Two senior staff members at Wisdom Academy Islamic faith school in Birmingham agree with David Cameron’s comment that people should make more of an effort to learn English. Both the headteacher and the deputy have commented on recent comments made by the Prime Minister, who said that Muslim women have to learn more English. The risk of becoming isolated Headteacher Sakhawat Ali believes that people need to speak the language of the country they live in. He warns about the risk of otherwise becoming isolated from the community. At the same time, he says this applies to all people who decide to live in…
Author: Catalina George
A young faith school in Birmingham, Wisdom Academy puts British values and the Islamic faith on the same page. The headteacher stresses that they aim to teach universal humanity values, regardless of what culture they might root in. Opened 6 years ago, Wisdom Academy was known as “the Somalian school”, as most children enrolled had a Somalian background. When he started here, headmaster Sakhawat Ali had a cultural shock. He recalls: “When I came in, I didn’t really understand their background, their culture, so even for myself it was a learning experience, as to how am I going to understand these children. What I did was…
An upcoming recruitment day will offer deprived young men in Birmingham the opportunity to join social and art activism campaign The Boys Project. A workshop and recruitment day will take place Saturday 23 January at mac Birmingham, and will offer a taster about what the project is all about. Young people interested in participating will meet participants already involved, such as Brown Ntoto, the project manager David Heinemann and Chris Sonnex, community producer at Royal Court Theatre. Change vilifying stereotypes through art Initiated by artist Bryony Kimmings, the project is to offer young men a chance to work in a social and art…
Midlands dancers and choreographers got together for the first Midlands Dance Hub, organised in the home studios of Birmingham Royal Ballet last Friday. House artists such as Alexander Bird and Kit Holder worked together with colleagues from Motionhouse, Rosie Kay Dance Company, Sonia Sabri Dance Company and ACE West Midlands. The day started with a class mash, with the teachers combining elements of classical ballet, contemporary dance and various international styles. Speaking of the event, Birmingham Royal Ballet Director David Bintley said: “It is an extremely important part of the ongoing development of classical ballet that it places itself in the modern world and opens itself to the varied influences of other dance forms that…
Birmingham Central Mosque is opening a soup kitchen to help the homeless and others in the local community.
The people who made Birmingham Christmas Market happen again this year are getting ready to go home for Christmas. Many come from abroad, with a large number of Romanians having served at the food stalls. Iulia Onigas, from the Northern county of Bistrita, is one of them. She has worked in Birmingham Christmas Market for the third year in a row. The money she earns here helps her pay for university studies, but also to keep doing what she is passionate about: singing folk music. Watch Iulia in one of her videos filmed by a local TV station, in which…
With only 7 days left until Christmas, the Choir at Birmingham Cathedral has a very busy time ahead. They will be performing at the BBC WM Carol Service next Monday, twice on Christmas Eve, as well as on Christmas day. The festive season started early this year for the 51 members of the choir, with a tour in Leipzig, Germany. Canon Marcus Huxley, the Choir Director, has told Birmingham Eastside about the Leipzig tour: “They were very welcoming. Naumburg Cathedral, was a very atmospheric and picturesque medieval monastery, again with a wonderful acoustic. We gave a charity concert there to a packed…