Maya Angelou

 I am so so sad that Maya Angelou is dead. She was such an inspiration and I really connected with her poetry when I studied her for A Level English Literature. Maya reaffirmed for me that the colour's of one's skin is a badge of pride that makes one phenomenal. From Maya, I learned that it is possible to rise against oppression and overcome the demons of the past. Also, even though, one can sometimes feel caged by society, it is still possible to sing and fight for freedom. The world has truly lost an incredible woman. RIP.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

An apology and an amendment

It's official: I am the worst at this blogging thing.

    In my defence, it has been an incredibly hectic, stressful and tense term at university, and the thought of my eight exams (21 hours of exams, wOoOoOo, FML) hasn't made things easier. I have a lot to blog about but I just don't have much time nowadays to sit down and actually get my thoughts out.

  However, do not fear, my faithful fans (Mum, Tai, Leo and an amazing lady in Southeast Asia lol), posts on inspirational teachers, heartbreak over the situation in Nigeria, The History Boys and a History boy, Maya Angelou, Access, even more challenges with being a minority in college and one of the Christian Union reps are coming! I don't know when (probs after exams but I'll change the dates to make it look like I blogged during term time lol) but it'll be like these posts were always there...

  So, I propose an amendment to one of my New Year's Resolutions; instead of blogging once a week, by the end of the year, I need to have done at least 52 blog posts.

That's all, folks. Speak soon.

"Black people can't row."

  In Fresher's Week, I met a boy. Let's call him Scott. Although his first words to me should have put me off immediately ("Hi, I'm Scott and you'll be voting for me one day."), I ignored them and assumed that he was joking, because that's what PPE students do...right? Anyway, a group of us decided to go to the pub for drinks, in order to get to know one another better. For some reason, we started talking about rowing (Scott was an avid rower in secondary school), then all of a sudden, Scott announced matter-of-factly that 'black people can't row', looking very pointedly at me. He was so sure of himself, backing up his ludicrous claims by giving examples of black people in his school that couldn't row. Being the only black person in that pub, I felt embarrassed to have been so singled out but as it was Fresher's Week, I didn't want to make a scene and be know as 'The Black Girl That Gets Easily Offended'. So, I laughed it off as a joke, even though I was seething inside, thinking to myself, "Boy did I misjudge this guy, what a jerk!" and from then on, I avoided Scott and disliked him from afar. That was my first mistake.

  Flash forward to two terms later, post the 'too black' incident. Scott decided to run for a position on the college committee and at dinner, I was explaining to my friends why he would not be getting my vote. I cited the rowing incident as one of the many reasons why I found him rude and unapproachable. Five of my six friends on the dinner table were appalled at what Scott had said to me and were totally on my side. However, one of them didn't see anything wrong with what Scott had said. Let's call this friend George. George started going on about how Scott was correct due to things like 'survival of the fittest', the bone structure of black people and the slave trade. Sorry, what?

  I laughed nervously and told George to be very careful with his words as he was slowly digging himself into a hole. Unlike with the 'too black' incident, my other friends on the table weren't silent; they rushed to my defence and repeatedly told George to stop talking. However, George stubbornly stood by his words and refused to see the fault in them. As I had to leave dinner early for a meeting, I couldn't really emphasise to George how wrong he was and as I was late for my meeting, I completely forgot about what he had said. This was my second mistake.

  Later that night, my friends and I were going out to a club but at predrinks, I felt disengaged with everything but I couldn't pinpoint exactly why this was so. Then, as we were walking to the club, my good friend Hazza D came up to me and started apologising profusely for not defending me more at dinner with George. Then, all the hurt that I had repressed came rushing at me and I burst into tears in the middle of the street. I felt so disappointed with myself. Although I had improved slightly from the 'too black' incident with defending myself, it still wasn't good enough as George had no idea at all how much his words had affected me and that he was in the wrong!

  Somehow, despite my emotional state, I made it into the club but I was very upset. I needed to be alone and think about what I was going to do but I didn't want to be a downer and ruin my friends' night out. With a lot of difficulty, I escaped from the care and worrying eyes of Hazza D and another great friend, that we'll call Froggie. I went back to college alone after less than half an hour at the club to get some advice on what to do from my lovely college husband. My reliable sister assured me that I wasn't overreacting, as did the hubby and he also emphasised to me that just like with the friend from the 'too black' incident, George isn't racist; he is just ignorant about certain things. Due to this ignorance, George doesn't know when he comes across as un-PC.

  Hazza D, Froggie, and the hubby were very furious at George for making me cry and they were vocal about this to him. The next day, George came to my room nearly in tears. He apologised repeatedly for how thoughtless he had been and wanted to know if we could still be friends. I forgave him and we had a very long heart to heart about the whole situation and now, we are stronger friends. Long story over.

  I learned a lot of things from this experience. 1) I should have told Scott that his words were rude in Fresher's Week, instead of being afraid of looking like the stereotypical 'Angry Black Woman'. 2) Likewise, I should have chastised George instantly for his rude comments, instead of letting the situation magnify and exploding with tears. 3) Due to the kind of environment that I'm in, micro-aggressions are more likely to occur (a week ago, there was an incident with an old man and McDonalds...ask if you're really interested in knowing) but it is my job to never let them defeat me and to always speak now and defend myself. 4) Great friends are out there. With the 'too black' incident, I had felt completely alone because none of my other 'friends' on the dinner table had noticed the error but this time, friends like Froggie, the hubby and Hazza D were pivotal in resolving the issue.

   So yeah, that's me. As Clarence Oddbody says in 'It's a Wonderful Life (BRILLIANT film, I highly recommend it), "No man is a failure who has friends." Peace out.

The History Boys

  Alan Bennett's award winning 'The History Boys' premiered at the National Theatre in 2004 and it is somewhat fitting that the play has come to Oxford for its tenth anniversary, due to its subject matter. 'The History Boys' is set in the 1980s in a northern secondary school and it follows a group of high achieving history students as they prepare for Oxford and Cambridge entrance examinations, under the guidance of three teachers who differ in teaching styles.

  In one word, this recent production directed by James Lorenz was fantastic. 'The History Boys' is a nation favourite as the 2006 film made stars such as Dominic Cooper and James Corden household names. This recent production reminded us all of why the play is so loved with its mix of humour and compelling issues. These issues include whether or not there is a wrong or right method of teaching, the true meaning of history, how lines can often become blurred in teacher-student relationships and so on. Luke Rollason was especially brilliant, heartbreaking and hilarious as Posner, alongside Tommy Siman who excelled as the pompous Dakin. Benedict Morrison shined as the controversial Hector, a character that has divided audiences over years due to the darker implications related to the character.

  This new production of the play resonated well with its audience that was mostly students of the university, who had all been through the interview rigorous admission process, this writer included. 'The History Boys' raises questions as to whether the 'Oxbridge experience' is all worth it in the end, a question that is still discussed today. Although the play was almost three hours long with an interval, it never felt too long or boring as the ensemble cast were superb and engaging as well as moving and unforgettable.

Rating 4/5 ****

Inspirational Teachers

  Helen Mirren won the BAFTA Fellowship this year, a lifetime achievement award that honours the work and outstanding achievements of incredible actors, film directors, producers in film and television, screen writers, editors and so on. Dame Mirren then dedicated the award to Mrs Welding, a woman who had been her English teacher at school and the only person that encouraged her to follow her dreams of becoming an actor.

   Due to the hustle and bustle of university, I completely forgot that the BAFTAs were on TV. Sad times. So, I first came across Dame Mirren's moving speech at a Teach First Conference that I attended a few months ago, where I had to talk to trainee teachers about my experiences with the organisation and how I know from my own experiences that Teach First teachers really do make a difference in the lives of the students that they teach. In fact, I never considered teaching until I came across Teach First and now, teaching has become a possibility for me as I want to make a difference, even though that sounds super corny.

  The next time that I came across the speech was at the Oxford University Inspirational Teachers Award ceremony, where the video was played before the host of the event read out a message from Dame Mirren herself, who congratulated the winning teachers and apologised for not being able to make the ceremony. I. Could. Have. Met. Dame. Helen. Mirren. But whatevs. I'm not bothered about that at all...

  Although I was only allowed to nominate one teacher who had inspired me (cheers, Mr B!), there are a few others that have done this as well and this post is to give them some recognition. Why am I doing this, you ask? I find that students in the UK (not all students, mind!) often take teachers for granted, talking back at them and swearing at them in classrooms etc and teaching is often looked down by other professions because some believe that it doesn't pay enough or that teachers 'have it easy' with the 'regular breaks' that they get with school holidays. I personally believe that teachers deserve a lot of respect because they are the ones that form the minds of tomorrow; they encourage these minds, help them to develop their talents and as Dame Mirren mentioned in her speech, teachers often motivate their students to aim for their future careers. Okay, with all this in mind, here are the teachers that have inspired me:

  Thank you Mr N for teaching me to never give up when I was five years old and I was crying because I had failed a test for the first time in my life. Thank you Mr R, who was my amazing singing teacher/ after school tutor for everything (I was a slow kid lol) from when I was five until I left Nigeria aged nine. Mr R put up with how strange I was as a child and made me believe in myself, even though it took me a while to catch up with my sister and the rest of the class. He also encouraged my love of singing, and he was a huge part of the reason why singing was such a big part of my childhood, and who I am today. Mr O was just like Mr R because he tutored me after school as well (I'm not kidding when I say I was a slow kid) and he inspired me to write because he was the first person that I knew to publish a book, showing me that normal people can write too, and that being a writer is not restricted to a certain group of people.

  Last but most definitely not least, a massive thank you to Miss S (I hear she's a Mrs these days...). Although she was only formally my teacher for two terms when I was in Year 11, she still helped me out informally in her spare time during my A Levels, a true testament to how great teachers really go above and beyond for their students. She also totally changed the way I viewed many things by introducing me to ideas on feminism and postcolonialism. Furthermore, she inspired me to think outside the box and not be complacent with work, in order to be able to keep improving with work.

  I'm still in contact with all of these teachers and although I've said it many times in the past, this post reaffirms how thankful I am to them for all that they have done for me. I wouldn't be where I am today without them.

Bring Back Our Girls

  It is so easy to completely ignore the atrocities that occur in the other parts of the world when they have nothing to do with us. I am absolutely appalled and horrified by all that is going on in my home country, Nigeria with Bokom Haram. We have a responsibility as human beings to speak out against injustice. If we don't speak out for others, who will speak for us in our times of need? A poem by Martin Niemöller comes to mind:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

#BringBackOurGirls