The man who conquered the art world and the world of fashion has turned his attention to the yet another artistic sector

Life as an author affords me many things that would be far beyond my reach otherwise. There are times when I have to pinch myself and wonder if I might wake up and find it was all a dream. The people I have met through the art of writing, and the people who cross my path, as a result of it astound me. Little old me rubbing shoulders with the likes of… but this week I met a very influential man. He’s an artist, fashion designer to the rich and famous, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Emily Blunt to mention a few. He’s reached the heights of the art world, taking it by storm by creating architectural installations for the likes of the Victoria and Albert Museum, creating the external facade with a massive artwork depicting connectivity of the many communities that surround Birmingham’s Selfridges building. A work of art seen by all who live in the surrounding area and by those travelling into the city. Osman Yousefzada, who has conquered both worlds, decided to step into another – The world of authors. Osman has written his memoirs, depicting a life behind closed doors and his humble start.

This week, Osman kindly agreed to come into school to talk to the students about his journey to the top from a closed community, a life filled with many obstacles and barriers to success. The students are from impoverished communities with little investment being made in the area they live. This was a massive opportunity to hear the empowering messages conveyed by an icon, and I felt privileged to be a part of bringing him into school.

In my initial meeting with one of the Bradford Literary Festival founders, Irna Qureshi, another iconic lady, who is worthy of so much praise; I have to admit that I didn’t know who this new author on the scene was, so I agreed and then started researching him, to create the resources I needed to teach the students a little about him and his work, and to introduce them to his writing. It was only then that it hit me just who was coming into school. As time went on and I discovered more about him and his achievements, I have to admit to becoming more and more nervous. Everything had to be just right, but now, if I forgot something I’d be letting down a man who demands perfection in his life, so the pressure was on. The day of the visit soon came around and the visit was upon me, a private meltdown later, was everything ready? and the phone rang; I had a job to do and a visitor, who had arrived and was in reception waiting for me. There was no more time for titivating anything, he was in reception. Nerves pushed aside, I left my office to greet Osman Yousefzada and Irna Qureshi.    

I’d read Osman’s new book, almost in one sitting. The writing was so fluent and engaging, and painted a picture of his life and the people around him in such colour that I became a part of the story alongside him as a child, just as a good book should. His memoirs taught me a lot about him and his childhood. Being a librarian; the thing I do when I’m not writing, I chuckled at finding out that he had stolen books. Did I need to hide them?

Learning that he had been sacked as a librarian and dobbed-in by his own friend, I thought it might be nice for him to make up for old times and set him to work when he arrived. What a kind and gentle soul he was. He took everything in his stride, and we had a whale of a time while we waited for the hall to clear and the students to assemble inside. Did I mention that the area the school is in stands in an area which pulls from communities not too dissimilar to the one he was raised in. Living in the north of England, not too much wealth nor investment makes its way to Bradford, so the interest in the fame and fortune were high on the list of questions the students dished out. They haven’t had many visitors of his standing in school, in fact, he may be the first. Osman clearly has a good sense of humour and a high tolerance for dealing with youngsters, because not only did he take everything in his stride, but he also gave messages of empowerment and touch the lives of the students more than I think even he knows. Standing in the wings, I watched the Heads of Year cringe as some of the naughtiest students got up to ask their questions. The look on their faces of, who let this kid in, and now he’s standing up, but to everyone’s surprise, after Osman had fielded the earlier questions of ‘what car do you drive?’ and such like, one of the naughtiest kids in the year group was stood up and struggling with his words. To everyone’s surprise, this overconfident boy’s voice was quivering, and he was asking a really sensible question. The boy, who had never taken school seriously, was invested in Osman.

The impact on some of the students who see school as a chore and have no ambition of their own will have gleamed a seed of something, which will sit with them until it’s ready to inspire them somewhere down the line. It was a real pleasure to meet the real Osman Yousefzada, the gentleman, the artist, the trend setter, and the man who doesn’t listen to the word no when it impedes progress. The man who pushed through all the restrictions and barriers telling him from childhood that he couldn’t and the man who did it anyway.

If you haven’t picked up your copy of The Go Between yet, it is published by Canongate and available at all the usual stockists – https://canongate.co.uk/books/2495-the-go-between-a-portrait-of-growing-up-between-different-worlds/ . This is a funny, realistic, gritty interpretation of a life filled with many joys and injustices alike. It’s a page turner I simply couldn’t put down and a Serina Hartwell recommended.   

By Serina Hartwell – Author of The Hidden Saga

www.serinahartwell.com