Here I share some of my fragmented and incomplete thoughts about a moment I had at a beach in The Gambia 🇬🇲.
My understanding about this isn’t in full but I know I have mixed emotions. Trying to relax on the beach but there are people trying to make a living. The poverty and prosperity are as stark as the barrier between sea and sand. The barrier is evident. It’s awkward. That’s the word that I have for it.
I joined the Columban Missionaries and Pax Christi on their No Faith in War peace walk on the 7th of September. Here I write about my time at the peace walk and share my thoughts on Britain’s role in the global destruction of many.
I joined Pax Christi in their No Faith in War day peace walk against the biennial DSEI arms fair hosted in London. For those that don’t know, the DSEI (Defence Security Equipment International) arms fair is a conference where arms companies and other seller’s market their products to buyers. Examples of arms showcased at the conference are tanks, bombs, guns and so much more! These weapons are lethal and are weapons of mass destruction.
We first gathered in St Anne’s RC Church where we greeted each other, fortified ourselves with our banners, signs and posters and prayed before we endeavoured on the peace walk. It was a very hot day in contrast to the last arms fair that saw us drenched in rain. These extremes reminded me of another overarching issue- climate change! We did the stations of the Cross in the area not far from the location that the fair was taking place. The stations served as a reminder of how Christ our humble saviour took our sins, guilt, pain and so much more upon himself so that we would not have to experience it, so that we could have a world that honoured peace. But as humanity we still impose pain and fear upon each other.
At each station, we prayed a Litany of Resistance. We prayed for God’s mercy to be shown to the victims of these weapons that are made and sold for profit and destroy the lives of many innocent civilians. We prayed for God to deliver the makers, sellers and buyers and all other benefactors and beneficiaries of these weapons from the tyranny of greed, the seduction of wealth and the filth, profanity, and brutality of war. And I prayed for hearts of stone that are numb to the consequences of their actions to be turned from stone to flesh, to realise the detrimental impacts of their decisions. After the prayer stations, we were joined by an Anglican group of peaceful protesters and as we continued our walk closer to the events’ location, the group led us in Taizé songs and prayers. The unity of our voices as we walked reminded me of God’s will being done on Earth as it is in heaven.
We briefly gathered at the gates of the arms fair and then we later set base further away due to the presence of many police officers who added to the already hot and intense atmosphere of the day. The pressure was on as lorries and trucks that transported military equipment were blocked by protesters and later had to turn back.
Before joining Pax Christi on their peace walk, I had little to no idea about the weapon industry and also the major part that the United Kingdom plays in it. After doing some searches I found out that the U.K. is one of the biggest producers of weapons and have supplied these weapons to war torn countries. Simply put, the U.K. plays a major part in the spilled blood of many people globally. The U.K. spends a lot of money on the manufacturing, exporting, and buying of defensive security weapons and according to a report written in the Modor Intelligence website, “The U.K.’s Defence Market size is expected to grow from USD 62.60 billion in 2023 to USD 72.99 billion by 2028”. This predicted increase proves that weaponry developments and production in the U.K. will always be on the agenda which unfortunately means that terror and unrest will be too. I was uncomfortable upon the realisation that a large amount of these weapons used globally are British-made weapons. The arms fair is a problem and that is why we need to protest against it.
The DSEI is an event where weapons like guns, bombs, missiles, tanks, killer drones, illegal torture equipment and much more destructive innovations are exhibited. Whilst I do personally believe that countries should have defence systems put in place, these defence systems should be used with sense and compassion. There should be a way that we defend ourselves that does not cause pain and terror in the lives of others. These British-made weapons are deadly, and they are manufactured, bought and sold onto repressive power- hungry states that cause panic and unrest in the lives of many innocent civilians. These weapons are used to oppress, discriminate, cause terror pain and death on many. The U.K. supplies arms and makes arms deals to oppressive and war-torn countries like Israel and Saudi Arabia where human rights are abused. Britain is contributing to violence around the world, and it is shameful and a disgrace to realise the reality of this. A country that was once under the reliance and trust of the Arm of God has chosen its own arm of defence that causes the destruction of hopes and dreams, families, and livelihood and many more atrocities around the world. The Arm of God is just, righteous, brings peace and is fair. Britain has forfeited the arm of God for its own arms of destruction.
Isaiah 33:2, “the people cry for God to “be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.”
Exodus 6:6 “…I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgement”
The Holy Bible
The Arm of God is “salvation in the time of trouble” and is our “redeemer”. If we put our hope in the mighty arm of God, we wouldn’t put our hope in arms of man i.e. weapons of mass destruction, because God is our defence. Nations can reimagine how they defend themselves and fight against threat. If we become a nation that puts our trust in God and listen to the direction of the Holy Spirit, God’s wisdom can lead us. But when nations forfeit the protection of God and take matters into their own hands, we cause destruction on global scales.
But our leaders have more faith in their armoury than in God. Why do we seek arms? It is because of power and control but at the root of it is fear. Our fears lead us to taking action into our own hands instead of trusting in the mighty Arm of God. It is also more than defending ourselves. The fact that people profit off of the fear, pain and powerlessness of people is always troubling. We should use innovation for the betterment of humanity to bring about unity and peace not terror and destruction. The Defence Security Equipment International is not just about marketing weapons for defence and security or further establishing the army. Defence isn’t the only reason why nations engage in DSEI- it is the fear of losing, it is wanting to control, and it is rooted in satanic motivations. This conclusion can be easily reached based off of what the weapons are used for and how they are sold as a means to make money. The DSEI is a marketplace where the products sold are global genocide, the abuse of human rights and death glamorised. Come and buy torture! Come and buy pain! Come and buy the destruction of hope peace and happiness! It’s an event where profit is paramount over people and what can you do when those revel in this are our World Leaders?
During my time as a Faith in Action volunteer with the Columbans, I had the opportunity of promoting their annual school competition on their Instagram, YouTube and TikTok pages as well as a video on YouTube. The competition was called, ‘Anyone Can Make A Difference: 21st Century Changemakers’. The competition encouraged young people to think about who in the world today is making a positive difference in the face of inequalities and injustice. In the end, we had a ‘Winner’s Day’ session for the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd winners and it was a lovely day getting to know them. Here I wrote a reflective piece on the ‘Winner’s Day’ enjoy 🙂
On the 27th of June 2022 the Columbans celebrated the winners of their 6thColumban competition, “Anyone Can Make a Difference: 21st Century Changemakers”. This competition gave young people a chance to write about, or create an image, of people in their world today who they believed were using their voices to stand up and make a difference.
The competition had hundreds of entries and the judges were positively overwhelmed by the changemakers that the young people chose to write and create an image about. Juliette Bone, Faith in Action Volunteer and one of the judges, explained “I felt totally inspired and amazed at the thought and creativity that had gone into each piece. Every contribution was unique and powerful which made the decision to choose the finalists a very difficult one!” There were written pieces about the environmental activist Greta Thunberg, there were image pieces about the footballer and social activist Marcus Rashford and many more.
The first and second place winners of the written pieces and the third place winner of the image entry attended the Winner’s Day along with parents, siblings and other family members.
Our first-place winner Jessica wrote a piece titled “The Sisterhood of Intersectionality” and her 21st century changemaker of choice was the US politician and human rights campaigner Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. There’s no surprise that her entry won as it was a passionate piece which drew upon examples from relevant angles of why AOC was a changemaker. Understanding her feelings about making it to first place, her motives for entering the competition and where she got the inspiration for her written piece, Jessica said, “I honestly didn’t think that I would win! I really wanted to improve on my grammar and critical thinking skills, so this competition was a great way for me to practice that.” When asked where she got her inspiration from she said “I first needed to find something that I was passionate about, be it race, gender etc and then I found that AOC was someone that spoke about it all.”
The second-place winner was Mahi, who titled his piece “One Small Act”, and wrote about a woman called Basira Popul, an Afghanistan healthcare worker that set up interventions and systems during the Covid19 pandemic which educated people in remote communities on basic hygiene standards. Quoting from his article, Mahi wrote, “Basira and her colleagues have already given out more than 1 million bars of soap and are still going strong, determined not to stop”. Mahi believes that Basira’s work was overlooked, but through his written piece, not only did he make second place but he also shone a light on an inspiring woman.
Paulette, who was awarded third place in the image category, constructed a powerful piece that illustrated not one but four changemakers! The image included Amanda Gorman an African-American poet and activist and was detailed and bursting with colour. She portrayed the changemakers in action and a picture of the Earth was at the centre of the piece with the words “Be the change you want to see” written inside. This serves as a reminder of the power we have to make the world a place that reflects our desires.
The Winner’s Day was a wholesome day which consisted of a discussion on formation from James Trewby, Justice and Peace Education Worker and Emma Darling, Communications Officer for the Columbans who invited the students to share their thoughts on future themes, how the competition can be improved and their ideas for promoting the competition to a wider audience.
Continuing on the theme of 21st century changemakers, founder of Birmingham-based refugee charity ‘Stories of Hope and Home’ Steph Neville accompanied by one of the charities participants, spoke to the finalists about the challenges faced by asylum seekers and refugees. They discussed the reasons why someone might have to flee their country, the media’s negative portrayal of those who migrate as well as the anti-refugee laws that have featured heavily in the press lately.
“It is important that young people have the opportunity for meaningful encounters where they hear first-hand and learn about the challenges faced by refugees and asylum seekers as they could well be our future politicians, policy makers or charity workers, who can draw upon encounters like these and use their voices to speak up!” explains James who facilitates encounters with marginalised groups for young people and educators as part of his role with the Columbans.
The day ended with Columban Director in Britain Fr. John Boles presenting the winners with their certificates in front of their parents and family members who had accompanied on their visit. He explained, “Our Winner’s Day was a pleasure and a privilege. It was lovely to welcome such engaged and thoughtful young people to St. Columban’s for formation and celebration.”
The changemakers competition, which gave young people an opportunity to celebrate the brave contributions of other young people, echoes Apostle Paul’s words to Timothy, a young boy ready to take up office in a space that usually only accepts adults. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12)
Young people should not be discouraged and think that because they are young, they have nothing valuable to say. This competition believes that young people’s voices, perspectives, and opinions are relevant. The Columbans are proud to have given young people a chance to put their faith into action by expressing their views of the world around them and engaging them to think hard about who in our world is making a difference to the lives of people and planet. Young people have a voice, they have eyes to see what is going on around them. Like Paulette’s image says, it’s important you “BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE”.
During my gap year as a Faith in Action Volunteer in Birmingham I wrote a reflection on the importance of the role of organisations such as Brushstrokes in Birmingham, on the lives of those in the local community. Brushstrokes is an amazing charity that provides services for marginalised groups in the Sandwell area. A marginalised group that they focus on is Refugees, Asylum Seekers and vulnerable migrants who have fled their homes and are in need of safety, direction and guidance. Some of the best moments of my time in Birmingham have been at Brushstrokes!
On Fridays I help at Brushstrokes Community Project in Smethwick. Brushstrokes is a partnership community project that was set up in 1999 by the Infant Jesus Sisters, the parish of St Philip Neri and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.
Brushstrokes is a place that welcomes the stranger through engaging with Asylum Seekers and working to establish them in their communities and ensuring that they feel safe. They work to serve the whole community, particularly those who are asylum seekers, refugees and newcomers and they aim to do this with “kindness and respect, affirming the rights and dignities of vulnerable people across Sandwell”. Some of the services that they provide are activities for social, educational and recreational development. Other services that they provide are practical help, information advice and guidance as well as education and housing support
Brushstrokes run a free lunch period called ‘The Friday Community Cafe’ and that’s what I, alongside other volunteers and staff, help out with. A typical Friday involve me arriving at 10:00am and washing my hands, (making sure to adhere to hygiene standards) put on my Brushstrokes apron (an apron I am really proud to wear), wipe down surfaces and prepare the tea and coffee station. Sometimes I will peel potatoes or other veg (if our amazing chef needs an extra hand) and I will write down the ‘menu of the day’ on the board, big enough so people can see!
At around 11:15am the service users arrive, and we take their beverage orders which are normally tea or coffee. At around 12:00 the chef gives us the heads up to start taking food orders and everything goes from there.
The impact that the Friday Community Cafe has had on service-users is profound and I think it is a great initiative! It provides an opportunity for people to come and not only enjoy some wholesome free food, but to also mingle with people from different demographics. I enjoy seeing the smiles on people’s faces as they ask “so, what’s on the menu today?”
Understandably, it is not all smiles as you do have sullen, dispirited faces because we cannot forget the lived experiences of the people that Brushstrokes provides care for. Smethwick is a low-income area and although providing free lunch may seem like a small gesture, it can make a significant impact on someone’s day or even week as there is value in lunch.
I spoke to the Volunteer’s Coordinator Martin McNally to hear his views about Friday Community Cafe and its impact on the local community.
Tobi: “What is the importance of the Friday Community Cafe?”
Martin: “Having a cafe is a great opportunity for local people who are feeling isolated, marginalised and maybe just in a low mood, to get out and come to a place that is safe, friendly and welcoming. And they can also make new friends here. The Friday Community Cafe offers an opportunity for a free meal- a proper meal which works great for the community and economically as the food otherwise would have gone to landfill!” He continues to say, “some people are so grateful for a meal, especially considering the financial climate. Some people are not able to feed themselves properly or they have to choose between heating their home or having a meal.”
Tobi: “Can you tell me what type of people we see at the Cafe?”
Martin: “The people who attend are a diverse group of people, reflecting the diversity of Sandwell. We have a couple of people who are experiencing homelessness and people who have mental health issues which affects their ability to understand the concept of budgeting. It serves a lot of purposes, the cafe.” He continues to say, “We have people who have addiction issues which means they spend all their money so at least we give them a little bit of respite.”
Tobi: “What has the impact been?”
Martin: “The Cafe improves people’s wellbeing. We’ve had people in tears just because we gave them a cup of tea! Some of these people have been rejected or have fled their homes.”
Tobi: “As a man of faith, how does your Christian faith connect with this project?”
Martin: “As a man of faith, it ticks all the boxes. We are here to welcome the stranger, help the poor, feed the hungry, and love one another. Those are all the messages I get from my faith and scriptures in the Bible.”
And it is true! Christ and many Bible scriptures have called us to have a concern for one another, “Carry each other’s burdens…” (Galatians 6:2), and Christ’s very act of laying his life down for us, so that we could be reconciled to the Father, is the greatest example of caring for one another.
The Community Cafe also runs other special events such as an Interfaith Lunch, Big Lunch, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and more which are all centred around food-sharing and encountering different foods from around the world, made by people in the community.
On the Brushstrokes website, there is a quote from Nicolas Barre; “We Must Be In The Hand of God Like a Brush in the Hand of a Painter.”
To me, this quote encapsulates the Christian’s calling which is to allow God to use you and trust him in the process. The same way a paintbrush trusts the plan of the painter to take it across and around the canvas. The process might be uncomfortable as it can feel like you are being pressed upon and twisted and turned, dipped in paint and swirled in water, but when you step back, you’ll smile and be amazed at what God used you to do.
I really enjoy my time helping out with the Friday Community Cafe. But in addition to the Cafe, I really appreciate the work that Brushstrokes does for the community in welcoming the stranger and making sure that they feel listened to, supported and treated with dignity and not like the ‘other’. The work that Brushstrokes does very much echoes the message of the Bible.
In this blog piece I share my thoughts on the Nationality and Borders Bill and what it possibly means for asylum seekers. This blog was originally written on the 27th of January 2022 and uploaded on the Columban Missionaries Website.
I should first say that the opinions expressed here within are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Society. I am not claiming to know everything, and I am also aware that this Bill is subject to change.
Since I heard of the new Nationality and Borders Bill, I have been reflecting on the situations people find themselves in which require them to seek asylum and how useful and practicable the Government -backed safe and legal routes are in the face of danger.
From what I know, this Nationality and Borders bill poses that application for asylum will only be accepted from those who came to the UK via a ‘legal and safe route’ and anyone who has come via a boat or other routes, will be deemed ‘illegal’.
The government have listed safe and legal routes that those seeking asylum should use and they are the ‘UK Resettlement Scheme’, ‘Community Sponsorship Scheme’, ‘Mandate Resettlement Scheme’ and ‘Refugee Family Reunion.’ Only those who have entered the UK through these government-backed ‘safe and legal routes’ would have their asylum application looked at. Those who have not entered this way face imprisonment.
According to the Refugee Convention, a refugee is someone who, ‘owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable to or owing to such a fear is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country’.
The Nationality and Borders Bill was put in place to allegedly break the business of people-smuggling and thus tackle illegal immigration. At first glance, this seems fair, as it is stopping the motives of traffickers who could be monopolising on the desperation of many people who are seeking a safer and better life. However, when you look past the surface level, you see that it has a consequential effect on those who use these routes to safety, as they will also be seen as criminals.
The problem that I have with this Bill is that, at this present moment, and with the little knowledge that I have, it looks at how people entered the UK rather than whythey entered. Yes, the reality of smuggling is a real thing, but we should focus on the reason and desperations of those willing to put their lives into these people’s hands in pursuit of safety.
Before, a person’s asylum application was based on why they left their country and their proof of it. Now the Home Office takes into account the way in which they arrived in the country. Could this mean that here is no refugee status for people arriving by illegal means?. If so, I think this is a deliberate stumbling block perpetuated by the Home Office because the majority of those seeking international protection in the UK have no access to a safe and legal route. The routes that traffickers provide are often their only route to freedom. So, although our government may call it illegal, to those seeking protection, these ‘illegal routes’ are their only hope.
There is a plethora of reasons why people must abandon their homes and are unable to go back. And so, when a person crosses our borders in need of international protection, they deserve access to fair and efficient asylum procedures, because refugees have rights and it is the duty of states to protect them, not label them as criminals. Unfortunately, this Bill focuses on the business of people-smugglers and not the plight and the human rights of those who are desperate to even use them.
Whilst it is a messy situation, politicians should understand that favour should always be shown to those who need safety. In my opinion, the bill shifts the focus from the humanitarian issue at hand and creates a concern around the people who are making it possible for asylum seekers to enter the country. Surely we can still have compassion for those seeking international protection despite the method of their arrival!
On a surface level, these government-backed routes can be perceived as immensely helpful and just, but how viable, attainable, and practicable are these routes in the face of danger? Are these politicians aware of the many reasons why someone would risk their life and abandon their home and come to a place that they deem safe? Are politicians aware that when danger strikes, the sea is often the only place seen as safe? How do you apply for asylum through the resettlement scheme in the midst of danger?
The stories I have read and listened to show that there is no time to think of these Government-backed legal and safe routes in times of fleeing from persecution. For example, if you are someone who is a member of a particular social group or has an opposing political opinion and are therefore on your government’s watchlist and are in fear of being killed, leaving your country to enter another country for safety via a safe and legal route will be very risky.
To me, these requirements of the Government are so tone deaf to the reality and lived experience of those fleeing persecution. More has to be done to protect these people.
The Columbans have recently signed the Asylum Matters West Midlands pledge opposing the Nationality and Borders Bill and ‘stand united in opposing the policies that this Bill will implement’. We call on other local community representatives across the West Midlands to join us and put pressure on the UK Government ‘to scrap these harmful and divisive proposals’.
Tobi's Thoughts 