Jul 2, 2020National Security Law: a thinly veiled attempt to strip an entire nation of its freedoms.‘’Today is the darkest day for Hong Kong’’, said artist and activist Ai Weiwei on Tuesday 30th June when Beijing unanimously passed a sweeping National Security Law, criminalising secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. The law will effectively curtail protests by the widening pro-democracy movement, inciting imprisonment of…National Security Law5 min read
Jun 30, 2020“Feed Bellies Not Bins”: The Real Junk Food Project BrightonIt is without a doubt that the coronavirus emergency has had a profound effect on our day-to-day lives. …Zero Waste4 min read
Jun 30, 2020Let’s make #PlasticFreePints the future of takeaway drinksBy Charlotte Brill It has been around three months since the COVID-19 lockdown begun in March and as restrictions gradually ease, pubs across the UK have begun selling takeaway pints — satisfying many people’s thirst for a cold, crisp draught beer. However, to maintain strict hygiene measures this has meant…Zero Waste3 min read
Jun 20, 2020Breaking News: Mass stabbing in Reading’s historical Forbury GardensThree dead and two in critical condition at Royal Berkshire Hospital after ‘’major incident’’ in Reading town centre this evening. Police have cordoned a large part of central Reading after multiple people were stabbed in Forbury Gardens, a usually tranquil place frequented by hundreds of people a day. According to…Reading3 min read
May 27, 2020Grassroots Humanitarianism: A Concept NoteThe concept ‘Grassroots Humanitarianism’ is neither new, nor fixed. It is a dynamic conceptualisation that has been historically integral to the wider theorisation and practices of aid and development (Fechter and Schwittay 2019:1769), insofar that it has been considered the emergent ‘fourth pillar’ of development aid (Develtere and De Bruyn…Grassroots Campaigns6 min read
May 27, 2020Bonded Labour: A Concept Note‘Bonded Labour’ is a form of ‘unfree’ labour generally characterised by ‘extreme forms of attachment between worker and employer’ (Frantz, 2013:1072) caused by a combination of ‘rules, regulations, ideas and practices’ (Barrientos et al, 2013:1040). Bonded labour is manifested in myriad culturally distinct ways meaning that its current conceptualisation has…Bonded Labour6 min read
May 25, 2020FDHs: Hong Kong’s most vulnerable demographic?Origionally Published 9 December 2019. Every Sunday, Hong Kong’s central district is transformed by the Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDHs), most of whom are Filipino or Indonesian women. For six days a week this area is an austere financial district of banks, designer brands and luxury hotels until Sunday when it…Hong Kong4 min read
May 11, 2020COVID 19 in Africa: Pentecostalism, Prayer and ConspiracyReligion is at the core of African sociality, affecting the way people live their lives and engage with the state. It is central to the vast majority of Africans’ identities and for many it is not simply a faith but a reality which they earnestly embody and live by. Pentecostal-Charismatic…Covid 196 min read
Apr 22, 2020‘’Mango Tree, Mango Tree’’…… and the children immediately burst into exuberant song and dance. I cannot help but grin, properly, ear to ear. As I watch these beaming children, enchanted by the uplifting rhythms and beats, I realise, for the first time, the great power of music and dance. I had been to…Zambia3 min read
Apr 13, 2020How are Foreign Domestic Workers Implicated in the Pro-Democracy Protests in Hong Kong?‘’My eyes were very painful’’, said an Indonesian migrant worker who was caught in a cloud of tear gas on her day off. This tear gas came from nearby pro-democracy protests, which rapidly intensified since they started in June 2019. …Hong Kong Protests 20194 min read