From silliness to success - with Funmi Adewole

When you hear "Storytelling Workshop", what is the first thing that comes to mind? For me, it was sitting down and taking notes on how to write or tell a story, but Funmi Adewole managed to teach her workshop with a twist: it was dynamic, interactive and fun. 

Funmi began by having everyone introduce themselves, breaking the ice, which really set us up for success for what was about to come. After telling us a story and discussing the different ways we could embellish it, she got us moving. 

We walked through the room, mostly laughing at how silly we felt, but everyone was having a great time. After that, we stood in a circle and sillier things followed, making us more and more comfortable. 

She built us up to the moment where we were split into groups and were supposed to plan and, embellishing, retell segments of the story we had heard earlier. After rehearsing, every group has its own little show and I cannot put into words how much fun and how interesting it was to watch the ways people worked the segments out. 

Proud of their success, everyone applauded, smiled and then watched Funmi retell her story, embellishing this time. As she spoke, she made us believe in the fictional world and carried us straight into it. 

If you ever have the chance to attend one of Funmi's workshops, you shouldn't miss it. It's a different experience and words can't do it justice. 99% of the people there weren't performers, but you could tell that 100% had a great time. 

P.S. We finished the workshop by doing 'the strange animal's dance' and you would have needed to be there to understand what I mean by that. 


Valentina Verba

Fear and terror

Photography: Kaitelin O'Brien

John Young's To the Red Sky was strictly an audio performance. I was quite dubious about sitting for an hour surrounded by speakers in a spotlight beam, listening to a recording of sound from the First World War. We were advised to keep our eyes closed to capture the essence of the experience. Still uncertain, I did so. Then it began.

 “He used to say to me…
  …Do you think you’ll get through?”
This is one of the lines that stuck with me.

A gust of electroacoustic sound rotated around the room as if someone was circling the edge of a fishbowl and I was the water within, confined and tormented. I had to put pressure on my feet to remind myself I was just sitting and listening, and that I was in the same place where I had been before I closed my eyes. There were crashes, clatters and clanks rebounding from every corner of the room. The speakers spat at me. I was haunted by harsh whispers, punctured by shots of sound. Then sporadic droplets of high frequencies gave a sense of hope that was soon swallowed by a battle of sharp shots and deep tones.

I felt the paranoia, I felt the interrogation, I felt the anticipation. I was in the trenches. 

The way John was able to manipulate these sounds to provide the sensation of trench warfare was astonishing. 

 The Imperial War Museum holds the oral recordings used for this remarkable performance.

 

s.m.blair

An unprecedented hope

Munroe Bergdorf is 31-year-old activist and model who has inspired many to love themselves and fight for their rights. In a world of oppression, privilege and power, she is the contrast we all need

Seeing someone like Munroe, who I’ve idolised for so long, sitting in front of me talking about her hopes for the future of the world gave me an unprecedented feeling of hope. I don’t feel hope very often and in truth I am very cynical, but there is something fundamentally soothing about hearing Munroe talk about herself. It rubs off on you and makes you think that maybe, just maybe you also can make a change. Munroe didn’t romanticise herself, her cause, or her struggles as a transgender black woman but she was authentic and kind.

Munroe being unapologetic about her identity is a breath of fresh air, during the talk she discussed the micro aggression of having to explain and discuss her identity and oppression. She talked about the notion of not having to actually partake in discussions with people who belittle your experiences.

As a black woman I related to what she was saying. In the past I’ve had people roll their eyes at me and minimise my experiences. It’s a micro-aggression and I sometimes forget how it actually affects me. It makes me feel like my opinion doesn’t matter, like I can’t be vocal about things that matter to me and it ever so subtly leaves me questioning my position in society.

Her advice to value yourself enough not to justify your importance and rights really stuck with me. Munroe Bergdorf was such a powerful presence, whose message of self-acceptance and self-love really stuck with me.

Aiesha

Munroe Bergdorf - a crucial voice

"Say what you believe to be true."

Munroe Bergdorf's words truly stuck with me. Before attending Munroe's event on February 27th, I didn't know her profile all too well. But it's safe to say that I absolutely adore her now.

Funny, kind and strong-minded, Munroe proved to the audience of the sold out event why she is such an influential figure. Host and DMU student Sophie Hamilton asked all the right questions, from what Munroe's biggest achievements of 2018 were to what she wants to be remembered for. Hearing about Munroe's life and her hard work was extremely moving. 

I walked out of the room feeling inspired and motivated by her words. One point that specifically stood out to me was Munroe saying allies of marginalised communities can use their skills to support others, including writing and art. As a writer myself, hearing this was really important. I want to help make a difference with my own skills, and Munroe's advice has only pushed me further towards this aspiration.

Munroe isn't afraid to say what she thinks and what she believes to be true. Her powerful voice and mind reach out to all kinds of audiences, including young people who may be facing struggles similar to Munroe's past ones. Having someone who all kinds of people can look up to and be inspired by is important in this ever-changing world, and for that, I can only give my thanks to Munroe. 



Belinda Campbell

"Social media is a mirage"

Yesterday evening I attended an hour-long discussion with LGBTQ+ representative Munroe Bergdorf.

As a transgender homosexual woman, Bergdorf has much to tell us about her daily experience of navigating today's society. She talked of self-care and surviving whilst baing apart from the white, cisgendered, heterosexual 'elite'. I found her talk thought-provoking and incredibly powerful.

Many of us deal with our own struggles and Bergdorf made sure to make everyone feel included. The audience at her talk was "one of the most diverse I have ever spoken to," she said.

She covered a large variety of topics. The one that resonated most with me was her statement that "Social media is a mirage." This came during her discussion of her mental health and her teenage experience of body dysmorphia before she transitioned. It's so easy to be sucked into the lie that is 'Social Media', especially on apps where everyone's goal is to make their lives look flawless unlike their day-to-day reality. This has led many people unstable mental health. Some who I know have had to take deliberate breaks from social media to allow themselves to heal.

This topic seemed to really hit home with the majority of the audience, as the atmosphere in the lecture theatre was thick with personal reflection - as well as awe for Munroe Bergdorf.
 

Jordan Warwick

Postgrad pleasures

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting some PhD and MA students of creative writing and listening to some of their work.

What never ceases to amaze me is the many paths that creative writing can take you down. Despite studying together, each writer had a different style and purpose in writing.

Dave, for example, chose to write a humorous, graphic piece called 'Head Case', which while amusing to listen to, also gave depth to its core character.

Another student, Sabrina Smith, read some of her pieces from an external project which involves helping dementia patients by having them translate their memories into poems. One that I particularly enjoyed was one called 'Living Like Gypsies'. Very emotional and pleasant to listen to.

One of my lecturers, Zeandrick Oliver, read some of his work on his own memories of his migration to the UK. My favourite piece by him, and out of the all the readings was 'Street View'. It portrayed the memory beautifully.

Alicja Walendziak, also an MA student, read some pieces about some of her personal experiences as a Polish migrant and a few pieces about mental health. Out of all of them, my favourite was 'OCD's hand', because of how brave she was to write about something so personal and do it so well.

I enjoyed all the readings. The event has inspired me to try writing in different genres and styles.

So what's it like to be a writer?

The Cultural Exchanges Festival 2019 at De Montfort University has really given me a chance to explore my field as a writer. Today, I got an amazing opportunity to attend a talk with Nikesh Shukla, best known for being the editor of the best selling essay collection The Good Immigrant.

Not only was I honoured to be there and hear the discussion which he had with Mahsuda Snaith, (prize winning author of The Things We Thought We Knew) but I was also inspired by the
journey which he took us on.

I began to realise that being a writer is not only all about focusing on writing books. I already knew that being a writer can be really tiring. But Nikesh's speech about all the things that pull him away from being a writer was quite incredible. I realised how often we disregard the little things in life which we take for granted. It's only when we need a break, that we realize how valuable those little things are.

This wasn't just a good experience for me. It also encouraged me to proceed further in my writing career. The Cultural Exchanges Festival has proved a great source of inspiration for me and for others.

E J Manso Henriques