WINTER’S TALE

What’s it like to see and touch snow for the first time in your life. A visual story of one such fascination, by NAWAL KHAN.

PICTUREWISE

Media Access students put their creative wits to test in this final Photoshop project assembling a composite image with ‘a subverted meaning’.

No more White House by SARAH FRANCIS

Posturing fools by SAIKOUBA CEESAY

New broom by JUBRIL ADEWALE

The Obama expectations by CLARA IWEH

Why Ronaldo dives by  JOAO FERNANDES COSTA

In Iraq the Gods are marines by  SOUADA SHALEF

Global warming by YODIT YONAS

SURVIVING HOPE

Surviving Hope is a film script I am writing. It documents the life of Iraqis in their own country over a period of 35 years and reflects the effect politics have on daily life there. It also shows how the ideas and mentality of human beings can change over a period of time because of hunger, suffering and death. The script below is a first draft which outlines how the story begins.
ZAIN Al-JANABI

Surviving Hope
by Zain Al-Janabi

Wars and political actions in Iraq

Scene 1: Set on 24th of March 1983

FADE IN:

MID SHOT of a TV in a room, dark background.

SADDAM HUSSEIN
(On TV)
In the name of God, most fearful, most merciful. To all great heroes who sacrificed themselves for the safety and security of our beautiful nation and our great historic Eastern Arab gate. Keep sacrificing powerful men and keep fighting till we see the last of those cowards dropping dead on the battlefield. We fought bravely for three years, and we can continue doing the same for 30 more years.

MEDIUM LONG SHOT – ROOM – of two young men and a woman having their breakfast on a table in front of the TV.

SUMMAYA
(Worried look)
Is he serious?! 30 years of war!

ALI
What do you expect from such a coward fighting other cowards?!

JAFFAR
(Smiling)
I think we should start preserving Shias.

SUMMAYA
All I’m hoping for is for the big ones to get involved and stop all this nonsense.

ALI
They are the ones who are making this nonsense. All they are trying to get to is finding a way to control the Middle East and everything in it, for the sake of the almighty Jews.

SUMMAYA
(Worried again)
What shall we do then?

JAFFAR
(Smiling, and shaking head)
Hope the time goes back for 60 years and wish to face the same destiny which Black Africans faced.

SUMMAYA
(Terrified look on her face)
Slaves! Us Iraqis!!!

JAFFAR
Better than dying on the side of this ugly coward, who doesn’t value the name of Iraq.

EXTREME LONG SHOTS of explosions and dead bodies in Basra. Sad Bansuri music on.

MEDIUM SHOT of a TV in a room, dark background.

KHOMEINI
(On TV)
In the name of God, most fearful, most merciful. To all people who sacrificed themselves for the sake of Islam and for the death of every single Israeli. We gave many lives away in the past three years, but the soul of great Muslim warriors will continue living in our minds till we see the last of those cowards waving the white flag and begging for mercy. My sons, all I want from you is to continue in the same way and try to get the mission done, the mission of bringing Islamic glory days back to where they belong. May Allah and his Angels be on your side.

MEDIUM LONG SHOT – ROOM – of two young men and a woman having tea.

ALI
Allah and angels?! The West got you to where you are right now, not Allah and angels.

SUMMAYA
He’s fighting the West, I don’t get you! How can they get him to where he is?!

ALI
He’s there, so the West can be there

SUMMAYA
What about us?

ALI
Us here, so that he can be here, so that they can be here.

EXTREME LONG SHOT of dead bodies in Abadan and different shots of women crying in funerals back in Iranian cities. Sad Oud music played.

MID SHOT of a TV in a room, dark back ground.

DONALD RUMSFELD
(On TV)
Man and the turtle are very much alike. Neither makes any progress without sticking his neck out.

ALI
No progress without sticking the head out. That’s why they are in control of everything, even though they are far, far away from us.

SUMMAYA
Don’t they work for themselves like our leaders do?

ALI
Yes, but the difference is that they put their country’s and people’s success ahead of everything, as a target to get to. Unlike us, all we want is growing bigger and bigger without bothering about how our country and people are getting on.

SUMMAYA
So all we care about is ourselves?!

ALI
Typically Eastern-minded, that’s why they call us the Third World.

SUMMAYA
Don’t you think it might change one day?

JAFFAR
It’s always been like that and will always be the same.

Scenes of aftermath of explosions in Iraq and Iran.

VOICE OVER OF A MIDDLE-AGED MAN
Over 600,000 lives were lost from both sides in the war. Trillions of dollars lost and both countries are still paying their debts. And all they gained was pain after pain of the sad memory, the memory of two neighbours who kept killing each other’s civilians for nearly a decade. What did the big ones lose? You’ll get the answer from looking at the ‘I Love NY’ souvenirs.

Scenes of Kuwaiti civilians being tortured by Iraqi forces (1989). Scenes of Shiite civilians dead bodies in south of Iraq (1991).

VOICEOVER OF A WOMAN
Saddam went into a second war, but this time it was against the whole world. Thousands of Iraqi children died from hunger, a whole generation didn’t know what the term Pepsi stood for, even though they are living in one of the richest countries in the world. Men had to queue for hours to get petrol although their country is one of the world’s biggest petrol producers.And finally we thought that the scenario had a conclusion in 2003, but all we gained was more and more victims being killed for no reason.Who’s responsible? It’s too complicated. But all we hope for is for a bright ending for all the suffering in all those dark days.

Extreme long shot of American forces in different cities in Iraq (2003).

VOICEOVER OF OLD MAN
Just like we hoped when Colonel Abdul Karim Qassim took control of the Kingdom of Iraq by a coup d’etat. Just like we hoped when the Ba’th party took power after violently overthrowing Abd al-Karim Qasim and quashing communist-led resistance.
And just like we hoped in many important periods of our bloody modern Iraqi history.

Zoom out of children playing in swings in Al Zawra’ park in Baghdad. Iraqi new national anthem music played.

VOICE OVER OF GROUP
At the end we hope that the hope will survive. Survive for the sake of our men, our women and most importantly our children.

LIFE AS A RAINDROP

by ABUL ALI

Life begins high up above the ground
A world beyond all that can be found
Slowly growing in size and number
Just waiting for the right clap of thunder

Being released with so many others
Saying farewell to our dearest mother
The journey below becomes apparent
That our life is just so transparent

The final few moments before the impact
The reality is that we can not react

But life is such that we are but water!

KORA LEGEND HITS UK

Legendary Gambian kora player JALIBA KUYATEH is currently touring the UK with the Kumareh band and guest artist Mam Tamsir to help raise funds for malaria relief initiatives promoted by the Gambia United Society (GUS). SAIKOUBA CEESAY spoke to him about his music and why he’s doing the tour

How old are you, and what is your real name, because Jaliba means ‘great musician’ in the Mandingo language…
I am 52 years this year.  My name really is Jaliba and I was enrolled in school with that name.
What exactly is the kora?
It’s a unique 21 string instrument played by the Mandingo peoples throughout West Africa. It has a harp-like appearance and a notched bridge similar to that of a lute or guitar.
When did you first start playing the instrument?
I got into music from the age of 5 or 6. I found my father playing and my mother singing along with him. That’s when my dad started teaching me how to play the kora.
Which countries know your music apart from Gambia and Senegal?
My music is becoming almost international. It’s popular in Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Ghana and Nigeria. And I’ve played in most parts of Europe and America.
Have you played here before? What was the response?
I have played in the UK countless times and it’s always been good. I hope it is going to be fine again.
Which African music do you think is particularly good at the moment?
I love the Guinea Conakry music most and I think it has a future.
How important is the work that GUS does?
The Gambia United Society have sponsored a number of projects in the Gambia to help the sick and suffering. Recently they donated thousands of mosquito nets to the poor. This is why I always join hands with them, almost free of charge, to empower them.

Tour dates

27 February
Bristol
Venue to be announced

28 February
Birmingham
The Drum, 144 Potters Lane, Aston, Birmingham B6 4UU; £20 in advance; Doors open 11pm. Ends 4am.

For tickets and more information contact: Njok Malik: 07957 208129, Barham: 07872 170169, Musa Sise: 07951 284427, Lamin Jammeh: 07919 548305, Edi Jah: 07774 543097

SLUMDOG SENSATION

SARAH FRANCIS on an Anglo-Indian triumph

Slumdog Millionaire is a must see movie. It’s directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy and stars Dev Patel from the Channel Four show Skins playing the main character Jamal.

Jamal is an 18 year old boy from the slums of Mumbai who finds himself in the hot seat of the Indian version of the TV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Answering all his questions correctly, Jamal is well on his way to winning 20 million rupees, but is he doing it only for the money?

The show’s host Prem Kumar, played by Anil Kapoor, refuses to believe that this poor, slum born kid genuinely knows the answers and must be cheating.

So the minute the show has run out of time, Prem has Jamal arrested and taken to the police station.

Forced to go through each question again and explain how he knew the answers, Jamal’s life story begins to unfold and this is the device used to keep us on the edge of our seats throughout.

There are a many twists, turns and tragedies in this film, but it is definitely a feel good rags-to- riches drama, which has already been given top ratings by the film critics, won four Golden Globe awards and is a UK smash hit.

Dev Patel’s performance is brilliant and his BAFTA nomination for best male actor, competing with the likes of Brad Pitt, has definitely proved his talent at a young age.

He is surely well on his way to a successful film career.

His Mumbai based co-star Freida Pinto plays his love interest Latika and is up for best supporting actress at the BAFTAS. She has had minor roles before, but Slumdog is most definitely her starring debut.

Slumdog Millionaire stands out because it has Bollywood and Hollywood elements mixed together, something that’s totally new.

And the locations, content and style of the film are pretty unique too.

A great directing job from Danny Boyle.

WAR VIEWS

HEADSET CONTRIBUTORS on the media coverage and other issues coming out of Gaza

Pro-Israeli media outlets don’t focus on why Hamas was firing the rockets into Israel and refuse to condemn both sides and the pro-Palestine ones only blame Israel for the violence – so both can be said to be biased. But it’s revealing to look at the Stop the War and similar websites and compare them with pro-Israeli ones, which do not focus on the history of the region. History after all is what provides a context for the causes of the conflict.
BERNARD SHEERAN

There is a pro-Israeli Zionist agenda in the UK and US media which would like us to think Israel can do no wrong. It seems to blame all Palestinian deaths on the Palestinians, rather than blaming the people who actually dropped the bombs on those innocent lives. The BBC even posted an article on its website blaming Hamas for the bombing of a UN school, saying Hamas were firing rockets from inside it, without any evidence. Even if this had been so, they could have sent ground troops in rather than bombing it. Fox News say that Hamas started this war by firing rockets into Israel in early December as if nothing happened before that. They have hidden information that this is a war that has been going on for decades and that Israel has oppressed the Palestinians, preventing food and supplies from going into Gaza. As far as I’m concerned, networks like Al-Jazeera have presented the war fairly because it has reported how homes, mosques, schools and government buildings and hospitals have been targeted by Israeli jets. People might say that it has a pro-Palestinian bias, but I think they are reporting the truth and if the truth is pro-Palestinian, then so be it
AHMED AHMED

From a political point of view I think it is impossible to say who’s right and who’s wrong. All I know is that hundreds of innocents are dying and no one is trying to provide useful suggestions to stop this. Each party in the conflict has its own agenda – Shiites will believe in what Hassan Nasrallah (Hezbollah) is saying before he even says it. Large sections of the Arab public do not care anymore, because things have gone on in the same way for the past 61 years, since the foundation of Israel, and also because it’s lost trust in the leaders. And on the other side you have people who back Israel because they believe in the Israeli project, no matter what the outcomes and costs will be.
ZAIN AL JANABI

The Israeli military’s massacre of 1,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, has been ignored by world leaders. They could not protect them against their cowardly attacks and the Israeli government should stand trial for their crimes against humanity, including the use of chemical weapons. The people of Gaza have the right to resist and protect their territorial integrity. They are under oppression and occupation by Israel’s soldiers who wage war on innocent women and children and closing down the borders to stop any aid getting in. These people are totally innocent and the UN and international organisations should make the Israelis pay for the damage and the massacre of innocent Palestinians.
SAIKOUBA CEESAY CEE07073917@student.cnwl.ac.uk

From what I can see from the media coverage, most outlets are taking Israel’s side in the Gaza war. I totally disagree with this because innocent people are dying. I wish the Israelis would forget about politics, religion and land just for once and realise what they are doing. As a Muslim, I feel very strongly about this. I was shocked when I looked at the Israeli website infolivetv, which has a section which is totally devoted to “terrorism”. This is absolutely so ridiculous – they post articles on their website about terrorism when they themselves are the terrorists! Now that Obama is President I just pray that things will change for the better, but have low hopes. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is still going on and it’s like no one cares.
SAMERA RACHYAL

LAUNDERETTE LOWDOWN

by RYAN DINWIDDY

As this site’s investigative and some say fearless consumer affairs correspondent, this post I turn my attention to the plethora of launderettes on offer in the Willesden area.

Are they places like Dotʼs in ʼstenders, where life’s in the raw and so are the smalls and everyone can afford endless service washes? I visited a cross sectional trio to find out and gave them Dot ratings for the quality or otherwise of the experience.

SUDS

The imaginatively named Suds is situated on the Willesden High Road. It’s a ʻnice and brightʼ place with some art on the walls from Ikea. There are shed loads of laundry baskets and even some quite recent magazines to read. It has an ironing service with a happy hour from six till seven; they also have five medium and seven large washers with eight tumblers!

Opening hours 8am; last wash 7pm, 8pm close.

Verdict: It has a good vibe, has Suds. I like it, I like it a lot!

Dot rating *****

 

THE BLUE INK

The Blue Ink is also on the High Road, but this is a very dark and dismal place where the walls have been painted nicotine brown. It has the same amount of washers and driers as Suds and, though just across the road, itʼs miles apart in the life affirming launderette experience.

Opening hours 8am – 8pm.

Verdict: The sort of place where you risk having all your clothes nicked should you pop down the pub while theyʼre drying.

Dot rating *

 

Q+A

The Q+A launderette is on Dudden Hill Lane, a tiny almost claustrophobic facility which is surprisingly high tech. This has easily the most modern machines, even the doors on the driers pop open automatically when theyʼre finished. But itʼs also the most expensive of the three; £3.50 for a large wash and £2.70 for a medium.

Opens 8am; doors automatically close at 9pm, so donʼt nod off.

Verdict: Good for giving your smalls a treat.

Dot rating ***

 

MOBILE MANIA

Is EMAN ABBAS a hopeless case?

The first time I realised I could possibly be a phone addict was when my mobile ‘disappeared’ at a wedding party. I woke up the next morning and spent minutes looking for it like a mad woman before I realised what had happened the night before. I got a new phone and a new SIM card the same day (I now keep a purse full of spare SIM cards, just in case…) and I have tried every network in the UK.

This obsession with my phone increased more and more, until I realised I had to do something about it. So I decided to put myself to the test. How would I cope without my phone for 24/1? This is what happened…

07.36 Wake up. Reach for phone. Remember I’m on trial, so turn off. Bye phone, (mwah), I’ll miss you!
07.58 Mobile still switched off. Get ready for college.
08.43 Leave house. Take phone with me. Well, what if an emergency happens? Like I fall down a well…or… something?
09.00 Lessons start, phone still in bag. No withdrawal symptoms so far. You try using a mobile during lessons with our tutors, anyway!
17.00 Finish classes. Take mobile out to call for my pick up. Whoops! Guess I’ll just walk it today, in conformity with New Year’s Resolution Number 12 : ‘Get fit and start walking more.’
19.30 Working at home. Suddenly, phone rings! I’m sure it’s mine. I am the only one in the house with that ring tone! Check phone. Nothing! Blank! Am going bonkers?
19.35 There it goes again! No, I need to go out and get some fresh air. Use house line to call friends to set something up on justification that land lines as different from mobiles as bananas from rabbits, when you think reasonably deeply about it.
20.30 Arrive rendezvous. I’m the earliest, so sit and wait. Can’t call or txt them to hry up. Realise I rely on my phone for a lot of petty things. Decide on New Year’s Resolution Number 07990353535: ‘Don’t use phone to hassle people.’
20.42 Girls show up. Place mobiles on table. About to reach for mine. Stop myself just in time – realise I’ll grab it when a mobile rings, thus proving I rely on phone too much. Will look a prat. One girls hints it’s her birthday. Oh no! Totally forgot! My phone always reminds me about birthdays! Sorry! (Mwahs).
22.47 Use friend’s phone to call home for lift. What? I’m not cheating! I said: “…a day without MY phone”. Also realise life without mobile has plus points, e.g. parents can’t harass me about where I am and when I’m coming back!
00.05 Get home. Force myself to sleep, because if I stay awake then will want to use my phone. Not long left. Tomorrow, everything back to normal! Put phone on charge, so it’s ready for action! Can’t wait…zzz….
Next day, 07.42 My phone has been off six minutes longer then it should. Oh, the horror! I quickly turn it on: there are 9 text messages and 26 missed calls. I’m kind of disappointed. I would have thought there’d be more.

Conclusion: A good experience, but I wouldn’t do it again unless someone paid me enough to change my mind! My phone is my life support machine and I would probably give up chocolate before I ever give up my phone – but maybe I’m not that much of an addict…
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF KHAT

SAMIRA ALI on a controversial narcotic

The long, hot working day is over and the men of the village begin to retire to the local marfish (khat house), each purchasing a fresh bag of khat as they make their way. Hurrying to the gathering spot in a sunny open meadow, surrounded by palm trees, each sips tea and chews khat leaves, passing the long hours with talk of life, religion, their village…

This idyllic vision of khat consumption in Somalia runs counter to the perception of the narcotic elsewhere in the world. Chewing khat has been a subject of controversy since the increase of east African immigrants to Europe and the USA, where questions are being raised about the health issues, particularly psychological, surrounding the stimulant.

Since the late 1980s, khat imports to the UK have increased dramatically, hence the governmentʼs growing concerns over its use.

But chewing khat in countries like Somalia has been a traditional past time for centuries, much like the evening down the local pub in Britain. Khat plays a dominant role in all male activities in Somalia, including celebrations, marriages and business and political meetings. It is believed to be an antidote to depression and, paradoxically, a trigger of depression among those who become addicted to the drug.

For centuries, khat (celastrus edulis) has been used as a stimulus and to banish sleep and hunger. Users stay up all night reciting verses of the Holy Quʼran and engaging in religious discussion, hence its increasing use in African countries.

With increased Somali immigration to Britain, khat is now sold all over London. There are seven khat houses alone on the Church End estate in Harlesden, where there is a sizeable Somali community.

“We must keep our traditions alive in western society and chewing khat is a way of doing so,ʼ marfish owner Yusuf Ali told me. As you walk along the busy streets of Church End, you can see what he means. Groups of men purchase their bags of khat, while others talk excitedly as they wait for fresh stock to arrive.

A minority of Somali women also chew khat, but in private. “Men and women can chew together if they choose, but are advised to chew separately,” Mr Ali said. As you look around, there is not a woman in sight, only large groups of men, young and old.

Khat has long been considered internationally as one of the less problematic psychoactive plants, but perceptions are changing. Increased khat use among the Somali community has brought attendant psychological problems.

As nearly all Somalis in the UK witnessed tough times during the civil war in their country, an increasing number of people are turning to the drug and being put at risk. “Chewing khat can cause a lack of motivation and you can easily withdraw from daily life,” Mr Ali warned.