CRIME SCENE USA
OFFICER ACQUITTED OVER FREDDIE GRAY KILLING
A police officer has been acquitted of charges over the killing of Freddie Gray in police custody in Baltimore. Edward Nero was cleared by a judge of second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and two counts of misconduct in office. Freddie Gray, who was 25, died after sustaining a severe spinal injury in the back of a police van during his arrest in April 2015. A post-mortem report found that Gray sustained a neck injury slamming into a van wall during the ride. He was not restrained with a seatbelt.
Last year, a jury failed to reach a verdict in the case of another officer connected to Gray’s death, William Porter. Officer Porter was the first of six officers charged in Gray’s death to be tried, with four more trials still to come. The most serious charges have been made against Officer Caesar Goodson, the driver of the van. Other officers who face trial have been accused of second-degree murder and manslaughter.
In Officer Nero’s trial, a judge said he “acted as any reasonable officer would” and did not touch Gray until he was in handcuffs. Officer Nero helped load Gray back into the police van after police said he was kicking, screaming and shaking inside of it. Baltimore’s police union called the trials “baseless prosecutions”. The prosecution had been hoping to use Officer Porter as a witness in the other officer’s trials. He will face another trial in June. Gray’s killing led to protests leading to a state of emergency and the deployment of the National Guard.
SAN FRANCISCO POLICE CHIEF QUITS AFTER KILLINGS BY OFFICERS
San Francisco’s Police Chief Greg Suhr stepped down hours after a police officer shot and killed a 27-year-old Afrikan-American woman. The woman allegedly tried to drive off in a stolen car and ignored calls to stop in the Bayview area of the city. She had been sitting in the car when a police patrol approached her. After driving off she then crashed into a nearby vehicle. There was no indication that she had a weapon or had tried to run down a police officer before the shooting, the city authorities said.
Suhr’s resignation was announced by Mayor Ed Lee, who had asked him to quit. Toney Chaplin has been named as acting police chief. The San Francisco police department and its chief have been criticised over the death of several Afrikan-American suspects in recent months and reports that a several officers had exchanged racist text messages.
Five people went on a 17-day hunger strike demanding Mr Suhr be sacked. Dubbed the Frisco Five, they accused him of heading a racist force following the shooting deaths by officers of Mario Woods, Alex Nieto and Amilcar Lopez. A statement on the Hunger For Justice #Frisco5 Facebook page said the Frisco Five - Sellassie Blackwell, Ilyich Sato, Edwin Lindo, Maria Cristina Gutierrez and Ike Pinkston - along with hundreds of supporters took part in a march to the City Hall on Tuesday. More than 30 people were arrested and then released when their supporters stormed City Hall.
GUN USED IN TRAYVON MARTIN KILLING SOLD FOR PROFIT
American police kill over 1,000 people a year with a disproportionate number being Afrikan-American.
The former Florida neighbourhood watchman George Zimmerman has sold the gun he used to murder 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012 for £172,000. The Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm pistol normally sells for £240 as new. Zimmerman was cleared of second-degree murder and manslaughter on the grounds that he was in fear of his life from Trayvon, who was unarmed, and was returning home from buying sweets. The killing was instrumental in launching the national Black Lives Matter social movement. The gun was bought by a mother as a birthday gift for her son. Zimmerman wants to use the proceeds to end the career of prosecutor Angela Corey, contest Hilary Clinton’s plans for firearms controls and to “fight [Black Lives Matter] violence against law enforcement officers”.
GEORGIA PROSECUTORS DISMISSED BLACK JURORS, COURT FINDS
The US Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Timothy Tyrone Foster, an Afrikan-American death-row inmate, finding that state prosecutors in Georgia unlawfully excluded potential Afrikan-American jurors from his trial. Foster, who was 18 at the time of the murder, was accused of breaking into the victim’s home, breaking her jaw, sexually molesting her and then strangling her, before stealing items from her house. Foster may now face a retrial, 29 years after his death sentence.
The court has overturned his conviction after ruling that the prosecution had broken the law. A law introduced in 1986 made it illegal in the US to pick jurors based on the colour of their skin. All four black members of the potential jury pool in Foster’s case were struck from the pool by prosecutors, leaving an all-white jury. Non race-related reasons were given for striking the black members of the pool, but prosecution notes released to Foster’s lawyers in 2006 revealed racial motivations. The prosecution marked the names of black prospective jurors with a “B”, highlighted them in green, and circled the word “black” on their juror questionnaires.
According to Foster’s lawyer, Stephen Bright, one handwritten note titled “Definite Nos” listed six people, of whom five were the remaining Afrikan-American prospective jurors. The sixth was a white woman who made clear she would never impose the death penalty, Mr Bright said. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the notes “plainly belie the state’s claim that it exercised its strikes in a ‘colour blind’ manner”. The eight justices of the Court voted 7-1 in Foster’s favour. The sole dissenter was Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative and the only Afrikan member of the court.
BRITAIN – THE MUGGER COUNTRY
British Prime Minister David Cameron continued in his racist anti-Afrikan pronouncements claiming that Nigeria was ‘fantastically corrupt’. Ahead of the anti-corruption summit he hosted in London he was caught telling the British Queen, who is one of the biggest false beneficiaries of looted Afrikan wealth. The news reports that came out of ‘The Panama Papers’ on corruption clearly stated that London was the global centre of money laundering through its financial centre, overpriced property market and consumer items. Meanwhile, Britain uses tax havens, offshore banking, former colonies, contract law and the English language to dominate the business and investment environment.
David Cameron himself had to admit that he profited from the sale of investments his father had stashed in offshore tax havens in the Caribbean. Cameron’s forebears were also among the slaveowners who were compensated when Afrikan enslavement was formally abolished in the Caribbean. His wife, Samantha, is part of the Astor dynasty whose wealth and investments span several continents after decades of plundering. During that time Britain, a small outpost, managed to colonise over half the globe such that ‘the sun never set on the British empire’ was a reality as they controlled the economies of countries in every time zone.
Contrary to their claims to ‘tolerance’, ‘democracy’, ‘fair play’ and cricket the British were truthless and duplicitous in their trading, slaving, rulership and war. They devised several ingenious ways to trick people out of their wealth, torture, kill, deport and brainwash them. The saying that ‘the British are a nation of shopkeepers’ is often take as a good trait but it really means that they will overprice, underweigh and shortchange people at every opportunity. They will use contract law and different versions of the same word to make people think they have signed up to a more benign agreement until it comes to enforcing the terms. Any dealings with a British merchant, insurer or entrepreneur should always carry the caveat emptor (buyer beware) warning. They gained the reputation of ‘perfidious Albion’ because of all the other European nations that they have double-crossed over the last 1,000 years.
Afrikans have become a victim of this behaviour through enslavement and colonisation. Many have bought into the concept of Britain as a ‘Mother Country’ who we should help when they call on us in times of war and economic crisis. At best Britain is a wicked stepmother who is depriving people of their rightful inheritance through spite and cunning. Probably more apt is Britain as an international mugger committing robbery with violence and threats of violence on a global scale. They then propagandise that everybody else is more criminal than them. They did it during the enslavement process saying they only joined in because other people were already doing. By that logic if a British person saw a man arguing with his wife they would join in even though it had nothing to do with them and escalate the dispute to the disadvantage of the couple and their descendants for centuries. That’s where we are today.
LIBYA
A conference was held recently supposedly to try and restabilise Libya following the assassination of Col Gaddafi and the ‘balkanisation’ of the formerly unified nation. There are currently two governments in Tobruk and the capital, Tripoli. There are also numerous militias. Meanwhile the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant / Daesh have their base in Gaddafi’s home town of Sirte, which certainly wouldn’t have been tolerated during the Colonel’s days. The issue is coming to a head as the conference looked at issuing new banknotes ahead of Ramadan. Both competing governments want to issue their own notes. Few Libyans trust the banking system enough to leave their money in there fearing they might not be able to get access to their finances or a run on the banks. The economy has totally collapsed. Libya was producing 1.5 million barrels of oil a day before the civil war in 2011. Production is now at 100,000 barrels, down from 500,000 last year. The east has also been blocking the export of oil.
FORTHCOMING NUBIART PROFILE
NUBIART: Focus on arts, business, education, health, political developments and the media.
MAY PROMOS
~ ‘ETHIOPIA: CELEBRATING EMPEROR TEWODROS II’ – Gabriella Ghermandi [ARC Music – Released on 27 May] Italian-Ethiopian Gabriella Ghermandi self-released this nine-track concept album dedicated to Emperor Tewodros and the Ethiopian warriors and patriots who followed his tradition in later battles such as the victory over the Italians at Adwa in 1896 and the defeat of the fascist Mussolini in 1935-41. ARC Music have picked it up and given it a wider distribution.
Emperor Tewodros II (c. 1818 – April 13, 1868) has come to symbolise Ethiopian unity and identity. He was baptised as Sahle Dingil and was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death. Tewodros was not in the line of succession so his ascending the throne is seen as the beginning of the modernisation of Ethiopia, ending the decentralised Zemene Mesafint (Era of the Princes). He took his throne in the hope of fulfilling a prophecy that a man named Tewodros would restore the Ethiopian Empire to greatness and rule for 40 years. He moved the capital city of the Empire from Gondar, first to Debre Tabor, and later to Magdala. He did not initially claim to be from the Solomonic dynasty but reverted to that later in his rule.
He imprisoned Menelik II as a rebel during a period when he was consolidating his rule. Menelik would escape and later succeed him. Tewodros was a talented military campaigner but he made a wrong move when he sought an alliance with the treacherous British to conquer Jerusalem and curb Muslim influence. Unhappy with British duplicity he took an advance party hostage in the hope of resolving the situation amicably. Instead the racist British sent a punitive expedition against him. As they stormed his stronghold, Tewodros committed suicide. During the ‘Magdala Campaign’ the British imperialists looted artefacts and spiritual documents that remain outside Ethiopia to this day. They stole Tewodros II’s crowns, a huge number of both royal and ecclesiastic robes, vestments, crosses, chalices, swords and shields, many embroidered or decorated with gold or silver, hundreds of tabots, the great Imperial silver negarit war drum, and a huge number of valuable manuscripts.
Tewodros’ developments in governance included the principle that governors and judges must be salaried appointees. He also established a professional standing army, rather than depending on local lords to provide soldiers for his expeditions. He had intended to reform the Ethiopian Orthodox Church but he was confronted by strong opposition when he tried to impose a tax on church lands to help finance government activities. He confiscated the lands and increased his enemies.
His eldest son Meshesha Tewodros was a loyal servant to Emperor Menelik II until his death. Tewodros’ daughter, Woizero Alitash Tewodros, was the first wife of Menelik but was abandoned by Menelik when he escaped from prison. However, Woizero Alitash was among the first of the nobility to travel to Were Illu to pay homage to her former husband as the new Emperor. She died within the first few months of Menelik II’s reign in tragic and suspicious circumstances. Tewodros’ younger son Dejazmatch Alemayehu Tewodros was educated at Rugby school in England but died of loneliness and poor health in October 1879 at the age of 19.
The arrangements on the album are based on the pentatonic scales prevalent in Ethiopian traditional music. As well as the modern electric instruments Gabriella’s backing band includes the kirar, washint, masenqo, kebero and shakers. The two-part ‘Atse Tewodros’ on the Bati pentatonic scale contains the lyrics: ‘I will risk having my bones shattered / I will risk having my blood flow from my body like a sea / I am willing to lose my life rather than yield an inch of my country’s independence…/…I will fight those who have come cloaking their intentions with the Gospel, to subjugate our land,’
Another two-parter is ‘Be Kibir’, on the Ambassel pentatonic scale where Gabriella sings: ‘…to walk with head held high, in total freedom / how does one gain and how does one lose that right / what is its cost, / what else can replace it / why do we so love this migration / that strips us of respect?
‘Che Below’ recounts the heroic deeds of warriors who when they went into battle would shout the name of their commander’s horse for inspiration. The name always start with ‘Abba’, father. ‘Tew Below’ is a song of the Arbegnoch (patriots) of the 1935-41 anti-Fascist war: ‘…show them the boundary line drawn by our warriors, / how it is guarded by our bones, / and if they do not heed the warning, / …belew, belew, belew…’
A powerful and inspirational album.
~ ‘WEST TO WEST’ – Nii Okai Tagoe [ARC Music – Released on 27 May] This is Nii Tagoe’s second solo album and on it he draws from across his influences and experiences. From his formative years growing up in a Ga royal family of master drummers and dancers to Osibisa, to his days with the Adzido Pan-African Dance Ensemble, as a session musician and choreographer.
There’s a stellar cast of backing musicians and as we always like to remind people anything where the great guitarist Alfred ‘Kari’ Bannerman shows up, as he does hear on almost all the tracks, is required listening. Although the album’s focus was to incorporate more western style arrangements alongside the traditional Afrikan stylings the topics are overtly political concerned about social justice and the correct and upright behaviour that is lacking among so many these days.
The album opens with the lullaby ‘Nyungmbo’, a mother always feels pain when a child is crying. ‘Oh Nu Kpa’ is aimed at the hypocritical leaders. The Highlife groove of ‘Moni Sane Yemi’ is advice to stick to your rights being slow but sure. The desert blues of ‘3 Monkeys’ is for those who see, hear and speak no evil. ‘Moni Ley’ is an incitement to follow through on your dreams not letting anyone stand in your way. ‘Sumo Eh-Ngo’ is an injunction to share the love, the wealth and live in peace. The Nyabinghi reggae stylings of ‘Doh Wey’, counselling listeners not to listen to gossip and those who put other people down, is actually based on a Yoruba rhythm ‘Do Weh Maddu’. On ‘Nekeh Noh’ he counsels those considering the migrant route that nowhere is peaceful so often it is better to stay where you are and work at your dreams from there. ‘Ley’ reminds you that everybody suffers within their lives, both the rich and the poor. The album ends with an acoustic version of an earlier track ‘Mile Mi Ley’ – if we knew tomorrow the way we approach today would be different.
~ SPACE ECHO – THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE COSMIC SOUND OF CABO VERDE FINALLY REVEALED – Various Artists [Analog Africa – Released on 27 May] Analog Africa have pulled it out the bag again. This is a different side of Cape Verdean music from the more well-known Cesaria Evora and Boy Ge Mendes tracks. Instead it’s late 1970s and early 1980s music with a heavy keyboard / synthesiser influence so there’s a lot of psychedelic, disco and Afrobeat gold dust in the ether. With the defeat of Portuguese imperialism in 1974-75 banned rhythms and lyrics in the former colonies could come up from the underground and these also fed into the mix.
Paulino Vieira’s band, Voz de Cabo Verde, played on eight of the 15 tracks so there is a kind of spine to the selection. Some of the tracks such as horns heavy ‘Morti Sta Bidjacu’ by Jose Casimiro are just blistering dance grooves. Bana’s ‘Pontin & Pontin’ is on a slower pace but no less infectious. Fany Harvest’s ‘That Day’ kicks off as if it’s going to be a slow blues rocker but that’s a false start that sucked us in on first hearing. Instead what you get is akin to Segun Bucknor-style funky Afrogrooves.
NUBIART LIBRARY – MAY 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.
~ ‘MOMENTS OF MINDFULNESS: AFRICAN WISDOM’ - Danielle & Oliver Föllmi [Thames & Hudson. ISBN: 978-0-500-51824-3]
“All morality is founded upon this concept: namely that what increases the life force is good, and what diminishes it is bad. There are acts that must not be committed, because they diminish it, create disorder and destroy the social order as much as the human order.” – Alassane Ndaw, p 32
Mindfulness is the buzzword – and even hustling – word of the moment but here are some thoughts and ancestral aphorisms by Afrikans that open windows on a world of wisdom. There are three main sections: ‘Spirits & Ancestors’, Control of the Self’ and ‘Control of the Heart’. Amadou Hampate Ba provides 18 of the contributions. He is credited with the often quoted “In Africa, when an old man dies, it is like a library burning.” p200.
There are also offerings from the likes of Chinua Achebe, Manthia Diawara, Manu Dibango, Irenee Guilane Dioh, Birago Diop, Martin Luther King, Louis Armstrong, Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Nelson Mandela, Leopold Sedar Senghor, Aime Cesaire, Efua Theodora Sutherland, Aminata Traore and Kwasi Wiredu.
The foreword is by Doudou Diene, the former Director of Intercultural Dialogue at UNESCO and the UN Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The reflections are paired with a colour photograph from the continent. There’s a heavy visual presence of Mali, Namibia and Ethiopia among the images so some of them may be familiar to those who have visited the places or seen the exhibitions or coffee-table style books where many of them have featured.
“The respect given to others rebounds to the giver; to deny the sacred in the Other is to deny it in oneself.” – Dr Raymond Johnson, p42
“Listen more often / To things than to beings / The voice of the fire can be heard / Hear the voice of the water / Listen in the wind / To the sobbing bush / It is the breath of the ancestors.” – Birago Diop, p 80
“But I, Titinga, I know that a man, though he be tall, he cannot be any taller than his hair.” – Titinga Frederic Pacere, p 120
“Man is the medicine for Man.” – Wolof oral tradition, p 162
“The body of a man is very small compared with the spirit that inhabits it.” – African oral tradition, p 226
NUBIART DIARY
We welcome feedback on any event you have attended that was listed in Nubiart Diary. It helps us with the selection of future listings and is also info we can pass on to the event organisers where appropriate.
~ ‘IN FINE STYLE: THE DANCEHALL ART OF WILFRED LIMONIOUS’. Private views on Tues 24 & Thurs 26 at 6:30–10pm. Exhibition runs from Wed 25–Sun 29 May at 10am–10pm at The Tabernacle, 34-35 Powis Square, London, W11 2AY.
~ THE EMBASSY OF TUNISIA AND THE AFRICA CENTRE PRESENTS: ‘A PREVIEW OF ARTWORKS BY INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED TUNISIAN ARTIST FETHI ZBIDI’. On Thurs 26 May at 6.30-8.30pm at The Africa Centre, 66 Great Suffolk Street, London, SE1 0BL. Adm: Free.
~ ALKEBULAN REVIVALIST MOVEMENT PRESENTS ‘NOMMO SESSION: IN-FORMATION – THE BREAKDOWN’. Presentation by cultural scientist and veteran spoken word activist ShakaRa. In recent years, few (if any) musical events have stirred up the Black Community and popular culture at large like Beyonce’s ‘Formation’ video & performance followed by the release of the video album, ‘Lemonade’. Sudden allusions to Black Pride, Political activism and even Afrikan Spirituality seem shocking and out of place in a career characterised by non-threatening De-Racial, and A-Political pop SUPER Stardom. The white backlash was strong. The Black praise was loud. The internet buried itself in speculation about her personal life, while many tried to figure out whether to fully embrace this new Bey or treat her with scepticism. This Nommo we take a moment to delve deep in to the language, symbolism & hidden messages in ‘Formation’ & ‘Lemonade’, the cultural impact and the implications for the future of Black Art. On Fri 27 May at 7pm at Mama Afrika Kulcha Shap, 282 High Road Leyton, London, E10 5PW. Adm: £3 / Under-21’s – Free. Tel: 020 8539 2154 / 07908 814 152. Web: www.alkebulan.org
Tam Joseph, Spirit of the
Carnival, c1982. Image
courtesy of the artist.
~ WOLVERHAMPTON ART GALLERY’S PRESENT ‘BLACK ART IN FOCUS‘. The exhibition brings together paintings and prints from existing collection and artwork newly acquired through the Heritage Lottery Fund Collecting Cultures programme. Highlights include iconic works by Turner Prize winner Chris Ofili, Tam Joseph, Keith Piper, Donald Rodney and other leading figures in the Blk Art Group which emerged from Wolverhampton in the early 1980s and went on to influence black and Asian artists across the UK. Eugene Palmer’s enigmatic painting Duppy Shadow (1994) will also be on show in our Georgian Gallery for the duration of this exhibition. On Fri 28 May – Sat 9 July at 10am–5pm at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield St, Wolverhampton, WV1 1DU. Adm: Free. Web: http://www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/whats-on/black-art-in-focus/ http://www.creativeblackcountry.co.uk/whats-on/events-listing/black-art-in-focus-opens-at-the-wolverhampton-art-gallery-on-saturday-4th-june-2pm-4pm/
~ WILLIAM MORRIS GALLERY PRESENT ‘SOCIAL FABRIC: AFRICAN TEXTILES TODAY’ AND ‘FRANK BRANGWYN: SONGS OF A WAYFARER’. Until Sun 29 May on Wed-Sun at 10am-5pm at William Morris Gallery, Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 4PP. Adm: Free. Tel: 020 8496 4390. Web: www.wmgallery.org.uk
~ PACM AFRIKAN LIBERATION DAY 2016. Speakers include Bros Cecil Gutzmore, Robin Walker, Benny Wenda and Sis Maureen Minto. On Sun 29-Mon 30 May at St Georges Community Hub, Great Hampton Row, Birmingham, B19 3JG. Tel: 07871 534 084 / 0121 554 2747.
~ ROYAL AFRICAN SOCIETY PRESENTS ‘SAFE HOUSE: EXPLORING CREATIVE NON-FICTION FROM AFRICA’ BOOK LAUNCH. With Cassava Republic and Commonwealth Writers in partnership with Africa Writes. Mark Gevisser, Hawa Golakai and Kevin Eze - contributors to ‘Safe House: Explorations in Creative Nonfiction’ – discuss the convergence and divergence between journalism and creative non-fiction around the coverage of contemporary issues in Afrika. On Tues 31 May at 7-9pm at the Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, London, W2 1QJ. Adm: £12.50 / £10 (concs). Web: http://www.frontlineclub.com/club/events/
~ AFRICAN ODYSSEYS PRESENT
- ‘Race, The Jesse Owens Story’ Premiere. On Wed 1 June at 6pm at BFI Southbank, Belvedere Rd, London, SE1 8XT. Tel: 020 7928 3232. Web: www.bfi.org.uk Trailer: http://www.focusfeatures.com/race Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy. ‘Race’ is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend.
- ‘Discover Evidence Of African British Civil Rights Going Back Centuries!’ On Fri 17 Jun at 6.30-9pm in the Blue Room, BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XT. Adm: Free. Web: www.bfi.org.uk There is a notion that either there hasn’t been any African-led civil rights movements in Britain, and even if there were, it’s a fairly recent post-Windrush story. I’ve done my bit to disabuse such thought with a myriad of history programmes, as does others, such as Black History Walks’ Tony Warner, who presents African British Civil Rights Heroes 1596 To 2006.
~ STUDENTS NOT SUSPECTS ‘PREVENT, ISLAMOPHOBIA, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES NATIONAL CONFERENCE’. One year ago the Prevent duty became statutory through the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015: this imposed a duty on public bodies to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. As many warned, the duty has in practice charged teachers, doctors and other professionals with monitoring people’s religious and political views. On 4 June at 11am-5.30pm at Goldsmiths College, Lewisham Way, London, SE14 6NW. Web: www.challengingprevent.com
~ GLOBAL AFRIKAN CONGRESS-UK PARLIAMENTARY LOBBY FOR REPARATIONS. On June 8 at 1pm at Committee Room, House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA. Rally at 5-7pm. Tel: 07956 569 301 (Aku Akil). E-mail: SecretaryGACuk@aol.com.
~ BRITISH BLACK MUSIC MONTH 2016 (BBMM2016) EVENTS
- ‘The AntiUniversity History of British Black Music’. On Thurs 9 June at 5.30-7.30pm at Hackney Museum, 1 Reading Lane, London, E8 1GQ. Music industry and history consultant Kwaku will deliver an accessible, family-friendly audio-visual assisted presentation on black music making in the British Isles over two millennia, and will also show its engagement with patronage and the music industry.
- ‘The AntiUniversity History Of Black History Month In Britain - On Sat 11 June at 6-8pm at St. Augustine’s Tower, St John’s Churchyard, Mare Street, Hackney Central, London, E8 1HR Web: www.AfricanHistoryPlus.eventbrite.com
- The Revolution Will Be Live!’ On Sat 11 June at 2-6pm at Arcola Theatre, Hackney
Community educator Toyin Agbetu of Ligali leads this AntiUniversity Now workshop entitled ‘The Revolution Will Be Live!’, or ‘The Black Power Guide to Guerrilla Media’. It’s a master class on how to make an independent film and set up an online radio/video channel for community empowerment work on a shoestring budget.
- ‘Talking Copyright Conference: From A Left & Global South Perspective’. On Wed 15 June at 6-8pm at Grimond Room, Portcullis House, Houses Of Parliament, Westminster, London, SW1A 2LW. Adm: Free. Web: www.BBM.eventbrite.com This conference aims to highlights perspectives that go beyond the concept of Copyright being a Eurocentric construct very much predicated on the creation by the romantic solitary author and providing a monopoly for his and his agents’ financial recompense. A panel hosted by Anne McLaughlin MP at the Houses of Parliament and chaired by Kwaku (convenor), consisting of Dr Enrico Bonadio (senior law lecturer and reggaephile), Awula Serwah (barrister and community activist), will explore Copyright and related conventions and how it works in relation to Afrikan music, Afrikan culture and artefacts from a global South and left focus.
- ‘Music Borrowing and Copyright’. On Thurs 23 June at 6-8pm at Room A110, City University London, St John Street, London, EC1V 4PB. Adm: Free. Web: www.BBM.eventbrite.com If you are interested in copyright, and especially as it intersects with modern music making and recording, join City University London Law School senior lecturer Dr Enrico Bonadio and BBM founder Kwaku, as they break down the subject generally and home in unto some of the recent court cases. Starting from the analysis of the Marvin Gaye / Pharrell Williams ‘Blurred Lines’ decision, we will delve into the main issue: where to draw the line between lawful inspiration and illegal copying. Dr Bonadio will also deliver a short presentation on ‘When The Lack Of Copyright Protection Encourages Creativity: The Case Of Vintage Jamaican Music’.
- British Black Music Month Round Table Discussions. On Thurs 30 June at 6.15-8.45pm at Screening Room, 88 Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 1DH. Adm: Free. Web: www.BBM.eventbrite.com Interested in British black music? Got any good ideas? Or simply want to network? Then why not join us and like-minded people to talk about how to improve our British Black Music Month initiative. Open to music fans, creatives (singers, songwriters, musicians, producers) and music industryites, to highlight systemic issues within the music industry, issues and challenges pertaining to the domestic black music sector, and how to overcome and move forward. Ends with a short social activity.
- ‘Launch Of RE:IMI (Race Equality: In Music Industry)’. On Tues 12 July at 6-8pm at House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA. Adm: Free. This formal launch, hosted by Dawn Butler MP at the House of Commons, brings to the fore RE:IMI (Race Equality: In Music Industry), a collective made up of music industry practitioners, musicians, producers, academics, historians, community activists and equality practitioners, which has a focus on ‘race’ within music industry diversity/equality discourse and practice. At a time when race and ethnicity issues have cropped up, as evidenced by the #BritsSoWhite trend, and race sometimes does not feature in diversity/equality remits, RE:IMI, which is a BritishBlackMusic.com/Black Music Congress initiative, aims to work with stakeholders within and without the music industry by highlighting race and ethnicity deficits. And also pursue initiatives such as British Artists Against Racism (BAAR).
- ‘BBMM Fun Day: Film Screenings, Quiz, Mini Stall’. On Sat 16 July at 1-8.30pm at Harrow Mencap, 1st floor (ring middle buzzer), 3 Jardine House, Harrovian Business Village, Bessborough Road, Harrow, HA1 3EX. Adm: Free. A Mini Stall selling CDs, vinyl, books, T-shirts, posters and some Afrikan artefacts, four hours of BBM related documentaries, many not online, wrapped up with a BBM quiz! What more can you ask from a family-friend half day session?! Includes the screening of ‘Britain’s Contribution To The Development Of Reggae’, a guerilla vox pops documentary initially made by Kwaku to mark JA@50 in which contributors opinion on how British-based businesses and creatives have helped with the development of reggae. Contributors include Akala, Keith Waite, Tunde Jagede, Prof Paul Gilroy, Zita Holbourne, Diane Abbott MP, HKB Finn, Patrick Vernon, Toyin Agbetu, Empress Jai, Andrea Encinas, Mandingo, Delroy Washington, King Sounds, Mykell Riley, etc.
- ‘The History of Phonograms and Its Impact On Copyright Law/Vinyl Memories’. On Tues 19 Jul at Performance Space, College Building, City University London, St John Street, London, EC1V 4PB. Adm: Free. Web: www.BBM.eventbrite.com This extra Talking Copyright offer is part of the Vinyl Memories: Talking Classic BBM Albums programme, which ends with City University London Law School senior lecturer Dr Enrico Bonadio, a vinyl and reggaephile, providing a short presentation entitled ‘The History of Phonograms and Its Impact on Copyright Law’. So if you’re interested in Copyright/legal issues, you’ll want to attend this presentation. And you are welcome to participate in the Vinyl Memories session. Oh, and you have a favourite British Black Music album cover or two, why not submit it in our Top 20 poll?
- ‘Copyright, Contracts & Publishing’. On Mon 25 July at 6.30-8.30pm at Harrow Mencap, 1st floor (ring middle buzzer), 3 Jardine House, Harrovian Business Village, Bessborough Road, Harrow, HA1 3EX. Adm: £10 / £15 / £20. This evening course provides a very good overview of copyright, including recent updates in British copyright law, the components of a contract and key terms of music industry contracts, and what is publishing and how it works. Accessible, affordable, short course to empower and drive your music industry plans. Small classes, where you can get answers to your questions, improve your knowledge base and confidence.
- ‘Making Sense Of How The Music Industry Works’. On Sat 30 July 30 at 1-6pm at Harrow Mencap, 1st floor (ring middle buzzer), 3 Jardine House, Harrovian Business Village, Bessborough Road, Harrow, HA1 3EX. Adm: £30 / £50. Listening to feedback, we’re repeating this course on a Saturday. Please note £30 discounted deal available until July 17 2016 or with use of Promotional Code whilst spaces are available. This master-class is open to anyone with an interest in developing a career in the music industry. It’s aimed at the unsigned or do-it-yourself artist, musicpreneur, or those who provide artists, songwriters and producers with specialist support.
- ‘Licensing: Monetising Your Rights’. On Sat 30 July at 6.30-8.30pm at Harrow Mencap, 1st floor (ring middle buzzer), 3 Jardine House, Harrovian Business Village, Bessborough Road, Harrow, HA1 3EX. Adm: £10 / £15 / £20. If you are determined to make a living (i.e. make money) from music and other creative works, or need to know how licensing works within the music and entertainment business, then this course is for you! There is more to the music industry than performing live or releasing records. In recent times licensing is where the monetisation of music and recording content is at. The course covers sync licensing for films, compilations, broadcast, games, plus sampling. It’s an accessible course, although some prior understanding of copyright, publishing and the music industry, is recommended.
Web: BritishBlackMusic.com / www.BBM.eventbrite.com / www.BritishBlackMusic.com
~ PASCF PRESENT ‘MARCUS GARVEY MEMORIAL LECTURE FOCUSES ON ART & PAN-AFRICANISM’. The 7th Marcus Garvey Annual Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Elder Brother Fowokan (Kenness George Kelly). Now in his seventies, Bro Fowokan’s creative confidence and political astuteness is grounded in the knowing of art as a necessary stage in Afrikan rebirth and reclamation; and as creations associated with religion, magic and ritual, defining and redefining a contemporary Afrikan world-view. His recently completed bust of our illustrious ancestor Marcus Mosiah Garvey, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Garvey’s first visit to England back in 1912, honours the legacy of ancestral forces and infuses the spirit of his lecture: ‘How Garveyism And Pan-Africanism Influenced The Creation Of My Art’. On Fri Jun 10 at 5.30pm for 6.15-8.15pm at Room B34, Birkbeck College, University of London Main Building, Malet Street (entrance on Torrington Square), London, WC1E 7HX. Adm: Free.
~ AUTOGRAPH PRESENTS ‘JAMES BARNOR IN CONVERSATION WITH MARGARET BUSBY’. Born in Accra, Ghana in 1929, James Barnor, who has been photo-documenting life in Ghana and the Britain since the 1950s is now receiving belated recognition with awards, exhibitions and talks. On Fri 10 Jun at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7. Web: www.vam.ac.uk
~ ‘LOVE-A-LUTION: THE LOVE DAY EXPERIENCE FOR MEN AND WOMEN’. Do you want the relationship of your dreams? Are you tired and fed up of failed relationships? Is your relationship ready for the next level? How to avoid relationship mistakes. Manifesting your Divine Love. With Jackee Holder, executive leader coach, author, Inter-faith Minister and Intuitive facilitator; Andrew Okaro, self-development coach, clinical hypnotherapist, psychic artist and healer; Maeve Crawford, relationship healer and educator; Nigel Beckles, author, relationship workshop leader and founder of Reflections Radio; Menelik Shabazz, film director and male workshop leader; and Neferatiti Ife, author, channeller and mediator. On Sat 11 June at 11am-4pm at Bloomsbury Baptist Church Hall, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8EP. Adm: £15. Tel: 07904 006 427. E-mail: neferatiti@googlemail.com Tickets: Eventbrite: https://love-a-lution.eventbrite.co.uk Web: facebook.com/lovealution9
~ WINDRUSH DAY STEERING GROUP MEETING. With June 2018 marking the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush, a steering group is being convened on June 22 to help work towards making June 22 a public holiday to celebrate the Windrush Generation and the contribution of immigration and migration to Britain since WW2. On 22 June at 1-5pm at the Black Cultural Archives, Windrush Square, London, SW2. E-mail: siva_kumar.t21@btinternet.com or patrickvernon@btconnect.com.
~ INAPP GENERAL PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY. The theme of this GPA is: ‘Ain’t No Stopping Us Now!’ This will be a serious, focused discussion on the road to Self-Repair: the true and only way to achieve Reparations and total Liberation. So, join us and help to fulfil this vision. On Sat 25 Jun at Queen Mother Moore School c/o Clapham Methodist Church Hall, Nelson’s Row, London, SW4 7JR. Tel: 020 8539 2154 or 07908 814 152
~ SHANTI-CHI PRESENTS THE ‘NNE AGWU STORYTELLING FESTIVAL’. A four-day retreat in Epping Forest with storytelling, arts & crafts, healthy food and exercise. On Fri 29 Jul-Mon 1 Aug at Debden Campsite Centre, Debden Green, Loughton, IG10 2NZ. Tel: 07582 228 967. E-mail: info@shanti-chi.com Web: www.shanti-chi.com
~ CARIBBEAN LABOUR SOLIDARITY MONTHLY MEETING. On the first Sun in the month at 12-2pm at Islington Pensioners Forum, 1A Providence Court, Providence Place, London, N1 0RN. E-mail: info@clsuk.org.uk Web: http://www.clsuk.org.uk
~ JENGBA MEETINGS. JENGbA campaigners can deliver lectures to Law, Criminology, Media, Sociology, Youth Studies departments as well as school children. On the second Tues of every month at 7pm at Edward Woods Community Centre, London, W11 4TX. Tel: 07709 115793 / 07725 727520 (Media Enquiries). New office: Office A, Norland House, Queensdale Cresent, London, W11 4TL. E-mail: JointEnterpriseInfo@Gmail.com / JengbaMedia@Gmail.com
~ BUNDU DIA KONGO (BDK). African cultural and spiritual group, working towards the spiritual and psychological growth and development of Africans all over the world. Let us make a positive change now. Our story pre-dates Egypt and continues today. Come and learn about African prophets, African history and African spiritual practices at our weekly Zikua.
- Sun at 1.30–4.30pm at 108 Battersea High Street, London, SW11 3HP. Tel: Makaba - 07951 059 853. E-mail: moyomakaba9@gmail.com
- 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
Contact: Kubara Zamani, Afrikan Quest International, PO Box 35165, London, SE5 8WU. Tel: 07811 494 969. E-mail: afrikanquest1@hotmail.com
OFFICER ACQUITTED OVER FREDDIE GRAY KILLING
A police officer has been acquitted of charges over the killing of Freddie Gray in police custody in Baltimore. Edward Nero was cleared by a judge of second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and two counts of misconduct in office. Freddie Gray, who was 25, died after sustaining a severe spinal injury in the back of a police van during his arrest in April 2015. A post-mortem report found that Gray sustained a neck injury slamming into a van wall during the ride. He was not restrained with a seatbelt.
Last year, a jury failed to reach a verdict in the case of another officer connected to Gray’s death, William Porter. Officer Porter was the first of six officers charged in Gray’s death to be tried, with four more trials still to come. The most serious charges have been made against Officer Caesar Goodson, the driver of the van. Other officers who face trial have been accused of second-degree murder and manslaughter.
In Officer Nero’s trial, a judge said he “acted as any reasonable officer would” and did not touch Gray until he was in handcuffs. Officer Nero helped load Gray back into the police van after police said he was kicking, screaming and shaking inside of it. Baltimore’s police union called the trials “baseless prosecutions”. The prosecution had been hoping to use Officer Porter as a witness in the other officer’s trials. He will face another trial in June. Gray’s killing led to protests leading to a state of emergency and the deployment of the National Guard.
SAN FRANCISCO POLICE CHIEF QUITS AFTER KILLINGS BY OFFICERS
San Francisco’s Police Chief Greg Suhr stepped down hours after a police officer shot and killed a 27-year-old Afrikan-American woman. The woman allegedly tried to drive off in a stolen car and ignored calls to stop in the Bayview area of the city. She had been sitting in the car when a police patrol approached her. After driving off she then crashed into a nearby vehicle. There was no indication that she had a weapon or had tried to run down a police officer before the shooting, the city authorities said.
Suhr’s resignation was announced by Mayor Ed Lee, who had asked him to quit. Toney Chaplin has been named as acting police chief. The San Francisco police department and its chief have been criticised over the death of several Afrikan-American suspects in recent months and reports that a several officers had exchanged racist text messages.
Five people went on a 17-day hunger strike demanding Mr Suhr be sacked. Dubbed the Frisco Five, they accused him of heading a racist force following the shooting deaths by officers of Mario Woods, Alex Nieto and Amilcar Lopez. A statement on the Hunger For Justice #Frisco5 Facebook page said the Frisco Five - Sellassie Blackwell, Ilyich Sato, Edwin Lindo, Maria Cristina Gutierrez and Ike Pinkston - along with hundreds of supporters took part in a march to the City Hall on Tuesday. More than 30 people were arrested and then released when their supporters stormed City Hall.
GUN USED IN TRAYVON MARTIN KILLING SOLD FOR PROFIT
American police kill over 1,000 people a year with a disproportionate number being Afrikan-American.
The former Florida neighbourhood watchman George Zimmerman has sold the gun he used to murder 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012 for £172,000. The Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm pistol normally sells for £240 as new. Zimmerman was cleared of second-degree murder and manslaughter on the grounds that he was in fear of his life from Trayvon, who was unarmed, and was returning home from buying sweets. The killing was instrumental in launching the national Black Lives Matter social movement. The gun was bought by a mother as a birthday gift for her son. Zimmerman wants to use the proceeds to end the career of prosecutor Angela Corey, contest Hilary Clinton’s plans for firearms controls and to “fight [Black Lives Matter] violence against law enforcement officers”.
GEORGIA PROSECUTORS DISMISSED BLACK JURORS, COURT FINDS
The US Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Timothy Tyrone Foster, an Afrikan-American death-row inmate, finding that state prosecutors in Georgia unlawfully excluded potential Afrikan-American jurors from his trial. Foster, who was 18 at the time of the murder, was accused of breaking into the victim’s home, breaking her jaw, sexually molesting her and then strangling her, before stealing items from her house. Foster may now face a retrial, 29 years after his death sentence.
The court has overturned his conviction after ruling that the prosecution had broken the law. A law introduced in 1986 made it illegal in the US to pick jurors based on the colour of their skin. All four black members of the potential jury pool in Foster’s case were struck from the pool by prosecutors, leaving an all-white jury. Non race-related reasons were given for striking the black members of the pool, but prosecution notes released to Foster’s lawyers in 2006 revealed racial motivations. The prosecution marked the names of black prospective jurors with a “B”, highlighted them in green, and circled the word “black” on their juror questionnaires.
According to Foster’s lawyer, Stephen Bright, one handwritten note titled “Definite Nos” listed six people, of whom five were the remaining Afrikan-American prospective jurors. The sixth was a white woman who made clear she would never impose the death penalty, Mr Bright said. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the notes “plainly belie the state’s claim that it exercised its strikes in a ‘colour blind’ manner”. The eight justices of the Court voted 7-1 in Foster’s favour. The sole dissenter was Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative and the only Afrikan member of the court.
BRITAIN – THE MUGGER COUNTRY
British Prime Minister David Cameron continued in his racist anti-Afrikan pronouncements claiming that Nigeria was ‘fantastically corrupt’. Ahead of the anti-corruption summit he hosted in London he was caught telling the British Queen, who is one of the biggest false beneficiaries of looted Afrikan wealth. The news reports that came out of ‘The Panama Papers’ on corruption clearly stated that London was the global centre of money laundering through its financial centre, overpriced property market and consumer items. Meanwhile, Britain uses tax havens, offshore banking, former colonies, contract law and the English language to dominate the business and investment environment.
David Cameron himself had to admit that he profited from the sale of investments his father had stashed in offshore tax havens in the Caribbean. Cameron’s forebears were also among the slaveowners who were compensated when Afrikan enslavement was formally abolished in the Caribbean. His wife, Samantha, is part of the Astor dynasty whose wealth and investments span several continents after decades of plundering. During that time Britain, a small outpost, managed to colonise over half the globe such that ‘the sun never set on the British empire’ was a reality as they controlled the economies of countries in every time zone.
Contrary to their claims to ‘tolerance’, ‘democracy’, ‘fair play’ and cricket the British were truthless and duplicitous in their trading, slaving, rulership and war. They devised several ingenious ways to trick people out of their wealth, torture, kill, deport and brainwash them. The saying that ‘the British are a nation of shopkeepers’ is often take as a good trait but it really means that they will overprice, underweigh and shortchange people at every opportunity. They will use contract law and different versions of the same word to make people think they have signed up to a more benign agreement until it comes to enforcing the terms. Any dealings with a British merchant, insurer or entrepreneur should always carry the caveat emptor (buyer beware) warning. They gained the reputation of ‘perfidious Albion’ because of all the other European nations that they have double-crossed over the last 1,000 years.
Afrikans have become a victim of this behaviour through enslavement and colonisation. Many have bought into the concept of Britain as a ‘Mother Country’ who we should help when they call on us in times of war and economic crisis. At best Britain is a wicked stepmother who is depriving people of their rightful inheritance through spite and cunning. Probably more apt is Britain as an international mugger committing robbery with violence and threats of violence on a global scale. They then propagandise that everybody else is more criminal than them. They did it during the enslavement process saying they only joined in because other people were already doing. By that logic if a British person saw a man arguing with his wife they would join in even though it had nothing to do with them and escalate the dispute to the disadvantage of the couple and their descendants for centuries. That’s where we are today.
LIBYA
A conference was held recently supposedly to try and restabilise Libya following the assassination of Col Gaddafi and the ‘balkanisation’ of the formerly unified nation. There are currently two governments in Tobruk and the capital, Tripoli. There are also numerous militias. Meanwhile the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant / Daesh have their base in Gaddafi’s home town of Sirte, which certainly wouldn’t have been tolerated during the Colonel’s days. The issue is coming to a head as the conference looked at issuing new banknotes ahead of Ramadan. Both competing governments want to issue their own notes. Few Libyans trust the banking system enough to leave their money in there fearing they might not be able to get access to their finances or a run on the banks. The economy has totally collapsed. Libya was producing 1.5 million barrels of oil a day before the civil war in 2011. Production is now at 100,000 barrels, down from 500,000 last year. The east has also been blocking the export of oil.
FORTHCOMING NUBIART PROFILE
NUBIART: Focus on arts, business, education, health, political developments and the media.
MAY PROMOS
~ ‘ETHIOPIA: CELEBRATING EMPEROR TEWODROS II’ – Gabriella Ghermandi [ARC Music – Released on 27 May] Italian-Ethiopian Gabriella Ghermandi self-released this nine-track concept album dedicated to Emperor Tewodros and the Ethiopian warriors and patriots who followed his tradition in later battles such as the victory over the Italians at Adwa in 1896 and the defeat of the fascist Mussolini in 1935-41. ARC Music have picked it up and given it a wider distribution.
Emperor Tewodros II (c. 1818 – April 13, 1868) has come to symbolise Ethiopian unity and identity. He was baptised as Sahle Dingil and was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death. Tewodros was not in the line of succession so his ascending the throne is seen as the beginning of the modernisation of Ethiopia, ending the decentralised Zemene Mesafint (Era of the Princes). He took his throne in the hope of fulfilling a prophecy that a man named Tewodros would restore the Ethiopian Empire to greatness and rule for 40 years. He moved the capital city of the Empire from Gondar, first to Debre Tabor, and later to Magdala. He did not initially claim to be from the Solomonic dynasty but reverted to that later in his rule.
He imprisoned Menelik II as a rebel during a period when he was consolidating his rule. Menelik would escape and later succeed him. Tewodros was a talented military campaigner but he made a wrong move when he sought an alliance with the treacherous British to conquer Jerusalem and curb Muslim influence. Unhappy with British duplicity he took an advance party hostage in the hope of resolving the situation amicably. Instead the racist British sent a punitive expedition against him. As they stormed his stronghold, Tewodros committed suicide. During the ‘Magdala Campaign’ the British imperialists looted artefacts and spiritual documents that remain outside Ethiopia to this day. They stole Tewodros II’s crowns, a huge number of both royal and ecclesiastic robes, vestments, crosses, chalices, swords and shields, many embroidered or decorated with gold or silver, hundreds of tabots, the great Imperial silver negarit war drum, and a huge number of valuable manuscripts.
Tewodros’ developments in governance included the principle that governors and judges must be salaried appointees. He also established a professional standing army, rather than depending on local lords to provide soldiers for his expeditions. He had intended to reform the Ethiopian Orthodox Church but he was confronted by strong opposition when he tried to impose a tax on church lands to help finance government activities. He confiscated the lands and increased his enemies.
His eldest son Meshesha Tewodros was a loyal servant to Emperor Menelik II until his death. Tewodros’ daughter, Woizero Alitash Tewodros, was the first wife of Menelik but was abandoned by Menelik when he escaped from prison. However, Woizero Alitash was among the first of the nobility to travel to Were Illu to pay homage to her former husband as the new Emperor. She died within the first few months of Menelik II’s reign in tragic and suspicious circumstances. Tewodros’ younger son Dejazmatch Alemayehu Tewodros was educated at Rugby school in England but died of loneliness and poor health in October 1879 at the age of 19.
The arrangements on the album are based on the pentatonic scales prevalent in Ethiopian traditional music. As well as the modern electric instruments Gabriella’s backing band includes the kirar, washint, masenqo, kebero and shakers. The two-part ‘Atse Tewodros’ on the Bati pentatonic scale contains the lyrics: ‘I will risk having my bones shattered / I will risk having my blood flow from my body like a sea / I am willing to lose my life rather than yield an inch of my country’s independence…/…I will fight those who have come cloaking their intentions with the Gospel, to subjugate our land,’
Another two-parter is ‘Be Kibir’, on the Ambassel pentatonic scale where Gabriella sings: ‘…to walk with head held high, in total freedom / how does one gain and how does one lose that right / what is its cost, / what else can replace it / why do we so love this migration / that strips us of respect?
‘Che Below’ recounts the heroic deeds of warriors who when they went into battle would shout the name of their commander’s horse for inspiration. The name always start with ‘Abba’, father. ‘Tew Below’ is a song of the Arbegnoch (patriots) of the 1935-41 anti-Fascist war: ‘…show them the boundary line drawn by our warriors, / how it is guarded by our bones, / and if they do not heed the warning, / …belew, belew, belew…’
A powerful and inspirational album.
~ ‘WEST TO WEST’ – Nii Okai Tagoe [ARC Music – Released on 27 May] This is Nii Tagoe’s second solo album and on it he draws from across his influences and experiences. From his formative years growing up in a Ga royal family of master drummers and dancers to Osibisa, to his days with the Adzido Pan-African Dance Ensemble, as a session musician and choreographer.
There’s a stellar cast of backing musicians and as we always like to remind people anything where the great guitarist Alfred ‘Kari’ Bannerman shows up, as he does hear on almost all the tracks, is required listening. Although the album’s focus was to incorporate more western style arrangements alongside the traditional Afrikan stylings the topics are overtly political concerned about social justice and the correct and upright behaviour that is lacking among so many these days.
The album opens with the lullaby ‘Nyungmbo’, a mother always feels pain when a child is crying. ‘Oh Nu Kpa’ is aimed at the hypocritical leaders. The Highlife groove of ‘Moni Sane Yemi’ is advice to stick to your rights being slow but sure. The desert blues of ‘3 Monkeys’ is for those who see, hear and speak no evil. ‘Moni Ley’ is an incitement to follow through on your dreams not letting anyone stand in your way. ‘Sumo Eh-Ngo’ is an injunction to share the love, the wealth and live in peace. The Nyabinghi reggae stylings of ‘Doh Wey’, counselling listeners not to listen to gossip and those who put other people down, is actually based on a Yoruba rhythm ‘Do Weh Maddu’. On ‘Nekeh Noh’ he counsels those considering the migrant route that nowhere is peaceful so often it is better to stay where you are and work at your dreams from there. ‘Ley’ reminds you that everybody suffers within their lives, both the rich and the poor. The album ends with an acoustic version of an earlier track ‘Mile Mi Ley’ – if we knew tomorrow the way we approach today would be different.
~ SPACE ECHO – THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE COSMIC SOUND OF CABO VERDE FINALLY REVEALED – Various Artists [Analog Africa – Released on 27 May] Analog Africa have pulled it out the bag again. This is a different side of Cape Verdean music from the more well-known Cesaria Evora and Boy Ge Mendes tracks. Instead it’s late 1970s and early 1980s music with a heavy keyboard / synthesiser influence so there’s a lot of psychedelic, disco and Afrobeat gold dust in the ether. With the defeat of Portuguese imperialism in 1974-75 banned rhythms and lyrics in the former colonies could come up from the underground and these also fed into the mix.
Paulino Vieira’s band, Voz de Cabo Verde, played on eight of the 15 tracks so there is a kind of spine to the selection. Some of the tracks such as horns heavy ‘Morti Sta Bidjacu’ by Jose Casimiro are just blistering dance grooves. Bana’s ‘Pontin & Pontin’ is on a slower pace but no less infectious. Fany Harvest’s ‘That Day’ kicks off as if it’s going to be a slow blues rocker but that’s a false start that sucked us in on first hearing. Instead what you get is akin to Segun Bucknor-style funky Afrogrooves.
NUBIART LIBRARY – MAY 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.
~ ‘MOMENTS OF MINDFULNESS: AFRICAN WISDOM’ - Danielle & Oliver Föllmi [Thames & Hudson. ISBN: 978-0-500-51824-3]
“All morality is founded upon this concept: namely that what increases the life force is good, and what diminishes it is bad. There are acts that must not be committed, because they diminish it, create disorder and destroy the social order as much as the human order.” – Alassane Ndaw, p 32
Mindfulness is the buzzword – and even hustling – word of the moment but here are some thoughts and ancestral aphorisms by Afrikans that open windows on a world of wisdom. There are three main sections: ‘Spirits & Ancestors’, Control of the Self’ and ‘Control of the Heart’. Amadou Hampate Ba provides 18 of the contributions. He is credited with the often quoted “In Africa, when an old man dies, it is like a library burning.” p200.
There are also offerings from the likes of Chinua Achebe, Manthia Diawara, Manu Dibango, Irenee Guilane Dioh, Birago Diop, Martin Luther King, Louis Armstrong, Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Nelson Mandela, Leopold Sedar Senghor, Aime Cesaire, Efua Theodora Sutherland, Aminata Traore and Kwasi Wiredu.
The foreword is by Doudou Diene, the former Director of Intercultural Dialogue at UNESCO and the UN Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The reflections are paired with a colour photograph from the continent. There’s a heavy visual presence of Mali, Namibia and Ethiopia among the images so some of them may be familiar to those who have visited the places or seen the exhibitions or coffee-table style books where many of them have featured.
“The respect given to others rebounds to the giver; to deny the sacred in the Other is to deny it in oneself.” – Dr Raymond Johnson, p42
“Listen more often / To things than to beings / The voice of the fire can be heard / Hear the voice of the water / Listen in the wind / To the sobbing bush / It is the breath of the ancestors.” – Birago Diop, p 80
“But I, Titinga, I know that a man, though he be tall, he cannot be any taller than his hair.” – Titinga Frederic Pacere, p 120
“Man is the medicine for Man.” – Wolof oral tradition, p 162
“The body of a man is very small compared with the spirit that inhabits it.” – African oral tradition, p 226
Nubiart Diary
NUBIART DIARYWe welcome feedback on any event you have attended that was listed in Nubiart Diary. It helps us with the selection of future listings and is also info we can pass on to the event organisers where appropriate.
~ ‘IN FINE STYLE: THE DANCEHALL ART OF WILFRED LIMONIOUS’. Private views on Tues 24 & Thurs 26 at 6:30–10pm. Exhibition runs from Wed 25–Sun 29 May at 10am–10pm at The Tabernacle, 34-35 Powis Square, London, W11 2AY.
~ THE EMBASSY OF TUNISIA AND THE AFRICA CENTRE PRESENTS: ‘A PREVIEW OF ARTWORKS BY INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED TUNISIAN ARTIST FETHI ZBIDI’. On Thurs 26 May at 6.30-8.30pm at The Africa Centre, 66 Great Suffolk Street, London, SE1 0BL. Adm: Free.
~ ALKEBULAN REVIVALIST MOVEMENT PRESENTS ‘NOMMO SESSION: IN-FORMATION – THE BREAKDOWN’. Presentation by cultural scientist and veteran spoken word activist ShakaRa. In recent years, few (if any) musical events have stirred up the Black Community and popular culture at large like Beyonce’s ‘Formation’ video & performance followed by the release of the video album, ‘Lemonade’. Sudden allusions to Black Pride, Political activism and even Afrikan Spirituality seem shocking and out of place in a career characterised by non-threatening De-Racial, and A-Political pop SUPER Stardom. The white backlash was strong. The Black praise was loud. The internet buried itself in speculation about her personal life, while many tried to figure out whether to fully embrace this new Bey or treat her with scepticism. This Nommo we take a moment to delve deep in to the language, symbolism & hidden messages in ‘Formation’ & ‘Lemonade’, the cultural impact and the implications for the future of Black Art. On Fri 27 May at 7pm at Mama Afrika Kulcha Shap, 282 High Road Leyton, London, E10 5PW. Adm: £3 / Under-21’s – Free. Tel: 020 8539 2154 / 07908 814 152. Web: www.alkebulan.org
Tam Joseph, Spirit of the
Carnival, c1982. Image
courtesy of the artist.
~ WOLVERHAMPTON ART GALLERY’S PRESENT ‘BLACK ART IN FOCUS‘. The exhibition brings together paintings and prints from existing collection and artwork newly acquired through the Heritage Lottery Fund Collecting Cultures programme. Highlights include iconic works by Turner Prize winner Chris Ofili, Tam Joseph, Keith Piper, Donald Rodney and other leading figures in the Blk Art Group which emerged from Wolverhampton in the early 1980s and went on to influence black and Asian artists across the UK. Eugene Palmer’s enigmatic painting Duppy Shadow (1994) will also be on show in our Georgian Gallery for the duration of this exhibition. On Fri 28 May – Sat 9 July at 10am–5pm at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield St, Wolverhampton, WV1 1DU. Adm: Free. Web: http://www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/whats-on/black-art-in-focus/ http://www.creativeblackcountry.co.uk/whats-on/events-listing/black-art-in-focus-opens-at-the-wolverhampton-art-gallery-on-saturday-4th-june-2pm-4pm/
~ WILLIAM MORRIS GALLERY PRESENT ‘SOCIAL FABRIC: AFRICAN TEXTILES TODAY’ AND ‘FRANK BRANGWYN: SONGS OF A WAYFARER’. Until Sun 29 May on Wed-Sun at 10am-5pm at William Morris Gallery, Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 4PP. Adm: Free. Tel: 020 8496 4390. Web: www.wmgallery.org.uk
~ PACM AFRIKAN LIBERATION DAY 2016. Speakers include Bros Cecil Gutzmore, Robin Walker, Benny Wenda and Sis Maureen Minto. On Sun 29-Mon 30 May at St Georges Community Hub, Great Hampton Row, Birmingham, B19 3JG. Tel: 07871 534 084 / 0121 554 2747.
~ ROYAL AFRICAN SOCIETY PRESENTS ‘SAFE HOUSE: EXPLORING CREATIVE NON-FICTION FROM AFRICA’ BOOK LAUNCH. With Cassava Republic and Commonwealth Writers in partnership with Africa Writes. Mark Gevisser, Hawa Golakai and Kevin Eze - contributors to ‘Safe House: Explorations in Creative Nonfiction’ – discuss the convergence and divergence between journalism and creative non-fiction around the coverage of contemporary issues in Afrika. On Tues 31 May at 7-9pm at the Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, London, W2 1QJ. Adm: £12.50 / £10 (concs). Web: http://www.frontlineclub.com/club/events/
~ AFRICAN ODYSSEYS PRESENT
- ‘Race, The Jesse Owens Story’ Premiere. On Wed 1 June at 6pm at BFI Southbank, Belvedere Rd, London, SE1 8XT. Tel: 020 7928 3232. Web: www.bfi.org.uk Trailer: http://www.focusfeatures.com/race Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy. ‘Race’ is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend.
- ‘Discover Evidence Of African British Civil Rights Going Back Centuries!’ On Fri 17 Jun at 6.30-9pm in the Blue Room, BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XT. Adm: Free. Web: www.bfi.org.uk There is a notion that either there hasn’t been any African-led civil rights movements in Britain, and even if there were, it’s a fairly recent post-Windrush story. I’ve done my bit to disabuse such thought with a myriad of history programmes, as does others, such as Black History Walks’ Tony Warner, who presents African British Civil Rights Heroes 1596 To 2006.
~ STUDENTS NOT SUSPECTS ‘PREVENT, ISLAMOPHOBIA, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES NATIONAL CONFERENCE’. One year ago the Prevent duty became statutory through the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015: this imposed a duty on public bodies to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. As many warned, the duty has in practice charged teachers, doctors and other professionals with monitoring people’s religious and political views. On 4 June at 11am-5.30pm at Goldsmiths College, Lewisham Way, London, SE14 6NW. Web: www.challengingprevent.com
~ GLOBAL AFRIKAN CONGRESS-UK PARLIAMENTARY LOBBY FOR REPARATIONS. On June 8 at 1pm at Committee Room, House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA. Rally at 5-7pm. Tel: 07956 569 301 (Aku Akil). E-mail: SecretaryGACuk@aol.com.
~ BRITISH BLACK MUSIC MONTH 2016 (BBMM2016) EVENTS
- ‘The AntiUniversity History of British Black Music’. On Thurs 9 June at 5.30-7.30pm at Hackney Museum, 1 Reading Lane, London, E8 1GQ. Music industry and history consultant Kwaku will deliver an accessible, family-friendly audio-visual assisted presentation on black music making in the British Isles over two millennia, and will also show its engagement with patronage and the music industry.
- ‘The AntiUniversity History Of Black History Month In Britain - On Sat 11 June at 6-8pm at St. Augustine’s Tower, St John’s Churchyard, Mare Street, Hackney Central, London, E8 1HR Web: www.AfricanHistoryPlus.eventbrite.com
- The Revolution Will Be Live!’ On Sat 11 June at 2-6pm at Arcola Theatre, Hackney
Community educator Toyin Agbetu of Ligali leads this AntiUniversity Now workshop entitled ‘The Revolution Will Be Live!’, or ‘The Black Power Guide to Guerrilla Media’. It’s a master class on how to make an independent film and set up an online radio/video channel for community empowerment work on a shoestring budget.
- ‘Talking Copyright Conference: From A Left & Global South Perspective’. On Wed 15 June at 6-8pm at Grimond Room, Portcullis House, Houses Of Parliament, Westminster, London, SW1A 2LW. Adm: Free. Web: www.BBM.eventbrite.com This conference aims to highlights perspectives that go beyond the concept of Copyright being a Eurocentric construct very much predicated on the creation by the romantic solitary author and providing a monopoly for his and his agents’ financial recompense. A panel hosted by Anne McLaughlin MP at the Houses of Parliament and chaired by Kwaku (convenor), consisting of Dr Enrico Bonadio (senior law lecturer and reggaephile), Awula Serwah (barrister and community activist), will explore Copyright and related conventions and how it works in relation to Afrikan music, Afrikan culture and artefacts from a global South and left focus.
- ‘Music Borrowing and Copyright’. On Thurs 23 June at 6-8pm at Room A110, City University London, St John Street, London, EC1V 4PB. Adm: Free. Web: www.BBM.eventbrite.com If you are interested in copyright, and especially as it intersects with modern music making and recording, join City University London Law School senior lecturer Dr Enrico Bonadio and BBM founder Kwaku, as they break down the subject generally and home in unto some of the recent court cases. Starting from the analysis of the Marvin Gaye / Pharrell Williams ‘Blurred Lines’ decision, we will delve into the main issue: where to draw the line between lawful inspiration and illegal copying. Dr Bonadio will also deliver a short presentation on ‘When The Lack Of Copyright Protection Encourages Creativity: The Case Of Vintage Jamaican Music’.
- British Black Music Month Round Table Discussions. On Thurs 30 June at 6.15-8.45pm at Screening Room, 88 Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 1DH. Adm: Free. Web: www.BBM.eventbrite.com Interested in British black music? Got any good ideas? Or simply want to network? Then why not join us and like-minded people to talk about how to improve our British Black Music Month initiative. Open to music fans, creatives (singers, songwriters, musicians, producers) and music industryites, to highlight systemic issues within the music industry, issues and challenges pertaining to the domestic black music sector, and how to overcome and move forward. Ends with a short social activity.
- ‘Launch Of RE:IMI (Race Equality: In Music Industry)’. On Tues 12 July at 6-8pm at House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA. Adm: Free. This formal launch, hosted by Dawn Butler MP at the House of Commons, brings to the fore RE:IMI (Race Equality: In Music Industry), a collective made up of music industry practitioners, musicians, producers, academics, historians, community activists and equality practitioners, which has a focus on ‘race’ within music industry diversity/equality discourse and practice. At a time when race and ethnicity issues have cropped up, as evidenced by the #BritsSoWhite trend, and race sometimes does not feature in diversity/equality remits, RE:IMI, which is a BritishBlackMusic.com/Black Music Congress initiative, aims to work with stakeholders within and without the music industry by highlighting race and ethnicity deficits. And also pursue initiatives such as British Artists Against Racism (BAAR).
- ‘BBMM Fun Day: Film Screenings, Quiz, Mini Stall’. On Sat 16 July at 1-8.30pm at Harrow Mencap, 1st floor (ring middle buzzer), 3 Jardine House, Harrovian Business Village, Bessborough Road, Harrow, HA1 3EX. Adm: Free. A Mini Stall selling CDs, vinyl, books, T-shirts, posters and some Afrikan artefacts, four hours of BBM related documentaries, many not online, wrapped up with a BBM quiz! What more can you ask from a family-friend half day session?! Includes the screening of ‘Britain’s Contribution To The Development Of Reggae’, a guerilla vox pops documentary initially made by Kwaku to mark JA@50 in which contributors opinion on how British-based businesses and creatives have helped with the development of reggae. Contributors include Akala, Keith Waite, Tunde Jagede, Prof Paul Gilroy, Zita Holbourne, Diane Abbott MP, HKB Finn, Patrick Vernon, Toyin Agbetu, Empress Jai, Andrea Encinas, Mandingo, Delroy Washington, King Sounds, Mykell Riley, etc.
- ‘The History of Phonograms and Its Impact On Copyright Law/Vinyl Memories’. On Tues 19 Jul at Performance Space, College Building, City University London, St John Street, London, EC1V 4PB. Adm: Free. Web: www.BBM.eventbrite.com This extra Talking Copyright offer is part of the Vinyl Memories: Talking Classic BBM Albums programme, which ends with City University London Law School senior lecturer Dr Enrico Bonadio, a vinyl and reggaephile, providing a short presentation entitled ‘The History of Phonograms and Its Impact on Copyright Law’. So if you’re interested in Copyright/legal issues, you’ll want to attend this presentation. And you are welcome to participate in the Vinyl Memories session. Oh, and you have a favourite British Black Music album cover or two, why not submit it in our Top 20 poll?
- ‘Copyright, Contracts & Publishing’. On Mon 25 July at 6.30-8.30pm at Harrow Mencap, 1st floor (ring middle buzzer), 3 Jardine House, Harrovian Business Village, Bessborough Road, Harrow, HA1 3EX. Adm: £10 / £15 / £20. This evening course provides a very good overview of copyright, including recent updates in British copyright law, the components of a contract and key terms of music industry contracts, and what is publishing and how it works. Accessible, affordable, short course to empower and drive your music industry plans. Small classes, where you can get answers to your questions, improve your knowledge base and confidence.
- ‘Making Sense Of How The Music Industry Works’. On Sat 30 July 30 at 1-6pm at Harrow Mencap, 1st floor (ring middle buzzer), 3 Jardine House, Harrovian Business Village, Bessborough Road, Harrow, HA1 3EX. Adm: £30 / £50. Listening to feedback, we’re repeating this course on a Saturday. Please note £30 discounted deal available until July 17 2016 or with use of Promotional Code whilst spaces are available. This master-class is open to anyone with an interest in developing a career in the music industry. It’s aimed at the unsigned or do-it-yourself artist, musicpreneur, or those who provide artists, songwriters and producers with specialist support.
- ‘Licensing: Monetising Your Rights’. On Sat 30 July at 6.30-8.30pm at Harrow Mencap, 1st floor (ring middle buzzer), 3 Jardine House, Harrovian Business Village, Bessborough Road, Harrow, HA1 3EX. Adm: £10 / £15 / £20. If you are determined to make a living (i.e. make money) from music and other creative works, or need to know how licensing works within the music and entertainment business, then this course is for you! There is more to the music industry than performing live or releasing records. In recent times licensing is where the monetisation of music and recording content is at. The course covers sync licensing for films, compilations, broadcast, games, plus sampling. It’s an accessible course, although some prior understanding of copyright, publishing and the music industry, is recommended.
Web: BritishBlackMusic.com / www.BBM.eventbrite.com / www.BritishBlackMusic.com
~ PASCF PRESENT ‘MARCUS GARVEY MEMORIAL LECTURE FOCUSES ON ART & PAN-AFRICANISM’. The 7th Marcus Garvey Annual Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Elder Brother Fowokan (Kenness George Kelly). Now in his seventies, Bro Fowokan’s creative confidence and political astuteness is grounded in the knowing of art as a necessary stage in Afrikan rebirth and reclamation; and as creations associated with religion, magic and ritual, defining and redefining a contemporary Afrikan world-view. His recently completed bust of our illustrious ancestor Marcus Mosiah Garvey, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Garvey’s first visit to England back in 1912, honours the legacy of ancestral forces and infuses the spirit of his lecture: ‘How Garveyism And Pan-Africanism Influenced The Creation Of My Art’. On Fri Jun 10 at 5.30pm for 6.15-8.15pm at Room B34, Birkbeck College, University of London Main Building, Malet Street (entrance on Torrington Square), London, WC1E 7HX. Adm: Free.
~ AUTOGRAPH PRESENTS ‘JAMES BARNOR IN CONVERSATION WITH MARGARET BUSBY’. Born in Accra, Ghana in 1929, James Barnor, who has been photo-documenting life in Ghana and the Britain since the 1950s is now receiving belated recognition with awards, exhibitions and talks. On Fri 10 Jun at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7. Web: www.vam.ac.uk
~ ‘LOVE-A-LUTION: THE LOVE DAY EXPERIENCE FOR MEN AND WOMEN’. Do you want the relationship of your dreams? Are you tired and fed up of failed relationships? Is your relationship ready for the next level? How to avoid relationship mistakes. Manifesting your Divine Love. With Jackee Holder, executive leader coach, author, Inter-faith Minister and Intuitive facilitator; Andrew Okaro, self-development coach, clinical hypnotherapist, psychic artist and healer; Maeve Crawford, relationship healer and educator; Nigel Beckles, author, relationship workshop leader and founder of Reflections Radio; Menelik Shabazz, film director and male workshop leader; and Neferatiti Ife, author, channeller and mediator. On Sat 11 June at 11am-4pm at Bloomsbury Baptist Church Hall, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8EP. Adm: £15. Tel: 07904 006 427. E-mail: neferatiti@googlemail.com Tickets: Eventbrite: https://love-a-lution.eventbrite.co.uk Web: facebook.com/lovealution9
~ WINDRUSH DAY STEERING GROUP MEETING. With June 2018 marking the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush, a steering group is being convened on June 22 to help work towards making June 22 a public holiday to celebrate the Windrush Generation and the contribution of immigration and migration to Britain since WW2. On 22 June at 1-5pm at the Black Cultural Archives, Windrush Square, London, SW2. E-mail: siva_kumar.t21@btinternet.com or patrickvernon@btconnect.com.
~ INAPP GENERAL PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY. The theme of this GPA is: ‘Ain’t No Stopping Us Now!’ This will be a serious, focused discussion on the road to Self-Repair: the true and only way to achieve Reparations and total Liberation. So, join us and help to fulfil this vision. On Sat 25 Jun at Queen Mother Moore School c/o Clapham Methodist Church Hall, Nelson’s Row, London, SW4 7JR. Tel: 020 8539 2154 or 07908 814 152
~ SHANTI-CHI PRESENTS THE ‘NNE AGWU STORYTELLING FESTIVAL’. A four-day retreat in Epping Forest with storytelling, arts & crafts, healthy food and exercise. On Fri 29 Jul-Mon 1 Aug at Debden Campsite Centre, Debden Green, Loughton, IG10 2NZ. Tel: 07582 228 967. E-mail: info@shanti-chi.com Web: www.shanti-chi.com
~ CARIBBEAN LABOUR SOLIDARITY MONTHLY MEETING. On the first Sun in the month at 12-2pm at Islington Pensioners Forum, 1A Providence Court, Providence Place, London, N1 0RN. E-mail: info@clsuk.org.uk Web: http://www.clsuk.org.uk
~ JENGBA MEETINGS. JENGbA campaigners can deliver lectures to Law, Criminology, Media, Sociology, Youth Studies departments as well as school children. On the second Tues of every month at 7pm at Edward Woods Community Centre, London, W11 4TX. Tel: 07709 115793 / 07725 727520 (Media Enquiries). New office: Office A, Norland House, Queensdale Cresent, London, W11 4TL. E-mail: JointEnterpriseInfo@Gmail.com / JengbaMedia@Gmail.com
~ BUNDU DIA KONGO (BDK). African cultural and spiritual group, working towards the spiritual and psychological growth and development of Africans all over the world. Let us make a positive change now. Our story pre-dates Egypt and continues today. Come and learn about African prophets, African history and African spiritual practices at our weekly Zikua.
- Sun at 1.30–4.30pm at 108 Battersea High Street, London, SW11 3HP. Tel: Makaba - 07951 059 853. E-mail: moyomakaba9@gmail.com
- 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
Contact: Kubara Zamani, Afrikan Quest International, PO Box 35165, London, SE5 8WU. Tel: 07811 494 969. E-mail: afrikanquest1@hotmail.com
Afrikan Quest International
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