Bad news sells. Good news inspires. thenubiantimes.com MAY ‘13

FR

EE

THE BELGIAN REVOLUTION

SPORTPAGE 15

PAULINE HENRY: SOUL LEGEND

ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 10

BIPOLAR and ME

LOCAL NEWS PAGE 3

CHICKEN RUNS INTO SUCCESS...

Dukus was born in Jamaica and at 14 years of age with

his brother Barry, came over to Northampton in England in 1969 to join his parents. Turn-er’s parents had five children altogether; three boys and two girls and Dukus drew his culinary skills from his grand-mother.

Dukus says: “Through my belief in

God and Rastafarianism and knowing the twelve tribes were based in Manchester after they came to Northamp-ton, I decided to come to Manchester and help out and support where I could.”

“When I finally came to Manchester I decided I want-ed to have some input, so I started to do some cooking for twelve tribes in 1980. I then cooked for most of the dances and any celebrations within Manchester, some-times I would help out in Lon-don.”

When asked about his reli-gious beliefs Dukus replies :

“Rastafarianism is as Bob Marley says , a way of life, it

just means you have to live good with people and really and truly read your bible.”

Dukus explains some of the his-tory of the much loved Chicken Run:

“The idea of Chicken Run came from so many years of cooking for twelve tribes, so when twelve tribes moved to

I MEET WITH TURNER MAYHEW AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF TWELVE TRIBES ON CLAREMONT ROAD. THE VENUE IS A THROWBACK TO THE 70’S WITH WOOD FURNITURE, CARV-INGS AND A DRAPED PICTURE OF HAILE SELASSIE. TURNER IS KNOWN AS DUKUS WITHIN HIS COMMUNITY, HE IS THE PRO-PRIETOR AND HEAD CHEF AT CHICKEN RUN IN MOSS SIDE’S YARBOROUGH STREET.

BUSINESSStaying in Fashion

LIFESTYLEExercising Your ay to Good Mental Health

SPORTWhitley’s sporting chance

NEWSIs Mental Health Provision a Level Playing Field?

PAGE 5 PAGE 12 PAGE 8 PAGE 15

The Nigerian women’s group (NWG) is a non political and non reli-

gious body which was estab-lished in 2001. The group has been operational for the past 10 years and at the moment the membership of NWGM is 40. Their mission is to serve their local community by representing the interest of Nigerian women and friends culturally, socially and eco-nomically.

We encourage and sup-port Nigerian women and their young people to foster unity and understanding and create opportunities for net-working within our communi-ty and other non-Nigerian or-ganisations locally, nationally and internationally. We also aim to empower all women

to achieve their full potential.We also partner and finan-

cially support non- profit or-ganisations such as the Brit-ish Heart foundation, Malaria Consortium (the world’s lead-ing not for profit organisation dedicated to the control and eradication of Malaria) and Sickle cell and Thalasseamia foundation Manchester. We also work in partnership with the University of Manchester. In effect, we work in partner-ships and fundraise to sup-port local, national and inter-national causes in the UK and in Nigeria.

The NWG celebrated their 10th anniversary in October 2012 by holding a Unity in Diversity fundraising event, with a fashion show, cultural dancing provided by the

cont. on page12.

women’s group and youth en-tertainment which was pro-vided by Abasi-Ubong Ekpen-yong. Sports and Children awards were handed out as well as a charity donation to sickle cell anaemia. Canon Dr (Lady) Addy Lazz-Onyenobi JP is the founder and says,

” There was no such group among the Nigerian com-munity in Manchester, which meant that the women had no voice in the community. “

Then like-minded women who shared a common vision were invited to join her to form the women’s group.

We wish them the best of luck for the future.

For more information, please visit www.nigerian-womengroupmanchester.co.uk by CELINA GOMEZ

FIGHTING TO SUSTAIN CULTURE AND COMMUNITY IN MOSS SIDE

CONTENTS

MOSS SIDEALEXANDRA HEALTH CENTRE2 Whitswood Close, Moss Side, Manchester M16 7AP. Tel: 0844 151 341

KATH LOCKE CENTRE123 Moss Lane East Manchester M15 5DD Telephone: 0161 455 0211

CHICKEN RUN - Yarburgh Street, Moss Side,Manchester M16 8FJ. Tel: 0161 226 6714

STRETFORDTESCO METRO - Chester Road, Stretford, Manchester M32 OZS.

LEVENSHULME:TESCO - 998 Stockport Rd, Manchester, Lancashire M19 3WN: 0845 671 9386

OLD TRAFFORDGROVE NEWS - Seymore Grove, Old trafford, Manchester, M16 OLH

FIRSWOOD SUPER SAVER - 88 Warwick Rd South, Old Trafford, M16 OHU

HULMEASDA SUPERSTORE HULME 100 Princess Road, St George’s, Manchester M15 5AS. Tel: 0161 227 9367

CITY SOUTH MANCHESTER HOUSING TRUST - Turing House, Archway 5, Hulme, Manchester M15 5RL. Tel: 0161 227 1263

PEACE FM - St Mary’s Parsonage, Number 1 Parsonage Street, Manchester, M15 5WD

WHALLEY RANGETESCO - 94A Withington Road,Manchester M16 8FA. Tel: 0845 6757 107

THE CO-OPERATIVE FOOD - Withington Road, Whalley Range, Manchester M16 8EE.

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I am sad to announce that this will be my last Editor’s column for

the Nubian Times. It has been a tremendous experi-ence for me to be involved with such an exciting and inspirational project. Each month we pack this publication with the news, reviews, sport, fashion and comments that matter most to our readers and this issue is no different.

One of the unique aspects of the Nubian Times is that each issue focuses on a specific theme and this month many of our writers are discussing the important and delicate issue of mental health.

Mental health can affect all members of society, our sports reporter, Rele Akinwale discusses how mental illness has blighted the careers of two well

known sports stars. We are always looking for positive stories, and on page (4) Yasin Chinem-biri reports on one man who has not let his Autism condition stand in the way of chasing his dreams.

We also have practical advice on how getting involved with exercise can boost your self esteem and make you feel better.

All this alongside our usual sections on health, fashion and the entertaining (and sometimes controversial) opinions offered from our columnists in speakers cor-ner, make this issue of the Nubian Times a must read!

I have thoroughly enjoyed my involvement with this publication and wish eve-ryone involved and all the readers the best of luck for the future.

A letter from the Editor

by LIAM THORP

6/7

4

8/9

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10/11

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SPEAKERS CORNER

NATIONAL NEWS

LIFESTYLE ENTERTAINMENT

FASHION

MAY ‘13 2

3

LOCAL NEWS GLOBAL NEWS

13

BUSINESS SPORT

15

Five-time Grammy award winning recording artist and actress. Mental Illness: Long-term depression

JANET JACKSON

LOC AL NE WSMay Wall of Fame

Bipolar and MeThis is the first time in fifteen years that somebody has asked me

to talk openly about the symptoms of my mental health. My diag-nosis is bi-polar Disorder formerly known as manic depression.

by GEORGINA LEE

by YASIN CHINEMBIRI

MAY ‘13 3thenubiantimes.com

Although in recent years bi-polar disor-der has come to light,

It’s not always positive for example the character Jean in Eastenders. I cannot empa-thize with this character at all as I don’t feel the portrayal of this character is a realistic or an accurate account of a true sufferer. Stephen Fry, Britney spears, Catherine Zeta Jones, Kelly Catona are a few individ-uals with the same problem.

Bi-polar is a problem a very painful problem. It cannot only be emotionally crippling for the individual but also for friends and family alike.

Understanding the symp-toms of bi-polar is one that can be sometimes more vis-ible to the carer than indi-vidual. I cannot speak for any-one else but I know a series of highs and lows occurred. Highs when I was taking on too much and lows when I couldn’t motivate myself to even get out of my bed. If one enables oneself to get

pass the denial stage one is able to focus on each mood. It was difficult for me to say “I am mentally ill, disabled, why me Lord. But if you can focus on the posi-tives, when e v e r y o n e around you is negative - I can see I have had a very good life; I’ve t r a v e l l e d , w o r k e d and I have a good family, in-cluding my church and friends.

Positivity is the key, when people around you are negative stay focused and op-timistic. When relapses have occurred in the past dealing with them is like stepping

into another dimension. The television becomes an ob-stacle for everyday life with someone with bi-polar. It ap-

pears to the individual that the characters on TV are fo-cusing on you. For example if Mr Fisher of Home and Away shouted at a pupil then the

individual would feel intimi-dated even scared. And if he then, would point at a pupil. Sharp pains would occur to the individual’s body. That’s why I say it was like stepping into another dimension. And this would also occur with the radio. So many of my days were spent in total isolation unaware to my family but this gave me time to learn and un-derstand the disease.

I hid that pain because I couldn’t explain. And I found that Black people were too

dammed ignorant to under-stand. How many more lives will end in suicide before people open their eyes to mental health. I am one of

J.K. ROWLING JIM CAREY

Although there is no single official defini-tion of mental health,

it’s generally the psychologi-cal well-being of a person in which the individual real-izes their own abilities, has good resilience to the normal stresses of life and is able to make a contribution to their community. The spectrum of mental illness is wide; ranging from depression and anxiety

It’s a well documented fact that in the UK, there are stark racial inequities and a cultural oppression

against ethnic minorities accessing mental health care services, compared to the majority White

population. If this sounds too bizarre to comprehend, then understanding the statistics relating to BME

diagnosis whilst looking closely at both patient and service provider attitudes, can cast some light.

to schizophrenia and psycho-sis, just to mention a few.

Make no mistake of bury-ing your head in the sand here; there is stigma and discrimination surround-ing mental health in society at large, however for BME communities the stigma is profound, and many suffer in silence. According to The Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health, mental

progressed making treat-ment difficult.

Cultural interpretation and language barriers also prevent people from receiv-ing the support they need. Refugees and asylum seek-ers often cannot speak Eng-lish and as a result, doctors misdiagnose the illness in the absence of clarity. Some sufferers are not only trying to cope with post traumatic stress from the countries they are fleeing, but also adjusting to a new culture and trying to

make sense of unfamiliar and confusing feelings they can-not articulate in their mother tongue, let alone in an alien language.

This puts them in a cycle of isolation, often coupled with poverty, unsupportive communities and a dete-riorating mental condition, which further affects their health. Ethnic minorities face the steepest challenge in try-ing to achieve well-rounded mental health, so it’s no won-der that there is a higher rate of suicide amongst BME com-munities due to their chronic melancholia soaring under the radar.

Stereotypes are another facet of this overall problem. Misconceptions about young black men mean they get into trouble and thus misjudged as criminals before getting any diagnosis or support.

Mental illness can be subtle

but is in fact no different to physical illness whereby scars and swelling are visible in the form of say, a broken nose or fractured knee. With a physi-cal illness however, there is usually a ‘one-size-fits-all’ treatment; which doesn’t ap-ply in mental health because patients are from different communities and back-grounds; meaning doctors have to deal with each indi-vidual’s unique and complex case. Charities like The Roby, Mind and Rethink Mental Ill-ness, are actively engaging in activities to improve the mental health and well-being of the BME communities in Longsight and surrounding areas of Manchester.

We all must become the ever-lit haven in which our troubled members find sus-tained help through their darkest hour.

British novelist, best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series. Mental Illness: Long-term depression

Canadian American actor, comedian and producer. Two-time Golden Globe winner. Mental Illness: Bipolar Disorder

BME Mental Health’s Ticking Time Bomb

illness accounts for 23% of the disease burden in the UK, compared to 16% for cancer. It costs England at least £105 billion each year. Shockingly, only a minority of people with mental illnesses in the UK get any treatment and, even more alarming is that ethnic minorities fare much worse in contrast to their White counterparts. In Asian and Black communi-ties, there are flippant, cruel and ignorant attitudes to-wards mental illness, causing sufferers to hide their illness because of social pressure or guilt. People often miss out on primary care due to distrust of the health system, remaining silent due to the notion that if you’re religious, you shouldn’t be mentally ill. Most opt for spiritual or reli-gious treatment first, leading to late presentation to hospi-tals; meaning the illness has

According to The Joint Commission-

ing Panel for Mental Health, mental illness

accounts for 23% of the disease burden in the UK, compared to

16% for cancer. It costs England at least £105

billion each year.

the blessed ones. Only God Almighty watches over me as yes when I relapsed in the past I wanted the constant pain to stop and contemplat-ed suicide. However I fought back and decided to fight it. I felt that my family felt that they were in a position that they could not help and had me sectioned but it was worse being in hospital terri-fying at times being dumped amongst total strangers and left there for months on end. To be blunt I feel white people are quick to throw a label on Black folk when they become ill and keep them locked down pumped with medica-tion for the longest period. Do I believe I have bi-polar dis-order, yes I do but I AM NOT ASHAMED ANYMORE. I’m on the sick now but I contributed tax to the government for a lot longer than I’ve been un-well.

So now I had an illness to deal with and also hatred to-wards my family. I had to em-pathise and more importantly forgive. The care I received in the hospital was fair but two occasions emerged. I was as-saulted once, punched in the face by a male patient and I was also restrained by four male nurses because I refused to take medication. I felt I was kept their unnecessarily for months on end and the only reason I say the care was fair

is because there are some nurses in the mental health profession that are damn good nurses. However having to take medication in front of my mother at thirty nine was not only embarrassing but just damn right cold. It is as though individuals outside the illness are trying to un-derstand why I relapse - their answer is obviously I’m not taking my meds. God knows I always have but I’m the one who looks after myself the last time I relapsed. I ate well, slept well and rested. Fam-ily visited but there is twenty four hours in a day not 1hour. I was just glad I wasn’t sec-tioned again to live amongst hoodlums.

A balanced diet, regular medication and exercise and more importantly that your intellect is stimulated and don’t feel angry or ashamed. Nobody asks for this disease, loose anger and resentment, it will only tie you down. It’s been three years since my last relapse and in that time I’ve done voluntary work ob-tained my level 1 and now doing level 2 in mathemat-ics. Remember it’s a mood disorder not a life threaten-ing diagnosis. A chemical in -balance in the brain is all we have, that can be controlled through medication. Remem-ber medication is all you need to be.

NATIONAL NE WS

Khat, otherwise known as ‘Qaad’ to the Somali community is a herbal

drug stimulant, AFTHA AHMED explores it’s potential dangers.

Khat chewing is a social norm that takes place in the home or at Khat cafes, one user who wanted to remain anonymous says:

“Khat is like a stress reliever for me, it is like being back in Somalia”.

Users buy bundles usually priced at £6 or more, however the bundles are sometimes shared with others, this gives them an opportunity to social-ise with their friends and make new ones. Khat has a stimulant which acts like a fuel, Somali men either use it during the day to get by or at night as they take a break from family duties. This stimulant is generally cul-tural as it creates a hospitable ambience that takes place in a ‘Marfrish’, this is usually inside the home and includes furni-ture and cushions to sit or lie on, as well as refreshments like sweet tea for instance, which helps with the bitter taste of the chewed leaves.

The origins of Khat are grown wild in Kenya’s shrub-beries which are picked fresh by Kenyan farmers who box them up, to be delivered to the U.K within 48 hours. This is how Somali communities in Britain get their daily fixes regularly. There are now bans to stop Khat being distributed here in the U.K, led by former addicts like Abukar Awale. He plans to see it outlawed in the UK, as he has seen firsthand how chew-ing leaves can almost destroy your family life and your health.

I recently talked with the Rusholme Councillor Rabna-waz Akbar, who believes that

Khat should be banned as it has a huge impact in our com-munity. Akbar’s worries about this issue with Khat is the major impression that is reflected on the Somali community, espe-cially the men that chew Khat:

“If used in an addictive man-ner, then there is a concern to the community, the men cannot be bothered finding work and become lethargic to the point that their health turns into an utmost importance”.

A worrying factor is the in-fluence that has rubbed off on younger Somali adults. Many have now started to chew Khat, this is why Akbar believes that the government should recon-sider their decision and see that an individual’s health is at risk if Khat is continued to be used in the UK.

I asked Akbar if he had met someone who eats Khat:

“I know this one individual who was a heavy user of Khat, he was completely addicted but has now made a complete turnaround. This is because his marriage broke down and his whole family fell apart, his Ex-Wife ended up taking away the kids. He is now a campaigner to ban Khat”. Akbar adds that:

“More research needs to be done about Khat, in order to ban it”.

He wishes to see, in the fu-ture, the Somali community coming forward to admit this problem, and to come up with a solution, this is the only way that the local authority can work in partnership with them to help bring change and positivity to the community, this is the way forward.

On a last note, Akbar believes that there needs to be an inde-pendent government review into the issue of Khat.

One of the many pleasures of this world is that once in a while, we witness something or someone intrinsically ‘divine’, making our jaws free-fall to the ground as reality breathes new life into clichés.

Stephen Wiltshire: The Intricately Powerful Human Camera

IS KHAT CHEWING ENDANGERING LIVES?

MAY ‘13 4

May Wall of Fame

British singer-songwriter and founding member of the Brit Award-winning girl group Sugababes. Mental Illness: Depression

KEISHA BUCHANAN

KERRY KATONA LENNY HENRYBritish singer and media personality.Best known for her television work, predominately in light entertainment and reality shows. Mental Illness: Bipolar Disorder

British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter. Best known for co-founding charity Comic Relief. Mental Illness: Long-term depression

by YASIN CHINEMBIRI

Simply unbelievable re-petitively plays in our mind and each repeti-

tion is justified, as the subject continually turns the cliché to a fresh statement of fact. Ste-phen Wiltshire, a British archi-tectural artist diagnosed with autism at the age of 3, is the subject I am referring to here.

On April 24th 1974, Ste-phen was born in London to West Indian parents. Neither of his parents was aware that their mute son would become one of the most ex-traordinary people on our planet. What is special is that his first words, ‘pencil’ and ‘pa-per’ didn’t come until the age of 5, when he began drawing in school; meaning that relat-ing and communicating with others was extremely chal-lenging. Nevertheless, his art spoke volumes, even though he could not; as his ability was first spotted in Queens-mill School in London by his teachers, when he drew the complex Albert Hall following a class field trip - without the aid of a photograph. With his teachers’support, he gradu-

ally learned to speak.Autism is a lifelong mental

disorder that affects a person’s social interaction and com-munication abilities whilst confining them to a particular interest and repetitive behav-iour. Although autistic people have a reputation for being gifted with good memory and concentration, not many, if any other than Stephen, have such a rare gift like his as each autistic case is unique. Stephen’s remarkable ability to draw from memory, accu-rate and detailed cityscapes, having only seen them once and for a single, brief moment (usually a 30 minute helicop-ter ride), is the reason why he is the world famous success-ful artist he is today.

With his love for cityscapes, street scenes and aerial views, Stephen has visited and drawn Tokyo, New York, Jerusalem, Venice, Moscow and other iconic international destinations. His work has re-ceived international acclaim and, most notably, back home in 2006, helped him to be ap-pointed a Member of the

matter of time before we see art being used not only as a source of pleasure or path to education, but a way to heal mental and physical illness. Stephen’s work is very much evidence of this.

The manner in which Ste-phen miraculously produces these stunning ‘blueprints’ of cities, resolutely puts him amongst the all-time most inspirational figures within the BME community. And to think, he is only 39; still a young functioning human camera that has enough en-ergy to snap our beautiful city of Manchester, soon, we hope.

Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the Queen. In that same year, Stephen opened his permanent gallery in the Royal Opera Arcade, Pall Mall in London; naming it, The Stephen Wiltshire Gallery. Some of his pictures sell for over one hundred thousand pounds. Two years later, ABC News named him ‘Person of The Week’ and in 2011, Ste-phen was made an honorary Fellow of the Society of Ar-chitectural Illustration (SAI). These are a few of the many accolades Stephen has re-ceived over the years.

There has always been a link between art and autism. Art can be used in therapy as a treatment for people with autism and related diseases. It’s beneficial in aiding autistic children express themselves and interact with others; thus successfully bridging the gulf as it did in Stephen’s case. For many, considering it ‘therapy’ is misconstrued as it is ‘thera-peutic’. Charities like The Reader Organisation use the arts to tackle complex mental health problems. It’s only a

It’s only a matter of time before we see art being used not only as a source of pleasure or path to education, but a way to heal mental and physical illness.

Stephen’s work is very much evidence of this.

GLOBAL NE WS

A person can experience mental health issues through a variety of trig-

gers involving genetic, physical, social or environmental factors.

There is a certain social stigma around those diagnosed with problems that can range from depression to schizophrenia and even the lesser recognised eating disorders and anxiety. With one in four diagnosed every year, it affects everybody at least once in their life- whether you are a patient, close to someone diag-nosed, or simply suffer with stress from time to time.

Whilst there is a lot of help out there in the form of medication, advice and therapy to name but a few, it has become apparent over the years that this help is somewhat less available to black

and minority ethnic people. But why is this?

There are many factors involved in why black people are not only the least likely to be offered help once diagnosed as being mentally ill but also least likely to be ac-knowledged as having a problem in the first place. One of these factors is a person’s background. There is a fear that young black males, for example, are often thought of as troublesome, with no suggestion that they could have mental health issues.

There is very much a ‘chicken and egg’ situation when it comes to looking at mental health in black males. Are the mental issues already there, causing them to ‘act out’ or is it their upbringing, lifestyle and choices that trigger off any mental health problems?

Part of the problem can be that often, black people them-selves tend to not realise that something is very wrong. As a close knit community that are known to fend for themselves in all walks of life, statistics show that black and ethnic minority families generally have a harder time when it comes to day to day living as they face problems such as immigration, language issues, poverty and racism. Because of this, they are more likely to try to deal with mental health prob-lems themselves via home made remedies and because they feel like there is no one they can turn to for help.

Despite an apparent void of openly public help, there is some out there. The African and Car-ibbean Mental Health Services

Mental Health is top of our agenda this month and in this feature, SIOBHAN WHITE asks why is it harder for certain people to access support for these issues?

MAY ‘13 5thenubiantimes.com

(ACMHS) is a service based at the Windrush Millennium Centre in Moss Side, South Manchester. Dominic Pinnock, coordinator of children and young people mental health services, notes how mental health issues are promi-nent in young black males and so aims to target and prevent this from as early an age as 11.

“We need to look at what’s happening before the critical point where young males are being admitted to mental health hospitals through the criminal justice system and we now know that that’s at around the age of 11, when a boy is going through major changes like puberty and starting a new school. It’s here where they decide which paths in life to take- who their friends are, becoming a man and wanting to

look after their family are all ma-jorly stressful issues in their eyes.”

Once a person has been diag-nosed and admitted, being re-leased back in to the real world is just as much of a problem and is another area in which the UK fails to successfully support all types of patients. Again, it often seems like black people who suffer badly in this department and have very little support from both the professionals and family simply due to a lack of understanding or education about the situation.

There is a wide range of medica-tion and after care available via the NHS and organisations such as Rethink but for some reason it is more difficult for black people to acquire this. ACMHS are there to make sure that black people in particular are able to get this

help. They look after patients when nobody else can or will by offering guidance on how to get in to hospital plus independ-ent after care once released, like making sure patients are keeping up with their medicine. There is support available in the form of social group activities for both the patients and their families.

With organisations like ACMHS in place we can only hope that whilst mental health concerns may never be fully combated they can at least be recognised, diagnosed correctly and then a sufficient amount of help and after care administered to black people as well as white because we are all equally in need.

For more information about mental health, visit w w w. m e n t a l h e a l t h . o r g .

May Wall of Fame

American actor, film director, film producer, screen writer and stand up comedian. Mental Illness: Nervous breakdown

MARTIN LAWRENCE

MEL C MEL GIBSON

British singer-song writer, actress and business woman. One of five members of the Spice Girls, nicknamed “Sporty Spice.” Mental Illness: Long-term depression

American actor, award winning film director, producer and screen writer. Mental Illness: Bipolar Disorder

Complete your family. Adopt with Manchester.

Right now, almost 100 Manchester children are waiting for a family to give them the chance of a better life.

Some of those children are of a Black African or Caribbean heritage. We aim to place children with families that reflect or promote their individual identity, so are particularly keen to hear from prospective adopters who share this background.

Visit www.manchester.gov.uk/adoption or call 0800 988 8931.

IS MENTAL HEALTH PROVISION A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD?

Celebrating Inspirational Women

SPEAKERS CORNER

Broken Fractions

I will collect the scraps,

the stray bits of text

from our burnt pages.

And I will cherish

their charred edges

as the guardians of

what flames dare not touch.

Funny how strength

bleeds most from

broken fractions,

much like love from loss.

by Yasin Chinembiri

Do you have a passion for poetry? If you want to see your work in The Nubian Times

send it in to info@thenubiantimes.com

Poetry Corner

Why is mental illness such a taboo subject? Do we need to be more open?

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Debatable Issues

If there is a pressing issue that you think needs debating, let us know at info@thenubiantimes.com

We took some year 11s on a rewards trip to the cinema to see a

Marvel film in 3D. On leaving, I noticed Jamal had not put his 3D glasses back in the receptor and instead, had tried to take them home. I went over to Jamal and began to show him the error of his ways.

“You are not allowed to take them home. They will contact the school and complain, you will get arrested, and no one will ever love you.” Looking back, maybe that was a bit harsh but he got the message. Jamal’s retort was “I wanted to see what outside looked like in 3D!” Some girls next to him then giggled at him. This is the common response when Jamal says something with-out thinking first, however, there was something he said the other day that was not met by rolled eyes, laughter or sarcasm from the children. In my opinion, it is just as ludicrous a statement as his previous comment, however his peers did not see it that way. Jamal said “I think it’s right for parents to beat their children.”

Black comedian Kat Williams said “As a parent I think I need to say publicly that we need to stop beating our children……..publicly!” In our tutor group, we were all in agreement that no one wants to see overzealous parents ‘opening a can of whoop ass’ in the middle of Morrissons! How-ever, the arguments for beating children were coming at me thick and fast from my tutor group.

“But Sir, if you tell your child and they still don’t listen what do you do then?” My mum beat me and I turned out fine” “Chil-dren are too naughty nowadays, sometimes they just need some licks!” The last comment brought the class into hysterics. I did my best to try to answer their ques-tions.

Beating children is effective. If the goal is stop a less desirable action from a child it can be ef-fective. If your child runs around Toys r us, lies down and refuses to get up until you buy the new Call of Duty game then yes it works. If you beat your child there and then, he or she will fear you and be less likely to do something

like that in the near future. But the fact that they fear you is the problem. The child knows that if they do wrong, you as the parent will get upset. But what if you are not there? The understand-ing is not that lying down on the floor is dangerous, but that mommy or daddy will hit me if I do it again, but if the watchmen aren’t around then why not do it again? I have seen students rude beyond belief but the moment that I say “I think I‘ll need to speak to your parents about this,” they are suddenly transformed into docile and diligent little angels.

As an Afro-Caribbean teacher I have a 2 pronged ‘beef’ with beating children. Afro-Caribbean boys are the highest demograph-ic of students who get excluded and yet we as a culture never ever think that beating our children is a contributing factor. Let’s take

Jamal who stole the 3D glasses. Let’s say he stole them with his mum and let’s say his mum beat him. Jamal then grows up and then when confronted with a problem, something frustrating and annoying he then resorts to violence because that’s what mummy has taught him. My other problem is that as a teach-er, it puts us in compromising situations. Even I, as an experi-enced teacher have a problem with phoning a parent of a child who has just displayed disruptive behaviour if you know that the student will get ‘beats’ when they go home. I would compare it to being a jury on a serial murder trial in Texas. You know that if you find them guilty, ‘they gone burn for that later.’

As a teacher I have to be against beating children. As a parent, I realise it is not ben-eficial for my child’s emotional development. But, as a black person I know that if we don’t want violence from our youths, then we must stop showing them violence as adults.

Diary of an Angry Black teacher - ‘Teenagers sometimes say the most stupid things. ’

by MR. L

MAY ‘13 6

May Wall of Fame

English actress, best known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera Eastenders. Mental Illness: Long-term depression

PATSEY PALMER ROBBIE WILLIAMS RUSSELL BRANDEnglish singer-songwriter, and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That, but has found greater commercial success as a solo artist. Mental Illness: Long-term depression

English comedian, actor and author. Mental Illness: Bipolar Disorder

“As a parent I think I need to say publicly that we

need to stop beating our children……..publicly!”

SPEAKERS CORNER

Depression is an illness.A silent one if that,

If you are a suffererYou will know you can have happy days & sad.

The last two years have been the worst yet.I have been battling depression

And just felt like a total wreck.I am filled with many emotions,

From sadness to disbelief,But the worst of all was feeling suicidal.

All I seemed to do was cry myself to sleep.I know there are people out there

Who will be feeling the same as me.If people happen to judge and stare

It’s obvious they don’t have the time of day

And they certainly don’t care.If you are a suffererAnd you don’t know where to turn,Please state your case to your GPAnd make it their concern!Please don’t sit in silence,That’s the worst you can do.You may not think it now,But there are people out thereWho are willing to help you.I hope from writing this,You will see you are not aloneI am in this with youSadly facing this black hole.

My Dear Brother

This month’s poem comes from Vanessa Connaughton

Through gritted teeth Michelle cries “Simon, I love you”.“Yeah man I love you too but that’s not my point” replies Simon.Michelle moves over to Simon and puts her hands around his waist and pleads. “Simon baby please hug me”.Simon pushes her away, “Move, I can’t stand you when you’re like this, turning on the F*#*ing water works, that shit ain’t working this time.”“Simon please don’t!!! Hold me baby, I need a cuddle.”“Cuddle?” Simon asks, “I’m not in the mood for cuddling. You definitely saw to that shit, always spoiling things.”“Why are you being like this all I said was your son said he likes spending time with me, Simon stop this please baby” Michelle pleads.“Yeah; that’s exactly the shit I’m talking about, using my son as a weapon, using his name and what he may or may not have said, you think you can control me through my son yeah? Not your son, not our son, my son, he doesn’t need a mother, he’s got one, you can’t replace her Michelle; you never will… look at you, your nothing! Talk all the shit you want to , you will always be low life, you’ll never amount to anything.”“SIMON STOP, PLEASE STOP!!!!” Michelle screams blocking her ears with the palms of her hands.“You know what, I blame myself, I blame my f*#*ing self, I should have never let you into my life and around my son but trust me I won’t making that mistake again.”“Simon I love you, I love spending time with Simon Jr, I really do.”“What did I tell you DON’T USE MY SON AS A WEAPON, Are you deaf or plain stupid?!!! This is exactly what I’m talking about, move I’m going out,” Simon says over the sound of a phone message coming through.“Baby please let’s talk about this I don’t mean to hurt or insult you, I’m not trying to use SJ as a weapon, I’m sorry it’s coming across that way, please baby just listen.”Simon pushes Michelle to one side he picks up his car keys, phone and wallet and reaches for his coat; Michelle grabs his arm “Simon please don’t go!”

Knowing that Simon is 3 times the size of her and much stronger, Michelle runs to the door trying to block the exit. “SIMON!” She screams in desperation, in one last attempt to hold on to the company she craves, Michelle breaks down falling to the floor and slowly curling up into the foetal position whilst she sobs, the tears stream from her eyes without a sign of hope. Michelle has finally given in to the reality that Simon is leaving, she holds herself not being able to bare the pain of abandonment and not understanding what she has done wrong. Simon steps over her, puts his coat on, takes his watch out of his pocket and places it on his wrist whilst looking down at Michelle on the floor. Simon stands there for a minute proudly looking at what he has created, he smiles and slowly walks into the kitchen whilst checking his phone message, he breaks a piece of kitchen roll and walks back to Michelle after finishing reading his message he puts his phone away bends down “here wipe your eyes.”Michelle realising Simon hasn’t left takes the kitchen towel and starts to wipe her eyes trying to see Simon through her tears.“Get up” Simon demands in a passive aggressive voice “what have I told you Michelle; you can’t keep doing this… creating all this drama, look at the state of you now, your eyes are all red, your makeup and hair is a mess”, he pulls Michelle to him allowing her to rest her head on his chest as he strokes her hair.“Simon” Michelle whispers feeling exhausted from her emotions, “I don’t want you to be angry with….”“Sssh” Simon interrupts, “don’t talk, let’s just get you calm, ok!”For a brief moment Michelle relishes in the comfort that Simon is giving her and begins to feel safe once again.“Now Michelle”, Simon says softly “you know you f*#ked up, you can’t come looking like that and we haven’t got time for you to fix up, out of respect I will have to show my face, I’ll give my apologises on your behalf and have a couple of drinks, I won’t stay long, then when I come back I’ll give you that cuddle you asked for and make you feel better boo,” Simon kisses Michelle on the forehead and then looks into her eyes “love you Mee Mee” he says before leaving Michelle behind.

Dysfunctional Love

Ms.VanquishEach month, our mystery author, Ms. Vanquish, tackles important issues through the medium of story telling.

Fancy seeing yourself or your school’s creative writing in the next edition of The Nubian Times? Then send your work into info@thenubiantimes.com

MAY ‘13 7thenubiantimes.com

by MR. L

Hands On Hair Host Another Egg-Cellent Community Event

The proprietor of Hands On Hair Salon, Lilian Nevins, has been trading for over twenty years. For well over eighteen years Ms Nevins has been a fos-ter carer but for the past eleven years she has been involved in mentoring programs for young people and has organised a lo-cal annual free Easter Egg Hunt and Fun Day for children within the community.

Lillian said:“The Easter Egg Hunt was

born out of the need for nu-merous underprivileged and abandoned children and young adults and their Parents, to be inspired, play and to forget their daily stress’s and just to forget they were in the care system.”

She explained that Hands on Hair has always funded all community events but that the huge increase of children at-tending has made it difficult to maintain standards.

“The Hands On Hair annual Easter Egg Hunt event dramati-cally changed into a communi-ty wide event instead of private, last year we had record num-bers of over 150 children and the event was a huge success.”

All children have Easter eggs, Cup cakes, Sweets, CD’s, Food and lots of exercise in the form of games, running, hula hoop-ing, football and of course the big hunt.

This Year the event was the best yet as more community based organisations came to

Hands On Hair and the commu-nity’s aid in the form of spon-sorship; The nXt Generation, City South Manchester housing association, Chicken Run Moss side Yarborough street, Mc Fresh bakery Claremont road Moss side and BJ’s Caribbean takeaway Hulme high street, their outstanding commu-nity spirit was nothing short of amazing. Lillian added:

“This year’s event was made especially hard because of all the government cuts. One Major Local supermarket fre-quented by the largest influx of BME as well as the community as a whole refused to help on any level sighting that they al-ready have a corporate Easter egg hunt but not for the com-munity’s of Mosside and Hulme, where the shop is based!”

“Also a Massive thanks to businesses and organisations that made donations. They helped tremendously - Co-Op-erative, Tesco, Morrison’s and Friends of Alexandra Park who have expressed a wish to spon-sor’s next year’s bigger and bet-ter event.”

“The HOH Easter Egg Hunt is always held on Easter Sun-day morning, this event brings Manchester together for a day, for all members of the commu-nity!”

The annual Hands on Hair Easter Egg Hunt and fun day was once again a huge success, celebrating community spirit in Manchester.

May Wall of Fame

English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter, film director, activist and board member of Norwich City Football Club. Mental Illness: Bipolar

STEPHEN FRY TRISHA GODDARD LADY DIANA

British television presenter and actress. Best known for her morning talk show on Channel 5, Trisha Goddard. Mental Illness: Long-term depression

First wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. She was well known for her fund-raising work for international charities and as an eminent celebrity of the late 20th century. Mental Illness: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

by HANNAH CHARLES

LIFEST YLE

Recipe:THE BENEFITS OF OILY FISH

When it comes to emotions, everybody is different and they handle things in their own way, some will bounce back from setbacks quicker than others. Mental health symptoms can be divided into two groups, Neu-rotic and Psychotic. Neurotic symptoms include depression, anxiety and panic. Psychotic symptoms (which are less com-mon) include hallucinations of sights, sounds or smells that are not witnessed by anybody else. Anxiety and depression are the most common problems of mental health, with around 1 in 10 people affected at any time.

Good mental health can help guard against problems and can be characterised by the ability

to feel, express and manage a range of positive and negative symptoms; form and maintain good relationships with oth-ers and cope with change and uncertainty.

There are a number of people you can talk to if you think you are suffering from any form of mental health problem. As a pharmacist, I have talked to a number of my patients and customers who come into my branch about this topic, and even in the busy world that we live in, a 15 minute chat with somebody neutral can only be a good thing. Most phar-macies will have a private consultation room as well as

information regarding local and national mental health charities. Below are some self-help tips to support good mental health. • Talk about your feelings • Keep active • Eat well and drink sensibly • Ask for help when needed • Do something you’re good at and enjoy •Accept who you are • Keep in touch with friends and loved ones.

You should regularly ask yourself, why am I sitting? How long

have I been sat for? And will I still be sat here in 45 minutes?

All this sitting about in-doors can never be a good thing, have you noticed how much better you begin to feel when you just get up from your desk on your lunch break and walk around Picca-dilly gardens in the summer for example? Or even after the school run by the time you get home how much more alert and calm you feel?( it’s not just because you’ve dropped the kids off. )

The NHS promote exer-cise for coping with anxi-ety , stress and depression and suggest 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity every week, they suggest many sufferers are trying to

cope with a loss of control in

t h e i r life and getting back to a more ac-tive lifestyle can help gain back such controls.

Don’t believe me? Here are a few real life experiences: I asked Va-nessa, a teacher, how exercise has changed her life:

“Before I started zumba, I was really self conscious and hated the thought of having to do exercise at a gym in front of other people. I also had zero confidence and have struggled with depression for many years, taking different medications

by ADEDAYO TITILOYE MPharm

EXERCISING YOUR WAY TO GOOD MENTAL HEALTH

MAY ‘13 8

May Wall of Fame

Whether you are a religious person or a believer in evolution, one thing we must all agree on is that the human body was

not designed to stay still all day.

American actress and model. Well known for her role in American science fiction film series Transformers. Mental Illness: Schizophrenia

MEGAN FOX MIKE TYSON RAY CHARLESRetired American professional boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record for the youngest boxer to win the WBC. Mental Illness: Depression

American musician. A pioneer in genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel and blues. Mental Illness:Long-term depression

Directions:Combine the lime juice, ginger, garlic, anchovies, rapeseed oil, parsley and thyme in a food processor to make a rough paste. Wash the salmon in lime, towel dry and place in an ovenproof dish. Spoon the mixture over the fish, season with the black pepper and leave to marinate for 15 minutes. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Try to include oily fish, such as salmon, trout, mackerel and herrings at least once a week in your diet. Omega-3 plays an important part in helping the development of our brains. It is rich in vitamins, such as iron, zinc and iodine. It helps to maintain nerve tissues, teeth and strong bones and is also an important player in the fight against Alzheimer’s and other mental disorders.

Ingredients:Salmon FilletFresh gingerBlack pepper2 Garlic cloves 1 Onion

New PotatoesAsparagus spears - trimmed 1 Tablespoon fresh Lime juice1 Tablespoon rapeseed oilParsley and Thyme 2 Anchovy fillets

to combat my anxi-eties. Zumba has helped me to gain mental and physical strength and it’s not

just because

of the exercise it’s the whole so- c i a l

aspect of going to class. I have met some fan-tastic people

and made new friends and I don’t feel wor-ried about what I look like doing exercise.

Vanessa says that finding the motivation to do regular exercise was difficult at first, but now it is totally worth it:

“I would say to anyone suffering or living with de-pression that the best thing u can do for yourself is to get active, I can honestly say

my life is so much better for taking up a regular exercise regime.”

Amy, a Clinical Trials Co-ordinator says that mixing up workouts makes her feel great:

“Running and Zumba have changed my life. Running gives me time alone to clear my head and get some fresh air. Zumba is an energetic and sociable workout and I have made some lovely new friends. It’s pushed me out of my comfort zone and it never feels like exercise... it’s just too much fun! However I’m exercising, it cheers me up, keeps my energy levels high and encourages me to eat healthily. There is no tablet that will give you the same high. “

So there you go, now it is your turn.

Ask your Pharmacist: MENTAL HEALTHSome people feel uncomfortable when talking about mental health problems, but it is healthy to speak.

SENSORY GARDENS

by CLAIRE MEADOWS

Sensory gardens stimulate your senses of smell, sound, taste, touch and sight.

These senses are essential to our well-being. Smell can be found in plants such as Mexi-can Orange (Choisya). It is an evergreen shrub with glossy green- leaves. Clusters of fra-grant white blooms appear in late spring and sometimes again

in autumn.Other beautiful smelling plants are of course roses, sweet peas, jasmine, mahonia, lavender, rosemary and mint.

Sound can be running water, various grasses, bamboo rustling in the wind and many more. Taste found in various fruits and vegetables - the list is absolutely endless. Touch could be plants such as sage, succulents, shrubs with shiny leaves, ferns, spiky plants and many others and sight can be vibrant colours such as sunflowers, and of course wild flowers are a sight to behold.

LIFEST YLE

Iyanla Vansant’s words captivate your mind with a collection of uplifting devotional scripts for all 365 days of the year. With her wonderful use of words, she makes you stop and realise just how to find spiritual harmony in your own life. This book educates us to first recognise our own self worth, which in turn, will allow us to understand that the past is just that, the past.

Iyanla writes with an ease that lets the reader know that she appreciates your need for change, in order to find your own inner peace. This is a spiritual tool for realising that as individuals, we need to shift our attitudes today, and not leave anything until tomorrow.

This is a truly beautifully written and inspirational book, a must for every bookshelf.

Audacity of hope is a political autobiography but yet a personal journey and a direct look into Barack Obama’s political views and what qualities contributed to make him the man he is today. What I personally love about this book is Barack’s unapologetic approach of telling it exactly as he sees it and as on his own public platform which is the world’s stage, Mr Obama’s charisma manifests itself onto paper.

One of Reverand Wright’s sermons the leader at the church Barack Obama and his family attended was supposedly the inspiration of the title of the book and my personal view is that the title is an apt one. This book is a must read from an accomplished role model, Father and political Leader and will inspire, I feel more people to move into the hazardous waters which is politics.

Book Reviews…

ACROSS5. The velvety sweet sends your serotonin

through the roof, so you’ll feel happy in short order. (9)

8. This green is high in Vitamin D and when steamed, has high cholesterol-lowering benefits.. (8)

10. High in Vitamin A helps in maintaining a health eye and good vision. Enormous fruit F which is large and bushy found growing mainly in tropical areas. (9)

11. This Mediterranean cooking staple is Full of monounsaturated fats. This oil lowers bad LED cholesterol and reduces the risk of developing heart disease. (8)

13. A member of the potato family. This vegetable is both orange and purple in colour. When steamed or boiled is known for raising our blood levels of Vitamin A. (11)

17. A sweet and flesht stone fruit which is high in Vitamin C B-6, known for improving brain functions, lower blood cholesterol levels and curing anemia. (5)

DOWN1. This Green, leafy vegetable is high in iron

and Manganese. ‘Popeye’s energizer food’. (7)

2. This cloved vegetable exerts a protective antioxidant effect on the brain and can even fight bacteria more effectively than standard antibiotics. (8)

3. These bite-size nutritional powerhouses

are packed with heart-healthy fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals. (3)

4. This Berry has been linked to reduce risk for Alzheimer’s, shown to improve both memory and learning ability, and they are one of the most anti-stress foods you can eat. (11)

6. Citrus fruit is a good sources of vitamin C. Drinking with water helps aids weight loss faster as well as helping to breakdown and eliminate body fat. (5)

7. This fruit is bell-shaped and commonly purple or deep red in colour. Acts as natural laxitave and is rich in dietary fibre. (3)

9. This fish is super-rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon can effectively reduce bloody pressure and keep blotting at bay. (6)

12. ............. Melon. Excellent source of potassium that plays an important role in controlling blood pressure. (8)

14. Red in colour. This Miss-leading fruit is good for your brain, and helps prevent dementia (8)

15. Green in colour .This Unusual fruit releases plentiful antioxidants which help combat diseases like diabetes and chronically hih blood pressure. Its oil has been dubbed ‘the olive oil of the Americalns. (8)

16. Start your day with a streaming bowl of oats. This grian is full of omega=3 fatty acids and potassium. (7)

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS: ACROSS: 2. Amina; 4. Hulme; 6. Ninety Six, 7. Personal; 9. Sixty Five; 11. Alistair; 12. Richard, 14. Rusholme;  16. Ardwick;  18. Benefit; 19. Luthfur DOWN: 1. Walters; 3. Elaine; 5. Universal Credit; 8. Bedroom; 10. Sameem; 13. Deyika; 15. Labour; 17. Reform

CROSSWORD

Until Todayby Iyanla VanzantReview by Hermione Gee

Audacity of Hope by Barack ObamaReview by Sadie Strong

MAY ‘13 9thenubiantimes.comMay Wall of Fame

English social reformer and statistician. Known best for best efforts during the Crimean War and as the founder of modern nursing. Mental Illness: Bipolar Disorder

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

ANGELINA JOLIE ANTHONY HOPKINS

Award winning American actress, film director and screenwriter. Mental Illness: Borderline Personality Disorder

Welsh actor of film, stage, television and a composer. Mental Illness: Long-term depression

Answer to Question 7

Answer to Question 15

Answer to Question 3

ENTERTAINMENT

Ms Henry dresses with all the finesse of a soul diva admitting

that she “likes to stand out” and as we know – she has the powerhouse voice to match. Her extensive C.V also includes being a C.E.O and a Consultant in copyright law.

Born Pauline Delores Henry in Kingston, Jamaica, she was raised in her early years by her grandparents, alongside her two siblings and four cousins.

Pauline was re-united with her mother, Daphney and father, Charles in north London in the early 1970’s. Pauline describes coming to the U.K as a “culture shock on so many levels”, this was also partly to do with her fragmented relationship with her parents:

“The break in the bond with my parents was apparent, for years, let’s face it, my biological parents were relative strangers.”

It was in church that Pauline first realised she had a natural gift for singing. She explains

that her mum was a driving influence for her musical career:

“She was like my very own Simon Cowell, she created a group and called us the Henry 4 – I could not have been more than 10 or 11 years old.”

Pauline says that she was born with a natural desire to sing, a desire that helped her develop her talent:

“I did receive singing lessons from a Columbian opera singer, who taught me how to breathe from the diaphragm – it gave me power and versatility in my voice and is a method that I still teach today.”

I ask Pauline if she can still recall her first performance:

“Yes, I do. I was shaking like a leaf, I entered a singing com-petition at the Hackney Empire. I can’t have done too badly be-cause I came a Respectable 3 rd, to my very pleasant surprise.”

It wasn’t until the age of 27 that Pauline signed a record deal with Columbia/Sony BMG as ‘The Chimes’ with Mike Peden

and James Locke. They recorded one album with the cover of U2’s song ‘I still haven’t f o u n d what I’m looking for’ cata-p u l t i n g the group to fame.

“We also collaborat-ed with ‘Soul II S o u l ’ and I

Pauline Henry: Soul LegendTHE MINUTE YOU MEET WITH PAULINE HENRY IT IS OBVIOUS

THAT YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF SOUL ROYALTY personally got to work with

Leon Ware who was Marvin Gaye’s Producer,” explains Pauline.

“I am proud to say that we cracked America. The band received a lot of attention, so much so that the anticipated second album never happened. We eventually disbanded which set the wheels in motion for my Solo Career.”

Pauline says it was her mis-sion to be different and distance herself from the Chimes. She did this by changing her image, adopting a raunchier look with a black rubber cat suit and releas-ing ‘Feel Like Making Love’ - a rock song.

She later returned to her soul roots with tracks like ‘Do Over’ and ‘Sugar Free’.

When asked who she would like to work with today, Pauline names Emeli Sande, Quincy Jones and Frank Ocean.

She is now developing a series of online master vocal classes at the same time as

MAY ‘13 10

May Wall of Fame

by JULIANA HYLTON

Former American politican who represented Illinois’ 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives until 2012. Mental Illness: Depression and Bioplar disorder

JESSE JACKSON JR LEONARDO DICAPRIO

DAVID BECKHAM

American actor, film producer, and Golden Globe Award Winner. Mental Illness: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

English footballer known for his success’ at Manchester United Football Club and as England Captain. Mental Illness: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

writing a book about the music industry. Fans may have seen Pauline perform at the Nubian Soul event in Manchester on Boxing Day, an experience that the singer thoroughly enjoyed:

“I was honoured to be asked to perform at the Christmas event. It felt like I was among friends,

the atmosphere was buzz-ing as DJ Gordon West set the mood. I show cased my new material co-produced and writ-ten by Gordon West and Nick Hussey.”

So, does Pauline Henry have any parting words for The Nu-bian Times?

“I want to say a huge thank you to all who turned out to support me. For the ultimate in the soul classics experience, it has to be Nubian Eventz and now we have a communal voice with The Nubian Times.”

For more information on Pauline visit: www.pauline-henry.com.

ACTIVITIESIRAQ BY SEAN SMITH imperial War Museum Runs until 2nd February 2014 Marking ten years since the

CONCERTSMELBA MOORE & MELISSA MORGAN Band on the Wall Sunday 5th May April A bank holiday soul special with two legends of the disco era performing their hits for one night only.8pm. Tickets £18.50/£21.50.

BEYONCE MEN Arena, Manchester 7th - 9th May The ‘Mrs. Carter Show World Tou’ starring Beyonce promises to be her most ambitious undertaking to date and will feature chart topping hits from all her bestselling albums.7.30pm. Tickets £55.00.

BILLY OCEAN O2 Apollo, Manchester Sunday 12th May 1980s soul legend Billy Ocean performs for one night only in Manchester. Expect hits like ‘Caribbean Queen’, ‘When the going gets tough’ and ‘Get outta my dreams, get into my car’.7pm. Tickets £30.00

LEONA LEWIS O2 Apollo, Manchester Tuesday 14th May The X factor winner Leona Lewis brings her unique voice to Manchester where she will perform hits such as; ‘ Bleeding love’ and ‘A moment like this’. 7pm. Tickets £40.00 - £61.00

KEISHA COLE The Ritz, Manchester Thursday 30th MayThe platinum selling U.S star brings her R ‘n’ B vibes to the Ritz. 7pm. Tickets £27.50

THEATREA DOLLS HOUSE Royal Exchange Theatre 1st May – 1st JuneA story of domestic revolution, female empowerment and the journey towards self-liberation, it queries aspirations, success and what it means to raise a happy family. The play is still as charged, intense and provocative as it was 130 years ago. 7.30pm. Tickets £13.25

MUGABELAND Lowry Theatre, Salford 16th - 18th MayFrom the Manchester Theatre Award-winning company comes their fifth world premiere at The Lowry. A darkly comic musical journey into a heart of darkness. 8pm. Tickets £10.

BOBBY Lowry Theatre, Salford Thursday 11th AprilThis fascinating, modern day , tragi-comedy- fairy tale is told through a blend of physical theatre, live music and puppetry. 8pm. Tickets £10.

CLUB NIGHTSREGGAE THURSDAY Deaf Institute, Manchester Thursday 2nd May Weekly reggae night playing the best in roots reggae, ska and dance hall. 10pm- Late. FREE admission.

SOUL TRAIN COMES TO RAINY CITY Carlton Club, Manchester Friday 3rd May Return of the legendary soul train night with various Djs playing old school soulful vibes.9pm-1am, Tickets £5 O.T.D.

WHAT’S ON IN MAY… The Nubian Times’ Edwin Sinclair checks out all the main events in May.

start of the Iraq War, this is a new photographic display by award winning British War photographer Sean Smith, looking at the collision of two worlds – local civilians and military personnel.

UNDERGROUND MANCHESTER Outside the Midland Hotel, Peter St.11th May or 25th May This is the 2-hour de-luxe Underground Manchester tour into the city’s biggest WWII air-raid shelter, built into an old subterranean canal.

ENTERTAINMENT MAY ‘13 11thenubiantimes.com

FOLLOWUS ONTWITTER@nubiantimes2

May Wall of Fame

Unity Radio caught up with Bradford based producer and DJ, TS7, to talk about his current hit single, ‘Heartlife’.

The song, which features Liv-erpool vocalist Taylor Fowlis, has been A listed on Unity Radio, BBC Radio 1Extra, MTV Dance, Channel AKA and MTV Base.

TS7 talked about the origins of the track, which is available on Itunes now:

‘’Heartlife all started as an instrumental I made back in August Called ‘ polygone ‘ and it was getting supported across a few stations and myself and my management said we need to get a vocal on it to take the track to the next level.”

The producer’s management team then introduced him to Fowlis, a singer from Liverpool.

“we got in the studio with Taylor and two talented writ-ers Penny Foster and Paul Aiden and there was Heartlife. ’’

TS7 has been making beats since the young age of four-teen. He started with Grime and moved onto Garage and Bassline, producing hits such as ‘Smile’ and ‘Raise Your Glasses’, he has worked with a range of

artists including Slick Don and Trilla.

We asked TS7 about what we could expect from him next:

‘’ I’m currently working on my second single but I can’t give much away at the moment. That will be dropping very soon and has a big feature, then hopefully an album coming from TS7 so keep your ears open ‘’

The single ‘ Heartlife ‘ by TS7 featuring Taylor Fowlis is avail-able on itunes now.

To hear more interviews go to www.unityradio.fm

Follow us on twitter @unit-yradiofm or join us on facebook.com/officialunityradio

TS7 - Producing the Goods

by STEPHEN TRAN

American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Mental Illness: Major depression

BEYONCE KNOWLES

DAME KELLY HOLMES LIONEL ALDRIDGEFormer Bristish middle distance athlete

and 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist, specialising in the 800 metres and 1500 metres events. Mental Illness: Long-term depression Self Harming

American football player who enjoyed an eleven-year NFL career. Mental Illness: Schizophrenia

‘Family Ties’ is the hot new fea-ture film being produced by Write Dreams Productions in association with Flush UK Media.

Final auditions for the film were held in Manchester in February with confirmed ac-tors including some who have appeared in a BBC drama series and a number of well known urban music artists. Filming took place in April on what has been described as “an un-drained swamp of fear, gritty black comedy with a great ur-ban UK soundtrack,” by those involved.

Flush UK Media is one of

the UK’s premium online me-dia broadcasters, they say they are made up of like minded people working together to improve the online presence of UK urban talent. Active since February 2010, the company has already amassed an impressive 6.3 million Youtube views for their work.

This is the first film from Write Dream Production and ‘Family Ties’ has been adapted from a

screenplay written by Michael Esteves. Set in modern Man-chester, the film sees two broth-ers left

devastated after the murder

The film Unconditional is a lovely Christian drama, written and directed by Brent McCorkle, who also wrote the screenplay and is inspired by true events.

It is the first film by Harbinger Media Partners who have part-nered with a number of charita-ble and non-profit organizations to encourage whoever watches the movie to actively meet the needs of others in their own communities.

The film is based on the actual story of Joe Bradford. When he developed kidney disease, Joe and his wife Denise were forced to move to a low-income area, where they were confronted by the needs of the under-privileged children in their neighbourhood, Many of the fatherless children embraced Joe, who became known as “Papa Joe.” Together with his wife, he founded Elijah’s Heart, a non-profit organization, in 2005

to help children in need. Michael Ealy plays “Papa Joe”,

a man who cares more for the children in his own community than his own life at times. The film shows you how life can throw curve balls at you and how but for the grace of god unconditional love can if not conquer all, make a huge dif-ference.

Samantha Crawford lives a dream life. She is happily mar-ried and lives an idyllic life when her husband Billy is tragically killed, Sam loses her faith and will to live. A death-defying encounter with two children leads Samantha to a reunite with Joe, her long lost friend. As Sam watches “Papa Joe” care for and love the kids in his under-

of their parents. The brothers are thrust into a life of uncertainty and fear, and we see them move swiftly from a life of innocence to experience.

This is an exciting collabora-tion from two talented organisa-tions who have a huge passion for film and the progression of UK talent. A unique and emo-tional journey that is set to bring a range of emotions to any viewer look out for ‘Fam-ily Ties’.

For more information on those involved, please visit:t w i t t e r. c o m / F l u s h U k M e d i a

www.facebook.com/flushukmedia

www.writedreamproductions.com

FLUSH UK FORM ‘FAMILY TIES’ WITH WRITE DREAMS PRODUCTIONS FOR NEW FEATURE FILM.

Film review - Unconditionalresourced neighbourhood, she begins to realize that the love of God is always reaching out to her.

The film has a great twist to the story and leaves you truly wanting more, definitely a great family film with no sex and no real violence, but a realness that is missing from a lot of mainstream film. Michael Ealy is an accomplished Black actor who has been playing some remarkably diverse rolls and Hollywood seems to love him.

The film was released to thea-tres on September 21, 2012. Released on DVD on March 5 2013.

**** Stars

by JULIA SKY

TV review - The Real Husbands of Hollywood Dubbed ‘the fakest reality show ever’ – The Real Husbands of Hollywood Debuted on the Black Entertainment Channel featuring a star studded cast including comedian Kevin Hart, Nick Cannon and Duane Martin. The show also includes cam-eos from music stars Nelly, Trey Songz and Common.

The show, described as a ‘mockumentary’, is partially scripted and is based on famous

celebrity friends and their vari-ous hectic lifestyles.

Hart steals the show with

his over-exaggerated persona and his struggles with his lack of height. The overall show is

light and entertaining and is well worth a watch.

The viewing public have greeted the new show well with impressive viewing figures of around four million for the debut earlier this year.

B.E.T have noted the popularity of the show and have commissioned The real husbands of Hol-lywood for a second sea-son, so look forward to plenty more laughs.

by LUKE JUDD

BUSINESS MAY ‘13 12

May Wall of Fame

STAYING IN FASHIONWhat does it take to be successful?

T he South Manchester suburb of Chorlton is an ever changing

place. Every week businesses close and are replaced by new one’s – in this dog eat dog environment, what does it take to stay successful? One man who has the answer is Shahed Mohammed, who runs Shareen Fashions on Chorlton’s bustling Wilbraham Road strip. The business has been up and running and supplying people with clothing for the last 38 years and shows no sign of letting up. Whilst others around it

have failed to succeed on the Chorlton business scene, Shareen Fashions has been open since 1974, and continues to supply the local community with clothing, Shahed has found real success in the supply of school uniforms. “My mum and dad established the shop in 1974, and then myself and my wife took it over in 1985.” Says Shahed. I ask Shahed why he believes he has kept the business viable in such a competitive time. “We had to increase many

lines and in 1988 we added school logo uniforms, which helped. We have remained very competitive and kept our overheads low.” Chorlton is a multi-cultural society and Shareen Fashions has embraced that, providing clothing and school uniforms to all different factions of the chorlton community. Shahed explains why he thinks the customers have continued to come. “We do have lots of multi- cultural customers, I think word of mouth has been important in keeping by LIAM THORP

American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice. Mental Illness: Bipolar Disorder

MACEY GREY DMX BOBBY BROWN

American rapper and actor. Mental Illness: Bipolar Depression

American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper and dancer. Brown started out as one of the frontmen of pop group New Edition. Mental Illness: Bipolar Disorder

WE’RE IN BUSINESS FOR YOUR BUSINESS!

Free, secure, on-site parking24/7 accessHeat, light and power includedAlarmed workspace/officeReception serviceBroadband/wireless accessUnits from 195 - 597 sq ft

0161 839 3770firmstart.co.uk

70 Quenby Street, Hulme, Manchester M15 4HW Only 1/2 mile from Manchester City Centre & Cornbrook Metro Link!

CHICKEN RUNS INTO SUCCESS....

...cont from front page

Longsight for about four months I wasn’t doing any-thing. Pamela, my partner at the time worked with Ken-tucky Fried Chicken and she just got that inspiration from their and I always thought that we needed a West Indian takeaway with our own fried chicken in Moss Side, this all took place around late 1989.”

Alston Close is where Chicken Run first stretched it’s legs, Dukus and Pamela start-ed the first leg of the business from their home which at the time was near Moss Side Pre-cinct.

“Margaret Thatcher at the time was saying if you come off the dole and start your own business from home she would give you a thousand pounds and at that time it was a whole lot of money so we just went for it” Dukus says.

Chicken Run remained at Alston Close with a thriving business for five years.

At this time Chicken Run found itself in the heart of ‘Gun-Chester’ when gang war fare was rife and many gang members would frequent this establishment which of course was also his home. On one occasion gun shots were fired outside Chicken Run.

Dukus recounts this scary experience:

by ANNE CAMERON

“When everyone heard the shots people ducked down and started crawling and scrambling for cover. The shot clearly looked like it was coming into the house but it didn’t! It looked like an army training ground; everyone was crawling on their belly.” Dukus then said this was the time he decided to move to Yarborough street. Not long after, they were informed that the precinct and sur-rounding areas were being knocked down.

“There was so much vio-lence on moving to Yarbor-ough street at the beginning, I kept praying and at one point wanted to leave and just go to Africa but my spirit told me I was safe and so I stayed put” says Dukus.

He says that he has always

treated everyone with re-spect:

“ Even the notorious rough neck youth dem, have re-spect for me, coz I used to de-liver food, door to door and I would take food to everyone regardless of what gang they

were in.”Dukus is an iconic fig-

ure in the community, not just cooking but creat-ing great food. His shop still provides a cultural meeting and social point within Moss Side and sur-rounding areas. Jamai-can culture has always centred around food and Dukus embraces this ev-ery day. Chicken Run and food outlets like it are an important part of our cul-tural heritage and should be supported.

Established in 1990

within the heart of Moss side .........notorious estates and gangland war fare, Chicken run was born, the brain child of Duckoo and Pamela..... an extra-ordinary quite but friendly man. Duckoo decide to test the waters of his au-thentic Caribbean cuisine, within the confines of his own home by opening it up to the public.

Duckoo realised there was a need for authentic Jamaican cuisine cooked by a Jamaican for all to enjoy and love. “As being a Jamaican man our culture and social events are

surrounded by excellent well prepared food for all to eat and sample so I just wanted to expand on that.”

After years of running this pilot scheme from....... duckoo new he wanted more.... Yar-borough street was calling. A property became available on Yarborough street still within the Moss Side community and this was to be the turning. Tel: 0161 226 6714 -------------Opening Times: 12.30-10pm Monday – Saturday

customers, and schools as well.” Nestled amongst the new bars and seemingly endless array of takeaways, Shareen Fashions continues to fly the flag for local businesses and long may it continue.

“We have remained very competitive and kept our overheads low.”

by LIAM THORP

“Margaret Thatcher at the time was say-ing if you come off the dole and start your own business

from home she would give you a thousand pounds and at that time it was a whole lot of money so we just

went for it.”

CL ASSIFIEDS

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The Nubian TimesC/o: Nubian Enterprise

83 Ducie StreetM1 2JQ

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DO YOU KNOW YOUR CULTURE?Back 2 Roots AIM TO …educate minds, innovate bodies, elevate souls of the next generation and wider community! Exploring the dynamics of identity culture and history through arts such as Dance, Music and Film Making…

WANT TO TRAVEL THROUGHOUT THE UK LOOKING AT SCATTERED CULTURES AND HOW THIS AFFECTS YOU? TAKE PART IN ARTISTIC WORKSHOPS AS A MEANS TO EXPLORING CULTURES, SUCH AS MUSIC, DANCE, FILMING. WATCH OUT FOR OUR 2013 EVENT/SCREENING DOCUMENTARY @ THE CONTACT THEATRE IN AUGUST…

Come down, meet our team and GET INVOLVED... Open every Saturday from 11am 1pm @Sunshine Studios, 52 Newton Street, Manchester, M1 1ED, 1ST Floor.

Join back to roots on a journey of self discovery through media and arts and find the answer to that underlying question… DO YOU REALLY KNOW YOUR CULTURE?

For more info contact Naomi Pemberton, Project Leader: nyedkoy@yahoo.co.uk - alternatively contact 07557 262 017 for more information.

PRESENTS

1ST BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA

Coming Soon in Black History MonthFriday 25th October 2013

MAY ‘13 13thenubiantimes.com

Would you like to build your confidence whilst gaing an accredited Level 2 Qualification? Are you good at listening or do you want to be a better listener? Have you ever thought of a career in counselling

Manchester CounsellingTraining Centre (MCTC)

Opportunities: FREE Level 2 Effective listening skills. Accredited by CPCAB

This course will teach you the following skills: • Improve Communication• Improve existing work roles• Enhance personal relationships• Improve collegial relationships within workplace teams • Enhance helping relationships• Promote better community relations

Parent and child places for 6 parents and 6 young people aged between 12 and 16.

Training to take place at: Moss Side Millenium Power House, 140 Raby Street, Moss Side, M14 4LS. Every Sunday up until July 14th 2013 If you know any parent and young people interested, let them know

Our saying is: “The potential for greatness is within us all, it is for us to achieve together through the support we give each other.” Contact Alicia at: Manchester Counselling Training Centre (MCTC), WISSCC Training Centre, Manchester, M14 4SW. Tel: (0161) 868 0962 or Mob: 0797 141 7621 blogging.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/mewxjah8/

OPPORTUNITIES

Local Opportunities In and Around ManchesterYOUTH ACTIVITIES ADULT LEARNING, EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

The Prince’s Trust Programme191 Wilbraham Road, Manchester, M14 7DS 0800 842 842 www.princes-trust.org.uk Unemployed? Unexcited? Unsure of your future? The Prince’s Trust Team Programme is for UK residents aged 16-25 who are unemployed. It’s free and will not affect Jobseeker’s Allowance. It’s ideal for those whose lack of confidence or qualifications are holding them back. For more information about City South’s opportunities

for young people or the facilities we have available in Fallowfield, contact Michelle Wright on 0161 227 1263 Female Focus Peer Mentoring Turning House, Archway 5, Hulme, Manchester, M15 5RL The S.E.N.S.E (Self Esteem & Self Empowerment) peer mentoring service offers: Young girls & women the opportunity to engage in a mentoring process which will enable them to make safer choices. To work with the issues that may be affecting the function of their day-today lives. Manchester active voices are recruiting for the second cohorts of female peer mentors. If you are interested in applying please contact:

Kyra Laird - 07534 388 4234 info@manchester activevoices.org.uk

The Nubian Times Manchester83 Ducie Street, Manchester M1 2JQ 0161 408 4116 thenubiantimes.com info@thenubiantimes.com

2013 Employment Opportunities in Sales (Commission Based work only).

Also The Nubian Times are recruiting journalists, creative writers, proof readers & researchers to come on board with the Nubian Media Team.

HOLISTIC THERAPY Holistic Theraphy

Time Out Therapy, Cavendish Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 1LS. 07970 011 820 enquiries@timeouttherapy.co.uk MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE Back on Track 4th Floor Swan Buildings 20 Swan Street Manchester, M4 5JW Tel: 0161 834 1661 Fax: 0161 834 0041 info@backontrack manchester.org.uk Changing lives through learning. Supporting adult resettlement, sickness benefit support offering:

• Training • Menotring • Changes Ahead African Caribbean Mental Helth Service 70 Alexandra Road, Manchester, M16 7WD 0161 226 9562 www.acmhs.co.uk admin@acmhs-blackmentalhealth.org.uk Providing a free confidentail and culturally appropriate service to African and African Caribbean people suffering from mental ill health, also for their carers and families. Black Health Agency 609 Stretford Road, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 0QA Tel: 0845 450 4247 Fax: 0845 450 3247 info@thebha.org.uk

For equality in health and social care. Turn2Me A online mental health community providing peer and professional support to people in distress. Offering:

• 1-2-1 Counselling • Group Support Sessions • Support Forums www.turn2me.org FEMALE ONLY SUPPORT Women MATTA Unit 3, Cornbrook Enterprise Centre 70 Quenby Street, Hulme, Manchester, M15 4HW 0161 832 6544 Free Friday Drop In 1pm - 4pm Every Friday

MAY ‘13 14

May Wall of Fame

British former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC heavyweight championship in 1995 Mental Illness: Bipolar Disorder

FRANK BRUNO PAULA ABDUL NAOMI CAMPBELL

American singer, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality. Mental Illness: Bulimia

British supermodel. Discovered at the age of 15. Mental Illness: Anxiety Disorder

For adults, Higher Education learners and school leavers

For more information or to pre-register please call 0161 203 2100 or visit www.themanchestercollege.ac.uk/openevents

Thursday 16 May 5-8pm

Join us on Thursday 16 May to discover the great range of courses The Manchester College has on offer and to check out our state-of-the-art facilities.

You will be able to chat to our dedicated tutors about the courses available and find out when they start.

All references marked with an ® are registered trademarks of The Manchester College

Pre-register now and receive a goody bag

SPORT

Kelly Holmes: Getting Back on Track

Depression is a serious matter in sport. The problem is that mental

health is often seen as a taboo within the sporting world, so many sportspeople suffer in silence, which will surely only add to the stress and pressure.

The tragic and shocking death of the Wales football manager, Gary Speed, has raised awareness of depression in sport after it was revealed that the former midfield player had been suffering with the illness for some time.

Another sporting star who has suffered with depression is British Olympic legend, Dame Kelly Holmes.

Born in 1970 to a Jamaican father and an English mother, Kelly was raised in a children’s home from the age of 1 to 4 after her grandparents made her mother decide between them and her mixed race child. However the young Kelly began to have a stable life when she returned to her mother and her partner Michael Norris, who she calls dad.

Kelly enjoyed school, but she loved sport even more and it was at Tonbridge Athletics Club where she was first spotted a potential future Olympic ath-lete.

After spending two years in the army, she returned to compete in athletics at the age of 20, this was also when she started to self abuse.

The double Olympic cham-pion explains that she became obsessed with competing and punished herself for her time out with injuries:

“For every day that I was in-jured, I would cut myself.”

This process lead Kelly into a spiral of depression and she was still suffering when she came to compete at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, which makes her two gold medals, in the 800 an 1500 metre events, even more impressive.

Since retiring, Kelly Holmes has become a Dame and done extensive work with Charities and she strives to inspire young people into getting involved with sport on a regular basis.

Kelly’s story will surprise many and it reveals that any-one can be affected by mental illnesses such as depression, even Britain’s greatest ever female Olympian. She had to show great courage to achieve all that she did in sport but in admitting the stranglehold that depression has had on her life, she has showed even more.

MAY ‘13 15thenubiantimes.com

Whitley’s Sporting ChanceGrowing up as a Man-

chester City fan, the footballer Jeff Whitley

was one of my idols. Whitley also had spells with Sunderland, Cardiff and Stoke and earned 20 caps for Northern Ireland, the country of his father’s birth.

Growing up, Jeff always wanted to be a footballer. Sadly both his father and mother, an alcoholic, passed away when he was a young teenager. He re-calls being in the players lounge later in his career and seeing other players with their parents. Seeing this would lead Jeff to drink, to numb the sadness of his lost family.

Drinking became an issue when Whitley would want to be seen with City’s first team players, where a pub culture was encouraged. He says that deep down he was feeling very alone and couldn’t work out who his real friends were. He would give up drinking for a few months, then tell himself he wasn’t an addict and start the drinking cycle again.

It wasn’t until November 13th 2007 that he phoned the sports charity, Sporting Chance, with

his brother Jim, also a footballer. The two broke down in tears after the call because they knew the enormity of the situation.

The charity asked him to meet with them a few weeks later, before this, Whitley’s daughter was born. He then went to the charity to start his new life.

Jeff says that at his lowest point he was “praying that he would die.” He now does inspi-rational speaking for Sporting Chance and has turned his life around. He got married in April and now works as a car salesman in Stockport.

When I was younger, I looked up to Jeff Whitely because of his work on the football pitch – now my respect and admiration for him comes from the way he has battled his demons and worked on his life.

May Wall of Fame

American jazz pianist and composer considered one of the giants of American music. Mental Illness: Schizophrenia

THELONIUS MONK

BIZZY BONE NINA SIMONEAmerican rapper and the youngest member of the Cleveland rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Mental Illness: Schizoaffective disorder

American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music. Mental Illness: Bipolar Disorder

by RELE AKINWALE

by RELE AKINWALE

Drinking became an issue when Whitley would want to be seen with City’s first team players, where a pub culture was encouraged.

With another excit-ing Premier League season drawing to a

close, Liam Thorp looks at the role played by Belgian players in the English game.

The Barclays Premier League is heading towards its climax and although Manchester United have already scooped the big prize, the battles for European spots and avoiding the drop are set to go down to the wire.

As ever, foreign players have lit up the stage on a weekly basis with stars such as Robin Van Persie and Luis Suarez amongst the contenders for player of the season, but we should also recognise the increasingly im-portant part being played by Belgian players in the English game.

The most obvious example

is the Manchester City cap-tain Vincent Kompany. Some say that the defender has not reached the standards of play he set last season, but he has still been an important presence for the blues and will lead them out for the FA Cup final against Wigan in May.

Perhaps the most high profile summer signing occurred when Chelsea captured the young Belgian midfielder, Eden Haz-ard, from French club Lille for a whopping £30 million. The fee was a substantial one but Hazard has shone for the Lon-don side this season, his mid-field trickery and world class technique has made him a fans favourite at Stamford Bridge and one of his country’s finest talents.

For Aston Villa, it has been a frustrating season and it remains

to be seen if they will stay up, but if they do – it will be thanks to the goals of their Belgian striker Christian Benteke. The 22 year old, who was originally born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has scored over 15 goals for his club and looks likely to lead the line for the national side as they aim to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

The tournament in Rio could well be the World Cup that sees the golden generation of Bel-gian footballers come to frui-tion; with the players mentioned above lining up alongside Ever-ton stars Marouane Fellaini and Kevin Mirrallas, Spurs midfield dynamo Mousa Dembele and Arsenal captain Thomas Ver-maelen they really could be the ones to watch in Brazil.

The Belgian Revolution

NtT

PURPLE PEPUM DRESS,

REFRESHING CHANGE

FASHION

MANCHESTER

Pictures for Manchester Flava taken in and around South & Central Manchester…Look out for The Nubian Times

by TILLY SANS

The Nubian Times (TNT) runway is amongst other things a collection of UK and Global style. We showcase what is being worn in Manchester’s Nightlife. This section will bring you Fashion Shows and High street fashion pictures. Showing you how the runways of London, Paris, Milan and New York influence our fashion trends unleashed on the streets of Manchester… and if we deem it worthy enough to wear. We will feature high street stores, boutiques and there garments that inspire our Manchester style trends.

TNT Runway will be out and about on Manchester’s night scene, so keep a lookout!

Pussy cat bow add glamour to plain blouse.

HOT TO TROT IN

CHILLI RED PEPPERMODERN FEMININE

TUXEDO LOOK. THUMBS UP!

Take a stroll down Tib s treet in Manchester’s Northern Quarter and

you will find yourself surround-ed by cool cafés and edgy bars, what many people won’t know is you can also get your hair sorted at K.A.I hair by Raimi.

K.A.I Hair is a low- key and down to earth salon owned by Raimi Shoneye who is also head barber and his right hand woman Serayna Eldridge is head stylist.

With over 20 years experience between them, you can really see how much hard work and time is put in to K.A.I, a simple internet search brings up a

variety of reviews from an array of happy custom-ers and I can un-derstand what they mean, these peo-ple really enjoy their job.

Serayna is bright, bub-bly and out-going, Raimi is a lot quieter but you can see that is simply because he is focusing solely on the person in his

rarely empty chair, perfect-ing his latest creation.

Both provide ban-ter about eve-

rything from what’s on

TV to politics,

engaging customers

in conversa-tion that makes

the time go so quickly.

Despite being rel-atively unheard of in

some parts of Manches-ter, K.A.I has been busy.

As well as looking after the

hair of many men, women and children in Manchester, Serayna has been Northern Stylist of the year runner up for seven years in a row and Raimi won Black Beauty & Hair’s Barber of the Year Award in 2010. They have featured on makeover pro-grammes for the BBC and have styled the hair of celebrities including Manchester United footballer Rio Ferdinand, actor Devon Anderson (Eastenders) and boxer David Haye to name but a few.

As well as being stylist to the stars, Serayna is currently the official head stylist for Cliché Model Management and can be heard regularly on radio shows, spreading the word about K.A.I Hair by Raimi and offering bril-liant hair advice to listeners. She has big plans for the rest of this year but when I ask what they are, she mysteriously says that I will have to wait and see…

With the central location, decent prices and a friendly atmosphere, K.A.I Hair by Raimi is the place to be for the latest hair styles and cuts. For information and deals follow @KaiHairByRaimi on Twiter or like K.A.I Hair by Raimi on Facebook.

K.A.I HAIR BY RAIMI – A CUT ABOVE

by AYON MILTON

MAY ‘13 16

Flava

How to work a bold print for day wear.

Ladies casual masculine urban look.

Great choice of chino’s instead of jeans.

May Wall of Fame

RUNWAY

WHITE & BLING

MMMM........

British actress, comedian, screenwriter and author. Bafta TV Award winnerfor Best Actress in Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War Mental Illness: Depression

EMMA THOMPSON JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME

CHERYL COLE

Belgian martial artist, actor and director. Best known for his martial arts action films. Mental Illness: Bipolar disorder

English recording artist and songwriter. Also member of popular girls band Girls Aloud. Mental Illness: Depression

by SIOBHAN WHITE