Community Power Podcast Series 3 Episode 10: Connecting through faith, food and shared spaces – the women of Welsh House Farm

Episode 10: Connecting through faith, food and shared spaces – the women of Welsh House Farm 

Chris Allen

Hello and welcome to the latest Community Power Podcast, a series being brought to you in partnership with Local Trust. My name is Chris Allen, and in this series of podcasts, we’re showcasing some incredible projects, focusing in particular on what happens when you give local people their resources, the power and the assets to make a difference to their neighbourhoods. With me is series producer Kirsten Sinclair, it is the penultimate episode in this series and a chance for me to get out on the road. 

Kirsten Sinclair

Yes, we sent you to Welsh House Farm, a deprived area, but with a wholesome community spirit, which is located in the southwest of Birmingham. We spoke with three lovely ladies – Dadirai, Roya and Samina – about their women’s diaspora group. And each of them have their own incredible and harrowing stories that are not only inspirational, but give hope. 

Chris Allen

On the Community Power Podcast, I’d often get out to an area to meet people. Today, one of those exciting days when I can do I’ve come across to Birmingham. I’m in Welsh House Farm, where there has been a Big Local programme running for the last 10 years or so. And I’m glad to say I’m joined by three other ladies, and I’m going to get them to introduce themselves. So first of all. 

Dadirai Tsopo

My name is Dadirai Tsopo, and I’ve been with Big Local since 2016. I was a volunteer chair for three years, and I became a worker. I’m now a freelance community worker at the minute. 

Roya

Yeah, my name is Roya. I’m a lunchtime supervisor in (…)Engineers School for nearly 10 years. 

Samina

Yeah, my name is Samina. I’m housewife because my son is very small, and I’m student of this diaspora. 

Chris Allen

I think we’re going to start off with you Dadirai because you’ve been here right through the programme and actually started this group. Tell us about how, how you found the need for the group, and tell us a little bit about what we what we understand by diaspora, you know, in terms of the name that you’ve got for the group. 

Dadirai Tsopo

Yeah, back in 2016 as soon as we got our initial tranche of funding for the Big Local, we had a community discussion where the need for a group of women to meet up was talked about. We didn’t quite know how this would come to come up to be so we just formed a group of women. We invited all women to come, because what we wanted is for all women to enjoy spaces together in the community. And out of that, then came a secondary need to have a women of migrant origin who didn’t feel they quite fitted into the main group. And that’s that’s how the diaspora women’s group started. 

Chris Allen

And is that how you define diaspora? By saying of migrant origin? Is that an accurate way of describing the word itself? 

Diaspora actually is a biblical term which describes people who are far away from their lands. You know, like back in the day when the Israelites were in Babylon. So they were a group of people that were not in their home countries, but were living far away and thriving far away. So the diaspora, in this case, means women of migrant origin or from around the world who are living outside of their countries. 

Chris Allen

And obviously you saw the need for that particular group in this area, and that became quite a strong identity for this group, but also brought in quite there were quite a number you’re talking about here. I know we’ve only three of you here today, because we’ve only got room for three of you. But actually quite a strong group, and it was a union, unifying force, and perhaps helping people to restore a little bit of the identity that may have been lost because they’re no longer near their homeland? 

Dadirai Tsopo

That’s correct. There was a need for women who came from around the world to have somewhere to meet. They missed home. They missed talking about home. They missed food. They just missed places where they could just be women and be free just to dream and to talk about their travels. You know, how they came here and what they want to do, most importantly. And how they felt quite lonely, far away from home, even in the midst of their own families, you know. So that became the driving force behind the formation of the group. 

Chris Allen

And Roya, you joined the group. Tell us a little bit about the first impressions that you got and some of the enjoyment you began to get out of the group when you first joined. 

Roya

Yeah, it was amazing. It was one of the loveliest. One of my best friend Zakiya, she invited me to the group. First time when I came, I meet a lot of lovely ladies. Sometime I thought I feel lonely. When I saw all the lady, we had same feel and that’s right. She gave me a lot of love, and she said, ​“Okay, Roya, see you next time”. And I say, ​“of course, of course”. And that’s why I’m here. 

Chris Allen

That’s brilliant. But tell us about your story before then in coming to the UK. You didn’t have the easy sort of upbringing, your father protecting you. Tell us about your personal story, because that then ties into why this group is so important for you now. 

Roya

Yeah, I came from Afghanistan, from a very big family, very lovely family. We really love each other. And I went to university. My all family, they are educated. Then when the Taliban came, first time when the Taliban came and the university closed, then I didn’t have any other option, just I get married and I came here, and my dad, he thought it’s the best decision. He wanted to save my life because Afghanistan was war. And I came to this country I feel was totally disappointed, because the weather, the people, the language, the food, everything was totally different for me. 

Chris Allen

Completely alien to what you used to. And again, you know, you were isolated from your family as well. I mean your father obviously doing the best thing for you that he thought he could possibly do, but it was almost like a brand new start, but you had to leave behind almost your culture and your heritage. 

Roya

Yes, yeah, yeah. The culture, the everything, was new for me. And I remember, I remember, and I will keep it all the time, this good memory when I came first, when I came to UK, and after two days, I went outside with my husband. And when I saw my husband said, ​“Where is your coat?” I say, ​“No, the weather is good”. And after 10 minutes, the rain starts. And then I say, ​“Oh my God, in this season and rain!” Yeah, I love this country. And slowly, slowly, my husband helped me to find my way. 

Chris Allen

That’s great to hear. And yeah, we all moan about the weather, even if we lived here all our lives, that’s just a part of what we do. But also, the group has helped you to not forget everything that you left behind. So there’s a little bit of Afghanistan still with you through the group. 

Roya

Yes, yeah, yeah. In the group, I meet a lot of Afghani lady, ladies from Pakistan, lady from Poland, and she was lonely than me. Then I told, ​“Don’t worry, group will help you. We are like a family here.” And yes, I got a lot of benefit from from the group, especially when we taste our traditional food. Then I say, ​“Oh, we have same thing, like this food” and like the clothes, we say, ​“Oh, you’re still using Pakistani clothes, like Samina,” and sometimes one of the Polish lady, she love. She loved my clothes, my style, and then she said, ​“Oh yeah, how long you’re living here?” I say, ​“such a long time, but I love Afghani clothes”. Then she say, ​“oh, it’s amazing”. Yeah, we are talking to each other. We are talking about our children, about our teenage children, about our children education. And this group, I ask a lot about the schools. Which school is good for our children, because they when my son finished year seven, year six, for year seven, I had a little bit difficulty because my two girls, they went to the girls school, and my son, he asked me, ​“Mummy, what should I do?” I will ask for you. And a lot of ladies there gave me very, very good comments about the Lissa school, about the our Dwellings school, about all school around us, and that’s why I’m glad I’m here. 

Chris Allen

So obviously, from what you’re saying there, then you trusted the people that you were in the group with, and they were able to give you good advice. But being in a place with trusted people was really important to you. 

Roya

Yeah, it was very, very important to me, because, you know, they sent they had older children than me, like now I am giving advice to the children. ​“Oh, Lissas is one of the good school. Hillcrest is good school. Four Dwellings is good school.” That’s why I trust them, because they was all same, like me. 

Chris Allen

And Samina. Well, Roya has already given away that you came from Pakistan. Tell us a little bit about your story before you came to the UK. 

Samina

Yeah, in 2014. Yeah, we are very happy family as well. But in 2014 the incident happened in Pakistan. So in the school the Taliban came and they shouted and shooted the children, you know, in a school. So at that time, my two son was there. One is died, age of 13, and one is seriously injured. So he need the treatment. So after 40 days, we came here in 2015. The month of February, 2015 we came here. So the treatment was there in a Queen Elizabeth Hospital. So I was with him one and a half month. And I didn’t saw outside. I came outside for a walk a little bit. But I know the way that it was. War, is every time is not good, but, uh, because at that time we are in a trauma. We are in, um, we have, we have a lot of things in going in our life. So just we, we said, we feel sad for the son who’s passed away, and the other one is injured, and he’s in hospital. Treatment is going on. So the time is going, going, going. And it’s like my son has a trauma, big trauma. He feel like some things water on his hand, full bodies and everything is like warm water. So after one and a half month, we left the hospital and we came. 

So we live seven months, seven years, in Harborne High Street. No Harborne near the hospital. So then we move here in 2021 and every time my little son was born here, so every time I sit with him outside on the garden, and I met with her two three times with Dadirai. And she told me, ​“hi, hi, what’s your name”, and like, talking. And then after, after, she told me that, ​“oh, we are, like, going on a classes this ball, and there is meeting lot of women the others countries, every country’s womens are coming here. So you come and join us”. Then I came here, and I met with the lots of women like Pakistanis, Afghanistani, Iran, everyone. So a lot of countries. So then I joined it, and the journey started. 

Chris Allen

Well, first of all, thank you for sharing very personal story. And you know everybody will be sorry for your loss and wonder, how is your son? Now, who was, who was injured? Is he? I’m sure he’s got mental scars on there, but it but is he okay now? 

Samina

Yeah, he’s fantastic. Now he’s good. He even after the trauma, he’s still like, little bit like aggressive, but he’s very good boy. After he finished treatment, he went he started his education from here. First he go to Harborne Academy. Then he got a scholarship from Edgbaston King Edwards. And after A level, he went to the Oxford and now he got a degree. And now he doing a master and for law in London College. 

Chris Allen

He’s a very clever young man isn’t he? And Dadirai, when you hear that story, and both those stories, really, how does it make you feel about this group and the fact you were able to bring these ladies together and other ladies together and give them so much strength when they’ve come through, you know, incredible trauma? 

Dadirai Tsopo

I think what it makes me feel is that I was able to answer a need, because this need came from one of the ladies. And I was able to do this with them and create a space that is safe for them to come and recover from the traumas that they have talked about and just be women. You know, it makes me feel proud that even I’m of a migrant origin as well. You know, I’m from Zimbabwe, but I think I probably took a lot of things for granted before the group, because I could manoeuvre my way in society the best I could. But when this group started, then I knew that we had hit the nail on the head somehow. And women found it very valuable. And it’s it’s bigger than what I sort of saw into the future when we started. It’s much more than just an English class. It’s, it’s become a family of sorts. 

Chris Allen

Yeah, well, it clearly has, you know. That’s absolutely obvious to all of us. And you mentioned the language, and I have to say, Roya and Samina, your English is astounding, you know, very, very clear. And so thank you. Thank you for that, and well done on that. And was it the language learning to start with, it sort of began to be really important to you Roya? 

Roya

Yeah, it was very, very important. First, it was very difficult, because in Afghanistan, we learn at school different language, like in my school, it was French. And then when the government changed. They changed the language in Afghanistan, it was Arabic. And when the Najib government destroyed and the other people when come, they call Mujahideen, the school was open, but when the Taliban came, the school was and the university close for ladies like now, all the ladies are at home in Afghanistan. They couldn’t go to school, university, very clever ladies. 

That’s why I’m talking most of the time with my girls. And I say girls, ​“you’re very lucky in Afghanistan. Ladies couldn’t go outside even. They couldn’t go to the GP to the doctor”. Then my girls, they couldn’t believe it. And when I came here, my husband, he really encouraged me to learn English language. Then I still remember the first word when I spell it. It was ​“because”. I will never forget it. And it was very important for me to sort out my problem and help with my children. Still, when I am reading a book with my children, they’ll say, ​“oh my, your accent is totally different”. I say ​“yes, but I can read.” 

Chris Allen

Absolutely and your English is very, very clear. And language is really important, because otherwise you feel excluded from the communities that you’re in. And Samina, again, your language very, very clear as well. So again, meeting with others, advancing your language has been very important for you, so you become a part of the community? 

Samina

It’s very important for me, because I and my English is better when I move here, because in Harborne I live there a lot of people are, you know, students, doctors, everyone staying home, not out, and there is no community centre or not like this. So I always stay at home or just going with my friends. But here I came and go out and talking and coming here. And it’s make my English better. Before I can’t speak like this. Like a broken English you can say. But now I’m speaking like this. It’s all thanks to… 

Chris Allen

Absolutely no, absolutely brilliant. And you know, that’s obviously been one of the core values of the group, to help people. And one of the reasons why you came together in the first place was to learn language. And you’re you’re sitting there, you know, as evidence of how successful the group has been. Right, let’s talk about food, I think, shall we? Because that’s becoming a really important part of the group. Now Dadirai, obviously bringing people together, like you have done, but lots of different cultures, lots of different learning about food. But food is always fun, and it’s a real uniting factor, isn’t it? 

Dadirai Tsopo

Yes, exactly. And it’s quite funny, because we never, when we started the group, we never planned on doing anything foodie. But I remember at the when we finished the first session of the English class, you know, at the very beginning, while we’re still at another organisation, the Big Local was based there. I remember, at the end to celebrate the fact that we had finished this, these sessions, all the ladies just said, ​“next week, we are, we are bringing food, food from all, from all, from, from around the world”. I remember, and I remember the excitement with which they said it, because I had offered to just buy a cake and do the, you know, the usual thing, but they found it quite boring, obviously that, ​“oh no, Dadirai. Come on, we can do better than that”. 

And food sharing is something that is very common within diasporatic communities, and it just started to sort of pan out. And everybody brought food and we started sharing. And I remember ladies being very keen to share with everyone who was at the centre, even those who are not part of the group. They called everybody down. They said, ​“Come, let’s serve you food. Sit down and eat”. And, and I could see how it lifts their hearts up, you know, just being able to share their culture. We all then shared our cultures that day and and it was a wonderful it was the start of a very, very long story that is still going on right now. 

Chris Allen

And Roya obviously contributed to that. What’s, what’s, what’s your favourite dish from Afghanistan? 

Roya

Afghanistan, all food are delicious, amazing. And in Afghanistan, kabuli pulao is favourite, my favourite dish, and mantu. 

Chris Allen

Can you explain to us what it tastes like? 

Roya

Yeah, the taste is amazing. Very tasty food. Kabuli Pulao made from meat and rice, and Mantu made from a lot of onion and meat, and we with some dough, we make it very thin, and it’s half, very long process, but it’s very yummy, very delicious. 

Chris Allen

Thanks. Actually, as we’ve been talking about food, my tummy is beginning to sort of, you know, I’m beginning to feel hunger pangs. But Samina, it’d be good to hear you know your favourite dish and and what you bring to the party, so to speak? 

Samina

Mostly biryani. In the biryani, we use lot of spices. Some people love with chicken. Some love with meat and rice. So it’s basically made from rice and chicken. 

Chris Allen

Maybe we’ll do another we’ll do a food podcast. We’ll do a foodie podcast. That would be really good to do. Now, would you talk a little bit just about faith? In some ways, because faith is important to people, but sometimes you know faith becomes extremist and and has caused you incredible suffering. I just wondered how you feel about faith now from what you’ve been through? Samina in particular, you know, because you’ve been through such trauma. Have you been able to sort of continue to believe and almost trust God through all the experiences that you’ve had to face? Of some people acting almost in the name of God, yet it has been evil, what they have done? 

Samina

No, no, I love this country because of because then they believe you, that you, you have any faith, you can go with this. And I there, we came here, and I, my faith is more strong that in where we go. And like, like, I’m Muslims, and I love my faith, and I always been Muslims. If I go to any another country like they said that don’t wear a hijab, don’t wear like this, and don’t wear. But here nobody, everybody is respected, respected for your hijab, for your clothes. You can wear your clothes and go anywhere. And you feel happy for this. I feel very happy for this when I wear clothes and where I wear my hijab, and people talk with me with a very respected so I feel very happy at that times of Alhamdulillah, I came in this country who respect my religion or my respect my faith. 

Chris Allen

And Roya you nodding at that. Is your experience similar? 

Roya

Yes, yes, similar, because I’m working at school with a lot of children, and they know in the Ramazan time, I’m fasting. And one of my very good memory 2013 when first year I start my work at school. After six years, six months, the Ramazan time came, and I start fasting. Then in this day, it was Wednesday, I should go to the kitchen. But the my supervisor, she said, ​“Oh no, Roya, you don’t need to go to the kitchen”. I said, ​“why?” She said, ​“Because you are fasting. And here is a lot of food. You will smell the food. It’s not easy for you.” All the ramazan, they make me off from the kitchen, and I will never forget. They really, I really appreciate it, and they respect my religion. That’s why I’m telling to my children, I’m four children’s mum. They say, ​“Mummy, which religion is the best religion?” I say, ​“to be good person”, because I will never forget my supervisor. She said, ​“Oh, no, do you don’t go to the kitchen because you are fasting”. She never fast, but she respects me. That’s why it was one of the amazing memories. 

Chris Allen

Incredible act of kindness, really, and respect that. And Dadirai again, when you hear that, what’s your kind of reaction to that of just bringing ladies into a culture whereby they are respected, they are recognised for who they are and are not subjugated. Which would which is what’s happened in their home countries? 

Dadirai Tsopo

You know, that was always at the back of my mind when I started because there were people who didn’t believe that a separate group would thrive in a community. In fact, they thought it was counterproductive for me to be encouraging migrant ladies to meet separately from the main women’s group, which was already operating, but I went into it quite with an open mind. I’m Christian, but I didn’t see that as a negative. I actually saw it as an opportunity for me to link up with people of faith or non or no faith at all, because we it wasn’t a condition to come to the group. It just so happened that, you know, most of us, you know we, most of the ladies were from, were Muslim, but some were Christian. Some were of no faith. 

But what, what, what I saw, on a personal level, is that it actually strengthened my own faith as well, in that, you know, we spend time thinking we are different when we are actually at the core of it, the religion of being good is what we preach, and that’s what we’re preaching in that group. That when we’re there in the group, it’s like faith isn’t an obstacle. In fact, it is what draws people in. We we’re all of the same faith. Our faith is love, and whether we are Muslim or Christian or we don’t believe, we found that we have been able to come together and share our traumas and share our stories, laugh, cry together, sometimes even. Travel together, bring our kids and families together and celebrate. And I think faith has been if anything has strengthened who, what our group does, and who we are as a group of women. The group has sort of grown organically, such that faith has come to actually add on and improve and draw people together and strengthen relationships, rather than move people apart. 

Chris Allen

Right we ought to think about what comes next? What’s going to carry on? Big Local’s coming to an end, and that you obviously want this group, well, I know you want to carry on, because the group is so important, from what we’ve been hearing. So Dadirai what are your sort of, your next kind of steps, really, with regard to what you hope the group will go on to? 

Dadirai Tsopo

Yeah, the group will continue to go on long after the Big Local is stopped. There are plans underway right now to try and register the group in some form of, you know, some kind of an entity. And as soon as we do that, we can start to raise funds to make us more sustainable as we go forward and carry on with our activities. The ladies have got a list of things that they really want to do in and amongst them, a cookbook and visiting places and doing swimming and Zumba. Who knows? It solidifies what the group has been throughout the years, and it remains a group where people can come and enjoy themselves in a safe space, create relationships. You know, mourn together. We’ve been known to mourn together. Things have happened in the group that have been quite tragic. We’ve mourned together. We’ve celebrated. One of our members is in New York right now, and she keeps sending us pictures. She’s from Pakistan. She was visiting her son here, but bless her name is Ruby. I will mention this. She will love it. She’s there. She’s still part of the group, even from afar. It brings the word diaspora into a whole new dimension. Where someone is resident in Pakistan, she’s visiting America, but she’s part of a group in Birmingham. It’s absolutely wonderful. So the group is set to go on. 

Roya

First time when Dadirai sent me a text message in the group, she said she make a plan for the British car museum, and she said, All the family and children. Welcome family and children. Then I went with my two girls and my boy. From this day, it’s totally changed my son life now. When I drive, he said, ​“Oh, Mummy this car is made in UK. This one is Mercedes Benz, or this one is Jaguar.” I say, ​“my one, how did you got that much information?” ​“Because of the museum”. That’s why the group is like our family. 

Chris Allen

Samina, so again, nodding, there again, family to you as well. 

Samina

Yes, of course, if we have Eid. So everyone is celebrate Eid. The Indian people have Diwali. Everybody celebrate Diwali. So everybody celebrate each. Like she has Christian, we celebrate Christmas as well. So it’s like we do everything with like the full family. 

Chris Allen

Well, you obviously all enjoy a party, whatever in whoever’s name it might be, which is fantastic. And thank you really for sharing your stories. You know some tragedy in some of those stories, but also some freedom in your story now and as you move forward. Then obviously being a part of this family is so important to you and the new ladies who will join in the future. So, thank you all very much indeed. 

That was Dadirai from Zimbabwe, Roya from Afghanistan and Samina from Pakistan, all members of the diaspora women’s group in Welsh House Farm in Birmingham. Sometimes in my broadcasting podcasting, I’m taken aback by a story and also the humility of people in the midst of tragedy. And when Samina shared her story about her two sons being shot, one of them fatally, it was one of those moments. 

Kirsten Sinclair

Yeah, Chris. For these women to go through what they have had to go through and come out stronger and forming friendships is a testament to their resilience and how a group like this can really have a positive impact. And how women are able to connect, no matter where they come from, they all have something that they can share and bond over and heal. 

Chris Allen

Indeed they can. And I think food and faith was at the heart of some of the things they were saying there. The food brings people together. I was astounded that Roya and Samina saying their faith was strengthened through the group, and that was despite the fact they had suffered horrifically at the hands of religious extremists. 

Kirsten Sinclair

No, it’s absolutely powerful, and they’re so inspirational. And as ever, everything will be in the show notes. 

Chris Allen

Thanks, Kirsten, yes, indeed. Please do follow up there as well, and we look forward to you joining us next time on the community of power podcast, which will be the final one in the series, when I’m in conversation with Matt Leach, who is the Chief Executive of Local Trust. And we’ll be taking a tour of all the places we’ve been to in series three of this Community Power Podcast, showing what happens when you give local people the power, the money and the assets to make a difference to their own neighbourhoods.