BEAUTY IS
SYNOPSIS
‘Beauty Is...’ the film by community educator and guerrilla film maker Toyin Agbetu asks what is beauty? and examines the answer from a philosophical position through discussions on hair, skin shade, body image and character.
It’s a serious, yet often humorous cross between Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” and Bill Duke / D. Channsin Berry’s “Dark Girls” documentaries with some sensitive Oprah styled interviews mixed in.
The film explores the risks posed by chemical straighteners and skin bleaching. It shares insights on conditions like Vitiligo and Alopecia whilst discussing the impact of biased media on children and personal relationships.
Backed by a global campaign to challenge governments and the pharmaceutical industry, this is edutainment that may just change your life.
ABOUT ‘BEAUTY IS’
‘Beauty Is...’ a feature length film exploring the topic of beauty from a Pan African perspective through a candid collection of personal and group interviews. It uses an assortment of short films and animations through which to explore the impact of education and schooling, confidence in dating and personal relationships, under discussed conditions like Vitiligo and Alopecia and controversial topics like ‘light skin - dark skin’ preference leading to skin bleaching habits.
‘Beauty Is...’ also examines the nature of our external features such as hair, skin and body shape, and then dives deep into investigating societal pressures from both our peers and a sexist global media that feeds insecurities about body image whilst perpetuating shadism and western beauty ideals. The documentary asks questions about the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry and reveals through experts how the harmful chemicals in some skin bleaching creams and hair straightening products work.
This film offers a unique look beyond the traditional “natural v processed‟ looks argument to engage with a philosophical debate about the role of ethnicity, gender, culture and tradition in defining what beauty really means in a wonderfully diverse world of billions.
Release date: 19 April 2014. Certificate: tbc. Running time: 123 mins.
BEAUTY IS CAMPAIGN
The Beauty Is Campaign forms part of a global project to help rebuild our confidence and awareness of the diversity of natural beauty. Our film is designed to challenge media stereotypes and societal perceptions of ‘normal’ through a feature length exploration that includes a collection of interviews, dramas & animations.
The campaign needs your help in achieving three key objectives:
1. MAKE THE SKIN BLEACHING OF CHILDREN ILLEGAL
Many children around the world are damaged by the use of skin bleaching products on them by their parents / carers. Some of these products contain carcinogenic levels of the chemical Hydroquinone, others like ‘home grown’ brews use toxic materials like Mercury or Kojic acid. These children are being abused and the people applying these dangerous chemicals are committing a morally criminal act.
The Beauty Is Campaign calls for governments across the world to pass a law prohibiting the use of all skin bleaching products on children under the age of 16.
2. RESEARCH CHEMICAL HAIR STRAIGHTENER RISKS
It is a long standing fact that the misuse of chemical hair ‘relaxers’ can cause chemical burns to the scalp that may lead to long-term uterine problems in women such as fibroids when entering the blood stream. However because this huge male dominated industry primarily targets women, there is a little commercial incentive for manufacturers to siphon their billions of profits into extended research looking at consumer safety.
Independent investigations has revealed that exposure to agents such as Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) or Formaldehyde in Karatin (Brazilian Hair Treatment) hair products can cause eye damage, skin rashes, bloody noses, breathing difficulties and ultimately lead to cancer.
The Beauty Is Campaign calls for all medicine and health regulators to invest funds into researching the long term side effects of chemical ‘beauty’ products sold by the pharmaceutical industry.
3. MAKE THE STUDY OF ETHNOSMETICS COMPULSORY
Many students receive education on body image as part of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) lessons across the world. This would be great if the issue of ethnicity was also considered and learners taught how even western ‘natural’ beauty ideals discriminate against those with African, Asian and non-European bodies.
Entrenched beauty stereotypes about long hair fuels the demand for weaves and hair extensions. Racist prejudices about brown skin (formed during the enslavement and colonial era) perpetuate shadism and skin colour hierarchy. Together these stimulate an ever growing demand for toxic skin whitening products and dangerous chemical hair products.
The Beauty Is Campaign calls for ethnosmetics - a study of the social impact of the cosmetic industry on the formation of ethnicity based beauty ideals to be made compulsory.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
I made this film as part of a global campaign designed to challenge the misconception many people hold about what beauty is. This film has been three years in the making and taken every penny I’ve got. It’s been an emotional journey and during that time I’ve interviewed many people and seen many tears as a result of our questioning.
I wanted to explore why so many of us have a distorted idea of what it means to be beautiful. How do we perceive body image, skin tone, character and confidence and why do so many of us believe long hair is the only route to attractiveness?
If the media we watch is influencing how we define beauty, I planned to encourage viewers to challenge the negatives and help redefine misconceptions. I wanted my film to transmit a deep philosophical message that could be used as an international educational resource able to reach into the cities, the villages the homes and schools of every child and person that asks the question... am I beautiful?
The campaign element of the film seeks to encourage governments across the world to ban usage of skin bleaching creams on children.
I also want to encourage research into the dangerous effects of chemical hair straighteners. There have been reports published revealing there may be a link to fibroids, we also know that the chemical burns that people receive when using these products often have long term detrimental effects when they enter the blood stream.
Finally, whenever the topic of beauty is addressed in many schools during PSHE lessons - the issue of ethnicity is ignored. I believe this is wrong and issues such as body image, skin tone, hair texture are all factors that are unique to each and every one of us.
However what motivated me most to make this film was being a parent. Ultimately this campaign is not just about us, it’s also about our young ones. I intend to release this film in multiple languages in order to reach as many children no matter where they are on this planet. I want them to have the confidence to say I am beautiful and believe it.
- Toyin Agbetu
See below for screening and discussion dates. Web: www.ligali.org/beautyis Twitter: @beautyIs_film Facebook: facebook.com/beautyisfilm
FORTHCOMING NUBIART PROFILES
NUBIART: Focus on arts, business, education, health, political developments and the media.
APR PROMOS
~ ‘AFRO-COLOMBIAN SOUND MODERNIZERS’ – Son Palenque [Vampisoul – Out Now] A 20-track compilation from five albums by one of the mainstays of palenquera music. The music is a mix of Cuban son, Afrikan highlife, Cumbia, champeta, Afrobeat, lumbalu, kumina and other Afrikan retentions which reveals how the band moved Colombian music forward. All the tracks are from the mid-1980s albums – Los Trotamundos del Sabor’, ‘La Arepa Asa’, ‘Ane Jue / Ellos Son’ and ‘Afric Erotic’ - apart from ‘Adios Batata’ from the 2012 album ‘Ma Kamajan Ri Musika Ri Palenque’. Every track here is an absolutely brilliant exposition of the life and culture of Afrikans living in Colombia and their links to the greats of Afrikan music from across the continent from Senegal to Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Angola.
~ ‘GREGORY ISAACS REMIXED’ – Gregory Isaacs [Necessary Mayhem – Out Now] The last three years have been a hard time for us at Nubiart as we remember the good old days when since the early 1980s it was guaranteed that at least once a fortnight there would be a new Gregory Isaacs single or album to sate our appetite to be African Museum completists. With over 500 albums released combining various track selections, alternate takes and Gregory’s propensity to work with virtually every producer in the industry there was enough to keep us busy. It seems Curtis Lynch Jr shares our loss and here he remixes a selection of Gussie Clarke productions from the decade between 1983-1993. The mixes are close to the originals but with a different instrumental emphasis, additional keyboards from Lynch and a heavier bassline. Many of the tracks are in ‘showcase’ style so that the rhythm gets a good workout.
The album kicks off with ‘Jealousy’ which keeps the duet with Dennis Brown but adds a 70’s style DJ from Macka B which lifts the track to even greater heights. The track is revisited twice more with an additional mix and a dub. Which is fine by us as it was one of our favourites when it first dropped. We can never tire of it. ‘Report to Me’, Love Me or Leave Me’ and ‘Temporary Lover’ are also from that period when the late 80s turned into the 90s and Gussie’s Music Works Studio was the place to go as he had an in-house team of writers, musicians and engineers who could craft a song to fit any vocalist’s inflections so that it sounded as if the rhythm was made for them rather than the vocalist had just jumped on the current fashionable backing track with some off-key, meaningless lyrics purely for the purposes of hype and self-promotion without any recognition of their complete absence of talent or originality.
‘Disrespect’ featuring Shabba Ranks and Josey Wales gets two mixes and The Mighty Diamonds are kept up front in the vocals like on the original ‘Mind Yu Dis’. ‘Street Walker’ and ‘Innercity Lady’ have never got as much airplay as they deserved since their release back in 1984 so it’s good to see them show up here. ‘Let Off Supm’, ‘Private Beach Party’ and ‘Plant Some Love’ were from the following album ‘Private Beach Party’. The other track here is a reworking of ‘Night Nurse’ – we have quite a few versions of this already but given that it was Gregory’s most commercial hit we can always add another mix to our collection. This is an essential CD our only complaint is how can you touch Gussie Clarke productions and leave out the life-enhancing, all-conquering ‘Rumours’? We hope there’s more to come and its remixes are included in future releases - as Gregory would say ‘unfair game haffi play twice’.
NUBIART LIBRARY – APR MEDIA
We will only review books we have read and DVDs we have seen and that are available at reasonable prices online or in shops or libraries. However, given the nature and current state of Afrikan publishing and film production there may be books and films on this list that are worth the extra effort to track down.
~ ‘THE STUART HALL PROJECT: REVOLUTION, POLITICS, CULTURE AND THE NEW LEFT EXPERIENCE’. Dir: John Akomfrah [BFI & Smoking Dogs Films] This documentary is the overview of the life, works and impact of the colossus of intellectual thought, Stuart Hall who sadly passed away earlier this year. It is fitting that it should be directed by one of the men chronicling the lives of Afrikans in Britain, the rest of the diaspora and the continent through his work with the Black Audio Film Collective.
In his early childhood Stuart Hall was consistently reminded by his family that he was three shades darker than his immediate relatives in a Jamaican society that still suffers from shadism to this day. Having moved to Britain to study in 1951 this was one of the themes that runs throughout his life and inspired him to challenge oppression, prejudice, racism, imperialism and colonialism wherever he encountered it. From his days at the Universities and Left Review which merged with The New Reasoner to form the highly influential New Left Review through his days at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies to when most of us first encountered him on TV expounding with great eloquence and erudition on the issues of the day.
His first pivotal year was 1956, the year of the Anglo-French and Israeli imperialist plans to stop the Egyptian Gamal Nasser nationalising the Suez Canal so that it benefited the mass of the Egyptian, the invasion of Hungary, the rise of rock’n’roll and the growing impact of the teenager and youth culture. The film highlights other years of great significance to Afrikans such as 1958, 1963, 1968, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1984-85, and 1998. The documentary has a cut-off point of the year 2000 but as John Akomfrah says in one of the Q&A sessions many of the themes since then whether it be 9/11, the demonisation of Islam, imperial wars, protests over deaths in custody and the Arab Spring are just recurrences of topics Stuart Hall had already covered. Stuart Hall felt from early on in his adult life that Miles Davis put a finger on his soul and the soundtrack here is made up of 15 tracks that chronologically mirror Hall’s political and cultural development.
The extras include: ‘The Stuart Hall Project Q&A’ with John Akomfrah being interviewed by Lola Young where he points out that Stuart Hall moved analysis of the struggle in Britain on from what was considered an Atlanticist obsession where the American struggle against racism took priority. He also covers the dispute that arose between Stuart Hall and Salman Rushdie over BAFC’s ‘Handsworth Songs’; ‘John Akomfrah and Stuart Hall Q&A with Parminder Vir’ (one of the earliest people to fund BAFC’s work when she worked at the GLC). Akomfrah highlights the importance of archives to Afrikan people as they are our major ways of passing on knowledge especially in a land where we have few monuments; and Isaac Julien’s interview with John Akomfrah ‘Black and White in Colour Rushes’. Here Akomfrah points out the thinking behind BAFC which grew out of watching how the Black Arts Movement and other movements such as the Harlem Renaissance had defined a Black aesthetic that resonated among Afrikans across the globe. He also said that ‘collective working delivered durable ways of working around race’ which was not negated by the experience of individual Afrikans who had managed to gain employment in mainstream media. The growth of BAFC and similar projects, such as Ceddo, changed the focus of how the media interacted with Afrikans whereas before they had expected Afrikans to give up their life stories to a preset agenda now they were seen as agents of relevant insights. It allowed BAFC to highlight that not all Afrikan experiences are limited to only the immigrant experience.
~ BBM / BMC, AKOBEN AWARDS, BTWSC & TAOBQ (THE AFRICAN OR BLACK QUESTION) PRESENT TALKING MARCUS GARVEY / UNIA @ 100.
- ‘Marcus Garvey, Economic Empowerment and Relevance To Ghana’. On Mon 7 Apr at 3-5pm at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Accra, Ghana. Adm: Free. Examines Marcus Garvey’s philosophy regarding economic empowerment and independence, and his influence internationally, and particularly on Ghana.
- ‘Highlighting Existing & Upcoming Changes To UK Copyright Law’. On Wed 9 Apr at 12.30-1.30pm at Music Department, University Of Ghana, Legon, Ghana. Adm: Free. A focus on recent and upcoming music-related copyright issues.
E-mail: btwsc@hotmail.com or editor@BritishBlackMusic.com Web: www.BritishBlackMusic.com
~ SODA PICTURES IN ASSOCIATION WITH KUSH PROMOTIONS & MEDIA PARTNERS: COLOURFUL RADIO & VOX AFRICA + THEODORA ‘NOLLYWOOD’ IBEKWE PRESENTS THE UK RELEASE OF ‘HALF OF A YELLOW SUN’. Olanna (Thandie Newton) and Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) are glamorous twins from a wealthy Nigerian family. Returning to a privileged city life in newly independent 1960s Nigeria after their expensive English education, the two women make very different choices. Olanna shocks her family by going to live with her lover, the “revolutionary professor” Odenigbo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his devoted houseboy Ugwu (John Boyega) in the dusty university town of Nsukka; Kainene turns out to be a fiercely successful businesswoman when she takes over the family interests, and surprises herself when she falls in love with Richard (Joseph Mawle), an English writer. Preoccupied by their romantic entanglements, and a betrayal between the sisters, the events of their life loom larger than politics. However, they become caught up in the events of the Nigerian civil war, in which the lgbo people fought an impassioned struggle to establish Biafra as an independent republic, ending in chilling violence which shocked the entire country and the world. UK Premiere with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Director Biyi Bandele & author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & additional stars in attendance on Tues 8 April at Streatham Odeon, 47-49 Streatham High Road, London, SW16 1PW. Adm: £10. For info call Marlon Palmer on: 020 3070 3200 or 07961 977 749. E-mail: info@kushfilms.com Web: www.kushfilms.com / www.iluvblackfilms.com / www.facebook.com/marlonpalmer1 / www.twitter.com/KushFilms / www.facebook.com/KushFilms / www.youtube.com/KushFilms1
~ NEW BEACON BOOKS AND GEORGE PADMORE INSTITUTE PRESENT AN EVENING WITH
LLOYD BRADLEY ON ‘SOUNDS LIKE LONDON – 100 YEARS OF BLACK LONDON MUSIC IN THE
CAPITAL’. On Thurs 10 Apr at 7pm at New Beacon Books, 76 Stroud Green Road, London, N4 3EN.
Adm: Free. Tel: 020 7272 4889. E-mail: newbeaconbooks@btconnect.com
~ BLACK HISTORY WALKS EVENTS
- Fitzrovia / Soho: Sat 12 Apr at 11am.
In an area known for offices and clubs, this special walk delves into an amazing depth of history which proves and lists: ancient Afrikan civilisations, black women broadcasters of the 1940’s, civil rights activists who campaigned for equality in the military, black female entrepreneurs / heroines, Jimi Hendrix, Mary Seacole, Afrikan radicals of the 1800’s, black classical musicians, Pan Afrikan conspiracies, propaganda and spies.
- Trafalgar Square. On Sun 13 Apr at 12pm.
Millions of people walk through WC2 (Trafalgar/Leicester Square area) every day and have no idea of the centuries of African history under their feet. In 2 hours your guide will uncover the black presence and influence in the area. Afrikan Princes, Generals, Resistance Fighters, Civil Rights Leaders, Pilots, Nurses and Sailors all make an appearance. We highlight the links between Afrika, China, India and the Caribbean and explain how history was whitewashed and racism institutionalised. In 2007 there was a huge emphasis on the 200th anniversary of the British ‘abolition’ of the human trade in 1807, but Afrikan freedom fighters in the Caribbean island of Haiti defeated the French, Spanish and British armies and had already declared their independence in 1804.
- St Paul’s Bank: On Fri 18 Apr at 11am.
In 100 minutes your guide will take you through hundreds of years of the Afrikan presence, and contribution, to London’s way of life. Discover secret alleyways and enormous buildings all connected to Afrika and the Caribbean in ways which the owners do not want you to know. Find out about Afrikan loyalists and Afrikan revolutionaries. Uncover the submerged links between racism, trade, religion, slavery and politics which are still evident in the very streets and buildings of the oldest part of London.
- Notting Hill. On Friday 18 Apr at 3pm.
There is much more to Notting Hill than Carnival but even that history is often mis-represented. Find out about pioneering Afrikan / Caribbean people who literally fought for equality and laid the foundation for modern multi-cultural London. Why does Portobello road have that name? Where in London is there evidence of 3500 years of Afrikan civilisation? How is Kelso Cochrane connected to Stephen Lawrence? We cover Baron Baker, Jamaican Freedom Fighters, White Defence League, Sus law, Sou-Sou / Partner System, Michael X, Peter Rachman, Claudia Jones, anti-black riots of 1958, Mau Mau, Shebeens and invisible Afrikan history.
- Elephant & Castle. On Sat 26 Apr at 11am.
Special War to Windrush walks in Elephant and Castle can be arranged. This walk links the Imperial War Museum with the Cuming Museum. Both museums have excellent collections on the Afrikan presence in WW2 totally relevant to the national curriculum and adult education. The Cuming Museum also has ancient Egyptian items. This walk links the two venues and illustrates the black history of more than 200 years in the SE1 area. Web: www.iwm.org.uk
Cost: £7 – adults / £3 - children. Group bookings possible. E-mail: info@blackhistorywalks.co.uk with number of places required. You will then receive confirmation and joining instructions.
- ‘Bob Marley’. On Sun 13 April.
Bob Marley is an international legend of the music business but is less popular for his political activism, Pan Afrikanism and Garveyite philosophy. In this highly requested, and previously sold out presentation we will cover: His support of African independence movements; His connection to US and worldwide human rights; His investments and influence how he got ripped off; The Black Panther connection; The real cause of his death.
- ‘The X Men’. On Sun 20 & 27 Apr.
The new X Men movie, Days of Future Past, will be out soon and people have been demanding an X Men breakdown since we did Blade, Superman, Django and Planet of the Apes. With the introduction of a new Afrikan superhero this X-tra special breakdown over two days will delve deep into the black history of The X men comics and movies. We will cover: Race and metaphor. Malcolm X and Robert Williams; Disney’s record on diversity; Hollywood propaganda; How ‘liberal’ media reinforces the status quo they claim to oppose; The role of the Afrikan superhero. Where are the Afrikan superheroes?; The reason there will be no Black Panther movie; and Afrikan and world politics in disguise
The above three talks are at 3-5.45pm at Cottons Caribbean Restaurant, 70 Exmouth Market, Islington, London, EC1. Adm: £8. E-mail: info@blackhistorywalks.co.uk Web: blackhistorywalks.co.uk
~ BLACK HISTORY STUDIES EVENTS
- ‘Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship in the Black Community’ On Mon 14 Apr at 7-9pm at the PCS HQ, 160 Falcon Road, Clapham Junction, London, SW11 2LN . Adm: £5.
- In association with the Marcus Garvey Library ‘Sankofa Saturdays’ screening of ‘Dear Mandela’. On Sat 5 Apr at 5-8pm at the Marcus Garvey Library, Tottenham Green Centre, 1 Phillip Lane, Tottenham, London, N15 4JA. Adm: Free.
Tel / Fax: 020 8881 0660. Mobile: 07951 234 233. E-mail: info@blackhistorystudies.com Web: http://www.blackhistorystudies.com
~ THE LIGALI ORGANISATION PRESENT ‘BEAUTY IS...’ SCREENINGS AND DISCUSSIONS. This film by community educator and guerrilla film maker Toyin Agbetu asks “what is beauty? and examines the answer from a philosophical position through discussions on hair, skin shade, body image and character. Web: www.ligali.org/beautyis Twitter: @beautyIs_film Facebook: facebook.com/beautyisfilm
- ‘Beauty Is’ Premiere screening followed by Q + A with director Toyin Agbetu. On Sat 19th April at 12- 2.30pm at BFI Southbank, Belvedere Rd, South Bank, London, SE1 8XT. Adm: £6.50.
- FP Comms present ‘A Filmmaker’s Evening With...Arthur Sempebwa and Toyin Agbetu’. On Fri 25 Apr at 6.30-8 pm at 20th Century Fox, Soho Square, London, W1D.
- ‘Beauty Is’ Screening and debate hosted by Dr Kwadwo Osei-Nyame Jnr. On Sat 26 Apr at 6-10pm at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) University, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG. Adm: £10.
- ‘Beauty Is’ Screening. On Mon 12 May at 7-9.30pm at Black History Studies, PCS Headquarters, Clapham Junction, 160 Falcon Road, London, SW11. Adm: £10. Tel / Fax: 020 8881 0660. Mobile: 07951 234 233. E-mail: info@blackhistorystudies.com Web: http://www.blackhistorystudies.com
~ KING’S COLLEGE LONDON, THE AHRC, AUTOGRAPH ABP, THE ROYAL AFRICAN SOCIETY, SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL & AFRICAN STUDIES AND SURVIVORS FUND (SURF) PRESENT ‘RWANDA IN PHOTOGRAPHS’. Commemorating 20 years since the Rwandan genocide this April, Rwanda in Photographs is the first international group show of work by professional Rwandan photographers. Rwanda is a country of contrasts: from the rising skyscrapers of central Kigali with their promise of economic growth to the rural hills of Musanze where people are pulling themselves out of poverty but life remains a struggle. Rwandans have seen peace within their borders but still live with the memories of 1994. Combined with the work of Nigerian photographer Andrew Esiebo, these photographs bring you moments of life in Rwanda today, seen through Rwandan eyes. Exhibition runs until 30 Apr at Indigo Rooms, Somerset House, London, WC2R 2LS.
~ THE BUSH THEATRE EUROPEAN PREMIERE OF JACKIE SIBBLIES DRURY’S ‘WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE HERERO OF NAMIBIA, FORMERLY KNOWN AS SOUTHWEST AFRICA, FROM THE GERMAN SUDWESTAFRIKA, BETWEEN THE YEARS 1884 – 1915’. Directed by Gbolahan Obisesan. A group of actors gather to tell the little-known story of the first genocide of the 20th Century. As the full force of a horrific past crashes into the good intentions of the present what seemed a far away place and time is suddenly all too close to home. Just whose story are they telling? Until Sat 12 Apr at 7.30pm with Sat & Wed matinees at 2.30pm at Shepherds Bush Theatre,
7 Uxbridge Road, London, W12 8LJ. Box Office: 020 8743 5050. Adm: £19.50 / £15 (matinees).
~ SHIRI ACHU ART EXHIBITION ‘35INPRINT: LONDON’. The exhibition will largely consist of 35 Framed Signed Limited Edition ShiriAchuArt Prints. You will be able to purchase these limited edition signed prints at very affordable prices, from £135 and gift card packs of various sizes from £15. £35 of every print sold and proceeds from the raffle will be used to fund an exciting project in Cameroon. Details will be revealed at the exhibition. From Sat 19 – Fri 25 Apr at The Strand Gallery, 32 John Adam St, London, WC2N 6BP. E-mail: info@shiriachuart.com
~ AFRICAN ODYSSEYS PRESENTS THE SCREENING OF ‘COMRADE PRESIDENT’. Dir: Mosco Kamwendo. Samora Machel was killed in a plane crash in 1986. Cut down in his prime, he remains an intriguing figure in African liberation. While he was training to be a nurse, racist laws imposed by the Portuguese colonial government prompted him to join the liberation movement Frelimo, where he rose to become commander in 1970. He became Mozambique’s first President just five years later. Rebuilding the country along Marxist lines, Machel welcomed anti-apartheid revolutionaries fighting in neighbouring Rhodesia and South Africa. These regimes retaliated, and forced him to sign the controversial Nkomati Accord in 1984. This historical portrait provides insight into the complex challenge of leadership and the journey to freedom. On Sat 26 Apr at 2pm at BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, South Bank, London, SE1 8XT. Adm: £6. Box Office: 020 7928 3232.
~ ‘THE POWER OF THE ELDER’ (CIMARRON LECTURE) SUPPORTED BY WASP. Is there a critical role for the Elder in our communities? This presentation is delivered by Eli Anderson, a Master storyteller, Poet and Narrative Coach. The lecture is designed to celebrate but also, raise the debate concerning the position of the Elder in our society. On Sat 26 Apr at 7-9.30pm at West Indian Ex-Servicemen Association, 161-167 Clapham Manor Street, Clapham, London, SW4 6DB.
~ THE MOSAIC ROOMS PRESENT ‘MOGADISHU – LOST MODERNS’. Exhibition exploring Mogadishu through its architecture and urban environment, narrating the story of Somalia’s journey from traditional Afrikan nation via colonisation and post colonialism to emergent independent state. Challenging familiar mainstream images that depict the city solely as a place of conflict and destruction, Somali-British architect Rashid Ali and British photographer Andrew Cross offer a unique account of what remains of the city’s urban fabric and key modernist symbols after two decades of civil conflict. These specially commissioned photographs are presented alongside rare archival photographs, not yet presented to the public, which document the city’s architecture under Italian colonial rule. Due to the destruction of much of its architecture, infrastructure and any historical archives associated with it, there has been a dearth of literature and discourse on the cultural development of Mogadishu through its architecture and built form. Rashid Ali and Andrew Cross’ exceptional work, resulting from their trip to Mogadishu in the summer of 2013, provides a framework to better understand and explore this development. This timely exhibition offers a space for reflection on the value of civic architecture and heritage preservation. It also presents a unique perspective of a city in conflict, and an opportunity to promote new thinking on the broader discourse of urbanism in Africa and the Arab world. Open Tues – Sat at 11am–6pm until Sat 26 Apr at The Mosaic Rooms, A.M. Qattan Foundation, Tower House, 226 Cromwell Road, London, SW5 0SW. Adm: Free. Tel: 020 7370 9990. E-mail: info@mosaicrooms.org
~ ‘EVEN THIS WILL PASS’ EXHIBITION BY AIDA SILVESTRI. ‘Even This Will Pass’ tells the journeys of Eritrean refugees in their exoduses to find better stability and hope in the United Kingdom. With a unique and conceptual approach that preserves the dignity of her sitters, Silvestri blurs the portraits, upon which she hand-stitches their routes graphically in coloured thread. Their corresponding paths are amalgamated together on a large map, highlighting the diverse and encumbered journeys they faced.
Silvestri’s project aims to raise awareness of human trafficking in an emotive tribute to her sitters and to the plights of these refugees whose voices too often remain unheard. Until Sat 26 Apr at Roman Road Project Space, 69 Roman Road, London, E2 0QN.
~ ‘A FUSION OF WORLDS: ANCIENT EGYPT, AFRICAN ART AND IDENTITY IN MODERNIST BRITAIN’ EXHIBITION. An exploration of the ways in which modernist artists – Jacob Epstein, Edna Manley and Ronald Moody – have been inspired by Ancient Egypt. The exhibition places these artists’ reworking of Egyptian art in context of their political, spiritual and gendered expressions of identity. Drawing on the influence of the Harlem Renaissance and ‘discovering’ African Art, this display repositions the work of artists, such as Jamaican born Ronald Moody, in the public memory. Until Sat 24 May at 1-5pm (Tues-Sat) at Petrie Museum, UCL, Malet Place, London. WC1. Tel: 020 7679 4138. Adm: Free. E-mail: events.petrie@ucl.ac.uk
~ BUNDU DIA KONGO (BDK). Afrikan cultural and spiritual group working towards the spiritual and psychological growth and development of Afrikans all over the world. Let us make a positive change now. Learn about Afrikan prophets, Afrikan history and Afrikan spiritual practices at our weekly Zikua.
- Sun at 1.30–4.30pm at Chestnuts Community & Arts Centre, 280 St Ann’s Road, Tottenham, London, N15 5BN. Tel: Makaba - 07951 059 853.
- Sun at 12.30–3.15pm at Malika House, 81 George Street, Lozells, Birmingham, B19 1Sl. Tel: Mbuta Mayala – 07404 789 329.
~ THE AUSAR AUSET SOCIETY GI GONG CLASSES. Every Monday at 7.30–9pm at Hazel Road Community Centre, Hazel Road, Kensal Green, London, NW10 5PP. Adm: £5 per class. Tel: 07951- 252-427. E-mail: Tauinetwork.europe@gmail.com
~ EXHIBITION APPEAL: RETIRED CARIBBEAN NURSES IN HACKNEY / NEWHAM / EAST LONDON. Hackney Museum is working with Black Women in the Arts Project on an exhibition about Retired Caribbean Nurses to take place in Sep 2014 at Hackney Museum. Do you know of any retired Caribbean Nurses in Hackney / Newham / East London area? Contact: Cheryl Bowen, Community Education Manager, Health and Well Being, Hackney Museum Technology and Learning Centre, 1 Reading Lane, London, E8 1GQ. Tel: 020 8356 2658 / 2545. E-mail: cheryl.bowen@hackney.gov.uk
Web: www.hackney.gov.uk/hackneymuseum
Contact: Kubara Zamani, Afrikan Quest International, PO Box 35165, London, SE5 8WU. Tel: 07811 494 969. E-mail: afrikanquest@hotmail.com NB: Nubiart Diary can also be read at www.ligali.org
External Links
Afrikan Quest InternationalBeauty Is Website
SYNOPSIS
‘Beauty Is...’ the film by community educator and guerrilla film maker Toyin Agbetu asks what is beauty? and examines the answer from a philosophical position through discussions on hair, skin shade, body image and character.
It’s a serious, yet often humorous cross between Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” and Bill Duke / D. Channsin Berry’s “Dark Girls” documentaries with some sensitive Oprah styled interviews mixed in.
The film explores the risks posed by chemical straighteners and skin bleaching. It shares insights on conditions like Vitiligo and Alopecia whilst discussing the impact of biased media on children and personal relationships.
Backed by a global campaign to challenge governments and the pharmaceutical industry, this is edutainment that may just change your life.
ABOUT ‘BEAUTY IS’
‘Beauty Is...’ a feature length film exploring the topic of beauty from a Pan African perspective through a candid collection of personal and group interviews. It uses an assortment of short films and animations through which to explore the impact of education and schooling, confidence in dating and personal relationships, under discussed conditions like Vitiligo and Alopecia and controversial topics like ‘light skin - dark skin’ preference leading to skin bleaching habits.
‘Beauty Is...’ also examines the nature of our external features such as hair, skin and body shape, and then dives deep into investigating societal pressures from both our peers and a sexist global media that feeds insecurities about body image whilst perpetuating shadism and western beauty ideals. The documentary asks questions about the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry and reveals through experts how the harmful chemicals in some skin bleaching creams and hair straightening products work.
This film offers a unique look beyond the traditional “natural v processed‟ looks argument to engage with a philosophical debate about the role of ethnicity, gender, culture and tradition in defining what beauty really means in a wonderfully diverse world of billions.
Release date: 19 April 2014. Certificate: tbc. Running time: 123 mins.
BEAUTY IS CAMPAIGN
The Beauty Is Campaign forms part of a global project to help rebuild our confidence and awareness of the diversity of natural beauty. Our film is designed to challenge media stereotypes and societal perceptions of ‘normal’ through a feature length exploration that includes a collection of interviews, dramas & animations.
The campaign needs your help in achieving three key objectives:
1. MAKE THE SKIN BLEACHING OF CHILDREN ILLEGAL
Many children around the world are damaged by the use of skin bleaching products on them by their parents / carers. Some of these products contain carcinogenic levels of the chemical Hydroquinone, others like ‘home grown’ brews use toxic materials like Mercury or Kojic acid. These children are being abused and the people applying these dangerous chemicals are committing a morally criminal act.
The Beauty Is Campaign calls for governments across the world to pass a law prohibiting the use of all skin bleaching products on children under the age of 16.
2. RESEARCH CHEMICAL HAIR STRAIGHTENER RISKS
It is a long standing fact that the misuse of chemical hair ‘relaxers’ can cause chemical burns to the scalp that may lead to long-term uterine problems in women such as fibroids when entering the blood stream. However because this huge male dominated industry primarily targets women, there is a little commercial incentive for manufacturers to siphon their billions of profits into extended research looking at consumer safety.
Independent investigations has revealed that exposure to agents such as Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) or Formaldehyde in Karatin (Brazilian Hair Treatment) hair products can cause eye damage, skin rashes, bloody noses, breathing difficulties and ultimately lead to cancer.
The Beauty Is Campaign calls for all medicine and health regulators to invest funds into researching the long term side effects of chemical ‘beauty’ products sold by the pharmaceutical industry.
3. MAKE THE STUDY OF ETHNOSMETICS COMPULSORY
Many students receive education on body image as part of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) lessons across the world. This would be great if the issue of ethnicity was also considered and learners taught how even western ‘natural’ beauty ideals discriminate against those with African, Asian and non-European bodies.
Entrenched beauty stereotypes about long hair fuels the demand for weaves and hair extensions. Racist prejudices about brown skin (formed during the enslavement and colonial era) perpetuate shadism and skin colour hierarchy. Together these stimulate an ever growing demand for toxic skin whitening products and dangerous chemical hair products.
The Beauty Is Campaign calls for ethnosmetics - a study of the social impact of the cosmetic industry on the formation of ethnicity based beauty ideals to be made compulsory.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
I made this film as part of a global campaign designed to challenge the misconception many people hold about what beauty is. This film has been three years in the making and taken every penny I’ve got. It’s been an emotional journey and during that time I’ve interviewed many people and seen many tears as a result of our questioning.
I wanted to explore why so many of us have a distorted idea of what it means to be beautiful. How do we perceive body image, skin tone, character and confidence and why do so many of us believe long hair is the only route to attractiveness?
If the media we watch is influencing how we define beauty, I planned to encourage viewers to challenge the negatives and help redefine misconceptions. I wanted my film to transmit a deep philosophical message that could be used as an international educational resource able to reach into the cities, the villages the homes and schools of every child and person that asks the question... am I beautiful?
The campaign element of the film seeks to encourage governments across the world to ban usage of skin bleaching creams on children.
I also want to encourage research into the dangerous effects of chemical hair straighteners. There have been reports published revealing there may be a link to fibroids, we also know that the chemical burns that people receive when using these products often have long term detrimental effects when they enter the blood stream.
Finally, whenever the topic of beauty is addressed in many schools during PSHE lessons - the issue of ethnicity is ignored. I believe this is wrong and issues such as body image, skin tone, hair texture are all factors that are unique to each and every one of us.
However what motivated me most to make this film was being a parent. Ultimately this campaign is not just about us, it’s also about our young ones. I intend to release this film in multiple languages in order to reach as many children no matter where they are on this planet. I want them to have the confidence to say I am beautiful and believe it.
- Toyin Agbetu
See below for screening and discussion dates. Web: www.ligali.org/beautyis Twitter: @beautyIs_film Facebook: facebook.com/beautyisfilm
FORTHCOMING NUBIART PROFILES
NUBIART: Focus on arts, business, education, health, political developments and the media.
APR PROMOS
~ ‘AFRO-COLOMBIAN SOUND MODERNIZERS’ – Son Palenque [Vampisoul – Out Now] A 20-track compilation from five albums by one of the mainstays of palenquera music. The music is a mix of Cuban son, Afrikan highlife, Cumbia, champeta, Afrobeat, lumbalu, kumina and other Afrikan retentions which reveals how the band moved Colombian music forward. All the tracks are from the mid-1980s albums – Los Trotamundos del Sabor’, ‘La Arepa Asa’, ‘Ane Jue / Ellos Son’ and ‘Afric Erotic’ - apart from ‘Adios Batata’ from the 2012 album ‘Ma Kamajan Ri Musika Ri Palenque’. Every track here is an absolutely brilliant exposition of the life and culture of Afrikans living in Colombia and their links to the greats of Afrikan music from across the continent from Senegal to Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Angola.
~ ‘GREGORY ISAACS REMIXED’ – Gregory Isaacs [Necessary Mayhem – Out Now] The last three years have been a hard time for us at Nubiart as we remember the good old days when since the early 1980s it was guaranteed that at least once a fortnight there would be a new Gregory Isaacs single or album to sate our appetite to be African Museum completists. With over 500 albums released combining various track selections, alternate takes and Gregory’s propensity to work with virtually every producer in the industry there was enough to keep us busy. It seems Curtis Lynch Jr shares our loss and here he remixes a selection of Gussie Clarke productions from the decade between 1983-1993. The mixes are close to the originals but with a different instrumental emphasis, additional keyboards from Lynch and a heavier bassline. Many of the tracks are in ‘showcase’ style so that the rhythm gets a good workout.
The album kicks off with ‘Jealousy’ which keeps the duet with Dennis Brown but adds a 70’s style DJ from Macka B which lifts the track to even greater heights. The track is revisited twice more with an additional mix and a dub. Which is fine by us as it was one of our favourites when it first dropped. We can never tire of it. ‘Report to Me’, Love Me or Leave Me’ and ‘Temporary Lover’ are also from that period when the late 80s turned into the 90s and Gussie’s Music Works Studio was the place to go as he had an in-house team of writers, musicians and engineers who could craft a song to fit any vocalist’s inflections so that it sounded as if the rhythm was made for them rather than the vocalist had just jumped on the current fashionable backing track with some off-key, meaningless lyrics purely for the purposes of hype and self-promotion without any recognition of their complete absence of talent or originality.
‘Disrespect’ featuring Shabba Ranks and Josey Wales gets two mixes and The Mighty Diamonds are kept up front in the vocals like on the original ‘Mind Yu Dis’. ‘Street Walker’ and ‘Innercity Lady’ have never got as much airplay as they deserved since their release back in 1984 so it’s good to see them show up here. ‘Let Off Supm’, ‘Private Beach Party’ and ‘Plant Some Love’ were from the following album ‘Private Beach Party’. The other track here is a reworking of ‘Night Nurse’ – we have quite a few versions of this already but given that it was Gregory’s most commercial hit we can always add another mix to our collection. This is an essential CD our only complaint is how can you touch Gussie Clarke productions and leave out the life-enhancing, all-conquering ‘Rumours’? We hope there’s more to come and its remixes are included in future releases - as Gregory would say ‘unfair game haffi play twice’.
NUBIART LIBRARY – APR MEDIA
We will only review books we have read and DVDs we have seen and that are available at reasonable prices online or in shops or libraries. However, given the nature and current state of Afrikan publishing and film production there may be books and films on this list that are worth the extra effort to track down.
~ ‘THE STUART HALL PROJECT: REVOLUTION, POLITICS, CULTURE AND THE NEW LEFT EXPERIENCE’. Dir: John Akomfrah [BFI & Smoking Dogs Films] This documentary is the overview of the life, works and impact of the colossus of intellectual thought, Stuart Hall who sadly passed away earlier this year. It is fitting that it should be directed by one of the men chronicling the lives of Afrikans in Britain, the rest of the diaspora and the continent through his work with the Black Audio Film Collective.
In his early childhood Stuart Hall was consistently reminded by his family that he was three shades darker than his immediate relatives in a Jamaican society that still suffers from shadism to this day. Having moved to Britain to study in 1951 this was one of the themes that runs throughout his life and inspired him to challenge oppression, prejudice, racism, imperialism and colonialism wherever he encountered it. From his days at the Universities and Left Review which merged with The New Reasoner to form the highly influential New Left Review through his days at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies to when most of us first encountered him on TV expounding with great eloquence and erudition on the issues of the day.
His first pivotal year was 1956, the year of the Anglo-French and Israeli imperialist plans to stop the Egyptian Gamal Nasser nationalising the Suez Canal so that it benefited the mass of the Egyptian, the invasion of Hungary, the rise of rock’n’roll and the growing impact of the teenager and youth culture. The film highlights other years of great significance to Afrikans such as 1958, 1963, 1968, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1984-85, and 1998. The documentary has a cut-off point of the year 2000 but as John Akomfrah says in one of the Q&A sessions many of the themes since then whether it be 9/11, the demonisation of Islam, imperial wars, protests over deaths in custody and the Arab Spring are just recurrences of topics Stuart Hall had already covered. Stuart Hall felt from early on in his adult life that Miles Davis put a finger on his soul and the soundtrack here is made up of 15 tracks that chronologically mirror Hall’s political and cultural development.
The extras include: ‘The Stuart Hall Project Q&A’ with John Akomfrah being interviewed by Lola Young where he points out that Stuart Hall moved analysis of the struggle in Britain on from what was considered an Atlanticist obsession where the American struggle against racism took priority. He also covers the dispute that arose between Stuart Hall and Salman Rushdie over BAFC’s ‘Handsworth Songs’; ‘John Akomfrah and Stuart Hall Q&A with Parminder Vir’ (one of the earliest people to fund BAFC’s work when she worked at the GLC). Akomfrah highlights the importance of archives to Afrikan people as they are our major ways of passing on knowledge especially in a land where we have few monuments; and Isaac Julien’s interview with John Akomfrah ‘Black and White in Colour Rushes’. Here Akomfrah points out the thinking behind BAFC which grew out of watching how the Black Arts Movement and other movements such as the Harlem Renaissance had defined a Black aesthetic that resonated among Afrikans across the globe. He also said that ‘collective working delivered durable ways of working around race’ which was not negated by the experience of individual Afrikans who had managed to gain employment in mainstream media. The growth of BAFC and similar projects, such as Ceddo, changed the focus of how the media interacted with Afrikans whereas before they had expected Afrikans to give up their life stories to a preset agenda now they were seen as agents of relevant insights. It allowed BAFC to highlight that not all Afrikan experiences are limited to only the immigrant experience.
Judith Jacob (Actor) and Olive Aleakwe Cooper (Beauty Is Co-Producer)
Nubiart Diary
~ BBM / BMC, AKOBEN AWARDS, BTWSC & TAOBQ (THE AFRICAN OR BLACK QUESTION) PRESENT TALKING MARCUS GARVEY / UNIA @ 100. - ‘Marcus Garvey, Economic Empowerment and Relevance To Ghana’. On Mon 7 Apr at 3-5pm at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Accra, Ghana. Adm: Free. Examines Marcus Garvey’s philosophy regarding economic empowerment and independence, and his influence internationally, and particularly on Ghana.
- ‘Highlighting Existing & Upcoming Changes To UK Copyright Law’. On Wed 9 Apr at 12.30-1.30pm at Music Department, University Of Ghana, Legon, Ghana. Adm: Free. A focus on recent and upcoming music-related copyright issues.
E-mail: btwsc@hotmail.com or editor@BritishBlackMusic.com Web: www.BritishBlackMusic.com
~ SODA PICTURES IN ASSOCIATION WITH KUSH PROMOTIONS & MEDIA PARTNERS: COLOURFUL RADIO & VOX AFRICA + THEODORA ‘NOLLYWOOD’ IBEKWE PRESENTS THE UK RELEASE OF ‘HALF OF A YELLOW SUN’. Olanna (Thandie Newton) and Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) are glamorous twins from a wealthy Nigerian family. Returning to a privileged city life in newly independent 1960s Nigeria after their expensive English education, the two women make very different choices. Olanna shocks her family by going to live with her lover, the “revolutionary professor” Odenigbo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his devoted houseboy Ugwu (John Boyega) in the dusty university town of Nsukka; Kainene turns out to be a fiercely successful businesswoman when she takes over the family interests, and surprises herself when she falls in love with Richard (Joseph Mawle), an English writer. Preoccupied by their romantic entanglements, and a betrayal between the sisters, the events of their life loom larger than politics. However, they become caught up in the events of the Nigerian civil war, in which the lgbo people fought an impassioned struggle to establish Biafra as an independent republic, ending in chilling violence which shocked the entire country and the world. UK Premiere with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Director Biyi Bandele & author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & additional stars in attendance on Tues 8 April at Streatham Odeon, 47-49 Streatham High Road, London, SW16 1PW. Adm: £10. For info call Marlon Palmer on: 020 3070 3200 or 07961 977 749. E-mail: info@kushfilms.com Web: www.kushfilms.com / www.iluvblackfilms.com / www.facebook.com/marlonpalmer1 / www.twitter.com/KushFilms / www.facebook.com/KushFilms / www.youtube.com/KushFilms1
~ NEW BEACON BOOKS AND GEORGE PADMORE INSTITUTE PRESENT AN EVENING WITH
LLOYD BRADLEY ON ‘SOUNDS LIKE LONDON – 100 YEARS OF BLACK LONDON MUSIC IN THE
CAPITAL’. On Thurs 10 Apr at 7pm at New Beacon Books, 76 Stroud Green Road, London, N4 3EN.
Adm: Free. Tel: 020 7272 4889. E-mail: newbeaconbooks@btconnect.com
~ BLACK HISTORY WALKS EVENTS
- Fitzrovia / Soho: Sat 12 Apr at 11am.
In an area known for offices and clubs, this special walk delves into an amazing depth of history which proves and lists: ancient Afrikan civilisations, black women broadcasters of the 1940’s, civil rights activists who campaigned for equality in the military, black female entrepreneurs / heroines, Jimi Hendrix, Mary Seacole, Afrikan radicals of the 1800’s, black classical musicians, Pan Afrikan conspiracies, propaganda and spies.
- Trafalgar Square. On Sun 13 Apr at 12pm.
Millions of people walk through WC2 (Trafalgar/Leicester Square area) every day and have no idea of the centuries of African history under their feet. In 2 hours your guide will uncover the black presence and influence in the area. Afrikan Princes, Generals, Resistance Fighters, Civil Rights Leaders, Pilots, Nurses and Sailors all make an appearance. We highlight the links between Afrika, China, India and the Caribbean and explain how history was whitewashed and racism institutionalised. In 2007 there was a huge emphasis on the 200th anniversary of the British ‘abolition’ of the human trade in 1807, but Afrikan freedom fighters in the Caribbean island of Haiti defeated the French, Spanish and British armies and had already declared their independence in 1804.
- St Paul’s Bank: On Fri 18 Apr at 11am.
In 100 minutes your guide will take you through hundreds of years of the Afrikan presence, and contribution, to London’s way of life. Discover secret alleyways and enormous buildings all connected to Afrika and the Caribbean in ways which the owners do not want you to know. Find out about Afrikan loyalists and Afrikan revolutionaries. Uncover the submerged links between racism, trade, religion, slavery and politics which are still evident in the very streets and buildings of the oldest part of London.
- Notting Hill. On Friday 18 Apr at 3pm.
There is much more to Notting Hill than Carnival but even that history is often mis-represented. Find out about pioneering Afrikan / Caribbean people who literally fought for equality and laid the foundation for modern multi-cultural London. Why does Portobello road have that name? Where in London is there evidence of 3500 years of Afrikan civilisation? How is Kelso Cochrane connected to Stephen Lawrence? We cover Baron Baker, Jamaican Freedom Fighters, White Defence League, Sus law, Sou-Sou / Partner System, Michael X, Peter Rachman, Claudia Jones, anti-black riots of 1958, Mau Mau, Shebeens and invisible Afrikan history.
- Elephant & Castle. On Sat 26 Apr at 11am.
Special War to Windrush walks in Elephant and Castle can be arranged. This walk links the Imperial War Museum with the Cuming Museum. Both museums have excellent collections on the Afrikan presence in WW2 totally relevant to the national curriculum and adult education. The Cuming Museum also has ancient Egyptian items. This walk links the two venues and illustrates the black history of more than 200 years in the SE1 area. Web: www.iwm.org.uk
Cost: £7 – adults / £3 - children. Group bookings possible. E-mail: info@blackhistorywalks.co.uk with number of places required. You will then receive confirmation and joining instructions.
- ‘Bob Marley’. On Sun 13 April.
Bob Marley is an international legend of the music business but is less popular for his political activism, Pan Afrikanism and Garveyite philosophy. In this highly requested, and previously sold out presentation we will cover: His support of African independence movements; His connection to US and worldwide human rights; His investments and influence how he got ripped off; The Black Panther connection; The real cause of his death.
- ‘The X Men’. On Sun 20 & 27 Apr.
The new X Men movie, Days of Future Past, will be out soon and people have been demanding an X Men breakdown since we did Blade, Superman, Django and Planet of the Apes. With the introduction of a new Afrikan superhero this X-tra special breakdown over two days will delve deep into the black history of The X men comics and movies. We will cover: Race and metaphor. Malcolm X and Robert Williams; Disney’s record on diversity; Hollywood propaganda; How ‘liberal’ media reinforces the status quo they claim to oppose; The role of the Afrikan superhero. Where are the Afrikan superheroes?; The reason there will be no Black Panther movie; and Afrikan and world politics in disguise
The above three talks are at 3-5.45pm at Cottons Caribbean Restaurant, 70 Exmouth Market, Islington, London, EC1. Adm: £8. E-mail: info@blackhistorywalks.co.uk Web: blackhistorywalks.co.uk
~ BLACK HISTORY STUDIES EVENTS
- ‘Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship in the Black Community’ On Mon 14 Apr at 7-9pm at the PCS HQ, 160 Falcon Road, Clapham Junction, London, SW11 2LN . Adm: £5.
- In association with the Marcus Garvey Library ‘Sankofa Saturdays’ screening of ‘Dear Mandela’. On Sat 5 Apr at 5-8pm at the Marcus Garvey Library, Tottenham Green Centre, 1 Phillip Lane, Tottenham, London, N15 4JA. Adm: Free.
Tel / Fax: 020 8881 0660. Mobile: 07951 234 233. E-mail: info@blackhistorystudies.com Web: http://www.blackhistorystudies.com
~ THE LIGALI ORGANISATION PRESENT ‘BEAUTY IS...’ SCREENINGS AND DISCUSSIONS. This film by community educator and guerrilla film maker Toyin Agbetu asks “what is beauty? and examines the answer from a philosophical position through discussions on hair, skin shade, body image and character. Web: www.ligali.org/beautyis Twitter: @beautyIs_film Facebook: facebook.com/beautyisfilm
- ‘Beauty Is’ Premiere screening followed by Q + A with director Toyin Agbetu. On Sat 19th April at 12- 2.30pm at BFI Southbank, Belvedere Rd, South Bank, London, SE1 8XT. Adm: £6.50.
- FP Comms present ‘A Filmmaker’s Evening With...Arthur Sempebwa and Toyin Agbetu’. On Fri 25 Apr at 6.30-8 pm at 20th Century Fox, Soho Square, London, W1D.
- ‘Beauty Is’ Screening and debate hosted by Dr Kwadwo Osei-Nyame Jnr. On Sat 26 Apr at 6-10pm at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) University, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG. Adm: £10.
- ‘Beauty Is’ Screening. On Mon 12 May at 7-9.30pm at Black History Studies, PCS Headquarters, Clapham Junction, 160 Falcon Road, London, SW11. Adm: £10. Tel / Fax: 020 8881 0660. Mobile: 07951 234 233. E-mail: info@blackhistorystudies.com Web: http://www.blackhistorystudies.com
~ KING’S COLLEGE LONDON, THE AHRC, AUTOGRAPH ABP, THE ROYAL AFRICAN SOCIETY, SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL & AFRICAN STUDIES AND SURVIVORS FUND (SURF) PRESENT ‘RWANDA IN PHOTOGRAPHS’. Commemorating 20 years since the Rwandan genocide this April, Rwanda in Photographs is the first international group show of work by professional Rwandan photographers. Rwanda is a country of contrasts: from the rising skyscrapers of central Kigali with their promise of economic growth to the rural hills of Musanze where people are pulling themselves out of poverty but life remains a struggle. Rwandans have seen peace within their borders but still live with the memories of 1994. Combined with the work of Nigerian photographer Andrew Esiebo, these photographs bring you moments of life in Rwanda today, seen through Rwandan eyes. Exhibition runs until 30 Apr at Indigo Rooms, Somerset House, London, WC2R 2LS.
~ THE BUSH THEATRE EUROPEAN PREMIERE OF JACKIE SIBBLIES DRURY’S ‘WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE HERERO OF NAMIBIA, FORMERLY KNOWN AS SOUTHWEST AFRICA, FROM THE GERMAN SUDWESTAFRIKA, BETWEEN THE YEARS 1884 – 1915’. Directed by Gbolahan Obisesan. A group of actors gather to tell the little-known story of the first genocide of the 20th Century. As the full force of a horrific past crashes into the good intentions of the present what seemed a far away place and time is suddenly all too close to home. Just whose story are they telling? Until Sat 12 Apr at 7.30pm with Sat & Wed matinees at 2.30pm at Shepherds Bush Theatre,
7 Uxbridge Road, London, W12 8LJ. Box Office: 020 8743 5050. Adm: £19.50 / £15 (matinees).
~ SHIRI ACHU ART EXHIBITION ‘35INPRINT: LONDON’. The exhibition will largely consist of 35 Framed Signed Limited Edition ShiriAchuArt Prints. You will be able to purchase these limited edition signed prints at very affordable prices, from £135 and gift card packs of various sizes from £15. £35 of every print sold and proceeds from the raffle will be used to fund an exciting project in Cameroon. Details will be revealed at the exhibition. From Sat 19 – Fri 25 Apr at The Strand Gallery, 32 John Adam St, London, WC2N 6BP. E-mail: info@shiriachuart.com
~ AFRICAN ODYSSEYS PRESENTS THE SCREENING OF ‘COMRADE PRESIDENT’. Dir: Mosco Kamwendo. Samora Machel was killed in a plane crash in 1986. Cut down in his prime, he remains an intriguing figure in African liberation. While he was training to be a nurse, racist laws imposed by the Portuguese colonial government prompted him to join the liberation movement Frelimo, where he rose to become commander in 1970. He became Mozambique’s first President just five years later. Rebuilding the country along Marxist lines, Machel welcomed anti-apartheid revolutionaries fighting in neighbouring Rhodesia and South Africa. These regimes retaliated, and forced him to sign the controversial Nkomati Accord in 1984. This historical portrait provides insight into the complex challenge of leadership and the journey to freedom. On Sat 26 Apr at 2pm at BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, South Bank, London, SE1 8XT. Adm: £6. Box Office: 020 7928 3232.
~ ‘THE POWER OF THE ELDER’ (CIMARRON LECTURE) SUPPORTED BY WASP. Is there a critical role for the Elder in our communities? This presentation is delivered by Eli Anderson, a Master storyteller, Poet and Narrative Coach. The lecture is designed to celebrate but also, raise the debate concerning the position of the Elder in our society. On Sat 26 Apr at 7-9.30pm at West Indian Ex-Servicemen Association, 161-167 Clapham Manor Street, Clapham, London, SW4 6DB.
~ THE MOSAIC ROOMS PRESENT ‘MOGADISHU – LOST MODERNS’. Exhibition exploring Mogadishu through its architecture and urban environment, narrating the story of Somalia’s journey from traditional Afrikan nation via colonisation and post colonialism to emergent independent state. Challenging familiar mainstream images that depict the city solely as a place of conflict and destruction, Somali-British architect Rashid Ali and British photographer Andrew Cross offer a unique account of what remains of the city’s urban fabric and key modernist symbols after two decades of civil conflict. These specially commissioned photographs are presented alongside rare archival photographs, not yet presented to the public, which document the city’s architecture under Italian colonial rule. Due to the destruction of much of its architecture, infrastructure and any historical archives associated with it, there has been a dearth of literature and discourse on the cultural development of Mogadishu through its architecture and built form. Rashid Ali and Andrew Cross’ exceptional work, resulting from their trip to Mogadishu in the summer of 2013, provides a framework to better understand and explore this development. This timely exhibition offers a space for reflection on the value of civic architecture and heritage preservation. It also presents a unique perspective of a city in conflict, and an opportunity to promote new thinking on the broader discourse of urbanism in Africa and the Arab world. Open Tues – Sat at 11am–6pm until Sat 26 Apr at The Mosaic Rooms, A.M. Qattan Foundation, Tower House, 226 Cromwell Road, London, SW5 0SW. Adm: Free. Tel: 020 7370 9990. E-mail: info@mosaicrooms.org
~ ‘EVEN THIS WILL PASS’ EXHIBITION BY AIDA SILVESTRI. ‘Even This Will Pass’ tells the journeys of Eritrean refugees in their exoduses to find better stability and hope in the United Kingdom. With a unique and conceptual approach that preserves the dignity of her sitters, Silvestri blurs the portraits, upon which she hand-stitches their routes graphically in coloured thread. Their corresponding paths are amalgamated together on a large map, highlighting the diverse and encumbered journeys they faced.
Silvestri’s project aims to raise awareness of human trafficking in an emotive tribute to her sitters and to the plights of these refugees whose voices too often remain unheard. Until Sat 26 Apr at Roman Road Project Space, 69 Roman Road, London, E2 0QN.
~ ‘A FUSION OF WORLDS: ANCIENT EGYPT, AFRICAN ART AND IDENTITY IN MODERNIST BRITAIN’ EXHIBITION. An exploration of the ways in which modernist artists – Jacob Epstein, Edna Manley and Ronald Moody – have been inspired by Ancient Egypt. The exhibition places these artists’ reworking of Egyptian art in context of their political, spiritual and gendered expressions of identity. Drawing on the influence of the Harlem Renaissance and ‘discovering’ African Art, this display repositions the work of artists, such as Jamaican born Ronald Moody, in the public memory. Until Sat 24 May at 1-5pm (Tues-Sat) at Petrie Museum, UCL, Malet Place, London. WC1. Tel: 020 7679 4138. Adm: Free. E-mail: events.petrie@ucl.ac.uk
~ BUNDU DIA KONGO (BDK). Afrikan cultural and spiritual group working towards the spiritual and psychological growth and development of Afrikans all over the world. Let us make a positive change now. Learn about Afrikan prophets, Afrikan history and Afrikan spiritual practices at our weekly Zikua.
- Sun at 1.30–4.30pm at Chestnuts Community & Arts Centre, 280 St Ann’s Road, Tottenham, London, N15 5BN. Tel: Makaba - 07951 059 853.
- Sun at 12.30–3.15pm at Malika House, 81 George Street, Lozells, Birmingham, B19 1Sl. Tel: Mbuta Mayala – 07404 789 329.
~ THE AUSAR AUSET SOCIETY GI GONG CLASSES. Every Monday at 7.30–9pm at Hazel Road Community Centre, Hazel Road, Kensal Green, London, NW10 5PP. Adm: £5 per class. Tel: 07951- 252-427. E-mail: Tauinetwork.europe@gmail.com
~ EXHIBITION APPEAL: RETIRED CARIBBEAN NURSES IN HACKNEY / NEWHAM / EAST LONDON. Hackney Museum is working with Black Women in the Arts Project on an exhibition about Retired Caribbean Nurses to take place in Sep 2014 at Hackney Museum. Do you know of any retired Caribbean Nurses in Hackney / Newham / East London area? Contact: Cheryl Bowen, Community Education Manager, Health and Well Being, Hackney Museum Technology and Learning Centre, 1 Reading Lane, London, E8 1GQ. Tel: 020 8356 2658 / 2545. E-mail: cheryl.bowen@hackney.gov.uk
Web: www.hackney.gov.uk/hackneymuseum
Contact: Kubara Zamani, Afrikan Quest International, PO Box 35165, London, SE5 8WU. Tel: 07811 494 969. E-mail: afrikanquest@hotmail.com NB: Nubiart Diary can also be read at www.ligali.org
Afrikan Quest International
External Links
Afrikan Quest InternationalBeauty Is Website
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