“I was in school and outside of that doing martial arts, attending acting school, exploring and experimenting with music, poetry and heavily into playing video-games. I distinctly remember being a rebel without a cause, on the quest for knowledge but with a relative lack of direction or purpose.

Origin gave me a grounding in my own history, having come from a very cultural background, my mother involved in various projects and very rooted in the Black community. Origin helped put into practical perspective my position as a black man operating within London and the Western World as a whole. It was presented as a form of Rites of Passage for me into manhood giving me role models that were not necessary present in immediate family and examples of positive community experiences that formed the basis of my understanding of respect among peers and elders.

It bolstered my confidence as a young man, gave me the basic tools required for being self-sufficient and self-contained. Skills such as critical thinking and analysis from an African-centric point of view, cooking, self-maintenance, self-defense, research and other less tangible skills that men are required to have handle on within society but is not impressed upon black children due to lack of easily accessible father figures. I also felt a sense of family and support in that there were older men able to provide advice at times of need and help with personal and interpersonal issues.

I have worked for 4 years within the IT sector and recently I have left that to pursue a more creative industry, music and art in particular. I am also on a Games Design course which was one of my childhood passions.”