Update from Chico Zubiar - from the ground in Northern Sudan, June 2023

Trigger Warning. This article includes photographic images that are shocking and devastating for the communities involved. We do not share these lightly, but have decided to honour the request from a member of our beloved global community. I try to find a balance in all of our humanKINDER communications between sharing the realities - the horrors that continue across the world - and amplifying the voices of the revolutionaries, the silenced communities who are co-creating ‘Recipes of HOPE’ amidst such despair.

Please consider contributing to our work this Refugee Week via our PayPal link HERE. We will endeavour to get funds to those facing emergencies like Chico and his community, while continuing to invest in the infrastructure of our organisation so that we can continue to amplify truths from independent sources and support the creative dreams of our global Happiness All Around community.

We first met Chico in 2015 and spent many hours preparing and cooking food together in our humanitarian project The Welcome Tent. He was one of the original members of the Happiness All Around crew. He worked with us to report back to a conference of Student Social Workers in Stockton and a Peace Conference in the city of London.

After a gruelling journey from Sudan, across Europe, he first presented himself to the authorities in the UK in 2016 after crossing the English Channel holding on to the underside of a lorry. At that point he was a minor, and was thus placed in supported accommodation in Appledore Reception centre for unaccompanied asylum seeking children in Kent, UK.

After several challenging years in the UK, first in England then Ireland, without having the permission to work and waiting for the results of his application for asylum, he was refused Refugee status. He eventually returned to Sudan to reunite with family and found employment  on the borders with Egypt.

Chico’s story is not an unusual one. But it is one we know to be true and accurate. Over the years we have got to know this young gentleman well, his humility, sense of humour and kindness.

When he got in touch a few days ago and asked for help for his family, friends and community in Northern Sudan, we knew to take him seriously. He wanted me to share this update - this Refugee Week 2023 - as an accurate account of what is happening on the ground in Northern Sudan as we speak. The following details are from his messages to me on Messenger during the last few days. I have chosen not to share the distressing images of bodies shared with me - I truly hope their souls find peace. I am also not able to give accurate sources for each photo at this point, but will add them at a later point if I can.

“In June 2023, the Janjwat - also known as the Rapid Support Forces - are burning the cities of Al Junaynah and Kutum in Northern Sudan. It is happening all around Darfur and the capital of Sudan. There are now only militia and Janjwat left in Al Junaynah because they have slaughtered all the civilians. It is worse than it was in 2003 - it is only dead people in the streets. People are escaping across the border to Chad.” [Chico Zubiar]

“This is what the corpses look like in the city of El Geneina, and they have all decomposed. And this is only in a small street, an alley in the Al Madares neighbourhood, the street from the N’Djamena mill to the police headquarters… The Sultanate of Dar Endoca must activate the Gilani Document through France and Britain with an urgent US/French military intervention to save the remaining innocent lives and stop the ethnic cleansing, displacing and emptying the civilian population from their lands.” [message from a friend, Name unknown]

There is now no internet, only cellphone. Chico describes he is in touch with his family who are now moving from Kutum to the Chad border. As an example as what we would describe at humanKINDER as a Recipe of HOPE, I end this article with a screen shot from a video shared by Chico of the welcome that greets the Sudanese communities as they arrive across the Chad border, with food, shelter and kindness.

Please consider this Refugee Week 2023 of supporting our work to amplify silenced voices for systems change here at PAYPAL.

For all other enquiries, please contact me Emma Barrett Palmer, the Founder of humanKINDER Ltd directly at Emma@humanKINDER.UK

methodology poetry.

Is it time to share what I have been working on?

Scribbling away on my numerous notebooks,

 Without order or consistency.

 Just free-flow - free-style. 

Observations. Words, feelings, that stand out from the rest. 

I’ve flown from flower to flower, gathered the nectar, 

now homing in on the hive mind, the honey.  

We travelled. We landed. We acknowledged,

We did our best to understand.

And now is the time to imagine together again. 

That consolidation of healing, 

the twisty, wistful branches of dreams, 

imaginations intertwined, crystallised. 

I’m going to stop talking in “I thinks and I would suggests and perhaps and maybes”

I’m now old enough to say I know. 

Of course I am always learning,

 But now my own eyes tell me certain things to be true. 

These truths are known. 

They know. They know. They all definitely know. 

I’ve learned we must lean,

Lean into the complexity, together. 

I have found it is never only me, always us

who are finding things difficult, complex.

Who has a choice to stay silent?

Which words to use, 

how forward to be, 

how backwards can be accepted.

Only with honesty and forgiveness comes progress.

No more elephants in the room. 

No stone unturned. 

And only then,

as the welcome table is laid,

can the real work start.

We Are The Unheard

“We aim to maintain and promote well-being and safe studio spaces. It is important that we carry the torches today so we can be visible and pass them on to our daughters, granddaughters, sisters, nieces - the women of tomorrow who WILL be heard!”

— We Are The Unheard Academy

Earlier this year I was interviewed as part of We Are The Unheard podcast series, founded by Eve Horne - an inspirational, award-winning Author, Campaigner, Singer, Songwriter, Sound-Engineer and Producer with over twenty years experience in the music industry. Our mutual love of music was the safe space I needed to share my own personal story. Listen to the podcast episode here.

“In the music industry, we are dedicated to taking action and are focused on developing women, women of colour, and gender minorities in production and songwriting.”

— We Are The Unheard Academy

I am now thrilled to be back learning from Eve’s wealth of knowledge as a participant at the We Are The Unheard Academy. At the age of 42, a gift to myself; I am learning how to produce my own music, and a new skill which I will use in my work for even deeper creative connections and collaborations.

The first session last night on Zoom introduced us to Ableton Live 11.2, software and hardware for music production. Within half an hour, women from across England, Ireland, Scotland and further afield from Berlin, already recognising how different it felt to be learning about music production in the company of other women.

“Structural sexism in the music industry is undeniable when you see the stats on the underrepresentation of women/non-binary in all areas. It is a shocking testament to inequality in 2022. The Unheard campaign WILL have a part in changing those statistics by helping to increase the percentage of women and non-binary across all industry sectors to 50%; by raising awareness, staying visible, shouting aloud, and taking action!”

— We Are The Unheard Academy

If you want to know more about the Academy or wish to support the campaign, more information is on the website We Are The Unheard.

What does peace mean to us? International Peace Day 2022

This week I was back in Geneva - for the first time since having our second baby - attending #Genevapeacetalks event to mark the UN's International Day of Peace 2022. I took the train from our new home in France and cycled to the Palais des Nations.

Outside the gates, the Iranian community were protesting with regards to the JCPOA Nuclear negotiations and the recent death of #MahsaAmini. Being up close to Activists again, feeling their passion for change, was a stark reminder of the gut wrenching emotion of face-to-face activism.

Through security with passport and accreditation and inside the UN compound, I biked my way to Building E40, where the 51st meeting of the Human Rights Council was also in session. I was able to wander the current exhibitions which addressed the issues of gender based violence (She’s Gone) and the theme of the 2022 Peace day : End Racism - Build Peace. For the UN to be acknowledging the urgent need to End Racism, feels like a step in the right direction. I have observed institutional and structural racism across Europe, and met many people who have been victims of an unjust system which evidence strongly suggests is due to the colour of their skin.

As we entered the auditorium for the UN Peace Talks event we were asked ‘What does Peace mean to you?’ There were speakers responding from Palestine, Israel, Sudan, Pakistan, Mali, Yemen, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Ukraine. I quote some of them below:

“I remember my grandmother’s vine tree. I remember the feeling when sand gets between my toes when playing football in Gaza... I only started to think about peace when my first child was born and I was walking the streets with my baby, dodging the bombs.

In the 30 years since Oslo, there is an absence of progress. We need real democracy, social responsibility and activism for youth leadership with fresh ideas and momentum... I hate the phrase history repeats itself. I do not want my children to go through what I went through. I want to be liberated from my fears. We have an intergenerational responsibility to obstruct the status quo, to create co-resistance””

— Wasim Almasri, Palestine, Director of Programs for the Alliance of Middle East Peace

“It is not ‘What does peace mean to you?’, it is ‘What does peace mean to us?’

Peace is something we do together. Peace means hope. Peace means justice. We have a responsibility to bring back hope to the next generations.”

— Eran Nissan, Israeli Peace Activist, CEO of 'Mehazkim' an Israeli Progressive Movement

“I remember the taste of fear, crawling up my throat. Every time we would go out to protest we didn’t know how many would make it back alive.

Radical change is built on new systems of communication. Social media has been a haven for me... how can we tackle fear and misinformation? ”

— Ibaa Abusin, Horn of Africa Social Media Expert, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue

“Until I am able to align my heart, my mind and my tongue, I will never find peace...

Lay aside the burdens of the mind, it was self-worth I was seeking.”

— Amad Mian, Pakistan / UAE / Canada, Founder

I was also reporting back to the Peace Lovers’ Club, a 10k member network on ClubHouse founded by Ella Matheson @PeaceintheCity, London. I have been a Moderator for this Club since its inception in early 2021 and we join together for a weekly meditation and discussion from around the globe. The Peace Lovers group share the view that “Peace is the presence of social, economic and environmental justice”. In acknowledging this fundamental pillar of justice, we believe we can work together to “the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible” (a book title from Charles Eisenstein).

I have noted the links shared by Peace Lovers contributors to the International Peace Day 2022 discussion below:

Contributed by @EllaMatheson

https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/29/morocco/spain-horrific-migrant-deaths-melilla-border

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGaxE8ybNWg Playing for Change

Contributed by @Sikuapu Ts’inapu

https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/cybercrime-and-digital-threats/exploiting-ai-how-cybercriminals-misuse-abuse-ai-and-ml

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2021/3/12/nagpra-peabody-letter/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6601530/

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01166-x

Contributed by @DoctorErnest Johnson, PHD

https://www.historyvshollywood.com/video/ann-atwater-interview-best-of-enemies/

Contributed by @KaleemUX

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/03/israels-55-year-occupation-palestinian-territory-apartheid-un-human-rights

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/02/israels-apartheid-against-palestinians-a-cruel-system-of-domination-and-a-crime-against-humanity/

humanKINDER Newsletter, Winter 2020

humanKINDER Newsletter, Winter 2019

It's been a long time, a long time coming...

I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh and just like the river I've been running ev'r since
It's been a long time, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

Sam Cook lyrics, performed by Brian Owens Soul

The Black Lives Matter protests we are seeing across the globe are a pivotal turning point in our history. Black bodies have been at the front-line of injustice around the world for over 400 years. This moment, an opportunity presented to us, is a chance to save our planet, by embracing unity and building community. 

I think of our current system like an apple tree. As the protests shine a light on the rotten foundations of our global system, it is as if they are the rotting roots of an apple tree. This system of oppression, set up 400 years ago on the backs of slaves and powered by the Western World’s shameful colonial history, has been working exactly as it was designed: imposing divisions and hierarchy based on skin colour, gender, birthplace etc, generating wealth for “the haves” through exploitation of “the have-nots” (Marx).

It is almost impossible to save a tree which is dying from the inside. We can learn lessons from eating its fruit, but there is only so long we can trim or whittle away at dead wood. Some people may suggest to spray it with fungicide or insecticide, try scraping out the rot, or even fill the holes with concrete. Not me. I believe it is time to plant a new tree.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done”, Nelson Mandela. I N T H E S E H A N D S by Emma Barrett Palmer | Parliament Square - London | 2016

Those of us with white skin have been beneficiaries of this system - with enough privilege to be able to ignore the rot. But now we must use our privileged positions to root it out, by dismantling all processes and procedures which perpetuate white supremacy in all its forms.

As white people we must stop placing labour expectations for solving systemic racism on Black and Brown communities: it’s our turn now, it’s on us. First and foremost, we must listen and learn from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) and be humble as we are guided towards a new way which is fair and just for everyone.

This is not easy work and there are no quick fix solutions - it requires inter-generational lifetimes’ of work which can only be achieved by working together beyond our present realities. It requires a transformation of leadership to embrace humanitarian, ecological and spiritual aspects of the whole system. Most importantly, we must not make the same errors in the rebuild that have dominated the last 400 years.

The “Me and White Supremacy” Instagram Challenge was a profound turning point in my own personal learning in the summer of 2018 and is now powering a global movement. As the visionary author @laylafsaad said a few days ago:

The revolution will not be colonised

Layla F. Saad

We need a common language to bring us all to the same page. After a 16,000 mile journey, cooking and sharing food with uprooted and displaced communities across Europe, I conclude this is Food, a global language of love, life, justice and survival. Seeds will be our new currency.

Using principles from the circular economy model, we could transform access to food, production, distribution and consumption, ensuring ethical, transparent and inclusive processes at every stage of the supply chain. We must turn our attention from monetary banks and markets to food banks and markets which focus on true-cost accounting. This approach has the potential to be a health and wealth generator, reconnecting whole communities and enabling everyone to participate, with a bellyful.

“The tried to bury us - they didn’t know we were seeds”, Dinos Christianopoulos — P A Z by Emma Barrett Palmer | Exarchia - Athens | 2018

As we decolonise our white mindsets, conditioned over centuries, we must really listen to people’s truths in whichever form they choose to share them. The truths of creativity, in ally-ship with Mother Earth; of art, song, poetry, music, which tell us so much more than ticks in boxes. Truths enabling equitable representation of voice, from which we can work towards an evidence based systems rebuild, prioritising humanitarian and ecological protection and recovery.

So let us keep planting seeds and grafting our rootstocks, so that our collective future becomes an orchard of apple trees, healthy roots digging deep, while branches stand tall, proud, strong and defiant in the storms, leaves shining as they reflect rainbows across the sky.

“Your pilot light … that is the torch that you are going to bring to the battle”, Desiree Burch, a New York-based solo performance artist, comedian, writer, actress, and educator.

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

Gospel Song written by Harry Dixon Loes; civil rights context explored by Eric Deggans here.

Thank-you to Ella Matheson, Founder of Peace in the City, for sharing this version of A Change Is Gonna Come.

Thank-you to Christine Davies for sharing Desiree Burch at TedX and other members of the Happiness All Around crew.

Thank-you to Sophie Okolo, Founder of Global Health Aging, for believing in Recipes of HOPE.

All contributions towards the publication costs of our forthcoming book gratefully received at www.paypal.me/humanKINDER

Emma Barrett Palmer, Founder. Contact emma@humanKINDER.UK

Share a Pencil Day - 20th May 2020

We are delighted to be joining forces with Gulwali Passarlay, Founder of My Bright Kite and award-winning author of The Lightless Sky, for Vent For Change’s annual Share A Pencil Day. This UK wide global education awareness day is taking place this coming Wednesday 20th May and we’d love you to get involved!

The day is designed to teach UK school children some of the key reasons why millions of children worldwide still cannot go to school. This year, adapting to the current health situation, Vent For Change have created a work from home set of lesson plans so everyone can join in. This year for elder children there is a focus on Children on the Move, refugee and displaced children.

Our humanKINDER contribution includes our favourite story from Gulwali’s book about cooking in the mountains of Afghanistan with his grandparents. We have included a simple flat bread recipe for you to cook at home and also the exciting opportunity to be entered in a Prize Draw to feature in our forthcoming Cookbook!

All the learning resources are available to download for free, with accompanying notes for parents, teachers and educators. Please do share this with your friends, family and teachers and use the hashtags #ShareAPencilDay and #RecipesofHOPE2020

Gulwali Passarlay at The Welcome Tent in Folkestone in October 2019, a community meal to celebrate humanKINDER’s international design research award. Photographed by Debalina Bera.

Thank you to Evan and the team at Vent for Change and Gulwali and the team at My Bright Kite for this partnership opportunity. Thanks to Kyla A. R. Webb from the humanKINDER team for her support in developing the Recipes of HOPE learning resource. For any further enquiries about our work please contact info@humanKINDER.UK