Articles

The Mexican maestro with a mission

Jorge Fuentes Ramirez has won prizes in Scotland for his classical guitar playing. His solo performances are a treat. But he’s a Mexican maestro with a mission. “I love classical music,” he says. “But there are already so many outstanding guitarists in the world giving excellent performances of Bach and the established classical guitar repertoire that I felt I needed to offer something different to venues and audiences.” So he often commissions music from composers driven by subjects that concern him too, and “who are related to the person I…

Jorge Fuentes Ramirez has won prizes in Scotland for his classical guitar playing. His solo performances are a treat. But he’s a Mexican maestro with a mission. “I love classical…

Photographer Sadia celebrates her new home

When Sikandar Butt bought his six children a camera to record the family’s activities in Pakistan he could not have imagined that two decades later one of his daughters would win a prestigious photography competition in Scotland. Even the successful daughter, Sadia Sikandar, would have been surprised — though at the age of 12 she seized the opportunity to make good use of her father’s gift. “The camera wasn’t specifically for me,” she recalls with a smile, “but I did not know that.” Soon she was taking most of the…

When Sikandar Butt bought his six children a camera to record the family’s activities in Pakistan he could not have imagined that two decades later one of his daughters would…

Migrant nurses: looking after Britain’s health

THE JOURNEY WE MADE ACROSS LAND AND SEA TO BUILD A COUNTRY NOT MADE FOR ME The banner you see when you enter the small exhibition at the Royal College of Nursing in London is sadly part of the experience of thousands of the nurses from overseas who have played a crucial role in Britain’s health in the last 150 years. Racism and xenophobia are not the only negatives highlighted in Moved to Care: Stories of Health and Migration. There’s also the impact of this extraordinary contribution to British life…

THE JOURNEY WE MADE ACROSS LAND AND SEA TO BUILD A COUNTRY NOT MADE FOR ME The banner you see when you enter the small exhibition at the Royal College…

Culture, rhythm, creativity - drummer Kayode aims to bring collective joy

“Culture is memory. Rhythm is language. Creativity is healing. My work brings these worlds together to inspire unity and collective joy.” That’s an ambitious mission statement by Nigerian drummer Kayode Bamgbose (*Kaybams”), who has lived in Manchester with his wife and two teenage children since 2022. Bamgbose is determinedly positive, but he admits the transition from west Africa to the UK hasn’t been all plain sailing. “Ahh, I can’t lie to you, it’s not been easy, settling down, settling in — it wasn’t funny at all,” he recalls. He had…

“Culture is memory. Rhythm is language. Creativity is healing. My work brings these worlds together to inspire unity and collective joy.” That’s an ambitious mission statement by Nigerian drummer Kayode…

What immigration rules changes mean to those affected

When I listen to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outline her new immigration reforms, I don’t just hear the usual political language: I feel something shift in how people talk about migrants, in the atmosphere of suspicion about those who look or sound “foreign,” and in the growing sense that belonging in the UK is no longer something you are welcomed into, but something you must earn over decades. Mahmood proposes that refugees should no longer be given long-term stability. Instead of a five-year route to security they would get only…

When I listen to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outline her new immigration reforms, I don’t just hear the usual political language: I feel something shift in how people talk about…

Letters to Editors

Below are a selection of some of the letters our members have recently sent to editors: Dear Editor, When the NHS was founded in 1948, Commonwealth and other migrants answered the call to help establish the nascent service. So, skilled, caring people journeyed to ‘Great’ Britain to practise their professions/vocations, but to their shock, were subject to racist abuse. (See Dr. Jak Beula’s anthology ‘Nursing A Nation’ for comprehensive first-hand accounts of foreign professionals’ contribution to the NHS and the challenges they faced.) Fast forward to 2025, where,…

Below are a selection of some of the letters our members have recently sent to editors: Dear Editor, When the NHS was founded in 1948, Commonwealth and other…

Tech-savvy trio want migrants to be heard

- “I couldn’t open a bank account without an address, and I couldn’t rent a place without a bank account. I just kept going round in circles.” - “At the GP surgery the receptionist raised her voice slowly as if I couldn’t understand English. I understood every word. What I didn’t understand was why she spoke to me like a child.” - “When I finally got my passport I went straight to the park and lay in the grass. The sky felt bigger that day.” Each quote pops up on screen…

- “I couldn’t open a bank account without an address, and I couldn’t rent a place without a bank account. I just kept going round in circles.” - “At the GP…

New short film shows the brutal reality of sex work in Brazil: Priscila's story

“Making this short film was my way of screaming, and yet it was therapeutic at the same time,” says Priscila Fróes, trans rights activist and film maker based in Glasgow. The upcoming film screening of ‘Bianca’, as a part of the Scottish Queer International Film Festival reflects on Priscila’s lived experiences as a trans sex worker on the streets of Brazil, across the cities of Porto Alegre where she was born, and Rio de Janeiro, before she moved to Glasgow in 2021. Her story highlights the systemic corruption…

“Making this short film was my way of screaming, and yet it was therapeutic at the same time,” says Priscila Fróes, trans rights activist and film maker based in Glasgow.…

Glasgow sends a loud, clear message: refugees are welcome here

The UKIP boys were warmly welcomed with eggs in Glasgow on 26 July. About 150 people gathered outside the AC Hotel and City Chambers on George Street, waving signs with slogans such as “Protect our borders” and “Being white isn’t a hate crime” while chanting “Send them home” and singing Rule Britannia. The event was part of a controversial “mass deportation tour” led by Nick Tenconi, the new leader of UKIP . His campaign has provoked protests in several cities, including Glasgow. Some demonstrators held Christian symbols. Some were aggressive…

The UKIP boys were warmly welcomed with eggs in Glasgow on 26 July. About 150 people gathered outside the AC Hotel and City Chambers on George Street, waving signs with…

A broken asylum system denies necessary skills: Reese's story

After a decade-long ordeal, and years training as a nurse, trafficking survivor Reese* is still battling to be recognised as a refugee and be allowed to work in the UK. Reese was trafficked into Ireland as a 17-year-old in 2016, shortly after escaping a traumatising past of sexual abuse in South Africa. While waiting on her asylum application to be processed and accepted, Reese spent three years applying to universities to study nursing. Despite receiving offers though she was unable to proceed due to lack of funding. While many people…

After a decade-long ordeal, and years training as a nurse, trafficking survivor Reese* is still battling to be recognised as a refugee and be allowed to work in the UK.…

Articles

Articles

The Mexican maestro with a mission

Jorge Fuentes Ramirez has won prizes in Scotland for his classical guitar playing. His solo performances are a treat. But he’s a Mexican maestro with a mission. “I love classical…

Photographer Sadia celebrates her new home

When Sikandar Butt bought his six children a camera to record the family’s activities in Pakistan he could not have imagined that two decades later one of his daughters would…

Migrant nurses: looking after Britain’s health

THE JOURNEY WE MADE ACROSS LAND AND SEA TO BUILD A COUNTRY NOT MADE FOR ME The banner you see when you enter the small exhibition at the Royal College…

Culture, rhythm, creativity - drummer Kayode aims to bring collective joy

“Culture is memory. Rhythm is language. Creativity is healing. My work brings these worlds together to inspire unity and collective joy.” That’s an ambitious mission statement by Nigerian drummer Kayode…

What immigration rules changes mean to those affected

When I listen to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outline her new immigration reforms, I don’t just hear the usual political language: I feel something shift in how people talk about…

Letters to Editors

Below are a selection of some of the letters our members have recently sent to editors: Dear Editor, When the NHS was founded in 1948, Commonwealth and other…

Tech-savvy trio want migrants to be heard

- “I couldn’t open a bank account without an address, and I couldn’t rent a place without a bank account. I just kept going round in circles.” - “At the GP…

New short film shows the brutal reality of sex work in Brazil: Priscila's story

“Making this short film was my way of screaming, and yet it was therapeutic at the same time,” says Priscila Fróes, trans rights activist and film maker based in Glasgow.…

Glasgow sends a loud, clear message: refugees are welcome here

The UKIP boys were warmly welcomed with eggs in Glasgow on 26 July. About 150 people gathered outside the AC Hotel and City Chambers on George Street, waving signs with…

A broken asylum system denies necessary skills: Reese's story

After a decade-long ordeal, and years training as a nurse, trafficking survivor Reese* is still battling to be recognised as a refugee and be allowed to work in the UK.…

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