Deck the Halls

Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

The holiday's fast approaching! No, but seriously, where has the year gone?! Christmas Day is running towards us at full speed...Here's something Soulfully Christmassy to get you in the mood if you're feeling a little like the GRINCH. Yes Whitney, you went in with this one.

Black Tie (with a touch of Culture)

We had seen the viral videos floating around our News Feeds on Facebook and were all eager for the finale. (It may be a good idea to have a quick glance at the promo videos first, otherwise scroll down):

It was Thursday 6th December, a mildly cold day in Exeter. Campus was going through its daily motions - lecture-workshop-Marketplace-see a face then head off to that boring but all important seminar; some of us had been up since 7am preparing for those 9am lectures, however the excitement for what would take place 11 hours later was our motivation.

Thursday 6th December was the Charity Winter Ball @ the Thistle Hotel - Exeter, an event to help raise funds and awareness for 'HER' - an anti-human trafficking organisation that seeks to help re-home and rehabilitate trafficked young women.

After getting 'glam' and suiting up, we had all managed to get to the Thistle in record time! We were welcomed by a drinks reception before being invited to take our seats as the Host & Hostess engaged us with charm and banter. 

There was a variety of singing and dancing from talented people who all reside and study in Exeter, performances ranged from high-energy break dancing to a calmer rendition of Beyoncé’s “I Was Here”. A mixture of games were played to lighten the mood and add a competitive edge to the night, with different tables coming up with team names that they used to battle through the evenings activities.

 We were blown away by the fashion show that featured different cultural attires and the models were people we usually see around; amazing how natural the runway was for all of them. 

After we were all belly full and fit to burst we came to the realisation that the night wasn’t over yet! As there was an after-party which gave us the opportunity to bust a move and boogie in our ‘Sunday Best’! We partied until our feet hurt and as standard procedure goes, all the girls took of those sky-high heels and changed into more comfortable flats . 

The Winter Ball was a wonderful opportunity to dress up and feel elegant in Exeter - a change from what we are accustomed to during the hustle and bustle of student life and we all know that any chance to eat and party always goes down well! There wasn't a dull moment at the bal with the music and constant interaction; hopefully we make a bigger and better one this year! I am not exaggerating when I say:

I. CANNOT. WAIT!

Sarah Akinsola
Publicity Secretary

Click for pictures from the ball, courtesy of Charles III Photography.

Black History Month?! Pha, who needs it?

The 29th October 2012 marked the first ACS debate of the year, and oh boy, did it come at a good time! It seemed like the perfect way to conclude the celebration of Black History Month (BHM) with the subject of debate being: ‘Does celebrating Black History Month do more harm than good?’

Opposing the celebration of BHM was: 

• Disun Vera-Cruz (1st Year, Philosophy, Politics and Economics)
• Toch Enu (Masters, Engineering) 

Supporting the celebration of BHM: 

• Sarah Akinsola (Me, 1st Year, Drama)
• Sam Adebiyi - (4th Year,  student)

To start off the action, there was a guest speaker, a former student at the University of Exeter. He gave a brief insight into his opinion on the topic and with that, the proceedings started.

Each side was given 5 minutes to make their point, argue against statements put forward by the opposing team and still answer questions presented by the audience in each round. What a heated debate it was! Contrasting opinions regarding the pros and cons of celebrating BHM were brought to light, however being on the supporting side of celebrating BHM I was determined to win - and did I mention that there were TOPSHOP vouchers up for grabs?!?!?!?!? *Takes a deep breath*, so obviously, I fought with everything that I had!

February is US BHM
(click for more info)

The opposition expressed that they saw BHM as something which segregated 'people of colour' from others and suggested that it lacked significance in this era, they further suggested that the story of slavery was outdated. They also made the point that there were White slaves as well as Black, why were they not given a time to celebrate their past experiences?

On the other hand, the supporting side expressed that BHM is a time to inspire and unite as opposed to segregate. We listed the importance of 'people of colour' needing inspirational figures of the same race to aspire and look up to. What good is it when a young Black girl grows up in a world where she sees no strong, Black, successful women in the media? Or a baby boy sees no powerful male figures? What does this tell them? That they cannot be successful. Hence why we need BHM to educate and teach us about these encouraging people.

Despite the death glares and banter, which raised a few laughs from the audience, I believe that we all left the debate with more of an open mind, whether we were in support of or against celebrating BHM. The debate was very refreshing and forced to me look at a subject which I once thought was one-sided, in the sense that I didn't see a reason why anyone of 'colour' would be against BHM, in a different light.

The opposing team gave a very hard fight; they packed punches and punchlines to convince the audience to agree with them, although, at the end of the day, the best side won =D - with that being said I’m so glad I didn’t miss the Topshop jewellery sale. It was simply divine if I might say so myself ;).

Sarah Akinsola

Publicity Secretary

First African Woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize: Wangari Maathai (1940-2011)

The founder of the Green Belt Movement and the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. 

She authored four books: The Green Belt Movement; Unbowed: A Memoir; The Challenge for Africa; and Replenishing the Earth. As well as having been featured in a number of books, she and the Green Belt Movement were the subject of a documentary film, Taking Root: the Vision of Wangari Maathai (Marlboro Productions, 2008). 

1. Wangari Muta Maathai 
2. Born in Nyeri, a rural area of Kenya (Africa), in 1940. 
3. Obtained a degree in Biological Sciences from Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas (1964), a Master of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh (1966), and pursued doctoral studies in Germany and the University of Nairobi, before obtaining a Ph.D. (1971)
4. pursued doctoral studies in Germany and the University of Nairobi, before obtaining a Ph.D. (1971) from the University of Nairobi, where she also taught veterinary anatomy. 
5. The first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree, become chair of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy and associate professor in 1976 and 1977. 
6. Professor Maathai was active in the National Council of Women of Kenya (1976–1987) and was its chairman (1981–1987). In 1976, while she was serving in the National Council of Women, Professor Maathai 
7. Introduced the idea of community-based tree planting and the Green Belt Movement (GBM).. 
8. Was recognised for her struggle for democracy, human rights, and environmental conservation.
9. In 2006, she founded the Nobel Women’s Initiative with her sister laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Betty Williams, and Mairead Corrigan.
10. In 2011, Wangari died after battling Ovarian Cancer.

*Read about Wangari.

'Back to Africa': Marcus Garvey (1887 - 1940)

Garvey was a Jamaican-born black nationalist who created a 'Back to Africa' movement in the United States. He became an inspirational figure for later civil rights activist

• Marcus Garvey. 
• Born in St Ann's Bay, Jamaica on 17 August 1887, the youngest of 11 children. 
• At the age of 14 he left school and became a printer's apprentice where he led a strike for higher wages. 
• The first voice to clearly demand Black Power, ("A race without authority and power is a race without respect.")
• He returned to Jamaica in 1914 and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). See Garveyism.
• Created Black skinned dolls.
• Garvey founded the Black Star Line, to provide transportation to Africa.
• Founded the Negro Factories Corporation to encourage black economic independence. 
• In 1922, Garvey was arrested for mail fraud in connection with the sale of stock in the Black Star Line and sent to prison and  deported to Jamaica. 
• Died on 10 June 1940, in 1964, his body was returned to Jamaica where he was declared the country's first national hero.

*Read about Marcus.

The Mother of Notting Hill Carnival: Claudia Jones

Claudia Jones was a leading figure in London's Caribbean community from 1955 until her death in 1964. She founded The West Indian Gazette, and is known as 'the Mother of the Notting Hill Carnival'.

1. Born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, in 1915. .
2. Became an active member of the American Communist Party when Black issues were still neglected in mainstream politics.
3. Jones was a talented journalist and by the late 1940s she had become the editor of 'Negro Affairs' for the party's paper, The Daily Worker. 
4. She was arrested for her political activities and sentenced to the first of four spells in prison. Jones was deported, refused entry to Trinidad in 1955, and granted asylum in England.
5. There, she helped organise campaigns against the 1962 Immigration Act. 
6. Campaigned for the release of Nelson Mandela, and spoke out against racism in the workplace.
7. Claudia Jones became a leader in the emerging Black equal rights movement in London.
8. In 1958, Jones founded the West Indian Gazette, the first newspaper printed in London for the Black community. 
9. Helped launch Notting Hill Carnival as a response to the 1958 riots, when tensions had turned violent as racist mobs attacked local Black residents. Using the West Indian tradition of carnival, the event was intended to create closer relations between all local communities. The first carnival was held in January 1959 in a local hall.
10. Jones died of a heart attack on Christmas Eve 1964, aged just 48. She was buried in Highgate cemetery next to the grave of Karl Marx.

*Read about Claudia.

The month has come...

Black History Month 2012 is here people!

EACS will be bringing you a figure a week. We've got a debate coming up - the question being considered is:

'Does Black History Month do more harm than good?'

Click the link below for more info on the event! We're going to be posting here like cray so WATCH THIS SPACE! Happy Black History Month people!

EACS x

Debate info...

It was a lovely day! The sun was out...kind of

The ACS held a BBQ during freshers this week.