Black History Month 2023
October is Black History Month in the UK. Cece put together the following rescources for thing to do around town this month.
As always, we will be offering a 15% discount to our black customers in store.
BFI Power to the People: Horace Ové’s radical vision
Selection of film screenings at the BFI in October and November showcasing Director Horace Ové’s film making. Throughout his films Ové documents the social and racial upheaval in the UK, fusing his political activism with a profound understanding of world cinema, particularly neo-realism. Films showing include: Pressure, Playing Away, The Black Safari, Play for Today: A Hole in Babylon, King Carnival, Reggae, and James Baldwin and the ’N’ Word
Also have a selection free films centred around Black Britain online here: https://player.bfi.org.uk/
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https://player.bfi.org.uk/
Morgan Stanley Exhibition @ Somerset House : The missing thread
This exhibition explores the stories of Black British fashion curated by the Black Orientated Legacy Development Agency (BOLD). Spanning from the 1970s to the present day, The Missing Thread charts the shifting landscape of Black British culture and the unique contribution it has made to Britain’s rich design history. The exhibition examines how the cultural, counter-cultural, political and socio-economic backdrop of the 20th and 21st centuries have shaped the identity of Black style and in turn mainstream fashion culture. Extending far beyond the realm of the catwalk, the exhibition spotlights and contextualises the profound impact of Black creativity through music, photography, art and design
A celebration of the varied landscape of contemporary African photography today. Bringing together a group of artists from different generations, this exhibition will address how photography, film, audio, and more have been used to reimagine Africa’s diverse cultures and historical narratives.
Moving beyond a traditional photography exhibition, the show seeks to explore the many ways images travel across histories and geographies. Using themes of spirituality, identity, urbanism and climate emergency, the exhibition will guide the viewer through dream-like utopias and bustling cityscapes viewed from the artists’ perspectives.
Sierra Leonian artist Julianknxx uses his personal history as a prism to deconstruct dominant perspectives on African art, history, and culture. Rich with symbolism, his work conveys the Black experience of defining and redefining the self, rejecting labels to form new collective narratives.
Challenging the Narrative: Black Resistance to Scientific Bias @ Black Cultural Archives
An iteration of Wellcome Collection’s Genetic Automata Exhibition featuring the influential work of Larry Achiampong and David Blandy, exploring the impact of eugenics, scientific racism and Black resistance. Curated by Black Cultural Archives’ Managing Director Lisa Anderson, this exhibition draws from the archive to explore how science has impacted understandings on beauty, intelligence, mental health and policing and across historic and contemporary society.
Speak Out! Book Launch with the Brixton Black Women’s Group @ Brixton Library 25th October
The Brixton Black Women’s Group was one of the first Black women’s groups to be established in Britain. Many Black women came to Britain in the ’50s and ’60s, either by invitation from the British government to help staff the National Health Service and London Transport, or forced by the ravages of colonialism. It is against this background that the Brixton Black Women’s Group was born and fought for the liberation of women and Black people world-wide. Speak Out! brings together the writings of the Brixton Black Women's Group (BWG) for the first time in a landmark collection.
’16 walking tours of London to choose from with each area carefully selected for its importance in Black History. Expert tour guides help participants to uncover the 3,500 years of Black History in London through interactive discussion and exceptional educational experiences.’
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Find out how London keeps its memory of the glorification of stolen African lives that capitalised the "streets paved with gold”. This walking tour follows the hidden story of one of Britain’s first Slave Traders, The Plantation Economy Triangle and the blood money trail of the Lloyds family, and how they grew rich from the fees and interest they earned from merchants who borrowed money for their long voyages and their corporation involvement in the handling of slaves.’
TTEACH Plaques Launches 50 Plaques & Places Exhibition @ The Tabernacle 5th-28th oct
TTEACH Plaques, an acronym for Transatlantic Trafficked Enslaved African Corrective Historical Plaques is a descendant-led initiative founded by Gloria Daniel. TTEACH Plaques campaigns for reparative interventions and permanent plaques to contextualise Cathedrals, Churches, Universities, Schools and memorials that falsely honour those who profited from the transportation and enslavement of African people. Curated by Gloria Daniel and supported by SOAS School of Law, Gender and Media. The exhibition places a spotlight on 50 sites incontrovertibly tied to the transatlantic slave economy
Black British Book Festival @ Southbank Centre 27th&28th Oct
The Black British Book Festival is Europe’s largest celebration of Black literature, Champion emerging talent and showcasing the UK's best Black authors. By directly engaging with communities that are currently not reached by the publishing industry, the festival aims to democratise literature, making it more accessible to people who may not have had the chance to engage with books before.An eagle-eyed focus on emerging talent and a commitment to reaching marginalised communities make the Black British Book Festival a singularly valuable contributor to the literary landscape of the UK.
Discover how the trade in enslaved Africans and sugar shaped London. This permanent gallery exhibition was established in 2007 to document the social, cultural and economic impact of Britain’s lust for sugar in the Caribbean.
LAGOS, PECKHAM, REPEAT: PILGRIMAGE TO THE LAKES @ South London Gallery until 29th oct
Known as ‘Little Lagos’, Peckham is home to one of the largest Nigerian diaspora communities in the UK. Lagos, Peckham, Repeat: Pilgrimage to the Lakes is a major group exhibition looking at the connections between Lagos in Nigeria and Peckham in south east London.
The exhibition highlights the relationships, culture, shared history, communities and art that link the two places. Themes explored include transnational exchange, a sense of place and the contemporary metropolis.
The exhibition showcases works by thirteen Nigerian and British-Nigerian artists, bringing together sculpture, photography, sound and film.
A founding member of the Black British Arts Movement, Claudette Johnson is considered one of the most significant figurative artists of her generation. For over 30 years she has created large-scale drawings of Black women and men that are at once intimate and powerful.
