them

this is a big one with loads of related entries because of where I was, who I was with and what I was doing: some friends had organised a session of Somali music in Regents Park. I took W+C to it.

• W laughing at a woman in hijab taking through her veil on a mobile phone
• Man standing behind us sarcastically commenting that the music is top of hit parade
• W saying how much she would have prefered 'authentic' music (ie not the fantastic electric guitar-playing or when the Oud was backed up by rhythms from a synth).
• White people sitting totally separated from Somali people. We also sat in the sun with the other white people.
• I chose not to introduce W+C to one of the organisers because I was nervous that they would say a dumb racist comment. Though, it could have been read by L that I was ashamed to introduce her. I know she could have looked after herself and I'm sure now it would have been better for W+C to actually meet her
• W saying that Somali people have 'such beautiful children'
• I judged the white people who were dancing and getting into the music, laughing at them, believing them 'tourists' while I simulataneously believed that I was being harshly judged by the non-Somali black woman in front of me because I was getting into it, because I had feelings that were protective of the event, because on some level, they were my Eastend community out on show and I was proud of 'us'.

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