Lewisham BHM programme has now begun
The full Lewisham BHM 2012 programme of over 90 confirmed events has now commenced. Full details are available to view online at http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/blackhistorymonth Here’s a selection of the library hosted events from the first few weeks of the programme, which you may be interested in. I’ve indicated where pre-booking is essential (generally those at the Deptford Lounge and also our legendary BHM walking tour).
Monday 1 October
7-8.30pm Free (Pre-book a place)
Deptford Lounge
Calypso and Quadrille evening with Alexander D. Great and Januka
From the first day in October, the 50 year anniversaries of independence both in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are a feature which recur in this year’s programme in Lewisham. Come and celebrate and be entertained by Trinidadian Calypso from Alexander D. Great and Jamaican Quadrille from Januka. Pre-book via The Albany online or T: 020 8692 4446.
Thursday 4 October
7-8.30pm Free (Pre-book a place)
Deptford Lounge
Speaking Volumes on National Poetry Day with Jacob Sam-La Rose
Jacob Sam-La Rose comperes as local young people from Lewisham’s Speaking Volumes project celebrate their creative work at Deptford Lounge and launch a touring collection of contemporary poetry on National Poetry Day. Pre-book via The Albany online or T: 020 8692 4446.
Tuesday 9 October
7.15-8.30pm Free
Torridon Road Library
Natural Noire
A special evening for those who like to celebrate and look good: Tia from Natural Noire will provide advice on caring for Afro hair: Sophie and Co. provide live music. Accompanied children welcome.
Thursday 11 October
8-9.30pm Free
Lewisham Library
50 Up: Spoken word and open mic with Inspired Word
Creative arts group Inspired Word provide their own take on this year’s 50 year anniversaries in the Caribbean at an evening of spoken word at Lewisham Library, which concludes with open mic.
Saturday 13 October
10.30am-Noon £5
Meet at 439 New Cross Road SE14 6TA (Pre-booking essential)
S.I. Martin’s Black History Month walking tour
Renowned historian, S.I. Martin will lead a 90 minute Black History Month theme walking tour of Deptford and New Cross taking us back through the centuries as we pass local landmarks. Tour is limited to 16 places. Up to 2 children may accompany paying adults. Pre-book via The Albany online or T: 020 8692 4446.
Saturday 13 October
2.15-3.15pm Free (Pre-book a place)
Deptford Lounge
S.I Martin trends current research in Black British history
S.I Martin speaks about his recent research work and use of resources such as the Black Cultural Archive and National Maritime Museum, which can be visited locally. Pre-book via The Albany online or T: 020 8692 4446.
~ BLACK HISTORY STUDIES IN ASSOCIATION WITH PCS LEARNING CENTRE
– ‘The Hidden History of Africa Before the Slave Trade’. On Tues 2 Oct.
The Hidden History of Africa Before the Slave Trade is a visually stunning presentation that addresses one key question: What history do Afrikan people have before the slave trade started? The lecture discusses the Empire of Mali, the Yoruba Kingdoms, Medieval Sudan, Medieval Ethiopia and the East Afrikan Coast. These civilisations left behind a splendid array of artefacts, illuminated manuscripts, and impressive architecture that are all discussed in the lecture.
– ‘More than A Month’. On Mon 8 Oct.
Shukree Hassan Tilghman, a 29-year-old African-American filmmaker, sets out on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month. He explains that relegating Black History Month to the coldest, shortest month of the year is an insult. Through this thoughtful and humorous journey, he explores what the treatment of history tells us about race and equality in a “post-racial” America. A discussion and debate on the relevance of Black History Month will follow the film.
– ‘The Amazing History of Black People in London before 1948’. On Tues 9 Oct.
This fascinating presentation focuses on the hidden history of London and the contributions made by people of Afrikan and Caribbean descent to London in the areas of Literature, Politics, Music and Health & Welfare before 1948. This presentation will highlight the invaluable input people of African and Caribbean descent have provided to London, from the 17th century to 1948.
– ‘Slavery is NOT our history!’ On Wed 10 Oct.
This presentation tells a rarely told story of the Afrikan resistance to and independence from the enslavers. Afrikans throughout the Americas rose in rebellion against their enslavers and sought to set up mini-African states of their own quite separate from those of the enslavers. The territories covered are Brazil, Jamaica, Guyana / Suriname, Barbados, the United States and Haiti.
– ‘The Manuscripts of Timbuktu’. On Tues 16 Oct.
Deep in the vast desert region of Mali in West Afrika lies the historical city of Timbuktu. For centuries it was a centre for trade, where merchants came to buy and sell goods such as salt and gold. Timbuktu also emerged as a centre for religion and learning: prior to the colonisation of much of Afrika, the city was a fountain of knowledge in the fields of physics, astrology, and technology, and almost the entire population could read and write. In ‘The Manuscripts of Timbuktu’, historians, imams and experts on the centuries-old Timbuktu manuscripts tell the fascinating tale of this Afrikan city, each from the perspective of their respective specialist field.
– Congo Week Special! ‘Apocalypse Africa: Made in America’. On Wed 17 Oct.
Journalist Del Walters explores secret recordings, classified films and other archival evidence that suggests the United States’ involvement in the downfall of Africa, including genocidal wars in Darfur, Uganda and Rwanda. Through top-secret data, hidden documents and other sources obtained from government archives, the film reveals links between the destruction of Afrika and those who influence American foreign policy.
– ‘Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai’. On Wed 24 Oct.
Taking Root tells the dramatic story of the late Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights and defend democracy. A movement for which this charismatic woman became an iconic inspiration. ‘Taking Root’ is the most comprehensive, in-depth film about Wangari Maathai available. It was made in close collaboration with her during the last decade of her life.
All events at 7-9pm at the PCS Headquarters, 160 Falcon Road, Clapham Junction, London, SW11 2LN. Adm: £5. Tel / Fax: 020 8881 0660. Mobile: 07951 234 233. E-mail: info@blackhistorystudies.com
~ THE ANGLO-PORTUGUESE SOCIETY PRESENT ‘PORTUGUESE CULTURAL SYMBOLS
IN ASIA’. Portuguese cultural impressions in Asia are an unexpected outcome of European intervention in Indian Ocean commerce. Survival of Portuguese in Asia, albeit in a creolised form, of a once important trade language, and Portuguese words in more than fifty Asian languages, remind us of the Portuguese encounter with other peoples. Dr Shihan de Silva, Senior Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and author of ‘The Portuguese in the East: A Cultural History of a Maritime Trading Empire’ (I B Tauris, London), will illustrate the nature of the encounter using language, music, furniture and other cultural symbols.On Thurs 4 Oct at 7pm at Canning House, 2 Belgrave Square, London, SW1X 8PJ. Tel: 020 7245 9738. E-mail: angloportuguese@talktalk.net
~ THE MOONSHOT REMINISCE HOST COMMITTEE PRESENTS
– ‘Carry-Beyond Reflections’ Book Launch with Dr Lez Henry. On Fri 5 Oct at 7.30pm.
– ‘An intimate acoustic set with Jacqui Maxwell’. On Fri 12 Oct at 7:30pm
Jacqui Maxwell was the lead vocalist and one of the co-founders of the 90’s soul funk band – Metropolis. She is known for her energising performances and amazing vocals. Of late, she has been working with reggae artist Tippa Irie touring Europe.
– The Power of the Drum. On Sat 20 Sep at 7pm
IRIE! Drummers are a collective of five talented drummers from Africa, the Caribbean and the UK. The musicians work with IRIE! dance theatre using the idiom of traditional African and traditional Caribbean drum rhythms as a basis upon which to create, perform, educate and entertain. The Power of the Drum celebrates both traditional and contemporary vibrations of Cameroon, Jamaica, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone; through call and response, counter-rhythms, polyrhythms and improvisation. E-mail; info@iriedancetheatre.org
All events at Moonshot Centre, Fordham Park, Angus Street, New Cross, London SE14 6LU. Adm:
£7 / £5 / (MOTD). Tel: 020 8691 6099. E-mail: info@moonshotcentre.org Web: http://www.moonshotcentre.org
~ BLACK HISTORY WALKS PRESENT
– ‘The USA Tuskegee Airmen and Black British World War 2 Pilots’. On Sun 7 Oct at 2-5pm
– ‘How Black People Won World War 2’. On Sun 14 Oct at 11am-5pm,
Both events at the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London, SE1. Adm: Free. Web: www.iwm.org.uk or http://www.blackhistorywalks.co.uk
~ IMAGES OF BLACK WOMEN AND BLACK HISTORY WALKS PRESENT ‘PERFORMING BLACK BODIES IN WHITE SPACES’ Films, live dance performance and talk to explore how Afrikan Descendants across the Diaspora use dance to celebrate their Afrikan heritage. ‘Ebony Goddess’ –
this documentary follows three women competing to be the carnival queen of Ilê Aiyê, the Afro-Brazilian cultural group. Selection is based on Africentric notions of beauty. ‘Temporary Sanity: The Skerrit Boy Story’ features Jamaican dance culture in New York. Dr Nathalie Montlouis will share her research on Afrikan-Caribbean dances and their potential positive effects on self-esteem of people of Afrikan descent. She will demonstrate how symbolic violence to women and men can be counteracted through dance and music. Special guests include Dr Lez Henry and Congolese choreographer Madee Ngo. They will explore the perception of African and Caribbean dance and their portrayal in the mainstream media. Dance demonstration by traditional French Caribbean group Zil’ Oka. On Sat 13 Oct at 6-9pm at Peckham Multiplex Cinema, Rye Lane, London, SE15. Adm: Free, but booking essential for voucher. Tel 020 7525 3415. Web: http://performingblackbodies.eventbrite.com/
~ TOWARDS A NATIONAL AFRIKAN PEOPLE’S PARLIAMENT GENERAL (PEOPLE) ASSEMBLY. Themes:‘People Empowered for Self-Determination’ and‘Taking Responsibility, Effecting Solutions’. On Sat 13 Oct at 5-9pm at Queen Mother Moore School, Clapham Methodist Church Hall, Nelson’s Row, London, SW4 7JR. Tel: 020 8539 2154 / 07908 814 152. E-mail: arm6227@yahoo.co.uk
Kimathi Donkor, When shall we 3?
(Scenes from the life of Njinga Mbandi),
2010, oil on linen, 160 x 105 cm.
~ INIVA PRESENTS ‘QUEENS OF THE UNDEAD’. A solo exhibition by Kimathi Donkor. which includes newly commissioned paintings that celebrate heroic women from Afrikan diasporic history, along with earlier contemporary portraits. The free exhibition brochure with texts by David Dibosa and Carol Tulloch is a collector’s item and we would urge all our readers to contact the gallery to get a copy if they are unable to make it to the venue themselves. Until 24 Novat Institute of International Visual Arts), Rivington Place, London, EC2A 3BA. Tel: 020 7729 9616. Web: http://www.iniva.org
~ SHADES OF NOIR ‘HAPPENING TO BE’ EXHIBITION. Some of the most accomplished alumni from University of the Arts London (UAL), are being honoured in an exhibition of their work called ‘Happening To Be’. The artists are: Professor Ablade Glover, OBE, who is still painting in his late seventies after a distinguished career as an international exhibiting artist and leading educator and was the Dean of the College Art at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana; Ngozi Onwurah whose films, TV dramas and documentaries have won numerous international film festival awards; Yinka Shonibare, MBE, was a 2004 Turner Prize nominee and his ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’ occupied the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square from May 2010 until Jan 2012; Professor Andrew M. Ramroop, OBE, CM, is a respected master tailor and the managing director of Maurice Sedwell Ltd in London’s Saville Row; and Trevor Robinson, CBE won plaudits for the ‘You’ve been Tangoed’ soft drinks ads. The curator for the exhibition is another UAL alumnus the painter Kimathi Donkor. Until 27 Oct (Mon–Fri 10am–6 pm; Sat 10am–4 pm) at Lethaby Gallery, Central St. Martins College of Art and Design, Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, Kings Cross, London, N1C 4AA. Contact: Deborah Gabriel, PR Specialist and Researcher, Shades of Noir Team. Tel: 07758 789 816.E-mail: mail@deborahgabriel.com Twitter: @deborahgabriel Web: http://shadesofnoir.org.uk/default.aspx
~ ‘JOURNEYS AND KINSHIP’ EXHIBITION. Is the face not currency enough? This display of face casts responds to the irony that members of the African Diaspora must pay to visit sites from which their ancestors were transported into enslavement. ‘Journeys and Kinship’ explores further the themes of the London, Sugar & Slavery gallery at the Museum of London Docklands through a project between the visual artist Jean Joseph and a group of young Londoners working together with Calypsonian, Alexander D Great, and Yvonne Wilson from Equi-Vison.Until 4 Nov 2012 at Museum of London, Docklands 1 Warehouse, West India Quay, London, E14 4AL. Tel: 020 7001 9844. Adm: Free. Web: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Docklands/Whats-on/Exhibitions-Displays/JourneysandKinship.htm
~ HIDDEN ARTS PRESENTS ‘WORDS FROM THE SOUL’. A blend of poetic chants with African Rhythms. On Nov 6 at 7.30pm at The Dugdale Centre, 39 London Road, Enfield Town, EN2 6DS. Adm: £10. Box office 020 8807 6680 / 07779 003 792 (Mike) / 07956 191 694 (Gerard).Web: http://www.millfieldartscentre.co.uk or http://www.dugdalecentre.co.uk
~ 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY (5TH ICAT): TECHNOLOGY FAIR EXHIBITION. The 5th ICAT Organizing Committee is hosting an Appropriate Technology Fair on Fri Nov 23 2012 as part of the 5th ICAT activities. A call has gone out for 20 exhibitors who have been researching, developing or implementing appropriate and sustainable technologies.Appropriate technology (AT) is ‘technology to empower people’. Focusing on technologies that are human-centred promotes: better health, better education, improved access to clean water, necessary shelter and safe food, as well as transportation and energy solutions that do not cause ecological imbalance. There will be conference delegates from across Africa, as well as other developing countries like India and Guyana. Leaders from the business and NGO communities will also be attending. You will then have opportunities to talk to delegates about the technology your organisation is promoting.The conference will run from 20-24 Nov in Pretoria, South Africa. For full conference and exhibition details contact Ms Grace Kanakana. Tel: 076 499 0489. E-mail: grace@iproeng.co.za
http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/community_and_leisure/time_out_in_haringey/whatsonsearch/blackhistorymonth.htm
http://www.haringey.gov.uk/marcusgarveylibrary-whatson.htm
Waltham Forest
I think the page should read Monday 24th September
http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/bhm
Nubian Nation 