London – The Orbital

14Jan

By Rukhe Omo-IkerodahNo Comments

News, Opinion

Is he a Roadman?

Rukhe Omo on the misuse of terms like 'Roadman' and why we need to so something about it. Having been at university a substantial amount of time, the misuse of some terms, particularly by those whose information about inner-city cultures comes from the media, I believe desperately needs to be addressed. As we enter a new year in which the pandemic seems nearing its end, it is more important than ever to set resolutions and intentions for meaning and understanding. With that being said, in 2022 the correct definition and understanding of the root and impact of the arguably coded term ‘roadman’ on working-class males will be known! A ‘roadman’ is an individual who does ‘road’, that being to engage in illegal activities. This is encouraged by disparities in wealth within...

7Dec

By Bridget OSullivanNo Comments

Features, News, Opinion

ERICA OSAKWE: ‘I CHANGED THE LAW’

Trigger Warning: the following deals with themes of domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is defined across government as any incident of coercive, threatening or controlling behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 and over who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of their gender or sexuality. It wasn’t until Summer 2021 that the Domestic Abuse Act was introduced, creating the first ever statutory definition of domestic abuse in Britain. The bill was rushed through in response to increasing domestic violence reports since the onset of Coronavirus. In other words, it took a pandemic for British politics to formalise its definition of domestic abuse in law. This lack of consolidation only serves to feed the tragic reality that one in ten offences ...

Extinction Rebellion and the Future of Climate Change: how helpful is the movement at creating long-lasting preventative change?

18Oct

By Accalia SmithNo Comments

Opinion

Extinction Rebellion and the Future of Climate Change: how helpful is the movement at creating long-lasting preventative change?

Success is subjective and often put numerically, but with a movement and protest group like XR how can their success be measured? Since launching in the UK at the end of October in 2018 they have had an aim to make ‘decision makers take notice’ and ‘increase the conversation about the depth of Climate change’. Extinction Rebellion’s main tool is protest. As of Thursday 2nd September, 483 people were arrested over the protests, according to The Guardian. During that week Police officers battled with protestors for control of an open top bus blocking London Bridge. Police are reported to have wrestled with protestors in a new desperate attempt to reduce the disruption. In the same week, there were also numerous protests from those against vaccination. A growing number of people disagree wit...

26Feb

By Helena KeebleNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Literature

Rushdie and ‘the Joker’

On 23 October, the London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre hosted the novelist Salman Rushdie in conversation with Erica Wagner on his thirteenth novel, The Golden House. Rushdie is a British Indian novelist, well known for his 1981 novel, Midnight’s Children, which won both the Man Booker Prize during its year of publication. Wagner opened the conversation, pondering on the character, ‘the Joker’ in The Golden House, asking why Rushdie didn’t call him Donald Trump. Rushdie wittily responded, ‘I didn’t want the name of the 45thpresident to be in my book. I thought it would pollute it in some way, and so I thought, in a deck of playing cards there’s only two cards that are unusual to play. One of them is the Trump, and the other is the Joker’, to which the audience broke into ...

BBC Music Introducing Live: Making it in Today’s Industry

7Nov

By Maria GreenNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Music

BBC Music Introducing Live: Making it in Today’s Industry

BBC Music Introducing Live invites aspiring artists, producers and music managers to their three-day event where attendees will learn everything about how to get into the ever-changing music industry. Held at London’s Tobacco Dock on 8-10 November 2018, BBC Music Introducing Live features talks, panels, performances, masterclasses and more, to inspire 15,000 future music industry leaders. BBC Introducing are giving young creatives the opportunity to meet the biggest names in the industry, including brands, record labels, streaming services, artists, BBC DJs and producers. As well as live performances with Ben Howard, Deadmau5, Duke Dumont, Tom Grennan and more, the event includes a UK music careers fair, bars, markets, and surprise performances. BBC Music Introducing Live is th...

3Mar

By Helena KeebleNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Literature

The Line of Beauty

On 3 February, National Trust’s Sutton House played host to the ‘Late Night Library Club’, a theatrical adaptation of Alan Hollinghurst’s ‘The Line of Beauty’, marking the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality. The event featured a diverse programme, headlining Alan Hollinghurst in conversation with Jonathan Kemp. Hollinghurst is an award-winning gay novelist, with ‘The Line of Beauty’ winning the Man Booker Prize in 2004. The event started with drinks in the courtyard before you ascended to the first floor. Immediately you were greeted by characters of the novel dressed in the 80’s ‘Tory Glam’ style. On your right, character ‘Leo’ encouraged you enter and explore your creativity by colouring in a print of Margaret Thatcher. You can imagine the array of...

Edmilson Angelo’s Registered Charity- Change 1’s Life

6Feb

By Mariam GevorgyanNo Comments

Features

Edmilson Angelo’s Registered Charity- Change 1’s Life

“We can all be the change we want to see in the world”, is the mantra of Change 1s Life founder Edmilson Angelo. Starting out independently in 2013, Edmilson campaigned across Westminster University where he did his bachelor degree, urging students to donate unwanted clothes and other essentials which were to be distributed by Edmilson himself to street vendors, orphanages and homeless shelters in Angola. In less than one year, Edmilson’s vision for effectively combating poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa already proved likely and in 2014 his vision turned into an official UK-registered charity. With over 55,000 beneficiaries, teams established in Angola, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa as well as management operational offices in France and Spain, a constitution was formed with the ultima...

22Nov

By Natasha LamNo Comments

News

Silence Will Fall

People marched through London on Saturday 14th October 2017 as part of a protest calling for the end of modern slavery around the world. The Walk for Freedom march is organised by A21, a charity organisation fighting human trafficking and slavery. It is an annual event that aims to get people to stand together against “forced labour, servitude and sexual exploitation”. A21’s Walk for Freedom is organised all over the world, with marches in 48 states in the US and over 20 counties in the UK. There are also participating walks in most of the EU, Australia, Canada, South America and in a few Asian countries. Charlie Blythe, director of A21’s UK division and the organiser of the walk, stated that the walk is “one of those things that makes you feel great, to do something for others… it i...

23Sep

By Shannon GrayNo Comments

News

How the Elizabeth Line will Affect You

What is the Elizabeth Line? The Elizabeth Line is London’s newest addition to the TfL rail and tube network, and it is set to stretch a full 60 miles through the London and Greater London area - almost double the current tube-span record holder, the Central Line. The Elizabeth Line will span from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It is set to service 40 accessible stations, 10 of which are newly built and 30 of which are newly upgraded. The line will launch in December 2018 and is expected to serve around 200 million people per year. How will this affect you? As a Royal Holloway student, you will be a short distance away from Heathrow Airport and therefore the Elizabeth Line may benefit your London-based travels. Servicing stations such as Paddi...

“You saw it in the tears of those who survived” – The Grenfell Tower Mural

17Sep

By Stephanie BagnallNo Comments

News

“You saw it in the tears of those who survived” – The Grenfell Tower Mural

A mural to honour the victims and survivors of the Grenfell Tower was created on Thursday 21st July in London at Village Underground. Painted by the renowned English street artist, Ben Eine, the mural featured a poem about the disaster by the Booker Prize winner and Nigerian writer Ben Okri. Okri's poem "Grenfell Tower, June 2017", composed in the days after the fire and first broadcast on Channel 4 News and published in the Financial Times, will be rendered across the 120-square-metre wall of the Village Underground on Holywell Lane, Shoreditch, East London. The lines "You saw it in the tears of those who survived" will appear in Eine's colourful style – with the full 1,600-word poem appearing across the wall as the background to the main text. Bahari - ‘This mural is our attempt to...