I Am An Immigrant

Tawona Sitholé, like a lot of artists, does many things. Better known as Ganyamatope (his ancestral family name), he is a poet, playwright, storyteller and musician. He was born in Zimbabwe just before independence and moved to the UK aged 21. He has research and teaching roles in the school of education and medical school, at the University of Glasgow. Other educational roles are with Glasgow School of Art, University of the West of Scotland, University of Stirling and Newcastle University, and Scottish Book Trust. He is co-founder of Seeds of Thought, a non-funded arts group. Tawona is one of the writers of immersive production Muster Station: Leith which will be performed at the Edinburgh International Festival on August 15-26 (tickets are limited so get booking!). We talked about the expectation of success people have of you if you go overseas, how the legacy of the colonisers in Zimbabwe still persists and getting to grips with the Glaswegian accent. Book your ticket to the show HEREhttps://www.eif.co.uk/events/muster-station-leith#dates-and-timesFollow Tawona herehttps://twitter.com/tawona_sitholeFind info on Seeds of Thought hereseeds of thought - seeds of thought (weebly.com)*I am an Immigrant is an ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic.This season is a special commission for the Edinburgh International Festival https://www.eif.co.ukWe love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests*Social Media:ice&fire - @iceandfireuk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leena Nammari is a Palestinian artist printmaker based in Scotland. Her work has been part of group and solo exhibitions within Scotland and in Europe more widely. Leena's installation, It Will Live can be seen on the façade of the Studio venue at the Edinburgh International festival between August 12 and 27. . We talked about Leena's favourite Scottish words, the essential herbs and spices to fill your suitcase with before you leave Palestine, and the feeling that, despite living here for decades, being here still feels temporary. More info about Leena's FREE installation HEREhttps://www.eif.co.uk/events/it-will-live#about-the-showFollow Leena herehttps://www.instagram.com/leena_nammari_lool70/?hl=enhttps://leenanammari.co.uk/ *I am an Immigrant is an ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic.This season is a special commission for the Edinburgh International Festival https://www.eif.co.ukWe love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests*Social Media:ice&fire - @iceandfireuk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Madison Nonoa is an opera singer. She was born and bred in New Zealand and made the big move to the UK in 2017 to complete a degree in opera at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She is based in the UK and performs around the world. Madison will sing in a concert of songs by Brahms with Edinburgh pianists Malcolm Martineau & Steven Osborne on August 13th. We talked about how opera must always strive to be relevant, the all-too common immigrant story of visa woes and the antipodean obsession with good coffee. Book your ticket to the show HEREhttps://www.eif.co.uk/events/malcom-martineau-steven-osborne#about-the-showFollow Madison herehttps://twitter.com/madison_nonoa*I am an Immigrant is an ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic.This season is a special commission for the Edinburgh International Festival https://www.eif.co.ukWe love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests*Social Media:ice&fire - @iceandfireuk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mavin Khoo is a dancer and coach. He was born in Malaysia and moved between there and India from the age of 10-17. After a short stint in New York, he landed in the UK aged 18. His career has taken him all over the world. He is currently an Associate and Rehearsal Director at the Akram Kahn Dance Company. Their show Jungle Book Reimagined will play at the Edinburgh International Festival August 25-28. We talked about falling in love with dance in Malaysia at age 5, being a young queer man in London in the 90s and what Mavin does when he needs to turn his brain off. Book your ticket to the show HEREhttps://www.eif.co.uk/events/jungle-book-reimaginedFollow Mavin herehttps://www.instagram.com/mavin_khoo *I am an Immigrant is an ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic.This season is a special commission for the Edinburgh International Festival https://www.eif.co.ukWe love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests*Social Media:ice&fire - @iceandfireuk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Akeim Toussaint Buck is an interdisciplinary performer and maker, born in Jamaica and raised in England. We talked about the good times, the not so good times, the rocky road to British citizenship and how dance became Akeim's survival tool. His solo show Windows Of Displacement is a dance theatre solo show. Working with dance, song and spoken word, Akeim explores diverse identities in today's England. Using his own experience of being a Jamaican born citizen now a citizen in the UK as starting point, while further exploring both historical as well as current political and socio-economic references. Toussaint draws on the contexts of imperialism, colonialism and displacement to create a story of the past, present and future of humanity. Prepare to be taken on a journey galvanising people power and reclaiming our collective responsibility. Book your ticket to the show, which is on at the Edinburgh International Festival on August 12 and 13 HEREhttps://www.eif.co.uk/events/windows-of-displacement#about-the-show Follow Akeim herehttps://www.toussainttomove.com/https://www.instagram.com/toussainttomove/ * I am an Immigrant is and ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic.This season is a special commission for the Edinburgh International Festivalhttps://www.eif.co.uk We love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests *Social Media:ice&fire - @iceandfireuk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

mandla rae is writer, performer and occasional curator, who was born in Zimbabwe, moved to South Africa aged 2 and came to the UK aged 7. We talked about rage, feeling out of place and talking to strangers in Manchester. Their solo show, as british as a watermelon plays at the Edinburgh International Festival between August 23 and 26. Through the exploration of mandla's fragmented LGBTQ asylum and childhood migration memories, as british as a watermelon asks powerful questions about belonging, trauma and forgiveness. Told through an unflinching narrative, weaving poetry and storytelling together with destruction and colourful chaos, you are invited to join mandla's rise from the dead and reclamation of misplaced power.Book your ticket to the show HEREhttps://www.eif.co.uk/events/as-british-as-a-watermelonFollow mandla herehttps://www.instagram.com/mandla.ndla/?hl=en* I am an Immigrant is an ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic.This season is a special commission for the Edinburgh International Festival https://www.eif.co.uk We love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests *Social Media:ice&fire - @iceandfireuk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Raph Dilhan is a textile artist working in the film industry who was born and raised in France and now lives in London. Many of you will know him as a finalist in Season 7 of the Great British Sewing Bee, in which he consistently wowed the judges, despite being the least experienced sewer on the show. We talked about Raph's MANY hobbies, how his sense of humour doesn't always translate well here and why he never lost his cool on TV. * I am an Immigrant is and ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic. We love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests * Further linksRaph @raph_sew_and_soice&fire - @iceandfireuk ice&fire's new show, We Like to Move it, Move it runs from September 28 – October 16 in various London venues. More info and booking herehttps://iceandfire.co.uk/project/wltmimi/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa is an actor who was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Brazil, Italy, Canada, the United States and the UK. She has worked with my theatre company ice&fire and we live in the same area of Hackney in London. We chatted about being perceived as foreign, what has led Lisa to move from place to place and her dreams in which she argues publicly with Teresa May. * I am an Immigrant is and ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic. We love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests * Further linksLisa Carrucio Came http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6233234/ice&fire - @iceandfireuk ice&fire's new show, We Like to Move it, Move it runs from September 28 – October 16 in various London venues. More info and booking herehttps://iceandfire.co.uk/project/wltmimi/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maryna Sulym is originally from Ukraine and moved to London six years ago. She is completing a Masters in Photojournalism and runs the Local Foreigners project recording stories, images, and experiences of immigrants in the UK. We talked about how to interpret British politeness, the insecurity of speaking in a second language and smiling for the sake of it. I am an Immigrant is and ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic. We love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests *Social Media:ice&fire - @iceandfireukLocal Foreigners project: www.localforeigners.org/Maryna's portfolio: www.martreya.com/Maryna's Instagram: @martreya Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Agnes is 23 years old and recently completed a Physics degree at Manchester University. She is from Gambia and has lived in the UK since she was 4. We talk about Gambia's weird borders, growing up in Dagenham when the British National Party had a big presence there and what happened when, despite aceing her A-Level exams and being offered places at four Russel Group universities, she found that her visa status scuppered everything. I am an Immigrant is and ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic. We love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests *Social Media:We Belong @WeBelong19https://www.webelong.org.uk/ice&fire - @iceandfireuk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicholas Hatton was born in France and now lives in Bristol. He is the CEO of the 3million – the largest campaign organisation for EU citizens in the UK, which he was instrumental in founding after the 2016 Brexit referendum We talked over zoom during lockdown about getting by in the UK without speaking the language, being lucky enough to find your calling in life and what the next post-Brexit battles will be for EU citizens living here. I hope you enjoy our conversation. *Find out more about the 3million I am an Immigrant is and ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic. We love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests * Social media3 million @the3millionice&fire - @iceandfireuk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Amber Murrey is a professor in Human Geography at Oxford University and is originally from the USA. Amber's wide-ranging and fascinating work focuses largely on resistance and social change in Africa (links below). We spoke about growing up in small town USA, the implications of being in a bi-racial relationship and, despite the UK government's refrain about welcoming so-called highly skilled migrants, the difficulties Amber faced when seeking visas for her children to come and live with her here. I hope you enjoy our conversation. * A full list of Amber's publications can be found here https://oxford.academia.edu/AmberMurrey Guardian article about the refusal of visas for Amber's children https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/oct/01/oxford-professors-children-refused-visas-to-join-her-in-uk I am an Immigrant is and ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic. We love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests * Social mediaAmber - @AmberMurreyice&fire - @iceandfireuk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Babou Ceesay is a BAFTA-nominated actor from Gambia. You may have seen him in BBC film Damiola, Our Loved Boy or the Star Wars film Rogue One, or Guerilla, the TV mini-series about British black power movements. He plays the lead in an upcoming Sky drama Wolfe, created by Paul Abbott (Autumn 2021). We talked about how Babou has dealt with the several twists and turns in his life – from barely getting by on poverty wages as a cleaner in London, to being recruited by Deloitte and working in the city, to biting the bullet and auditioning for drama school. The man is a natural born storyteller. Enjoy. * I am an Immigrant is and ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic. We love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests * Social mediaice&fire - @iceandfireuk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meltem is 28 years old, a social entrepreneur and award-winning campaigner, and she lives in Cambridge with her partner and one year old son. Originally from the Kurdish part Turkey she and her mother fled to seek asylum in Europe when Meltem was very young. They ended up in the UK and waited six years for a decision on their case, which was rejected, after which they were taken to the notorious Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre in Bedford and was locked up there at the age of 13 for 3 months. We didn't talk much about what happened during those three months in this interview because Meltem has talked extensively about it. We talked about what it's like being a child trying to find her place in the world and finding courage when it seems that all is lost. * I am an Immigrant is and ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic. We love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests *Social Media:ice&fire - @iceandfireukMeltem's TedEx talk www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDbicQlE6no#NoToHassockfield petition https://notohassockfield.org.uk/please-sign-agnes-tanohs-petition-at-change-org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Francisco Gomez is a veterinary surgeon from Spain who lives in a small town in Derbyshire. He came to the UK in the early 2000s thinking, like many of us do: I'll stay six months or so, do a bit of travelling, have a little adventure. But life happened, love happened, jobs were offered, and he stayed. We talked about what it's like to be the only immigrant in the village, how stressful a vet's life can be, and what happened when his English colleagues found out he routinely had a glass of wine with his lunch each day. “My accent is my accent, it's part of my identity. I don't want to lose it to be honest. It's a very good conversation starter when you've been here for three or four months. But when you've been here 15 years like me, it gets a bit boring.” Francisco has his own podcast: More than Just a Vet * I am an Immigrant is and ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic.We love hearing from you – email mailto:actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests *Social Media:ice&fire - @iceandfireukMore than Just a Vet @morethanavet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucian Msamati is an actor who grew up in Tanzania and Zimbabwe and has lived in London since his early 20s. He has worked extensively in theatre, TV and film (Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials, Gangs of London). I saw him most recently in an unforgettable portrayal of Salieri in Peter Schaffer's Amadeus at the National Theatre (which you can watch via NT at Home). We talked about what makes a place home, the long shadow of Robert Mugabe, paying the bills in an unpredictable profession, and a whole lot more. 'Opening the door when your children come home from school. Nothing quite beats that. It's like, wow, OK, this is their beginning. Their start in life is here. OK, I guess that means I am home.' * I am an Immigrant is and ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic.We love hearing from you – email mailto:actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests *Social Media:ice&fire - @iceandfireuk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Siobhán McSweeney is an actor from County Cork, Ireland, who now lives in London. She is perhaps best known as Sister Michael in Channel 4's Derry Girls and more recently as the host on The Great Pottery Throw Down. We had a lovely chat about the London-Irish experience, how Siobhán found her tribe, and about the huge gaps in the majority of British people's knowledge of Ireland.*'I learned quickly to stop talking to people at bus stops and it took me ages to not feel dreadfully rude that I wasn't even acknowledging the other person at the bus stop.'*I am an Immigrant is an ice&fire theatre production hosted by Christine Bacon, edited by Helen Clapp. Cover art by Ada Jusic. We love hearing from you – email actors@iceandfire.co.ukWe are particularly keen to hear your suggestions for future guests *Social Media:ice&fire - @iceandfireukSiobhán McSweeney @siobhni Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to I am an Immigrant – a podcast series where I talk with people who used to live somewhere else and now live here, in the UK. I'm Christine Bacon, an Australian of Irish descent who moved here 15 years ago. Most of us have a picture in our mind when we hear the word 'immigrant'. The truth is (don't tell anyone) we immigrants are mostly people who live regular lives, subscribe to streaming television services, work in a variety of jobs, socialise with friends, fall in and out of love, say and do stupid things and pick our kids up from school.This podcast is not about getting into the immigration debate. We've had decades if not centuries of that mostly toxic conversation. We won't talk about which migrants are good and how many is too many. Whatever image appears to you when you hear the word immigrant, I offer you this podcast to transform that picture into something way more interesting Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.