Manifesto & Priorities

My name is Kojo Kamara and I am studying Medical Anthropology at SOAS. I was born and raised in NW8, Kilburn, on the Rowley Way estate, a place that taught me everything about resilience, community and inequality. Growing up, I witnessed both the beauty and the brutality of working-class life. Families helped each other survive under pressure, and young people had to navigate systems that were never built for them. My journey from foster care to higher education, from acting to anthropology, has been shaped by perseverance, creativity and a determination to make invisible stories visible.

As an actor and writer, I have spent over a decade exploring human behaviour through performance. My transition to anthropology reflects a deeper interest in how class, trauma and culture shape identity. My mother's story, as a survivor of child marriage and migration from Sierra Leone, taught me that resilience can be inherited as much as trauma. I believe the same is true of our working-class experience. Despite hardship, we carry immense strength, ingenuity and solidarity.

I am standing to be your Working Class Officer because I want every working-class student at SOAS to feel seen, supported and empowered. Too often our struggles, whether financial, emotional or social, remain invisible. Working-class students face barriers from the rising cost of living, insecure housing and the pressures of elitism. We deserve a SOAS that recognises our full humanity, our creative potential and our right to thrive.

If elected, I will focus on five key priorities:

• Financial Accessibility. I will campaign for greater transparency of bursaries, scholarships and emergency funds, ensuring no student is forced to choose between studying and surviving. I will also advocate for affordable food options and better access to part-time work around academic schedules.
• Community and Belonging. I will establish a Working Class Student Network, a space for connection, mentorship and solidarity. Workshops, open mic nights and storytelling events will celebrate our identities and strengthen belonging at SOAS.
• Mental Health and Wellbeing. I will push for class-conscious mental health support that recognises intersections of class, race and trauma. Our challenges are structural, and support must reflect that reality.
• Career and Creative Pathways. I will work with alumni and professionals to provide career mentoring, particularly in the arts, research and media, where working-class representation is limited.
• Amplifying Voices. I will use creative and academic platforms to showcase the resilience of working-class students, collaborating with societies, artists and researchers to challenge stereotypes and celebrate achievements.

Resilience is not only about surviving hardship; it is about transforming it into purpose. My life, my studies and my art are dedicated to that transformation. As Working Class Officer, I will ensure every student from a working-class background has the resources, recognition and respect they deserve.