Telgraf's first anniversary by Lynne Featherstone MP and Minister for Equalites

http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/2007/08/telgrafs-first-anniversary.htm

Off to Hackney for the first anniversary of the Telgraf newspaper – the only paper which has Kurdish and Turkish languages.

My own grandparents only spoke Russian. They never learned English. And there were no newspapers in Russian to tell them what was happening back home or to engage them in the Britain they had come to. As with that many of that generation – England and life was really accessed only through the children – of which they had seven.

Nowadays – we understand clearly that integration and access are vital so that all our communities live happily ever after. It’s a fantastic thing really – how we can have our culture of origin and the culture around us – and straddle the two with no probs as the generations move forward. This type of communication really helps.

So well done to Telgraf. Well done to Barclays who sponsored it and are making particular efforts to engage with the Kurdish and Turkish communities.

Bottom left in the picture is Ibrahim Dogus. He is a most fantastic advocate for the community in London and surely much of the reason for so many of the events like this – to which he is astute enough to invite oodles of politicians!