‘News in the World’ project by Quinto Orazio Flacco High School, Bari, Italy
www.exposure.org.uk
P.O.N. C5 FSE 02 Por Puglia 2012 – 152
www.exposure.org.uk
Unione Europea
Fondo Sociale Europeo Programme Operatiro regionale IT051po005 FSE Puglia
Contents and contributors
The Red Team: Ilaria, Eloisa, Lidia, Annamisia and Raffaelle from Quinto Orazio Flacco High School in Italy who have produced a special Exposure magazine on London's amazing diversity. Ben fatto, ragazi! Red Team contents P3. Heathrow Airport check out time! by Eloisa Capezzuto P4. A thousand whirling memories by Raffaelle Buono P5. Beautiful Brixton by Lidia Lorusso P6. A wander through wonder by Annamisia Bertugno P7. Famous Londoner, David Bowie by Red Team P8. An amazing artistic journey by Ilaria Dispoto
We are five Italian students coming from the hot beaches of Apulia to London to do work experience at Exposure magazine, thanks to European Union funding.
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In this magazine we describe our day-today experiences here, from the moment of our arrival at Heathrow Airport, taking in some of the city’s best known landmarks. Our achievements have been really satisfying since, for the first time, all of us saw beyond the superficial appearance of this city, getting into the real London, getting in touch with all its sides; starting from Brixton’s vibrant market, through the street art of Liverpool Street, the musicans at Covent Garden, the market at Camden Town to the amazing art at the Tate Modern. We were fascinated by the beautiful, strange, different faces and places we saw. It is just like a melting pot, a human ‘cross-fertilisation’. It showed us a vision of what our own home town could be, of what the whole world could be.
Heathrow Airport: it's check out time! by Eloisa Capezzuto Student turban and a pearl necklace, a Western woman wearing a chador, an Indian woman with a green saree. London Heathrow International Airport, Terminal 4. I’ve just arrived, I’m waiting for my friends. How beautiful. I notice the arrival of some people from Rome wearing purple tracksuits. Are they families or trainers of the Italian Paralympic team? Everyone is smiling here. So much energy. Many Indian men dressed in white. Crowds of Muslims – the women all covered by a black veil apart from the eyes, filled with tears of joy. On their trolleys, wrapped in polythene, water jugs with addresses written on them. I wonder what they are for? Koreans, Indians, Northern Africans, all together in the waiting area of Terminal 4. It’s marvellous. I couldn’t wish for a better welcome.
Also waiting, long-bearded men holding folders in their arms. Is there a place for everybody in this huge, chaotic, busy, lively London? How much could come from the meeting of all these fantastic and different people? There could be something really new, strange, extraordinary: a new way of life, a new ‘Britishness’. Here in London I’m going to find out about lots of different customs, from all around the world, from places I’ve always wanted to visit. I’m sure London is not only the great monuments, not only the classic English traditions but also a melting pot of different cultures, ways of life, cuisines — expressing feelings through paintings, sculpture and music.
You cross the continents by crossing an airport. An African woman with an orange
I wonder how interesting and challenging it will be for me. Where I come from, a little town in southern Italy called Bari, I’ve never seen anything like this.
Heathrow Airport, Terminal 4
Indian cusine, Brick Lane 3
A thousand whirling memories by Raffaelle Buono Student I just stopped admiring Dali’s wonderful artwork called Narcissus’s Metamorphosis in the Tate Modern when I see, on my right, some interesting photographs of 19th century immigrants. I get closer. Depicted are the largest families I’ve ever seen, from countries whose existence I didn’t even know about before: a family of 13 from Zambia, a family of eight from Trinidad and Tobago, 15 from Guyana, and then an old-fashioned couple from Italy. That photograph sends me into a sort of surrealistic trance with a thousand memories whirling in my head.
Tudors, through the Industrial Revolution to the post-war period until yesterday. Well, they didn’t come here to assimilate but to contribute to every part of existence, giving life to what scientists would chemically call ‘cross-fertilisation’. I think that London is not about Britishness, I think it is about Worldliness.
I’m back at primary school, narrating a play… “Once, on the sea boats, were my people: Italians, piled into the holds, where the smell of diesel mixed with tears of joy, as the port of London appeared in their eyes.” Here, they were finally able to export their pizza, pasta, art, creativity, vivacity and, of course, their easy-going way of life. After viewing these yellowed, touching photographs, I walk along the Thames and think about all those immigrants who arrived in London from the period of the
Collage created in Photoshop by Raffaelle 4
New arrivals to London from foreign lands
Beautiful Brixton by Lidia Lorusso Student We took the underground to Brixton, known as an African and Caribbean neighbourhood, to find out more about the fascinating multi-ethnicity of London. In Bari, comparatively a small city, where we come from, there are few immigrants and they are a lot less visible. We started our research at the library to gather information about Brixton’s history and attractions. It was strange and beautiful to see so many people, so early in the morning! They were so diverse, in colour, in size, in height, in age and in the way they dressed. They were sat next to each other, reading, writing or working at the computers, with a silent respect for the place they were in. There was much written about Brixton’s deprivation and ethnic conflict. It was, according to one book, ‘a society which includes several distinct cultural, ethnic and religious communities, without any strong sense of common belonging.’ Could it be true?
Merchants from all over the world were selling various products, speaking with different accents and dressed in different clothes. The atmosphere was vibrant, the air seemed magical. We were not used to seeing such harmony in our Bari. Some people from Bari think there is not enough space, resources and opportunities there to accommodate immigrants. They use this excuse for their prejudice which sometimes turns into hatred. But difference can enrich us. New things come from a mixture of different elements. In the same way, we can create something new if we integrate in our lives various cultures, habits, opinions, ways of living and thinking. So, my impression of Brixton is not like the quote above, but like a wonderful new society, rising out of the meeting of different cultures. It is a dream I am certain will one day come true in my city also.
One of the area’s famous attractions was the market. We walked there, through Brixton’s streets, and came across a lot of people, catching the bus, going to work; women holding their children’s hands. At the market, we were overwhelmed by the many colours, smells and tastes!
Exotic fruit and veg at Brixton market
Vibrant textiles in a Brixton shop 5
A wander through wonder by Annamisia Bertugno Student Day one Today I walk around London for half a day and I see many different and impressive people and places. At first I go on the Southbank of the Thames and I see a lot of beautiful markets selling second-hand books and CDs.
A guitarist is singing some of my favourite songs, ‘Desperado’ by the Eagles and ‘Killing me Softly’ by Roberta Flack. He impresses me so much that I ask him about his art.
I am struck by the London skyline, with the majestic dome of St. Paul’s and new skyscrapers. Then I cross Charing Cross Bridge. I meet a young woman who is getting ready to busk and I decide to talk to her.
“I have been playing here for 17 years. I just want to play what I like. London is really open-minded towards new people and new artists. Everyone has a place to live and to create here,” he answers.
“I was born in London and I am raising money for cancer research. I love my metropolis because of the opportunities it provides and its amazing diversity,” she says. I listen to her singing, a love song, for a while and then I go on my way.
It is very exciting listening to a Chinese musician and then to an English woman singing ‘Nessun Dorma’, a famous Italian operatic song.
A little further on I see a Jamaican man, playing a typical Jamaican drum. Then another man, with a really strange instrument, similar to a big bowl. He is playing American blues. Most of the world seems to be on this bridge, in a few metres! Day two Today I visit Covent Garden, a very beautiful and crowded place. In the past it was part of a convent, then a market and a very luxurious place where wealthy people lived.
Jamaican musican on the South Bank 6
Today you can find many street artists and musicians here, as it is easier for them to collect money thanks to the tourists.
Day three A rainbow of fabrics surround me, my nose is filled by exotic sweet smells. I’m visiting Camden Town, a district famous for its market. I see here lots of unusual clothes, bags, souvenirs, accessories, books, foods, musical instruments. I’m interested in all of this and I like almost everything. There are lots of young people and tourists here. It’s quite easy to find other Italians and I start to talk to a woman working in a market. “I’m from northern Italy and I have been living in London for six months,” she says.
The colourful shops of Camden Town
“The first time I came here I was only 14 but I was so fascinated that I decided to move to London a few years later. I feel fine in this city. You can meet people from all over the world. For example my roommate is Caribbean. I’ve never seen racism in London. Everyone is respected. In Italy it’s very different. Immigrants are not integrated much and lots of ignorant people feel hostile towards them.” I definitely agree with her, as in my city immigrants are poor. Society is not ready to welcome them. They are exploited in many jobs. London might be a beautiful
example for Italy. London can’t be defined easily due to its countless faces. I can't just have one image of this metropolis but many visions, many memories. All the world is here to contribute to a new, special culture. For example, English music has always been influenced by foreign music: lots of Jamaican musicians in the sixties and Seventies came to London to record their hits and it was the start of a boom in Reggae and Ska. I think music is just one of the fruits of ‘cross-fertilisation’ that can change the world.
Famous Londoner, David Bowie ‘All the fat-skinny people’ by Red Team As we walk through Brixton, we can’t help but think of one of London’s most famous sons. David Bowie, the great icon of British exuberance, was born and grew up here, just after the Second World War. He became a star thanks to his incredible artistic talent and hard work.
We’re reminded of the word of one of his songs, ‘Five Years’ summing up all of our experiences in this diverse city.
He influenced Western culture in the 70s and 80s through his beautiful and crazy songs that tell spectacular stories, about fantastic people and incredible places. His music is innovative, evocative and captivating. His sound and words can bring you into a kind of parallel universe. One of his most beautiful, fascinating songs, ‘Life on Mars?’ was described as “a cross between a Broadway musical and a Salvator Dali painting” due to the nonsensical lyrics. Bowie is famous for his look too: he influenced English styles with his multi-coloured, amazing clothes and make-up, while his androgynous appearance made him a unique character, with no definition and no limits, just like London. He created a unique alter ego ‘Ziggy Stardust’ who was the main character appearing in a lot of his narrative. Visiting London we wonder if all the unusual things we are seeing are real or just a figment of David Bowie’s vivid imagination.
“ And all the fat-skinny people, And all the tall-short people, And all the nobody people, And all the somebody people. Never thought I'd need so many people.” David Bowie collage created in Photoshop bteam 7
An amazing artistic journey by Ilaria Dispoto Student When I entered the underground train at Stockwell and watched the people around me. On my left was an African woman, wrapped in a violet veil revealing only her eyes. She was chatting with her children. An Asian boy, sitting opposite me, caught my eye. He was totally absorbed in his music, the peak of his baseball cap bobbing to the beat. His large red hoody engulfed him. I arrived at my destination where, after a few minutes walk, I saw some extraordinary graffiti on a wall. This amazing mix of colours and styles made me think of London and all its inhabitants - it was mesmerising. This city is really beautiful, I thought. I don’t want to go back to Italy any more. With my head spinning with all the different people, shades, cultures and habits, I approached the Tate Modern Museum. What an enormous, extraordinary building!
of the people outside, eager to see art from other countries and learn about different cultures. The Tate Modern hosts art from the most famous painters of the world, mixing different cultures and styles. Great works from Picasso, Dali, Hirst, Munch, Kandinsky, Matisse and Heartfield are located here. But that isn’t all! Other artists from India and America show their daily life through paintings, photomontages and sculptures. This museum also has a strange history. It’s extremely thrilling to know that it originally was an oil-fired power station. It’s amazing to know that the outside belongs to the 1950s while the inside rooms are made with state of the art materials; glass, plastic and metal.
I was fascinated to hear the conversation
What an original mix between old and new, what a strange way to communicate through past and present cultures, merging to give the best to visitors.
Collage created in Photoshop by Ilaria
Graffiti Art London Bridge
This supplement was produced by talented students from Quinto Flacco High School in Bari, Italy at Exposure, North London’s award winning youth media organisation, in association with the UK Educational Development Agency (UKEDA). UKEDA work with European schools delivering inspirational educational programmes aimed at ambitious Europeans looking to learn English and experience British culture first hand. www.languageeducation.eu tel: 020 8883 0260 email: info@exposure.org.uk