Let’s start the day with some good news: Since my last blog on 23rd June The Home Office has granted Ezana’s seventy year old mother a visa to celebrate his graduation!! She named her son Ezana after the first King of Axumite civilisation. He is from Ethiopia but the Home Office visa application process is administered in South Africa. 
Ezana was upset when he wrote to me that his seventy year old mother could not come to his graduation. His request was that I highlight the issue for others in similar situations. His sense of duty embodies the spirit of The University of Manchester.
My intervention, by writing the blog, was as a citizen. The University of Manchester, the lecturers, alumni, general assembly and students help hundreds of thousands of people locally nationally and internationally, day by day, year by year. One of its three core goals is to be socially responsible. It is not lip service. It is action. The University of Manchester makes me want to be a better citizen.
That’s brilliant news Lemn. It will be a remarkable and incredibly moving graduation.
Yes
That’s great news Lemn and it will be an amazing day for them, but let’s still remember those who haven’t been so lucky. This is a terrible situation that needs to be addressed to ensure everyone gets the same opportunity in the future.
Absolutely
If possible could you post a picture of them together on the day?!
I’m grateful that Ezana and you, Lemn have highlighted this issue, of which I was totally ignorant…
I will ask Ezana. He will see this.
Nice one Lemn. Fairly sure that this outcome is due to your high level intervention.
In the long run immigration practice and policy will only be humanised by the growing understanding by the public of the personal stories behind each journey, and also by the uplifting of countries subjected to discrimination because of their “poverty”.
And both of these themes run through your work every day. As Ezana writes, a luta continua, the struggle goes on, but not without hope: things are slowly changing.
Humanising humanity: thanks for your great work.
You doing good job Lemn we are proud of you.
Take our salute “hut off”
thank you.
Once more Lemn opening minds and highlighting hidden problems.☺Continue to shinexxx
Thankyou.
Fantastic news! Can’t express how thrilled I am for Ezana. What a day it will be for him and his mother – and for you Lemn. A little Sissay magic goes a long way, obviously! Keep on sprinkling it. The world needs it.
Have a wonderful graduation, Ezana. So many people are proud of you and care about you.
Thankyou Jill
What an impact you have on people…..I saw you in ‘88…….Herded into the hall, a normal day squished between algebra, soggy white bread sandwiches and Cheshire drizzle-a guest speaker for assembly. Me sitting uncomfortably in my skin, full to the brim with shyness and the shame of broken homes. Came you. A poet. A burning sun, of all that could be done, with not that much, other than oceans of talent, a good dose of anger and of course b***s! You lived and breathed the verses you told . Funnier for the absences of the swear words, you made us laugh and lit a fire. You talked of class and Manchester, music to my soul. You spoke my language, the beauty of words, in beautiful and most powerful words. And in all their forms they would become my life raft, my springboard, my joy and destination, and my place to hide too. So, thank you Lemn for being you.
I was twenty one years old. Your message touches me because it is a memory of who I was and who I am. It means a lot to me. In lieu of family
your memory means more than you might ever know.