| Description | An interview with Usman ALI, a single man with no children, who is a Student, born in Birmingham and now living in Birmingham. Usman ALI’s father was a Lathe operator, born in Bangladesh and his mother a Housewife born in Bangladesh. In the interview, he talks about …
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I was born on the 20th May, 1973 in Birmingham. My parents are from Bangladesh. My dad moved here in the late ‘60s. Worked in Essex for a couple of years in a factory, then moved to Birmingham. Returned to Bangladesh in 1972, married, then came back to UK in 1973.
40” I spent my first few weeks living in a little cupboard. My mum didn’t have a cot.
Parents' life in Birmingham was difficult but fun. Communal living. Experienced racism but also had lots of help from people. Mother doesn’t speak English, so children have to interpret.
3.00 Father and son used to visit Bull Ring every Saturday.
4.09 As a child, friends were from same street and area.
02
Loved school, everything about it. Mother didn’t view school as very important.
30” Staff were all Asian except two. 75% of pupils were Asian.
57” Unlike today where it’s all very pc, it was normal, it was an emphasis on Christianity, but nobody was bothered. We didn’t have a problem, I don’t think my parents had a problem with that.
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I started Marlborough Junior School in the early ‘80s. Explains how assemblies were conducted. All religions were acknowledged.
1.00 Feels that there is too much emphasis on providing for all religions at school. I think that it causes divisions. My attitude is that religion is the biggest divider in people, and personally I’m not very religious…
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I started at Waverley Secondary School in the mid-80s.
Found the environment imposing, but had friends from primary school.
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School had mainly Asian Boys, not many Asian girls.
Story about maths teachers. Liked maths but failed exams. Teachers could physically grab a pupil. Fearful of some teachers.
2.39 Story about being punished on first day at school.
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Ambition to become a police officer. Parents thought ‘get a good job, good career, good money, Get respect from the community, but not be a policeman’.
1.11 Most Muslim kids, or Asian kids in general, I should say, at the time were going into working in restaurants…and that’s one thing my parents actually encouraged me to avoid….
1.51 Exam results not good, so moved to a new school to join sixth form. Away from friends. Teased for being big and Asian, but things got better.
4.00 School rugby team, football and cricket. Became more confident.
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There’s a lot more to life than just being focussed on getting a career… and mixing with a lot of white people, that also changed my attitude towards life as well.
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Lost touch with old friends and now all friends, except two are white. Became a vegetarian, not touched meat since 1992.
1.07 I am very westernised, most of my friends tell me that. In fact, Anita, one of my closest friends, says that I may look Asian but I’m whiter than most white people in attitude. I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not, I still haven’t decided that yet.
1.26 I’m not very religious, which has brought a lot of conflict with my parents, a lot of conflict with relatives, and also conflict with people who were my friends in the past.
1.45 Describes Islamic school after regular classes and at weekends. Learnt Bengali. Found it all too much to cope with.
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Friends found his attitude to studying Islam strange. Used to stay late after school to avoid going to Islamic classes. Parents preferred that he attend Islamic classes than school.
2.20 Rugby team at school. Anecdote about teachers vs. pupils rugby match.
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Cockshut Hill Sixth form where I was at for 3 years between 1989-92.
Sixth form days were the most important to me to this day. The friends I made…. There’s a lot more out there.
50” Suffered arthritis, ‘Psoriatic arthritis’ which is a rare form. The year after sixth form spent in and out of hospital. After one year decided to get a voluntary position at a local advice centre in Small Heath, The Asian Welfare Association. Stayed 2 months. Then looked for full-time work.
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Applied for lots of jobs. Didn’t feel that he experienced racism of any kind.
In July,1993, I got a job at the NEC at the box office as a telesales clerk…
Worked there for 2 years.
1.24 I joined a club called ‘Spice’… and I got myself involved with fire eating…. Activity club which provided opportunities to do unusual sports,etc.
3.30 Story about losing money during working at the NEC.
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Describes some of the bands he met at the NEC.
56” Became interested in rock music at secondary school. Anecdote about buying first music tape.
2.10 Asian music and Bollywood films important to family and friends. Gives opinion on these films.
4.11 Recently becoming a little more interested in Bengali culture. Wants to see more of Bengali communities in eg. Tower Hamlets.
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Spent 5 years working at the NEC. After leaving entered competitions, and was given the task of writing film reviews and reporting on the local radio.
1.23 I saw an advert for the HNC Radio Broadcasting course which was based at South Birmingham College,and also community radio training at Winson Green. I went for that and got a place on it…
Describes the course style and fellow students.
3.00 Describes what a RSL station is.
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Doing the course gave him confidence to pursue a career in radio. Did further work experience in Coventry, Radio WM,…
1.25 Applied to do Media and communications course at UCE, but wasn’t accepted.
2.05 I eventually found a course in Sunderland to do radio, would have gone for it were it not for the fact that all the grants were being phased out and living away from home I thought would be a little too much..So decided to stay in Birmingham…
2.25 There was a course at UCE which was brand new for TV Technology and Production…. Offered a place and has now been doing the course for 2 years.
3.27 I’ve only ever been out with white girls, I’ve never been out with an Asian girl, mainly because I don’t know many and I also find myself having more in common with white people than Asian.. music,attitude,culture…
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Lives with friend Anita who is white. Anecdote about how mother doesn’t approve of them living together. ‘People on the street would talk, and ask the question, why is he bringing a white woman into the house’…
59” Conflict with mother over marriage.
2.09 Mother was never happy with career choice. Working in TV or radio, in her opinion, is not a proper career, it’s a fad…
3.38 Discusses how his friends from school have got married, had children and have responsibilities.
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Religion, it’s not something I’ve ever enjoyed at any point in my life. Religion was something that was drummed into me… and also going to Muslim school was the only time that I was actually bullied… Even to this day I really feel nervous going into a mosque…
2.01 My parents never really understood what having arthiritis can do to someone. It can really take your confidence away, it can ruin any kind of dream you had….To them it was an odd illness, some relatives thought that I’d brought it on myself for lack of religious belief, lack of moral belief and joining the dark side as it were.
3.18 Describes brothers’ ambitions. Compares his mother’s reaction to younger brother’s studies and to his own. Has 2 younger sisters, one of whom has Down’s Syndrome.
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After father died 6 years ago, brothers look after the needs of younger sisters.
Different attitude from mother towards sister’s future.
1.29 In Bangladeshi culture, daughters are meant to stay at home, help the mum cook, help with the washing, whereas with the sons it’s their responsibility to get a good education, get a job, help the dad….
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Brothers are closer to mother, so potential disagreement in future.
58” Story about conflict regarding sister’s school trip to France.
2.00 Keen to work overseas once the degree course has finished.
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Story about argument between mother and Usman in front of his friend Anita. Against living in extended family situation next door to mother.
3.33 At arthiritis clinic only person who was so young. Hard to come to terms with disease.
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Reflects on his ideal woman.
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Wants to work in radio, and specifically in rock music. Leisure time spent going to listen to live music.
2.09 I don’t know if I’ll ever be married. I don’t actually like the word marriage, maybe live with someone… I like kids, but I don’t think I’ll ever have kids of my own….I’m scared of having a kid who’s got the same condition as me….
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I do consider myself as a Brummie, I’ve lived in Birmingham all my life, I actually love Birmingham.
Thinks he will miss the Bull Ring when it is demolished.
1.17 Being an Asian , I’ve found very little racism in Birmingham. Maybe I’ve been lucky, I don’t know…
ENDS |