Ever wondered what being part of a community feels like? People who you can support and in return support you and make you feel loved? It can be something even as small as a hello or good morning each day to brighten the mood and show appreciation for being a fellow human being.

Since we live in a society that promotes individualism, it’s no surprise that anything such as working together or asking for help is often seen as a weakness. And nobody likes to be called weak.

One of the brief moments I remember ever feeling part of a community was during my time living in South America & now visiting Kenya but when I moved back to London it sort of vanished again. Or so I thought. That wasn’t until I’d say the last couple of weeks that a series of events reminded me of the true importance of a community.

Okay before we start I’d like to first define a community

“a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society“ — Webster English Dictionary.

What brought the spark back?

Have you ever had one of those eye-opening realizations that hit you like a lightning bolt? Kinda like a that’s so Raven moment, a flash if you must, where everything just clicks (sorry people who weren’t born in the 90s and watched the TV show). In my life thus far I’ve had a fair few of those and some are… what’s the word I’m looking for… transformational.

Growing up in South London I hardly understood what a community truly felt like, or at least I thought I did. With people moving in and out of the area, and gentrification on the rise it was hard to build a sand castle at the beach when the waves would sort of just wash them away.

If asked, I could attempt to define it using a few words but some things just can’t be defined by words alone. Rather, they are defined through feelings and emotions. Three recent events on different scales and different angles spurred this emotion of community spirit out of me.

 

“I actually can’t believe this” — Event 1

On a random Sunday afternoon, I decided to meet one of my friend’s family in a part of Medellin Colombia I’d never visited. Steve only gave me brief instructions on what we were going to do.

“Hey bro can you come over and make that red stew you made for us last time? Then after we’ll show you around the area since you’ve not been here before”.

The red stew he was referring to is a West African delicacy and one of my favourite meals. It consists of red tomatoes, onions, a bit of curry powder, thyme, red bell peppers, and condiments.

Simple yet super versatile. In my head I only thought I’d be cooking for around 4–5 people at most, but nope! Turned out I was making it for a whole family, like Mum, Dad, children, and a few friends in the area the whole lot. Around 13 people in total. Talk about pressure. Here are a few videos of us

 

 

We ate and decided to head to the local viewpoint or “mirador” as they call it in Spanish. I mean at that point already I’d seen plenty a viewpoints so I wasn’t super pumped about it, but what caught me off guard was the area we had to pass through to get there. They told me since it’s a sunday, there will be a few people out but I honestly couldn’t believe it… there was a sea of people.

Old, young, families and friends, all enjoying the weather and making use of the facilities the local council offered them. There was a huge 11-a-side football pitch, volleyball court, swimming pool (yes an Olympic-sized pool) and even a table tennis court all accessible for residents and for free.

My friends showed me around and even introduced me to some of their mates who were playing basketball at the time in a national competition. If that wasn’t enough, once we got to the mirador part there was an even larger group of people this time all hanging out and playing music and being merry.

The parents had full trust their kids would be safe playing while they danced away to salsa classics. We stopped to take some pictures and while soaking up the beautiful panoramic view of the city and atmosphere it was at that point that it hit me.

These people have made a solid community and it has been helped put in place by facilities that the local government has provided. Immediately I thought about London and how awesome it would be if we had these facilities free to use and in each local area. Imagine the community spirit and bridges it will repair for inter-community relations? I could only imagine.

 

A closer felt moment — Event 2

On the 13th of September, a nationwide uproar took place around London involving a man strangling a woman over a refund in a hair shop. The video of the incident went viral and the images of a man putting both his hands around a woman’s neck were shown on almost every social media platform and news broadcasting station.

The next day, people protested immediately outside the shop front demanding answers and respect for Black women who are the primary customers of hair and cosmetic shops. People were furious and rightfully so. I was present for the whole protest and the first thing I felt upon arriving was the immense community spirit. Men and women of all ages came together to stand up for the woman who had been attacked that day.

The police were present and for the most part stayed out of the way of protestors who had their signs and megaphones chanting words and songs of respect for women. The protest lasted for several hours and the whole of Peckham that day was locked off. This was only possible due to the community who banded together to stand up for justice.

Never in my life had I felt such a strong presence of community spirit so close to home. That night, I started to think of what could happen if as a community we stood up for other areas of our lives that we wanted to see a change in. Areas I’m extremely passionate about, like affordable housing, freedom of speech, low living wage and homelessness in the 6th largest economy of the world. Here is a video snippet of what happened.

 

The bonfire chat — Event 3

Greenwich is one of my favourite parts of London and for anyone who has not been, it’s truly magical. What makes it magical I hear you ask? Easy. The scenery, food options, and endless list of things like boat rides, museums breathtaking architecture, and viewpoints.

To top it off, the River Thames lookout gives a gorgeous view of the city and a peak into the docklands area which is the East side of London just a stone’s throw across the river. These are but a few of the things that make Greenwich beautiful.

The temperature when I last went was around 28 degrees Celsius (don’t know what that is in Farenheit for my US readers sorry) and it was the perfect day to show Chris my friend that area of London he had no idea existed despite being born and raised in the city. As we marveled upon the historic architecture and the sun beamed down on us, hunger started to kick in. Fish and chips was our meal of choice but any Londoner knows we rarely eat fish and chips… Londoners eat chicken and chips.

We ate outside near the riverbank and laughed over a comedy skit from one of our favorite comedians the late and great Bernie Mac.

This is the skit LOL!

As the sun and shops both began to close for the day, we took a lime bike ride to southwest London Brixton and our first stop was a local gym. At that time the gym was closed but Chris knew one of the owners Femi who normally stays back late into the night to do repairs and other building work.

He welcomed us in with a bonfire he set up in the middle of the outdoor gym and told us to grab a seat. Eventually, we got to discussing projects that Femi was working on and his upgrade of one of his popular ideas called the Brixton book stop.

The concept was simple. He created a small booth outside the gym where people could take and pass on books for free to members of the community. A genius idea that was so warmly received, that it earned him several interviews, and people from other areas came down just to see the booth.

Femi spoke about the possibility of the gym closing down by continued pressure from the local council who want to take the space back. More often than not, when local councils take space they never allow it to be used for anything meaningful than capital gain motives. I felt sad listening to the accounts he mentioned of people who use the place as a safe zone some who face abuse and others who are dealing with PTSD and use the space as a release mechanism. The gym means so much to the community and is one of the few places that is free to use and Femi is an integral part of it.

Reflection

All three accounts give varying degrees around how communities play a vital role in our day to day. If someone were to ask the question “How does one create a strong community?” Well, first for any community to form there has to be a safe and open space for the relationships to harbour.

“Communities are not formed in vacuums” —  Lana Mercury

Spaces like libraries, facilities and even things as basic as benches allow people to interact in their areas and speak to each other. Next, there has to be trust in local government to help protect these areas people have built and not dismantle trust by removing them without any valid explanation. Finally, the best way to form a community is by being open to sharing and benefiting from the spirit of togetherness. I’ll end the article with this famous quote from Helen Keller

“Alone we can do so little but together we can do so much”