Alex Says Goodbye

“I believe in comics,” I said in my job interview for the research assistant role. I remember it distinctly because I cringed about it afterwards.

Oh no, I thought, aghast. Why did I say that? It sounded so earnest, so cheesy. What if I came across as insincere??

I squirmed, I blushed, I gnashed my teeth. Thankfully, though, it didn’t sink my chances of getting the job. After all, I’m here, aren’t I? Or I was. My role is ending now, and I’m going to miss it.

There’s been something so fulfilling about being able to use my Humanities skills in real world applications. I created lesson plans, developed aspects of the teaching pack, collaborated on the creation of the comic. I’ve been able to advise on symbolism and sentence structure and colour theory. I even chaired a panel on human rights! It’s been wild and fascinating and I’ve loved every moment of it.

But most of all, I’ve appreciated the purpose of the project. To be honest, I didn’t know much about forced marriage when I started the job. Yes, I diligently read Hannah’s monograph before my interview, but the depth of my knowledge amounted to: “forced marriage? It’s wrong.” I had no idea how nuanced an issue forced marriage is, or how prevalent the practice. Sometimes it was hard to be part of a project that addresses such a difficult topic, knowing that it impacts real people. I’m used to dealing with fiction, so it was challenging to discuss the scenarios of the comic and then try to come up with different ways of visualising the events without replicating trauma. The characters in the comic are inventions, it’s true, but their stories are inspired by real events, by real victim-survivors. That has to be treated sensitively, and with respect. But, however heart-wringing it was some days, being part of a project that aims to raise awareness and thereby protect young people has been a privilege, and I’ll always be grateful that Hannah chose me for this opportunity.

Because as cheesy as it may have sounded in my interview, I really do believe in comics. They offer so many ways to engage not only with complex narratives, but they create opportunities for education and understanding that a presentation of just bare facts can’t reproduce. Students can engage with stories, they can argue over frustrating (deliberate) lacks of closure, and they can learn how to protect themselves and their loved ones against forced marriage in the process. I think I enjoyed that aspect of the project the most, going into the schools and teaching students with the I Choose comic. Hearing them groan when I told them that we want to annoy them, at least a bit, because that means they’ll keep thinking about the comic even when they’re at home. Showing them how skills they learn in school can be applied to a real-world project. Then, seeing their expressions light up when they saw their feedback had not only been taken seriously, but that it had changed some aspect of the final comic. The students were vibrant and alert and creative, and it was a real pleasure to work with them.

So, it is with some degree of sadness that I have reached the scheduled conclusion of my role. The comic is complete and available for download, and aside from the blogs I have scheduled, I will be writing no more posts. But, I will never not be a collaborator in ending forced marriage. Every future job interview I have, I will get to explain the project and I will get to send ripples of awareness out into the world. I will put these blog posts in my portfolio, I’ll share them on social media, I will explain my teaching skills on my CV. I will be able to recognise if one of my students comes to a seminar preoccupied and anxious, if their marks drop, if they need help. Thanks to this project, I can be there for my students in a way that never would have occurred to me this time last year. Yes, my job may have ended, but as far as I’m concerned, my role will keep going, because I’m committed to being part of ending forced marriage from now on.

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude and admiration to Dr Hannah Baumeister, for her amazing and creative response to the issue of forced marriage, and for being kind enough to choose me to help support her.

And thank you, dear reader, for being part of this journey, too. I’ll miss writing to you.

But don’t forget, just because I’m leaving doesn’t mean you can’t still be our collaborator. Send a link to the comic to a friend with teenage children, email a local school and let them know about the project. Share a blog of mine on social media. Because you’re part of this, too. Don’t forget me. And don’t forget that you already have everything you need to help end forced marriage.

Written by Alex Carabine