• Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • PR/Media/Contact

Truemag

Truemag

MENU
  • Hot Topics
      • So, can working from home have an impact on your sleep?

        So, can working from home have an impact on your sleep?

        November 5, 2020
        The second wave of coronavirus is forcing renewed lockdowns. The new restrictions mean that more and more people will be working from home. It’s nearly impossible to avoid imposing telework in the …
      • Handmade Bridesmaids Gift Ideas For The Big Day

        Handmade Bridesmaids Gift Ideas For The Big Day

        November 3, 2020
        Giving handmade bridesmaids gifts is the best way to show the girls that you care so much for them. This is an excellent idea if you want to make your wedding memorable …
      • How to work (successfully) from home during a pandemic

        How to work (successfully) from home during a pandemic

        October 28, 2020
        Oh, if only I had a dollar for every time…….. “New normal” “Uncharted waters” “Post-Covid” “Sorry, I was on mute…” “Gary, you’re still on mute…will someone text Gary and tell him he’s …
      • 10 of the Best Smart Foods You Should Include in Your Diet

        10 of the Best Smart Foods You Should Include in Your Diet

        October 7, 2020
        Your diet plays an important role in keeping you alert, energized, and focused. If you lack the required nutrients from your diet, your mood gets low. This negatively affects your daily tasks. …
  • Family
      • Everything that you need to know when you are buying baby products

        Everything that you need to know when you are buying baby products

        November 27, 2020
        Babies are very delicate. Right from the diaper till the powder and the clothes everything is to be chosen with great care. The skin of babies a very sensitive and they tend …
      • Your Guide to the 19 Types of Miscarriage: Know Your Body

        Your Guide to the 19 Types of Miscarriage: Know Your Body

        November 10, 2020
        Losing a baby, even when it is not yet fully developed, can be very upsetting. That said, after so many decades of shame and silence surrounding miscarriages, it’s time we got educated. …
      • People That Have a Big Influence in the Life of a Child

        People That Have a Big Influence in the Life of a Child

        October 11, 2020
        Across the globe, children usually live with and receive support from their family members, relatives, peers, and paid care providers, mostly from their parents. In the developing world, increased dependence on paid …
      • The Best Winter Baby Clothing Essentials You Absolutely Must Have

        The Best Winter Baby Clothing Essentials You Absolutely Must Have

        October 2, 2020
        If you live in a place where cold months get rather chilly and snowy, you’re likely worried about how well your winter baby will handle it. The good news is that with …
  • Travel
      • Musing on travel during a pandemic

        Musing on travel during a pandemic

        October 20, 2020
        We’re all tired of hearing ‘new normal.’ We’re tired of the constant stream of new and contradictory information about the global Covid-19 pandemic. We’re tired of it being politicized and we’re tired …
      • Tips for choosing the best travel luggage

        Tips for choosing the best travel luggage

        August 8, 2020
        Choosing the right carry on luggage can make all the difference on your next travel adventure. Here are some tips for making the right choice! Choosing the right size If you’re anything …
      • This World Has Plenty to Offer – Explore!

        This World Has Plenty to Offer – Explore!

        July 22, 2020
        In the age of social media, traveling is slowly getting an arguably bad rap. Nowadays, people seem to be caught up in an ostentatious bind, continually wanting to show off where they …
      • 5 Reasons Why Travelling Can Also Be an Ideal Form of Education

        5 Reasons Why Travelling Can Also Be an Ideal Form of Education

        July 22, 2020
        Most of us view traveling as an activity that is usually done for fun or mostly for business. We typically pick to travel during our vacation time. The aim here is to …
  • Video
      • Should we be offended by Fergie’s new ‘M.I.L.F. $’ video?

        Should we be offended by Fergie’s new ‘M.I.L.F. $’ video?

        July 5, 2016
        Fergie recently released her much-anticipated new video featuring several celebrity moms. The hit song and video have gone viral, but the tongue-and-cheek visuals have enraged many people on the internet (surprise, surprise). When I first …
      • Video: This biker gang helps survivors of child abuse find their voice

        Video: This biker gang helps survivors of child abuse find their voice

        April 9, 2016
        Bikers Against Child Abuse is an organization of lifelong bikers who serve as support and allies for survivors of child abuse. They have grown internationally and work with local authorities. When a …
      • Mom heckles comedian over parenting jokes and doesn’t stand a chance against him

        Mom heckles comedian over parenting jokes and doesn’t stand a chance against him

        March 30, 2016
        When you go to a comedy show it’s highly likely something is going to offend you. Most people will either laugh at themselves or let it go and enjoy the rest of …
      • Designer sends out birth cards printed with breastmilk

        Designer sends out birth cards printed with breastmilk

        March 29, 2016
        Dutch photographer/designer Nichon Glerum wanted to do something extra special for her son’s birth announcements. She decided to send out birth cards using the ancient technique of invisible ink. This technique, that many …
  • Contact
  • Shop
Home > Benedict Cumberbatch recites lines from Warsan Shire’s “Home” in impassioned plea for refugees

Benedict Cumberbatch recites lines from Warsan Shire’s “Home” in impassioned plea for refugees

Written by:  Jamie

Earlier this week, Benedict Cumberbatch, Gillian Anderson, Jude Law, and several other British celebrities announced their partnership with Citizens UK to sponsor the safe passage of unaccompanied Syrian refugee children from the camp in Calais, France, known as “The Jungle,” to the U.K.

In a statement, the celebrities said:

“We call on the British and French authorities to immediately make provisions for the safe passage of all the unaccompanied minors and refugee children identified by Citizens UK with verified family connections to Britain. These children have a full legal right to reunite with their loved ones. It is unacceptable that they are left in danger and distress for administrative convenience. The system established to reunite these families must either be set aside, or made to work as a matter of extreme urgency.”

This is one of the camps that Jamie visited in her recent trip to scout out locations to launch VCA’s Nurture Tomorrow refugee breastfeeding project. At about 3,500 occupants, the Jungle is one of the largest and most controversial refugee camps in Europe.

While investigating this story, I came across this video of Benedict Cumberbatch giving an impassioned speech in support of the efforts of Save the Children after of his performance in Hamlet. In it, he recites the following lines from Nairobian-British poet Warsan Shire’s “Home.”

no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark
you only run for the border
when you see the whole city running as well

you have to understand,
that no one puts their children in a boat
unless the water is safer than the land


This is why the world needs poets, and artists, and actors. We need them to help us empathize. To de-other the people in far-away conflicts, and bridge the gap between “us” and “them.” When artists, activists, volunteers, and scientists work together, all of our worlds change.

And because it really is worth posting, here is the poem in it’s entirety:

“Home” by Warsan Shire

no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark
you only run for the border
when you see the whole city running as well

your neighbors running faster than you
breath bloody in their throats
the boy you went to school with
who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory
is holding a gun bigger than his body
you only leave home
when home won’t let you stay.

no one leaves home unless home chases you
fire under feet
hot blood in your belly
it’s not something you ever thought of doing
until the blade burnt threats into
your neck
and even then you carried the anthem under
your breath
only tearing up your passport in an airport toilets
sobbing as each mouthful of paper
made it clear that you wouldn’t be going back.

you have to understand,
that no one puts their children in a boat
unless the water is safer than the land
no one burns their palms
under trains
beneath carriages
no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck
feeding on newspaper unless the miles travelled
means something more than journey.
no one crawls under fences
no one wants to be beaten
pitied

no one chooses refugee camps
or strip searches where your
body is left aching
or prison,
because prison is safer
than a city of fire
and one prison guard
in the night
is better than a truckload
of men who look like your father
no one could take it
no one could stomach it
no one skin would be tough enough

the
go home blacks
refugees
dirty immigrants
asylum seekers
sucking our country dry
niggers with their hands out
they smell strange
savage
messed up their country and now they want
to mess ours up
how do the words
the dirty looks
roll off your backs
maybe because the blow is softer
than a limb torn off

or the words are more tender
than fourteen men between
your legs
or the insults are easier
to swallow
than rubble
than bone
than your child body
in pieces.
i want to go home,
but home is the mouth of a shark
home is the barrel of the gun
and no one would leave home
unless home chased you to the shore
unless home told you
to quicken your legs
leave your clothes behind
crawl through the desert
wade through the oceans
drown
save
be hunger
beg
forget pride
your survival is more important

no one leaves home until home is a sweaty voice in your ear
saying-
leave,
run away from me now
i dont know what i’ve become
but i know that anywhere
is safer than here

 

Mar 10, 2016Jamie
Mom shields her 'offensive' breastfeeding with Victoria Secret modelHelp Your Daughter Be a Princess for Prom
!Fabbikini
Interview Requests
Please contact Monica at IANTBBlog@gmail.com
Affiliate Links

IAmNotTheBabysitter.com features Affiliate links to certain products and promos featured on the site.

Would you like to to bypass the affiliate links? You most definitely can! Simply enter the brand url instead of clicking through our site, although we would appreciate it if you would!

Partner with IANtB
Contact Monica at IANTBBlog@gmail.com
2017 © I Am Not the Babysitter