Amina Onitilo
AO: Amina Onitilo
INT: Interviewer
INT: Please explain who you are and where you were born.
AO: My name is Amina, so my background, okay so I was born in the USA to two British parents and when I was three years old me and my mother moved back to the UK. Both of my parents were born in the UK, but my mum’s family are from the Caribbean, St Vincent and Jamaica and my dad’s family are from Nigeria. My dad was born there, but he grew up here, but yeah, so mixture of Nigerian and Caribbean background
INT: What’s your background in terms of Newham?
AO: In terms of Newham, so when we moved to London, we moved first moved to my grandmother’s house in Forest Gate, but the Wolfram Forest side of Forest Gate, Then, shortly after, maybe a year or two, we moved to Stratford and then when I was 13 years old we moved to Forest Gate, but the north side. So, I’ve been in first gate for over 10 years now.
INT: What’s your relationship with the arts?
AO: So, I was a part of the Cultural Producers Programme from September 2022 to February 2023 and that was my first engagement with Rosetta. To be honest, I was not very aware of what Rosetta was doing, which is a shame, because they’re doing great things, so I’m glad now to be aware and involved, but yeah, that was the first time that I got involved with the programmes here. That consisted of a week’s training here in the building and then we each had a work placement which was 45 days spread over six months, so part-time two or three days a week in local new and cultural organisations. My own placement was with the Royal Docks team, and whilst we were in our placements, we also received a mentor working in production as well and we also had check-in with Vicki who was the Programme Manager for Creative Arts at the time.
INT: Could you explain again how you became aware of the program as you were already a Newham resident. How did you cross that bridge exactly?
AO: So, I actually saw the program through an Instagram account called Run The Check and they post creative job opportunities. It said this one is open to residents of Newham, I thought oh, that’s great, that’s me! I want to get into the creative field so, yeah, that was perfect and I liked that it would involve having the opportunity to get training and work experience of in the area because I felt there’s been kind of, not been, really like that program so far, so it just seemed like a great opportunity. I thought let’s try it out and yeah.
INT: What draws you to the arts?
AO: Um, a good question. I think it’s just I don’t want to do anything else. I think it’s who I am, it’s what I love, what I want to be a part of my life and something I wish I was more a part of everyone’s lives.
INT: How old are you?
AO: 24.
INT: What’s your response to those within your age group who really want to do business related study and business-related work because they feel it will sustain them better in the future than arts?
AO: I understand why they think that, but I think people are not tapping into the potential in the arts industries. It’s one of the biggest economies in the UK. It’s true it’s underfunded, but I feel like if you put yourself out there and meet the right people, there’s loads of opportunities to be found if you look for them, and you meet the right mentors and you can find good opportunities.
INT: Have you been able to make a living now from the opportunities that come your way and that you’ve obviously attracted?
AO: Yeah, like previously I was kind of balancing other stuff with my creative work as well like I was doing some online English as a Second Language tutoring, but over the past two months my production work has really picked up and that’s all I’ve been doing which is something I am happy to say because I didn’t imagine it a few months ago.
INT: What’s your relationship with Rosetta Arts now?
AO: The programme has ended, but it seems like always keep running back into Rosetta because Rosetta very ingrained in the Newham community, so I’ll go to different events and I’ll see some of the Rosetta staff there or meet someone who’s done something there and I remember during our training programme that once you joined that a family, you’ll never leave. It seems like a force of nature within the area that we have these kinds of encounters really.
INT: Is that because Rosetta is present throughout the community? Where are these encounters taking place for example?
AO: Throughout the community network works, yeah so for example, at the end of the programme there was a social convention down at Canning Town, we had a presentation of what we went through during the programme, during our placements and there were different stakeholders present throughout Newham, for example, we had Vicky from Creative Newham and Rosetta came as well, and also, for example, something that isn’t necessarily related to this programme there was the Royal Docks and Sea change, em, a programme just outside City Hall a couple of months ago, and I saw a member of the Rosetta team there as well, and I’ll meet people and they’ll be like I’ve done this at Rosetta and I’ll be also like, I’ve done that at Rosetta, for example, on Friday as well, it’s a bit off topic, but I found this interesting, they’re doing the blue plaque ceremony for Alexander McQueen and he did training here at Rosetta. First of all, I didn’t even know he was a Newham resident, but to find out that he also trained at Rosetta is just wow! It just shows the potential.
INT: Do you know of any other artists that have come through this organisation?
AO: Off the top of my head, em, I can’t think of anyone. Do you have any?
INT: There have been a few, but I can’t find them at the moment.
INT: How would you like to see the organisation progress?
AO: I’d like to see them expanding as they are doing such great work. I know this is a problem right now, but if they had the potential to expand, they could reach so many more people. So yeah, I would like to see them continue doing what they are doing on an even bigger scale.
INT: Is there anything you feel they are very good at?
AO: I would say, em, creating genuine connections between people and I would say that the training I received was really useful as the place I was in I was able to refer back to, what we had learnt, as they really taught practical skills, that we would use and I hope that the programme that I was on, the first cohort, can continue. It was an amazing life changing experience for all of us. All the people are doing such cool things after that and the stakeholders are asking me, are they doing another round because they want more people.
INT: Was it an age specific cohort?
AO: It was 18 to 25 maybe, but it was young people.
INT: As you may know Sanaz is stepping down having been here for 16 years. Is there something you would be looking for in the next incoming CEO?
AO: I would hope they have similar values to Sanaz so they can continue doing the good work and supporting people in the way that they have so far.
INT: How could Rosetta continue to support young cultural entrepreneurs to reach their goals?
AO: By continuing to have resources from different sources. I guess funding being the main one, but also, em, I think support from local partners as well, not only monetary, but people elevating what Rosetta are doing too.
INT: How do you think they can attract funding in this society where people are tightening their belts?
AO: (Laughs) Yes, well, I dunno in the public sector, but if private funders want to help Rosetta, I don’t know, but yeah.
INT: Is there any advice that you, specifically would want to give Rosetta as an organisation moving forward in the 21st century.
AO: Um, I would say, perhaps, keep doing what they’re doing, but find new ways to reach young people because I was not aware of the organisation until I saw it through Run the Check as I mentioned. Yeah, so perhaps more outreach to young people as I’m sure that many, like myself, aren’t aware of the great stuff that is happening.
INT: And how would they do that?
AO: I guess through social media, and physical outreach as well, going out to different event and schools because I’m sure young people would be interested.
INT: What kinds of activities would attract these young people?
AO: Opportunities to be creative in a practical way like using some of the facilities here like the studio and the dark room. I think just a chance to get involved and try something new.
INT; Is there anything else you would like to add in terms of how Rosetta has developed you as a young person?
AO: Yeah, just to say, thank you to Rosetta as it has helped me so much!
INT: How would you otherwise try to reach these ‘connections’ without Rosetta?
AO: Oh, I don’t know. In my current role at the moment, em, I got that as my boss is a partner that we worked with at the Royal Docks Team and she reached out to me directly so I didn’t even apply to the role and I guess, that’s how the art world works – it’s all connections! I would definitely have not made all the connections I’ve made already without this programme, so, I don’t even know how.
INT: Can you see any pros and cons to that?
AO: Yeah, if you don’t have the connections, many things are cut off, but I’m glad I got my foot through the door.
INT: How could Rosetta work with schools?
INT: So, for example, when I was at school, we had different organisations coming to assembly and say would you like to get involved. So maybe they can do an after-school club, they could so a collaboration with a school or just invite people in for a day to do some art or something like that. So, they so do some art – something like that.
INT: Isn’t it enough, that here are already IGCSEs and A levels or their BTEC courses?
AO: Em, I don’t think so as there are a lot of cuts to the arts recently, so it would be good to have that, as I mentioned, it difficult to get into the arts, especially people from Newham. So, I think, if they had the opportunity to see that, oh, if this is what a career in the arts is like from a young age, it would open people up to possibilities.
