#headstart 2012

I lived in Ghana for five years as a child before moving to England.

I was born in England but my mother found it difficult as a young single parent so she sent my older brother and I to Ghana to live with our grandparents.

Although I was young when I moved, I still remember living in Ghana.

Initially, I found the transition to English life and education difficult. Despite my reservations about English culture I did my best to adapt. I can still remember the first time I had processed ham after begging my mum for weeks to make me an ‘English packed lunch’.

The ham was bought from the corner shop and it had a Union Jack printed on the front of the vacuum packed casing promising to be the epitome of British food.

You can imagine the anticipation I had built up in the process only to find processed ham pointless, cold and flavourless - the taste of ham hasn’t changed much since. 

Along with my dislike for ham, I was the centre of taunts courtesy of my consistently dry legs - ( coco butter became my salvation), my accent  and ‘African’ mannerisms. My surname even suffered from a pronunciation coup. What was a strong vocal African ‘Mae-Nu’ became reduced to a verbal skeleton of ‘Menu’s and ‘Man-U’s.

For those of you who have been kind enough to read on and are wondering why the sudden change of topic from Olympics to my personal history, I guess it’s all down to George Alagiah’s autobiographical book, A Home from Home.  

 Seemingly far removed from my experiences, age group and culture;  George Alagiah’s  A Home from Home has been an enlightening read with many parallels with my life. As one of the most prominent figures in British broadcasting, his autobiographical narrative suggests his experience as an ‘immigrant boy’ forced to rapidly adapt into life at public school and all the trappings of Englishman, helped forge a strong character and identity that has informed him in his role as a journalist and commentator.

His cultural diversity has strengthened, rather than weakened his identity and his voice. By sharing his story, he moved and prompted me to share mine.

Prior to reading A Home From Home I was admittedly ashamed (if not scared) of my heritage. The playground taunts and lack of primary school friends haunted me for a long time.

But I’ve grown up and into my heritage. Now I am proud to say I am African (and British) and make an effort to learn about the history and customs of both cultures.

 A Home From Home is a narrative about this transition and the process of marrying two seemingly different cultures so they can co exist. In the process he questions multiculturalism and British identity, using his personal experiences as a case study. 

Published it 2006, I came across it whilst doing some research for Two Nations - a youth led inquiry into who Londoners want to win at the Olympics and how their cultural background affects their patriotism. 

BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s Academy officially opens on Friday, 1st June 2012 ahead of the Hackney Weekender.

There’s been a lot of hype around the academy and after reading the line up (name drop galore!) I can definitely assure you it’s the place to be if you are looking for a career elevation.

Specifically aimed at young people with an interest in the arts, the programme aims to educate and address the questions of anyone starting out.

It’s the place to go to ‘Get Inspired, Get Involved and Take It On’.

Speaking of getting involved, our very own SMJ blogger and photographer, Joe Mason will be featured on a panel on the 13th June 2012.

If you are around come down and listen to what he has to say about having his work showcased in an exhibition.

To make it easier, I copied a few helpful pointers you might want to bare in mind from their FAQ page.

What is the Academy?

The Radio 1 and 1Xtra Academy is three weeks of workshops and events happening in Hackney throughout June. It will focus on skills development in four main areas; business, the arts, career development and media skills.

Why are they doing it?

We want to celebrate the uniqueness of the young people and the area of East London in the lead up to Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend and the Olympics. We will be working with local organisations in and around Hackney to give the young people a voice and give the rest of the UK a chance to witness a moment in history.

What will young people get from it?

The Radio 1 and 1Xtra Academy will be a place to be inspired, gain practical experience and share ideas.

Workshops, Q&A's and various other events will take place at the Academy covering the following themes:

Music , Radio , Business , Fashion, Film. Gaming and Programming, Comedy , Journalism and Career Development

1.75 million: McDonald’s customers over the month-long Olympic period


25,000: loaves of bread consumed by athletes in the Olympic Village


£2.40: cost of a filter coffee on site


£4,500: cost of a premium ticket to the opening ceremony, including access to the best fine dining


£5.90: cost of a hot dog on site


330: tonnes of fruit and vegetable will be consumed by the athletes


25 million: drinks expected to be sold by Coca-Cola including juices, bottled water and soft drinks 


£1.50: cost of a packet of crisps


10: restaurants in the Olympic park, including the UK’s largest McDonald’s


1,800: food and drink kiosks in the Olympic Park

Remember when LOCOG announced the proposed decorative wrap around the Olympic stadium would be scrapped?  Well, in an interesting turn of events, it has been revealed that the wrap will be featured around the Olympic stadium. Good news.

Unfortunately, the majority sponsor is Dow chemical. Bad news

Until recently, the announcement for the deal with Dow Chemical had gone unnoticed by press despite being exposed earlier this summer. The 1km wrap that will cover the £496m stadium during the Games costs £7 million.

Stratford city is now in full swing with hoards of people visiting to find fashion, food and fun fixes.

The £1.45bn complex houses more than 70 restaurants, a 14-screen cinema, 300 shops, three hotels and the UK's largest casino – no wonder it’s so intimidating. Although another temple to consumerism and greed – it seems to have a Catch 22 effect on locals.

  Westfield is a byproduct of the Olympics with good intentions. It can’t be denied that it has given employment to a part of London much in need of it and attracted investment in the surrounding area.  

The clever design means 70% of exists from Stratford station funnel you into Europe’s largest urban shopping complex (there really is no escaping). Taking in to consideration the expected influx of tourists next year in anticipation for the Olympics, the games will bring a larger pool of disposable income into the surrounding area.

Hopefully, assuming human nature doesn’t change; tourists will be drawn in to the wonderland that is Westfield and spend till their hearts content. More spending equals more money for Westfeild and more money for Westfield equals more contribution to tax which will in theory could create some financial stability in our economic time of woe.

But what happens after the Olympics?

When the glamour of the game erodes and we are left with the hangovers, will there still be demand to sustain the mammoth complex?

Those familiar with the area may remember the original Stratford shopping center. When originally created, it was revered by locals and symbolic of progression in Stratford. Fast forward several decades and it is now an anorexic shadow of its former self.

The recent Westfield centre seems to be a catalyst for the demise of the Stratford shopping centre with several shops closing because they cannot deal with the anticipated competition or the dwindling footfall.

It still feels surreal that less than a month ago I was in Switzerland, Lausanne. This is probably aided by the fact that our visit only lasted a grand total of 24 hours.

Yup - that's the jet setter lifestyle. 

Anyway, one thing I should have blogged about immediately was Karin.

 Many people forget about the philosophy behind the Olympics and soon become cynical or swallowed up in the politics involved.

Karin encapsulates why the Olympics should be celebrated.  She represents another side of the game. The Olympics isn’t only about sport –it is about incorporating the Olympic values into or lives: Friendship, Respect and Excellence – along with the four Paralympic values – Determination, Inspiration, Courage and Equality. 

By adopting this ethos maybe one day we too can become a shadow of Karin: the super guide (to make this statement a little more dramatic imagine the score from an epic film like titanic playing softly in the background)   

During our visit to the Olympic museum in Lausanne, every exhibit seemed to be laced with – or at least allude to the importance of education, peace, and a possibility for change through Olympic sport and competition. Although education and competition were easy to identify, Peace seemed to be presented as an obscure concept with few references throughout, making me question the importance of peace to the International Olympics committee and the Olympics in general.

Research suggests Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the International Olympic Committee and the instigator of the modern Olympic movement was convinced that peace could only be effective if theoretical learning was accompanied by personal experience.

To him, personal experience was Olympic sport. He believed his aim could be achieved if sport was used as an instrument to reform traditional education systems, impacting upon reforms to global economy and politics inevitably securing universal peace.

The one thing which undermines this ethos is the amount of dubious sponsors the museum is founded on. With sponsors including The Bank of China and several other large capitalist organizations often associated with conflict, it seems strange The IOC and the Olympic museum has accepted their funding.