A rapping reverend from Ipswich has released a special St George’s Day poem.
The Revd Kiran Lotay, of Triangle Church on the Triangle estate in Ipswich, goes by the rap name Hybrid, and has been publishing his music on his Youtube channel for years. His poignant St George's Day poem delves into how communities can sometimes feel divided by symbols designed to unite us, what it means to be English and the need for a more empathetic type of patriotism.
The Revd Lotay said: “I wrote the poem a number of years ago when I was at theological college, before much of the recent controversy over flags. My poem explores what it means to be English and how we can unite communities. It’s not that I don’t think we need to have robust conversations about the flag and how it is perceived – I do want to acknowledge those tensions. But my poem is about my longing to take some of the rage out of the discussion.”
He said he would like to replace rage with spiritual connection, facing problems hand in hand alongside God.
The Revd Lotay has recorded a video of him performing the poem, which has been released through the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich’s social media channels.
Growing up close to a working class community in Wembley in London, The Revd Lotay said he uses his poetry and music as a way to reconnect to his roots and bring people together.
“I grew up close to an estate in London but was bussed out to private school,” he said. "Part of my journey as a minister has been about coming back to that and treasuring the type of community I grew up in. Sometimes genuine divisions can form in our communities, whether that’s through differences in culture or disagreements about politics – maybe a combination of both. Sometimes what we are fighting over can stop us addressing things right in front of us which are damaging us all. You can have serious disagreements about lots of different issues but building healthy communities means all of us need to find ways to work together rather than making enemies of our neighbours.”
For more on The Revd Lotay’s music, visit his YouTube channel here.