The growing appetite for Asia: Culture, travel and more

Anna Jackman on 9 February 2024

With the upcoming Lunar New year, also referred to as the ‘Chinese New Year’, ‘Tet’, ‘Spring Festival’ and other festivals such as India’s vibrant ‘Holi’ and the cherry blossom season the world is increasingly turning its attention to this dynamic continent. 

In an era of unprecedented global interconnectedness, cultural landscapes are undergoing a seismic shift, the allure and rise of Asian culture with trends from the east transferring to the West. From K-Pop anthems dominating music charts to the global obsession with ‘Squid game’, the West is experiencing an undeniable hunger for all things Asia. This fascination spans beyond entertainment, influencing fashion, cuisine and even travel aspirations. But beneath the glossy veneer of ‘Kawaii culture’ and trendy bubble tea shops lies a complex reality teeming with questions: Is our ‘appetite’ for Asia genuine cultural appreciation, or simply a fleeting fad fuelled by exoticisation and stereotypes?

With AMA award winning artists like BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) known for top hits like ‘Butter’ and ‘Dynamite’ and the rising success of emerging K-Pop groups like Le Sserafim and New Jeans – Korean music has solidified its place in the west. However, it doesn’t just stop at music. There has been increasing accessibility to K-dramas with both Prime and Netflix ‘Originals’ highlighting this global interest.  Furthermore, Academy award winning Parasite (2019) by Bong Joon-Ki was the first foreign language film to win Best Picture, while the newly released animation ‘The Boy and the Heron’ (2023) by the acclaimed animation house Studio Ghibli recently won a Golden Globe reinforcing East Asia’s media ascent. However, the global appetite for Asia reaches much wider than its role as a media superpower. It has asserted its position through market liberalisation, technological breakthroughs and an emphasis on human capital development which has surged its rapid rise and enhanced its global economic prosperity. 

The travel industry has capitalised on this ‘Asian Fever’ despite the effects of COVID. Countries like Thailand, Japan and Indonesia are rapidly rising in popularity as tourist destinations. The travel industry’s growth has been fuelled by improved infrastructure, increased flight connectivity and the rise of digital nomadism, making Asia more accessible than ever. However, the promotion of these ‘exotic’ destinations and curated experiences raises critical questions about responsible tourism practices. This can be seen through the capitalisation of the white middle to upper class desire of ‘finding themselves’, through backpacking across countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. Because of the allure of Southeast Asia as a ‘gap year paradise’, a destination dedicated for finding yourself, with beautiful vibrant culture, stunning landscape, and a different way of life, the region seems to offer the perfect escape. However, beneath the idyllic Instagram posts lies a more complex reality, prompting us to critically examine the narrative of ‘finding yourself’ in Southeast Asia. This romanticised view often stems from colonial era stereotypes, painting the region as mystical and otherworldly. This ‘exotic’ lens disregards the region’s rich history, complex challenges, and diverse identities. Ultimately, the idea of ‘finding yourself’ is driven by privileged individuals with the financial means and limited awareness of the power dynamics at play. Backpackers and short-term volunteers (through ‘Voluntourism’), though well-intentioned, inadvertently contribute to unequal power structures and gentrification and lead to critical questions about responsible tourism. 

‘Voluntourism’ is a form of tourism in which travellers participate in voluntary work, typically for charity. The work they can do may include social work such as volunteering at orphanages, agricultural work, healthcare, and education. However, voluntourism has led to local communities’ resources being drained and child exploitation. Research has shown that short-term orphanage volunteering can cause damage to children’s development and emotional well-being, creating unhealthy short-lived attachments and separation anxiety. 

Therefore, whilst the growing appetite for Asia reflects a global recognition of its dynamic and diverse nature, it is important to recognise the region’s diverse socio-economic realities, political struggles, and environmental challenges to foster a genuine appreciation and respectful engagement. As people continue to explore its rich cultural heritage, rapidly developing technology and engage with its art and entertainment, this fascination with Asia highlights it’s not just a fleeting trend. However, a nuanced and respectful approach is needed to truly understand and appreciate the rich tapestry of cultures and histories that make up the continent to ensure cultural appreciation rather than cultural appropriation.

Grief: Coping with death for the first time

Robyn Lawrence on 9 February 2024

Coping with death for the first time

Come to think of it, grief is a weird and wonderful concept. Now, hear me out. It’s weird because all of a sudden you are thrown into a world of sadness, anger, and often emptiness. You have to learn to cope with all of these intense emotions all at the same time. Happiness seems like an emotion that is out of reach; your world has crumbled down, and you often don’t know how to process your feelings. It’s weird in the sense that your emotions become uncontrollable, and you feel lost. And yet, it’s also wonderful. Not because someone has died, but because you get to reflect back on the memories you have with them. Looking back on these memories often fills us with sadness, because we can’t turn back time, but it’s a period of great reflection and understanding. A time to be grateful for your memories together. On the 16th December 2023, I lost my grandma to cancer, and this is our story. 

My Grandma

My grandma was my second mum and best friend. It often felt like it was me, my mum and my grandma against the world. I’ll always feel grateful for growing up around two strong women. It’s often after death that you truly realise how lucky you were.

She would always be there holding my hands through the most difficult of times. Helping to take me to school, attending my hospital appointments and guiding me through a period of bullying. Grandparents often feel like eternal beings that will be here forever. I do wish that was true. From going on holidays to Devon, shopping trips, or just simply sitting on the settee with her dogs, everything was perfect. Growing up, I always made a conscious effort to see her and spend time with her. It was the little things that mattered. Her dancing in the living room after I passed my maths GCSE, and eating her baked goods like cakes, buns and sausage rolls. I was highly convinced that she’d win the Great British Bake Off with her skills. She wasn’t as convinced. 

And then cancer happened. 

She had already been facing treatments and operations by the time I moved to university in 2022. The distance between you and an ill loved one is something indescribable. The guilt of not being there for them every day and the fear of the worst happening is otherworldly. But I knew she was proud of me, and I knew she wanted me to succeed. That is what you cling onto. 

Don’t be ashamed to cry

Even though you’re told it’s terminal, you still hold onto the hope that everything will be ok. It’s a way of shielding yourself from the inevitable truth and future heartbreak. When the time comes you think you’ll be ready. But the truth is, nobody is prepared for grief. 

This was my first time losing a loved one. Whilst experiencing death at any stage in life is devasting, your first time often comes with an overwhelming feeling that you won’t be able to cope. You feel a million things at once, wanting to scream at the universe for making this happen, questioning why a cure to cancer hasn’t been found yet. 

According to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, there are five stages of grief:

Denial: This is a stage where you often feel numb. You struggle to come to terms with the fact that somebody has died, and often think they’ll be coming back.

Anger: Death is unfair. You question why this had to happen. Why couldn’t they have lived? These are all valid emotions in your process of grieving.

Bargaining: We believe that doing certain things will make us feel better. This is the stage where you often ask the ‘what ifs’, in hopes you can go back in time and do something differently.

Depression: This is the stage we often associate with grief. The intense sadness can feel overwhelming as you mourn the loss of your loved one. It’s always important to remember that it is healthy to cry. So get those emotions out of your system.

Acceptance: This is the stage where we start to accept that our loved one has gone. 

Looking after you

Your loved one wouldn’t want you to neglect yourself after they’ve gone. I won’t bore you with the same old advice about looking after yourself by exercising, eating well and maintaining a good sleeping schedule. 

Coming from someone who is still grieving, these things often feel so out of reach. Of course, it’s important to make sure you look after your body and try to do the things which bring you joy during this difficult time. But sometimes it’s ok to feel like you can’t do anything and that things are a bit too much.

My biggest tip is to just be kind to yourself. As we’ve gone into this new semester, I’ve found myself going through waves of sadness. This is the first time I’ve not been able to contact my grandma whilst being away at university. The best way I’ve found to cope, though it’s easier said than done, is to focus on what’s in front of you. You’re not forgetting your loved one by trying to do your best in all aspects of your uni life. In fact, you’re doing the opposite. I know that by working hard and carrying on doing the things I love, I am honouring my grandma, and as I reflect back on my life with my grandma in it, I can’t help but smile. How lucky was I? 

I’ve often been told grief never goes away, you just learn to live alongside it. It’s not easy, but it’ll get easier.

University of Leeds scraps resit fees

Em O'Riley on 8 February 2024

Today (Thursday 8th February), the university announced it is removing fees for resits.

Resitting an assessment previously cost £2 per credit with a £50 administration fee. This meant that a single assessment worth all of the module credits could cost a student £90.

In a joint statement from the University and LUU, they said the removal of fees was a step in removing barriers to education.

Many students in Leeds are struggling from cost of living pressures. The critical extent of this problem was evidenced in an investigation for The Gryphon last month, which found that hardship fund applications had increased by 394%.

The University said it is responding to student feedback about the ‘hidden costs’ of university. In a context where living costs are rising disproportionately to the real-time value of maintenance loans, a resit fee is an unaffordable possibility to many.

The statement also cites student wellbeing as a reason for removing the cost pressure, “we also know that having to pay resit fees can add to the mental and emotional stress they may already be facing because their assessments haven’t gone to plan”.

The Gryphon spoke to Bethan Corner, the LUU Education Officer, who initiated the campaign to remove resit fees as part of her platform of addressing the hidden/additional costs of university. Unlike other proposals which would be course- or faculty-specific, resit fees are university wide. For Bethan, this meant this move was a “real win that we could do around hidden and additional costs”. She spoke about hearing from students who could not progress on their course, and had to drop out of university, because they could not afford the resit fee.

Bethan said the university were open to the idea from the beginning. Surplus profits from the 2022-23 academic year made the removal of fees possible beginning in January 2024.

The change means that no student would pay for resits for assessments taken from the January 2024 assessment period. Any student who has already paid for a resit following this will receive a refund. The removal of fees does not apply to assessments taken before January 2024.

On the possible critique that removing fees would de-incentivise students from working hard for their first-try assessments, Bethan said this was not a major consideration. She said that resits, especially those in the summer holidays, were already difficult enough for students and the net gain outweighs the small minority who may misuse this process.

The full University of Leeds and LUU statement is available from the following link

Leeds student walkout: voices amplified in solidarity with Palestine amidst growing humanitarian crisis

Ioana Gradinaru on 8 February 2024

Yesterday (Wednesday 7th February), the Leeds student walk out in solidarity with Palestine took place in front of the Parkinson building.

According to organisers, approximately 200 individuals attended the protest and march organised by the Leeds Socialist Worker Student Society in collaboration with other societies from University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University. The protest joined a national walkout calling on institutions to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. They called on the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University to end their partnerships with Israeli universities and the British arms-maker BAE Systems. They also called for student unions in Leeds to stand with Palestine.

The protest started outside the University of Leeds Parkinson building, with pro-Palestinian chants like “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Ceasefire now.” With placards, banners and flags, the protesters started their march down Woodhouse Lane, in front of the Old Broadcasting House where participants made several speeches.

Among the participating unions were the Leeds City branch of RMT, Leeds University Amnesty International, Leeds City College, Leeds Palestine Solidarity Group, Leeds Beckett Palestine Society and several other societies from the universities. The organisers claim that this has been the biggest turnout for a walkout since the start of the protests in October. The march was followed by a convoy of taxis, some of them with Palestinian flags, showing their support and solidarity.

Image: @swssleeds on Instagram

The speakers talked about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which is worsening according to various news agencies. The UN estimates that since the start of the war, 100,000 people in Gaza have been killed, injured or are missing. Al Jazeera estimates the death toll to be over 27,000.

Recently, nearly a dozen Western countries announced they will stop providing aid to Gaza through donations to UNRWA (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), which is one of the main ways Palestinians receive aid. The funding cuts come after Israeli officials accused several UNRWA employees of being involved in the October 7th attack. The UNRWA’s commissioner general said: “it would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an Agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region.”. He also announced: “I urge countries who have suspended their funding to re-consider their decisions before UNRWA is forced to suspend its humanitarian response. The lives of people in Gaza depend on this support and so does regional stability”. 

Issy Beauvoisin, a member of the Socialist Worker Student Society,  called on students in Leeds to take part in weekly student walkouts. “Boycotting is really important and a really effective way to get to the crux of the issue and supporting things like the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which organise the Saturday demos.” The Leeds Palestine Solidarity Campaign has been organising protests every Saturday since the beginning of October in the Leeds City Centre. Beauvoisin said: “I’d love for our universities to become more involved, especially our student unions.We’re really trying to ask them to become a little more sympathetic to the issue of Palestine and support us more and allow us to do more activism on campus.”

The protesters also flew Yemen’s flag, in solidarity with the bombings taking place there right now. Since mid-November, Houthi rebels have been attacking ships and blocking the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestine. According to CNN, the Suez Canal has great importance in global trade, with 12% of global trade passing through it yearly. When a ship got stuck and blocked the canal for almost a week in 2021, it caused interruptions in trade worth “as much as $10 billion in cargo each day.” 

Since the October 7th attacks, many world leaders have been accused by the media of mishandling the situation. As protests continue around the world, it is up to these leaders to decide the next moves in this conflict.

In a previous statement on the Israel-Palestine conflict, a spokesperson for the University of Leeds said “we are writing to express our continued support for all in our community who are affected by the terrible conflict in Israel and Gaza and its devastating impact on civilians in the region.”. They also said they are committed to free speech and the right to demonstrate.

Independent Venues Week: English Teacher are Writing R&B for You

Eve Moat on 6 February 2024 

Written and Edited by Eve Moat

Monday 29th January brought the up-and-coming band English Teacher to the intimate venue The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge, just up the road from where the lead singer, Lily Fontaine, grew up in Colne. The band coming out of Leeds proved the talent that the city is producing, and how wonderful it is to hear local music in local independent venues.

Entering the venue from the rainy outdoors of a dark, windy Hebden Bridge, the warmth hit into me, and I immediately felt at home. A typical working men’s club, with proper pub-vibes, and the frontage of a back-door music club. It was like all the little pubs I’d ventured into in the north as a kid, and the intimate music venues I’d experienced the comfort of as I’ve grown older. Later in the night, Fontaine remarked that 2023 had been the year that most independent venues had closed in recent history, and thanked everyone for coming down to support The Trades Club and help small venues continue to live on and support promising new talents, especially local musicians.

Image Credit: Eve Moat

To start, the support band Nightbus took to the stage just after I arrived: a three-piece band with an unusual sound, defined into a genre only by their heavy guitars and crunching rhythms. Playing tracks with different vocal arrangements and a set that made me feel all different emotions, the new band from just over in Manchester gave servings of their debut indie track and left me sipping my lime and soda at the bar in a content state.

After a short interlude (and a bit of shuffling forward through the crowd from myself), the avidly awaited English Teacher graced the stage. The band consists of Lily Fontaine (as aforementioned) as lead vocals; Lewis Whiting on guitar; Douglas Frost on drums; and Nicholas Eden on bass. Opening with one of their newer tracks ‘Nearly Daffodils’ got the crowd going and the tempo soared throughout the venue. It embodied a great mix of soothing vocals with gritty sounds and heavy instrumental: a well-planned way to start off their set. With each song came new lighting, creating a beautiful haze around Fontaine and a lovely ambience around the warm room. The colourful lights mirrored the feeling of each track and embodied the collective feeling of the crowd in relation to the music.

Image Credit: Eve Moat

Some of my favourite English Teacher tracks ‘A55’ and ‘Mastermind Specialism’ came back to back in the setlist and complimented each other perfectly. The soft melodies falling off the strings of the guitar in both songs accompanied by calming, deep vocals left the whole room swaying and staring on in awe. Fontaine even remarked that ‘A55’ is about drinking too much, and that ‘Mastermind Specialism’ is about making bad decisions (usually caused by drinking too much), which got the crowd laughing along. She also asked, “can you tell I’m trying to fill time?”, reminding the crowd of their new band status. However, the crowd didn’t care that they were inexperienced as we continued to cheer them on and lapped up every bit of their performance. The subsequent track was ‘You Blister My Paint’, which isn’t a regular in my music listening but was beautiful, with heart-wrenching lyrics and almost semi-operatic vocals and left the crowd applauding and cheering.

One of my favourite new tracks of theirs is ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’ because of its groovy nature, catchy bassline, and guitar harmonies. When this was announced, I started bopping along, and it was many times more amazing hearing it live than through the speaker in my phone (despite how much I loved it the first time I heard it). Another older track from their discography was the penultimate song of the set, with ‘R&B’ getting the crowd to go a little crazy, as does the song as it continues. ‘R&B’ talks about how English Teacher “despite appearances, [I] haven’t got the voice for R&B” but “[I’ve] been writing R&B”, showing the irony in these statements, along with the fact that people may think they look like an R&B band, but they’re solely indie, rock and drops of folk, suggesting you shouldn’t judge a book by it cover.

Finishing with their latest release ‘Albert Road’, written as an ode to Colne, was a perfect end to a brilliant event for an incredible event. I could’ve listened to English Teacher all night long, and I would recommend you take a walk with them down Albert Road too.

Lighting could be installed in Woodhouse Moor to make it ‘more welcoming for women’

Ria Sharma on 2 February 2024

It is hoped that a community artwork and lighting project could make Woodhouse Moor more welcoming for women.

Woodhouse Moor is the most visited park in the city with 3 million visitors a year and is a student favourite because of its location next to the University of Leeds.

But the park, which has no street lighting, is pitch black at night which, according to some residents, has led to it becoming synonymous with criminal behaviour.

Sara Sheikh, who lives in Hyde Park, says: “I think it’s dangerous that the park doesn’t have any lights, especially being so close to the university and accommodation, at night it makes it unwelcome and scary. Also, we have seen a lot of safety issues recently to do with women walking out at night.”

A research group in the University of Leeds School of Law have conducted a study that found many women avoid parks and deem them unsafe – especially at night.

Similarly, in 2022, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that 82% of women felt ‘very or fairly unsafe alone in a public setting” at night. The ONS also found that women are three times more likely than men to feel unsafe in parks during the day.

However, this could soon change in Woodhouse Moor.

Wow Park, which was announced last month, is a collaborative project by the University of Leeds, Leeds City Council and the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin. It aims to introduce public art and lighting to make Woodhouse Moor safer for women.

It comes despite the fact that Leeds City Council has in the past refused to install lighting in the park due to fears it could allow attackers to wait in the dark spaces to prey upon people in the lit areas.

Anna Barker is an Associate Professor in Criminal Justice & Criminology at the University of Leeds. She has led several projects surrounding the issue of parks and is involved in the proposed project in Woodhouse Moor.

Barker told The Gryphon that she was inspired by statistics such as the ONS research that says that women feel less safe in parks than they do in other types of public spaces such as residential streets, high streets and on public transport.

“Our perceptions of safety matter as they influence our behaviour, and the result is often that women and girls restrict their use of parks and alter their behaviour to keep themselves safe. This can have a significant impact on their lives, and their ability to move freely around our towns and cities as parks provide key connecting routes, to socialise, improve well-being and engage in physical activity and exercise in parks, especially when alone.”

She says there currently aren’t any detailed proposals for the design or location of the lighting as these will be shaped in consultation with the community in the coming months.

“We will be working closely with the local community to hear their views on several different creative interventions which could help to make Woodhouse Moor a more welcoming place for women and girls.”

Barker says that her research has shown that women feel safer in well-used parks, particularly where there is a strong presence of other women who act as a signal of safety.

She said that the women she spoke to in her original research “valued amenities, activities, facilities and interventions that bring people to the park, especially other women, activate and animate the space and create a sense of belonging.”

The project will begin in the next few weeks with the designs revealed in late spring and early summer.