its doors

HE TOTTENHAM Hotspur Foundation has a long established, productive and valued partnership with its local communities where there are significant socio-economic challenges alongside aspirations, potential, talent and opportunity to create, deliver and sustain positive change.

The work of The Foundation, led by CEO Sarah Ebanja (above), and its supporters directly touches the lives of people across North London every day.

Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium development scheme, once complete, will have delivered 3,500 new jobs.

To date, the club and Foundation have worked to create 2,762 jobs for local people through a wide range of innovative and groundbreaking initiatives.

The Foundation have worked with partners and a network of employers to create job opportunities across a range of industries including retail, education, construction, hospitality, IT and security.

PERCY HOUSE is a prominent 18th Century building on Tottenham High Road, now the new home of the Foundation, giving local people one-stop access to vocational training and job opportunities from a range of employers con-

nected to the Club.

A £1.8m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and match funding from the club has funded the full restoration of the former townhouse and secured its

long-term future in the area.

Percy House is now a major community enterprise, employment and skills hub located at the heart of the regeneration of North Tottenham.

It will deliver over 95,000 hours of community development, health, enterprise, education and sports programmes every year to those living in the Club’s local area.

The Foundation have also ensured that the rich history of Tottenham is passed on to future generations, with the instatement of new Heritage Ambassadors, who along with the support of local historians, to deliver outreach sessions in schools and community venues.

People are welcome to walk through the Percy House gates and ask to speak to employment advisors about the many job opportunities available through the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

If you don’t find a job that’s right for you, don’t give up, dare to put yourself forward for one of the Foundation’s skills programmes.

The Foundation offers a range of programmes, including apprenticeships, traineeships, vocational qualifications, and one-to-one employment support.

What We Do The Foundation focuses on specialist programmes that deliver on these core objectives: • Improving achievement • Building community cohesion • Promoting healthy lifestyles • Supporting people with disabilities

Compassionate

Neighbours in North London

Have you got time for a neighbour in need?

The Compassionate Neighbours project helps people living with a chronic illness stay connected to their community and avoid loneliness and isolation. As a Compassionate Neighbour you might visit someone regularly in your community, share common interests and help them get out and about, or get involved in a group.

Join our next FREE training by registering your interest at: CN@northlondonhospice.co.uk or 020 8343 8841 For further information on Compassionate Neighbours visit:

www.northlondonhospice.org/compassionate-neighbours

North London Hospice, 47 Woodside Avenue, London N12 8TT

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Lifestyle Cancelled: Breakin’ Convention and other gigs p44

Trans talk: Meet Kenny Ethan Jones p47

LONG WALK OVER, TIME TO RUN...

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For him, for her — Corsa it is! p62

42 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Lifestyle

Film

Festival aiming to break boundaries through film Fifth edition showcase to present 20 feature-length movies – each designed to challenge perceptions

BY JOEL CAMPBELL

F

RAMES OF REPRESENTATION (FoR), the ICA film festival, returns for its fifth edition this month.

A showcase for the ‘cinema of the real’, the festival this year presents 20 films that offer aesthetic and political resistances to cinematic categorisations.

Emerging from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America, the new films screening at FoR 2020 engage with multi-layered ethical and political concerns, experimental filmmaking practices and the development of new modes of language.

This year, the festival’s thematic focus encapsulates notions of the role of spectatorship.

Alongside the films, a programme of workshops, discussion and performance interrogates the relationship between

BREAKING BOUNDARIES: Angolan collective Fradique’s Air Conditioner is one of the many films to be showcased at FoR 2020

knowledge, engagement and the act of viewing. FoR 2020 aims to challenge the relationship between viewing and ac-

“FoR 2020 aims to foster collective learning while encouraging its audience to question traditional hierarchies” tion by bringing to the fore the space that comes after watching a film.

The festival foregrounds the idea of the image as a moving proposal for the renegotiation and redistribution of positions of reception and activity, providing a space for fluid dynamics

rather than rigid dichotomies.

Highlights include The Earth Is Blue as an Orange, the first feature by Iryna Tsilyk and the winner of the Best Directing Award for World Cinema Documentary at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, which offers cinematic and cultural resistance to Ukraine’s tumultuous relationship with Russia; and the Hong Kong/

China co-production The Cloud in Her Room, a personal and generational story by Zheng Lu Xinyuan that won the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2020. FoR 2020 also dedicates days to explore the works of filmmakers from Eastern Europe and Latin America, including Los Conductos by Camilo Restrepo, winner

New programmes for 64th London Film Festival THE BFI London Film Festival has announced the introduction of major new Festival programmes for both public and industry audiences.

A new public showcase will include immersive and interactive works using augmented reality, mixed reality, virtual reality and feature ambitious experiential projects and creative collaborations between artists from different creative sectors.

Additionally the Festival will premiere new episodic and series work created for digital platforms and/or broadcasters from around the world.

A Gala event will headline this new showcase of approximately 30 new projects.

Building on the pilot programme ‘LFF for Free’ which brought in new audiences in 2019, the Festival will also substantially expand its free-to-access talks, events and screenings programme at BFI Southbank. These will give public audiences

industry, these new programmes also continue to deliver on the BFI’s strategic priorities as the UK’s lead organisation for film, television and the moving image.

SEISMIC A WHOLE NEW WORLD: Virtual reality will feature in this year’s event opportunities to engage with the Festival, be part of the collective cultural experience and join in debate and dialogue around important themes and issues emerging from the films.

With emphasis on innovation, and expanding understanding of the cinematic form, on access for audiences, and on developing skills and talent within a global

BFI London Film Festival director, Tricia Tuttle said: “We’ve focussed a great deal in recent years on the seismic changes in how films are reaching audiences, but there are other more creative ways the ground is shifting, with ‘filmmakers’ and producers increasingly working across different platforms, and greater connections and dialogue across different creative forms.”

Submissions for film and expanded platform works for considerations are open until 5pm on June 17, via bfi. org.uk/lff/64th-bfi-london-film-festivalsubmissions.

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of the Best First Feature Award at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival.

The festival’s opening and closing-night films – Panquiaco, the first feature by Panamanian artist and filmmaker Ana Elena Tejera, and Air Conditioner, by Angolan collective Fradique – will each be followed by live music and performance until late in the ICA Theatre.

FoR demonstrates the ICA’s continued commitment to nurturing and connecting a growing plurality of voices, enabling a community of practitioners to come together for the festival. All but two of the films are receiving their UK premieres, with every film accompanied by discussion and it’s director in attendance.

FoR 2020 features the second edition of PROGRESSIO, a development platform launched at last year’s festival. An initiative of the ICA in association with Cineteca Madrid and Sundance Documentary Institute and with the participation of Kingston University, PROGRESSIO supports independent filmmakers to develop projects and enables stimulating exchanges that engage with the aesthetic and political aspects of their works.

Last year’s inaugural PROGRESSIO saw director Javier Fernández Vázquez explore an

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idea that, 12 months later, has now been fully realised as his full-length feature A Storm Was Coming.

Supported by PROGRESSIO from its inception to its premiere in the Forum of the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, the film premieres in the UK at FoR 2020. This year PROGRESSIO returns with two projects from new emerging and exciting voices. Further details of filmmakers and projects will be announced later this month.

EQUALITY

A highlight of the festival each year is the symposium, which this year is entitled how to think.

Addressing the notion of radical equality, the symposium explores the deep entanglement of contemporary oppressions, including racism, sexism and speciesism. Participants are invited to cultivate thinking together and share in a diverse range of experimental practices that ask how we might present ethical alternatives to the paradigm of mastery through new modes of listening, practice and relation.

FoR 2020 aims to foster collective learning while encouraging its audience to question traditional hierarchies and structures for seeing, acting and doing.

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APRIL 2020

THE VOICE | 43

Lifestyle

Fashion

‘WE NEED TO HOLD STEADY’

INSPIRED BY AFRICA: Designs from across the continent hit the catwalk during the annua; AFWL

AFWL CEO urges togetherness and patience as delaying event is on the cards

BY JOEL CAMPBELL

W

ITH EVENTS cancelled left, right and centre due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the last month, the CEO of Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL) painted a more optimistic future for their 2020 event scheduled to take place later this year.

Outlining their decision in March to ‘hold steady for the next 30 days’ before making a decision on whether or not to cancel or postpone this year’s AFWL, Princess Ronke Ademiluyi said: “We live in unprecedented times.

“At AFWL we are looking after our friends and neighbours by following the advice of the UK government by practising social distancing and cutting down on non-essential travel.”

She added: “AFWL2020 is due to take place on August 7-8 which is four and a half months away.

SALES

“While some of our friends and colleagues who hold similar events have been cancelling or postponing; we are going to hold steady for the next 30 days.

“We will decide how to proceed with this year’s event by mid-April.

“We are also going to suspend ticket sales until then.

“I do hope we can still meet this year.

“I know this crisis is having

with all who have been affected personally. We will continue to share news, important updates and, of course, fashion on our social media platforms in the coming weeks.

“In the meantime, let’s sit tight, stay healthy, help each other and follow official guidance.”

“I know this is having an unprecedented effect on our industry – our love and support EXCLUSIVE Regular attendees of AFWL will be hoping the show does go on are with all who in order to experience the exhave been citing catwalk shows, exclusive personally shopping opportunities, mixing with celebrities, quintessential affected” African food, and inspiring talks

an unprecedented effect on our industry, our loved ones, friends and colleagues.

“Our love and support are

forums.

One of this years’ attractions was the return of Nigerian design collective, Ile Moremi who

are set to showcase indigenous tie-dye textile, Adire, in their signature jumpsuits and basketweave jackets.

Ile Moremi Collection are inspired by the Legendary Queen Moremi Ajasoro who sacrificed to save her people from slavery.

The unique jumpsuit pieces are made in Nigeria using indigenous Adire from Ogun State.

Profits from the Ile Moremi Collection go towards campaigns and programs against modern-day slavery and trafficking of young women.

The campaigns create awareness for this new phase of slavery and integration programs help them back into society through education grants and start-up funds.

How Adire is made...

The Adire fabric textile is made used by using four techniques in the designing and dying of fabrics.

These are: 1. PLEATING: This is a technique in Adire that involves folding of fabrics 2. MARBLING: A technique that crumples the fabric.

3. KNOTTING: A process that involves using raffia or ropes 4. PAINTING: Creating splashes of colour after the Adire process to ensure the brightness of the pattern

44 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Lifestyle

Entertainment

CANCELLED As venues across the UK close to control Covid-19, Joel Campbell looks at just some of the scores of events that have been postponed or cancelled indefinitely – and what that means to organisers

SAFETY FIRST: Breakin’ Convention Artistic director Jonzi D has praised his team amid virus uncertainty (PHOTO: Paul Hampartsoumian)

‘Breakin’s not broken’

Lift won’t be taking off

Tate closes its doors

COVID-19 HAS decimated the social calendar for 2020 with many events either being postponed or called off all together. Breakin’ Convention, the International Festival of Hip Hop Dance Theatre, which was due to go on a national tour has succumb to the same fate.

With a heavy heart but keen to follow government guidelines which ultimately protect public safety, Sadler’s Wells associate artist and Breakin’ Convention Artistic Director, Jonzi D, told Lifestyle that it was unthinkable to consider going ahead with the event this year and he was sincerely looking forward to better times when the event can be rescheduled.

“We at Sadler’s Wells Theatre have responded pro actively to the COVID-19 threat by prioritising the health of our staff, artists and audience members,” Jonzi D explained.

“The building will be closed until June 9. I’m so gutted that we have to cancel Breakin’ Convention and the Park Jam this year, but we will be back fitter and stronger for 2021.”

LIFT FESTIVAL has announced the cancellation of the 2020 Festival due to take place from June 2 – July 11, 2020.

Following government advice and to protect the safety of audiences, artists and workforce, LIFT cannot proceed with the festival at this time, and will instead return with an edition in 2021.

LIFT, London’s leading biennial festival of international theatre, has been running for over three decades, connecting London audiences with some of the most exciting artists, thought-provoking ideas and cultural experiences in spaces right across the capital.

The festival was due to return this summer with the inaugural programme from new leadership team, artistic director/CEO Kris Nelson and executive director Stella Kanu.

The pair said: “We are incredibly sad to announce that we will not be proceeding with this year’s festival.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of our audiences,

artists and team is our upmost priority, and having listened to advice from the government, and consulted at length with festival artists and LIFT’s trustees, partners and colleagues, it is clear that there is no choice but to postpone.

THE TATE Modern has welcomed nearly 100 million visitors since it was first officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen on May 11, 2000 – but the venue has closed its doors along with the rest of the Tate galleries up and down the country, with no indication if they will be open in time for the 20th anniversary celebrations.

On May 11 2020, Tate Modern was set celebrate two decades of its opening. The day is slated to feature a dedicated programme of displays and performances across the museum – including the return of Louise Bourgeois’ iconic giant spider – as well as the opening of a special exhibition dedicated to the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

One of a host of national attractions to close it’s doors during this unprecedented time a statement from organisation said: “For over 120 years we have been welcoming people to our galleries to enjoy great art from around the world. However, the welfare of our visitors and staff must always come

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This year’s festival of hip hop dance theatre was set to feature unparalleled line-ups of both local and international performances.

Offstage, as with previous years Sadler’s Wells would have been transformed to feature dance workshops, graffiti, DJs and freestyle sessions spilling out all over the building.

SENSATIONS

Showcasing local talent alongside global sensations, international artists on the line-up included South Korea’s gravity-defying Jinjo Crew – the first to achieve Grand Slam status after five major international wins - and French hip hop company Géométrie Variable, who explore the popping technique of tutting with a style resembling the inner mechanics of a timepiece.

Jonzi D added: “Massive big ups to The Voice newspaper for your support over the years!

“For more information and updates please check breakinconvention.com”

INCLUSION

“We wish to thank every member of our team, and our coproducers and co-presenters, collaborators, and creatives for the enormous amount of time, and work they have invested in this year’s festival, and our audiences for their support to date.

“LIFT is a festival that stands for inclusion and for community and in these uncertain times, we will do all we can to support the artistic sector in the UK, as well as international artists all over the world.”

Kanu added: “We look forward to returning in 2021 to bring you a festival of extraordinary and ground-breaking experiences when, we hope, these challenging times are far behind us.”

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first. That’s why we are closing Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives until May 1, 2020.

“We will be reviewing this and keep you updated.

“Now more than ever, art can lift our spirits, brighten our days and support our mental health.

So whilst our galleries are shut, we’ll be sharing some ideas for how you can still enjoy the best of Tate online.”

The organisation has pledged to contact all visitors who have purchased tickets for cancelled or postponed exhibits.

The statement concluded: “Thank you for your support – we don’t know yet when galleries will reopen, but we look forward to welcoming you back when they do.”

www.voice-online.co.uk

APRIL 2020

Dance

THE VOICE | 45

Lifestyle

‘IT FEELS REALLY EXCITING’

Kwame Asafo-Adjei speaks about his motivation, his work – and how creatives must continue to shatter boundaries both on stage and in the real world

BY JOEL CAMPBELL

K

WAME ASAFO-ADJEI along with Catrina Nisbett was due to be performing Family Honour at the now-postponed Breakin’ Convention in London and on tour across the UK this summer.

Usually an unmissable date in the annual hip hop calendar, Breakin’ Convention was due to take place on May 2 and 3, with Asafo-Adjei then embarking on a national tour until June 6.

Sadler’s Wells associate artist and Breakin’ Convention artistic director, Jonzi D spoke of his excitement of the booking ahead of the announcement of the cancellation.

He said: “Spoken Movement’s Kwame Asafo-Adjei uses popping and krump vocabulary in narratives that trace his Ghanaian roots, exploring environmental issues, and themes of family and race.

“His choreography has developed into something potent and unflinching.”

Despite the disappointment, Lifestyle caught up with the creative, pictured right, to talk about what it meant to him to be working with the Festival at such close quarters throughout 2020.

Lifestyle: How does it feel to be chosen to tour the UK? Kwame Asafo-Adjei: It feels really exciting, a crucial part

of my journey is taking part in their artistic development programme “back to the lab”.

Being here is another check point for the company to really spread awareness for the work.

dation Spoken Movement was built off in 2010.

L: Family Honour, the piece you’ve created and are performing with Catrina Nisbett is a powerful work. Can you tell us more about it?

“I want the KAA: Family Honour derived from a heated discussion beaudience to tween my father and sister. it take whatever was just a memory until I made they want from it physical. the piece but to TABOO Although I had to alter the stoleave with a ryline in order to make it more sense of interesting and theatrical so I my father a priest when understanding” made in actual fact he works with a L: For background, tell us how, when and where Spoken Movement formed. How did you meet Jonzi D and become part of the Breakin’ Convention family?

KAA: Prior to all this, I spent two years isolating myself with training using the knowledge I had acquired over the years.

I had just left the Far From The Norm company, and was able to find my voice in these two years, having danced for some years prior to this.

It was this particular process that really allowed me to speak volumes within the movement.

Luckily I was facilitated by Southbank Centre, located in Waterloo.

Spoken Movement was then formed alongside two dancers I was working with at the time, Shanika Wallace and Shakeera Patterson. This was the foun-

bank. The last conversation between a father and daughter, before the daughter is abandoned due to a taboo that she committed.

This format allows the company to explore the religious aspects and domestics that take place in this space. Creating an inception for the audience to quarrel between reality and a mental state was definitely a key point of transition between memories.

This would solidify the thread through the story, looking at corruption, race, gen-

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Kwame Asafo-Adjei’s work focuses on corruption, race and more der, mental health, domestics, and tradition.

L: What might audiences take home with them after experiencing this piece?

KAA: We ask the audience to abandon the analytical perspective, in order for them to digest the work with a guttural response.

Ta k i n g home a sense of self-reflection a n d opening the

question of where I stand in all of this? I want the audience to take whatever they want from the piece but to leave with a sense of compassion and understanding.

SUPPORT

L: Spoken Movement have won some awards, I’m sure Voice readers would like to hear about how well one of our finest UK hip hop dance crews is doing, both here and abroad, over to you: KAA: Last year Spoken Movement accomplished the goals that were set for the company.

Not to sound overconfident in any way but I told my company members we would win Rotterdam International Dance Choreographic Competition, Copenhagen International Cho-

reographic Competition, Dans Elargie, Paris competition and many more.

We accumulated quite a bit of financial support and continue to grow in that aspect as well as through the artistry. Winning these competitions was an eye-opener of what the company was capable of, what our audience is for this work and that anything is possible with hard work and a good team.

I realised how hard it was to break boundaries in the UK, due to them not willing to take risky work but once I achieved success abroad, suddenly the door began to open, which I found quite interesting. Moving forward, we have a new production out this year in Rotterdam theatre in conjunction with RIDCC, which will tour next year.

No plans to cancel Carnival – yet

PARTY TIME: Planning for NHC is still in ‘full swing’, organisers say

ORGANISERS OF Notting Hill Carnival have reassured the public that there are no plans to cancel Europe’s biggest street party.

In a statement posted on their social media accounts, Notting Hill Carnival Ltd said: “We wish to assure you that planning for NHC 2020 continues to be in full swing.

“After recent consultation with our strategic partners, there are still no plans to cancel.Carnival has faced many challenges in its 50 plus year history and Carnivalists have always shown resilience.

Of course it is necessary to adapt to the uncertainty we are all experiencing,

as government advice can change at any time.”

Organisers said that they are hopeful that the situation in the UK will have improved by June.

More than a million people attend the carnival which takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

“We are taking the necessary safety measures to ensure our team is able to continue the necessary work required to deliver London’s iconic community-led event once again, whilst at the same time planning for every eventuality,” Notting Hill Carnival Ltd said.

The confirmation that the celebration

of Caribbean culture will go ahead despite the current coronavirus outbreak has been welcomed by fans of the festivities.

One commenter wrote on Instagram: “Please keep this going. I hope that if we do come out of this by June that this will be one big celebration to celebrate life and to not take things for granted and to just remember to be kind!” Another said: “If carnival gets cancelled, 2020 gets cancelled, that will be the final straw.”

A string of festivals this year have already been cancelled, including Glastonbury, which organisers have said will be postponed until June 2021.

46 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Lifestyle

Health

BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY W

ITH A big focus on health and immunity in our community in the moment, it’s important to give your body a helping hand. If you’re not nourishing your body the way you should be, you’re likely to be more at risk of falling ill. One of the reasons we catch colds and flus and other serious viruses* is because our immune system is low. Stress is another cause of the common cold and flu like symptoms, which can cause a weakened immune system.

Adequate rest is one of the first things you’re told to do in a bid to boost your immune system.

Here we suggest steps you can take with Lifestyle to help promote your immune system naturally.

Chantelle

Natural immune boosters

Ginger, one of natures top anti-inflammatories, is known for it highly beneficial healing properties.

It is incredible for digestion and reduces pain and swelling.

Ginger as well as an anti-inflammatory, is antiseptic and an antioxidant. For cold and flu specifically, ginger contains chemicals called sesquiterpenes, which target upper respiratory viruses, such as the common cold. Ginger soothes the stomach and throat, has properties to suppress a cough, and is considered a natural pain and fever reducer. Also works in clearing nasal passages when inhaled.

Turmeric is also anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and an antiseptic. It’s active ingredient, curcumin, is responsible for reducing cancer tumour growth, treating arthritis and joint pain, clearing respiratory infections, easing coughs, and improving overall immunity.

Cayenne pepper is an anti-irritant, anti-cold and flu and anti-fungal. It helps with digestion, prevents blood clot formation, relieves joint

pain, prevents migraines and is a powerful spice used in the treatment for colds and flus.

Capsaicin, the main component is known for its healing action.

Cayenne can reduce fever by bringing your body temperature down. Also a great way to clear mucus from the body.

Manuka honey is antiviral, antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal. It’s important to get a good quality honey so that you can reap the full benefits. A great way to add some flavour, to your tea. Try these two immune-boosting recipes at home...

• 1 cup water • ¼tsp raw, grated turmeric or organic turmeric powder • ¼tsp raw, grated ginger • Dash-¼tsp cayenne powder • ½-1tbsp organic manuka honey Cold and flu shot: • 1 tablespoon of honey • Juice of 1 lemon • Juice of one orange • 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic • 1 teaspoon of fresh garlic

relieve symptoms and can speed up recovery.

Elderberries This powerful natural antioxidants, is a natural source of vitamin C. Elderberry is a powerful fruit shown to ‘de-activate’ viruses, helping to stop them spreading through the body.

It is also said to help the immune system in a similar way to echinacea. Try Pukka Elderberry & Echinacea Organic Herbal Fruit Tea, £10.

• Pinch of cayenne pepper • Pinch of salt • ¼ teaspoon of turmeric • Pinch of black pepper • 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar • 1 table spoon of hot water

Eat right Echinacea The echinacea plant can be particularly helpful for fighting infections of the respiratory tract. It may have a preventative action but also helps to

Mushrooms There are approximately 400 species of fungi with medicinal properties, and many have antiviral, antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory qualities.

Mushrooms are high in beta glucans, a natural substance that fights off infection. Try Pukka Herbs Mushroom Gold, Organic Maitake, Reishi and Shiitake, £17.01, amazon.co.uk * The Voice is not suggesting that any recipe or supplement on this page is likely to reduce chances of contracting Covid-19.

Follow Chantelle on Instagram: @Chantelle_Kimberley, on Twitter: @Chantelle_k1m, or email chantellekimberley14@gmail.com

APRIL 2020

THE VOICE | 47

Lifestyle

Health and wellbeing

BREAKING THE MOULD

Campaigner Kenny Jones says it’s possible for trans men to life their life wholly and apologetically – and that if his scars offend anyone, that’s not his problem...

BY ALEX HOLMES

W

HETHER OR not we are ready for it, it is time to talk to men from all backgrounds and identities to discuss their well-being, mental and spiritual and sexual health, in order to open up the constrictions of toxic masculinity that have kept so many men silent.

Lifestyle had a chat with 25-year-old transgender activist and model Kenny Ethan-Jones during Pride month last year, a time when people across the country, and specific parts of the world, are gearing up to celebrate pride in themselves and their identities.

Transgender people in the UK still face many battles. Many are exposed to violence and are at risk of losing their lives on a dayto-day basis, while other trans people face physical abuse.

A lot of trans people have to justify to others that their identification itself isn’t a mental health issue, but rather they are more likely to experience mental health issues because of the battles they face to be themselves.

A small breakthrough was announced last May when the World Health Organisation declared that it was dropping transgender from its list of mental disorders.

Jones sees it as a welcome step. His transition, like many in his position, wasn’t the easiest.

From coming out as trans to his mum when he was 11, to being bounced from therapist to therapist by the age of 14.

By the time he was 18, he began taking testosterone and at 19 had his top surgery, a double mastectomy to remove the whole breast, and was offered bottom surgery by the age of 21 which he decided against.

His sister wasn’t too keen on the risk and invasion the surgery required including removal of the womb and fallopian tubes followed by a penile implant and more. He said: ‘When I was younger all of the clinics had ‘mental health’ written across the doors. I was 13 when I went to the Tavistock and Portman Trust, which is a specialist mental health centre before I moved to the gender identity clinic at

16. When I got to 16 and began seeing people with what I would call ‘real mental health problems’ it was quite scary. I kept wondering whether people would see me like them. I just didn’t see it as a mental health disorder. I just saw it as my body wasn’t in line with how I felt.

“I think it will be good to have the WHO take transgender off of its mental disorders list and will be good for a younger generation coming through transition so they don’t have to experience as much stigma around

mum had many conversations, saying ‘He’ll come round’.”

“We still had a relationship, but he wanted to ignore the situation and hope it would go away. One day, I went into the car and told him I shaved my head and changed my name.

He didn’t believe me, so I took off my hood and he went crazy.

“But he came around when I had my top half surgery. And saw how happy I was and just hugged me and said he was proud of me.

“He started to gender me correctly and use my chosen name and would correct the family when they got it wrong, and they soon got on board with it.”

LIVING HIS BEST LIFE: Kenny Jones, now 25, first came out to his mum as trans at the age of 11– and since then has become one of the UK’s most influential trans rights campaigners

“My dad came round when I had top CHALLENGE Another challenge that many half surgery. in the transgender community He saw how face is that not everyone in the health service is made aware of happy I was the new identity of the patient – which means trans people are and just not always aware of things that hugged me” could affect them. it as well. You get these letters sent out to you of a briefing of your therapy sessions and seeing that it comes under mental health at such a young age is daunting – you don’t know what’s going on, because doctors don’t tell you, you’re just seeing all this talk about mental health and you start to question, ‘am I mentally ill’?”

Being transgender is not a mental illness. The effects of these stigmas in society, however, contribute to poor mental health in the community.

Family life was strained. He told his mum when he was 11 about his identity, and both his mum and sister accepted him and wanted him to be happy.

It was his dad that was harder to convince.

He said: “My dad wasn’t supportive at all.

“He is Jamaican, born and raised in Kingston.

It’s not his fault, but that’s the way the culture shaped him, so I couldn’t blame him.

Me and my

For example, at the age of 25, women in the UK are put forward for smear tests to screen them against cervical cancer. Jones is 25 years old and hasn’t had his bottom half surgery, which includes restructuring his female reproductive system to align with his identity, yet he wasn’t made aware that he would need a smear test.

He said: “My doctor didn’t know to tell me since they didn’t ask the question, they didn’t know how much surgery I had.

My sister told me.

“Those kinds of things need to be on file because if my sister didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t have known. I feel for people who don’t live in London because there are so many resources here, from places in Soho.”

B u t even in London, Kenny feels people don’t really u n -

derstand what it’s like living as trans.

“I had an incident where I passed out, the paramedics came and my flat mate was asked if I was on any medication and they said I was on testosterone.

“When they asked why and my flatmate said I was transgender, the paramedics automatically started calling me ‘she’.

“They just didn’t understand.

To not get something as simple as pronouns right, never mind what you are getting wrong.

“Ten years ago, I would have cried. But there’s so much that needs to change as this is baseline care.”

Jones had to manage being trans throughout school and college, with people persistently misgendering him.

“As I got older I started to get really angry, and lash out at people because I just got sick of it.

“I think from the age of sixteen to 18 I couldn’t go to a house party without somebody turning around and saying, ‘That’s a girl’ for two years straight.

“It got to the point where my friends got sick of it, and I was just going there to have a good time like everybody else. I’ve always been quite attractive so I’ve always attracted girls and the guys got jealous of that.”

Jones took to saying he had a twin sister so that he could escape their questions.

CAMPAIGN

Jones took part in a campaign with men’s wellness brand, Manual, during Mental Health Awareness Week in 2019 called Men of Manual that looked at body image.

Manual is a men’s wellness platform exploring the experiences of man through mental and physical health, as well as addressing common concerns around erectile dysfunction, hair loss and body image.

For Jones, he had to undergo a huge shift in physical identity to become the person he wanted to be. He said: “I hated my body. I wouldn’t look at my body for years pre-transition.

“I looked in the mirror and

said, ‘That’s not me’. The closer surgery day came, I was so excited. As soon as I got the surgery done I felt myself, but it wasn’t until I went topless that I felt self-conscious again.

“Everyone started to look at my scars, but then after a while I just said “I don’t care”, at that’s your problem if you have a problem with my scars.

“I realised that by me wearing these scars were a visual representation of me being trans without even having to speak.

I love my scars, they are a part of my story and journey to this point and represent the courage of my community.”

And what courage it has taken to live a life that can truly represent the fullness of who you are.

Alex ‘Reads’ Holmes is a writer, podcaster and coach. His book, Time to Talk: How Men Feel About Love, Belonging and Connection, is set to be released next year.

48 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

APRIL 2020

THE VOICE | 49

Lifestyle

Enterprise

THE KING OF CLEANING When the recession hit the high street hard, Curtis Francis-Small saw a perfect opportunity...

BY JOEL CAMPBELL

C

LEANING HOMES is one of the foremost endeavours being exercised in homes up and down the country as the Coronavirus outbreak spawns new universal standards of hygiene practises – but for one business owner, getting rid of the rubbish has been the foundation of his company for a decade.

Curtis Francis-Small, 39, fell into his role as head of Capital Waste Ltd following a stint in his 20s as a ‘white van delivery driver’.

A chance opportunity to get rid of some rubbish from one of the many Woolworths stores, which had been acquired by new owners following the high street favourite’s collapse, exposed him to the lucrative trade of selling metal.

Seeing a chance to change gears, Francis-Small ditched his seat in the van for a much more comfortable one in an office where he could build a company that were specialists in clearing rubbish and waste from homes and commercial businesses.

Paying attention to detail, Francis-Small also said it wasn’t enough just to offer a top notch service when he started, he also wanted to be responsible and felt it was incumbent upon his company to ensure they guaranteed that over 90 per cent of the waste removed was recycled.

At their height so far in the 10 years that Capital Waste has been in business they have grown to the third-largest waste removal firm in London.

Having diversified their portfolio of services since their inception which now sees them

offer strip-out and demolition services and asbestos removal, Francis-Small said he felt dutybound to share his story on how a young black man and married father of four from east London built a business many wouldn’t even dream of considering.

Lifestyle: Talk about the core of what Capital Waste offer?

Curtis Francis-Small: The core of what we do is all servicebased and all about providing outstanding service and being better than the others.

As a black man I naturally feel like I have to do double what any one else would have to because I have to outshine. What we do is waste collection, asbestos

“Competition is always healthy and if you see it that way then you overcome it”

services, light demolition and strip-out work. All of those four things compliment each other.

L: Is that how it all started?

CFS: The funny thing is, we started out with removals. Capital Waste really formed out of the recession.

I have a removal company and then the recession hit and everyone stopped moving. We happened to fall into a nice little job, which was from the 99p Store. They had bought three of four Woolworths stores and we took on the removal job.

I priced up the job for all of the things that were in there but when we go there, all we saw was metal.

At that time China was buying metal like no one’s business, so the price was really good.

We were selling the metal and charging the 99p Store for clearing the waste so we were doubling up.

After we sold the metal and finished I just thought, ‘Well, their m o n e y GROWTH: Curtis’ ever-expanding team is waste.

That’s where it all started.

RISK-TAKER: Curtis Francis-Small saw a chance to make cash and grabbed it with both hands

L: This sounds like a classic example of just starting something and then seeing where you end up, but if you don’t start it, you don’t end up anywhere...

CFS: My whole attitude to that is build it and they will come. I don’t know where that saying same from but I use it throughout my journey in business.

When I say that I mean, I bought the van, work came for the van.

I bought two vans, work came for two vans. That’s how I have continued to do it.

L: Talk about the growth, evolving from the early business model into what we see today?

CFS: When you’re in the waste game people ask for things and a lot of people asked me if we did asbestos.

POLICIES

All I did was investigate how to get rid of asbestos what certificates do we need to get, what red tape I need to cross, what policies I need I be aware of and that’s all it was. Once you’ve got it you’ve got it and then you are open to do something else. It sounds simple and it really is, but people make it more complicated than it needs to be.

They say, ‘You need this and that’ and yeah, you do, but cross every bridge as it comes.

L: It’s a competitive area of business – did you take that into consideration or did you just plough ahead?

CFS: No, competition was at the forefront of my mind. Competition is always healthy and if you see it that way then you always overcome it.

My concern about the competition was how can I be better, even if it was just that little but better. It started out with making sure we swept up after ourselves. In the waste game there is a stigma about the type of people who do the job and fly tipping, that sort of thing.

With me, I was giving out waste transfer certificates, we were sweeping up after ourselves, taking before and after pictures and doing the little niggly extras in order to better ourselves.

L: What have been some of the stumbling blocks or difficulties along the way?

CFS: Cash flow and staff. You’re not going to get to where I am without having those problems.

Give thanks that I had my mum – she believed in me and bailed me out a couple of times.

There was a situation where I did take on a job which was bigger than me and I ended up losing £45,000.

I was ready to give up, it was a blow, a big blow.

At that time I was operating on one or two trucks and about five members of staff but I had drafted in others and in order not to tarnish my name I ensured everyone who worked on that job got paid. But I took a big hit.

It was one of my biggest lessons. That was seven years ago, the same year I had my twin daughters who were born prematurely. There was a lot happening.

L: When you look forward, what do you expect from yourself?

CFS: I look for more stability now. I am looking to build the business in a way where I have options. Whether I want to sell it or hand it over to the family I’m not sure. That’s where I am at the moment.

GROWING

We’re growing rapidly year on year, mostly because our retention is good. But what I want to do is slow down a bit, which sounds a bit mad, but I want to retain that service-based standard that we have always been known for. It’s growing into a beast, but I have to tame it a bit.

L: What would you say to young black men out there who walk past rubbish daily and wouldn’t ever consider picking it up and starting a business?

CFS: The thing I want to get across young black men like myself, or any one really, is that we live in London, it’s a hub for the whole entire world, it’s a major city.

If you live here there is money available to go an earn.

Don’t just think about the normal barbershop or the Caribbean restaurant – think outside the box. There is always something else. One, it’s good to have a trade, no one can take a trade away from you, that’s the first thing.

Not only that, though – even if you don’t have trade there are so many other things you could be doing, just keep thinking and don’t think that you can’t do it.

Finally, never be afraid of competition.

Catch the full video interview at voice-online.co.uk

50 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Young Voices

Tech event teaches girls how to change the world Microsoft’s flagship Oxford Street store opens its doors to youngsters to offer advice, inspire ideas and help children think about how the computing world can be sustainable

BY ALANNAH FRANCIS

T

HE THREE-STOREY flagship Microsoft store on Oxford Street recently partnered with UK schools and teachers to host a programme of workshops to help 12-13 year old girls get their ideas off the ground and introduce them to some of the most creative, hightech careers in the world.

The students took part in a coding exercise where they were tasked with creating a technological solution to a realworld problem with a focus on sustainability.

THOUGHTFUL

A music playing shower timer, water filtration device and animal protection gadget were among the creative and thoughtful ideas that the girls taking part came up with.

The week-long programme was part of DigiGirlz, Microsoft’s global initiative to engage young girls with tech and equip them with skills that encourage them to get enthusiastic about the industry.

Research by the tech giant found that by age 15, young European girls have often lost their excitement around science, technology, engineering and maths.

Kaltuma, one of the students who took part in last week’s DigiGirlz programme said she found the day “really, really fun and inspirational”.

“The work that we did...it was really, really fun and my group made this water filtration thing called the water p o r t e r, ” Kaltuma told The Voice.

Reflecting on the day as a whole, Kaltuma, who wants to be an engineer when she’s older, said: “It’s a great way to talk to people and socialise and use technology at the same time.

“We learnt that everyone can do tech and it was a really fun way to explore.”

“The day itself is so much more than just coding.

Number one is that they have fun” Rayan, another pupil, pictured below, said the day had encouraged her to think about working in tech. “I’ve learned more about how technology can change the world and be sustainable,” she said.

Itrat Kazmi, computer science teacher at Swakeleys School for Girls, was enthusiastic about the impact the programme had had on her students.

Kaszmi told The Voice: “It’s opening it up to them and really making them realise there’s so much for them to kind of pursue a career in and it’s not just the whole coding and that’s it.

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION: One Microsoft worker talks to youngsters about the benefits of modern technology “A couple of the girls I was talking to wanted to go into medicine but they’ve kind of seen that they can actually go into medicine with the link of technology.

“I think you need things like this from time to time to really inspire you.”

IMPACT

Inspiring girls and opening their eyes to the opportunities that exist is exactly what the programme exists to do, Sahar Erfani, community development specialist, Microsoft, said.

“The impact that it has is the opportunity for them to get hands on, engage with coding activities, get them to develop those STEM skills but also be exposed to a network with females who are living and breathing that currently. So it’s just an opportunity for them to,

@thevoicenewspaper

in the future, make informed decisions about future careers, or higher education or further education opportunities as well,” said Sarah, right.

She added: “The idea that we’d like them to take away is that the possibilities and the opportunities are endless and it’s about them having exposure to different females or different job sectors or different areas of technology that t h e y p e r haps might n o t have been

@thevoicenews

exposed to before that they now have that understanding or perhaps a seed has been planted.”

“The day itself is so much more than just coding. The Digi Girlz programme has

voicenews

been running for about 20 years globally.

“Number one is that they have fun. So the idea is that they are not only learning something but they’re having fun at the same time which is absolutely the best way to kind of really cement those skills and that learning that’s taken place.

“Also so they can then discover that for themselves in their own time and also for them to understand that women are already doing this.

“There are incredible female inventors or incredible females who have been involved in technology for such a long time but perhaps they’ve not been shown that for various reasons in school so this is there chance to kind say well actually, no there are incredible women who’ve come before me and I can be one of those.

www.voice-online.co.uk

APRIL 2020

THE VOICE | 51

Young Voices

Young Voices

Youngsters inspired by sport Event explores a wealth of opportunity

T

HE INNOVATIVE Amos Bursary recently gathered over 100 students, mentors and guest supporters for an evening of inspirational speakers, discussions and networking at the Schroders office in central London.

The Amos Bursary aims to ensure talented men of Afro-Caribbean descent have the opportunity to excel in education and beyond. Currently,

the Amos Bursary has 107 students, 60 alumni, 40 associates and over 250 mentors.

This event was entitled The Business of Sport. With products, brands, customers, revenues and expenses, debt, lenders and capital costs, people, policies and processes, sport is a big business.

Through the sponsoring of sports teams and events, the world’s biggest brands demonstrate the power of globally

reaching sports in the business world. Sports also have customers: season ticket buyers, casual fans, broadcast viewers, broadcast and corporate partners, community partners, website visitors and social media followers. The purpose of the session was to give Amos Bursary students and guests insight into the world of sport.

IMPACT

The organisers wanted attendees to leave with a better understanding of the impact sport can have and how many opportunities exist for young people.

The event began with student introductions and Amos Bursary updates. Thereafter guest speakers took centre stage.

Rob Tate, governance manager at UK Sport, Sarah Ebanja, chief executive of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, Rodney Hinds, sports editor of The Voice and Philip Jacobson, advertising manager at Nike all spoke prior to a Q and A session.

@thevoicenewspaper

EXPLORING OPPORTUNITIES: Youngsters at the event speak to one of the many aiming to share their wisdom; left, few chairs were available for talks by figures in the sports industry

@thevoicenews

voicenews

www.voice-online.co.uk

Notice to our valued readers re: COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

The Voice team want to reassure you that whilst we are ‘open for business as usual’, we are following the advice of government and putting the safety of our employees and readers first.

The April issue of the Voice will be available from all usual outlets across the UK from 26th March 2020.

You can also download the latest monthly print issues from our website for £2.50. (visit us at: www.voice-online.co.uk) If you are unable to get a copy of The Voice, you can buy a subscription package and it will be delivered directly to your door every month. It is easy and convenient. Simply call us on 0207 510 0340 or go online to place your order. Special cost £30 for 12 issues.

We encourage you to also visit us online daily for the latest community news and updates.

Please stay safe and well.

The Voice Team

APRIL 2020

Lifestyle

Music

THE AFROBEATS CORNER

Every month DLA will be bringing you all you need to know about Afrobeats as well as a DJ Abrantee-inspired playlist

F

OR OVER a decade, Afrobeats music has evolved and tantalised the UK clubs, festivals, streets, television, radio and even graced the charts with big hits by Fuse ODG, Dbanj, NSG, Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy. A wave spearheaded by popular radio DJ and presenter, Abrantee who took a gamble with his reputation when he pitched the idea of launching a brand new specialist show, aptly entitled Afrobeats to his bosses at Choice FM (now Capital Xtra) in 2010.

A gamble that not only saw the DJ, Afrobeats music and the radio station trending on social media for the first time when it first launched and throughout the life of the show.

TRAJECTORY

The gamble that would change the musical trajectory for the next decade and inspire a new generation of Afrobeats stars, artists, DJs and platforms liberating and exposing the genre to new audiences across the globe.

Afrobeats music, a hybrid of Afrobeat, created by the late Fela Anikulopo Kuti and mottled

by Tony Allen in the ‘70s.

The umbrella terms is an amalgamation of beats and various contemporary sounds coming out of the US, UK and Africa; in particular, west and east African countries with Ghana and Nigeria as the principal infiltrators where the artists have taken their music beyond the continent by collaborating with some of the biggest stars in the world.

However, the launch pad and testing ground for the genre

ON TO A GOOD THING: Falz’ new track ft.

Ms Banks is one not to be missed

THE VOICE | 53

was the UK. With London being one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world and third largest music market in the globe, it could be said that it was inevitable the genre would be just as popular here as it was in Africa.

The idea was born out of frustration and experimentalism by UK-based African entertainers

“A lot of artists have had to give up on the UK at some point to return to their homeland” desires to be part of the mainstream music industry but also representing and connecting with their roots.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing however.

A lot of artists have had to give up on the UK at some point in order to return to their homeland to launch their careers.

During the early part of this century there was a lack of support, professional representation, marketing budgets, understanding and acceptance of African styled music which hindered the growth of Afrobeats.

By mid 2005 however, successful club nights and promoters in London including Carbon, Night Moves, Cokobar, 90 per cent, Akwabaa, DJ Abass, DJ KC plus others encouraged the burgeoning scene onto the

DOMINATING: Sensational Davido hits the stage; below left, Nigerian hitmaker Burna Boy next level providing the young African diaspora with regular music events and parties where the raw, undefined music could be heard.

Terrestrial and community stations like Colourful Radio, Voice of Africa, Hot FM, Ben Television and OBE would feed the hunger of African listeners and occasionally invite African artists to be interviewed, promoting their music and enabling the audience to put a face to the names of the people who sang their favourite track. Nigerian Artists often referred to their music as Naija Beats, Hiphop, Afropop, R’n’B, but never Afrobeats, and the Ghanaian Artists found took

occupation in Hiplife, Reggae, Dancehall, Hiphop; however, getting on to mainstream and commercial arena was the goal in order for growth, financially and globally.

HISTORY

Over the next few months in the Afrobeats corner DJ Abrantee will breakdown the history and impact of defining, branding, commercialising, marketing and positioning of what we know and celebrate today as Afrobeats.

Instrumental in breaking and championing Afrobeats in the

UK, radio presenter and club DJ, Abrantee, pictured inset left, presents his top Afrobeats picks of the month.

Whether you are a seasoned lover of Afrobeats or new to the genre, you will definitely find a treat in this selection we’ve provided, right.

We are expecting some big and incredible new Afrobeats Albums in the latter part of 2020 from the some of the women dominating the scenes including Yemi Alade, Tiwa Savage, Teni, May7ven, Seyi Shay which we will review in The Afrobeats Corner.

Abrantee’s top 10 Afrobeats...

1. Burna Boy – Secret ft.

Jeremih & Serani 2. Zlatan – Unripe Pawpaw Ft. Oberz, Papisnoop, Jamopyper 3. Davido – 1 Milli 4. Mayorukun – Geng 5. Darko – Juicy Ft. Hardy Caprio 6. Stonebwoy – Good Morning Ft. Chivv, Spanker 7. Shatta Wale – Chacha Ft. Militans 8. Sinzu – Zanku Zu Ft. Zltan 9. Niniola – Omo Rapala 10. Kwams & Flava - Enjoyment Ft, DJ Tunez

Falz and Ms Banks link up for new Afro-fusion anthem

By Chemaine Myers A SENSATIONAL link up, one of Africa’s biggest stars Falz has teamed up with UK rap queen Ms Banks on their brand-new collaboration Bop Daddy.

With over 69 million video views to his name and accolades which include BET Viewers Choice Award for Best International Act, Falz has been a major hit in Nigeria and throughout

Africa and now makes his huge introduction to the UK with one of the very best British artists out there.

The two together blend Falz’ jiggy lyrics, bouncy flow and Ms Banks’ unstoppable savvy bars to deliver a smash Afro-fusion hit.

The decorated entertainer has four award-winning solo albums to his name and quickly established himself at the top of Africa’s elite performers through his incredible work as a musical artist, accompanied by his six

million-plus followers on Instagram.

Collaborations with the likes of Patoranking, Yemi Alade, Olamide and Davido sit alongside smash releases including This Is Nigeria and Soldier whilst on the live circuit he has sold out numerous headline shows, including a UK tour along with venues across Paris, Canada, North America and Lagos’ premiere venue, The Eko Hotel Convention Centre – so Falz stands firm as an artist that can’t be passed by.

As for Ms Banks, her rise to the top

of the UK hitlist has been unmissable.

Friends and collaborator with the likes of Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, her onslaught of music has seen the south-Londoner become one of the UK’s most popular rap stars over the last 12 months after hits such as Bad B Bop, Snack and Back It Up. Produced by CHILLZ and with all the sauce provided, Bop Daddy is an instantly infectious number that places Falz with the hottest names out right now.

54 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

This is Brukout!

by Seani B

Buju Banton’s back – and with a fresh perspective

Following his release from prison and incredible Long Walk To Freedom comeback show, the dancehall hero’s return is long overdue – and it’s clear we need him more than ever...

A

S A broadcaster with nearly two decades of national radio experience, there are very few situations that make me feel awkward, unstable or anxious.

Sometimes these emotions are the ones that can bring the best out of you – they challenge what you think you can or can’t do, and can extend one to places that you have never been before or were too afraid to approach.

I have recently had one of these exact moments.

WHERE HE BELONGS: Buju says he is thankful to be back in the studio

FOREFRONT

Over the last few months, my team and I have been quietly negotiating the opportunity of interviewing a man who has been at the forefront of the reggae and dancehall scenes since he was 17 years old.

Despite his 10-year hiatus, the popularity of his return in 2019 was proved beyond doubt with a sold out 35,000 strong crowd who congregated at the National Stadium in Kingston to witness his historic Long Walk To Freedom show which heralded a triumphant re-emergence onto the global stage.

That man is Buju Banton.

Once it was confirmed that the interview would take place, my thoughts turned to the enormity of the task in hand.

I have always been a Buju fan and his career and musical output has served as the soundtrack to much of my life.

With all of the focus being on him since his release from prison in December 2018 coupled with a noticeable absence in the media spotlight from the man himself this meant the forthcoming conversation had an even greater significance.

We had arranged to spend two days in the company of each other to complete the interview – the first was a chill day, where I got to listen to his forthcoming album in the surroundings of the Gargamel

Music Studios on his property in Kingston.

As we entered to park up, a tall, imposing character shuffled his way over to greet us – it was Buju.

Holding court at his home base, he strode over to welcome us to his world.

“Seani B, welcome to Carlisle, welcome to Gargamel Music,” he enthused, hand outstretched to welcome me.

The warmth and hospitality didn’t stop there – Buju made it clear to us that we were “at

home”, and extended every courtesy. This settled me down straight away.

In what was a cool, clear

ball (Man United were demolishing Club Brugge 5-0 and many people know how rowdy it can get when Caribbean

“I come from an era where you respected the artists that came before” breezy Kingston afternoon, we sat down and reasoned on everything from music to foot-

@thevoicenewspaper

people are watching competitive sport!).

His humility, humour and

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measured thought on life meant that I knew our “interview” would actually be a frank and honest conversation between two people with broad opinions and views. I couldn’t wait for it to unfold!

However before our chat came yet another highlight – Buju had agreed to perform an exclusive five track session with The Shiloh Band for my radio show.

Quite a capture considering he had never done a radio session in his entire career.

voicenews

We arrived at Penthouse Studios to capture the session – by the time we rolled in the band were ready and locked in place. Within a few moments, in strides Buju, ready to work.

EXCELLENCE

What followed was a masterclass in excellence and craftmanship at work.

Buju and the band effortlessly glided there way through the five tracks all in one take.

Then came the time for the playing to stop and the talking

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APRIL 2020

THE VOICE | 55

Lifestyle to start. I began by asking Buju to recall how he felt On the night of that mesmeric return show a year ago.

“I felt peace and love,” he said calmly. ”I didn’t feel any nerves I just wanted to give the people a great show and some good music.”

So after coming back to Jamaica from a decade long exile, what was his impression of the scene he had walked back in on?

“Things haven’t moved as they should have – the young artists need to see the business as a business and not a hustle.

“You can have all the infrastructure of management,

“I respect the younger ones, but we need to help them move forward and develop the industry” agents and so on, but it all begins with the artist.”

The passion on display for the genre he is in is very evident. The term is always “us” rather than “me” – his outlook seems to be based on a sense of teamwork and collective responsibility rather than a solo task.

It is that collective, community approach that definitely separates Buju from many of his counterparts.

It would have been easy for him to ride the crest of the wave about him and ride on the adulation but he maintains that there are some old school morals and principles that need to return to dancehall.

“I come from an era where you respected the artists who came before you.

“Those who made it possible for you to do what you love. If you went to a dance you would ask the gateman which artist was there and go and pay the due respect before finding your own corner. That doesn’t exist now.”

He added: “I also come from an era where you had to prove yourself week in, week out. You had to write new lyrics every week because when you travelled with the sound system you were never sure who was going to be in the dance that

may have come to last week’s event – you can’t just do over the same lyrics.

“That hones your writing ability. You have to have the skills to ride whatever riddim is put in front of you. Now, certain DJs say, ‘That’s not my riddim, gimme something else’ – I’m dismayed at that. What does that mean?

“You should have the ability to ride any riddim put in front of you – that is a key component that is missing right now.”

GOLDEN

Harking back to the golden era of dancehall is something Buju revels in, and it’s clear to see why when he reels off the names that inspired him.

“Take a Lieutenant Stitchie, or Admiral Bailey, or Shabba Ranks and who could forget the great Major Worries – he was the one that everyone borrowed a piece of his style!”

He understands the arrogance of youth, and admits to having much of that in his younger days.

“I respect the younger ones, because we were once like that, but it’s important that we help them to move forward and develop the industry,” he says in an impassioned tone.

The growth and development of social media is a noticeable change in the period he was away.

His new single, Trust, pretty much let it be known where he stands on the confidentiality of the mobile device, but what does he think of the general social media boom?

BACK WITH A VENGEANCE:

After a 10-year hiatus, Buju Banton is well and truly back on the scene. Clockwise, from above, performing with The Shiloh Band in his Kingston studio; chilling with Seani for Radio 1Xtra; Seani, Buju and Buju’s team after the five-track session

RELEVANCE

“I must admit that when I first returned, I couldn’t really understand it or get to grips with it.

“However I grew to learn the relevance and importance of it to the fans and now I want to ensure that when they go to a Buju Banton page, there is something worthwhile to see on it.

“One of the problems we have is that the advent of social media means that people look down on [manual] work.

“They don’t want to be seen cutting or lifting something – instead they want to look clean every day to post online.

“It means we have people who are more interested in destruction than production.”

Trust is produced by Dave Kelly, an absolute legend in this business and someone else who models himself on the morals and principles of a time gone by.

“We come from an era where the producer stays in the background and the manager is invisible – nowadays the producer competes with the art-

ists and the manager wants to out do them both!” he quips.

Real talk.

The forthcoming album has a few surprises, and looks like continuing the musical upwards journey that he was on before his incarceration.

His last album Before The Dawn won the Reggae Grammy in 2010.

EXCLUSIVES

I won’t release the juicy exclusives on the album in this column, but be sure I will update

you on what to expect when the time is right. All in all this was definitely a bucket list item ticked off – it is gratifying to see someone who has achieved so much, and also had some rough times, can still relate to some many elements of his au-

dience base that it gives him a new lease of life.

Big up to Buju and his entire team who made it possible – Latrice, Bianca, Ronnie, Yvette, Joey and David.

Your hard work is appreciated.

32 | THE VOICE DECEMBER 20, 2018 - JANUARY 2, 2019

CLASSIFIED

APRIL 2020

THE VOICE | 57

Lifestyle

Music

Complex Simplicity: Teedra Moses’ classic still relevant Iconic album by American soul and R’n’B artist is now over 15 years old

BY DJ ACE

S

URROUNDING THE re-release of her legendary album Complex Simplicity for its 15th anniversary, Teedra Moses was in London to tour and promote her first project.

While she was here I had the pleasure of hosting an intimate Q&A with the talented songstress.

We spoke about her love for London, the musicality of her children, who inspired fan favourite Backstroke, being an independent artist and more.

In August 2004, Teedra released her debut album Complex Simplicity, which has been making waves in the industry since, 15 years later in September and of 2019 the album was re-released including four new songs.

ICONIC: Teedra Moses’ Complex Simplicity has ‘stood the test of time’; inset left, in conversation with DJ Ace

Despite its undeniably powerful impact, Teedra told the audience that she only realised that she made a ‘classic’ three years ago.

Speaking on being an independent artist ‘before it was

“The first place I heard anyone sing every lyric and melody on Complex Simplicity was at Jazz Café” cool’ she touched on some of the struggles that come with that choice and people being hesitant to give her props because of it. However this didn’t stop her, she saw the album ‘live and grow’ and she soon realised that her music was ‘standing the test of time’.

Nearly two decades later this still remains true.

Despite

her immense success Teedra remains grateful, humble and above all passionate telling the audience that she takes no credit, she was a ‘vessel’ and when it came to the music it ‘just happened’.

One thing that stands out about Teedra is her genuine love for London and her fans, when asked about this she explained: “The first place I ever heard anyone sing every lyric and melody to every song on Complex Simplicity was at Jazz Café.

“London is the place that made me realise I can do this as an artist not just as a writer.”

CANDID

Honest and truly comfortable in her own skin the Q&A felt more like a real, candid and raw conversation between a room of friends.

Asked what inspired Complex Simplicity, Teedra’s answer was beautifully insightful.

She calmly said that it was the ‘direct state of mind and the

direct state of life’ she was in, it was her journey from living in the complex constraints of life to the ‘simpler’ joys of life. It was her transition from, as she describes it, a ‘tricky’ and ‘complicated’ period to ‘living life simpler’ and having the mindset of ‘if it feels good, let it ride’.

Probed by the audience about her life away from music the American shared intimate stories about her personal growth, her children doing music, overcoming the hardest times of her

life, growing from toxic relationships and not knowing anything about the music industry apart from ‘being f***ing Teedra Moses’.

One of the highlights for me was listening to Teedra’s top five tips for when you’re having a low day.

You can check the full interview out on YouTube. Complex Simplicity’s 15th Anniversary edition is out now.

Jah9: ‘The production needed to be dark and disturbing’

‘SELF-THESIS’: Jah9 says her latest co-production is her ‘most collaborative’

JAH9 WAS caught up in Ethiopia during the early days of the Coronavirus outbreak last month, so Lifestyle didn’t get the chance to sit down with the reggae empress to discuss her latest musical offering to the world.

But, nonetheless, her third studio album to date, Note To Self, is an embodiment of this deeply spiritual artists journey thus far.

Sharing an important and timely message with her new video Note To Self (Okay) featuring Chronixx, the title track from her album, Jah9 does her thing over earth tones and weighty dub basslines, the video features scenes of sun-shimmering Jamaican countryside which

interweave with the artists reflective and poignant lyrics meditating on themes surrounding mental health, spiritual guidance and finding inner strength.

“I wanted to show that there was

a consensus about this mantra ‘I’m going to be okay,’ across all the generations,” Jah9 told The Fader.

“This co-production is the most collaborative track I have ever produced, and quite intentionally so.

“It was important to do so because of the nature of the message.

The production needed to be dark and disturbing, the vocals and lyrics to comfort and support.

“My young brothers Iotosh and Runkus were able to build on the direction I envisioned.

“Chronixx was able to add further creative insight that lifted and balanced the mood of the song with his harmonies and words. This vision culminated with the track

being mixed and polished by the legendary Errol Brown and his son Shane Brown. A true team effort.

Humbled and grateful to have been a part of it,” she added.

On Note To Self, Jah9 presents a genre-bending 15-track collection of richly-layered musical compositions that fuse roots reggae, dub, jazz, afrobeat, funk and neo-soul.

The Jamaican musician, who also is a certified yogi, blends her disciplines into a deeply meditative exploration of the self, through what she calls a “self-thesis”.

The album’s potent messages, sonic vibrations and high frequencies energise the mind, body and soul of her listeners.

58 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Lifestyle

Film

From SA to Netflix: Khulekani celebrates series premiere Durban-born filmmaker’s show arrives on the global stage

BY JOEL CAMPBELL

L

ONDON’S METFILM school graduate, Khulekani Zondi, is celebrating after Queen Sono, Africa’s first Netflix original series, premiered worldwide this month.

Zondi edited the series and attributes much of his success to London’s MetFilm School.

Originally a music graduate from Durban, South Africa, he moved to Johannesburg to stay with his sister, to see if he could carve out a career for himself in the music industry.

MEDIUM

His performance credits include working on music for Maroon 5, Seether, One Republic, and Grammy award-winning group LadySmith Black Mambazo.

For extra cash, Zondi had been dabbling with film. The 32-year-old managed to get a few jobs filming weddings and other functions.

He really loved the medium and wanted to know more but wasn’t in a financial position to go to film school.

He said: “I was using the Internet and YouTube to teach myself; I think many filmmakers start that way.”

But even with this lack of experience he was approached by a friend, Ndaba ka Ngwane, to help him make a feature film.

Zondi said: “He came to me

KEEP ROLLING: Khulekani Zondi while shooting Queen Sono; below, with wife Njabulo

because he knew I had a camera, it was as simple as that.”

“It was crazy, we only had my camera. But, we persevered and made Uhlanga (The Mark).

“Uhlanga was critically acclaimed – it won five awards at the International Zanzibar Film Festival including, Best Feature Film, and Best Cinematography

“Coming to London from South Africa, where apartheid is not so far away, it’s not easily forgotten”

at the Africa Movie Academy Awards.

“This was remarkable, my first ever feature film and we won so many awards!”

He added: “I knew that film was my passion and that I needed to know more, so I looked online and I saw that there was an annual scholarship available, Voices That Matter at the MetFilm School in Ealing.

So, I applied.

“The success of Uhlanga gave me the confidence to apply and I was so happy when I heard that I’d won the scholarship, I could never have gone to that school without it – The Voices That Matter Scholar-

ship was a life-changer for me.

I didn’t realise until I got to the school that it was the home of the world-famous Ealing Studios, I told myself that this was a very special place.”

He continued: “Before I started there I was really scared.

“I had never been to London before and coming from South Africa, where apartheid is not so far away, it’s not easily forgotten.

“I wondered whether I would be accepted. ‘You ask yourself because you are a black man will people accept you?’ No-

body cared that I was black, or that I was from South Africa. I met people from all over, from China, Argentina – all were completely focused on making films.

EXPENSIVE

“The thing I should have been scared of was how expensive it is to live in London.

“Everything is expensive – my advice to anyone looking to study away from home would to be to thoroughly understand the exchange rates and all of the costs – including food and accommodation.”

After graduating, Zondi went back to Johannesburg to carve out a future for himself in the African film industry.

He said: ”I did everything I could to get on film sets, I did all sorts of jobs – I didn’t mind being a runner. I just wanted to be close to the industry.

Eventually the spade work took off and I started editing, my first job was for a series called The Mayor, and I did a good job on that so I got more work.

I won a SAFTA for my work on The Bantu Hour .

“I edited a couple of feature

films and then the opportunity to work on Queen Sono came along. I think that the African screen industry is on the cusp of something big, there’s such buzz and we have the ability to tell our stories on large platforms. Stories that haven’t been told before.”

Entries are open for the 2020 Voices That Matter Scholarship, in association with MTV Staying Alive. Visit metfilm school.ac.uk/admissions/ funding-course/voices-thatmatter-scholarship-2020/ for more information.

Soweto Gospel Choir bringing Freedom tour to UK

By Chemaine Myers WINNER OF the 2019 Grammy award for Best World Music Album for their latest album Freedom, a collection of songs which celebrate and commemorate South Africa’s democratic movement’s struggle for freedom, Soweto Gospel Choir now bring their Freedom concert to the UK. The tour, presented by Andrew Kay, will begin on October 11 at Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre and will

run through to November 1.

Hailing from Soweto (South West Township), a town outside Johannesburg and home of Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s democratic movement, the threetime Grammy Awardwinning Soweto Gospel Choir continues to inspire audiences around the world with their powerful blend of African gospel,

freedom songs, and international classics.

Comprising a line-up of South Africa’s best vocalists, these amazing performers have been spreading sheer joy to audiences across the globe for nearly two decades.

The Choir has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in music including U2, Aretha

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Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Robert Plant, Celine Dion, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Josh Groban.In this uplifting and joyous repertoire, the Choir will perform a rousing programme of freedom songs celebrating the life of the father of their Rainbow Nation, Nelson Mandela, as well as international gospel classics, including a spine-tingling take on Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and an extraordinary rendition of Amazing Grace, which has had over 15 million views on YouTube.

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“The Soweto Gospel Choir members are thrilled to return to the UK for the Freedom Tour,” producer Andrew Kay said.

“The group continues to inspire fans worldwide, but the reaction we get from audiences in the UK is unforgettable.

“We hope that our uplifting message of hope, faith, and joy reaches audiences new and old on this special return visit as we celebrate the legacy of the great Nelson Mandela.”

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THE VOICE | 59

Entertainment

Books

TURN A NEW LEAF THIS APRIL

Whether you caught the reading bug on World Book Day or you’re just looking for a new story to get your hands on, Joel Campbell has chosen six books for you to consider this April...

The Second Life of Tiger Woods, written by Michael Bamberger Tiger Woods’s long descent into a personal and professional hell reached bottom in the early hours of Memorial Day in 2017. Woods’s DUI arrest that night came on the heels of a desperate spinal surgery, just weeks after he told close friends he might never play tournament golf again. His mug shot and alarming arrest video were painful to look at and, for Woods, a deep humiliation.

The former paragon of discipline now found himself hopelessly lost and out of control, exposed for all the world to see. That

episode could have marked the beginning of Tiger’s end.

It proved to be the opposite.

Packed with new information and graced by insight, Bamberger’s story reveals how this iconic athlete clawed his way back to the top.

The Residue Years, written by Mitchell S. Jackson Mitchell S. Jackson grew up black in a neglected neighbourhood in America’s whitest city, Portland, Oregon. In the ‘90s, those streets and beyond had fallen under the shadow of crack cocaine and its familiar mayhem. In his commanding autobiographical novel, Mitchell

writes what it was to come of age in that time and place, with a break-out voice that’s nothing less than extraordinary.

Patsy, written by Nicole Dennis-Benn A brave, stirring portrait of a Jamaican woman who leaves her daughter behind for a new life in America.

When Patsy gets her long-coveted visa to America, it s the culmination of years of yearning to be reunited with Cicely, her oldest friend and secret love, who left home years before for the land of opportunity.

Patsy’s plans do not include her young daughter, Tru, whom she

leaves behind in a bittersweet trail of sadness and relief.

This Lovely City, written by Louise Hare With the Blitz over and London reeling from war, jazz musician Lawrie Matthews has answered England’s call for help.

Fresh off the Empire Windrush, he’s taken a tiny room in south London lodgings, and has fallen in love with the girl next door.

Touring Soho’s music halls by night, pacing the streets as a postman by day, Lawrie has poured his heart into his new home – and it’s alive with possibility. Until, one morning, he makes a terrible discovery.

Labelled A Black Villain: and Understanding the Social Deprivation Mindset, written

by Trevor Hercules Trevor Hercules has now updated and added to a work that led to his involvement challenging government ministers and MPs on youth and black crime. Part biography, part critique of the system, part innovative proposals, this book is essential reading at a time of gun, knife and gang crime. Heavily influenced by the author’s thoughts on how a mindset is created in all deprived communities in which ambition, employment, opportunity and advancement are thought impossible – something bound

up with the advantages of the few (and where black people are concerned the shadow of the UK’s colonial past) – he guides readers along the pathways he discovered ‘the hard way’ as a dangerous young offender.

Conversations In Black: On Power, Politics and Leadership, written by Ed Gordon Conversations in Black offers sage wisdom for navigating race in a radically divisive America, and, with help from his mighty team of black intelligentsia, veteran journalist Ed Gordon creates hope and a timeless new narrative on what the future of black leadership should look like and how we can get there.

60 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

What’s on & where

DAYS OUT

EVENINGS OUT

Plonk Crazy Golf (Shoreditch) Plonk Shoreditch has received a complete revamp for 2020.

The venue has expanded on its seven-hole course and now boasts an all-new nine-hole golf course with 10ft volcano hole plus modern pinball machines, classic arcade machines, A truly international CBD table football, board games event, with exhibitors travelling across the world and 4D Pong.

Inside sees a complete for the very first time to overhaul with new decor showcase the very best covering the course and in professional products interior of the space with and services to cater for extended beer offerings you; exclusive to the CBD and cocktails.

Show.

Throughout the year, Trade passes include the trend-setting Plonk two full days, which are will offer golf and 10 game dedicated to industry and tokens for £14.50 per trade professionals only. person, offering hours Join head buyers from of fun at an unbeatable luxury and major retailers, ON TOUR: The magnificent Dreamgirls musical is touring the UK for the first time price. global e-tailers, national A golf and games and European wholesalers, bottomless brunch will also Djam Lecture Theatre, invited special guests and to be returning to the UK distributors, pharmacy be available.

SOAS University of open mic spots. for the 2020 eight-date stores and e-commerce London, 10 Thornhaugh April 30 and July 30 concert tour in October owners.

Street, London, WC1H Doors 8pm and November.

Policy experts, 0XG The Maria, Kicks off on October 29 government officials and Young Vic, at Cardiff Motorpoint Arena councillors will also be Free 66 The Cut, Multiple venues networking at the event.

London, ticketline.co.uk May 1-2 MUSIC SE1 8LZ Various Olympia London, youngvic.org/whats-on/ Hammersmith Road, Cheltenham Jazz Open Wednesdays to shezar-x-singing-soulFly-Kid X The Family London, Festival 2020 Sundays sirens Hiphop, R’n’B Party W14 8UX 5pm – 11pm (Wed, Thu); The Cheltenham Jazz £10 Want to party with your £32.08 Festival returns in May with 5pm – 12am (Fri); kids? DJ Emily Rawson a broad spectrum of world12pm – 12am (Sat), The Four Tops and (BBC 1xtra DJ) and friends Breakin’ Convention class contemporary jazz, 12pm – 10pm (Sun) The Temptations spin kid friendly ‘90s and 2020 – International blues, soul, R&B and pop.

177 Hoxton St, 2020 UK Tour ‘00s hiphop & RnB plus Festival of Hip Hop Set against the picturesque Hoxton, Motown legends The Four hiphop dance lessons, Dance Theatre backdrop of Cheltenham, London Tops and The Temptations themed face painting, It’s back for its 17th year, ‘The Festival Town’, this are returning to the UK games and loads more! the most influential festival N1 6PJ year’s programme once plonkgolf.co.uk in November to perform Good food and drinks of hip hop dance theatre again delivers a balance of From £9 some of their most popular available all day. featuring an exceptional core jazz and mainstream and award-winning songs April 11 line-up of both local and offerings from today’s such as Ain’t No Woman 12noon – 5pm international performances, Israel in Africa: Security, biggest stars, heritage Migration, Interstate and My Girl that continue BALLROOM @ The curated by UK hip hop legends and nextto inspire musicians around Curtain, 45 Curtain Road Politics by Yotam Gidron generation talent, with an theatre legend, Sadler’s the globe.

London, England, EC2A Amidst the turmoil of the Wells Associate Artist and impressive spread of UK The Tamla Motown 3PT Middle East, few have Breakin’ Convention exclusives and special label broke down cultural fly-kid.designmynight. noticed the extent to which commissions in the mix.

Artistic Director, Jonzi D. and social barriers and com Over the weekend, Sadler’s Israel has slowly but surely May 5-10 The Four Tops and The Tickets from £5 to £29 been building alliances on Wells building is Cheltenham Temptations were at the African continent. transformed into an cheltenhamfestivals.com/ the very forefront of that Facing a growing immersive space for hip FESTIVALS jazz/ transformative period. international backlash, hop culture, with dance Tickets on sale 10am Original members Duke Israel has had to look workshops, graffiti, DJs, Supa Dupa Fly x from March 4 beyond its traditional freestyle sessions and Santorini 2020 Western allies for support, YV MUSIC: ShezAr X more.

For the fifth year running, and many African May 2-3 the event is taking its Singing Soul Sirens Performances: Saturday governments in turn have celebration of hip-hop and Kwame Kwei-Armah, and Sunday at 6pm (doors been happy to receive R’n’B and blending it with artistic director of the Israeli political support, at 4pm) four days and nights of Young Vic, has announced security assistance, Sadler’s Wells & Lilian wild parties in some of the these incredible musical investments and Baylis Studio, EC1R world’s most stunning events. Each evening Fakir and Otis Williams, technology. But what do 020 7863 8000 or locations on the paradise will see Hackney-born of the Four Tops and these relationships mean sadlerswells.com island of Santorini. Twelvesoul siren ShezAr and Temptations, respectively, for Africa, and for wider £25 - £40 (£18 hour beach parties, parties her house band headline hold a special place in the geopolitics? concessions); £15 on the edge of a volcano and host an evening of hearts of British fans, and April 29 standing and exclusive villa parties! rip-roaring soul, R’n’B, 7pm – 8pm June 5-9 hip-hop and funk, featuring they are both delighted The CBD Show – Day one and two Business Access

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@thevoicenews

voicenews

Santorini, 40c Dekigala Thira, 847 00 Greece bit.ly/santorini2020 From £69 The Big Feastival The Big Feastival, proudly presented by M&S Food, returns to Alex James’ Farm in the Cotswolds this summer with an incredible line-up. Now in its ninth year the Bank Holiday Weekend extravaganza has become renowned for delivering music of the highest calibre, world-class chefs, award winning street food and an unrivalled programme of family entertainment.

August 28 – 30 Alex James’ Farm near Kingham, Oxfordshire thebigfeastival.com Adult weekend tickets from £159.50

THEATRE Conundrum Crying in the Wilderness Productions presents Conundrum, its debut production as associate company at the Young Vic theatre.

Written and directed by Paul Anthony Morris, this heartfelt drama follows Fidel, played by Anthony Ofoegbu (Barber Shop Chronicles), as he embarks upon a transformational journey to review his past and search for answers about his life.

Featuring live music from esteemed jazz artist Byron Wallen, Conundrum is a dynamic and uplifting production about the tremendous capacity of the human spirit to overcome adversity.

May 9-30 7.45pm, with Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.45pm The Maria Theatre, Young Vic, 66 The Cut, Waterloo, London, SE1 8LZ youngvic.org/whats-on/ conundrum £20, unreserved Dreamgirls Sonia Friedman Productions is delighted to announce further venues and dates for Dreamgirls’ first ever UK tour. Following on from performances in 2020 in Bristol, Milton Keynes, Blackpool, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and

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APRIL 2020

THE VOICE | 61

Please note that in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic, many of these events will be subject to sudden change, postponement or cancellation.

The Voice cannot be held responsible for any such changes — Lifestyle Birmingham, Dreamgirls will continue to tour in 2021 to Sunderland, Hull, Nottingham, Liverpool, Norwich, Canterbury and Leeds. Featuring the classic songs And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going, Listen and One Night Only, this sensational, multi-award winning new production of Dreamgirls had its critically acclaimed West End Premiere in December 2016 at London’s Savoy Theatre, 35 years on from opening on Broadway.

October 2020 – April 2021 Various, check site dreamgirlsthemusical. co.uk

Etti. An unfinished man centres around Kayode, a British-Nigerian man in East London who has been unemployed for seven years.

His wife wants him to seek therapy, but his mother and her pastor believe he has been cursed as a baby in Nigeria and want him to try to break the spell through prayer.

Centring witchcraft and magic alongside the clash between West African and Western attitudes to mental health, An unfinished man explores the interplay of structural racism, patriarchy, and capitalism, and tells a vital story of a young black man in today’s East London.

April 17 – May 16 8pm Monday – Saturday (excluding May 8 – 9), 1pm May 2 The Yard Theatre, Unit 2a Queens Yard, London E9 5EN £10, prices increase as the theatre fills; £5 on the door for U25s; 30 per cent off for local residents with a Yard Local Card

Online What’s On for individual listings WEEK 53 at The Lowry, Salford

The pioneering arts venue has announced nine new commissions and full programme for its interdisciplinary cross-arts festival. The festival for the compulsively curious will bring together new commissions and existing work in performance and Chicken Burger and visual art from worldclass artistic talent. The Chips programme will explore After a sold-out run of the theme of ‘Power’ and his debut play, 32 Peak will challenge, question Street, during Camden and interrogate structures Fringe in 2018, Corey and hierarchies in our Bovell now brings his edgy current social and political and moving one-man landscape, across play Chicken Burger and prescribed gender roles, Chips to the Brockley Jack and in media and culture.

Studio Theatre.

Who has power? Can During the summer power be distributed holidays of 2009 Corey differently? How do dreams of nothing but historic power dynamics to hang around with his ARTS still influence today’s friends while ordering as Battersea Arts Centre realities? Now in its third much Morley’s as possible. Homegrown Festival edition, WEEK 53 takes Until Jodie comes Battersea Arts Centre has along and makes Corey announced the programme over The Lowry for one special week every two realise the changes that for Homegrown Festival years, bringing art and are happening within 2020, an annual performance into surprising his beloved Lewisham celebration of emerging spaces, celebrating Borough. Making Corey, for talent from London’s next innovative artistic work and the first time, think about challenging convention. what path his future takes.

April 24 - May 3 March 10-14 The Lowry Pier 8, The 7.30pm Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ Brockley Jack Studio thelowry.com/about-us/ Theatre, festivals-projects/week-53410 Brockley Road, 2020 London, Free/£10/two for £15 SE4 2DH generation of artists. This brockleyjack.co.uk year the annual festival 0333 666 3366 (£1.75 forms part of Going Global, EXHIBITIONS fee for phone bookings Tarek Iskander’s inaugural The Living Room only) season as artistic director The Living Room is an £16, £13 concessions of Battersea Arts Centre, immersive, sensory focusing on reaching installation exploring An unfinished man outwards and creating the central role of the connections between the domestic living room in our UK and the world at a time lives and the imaginative of national introspection. possibilities of these The unique building will familiar spaces. Facilitator become home to over Katie Duncan worked 20 companies across the with the participants at festival, showcasing the Barons Court Women’s huge range of creative Project over nine months, The Yard Theatre is practitioners currently supporting them to embark delighted to announce making vibrant new work in on a creative journey the premiere of the London. that culminates in this debut play by Channel March 30 – April 9 centrepiece installation.

4 Playwrights’ Scheme Battersea Arts Centre, Many of the objects on Winner and BBC TV Drama Lavender Hill, SW11 5TN display have been created Writers’ Programme 2020 020 7223 2223 by women in the group participant Dipo BaruwaVarious – check Voice and encourage visitors

US House Heroes Line Up for 51st State 2020

NEWSP APER

EVE THE MNT OF ONTH 51st State Festival has revealed its first lineup announcement for 2020, celebrating its sixth year with some of the most defining figures in house music and its associated genres. This year’s truly transatlantic programme is led by a trio of New York’s finest house acts: Stealth boss and Grammy-award winning producer Roger Sanchez will join the Trent Park party alongside

an exclusive London festival performance from preeminent production/remix team Masters at Work as well as Body & Soul (François K, Joe Claussell and Danny Krivit), the trio who transformed a six-year long club night into a global dance staple.

DATE: August 1 TIME: 11am - 10pm LOCATION: Trent Park, London PRICE: £38.50 inc. booking fee

to be playful and curious, engaging with all the possible living worlds contained within the space.

April 3 – 8 7 Uxbridge Road, Shepherd’s Bush, London, W12 8LJ bushtheatre.co.uk/event/ the-living-room From £10

of-all-brent-life/ Toyin Ojih Odutola: A Countervailing Theory Barbican Art Gallery presents the first-ever UK commission by NigerianAmerican artist Toyin Ojih Odutola, a site-specific installation for The Curve.

An epic cycle of new work unfurls across the 90-metre long gallery, exploring an imagined ancient myth The Museum of All Brent conceived by the artist.

Life Renowned conceptual Local memories, stories sound artist Peter Adjaye and myths from Brent has created an immersive will be celebrated in The soundscape in response Museum of All Brent Life to Odutola’s series, which – a living museum taking evolves in dialogue with the place in 10 libraries in 10 narrative. neighbourhoods across Until July 26 the borough: Barham The Curve, Barbican Community Library, Centre Cricklewood Library, 020 7638 8891 Ealing Road Library, Free Harlesden Library, Kensal Rise Library, Kilburn Exhibition at Pitzhanger Library, Kingsbury Library, – Hogarth: London Preston Community Voices, London Lives Library, Wembley Library William Hogarth’s and The Library at remarkable series of Willesden Green. paintings, A Rake’s Opening May 15 Progress, famously Libraries across Brent depicted a morality tale of brent2020.co.uk/ the city and was bought programmes/the-museum- by Sir John Soane to hang

at Pitzhanger in 1802, to inspire and entertain his guests. For the first time in 200 years, it returns as the centrepiece of our next exhibition, reflecting voices and issues in London today.

Until July 19 Tuesday - Friday 10am - 4.30pm / Saturday: 10am - 3pm / Sunday: 10am 4.30pm PITZHANGER MANOR & GALLERY, Mattock Lane, London, W5 5EQ pitzhanger.org.uk/ whatson/exhibitionhogarth-london-voiceslondon-lives £7 (concessions available)

62 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

by Rodney Hinds

Motoring

Car: Vauxhall Corsa Elite Nav Premium 1.5D Price range: £15,750 – £34,160

BACK IN THE GAME

Vauxhall’s fifth-gen Corsa has what it takes to be the best mini on the market

O

NE OF the United Kingdom’s best-selling superminis has well and truly grown up.

The latest version of this family favourite is now big and bashy – and now has the ability to attract many more potential buyers.

When you are in the same sector as the hugely popular Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo, you have to come strong.

I must confess that when my test drive arrived at the door, I was taken aback and had plenty of nods of approval to offer.

Since the first Corsas flew off the production line in 1993, they became the preserve of those with small families, learner drivers and those in need of an affordable set of wheels.

I really put the Corsa through its paces.

I did just over 500 miles in seven days with a journey that took in London-Leicester-Wolverhampton-London.

The car handled itself better than I could ever have imagined.

My only gripe was a gear box that was far from slick.

It was a tad notchy for me, but that was the only stand out concern.

The suspension was fine at lower speeds, being continually disturbed by road surface imperfections.

However, it handles more abrupt bumps, such as potholes and drain covers, with much ease, so it’s more of a consistent

“I really put the Corsa through its paces – and it was better than I could have imagined” vibration rather than irregular, exaggerated thudding.

Things improve as speeds rise, but it never quite settles down like the best rivals, fidgeting frequently on the motorway.

The Corsa is understandably more stable and sure-footed with good grip in the city.

The steering is extremely light. To guide the Corsa into tiny parking spaces is no challenge at all.

Vauxhall has done a good job inside,

where soft-touch materials now add a level of sophistication to the dashboard, as do swathes of trim matching the car’s body colour.

It’s all tastefully done, and buyers should be impressed with the standard seven-inch infotainment display. There’s lots of kit, in fact, with even the entry-level SE getting alloy wheels and trendy features including a flat-bottomed leather steering wheel.

The Corsa’s mix of keen pricing and cheap insurance has always made it a hit with young and old drivers alike.

POINTS & PLUGS

REFINED

It’s always near the top of the new car sales charts in the UK, with used examples finding their way on to countless more driveways.

However, this new fifth-generation Corsa is a bit different.

The Vauxhall Corsa is a significant improvement on the older car; it’s much more refined, better to drive and more efficient.

That said, the supermini class is full of talented cars. But the latest version gets the Corsa somewhat closer to the market leaders.

 It performs exceptionally on the road – and the interior’s a delight  The gearbox is far from slick and feels notchy @thevoicenewspaper

@thevoicenews

ANALYSIS of theft data recorded by the stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) expert Tracker reveals that 92 per cent of the cars it recovered last year were taken without using the keys. Further analysis of Tracker’s data reveals that the Range Rover Sport (above) was the number one choice for thieves in 2019.

voicenews

PEOPLE driving expensive cars are more dangerous to pedestrians, and the more valuable their vehicles are the less likely they are to stop at zebra crossings, according to researchers from the University of Nevada. For every £800 increase in the value of a vehicle, drivers were three per cent less likely to stop.

www.voice-online.co.uk

APRIL 2020

THE VOICE | 63

Soul Stirrings

by Marcia Dixon

‘FAITH HAS SHAPED THE WAY I SEE THE WORLD’

REFLECTION: J Vessel does a lot of youth work as well as inspiring others through his music and his approach to the world

Three Christian musicians speak to Soul Stirrings about their music, outlook on life and Easter hope

E

“

ASTER IS a time for reflection on the crazy love that Jesus has for me and for all of us. It’s more awe inspiring every year as I recount the sacrifice Jesus made, all for a relationship with me.

“Faith has shaped the way I see the world, the way I see myself and how I conduct my relationships.

“It’s allowed me to have confidence in myself and love people unconditionally as I believe I have been loved by God. “I love hip hop, rap, grime music because it represents a gritty sound that sonically I can relate to.

“When I first started to write rap songs I noticed that the content was different to that of which I was listening to.

“It was reflecting my relationship with God and how that

affects my daily life. I think similar to how faith shapes the way I see the world, it affects the way I make music.

“Making moral deals behind the scenes, sharing the hope I’ve found in Christ on the mic

which two students document my musical journey and show clips of me performing. It’s encouraging to know that more than the music, what you stand for is making people think twice about the way they view the world.

God makes ANSWERS “My message to millennials is don’t need to have all the all things perfect you answers now. in His – just keep “There’s a lot of pressure on millennials to be successful and walking closely thanks to social media it’s so easy to compare ourselves to with Him someone else’s journey online. and speaking up for injustice around the world.

“I do a lot of youth work apart from performing and many of my young people are aware of my music.

“Recently I’ve been enlisted to be part of coursework in

“God makes all things perfect in His time, just keep grinding and keep walking closely with him.

J Vessel’s second album Head in the Clouds is set for release later this year. Visit jvessel.com for more information

‘My values are based heavily around my faith’ Sharlene Monique is a member of the Kingdom Choir that performed at the Royal wedding. She is also a soloist in her own right and is preparing for the release of Perspectives, her second EP later this month.

“Easter is a foundational part of my faith. It’s the time that we celebrate Christ dying and the resurrection.

“It’s also when I spend quality time with family eating my mum’s amazing fr”ied snapper, I must be honest about that.

“My faith has helped to shape the woman I have become. I can act like it was just my parents or I could say it’s just the way I am but my morals and core values are very heavily based around my faith in God and who I feel He has created me to be.

“I write music that I feel is honest and anyone can relate to. But I’m always trying to steer my listener towards Godly principles for example, loving who you are, living a life that

is about more than just you but also about making an impact in someone else’s life.

“I’ve had countless messages from people all over the world as far as Canada and Taiwan about my music.

“They say it has helped them to believe they are beautiful, encouraged them to live their dreams and even helped with suicidal thoughts. I live for the messages of impact and if I didn’t get them I would begin to question myself. If my music is not helping someone then it’s just a nice hobby.

“My message to youth is don’t expect everything to happen today.

“The process and the journey is just as important as the destination because it takes good character to maintain any level of success.

Visit sharlenemonique.com for more information

‘I’m able to point back to God and say He is in control and He is able to bring calm to many of our storms’ ASTAR is a Christian grime artist who also worked as missionary with the London City Mission. He recently released his second album Born & Raised.

“Easter means LIFE for me. An opportunity for a sinner like me to be forgiven because of God’s love for me through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

“My faith has completely changed my life, I no longer see things through my own eyes or follow my own path. I now follow God’s way and His word which directs my steps.

“Because of my faith, I’m able to provide hope in the midst of the chaos happening in our world and the struggles in my personal life.

There is a light at the end of any dark tunnel, and I’m able to share that in my music, as well as my imperfections.

“My music touched on

real life topics, on my debut album Born & Raised I speak on battling sickle cell anaemia, pornography, and being raised in an area filled with death and violence. I don’t shy away from the reality of these harsh things, but I’m able to point back to God and say He is in control and He is able to bring calm to our many storms.

“For the millennials I would say, you’re never too young to know the Lord. With the rapid rising of pressure and high expectations from us very early in life due to social media, we will find ourselves looking for validation in all the wrong places just to be accepted by society. But God doesn’t look at what we have, He sees our hearts.

That’s what we should give to Him.”

Born & Raised is out now.

Visit astarmusicuk.com for more information

64 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

RECRUITMENT

Tel: 020 7510 0340 TRAINING & JOBS

JOBS

BACK YOUR FUTURE ABOUT CIRCLE COLLECTIVE

Circle’s employability programme gives you access to jobs and training across a range of sectors including entry-level positions. Our corporate network and integrated programme is built around you.

Now working with young people in all of SE London, Hackney and Tower Hamlets!

Call our nearest office to join Lewisham 020 8852 2498

Hackney 020 7249 2442

Or sign up online at www.circlecollective.org @circlecollectiv

Registered Charity No. 1145291

Engineering Technician – Mechanical Engineer Location: Nottingham Salary Range: £23,754 - £28,331 Organisation: University of Nottingham Sector: Engineering Closing Date: Thursday 02 April 2020 Reference: ENG090220 An opportunity has arisen within the Faculty of Engineering for an individual to join a team of highly skilled engineering technicians engaged in the manufacture of equipment and parts for research and teaching.

This is an exciting and dynamic opportunity supporting the Faculty of Engineering across two campuses and all engineering disciplines.

Duties will include: Manufacture of rigs for Teaching, Research and undergraduate student projects.

Operation, maintenance, servicing, repair and adjustment of a wide range of rigs and associated equipment. Modification of rigs/equipment/components from drawings and by verbal instructions using a variety of mechanical engineering techniques.

Pipework, manufacture of pressure systems.

Technical advice and assistance to both research staff and to students in the methods of design and manufacture of proposed projects.

Candidates should have a minimum of HNC in relevant subject, or equivalent qualifications, plus considerable work experience in a relevant role or substantial work experience in a relevant role.

Candidates should have experience of pressure systems, pipework, assembly and fittings. Substantial proven experience in a mechanical engineering background is essential. A flexible approach and willingness to learn, develop new professional skills and the ability to communicate are all essential.

This is a full time, permanent position. Job share arrangements may be considered.

For more information and to apply please visit The Voice Recruitment www.voice-online.co.uk

APRIL 2020

Small Business Services JOBS

Sessional Driver £10.34 per hour Job ID: 89899213 Permanent THE WESTMINSTER SOCIETY FOR PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

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THE VOICE| 65

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HOURS: Early morning, After School, Weekends and School Holidays Contract: Sessional (casual) LOCATION: Kids Can Achieve, Cedars Hall, Artillery Place, Harrow, HA3 6QJ Do you hold a PVC (Category D1) driving License?

Are you an experienced minibus driver with no driving disqualifications or points?

Then we want to hear from you!

The role of the sessional driver will be to drive young passengers safely from their homes to our centre and to trips in the community.

The post holder may be undertaking driving duties without a passenger assistant.

YOU WILL: Drive vehicles in a manner that ensures the safety and comfort of our young passengers, care and consideration for other road users.

Support our young passengers to and from their own homes and in the community.

We deliver a range of exciting, creative and specialist services to children and young adults with disabilities including those with physical and learning disabilities and behaviours that can challenge.

We are interested in people who share our values and passion for enabling greater opportunities for people with learning disabilities.

We offer continuing opportunities and excellent benefits packages, together with regular supervision and support.

KCA is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children and young adults.

Background checks and an enhanced DBS will be required. You need to be 18 and over to apply.

In order to apply, please email your CV to us.

Applications must be submitted by 5:00pm on Thursday 2 April March 2020.

For more information and to apply please visit The Voice Recruitment

www.voice-online.co.uk

We supply homes, shops, cash & carry’s, supermarkets and warehouses www.jupitersoaps.co.uk | Call 020 8888 7360

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66 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

UKVI-approved tests for visa applications Trinity has once again been appointed by the Home Office to deliver Secure English Language Tests (SELTs) in the UK. We’re looking forward to expanding our test centre network and to building upon our high standards of customer service for people who need to demonstrate knowledge of language to the UKVI for the purpose of settling, working or studying in the UK.

◗ We are the UK’s leading provider of SELT speaking and listening tests ◗ Trinity has a proven track record of providing Home Office-approved secure English language testing services in the UK since 2011 ◗ Trinity GESE speaking and listening and ISE reading, writing, speaking and listening SELTs are available at Trinity SELT Centres across the UK See what test takers typically say about their Trinity SELT experience on social media:

Staff were very professional — explained everything. Makes you feel calm and welcomed.

Thank you!

Elina, Facebook 2.10.19

100% positive experience.

What amazing staff!

Thank you!

Henriett, Facebook 3.10.19

I am very happy and grateful for their dedication, time, consideration, professionalism and humanity!

Valentina, Facebook 29.10.19

Find out more about Trinity SELTs and about becoming a Trinity Listed SELT Course Provider at trinitycollege.com/SELT /TrinitySELT

@Trinity_SELT

0333 358 3183

trinitycollege.com/SELT

APRIL 2020

THE VOICE | 67

TOP SPORTS COVERAGE 24/7 VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK/SPORT

OF SPORT NEWSPAPER

WATCH OUT – THERE’S A NEW LEWIS IN TOWN

Rodney Hinds speaks to Lewis Appiagyei – a youngster with some big ambition...

RODNEY HINDS: Update readers on the latest developments in your career?

LEWIS APPIAGYEI: For this year I’m planning to take part in the Club 100 Championship as well as the Buckmore Park Pro Series. The Club 100 series is a karting series which takes place over the course of the year around the country for my age group. The BP Pro Series is an adult racing series for 16+ year old drivers, which also counts toward the SODI Karting World Series. Karting still plays a major part in my life and will be a key component to me making it into the next stage of my career, which is single-seater cars.

RH: Name some of your ambitions for 2020?

LA: My goal is to join a Formula 4 racing team and take part in at least some of the F4 races of 2020. In order to do so I would need to complete several test days, as well as simulator

training before joining an actual race in the calendar.

RH: Is a lack of finance/sponsorship delaying your plans?

LA: Yes, severely. The finances required to compete in a full season of Formula 4 are approximately £120k+.

This type of money is way beyond what my family can afford to spend on my racing and therefore I rely fully on sponsorship to make it happen. Even if I have talent, without the cash I will sadly not be able to compete.

RH: How close are you to achieving your Formula 1 dreams?

LA: In order to get to Formula 1 and fulfil my dream of becoming a world champion I need to make it into Formula 4 within this year, latest next year.

Even if I cannot complete a whole season in the series, I would need to take part in some

of the races in order to stand any chance of being spotted and picked up by one of the top F1 young driver teams. If I don’t succeed in securing substantial sponsorship now I’m afraid that my dream will not become a reality, but I’m fully focused on trying to get there from every conceivable angle, as my talent should not go to waste.

RH: Do you expect Lewis Hamilton to win another world title – and why?

LA: Yes, absolutely. He is clearly at his peak and still in the best team.

He is focused and still hungry for more. He clearly enjoys being challenged by the young, upcoming competition.

The young drivers don’t worry him, but only make him want to show his fans more.

RH: Is Lewis the greatest F1 driver in the history of the sport?

LA: Yes, absolutely and to me

he is already. As long as he continues to have a great team and a great car, there is nothing stopping him from becoming the greatest racing driver in history ever, surpassing all records set by those who’ve come before him.

RH: What has the champion’s continued success done for young black men and women from the black community?

LA: It has provided a great deal of inspiration to all of us. It has shown everybody what can be achieved through sheer willpower and determination on both the part of a young athlete and supportive parents.

It has set an outstanding example of excellence that everybody can aspire to work towards. Lewis is living proof that nothing in life is impossible regardless of race/colour, just so long as you have talent that gets nurtured and stamina to stick with it.

A STAR IS BORN: Lewis Appiagyei wants to fulfil his dream of driving in Formula 1 – but the clock is already ticking; below, Lewis has hopes to one day drive a Formula 1 car

The team on a mission to get the BME community swimming

By Rodney Hinds

PLANS: From left, Alice Dearing, Danielle Obe, Seren Jones, Ed Accura, co-founders of the Black Swimming Association

THE BLACK Swimming Association (BSA) has been set up to highlight the importance of swimming as an essential life skill, showcase the benefits and opportunities in aquatics and prevent drowning in black and minority ethnic communities.

The BSA officially launches in partnership with Swim England, the Swimming Teachers’ Association and in collaborative engagements with the Royal Life Saving Society UK, Nike Swim and London Marathon Events.

Recent figures released by Sport England shows that 95 per cent of black adults and 80 per cent of black children in England do not swim. Additional research

from the World Health Organisation also suggests that the risk of drowning is higher among ethnic minority communities.

The under-representation of the BME community in swimming, coupled with the high number of water-related accidents, is believed to be partially attributed to affordability, accessibility, aquaphobia, representation and social stereotypes related to the sport.

In an attempt to highlight and tackle these issues, the BSA – a first of its kind not-for-profit charity – is working with the aquatic community, national governing bodies and swimming charities to design projects and programmes suited to the unique aquatic needs of BME communities.

These will be hosted in regions with the highest Afro-Caribbean populations in the UK and will involve London, Birmingham, Manchester and West Yorkshire.

Seren Jones, one of the co-founders of the charity and head of social media and public relations said: “I was a competitive swimmer for 13 years in Cardiff and later in the US Collegiate system.

“I strongly believe that the Afro-Caribbean and BME communities can become empowered by their own abilities and gain the confidence to take on swimming as an essential life skill.”

From 2018 to 2019 more than 73,000 competitive swimmers were registered with Swim England, but only 668 of them identify as black or mixed race.

68 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Sport

‘I WANT TO BE THE BEST’

Tokyo 2020 karate hopeful Jordan Thomas says he’s striving to be at the top of his game

By Joel Campbell

J

ORDAN THOMAS is due to head to the Olympic Games this year but, along with the rest of the sports world, as of this moment he’s not sure if his gargantuan efforts will even afford him the privilege of gracing sport’s ultimate platform.

The ongoing Coronavirus challenges faced by the world still cast a cloud over whether or not the Games will go ahead or not, and that’s despite the positive rhetoric emanating from the powers that will ultimately have the last say on the issue.

It’s a world away from the ideal preparation Thomas, a karate world champion in the 67-kilogram category, would need, but he’s not letting himself get distracted from the goal.

Focusing on the controllable Thomas told the Voice of Sport that he will know whether or not he has made it on the plane to Tokyo for the Games next month when he competes in the last of the official qualifiers in Paris. In short, that will be crunch time.

In the Olympics, men and women will be consolidated into three weight classes.

For men those classes are up to 67 kilograms, up to 75kg, and over 75kg, and for women it’s and up to 55 kg, up to 61kg and over 61kg.

Within each weight class, pairs of karateka will compete against each other in an 8x8m area for up to three minutes. Points are awarded when an athlete lands a properly executed strike, kick or punch on various parts of their opponent’s body, such as their head, neck, belly or back.

However, Coronavirus isn’t the only thing he has to worry about scuppering his plans, there’s one more qualification to go before .

Voice of Sport: You’re still in with a shot of representing Team GB at the Tokyo Olympic Games – when will you know?

Jordan Thomas: May 8 in Bercy, Paris, I’ll know if I have done enough to qualify for the

Olympic team that goes to Tokyo. Eight of us are going to a qualification tournament in May. This the one that will determine if I go to Tokyo. Joe Kellaway and I will be attending from GB and if we medal we’ll qualify for the Olympic Games. It’s a qualifiers that run through the Olympic system so if we qualify we’re both going.

Obviously because of the Coronavirus we don’t know what is going to happen. But whatever goes on from no until then I have a job to do and I have to commit to that.

INSPIRING

VOS: You’re a world champion, but talk about what competing at the first ever Olympic Games karate competition would mean to you...

JT: I’ve always watched the Olympics, the whole family did and getting to attend the London 2012 Olympics where I watched host of sports, for me on a personal level it’s all inspiring. So, having the chance to go and compete myself means a lot. And with it being the first time the sport has been a part of the Olympics and it’s in Japan as well, it just would mean that little bit more.

VOS: Practising the sport here in the UK isn’t the easiest thing.

You’ve overcome a lot along your journey, what’s been the most difficult thing to deal with and what are some of your frustrations in 2020?

JT: My biggest challenge is managing my emotions, really.

You can go from one emotion to the other, but you can’t lose sight of the job.

The job is there, and the j o b never changes. So,

MOTIVATED: Jordan Thomas defeated Hungarian Yves Martial Tadissiin in 2016 to become Britain’s first karate world champion in 12 years

frustrations, not really, but managing my emotions is key, having my eyes on the job no matter what is what I have to do. I’ve been sued to isolating myself and being pretty much on my own. Not being with family, friends and being able to do normal things, I have to zone out from that. This opportunity could only come once.

This is what I want and this what I chose.

VOS: If you could wave your magic wand and cast a spell over the

@thevoicenewspaper

sport what would you change for the better?

JT: Somebody else asked me this question and the answer is

those who don’t know talk about some of their achievements and which achievement inspired you the most?

“Coronavirus is out of my control. What I do is focus on what I can control” always the same, it’s out of my control.

So, what I do is focus on what is there, what I can control. Focusing on other things is a distraction.

VOS: I know your family have inspired you along the way, for

@thevoicenews

JT: Obviously my dad is the number one inspiration in my life being world champion in 1992 but also it’s the people who were around me like ex world champion and my godfather Mervyn Etienne. That time was like a golden era, it was normal

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to be around world champions and that inspired me to take up the sport.

PERFECT

VOS: You’re 28 this year, a seasoned martial artist who has won titles at every level. Does it feel like it has all been building to this point and how does 2020 go if the if went perfectly?

JT: If 2020 goes perfectly you will see an Olympic gold medal around my neck. That’s the perfect outcome. For me it’s reaching the best Jordan Thomas. It would be another accolade that attests for my hard work.

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APRIL 2020

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THE VOICE | 69

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Focus on wellbeing

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POWER WALK THIS WAY If you’re struggling to find motivation to get to the gym, there is another way to get fit. Yemi Williams offers some advice and equipment to get moving

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THLETES DO it, your work colleagues do it even your neighbours and family members do it... of course, I’m talking about exercise.

As each year comes and goes we all promise ourselves that ‘this will be the year we get serious about our health’.

It’s as simple as picking the right gym and maybe even a personal trainer and just staying consistent. The reality is often quite far from these mantras we tell ourselves.

The truth is that it doesn’t have to be that complicated – or stressful. It can be intimidating for beginners to join a gym that appears to be lived in by supertoned sweaty individuals.

There is a simple activity we can all take up on a regular basis to keep active. I’m talking about power walking (or speed walking)! Just to clarify, we are not talking about the long-distance event founded in the 1990s that we see in the Olympics.

This involves putting on a pair of comfortable trainers, loose clothing, going out your front door and going for a fast or brisk walk. You don’t even have to walk for miles – that’s the beauty of power walking.

The one advantage you will have is that you won’t feel inadequate with this exercise. To be

ON THE RIGHT TRACK: Simply increasing how quickly and how often you walk can have a huge positive impact on your mood, fitness and overall wellbeing

able to carry out this activity the only experience you will need is walking.

The benefits are quite amazing with this simple activity that can take just 10 minutes of your day. This adds to a big part of your mission to live a healthier lifestyle. With consistency, power walking is said to help lower your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and even some cancers.

INCLUSIVE

No matter if you are old or young fit or unfit, power walking is inclusive, simple to take up and for everyone. Not to mention an added benefit is the improvement of your heart and joint health as well as boosting mental well being.

Researchers found that the impact of the foot during walking sends pressure waves through the arteries that significantly change and increase the supply of blood to the brain. In other words, walking helps you think! Now that is a fantastic incentive to take this up.

The flexibility of power (speed) walking means you can take this up at anytime and make it fit around your already busy life.

The options are endless; from going for a quick walk with the family after a meal to walking with friends or colleagues while catching up.

1. Quechua SH100 waterproof jacket, £17.99 2. Newfell PW140 trainers, £14.99 3. Kalenji AT PANT 900 Athletic trousers, £24.99 4. Newfeel Onwalk 500 Pedometer and Accelerometer, £12.99

If you are sitting down reading this and you are interested to taking up power walking then here are a few items from the sports store DECATHLON we have tested and put together to help you on your way...

Jacket Living in the UK often means we play the lottery when it comes to predicting the weather.

Be prepared with a light waterproof jacket that offers a layer of protective lining on the body.

One great advantage of having a light jacket of this nature is it won’t weigh down on you if you choose to wrap it around you. A great option would be

the Quechua SH100 waterproof jacket at £17.99 RRP. Shoes Naturally the first recommendation is to pick the right footwear.

We would advise nothing too heavy or sturdy like a boot.

At the same time your footwear shouldn’t be too light and leaving your feet exposed like a slipper.

A simple trainer would be perfect footwear for your walk. We would recommend you pick one that offers flexibility, comfort and breathability.

The last thing you want to think about while you walk is how uncomfortable your feet

feel. An example would be these Newfeel PW140 trainers at £14.99 RRP. Bottoms The idea is to not feel like you are heading to the gym so tight shorts and leggings are not necessary for this outing.

Instead, we recommend loose fitted breathable yet warm trousers. At the great price of only £24.99 RRP these Kalenji AT PANT 900 Athletic trousers fit the bill.

Equipment As you will be walking regularly at your own comfortable pace and leisure, it would be handy to

see some stats and results from your efforts.

There are quite a few gadgets to assist you but why not start off with something user friendly that doesn’t offer too much tech but does the job.

Take this Newfeel Onwalk 500 Pedometer and Accelerometer as a great entry point. It offers a clip to be attached on your clothing, bag or just held in your hand.

At only £12.99 RRP you get to measure your steps, distance covered, calorie, count and time period of your walk. With this information at your fingertips, you will be well on your way to adding to your healthy lifestyle.

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70 | THE VOICE APRIL 2020

Sport

CELEBRATING SPORT: Clockwise, from top left, Kris Akabussi; England and Sussex ace Jofra Archer; Paula Dunn; Gian Singh Cheema; Tessa Sanderson collected on behalf of Dina Asher-Smith

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER Figures from across the sporting world came together recently to celebrate BAME talent

By Rodney Hinds

J

OFRA ARCHER took home the Sporting Equals Sportsman of the Year award at the glittering British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards (BEDSAs) show hosted by Sir Lenny Henry, at Hilton Park Lane Hotel, London on March 14.

The Sussex and England cricket ace was named the Sporting Equals Sportsman of the Year 2020 at the coveted Sporting Equals BEDSAs. After being pivotal to England’s World Cup cricket victory and having overcome so many obstacles to enter into the elite level of the game it was a truly well-deserved accolade.

On his award, he said: “I’m so

honoured to have been awarded Sporting Equals Sportsman of the Year, with the World Cup victory in cricket I feel equality and diversity in sport is the only way forward. The work Sporting Equals has done and continues to do for diversity and equality is truly amazing, a great organisation and I’m really grateful to be part of that legacy.”

INCLUSION

Sporting Equals is a charity that focuses on delivering BAME inclusion and racial equality in sport in Britain.

There could be no more befitting an athlete than Archer when looking at his achievements and Sporting Equals’ values.

One of the projects Sporting

Equals works on is Breaking Boundaries, in partnership with Spirit of 2012 and Youth Sport Trust.

The project seeks to promote the power of sport in building

this to say: “It’s great to see this national project bringing together communities across five cities by using cricket.

“As a sport cricket has the ability to unite people of vary-

“Jofra is one of a few elite African Caribbean British cricketers and he acts as a role model” cohesive communities through cricket. The project is active around the nation in five cities, Manchester, Bradford, Barking and Dagenham, Slough and Birmingham.

Speaking to Archer about his feelings on this project he had

@thevoicenewspaper

ing backgrounds and the work Breaking Boundaries is doing to create and build cohesive communities through cricket is really great to see.”

Sporting Equals have launched a Race Equality Charter which seeks to capture,

@thevoicenews

commit and celebrate racial diversity in British sport, from grassroots level right up to elite talent. As Archer highlighted the future lies in embracing diversity and tapping into the talent that lies in BAME communities.

INSPIRATION

Chief executive of Sporting Equals, Arun Kang, said: “We are so pleased to see that both the public and our diverse esteemed judges selected Jofra Archer as the Sporting Equals Sportsman of the Year for BEDSA 2020. Being of Barbadian descent Jofra is one of a few elite African Caribbean British cricketers and as such he acts as a role model and source of inspiration for many BAME indi-

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viduals who have aspirations to become key active members of our sporting community.

“We have recently partnered with Swim England and the LTA for our Race Equality Charter, we hope to deliver more change in the sector and having athletes like Jofra who are tangible role models is so important to highlight that victory lies in equality of opportunity for all communities.

“We hope to deliver such opportunities and inspire future generations to become the Jofra Archer’s for Britain in many sports and roles.

“An incredibly capable, inspiring and deserving athlete we are thrilled Jofra Archer won the Sporting Equals Sportsman of the Year award.”

www.voice-online.co.uk

APRIL 2020

THE VOICE | 71

Sport ALL SMILES: Clockwise, from left, members of Pro Touch; Sporting Equals CEO Arun Kang with rugby ace Maro Itoje; Love Island’s Luke Trotman and Siannise Fudge

hghghg The FA Special Recognition Award

Award recipients: The UK Sport Inspirational Performance of the Year Sannah Ahmed Sport England Community Sports Project of the Year Khalsa Football Federation & Panjab FA Youth Sport Trust Young Sports Person of the Year Rohan Bhuhi The City Livery Unsung Champion Gian Singh Cheema England Athletics Coach of the Year Award Paula Dunn MBE British Army Sportswoman Dina Asher-Smith Sporting Equals Sportsman of the Year Award Jofra Archer LTA Community Tennis Project of the Year Pro Touch SA The Sky Media Lifetime Achievement Award Kriss Akabusi MBE

Chris Powell Chris Powell is a tireless supporter of diversity and inclusion within football and society.

He holds the role of ambassador for Kick It Out, Show The Racism The Red Card, Prostate Cancer UK and the Football Foundation, whilst also supporting The Church Upbeats, a football programme for children and adults with Down’s Syndrome.

PROJECT

This project provides recreational and competitive football alongside a non-sporting residential aspect providing respite for parents and carers.

Powell is the current assistant manager of ADO Den Haag in The Netherlands, as well as working as an Elite Bame Coach for the England men’s senior team, supporting manager Gareth Southgate and his staff

INSPIRATIONAL: Chris Powell is a real force of change

through the now postponed UEFA 2020 European Championships, to be held in 2021.

Powell enjoyed an extensive playing career, winning numerous team and individual

honours, as well as representing the England men’s senior team on five occasions, and working as the chairman of The PFA, before beginning his successful coaching career.

LeaderBoard graduates proof that the best is yet to come for BAME sport

By Rodney Hinds THE UK population of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities in the UK is 14 per cent; but there are only five per cent BAME of board members across the whole sporting sector.

This low number of decision-makers from BAME backgrounds ultimately affects all of sport, for instance, the workforce in sport is at three per cent, coaching seven per cent and lowest inactivity levels come from black and Asian communities.

Sporting Equals have led in research and development of pilot programmes to

change the low levels of BAME participation across sport and physical activity.

In 2018 and after several years in the making, Sporting Equals pioneered the first-ever BAME Board leadership programme in partnership with the University of Leicester called the LeaderBoard Academy.

Professor Nishan Canagarajah, president and vice-chancellor at the University of Leicester, told the Voice of Sport: “Sport and education are powerful tools to enable us to fight inequality and to level the playing field for people from all backgrounds.

“Sport has the power to unite. It brings people together in order for them to excel,

to be the best they can be. Like education it can change lives.

“Your work [Sporting Equals] here is transformative. I know that as a fact.

“The University of Leicester has partnered with Sporting Equals to deliver the LeaderBoard Academy.

AIM

“The aim is to get more people from BAME backgrounds into governance positions on sporting bodies.

“The course is a three-day period of exploration and learning about race equality, management and leadership in sport.

“We already have evidence of our success from the achievements of the 2019 cohort.

“At Leicester we are committed to ensuring that our work impacts lives and changes the world for the better.

“Through education we empower people to make a difference. We are citizens of change.

“Our work with Sporting Equals is important because along with the excellence on the pitch, on the court and track, it is also vital that we have more people from BAME backgrounds running British sport and acting as role models, that is our aim.

“When I started at the University of

Leicester in November I pledged to make it a leader in inclusivity. We will work tirelessly to remove the barriers that people from BAME backgrounds, and others, face in accessing higher education and their experiences at universities.

“We must ensure that we use and build the experiences of all our students.

“We are extremely proud of the diversity of our students and we are working even harder to provide equality of opportunity for all.

“Congratulations to our group of LeaderBoard graduates.

“Remember that your work has only just begun as you seek new roles. Our future rests with you.”

APRIL 2020 | THE VOICE

TOP SPORTS COVERAGE 24/7 VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK/SPORT

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WILL THE SHOW

GO ON?

West Indies’ England tour still on cards as Covid-19 cripples world of sport of Sri Lanka where they were scheduled to play two Tests later this month.

Meanwhile Cricket West In-

By Rodney Hinds THE WEST INDIES’ tour to England was not under threat in the wake of the global coronavirus threat as The Voice went to press.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) says it will continue to liaise with its counterparts, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), over the upcoming Test tour as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the United Kingdom’s sporting calendar.

West Indies are scheduled to tour England for Tests at the Oval and Lord’s in London and Edgbaston in Birmingham, all three fixtures scheduled during

Israel Dowlat said: “The health and safety of our players, officials and staff, are of paramount importance to CWI and we have

“The health and safety of our players, officials and staff, are of paramount importance” VENUE: Edgbaston is due to host a Test in June the month of June, when the UK Government expects the coronavirus outbreak to be at its peak.

The virus, known as COVID-19, has resulted in thousands of UK infections and over 300

deaths, and has already forced the suspension of major fixtures like the English Premier League, Grand National and the London Marathon.

Recently the ECB last week recalled its side from the tour

dies (CWI) acting on the recommendation of its Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) has taken the decision to suspend all CWI tournaments and face-to-face group meetings, from Monday March 16, for a minimum of 30 days.

CWI Chief Medical Officer, Dr.

advised the Board of Directors to take proactive policy steps to decrease the growing risk of contamination and spread of the virus.

Chairman of the MAC, Dr Donovan Bennett, added: “We are acting based on medical best practice as well as in an abun-

dance of caution. The ongoing gathering of even small groups of spectators, cricketers and match officials could pose a risk to some persons of contracting the virus and being stranded in quarantine in a non-resident country for a prolonged period.

“Clearly this pandemic is still evolving, and we will continue to monitor the situation throughout the Caribbean.”