Hidden Histories
Migrants in Brighton and Hove
Hidden Histories Migrants in Brighton and Hove
– implemented by the University of Sussex Centre
for Community Engagement. The exhibition and this
catalogue are products of the European Lifelong Learning
project titled HIDD
– Hidden Histories Intercultural Dialogue and Learning.
www.sussex.ac.uk
[email protected]
Contents
4 Preface
5 Migrants in Brighton and Hove
8 Living in Brighton
12 Being a Migrant Attitudes and Assumptions
15 Living in the Asylum System
19 Changing Identities Wives, Mothers and Daughters
22 Spices, Yams, Rice and Beans A Taste of Home
26 Family, Friends and Belonging
28 Brighton Voices in Exile Finding Community
34 Acknowledgements
Preface
Migrants in Brighton and Hove
A major challenge facing people in Europe is how we
understand and experience life in communities that are
both plural and diverse. In its Memorandum on Lifelong
Learning of 2000, the European Commission cited the
need to ‘learn to live positively with cultural, ethnic and
linguistic diversity’ as one of the two joint aims of lifelong
learning across Europe. These issues percolate down to
the community and individual level in important ways,
and have a profound impact on the ways in which we all
experience economic and social inclusion.
Partners in this project are based in Austria, Finland,
Ireland and the UK, and the communities we
have worked with are Deaf communities, migrant
communities and rural communities. Although this
catalogue relates to the exhibition you are viewing,
please visit our website at http://hiddenhistories.
euproject.org/ to find out more about the project,
but also to view material from the other exhibitions
and ebooks, to view photos and to hear and see other
people’s stories.
This EU project has used a community and life history
approach to work with socially excluded people to
explore and capture their ‘hidden histories’ and to provide
the opportunity, through exhibitions and websites,
to share their stories with the wider communities of
Europe. People are excluded or ‘hidden’ for a number
of different reasons including their geographic isolation,
their language, and their cultural experiences.
We hope that by viewing both the exhibition that
accompanies this catalogue, and our website, that you
will have a greater understanding of the lives of different
people in all our communities.
Pam Coare
Project Principal Investigator
Brighton and Hove has a rich and proud history of
welcoming migrants. In living memory the city has
provided home for Jews and other European refugees
fleeing communist governments after the Second World
War. More recently migrants have come from all corners
of the world to settle in the city. They are a diverse
group of individuals and communities and include those
who have entered the UK via the asylum system, as
international students, as economic migrants or to join
family members already here. Since the early 1990s
three of the largest communities to settle in the city
have been Sudanese, Iranian and Chinese. Through their
businesses, their work and culture these established
communities have made a unique contribution to the
development of the city.
In the first decade of this century we have seen arrivals
from conflict affected areas such as Afghanistan, Sierra
Leone, Central Africa and Zimbabwe. The enlargement of
the European Union in 2004 saw migrants from Eastern
Europe coming to the city to work, many of whom
have now settled here permanently. In 2006, under the
Gateway Protection Programme, the city provided a safe
home to seventy nine refugees from Ethiopia who had
been living in Kenyan refugee camps. Alongside these
more permanent communities, the city’s two universities
between them have approximately six thousand students
from outside of the UK coming to study each year. This
extraordinary movement of people with their different
histories, cultural backgrounds and values has enriched
the city, and given it a reputation for being one of the
most vibrant, cosmopolitan and tolerant in the UK.
Given such diversity it would be an impossible task to try
to capture and represent the voices and experience of all
the various groups who have come to live in Brighton
and Hove. Instead, this project gives a flavour of some
of the lives, of some of the migrants, who have come
to settle here.
How the project worked
Uniquely, the stories presented here have been collected
and chosen by migrants themselves. An open invitation
was made to migrants living in the city to become
involved and a total of twenty-two volunteered. One
group of migrants were members of Brighton Voices in
Exile, a local charity working with those seeking asylum.
A second group was recruited through Brighton and Hove
City Council’s Refugee Forum. Participants were trained
in life history interviewing; they identified the questions,
the people to interview and conducted the interviews. As
the interviews were collected and transcribed, extracts
were used as a prompt to encourage further storytelling
and writing amongst migrant groups. The stories
therefore reflect the interests and concerns of
the migrants who became involved.
Real names have not generally been used, instead, each
interviewee was asked to select a pseudonym.
Further information about developing a methodology for
community involvement and participation in life history
work and community learning, along with more stories,
including interview transcripts can be found on the
project website.
Dr Linda Morrice
University of Sussex
June 2012
Living in Brighton
Personally, it was very important to me to make life easy
for myself and to adjust. It doesn’t mean that I changed
myself to compromise with the society. I’ll give you an
example, many times I face lots of drunk people at the
bus stop and most of them become harsh and bad, but
I have to manage this, I adapted to this. No one could
do these things in Afghanistan in public, they would be
punished. But here, I just leave it, even if they swear.
Other things I have adapted to are, for example, being
social with people who have different thoughts, different
beliefs. [...] Yes, and adapting to ‘thank you very much’,
‘please’…
Ahmad is from Afghanistan. He came to the UK in 2009
I would say that comparing Afghanistan and a country
like the UK is quite difficult. There are no logical points
to compare, but well, I would say that here in England
the quality of life is better. [...] I moved to my new house
and it is almost 17 months, and neither of my neighbours
has asked, hey who are you? Where do you come from?
At least to be sociable with you, next door. Life is more
individual in England. In Afghanistan it is very different, if
you come to a new house, the whole block or the whole
street come and knock on the door because they want to
know you, they want to help you. People bring you food
and everything.
There are differences. Sudan is a big country, big houses
with courtyards and gardens. The competition for work
is much easier and since I was born there, it was easy
for me to work. Both here and in Sudan people are
hospitable and friendly. In Sudan, and this is a difference,
most people are illiterate but at the same time they are
influenced and motivated by direct propaganda, whether
religious or political. Here people are more educated,
they think before thy act and they have more common
knowledge. They are not easily motivated by propaganda.
Here people are more busy with work and don’t have
so much time for social relations. In Sudan people have
can meet your friends. I have
lots of friends from different
countries all around the world.
We walk around Brighton,
maybe go to West Street
where you can find Turkish
food, Arabic, Iranian food,
everything.
John is from the Yemen.
He came to the UK aged 14
and lives with his sister.
more time to socialise; they know each other,
all the neighbourhood. People have more time
for themselves.
San is from Sudan. He came to the UK in 2006
Yemen is quite different – the people, the food, the
culture. There are a few Mosques here but in my
country there are lots. I don’t like the weather here; it’s
terrible, freezing cold! I love English food – fish and chips
– they’re wicked! Yorkshire pudding, roast dinners….
The food from Yemen is quite different from this country
because there is things such as halal, everywhere is
halal. In Brighton we eat halal food, there are lots of
places to buy it from, like Taj… My favourite place is
Churchill Square. There are lots of people there and you
Although I am Christian, I was born and grew up in an
Islamic country until the age of twenty eight. Living
in an Islamic society differs from living in a Western
society; especially a place like Brighton and being a
woman only highlights this. The most prominent things
that I’ve noticed since immigrating to Brighton is the
differences in lifestyle compared to where I used to live.
For example, the night life and the culture associated
with it. The clubs, bars, pubs, discotheques, loud music,
alcohol, people sick on the streets, loud noise late at
night in the weekends, ladies smoking, ladies wearing
revealing clothes, people on the beach naked, vulgar
swearing, couples kissing and promiscuous sex. […]
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On the positive side I have noticed the respect for the
other no matter how people disagree on opinions they
still respect each other, everyone is equal and everyone
has the same rights. People are tolerant and accepting
to other cultures, people are polite and they always use
“please”, “thank you” and “sorry”. Women can go out
on their own in their daily life without being harassed
and they have full equal rights. […] People can worship
what they choose without being oppressed or their
lives and livelihoods threatened. Anyone and everyone
has a chance to learn and better themselves even if
they are old or disabled. I also noticed how everything
is organised and planned meticulously over here, for
example, traffic lights and zebra crossings, and how
everyone respects this order; people also take a great
care in time keeping. This is just a small list but I must
say the good outweighs the bad.
come from a farming area. We just plan everything
according to the farming tradition when it is a barren
land we leave it. But like just leaving such a big land for
a public amusement and everything; it is like a waste.
Yes. ‘Why do they waste it? It is green. There is rain
and everything. Why do they waste it?’
Son is from Sudan. She came here in 1991 with
her husband
Teferi is from Ethiopia. He came to Brighton in 2006
under the Gateway Protection Programme for refugees.
When you come from London, the first area you see,
because the bus came by the main London Road, is
Preston Park. That is the main, the first impression you
see of Brighton. And so the flowers, people were joking
and everything saying ‘Oh. it’s beautiful! Why do they
waste such land without any farming and everything?’
That was their main impression, because most of us
Life is very different, I mean in both places; where I
come from is Africa actually and here is Europe. The
first thing is the weather, the weather is very hot there,
and here is always a little bit cold if it is not too cold.
And the other thing is people’s interests and people’s
attitudes are different in both places and it’s something
just cultural. I mean it could be a reason of the place that
you live in: you have certain rules, you have certain things
that you do, certain things that you want to do, certain
things that you dream of doing. And it’s also that you
come back to the amount of freedom. Where I lived, I
mean, things are still primitive – not I mean, not primitive
primitive, but I mean regarding freedom; people are still
looking for their freedom and they can’t find it.
people’s hands. I felt a little bit scared because in my
hometown I rarely see seagulls. But here, it’s quite
common and they are around us all the time. […]
Brighton is a city, with a beach and a sea, which is like
my hometown. My hometown is called Kaohsiung, it’s in
the south of Taiwan. Brighton is nice, but, compared to
my hometown, it is a little bit small.
Samir is from Sudan. He came to the UK as a refugee.
He is now a British citizen
Jessica is from Taiwan she is a Masters student at the
University of Sussex
When I first
arrived in
Brighton my
first impression
was a lot of
huge seagulls!
Brighton has lots
of seagulls and
on campus where
I live there were
lots of seagulls,
eating rubbish!
They fly down and
take the rubbish
from the bins
and sometimes
the food from
I like this city. Here I feel safe and more comfortable. I
love democracy and the freedom that I feel here. I found
this city an international city. People are open-minded. I
feel free, happy and more relaxed to express myself and
my opinions or to practice the role of my religion. I hope
my son will have a delightful future for his education,
health, entertainment and so on. […] My culture is so
different from here. I cannot completely adjust to this
culture though I try to get good things and leave the ones
that are opposite of my values and beliefs. However, I do
not force my son to do the same; instead I’ll explain our
culture and values to him and let him to choose his own
way. The interesting thing that attracts my attention is
that, there is so concern about diversity and equality.
I can see that women have nearly achieved equality
with men.
Parvin is from Iran
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13
Being a Migrant Attitudes
and Assumptions
translating. Sometimes I get invitations to participate
in Refugee Week. I write and sometimes I go and read
poetry and short stories, or just recite poetry. Brighton is
a very nice city, very good and I love living in Brighton.
I hope that I will participate more in the community and I
will do something which benefit all the people.
Obviously, I can feel that some people are not happy
that foreigners come to their country and stay there.
The amount of people, who do not like foreigners,
are different from city to city. I really don’t like to be
a burden on the society. I want to have a suitable job
and I try my best for this. I’d like to be respected.
I think if my English was better, I could express
myself and my abilities, so I could adapt with the
society better, therefore people had better sight
about me. For this, I like to do volunteering jobs and
be a member of different communities. [...] I think
with volunteering I can learn more about language,
culture values and beliefs.
Parvin is from Iran
Well, I can’t expect anything. Probably people who
know me, they think about me good. People that say
that migrants are bad, I would like them to see me as a
human being. That’s the best option for all of us. I won’t
limit my opportunities, life, visions just because people
see me as a migrant. I am a free man and I can do
everything I want.
Ahmad is from Afghanistan
Samir is from Sudan
I think it’s not the people who see them – the people
who come to live in their country – different, I believe
it’s the media; there is a lot of negative media towards
migrants and this affects the people. I just would like
to be seen as a human being. I have done volunteering
and I have contributed to the community here. I mean
I work in a care home and I’ve done a lot of work with
refugees and asylum seekers. I have worked with money
advice and community support as an outreach worker
Well, literate people
have an understanding of
immigrants, but illiterate
people or people who
are not doing well in their
lives financially, they see
migrants as people coming
here taking their jobs,
picking in their pockets.
But educated people have
more understanding, they
know that we contribute to
the economy, most of the
immigrants are likely to take
low graded jobs; jobs that
English people wouldn’t
do. I would like to be seen as a responsible person,
contributing to the economy. I haven’t come here to
steal or to live on benefits. I want a job. I want to work.
San is from Sudan
I think one of the driving forces which drove me to
enter public service was the concept of doing good for
humanity and mankind, and it describes itself in three
words: Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds
and that is my cultural heritage which teaches me to
be honest, helpful, kind and go out of your way to help
others. […] That’s why I stood as a councillor, because
I wanted to put back into the community something
that was coming out. […] I was particularly concerned
that when I came to Britain there was an atmosphere in
Britain of anti-immigrants and racial discrimination and I
wanted to step out of all that and show people. Because
the electorate that elected me was made up of ninetyfive percent white people; I wasn’t elected by an ethnic
vote. So I was quite proud of offering my services and I
remember at that time one politician was saying in public
that the ethnic minorities were taking out of Britain and
not putting back. I wanted to be one of those who was
putting back. That’s what drove me to go into politics
and when I looked at going into parliament or local
government I decided local government because you
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were in power. You were the administration; you could
do things. In opposition you could protest only. And I was
a councillor for twenty-one years.
Tehmtan Framroze came from Zanzibar to the UK
in the 1960’s. He is a former Labour Councillor and
Mayor of Brighton.
And another thing for me is music. Someone said to me
’Do you like African music?’ And actually when I was
growing up I never listened to African music because in
South Africa when I was young I listened to American
music. African music was like no, no, no! I wouldn’t
listen to it. I listened to quite a lot of American music, you
know Donna Summers, Michael Jackson. Soul music,
and I also liked gospel music. And this person was really
shocked that I came from Africa and I don’t listen to
the music! Just because someone in African you can’t
assume they like African music. Someone was asking
me about this famous band Ladysmith Black Mambazo
but no, I don’t like their music. People assume I should
like reggae, but I don’t [laughs].
Zat is from South Africa
Unfortunately, a lot of people here are influenced
by the tabloids and their ignorant propaganda and
misinformation. They see all immigrants as financial
burdens who come to the UK only to leech off the
welfare system and undermine British society. They do
not take time to consider or differentiate between each
immigrant’s circumstances and they do not appreciate
Tehmtan Framroze
the contributions and benefits they give to society.
Generally, I have found the more educated a person is,
the more they appreciate other cultures and the more
aware they are of the role immigrants provide in society.
This ignorant approach makes me feel unappreciated
and unwelcome even though I am participating fully in
society as any native born Briton is.
Son is from Sudan
First of all if you are a migrant they see you like a
nobody, this one is nobody; someone who doesn’t
know what she wants or someone who comes to steal
something from them. I used to think like that when we
had people at home coming from other countries to my
country. We say, ‘Oh this one came to steal our jobs
and do that and everything’. And we call them names
like amakwerekwere1. They are not one of us because
they are not from our country and they steal everything
from us. But we forget that if you are from that country
you are too lazy to do something. People from other
countries are not lazy, they can do everything. You forget
that about migrants. There are some people who see
migrants as human beings, and some don’t.
Sibulele is from South Africa
Amakwerekwere is a perjorative term used by some Black South
Africans to describe Black people from other African countries who
came to South Africa after apartheid in 1994 and stayed on, many of
them illegally.
1
Living in the Asylum System
Who’s who?
A refugee is
A person 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 fear, is unwilling to avail
himself of the protection of that country...
The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the
Status of Refugees 1951
The UK is home to 3% of the world’s refugees
(UNHCR 2010). The vast majority – over 80% – are
living in developing countries, particularly Africa
and Asia.
An asylum seeker is a person who has applied for
asylum in the UK but whose application has not yet
been concluded. They receive accommodation and
vouchers for food, toiletries and clothes from the
National Asylum Support Service (NASS). This can
be as little as £6 day to live on.
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A refused asylum seeker is a person whose asylum
application has been unsuccessful. He or she may be
voluntarily or forcibly returned to their country. If it is
not safe for them to return to their country, they may
remain in the UK, but they are not allowed to work
or study.
Living in Britain without relatives is very hard. In
Zimbabwe I have everyone around me – my children,
my sisters and brothers, my parents so there is always
someone to talk to. If there is a problem or anything
about my life I have someone to lean on, someone to talk
to. Here it is very stressful because I live with different
people in a NASS [National Asylum Support Service]
house. I have been here two years and I am still waiting
for the decision from the Home Office. We share the
bedrooms and there is no privacy and you can’t do your
own thing. Everything you do you have to consider your
room mate. Sometimes my room – mate is moody. Yes,
she is like that, she is very moody! You can’t switch the
light on she will get up and switch it off [laughs]. She
shouts if I snore, but what can I do? I am sleeping! I just
eat and sleep there; it is like a prison, I cannot work or
do anything.
Hope is from Zimbabwe
Sometimes, many people have got stress. They go to
the doctor for this and that, take tablets. I have got eight
children and I had never taken tablets. Here in England
I felt so stressed. Sometimes I’ve got this and that.
[…] Especially if they allowed us to work we would be
less stressed. When you are working you are getting
stronger. Our body is used to work; you work with other
people and you feel better, you have a habit. The stress
is gone, you have no stress. We are used to work and
to working hard. We can work one day and we can go
somewhere else and work another job. We can work and
feel better; but we are just sitting around all the time,
nothing to do.
hard, because it is hard for people who have everything,
so what about us? It is harder. It is so difficult you know?
You can’t do anything. I am a young guy, I am healthy, I
can work, I can do something with my life. Why am I not
allowed to work? I am stranded. I’m not allowed to study,
I’m not allowed to work, I’m not receiving anything, how
can I survive?
Simba is from Somalia. He has been in the UK for four
and a half years. For three years he lived in a hostel in
Manchester supported by the National Asylum Support
Service. He moved to Brighton to be with his brother in
2010. His asylum case was refused but because Somalia is
not considered safe, he cannot return.
Sharon is from Zimbabwe
I did apply for permission to work but they refused me.
I did apply so at least I can study or something instead
of me staying at home with no chance to do anything.
So you can imagine how difficult it is and most of the
time I get frustrated, I get stressed and depressed but
I don’t like to tell the world what I’m going through. But
sometimes it’s good to take things off your chest, you
know? ‘Cos I live in a studio flat with my brother, there
is no freedom. He is partially blind and I am looking after
him so you can imagine he sleeps there and I sleep
on the sofa. For a year and a half. Even he sometimes
wants some space and wants to be on his own, and
sometimes, most of the time I can’t sleep because I
have a lot of things in my mind. So I wake up in the
middle of the night two sometimes one o’ clock at night.
I get dressed and I walk to the beach, and that’s where at
least I take my anger out. I collect some stones and start
throwing them on the water until I calm down. Then I
walk back home and try to get some sleep. But it is really
It is impossible to work in my profession here. I was a
dentist in Egypt but because of the rules I can’t work
in this profession here. I have been here seventeen
years, I have tried to sit exams – overseas registration
– but they are very hard and very expensive. It’s open to
European dentists to come here and work without taking
these exams. We are nationals now so the Parliament
should consider helping us to retrain; even to do unpaid
voluntary work until we get to the standard. This has
got an adverse effect on my lifestyle, not being able to
integrate in society. I do casual jobs, but it’s not fulfilling.
I feel that I am a walking body without a soul; only
forwarding my career will revive me.
Butterfly is from Egypt
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From 1978 to 2006 I always worked as an accountant
and auditor in many companies, then the revolution
came. […] Now, here it is just reading books,
newspapers, watching television. But the most
important thing is that since I came here in the UK, I
haven’t worked because I am not allowed to work, by
law. I am doing voluntary work teaching Arabic, I am
the headmaster of the school linked to the Sudanese
Coptic Association. The Arabic language classes at Hove
Park School are one of the most valuable and important
activities of the Sudanese Coptic Association. When
I first joined the school, I volunteered as a practicing
teacher. My role in school now is an administrative one
as a Headmaster and as an accountant. Whenever there
is a teacher absent for some reason I take his place and
cover for him. By the end of this year, July 2012, I will
have completed more than four years at the school.
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People who help and teach in the school work on a
voluntary basis. […] In the beginning the classes were
mainly dedicated to Coptic children who were born in
the UK, or those who came to the UK when they were
still young. It enables them to maintain a link with their
country of origin and also in order not to forget their
mother tongue language. However, now the classes are
available to anyone who would like to join. We adopt and
follow secular policies and students in our school are of
different races, nationalities and ages.
San is from Sudan
Well, at the moment I am not allowed to work. Probably
there are chances for me to work because I can
contribute or get job in services such as interpreter
or in places where I can help other refugees and
migrants. Physical jobs I would do it for living costs.
[In Afghanistan] I was working with policy making with
World Bank projects, to establish new policies, changing
the paper work into computers system in Afghanistan.
I am now involved with media to serve my people,
my country. I am very busy, I have my own radio, so if
people are interested they can visit my website. They’ll
see what I am doing with my radio. Sometimes, Radio
Reverb uses my show. I am doing lots of things, you can
find me everywhere in Brighton [laughs].
Ahmad is from Afghanistan
Changing Identities Wives,
Mothers and Daughters
The actual category of being mixed heritage didn’t even
come into existence until after I’d moved as a mother,
with our family, to Brighton. In fact on the censuses
the categories would say ‘other,’ so you would actually
categorize yourself as ‘other’ which I always disliked
[…] So how you define your identity is partly dependent
on the categories that you’re provided by the state, and
also the ways in which you’ve actually been brought
up, and the ways that aspects of difference about
yourself have been sustained within the family but
also outside. […] As a child, at school I can remember
someone saying to me, another child, ‘Oh, you’re
okay, because you could look Mediterranean or
Italian’, and so you’d think, what does that mean,
really, as if one could ‘pass’? And it was not
intentional but it was like a kind of, what one might
This photo was taken in 1947 to commemorate my
parent’s marriage. Although they had married five years
earlier in London, with a Hindu ceremony, the Indian
family wanted to celebrate their marriage in Guwahati,
Assamese style. My mother is in the second row, fourth
from the left, and my father is standing behind her, in the
back row, third from the left. I was born in London three
years later.
call institutionalised racism of the time. […] When I first
came to Brighton in 1989 it felt predominantly white.
Very different from now, well of course it was always
more diverse, many places are more diverse than you at
first realise, but anybody who has lived in Brighton would
agree that over the last twenty years the population has
become more diverse. And for me that’s been great,
I’ve felt much more at home, really, and that’s made the
place more interesting. And also attitudes have changed
because of that. So when we first took our children to
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school, when I asked about the multicultural policy, I was
told ‘We don’t have that problem here.’ And now that
would not be the answer.
wouldn’t cost much in Sudan to hire people to do these
jobs for you or assist you in doing them, it is unaffordable
to do that here.
Neena’s father was from India and her mother was
British. They met and married in 1942 and Neena is their
only daughter. She moved to Brighton in 1989.
Son is from Sudan
My role as wife and a mother has changed; my
responsibilities have become more varied and more
loaded. Whereas before I was responsible only for
looking after my children and the cooking, now on top
of that I have to take the children to and from school,
do all the house chores, get the shopping, coordinate
my children diaries and their dentist and doctors
appointments, etc.,
and then because of
my husband’s long
working hours I take
over some of his duties
such as bookkeeping,
banking and taking
care of the household
finances and so on. I
even have had to do
most of the gardening
and decorating around
the house. Whereas it
The culture in England is different from where I come
from, I come from Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe women
are supposed to behave in a certain way and dress in a
certain way and if you’re married you are, you can easily
be identified by your dress code. You should be more
dignified, the boys or the men can easily identify you
although you do not have a ring. If there is a woman who
isn’t dressed properly, I mean in a dignified way, then
they’ll be like, ‘Oh is she married? How comes she’s
dressing that way?’ It should be something long enough
to go below your knees, yes, long enough to cover your
body, and if it is really short then they will be like looking
at you with an eye and maybe calling you names. [...]
We do have traditional clothes but most people are into
western clothes. Not to be covered but just respectable.
So like it is a bit different over here with girls who are
sort of really independent, they do their own thing, they
dress the way they want to dress and also women dress
their own way and still whether they are married or not
married.
Grace is from Zimbabwe and has lived in the UK
for ten years
Well I come from a country where equality with gender
is happening but slowly and is still imbalanced. But yeah,
there is a male dominance probably more than here in
the UK. So for me it was difficult to adapt to it, but I think
I’m learning quite a lot because each time I go home I’m
a bit stricter with my father and he doesn’t like it! He
says like six years ago when I came home I was able to
go and give him a spoon when he needed it for eating,
but now when I come home and he asks me to pass him
a spoon I said, ‘Well you have legs, you can do it on your
own’, and he’s not used to that. So I think I’m learning
quite a lot from this country!
Eva is from the Czech Republic
At home they believe that the woman belongs to
the kitchen. You can cook and wash dishes and do
everything, the boys can go out around and do whatever
they want to do. It’s good here because of equality, you
know your rights. You know that you don’t have to do
it. At home if you didn’t cook you wouldn’t eat because
the boys would go and come back later, and if you don’t
wash dishes it will be you who is left with dirty dishes
and everything.
Sibulele from Zimbabwe
Talking to people is difficult because of the language.
My children are now my teachers, they correct me.
If I say something wrong they say ‘Mum, it’s not like
that!’ It has changed, now they help me to learn English.
My understanding is good, but talking is difficult.
Madeleine is from Egypt
22
Spices, Yams, Rice and
Beans A Taste of Home
Men just bring stuff for cooking and never help or even
ask women what they cook. I was starving when I
arrived here. But you know, we say at home, ‘necessity
is mother of invention’. The first days I burnt things
or forgot to put salt but now I don’t have any fear to
cook. I sometimes dream; I wish I was at home, eating
our food. […] I think it is a common reaction of every
human. When you lose something you realise the price
of this thing later. I remember, my mum used to cook
something and I used to complain because I didn’t like
it. But now, I know I need it, I would love to eat that
food again. I tried [British food] but my taste base was
not there. When I came here I couldn’t eat bread
because all of them had sugar in it. My taste was
not developed to eat sweet bread. I had to learn
how to make salty bread which I had never done
in my life before. […] Some food has to be made
together. For example, Blanni is a flat bread
filled with mashed potato and fried onions. It is
impossible that it is done by one person, you
need a team. One should make a dough, another
makes fillings, one should then fill and another
one should fry. That is how it is done at home.
23
Afghan women do this dish together in the kitchen, they
talk and share stories at the same time. [...] It is not about
cooking but sharing time together.
Awrang is from Afghanistan; he arrived in the UK in 2009
It’s nice to have a taste of your home country. You know,
when you make samp and beans2, it warms your kitchen.
It reminds me of my grandma who used to cook it for
us. You know, when it’s winter here, it warms you, like
at home. Sometimes you would like to get the taste of
your country so you remember your roots and not forget
where you come from. It’s nice to have your own taste
when you are with your friends, but you know, in Africa,
you eat cow’s intestines, they are nice. I liked them so
much. When you cook it, it smells like cow’s pooh, so I
can’t cook it for my friends because it
would smell to them. But when it
is ready they wouldn’t know and
they would like it. You have to eat
it very hot because of the fat.
Sibulele is from South Africa
2
Samp and beans is a typical dish
of Xhosa people in South Africa
made for slowly cooked
sugar beans and samp
(crushed corn kernels)
Jollof rice is ‘coloured’
rice. It’s more coloured
and more appetising.
The colour is so inviting
and once you taste it
you want more. It’s
cooked with coconut
milk, fish, chicken or
beef and spices and
you eat it with plantain
on the side. Yam is
my grassroots. I want
to sometimes taste it
when I feel homesick,
to restore my strength.
At home we give it to
pregnant woman after she gives a
birth to fill the empty space of
bleeding, all what left with
baby. I always feel I’ve
eaten the real food, rich
and healthy food. You
peel the skin and leave
it to boil for about twenty
minutes with some spices
added to it. You can mash
it or you can eat it in lumps, it
is best in lumps. We also eat fufu; it’s a bit like mashed
potatoes. We cook it like semolina and it takes more than
one hour to get ready. We eat fufu with soup. There are
so many African soups – vegetable soup, spice soup
– or it can be eaten with stew. It takes a long time to get
ready and it’s noisy – everyone can smell it. You want to
taste it because it’s so tasty! Sometimes it makes you
sneeze because of the pepper. When I am homesick I
eat I eat yam and fufu. But generally here I eat English
food because it is cheaper – bread, rice, pasta…
Keb is from Nigeria. He has lived in the UK for 11 years
When you get angry, when you get lonely, when you
get sad, everybody has something; you turn back and
cook something that in childhood comforted you. Say, for
me, whenever I am angry or sad, I eat jollof rice. That’s
what my mum used to do because it was the cheapest
things to eat, to feed her children, to fill their
stomach, to comfort them. Your memories go
back sometimes when you eat food from
home. Some memories are good, some
not. Some you don’t want to remember.
Sometimes we couldn’t afford to eat meat,
or not being able to have food at all. That is
the scariest thing in the world. Going home
from school and you don’t have food. [...]
When I cook for my friends in my house
24
[in the UK], they complain that I put too much on their
plates. But it is unavoidable for me to put less on the
plate. I think that everybody is hungry and I should feed
them to have enough.
Ousman is from Gambia
When you first go
in exile, what you
do is to survive
and become part
of the society. As
long as I keep my
important values,
my soul is happy.
I still mix my own
curry powder:
coriander seeds,
dried chilli and little bit of cumin, fennel and black pepper
and fenugreek seeds and turmeric. I mix it in my coffee
grounder; I mix it every day. I wasn’t satisfied with
my life. I looked for recognition. I wanted to tell the
world that I am somebody, not just a refugee. To feel I
accomplished something I started to share Tamil food in
the community. I enjoyed making dosas and fenugreek
sauce; very special for Tamils. I had to create something
from nothing to be recognised.
Sathi is from Sri Lanka
25
When I first came here I used to only think about South
African food; now I don’t eat any South African food. I’ve
adapted, I eat English, French, Italian food, ‘cos here you
can, that’s what’s available now. I can eat food without
meat and not really worry about it; whereas in South
Africa if you cook without meat they look at you and think
‘Something is missing here!’ It’s like ‘Where’s the rest of
it!’. I was surprised by that.
Zat is from South Africa
The Czech food is really, really boring because they don’t
use so many spices. We use mainly paprika that is it. So
when we cook it’s just potato and meat. The food has to
have meat; if it doesn’t have meat it is not a main dish,
so therefore there are not so many vegetarians or vegans
in central Europe! So usually we eat pork and beef, which
is the main. We cook it with paprika. When we eat there
is not many vegetables in our dishes so what we eat is
we mainly cook cabbage for a long time, and then add a
tiny bit of flour to make it thick, sometimes with potatoes
or dumplings and meat. So it’s really boring, isn’t it?
To be honest I don’t really cook traditional Czech food
that often because I try to eat something different and
learning different dishes from different countries here.
So I cook my traditional food only when my friends come
to see me and I want to show them something from
my culture.
Eva is from the Czech Republic
At home, we used to eat
on the floor. We ate with
our hands. God gave us our
hands to eat with them,
so food is blessed. […]
When I came here , I didn’t
know how to use cutlery.
I am used to it now. Once
I was at a wedding; there
were so many different
cutleries and I didn’t know
how to use them [laughs].
I had to watch people to
learn. Now I find eating
with my hands ridiculous
and I use cutlery even
when eating on my own.
Prossy is from Uganda
26
Family, Friends and Belonging
Family life is different here. Where I came from family is
the centre of life. Family members and relatives see and
communicate with each other on a daily basis; they are
there in every situation: in weddings, births or funerals.
Everyone knows what everyone is up to. Work does
not take most of the day and people are more relaxed.
Over here I feel that
work takes up most of a
person’s time, everybody
is always stressed and
family members have
no time for each other
and everybody lives in
their own little world. […]
Where I came from there is no doubt there is a greater
respect for ones parents and ones elders, they are loved
and honoured. Over here I see children grow up without
enough respect for their parents or their surroundings.
This growing disrespect is certainly on the rise compared
to two decades ago when I first arrived. I do not blame
the parents as much as I blame the media for exploiting
children and exposing them to all sorts of bad role
models. There is not enough emphasis on trying to raise
a well-rounded generation.
Son is from Sudan; she came to the UK in 1991
27
We don’t lose our family ties even when children
grow up. When a child turns eighteen here they are
independent. Back home, even when a child is twentysomething he is still a child. Even my son, he is fortysomething, he is still a child. Sometimes I can tell him,
‘What you are doing is wrong, I don’t like it and your
father doesn’t like it.’ So here, at sixteen, eighteen he has
got a flat. What for? How is he going to love his mother
and father because he is independent? Sixteen, eighteen
years old staying alone it is not good. People lose their
identity if they don’t know what is right and wrong.
you work Monday to Friday. At the weekends and at five
pm you spend time with your family. You work from eight
am to five pm and then you are at home.
I love Brighton but if
tomorrow my country is
safe, if it has a government,
tomorrow I will go. I’m
looking forward to going back,
because who wants to live
in a strange place where you
have no family, no friends. We
had friends like any other kids,
we grew up with friends you
know? We had friends, we
went to school together, to the Madrasah. No one wants
to come and live in England, or anywhere and to leave
everything behind. But we have no choice. Like now, in
Brighton, I’m enjoying it in a way, because I feel safe. I
can walk any time, I can walk no one will ask me what I
am doing, where you are going. Even if you have friends
who are local, who were born here, most of them they
have a certain income they go to the cinema or bowling
or anything just to entertain themselves. But in my case,
I can’t afford to do anything like that. So it is really, really
difficult because when I came here I was eighteen, so
I think at eighteen years old I would like to do the same
things as any teenager at that age. You want to go to
the cinema, you want to go bowling, you want to go to
any kind of entertainment, you want to go eat outside
McDonalds, you know?
Hope is from Zimbabwe
Simba is from Somalia
Sharon is from Zimbabwe
The problem with this country is that it is ‘work, work’
and you don’t have time to look after your old parents.
It effects older people emotionally. When I first arrived
I couldn’t understand how old people were living in
nursing homes. In Zimbabwe when your parents get
old you take care of them. If you have money you pay
someone to take care of your parents in your house, if
you haven’t got money you have to give up work but that
is very rare. Usually there is someone in the family who
is not working and they look after them, but often you
can pay someone to come to your house because it’s
cheap. Here you don’t have time to be with your family.
You work day and night even weekends and holidays.
Even to spend time with your husband is hard. In Africa
28
There is no family life here. There, you know, at home,
we’ve got that bond like for instance at my house I live
at my mammas house where there are lots of cousins,
my aunties and my mum and everyone is here under
that one roof. You know that everyone is here. It’s easy
and you love each other. Here there is nothing like that.
You don’t have even, even if you have your mother here,
your mother will live somewhere else. You have to hire
someone to look after the babies, but back home you
don’t have to hire someone. If someone is not working
in your family you take your baby there and she will look
after it. She won’t ask you about money and everything
and your mum helps. […] And also here people don’t
have time. Families don’t have time for each other, it’s
either one is working day shift so the other is working
night shift, so you don’t meet too much. At home about
weekends you can meet the family or you just visit.
It’s easy to go and visit. Here everything is catered for
a small family not for extended family, for your family
only. When you cook food you leave some for a visitor.
You know at home they believe that you can’t finish the
pot and dish up all the food in case someone comes in
wanting food, so you must always leave some in case.
Sibulele is from Zimbabwe
29
Brighton Voices in Exile
Finding Community
Food here at BVIE brings people to sit down and to have
time for each other. To have a chat, whatever things
happened in your life, things what happened to you every
day. It’s encouraging to talk about things we have in
common. We have problems in our countries, but here
we cook and laugh. You get a chance to know people.
When you are in the kitchen, it’s not about you as an
individual, but it’s about teamwork. You develop skills and
experience to be around people. And also you improve
communication because the way how you communicate
with people in the kitchen is different to how you
communicate with your friends. Volunteering here is not
just cooking but being a part of doing something together
in the community. […] We cook one dish for everyone.
You can cook your dish at home, but when different
people are together, it’s nice to have one meal that will
accommodate everyone.
Sibulele is from South Africa
Brighton Voices in Exile is a charity working with
those seeking asylum, refugees and those who
have no access to public funds. Among the support
services provided is a weekly cookery group run by
and for those accessing the service. A fresh meal is
prepared by group members which anyone accessing
the service can sit down and enjoy together. Many
of the voices represented found community through
Brighton Voices in Exile.
What I was looking for was a small family here in the
UK, gathering together and eating good food. In my
childhood I never ate alone. Food was shared with whole
family, sometimes with the whole village [laughs]. So, I
created the same village here at BVIE. When I cook and
serve my food, I forget that I am here to survive. I am
so comfortable to have people around. It brings a lot of
happiness.
Ousman is from Gambia
30
31
Cooking at BVIE increases your knowledge. As you
grow, you get to know your own culture. But when you
come here to the UK, you start to learn. I had never
tasted vegetarian food before. At the point when I don’t
like something, I give it a chance and space to get know
more about something and then I become to like it. Now
I know how to make vegetarian food, I just got an idea
from the others in the group.
Keb is from Nigeria
For the last nine years I was indoors; I was scared of
going out. And in April I fell sick. I collapsed on the
street in Brighton and I couldn’t speak. I was admitted
to Brighton Hospital. If I hadn’t been in England I think
I would have died; the medical professionals were so
good. I feel I would like to cry every time I talk of this.
I was so scared I thought I was going to lose my life. I
didn’t have any friends; the only friends I had just ran
away from me and I ended up being alone in the hospital
for many months. The health professionals provided
everything for me, they even introduced me to Brighton
Voices in Exile. I came to realise that I did have people
around me; people who have given me love and care.
Here I am talking, smiling again. I just feel so privileged
to be here. I can meet so many other people and I’ve
come to realise that the world is so good, you know?
Despite some things not being alright and certain people
are not so good to me, but I have realised that there are
really good people in this world. Regardless of where
we come from I’ve come to realise we need to respect
one another, regardless of our backgrounds. I’ve come to
appreciate other people and to understand other people,
from that most difficult time when you’ve got nobody.
[…] I come from a tiny country in Africa what I have
come to learn here is that we are people from so many
different parts of the world where we can come together
and you feel that you are at home. Back home we are
divided by tribes, there are so many tribes because some
people are too dark, some people are fairly light. You are
called names, you are told this, some are aggressive,
some are polite, so there are so many differences there.
But here it doesn’t matter because you are free to do
everything, you are free to do anything. Here at BVIE it
is so different. I’ve come to learn that I can sit together
with Egyptians, with Muslims, whoever, with Sudanese.
Back home this is difficult; though we come from the
same country tribalism is too much, there is a lot of
hatred amongst the people.
living within a family. I mean life was just easy I mean
it was easy to be together...But when I came to the
UK I found myself spending more time being religious
because I felt alone and it brought me closer to being
more spiritual and closer to learning that I needed it, that
it was part of me to be religious. […] I am being more
confident because I have found help within religion.
That’s how I’ve found it easier to settle here. It is a big
part of my life and it has transformed me. One thing that
has made me stronger to cope with the difficulties of
being away from Zimbabwe, being in another country
and being alone. It has played a big role. […] It’s made
everything much easier; they’ve shown me places to get
help as a migrant. For instance they’ve led me to BVIE
and BVIE has taken me another step forward in terms
of providing food, clothes, vouchers and just meeting
my fellow friends from Zimbabwe as well. A social
community, getting to meet different cultures as well.
So I would say religion has brought me a long way and
has helped me to become more open and to exchange
culture with other people from other countries.
Prossy is from Uganda
Michael is from Zimbabwe
When I was in Zimbabwe I never used to spend much
time doing religious stuff, which includes going to
Church, reading the Bible or acting with a religious
background. Because we were all like, all united and free,
33
Every fortnight a women’s group meet at BVIE. A meal
is prepared by the group followed by knitting, talks and
discussions.
‘It reminds me of home where we
used to meet other women, sit
down, have a cup of tea. Here is the
only place we can come, meet other
women and relax.’
‘I come just to associate with other
women and to learn different things.’
‘It shows people and the Home Office that
we are doing things; that we can do things
and make things.’
‘It encourages people not to think
too much. It is a nice happy group.
Now we are laughing.’
‘It really motivates us to come here. Back home I used
to crochet doilies – bedspreads, table mats. It reminds
me of back home. It’s good for us. My mum used to
have lots of orders to make doilies to sell.’
‘Coming here you can learn from
other people and I will get better.’
The women’s group at BVIE
34
Acknowledgements
First and foremost our thanks to all of the participants
who shared their experiences so generously. Thanks to
Lucy Bryson at Brighton and Hove City Council, to MaryJane Burkett and all the group members at Brighton
Voices in Exile (brightonvoicesinexile.org) who embraced
the project so enthusiastically. The project would not
have been possible without the twenty-two volunteers
who gave their time so freely to shape and guide it over
the last eighteen months.
Mujtaba Ahmadani, Yared Asfaw Teferi, Jannie Asinobi,
Leonie Barua, Abdulhakim Bekri, Raymond Direko,
Anke Harnisch, Szu-Yu Huang, Petra Kasparkova, Elena
Kudelya, Elahe Mirzadeh, Mahmood Mirzadeh, Sarah
Mirzadeh, Chipo Musadza, David Parduhn, Joyce
Raanhuis, Sanad Rofael Takla, Domenico Sapuppo,
Maryam Tafti, Nozuko The Tho, Philippa Vafadari,
Hanna Wohlfarth.
Thanks to Sam Carroll for her editing, proof reading and
photography skills. Mr Framrose’s photograph was taken
by David Churchill (www.davidchurchill.co.uk). Other
photographs were provided by the participants, or were
taken by Linda Morrice and Domenico Sapuppo.
Exhibition and Catalogue Layout and Printing
One Digital, Brighton
www.one-digital.com
Catalogue Design
Ulrich Reiterer
www.ulrichreiterer.net
European Partners
Pam Coare, River Jones, John Walker (UK)
Centre for Community Engagement, University of Sussex
www.sussex.ac.uk
John Bosco Conama, Lorraine Leeson (Ireland)
Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College, Dublin
www.tcd.ie/slscs/cds
Max Mayrhofer (Austria)
Inspire
www. inspire-thinking.at
Anna-Kaarina Morsky-Lindquist, Kennet Lindquist (Finland)
NOEMA CMI – www.incert.eu
Joanne Holt (External Evaluator)
EU Funds for HE
www.eufundsforhe.org.uk
This project has been funded with support from the
European Commission. This publication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be
held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.