Parwana Haydar
Parwana Haydar

Activities and Events

Parwana Haydar

(she/her)

Email: ph41@soas.ac.uk

 

Hi everyone!
My name is Parwana and I’ll be your co-president of activities and events this year.
Lets face it, university can be really boring and it’s my job to spice it up a bit.
The best late licences are the ones with live music events before, Student DJs, poetry readings, dance performances and more - so please let me know if you have a hidden talent and we will give you the stage! I will support you in your zine projects, radio shows, podcasts, open decks nights in the JCR and everything that your mind can imagine for a year you won't forget.
There will also be a series of talks on organising with art as a medium and people from outside of SOAS will come tell us how they create parallel structures of creativity and fun that have radical joy at its heart. Let me know if you want to arrange one of the talks and have connections to musicians, filmmakers, writers, curators or anyone you want to bring in - my email is open and its ph41@soas.ac.uk

I am really excited to have the support of a strong team and together with the societies I am excited to build another SOAS.

Hugs,
Parwana

 

My Manifesto

It was when I learned that activism can be collective creativity, conversations after film screenings and zine making that I started to really enjoy my time at SOAS. The most impactful experiences for me have been the drag shows, the music performances, the cultural nights and the late licences. I wanna see all of you dancing on tables in the SOAS bar, conspiring against adam habib in the smoking area and shaking it to the most guilty pleasure tunes by our SOAS amateur DJ collective!

Future projects and ideas!

  • Open door policy and weekly drop in sessions - the student union is yours, and I want everyone to remember that.

  • I want to simplify the process of setting up events so that it's easy to organise for all students and societies!

  • More concerts and performances showcasing the student body’s talent. We have so much to learn from each other and so many projects to collaborate on.

  • More inclusion of PG and mature students into student activism and organising of events - they have skills and experience that are incredibly valuable for all of us.

  • DJ workshops both in the SOAS radio and as an open decks night for students interested in playing their own tunes thursdays nights in the bar.

  • Encourage more SOAS Radio training sessions - we need more student-led podcasts and music shows now that the radio will be refurbished.

  • #NoBurnOuts! As a young student activist back in 2019 I wish someone had taught me how to organise in accessible and effective ways that includes rest and boundaries. I want to be a part of creating a healthy activist environment in the student body that relies on passion for the cause and centres CARE & JOY. It would make us truly unstoppable and would lead to the absolute fall of management.

 

Societies & Sports

  • As an organiser of a collective for amateur filmmakers I have experience in facilitating spaces for homegrown talent. I want to advocate with people of disadvantaged communities like myself, who didn't grow up seeing ourselves planning parties, setting up a drag show or DJing at a late licence.

  • I want to be serving campaigns and societies such as Enough is Enough, SOAS Disabled Students Society, Justice 4 Workers, Soas Palestine Society by archiving the fight and fundraising through ticketed events.

  • Increase student engagement in the sports societies both in terms of participation but also as audience in tournaments so the sports societies get the support they need!

 

Outside of SOAS collabs & events.

I want to bring in organisers, artists and activists from all over London (including previous SOAS activists) to show us their ways in a series of workshops on organising.

  • Hajar Press is an independent political publishing house run by and for people of colour. I would like to invite them to do readings, workshops and guest teachings.

  • Organising workshop by “Remember & Resist!” a project doing important abolitionist and community work which includes zine making.

  • The power of film - film screenings and talks with radical filmmakers I have met throughout my time in London including Habibi Collective & Other Cinemas.

 

What do I bring to the role?

  • Organising member of Kin Collective; a film collective for racialised amateur artists.

  • Student of “Other Cinemas” film school

  • Editor of the zine “Homebound” by Kin Collective.

  • South London Gallery Radical Film School graduate

  • Campaigner for Demilitarise SOAS

  • Decolonising our minds society member.

 

Officer Blog

Keep up to date with the work I'm up to by checking out my Officer Blog!

 

Recent posts:

 

This webpage was last updated on: 07 Sep 2022 15:15