Editor's Note #33

It is with great excitement that we finally launch Issue 33 of the Spirit! This first month of term has gone by in the blink of an eye, and I’m sure everyone on the Spirit team and this issue’s writers can agree that deadlines seem to approach at a similarly terrifying speed. It has definitely been an interesting month as Editor-in-Chief, challenging, but at the same time, incredibly worthwhile. Over the next academic year, the Spirit will evolve as needed, but at its core, this paper has played a pivotal role in SOAS’ history since 1936 and can be utilised as an excellent record of student politics and events over the years.  

I recently visited the library archives to review previous Spirit editions, and while many articles about past events were quite shocking from a modern-day perspective, some things at SOAS always remain the same. Most notably; the installation of a new security system worth £40,000 in 1993 and reports of Dinwiddy House, the good and the bad. 

A lot of Spirit newspapers that pre-date the era of social media were filled with adverts promoting student events, whether that be an evening of Afghan music or Nippon Kempo lessons- a form of Japanese martial art. Luckily, we live in an era of social media in which societies can advertise their events online without restriction. This leaves more room for writing, which is great because in this issue, we cover a lot of ground. 

You may notice that this issue is particularly news-heavy, the main reason being that there was an incredibly high demand to write for that section. But also, there’s just a lot going on. Notably; the turbulent formation of the new ‘Your Party’, covered eloquently by Sylvie Topps, the UK’s recognition of Palestine, written by Hamdan Vohra and the recent ceasefire, by Raaid Hussain. 

But do not stress, cultural enthusiasts, this issue still has a lot of goodies for you as well. Performative males, football and torture-porn, we really do have it all. 

Our front page is incredibly important. Written by James Albero, the article covers the story of Zhang Yadi, a Chinese master's student who was meant to begin her studies at SOAS at the beginning of the academic year. She is currently being held incommunicado in a Chinese detention centre, one of the alleged offences being, ‘inciting (Tibetan) separatism’. We at the Spirit sincerely hope that she will be able to start her studies at SOAS soon, and invoke all to stand up for her freedom of speech. It would be wrong for us as a newspaper not to stand up for that right. 

Lastly, I must thank the Spirit team who have worked very hard to get this out on time. By the end of the year, Google Docs (of which we do all our editing on) may just become your villain origin story. Thank you to Amy for your brilliant designing skills, of which I have not the foggiest clue of how to even get started with and Maaryah for your social media mastery. 

For those who have written for the Spirit for the first time in this issue, I really do encourage you to keep going. And if you never have before, I encourage you to start. Student media plays such an important role on campus; from holding the university to account for how they spend our £9,535 in fees per year, or how they deal with certain situations and treat their students. But it's not just about that, it is a space to write about what interests you, and we welcome articles that cover a very broad range of topics. 

Best luck for the term ahead, we will see you again in December!