London

100 Strangers Project -51/100 /  by Michael Pung

So Inap was talking with a group of other people about his thoughts on the state of affairs in the world and remember that musician I told you from the previous post? Well that musician's name is Amos Bellot also known as Sky Joose.

Sky Joose started creating dance music back in 1984 and broke into the underground hip hop scene here in London in 1990. He has been producing music for the underground until recently where he has decided to take a break. He tells me that there have been other people taking his ideas from the tracks he's made and not paying credit... or paying for that matter. I ask him about why he does it, and he says that he does it for the scene and if he didn't do it then there would be no scene.

He is a man who has music coursing through his veins. "Music is in my body. One of my ex-girlfriends says that I drum in my sleep! " Sky Joose also has five brothers of which three of them are musicians. His brother Dezy B is a talented drummer who can play with high energy, intensity and can go for up to 6 hours constantly playing at a party (you can see him play here).

He then begins talking about the way he makes tracks. "Never start with the drums. You got to get your melody right first and then you have to do the drums and bass last." He adds, "I just need four bars to make a track. If you play guitar and just give me four bars of a riff, that's all I need to make a song." He speaks passionately about his craft and became animated as he was talking me through his process, "I have to start at the end. My friends tell me: Sky Joose you work backwards!"

Thank you for taking part in the project Sky Joose!

100 Strangers Project - 50/100 /  by Michael Pung

I noticed a man standing outside a shopping centre talking with some people.  He was wearing a brightly coloured traditional African dress that illuminated him from the crowd. He had a set-up which included a large chest, a board with an open coconut, 4 beetroots and a painting he made using oil paints and fragments of fruit. Soon after talking, he sat down on his chest and played music on his harp. He was tuning into his music and letting what came to him flow out. I asked him about the way he was playing with his harp:

"When we tune into the frequency, eventually what's inside of you comes up."

His name was Inap and he has been living on the streets since the 22nd of June. A decision which he made after he decided that he wanted to be free. Before this, he was training to become a doctor and had actually finished his qualification to become a junior doctor. I asked him where he came from and he said that he is from a place called Biafra, a region that is between Nigeria and Cameroon:

"In 1914 they decided to amalgamate the north and south together so they can control the oil in Bayelsa. They signed a contract called the amalgamation contract but these people didn't agree to the contract. They were always their own nation so why are they trying to force them together? There was a fight in 1967 for us to become our own nation and they said it was a civil war but by all definition it can't be a civil war. Civil war is a war between the same nation. But we've never been the same nation. In fact our culture is different. We circumcise our children under 8 days. They don't do that and there's a friction they are not accepted in Nigeria, it's like a forced relationship. They were fighting and three and a half million people got slaughtered in that war.

There's still a a lot of agitation in our nation and that's why I would never say that I'm Nigerian simply because of the propaganda... I believe in Africa as one but when there is an agenda you have to ask yourself why? Why is it that you can't let people just be themselves?"

At this point a couple of other people entered the conversation, one who came to say goodbye (a musician who I finished interviewing a little earlier) and another, a friend who was hanging around.

"...Corporations are running us, but it doesn't have to be like this. They taught us greed and vanity so everyone is trying to obtain this invisible dream. Everyone is trying to climb this invisible ladder to try to be something that you're never going to be. No matter how big your bank balance is, you're never going to be bigger than the banks. So the banks are your gods. All these religions they're all fighting saying we worship God. No, you worship money. What is worship? Worship is something that you're constantly focusing on. So what are you really pouring your attention to? You only pour your attention to only on a weekly basis but every single section of your day you're focusing on money. How I'm going to live, how I'm going to eat, how I'm going to pay my council tax. And I got to pay this, I got to pay that and this all ties in to banks. Those are your gods.

So it's deep man, what are we gonna do?"

There was a brief pause.

"We have to change the rhythm," said the musician as he was walking away.

"Change the rhythm that's it! I like the way he said it, he's a percussionist. If you change the rhythm, everything: your synapses, your thoughts, your heart beat is set to a rhythm. Change the way you think. Once you change the way you think, then you change your perceptions on which shapes your reality.

When I look at that homeless man do I see myself connected to him? Love your neighbour as you love yourself. We don't need no religion, our religion should be love."

While I was standing there listening to his story and words, people kept coming up to him, greeting him, giving him hugs, food and just looking to make conversation with him. He offered me a banana.

"There's a reason why we're different. There's a reason why the hand grabs, the legs walk, there's something I'm supposed to learn from you, there's something you're supposed to learn from me. So yeah, we all got to do our little part one person at a time."

I asked him about why he decided on embarking on his journey:

"I left everything. I was in Birmingham, I had a place in Birmingham, I had a landord over me. I don't want a to have a landlord over me. I don't want anything over me. I want to be free like the birds. Where do birds go? The wings, can you contain the wings? Where does it come from, where is it going? So I want to be a free spirit. I see myself as a caged lion and I'm not even a lion, I'm a domesticated cat *laughs*. But the cage has always been open, I thought I was closed up, so I thought I had to pay my council tax, I thought I had to pay for water, I thought I had to do this and do that. And I thought I had to live for this guy called Bill and Debt, but I don't know who these people are. I've never been out of the jungle before and that's where I am right now. My journey. I'm figuring it out. So I came out on the 22nd of June and I'm trying to figure out the basic things, food, water, shelter... Now my mind  is getting understanding as the weather changes I have to change location and that's how people used to migrate. I'm not trying to be in the lottery of a system, a lottery that's exploiting and harnessing my energy. I'm going to define my own reality.

It's just been amazing. People have been. I've never lacked one day since I came out. I didn't come with anything and I've not been hungry. Just like the birds, they've been fed somehow and that's how I know there is a most high. We're too afraid, there's nothing to be afraid of, the main thing to be afraid of is you, look in the mirror and understand yourself. I don't feel that I completely understand myself yet but I'm on that journey."

Thank you Inap for sharing your story and I wish you well on your journey!

100 Strangers Project - 49/100 /  by Michael Pung

I noticed a lady as she was exiting the overground train station. She immediately caught my eye and I gave myself 3 seconds to approach her...

Her name was Jo and she had just finished her first day of school for which she spent preparing for the kids' first day of school. It is going to be her first year of teaching full time at an academy where she will be doing her training simultaneously. She was excited about the prospect of teaching her own class for the first time this year.

Good luck with your first class and thanks for taking part of the project Jo!

 

100 Strangers Project - 48/100 /  by Michael Pung

I met Gezahgn while I was out meeting a friend at a business park in Chiswick. He was sitting enjoying his break from work. Often I feel a little shy about approaching so my friend encouraged me to do so:

"I'm a slightly shy person, it's not my personality it's the way I've been brought. Being slightly shy is polite. It's tough for us to adapt ourselves here in this society being shy, there's no place for being shy. You have to come out to stand up for yourself in everything. I'm like you.

Even if you know, for instance you are supposed to look someone into the eye. If you are genuinely honest then what you're saying is true. I don't think it's the same in my culture you don't need to see people like that. We are challenged but I like it, that's my value."

Gezahgn is an accountant and has been living in London for 12 years after moving from Ethiopia. I asked him why he moved to the UK:

"I met someone who lived in this country and got married and ended up living here. I was actually here for study and met her while I was studying. And I went back home, the introduction continued. We started communicating when I was in Ethiopia."

How did you keep in touch?

"Email was the main, telephone was the most expensive mode of communication by that time. We usually communicating by phone and that's how we kept in touch. It is amazing how time has changed. I remember my younger sister went to America. This was 25 years ago now. I remember when she was calling us in Ethiopia, we all: my mum, my dad, myself and my little sister waiting for our turn to talk to her."

We then chatted about his previous work, his time in Cambodia and the abundance of water compared to where he came from in Ethiopia:

"I went to Phnom Penh for a work purpose, I'm a water engineer from my previous profession before I became an accountant. I went there for two weeks to see this project. This is a water project called BioSand filter and it is a household water purifying device. People get water from water sources like from streams and rivers. They put the water through a device with a sand layer that filters the water.

Countries like Cambodia don't have clean water as such and Cambodia is very ideal for this project. Water is accessible but not clean. People can get water from reasonable distances but the water is not clean. If you see in Ethiopia we may need to walk long distances to have water."

Thanks for taking part in the project Gezaghn!

 

100 Strangers Project - 47/100 /  by Michael Pung

Andrey comes from Russia from a town near Moscow although has lived in London for 14 years. When I approached him, he was happy to be involved and in fact he said that he was also a photographer so it was no problem. We geeked out a little bit over camera gear such as the Canon 550D he uses with adapters and old manual lenses.

We only had 5 minutes to talk and take the photos, but he has recently finished his studies and is currently a head chef at a restaurant. As we parted ways, he said that he is also a musician who produces music as well as being a DJ for parties.

Thanks for taking part in the project Andrey!

100 Strangers Project - 46/100 /  by Michael Pung

Soon after I met Lloyd, I walked down the road heading towards Dalston Junction. As I was walking along I noticed a man leaning against the wall outside of his hair salon. We greeted each other and then he said "I like your hair." I said thank you and stopped for a chat. 

His name was Andrea and he was the owner of Beats Hair Salon - A small salon which he saved up for and opened on his own. It has now been open for 4 months. Prior to this he worked at a few other hair dressing salons, including one in Bermondsey and in Brick Lane - where he cut hair on the street for 2 years before the bar that the hairdressers was at shut down.

Before he moved to the UK from Venice, he was at a crossroads as to what he wanted to do for his career - to be a dancer or a hairdresser - both were his passions. He eventually chose hairdressing as it was the more secure choice and 4 years ago he moved to the London to further his hairdressing career. 

 "You can change the person," he exclaimed when I asked him about what he enjoyed most about his profession. He called his business Beats Hair Salon because he enjoys music playing while he goes about styling and cutting hair. He demonstrated that although the music doesn't have to be loud to extreme levels, he needs to feel the beat to get into the rhythm of his work. And every morning he starts work, he writes a positive message on an A-frame board which he leaves outside of his salon. It's all about the good vibes!

Thank you for taking part of the project Andrea!

 

100 Strangers Project - 42/100 /  by Michael Pung

I met Dave after being encouraged by my friend to approach him. He was sitting by himself listening to some music on his phone. He was easy-going and was happy to have his photo taken!

I asked him where he was from and he said that he was born in Fulham and has a life-time membership to visit the football grounds. Despite that, he loves Liverpool Football Club and has been a supporter since he was 7.

We talked for a long time about the current situation surrounding the club, how much atmosphere there is at Anfield and how he was at the Champions League final in 2005 and almost walked out after half-time before a dramatic turnaround where they scored 3 goals in 8 minutes.

Dave also cycles everywhere he goes and every day he cycles 32 miles to get into work. He also completed the John O'Grotes cycling challenge (which is 1000 miles in distance) and raised 145 pounds for Leukemia research and is looking forward to completing another cycling challenge. He has dreams of cycling for the Tour De France.

Thanks for taking part in the project Dave!

100 Strangers Project - 41/100 /  by Michael Pung

Tareq was waiting for his train from London to Hastings when I approached him. He had spent the weekend in Nottinghamshire at a conference representing the Labor Party. He enjoyed meeting people from different parts of Britain and seemed in good spirits to take part in my project. 

He has traveled to places around the world such as Belgium, the United States and Mauritius although wants to do further travels especially around the UK. He wants to see more of Britain and has recently visited Cornwall and Scotland which he says are the extremities and now would like to visit the places in-between.

On his travels to Mauritius: He didn't know what to expect from the small nation but he says that it's a blend of English, French and Asian influences. He enjoyed visiting all the temples there and it was relatively easy to get around because of the language. He observed that people are multi-lingual over there and wished that more people in Britain learned other languages as it would help them connect with others as well as make travel easier.

Thanks for taking part in the project Tareq!