Shared Sacrifice Weekend--Jamal James

Annette Daley interviewes Jamal James.

Born ‘Jamal Herbert Constantine Derek James’, in Dulwich hospital South East London in 1977. I’ve lived my entire life in the city of London. A product of the chronically under funded state education system, I attribute my determination to achieve down to a tenacious single mother, and a English teacher who helped nurture a social political conscience which has counter balanced a lack of main stream Educational achievements.

Having completed a B.tec national diploma in Media studies and Photography, I attended the Halfway House Film Production course in the late 90’s.; which resulted with my involvement in writing and directing two short films, the second of which (titled ‘Tame Wolves) dealt very much with highlighting the criminal inevitably of the welfare classes, excluded from the mainstream, yet surrounded by it material entrapments. I wrote a feature script at the time, but found it near impossible to get the finances required to get it off the ground. This resulted with me losing my love for film making.

I reverted to Islam in the early 03, having always being of a spiritual nature, owing to my family’s Christian heritage. I found myself in a bit of bother with the law in late 05, which resulted in me having to do a five year custodial sentence, something which I am not particularly proud of, as I let a great number of family and close friends down. But this time offered me an even greater insight in the plight of some of my society’s underclass. I’m now involved in the car selling business with my wife, and we are in the process of starting up our second business on-line. We have a daughter and a second child on the way. My wife is also involved, with a’ current affairs female Muslim debate show’ on cable in the UK, as a panellist.