Keep Alphonse Drumming
Stephen Williams MP is supporting the 'Keep Alphonse Drumming' campaign. Alphonse Daudet Touna is a local musician, who has been refused permission to remain in the UK by the government. The campaign aims to persuade Immigration Minister Liam Byrne to grant Alphonse permission to stay in the UK.
Alphonse is a musician from Cameroon - he drums, and plays the balafon (a West African xylophone). Since coming to Bristol almost six years ago, he has worked tirelessly in local schools and the community to promote an interest in music and encourage an interest in people from other nations and faiths.
Alphonse has worked for Bristol City Council, visiting a large number of local schools, as well as being the choir master of St Nicholas of Tolentino Church in Easton. He has been helped the rehabilition of drug users through his involvement with Bristol Drugs Project and has worked with young offenders at institutions in Bristol and the surrounding area.
Besides working with schools and community groups, Alphonse has also set up a band - Hélélé - which performs at a number of events around the region. He also set up Sul'Art in 2001, an art organisation which promotes cultural and artistic activities as a way of building links between communities. Links to websites for both can be found at the bottom of the page.
Despite all of his good work, at the end of 2006, the government refused to renew Alphonse's visa and work permit, meaning he will be forced to return to Cameroon. Stephen Williams MP has asked the Immigration Minister, Liam Byrne, to reconsider this decision, but he has refused.
Stephen is therefore supporting the Keep Alphonse Drumming campaign, which aims to demonstrate to the Minister that local people want Alphonse to stay. On Tuesday 7th August he is travelling to the Home Office in London with other Alphonse and other supporters to present a 1,600 signature petition to the Immigration Minister (see http://www.bristolwest-libdems.org.uk/news/000344.html)
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