Matt Abbott Poet

First of all, if you haven’t heard ‘Superheroes’, you can stream or download it in all of the usual places using this very handy link. It’s also on YouTube if none of those tickle your fancy.

Right, instead of telling people what I think about the refugee crisis or having a pop at the UK’s government or mainstream media (see ‘#RefugeesWelcome‘), all I’ve done is tell a story.

The story in the lyric is 100% true. Marco is a real person, he really did volunteer as a teacher at a makeshift school in the Calais Jungle, and the boy – as well as his story – also exists.

A couple of weeks before my first visit in April 2016, I was at the annual With Banners Held High event in Wakefield. I attended a talk on the refugee crisis, and left the room with a desperate urge to visit The Jungle and help out in some way. A group of activists called We Are Wakefield set the wheels in motion and – largely thanks to Sally Kincaid and Leda Prest – I saw The Jungle with my own eyes.

The reason that they facilitated my visit was partly because they knew that I’d shout about what I saw. Never in a million years did I expect a full stage show, my debut poetry collection and a chunk of a new Skint & Demoralised album to come out of it, but there you go.

I could give you all kinds of stats and figures. They’re not hard to find with a quick Google. But at the end of the day, I’m not a journalist – I’m a poet – and the most valuable thing that I could do is tell stories.

The dehumanisation of refugees in the UK right now is a disgrace. I couldn’t care less if I sound like a virtue-signalling snowflake. And the most harrowing thing is the sheer number of children involved.

So, have a listen and please share it as well – the more folk that hear these stories, the better. Ta very much.