Pre-Raphaelite muse, The Head of Mrs Eaton, Yale Centre for British Art
HAVE you heard about the Pre-Raphaelite muse who Dante Gabriel Rossetti raved over? Or the British-based Nigerian artist who painted an official portrait of the Queen Elizabeth?
Find out this and more in our special supplement next week marking this year’s Black History Month. We also speak to one of the last surviving passengers of the Empire WIndrush and discover a little known history of the Foundling Hospital in Bloomsbury. Plus there will be a listing of all the best events around.
Also, if you haven’t already purchased a copy, don’t forget about Black History Makers, our definitive guide to the movers and shakers who passed through this corner of London over the last 200 years. Phone 0207 419 9000 for details.
Black History Month: upcoming events
Exhibitions
Power&Glory Contemporary black photographers explore culture, identity and history through a series of dynamic images. Brady Arts Centre, 192-196 Hanbury Street, E1 5HU. Mon-Fri 9am-7pm; Sat 10am-4pm. Until Oct 29. Free
Movers, Shakers and Community Makers How people of African heritage have shaped Hackney to be the borough it is today, using objects, photographs and personal experiences from Hackney Museum’s collection. 9am-6pm. Hackney Museum, 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ. Until Jan 7. Free
Sunday, October 9
Freedom Walk Walthamstow Find out about the area’s abolitionists, slave traders and famous Rock Against Racism mural with guide Peter Ashan. 11am (arrive 15 mins early). Meet at Wood Street Overground station, E17 3LX. Tickets £5, children £2. Book via www.eventbrite.co.uk
Monday, October 10
The Ogoni: The Struggle for Justice Environmentalist Simeon B Kpoturu tells the story of the Ogoni people of southeast Nigeria who forced Shell to shut down its operations over widespread oil pollution. Kpoturu was at the forefront of the UK arm of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) in the 1990s. 6.30pm. Brixton Library, SW2 1JQ. Free but book via www.eventbrite.co.uk
Tuesday, October 11
History talk with meal Join Avril Nanton at Caribbean eatery Roger’s Kitchen to learn about black people who’ve visited, passed through or lived in Camden over the centuries. Free drink plus 20 per cent off food bill. Roger’s Kitchen, 71 Camden Road, NW1 9EU. 6pm. Tickets £10 via www.eventbrite.co.uk
The Bluest Eye Online discussion about Toni Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye, a powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Organised by Camden Book Club. 12.30-1.30pm. Free but book via www.eventbrite.co.uk
Wednesday, October 12
The Story of Britain’s Black Airmen Author K N Chimbiri discusses the aforementioned book and how she came to write it. 7pm-8pm via Zoom. Tickets £5 via www.eventbrite.co.uk or avrilswalksandtalks.co.uk
Thursday, October 13
Olaudah Equiano Join Tayo Fatunla and Hugh Closs for their illustrated presentation of the life of the abolitionist, whose slave narrative became a best seller in the 18th century. Fatunla is the artist who created the Our Roots cartoon series. 6.30pm-8pm, Camberwell Library, 48 Camberwell Green, SE5 7AL. Free entry. More details: 0780 297 0511
Claude McKay Winston James, currently on a speaking tour from the US, discusses his latest book: Claude McKay: The Making of a Black Bolshevik. Born in Jamaica, McKay was a central figure in Caribbean literature, the Harlem Renaissance and the black radical tradition. Brixton Library SW2 1JQ. 7pm. Free but book via www.eventbrite.co.uk
Friday, October 14
Ignatius Sancho Actor Patterson Joseph draws upon his debut novel, The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, to tell the story of the abolitionist and composer who was born on a slave ship around 1729 and taken to England. British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB. 7pm-8.30. Tickets £11, or £5 online. Book via boxoffice@bl.uk
Black Greats Under Enslavement In this Zoom presentation, Robin “the Black History Man” Walker documents those who led brilliant careers despite slavery, beginning with the 16th-century Ethiopian-born Spanish scholar Juan Latino. 7pm-9pm. Tickets £10 via www.eventbrite.co.uk
African Spiritual Practices Day one of a two-day conference exploring a range of topics, including healing and Kemetic science. Continues to Oct 15. 10.30am-10pm. Rich Mix, Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA. Tickets, £15 via www.eventbrite.co.uk or Hub&Culture, 327 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TJ
Saturday, October 15
The Story of Claudia Jones Drama about the Trinidad-born US civil rights leader who continued her fight for justice in the UK following her deportation here in the 1950s. Recommended for ages 12+. 7.30pm. Canada Water Theatre and Library, 21 Surrey Quays Road, SE16 7AR. Tickets £14, concs £12. Book via canadawatertheatre.org.uk
CLR James Join the CLR James Legacy Project and special guests to reflect on the life and times of the Trinidadian-born intellectual and activist at the library that bears his name. 2pm-5pm. Hackney Archives, Dalston CLR James Library, Dalston Square, E8 3BQ. Free but book via www.eventbrite.co.uk
The World Re-imagined Walking Tour Join guide Dominic Burris-North to find out about key figures in Camden’s history, including Mary Prince, Sarah Parker Redmond and Ira Aldridge. 2pm-4.30pm, but arrive 15 mins early for prompt start. Meeting point, St Pancras station, N1C 4QL. Organised by Camden Black History Season. Free but book via www.eventbrite.co.uk
