Bumi
I have lived in Glasgow, I’ve lived in Nigeria, Bath, Weston-Super-Mare and London.
My happiest memory was actually seeing my parents in love. I was probably about four years old and my mum and dad were playing hide and seek and when he found her, she was wearing this beautiful lilac-pink and purple cloth, it’s called a bou bou. He just picked her up and she was just laughing and I think that was the purest experience of love that I witnessed.
Lemongrass is a smell that reminds me of home.
My favourite meal? That’s not a fair question, I don’t think I have one. One of my favourite meals would be sweet potato with broccoli, avocado, beetroot, goats cheese and with fish, chicken or duck.
My favourite time of year is Summer or Autumn.
I’m in the UK because it was always in the blueprint of my life to be here based on my birth, being born in Glasgow, based on my parents being born as British subjects, based on my Grandmother’s sense of strong solvency, patriotism to the mother country. I’m also here because I love the freedom I have to explore my creative sensibilities and the beauty and the vibrance of multiculturalism in its purest form.
Citizens of the World Choir represents a true example of evolved humanity, it represents souls and voices, beings and sensibilities being enhanced in harmony with each other. It dissolves the separation of gender, race, class culture, age language. The choir represents multiple things to me and it's definitely a wonderful holistic community and also a powerful channel for advocacy and truly opening up conversations around what a balanced human experience is.
It's a beautiful concept. It is a really, really necessary space in this shifting and unstable volatile world.
My first main gig with the choir was the peace one day festival at Shakespeare’s Globe and that was beautiful. There are two moments that stick out, one was when we were rehearsing downstairs and everyone was finding their voices and that was so special. The second moment was after the entire concert and we all had a moment of silence that visualised the world at peace and it was profound, it was powerful.
With the fluid and ever-changing immigration laws, you never know what’s going to happen next.
Part of the reason why I joined the choir was that I applied in 2018 to indefinitely remain, which was refused in June of this year. I had 14 days to appeal the decision, leave the country voluntarily or face detention with possible deportation. So I chose to appeal and I had to start a campaign on go fund me and the petition was started on change.org which I got a diversity officer for the Scottish National Party and ended up getting 25,000 signatures in time for my hearing. The judge ruled in my favour just last week. I had a moment to crash and breathe.
It’s inconclusive because the home office wrote back and they wanted to offer 13 months and then for me to re-apply in 2022. So fine I have until then.
I feel lighter, more in a place to plan for the future and think about what I have really learned and what I should retain from this and how it translates into my creative practice.
I’m writing a lot of songs so I’m looking forward to translating this experience into my work and coming up with a vehicle that allows me to help people that are faced with a similar uncertainty.
Becky nominated me for the junior candidate experience so I have a lot of learning to do around policy and what it means to be an MP, what the restrictions are if you haven’t yet received your settlement, so I’m on a steep learning curve . I’m ultimately thankful for the peace of mind so I contemplate possible futures.
My hopes for the next 10 years are to love, to live, to grow. In my work and in my life. On top of my list is going to Glasgow. To establish roots, to branch out, see more of the world. Growing a family, I think I do want babies and I think I would be a really good mother. I’m serious about the MP world.
Don't be afraid of process, embrace the work, and then act on it, be true to yourself. Care about people, we have to care about each other.