Demographically, Cornwall is one of the least diverse counties in the country, with less than 2% of the population of the region belonging to ethnic minorities. This proved to be a slight culture shock for me when I first arrived here as my home county – West Midlands – sports a population where ethnic minorities make up over 15%. As a person of colour, I’ve found that it can be easy to feel a little out of place in some circumstances. Thankfully, Penryn campus acts as a hub of diversity compared to other places in Cornwall, and so consequently we have a multitude of ethnicities and nationalities represented at the university. Being half Jamaican myself, the FXU’s African Caribbean Society (ACS) is one close to my heart, and not just because they throw the best parties!
The work the ACS have done on campus since their establishment has reaped many successes, such as their achievement of a gold status as an FXU society last year. We are only in November, but since the beginning of the academic year the society has hosted a wide variety of events: parties, a jazz themed evening, a games night, film night and discussion sessions. With the chaos sparked by Brexit and the recent US election, it is societies such as the ACS that will have increasing importance amongst the student population on campus. They represent a light of hope in times of darkness as they bring together people of all backgrounds in order to “Educate. Empower. Entertain.”
Being such an active and visible society, the ACS not only facilitates events for entertainment, but also provides a platform for those often overlooked. I was lucky enough to be able to interview some of the committee members of the society to learn about their aims for the upcoming academic year, as well as their personal roles in ACS and reflections on Black History Month.
Introductions:
“My name is Isaac Chukwumah, I’m 20 years old, I’m Nigerian and I study business at the University of Exeter. I’m interested in fashion and African development on political, social and economic levels.”
“My name is Salem Khazali and I’m from London and study Graphic Design at Falmouth. My parents are from Sierra Leone and Morocco. My interests include visual art (mainly photography) and music, as well as keeping an eye on creative culture.”
“My name is Aula Ourtashi, I am a second year Business student at Exeter. I am ethnically Sudanese but have lived in Dubai my whole life.”
Following on from the success of the ACS last year, what would be the biggest goals for the society this year? What do your individual committee roles entail and what would you like to achieve through them?
ISAAC: Following on from last year’s success, I’d say that the biggest goal for this year is achieving variety in terms of our events and what we do, as well as continuing to expand on the achievements from last year. I’m the president and my role is really all about management. I’m managing all committee members and ensuring that all aspects of our events are in place and running smoothly. To an extent, I’m also an ambassador of the society due to the nature of my role. I’d really like to achieve three major things through my role: personal education of various cultures, varying the events that the society hosts and using it as a platform to work on my professional skills.
SALEM: I can’t speak for the whole committee on what our biggest goals are, because there are so many areas in which we aim to not only match but exceed the wonderful work Bella and her committee achieved last year. But my main aim from a design point of view is making sure that the society has a timeless and recognisable brand identity.
AULA: The ACS team did an amazing job last year at achieving gold standard, and I think for us this year one of our main goals is to really push forward the fact that the society is not just for people of colour and that everyone is welcome. My role as a committee member is the ‘Events Manager’, so I work alongside other team members to come up with events we can host as a society that reflect our values. As well as this I deal with the technical side, such as booking the venues, advertising the tickets etc.
“Educate. Empower. Entertain.”: What does this mean to you in terms of the role ACS plays? Especially considering the relative lack of diversity in Cornwall compared to most parts of the UK.
ISAAC: “Educate. Empower. Entertain.” For me, this simply means that whatever we do (beyond the African/Caribbean influence) there’s always going to be an informative, entertaining and/or inspiring lens to it.
SALEM: “Educate. Empower. Entertain” is an important concept because ethnic minorities are in very few numbers n campus, so as well as empowering these groups we want to make sure everyone else is also educated and entertained by organising collaborations with other societies such as the History, English and Politics societies alongside our famous Cribbs parties.
AULA: The slogan “Educate. Empower. Entertain” reminds us to educate people of all races and interests about African & Caribbean culture and to try and get them involved with the things we love to do.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
ISAAC: Personally, I see Black History Month as a time through which I actively get to know about the history of black people. Sounds like a simple answer, but within that history comes culture, their contributions to the wider society, and much more.
SALEM: Black History Month, to me, is a reminder that I’m here because of people that suffered before me just because they happened to look like me, and that I should never become complacent because there is a lot of work that still needs to be done.
AULA: Black History Month for me is a time to celebrate successes and hardships of black people all around the world. Coming from Dubai I never celebrated BHM before coming here as it wasn’t a big concern for people there, however being able to do that here gives me a great sense of belonging and pride for the community I am a part of.
In a time when some famous black public figures – such as Morgan Freeman – question the need for platforms such as Black History Month, what is your stance on the controversial idea that to stop racism, we should stop talking about it?
ISAAC: I’ve thought about this question and my answer is this: throughout history, the histories of black people have not been fully incorporated into world history. If it is, it tends to be altered. Until our narratives are fully incorporated in society properly, and is seen as normal, then there should always be a Black History Month. I understand, to an extent, Mr. Freeman’s thoughts on BHM. But to not talk about something that’s an issue and expect it to just go away? I don’t think so. The only time when we won’t need to talk about racism is when it’s no longer an issue.
SALEM: I think it’s very easy to feel like racism isn’t a problem when you’ve never experienced it, or belong in a bubble of blissful ignorance as a result of priviledge. But for the majority of ethnic minority individuals — for the rest of us — racism is something we experience every day. To suggest that we shouldn’t talk about it is silencing us. Which wouldn’t sound fair in nearly any other situation.
AULA: I believe that if you want to make people aware of something, you need to be as proactive about the matter as possible, and muting the voices of people who have suffered so much in order to “forget” racism is not going to work. Unfortunately, that concept is hardwired into many people’s brains and to change perspectives and educate people on the matter, healthy conversation and debate is key.
Many thanks to Isaac, Salem and Aula for their time. If you don’t follow them already, check out the FXU ACS facebook page for more information on their work and upcoming events.