1 Captions by Julie Taylor. Edited by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017. (BASS GUITAR MUSIC) Sandringham Rd is a main Auckland thoroughfare that runs from inner-city Kingsland all the way out to Mt Roskill. Over 4km long, Sandringham Rd links some of the most diverse communities in the country. I was born in Zimbabwe, and we moved around a lot when I was a child because of the political unrest there, until we settled in New Zealand when I was 12 years old. I live here because I believe Sandringham Rd runs through the heart of a warm and welcoming neighbourhood. In this episode ` a young man reveals how music has helped turn his life around. The type of music that I can make, if I could describe it in any way, would be quite a savage, young male growing up,... who is experiencing a lot of things. A former refugee learns the skills to stitch together a future. I want to make the perfect dresses,... so I can make for the... my childrens also, my friends also, and also I can do the myself... self-employing. We'll meet an Afghani woman who's fled two war-torn countries and is now helping the next generation. When I come New Zealand, people request that from me ` 'Can you help with our children education?' I said, 'Yes.' And some new arrivals discover the freedom that two wheels can offer. The bike is a treasure for our, uh, refugee families, and, uh, a means of transport for them, so this bike is helping our families a lot. So I tell you, we are so grateful for the local communities who donated all those bikes. I'm Simba Matshe, and this is my neighbourhood. (VIBRANT MUSIC) (GENTLE, REFLECTIVE MUSIC) Zimbabwe in the late 1990s was racked with violence, and the economy was in ruins. My parents didn't feel we were safe and made plans to migrate to the US, but because of a typo on my sister's visa, we were stopped in transit. And by the time we made it back to Zimbabwe to sort it out, the US had new immigration laws, which required immigrants to have $6 million Zimbabwean in the bank. Our life savings had gone on the plane tickets, and my parents had to start from scratch on a plan to get us to safety. We were lucky, but that experience did give me a glimpse into just how powerless all the displaced people made homeless by war must feel, when all they want is a better life for their kids. (WARM MUSIC) My name is Maria Sharifi, and I'm originally from Afghanistan. I left my country because of war. I left Kabul at the age of 21. She had to take the illegal way away, not the border. She travelled, uh, for about six hours or so to Jalalabad using` through car, and then from there on, she started going through the mountains ` uh, travelling through mountains, um, by walk. It took her, like, about two to three days non-stop, so they didn't stop. They didn't stop for, like` Only two, three hours we sleep. Yeah, so they just stopped for two, three hours, and then they started travelling again, so they stop, um, they took refuge in those little, um, villages that were on the way, that came up, for two, three hours, and then they started back on their walk. The only thing they carried throughout this whole journey was just a little bit of water and, uh, mainly water and just a little bit of food and stuff. They can't, because the water, when you're taking one bottle, it starts all going. Yeah, like, it wasn't much. And then they gained ` like, got more water and stuff ` from the little villages that they encountered. They prepared for us. Yeah, so, um, they didn't even carry any clothes or anything like that with them. Where did we live in Pakistan? Uh, Peshawar. Peshawar is the city of, uh, Pakistan. When I arrived in Pakistan, I was so relieved. Uh, I cannot express how happy... I was and how happy... the group of womans and their children were. I will never forget, uh, that moment. Later, I married man, um, from Afghanistan. He went back, and I never found out what happened to him. I become a single mum. My future is gone when, after that, when I have children, I decided I don't have life for my own self, but I have to check after these` these kids; I have to support them. Pakistan is not a good place for the single mum. There is no welfare system, and, uh, it was, uh, dangerous for me and my children. When I came here, my main expectation was teaching. But because of language barrier, and you know about this, and at the moment when I am talking,... (CHUCKLES) everyone, they can't manage us. That's very hard. But I can with my own language, I can support them, yeah. (SPEAKS AFGHAN LANGUAGE) Now I volunteer, uh, to teach children at the Migrant Action Trust on Sandringham Rd. 2 x 3. (SPEAKS AFGHAN LANGUAGE) 2 x 3 is 6. When I come New Zealand, people request that from me, 'Can you help with our children education?' I said, 'Yes.' They said, 'Where?' I said, 'At my home,' and they sat around a mattress, that was their table, and I teach them with a piece of paper and only pen or pencils. Clapping. (SPEAKS AFGHAN LANGUAGE) (APPLAUSE) Who can write? 4... x 2. Yep. (SPEAKS AFGHAN LANGUAGE) We came here for learning. And reading and, um, probably for learning new things, but the most fun part is when, like,... we be really loud and, like, as a group. (SPEAKS AFGHAN LANGUAGE) (ALL REPEAT) Maria ` she's amazing. I love her. She's like a second mother to me. I think she's a great teacher, and, um, she's got a really big heart. What she does for us is unbelievable. She tries her hardest to get us good grades. She even wastes her time when she has to go somewhere ` she` she stays and she teaches us. I would like to support that on children like my own children. I love New Zealand, and my children love New Zealand as well. (GENTLE MUSIC) (UPBEAT MUSIC) I was 12 when we moved to New Zealand. It was a culture shock, but more than anything, the cold was a shock. I'd never experienced anything like that bitter Wellington wind. But being 12, everything was new and sparkling ` the people, the language, the food; everything was different and exciting. And I think the thing that helped me get through everything was having family around me and the new friends that I made here. I think New Zealand does very well at helping people feel at home. It's inclusive in a completely different way. I've never experienced it anywhere else in the world. Feeling like a part of a community really can help turn your life around. Well, right now, I'm writing. I'm always writing. Like, there's not a day or hour that goes by when I... when I'm not writing. When I'm walking, I'm writing in my head. I'm always writing, always. I'll` I'll think of words in my head, and once I get that pen and that paper ` boom. And I always save it. Yeah. I got heaps of lyrics. I write lyrics every day. There's even books in here, you know, that are full. I even have pages of metaphors; that are just straight metaphors so I can just pick it up, say, when I go to the studio, and I just` yeah. They're right there. And then there's songs, where the wordplay can be so crazy, and that's what` what brings so much attention is the wordplay, where you can just bring up anything and talk about it in so much depth, and they're like, 'Whoa.' Like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa.' (INDISTINCT RAPPING) # ...so good that they call me a god. # And what I'm saying is, 'Hold up. Let Lord Seeeez just sum this stuff up. Hit them with a left-right, 'finish with uppercut, and I'm whipping so good that they call me a god.' From my mother's side ` South African, and I didn't really get to know my dad well, so not in the picture at all. I never really asked about him or anything like that. I tried to do culture as I was young. My mum did put me in some cultural dance group. So it was a little taste of Africa. They were very successful, and I was a drummer, something like that, but then, um, I dunno, it just wasn't me. If you put something in front of me and tell me to do it and I feel like it ain't me, I'm not gonna do it, you know what I mean? Growing up as the only boy in the house, and especially with no father, there was no influence. So with there being no influence, I was practically outside, looking for influence. And in the area I was from, it's not like it was a bad area, but there was bad places, and me finding my influence turned out to finding the bad ways ` gangs and violence. Avondale College is really when I take off. Everything just went crazy ` I don't know what happened to me. Maybe something happened in my brain, I don't even know, but the third time I went to the juvenile, as you call it, or YJ, um, that was when I got centred, like, long period of time; time of my life that changed me. Cos after that I had to go to rehab too, and I was in rehab for four months. When I was young, I had quite a big drug addiction. Not just to one drug, but to many drugs, and... and, yeah. That was the biggest phase of my life that really changed me was when I did that period of time. My family ` um, they're really supportive. Well, in... when I was in juvenile, um, I only got one visit from my mum, but I'm not saying, like, it was bad; it was because she didn't wanna see it with the gates being that tall and her son just being there, you know what I mean? So she didn't have that much to speak on; she just said, 'Make sure this is your last time.' And I told her, 'It's my last time,' and I'm pretty sure she can see that now, because everything's gone take-off. This place is, um, Wesley Community Centre, the creative lab, and this is a place where I've been working and all my music's got done here ` all of it, not one piece hasn't been done here. This is where I've always been. You like this beat? You like this beat, Koru? I like it, eh. RAPS: # Mission to stir it. I put it in syrup. I told him, 'Just turn it.' # So, um, we work with Te Karanga Trust. One of our goals is to get young people together, talking about things that they don't normally, um, talk about, um, you know, whether it be issues, you know, to do with school, home, work. Once everyone's kind of put things on the table, things that they wanna talk about, we then try and turn that into a music session. RAPS: # Best, yeah. Bling, yeah. # You know, a lot of these kids have a lot of music pre-written, and, you know, things that they've wanted to record, but they haven't had the chance, and we just facilitate that and help them figure their way out through that. RAPS: # We used to rob the school for my sis for codeine, # and I only went to school to rob people for their cream. Never had a idol, only had my brother, Cool, # and he was going through the same stuff as me too. # That type of music that I can make, if I could describe it in any way, would be quite a savage, young male growing up,... who is experienced a lot of things. RAPS: # Got kicked out, so I stayed at Cool's crib, # where Cool was kicked out, so it was right under the bridge. Oh, snap. # And it's like, if you` if you look at me as an artist, you could tell that he is going through a lot of things. He's very young, and he's still learning, he's still learning. Every song, you can hear progression. RAPS: # If you know what I mean, I don't even care what they were talking about. # I only rap about this stuff, but I gotta do what I mean. Gotta listen over, bro. # (INDISTINCT CONVERSATION) Normally, I only take one take, anyway. One-take wonder, eh? I know I'm just a writer, but now I'm getting more stuff done on mixing, I can mix more; I can use the programming more; promoting, a lot of that; and songwriting in general, because they always will be in the studio, they won't keep their mouth shut. Not being rude or nothing, but, like, they will help us, and, like, tell us what's wrong, what's right. RAPS: # Never had a idol, only had my brother, Cool, and he was going through the same stuff as me too. # I feel like my music is going out very fast and going quite good. I only started making music four months ago, and I got about 40,000 plays. I'm getting quite a lot of shows. Everything's going good, and I couldn't be any better. I feel like, you know, I'm new to this. I haven't been here for long, and every day's a new day, and every day keeps getting better. So I like it, know what I mean? (GENTLE MUSIC) Some stretches of Sandringham Rd are as joyfully diverse as any place you can find in New Zealand. The original Art Deco buildings house cafes and restaurants that serve such a variety of cuisine, you can take a culinary tour to sample what's on offer. But despite all the benefits that different cultures bring to the area, there's no denying that some new arrivals, particularly those who come here as refugees, struggle with the challenges of poverty and assimilation, which is why it's terrific that Sandringham Rd is also home to organisations like Refugees As Survivors, who offer support of a most practical kind. I'm a resettlement case worker and cultural adviser in New Zealand Red Cross. And, uh, my main job is just, uh, looking after the refugee after they came out from Mangere. (RELAXED MUSIC) Yeah, yeah. So, this is for the child. This is good for you. Yes. Yeah. Almost 7. (MUSIC CONTINUES) This is a centre of Mt Roskill and the Wesley Community Centre. Today we are here collecting bikes, among the community will donate. And then they check the bikes and service, and they'll give back to the communities. Bryce is the one who is taking this initiative, Refugee As Survivor. The bike is a treasure for our, uh, refugee families, and, uh, a means of transport for them. The money what we are receiving from Work and Income, just a very limited amount money for our basic needs, but our families, they have to go around, they have to go for shopping and schooling, and so they need a bike, even for exercise. So this bike is helping our families a lot, so I tell you, we are so grateful for the local communities who donated all those bikes. Worked out how to tie them up a bit better now? Yes, I'll tie it here. My name is Milad, and I'm from Afghanistan. Uh, I got a bike from RYAN's community, which is helping me to get to my trainings and my football games easier and quicker. It's really new, and, uh, it's blue colour ` my favourite colour. And, yeah, thank you. I born in Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. And so there was a lot of conflict in the countries, and, uh, because the military government, they try to implement everything forcefully. The human right was not respected in the countries. When I participate in politics, I was 12, and when I was arrested, I was 13. Everybody was arrest, I can say, in that... in that time. I wish to go somewhere else, where I can live free, and` but, especially 1983, I was forced to sign a document to join the army, and after I signed that document, I have to run away. And I tried to go to Sudan, and the smugglers are paid to show us the... the road, and we walk 11 days to cross the border. 11 days is just a horrible day, you know, because there was not enough sleep, there was not enough water, there was not enough food. You can't carry anything, so you have to be light, to speed up your journey. So, it's in through the mountains and crossing the rivers. I remember the fear, the frustration, the anger. There is nothing, you know, just, uh` can comfort you. And plus, with that, just you are walking to unknown. And, uh, also there is a fear of, you know, being captured and fear of being bitten by the wild animals. So, it was a... a horrible journey. My knowledge about New Zealand is very limited. We know that, uh, the 60 million lambs... (CHUCKLES) in New Zealand. So our expectation is everywhere is lamb, you know? And, uh, the other one is, uh, when I polish my shoe, I was polishing a Kiwi shoe polish. (CHUCKLES) That's all I know, I can say. (CHUCKLES) When I arrived in Mangere, I remember the Maori kaumatua has come. He said, 'Haere mai,' and I said, 'What's that, haere mai?' He said, 'Welcome. As God brought us a long time ago, 'now he brought you here.' And that was the greatest, you know? Message which can stay in my heart. Today I'm going to deliver two bike for two Afghani kids, and this is the day for me to see smile on the child's face. Hello? Kids? Come out! Come out and see! Come out and get. You can. This is a reflector, a light reflector. This` This hand for fast and... While you are riding on the road, if you wanna go faster, to change the gear, you can use it. But for you, you don't need to use this time, here in this small yard. It's a wonderful feeling, you know, just when you... when you create a smile on somebody faces. And plus to that, this gift has got even greater impact, because it comes from the local communities to the new community members. It will create a connection in between, so it means a lot. Does he like that one? Yeah. Do you want to keep it? Oh. Give me five. Come on, if you like it, I'm happy. No? Yes. (CHUCKLES) And many peoples, they talk a lot bad about New Zealand ` maybe the media; maybe just, I don't know, maybe because of the crime ` but I am a witness here, and I just` New Zealand has got many with very good heart, with a welcoming arms, you know, who try to make a change in a people's life. So I'd like to say thank you, New Zealand, and may God bless New Zealand. (GENTLE MUSIC) When I go back to Africa, the first thing I go for is the food; the smells that remind me of my childhood. (INHALES) My mother taught me how to cook, and it be sometimes hard to find the ingredients here in New Zealand, but at least I can find some on Sandringham Rd. My mother was definitely the most important and inspirational person for me as I was growing up. She's a community leader, a writer and an artist. (RELAXED MUSIC) Mum's parents were poor, and they knew their children needed an education to get ahead, and my grandmother taught my mum how to use her hands; how to sew, how to paint fabrics. Mum would take her handcrafts to rich white neighbourhoods to sell. That's how she made money to go to private school and I got the opportunities to become the person that I am today. Big change can come from tiny seeds. I miss my, um, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Because, uh, when I was, uh, in Sri Lanka is a nice experience and I could, uh, school, and then friends and neighbours. Every day we, um... neighbours meet one place and talk,... something to do. And mostly after school,... we came and take our food, and we play. Because, uh, OK, we can tell this ` we are Sri Lankan or that we are Indonesian or anything, but 'You are refugee. 'You are refugee,' so that sound is... make us sad. Um, can you show me the sample one? I can choose which one is good. OK. Sometime we heard our friends on, um,... lesson also go out, and... they die. They got` They... (STAMMERS) Someone shoot them. I have three children. Elder daughter is, uh, 22; second daughter is 15; um, third is son, 12 years now. (PEACEFUL MUSIC) (ROOSTER CLUCKS) I told my son, 'You want to learn our language,' but he told, 'Why I want to learn our language? 'Because I am here, in New Zealand, so I know English.' That's why, um, childrens feel New Zealand is them home country. Now we are in the intermediate school and our sewing school. Hi, guys. Hi, Costa. Hi. How are you? Good, good. How are you? Good, good. (CHUCKLES) This one is a six-month course, so I'm interested in sewing. So, I heard about this class, so I'm happy to join here. So, make a cocktail dress. And also I'm happy to come this class, I meet many ethnic womans. We meet many, um,... Pakistan, um, Afghanistan and Ethiopian. Many country people we meet here. All of them, we are now one family. So, we have different projects,... so this is the main project about our sewing group. And the sewing group is different levels. The sewing course ` six months, and the level two is upskill, and level three include the Cottonseed and helping them, you get some small part-time jobs. And if they make their own enterprise or non-profit enterprise from the group of New Zealand Ethnic Women, so that is the way we identify. This is important because mainly they come from the refugee background, and so we are encouraging to be free from that and employment benefit. (GENTLE MUSIC) So, we wanted the ladies to have their own, you know, power to best the building, to go to the job, to integrate in the New Zealand system, to know where they're getting the job. It's not only, you know, the sewing things ` it is, like, socialising, coming together, working together to be friend. I got, uh, five or six friends in classroom. I want to make the perfect dresses. So I can make for the... my childrens also, my friends also, and also I can do the myself... self-employing. Yes, I have the dream. (CHUCKLES) Ubuntu is a Zulu word, and it's a core philosophy that my mum taught me, about how to see the world and the people who live in it. Ubuntu, literally translated, means, 'a person is a person through other people'. Somewhere in our evolution, too many of us seem to have forgotten that message, and looking at the world today, that really seems to be the case, which is why I hope New Zealand continues to look past the differences and see the humanity that binds us all. Captions by Julie Taylor. Edited by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017.