Through real oral histories, contributors reflect on TikTok, Instagram, SoundCloud, Snapchat, viral moments, public humiliation, online reputation and how conflicts that once stayed local could suddenly spread across phones and platforms. The story also asks a bigger question: who controls the story — the people who lived it, the platforms that spread it, or the media companies that frame it? Part of a Red Light Busking oral history project Kanda Vol.1 Bedroom Shut Music Up

This storyline looks at the relationship between music, prison, friendship groups and street culture in the early 2000s. Through real oral histories, contributors reflect on jungle raves, garage, pirate radio, MC culture, prison wings, Top of the Pops, and how music became both a creative outlet and a mirror of what was happening in the streets. The story explores a key question: when music reflects real life, how do we understand its influence without ignoring the conditions

Real voices reflect on education, pressure, bullying, foster care, exclusion, dyslexia, ADHD and the impact of being pushed out of school. This storyline explores how young people, especially Black boys, could be labelled as a problem before their needs were properly understood — and how education, when made accessible, can change the direction of someone’s life.

This storyline explores resilience, identity and survival through real oral histories connected to Waltham Forest. Contributors reflect on African knowledge systems, maroons, structural racism, pirate radio, postcode conflict, prison, street life and the turning points that helped people seek a different path.

This powerful oral history explores the over representation of African Caribbeans in the criminal justice system through real voices connected to Waltham Forest. Contributors reflect on policing, racial profiling, prison sentences, youth offending institutions, street economies, family separation and the long-term impact of criminalisation on Black communities.