Brixton Bugle November 2019

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BRIXTON BUGLE YOUR FREE

No 78 | NOVEMBER 2019

Published monthly in and for Brixton

ISSN 2397-852X

BLACK PIONEER

A VIRTUAL REALITY TRIP ROUND OUR WONDERFUL HERITAGE – See page 3

… but no Blue Plaque

DAY OF THE DEAD

Celebrate Mexican style

BRIXTON CAMPAIGN ON STOP AND SEARCH Brixton’s Champion Agency has launched a national campaign – #KnowOurRights – to help people be aware of their rights as fears grow of an increase in “stop and search” activity by police. The agency says that recent changes to stop and search laws – making it easier for police to carry them out at random without evidence or reasonable suspicion – means this is important for all people. After legal and other research, Champion and partners have created a brightly coloured,

#KnowOurRights See page 11

wallet-size card that is available both online and in print. Prime minister Boris John and home secretary Priti Patel recently extended stop and search powers under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. Known as “section 60 searches”, a stop and search can take place without reasonable suspicion if there is a belief that serious

violence will occur in a specified area, or that people are carrying offensive weapons. Police forces across England and Wales will soon be able to carry out searches in designated areas without authorisation from a senior officer. The current government is also planning to issue tasers to thousands more police officers. Champion says that research suggests that the use of stop and

COMMUNITY PAPER

search has a marginal impact on crime reduction, with any small benefits likely to be outweighed by negative impacts on police/community relations. The official Equality and Human Rights Commission has said that being unfairly targeted for stop and search affects the willingness of people to pass information to the police. The “Our Rights’ card details five key legal rights when facing a section 60 stop and search.

COURAGE

ln art in Brixton

GAME ON

Brixton team recognised

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BRIXTON BUGLE brixtonblog.com Proudly edited in Brixton Both website and newspaper are published by a not-for-profit community organisation run by a committed team of people from Brixton @brixtonblog brixtonblog.com

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Jenny Shramenko 07811 878394 jenny@brixtonblog.com Circulation 12,500 copies Readership: circa 15,000 EDITOR Linda Quinn linda@brixtonblog.com NEWS EDITOR Anna McKie newsdesk@brixtonblog.com ARTS Leslie Manasseh arts@brixtonblog.com MUSIC Dave Randall music@brixtonblog.com FOOD Nick Buglione food@brixtonblog.com SPORT Sandra Brobbey sport@brixtonblog.com ISSUE 78 Contributors Gargie Ahmed Janie Bickersteth Jessica Dyer Steve Powdrill Dave Randall Simone Richardson Mike Woof Sub-editor: Jamila Omar Production: Alan Slingsby Distribution: Philip King A massive thank you to everybody involved in making this issue, and the Blog & Bugle project, a success If you would like to be a Bugle stockist please email distribution@brixtonblog.com

Atlantic Road open, but no date for removal of scaffolding

Council in talks on toilet next to Tube

Lambeth council is discussing with Transport for London the option of turning the now closed Starbucks branch next to Brixton Tube into a toilet. “We acknowledge that Brixton is a hugely successful town centre and welcome its appeal,” the council told the Bugle, following our report on a new campaign for public toilets in Brixton. “We have been engaging with residents about their concerns and encouraging businesses to let people use their loos,” a spokesperson said. “We are discussing with TfL the option of turning the

Network Rail has still not produced a timescale for work on the dangerous platform above Atlantic Road, although the road is now two-way again. The Arch Company, which owns the shops in arches below that are obscured by densely packed scaffolding (right), said it had proposed improvements to signage to Network Rail to increase the visibility of its tenants. The company has also met local MP Helen Hayes to keep her informed of the situation. It understands that she lately met Network Rail to seek more information about the scope of the work that needs to be done on the platform The Arch Company has published its promised tenants’ charter, describing it as a “public commitment to engage with all of our tenants and communities in an open and responsive manner”. A company spokesperson said that tenants in Brixton had been given the opportunity to be involved in the consultation that informed development of the charter and organisations including the Bureau of Silly Ideas and Arch 21 were involved in focus groups. “We are listening to our Brixton tenants’ concerns and we will continue to represent their interests and press for more information about the ongoing work on Atlantic Road to seek solutions that work for them,” said the spokesperson.

Crucial pub licensing hearing adjourned A decisive intervention by one of the UK’s leading licensing barristers at a Lambeth council licensing hearing last month shone a light on the high stakes involved in attempts by some local residents to impose limits on the licence of the Duke of Edinburgh pub on Ferndale Road. The pub’s owners, Solitaire Restaurants, backed by the Brixton Business Improvement District (BID), say that the limitations would make it uneconomical to run as a pub and lead to its closure. When Lambeth council licensing sub-committee chair Councillor Martin Tiedemann suggested that

the pub, which is seeking to clarify its existing licence, its supporters and its opponents, could all be heard in two sessions – 30 minutes for and 30 minutes against, barrister Gary Grant pointed out that proper consideration of the issues in just one aspect of the application would take a whole day. The main point of contention is the number of people allowed in the pub’s very large garden. The arrival of an email from the London Fire Brigade addressing this issue in the late afternoon of the day before the licensing sub-committee meeting only added to the complexity of the case.

After hearing advice from a council legal officer and a lengthy meeting in private to discuss the issues, the three councillors making up the sub-committee decided to adjourn the hearing until 28 November – but still at a time when all interested parties should be able to attend. The committee had before it nearly 1,000 pages of documents which included more than 100 expressions of support (84) or opposition (17 including a petition) from local residents and statutory bodies, as well as many videos and images, and sound recordings of the overground trains that pass the pub

for many hours of the day and night. Bina Patel, a licensing officer for the council, spoke of its “grave concern” about safety, while Gary Grant pointed out that fire safety was not an issue for a licensing committee but that, if it wished to address it, it would need to hear from expert witnesses from the pub’s side of the argument. Both sides of the dispute, the pub and the opposing residents’ group, say they have significant local support – making the outcome of the issue a crucial one for the whole future character of Brixton and its local economy.

former Starbucks branch next to Brixton tube into a toilet. “We also have pop-up toilets in the town centre and mobile urinals. There is extra street cleaning in place to tackle the problem.” On the subject of loud and late busking and other anti-social behaviour, the spokesperson said: “We have taken legal action against those engaging in anti-social behaviour in Brixton town centre. “This has included bringing a prosecution that resulted in the jailing of a persistent illegal trader who was selling hot dogs without having the necessary licences in place. “Our responsive noise nuisance service has been boosted, and we would encourage residents to use it as that helps us track issues and design solutions.” Campaigner Rob Goacher said he had had no official contact from the council as yet.

NOVEMBER 2019 brixtonblog.com

NEWS  3

WE’RE LOOKING FOR A BUSINESS PERSON

Local people enjoy the tour and exhibition in Brixton library

Brixton virtual reality tour ‘a magical experience’ The creators of a stunning virtual reality tour of Brixton are looking for a new home for it after audiences flocked to see it at Brixton Library last month. The Coldharbour Project, a 360˚ virtual reality film and oral history exhibition exploring Brixton’s heritage, takes visitors on an immersive tour of Coldharbour Lane and Brixton’s markets, meeting people along the way who have helped to shape Brixton’s cultural fabric over several decades. Local people visiting the exhibition have described it as “a truly magical

experience” and “a really authentic project”. Author, Alex Wheatle – the Brixton Bard – who is featured in the film and watched it at the library, said: “It was incredible watching just a few untold stories that make up the history and fabric of Brixton and I am honoured to be part of it. I really hope this documentary inspires others to record their own experiences. “What it has taught me is that all of our personal narratives are important and as valid as anyone else’s.”

Malachi plays at September’s Brockwell Park event

More youth music After the success September’s festival event in Brockwell Park, Junior Open Mic is organising two more events for young performers: Brixton Youth Open Mic will be on Saturday 9 November, from 1 pm to 3 pm at the mezzanine, Brixton Ritzy – just turn up to take part. JOM Session 18 will be on Sunday 10 November, from 2 pm to 4-30 at Off the Cuff Music Bar near Herne Hill station. If your child is interested in performing, arrive at 1.45 pm to register and email organiser Andy Gray beforehand to help him organise the session: andyg.coms@gmail.com

Grants for well being The Lambeth Wellbeing Fund, a partnership between NHS Lambeth, the Lambeth public health directorate and Lambeth council, is open for new applications for grants to organisations and individuals to support people in hospital wards, improve mental wellbeing and other areas.. Age UK Lambeth will support applications by acting as a nurture organisation. Details from tom@ageuklambeth.org.

(poet), the Legs Eleven Sound System and the Brixton Immortals Dominoes Team, as well as market traders and customers. Created by the Brixton-based Independent Film Trust in partnership with the University of the Arts London, Lambeth Archives and Brixton library, the film, along with sound recordings and other material will be on shown again when a new home has been found for it. AA independentfilmtrust.org/ coldharbour

Help for Heroes seeks volunteers

Xmas lights switch on 29 November

Help for Heroes is appealing for people in the Brixton area to help with its Christmas Collections at Transport for London (TfL) stations across the capital on 4 and 5 December. The latter is International Volunteer Day. The charity supports many thousands of UK veterans. Some 40,000 individuals have been medically discharged from the armed forces in the past 20 years. There will be collections at 18 stations. The charity is asking anyone with a spare couple of hours on either date to register at collectforheroes.org.uk or to contact the Help for Heroes Campaigns team on 0300 303 9888 or campaigns@helpforheroes.org.uk.

Brixton’s Christmas lights, sponsored by the Business Improvement District, will be lit up on Friday 29 November at 7 pm. The Department Store windows of architects Squire & Partners on Ferndale Road will light up at 4.30pm. Squire & Partners are this year collaborating on window decorations with pupils of Lansdowne school. A workshop has been held at the school and a shortlist of designs will be developed at a workshop in the Department Store. Last year pupils from Hill Mead primary helped to light up Brixton with neon renditions of their drawings.

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NEW FOOD AND DRINK OUTLETS

The flow of new food and drink outlets into and out of Brixton is continuing. The old laundry next to Brixton Village on Coldharbour Lane will open as the new Laundry restaurant; the pop-up restaurant and caterer Fodder is launching a six-month residency at Shrub and Shutter; Taproom by Brixton Village will open on 1 November serving beers produced by local brewers, including Brixton Brewery, Gypsy Hill, The Kernel, Canopy and Orbit; and acclaimed Pop Brixton shipping container favourite Smoke & Salt will launch a crowdfunding drive to open a bricks and mortar restaurant in Tooting.

The Coldharbour Project takes viewers on an up-close journey through Brixton market to the Express Cafe in Market Row, Universal Roots Records, Coldharbour Lane, Railton Road (the Frontline), and the Sports and Social [Domino] Club. Along the way, we meet Alex Wheatle (author), S I Martin (author and historian), Felix Buxton (Basement Jaxx), Ricky Ranking (musician), George Lightfoot (Nasty Rockers), Lorna Gayle (actor), Linda Bellos (former leader of Lambeth council), Michael Groce

foster?

Brixton Media, publisher of the Brixton Bugle and Brixton Blog, is looking for a new part time business person. Without current incumbent Jenny Shramenko’s unrelenting hard work, determination and business acumen, you would not be reading this copy of the Bugle – the job is crucial to our future and our determination that Brixton should have the media it deserves. They key aspect of the role is selling the advert­ ising space that pays for the printing of the Bugle and other essential expenses of it and the Brixton Blog. But there are many other areas of our work which need a business brain. While most people work for the Bugle and Blog as volunteers, this is a paid role – part basic pay and part commission on advert­ising sales. We would want to discuss how the role would work with anyone, or any group, who would be interested in having a crucial role in taking Brixton Media into its next decade (the first Brixton Blog post was in January 2010). AA To discuss the role, find out more and let us have your ideas about it, please email work@brixtonblog.com with your contact details.

Pop in for a chat and join us for a coffee at San Marino Cafe. The fostering team will be holding walk in information sessions every Wednesday from 10.00am to 12.00pm.

Call us: 020 7926 8710 or online: lambeth.gov.uk/fosteringandadoption Location: San Marino Café, 413 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 7DG

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Council restates carbon neutral by 2030 pledge Claire Holland, Lambeth council’s deputy leader for environment and clean air, has restated its ambition is to operate on a carbon neutral basis by 2030. She said that city mayors, including London’s Sadiq Khan, had signed up to a Global Green New Deal in the absence of leadership from national governments. Cllr Holland, who represents Oval ward, said: “We are committed to a Green New Deal for Lambeth; investing in green and clean energy that provides jobs for our residents, jobs that invest in the future of our borough rather than destroy it. “We have been partnering with Repowering London on projects to put

solar panels on our council estates and schools; the latest of which, Lambeth Community Solar, is now open for the community to invest. “We have also recently agreed to start procuring clean electricity from 2021 and are undertaking a massive programme of decarbonising road transport in Lambeth by installing electric vehicle charging points throughout the borough and phasing out polluting council vehicles with ultra-low emission replacements.” Cllr Holland said the council had taken important, ground-breaking action as a local authority when it agreed last year to divest its pension fund away from fossil fuels and into low-carbon alternatives.

Windrush Day pioneer relaunches Great Black Britons campaign

Electric car charging on Ferndale Road “But for any action to be genuine and effective, it needs to be an endeavour which is much bigger than the council as it needs action from individuals and business too,” she said. “That’s why we are holding an independent and fully representative Lambeth Citizens Assembly next year so that together Lambeth’s residents can have their say and agree a collective way forward to tackle this most important of issues.” Cllr Holland said that as powerful international energy giants and global governments, including our own and

the US, refused to take action, “it is up to us as communities, boroughs, mayors and cities to step up and show leadership. “Those whose vested interests remain in fossil fuels will not be swayed whilst they continue to profit from their industry. And we cannot wait. We all have choices and need to exercise what leverage and power we have to tackle the climate emergency.” Cllr Holland is due to meet Extinction Rebellion Lambeth to discuss next year’s citizen’s assembly (see below).

Extinction Rebellion says little progress on citizens assembly Extinction Rebellion (XR) Lambeth has written to Lambeth council’s deputy leader for environment and clean air, Claire Holland, expressing disappointment that there had been little progress since a meeting with her in July. It said an XR group, including academics and citizens

assembly experts, had “thoroughly critiqued the corporate decarbonisation plan while keeping an eye on the council’s handling of their promise to hold a citizens assembly in Lambeth and finally, crucially, to plan how to hold them to account on both fronts. We appreciate the cooperative

spirit in which the meeting was conducted. “With almost 1,000 declared rebels across the borough, Extinction Rebellion Lambeth understands the unprecedented nature of the demands placed on the council by the climate and ecological crisis, and we will do what we can to

assist the council in rising to this threat.” It said that the key points from the meeting that Extinction Rebellion intend to raise with Cllr Holland are that Extinction Rebellion Lambeth: AA Welcomes the council’s recognition that further development of its decarbonisation

plans is needed, including the citizens’ assembly, in order to correspond with the gravity of the emergency. AA Welcomes a further meeting at which the council, Extinction Rebellion Lambeth, and experts on decarbonisation and citizens’ assemblies will discuss the best way forward.

Local charity to host Winter Warmer fundraiser at Pop

Volunteer with Home-Start Lambeth Home-Start Lambeth offers support, friendship and practical help to families with pre-school age children across Lambeth. We train volunteers and match them with a local family. They visit weekly and offer support tailored to meet the needs of the family. Contact us today to find out more

www.homestartlambeth.co.uk 020 7924 9292 Charity no. 1112014 Unit 2, Holles House, Overton Road, Lambeth, SW9 7AP

Brixton-based charity Compliments of The House (CoTH) will host a Winter Warmer fundraising event in Pop Brixton on 24 November to raise awareness and funds for its work. It will be an all-day event including vintage clothing stores, craft stands, food, glitter bars, DJs, music and discussion panels throughout the day to educate and inform. The charity is also looking for others to take part. CoTH, which does not have grant or other institutional funding, collects fresh, surplus food and gives it out for free using small spaces like railway arches as it does not cook, but only redistributes. It says this approach allows it to help people most in need in even the smallest and most overlooked of spaces. Its volunteers work with the most vulnerable and operate on a “no judgement” basis with no need of proof of income. As well as food the charity also strives

to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of people who use its services. It currently collect from 35 businesses each night, operating Monday to Friday and serves around 65 people a night. Over a week it see about 150 different guests with that number increasing weekly. “Currently we redistribute a sizeable amount of Brixton’s food waste, collecting over 576kg in April 2019 alone,” the ­charity says. It is also piloting three back-to-work schemes – for under-35s over-35s and people who are longterm unemployed. Honest Burger is the first national employer that CoTH collects from to be a partner in the scheme. Since it launched in September 2018, CoTH has increased the businesses it collects from by 35% and has been made a local charity of the year by Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer. AAcomplimentsofthehouse.org

The 100 Great Black Britons campaign created by Patrick Vernon OBE – who was also a leader of the campaign for Windrush Day – is being relaunched and updated. It will highlight the role of people of African and Caribbean descent in British history. The relaunched campaign is an opportunity to reassess and reflect on what

Mary Seacole was top of the list of Great Black Britons in 2004 makes a Great Black Briton and how to recognise unsung heroes who may not have the profile their impact and legacy deserve. Results will be announced in time for next year’s Black History Month and the launch of the new book and board game. AA The closing dates for nominations is 1 December 2019. You can vote at http://bit.ly/GBB-nominate

Open morning for young adults Mosaic Clubhouse on Effra Road is inviting young adults from Lambeth to its quarterly Living Well open morning on Thursday 28 November, from 11am to 1pm. Organisations working with young adults in the borough will be there with stalls and information on what is available for young people aged 16-30. AA youngadults@ mosaic-clubhouse.org 020 7924 9657

£10K for school breakfast club Brixton’s Ark Evelyn Grace Academy in has been awarded £1,000 by cereal makers Kellogg’s to enhance its breakfast club provision. According to Kellogg’s research, 68 per cent of teachers believe pupils would struggle to concentrate in class without a breakfast club. Principal Tim Dainty said the academy said was grateful to receive “this generous donation” that would help the school provide breakfast club services for pupils and their families.

NOVEMBER 2019 brixtonblog.com

NEWS  5

Council withdraws ad hoardings plans for consultation

Local school and farm win Blooming Lambeth awards

Plans for advertising hoardings in parks and open space across Lambeth have been withdrawn by the council after planning applications for them drew social media protests and petitions. Brixton sites in the plans included Trinity Square, Windmill Gardens,Windrush Square, St Matthew’s Peace Garden, Coldharbour Lane Public open space, and the corner of Brixton Hill and New Park Road. One Trinity Gardens resident said the proposal to erect five large hoardings on the railings of the square would obscure views and ”would seem out of keeping with the council’s own planning guidance. “To add insult to injury, these proposals have not been properly flagged to residents – many of us have not received letters from the council detailing the proposals and there have been no public notices posted.” A council spokesperson told the Bugle: “Following representations from residents’ groups and other interested parties, the council is

Local legend Levi Roots joined Lambeth mayor Ibrahim Dogus to congratulate the winners of this year’s Blooming Lambeth Awards held at the Town Hall in Brixton. Local winners included Loughborough Farm and Jubilee primary school. The awards, now in their third year are organised by Incredible Edible Lambeth (IEL) and supported by Lambeth council. Prizes are awarded to the best community, school and “unexpected” gardens as well as to people working against the odds to support their communities. IEL chair Janie Bickerstaff said there had been more than 80 entries this year. Loughborough Farm (right) was highly commended in the best veg garden category. Jubilee primary (top) won best school garden in recognition of its work to help pupils understand where food comes from, how to grow it and how to cook it. AA Full list of winners at incredibleediblelambeth.org

reconsidering the proposed advertisements in parks and public spaces. These applications have been withdrawn. “We consulted with our key stakeholder groups for each park. This included partnership boards, friends groups or residents’ associations. Officers have also been discussing this with the Lambeth Parks Forum for the last two years. “We will be carrying out further consultation with our communities and liaising with officers from the local planning authority.” A policy decision was made by council officers in 2017 to allow CP Media to place advertising boards in borough parks (subject to planning approval) in order to raise revenue to make up shortfalls in the council’s budget. There was no public consultation at the time. The decision was based on placing a small number of “low impact” modestly sized boards. However, even the council seemed to be surprised by the number and size of the boards that its own parks department had applied for.

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Residents of Elmore House on the Loughborough estate in Brixton will be among the first home users in the UK to tap into the emerging “flexible energy” market. UK Power Networks, which runs power supplies across London is partnering with EDF Energy and the not-for-profit organisation Repowering London to trial the project. Residents will be able to take part in a local energy market offering services to the regular distribution network. A solar power station (right) installed on the roof in 2012 by EDF and Repowering London already enables residents to store electricity in a battery and trade it with one another using blockchain technology. A new Urban Energy Club will take this a step further by testing how residents can support local power supplies with energy from their solar panels to respond to demand in the area. Living in apartment blocks and flats has traditionally deterred residents from using low carbon technology such

as solar panels and batteries. This trial has the potential to enable more people to use renewable energy at a lower cost and to bring new income for individuals and communities who would otherwise not be able to participate in the flexible energy market. Agamemnon Otero co-CEO of Repowering London, said: “Building the first inner-city community energy project on social housing in the UK in 2012 was just the start. “Brixton Energy Solar 1 showed how energy could be produced and owned by communities, creating a local solution to fuel poverty and climate change. Now there are four projects up and running in the London Borough of Lambeth. “Urban Energy Club is the next step in developing a local energy model where renewable energy can be stored and used on site by residents. “Generating, managing and sharing their own energy truly empowers people, and we can live up to the co-ops’ mission: ‘Power to, for and by the people’.”

VIDEO EDITING ON WHEELS A Brixton-based social enterprise is to build an Edit Box, a video editing suite on wheels. We Rise helps students to find meaningful work experience. It will work on the project with Clapham Film Unit – filmmakers who to train and equip local people to tell their own stories. It will have funding from Locality, a national network for community organisations. We Rise founder Abigail Melville said: “Having the Edit Box means we can edit our film projects without having to bring in external editors and equipment. “We can create higher quality

films and social media, teach young people editing skills, and provide equipment for young people working with us to create content. “Edit Box will provide an on-site editing suite for the Clapham Film Unit and a safe and accessible editing suite for members of the community, especially young Lambeth residents. We also plan to generate revenue by hiring it out.” The editing suite is based, with We Rise, at 3Space International House in Brixton (which is also home to the Bugle). AA For more information contact abigail@werise.org.uk

CHIPS

New meaning for people power in Brixton estate

Characters of Loughborough Junction – there’s a lot of them By Jessica Dyer

Richard Asomaning (left) and Rishan Walker

Charity adds two youth workers to local team An international Christian peacemaking charity has appointed two youth workers to help its work in Brixton. Richard Asomaning will be responsible for community-based work for CHIPS on estates in and around Brixton. He has a degree in criminology and criminal justice and has worked with young people affected by domestic abuse at the Victim Support charity. South Londoner Rishan Walker will be a part-time youth worker, supporting Richard in the charity’s growing work with schools. She also runs a dance organisation to empower young people to reach their potential and boost their mental health. CHIPS was founded by barrister Roy Valvocoressi to work on the conflict in Cyprus in the 1960s. Paul MaxwellRose, its co-director of programmes said: “The CHIPS team has lived and worked in the heart of Brixton for six years, helping to build peace in the community through a varied

programme of cross-estate youth work, partnership with schools, and community-based activities. “I’m thrilled to welcome Richard and Rishan to the team. Both South Londoners, they have the relationship-building skills and youth experience to help us take CHIPS to the next stage of its growth and peacemaking work in Brixton,” he said. The charity is appealing for funds to continue its work Brixton young people who it worked with over the summer. CHIPS was first invited to Angell Town by the Reverend Les Isaac OBE, of the Ascension Trust – and the pioneer in Brixton in 2003 of the Street Pastors movement – to establish a peacemaking project in response to youth violence there. It also backed Ashton Gibson and his organisation The Melting Pot, which provided hostels and counselling for young Black people in Brixton in the 1970s. AA See chipspeace.org

Financial guidance workshops Timi Merriman-Johnson is the founder of Mr MoneyJar, an enterprise that offers financial guidance workshops to charities and social enterprises and one-to-one coaching sessions. Mr MoneyJar hosts a free monthly

meet-up every last Tuesday of the month in Brixton. The next, on getting on the property ladder, is from 6.30 to 8.30pm on 29 October at 3Space International House SW9 7QE. AA http://bit.ly/mrmnyjar

Louis Detroit, who has lived in Brixton for 25 years, has decided to capture the people of Loughborough Junction on film. “Having grown up in the area I felt I could create an authentic portrayal that people would relate to,” he says. Louis hit the street with his camera and captured the moments he came across, in the film you can hear him bumping into people he knows, greeting friends around the streets and shops of Loughborough Junction. “I didn’t want to enforce my narrative on the area – this was a film for the

people by the people. “Making the film, I discovered just how many charismatic, kind, funny and fabulous people we have in Loughborough Junction. “I was humbled meeting everyone and discovering their huge generosity. “As London changes so quickly, it already feels like a very nostalgic film to me, the message of the film is ‘enjoy the present’ and all those around you.” Louis is looking for his next inspiration and is keen to work more on community-based projects. AA Watch Characters of Loughborough Junction: https://youtu.be/ UW5LjFJSHqo

ATTENTION ALL ASPIRING SINGERS

Mosaic Clubhouse is looking for a Cook We are a mental health charity in Brixton looking for a confident person who is able to work alongside and engage with our members in the kitchen. £12 per hour, 9-4pm Monday - Friday. Call Beverley Randall on 07832 235 721 to learn more about the role and how to apply. Deadline for applications is Monday 4th November.

Do you want to learn to sing? Learn the secrets to sensational singing. Discover your own X-Factor. Build your confidence Call 020 8265 9877 now

NOVEMBER 2019 brixtonblog.com COMMUNITY BUSINESS  7

Brixton developers are ones to watch By Jessica Dyer

Brixton-based games dev­elop­ ers, Sam Browne and Josh Unsworth, were celebrated for their pioneering vision in the annual Progress 1000 awards. The list, co-ordinated by the Evening Standard, showcases “change-makers and industry-shakers” across the capital – and the pair were named among the top 1000 influential people in London. The pair founded Three Knots, an indie games studio, near Brockwell Park in 2017, where they work on narrative-driven games challenging ideas about interactivity, discovery and beauty. Teaching and collaboration are as important to them as

their games, which include an impressionistic VR experience, Pink, They have worked on projects such as BAFTA’s Young Game Designers programme and Wellcome Collection’s Saturday Studios to give young and aspiring games developers insider knowledge to the industry and help them achieve their potential. Browne said it was “exciting and humbling” to be honoured among stars, include names like Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sir David Attenborough. “We hope the decision to include us on the list was because of our love for what we believe the medium of games can be,” they said. AA threeknots.co.uk

Sam Browne (right) and Josh Unsworth at the awards

Candles for Christmas

From bakehouse to boardroom? Local businesswoman Carina Lepore is battling in the board room on Wednesday nights in The Apprentice on BBC 1, writes Jessica Dyer. Carina and her sister Rachelle opened Dough Artisan Bakehouse on Milkwood Road, Herne Hill in 2018, resurrecting their father’s bakehouse as a modern bakery also offering coffee. Bakers Carlo (Carina’s dad) and Dave have more than 60 years of baking experience between them. Carina entered the show with the hope of winning and expanding the bakery into a larger city-wide business. “The show has been a fantastic experience!” she says. “Our bakehouse has a great vibe and I want to share the love with other neighbourhoods!”

Syreeta Walker (right), owner of the Brixton Candle Company, is launching her range of eco-friendly handmade candles free from artificial colours and parabens in time for Christmas. The launch is at the Azawala Cafe Gallery, 55 Loughborough Road SW9 7TB on Saturday 30 November from 2 to 7pm. Free tickets via Eventbrite. Candles are made locally using soy wax. Their fragrances, says Brixton -born Syreeta, are “designed to evoke feelings of exploration, nostalgia and relaxation.” They are made in small batches and hand-poured and crafted. AA www.brixtoncandleco.com.

LOCAL BAR, WORKSPACE AND MUSIC VENUE WINS ACCESSIBILITY AWARD Brixton’s Caya Club on Coldharbour Lane was a category winner in the inaugural Blue Badge awards that recognise venues and businesses with a stylish approach to accessibility. The awards combine two former design competitions, the Bespoke Access awards and the Blue Badge Style awards, backed by the Leonard Cheshire charity that helps people with disabilities to live independently. Caya, at 344 Coldharbour Lane, won the “budget bar” category. It

specialises as a workspace from 7.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday and charges £3 an hour or £15 a day including bottomless tea and coffee on a pay-as-you-go basis with no contract or other strings. Not only that, on Friday 15 November it will host a new Pindrop Session at 7.30pm with live music from singer-songwriter Ana Silvera, alternative folk artist Ellie Ford, and new folk-based vocal duo Ben See & Dom Stichbury. £8 in advance, £10 on the door. AA bit.ly/PD-151119-tickets

8  CREATIVE BRIXTON brixtonblog.com

2019 NOVEMBER

ARTS

A play for today – political, topical and hard-hitting Leslie Manasseh talks to writer Anders Lustgarten and director Suzann McLean about their new play that explores an increasingly contentious issue

Embodiment of courage Linett Kamala, the artist in residence at Lambeth town hall in Brixton this autumn has created “live art” in conversation with council staff, visitors, students and key figures in Brixton’s history. It includes artworks that respond to the 1970s activism of Brixton resident Olive Morris and focus on some of the key issues facing young people and education today. The artist’s predominantly monochrome paintings and sculptures merge collage with expressive hand script which she refers to as “freestyle calligraffiti”. Kamala says her residency asks the question: “What would the activism of Olive Morris look like if she were alive today?” She says: “In this very space in front of my painting (above) behind us, I met someone who I consider to be an embodiment of courage (which also happens to be the title of the painting) – Lee Lawrence, son of Dorothy “Cherry” Groce who was shot in her home during a police raid in Brixton in 1985. “Lee was only 11 years old at the time and witnessed the event. His innocent mother was left paralysed from the chest down. You can only begin to imagine the trauma he experienced as a child. “The incident sparked an uprising in Brixton. Lee and his family have fought a long battle for justice,” says Kamala. The Cherry Groce Foundation announced last month a memorial on Windrush Square will be built by acclaimed architect Sir David Adjaye OBE to honour their mother and provide “a space for reflection”.

Ten traumatised students are alone in a classroom. A classmate has just been removed by the teacher and taken to the police under a provision of the Prevent programme – part of the government’s counter terrorism strategy. Left to their own devices, the students react to what has just happened and the classroom steadily descends into paranoia, division and violence. This is the setting for Extremism, a short play written by Anders Lustgarten, directed by Suzann McLean, and performed in the Theatre Peckham. Originally commissioned by the National Theatre as part of its Connections Programme for young audiences, Extremism is a raw and unsettling glimpse into the world of young people under pressure and how they try to cope with an increasingly polarised society. Each character represents a different way of using and interpreting the same information and reacting to the same experience. The play explores what happens when simmering tensions are brought to the surface by a shocking event and touches

on friendship, group dynamics, racism, bullying, the power of social media and attitudes to authority. Intended as a defence against terrorism, Prevent encourages and requires individuals in positions of authority to report on others whom they feel might harbour terrorist sympathies or be susceptible to radicalisation. Anders Lustgarten is unashamedly critical of this initiative which, he says, encourages spying and surveillance by an overbearing state and disproportionately targets Muslim communities. He points out that in the three years to March 2018, more than 21,000 people were referred to the police – most of whom were teenagers. His play brings to life the trauma which lies behind

Queer Portraits Queer Portraits in Brixton’s Department Store is an exhibition of Sarah Jane Moon’s large-scale portraits of people who identify as LGBTQI+. People depicted include writers, landscape designers, doctors, lawyers, artists and more, and together they create a powerful statement on contemporary life lived with pride. Queer Portraits runs from 2 to 14 November in The Gallery in The Department Store, 248 Ferndale Road. SW9 8FR. Open daily 10am to 5pm Admission is free. For further information see sarahjanemoon.com

Making connections If you are interested in visual puzzles and making connections between books and art, then Somewhere In-Between at Brixton library may be for you. It is an exhibition of books and artworks curated by the artist Foster Spragge. She invited librarians from more than 40 libraries to suggest a book chosen in response to a previously selected book, provoking a chain reaction of associations. Having assembled 50 publications, she then invited creative individuals to make visual works in response to the books. Responders were given details of what came before and what came after but had to create a fresh visual link without the knowledge of the actual book their work referred to. This process has produced a group of 50 books and 48 artworks which are connected by the links others have made. Presented as a series of visual clues, Somewhere In-Between has created a network of associations inspired by books and creative responses to them. Facsimile copies of the books and artworks are mounted alongside the originals as an invitation to the audience to re-arrange the connections and create new associations. The show is free and runs from 5 to 30 November. AAFor more information visit www.fosterspragge.com

these figures. This a political theatre on a very topical subject – for example, Lambeth is a priority area under the Prevent strategy so Prevent teams will have been at work in Brixton and the issue has been discussed in local community forums. The writer’s aim is to expose the damage to young people from a regime which he believes does not trust them and is wedded to “ubiquitous surveillance”. The play is a hard-hitting and challenging experience. But Lustgarten also wants the audience to enjoy it. So there is humour and hope, and the notion that human beings can overcome trauma and act together to make a difference for the better. Suzann McLean believes that the play will give people a better understanding of young people and the world they inhabit and the pressures they face. She thinks there are positive lessons for all age groups. She also wants to make the audience feel part of the drama. She puts it very simply; “Come and see the play and live in the classroom”. AAExtremism runs from 5 to 23 November at Theatre Peckham, 221 Havil Street, SE5 7SD. Tickets £12/10. For more information see www.theatrepeckham.co.uk or call 020 7708 5401

198 announces Womxn of Colour award Brixton-based 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning has announced a new Womxn of Colour Art Award. Mattie Loyce, curator and artistic programme manager said: “This new bi-annual art award recognises the inequities and additional barriers that Womxn of Colour often face in their

practice as visual artists. “It aims to provide financial and developmental support to assist UK based artists and artist collectives of all ages at a key point in their career.” Applications are welcome from all artists who self-identify as Womxn of Colour including those who are

emerging and self-taught. Submission guidelines can be found on the 198 website. The deadline is 30 October. AAWhile its Railton Road premises are being enlarged and rebuilt, 198 will be temporarily based on the sixth floor of International House in Brixton. Work is due to be complete in late 2020.

NOVEMBER 2019 brixtonblog.com CREATIVE BRIXTON  9

MUSIC BLACK CULTURAL ARCHIVES

MIRROSPIX/ALAMY

Bob Marley’s blue plaque prompts Dave Randall to suggest two more from the many that we should see in Brixton

Poly Styrene (left) and Claudia Jones

Black Londoners and blue plaques Bob Marley’s brief spell in Chelsea was celebrated last month with the unveiling of a blue plaque. The reggae legend moved into 42 Oakley Street for a few months back in 1977 while he finished recordings for the seminal album Exodus. You might well ask why it’s taken English Heritage so long to pay tribute to Bob’s time in London. But given the organisation’s disgraceful record of just 4% of London’s 900-plus blue plaques being dedicated to Black and Asian historical figures, the question should really be: what about the multitude of other pioneering People of Colour who have called London home and are yet to be honoured in this way? The historian David Olusoga, a trustee of English Heritage and a blue plaques panel member, said the organisation was well aware the figure was “unacceptably low”. He added: “Bob Marley’s plaque is testament to how our scheme is changing, as English Heritage

continues to work to overcome the obstacles that have led to this under-representation.” They claim that one such obstacle is a lack of nominations. So here are a couple off the top of my head … Just opposite JAMM at 250 Brixton Road stands a building that was once the home of the West Indian Gazette, Britain’s first Black-owned newspaper, founded in March 1958 by the Trinidadian communist Claudia Jones. Later that same year race riots broke out in Notting Hill and Jones witnessed rising levels of racism. She decided to respond by launching London’s first Caribbean carnival held in St Pancras town hall in January 1959. Though the annual indoor event ended after Jones’ death in 1964, its template inspired the creators of the Notting Hill Carnival which first took over the streets of West London in 1966. Jones is buried in Highgate cemetery next to Karl Marx, but her first London headquarters

… where we hi-five local musical movers and shakers. We ask five questions to get to know the people who play regularly or contribute in other ways to Brixton’s live music scene. This month it’s the turn of Tim Perry

BRIXTON

HI-FIVE

here in Brixton remains unmarked. Credit for my second nomination goes to local librarian Tim O’Dell who made the suggestion himself at a packed Brixton launch of Dayglo – a new biography of punk pioneer Poly Styrene (Marianne Joan Elliott-Said). Poly was an artist, musician, feminist, anti-racist and front-person of X-Ray Spex – best known for the incendiary punk anthem Oh Bondage! Up Yours!. Tim’s call for a blue plaque honouring her time living in Brixton – first on the Cowley Estate and then on Evandale Road – received rapturous applause from all attendees including Poly’s daughter (and co-author of the book) Celeste Bell. Other nominations, and I know there will be plenty, should be sent to English Heritage … If celebrating the pioneers of the past is important, so too is nurturing those of the future. The success of Deptford’s Steam Down collective Wednesday sessions reminds us how important regular jam sessions can be for nurturing new communities of musicians.

What do you do and where do you do it? I’ve been doing the band bookings at the Windmill for most of this century. We put on all sorts but mostly new alternative bands. Recent regulars who have gone onto bigger things include Fat White Family, Goat Girl, Shame and the Mercury Prize-nominated black midi.

Favourite memories of gigs in Brixton? I experienced those mad club nights Alabama 3 did at St Matthew’s Church and around that time D’Angelo at the Academy was just something else.

It’s pleasing therefore that Brixton has a new one, hosted at Pure Vinyl on Ferndale Road every Monday night. The jam joins an impressive selection of sessions including Mark Kavuma & The Banger Factory every Thursday and Triple Jam Sandwich every other Wednesday, both at the Prince Of Wales, and Lauren Dalrymple’s longstanding Sunday night jazz jam at the Effra Hall Tavern. Finally, a shout out to all the independent labels who help new talent to reach audiences beyond the jam sessions. Come support some of London’s finest at a label market hosted by Container Records in Pop Brixton on 16 November. Expect stalls from Black Acre, Ransom Note, THEM, Neighbourhood, Null & Void, N4, We Buy Gold, Afromats, Cigarette Records and Slowfoot. Dave Randall is a musician and author of Sound System: The Political Power of Music.

Nowadays I never have evenings off so as far as the Windmill is concerned, south London noise quartet, black midi’s early gigs in 2017 brought the house down as they were so fresh and new. And brilliant. And LOUD.

What are you listening to at the moment? Experimental Egyptian multi-instrumentalist Nadah El Shazly and other Arabic crossover stuff like Jerusalem in My Heart and Acid Arab. Plus (as always) lots of old school country as well as newish hiphop releases from the likes of Danny Brown. And loads of demos, obviously.

Favourite album of all time and why? Most of my favourite albums are by “Various Artists”; the one I always keep going back to is Mutant Disco on the Ze/Antilles label, a collection of underground New York noise, pop and disco from the early 80s that still sounds vital today.

What’s coming up next? Next week (starting 29 October) we have indie-pop, experimental electronica, hiphop, garage rock, synth pop, punk and country synth punk. Check out the listings at windmillbrixton.co.uk

10  BRIXTON XXX brixtonblog.com PEOPLE brixtonblog.com 2019 NOVEMBER

Something worth making a song and dance about One born in Paris, the other in Jamaica, both now in Brixton and putting their talent and experience at the disposal of new generations of creative people. Simone Richardson talks to Sonia Abdallaoui and Precious Wilson SONIA ABDALLAOUI

Accomplishment, pride and euphoria Simone Richardson meets Liyah Leoni who will be in Brixton library this month talking about her first novel Liyah Leoni grew up in Brixton and it was here that she started writing. “Brixton has a nostalgic attachment for me,” she says. “I love that I’m always caught between my memories and present times there – such as walking through the market with my gran and being responsible for the trolley, whilst watching her get all the fruit and veg we needed, then walking back through the covered arch that was always busy.” Liyah won prizes for her written work in secondary school and always wanted to be a writer: “I spent a lot of my childhood writing short stories, novel ideas, movie ideas and screenplays. “My sexuality came into play and I found myself writing from my perspective of being a Black lesbian.”

Sincerely Yours was published earlier this year and is available on Amazon. Liyah will be talking about her book at Brixton Library on 14 November at 6.30pm. Feeling frustrated by a lack of voice for the LGBTQ community, Liyah has started The Wave – an inclusive platform supporting literary creative talent in the LGBTQ community – which also had its first meeting at the library. Sincerely Yours took eight years to write and gave Liyah “a euphoric feeling of accomplishment and pride”. She says: “I wrote the book with everybody in mind, every race, every sexuality, every person, although proudly written from the narrative of a Black lesbian woman.” Its central character, Aaliyah, is a woman of many outspoken words who effortlessly places her wants, needs and desires before any form of morality. Liyha’s fictional book is based on real events and is a page turner that you will not want to end.

Fancy something different? Try one of our unique candles to brighten up the festive period! We use natural essential oils to create truly original fragrances inspired by the spirit of Brixton.Our candles are handmade in small batches using eco-friendly soy wax, giving up to 30 hours burning time. Find us at Pempamsie and Azawala in Brixton.

www.brixtoncandleco.com info@brixtoncandleco.com

0207 101 4755

Come to our launch Saturday 30 Nov 14.00-19.00 Azawala Cafe Gallery 55 Loughborough Road SW9 7TB

Sonia Abdallaoui, who has been teaching dance in Brixton for 20 years, was born in Paris and moved to London when she was 18. “I started liking dancing when I was really young, but in Paris it was so expensive,” she says. “So, from the age of seven, I used to go and watch the dance classes near my house. By the time I was 12, hip hop was a hit and I began to practise break dancing on the street.” Thanks to Sonia’s perseverance, and the fact that she was mixing with gangs, her mum paid for street dance classes. Her first was with Mia Frye who appeared in the music video for Los del Rio’s hit Macarena and created the dance. The move to London was hard at first. “I learnt English on the street with different dance gangs in Tulse Hill and Brixton, but then I started a dance course at Morley College with my ballet teacher, Karen Pluck, who I loved.” Sonia started an after-school street dance club at Sunnyhill primary in Streatham. The BBC filmed her class and she was on the news, which inspired street dance classes for police summer camps in Brixton others around South London. Sonia’s dance classes are now every Saturday at the Ferndale Community Sports Centre, Nursery Road, SW9 8BP and are for children aged from four to 16. Ballet is between 3 and 3.30pm. Street dance is from 3.30 to 4.30pm for five- to eight-year-olds and from 4.30 to 5.30pm for nine- to 17-year-olds. Classes cost £1.50 a session and are taken by a qualified dance instructor.

PRECIOUS WILSON Precious Wilson, teaches singing in Brixton but her voice has been in demand internationally. She was one of the pioneers of the UK Black music revolution of the late 70s and 80s, alongside Junior Giscombe, Jazzy B (Soul 2 Soul), Heatwave, Loose Ends, and Eddy Grant. Born in Jamaica, Precious moved to London in the sixties when she was seven years old. Her singing career as lead of the soul disco group Eruption started when she was only 16. The group sang and had hits with covers from well-known classics like I Can’t Stand the Rain. Precious sang in the UK, USA and the Soviet Union. “I was the first black UK based female artist to have undertaken such an extensive tour in the then USSR in 1988,” she says. Her work includes television and stage and she was part of the hit musical Blues in the Night. She also sings in the title track to the movie The Jewel of the Nile that starred Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner. The track was written by Britten and Lyle who also wrote Tina Turner’s smash hit What’s Love Got To Do With It. She has toured extensively and performed in front of celebrities including the Queen and the Saudi royal family. “I am blessed to have been given a voice that has taken me all over the world,” she says. “Now it’s time to give it back. I feel privileged to be able to share my experience and expertise with the next generation of aspiring singers based in Brixton and beyond.’’ AA Visit www.singinglessonsinbrixton.com to book a lesson with Precious.

NOVEMBER 2019 brixtonblog.com

BRIXTON BUGLE

COMMENT

Is everything going backwards?

The clocks go back, regular as clockwork. But, as a society, do we have to go back to old approaches to problems that we know already do not work. Stop and search is a case in point. If you are a Black male in Brixton you are disproportionately likely to be singled out and stopped by the police. New powers mean police no longer have to have a reasonable suspicion or grounds for stop and search. The Champion Agency’s Know Our Rights campaign is timely. And it is a nationwide campaign born in Brixton. They are asking for your help in spreading the word and to make sure people know their rights. Stop and search is dramatically on the increase again, even though less than 2 per cent of searches lead to any illegal weapons or substances actually being found. It was disproportionate targeting by the police of Black youth that led to the 1981 Brixton uprising. We are already hearing of stop and searches during which nothing is found, but after which the individuals concerned finds themselves in a police station and potentially facing charges, like obstruction, which are nothing to do with the original stop. A memorial to Cherry Groce, shot by the police in 1985, is planned for Windrush Square. It will, amongst many other things, be a reminder that police in this part of the world have a deficit in confidence to make up. The huge corporate and individual efforts by many officers to overcome this deficit must be and are acknowledged and welcomed. But they can be undone by just one thoughtless or vindictive action. Tackling knife crime is vital and stop and search may have a role to play. But undermining community relations and trust in the police by injudicious use of stop and search will make it harder to tackle knife crime, not easier. It is not just more police on the ground that is the answer. More investment in youth centres and activities for young people in the community are desperately needed. Another problem is that targeted policing by age and colour – whether planned or not – also diminishes a community’s willingness or ability to become visible and active citizens. Ask yourself: how many young Black men from Brixton would volunteer to be arrested as part of the Extinction Rebellion October uprising, knowing what has happened to Black people in police stations across London and elsewhere? If you have a complaint about the Brixton Bugle, see bit.ly/BBB_complaints for how to pursue it Regulated by IMPRESS: The independent monitor for the press 16–18 New Bridge Street EC4V 6AG 020 3325 4288 complaints@impress.press www.impress.press

OPINION  11

The Champion Agency, a longstanding Brixton institution, explains why it has launched #KnowOurRights, a campaign to arm people with their stop and search rights. It’s a topic close to Brixton’s heart

Our rights need your help You may have seen the campaign to recruit 20,000 new police officers, or that £10m worth of additional taser guns have just been ordered? This, coupled with the recent approval to further relax stop and search laws, means it is important that we ALL #KnowOurRights (we quite quickly realised that most of us do not). Champion and partners have done all the legal legwork and created a brightly coloured, wallet-size card available both virtually and physically that bullet points all five of Our Rights in simple, plain language. Right now, we need YOUR help getting OUR RIGHTS in front of as many people as possible. Our goal is for 1% of the English and Welsh population (Scottish law is different …) to #KnowOurRights.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS … 1 The police officer must first give their name, their station, their grounds for searching you and what they expect to find. Without this the search may be deemed unlawful. 2 If you refuse to be searched, reasonable force can be used and in some cases you may be committing an offence. 3 You do not have to give your name or address. 4 You are entitled to a copy of the record of the search on the spot. If unavailable, you must be given a receipt and told how you can get a copy of the record.

KNOW THE FACTS…

know 1. The majority of people do not ts. righ rch their legal stop and sea recorded 2. In 2018 there were 282,000 stop and search events. of stop and 3. In 2013 it was found that 27% awfully. unl ted duc con search events were p sto and 4. As little as 2% of section 60 . search events lead to an arrest awful or inappropriate 5. Only by reporting unfair, unl full picture. stop and search do we have the

5 Report any unfair, unlawful or inappropriate stop and search to Stop-Watch.org

THE PICTURE TO DATE

This year the government announced changes designed to make it easier for the police forces worst affected by violent crime to use their stop and search powers. Removing the safeguards introduced under the Best use of Stop and Search Scheme by the home secretary, Theresa May in 2014, current prime minister, Boris John and home secretary, Priti Patel have recently made the decision to extend stop and search powers under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. Known as “section 60 searches”, a stop and search can take place without reasonable suspicion if there is a belief that serious violence will occur in a specified area, or that people are carrying offensive weapons. Police forces across England

and Wales will soon be able to carry out searches in designated areas without authorisation from a senior officer. With an increase in the number of police officers set to hit our streets, and the Government’s changes to Section 60 many have been left wondering what this all means.

SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Today’s government has backed the authorisation of enhanced stop and search powers as part of its approach to tackling knife crime. The changes will result in at least 3,000 more officers being able to authorise section 60 searches, with London’s Metropolitan Police increasing the use of stop and search in 2019 as part of its response to an increase in knife violence. The police have a variety of legal powers to stop and search individuals. Most require officers to have “reasonable grounds” to suspect the individual has a prohibited item. However,

the new changes give police officers the authority, under certain circumstances, to search individuals without “reasonable grounds”. Research suggests that the use of stop and search has a marginal impact on crime reduction, with any marginal benefits likely to be outweighed by negative impacts on police community relations. The Equality and Human Rights Commission have noted that: the experience of being unfairly targeted for stop and search undermines the legitimacy of policing which, in turn, has material effects on the willingness of victims of crime and witnesses to pass information to the police and voluntary compliance with the law. Case law has established that a stop and search that has not been conducted in line with legislation and guidance can be rendered incompatible with human rights legislation.

THE CAMPAIGN The ‘Our Rights’ Campaign was launched to protect the basic human rights of English and Welsh citizens by providing them with the legal information needed should they find themselves in a stop and search situation. The ‘Our Rights’ card has been designed to do just that. Purposely brightly coloured, and the size of a credit card, the ‘Your Rights’ card has been designed to include five key points detailing your legal rights in England and Wales when facing a section 60 stop and search.

THE PARTNERS STOP-WATCH: “You can never be too clued up on knowing your rights! Having even a basic knowledge of stop and search rights enables you to understand when policing powers are being misused or abused.”

Champion is helping to overcome part of this by empowering those who might be in a difficult situation with an inherent imbalance in power, to have a handy reference so they clearly know and are able to assert their rights.”

FLEX LEGAL: “Only 1 in 10 people seek legal advice from a solicitor when faced with a legal issue. In the end they often fail to get justice, either through not understanding their rights or finding it too intimidating and expensive to enforce them. By producing these cards

BARRISTER AMANDA CLIFT-MATTHEWS: “Police stop and search powers are an essential tool when it comes to combating crime, but just as critical is that people understand what is and what is not acceptable in order to reduce the risk of these powers being abused.

“The number of stop and search incidents increased dramatically during the late 2000s, reaching a peak of over 1.5 million in 2008/09 and leading to a growing concern that the police were not using stop and search effectively. “Overall, research has shown that there is limited evidence to support the notion that stop and search tactics have a deterrent effect on overall crime statistics. The Home Office reported that the arrest rate as a direct result of recorded section 60 searches was as low as 2% between April 2017 and March 2018.”

Brixton Business Improvement District (BID) is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening Brixton’s diverse business culture. We represent more than 500 levy‑paying businesses and work to develop new and exciting opportunities for Brixton.

Huge change coming BID Director Michael Smith talks to Jack Hopkins, leader of Lambeth council

Cllr Jack Hopkins was formally elected as leader of Lambeth council in February, having served previously as a cabinet member for jobs and growth and then as deputy leader with a focus on jobs, skills, and performance He has a strong history of working closely with businesses across the borough over his tenure in the council. Cllr Hopkins: I want to thank the Brixton BID for giving me the opportunity to talk to local businesses. As leader of Lambeth council, I am hugely appreciative of the work carried out by the BID on behalf of Brixton’s thriving, diverse and committed business community. Our main focus is always about the people of Lambeth – making sure that people here are able to do well and live a fantastic life, underpinned by our commitment to tackling inequality and focusing our efforts on those who are not doing as well as they deserve to. Michael: Deal or no deal, whatever the outcome, will Brexit have a significant impact on business and life in the UK? Cllr Hopkins: Of course, Brexit remains foremost in our minds given the impact this might have on building new houses, the impact a recession might have on decently paid jobs and the strength of our business community and the real concerns over medicine or food shortages. The council has been doing a huge amount of work to prepare, alongside local businesses, for whatever the outcome. We are also supporting EU nationals living in the borough – including an estimated 35,000 Portuguese residents – to secure settled status with a series of drop-in sessions and an information campaign. AA To read more visit www.lambeth.gov.uk/

preparing-for-brexit

Despite the Brexit uncertainty, the council’s work continues and the demand for our services continues to rise as a result of the Conservative government who seem committed as ever to impoverishing our council and our communities. As a council we are committed to strengthening our links with businesses to help meet the needs of Lambeth and support our core priorities, which include tackling inequality, collaborating and delivering value for money on behalf of our residents. Michael: What is the council’s view on using business rates flexibly to ease the burden on local businesses? Cllr Hopkins: We’re very sympathetic to the issues that businesses face in Lambeth, in particular with high rates. Those rates are set by central government and the Valuation Office Agency. We ran a huge campaign two years ago with BIDs and local businesses against the huge rises the government put in place. We managed to win a significant amount of business rate relief that has helped lots of Lambeth businesses with the changes. With high rents, high rates and a changing high street, we want to look at doing all we can to provide affordable business space, support businesses and BIDs and to encourage investment into our high streets. We’re doing that in Brixton with the investment in infrastructure and the Good Growth Fund, but we know there is more to do. The challenge for business rates going forward is that the government want them to be the main source of funding for council services. That’s a huge change that not a lot of people realise is coming down the line.

Michael: What role can businesses in Brixton play to support the current position of the council? Cllr Hopkins: To support these aims we held the first of a series of business engagement events earlier this month called Crossing Over: A New Generational Opportunity at the Department Store in Brixton. The aim is to strengthen our links with businesses who are looking to work with the council and voluntary sector groups in the borough. There was a real buzz in the room and the event has worked to highlight to businesses how we are keen to work with them to secure benefits for our local residents and support their social responsibility and community initiatives in the borough. Businesses who could not attend the first event have already been in touch asking how they can get involved in the next one. We will be sharing details of the next event soon, as well as details of the work to create more apprenticeships, sharing volunteering opportunities and the skills and expertise we need to solve complex issues that have resulted from the first event. AA To find out more and register your interest for the business series of events, please contact EArthur@lambeth.gov.uk.

Finally, I would like to highlight the importance we place on the fostering a good local trading environment. Where issues arise, such as those currently in Atlantic Road, we will lobby for solutions, which in this case means seeking answers from Network Rail. We are also ambitious for the town centre having secured £8million for our Brixton Liveable Neighbourhood scheme to improve air quality, cut congestion and support local businesses.

Multi-million investment is planned for Morleys

DOES YOUR BUSINESS PAY THE LONDON LIVING WAGE? Lambeth council is operating a business rates rebate scheme for businesses who register as Living Wage employers. Once accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, businesses can apply for a Living Wage employer Business Rebate online. Brixton BID is a Living Wage Employer. See www.livingwage.org.uk

DR. BIKE On the last Wednesday of every month, Cycle Confident and Brixton BID bring you Dr.Bike.

Brixton’s department store Morleys has bucked the high street trend of retail closures with a commitment from its head office to invest several million pounds next year in refurbishment and “a realignment of brand mix” to suit Brixton’s more contemporary customer. Morleys is part of an independent department store group which owns the freehold of its stores. Other London stores in the group include Elys in Wimbledon and Pearsons in Enfield. In an interview with Drapers Online, Morleys’ chief executive officer Nigel Blow said: “There’s a really big opportunity in Brixton. We’ve owned the shop for decades, but Brixton and the customers

have changed a lot, and we haven’t changed with them.” Several million pounds will be invested in the Brixton Morleys, and Pearsons of Enfield, in the next year. Blow sad: “We’re big enough to matter to suppliers and small enough to be agile and tailor what we offer to certain customer groups. “It’s our USP as a retailer. We can know them because we only have eight stores, and it is something we can aspire to achieve and do well. When you’ve got 80 stores, your buyers can’t know every location.” The group owns the freehold on all of its stores which, Blow said, takes “one big headache out of the

equation” during a period when retailers and brands are victim to increasing rates and rents. “We’re able to look forward and reinvest some of the profits into the stores we’ve got. At the moment, not everyone can afford to, or is in a position to be able to, do that.” Michael Smith, Director of Brixton Bid said: “Morley’s have shown great confidence in Brixton in these expansion plans. “They have committed themselves to being in Brixton through the best and worst of times with a solid business plan that met local need. “When these plans are completed in 2020 Morley’s should attract customers to Brixton from South London and beyond.”

A mechanic will carry out FREE repairs and maintenance for anyone from 11am until 2pm on Brixton Station Road.

PROMOTE YOURSELF! Would you like the opportunity to appear in the BID’s social media feeds, in our newsletter and in the Brixton Bugle? Email the BID with any local events or promotions you are running, and we will be happy to support you.

GRAFFITI REMOVAL We are pleased to announce that we now offer graffiti and fly post removal to all BID members. To report graffiti on your business premises email graffiti@lambeth.gov.uk or call 020 7926 9000.

BRIXTON FOOTFALL Footfall for Brixton town centre over the last 52 weeks is 14.4% up on the previous year and the number of visitors counted for week commencing 16 September 2019 was a staggering 413,265.

Small Business Bus for Brixton The Small Business Saturday bus will visit Windrush Square in Brixton on Wednesday, 4 December. The bus will provide free mentoring sessions for small businesses. Sessions can be booked at www. smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com. Cllr Irfan Mohammed, Lambeth council’s business champion, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming the Small Business Saturday bus tour to Brixton. It will be a great opportunity for businesses to get useful support and advice. “In Brixton 98 per cent of the

businesses are classed as being small, and the council hugely values the important role they play in bringing employment, diversity and appeal to our local economy.” Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to “shop local” and support small businesses in their communities. The day itself takes place on the first Saturday in December each year (7 December this year), but the campaign aims to have a year-round lasting impact on small businesses.

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14  BRIXTON WRITERS brixtonblog.com GRANGER HISTORICAL PICTURE ARCHIVE / ALAMY

If I cannot turn the lock myself, I bring the key Steve Powdrill recalls the life and work of a radical Brixton resident of more than 100 years ago Why do we love who we love? Scientists recently added to the complexity of the question by debunking the myth of a single “gay gene”. For decades, it was believed by many to be what could be the marker-point on what makes up a person’s sexuality. The high-profile study of over half-a-million UK and US citizens – the largest of its kind to date – now suggests that a mixture of different genes and environmental factors determine sexual orientation. A study on homosexuality of this scale might seem fairly normal now – but not too long ago, being gay could land you in prison and LGBTQ+ research was biased, limited and meagrely funded. A previous Brixton resident would know all about this – and be the very first to try and make it right. There’s a blue plaque high up on Brixton’s Canterbury Crescent, honouring Havelock Ellis (1859 – 1939), who lived in the area at around the same time as Vincent Van Gogh in the late 1800s. He was a progressive physician who dedicated his life to human sexuality, writing the first book to explore homosexuality as a natural occurrence rather than an

immorality or perversion. In a buttoned-up and sexually awkward Victorian society, his book was highly controversial and withdrawn from some bookshops, vehemently labelled, “lewd, wicked, bawdy and scandalous”. But Ellis was not the type of man to step back from his convictions easily. Born the same year that Charles Darwin published revolutionary ideas on evolution, but raised mainly by an “ardent Evangelical Christian” mother, Ellis learnt early to form an individual point of view. He saw religion to be “dying”, in a Victorian era where scripture influenced strict and ironfisted social expectations. Science, on the other hand, provided him with an alternative route – a humanist standpoint, where people’s natural desires were not repressed but freely explored, for this, he believed, could produce a happier society. Armed with a passion for sexology and a loan from his mother, young Ellis studied to become a doctor at St Thomas’ Hospital in London for eight long years. While not particularly successful in the medical field thereafter, he made headway writing texts on little-discussed topics

2019 NOVEMBER

such as masturbation and making contacts with other liberal thinkers of the time, such as Eleanor Marx, Edward Carpenter and Edith Mary Oldham Lees – the latter would become his wife. Their relationship would be far from conventional, with Edith being lesbian and maintaining multiple female lovers throughout their marriage, of whom Ellis was aware. While the pair eventually separated, Ellis wrote fondly of Edith thereafter, admiring her intellect and academic writing. Ellis himself was sexually

ambiguous, seemingly preferring platonic relationships with women, though he often wrote about his fetish for “urolagina” – female urination. As was the case with much of his work, critics were outraged at his transparency in discussion of sexual taboos – but his honesty and earnestness in helping society to see past them earned Ellis a considerable fan-base. After publishing Studies in the Psychology of Sex, the series that argued for open discussion of sex and homosexuality over fear and ignorance, thousands of readers

wrote to him for advice on their own sexual issues. In this way, Havelock Ellis was something of a champion for sexual freedom, educating repressed Victorians and helping to chip away at hardened taboos. He was also a friend to LGBTQ+ people, admitting to writing so committedly about homosexuality because of his close friends (including Edith Ellis and Edward Carpenter) being gay. In fact, they featured in his book themselves as case studies, with their names changed, as well as helping to provide Ellis with more gay subjects to interview in his research. Despite these years of research, Ellis knew better than anyone of the broad complexity of human sexuality – perhaps he knew we would still be debating it now. He wrote in 1927: “As a youth, I hoped to solve problems for those who came after; now I am quietly content if I do little more than state them … if I cannot perhaps turn the lock myself, I bring the key which can alone in the end rightly open the door: the key of sincerity.” Havelock Ellis died in 1939 at his home in Ipswich with his partner at the time, Francois Lafitte-Cyon and her two sons. He had written his autobiography, My Life, with the intention that the sales would be used to provide for the family, but Britain was on the cusp of war and sales were scuppered as a result. Nevertheless, his legacy lives on, with much of his work building momentum for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967 and the gay rights movement that would follow. Next time you walk along Canterbury Crescent, from the police station to Pop Brixton, spare a glance and a thought for the man who dedicated his life to educating the masses and fighting for the oppressed – because, as he said “when love is suppressed, hate takes its place”.

Black British satire – a new frontier Gargie Ahmed talks to Nels Abbey about his debut novel Think Like a White Man, and using satire to highlight racism in Britain today

A satirical self-help guide Think Like a White Man – Conquering the world … while Black, that was launched at Brixton’s Black Cultural Archives, gives sage advice on navigating institutional racism in the corporate world. It comes from the comic persona Dr Boulé Whytelaw III, Distinguished Professor of White People Studies. Author Nels Abbey, a British-Nigerian writer, media executive, and former investment banker, discussed his work with Dr Nicola Rollock, reader in equity and education at Goldsmiths, University of London. The distinct shortage Black British satirists and the author’s self-confessed inability to write seriously led to the use of humour to overcome trauma in this book. Audience questions engaged with themes of Black British identity, intersections of racism and sexism, and strategies of navigating micro-aggressions. I caught up with Nels later to learn more about his work.

W

hat did launching in Brixton at the Black Cultural Archives mean to you? Brixton is the spiritual home of Black people in Britain. You cannot separate Black people from Brixton or Brixton from Black people. We are in this together forever. Being in the centre of Brixton, in Windrush Square, it is symbolically so aligned that there is no better place to have an event on a book that is as Black as Think Like a White Man than the BCA, the home of Black writers and culture,.

W

hat is the inspiration behind the ‘comedic Machiavellian’ academic alter ego? I am a big fan of The Prince (the infamous 16th century political manual by Niccolo Machiavelli) – I love the notion of skulduggery. I have never seen any all-seeing, all-knowing Black characters in the corporate world, or anywhere outside the realm of “the streets”. The name ‘Boulé’ has a deeper meaning also: the name represents the most establishment Black voice possible, an African American secret society, of which many people in the African American elite were members. I thought I should shine a light on the elements of Black lives you don’t see. The university element adds credence to the character as an authority, which is good, because I am not an authority!

W

here else have you been launching the book? There was a sold out launch in the House of Commons, and a party in north London’s premier barbershop, the home of Black free speech in Britain. A lot of people have been in touch to thank me for speaking this story. The actual stories in this book are not unique whatsoever. This is the story of what every Black person in the corporate world is going through. You are having to make s­oul-­ destroying compromises on a daily basis, to bite your tongue, and collaborate with your own subjugation. Even people who would normally not like this book in public will often whisper to me or send a note thanking me for saying what they could not say.

H

ave you come across any challenging feedback? A slew of White male trolls on Twitter! In terms of the real world, feedback has been very good. You will often get people objecting to the title, but when they get around to reading the book that melts away. Black British people haven’t had too many satires to contend with in the past, so it’s a new frontier from a British perspective.

Y

ou note there are more FTSE 100 chiefs called Steve than ethnic minority bosses. Were there any role models that

drew you to the world of finance? Luckily when I was young, I was sent to Nigeria … during the gangster years, when Nigeria was being run by Sani Abacha, a vicious dictator. I had never really experienced anything like it. Going there showed me a very different world. In particular, one person I looked to was my best friend’s dad, who was a very senior banker, one of those guys who had worked himself up. I always thought that media was the industry that I could thrive in. But media has significant diversity issues, so getting a job after university proved impossible. I studied economics, so I got myself a job in financial services.

W

hat is Dr Boulé Whytelaw doing next – you mentioned taking it to television? It’s early days, so we’ll see what happens. I believe Think Like a White Man is an idea that needs to go further than just the page. Black British satire needs to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. There is so much diversity in what I describe as wider society satire – whether it’s the Armando Iannuccis, the Frankie Boyles or the Charlie Brookers doing very experimental stuff – I think it’s time that we kicked in the door and set up our own table in there too. AA Think Like a White Man is published by Canongate Books. ISBN: 978-1786894342.

NOVEMBER 2019 brixtonblog.com FOOD & DRINK  15

FOOD & DRINK REVIEW: SMOKE & SALT

Crowded House Nick Buglione talks crowdfunding with Smoke and Salt’s Remi and Aaron So, I am in possibly the most creative sea container in Pop, sampling the latest incarnations on Smoke & Salt’s relentlessly changing menu while Remi Williams and Aaron Webster tell me all about their latest “project”. Seems it’s time for Smoke & Salt to spread its wings, with a little help from their friends. For those of you who have been living in a culinary cave, Remi and Aaron have been serving creative small plates featuring “heritage” curing, smoking and preserving techniques from a microscopic kitchen. If you come here for nothing at all, come for the chimichurri potatoes with beef heart. Close to a signature dish, as there would be a (well mannered) rebellion if they took it off their menu. So, we ordered that, of course, while trying pumpkin churros with mildly spiced yoghurt and, refreshing simplicity itself, summer tomatoes with yeasted mayo and smoked chilli.

As we speak, they are putting together the final details on their crowdfunding launch. Live since mid-October (for 40 days), in a theoretically similar path to Kricket and Trattoria Franzina, it is time for a bricks and mortar site. Rumour is it may be Tooting, due to Brixton’s ever challenging rents. So, via Seedrs, Aaron and Remi hope to raise £140,000 to turbocharge their move. I get the sense they are excited (not least by a kitchen they can expand their ambitious cooking into) but tinged with a sadness as the sea container shall be no more. Alongside trout and watermelon skewers, a chargrilled hake steak with beans, salsa verde and saffron aioli are apt reminders of the quality of their “ancient techniques” and modern small plates. Accompanied by their current house white, a 2018 Loureiro vinho verde from Portugal. Seasonality is a key factor in the menu, which changes every two months, and their commitment to “cheaper” cuts of meat and experimental combos (I think Aaron is the mix and match ideas guy, Remi makes sure

it happens). And sometimes, seeing what they can get a good deal on with their suppliers, and create from there. Tried, tested and matured at supperclubs before sea container. Now the big jump. Sound like it might be fun. Investors, as well as owning a share in Smoke & Salt, will enjoy “exclusive perks” from Aaron and Remi who are going to be having a bit of fun with those ideas. Aaron says: “The idea behind this is that our community has been so engaged with what we do, so it’s exciting

to give something back to those who help us get our first restaurant off the ground.” Remi chips in, “It starts at £10 and there are a range of rewards depending on how much you invest. But, let’s just say, some of them, money can’t buy.” We finish off with lamb porchetta (yet another almost waste cut, diligently rendered) with aubergine and caponata. Robust, meaty and tender. Every dish has little surprises, extra diligence, extra technique. Even if it is ultimately out of SW9, whether with your wallet or just hopping on the bus to Tooting, Remi, Aaron and their growing team’s next journey is going to be interesting. AA Find out more at: smokeandsalt.seedrs.com

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16  FOOD & DRINK brixtonblog.com 2019 NOVEMBER REVIEW: 500 DEGREES

Some Like it Hot Nick Buglione takes the sourdough express to 500 degrees Once again, the sourdough express pulls out of the station. If you aren’t interested in pizza you’re on the wrong carriage. Brixton is akin to a little Naples when it comes to matters dough. Foodie trends, health hysterias come in and out of our insta-periscopic-chat-fuelled consciousness, but pizza has tenaciously held on to its traditions and provenance. Obviously, I am not including roguish Yankee brigands Pizza Hut and Dominoes whose evil army of swarming scooters have done unspeakable things in the name of mediocrity and couch potato delivery models. You can put sideways things on top but in the end, it’s your dough, proper ingredients and a serious oven. And, for a snappy turnaround quick supper with (three) kids, fresh fast food thrust into their chirping bills, nowhere near KFC or the golden arches. 500 Degrees does what it says on the tin. The mosaic adorned wood-fired oven has pride of place. This dinky mini-chain is

less hipster sourdough diner and more died in the wool traditional. Like the old Neapolitan days, where pizza tradition is borderline evangelical. Not everywhere has to have exposed industrial fittings, distressed brickwork and professional friendliness. What I always loved about an Italian high-road pizza in the old days was it was always friendly family and family friendly. Warm in every sense. It is a compliment that 500 Degrees wouldn’t have looked that different back in the dim distant ’80s. And neither would the menu. I appreciate foraying into the offbeat, but not so much when it comes to pizza. The menu is utterly reassuring. If you want avant-garde, find a different station. Calzone, tick. Classic margheritas, capriccioso, marinara, neopolitana, tick. Decent veggie and vegan options (which is a bit more 21st century), a few side salads and Moretti on tap. Questo e tutto. The staff are super-friendly, someone’s kids (possibly the manager’s) are parked in front of steaming pizzas (and a laptop) and our pizzas arrive in a 500-degree blasted ten minutes. Me and mine were in Amsterdam

earlier this year. Somewhere between Anne Frank’s House and “the Van Gogh”, we found ourselves in a pizza place where, to keep the kids entertained, they were given dough to make their own animals, which then got cooked with our pizzas. Beats a few crayons and a marketing-led wordsearch. Margherita with fior di latte cheese, scapece with zucchini (courgette), cherry tomatoes, pecorino and a classic mildly fiery diavola, fior di latte, salame picante and crushed tomatoes. Crispy bubbled and charred crust, pleasingly sponge-fluffy interiors, generous toppings and significant circumference. As in they are big. We are four, we were full with three. No room for tiramisu and affogato. 500 Degrees is a nice surprise, precisely for how unsurprising it is. If I was an Italian stumbling out of Brixton tube in need of home comfort, this is exactly the place I would want to tumble into. A little bit of Italy, unobtrusive, traditional, welcoming. Fast and economical. If you ever tire of (equally good) pizzerias doing sideways things with ’nduja sausage, fennel infused cured something or other, it’s nice to remember the old days. When life was simpler.

191 Ferndale Road, SW9 8BA | 0203 302 8106 | 500degrees.co/Brixton

Directly from block to plate. Greek pitas and plates made from scratch. Now open at 441 Coldharbour Lane SW9 8LN. Follow us

@mikosgyros

Family run, local butcher – Established in 1962, three generations of Jones family have been working in the business. Focus on quality – We supply quality meat and poultry with first-class service. Visit our online shop jonesthebutcher.me.uk

Meat, the way it’s meant to be.

NOVEMBER 2019 brixtonblog.com FOOD & DRINK  17 COOKBOOKS

Page turners Nick Buglione spends a lot of his time in these cookbooks Sooner or later a good cookbook should be battered and bruised with the scars of kitchen battle. Wine stains, grease, blood, sweat and tears. As Christmas approaches and every chef, kitchen and charlatan disgorge cookbooks chasing your festive funds, here are a few I love (and use). You could pause on yet another book from Jamie (his 15-Minute Meals is my personal nemesis) and get the foodie in your life’s stocking something a little less predictable.

Les Halles Cookbook, Anthony Bourdain Alpha male, brazenly classic French bistro cooking from the author of

Nose to Tail Eating, Fergus Henderson Classic cookbook from the legendary St John. From devilled kidneys to tripe to duck hearts on toast, this is innovative robust British cooking at its most dynamic. AA Bloomsbury, £15

Eat, Nigel Slater Arch middle-class Guardian foodie he may be, but this is just an endless source of quickish supper ideas that recognises a busy life. Healthy, interesting, practical food for every night of the week. Fourth Estate, £25

Stephane Reynaud’s Barbecue

Kitchen Confidential and the legendary New York bistro. We’ll leave it to AA Gill’s “Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino”. AA Bloomsbury Publishing, £25

Japaneasy, Tim Anderson Nanban and Brixton’s very own Japanese cookbook. As good a

Don’t save it for the summer. Endless interesting BBQ dishes and techniques to take you a full stratosphere beyond chicken drummers and sausages. Skewered for interesting ideas at the coalface? AA Murdoch Books, £20 practical journey into Japanese cuisine as you are likely to get (with a few Western twists thrown in). With loads of ramen recipes. AA Hardie Grant, £20.

Food DIY: How to Make Your Own Everything, Tim Hayward Recommended by our own Jay Rayner (for the

salt beef recipe, above), a compendium of curing, preserving, pickling, potting and smoking – DIY butter to bread, sloe gin to smoked salmon to salami. AA Fig Tree, £25.

Billingsgate Market Cookbook, CJ Jackson Everything you need to know about choosing, filleting, preparing and cooking fish from the Billingsgate Seafood School. Endlessly useful. AA New Holland, £20

NOVEMBER 2019 brixtonblog.com WHAT’S ON  19

WHAT’S ON Local railway arches host two seasonal spookfests …

A Halloween creep show Fable Feast company, with its inaugural production, Macabre, presents an evening of spine-tingling tales in the eerie arches of Brixton over Halloween weekend. With “an evening of ‘warm fear’ harking back to the campfire circles, and childhood sleepovers of your youth”, it promises frights, torch lights and bloody sights as the company weaves five stories to chill you to the bone. Brave visitors will be able to grab a witches’ brew and

prepare for their wickedly ghoulish tales to come to life. The Tavern of Terror will still be open afterwards to help them recover their faculties in the bar and share your own tales of the unexpected. The five original stories of Macabre, written and directed by Jack Whitam and Max Gell, grew from their shared love of horror movies, ghost tales, and all things macabre. Drawing on their experience as immersive theatre makers, together with performers and

Whirled hosts horror weekend

Mexican Day of the Dead comes to Brixton Village

The Black Sunday horror film festival returns to Loughborough Junction’s Whirled Cinema from Friday 25 to 27 October with more than 20 showings, many of them premieres. Sponsored by Starburst magazine and Arrow Video, it promises a weekend of awesome genre cinema, with plenty of filmmakers in attendance. The opening night party will rock Whirled until 2am. AA For listings and tickets – day or weekend passes available – see: http://bit.ly/Whirled-BS19

Mexico’s Day of the Dead comes to Brixton Village’s forecourt on Coldharbour Lane, on Saturday 2 November from 6.30pm until late. There will be traditional food and drink from Village Latin American food outlets and a live performance by mariachi band Las Guadalupes (right) – the duo of Colombian singersongwriter Ingrid Rueda and

creatives from The Factory, Punchdrunk, and Les Enfants Terribles, they invite you to share their joy in Halloween with a night not to be forgotten … 31 October – 3 November, Studio Z, Orphans Yard, 537 Brixton Station Road SW9 8QB Thursday 31 October – Saturday 2 November 7.30pm Sunday 3 November – 5.30pm Licensed bar (7-11pm) Tickets £15 + fee from www.fablefeast.com

DeAnna Avis, who was raised in a mariachi family. They will also host a talk exploring the folklore behind the Day of the Dead and explain their art form between songs. Jalisco and Casa Morita will serve churros and tacos, margaritas, chilli rum hot chocolate and other Latin America dishes.

20  WHAT’S ON brixtonblog.com 2019 NOVEMBER

Our selection of gigs and more in Brixton and nearby FRI 25 @ PHONOX

Electronic music producer Felix Clary Weatherall, aka Ross From Friends, who specialises in his own fine-tuned brand of TECHNO AND HOUSE, continues his residency at Phonox. 9.30pm – 4am. £5.

SAT 26 @ CRAFT BEER CO

Get SPOOKY early at CBC’s Night of the Undead with prizes for the best dressed ghouls and themed cocktails. 7pm – 2am. Free with ticket.

SUN 27 @ POP BRIXTON

Pop hosts the second LADY FESTIVAL curated by Kadija Kamara. The all-day event is due to include eight to 10 leading female bands & DJs. 3 – 11pm. Free tickets available via Dice.fm.

MON 28 @ BRIXTON STREET GYM

Twerk after work with Samira at the street gym’s new premises at 6 Somerleyton Road. Her beginner-friendly class, she says, consists of a warm up / TWERK WORKOUT, a bit of technique and a short and sexy choreography. 7 – 8pm. £9, £5 for Street Gym members.

TUES 29 @ ELECTRIC BRIXTON

UK trio Hælos – Arthur Delaney, Lotti Benardout, and Dom Goldsmith – bring their “dark euphoria” of vocals and atmospheric SOUNDSCAPE backgrounds to the Electric. 7 – 11pm. £18.25.

WED 30 @ HONEST BURGER

Another Halloween special – join the London Drawing Group upstairs at Honest Burgers in Brixton Village as Lucy, Luisa and France hop over to the other side of the drawing boards to model for their annual CIRCUS OF THE DEAD, with terrifying tales from the travelling circus that was lost to the land of the dead. Materials provided. 7 – 10pm. £16.22.

THUR 31 @ HOOTANANNY

Eschew Halloween (and Brexit?) horrors with Jamaican-born and Bristol resident REGGAE star Da Fuchaman (Zenroy Thomas) and a full live band playing songs from the recent album Freedom Fighter and other crowdpleasers. 9 pm – 3am. £3.

FRI 1 @ BLUES KITCHEN

As well freaky funk and soul classics, two live bands and a DJ, the Blues Kitchen is also offering traditional Day of the Dead makeup from a team of possessed painters at its Halloween offering. The Sierra Band should have you shivering to vintage dance sounds before the resident band take to the stage. 9pm – 2.30am. Advance tickets £6.

SAT 2 @ CLUB 414 ROADSHOW

Club 414’s PSYCHEDELIC TRANCE nights live on at the Union Club, 66 Godling Street, SE11 5AW – that’s just a four-minute Tube ride from Brixton to Vauxhall station, followed by a one-minute walk. With a two-hour live set from Champa, plus Thallom, CK, Psyrenzo, and Florescence. 11pm – 7am. £15/£20 on the door; limited early bird tickets £10.

SUN 3 @ LINK BUILDING

Every Sunday evening, Soul Stretch (Brixton) presents “Slow-Down Sunday” YOGA at Studio 28 in the Link Building (formerly the Eurolink Business centre opposite St Matthews’s on Effra Road). Details: www.soulstretch.co. 7 – 8pm.

MON 4 @ BRIXTON REC

Group Cycle is a regular FITNESS class in the cycle studio at the Rec. It’s a mixed gender, lasts for 50 minutes, and is suitable for people of all levels from 16 to 55. 6 – 6.50pm. £9.15 (need to register and book in advance).

TUES 5 @ POP BRIXTON

The audience are the speakers at Special Guest sessions in the Pop Box. How it works: Listen, clap, cheer and support fellow special guests as they SHARE A THOUGHT, a feeling, an idea, a story, a party trick; or just sit back, listen, and enjoy the ride. 7 – 10pm. £10.

WED 6 @ WINDMILL BRIXTON

German indie trio Sparkling from Cologne lived in London in 2015 and are the blueprint for a EUROPEAN BAND. Their first album the multilingual I Want to See Everything, produced in Düsseldorf and London, was released in August. Plus London-based alt-pop from Show Boy as well as Enjoyable Listens and a Shame DJ set. 8pm. £6.

THURS 7 @ HIDEAWAY

Hop on a bus to Streatham for the first of four nights of Wall to Wall George – a reimagining of the music of GEORGE MICHAEL put together Hideaway MD, Janette Mason, featuring the vocals of David McAlmont and Oliver Darley. Doors 7pm, Show 8.30pm. £15.00.

FRI 8 @ HOOTANANNY

FRI 15 @ JAMM POLISH STARS Doda and Virgin DODA kick off a three-stop tour of the UK at Jamm. 7 – 10.30pm. £32.88.

SAT 16 @ QUEEN’S HEAD The Clatterways PUNK DUO from Sheffield, plus support, entertain at the Queen’s Head on Stockwell Road. 8 – 11pm. Free.

SUNDAY 17 @ BRIXTON VILLAGE The Big Art Herstory Project teams up with performer Betty Gunawan for a workshop to investigate links between CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE BODY. Participants, they say, should emerge with a greater understanding of their own authentic essence and how they connect to the greater world around them, and a greater compassion for their bodies and selves. Unit 74. 11am – 2pm. Tickets via Eventbrite £22.15 – £27.54.

MONDAY 18 @ BRIXTON LIBRARY

South London singer Greentea Peng returns to Hootananny to launch her EP Rising to a HOUSE PARTY vibe with special guest DJs and live acts including Simmytestarossa, DJ Eliza Rose, P Honey and Ollie Rant. 9.30pm – 3am. £8 otd, less before.

Women’s Prize for FICTION winner Tayari Jones returns to Brixton Library to talk about her book An American Marriage – a powerful story about love and family, injustice and strength, that addresses important issues about race, class and society head-on. 7 – 9pm. Free; register with Eventbrite.

SAT 9 @ JAMM

TUES 19 @ DEPARTMENT STORE

Drag bingo. Strange no-one has thought of it before. Talented DRAG QUEENS and cut-throat bingo games with DJs playing the iconic disco and pop tracks, dance-offs, X-rated prizes. 6.30 –10.30pm (last entry 7.pm). £10.

SUN 10 @ CLAPHAM LIBRARY

Want to learn or improve your chess? Visit Clapham Library’s CHESS CLUB. All ages and levels welcome. Clapham library, Mary Seacole Centre, 91 Clapham High Street, SW4 7DB. 1 – 3pm.

MON 11 @ ALLEYN’S SCHOOL

Brockwell Swimmers’ WATER POLO sessions take place in Dulwich every Monday until 9 December. Open to all levels of players over 18, from complete beginners to seasoned shooters. All are coached by professional and national-league players. The sessions normally start with basic skill techniques, finishing with a team match before decanting to the pub for a “game analysis”. 8 – 9pm. £15.

TUE 12 @ GHOST WHALE

Battersea’s Mondo are the latest guests for Ghost Whale’s MEET THE BREWERS event. Four beers will be poured from Mondo’s repertory – kveik (it’s a type of yeast) session fruit ale, triple wheat ale, pale ales with rotating fruits, triple fruited goses (sour and salty beers) and more. 7pm (arrive in good time). Advance tickets £12.

WED 13 @ ELECTRIC BRIXTON

Catch Australian Jake Webb’s ART ROCK quartet Methyl Ethel. He writes about an abstract emotional experience while being ultra-personal – now his lyrics are sung back at him by audiences around the globe. 7pm. £16.90.

THURS 14 @ BRIXTON LIBRARY

A free evening of LGBTQ+ literature-based creatives sharing their stories and vibes. Liyah Mai Leoni, a self-published Black lesbian author, and The Wave, a collective of literature-based creatives from the LGBTQ+ family, will showcase their talents with a collaboration with Sabrina Johnson from Lambeth libraries and archives, to host the first Wave non-profit event at the library. 6.30 – 8.30pm. Free; register with Eventbrite.

Join printed textile designer Samantha Warren in a fun and CREATIVE WORKSHOP, hosted by Squire & Partners at The Department Store on Ferndale Road. Using special paints, collage and the heat transfer process, participants will create a new favourite coaster to take home with them. All artistic abilities welcome. 1 – 2pm. £15 via Eventbrite.

WED 20 @ ELECTRIC BRIXTON

SUN 24 @ PHONOX

Excluding residents, GILLES PETERSON has played the Phonox more than any other artist/DJ. All of his shows, bar one, have been part of the venue’s Sunday series. So it’s a special occasion when he makes his 10th appearance. 4pm – 10pm. £11.30/£22.40.

MON 25 @ EFFRA SOCIAL

Comedy improvisation show Duck Duck Goose host their IMPROV JAM plus guests in the Effra Social’s Churchill Lounge every Monday. You can watch or join in! 7.30pm. Free.

TUES 26 @ WINDMILL BRIXTON

James Alexander Bright and band play equal parts hazy sunshine PSYCHEDELIA, lo-fi electronic soul, and melodic pop. Also on the bill: flo/so, the solo project of French drummer and music producer Florian Sauvaire. 8pm. £5.

WED 27 @ HOOTANANNY

Hackney-based band Pace have a reputation for captivating live performances and timeless MELODIES and have now more than half a million online plays. They will be supported by London-based R&B/soul artist Bobbie Harvey. 9pm – midnight. Free.

THURS 28 @ EFFRA HALL TAVERN

The Effra’s long-running JAZZ JAM SESSION is still going strong. Come down early to get a seat as it gets super busy and feel free to get up and dance if the mood takes you. 9pm – midnight. Free.

FRI 29 @ DOGSTAR

It’s the Dogstar’s HOUSE PARTY! 10pm – 4am.

SAT 30 @ AZAWALA

Brixton Candle Company launches its handmade, eco-friendly CANDLES and visitors will be able to purchase the products and give feedback. Azawala café gallery, 55 Loughborough Road, SW9 7TB. 2 – 7pm.

A double bill that pairs ROMANIAN GYPSY brass maestros Fanfare Ciocarlia and Taraf de Impex, made up of founding members of the legendary Taraf de Haidouks and leading figures from Romania’s underground music scene. It will be the world premiere of a Taraf de Impex work commissioned by the Brusselsbased Europalia Arts Festival Romania. 7 – 11pm. £25.70 – £31.45.

SUN 1 @ BRIXTON VILLAGE

THURS 21 @ HOOTANANNY

MON 2 @ HOOTANANNY

If it’s Thursday, it must be REGGAE at the Hoot. This time round, Cecil Reuben presents Sherii Van Dyer, Realistic band and Jahrevelationmuzik. 9pm – 2am. £3.

FRI 22 @ BLUES KITCHEN 50 years after the release of the Space Oddity album, Blues Kitchen pays homage to Brixton’s own Starman, DAVID BOWIE. The house band will perform his greatest hits while the Atlantic Soul Orchestra will play the late set from 12:45am. Downstairs the James Riley Trio, provide blues and country. 9pm – 2.30 am. £5.

SAT 23 @ HOOTANANNY Batov Records takes over the Hoot for a four-act extravaganza of WORLD MUSIC with The Odd Beats combining Turkish folk, Balkan dance beats, and rembetiko among other world music flavours; award-winning Sicilian heritage band Tamuna; KEFI and their new take on rembetiko, mixing urban Greek folk, dub-inspired tunes and rebellion; DJ Kobayashi plays anything from east of Gibraltar that’s got a groove and the right melody. 9pm to 3am. £5/£8.

The London Artisan FAIR celebrates independent producers and makers – shoppers meet the makers and friends and put the social back into shopping. The event “targets and appeals to an informed and highly motivated audience of consumers, collectors and aficionados as well as a select audience of professionals”. 11am – 5pm. Free entry.

Join the passionate and dedicated audience at the quarterly Brixton Bookjam, a free LITERARY EVENT that is unpredictable an eclectic, showcasing South London writing – from a-listers to talented unknowns. 7.30pm.

TUES 3 @ WINDMILL BRIXTON

Jelly’s James presents Jessica Joy Allen and her HARP – and we mean a real one – CIL, and Jessi Mac. 8 – 11pm. £5.

WED 4 @ BRIXTON REC

The Rec’s new community GYM is offering Wednesday sessions for over-55s and for juniors between 11 and 16 years old. Oldies get gym, table tennis, chair aerobics and a fall prevention workshop. 9am – 1pm. Details and cost: brixton@gll.org

THURS 5 @ PRINCE OF WALES

A live gospel choir backs you at this monthly residency – plus prizes for the night’s Best Confessional, Best Solo Performance, Best Duet/Group Performance and more. 7 – 11pm. From £13.

FRI 6 @ CAFÉ CAIRO

DRUMNBASS from Community Bass. 6pm – 2am. £5 after 9pm.

NOVEMBER 2019 brixtonblog.com WHAT’S ON  21

What’s on at Whirled

South London fireworks There is no firework display at Brockwell Park this year. But Crystal Palace Fireworks promises an evening of family entertainment. As well as fireworks and a laser display, the event will feature Arcadia’s Lords of Lightning (right) shooting lightning bolts from their bodies and playing an electric symphony through musical lightning. Plus street food traders, live entertainment, and a fairground will keep the whole family entertained. 5 – 10.30pm. Early bird tickets from £10. Visit www. fireworksspectacular.co.uk

Crafty Fox at the Department Store

Our Time Monday 28 – Wednesday 30 October | 8pm Sunday 3 November | 6pm With Our Time Carlos Reygadas, one of contemporary cinema’s greatest visual poets, turns the camera on himself in this tale of a marriage at the breaking point. Real-life couple Reygadas and his wife Natalia play Juan and Esther, who live a peaceful yet unusual existence on a Mexican cattle ranch. Unusual insofar as they are in an open relationship and Esther is having an affair with an American horse trainer. Juan, for his part, can handle it as long as he hears how things are going, but when Natalia stops giving him information, the dynamic quickly shifts, forcing Juan to examine his fragile masculinity. In between, Reygadas captures the ecstasy of life in thrillingly beautiful natural sequences (above). The Souvenir Monday 4 – Wednesday 6 November | 8pm Sunday 10 November | 6pm Joanna Hogg’s (Archipelago, Unrelated) latest film, produced by Martin Scorsese, sees Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) a young film student struggling to find a firm direction in life when she meets the seemingly unwavering and decisive Anthony (Tom Burke). The two immediately take to one another and an intense romance blossoms. As the relationship develops it becomes clear that Anthony is not being honest about all aspects of himself and Julie slowly discovers that they could have potentially devastating consequences for them both. Joanna Hogg presents a deeply personal examination of her own youthful experiences in this beautifully crafted portrait of self-discovery. Marianne And Leonard: Words Of Love Nick Broomfield Thursday 7 November | 8pm Marianne & Leonard – Words of Love is the beautiful yet tragic love story of Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse Marianne Ihlen. Their love began on the Greek island of Hydra in 1960 in a bohemian community of foreign artists, writers and musicians. The film follows their relationship from the early days on Hydra, a humble time of ‘free love’ and open marriage, to how their love evolved when Leonard became a successful musician.

Local market regulars Juan is Dead and their Day of the Dead mosaics (left) are just one of many traders who will be at the Crafty Fox Christmas Markets Downstairs at the Department Store on Ferndale Road. There’s a different line-up of traders each day, as well as a bar, DJs and drop-in workshops. Workshops on Saturday 23 November: 11am – 1pm – Create gift bags with Little Dot Loves; 2.30 – 4.30pm – Christmas bauble embroidery with Wimperis Embroidery. Workshops on Sunday 24th: 11am – noon and 12.15-1.15pm Stamp block Christmas card making with Martin Le Lapin. 2.30 – 4.30pm – Sparkly Christmas decoration making with Pup Tart.

Director Nick Broomfield, then aged 20, first met Marianne Ihlen on Hydra in 1968. She introduced him to Leonard Cohen’s music and also encouraged him to make his first film. Marianne and Leonard’s was a love story that would continue for the rest of their lives. Along the way we learn of the tragedy that befell those that could not survive the beauty of Hydra, the highs and lows of Leonard’s career, and the inspirational power that Marianne possessed. Marianne and Leonard died three months apart. Transit Monday 11 – Wednesday 13 November | 8pm Sunday 17 November | 6pm Fleeing Paris after the German invasion, Georg (Franz Rogowski) escapes to Marseille, assuming the identity of a dead author whose papers he possesses. He is confined to the corridors of a small hotel, and the consulates, cafés and bars that line the harbour. Everything changes when Georg falls in love with the mysterious Marie (Paula Beer) who is desperate to find her missing husband. Based on a novel by Anna Seghers, awardwinning director Christian Petzold (Phoenix, Barbara), tells the story of a nearly impossible love amid escape, exile and a longing for a place to call home. Adrift In Soho Sunday 17 November | 8.15pm Pablo Behrens film presents “Soho as you have never seen it before” – the blast furnace that produced the 1960s. The sweat, the blood and the tears before everything happened. Adrift in Soho is an uncompromising and surprising look at where the late 20th century got going. Harry Preston (Owen Drake) arrives from the provinces e in the 1950s looking for place to rent and subjects for his writing. He will get more that what he bargained for. Making Waves: The Art Of Cinematic Sound Thursday 5 Dec | 8pm Directed by veteran Hollywood sound editor Midge Costin, this critically acclaimed and award-winning film goes behind the scenes to reveal the hidden power of sound in cinema. It introduces viewers to the unsung heroes who create it; to their behindthe-scenes creative genius; and to insights from the legendary directors with whom they collaborate.

Whirled Cinema | 259 Hardess Street, SE24 0HN | whirledcinema.com | 020 7737 6153

Afro-Caribbean feminine culture The Azawala Cafe Gallery at 55 Loughborough Road presents a debut exhibition by London-based Karen Alleyne, aka Oya Arts – The Deliverance of Womban: The sacred passage to self. It will run from Saturday 9 November to Sunday 1 December and celebrates “the colourful undertones of Afro-Caribbean feminine culture” with acrylic paintings. The Azawala Cafe Gallery has been a centre for West African and Caribbean culture in Brixton for three years and hosts a collection of African artefacts and a collection of art and crafts from UK-based artists – not always from a Black background. Jos Brient, owner of the gallery, says that African lifestyle is increasingly popular, especially in the art world, and is featured in everyday living through fashion, home furnishings and food. “As an African it is important to recognise our history and culture but also portray and elevate ourselves to be represented as occupants of the 21st century.” AA Azawala Cafe Gallery, 55 Loughborough Road,SW9 7TB. Open Thursday to Saturday 11am to 6pm. 020 3583 6387 or 07805 132393. azawala20@ymail.com

Mambista back for a birthday bash Mambista returns to West Norwood’s Portico Gallery on 1 November for its fifth birthday party with the big band salsa of Los Domingos (left) – they really rocked the Railway in Tulse Hill with a recent gig there. One of the hottest bands on the London salsa scene, they feature superb vocals, backed by a driving rhythm section and heady horns. Coming up on 6 December – Ray Carless and the Club Skaaville Allstars with ska, blue beat and Windrush jazz. AA The Portico Gallery, West Norwood, SE27 0HS. 1 November. In advance £8 from www.porticogallery.org.uk £10 on the door

22  WHAT’S ON brixtonblog.com 2019 NOVEMBER BPCG are fundraising for a new community space for learning, growth and play. More than £6,000 of the £10,000 target has already been raised. Visit www. justgiving. com/ campaign/ raisethebarn

Workshops, volunteering and fundraising at Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses (BPCG) is a community garden in the centre of Brockwell Park, providing a haven for local people and urban wildlife, building community and improving lives by enabling people to take part in gardening, outdoor learning, play and creative activities at our site. AA Paddy Reynolds is running one-to-one guitar lessons on alternate Saturday mornings for a £10 donation that will go to help maintain the greenhouses AA There will be Tai Chi sessions on the decking with Andy Petch at the

greenhouses on Saturday afternoons from 26 October – 2 – 3pm. AA New introduction to greenwood sculpture classes and introductions to making spoons and spatulas are on Fridays and Sundays from noon to 4pm and bookable on the website. AA BPCG run regular gardening workshops on Sunday mornings from 10am to 1pm, also regular monthly courses on maintaining a kitchen garden, the productive garden, planting an ornamental border and composting with a nominal one off booking charge. AA You can also volunteer at

the Greenhouses on drop-in volunteering days from Thursday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Or just pop in to see what’s going on. Organic plants and produce are for sale all year. AA As a volunteer, you can be involved in gardening, buildings renovation, cooking, carpentry, fundraising, selling plants and produce, helping at music and food events. To become a BPCG volunteer please sign up on the website. AA To find out more about these events and opportunities, see www. brockwellgreenhouses.org. uk/event

Walk, draw and more

CRAIG CHARLES IN AMSTERDAM

The team behind Brixton Jamm and Craig Charles’ renowned FUNK & SOUL CLUB are debuting in Amsterdam if you have the stamina for an autumnal trip. Taking place from November 8 to 10, the weekender Funk the Dam will feature an array of heritage funk, soul and disco acts including Craig Charles, Crazy P (live), Greg Wilson, Norman Jay MBE, and more. Night-time events will be at Panama, while Craig Charles and Norman Jay’s Good Times will host boat parties. Packages include options to absorb some culture by way of coffee shop tours, museum visits, bottomless brunches, dining with artists, and more. Single event-only tickets from £27.75 to £121.25 for a weekend pass. AA Find out more at: www.funkthedam.com

You can learn, walk, draw and more with autumn events on Tulse Hill’s South London Botanical Institute. MAGIC MUSHROOM MONDAYS (Drop in any time 5 – 8pm on Mondays until 25 November) and join beginners and experts bringing their fungi finds for identification and to increase their knowledge. Suggested donation £5 per session, or what you can afford. No booking necessary. PEN & WASH FESTIVE PAINTING. Saturday 9 November 2 – 5 pm. Develop drawing and mark-making skills to create a festive still life painting using various pens with permanent ink and then experiment by adding a watercolour wash. All materials provided. Booking essential. £35 members/£40 non-members FUNGI WALK – West Norwood Cemetery. Sunday 10 November 11am. The first in a series of joint walks with West Norwood Cemetery on various botanical themes. Fabrice Boltho will be finding fungi and sharing his knowledge in this fascinating cemetery. All levels welcome. Booking essential. £10. FLORA OF INDIA TOUR talk. Tuesday 19 November 7pm. A talk by four SLBI members who travelled to Simla in northern India, once home to Allan Octavian Hume, a botanist and ornithologist, and a founder of the Indian National Congress as well as of the SLBI. They studied the botanical and historic connections to Hume as well as the botany of the area. No booking necessary. Members free/£5 non-members AA For details and to join SLBI see www.slbi.org. uk. Annual membership costs £18 and includes discounts on classes, workshops and talks, up to 10 free packets of seed and members’ events.

Mental health first aid courses Local social enterprise Art4Space and its neighbour, design agency Studio Moross, are partnering the mental health training company, It’s a Playground, to run a course qualifying successful participants as mental health first-aiders. Earlier this year Studio Moross worked on the Spice Girls’ Spice World 2019 Live tour. The two-day courses are at Art4Space’s Stockwell headquarters and will be a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities. Art4Space will add wellbeing tips and exercises. Courses are on 6 and 7 November and 3 and 4 February. They are validated by Mental Health First Aid England and cost £300. AA See http://bit.ly/MHFA-A4S

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NOVEMBER 2019

Hill Mead HERALD For Black History month, Hill Mead pupils visited the Museum of London to find out more about the African slave trade and learned about African folklore at the Unicorn Theatre

MODERN DAY SLAVERY By Tyreece, Year 6 Year 6 have been learning about modern types of slavery. They found out about child slavery and supply chains. Right is a letter I wrote to Mark Parker, chief executive officer of the sports goods company Nike

We learn about the African slave trade By Fatmazahra and Dania, Year 4

Dear Mr Parker, I am writing this letter to persuade you that you must stop using forced labour in your supply chain. I will explain my reasons in this letter. Firstly, more than 200 million children work for Nike. You have to put a stop to it all. I understand that you need the children to pick the cotton, however, children need education to be smart and successful when they are older. Obviously you will agree with me because it is just not right to force children to pick cotton and pay them nothing. Do you really think all of those children really want to work for hours in the boiling hot sun and get paid nothing? I will leave that question to you.

Be brave, be confident, use your voice and tell the story By Hakeemah and Akeemat, Year 6 When we walked into the assembly hall on Friday, we saw a tent of African patterns, a washing line with different kinds of clothes and a storyteller. She started to sing a Nigerian song in a beautiful voice. Then she told us some tales. The Tree was the first story and it was about a girl who was picking grass when she noticed some silky long grass. As she walked nearer, she sank into the ground. She sang “the spirits have taken me” as she went down. A friend saw it happen and told her mother and father. They came and tried to pull her out but couldn’t. Where she fell into the earth it grew into a big tree which became a shelter. Lots of people came to tell stories under

the tree bringing the community together. The second story was called Hickory Jack and happened in the time of the Slave Trade. It was about a man who stole from different countries in West Africa and the Caribbean. He stole spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon as well as gold. On the journey home, Hickory Jack’s ship was caught by the ocean, as the wave got bigger and swallowed him up. We think this story was told to give hope to the slaves that it would end. In the workshops, we acted out the stories and made freeze frames of the tree and Hickory Jack’s ship. The day was all about telling stories, the story teller gave us some advice. “Be brave, be confident, use your voice and body language to tell the story.”

Secondly, did you know children die every year because of chemicals in the air when they are picking the cotton. Do you want to be responsible for all those children dying? Does your life have more value than all those children? As well as that, all the children work in an incredibly hot place for hours, do you really want that? As you can see there are many more important reason why, but I think I said enough for you to stop forcing children to work. You must take action. Yours sincerely Tyreece

At the beginning of the term, we read Anansi stories. Anansi is a trickster coming from West Africa a long, long time ago. When slaves were taken from West Africa, they took his stories with them. Anansi represented the hope of the slaves because they wanted to get free from being a slave. We have also been learning about the slave trade for our Black History topic. Most of the slaves come from West Africa and many were taken to the Caribbean. The slaves were made to work on farms. They were not treated well, only given a little food to survive. If they did anything wrong they were tortured to death by getting whipped. We were horrified to find out that the British were the leaders of the slave trade. The British transported the slaves around the world in ships so crammed they were packed

like sardines in a tin. The slaves had chains around the necks, arms and legs. We visited the Museum of London, Docklands (left) to find out more about the African slave trade. The most interesting part was when we were walking around the museum, then suddenly a film appeared on three of the walls and the lights dimmed. There was a deep voice: saying “Stop speaking your language, you will be taken and sold as a property” and there was murmuring all around us in different languages. The voice continued: “Your sister and brother have suffered this already and it will now happen to you.” We were terrified but it helped us to understand what it was like as a slave. At the time, many people in Britain didn’t know what was happening in the slave trade. We discovered that a man called William Wilberforce started the protest against slavery.

Anansi stories at Unicorn Theatre By Rihan and Ella, Year 2 At the Unicorn Theatre, there was drumming, African singing, a large tree, three actors and pretend grass which we sat on. The three actors played different characters and it was long time ago when humans and animals could communicate with each other. The first story was The Pot Of Wisdom. Anansi the spider took all the wisdom and climbed the tree to the sky god. A little girl ran to the tree, running away from the village. Chatter, chatter, chatter from the village talking about the wisdom going. The girl told Anansi to put the pot on his back and Anansi said “That’s a stupid idea”. But when she was gone he slipped it on his back. Anansi heard the people arguing and dropped the pot and all the little pieces of wisdom fell out. I (Rihan) caught two pieces of wisdom and gave them both away to my friends. I caught lots of wisdom but I threw it back on the stage.

The second story was about Anansi being very greedy. The other animals sowed seeds and grew plants for their food. Anansi was too lazy and did not help because he was too smart. When the crops grew, Anansi asked Snake for food. Snake agreed but only if he could come at midnight and whip Anansi. Anansi made a very gruesome plan. He made soup, ate some then he called out “I am brother Anansi, I am brother Anansi. Come and join me I am having a feast tonight” First came the goat and Anansi tricked him to stay. At midnight Snake came and whipped goat instead. Next Anansi tricked the antelope and the boar. I (Rihan) liked the sound the snake made. I (Ella) liked it when Anansi got caught because he made a bad mistake. There are lessons in the Anansi stories, the first was telling us to always share and be kind to each other and the other story was telling us not to be lazy and greedy.

BRIXTON

Bugle SPORT Euro 2020 community grants

Community groups will be able to access micro grants to celebrate London’s hosting of seven of the EURO 2020 football games. £525,000 of funding will be made available to bring people together under a new scheme launched by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Next summer EURO 2020 will be held across the continent with matches played in 12 cities. Wembley Stadium will host seven of them. The funding is designed to support one-off events, football-based initiatives and innovative community-led projects – all of which must include a focus on celebrating EURO 2020 or improving social integration in the local area. Grants of between £500 and £10,000 re available for projects like a neighbourhood music festival, a community sports day, women’s football training sessions, cooking lessons featuring different European cuisines or helping people at risk of loneliness find someone to watch EURO 2020 matches with. Grants are available through three funds: CELEBRATE AS ONE FUND: local community one-off events specifically aimed at tackling social isolation and increasing social integration. Grants £500 to £1,000. FREE KICKS FUND: helping run informal, football-focused physical activity sessions. Grants of £1,000 to £4,000. COMMUNITY FUND: supporting communities to create innovative projects that use a EURO 2020 or European theme to bring together people who might not normally interact. Grants of £4,000 to £10,000. AA Applications will open in November and groups will have until mid-January to apply. For more information, see: www. london.gov.uk/euro-2020-microgrants

Brixton’s Alex Taylor, Max Alfrey, Tien Albert and Kieran Beneochrist competed hard against each other in male 13-14 experts

Brixton host London BMX series final By Mike Woof Brixton’s Brockwell Park BMX track was the scene for the final in the London BMX Series, featuring a strong attendance from all the London clubs. In addition to Brixton’s strong showing on their home track, Peckham, North Londoners Hackney and West Londoners Hayes Hawks all fielded large teams. Riders from outside the city included a group from East Anglia Region’s Ipswich club. All told, 207 riders competed. Heavy rain in the night and early morning left pools of water on the track, particularly on the fourth straight. However, several visitors pitched in alongside Brixton club members to dig out the drains with shovels and used buckets to remove the water standing on the final straight, allowing the event to go ahead just as planned. Once the track was clear, practice laps were started, followed soon after by racing, with only

Out in front: Brixton’s Tom Schwimmbeck dominated his class for expert males aged 15-16

Local club to play in national volleyball league South London teenagers will get the opportunity to compete nationally when the local Little Giants club forms both girls’ and boys’ league teams for this season. With some weekend sessions attracting as many as 24 players in September, the teams give developing players the chance to hone their skills regularly in a game environment. Club chair Cisel Ormanci said: “We are very pleased with how London’s next generation has taken to volleyball. “Weekend sessions have been at full capacity, and the players attending the more advanced Saturday sessions are improving quickly. “We felt that to challenge them and give them a chance to grow as athletes, playing the league was the

‘No reason the next generation of stars should not be from Brixton’

natural next step,” she said. “We are creating the conditions for children to try the game in the just-for-fun after-school clubs, but also to take it more seriously if they want to.” The two under-16 teams will compete at national junior level. Players will be selected from Saturday sessions, which are invitation-only and geared towards the needs of improved players. Ormanci hopes that as the year goes on, more players from the after-school and Sunday sessions

will progress towards making the league team. With the volleyball European and World Championships and the Champions League coming to London “There’s no reason why the next British volleyball stars couldn’t come from Brixton or Clapham,” says Ormanci Little Giants Volleyball offers sessions for all abilities and ages almost every day of the week across Clapham, Wandsworth and Brixton. A Friday after-school club takes place in Brixton Rec from 4.30 to 6pm. These coached sessions are open to male and female junior players from 7 to 17. AA To find out more about the sessions visit www.volleyballevents. org/juniorvolleyball

minor delays. Brixton’s BMX riders were out in force for Round 5 of the London Series BMX event, with no fewer than 34 riders from the club competing on the day, male and female, novice and expert, and ranging in age from five to 53. Among the Brixton riders were Max Alfrey, Tien Albert, Kieran Beneochrist, Leon Bickelmann Gaia Bickelmann, Milo Enweani, Caelan Freemann Walshe, Josiah Emeka, George Kavanagh-Clarke, Louis Keane, Rudie Keane, Rian Koehler, Laurie Matthews, Christopher Moore, Determination Paton and Isla Radcliffe. They also included Jake Ranasinghe, Rosa Robinson, Jahziah Samuels, Tom Schwimmbeck, Saul Taylor, Alex Taylor, Harvey Tomlinson, Ezra Thompson, Leo Tropper, Anton Weijburg, Philip Weltzein, Kian Whiteman-Cole, Oliver Wong, Hugo Wynne, Caleb Wynne and Luke Wynne. There were 29 finals in all, for the male and female novice and expert classes and across the wide

age range of those competing. Brixton’s riders achieved good results in both novice and expert categories, with the club scoring second highest for overall points throughout the London Series, ahead of both Hackney and Hayes and were beaten only by Peckham. For male 17+ novice, Christopher Moore was delighted with his first place, while Isla Radcliffe was equally pleased with her first place in female 9-10 expert. In male 15-16 expert, Tom Schwimmbeck crossed the line in first. The last race of the day was the A final for the highly competitive male experts aged 13-14 class. Brixton BMX Club’s riders showed their skills plus their knowledge of their home track, scoring first, second and third places. Alex Taylor crossed the line in first and Kieran Beneochrist in second, continuing their friendly rivalry. They were followed closely by Max Alfrey in third and not to forget Phoebe Gaynor in fourth, showing that she’s more than capable of holding her own against the boys on the track.