Archive for the ‘Read’ Category

Humanising Trust in the Age of AI

Posted on: April 23rd, 2024 by mlpEditor

To human beings, trust is very personal, often domain specific, and influenced by lived experiences. Traditionally, trust has been focused around human to human relationships based upon a person’s integrity, honesty, dependability and the belief that a person will not cause harm. But what about Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence? How can we assess that? This topic which will be discussed in Dr Emily Collins’ Manchester Lit & Phil talk on 2nd May 2024, framed around trustworthy and responsible robotics.

The development of global ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) principles and guidelines, followed by the explosion of generative AI in the public domain in 2021, has led to a scramble to legislate AI based around core ethical principles. The EU AI Act – the first comprehensive legalisation based on a risk-based approach – was formally adopted in March 2024.

At the heart of the UK’s pro-regulation approach, five cross-sectoral principles based on Safety, security and robustness; Appropriate transparency and explainability; Fairness; Accountability and governance; and Contestability and redress, were adopted. Currently, these principles are down to individual regulators to interpret – but what will this practically mean for a human within society, the wider public and marginalised communities in terms of their rights?

Human trust is at the heart of responsible and ethical AI in society. In March 2024, The UK Government published its guidance on AI Assurance which emphasises the importance of trust, defining the context of justified trust as “where a person or group trust the use of an AI system based on reliable evidence”. The guidance provides a toolkit for organisations for measuring, evaluating, and communicating AI Assurance supported by some practical guidance. Some progress in this area is certainly being made.

However, to the person on the street who may have little awareness of the use of AI in their everyday lives and how it impacts them, understanding the risks and benefits of AI elements of a particular product or service prior to using it, may be overwhelming, and potentially lead to an increase in the digital divide in society.

So how do we ensure that humans have the confidence and trust in AI and that it is accessible to everyone?

The Peoples Panel in Artificial Intelligence was a project first funded by The Alan Turing Institute in 2022, and has since been adopted by Manchester City Council as part of Doing Digital Together. The original Peoples Panel was first established from community volunteers within Salford and Stockport through a series of community AI roadshows designed to reach and engage with traditionally marginalized communities and develop a common language and understanding around AI.

Community volunteers undertook two days of training, practically exploring ethical AI principles and learning techniques to consequence scanning how AI and data was used. They then scrutinised researchers and business in a series of live panels around new and emerging AI products. Confidence was shown to increase, and volunteers became advocates of debating and discussing AI in their own communities.

A second project, PEAS in PODS, trained up researchers as Public Engagement Ambassadors (PEAs) across three universities on public engagement and co-production. The PEAs are currently emersed in three co-produced AI related projects at Back on Track (Manchester), Inspire (Stockport) and The Tatton (Ordsall) led by the communities themselves. One such project is currently co-developing a Peoples Charter for AI – focused on what assurances people want from those organisations that adopt AI.

There is hope for the future: peoples voices – especially those that are hard to reach – are being heard.

And a bill on the regulation of artificial intelligence is currently making its way through the House of Lords. It is significant as it specifically mentions the role of meaningful public engagement and states “AI and its applications should…… meet the needs of those from lower socio-economic groups, older people and disabled people”.

As humans are unique, how we build trust in AI is also unique. But first, we need a mutual language of understanding about AI for everyone.

Interview with Dr Cynthia Johnston

Posted on: March 4th, 2024 by mlpEditor

Q: The Medieval period is perceived by some as ‘the Dark Ages’, a period of economic, intellectual and cultural decline. Based on your research, would you say this is a misconception?

A: Yes, I would say that is a rather old-fashioned view, but I think it survives despite the evidence. The term ‘Dark Ages’ has a resonance of romanticism about it, as a period which was difficult to document due to the collapse of the communication networks established by the Roman Empire. We know now that trade routes and communication across cultures continued to flourish across the period. The influence of the Islamic world pervades the art and architecture of the late medieval period. We can see this influence in ceramics, textiles, architecture, medieval book illumination and especially in the ‘carpet’ stained glass windows of the great cathedrals.

 

Q: What is it about this period in history that has captivated you so much as to want to study and teach it?

A: It was the sound of the language of Middle English which captivated me as an MA student at New York University in the early 1980s.

“While I found Chaucer’s language very accessible via its close connection with the English that we speak today, it was the dialect of the Gawain poet from the North-West Midlands, that I found most beautiful and appealing.”

 

Q: You are a lecturer on the History of the Book MA at the University of London – could you give us an insight into what one might expect from your course? And which book do you most enjoy referencing in your lectures? (if you can choose one, that is)

A: The MA/MRes in the History of the Book in the Institute of English Studies is the oldest programme of its kind in the world. It studies the making, manufacturing, distribution and reading of books, and thus offers a unique way of understanding different literary, cultural, social, intellectual, and technological processes in history. The subject extends to include newspapers, magazines, chapbooks, ephemera, digital text, and all kinds of printed or written media. It also includes the manuscript book in all its forms from the pre-classical, classical, and medieval periods.

“It is VERY difficult to choose a favourite book as a teaching object but I would say that has to be the medieval psalter. These types of books show us so much about their owners, and often give us information about individual lives: marriages, births and deaths.”

 

Q: Many of our members and followers will be avid book collectors and enthusiasts. With the advancements in technology made over the last thirty years or so, should we be worried or excited about the future of books and the way we consume information?

A: That is a huge question, but I am very optimistic about the survival of the codex. In 2011, I chaired a conference entitled ‘The Future Perfect of the Book’ with my colleague Wim Van Mierlo. Many of the conference attendees were concerned that the rise of the digital book would spell the end of the book in physical form, and that book shops would become things of the past. That culture has proved robust.

“It doesn’t seem that we are ready to part company with the physical book anytime soon. Research on the cognitive differences between reading text online and reading print from a physical book seems to suggest that these are two distinct cognitive experiences that can happily co-exist.”

 

Thank you to Cynthia for taking the time to answer our questions.

Cynthia Johnston will be giving her talk – Getting Medieval with Stranger Things – at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation on the 7th March 2024.

Guest writer Jasmine Baines shares her takeaways from Mandy Barker’s talk

Posted on: February 22nd, 2024 by mlpEditor

On 19th February 2024, artist Mandy Barker delivered a poignant online talk on her evocative photography of marine plastic debris.

Introducing herself, Barker explained that she began photographing mass accumulations of plastic to draw attention to something that has become commonplace: litter on our beaches. Barker talked us through her projects, spanning a career laden with global recognition.

A number of her works capture plastic on a black background, arranged to mimic the natural world it is invading – dolphin pods, jellyfish, even plankton – reflecting how plastic permeates, altering nature’s very building blocks. Nurdles, for example, absorb oceanic toxins and are then consumed by wildlife, thus polluting fish and birds. I was shocked by the incessant, all-encompassing nature of plastic dominance that Barker’s work foregrounds.

Barker’s work has a scientific grounding, and her presentation reflected this. After attending a talk by a scientist that detailed the plastic-laden stomach contents of a 30-day-old albatross chick, Barker was shocked that this was not common knowledge. Determined to assist, she has worked closely with scientists since.

In 2012 Barker joined a scientific expedition sailing from Japan to Hawaii. Trawling across the debris field, they tracked plastic waste and rafting organisms still circulating from the Japanese tsunami a year earlier. Her emotive images emit the urgency her lived experience has instilled within her to raise awareness of the dangers of marine plastic pollution.

Emulating the Edward Degas quote, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see”, Barker’s message was one of raising awareness – interestingly, she targets children, capturing Smartie lids, bath toys, and action figures of Shrek, Hello Kitty, and Mickey Mouse, speaking the globally transferable language of childhood.

A member of the audience echoed my thoughts when they queried if it would be more appropriate to target industrial leaders, responsible for causing, and surely correcting, the most damage. My mind wandered to the effects of instilling anxiety amongst children, potentially making them feel unjust responsibility. Barker responded simply that both audiences are crucial. And by educating children they will consume less, and place pressure on bodies wielding the power for large-scale change. As her work has been published in fifty countries, including within the school curriculum, Barker is certainly achieving her goal to educate and influence consumer choices.

When asked at the conclusion if the oceans can be cleaned, Barker explained we must first halt the stream of debris – “if a bath is overflowing, tackle the tap before you mop the spillage”. The awareness Barker raises is the first step – hopefully those in power are listening.

Interview with Professor Tony Redmond OBE

Posted on: February 15th, 2024 by mlpEditor

Q: What was the first humanitarian aid mission that you got involved in and what motivated you to take part in it?

A: The first humanitarian mission I got involved with was in 1988, following the Earthquake in Armenia. What motivated me was the size of the disaster (which is now estimated to have caused between 25,000 and 50,000 casualties) and the poignancy of it being part of the then Soviet Union with its President, Gorbachev, visiting New York at the time.

Hopes were so high that the Cold War might be thawing and then the terrible earthquake occurred. Remarkably, Gorbachev asked for international help so me and some colleagues from the volunteer prehospital care team we had established in Manchester felt compelled to offer our help, which was accepted.

 

Q: The armed conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza have been widely reported on in the Western media. What sort of work are you and UK-Med, of which you’re a founder, doing in these regions?

A: I founded UK-Med (a frontline humanitarian medical NGO) in 1988, originally as the South Manchester Accident Rescue Team (SMART), which acted in support of the rescue and ambulance services here. Since our first overseas aid mission to Armenia, we have responded to every major earthquake thereafter, disease outbreaks around the world, including Ebola in Sierra Leone and the DRC, and conflicts in Sarajevo, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Gaza (twice), Yemen, Myanmar, and Ukraine.

We have been running a range of programmes across Ukraine since a week after the war began. Currently, we are running programmes in reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation, mobile primary care clinics, mental health support, advanced trauma training, and mass casualty training.

In Gaza we have had a surgical team there for a few months and are treating war injuries, especially in children.

 

Q: There have been significant advancements in technology since you embarked on your career 30 years ago. What sort of improvements in international response efforts, if any, have you seen as a result?

A: There have been huge improvements over the last 30 years. For example, we have established international minimum standards for medical teams and an international registration system to ensure the right care, from the right teams, gets to the right people, at the right time.

The biggest technical improvement has probably been the mobile phone and, when these fail (not commonly now), lightweight handheld satellite phones. These mean you can consult with anyone, anywhere in the world, at any time. They also improve security. When I was first deployed, I was unreachable until I got back.

“From a medical perspective, the advent of portable handheld ultrasound machines means you can now perform lifesaving internal examinations at the bedside, in a tent. We now have a portable digital X-ray machine which we can use on patients. We can even use it in remote areas as it’s run off the generator that we use to power the field hospital.”

We can now also use handheld ‘point of care’ blood testing devices – a pinprick of blood can be analysed at the bedside using a small handheld device. It gives you an instant readout of most of what we used to need a full laboratory for. (I introduced these into the Manchester Nightingale hospital, of which I was Medical Director during the Covid-19 pandemic, as there was no onsite laboratory).

 

Q: Delivering medical assistance in such crises is incredibly dangerous. To give readers a further insight into the unique and extremely high-risk nature of humanitarian aid work, would you mind sharing details of some of the dangerous situations you have found yourself in.

A: The work is definitely dangerous. It takes its toll on those who do it and, especially, on those nearest and dearest to them. It’s certainly not for everyone.

“You will be scared – and I have been terrified many times – but you must be able to contain your fear and function. You equally can’t be cavalier, as doing so places both you and your team in danger, and if you or they die, you won’t help anyone. I still bear the physical and mental scars of this work.”

I was poisoned with heavy metals in Kosovo which hospitalised me and required many months of treatment. It left me with permanent neurological problems. I broke my back while working on a remote island in the South China Sea which has since left me with a shortened, curved spine, and ongoing symptoms.

I have found the constant threat of danger, that something could happen any minute, almost more stressful than when it does. I worked in Sarajevo for almost 4 years and the stress was terrible. There was constant shelling and sniper fire and I twice narrowly missed being shot by snipers, with the bullets going just over my head. Tank shells frequently exploded nearby, once just outside where I was sleeping. Colleagues died. I still have nightmares.

I was in Ukraine a year or so ago when 55 cruise missiles went over in the night. Most were shot down, but the debris killed people on the ground near to where I was staying. Having worked in the wars in Sarajevo and Kosovo I was prepared and found that I could draw on those experiences during these times.

 

Q: How do you remain optimistic, hopeful and motivated about your work and your desire to provide aid around the world, in such challenging conditions?

A: I have seen so many people do such good things. Giving of themselves so selflessly despite the awful risks, doing it simply to help someone in need. I have also received the most enormous kindness from those in greatest need. I have obviously also seen very bad people doing very bad things.

“I am not at all religious, but I know from experience that there are far more good people than bad people, and that goodness always prevails, no matter how long it takes.”

 

Thank you to Tony for taking the time to answer our questions.

Tony Redmond will be giving his talk – How can we best help those in need during and after a Humanitarian Crisis?– at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation on the 12th March 2024.

Interview with Professor Jade Munslow Ong

Posted on: February 14th, 2024 by mlpEditor

Q: Modernism was a hugely significant art movement that produced ground-breaking, experimental works. How would you define it and what does it stand for?

A: Modernism is typically defined as an artistic, cultural, and philosophical movement that emerged around the turn of the twentieth century. It’s associated primarily with European and American creatives and thinkers who used experimental forms to represent, and respond to, a modern world shaped by empire, industrialisation and urbanisation.

This included new technologies and transport, wars, shifts in scientific and political thinking, the rise of the New Woman and women’s rights. One of the mantras of the movement is Ezra Pound’s slogan ‘Make It New’, which captures the idea that modernism breaks with tradition, revising and reworking older forms to create new and innovative art, music, literature and architecture.

 

Q: How did you come to be particularly interested in South African modernism?

A: I spent a lot of time in South Africa when I was growing up, so I developed an interest in its literatures, histories and cultures. I then studied postcolonial literature and theory at university and wrote my PhD thesis and first book on the first South African novelist, Olive Schreiner (1855-1920).

“My particular interest in the role played by South African writers in the development of literary modernism came about through my work on Schreiner’s fiction because she uses techniques and ideas that are now considered hallmarks of modernism. What’s so fascinating about this is that she’s doing so as early as the 1870s, and from the colonial peripheries. So, she’s writing from outside of the times and places that we traditionally associate with the modernist movement.”

Building on this earlier work, I’m now leading an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project that investigates the forms and politics of South African literary modernism from the nineteenth century to the present day. There are various South African writers that our team consider as both theorists and practitioners of modernism – Solomon Plaatje, William Plomer, Lewis Nkosi, Bessie Head, JM Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer and Damon Galgut, to name but a few. These writers are connected both personally and textually to other global modernists and modernisms from all over the world, and part of our work involves tracing some of those connections.

 

Q: To this day, South Africa remains tormented by deep-seated, long-standing socio-political problems. What role, if any, did Modernism play in healing or hindering these problems?

A: Modernist forms are so malleable and varied that they have been mobilised in support of a wide spectrum of political ideas and ideologies, and in many cases, refused any political or social function or allegiance whatsoever.

I think the reason that South African literature emerged in a modernist idiom has to do with South Africa’s uniquely prolonged colonial condition, that arguably stretched all the way from the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck and the Dutch East India Company in 1652, to the end of apartheid in the 1990s.

“Modernism, with its interest in cross-cultural representations, fragmentation, and combinations of tradition and innovation, became the mode through which to represent the unevenness of this experience, in which European economic, political, and cultural structures so detached from their African worldviews and ways of life were imposed and enforced over centuries. I’d argue that there is a connection between modernist expression and anti-colonial and anti-apartheid resistance that can be traced across the works of many of the writers that I mentioned earlier.”

 

Q: If we want to begin to appreciate and understand South African Modernism, through its literature and poetry, where should we start?

A: I’ve already mentioned a few, but would also add the English-language writers H.I.E. Dhlomo, Athol Fugard, Can Themba, Njabulo Ndebele and Ivan Vladislavić; plus Xhosa-language writer S.E.K. Mqhayi; and Afrikaans writers André Brink, Breyten Breytenbach, Adam Small, Karel Schoeman and Marlene van Niekerk. I’m currently working on a co-edited collection with Professor Andrew van der Vlies (University of Adelaide) on South African modernisms and we have solicited chapters about many of these and other writers.

We’ve got some exciting contributions on South African modernist art and photography too, including by Irma Stern, Dumile Feni, Nichols Hlobo, William Kentridge, David Goldblatt and Albert Adams.  The University of Salford Art Collections holds one of the largest archives of Adams’s work – including paintings, prints and studio ephemera – and there is a permanent display of his paintings in the Albert Adams room at The Old Fire Station (where the Percival lecture is taking place).

 

Q: What research project/s are you working on in 2024? Is there one project that you’re particularly looking forward to? If so, why?

A: I have lots of things that I’m really excited about this year! I was in Johannesburg with filmmaker Simon Stanton-Sharma in January making a documentary film about female e-hailing (using a smartphone app to request a ride) drivers that we’re currently editing to send to film festivals.

I’m also working with an international research team, Further Education colleges in the Northwest, and exam boards AQA and WJEC Eduqas, on a project to decolonise the English Literature A-Level. We’ll be travelling to Sweden, South Africa and Australia over the next 18 months, working with 16–18-year-old learners and their teachers to create a range of resources to support this – everything from recorded lectures and teacher toolkits to video essays, podcasts and TikToks!

And I’m really looking forward to my co-authored book with Matthew Whittle, Global Literature and the Environment, coming out with Routledge in August. So, all in all, a lovely combination of celebrations, collaborations and activities to be getting on with!

 

Thank you to Jade for taking the time to answer our questions.

Jade Munslow Ong will be giving this year’s Percival Lecture – South Africa’s Modernism, Modernism’s South Africa – at the University of Salford on the 18th April 2024.

Bicentenary of the University of Manchester, and the Purple Wave!

Posted on: January 29th, 2024 by mlpEditor

On 17 January 2024, at precisely the time of 18:24, the Oxford Road campus and all adjacent University of Manchester buildings were lit up in purple! Manchester City Council Leader Bev Craig and the University’s Vice-Chancellor Dame Nancy Rothwell pressed a big gold button, and the spectacular light display appeared.

As the University General Assembly Manchester Lit & Phil representative, I was very privileged to attend the formal ceremony, with many prominent guests such as the University Chancellor Nazir Afzal, the Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Yasmine Dar, RNCM Principal Professor Linda Merrick, and many more. A specially commissioned bicentenary poem had been written by University alumna Rebecca Hurst and she read parts of it to us. There were also large numbers of the public watching the event, and we were shown live pictures from Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Shanghai, where the University has Global Hubs.

Walking back down Oxford Road I saw so many people about, with a huge queue waiting to enter Manchester Museum – people of all ages too (the lure of free chai lattes provided by a local restaurant might have had something to do with that!). The purple lights were everywhere, creating a very impressive and special atmosphere. A line from the Hurst’s poem Mast Year – ‘I’m meant to be here’ – beamed in huge neon letters as part of a wonderful installation across Booth Street East, where it will remain until the end of February.

On Oxford Road, the Museum’s much-loved spider crab was ready to party – and dressed up for the occasion – following a glamorous disco makeover. The ‘disco crab’ proved a huge favourite with the crowds, many of whom posed for selfies and danced with their new decapod friend! It was a very happy evening!

During the bicentenary year there will be many events to mark the importance of the history and future of the University. You will find these listed on the University of Manchester’s bicentenary website. Do go along to be part of the celebrations.

 

Guest writer Sam Abbott reflects on our event with Newsnight’s Ben Chu

Posted on: December 13th, 2023 by mlpEditor

On 30th November 2023, Manchester Lit & Phil’s The Chinese in Britain – the latest chapter, featuring Newsnight Economics Editor Ben Chu, brought a packed audience up to speed about an often-overlooked but hugely significant influx of migrants.

The event came just one day after significant cuts to the Newsnight programme had been announced. Quizzed on this, Chu expressed his wish for the BBC’s current affairs output to return to fact-based reporting, and to put less focus on the talking heads debating format which it has been leaning into recently.

Chu began his talk on Chinese migration by outlining the numbers — his specialty — and I sensed that the true scale surprised many in the room: over 120,000 Hong Kongers of a wide range of ages have settled in the UK under the British National (Overseas) visa route in the past two years, and estimates suggest 300,000 BN(O) holders could arrive over the next few years, according to think tank British Future.

Placing this into context, Chu discussed other, far smaller migrations of Chinese people to Britain since the 19th century. Keen to highlight shortcomings in the treatment of previous generations of Chinese migrants, he drew parallels between the compulsory repatriation of Chinese merchant seamen in the post-war periods of the 1920s and ’50s and the treatment of the Windrush generation. The plight of the Chinese seamen, however, seems almost forgotten today.

One of the key comparisons made by Chu, and perhaps an answer as to why the repatriated seamen have received such little recognition, is the comparison between earlier generations of politically-disengaged Chinese migrants and the politically active, educated and wealthy BN(O) cohort. This shift in the nature of Chinese migrants holds potentially wide-ranging consequences for the future politics and economy of Britain.

Amidst an audience of equally keen attendees, I unfortunately did not get the chance to ask Chu for his perspective on why this massive intake of migrants — already one of the largest ever — appears to have received relatively little media coverage and political airtime. For my part, I think many factors are at play. Amongst them, this particular group of migrants’ high education level and apparent low crime rate, along with their accompanying wealth and economic potential, make their arrival much more tolerable to the British people, many of whom are otherwise extremely tired and wary of mass immigration.

A poll carried out in February 2022 by Ipsos/British Future showed 73% support, and only 10% oppose the migration of Hong Kongers through the BN(O) scheme, while a YouGov poll from earlier this month found 41% consider immigration and asylum to be one of the top three issues facing the country. It has long been an important issue for a significant proportion of society and I find it intriguing that, in this context, there has been very little opposition to such a large wave of inward migration.

Apart from BN(O) migrants, Chu also touched on the sharp increase in the numbers of Chinese students attending British universities. He challenged the stereotypes and “fear-mongering” surrounding suspicions of ties between these students and the Chinese government, putting forward his experience interviewing a handful of Chinese students in Glasgow as indication that concerns are unfounded. To my mind though, anxieties about the intentions of certain individuals within the large community of Chinese students in British universities — at a time when many are worried about the threat of foreign interference not being given enough consideration by the government, media and security services — should not be dismissed too readily.

In short, The Chinese in Britain – the latest chapter brought great insight into an underreported phenomenon and prompted all in attendance to reflect on both the past treatment of Chinese migrants, as well as the impact that the recent influx could have on contemporary Britain.

Why young people should join the Lit & Phil

Posted on: September 12th, 2023 by mlpEditor

Hi, my name is Teo, I’m 17 and a member and volunteer for the Manchester Lit & Phil. I’d like to tell you how I came to be involved, and why I think you should also become a member.

“I’ve always had a passion for philosophy and wanted to find events related to my interests.”

But as a young person I found this extremely difficult. I found that most academic spaces were primarily dedicated to academics. And it was difficult to know for certain if I would be welcome.

During my search for academic events, I had stumbled upon the Manchester Lit & Phil’s website but was initially intimidated and assumed they were not accepting of young people – like the other organisations I had found.

A few months later, however, I felt even more pressure to find academic events due to wanting to do well at college.

“I needed to expand my knowledge outside of the school curriculum and have something to put in my personal statement.”

This led me to re-evaluate and then subscribe to a Manchester Lit & Phil membership. Student membership costs just £2.00 per month, and I was sure I’d make the most of it.

Initially, when I attended my first event, I was very surprised to find that many other attendees were much older than me and I thought that this might make me feel out of place. But, contrary to my beliefs, everyone was very welcoming and friendly.

“I found myself having discussions about all sorts of topics ranging from philosophy to history to science with people of a wide range of backgrounds and ages. As a result of this, I learnt how to be more comfortable in academic spaces and within academic discussions whilst also expanding my general knowledge. It was really rewarding.”

This year I’m very much looking forward to the next Lit & Phil Philosophy Forum and the Science & Technology talk on the Four Ways of Thinking: Statistical, Interactive, Chaotic and Complex by Professor David Sumpter.

“I would recommend Manchester Lit & Phil events to anyone over 16 who is looking for a friendly environment within which to explore their academic interests.”

Turning up at events where you don’t know anyone can be scary, and you may even initially feel discouraged by your age, but don’t let that put you off. Anyone with even a slight interest in an event subject, or who wants to hear from a particular speaker, should try it out.

Come to learn, socialise and even have an extra super curricular event to add to your personal statement!

 

September 2023

Impressions of an uplifting partnership event with MACFEST

Posted on: July 31st, 2023 by mlpEditor

Our international event on the 9th July in partnership with MACFEST – Kindness, Integrity and Leadership in a troubled world – was a truly memorable occasion.

It brought together two speakers of considerable eminence and international repute: Professor Akbar Ahmad from Washington DC, and Professor Karin Voigt from Heidelberg. Both shared insights from their own individual scholarship and life-long commitment to the promotion of diversity and intercultural harmony and the event was ably hosted by our very own President, Ian Cameron.

The international speakers navigated their way through an engaging and uplifting discussion on the timeless value of compassion, kindness and integrity in sustaining benevolent, successful leadership through the ages. A recording of the online event can be watched on MACFEST’s Facebook page.

The event also brought the Lit & Phil to the attention of a wider international audience, many of whom said they had felt privileged and indeed enriched to have attended.

Typical of the many after event posts from across the world:

“….an enthralling interaction; and that is what is so badly needed in the present troubled times; kindness, compassion but, above all, tolerance.”

Most evocative of all was a brilliantly observed overview from a student at American University’s School of International Service, in an article since published in one of Pakistan’s most popular English Language newspapers, “The Daily Times”: Planting a Seed.

The article concludes with the sentiment that:

“…the timeless value of human compassion surpasses the ever-changing technology, customs, and protocols of our current day; and carries a message not only of hope, but also of what one can do on an individual level, by “planting the seedling of kindness to all those around you”.

The online event marked the beginning of a mutually beneficial collaboration with the multi-award winning MACFEST organisation and its inspirational founder and director, Qaisra Shahraz. We’re really looking forward to partnering with them again next year.

If you or the organisation you work for are interested in collaborating with the Lit & Phil, please get in touch. We’d love to hear your ideas.

 

Dhun Daji, Elected Member of the Manchester Lit & Phil’s Council

Interview with Qaisra Shahraz

Posted on: July 5th, 2023 by mlpEditor

Q: MACFEST was founded in 2017 following the Manchester Arena attack, to bring Muslim and non-Muslim communities together. What progress, if any, have you seen in connecting communities in Greater Manchester since then? 

A: People of all faiths, ages and backgrounds have come together at our events to watch films, perform together, listen to poetry and musical concerts, enjoy art exhibitions, and meet people from migrant communities.

“MACFEST facilitates getting to know about the art and cultural heritage of Muslim civilisations as well as having nuanced debates and discussions in safe spaces.”

While other organisations closed during the pandemic, we delivered 75 events in an attempt to connect people who were feeling isolated without their communities.

The festival has provided an excellent platform that celebrates both aspiring and established writers, poets, artists and cultural champions. With an outstanding commitment to inclusion at our festivals, we host at least 10 Muslim communities in Greater Manchester that represent every continent. We’ve also worked with schools to enrich their curriculums by encouraging them to practice multiple art forms and celebrate cultural diversity.

 

Q: To date, which MACFEST events do you think have been most impactful? And what have been your personal highlights?  

A: There are so many to choose from!  Our annual celebration of poets reciting in their own languages or hearing the music and sounds of different countries. Or our 25 annual women events that included dance performances from Turkey and Indonesia. Plus, child-friendly discussions on race and climate change.  So many of our events over the years have had a huge, positive impact. This is especially true of our collaborations with schools which encouraged young children to express themselves creatively, embrace their cultures and diversity in general.

Many of my favourites from this year celebrate and showcase the lives and work of Muslim women, such as: an exhibition of female Afghani artists living under Taliban rule, a performance by Sudanese girls and Turkish women, learning about three centuries of female Muslim travel writers as well as the challenges faced by a deaf film maker on International Women’s Day.

 

Q: We’re really looking forward to our joint online event on the 9th of July: ‘Kindness & Integrity – Leadership in a troubled world’. Why did you find it important to organise this event at this time? 

A: Personally, I’m a huge fan of Professor Akbar’s work. His mere presence enriches our festival, as it did two years ago. The topic that he chose ties in beautifully with his lifelong commitment to building bridges and promoting harmony between people of faith.

“We are living in a troubled world filled with conflicts and divisions. Cultures of hate and the ‘othering’ of people persist.”

All the while, extremists stoke the fires of division.  So, there is a real need for leaders to take ownership of their actions and words to promote peace and kindness in the world.

 

Q: How does Professor Akbar Ahmed’s work align with MACFEST’s ambitions?

A: MACFEST’s mission is to challenge Islamophobia, break barriers, promote community and social cohesion and, of course, spread sweetness with our slogan ‘Spread Honey Not Hate.’ The marvellous work of Professor Akbar Ahmed – an academic, author, poet, playwright, filmmaker, former diplomat and, of course, ardent promoter of interfaith dialogue – aligns beautifully with MACFEST and its mission.

Internationally applauded and recognised for his incredible feat of achievements and work, he has devoted his whole life – through his bestselling books, travel documentaries, historical film, poetry and plays – to promoting peace and a better understanding of history, Muslims and building bridges.

“Professor Akbar is a leading figure in the Muslim world and is highly respected for his intellect and nuanced discussions on contemporary issues. The BBC rightly called him, ‘the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam’.”

Most importantly, for creating a space for dialogue between people of all faiths, including with the Jewish communities.

 

Q: You have many accolades, including being an accomplished novelist. Why do you think your novels have achieved such popularity at home and abroad, especially in Germany where some of your books are taught in schools?  

A: I arrived in the UK at a young age, carrying valuable childhood memories of Pakistan with me. These memories served me well, enabling me to write about my home country in my first three novels. As a migrant woman growing up in Manchester, I was fascinated by my multiple identities. This was the inspiration for my early stories, including the famous ones, A Pair of Jeans and Escape, both prescribed literary texts for the German Abitur, the equivalent to A-Level English.

I am more known in Germany than in the UK as thousands of students have been studying my books since 1996. They are popular because of their content – they deal with migrant and cultural issues, relevant to Germany which is a country with a large migrant population.

“These stories enabled me to visit German schools, build cultural bridges and have nuanced discussions with students and their teachers on various issues including debunking myths about Islam and Muslim women.”

Thanks to my stories, I met Professor Karin Vogt from Heidelberg, who is also on the international panel of our partnership event. I have taken part in her university teacher training programmes, highlighting to her trainees the importance of celebrating diversity, inclusion, and to ‘get out of one’s box’, to look beyond our own little world, to respect other people’s norms, faiths, cultures, and ways of lives. It works both ways.

Through our strong and valuable friendship both Karin and I have found that our lives are totally enriched by being part of and learning about each other’s world. She has visited my Pakistani Muslim household in Manchester and met my family. I have stayed with her in her German household and watched her beautiful children grow over time. I’m delighted she too joining us for the online discussion.

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