Hajia Dahiru
HD: Haija Dahiru
INT: Interviewer
INT: Introduce yourself in relation to Rosetta.
HD: I started as a student and then a volunteer and now I teach. I’m a visual artist and mostly use photography as a source of my artwork and I work mostly with Newham. (Laughs)
INT: Em, talk about your connection to Rosetta and when you got started.
HD: I started with Rosetta in 1995, I came here after my degree in media and I find that photography units that I covered there, it wasn’t broad enough, I was interested in catch up more, or bring that skill up and someone suggested Rosetta, so I say, oh, I know where it is so I come down here to check it out and then I met Yvonne and then she says, come and start tomorrow.
HD: So, I started as a student and went away and come back as a volunteer. While I was volunteering a position came up teaching photography and they asked me if I could cover that.
INT: How long have you been teaching in that role here?
HD: 2010. Almost 13 years now
INT: And you were on the Accelerator Programme, talk about that.
HD: Oh yeah! This year I was part of the artist accelerator programme which is brilliant! I joined the programme so I can develop as an artist. As an artist, you feel like you have gone somewhere, but you need to go somewhere else and that programme has moved me forward.
INT: Ok, thank you, and can you talk about changes that you notice and where Rosetta is now?
HD: Things have changed in terms of Rosetta being more popular than before, now a lot of people have come to know about Rosetta or enquire about certain courses, so in that aspect it has grown and has continued to grow. It’s changing every day in terms of being out there in the local community. I always feel we can do more, but yeah, it has improved.
INT: Can you talk a bit about like, what you would like to see in the future, any changes or anything you’ve heard is happening in Newham or with Rosetta?
HD: More outreach. Before Rosetta used to send out leaflets, that’s how people come, but now it’s predominantly through social media people are aware of Rosetta. I think there are certain groups who are not in social media who can benefit from knowing about all the beautiful courses and facilities that Rosetta provides the local community. I think that more reaching out in different ways will benefit the local community and Rosetta itself. In terms of the borough, the borough is growing like everything else. But, like I say, I would like to see more resources and more updated resources in Rosetta, and more reach out. Those two things I think. I hope, one day.
INT: What do you think of the building?
HD: I always think the building is the same. If you been to this building, however, a year ago, it’s the same. It needs updating to come to the current century in term of the facilities and the look of the building and things like that. The service is good, but we could do with more resources. I dunno how we could get funding for it, but yeah, there is always an issue with funding.
They are already running programmes in different centres to bring people in. People say, by the way, where is it?
