Bradford For Everyone are working with partners in Fresno, California and Bradford, England to host an interfaith learning webinar. Following six months of collaboration between the Interfaith Alliance of Central California, Bradford For Everyone, Bradford Foundation Trust, Fresno State University, University of Bradford and Clovis Community College the co-designed webinar has been set up to share learning. The outcome will be an increased understanding about how faith can help improve cohesion and integration.

The event will take place on Saturday May 29^th 2021 9am-12pm California or 5pm-8pm Bradford.

Register here;https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtcuiqqzorHdfJ8JNdCRXGx5cs8cFZX7Eu

Current Agenda

Key note speaker; Naz Shah MP Bradford West and UK Parliament Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion  TBC

1. Welcome and Introductions

Zahra Niazi, Programme Lead Bradford For Everyone

Norman Broadbent, Chair Interfaith Alliance Central California

Matt Henderson, Bradford For Everyone, Bradford Introduction

Joe Pulido, Clovis Community College, Fresno Introduction  

Dermot Bolton, University of Bradford, Humanism and interfaith

Andrew Howorth, University of Bradford Chaplin, Interfaith in Bradford,

Reza Nekumanesh, Executive Director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno

Tony Fernandez, TTF, International Interfaith collaborations

Shadim Hussain, Bradford foundation Trust and the Faith Centre Bradford

Prof. Amir Sharif, University of Bradford perspectives of interfaith 

10 min Comfort break

2. Breakout Rooms 1 – 30 minutes (you will be assigned a room)

Rifaquet Ali, Faith walks in Bradford

Christina Longden, Robert Reschid Stanley, Jewish? Christian? Muslim?

Matt Henderson, Faith and LGBTQ+

Manjo Joshi, A history of interfaith work in Bradford

Ravinder Dharni, Hindu interfaith work in Bradford

Javed Bashir, Strengthening Faith Institutes, Bradford

Dermot Bolton, Humanism and interfaith

3. Feedback from break out rooms to whole group 30 min

10 min Comfort break

4. Breakout Rooms 2 – 30 minutes (you will be assigned a room)

Jim Grant and Rabbi Laura Novak Winer, Interfaith Scholars

Christine Barker, Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries

Bryson White, Faith Outreach Coordinator for Faith In the Valley

Norman Broadbent, Interfaith Alliance of Central Californian

Dr. Kappor, Peace studies and Interfaith

Dermot Bolton, Humanism and interfaith

5. Feedback from break out rooms to whole group 25 min

6. Closing Remarks from Norman Broadbent

For more information email matthew.henderson@bradford.gov.uk

Mr Samson Onoja Itodo will be a guest on THE TONY TOKUNBO FERNANDEZ SHOW NEXT WEEK.

Mr Itodo is based in Berlin. He is the Founder of AFROBIZ GERMANY. He is also an Author, Poet and Playwright with a passion for creativity and making a positive difference in the DiasporaThis enterprising Role model has also Published a book called  “Bunker Laboratory” and is also the author of a  childrens book titled  “The Rain-Maker”

Our show is all about promoting the true life and success stories of Africans and Caribbean achievers around the world.

If there is a product or initiative that you would like to promote, CONTACT IS NOW ON +447882809005

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Watch this space for our interview with Samson

ABOUT SAMSON ONOJA ITODO

Samson Onoja Itodo is  a Nigerian community ambassador  based in Berlin Germany.

He is also an Author, Poet and Playwright with a passion for creativity and making a positive difference in the Diaspora.

This enterprising Role model has also Published a book called  “Bunker Laboratory” and is also the author of a  childrens book titled  “The Rain-Maker”.Samson is The Founder of the online news and entertainment channel “Afrobizgermany”. and The organizer of Afrobeats Music Award Germany “(ABMAG)”.Below are links to his  online platforms:

https://www.facebook.com/afrobizgermany/

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=afrobizgermanyhttp://afrobizgermany.com/

Samson Onoja Itodo+4915212590979

ADC Diaspora Network in collaboration with National Youth Council of Nigeria South-South & Nigerian Youths Corporate Social Responsibility Fund (NYCSRF) are on a Mission to Rescuing Nigerian Democracy with active Youths & Diaspora participation in politics and policy making. [23-24] July 2021. The Event is Part of Nigerian Diaspora Day 2021. Save the Date Contact us for partnership

Personal Bio:

Bassey Itam Asuquo is a Nigerian poet from Creek Town in Cross River State, Nigeria. He schooled at King’s College, Lagos; University of Ibadan; and University of Calabar respectively.

A co-founder of Calabar Literary Society (CLS), Mr Asuquo served on the judging panel of the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) in 2017. He has also been the Chairman of the Festival Poetry Calabar (FPC) Local Organising Committee from 2016 till date. He loves reading, writing, drawing, philosophising, bird-watching, and listening to the radio.

Mr Asuquo has recently published an eBook of a collection of his poems titled ‘Prettyface Mary and Other Poems’. He currently lives in Calabar.

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW NEXT WEEK WITH MR RICHARD DUKE – THE PRESIDENT OF THE EFIK LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION ALSO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE EFIK LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION ON THE SHOW. MORE UPDATES TO FOLLOW – FEEL FREE TO SUBSCRIBE ON OUR CHANNEL – www.youtube.com/user/etekatoks

If there is a product or initiative that you would like to promote, contact us NOW ON +447882809005 via whatsapp

Bare Knuckles: 50,000 Indecent Jobs For Cross Riverians BY ISO BASSEY

There are very few young Nigerians who will not jump at an opportunity to relocate to another country. Although the USA, Canada, The United Kingdom, and Australia might be preferred destinations, young people just want to get out of Nigeria and don’t really care where. In the minds of most, there could hardly be a worse place to live than Nigeria. Desperation to leave Nigeria is evident in the number of young people who risk their lives daily, travelling across the Sahel in an attempt to get to Europe. Some succeed while most fail and either turn back, die on the way, or get sold into slavery.

Recently, some adverts surfaced on social media offering “50,000 DECENT JOBS FOR CROSS RIVERIANS”. This programme is championed by SOS Global Investments and SOS Labour in partnership with the Cross River State Migration Control Agency. The adverts allegedly offer opportunities for young Cross Riverians to get jobs as supermarket and restaurant workers as well as housemaids and drivers.

On the surface, the opportunity to work abroad and earn US dollars sounds exciting and indeed it might offer the opportunity of a lifetime if the programme fulfils its objectives as advertised. However, there are some things about the programme that give cause for concern.

Firstly, the government is the facilitator of a programme that seeks to “export” young people to serve as low skilled labor in other countries. The irony here is that in the last few years, many businesses in Cross River State like restaurants, shops and factories have closed altogether or relocated to other states due to unfavorable business conditions imposed by the same government. So it appears to me that the government inadvertently forced Cross Riverians out of jobs by making life difficult for employers only to then turn around to facilitate the “export” of these same Cross Riverians to do similar or lower skilled jobs in other countries. It sounds like drawing blood from the dying to nourish the healthy.

My second concern is that the other two partners – SOS Investments and SOS Labour appear to be profit-making organisations. Indeed, the government itself might be driven by the desire to profit from this programme. 

History suggests that when financial profit is a motive for facilitating the “export” of people across national borders, the outcomes are rarely in the interest of the people exported. The transatlantic slave trade might readily come to mind but there are more recent examples.

The Gulf region, which appears to be the location of these so called “50,000 decent jobs”, has a reputation for treating migrant workers badly. Qatar has been in the spotlight over the last few years being the host nation for the 2022 football World Cup. A report by npr.org suggests that more than 6,500 migrant workers have lost their lives in preparation for the World Cup. An investigative report by independent.co.uk highlights serious abuses perpetrated against migrant workers. Workers have been subjected to horrendous abuses by employers including beatings, hair pulling, kicks and punches. Women have been sexually abused. I am bothered that if the facilitators of this programme must balance their books, the welfare of our young people is likely to be lower down their list of priorities.

A third concern is that the programme charges an average non-refundable fee of N3,250 per applicant. With the level of desperation amongst young people, this could be a big money spinner for its partners. If people are made to believe that there are 50,000 jobs on offer, I can imagine that more than 100,000 Cross Riverians are likely to apply; 100,000 applications will deliver N325,000,000 to the facilitators of this programme. A huge sum considering that the applicants may get nothing in return. There are also processing fees of $100 and $600. These presumably will only be paid by those who are successful. These fees are high for a state with a GDP per capita of USD1,500, yet young people will look for creative ways of raising the money. After all, it will be well worth it if they stand to make thousands of dollars once they are working.

I must admit, if I was in the shoes of the average young Cross Riverian who has little or no prospect of a livelihood in the state, I would jump at this opportunity. I therefore imagine that there will be an avalanche of applications. My duty as an elder brother to our youngsters is to advice caution and to encourage them to ask the following questions amongst others:

1. How many hours per day will I be required to work?
2. How many days per week will I be required to work?
3. Do I have to pay a portion of my salary to an agent? If so, how much and for how long?
4. Will I receive my salary directly or will it be paid through an agency?
5. Will my employer or agency be in possession of my passport?
6. What support will I get if I suffer sexual or physical abuse?
7. What happens if I die in the cause of performing my work?
8. What living conditions will be provided to me?
9. What happens if I decide to quit working and return home?

Whichever way we look at this programme, its very premise indicates that we have failed our young people. If they had hope and the prospect of a meaningful livelihood, most would gladly stay home to build their state while being close to their families. As it stands, to either stay in Cross River State and starve or become a house-boy or house-girl in Qatar is the unenviable dilemma they face. 

Iso Bassey is the founder of Academix NG. He is a Cross Riverian and writes in from the United Kingdom via iso.bassey@gmail.com

Sanchia Alasia is an award winning specialist in Diversity, Human Resources and EU Affairs as well as a motivational speaker. She currently works at London Southbank University as their Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. She’s an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. 

She was first elected to Barking and Dagenham Council in 2010 and was the first of three Black women to be elected there. She has held a number of positions – School Governor, chair of the health and adult services scrutiny committee and chair of the planning committee. She was the first Caribbean female civic mayor there in 2018/19.

Sanchia has won numerous awards including, outstanding public sector personality of the year at the Precious awards in 2020, highly commended in the Baton awards as a political figure in 2020 and the award for excellence in the public sector at the Gathering of Africa’s best awards in 2020. She was also named as one the 50 most inspirational Black women in the U.K in Black history month in 2019 by African Glitz. 

Sanchia took part in the Operation Black Vote MP shadow scheme in 2006. She shadowed Sadiq Khan and subsequently Diane Abbott. 

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR INTERVIEW WITH DR Milton Obamba AS WE TALK BUSINESS . DR OBAMBA HOLDS A PHD IN EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS,

THIS IS A SHOW YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS MORE UPDATES TO FOLLOW – FEEL FREE TO SUBSCRIBE ON OUR CHANNEL – http://www.youtube.com/user/etekatoks

Natasha M. Bynoe will be a guest on THE TONY TOKUNBO FERNANDEZ SHOW

NATASHA IS BASED IN NEW YORK, SHE IS THE CEO OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA INSTITUTE OF CULTURAL EXCHANGE MORE UPDATES TO FOLLOW – FEEL FREE TO SUBSCRIBE ON OUR CHANNEL – www.youtube.com/user/etekatoks

About Natasha Margaret-Victoria Bynoe the Historian
Ms. Bynoe has worked on many projects that researched the lives of the enslaved in the Caribbean for the University of the West Indies and various government agencies. As of January 2020, Ms. Bynoe was appointed the C.E.O of a newly formed non-profit organization The African Diaspora Institute of Cultural Exchange and Historical Research also known as C.E.H.R. “We are an Institute that connects the mosaic of cultures of the Black Atlantic through cultural and educational exchanges and research.” For Ms. Bynoe, there is not enough scholarship as it pertains to African Diaspora histories. It is her vision as C.E.O is to create historical and cultural projects to open opportunities for many historians and culturist from around the region and to create public seminars and programs.

Her current research explores the spaces in West Africa used for human captivity. The amalgamation of narratives from both sides of the black Atlantic, shows a route filled with unimaginable horrors and triumphs: from the capture to enslavement. The oral histories told by the chiefs, kings, and griots are often times in contrast to narratives written in the history books. As of May of 2018, Ms. Natasha Bynoe traveled to Ghana and Burkina Faso to record the various narratives passed down generations of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and slave raids that happened well into the first quarter of the 20th century stories that were told at the various areas of capture, punishment, and places used for markets to buy and sell human capital. Most importantly, the stories of rescue, escapees, and those left behind to form new ethno-societies are stories rarely heard.

Ms. Bynoe is an extremely proud alumni of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Barbados. She has a B.A (Hon) and M.A in History. In 2018, Ms. Bynoe spent 3 weeks as a researcher at Cape Coast Castle, and Elmina Castle in Ghana and holds the honor of being the first Barbadian to give a presentation at Cape Coast Castle, the title: ‘ Terror Continued: The First Seventy Three Years of Enslavement in Barbados’

Lady NV Radio Presenter
Natasha Bynoe aka “Lady NV” best known female DJ for creating high voltage musical sparks on radio has been in the music industry over 25 years. Lady NV has toured over 28 cities on more than 3 continents. As an assistant to Russell Simmons at RAL/DEF Records, she worked at a variety of prestigious record labels. While working as an assistant publicist she represented clients like Gangstarr, Arrested Development and Janet Jackson on EMI North America Records. After leaving the labels, Lady NV went to work directly for Hip Hop legend KRS-1 as his personal assistant and was later promoted to the position of his assistant manager.

When NV left the employment of KRS-1, she brought her deft resolve to radio starting on WNWK 105.9 New York, Power 105 NYC and Hot 102 Jamaica. Securing a deal with Madison Paarc Radio Networks in 2008, Lady NV was the hosts of a highly energetic, and celebrity studded syndicated show called ‘Urban Vybz’ with up to 5 million faithful listeners mainly in Africa and America. ‘Urban Vybz’ was a two hour mix show with Lady NV as the turntablist and DJ, mixing World African Music, Reggae, and Soca. ‘Urban Vybz’ was rated #1 in Gambia on Unique FM and was heard in Zimbabwe for 3 years, Liberia for 2 years, Ghana for over 8 years, and Gambia for 10 years. The same buzz Lady NV created worldwide was felt at SLAM 101.1FM Barbados. The Weekday Fix was a hub for both international and local celebrities. The Weekday Fix was the most listened and rated #1 show on Slam 101.1 FM for 3 years.

Kenya and friends in the park 2021, celebrating 7 years since inception AND still growing stronger, bigger and better.

Since 2015, almost 50,000 people have either been entertained, educated, inspired, empowered and connected in harmony .

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR UPDATES OF THIS YEARS EVENT taking place on the 24th and 25th of July 2021