The Polity of Φ
The Call
Deniz Uster & Alberta Whittle
The Polity of Φ: The Call was a performative symposium opened at the Glasgow Project Rooms in Trongate 103, introducing our research, The Polity of Φ. Tom Harrup was commissioned to design and build a podium, The Phi Podium, where we invited political activists, community organisations, academicians as well as refugees on the frontline to speak freely for 10 minutes. The symposium was recorded, so the disembodied sound was played from our podium throughout the rest of the exhibition run. The complete sound piece can now be accessed from our blog.
Isabel Harland from Govan and Craigton Integration Network (GCIN) opened our programme of speakers, sharing her very personal perspectives of living between worlds and the importance of acknowledging the privilege of possessing a European passport.
Conversations throughout the event ranged from the microaggressions experienced by those of us who physically identify as Other within a Western context to the need to work together to create positive change. Pinar Aksu spoke extensively about the assumption of “foreignness” attributed to presentation of Self both at home in Turkey as well as at home in Scotland. This poignant narrative of becoming an embodiment for Otherness in both locations, which are “home”, demonstrates the struggle to belong.
Both Graham Campbell and Joshua Brown gave important context to the work that has been on-going in Glasgow in supporting integration, both from personal and professional perspectives as activists and community leaders. Joshua spoke about his history growing up in the U.S. and his personal experiences of inequality, which motivated him to focus his work on finding ways to show care and be an advocate for many groups. Graham shared his experiences of working at Westminster as an activist and his frustration with the consistent lack of acknowledgement shown by politicians to the difficulties migrants to the UK encounter.
Norah Adeyemo shared her personal story as a person of two lives. After making her home in Nigeria for almost a decade, the strain of living under political unrest and military coups compelled her to return with her family to Glasgow. Norah’s return to Glasgow and an acknowledgement of her privilege as someone with an alternative homestead bolstered her passion for addressing inequality and advocating for others. Closing her presentation, Norah implored us to search for our humanity and work together for solutions to support others facing violence and persecution, giving examples of work she has spearheaded fundraising for refugees arriving in Greece.
Reports of casual racism and the power of the media in nurturing hysteria and hostility towards marginalised communities were shared. Luca from Umbrella Lane spoke extensively of the prejudices faced by sex workers, particular migrant and transgender sex workers in Europe and the distaste towards their professional choices. The vulnerability encountered by sex workers and the risk of violence is very present in Scotland and institutions like Umbrella Lane and Scot-Pep are absolutely necessary in offering legal, health and safety advice. Luca read the words from migrant Chinese sex workers, living in Paris where they protested the stereotypes and threats they encounter daily through intervening into the streets of Belleville in Paris.
Fuad Alakbarov highlighted the importance of education as an important tool to tackle racism and cultural intolerance. Fuad spoke about his background as someone born in Azerbaijan but living in Scotland and his relationship with straddling these two cultures, both of which are home. His positivity about Glasgow as a welcoming, adoptive home was shared by all of the Speakers.
Amal Azzudin and “Jaan” shared their personal histories as families dislodged from their homes and resettled into foreign environments. The trauma of being systematically evicted with little or no warning and the impact of this upheaval was made abundantly clear in their moving testimonies. Amal relayed her role in fighting the injustice encountered by many migrants to Glasgow and shared her history as a “Glasgow Girl”, who in solidarity with her friends raised awareness of the perils of “dawn raids” for people who have become rooted in Glasgow yet are dragged from their beds in the middle of the night to face deportation and detention because of their uncertain status.
Olivia Ndoti expounded on the biased access to crossing the border and to territory in her presentation. Olivia spoke at length about the more flexible borders Zambia impose on migrants compared to those she has experienced as a migrant to the UK. Olivia concluded with discussing the problems of accessing support at borders, the unbalanced power relations in access to information and her dedication to fighting and campaigning for better treatment for migrants.
In her presentation, Juliana Penham also illustrated tensions at borders and the general sense of hostility directed towards new arrivals. Juliana spoke of arriving in Portugal as a migrant and the destabilising communication strategies adopted by the border officials, who refused to share information in a manner she could understand easily although they both shared a similar mother tongue. Reading the poem, Sonho Imigrante by Milton Nascimento, about the dream of the immigrant to find solace in their new home was a poignant reminder of how difficult this can be.
Sonia Michalewicz, an incredible singer gave us a condensed history of the historical segregation and hostility encountered by Roma people in Europe. This powerful narrative of displacement and the pressure to conform to Western, culture, deportment and dress yet maintain a sense of pride in one’s community is clearly a balancing act fraught with difficulties and conflict of the Self. Her final contribution was to share a song from her Polish Roma community, which left many close to tears.
Teresa Piacentini and Giovanna Fassetta spoke about the role of home and the notion of belonging as something, which is consistently changing and mutating as populations shift. Teresa spoke about her memories growing up in Govanhill as Italian and the discrimination her family faced from the dominant Irish population. They concluded their presentation with a brief overview of their roles as academic researchers, based within GRAMNet at Glasgow University.
Margaret Sweeney from Glasgow Night Shelter spoke about the horrors and violence encountered by homeless migrants, who often arrive already traumatised by events in their home country and are then forced to become destitute. Margaret recounted the minimal resources made available to destitute migrants and the dire situation many attempt to cope with and survive in a space that is hostile to their presence.
Richard Kayumba shared his experiences as an active political agitator in Ruanda, South Africa and Swaziland. His role as an adept mediator between warring factions in Ruanda, the Tutsis and the Hutus made him a prime target for assassination. Attempts were made to end his life and caused him to flee from his home as a political exile and refugee. He spoke about how he could not imagine the life that would await him in the UK, where he would become destitute and be regarded as a pariah in his new role as asylum seeker.
The diverse narratives and viewpoints shared at “The Polity of Φ : The Call” were humbling in the generosity shared by both Speakers and the audience to becoming active witnesses. The power of being a witness and an active collaborator or participant in discussions, which impact us all, is necessary. For positive change to happen, we need to continue to hear a multitude of voices, from different backgrounds, political affiliations, experiences and hopefully we can find common ground.
Isabel Harland from Govan and Craigton Integration Network (GCIN) opened our programme of speakers, sharing her very personal perspectives of living between worlds and the importance of acknowledging the privilege of possessing a European passport.
Conversations throughout the event ranged from the microaggressions experienced by those of us who physically identify as Other within a Western context to the need to work together to create positive change. Pinar Aksu spoke extensively about the assumption of “foreignness” attributed to presentation of Self both at home in Turkey as well as at home in Scotland. This poignant narrative of becoming an embodiment for Otherness in both locations, which are “home”, demonstrates the struggle to belong.
Both Graham Campbell and Joshua Brown gave important context to the work that has been on-going in Glasgow in supporting integration, both from personal and professional perspectives as activists and community leaders. Joshua spoke about his history growing up in the U.S. and his personal experiences of inequality, which motivated him to focus his work on finding ways to show care and be an advocate for many groups. Graham shared his experiences of working at Westminster as an activist and his frustration with the consistent lack of acknowledgement shown by politicians to the difficulties migrants to the UK encounter.
Norah Adeyemo shared her personal story as a person of two lives. After making her home in Nigeria for almost a decade, the strain of living under political unrest and military coups compelled her to return with her family to Glasgow. Norah’s return to Glasgow and an acknowledgement of her privilege as someone with an alternative homestead bolstered her passion for addressing inequality and advocating for others. Closing her presentation, Norah implored us to search for our humanity and work together for solutions to support others facing violence and persecution, giving examples of work she has spearheaded fundraising for refugees arriving in Greece.
Reports of casual racism and the power of the media in nurturing hysteria and hostility towards marginalised communities were shared. Luca from Umbrella Lane spoke extensively of the prejudices faced by sex workers, particular migrant and transgender sex workers in Europe and the distaste towards their professional choices. The vulnerability encountered by sex workers and the risk of violence is very present in Scotland and institutions like Umbrella Lane and Scot-Pep are absolutely necessary in offering legal, health and safety advice. Luca read the words from migrant Chinese sex workers, living in Paris where they protested the stereotypes and threats they encounter daily through intervening into the streets of Belleville in Paris.
Fuad Alakbarov highlighted the importance of education as an important tool to tackle racism and cultural intolerance. Fuad spoke about his background as someone born in Azerbaijan but living in Scotland and his relationship with straddling these two cultures, both of which are home. His positivity about Glasgow as a welcoming, adoptive home was shared by all of the Speakers.
Amal Azzudin and “Jaan” shared their personal histories as families dislodged from their homes and resettled into foreign environments. The trauma of being systematically evicted with little or no warning and the impact of this upheaval was made abundantly clear in their moving testimonies. Amal relayed her role in fighting the injustice encountered by many migrants to Glasgow and shared her history as a “Glasgow Girl”, who in solidarity with her friends raised awareness of the perils of “dawn raids” for people who have become rooted in Glasgow yet are dragged from their beds in the middle of the night to face deportation and detention because of their uncertain status.
Olivia Ndoti expounded on the biased access to crossing the border and to territory in her presentation. Olivia spoke at length about the more flexible borders Zambia impose on migrants compared to those she has experienced as a migrant to the UK. Olivia concluded with discussing the problems of accessing support at borders, the unbalanced power relations in access to information and her dedication to fighting and campaigning for better treatment for migrants.
In her presentation, Juliana Penham also illustrated tensions at borders and the general sense of hostility directed towards new arrivals. Juliana spoke of arriving in Portugal as a migrant and the destabilising communication strategies adopted by the border officials, who refused to share information in a manner she could understand easily although they both shared a similar mother tongue. Reading the poem, Sonho Imigrante by Milton Nascimento, about the dream of the immigrant to find solace in their new home was a poignant reminder of how difficult this can be.
Sonia Michalewicz, an incredible singer gave us a condensed history of the historical segregation and hostility encountered by Roma people in Europe. This powerful narrative of displacement and the pressure to conform to Western, culture, deportment and dress yet maintain a sense of pride in one’s community is clearly a balancing act fraught with difficulties and conflict of the Self. Her final contribution was to share a song from her Polish Roma community, which left many close to tears.
Teresa Piacentini and Giovanna Fassetta spoke about the role of home and the notion of belonging as something, which is consistently changing and mutating as populations shift. Teresa spoke about her memories growing up in Govanhill as Italian and the discrimination her family faced from the dominant Irish population. They concluded their presentation with a brief overview of their roles as academic researchers, based within GRAMNet at Glasgow University.
Margaret Sweeney from Glasgow Night Shelter spoke about the horrors and violence encountered by homeless migrants, who often arrive already traumatised by events in their home country and are then forced to become destitute. Margaret recounted the minimal resources made available to destitute migrants and the dire situation many attempt to cope with and survive in a space that is hostile to their presence.
Richard Kayumba shared his experiences as an active political agitator in Ruanda, South Africa and Swaziland. His role as an adept mediator between warring factions in Ruanda, the Tutsis and the Hutus made him a prime target for assassination. Attempts were made to end his life and caused him to flee from his home as a political exile and refugee. He spoke about how he could not imagine the life that would await him in the UK, where he would become destitute and be regarded as a pariah in his new role as asylum seeker.
The diverse narratives and viewpoints shared at “The Polity of Φ : The Call” were humbling in the generosity shared by both Speakers and the audience to becoming active witnesses. The power of being a witness and an active collaborator or participant in discussions, which impact us all, is necessary. For positive change to happen, we need to continue to hear a multitude of voices, from different backgrounds, political affiliations, experiences and hopefully we can find common ground.
