[Insert Witty Title Here]

Thoughts and happenings of a Politics and International Relations student at the University of Southampton.

[hanaaaa-b-deactivated20161005]

Kabul

I Hussein caught on to the branch and dragged himself up to watch the sky, as the sun went down and the clouds drifted by he heard the far away cry and yearned to hold the nights stars. on his open palm he held the remnants of his mothers love. Her life. Hussein carved into the dark wood of the tree branch words he would never forgot, life he will never regret and times that he held ingrained, ‘Mother’. II As Fatima slept, Hussein knelt and held her hand while blast after blast exploded into the night sky. Baba was not home he was out in the darkness waiting for a sign, anything to keep them safe, let all be fine. Hussein whispered lullabies, told stories, Prayed. Baba was long gone, the moon light laughing watched in mockery and winked at the two desolate children; yet did not guide them by hand. III When a tear falls it hits the surface, lingers and then strolls at leisure to the deceased object, a memoir of emotions is witnessed. Through our fears. Hussein never returns to the scene of crime, his youth stolen a self-made man he scatters the ashes one last time, watches the Dead disintegrate, Fatima holds onto the flowers and frowns as she tries to remember the man who raised her and looks upon Hussein, as his features turn into Baba.

- Farhana

[ourspokenwords]

"You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”

- Maya Angelou

I’m not much of a blogger. I mean I do write, but occasionally, and rarely does it make any sense. I’ve been writing poems since I can...

[guardian]

When you call a rape anything but rape, you are just making excuses for rapists

"From college campuses to Game of Thrones, why the sudden urge to re-name sexual assault?" asks Jessica Valenti »  (via guardian)

[itsthegeeseofbeverlyroad]

In My Life: How I tried to save Troy Davis

While I was at school I began to take an interest in the work of Amnesty International. I was inspired by their campaigns and began my own. I wanted to help save Troy Davis. I knew it was slightly idealistic, and honestly I pretty much wanted to give up at some points. But what kept me going was the question I asked myself everyday ‘Surely, everyone has the right to life?’

For me the case of Troy Davis became a part of my daily life that I was consumed by the need to defend him to the end. I wanted Troy to live the rest of his life, instead of being locked up for a crime that had very little evidence to suggest he had committed it.

Since the age of 19 Troy Davis was on the Death Row in the State of Georgia, for a murder he insists that he did not commit. At the scene of the crime an officer was shot to death. In 1991, Troy was convicted of murder, but there was no physical evidence to suggest that he was linked to the crime. Seven out of the nine witnesses had recanted or changed their testimony since the incident. There were inconsistencies within these statements. Amnesty International alongside Troy’s sister Martine Davis-Correia started campaigning for the abolishment of the Death Penalty. In Troy’s own words “it’s an honour to have all of you–your friendship, your support, your letters, and your activist work, it really means a lot.’          

In 2010, I began campaigning for the release of Troy Davis; I started at my school trying to raise awareness of the Death Penalty and its consequences. With the help of Youtube I was able to spread the word by creating a short film on the issue, which I then presented to assemblies. And for a year I waited to hear the news of what would happen to Troy.

In September 21, 2011 Troy Davis was executed by the State of Georgia, despite claiming innocence. I was unable to save Troy Davis, but I tried.

I spent a year trying to raise awareness of this issue, getting people to sign petitions and hoping that the State of Georgia would free Troy. This campaign was my first ever, and I became so involved in it that when I heard about Troy’s death it came as a shock. I sent my condolences to his family in the form of a poem I had written for him as part of my campaign: 

Refuge

To feel grass, the morning dew

I'd do anything

Touch faces

Watch mates fight

Child cry

I’d do anything

To feel free and see

Speak, be me

I’d do anything

To laugh and cry

Then cry and laugh

I’d do anything

One chance to live

Grow old be still

Die with Life

Love

Family

I’d do anything.

Home is my haven

A source of my craving

And for it I’d do anything.

  For Troy Davis 1968-2011

  I am very passionate about Human Rights, and I will defend those whose rights are and have been infringed upon. Thank you for taking out the time to read this, I wrote this blog as I wanted to share something that was a huge part of my life, and still is. 

                                                                                      Farhana Begum 

Sources: 

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/sites/default/files/lesson_1_1.pdf

http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/usa-troy-davis

[itsthegeeseofbeverlyroad]

To give or not to give: that is the question

All around the world there are examples of people living in the most degrading states. They do not have the facilities or the abilities to provide for themselves. Thousands of children die because of malnutrition, diseases and lack of sanitation. The question here is what have we been doing to help eradicate this problem?  It is evident poverty around the world has reduced hugely throughout the years. Yet there are still people ‘slumming’ in even the recently developed states. India and China have been developing for years, and have become huge competitors in the economic field. Yet, they have millions of people who are still in poverty. Looking at the overused example of Sub-Saharan Africa, we have been hearing for centuries the struggles they have faced, from colonialism to being underdeveloped to civil wars. Sub-Saharan Africa is a continent at risk and has been for decades. Is it our duty to give or not to give?  Through the media we are exposed to the troubles in countries with the least capabilities to tackle poverty. We are shown adverts where children are starving and dying from malnutrition and diseases such as malaria. There are a variety of charities from Oxfam to UNICEF. Yet, are we doing enough to actually help?  Peter Singer, a moral philosopher, argues that is our duty to give. We have the duty to help those in need. If we merely sit back and watch people struggle with hunger and other issues, then we are morally wrong in our actions.  If someone is close to us and we see that they are in trouble then we are more inclined to help them out of their predicament. Nevertheless, people suffering in other countries are further away from us and even though we are exposed to their suffering though the media we don’t feel as close to them since we do not know them. How much do we need to keep on giving till they are at the level whereby they are no longer in poverty? And how do we know that our actions are actually making a difference? Corruption is very much evident through embezzlement and historically it has been overlooked. There does not seem to be a thorough account of the procedures whereby donations are sent to countries in need. What about child labour?! A child who is fighting for their lives as well as their families has no choice but to go work at sweatshops to raise money for themselves and their family. These are just some of the results of poverty. There is a lot the developed world can do to help the developing world. For instance SAP programmes help to exacerbate poverty. Reconstruction programmes and loans are linked with SAPS. The international organisations in charge of helping with reconstruction continue to impose SAPs. It seems that whether through incidents such as climate change or civil wars developing countries are stuck in a cycle of poverty.  The MDG’s expire in 2015, and the first of the 8 goals has been to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Although a lot has happened since the era of globalisation as poverty has hugely reduced in certain countries, these goals have just been statements rather than actions. If there are to be future goals and targets then they should be specifically defined and monitored as to what the outcome should actually be and how they will be met. Surely it should be the developed world taking the lead as they have the best capabilities to help tackle such an issue?  What happened to fair trade over free trade? Why are loans so vital that a country in need of help is left in a cycle of poverty? Are subsidies just a tool for the rich nations to get richer? Should children be forced into child labour? What happens to the donations that we keep sending? Will poverty become more evident in the coming years or is it a passing phase? And finally who should have the responsibility to give? 

Farhana Begum

[itsthegeeseofbeverlyroad]

Accepting PAIR request

Please excuse the url. It's supposed to be a reference to a National song (go check 'em out they are pretty good) I'll post something (well other than this of course duh!) that is actually Political soon which could possibly/maybe/hopefully be a fun read. Watch this space :) 

  This is so much fun! (no sarcasm intended here) 

  I'm clearly a fan of parentheses.