Black History Month: The Highlights

Gal-dem Presents: Black British History

In October Channel 4 collaborated with gal-deman online and print media publication. The collective has created a platform which is telling the stories of woman and non-binary people of colour, giving a voice who don’t have a seat at the table in a whitewashed media environment. The result is 6 short films, deconstructing the black British identity. Photopaper, DJ, but here director Mahaneela brilliantly captures powerful 2 min conversations between black authors, artists, and activist.

The films not only provide us with examples of black success stories in industries we were not designed to infiltrate but is starting the important dialogue we need to be having within our communities. The shorts are intelligent and go beyond the acknowledgement of our lack of representation, asking participants key questions to delve into the complexities of the black British identity in the media beyond misrepresentation.

Who owns queer? Can onscreen stereotypes ever be a force for good? Are white people committed to the idea of white supremacy?In their pairs they discuss big questions and attempt to provide answers based on personal experiences and within their respective field.

Source:: http://realscreen.com/2019/09/30/channel-4-marks-uks-black-history-month-with-docs-and-shorts-slate/

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/gal-dem-presents-black-british-history

London: Black Tudors

In our whitewashed curriculum, the first images we see of Africans entry into early modern Europe is trough slavery. In a radical attempt to challenge this Dr Miranda Kaufmannhas recovered the contribution that the black community has had on British history beyond the trans Atlantic slave trade. Undergoing an education system where I had no place, or contribution beyond a commodity her work is striking.

The demonization of the ‘negro’ and systematic eradication of our culture, history and humanity only began in order to justify the objectification of our race. In Tudor England however, 4424 years prior to this Miranda quotes that any person who ‘set foot on land became free in condition as their masters’ with ‘all servile bondage’ removed. With this in mind Miranda did some digging and found large communities of Africans living in Tudor England .

These ‘Blackmoors’ found in parish registers, tax returns, household accounts, diaries, letters, wills and paintings were far from enslaved, but intelligent, well respected and in some cases notable figures- fully integrated into society. Undergoing an education system where I had no place or contribution beyond a commodity, it’s striking.

Whatsmore these communities were found throughout England; from Edinburgh right through to Cornwall with imprints even left in small rural villages.

In ‘Black Tudors: Three untold stories’ Miranda tells us the tale of 3 African tutors, a diver, a Moroccan woman and a porter. The journey of these three characters’ has been extracted from her brilliant book ‘Black Tudors; The Untold Story’. The full presentation is available on YouTube and I can’t recommend it enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfTaXRFV7EA

She Makes Noise: Hibotep, Julia Huxtable, Poison Arrow

Here in Madrid October gave us ‘She Makes Noise’, an annual festival which is making the work of women in audio-visual experimentation more visible. Alongside film screenings presentations and family activities, La Casa Encendida hosted queens of noise and techno. The line-up consisted of three woman of Latin American and African heritage who are reclaiming nightlife and club culture with beats infused with a feminist decolonial perspective.

One of the artists on the line up was Hibo Elmi- Ugandan Fashion designer, rapper, producer, filmmaker, but first and foremost, DJ. We hear Hibo fuse genres from the motherland-Taarab of the African great lakes, middle east and the Indian subcontinent, and Gnawa- with trap, hip, hop, house and creates this electrifying rhythmic dialogue between the two. The cultural nomadism that can be seen resonating in all her works is also so clear in her set creating a vibrant, contemporary and culturally rich mix. It feels like home.

Juliana Huxtable’s set is depressive, deep industrial. She fills the room with low rhythms and a hypnotic base that cuts right though, strategically and heavily laced with hip hop. The outcome is an embodiment of Juliana’s incredible ability to express herself without being bound to a particular medium. With a college education in literature and gender studies, experience working in a racial justice programme, and creating artwork and poetry, Juliana’s practice is totally interdisciplinary. So it resonates right through to her music, and the aggressive liberating approach to her sets

Being away from Columbia Poison Arrow-Natalia Escobardraws from Carrilera , the voice of her motherland’s, and if anything more so than ever. She speaks of early memories in the rural coffee villages singing with her grandparents and locals. But Natalia takes inspiration from the pioneers of the genre. Las Hermanitas Calle were the first female performers of Carrilera in a heavily misogynistic period. We hear samples of the trio as her weapon to break through a dance industry which she, rightly so, feels remains incredibly white male dominated. But she takes this further and injects violence and aggression into her tracks. Colombia has had the longest running armed conflict in south America; Natalias tracks provide catharsis from the heartache and violence Columbians are experiencing as a way to heal.

Ethiopia: Eshi Beka Skate Tour 2019

In the Sarbet parking lots in Addis Abba, Ethiopia , 16 year old Abenezer Temesgen is teaching 25 local kids , how to skateboard - with 7 boards between them. Much like the founding fathers of skateboarding of the 60’s, they take to the boards purely for the love and excitement. Moved by the sight, passer by Sean Stromsoe cancelled his flight back to the states and joined the crew.

Together with Abenezer they formed Ethiopia Skate. The collective used the car park for their organised weekly skate sessions, which attracted kids from all corners of Addis. It created an inclusive space where kids fell in love with a sport and within it found a sense of purpose.

In 2016 Ethiopia skate collaborated tie the German NGO ‘Make Life Skate Life’ to build Addis’s first free of charge skate park. Although the project saw 60 volunteer builders from 20 countries, the kids of Ethiopia Skate and the local community had totally ownership over the construction.

And the community continues to grow. Abenezer and Sean’s collective has turned into a team of 13, more than half of which are natives to Addis or second generation Ethiopians. Together not only have they empowered the children of Addis but sparked a grassroots movement of conscious urban planning and regeneration. The community is reclaiming their public spaces, pedestrians are gaining autonomy and children are taking to the streets to exercise and play. Today 20 Ethiopian cities take park in Car Free Sundays, a government scheme which closes all streets within the city to cars.

Today the collective in Addis is 150 strong with numbers rising in small towns across the country. In October the Ethiopia skate team and friends took to the road and visited these small skate communities that are starting to appear. The first stop was Shashamae. The team visited the local youth centre where skaters have claimed its playground as their local skatepark. They continued to Hawassa, where in 2017 the city saw the construction of Ethiopia Skate’s second crowdfunded skate park. The tour ended in Konso where the team took to the Sk8 Like Lion skate park another skate NGO based in the city, to ride with the crew.

POETS is GRIOTS

This year the poetic festival of Madrid looked to the African ‘Griot’, one who tells stories of their surroundings and people through oral tradition to define its performers. The result is electrifying line up who take the term to different corners of contemporary artistic expression including spoken work poets, electronic musicians, and dancers all of which maintain African roots

Afrofeminas is a community of afro decedent woman throughout the Spanish speaking African diaspora. Within it ‘Voces Afrofreminas’ is a space has been created for black Spanish woman to use poetry as a form of communication, expressing their struggle in a society which they have no seat at the table. Koleka Putuma, Natalia Desmesura, Silvia Sopale, Artemis Semedo and Lilián Pallarés gave short performances of their contribution to the poetic movement. They beautifully spoke of difficulties with cultural identity, beauty and its ties to their race.

Mutombo Da Poetstarted performing in 2006 in a non existent poetry scene in Ghana. His powerful performance spoke of corruption in the Ghanian church community, stories of the slave trade and the scars his country bears from colonialism.

Koleka Putumashared with us exacts from her debut anthology ‘Amnesia colectiv’a pivotal piece for the South African literary community. Koleka delves into ‘history, justice, visibility and trauma’ from the eyes of the black, queer South African woman. Often a taboo however, Koleka is handling this with the understanding that this exploration is key for her community to grieve, and eventually heal.What’s incredible about her work however is the maturity. She bears the scars of her community but is calm, cool and collected in her delivery. She educates you with her words, without bitterness but acceptance of the past, confusion at the present and hope for the future. She speaks of black joy, and the importance of reclaiming it after having it taken from us.

The evening also featured Jamaican born and raised storyteller poet, playwright, and dub poetd'bi.young anitafrika. She addresses issues of ‘gender, sexuality, race class and the human experience’ in powerful performances. She defined her blackness, the confinement it involves and what emancipation means in a striking recital which ended in a 10 min applause and standing ovation. And finally, Pongo, the Portuguese singer of Angolan Origin. Pongo fled the country with her family due to the civil war yet her Angolan roots are still channelled into her music. The marriage of native Kizomba, with electronic dancehall and tribal pop infusions, results in an empowering and defiant sound.

The Ola Labib

Source: https://500wordsmag.com/interviews/interview-with-ola-the-comedian/ Photographer: Saliphotog

Having lived the majority of her life in predominantly white spaces Ola has reclaimed her identity as a black, Muslim female through Stand up telling stories of racism xenophobia and nationalism. As a full time, clinical pharmacist, Ola has had her fair share not only from patients but, students, professors and those within her professional field. She owns it proudly, standing before her audience, opening her set with how she’s ‘not really used to lots of white people looking at me with positive expressions on their faces.’

Drawing inspiration from her dad, the epitome of a first generation Sudanese father, Ola’s stand-up embodies the power and character of the Sudanese people right down to our animated facial expressions. Her humour is intelligent, and approach to storytelling more so. She owns the discomfort, pain and lack of acceptance she’s felt, unapologetically retelling the stories back to the same demographic. Her position as an educated qualified professional, with a quintessentially British accent, deconstructing laughable ignorance is brilliantly done. Political correctness is out the window at her shows, and nothing is too outrageous.

Ola Labib is continuing to grow, and as a friend and sister I could not be more proud. In September she hosted the Culture Forum, with the Sudanese Relief Fund and Sudan Doctors union-UK. The event was a vibrant and electrifying night of Sudanese art and music-with proceeds going to families who lost realties in the Sudanese revolution. Ola was invited by BBC Africa to promote the event and share her story. October saw the release of her YouTube channel,’ Excuse Me While I RANT’, a collaboration with graphic designer and sister, Walaa Labib.

I dropped Ola a message telling her I was going to feature her in the piece and if he wanted to make small statement. ‘Statement? I’m a sexy beast, ready to eat you all alive, and floss my teeth with your hair, and scratch my arse crack with your nails’ Rah.

Heba Tabidi is a second generation British Sudanese, currently living in in Madrid. Engineer who lives creatively, thoughtfully and fast, Heba soaks every last drop out of life. This woman will set the world on fire. Just watch.