Life Before Govanhill: Zemirah Moffat
In our regular feature ‘My Life Before Govanhill’ we find out from the diverse community of Govanhill what they got up to before settling around Victoria Road. In this edition, we meet Zemirah Moffat.
Interview by Marzanna Antoniak
Where are your roots?
My mum's a Londoner and my dad's from the Scottish Borders. I was born in Edinburgh but grew up in South Elmsall, a small mining town in Yorkshire. It's a place where you’d walk along the street and greet people. I used to love climbing our garden wall and the poplar trees. I’d knock on friends’ doors and we’d go exploring, making baskets or trying to build a rabbit’s hutch.
I lived in a vicarage. My dad was a vicar to the Church of England, so we had a big house with a big garden, and lots of people were always coming round. The kettle was always on, and you greeted everyone with a cup of tea. Drinking tea with people is still fundamental to how I go around and do what I do.
What about your education?
I'm probably over-educated. After my GCSEs, I went to Hong Kong before doing a year long art foundation course in Bradford where my family had moved. After that, I did Social Anthropology at Manchester University where I became very interested in gender and queer studies. Then I did my Masters in Visual Anthropology where I learned documentary filmmaking and made a documentary about drag kings in San Francisco. I did a PhD in London where I made a film about a queer club called Bar Wotever in 2006. It was a place that welcomed people of all genders and sexualities, and I absolutely loved making the film.
What brought you to Govanhill?
My wife at the time was studying in Glasgow, so I moved up with her. I arrived in Govanhill and absolutely loved it. It really felt like a place where I could be the best version of myself. Between London and Glasgow, I lived in the Forest of Dean. It was very different, in the countryside, so I learned to be very self-reliant. When I moved to Glasgow I was wondering how I could keep the peace and the stillness. My immediate thoughts were to climb trees, forage, and join the Quakers. And so I joined the Quakers upon my arrival and I have been there for 11 years. I'm now a Quaker elder in the Meeting House. I love the quiet discipline and the sense of peace and thoughtfulness there.
What do you do for a living?
I'm a professional declutterer now, which means I go to people's homes and help them make sense of their stuff. People have so much stuff in our consumerist world, and it often links in with emotional trauma and overconsumption. I love to explore the connections between people, places, and objects, and how we circulate around the globe.
For me, decluttering is about just thinking and not making an immediate decision about having or not having something, about throwing something away or getting something. It’s about taking that time to pause and to think. Decluttering is as much emotional and motivational as it is about physically moving stuff.
How do you feel in Govanhill?
I like Govanhill for its history and its complexity, and I love the ability to chat with people. Last year, I fell off my bike on Sauchiehall Street and broke my femur. It was very traumatic and painful, but I'm lucky enough to be living in a ground floor flat and in a part of Govanhill where my doctors and shops are very close, the neighbours including all the kids were very helpful.
I live on Carfin Street and we have a wonderful community garden on the street now and it's been a great healing process to hop around on my crutches and pick the herbs that I planted. I’ve also sung with Govanhill Voices for over 10 years now.
Having lived in London, Bradford, and Manchester, and been around the world, I love this part of Glasgow where I can walk out and hear different accents and different languages. I can buy rosewater for 79 pence, and different foods. And that just keeps me connected with my global landscape, which I really appreciate. I love seeing visibly queer people on the streets of Govanhill. And I love the sense of dress, and the attitudes coming through. It makes me feel a lot more at home.