Writing on the Wall Presents an Evening with Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

All crammed into one of Bold Streets founding members, News From Nowhere, an audience dries off and warms up in their seats awaiting the Uganda born British journalist and writer, Yasmin Bhai-Brown.

Sitting proudly on the desk in front of Yasmin was a beautiful designed book- 'Exotic England'; a richly historical book that explores England and describes Englishness as a two way street with other cultures around the world. She friendly welcomes any UKIP members that may be in the audience.

Looking outwards is an English quality and has been for many years. We have never isolated ourselves despite being an island. Yasmin makes an interesting point, one that has never crossed my mind: Shakespeare's theatre was called The Globe. He wanted theatre to be for everyone, everywhere and he too, looked outwards.

Exotic England acknowledges immigrants rights and gives the reader an expanded sense of what it may mean to be English. It was a big coincidence that the book came out around the so called rise of UKIP. It's seemed fitting that Yasmin was sat next to a clothing rail that displayed a T-shirt with the words 'I'm the one the Daily Mail warned you about" printed on top.

She reads a passage of her book that describes Liverpool in the '30s as the multicultural city it has been for many years. One of my favourite lines from the passage is "they were all shades. Asia and Africa came peeping out of their eyes.".

Yasmin also notes that one of the first mosques was in Liverpool. As she continues to be open about family we are told of a mosque that is situated where her parents are buried in Woking. Built in 1888 and designed by British born architect William Chamber. The builders were English, the backers were English.  Members of the House of Lords including Lord Stanley from Cheshire also backed the building of this particular mosque.

Churchill himself gave the land for a mosque in Regent's Park.'Exotic England' Book is written in an accessible way so that anyone can read and discuss it's. Yasmin Bhai-Brown makes it perfectly clear that it's not a thesis.

All in all a perfect evening with thanks to Writing on a the Wall and News From Nowhere. A big thanks to Yasmin for being extremely warm and open and opening our mind to what it means to be English. I'll end this post with a quote from Yasmin that struck me:

"The history England has with countries such as India, the Middle East, Africa is so long and so deep that England wouldn't be England without them."

Jemima Khalli