£2.50 | MAY, 2023 • ISSUE NO. 1942
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THE VOICE
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ROUNDUP NEWSPAPER
THIS MONTH
News, views, stories & videos
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THE 10 MOST POPULAR STORIES ON VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK
'Avoid beaches which ban locals; Jamaicans pleas to Black Brits p4-5
1. Afrobeats under attack
Home Office block stars from entering Britain
2. Pub racist golliwog scandal Publican boasts dolls hung like lynching victims
Hair products cause fibroids New research on damaging straighteners
3. Legend of Jah Shaka
Tributes paid to great soundman
4. More Ghanaian nurses in NHS than Ghana
p8-9
Afro hair in schools L’Myah Sherae says hair ban is hairbrained p14
Microaggressions not micro Expert says ‘million paper cuts’ behaviour unacceptable p15
Talent drain fears for Africa as UK plugs jobs gap
5. Caribbean leaders demand reparations State of the Black World conference issues demands
6. America and Sudan conflict
Is the troubled state embroiled in a proxy Cold War?
7. Elderly hunger timebomb
Investigation into lack of savings for retirement
40 years of Isaac Julien Tate Britain celebrates influential artist p48-49
Why I left Team GB Judo star explains thinking behind JA move p54
8. Kebede wins union race Fourth Black trade union leader elected
9. Cops probe Saka race hate
Arsenal and England winger gets more abuse
10. BBC slammed for Kebede attack
Nick Robinson accuses union man of ‘extremism’
This issue is 56 pages
Diane Abbott is still a legend
DIANE ABBOTT, the first Black woman MP, has endured more online hate than the rest of Parliament put together. Everyone knows why. Many were shocked when the former shadow Home Secretary was suspended from being a Labour MP after a letter in her name appeared in the Observer newspaper. In the letter, Ms Abbott argued that white minorities faced ‘prejudice’, not ‘racism’, a claim which angered people across the political spectrum. She swiftly apologised, and said it was an ‘initial draft’ that was sent by mistake, and issued an ‘unreserved apology’ while clarifying that Jewish and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities all experience racism. But the damage was done and hours later she was out of Labour, at a crucial time just before local parties like hers in Hackney and Stoke Newington select their candidates. She is now in danger of being unable to stand for Labour again, just like her friend Jeremy Corbyn. That would be a sad end to her time as an MP that began in 1987 when she broke the glass ceiling thanks to support from the Black Sections. No one can doubt Ms Abbott’s commitment to tackling anti-Black racism. Over 35 years, she has relentlessly championed many causes including the London Schools and the Black Child annual conferences. It appears that tackling anti-Black narratives might also be her downfall, as the offending letter was responding to a Guardian article which suggested that anti-Semitism was more prevalent than other forms of racism. All forms of racism are equally important, but that does not mean they are exactly the same. There are many differences in the dynamics of how they manifest. Acknowledging this is not downgrading any particular form of racism. While Ms Abbott can talk from her personal experience of anti-Black racism, she has spoken passionately, and often, against anti-Semitism and anti-GRT racism. That is who she is; a principled anti-racist, and her record speaks for itself. She is, and remains, a legend. We hope that her situation is resolved satisfactorily and that she can reassure all people who suffer oppression that she is on their side in challenging racial injustice.
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MAY 2023
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News Feature
‘The prison staff don’t really care about you’
Investigation reveals Muslim prisoners cook their own food and are unable to pray together. EXCLUSIVE by Lilufa Uddin
R
AMADAN IS one of the five pillars of Islam and the most sacred month of the Islamic lunar calendar – yet Muslim prisoners are often fed low quality food in small portions. This investigation found that Muslims are routinely handed their food for iftar too early, meaning it is cold by the time they eat it. Prayer meetings are also held in small spaces, meaning some are deprived of their right to pray together. From dawn until sunset, Muslims will abstain from food and drink, and strive to be the best versions of themselves. While breaking fast with family members and friends and consuming vibrant and colourful foods and praying together, may be the norm in Ramadan – this is not a luxury afforded to all. Yellow containers that cannot keep your food warm, is not a fate most Muslims on the outside will be familiar with. However, for Muslim prisoners this is too often the case. Currently, Muslim prisoners make up 27 per cent of the Muslim population in UK jails. A number of Muslims in different UK jails gave their perspective and insight on the experience of observing Ramadan whilst incarcerated. Hassan, a former prisoner, from West London, who has done 14 years, recalls how his last Ramadan was in open jail,
which was a very different experience to doing Ramadan in a closed jail. “In an open jail you can pray together, like pray Maghrib [the prayer at sunset that Muslims break fast to] together. Some people were on home leave, so they could go home and break fast with their families. If you’re on home leave, they allow you to go home on Eid day.” Reflecting on the obstacles of being inside, he said: “Not being able to go to the masjid, being away from family, it affects you – it’s a spiritual thing, you want to get into the spirit.” He went on to mention how his mother cooks for the mosque and how going to the mosque with his family to break fast, is part of their routine. “Muslims are from different countries. They think they’re cooking for Asians. A lot of times they’re giving curries – but a lot of us don’t like curries.”
STARVING
He explained that this led to prisoners complaining. “After starving all day, you don’t want curry,” he said earnestly. I spoke to two Ramadan reps in two different UK jails. A Ramadan rep’s responsibilities include catering to the Muslim prisoners and serving them food. Junaid, 45, is at HMP Coldingley, who has done 16 Ramadans inside. “It’s easier being inside, you can concentrate more, you ain’t got the disturbance of being on the outside.
SEEN BUT NOT HEARD: Our investigation finds that Muslim prisoners’ needs are not catered for (photo: Getty Images)
You have more time for reading and studying about Islam.” One of the recurring themes I have come across while interviewing the prisoners, is that they take it upon themselves to cook their own meals, as prison food is not up to standard. Another recurring theme is that food is served hours earlier than iftar [breaking fast] time, which means food is not hot by the time prisoners eat their food. Prisoners are given suhoor [pre-dawn meal] tea packs which consist of cold food such as: crisps, cheese, cornflakes and milk. The contents of these packs vary from jail to jail, but it is clear that they are not of a sufficient standard for prisoners fasting for 16 hours and beyond.
“I cook my own food, I won’t eat their rice, it’s not really for me, it’s not soft,” he said. “I’ve started my sentence with some of the brothers from 14 years ago. We can sit down and revise surahs [chapters and verses in the Qur’an] together,” he added. If Junaid was able to do Ramadan on the outside, he would cherish being able to walk to the masjid with the brothers to pray the Fajr [dawn] prayer. “I’d be cooking food I like – Oxtail and rice, steak... we are limited here due to the things the jail provides.” He mentioned that the nonMuslim prisoners have been respectful, in that they have not played music out loud the entire month. However, Junaid mentioned that prison staff
POOR QUALITY: Above left and centre, prison food served to Muslim prisoners; above right, the tea pack prisoners at HMP Scrubs get for suhoor, the pre-dawn meal (photos supplied)
had been cooking pork, and after prisoners explained that the smell was offensive, they stopped doing so. Mohamed, 24, from HMP Scrubs echoed Junaid’s thoughts about Ramadan being easier, as they are away from the negative influences and trials of the outside world. “No one comes between you and your ibaadaah [acts of worship].” “It’s canteen that saves us,” he said, explaining that Muslim prisoners cook their own meals as resourcefully as they can, and cook for one another, too.
WRAPS
As someone who has memorised the whole Qur’an, he said he would love to lead Taraweeh [the additional night prayer in Ramadan] at the mosque. Hussain, 36, said “Before Ramadan started, they said the food was coming from the outside, but that is not the case. We have been having the same chicken everyday, normal prison chicken – maybe different seasoning.” He went on to say that the Muslim brothers had gathered together and made chicken wraps for everyone to compensate for the lack of quality food provided for iftar by the prison.
Kamal, 30, is a Ramadan rep in Brixton prison. Reflecting on the benefits of observing Ramadan inside, he said: “There’s a lot of distraction happening on the road right now. A lot of people who are fasting inside, wouldn’t be fasting on the outside. We ain’t got access to a lot of things, if we did have access to them, it would break our fast.” Serving the food as a Ramadan rep, allows him to get an extra portion, but he states that the portions are not sufficient for prisoners. “The boxes don’t keep the food warm enough,” he states. “The prison staff don’t care if you’re fasting, they don’t really care about you. They just see you as a criminal that needs to get fed,” he said. The reality is that Muslim prisoners are having to break fast with cold food that is of a low quality and small portion. As well as this, they are deprived of the right to pray in congregation. In addition, there is superficial understanding of the significance of Ramadan to Muslims, amongst prison staff. Amazingly, despite the hardships each of these prisoners may have spoken of, they are all extremely positive and resilient. They exude humility and gratefulness and a desire to become better people.
38 |
THE VOICE
MAY 2023
Lyndon Mukasa Eye on the Diaspora
Join the debate online voice-online.co.uk/opinion
Is this Australia’s chance? Scarred by centuries of genocide and racism, the country is at a turning point
A
FTER OVER a century of protests, resistance and campaigning, the indigenous peoples of Australia — most commonly known as the First Nations, Australian Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander people, are a step closer to achieving what possibly could amount to some degree of political autonomy and representation for their communities. The Australian government is setting out plans for a referendum later this year that could give recognition in the Australian constitution to indigenous peoples in parliament. In what has been called the Indigenous Voice, this measure could grant First Nations peoples a greater say in laws passed in the Australian parliament. The Indigenous Voice to Parliament was first proposed in 2017 as an advisory body by the Uluru Statement from the Heart under the organisation Uluru Dialogue. It was written and endorsed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to improve the representation of indigenous Australians. The Voice will comprise a national group of 20 members of First Nations descent. The Indigenous Voice to Parliament will advise the Australian government on indigenous policy matters related to health,
education, economic inequality and social issues. This proposal was taken up in 2022 by the current prime minister Anthony Albanese, who pledged following his election victory to implement an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in 2023. But will this make a difference? Even though there is currently majority support for the referendum, there are questions over the representation that it provides, and its ability to make a difference to the lives of indigenous Australians who have suffered for over a century under European colonisation. Before the European invasion of Australia in 1788, there were more than 250 nations/ethnic groups spread across a population of over 750,000 people that had lived in Australia for over 65,000 years.
DEVASTATING
By the 20th century, their population had fallen to just 93,000 people and today they make up 3.5 per cent of a population of 20 million people. The British colonisation of Australia was devastating for indigenous Australians. This was characterised by the violent dispossession of lands particularly in the island of Tasmania where indigenous peoples were hunted like sport almost to extinction. Additionally, the introduction of foreign diseases such
PROTEST: Children wave the Australian aboriginal flag at an ‘Invasion Day’ demonstration in Sydney last year, inset below, a drawing of Australian Aborigines with travellers in the Australian Bush in the late 1890s (photos: Getty Images)
as measles, smallpox and tuberculosis to which indigenous populations had little immunity destroyed whole communities. The indigenous population was segregated from the white colonial settlements and, in an act of cultural genocide, many indigenous children (particularly those who were light skinned), were forcibly taken away from their families to foster homes to be raised by white families, or put in the care system which was characterised by many reported abuses. This happened between the 1890s and 1970s and the traumatic effects on this ‘Stolen Generation’ is still felt to this day. Even after Australia gained independence, the situation of indigenous Australians did not improve. Poverty is endemic and many have poor educational and healthcare services. Unemployment, alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence and mental illness are all significant issues that have their roots back to the 1788 invasion. Police brutality is a problem and indigenous children are still up to 24 times more likely to be detained than their white counterparts in modern Australia. In light of these historical issues,
there are unresolved questions about the referendum. Australia’s Liberal Party has announced that they will oppose the form the Indigenous Voice to parliament takes. The Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton has argued that the prime minister is dividing the country through the referendum. Mr Dutton has argued that it is far more effective to have the government working at the local level with indigenous leaders and communities to deliver the best outcomes, rather than creating what may be seen as a centralised distant advisory group to parliament. In addition, there are indigenous people who have been scarred by decades of programmes and political agendas that did more harm to their communities than it helped. These groups question the effectiveness of this initiative reflecting the issue of distrust among indigenous communities towards the Australian government. Teela Reid, a lawyer and storyteller of Weilwan and Wiradjuri Aboriginal descent, is cautiously optimistic, arguing: “We want some serious, hard, systemic change. We want racism to stop in our nation. We
Lyndon Mukasa is a writer and researcher. He studied International Development at the London School of Economics.
want people’s hearts and minds to change in this process.” Ultimately it comes down to how well the Indigenous Voice to Parliament represents the First Nations people of Australia which is something that Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, a human rights activist of Bundjalung Aboriginal descent is concerned about.
DISCUSSION
Ms Turnbull-Roberts argues that indigenous Australians have always had a voice, but it was never listened to, and that the referendum is being rushed through while many indigenous community voices are being neglected from the conversation. In particular, on the matter of treaties of which a national treaty has been pushed further and further away from the heart of discussion on indigenous rights in Australia. She adds that there are indigenous voices who have been left out of the conversation regarding this matter. The Queensland treaty advancement committee co-chair Dr Jackie Huggins argues that treaties are crucial towards mending the fabric of Australian society and if done right
could address deep structural issues and could allow indigenous people to control their own affairs. Despite this there are others, such as the Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, who states that the Voice will be a way for indigenous Australians to advise the government at all levels about laws and policies that affect their lives. “It’s about drawing a line on the poor outcomes from the long legacy of failed programs and broken policies, and listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” she says. Time will tell whether the Indigenous Voice to Parliament will succeed in addressing the deeply entrenched inequalities that confront Australia’s First Nation people. If Australians vote “yes” to the establishment of the Voice, significant efforts will need to be put into building trust and legitimacy and bringing in other indigenous voices that have not been represented. The issue of treaties should be looked at with a vision of creating an Australia that could meet the needs of indigenous Australians a lot better than the 235 years since the invasion.
AUGUST 2022
THE VOICE| 33
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52 | THE VOICE MAY 2023
Lifestyle
Why being different is a strength and not a weakness
Fats Timbo is hoping others will gain inspiration from her book and follow her lead by facing their challenges head-on. By Joel Campbell
F
ATS TIMBO’S new book is a triumph of resilience and self-acceptance, a heartfelt call to arms for anyone who has ever felt out of place in the world. Through her own journey of self-discovery, Fats has learned to embrace her differences and use them as a source of strength, rather than weakness. Her ten commandments for living fearlessly are a roadmap for anyone seeking to do the same. “My new book is inspired by my life story and what I have gone through in my life in terms of my disability and the challenges that come with it. “It’s called Main Character Energy: 10 Commandments for Living Life Fearlessly, and the reason I have that name is because we are all main characters in our own lives. We often forget about that because we are too busy caring about others, what they think and what they feel. “We’re born alone, apart from twins, we die alone and fearlessness is something that I have definitely been doing my whole life. Every time I step out of my house, every time I step into a new building, every time I meet new people, it’s fearlessness. “So I just wanted to share that sentiment with people. When I was trying to be more confident, what helped me was reading self-help books. So my book is a mix between a self-help book and an autobiography.” Growing up with achondroplasia, Fats faced numerous challenges that many of us can
only imagine. She was constantly reminded of her differences, whether it was through the stares of strangers or the insensitive comments of peers. But instead of hiding away, Fats learned to stand tall and face the world head-on. “It started even before my life began,” Fats explains. “My mum and dad found out that I would either have Down’s syndrome or Dwarfism, because doctors called my mum into hospital when my mum was six months pregnant to tell her that my head was growing bigger than my body. They asked her if she wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but my mum had already fallen in love with me as I was growing inside her, so she said no. “It all starts from there and it shows the love that they have always shown me throughout my life. So I came out with Dwarfism, and with Dwarfism it’s a lack of
cartilage in my joints that affects the way my body grows, so my torso is average height but my arms and legs are shorter than usual. “About 75 per cent of people with Dwarfism have achondroplasia. Dwarfism as a whole happens to one in 30,000 births, so it’s very, very rare.” She added: “I grew up with achondroplasia and, when I realised I was smaller than everyone else, I realised that I couldn’t run as fast as everyone else. I couldn’t reach things the same way everyone else could. “That really affected me because I was thinking why am I not growing the same way that everyone else was. “I was so confused, I didn’t know, I didn’t understand it. I was about five-years-old and people were way taller than me and I was tiny. It made me realise that I was different.”
EXERCISES
In her new book, Fats shares her personal journey of self-acceptance, offering practical advice and exercises for readers to follow. Each chapter includes a section for personal journaling, encouraging readers to reflect on their own experiences and discover their own superpowers. But this is more than just a selfhelp book. It is a call to action, a demand for greater acceptance and understanding of those who are different. Fats wants readers to take her message and use it
ROLE MODEL: Fats Timbo has not allowed her disability to get the better of her, and she is now firmly reaping the rewards and looks to help others (photo: Linda Blacker) to create a better, more inclusive world. Through her work as a comedian and disability advocate, Fats has become a role model for millions of young women around the world. Her infectious personality and quick wit have won her a legion of fans, but it is her unwavering commitment to authenticity and self-love that sets her apart. “As a teenager, I think those were my worst years with achondroplasia. “I think that’s when I was very suicidal, I didn’t want to be on this earth any more. I had very low self-esteem, I hated going out, I hated social interaction. I was at a very low point, but I think when I started getting tired of that version of me I started the self-help books and I started manifestation, I didn’t know what I wanted to manifest but I knew it would be great. “What was important to me at that time was to try and gain some confidence from some-
first ever modelling gig and it’s
“I was suicidal, for underwear, ok. “That was a massive challenge but I started because I threw myself right into deep end, but afterwards I getting tired of the felt absolutely amazing, I felt regood about myself, I felt like that version of ally I was representing, and when me so I started I posted it on Instagram that’s when it went ‘boom’, things went with self-help insane.” At its core, Main Character books” Energy: 10 Commandments for thing. I saw an advert for people who had Dwarfism, albinism, alopecia, and for me I thought, wow, they are calling my name. It was about inclusivity and I felt that I needed to do something like that so that I could come out of my comfort zone. “As well as not feeling confident at the same time, I would want to challenge myself. So when they accepted me and said ‘oh, by the way, the campaign is for underwear’, I was like, wow, ok. “Even more of a challenge, my
Living Life Fearlessly is about finding the courage to be yourself in a world that often seems designed to crush individuality. It is a testament to the power of resilience and the importance of self-love. And it is a message that everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, can benefit from hearing. “I can’t wait for people to read it, get the feedback and feel the love that I am trying to give,” Fats enthused. Watch the full interview: www.voice-online.co.uk
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With a foreword by Sir Lenny Henry, this book shares the Black British experience reflecting on what has changed and what remains the same. It is a great read for the family.
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