A man who moved to Liverpool from the Democratic Republic of Congo said there is something he will "never forget" about his first experience in the UK.
Daniel Sebuyange came to the UK in 2000 aged about six years old adding to the rich cultural mix of Liverpool 8 in particular.
Arriving with his mother and six siblings the family settled at the time when the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was going through various forms of conflict, which saw many people leave there.
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Daniel has since grown into an artist, activist and community worker having made contributions to the quality of life for his community in Toxteth, Liverpool 8.
Daniel told the ECHO: "I arrived in Liverpool in autumn. I had to go through an adjustment period that didn’t prepare me for the winter.
"Something I cannot forget about my first experience in the UK, is snow.
“I’d never seen snow before arriving. I remember being in awe when I started seeing it falling from the sky".
Daniel's teenage years involved projects that gave rise to the Toxteth Firefit Hub (TFFH) on the corner of Windsor Street, when he took part in a multi million pound programme called MYplace.
He said: "My older sister introduced us to a youth centre called Toxteth Sports Centre.
"We started to become heavily involved in the community participating in many community projects such as Writing on the Wall’s Liverpool Young Writers, Tiber Young People’s Steering Group (TYPSG), The Greenhouse Project, Friends of Princes Park, the Joint-Up Approach (JUA), Young Aspiring Minds (YAM) and many more".
The Myplace project led to about £2 million being made available giving birth to TFFH close to the former Toxteth Sports Centre site on the Berkeley estate, which it replaced.
Along with housing a fire station (which replaced the station in High Park Street) TFFH has a gym and also runs a youth service too.
Due to the projects he had been involved in over the years, Daniel said: "I am very proud of being included in The Common Sense Network’s “North30: 2021 North of England’s 30 Under 30 Trail Blazers”, which is a list of 30 community change makers, under the age 30, based in the North of England".
Daniel, as a member of Tiber Young People’s Steering Group (TYPSG) secured £100k funding after training and advice from project workers and facilitators to build Tiber Square on Lodge Lane.
The public space opened in 2016 playing host to community events and for people to socialise and reflect.
The Henge in Princes Park was an initiative that Daniel was involved in via Friends of Princes Park a project funded by People's Health Trust and he said: "We were able to improve Liverpool’s Princes Park by creating a wooden henge that would act as a community owned space".
He added: "I really enjoyed being a part of all those community projects.
"I'm still very much involved in the community now, working with various organisations in and outside of Liverpool, as a facilitator.
"In 2021, I worked on a poetic documentary named ‘Toxteth Rising’, in collaboration with the Bluecoat and Blulilli Projects, a part of Baff Akoto’s UP:RISE Exhibition.
"The documentary delved into the rich history of Toxteth and its people, shining a light on what makes the community unique, while interrogating its historic inequalities and contemporary marginalisation".
Daniel also worked at Tate Liverpool in 2021 and explained: "I was an artist in residence in partnership with Writing on the Wall.
"I led a series of workshops and creative sessions in response to Tate’s collection, offering new interpretations and reflections".
On top of community projects since a child, teenager and now a young man he is also a performing artist under the name Blue Saint.
His tracks have been played by BBC Radio 6 and BBC Radio Merseyside's BBC Music Introducing projects.
Explaining the meaning of the name Blue Saint, he said: "Blue is my personality, as people say I’m chilled, laid back, and representative of the colour blue.
"People started calling me Blue and due to trying to be good I added the Saint myself, influenced by my family's Christian background and upbringing".
Inspiration for Daniels performing artist work stems from his vague but pleasant memories of Congo (DRC)
Daniel said: "Interestingly, a lot of the things I remember tend to be tied around nature due to the fact I really liked playing outside as a child in Africa.
"I particularly remember there was a great hill I enjoyed sitting on as it overlooked a great part of the city revealing a pleasant and refreshing view.
“I would sit on that hill, for what felt like forever, just letting time pass, whilst my fingers would twiddle and play with a golden harmonica my father had given me".
Raised in Congo (DRC) and England Daniel said: "I have a bi-cultural identity.
"I find this identity is something I really like to explore and decided for my next music project I would dive deeper into the subject.
“That’s how the idea for my upcoming debut album ‘Mémoire’ came about".
He added: "It’s a concept album that explores the theme of growth and identity through music and spoken word poetry using floral and naturalistic imagery.
"I tell stories of the experiences and influences that shaped me into the person I am today.
“I speak of war, political and societal issues and the importance of the arts".
Daniels debut album is due to be released in March 2022, he said: "I am extremely grateful and fully appreciate all the support they have given me because BBC Music Introducing champions talented music.
"It’s very encouraging to know they support my work, especially since BBC Music Introducing has launched the careers of many critically acclaimed and internationally established artists".
For more information follow Blue Saint on Instagram or YouTube.
