Keep the faith magazine issue 89 bhm

Britain’s leading Black communityfocused publication

ISSUE 89

promoting and supporting faith and family values

Can a Christian

BE MODEST AND SEXY?

SPECIAL

BLACK HISTORY MONTH ISSUE

OLD AGE:

The role of the Black Church in Black history

The essential part of God’s plan

WHAT’S YOUR VIEW ON

ASSISTED SUICIDE?

STEVE

THOMPSON

A worship leader with a powerful cultural heritage

PEOPLE & PLACES

BELIEVERS IMPACTING SOCIETY

£3.95

WELCOME 03

CONTENTS ISSUE 89 10

Dear Reader

I hope you enjoyed a great summer, and are now looking forward to the autumn and to Black History Month (BHM), that time of year when people of African descent, living in the UK, reflect on their history and pay homage to their heroes and sheroes.

We have several pages in this edition of Keep The Faith focusing on the role of the Church in British Black history. Ronald Nathan, a former Director of the now defunct African Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, writes about the social, political, economical and, of course, spiritual impact the Church has had on the Black community. Dr David Muir writes about the first ever political manifesto produced

by Britain’s Black churches, and the difference it will make to the lives of the Black community, while I look at how the Church and Christian life have changed over the past 25 years. In addition we have included a special BHM supplement with lots of interesting articles about our community and history.

We’ve also got an interview with praise and worship supremo, Steve Thompson, who has travelled the world leading worship, teaching a new generation of worshippers and, as an added bonus, he is the son of a leading pioneer of the New Testament Church of God. Other articles featured in this month’s Keep The Faith include Esther Kuku asking whether it is possible to Christian, modest and sexy; and Rev Wale Hudson-Roberts examines the subject of assisted suicide.

As always, Keep The Faith contains articles that will inform you, encourage you, make you reflect on life and, more importantly, help you to keep the faith.

Happy reading

Editor, Keep The Faith Magazine

18

14 28

39 46

WELCOME

04 Food 4 Thought by Marcia Dixon 06 Readers’ Letters

NEWS

07 News pages

GOSPEL

10 Gospel News by Marcia Dixon 12 How churches can use music to reach the unchurched by Juliet Fletcher

OUT AND ABOUT

14 People and Places 16 Keep The Faith About Town

INTERVIEW

18 Interview with Steve Thompson

FEATURE

22 The role of the Black Church in Black history

by Ronald Nathan 24 Black Church political manifesto - a new form of Christian activism? by Dr David Muir 25 Life lessons through letters

by Amanda Wilson 26 New school and old school churches

by Marcia Dixon

Keep The Faith Limited Suite 48 88-90 Hatton Garden London EC1N 8PN Tel: 0845 193 4433

R

28 The Boys’ Brigade - Engaging children and young people 30 How will the Yes vote for women Bishops impact Black women? by Dionne Gravesande 31 Can I be modest, sexy and Christian?

by Esther Kuku 32 Old age: the essential part of God’s plan

by Louise Morse

COMMENT

34 The role of language in empowerment

by Rev David Shosanya 35 Has church worship become a spectator sport?

by Rev Stephen Brooks 36 Should dying come naturally or be assisted?

by Rev Wale Hudson-Roberts 38 Pastors’ Column by Marcia Dixon

LIFESTYLE

39 Body Fuel - mouthwatering recipes

by Shauna Muamba 40 Business Matters by Denise Roberts 42 Cyber Corner by Keno Ogbo 44 Mind, Body & Soul by Lola Olarewaju 45 Heart to Heart by Esther Fenty

MISSION

46 Because the past does not dictate the future

by Bekah Legg

Publisher: Shirley McGreal admin@keepthefaith.co.uk Editor: Marcia Dixon editorial@keepthefaith.co.uk Advertising: advertising@keepthefaith.co.uk Admin and Subscriptions: admin@keepthefaith.co.uk Twitter: @keepthefaithmag www.keepthefaith.co.uk www.blackchristiandirectory.com

The Publisher would like to thank Marcia Dixon, Juliet Fletcher, Ronald Nathan, Dr David Muir, Amanda Wilson, Dionne Gravesande, Esther Kuku, Louise Morse, Rev David Shosanya, Rev Stephen Brooks, Rev Wale Hudson-Roberts, Shauna Muamba, Denise Roberts, Keno Ogbo, Lola Olarewaju, Esther Fenty, Rebekah Legg, Jackie Raymond, Becky Wybrow, O’Neil Dennis, our advertisers and all our supporters.

The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publisher.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

04 WELCOME

FOOD 4

DON’T REJECT GOD BECAUSE OF PEOPLE

THOUGHT

The future is what we make it

B

lack History Month is with us again, and the recent events in Ferguson, US – where unarmed Black teenager, Michael Brown, was shot dead by police - has once again put a spotlight on how police forces treat Black men throughout the world.

Following coverage of this tragic incident, some people are saying the violence and looting that occurred in Ferguson afterwards, as the community fought for justice, is proof that Black people have not progressed much since the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s. But is that true?

In some ways, Blacks have made great progress in the US: the civil rights movement has resulted in the growth of the African-American middle class; the country elected its first ever Black president in 2008; and Black Americans are now included amongst some of the world’s most influential people. But, in other ways, they haven’t – particularly with regards to Black men being the victims of police brutality, filling up the prison system, and being part of the growing Black poor. And, unfortunately, this is a fact the world over.

However, the election of America’s first ever Black president should provide living proof that Black people can achieve anything if they put in the necessary effort. Maybe the truth of the matter is that the main progress people of colour need to make is a mental one. There are opportunities galore for Black people in the western world, if we have self-belief, some faith, and are willing to work to make our dreams a reality.

Part of being able to take advantage of opportunities will also entail Black communities giving respect - even if it’s only grudgingly - to the key institution that has affirmed Black people, provided solace, and been an incubator for Black achievement -

Michael Brown

and that is the Church. Even President Obama is a product of it, and that is why I have little time for people who seem to make it their life’s vocation to criticise everything the Church stands for, or harp on in ignorance that Christianity is a ‘White man’s religion’. Don’t they know that most of the Old Testament stories took place in the Middle East and North Africa; that the founder of Christianity was Jewish, and that Christianity was taken to Africa by Philip, one of the original disciples of Jesus?

As world citizens of the 21st century, it is beholden upon all people of colour to ask themselves what they want from life. If the answer is that they want opportunities to fulfil their potential, achieve their dreams and ambitions, and be treated with respect, I believe it’s possible. However, in pursuing one’s dreams, we shouldn’t forget that the fight against injustice remains a continual one for Black communities throughout the world, and that it’s one we must win.

Even if it’s just for Michael Brown.

PRAY FOR THE WORLD In the past few months, a lot of major crises have hit the news headlines, including: • The Ebola health crisis impacting West Africa • The war in Iraq • The war in Syria • The war in Gaza • The riots in Ferguson, US, and; • The missing Nigerian schoolgirls, kidnapped by Islamic extremists Boko Haram.

It can be very distressing watching news reports of these very serious issues, and feeling totally helpless at the same time, because there seems to be little that we can do.

However, there is much that we can do.

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First and foremost, we can pray for God to bring His healing, hope and peace into each of the above situations.

Secondly, we can support charities and voluntary organisations that are working to provide humanitarian aid in these areas of distress and, thirdly, if need be, we can write to our local MP to find out what stance the government is taking on these issues.

If, however, all you can do is pray then please do, because God has promised to both hear and answer our prayers and, at this present moment in time, the world desperately needs them.

With recent news broadcasts filled with stories about the war in Iraq, we are hearing of Christians who literally have to choose between death and recanting Christ to serve another god, yet we have believers, living in the West, turning their backs on Christianity for reasons I would deem questionable.

Reasons include: being overlooked for a hoped-for ministerial position; being upset because someone said something negative about them; or because they experienced betrayal.

Although these things are unpleasant, and it’s unsettling to experience any of the above, is it worth leaving the church and turning your back on God for? I don’t think so.

First and foremost, Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, paid a heavy price for humanity to be reconciled to God. He died on the cross. The least we can do as believers is to be appreciative of this, and respond by serving God wholeheartedly.

Secondly, Christians are likened to soldiers in God’s army and, like anyone involved in warfare, they might have to face a battle by themselves or endure hardship. In fact, the Apostle Paul says that they will. “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:3-4).

Furthermore, the Bible states we should expect and embrace challenges that come with following Christ.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3).

So, the next time you are offended or upset by someone’s off key behaviour, don’t get mad or decide to turn your back on God! Pray for them, and remember that trials are sent to make you better.

06 LETTERS

Readers’ Letters

THANK GOD FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

People always seem to have negative things to say about young people, so you can imagine how refreshing I found it to read about the profiles of young Christian adults, who are making an impact in the Church and wider society. God bless them for the work that they are doing, and I hope that the article inspired other young people to reach out and do great things for the Lord.

Michelle Brown, Luton

ISSUE 88 Britain’s leading Black communityfocused publication

Paying tribute to the late great

promoting and supporting faith and family values

MAYA ANGELOU

It’s time to move beyond Black stereotypes by

REV DAVID SHOSANYA A minister shares how he lived under the threat of terrorism in Nigeria

Daniel Stone

HOW SHOULD THE CHURCH

RESPOND TO UKIP?

SETH PINNOCK

shares his experience of leadership

YOUNG PEOPLE

TALK ABOUT ATHEISM , RELATIONSHIPS AND ENTREPRENEUR SHIPS

£2.95

We’d love to hear your views on Keep The Faith and the featured articles. Send your letters to Keep The Faith Letters, PO Box 574, Bury St Edmunds IP33 9BW or better still, email letters@keepthefaith.co.uk

Young people impact society What a treat it was to browse through issue 88 of Keep The Faith and read the contributions of young writers, as well as the profiles of young Christian adults making an impact in the Church and wider society. I’ve always felt that, when young people give their hearts to the Lord and let Him lead their lives, they are destined to do well. This issue of Keep The Faith proved it. Thank you.

Keysha Matthews, Birmingham Mildred Talabi

Dion Johnson interview was inspirational

The Keep The Faith interview with Dion Johnson, whose business encourages mid-life women to pursue their ambitions and dreams, was really inspiring. To change one’s life to pursue new career opportunities or set up a business can be a difficult thing, and to read of Dion’s experience in doing so, as well as overcoming the challenge of being facially disfigured, is encouraging to say the least.

It’s so easy, in both the Church and society, to feel that you have little to contribute when you reach a certain age, so to read Dion’s comments that mid-life women have much to share because of the wisdom and knowledge they’ve acquired over the years is really empowering. Her interview has certainly made me stop thinking that, as I am no longer young, I have little to contribute. I now know I have much to give, and will find new ways of doing so.

Tunde Odunsi, London Dion Johnson

IT’S DANGEROUS TO STEREOTYPE RACES

“The corollary to Black poverty is White exploitation through structural inequalities mediated through unjust financial systems, and an indifference to the plight of Black people” (Rev David Shosanya).

If you exchange White for Jew and Black with Aryan, you’ll realise you’ve heard this before!

Accusing an entire race of exploitation and indifference is dangerous stereotyping at best, and incendiary at worst. A minority of Aryans preached pride in their race, while blaming and denigrating other races; it led to the Holocaust!

A minority of South Africans did the same, and that resulted in apartheid. In the Balkans, this rhetoric led to yet more ethnic cleansing.

Stereotyping and denigrating people of another race to promote racial pride brings disaster.

The inevitable result of racial pride is an emphasis on racial purity, so where do mixed race and albino people go? Today, they make it big in the movies, politics, sport and elsewhere, so shouldn’t they be proud of what they have achieved, rather than be forced to pick a colour? The UK’s fastest growing race is mixed race, and in most churches there are mixed race children. We need to protect those children!

When a missionary suffers in a country where the people are a different colour, they don’t hit back by promoting racial pride; they preach the Gospel. It is the Gospel we should preach when outnumbered and persecuted, not pride in our race. If you want to preach something that’s in black and white, preach the Gospel!

Paul Sinclair

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Insightful article on atheism Andy Gray’s article was a real eye opener concerning young people’s view on atheism.

I thought it was going to be filled with young people stating how the cultural wars being fought in the Media and beyond, re atheism and theism, were having a major impact on their attitudes to Christianity.

Instead, I read that atheism is having little impact on their view of God and the Church.

Rather, it’s the way the Church practises its faith that is not only negatively impacting some young people, but causing some to leave and deciding that they want little to do with the Church. This is sad, highlighting that when churches are not sensitive to the views and attitudes of the youth of their congregations, re some of their practices, they leave. May this article serve as a warning to churches that they need to be mindful of their practices and rituals, and how young people are interpreting them.

Phillip Jones, Milton Keynes

NEWS 07

Christ Embassy under investigation for alleged financial mismanagement

T

he Charity Commission, the regulator of charities in England and Wales, has appointed an Interim Manager to leading Black Pentecostal church, Christ Embassy. Utilising its powers, the Commission appointed Mr Rod Weston of Mazars as Interim Manager of the charity in August - to the exclusion of the charity’s trustees - as a temporary and protective measure.

An inquiry into the charity was launched in July, after serious concerns were raised about its financial management, with particular concerns about large payments. A books and records inspection has been carried out, and the regulator has obtained information from and met with the trustees; however, the regulator’s concerns about the financial management of

the charity have not been resolved.

The appointed Interim Manager has taken over the management of the charity, including its staff, assets, interests and relations with third parties. They have discharged the functions of the charity’s trusts, and will take any steps necessary to secure and take control of the charity’s assets. The religious activities of the charity are not affected and the Interim Manager is working with the pastors to ensure this remains the case.

It is the Commission’s normal practice to publish a report on its website on conclusion of an inquiry, setting out what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry, and what the outcomes were.

Divorce on the cards for Christ Embassy founders?

The decision of the Charity Commission to appoint an Interim Manager to oversee the running of Christ Embassy is just one of the major issues this international denomination is facing.

Nigerian and other African websites are filled with news reports that Pastor Anita Oyakhilome, wife of Christ Embassy’s founder, Pastor Chris, filed for divorce in April this year, using the services of a UK law firm, and citing allegations of adultery and unreasonable behaviour. Pastor Chris has denied the accusations.

It is also being reported that another reason for the couple’s woes is that Pastor Anita feels she is not being given the recognition she deserves, whilst her husband has accused her of usurping authority and being under the influence of ‘bad’ friends.

The couple, who have two daughters, are one of the most high profile ministerial couples in Nigeria, where Pastor Chris is based. Such is the consternation among some Christ Embassy

church members about the possibility of their

much-loved leaders divorcing, they have set up a Facebook page called ‘Where Is Pastor Anita?’ after it was noted she had not been seen in public since November 2013.

Christ Embassy has branches in the UK, South Africa, the US, Canada and Nigeria, and Pastor Chris, who also owns an airline, TV stations and publishes one of the world’s most read devotionals, ‘Rhapsody of Realities’, which sells two million copies a month, is reputed to be worth between $30-$50 million.

At the time of writing, Keep The Faith had not received a response from Christ Embassy International to these allegations.

Bishop Bolt inaugurated as new Overseer of NTCG Steve Clifford, General Director, Evangelical Alliance; Bishop Delroy Powell, Leader of the New Testament Assembly UK, and Dr Larry Hess, former European Director for the Church of God were amongst the 1000+ people present at the inauguration of Bishop Donald Bolt as the new National Overseer of the New Testament Church of God.

Bishop Bolt, who was elected earlier this year, takes over from Bishop Eric Brown, who served in the role for 12 years. His first major undertaking as the new National Overseer will include launching a Prayer Strategy for NTCG across England and Wales, and conducting an overview of the organisation before announcing his plan to take the church forward during the next four years.

WORLD’S RICHEST BLACK WOMAN CREDITS GOD FOR HER SUCCESS Africa’s richest woman, Nigerian-born Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, who is reputed to be even richer than Oprah Winfrey, shared how her faith in Christ helped her achieve success, when she gave a speech to students at Lagos University, Nigeria, recently.

She told the students, “I chose to become born again at the age of 40. I chose to make a covenant with God that if He would bless me, I would work for Him all the days of my life. I chose to hold on to the cross and look up to Him every step of the way. Today, additional accomplishment includes a wife of almost 40 years, a mother, grandmother, ministry, counselling, outreach, NGO Rose of Sharon Foundation for widows, and author of several inspirational books. All I say to the glory of God.” Mrs Alakija, who has four adult children and grandchildren, also shared that she achieved her goal of becoming a successful businesswoman by defying expectations, setting goals, working hard, staying focused and never giving up.

She also encouraged the students to complete their education, even though she doesn’t have a degree. “I never went to a university, and I am proud to say so because I don’t think I have done too badly. You do not have to have a university education to be able to make it, so count yourselves privileged to have that education as part of the feather in your cap.”

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

08 NEWS

Faith leaders enlisted to raise dementia awareness

P

ublic Health England (PHE) recently held a roundtable discussion with Black faith leaders to look at how they could work with church leaders to increase people’s understanding of dementia, and to remove the cultural barriers that cause African and Caribbean people to visit their doctor for diagnosis later than their White counterparts.

The Dementia Friends campaign, launched in May, seeks to tackle this disease, which is one of largest health issues facing England and Wales. The Dementia Friends initiative aims to dispel common myths and stigma associated with the disease, and to show how society can support those living with the condition. It is estimated that of the 600,000+ sufferers, 25,000 are from ethnic minorities.

Rev Nezlin Sterling of the New Testament Assembly, Bishop Mark Nicholson and Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin were among those present at the discussion.

Pastor Marjorie Esomowei of Triumphant Church International, who was also present, stated: “The event has helped us to understand how we can offer support to those living with dementia and their families. We need to ensure that people understand that dementia is a disease that can be managed with the right medical support, and with help from family and community.”

Dr Justin Varney, National Lead for Adults and Older People, PHE, said: “This event was

ARCHBISHOP’S WEEK OF PRAYER FOR PEACE

The Archbishop of York, the Most Rev and Rt Hon Dr John Sentamu, recently undertook a week-long fast and vigil to pray for world peace at St John’s Chapel at York Minister. Archbishop Sentamu prayed every day for a week - and asked Christians to pray alongside him - for people groups throughout the world, whose communities had been devastated or destroyed by militarism, idolatry, dictatorships and abject poverty.

CHRISTIAN SINGLES UNSURE OF THEIR PLACE IN CHURCH a great start to an ongoing conversation about how we, as Public Health England, and our partners can work with faith and community representatives to understand and address the cultural barriers and fears that conditions like dementia raise in communities.

“Working together, involving faith, community and business leaders, we can shift society to be better for people affected by dementia, and fundamentally this makes it better for everyone.”

Visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk for more details.

Church raises the roof to fund £600,000 community projects In the run-up to its recent 10th anniversary celebrations, Tottenham-based church, Kingdom Life Ministries (KLM), embarked on a £600,000 fundraising initiative, entitled ‘Raise the Roof’, to fund community initiatives it plans to launch in 2015.

Fundraising activities undertaken by KLM included a sponsored praise walk and a sponsored slim. Upon reaching its target, some of the projects that KLM will fund include: English language (ESOL) classes for local residents; a support group for Black women experiencing or recovering from domestic abuse, a homework club and Saturday tuition school.

KLM, which attracts over 400 people to its Sunday services, was founded by Ghanaian-born minister, Bishop EO Ansah. He stated, “Kingdom Life Ministries is committed to sharing the Gospel in a way that is relevant; that’s why we believe we’ve been successful in reaching so many people and touching so many lives.”

He continued,“I’m excited that, as KLM’s 10th anniversary celebrations approached, our members embarked on a campaign to raise funds to finance social projects we want to establish to serve the people of Tottenham and beyond. We aim to be a blessing, as we fulfil Christ’s mandate to share the Gospel in both word and deed, and hope that Christians from London’s diverse churches, as well as members of the local community, will support us.” For more details, visit www.klmuk.org.

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NEWS SNIPPETS

A recent survey has found that single believers are unsure of how the Church views them. Conducted by www.christiansingles.co.uk, the survey, which had 3000 responses, found that four in 10 single Christians felt the Church doesn’t know what to do with them; 54% hadn’t been on a date in a year or more; 43% felt the Church gives little guidance to single Christians, and 77% felt that sex belongs in marriage.

OPERATION MOBILISATION APPOINTS ITS FIRST BLACK DIRECTOR One of Britain’s most influential Black female church leaders, Pastor Celia Apeagyei-Collins, recently made history by becoming the first Black person to be appointed to the Board of Directors of international charity, Operation Mobilisation. Pastor Apeagyei-Collins, who runs her own organisation, The Rehoboth Foundation (which provides leadership training and mentoring for young leaders), also serves as a vice president of Tearfund, and sits on the steering committee of the National Church Leaders Forum (NCLF).

HIV CHARITY LAUNCHES NEW INITIATIVE FOR FAITH GROUPS The UK’s largest HIV and sexual health charity, the Terrence Higgins Trust, recently launched its Faith and Community Project, which will provide African faith leaders with the skills needed to support people living with HIV. The charity will enable faith groups to access rapid HIV testing services, which provide results within 20 minutes. It is also calling for volunteers from African communities to help the team build relationships with African faith and community leaders, and raise awareness of the range of services on offer. Visit www.tht.org.uk for more details.

09

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10 GOSPEL NEWS

L E P S O G NEWS Gospel star helping charity raise funds for school Kierra Kiki Sheard, currently one of gospel’s leading young artists, is due in the UK this November.

This daughter of the legendary gospel singer, Karen Clark-Sheard, will be performing at a fundraising concert being held at Bethel Convention Centre on November 1, where she’ll be supported by MOBO Award-winning gospel rapper Guvna B and Ricardo Rocstarr Williams.

Funds raised from the concert will be donated to the Leicester Kashume School in The Gambia, which was built following the efforts of the Leicester Central and St Matthews Community Fellowship, along with the Kaine Management Gospel Choir.

The school was initially built to accommodate 20 pupils. Due to growth, however, 150 pupils currently attend classes. Money will be used to extend the building, provide stationery, purchase agricultural tools and maintain the well.

Kiki, the star attraction for this special concert, has won a host of fans in recent months - and not just because of her music. She’s one of the stars in reality show, The Sheards, and recently joined the judges on leading gospel talent show, Sunday Best.

Her UK concert promises to be a special event – make sure you give it your support.

Tickets range from £10-£25. Visit www.nugeneration.org.uk for ticket details.

Meet the Artist:Tonya Bolton Tonya Bolton is a playwright set to embark on a 10-date, nationwide tour of her self-penned, one-woman show, ‘Holy and Horny’, which explores issues of faith, sexuality and spirituality. She spoke to Keep The Faith about the play, its impact on audiences, and how faith in God has impacted her life.

KEEP THE FAITH (KTF): You’re taking your play, ‘Holy and Horny’, on a UK-wide tour. What is this production about, and what issues does it touch on?

TONYA BOLTON (TB): ‘Holy and Horny’ is a celebratory, powerful and deeply moving one-woman show that celebrates women’s spirituality and sensuality.

The play explores one woman’s struggle to remain holy, despite being as horny as hell! All 20 characters are played by me, including Sheila, the frustrated Christian, and her alter ego, Eve, a sexually uninhibited poet. As well as making you laugh, ‘Holy and Horny’ brings to the stage an innovatory, head-on, no-holes-barred approach to concepts of race, gender, culture and female sexuality.

KTF: Christians don’t often delve into the subject of sex and the issues surrounding it. What inspired you to write a play on the subject?

TB: Sexuality of any type is often not discussed in many UK churches and communities. From my experiences, both as a Christian leader and as a woman, many churches have traditionally found it hard to talk about sex and relationships and, as a result, many of the single Christian men and women I speak to feel isolated, sexually frustrated, inadequate or confused. ‘Holy and Horny’ not only adds to the discussion of singleness and celibacy, but also addresses taboo issues, such as sexual health and abuse.

KTF: What kind of reactions have you garnered from audiences whenever it has been staged?

TB: ‘Holy and Horny’ broke box office records on its première performance in 2011 and, when the show last toured in 2012, all performances were fully sold out. From the extensive audience feedback we’ve received, we know that numerous women reported their own rapes to police; received counselling; accessed support services,

and began to recover from the trauma of abuse as a result of watching the play.

KTF: How does your faith inform your work?

TB: My faith in God informs everything I do. Much of Christian history has often been devoted to domesticating the character of Jesus. But the fact is, Jesus wasn’t just a sweet Baby in a manger, He was a provocative teacher. People either loved Him or hated Him – but they never ignored Him. He wasn’t afraid to speak out against injustice or challenge the status quo. For me, being a Christian woman isn’t about being liked or being popular. It’s about addressing key issues affecting our communities, and campaigning against all injustice, inequality and oppression. It’s about recognising our God-given unlimited power to transform our communities for the better, and playing an active role in meeting these needs.

Prayer alone is not enough!

KTF: What other types of productions/projects should we expect from you in the future?

TB: In 2015, I will be performing ‘Holy & Horny’ in the USA. I will be touring UK schools and detention centres with a new play, called ‘Man Up!’, aimed at teenage boys. I also have an exciting book coming out very soon, and I’m currently writing an explosive movie - so watch this space!

KTF: Describe yourself in five words.

TB: Trailblazing. Authentic. Creative.

Compassionate. High-spirited.

‘Holy and Horny’ kicks off its nationwide tour on 27 September at Derby Theatre in Derby, and will visit Doncaster, Peterborough, Manchester, Catford, Hackney, Wolverhampton, Devon, Enfield and Nottingham. Visit www.holyandhorny.com for more details.

Photos courtesy of Pamela Raith Photography

GOSPEL NEWS 11

LYTIE: An artist

who’s getting better with time

The past few months have been good ones for Birmingham-based gospel reggae singer, Lytie. He recently travelled to the sunny islands of the Bahamas to collect a Marlin Award for Best Newcomer for his recently released album, ‘Better’.

Not only did he collect an award, but he also got to perform at the event as well. His Bahamian award success follows in the wake of another award he received, this time for ‘I’m Still Here’, which won Best Song of the Year at the Prosperity Awards, held in London earlier this year.

ARTIST WATCH Ricardo Rocstarr Williams

Lytie is known by some as ‘The Smooth Man of Gospel’ and he has often been compared to the late reggae great Dennis Brown, and abroad he’s often confused with Beres Hammond.

Reggae is in his blood. Lytie travelled the world singing reggae, and was once a Rastafarian, but dissatisfaction with where his life was heading, coupled with disappointments, led him back to the faith of his youth and back to God. His recent award successes highlight that Lytie is continuing to produce quality music that touches hearts and minds. The future can only get bigger and better for him.

Visit www.lytie.co.uk for more details. Like on Facebook @ Lytie Powell, or follow on Twitter @LytiePowell

Y

ou might be familiar with the soulful voice of Ricardo Rocstarr Williams and, if so, it’s because he was part of popular UK gospel group, The Company, and performed on their critically acclaimed album, ‘The Lost Code’.

Born and bred in London, Mr Williams is now Birmingham-based, and is currently working on his own album, ‘The Show’, which is the second of a three-part album series. Ricardo has been singing since the age of seven, and started writing songs at the young age of 12. As he got older, his vocal skills were honed in the church, and he gleaned inspiration from a host of artists, including Fred Hammond, Commissioned, Tank and Dave Hollister. In the run-up to the release of ‘The Show’, Ricardo is set to be very busy during Black History Month. He’s due to perform at Birmingham’s iconic The Jam House on October 8, and at Sunday Night Live, in association with Starbucks, on October 19. And, on November 1, he’ll be a support artist at a concert featuring gospel music star and Sunday Best judge, Kierra Kiki Sheard. The future looks bright for this talented artist and, more importantly, you’ll get to see him on show. For more details, visit www.rocstarrmusic.com or follow on Twitter @Rocstarrmusic

GOSPEL NEWS BITES If you’ve been tuning into the new series of UK gospel talent show, Time2Shine, you’ll have heard that the final, to choose the winner of a prize worth £100,000, will take place in front of a live audience at Hackney Empire on October 25. If you’re interested in hearing some great live audiences and seeing the judges, which includes Angel of US gospel group Trin-i-tee 5:7, make sure you get your tickets, which start from £20.

Visit www.hackneyempire.co.uk or visit www.time2shine.tv for details.

Grammy Award-winning gospel artist and pastor, Donnie McClurkin, has formed a new record label called Camdon Music. Not only will it record artists, it will also teach and empower artists on how to negotiate their way through the music business. The label has already released music by two artists – Andrea McClurkin Mellini (Donnie’s sister) and Nancey Jackson Johnson. For more information, visit www.camdonmusic.com.

Roger Samuels, considered one of the UK’s best gospel singers, has recently released a single, called ‘I’m In Love’, written by American gospel singer, Michael Bethany. He was one of the worship singers at Mission To London, and apparently Morris Cerullo loved his ministry so much, he booked him to fly out to the US to minister at one of his events. Roger will be going on a UK-wide tour alongside Trinidadian gospel sensation, Sherwin Gardner, when he arrives here this autumn.

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12 GOSPEL NEWS

How churches can use music to reach the unchurched Juliet Fletcher explores how some churches are using Sunday night services to reach the unreached, by giving gospel music a prominent platform

JULIET FLETCHER is a former BBC Producer and founding Executive of the GMIA

T

here have been quite a number of changes in church life over the years.

One of the biggest in recent times is the traditional Sunday evening service. Have you noticed that it seems to be disappearing?

In its place has come the ‘alternative’ Sunday night event, which seems to be benefiting gospel artists in ministry and performance.

WHY THE CHANGE?

Before exploring the benefits this change has brought to gospel artists, let’s take a quick look at what might have brought about that change.

There seem to be two main reasons of the several mooted. First and foremost: people are focusing on Sunday morning services; attendances have gone up on the grounds that, in the afternoons/ evenings, families need more time together, and parents and children need to prepare for school and working week. Fair enough. The second reason is much more an assertive counter attack on the verbal ‘same old, same old’, where Pentecostal services have become almost ritualistic, with long drawn-out testimony times that weren’t so much about miracles but the ‘standard’ appreciation of God’s goodness in everyday life, and lightweight preaching on the same most popular stories of the Bible. I wouldn’t say anything is wrong, except that for congregations with a younger demographic, who want to experience a more dynamic, gritty and even challenging experience of church fellowship, the notion of creative worship or arts-based fellowship holds a much more attractive set of choices. And, more importantly, according to Denis Wade of Micah Ministries, it presents a powerful way of engaging non-church attending families and friends.

It was back in 1998/99 when I experienced for the first time a Sunday evening service – which was not a Sunday evening service - at ECC Follow us on Twitter @keepthefaithmag

(Evangelical Christian Centre), where Denis Wade was a pastor. They had a series of ‘events’ entitled Stomp! And it certainly had the young people ‘stomping’ in!

“A fair number of people in my church are there now, because of the special alternative evening services we’ve had.”

THE BENEFITS

When he planted the church, Micah Minstries, at the turn of the new millennium, Denis continued the innovative evening service once a month, labelling it ‘Sunday Night Live’.

“At Micah Church, we benefited greatly from hosting a regular concert/worship night ‘Sunday Night Live’. We had input from gospel practitioners, promoters and agents, who acted on behalf of artists; we had great input from the artists in performances. It has enriched our services and the life of our congregation, and souls were added to the church.”

Both local and international artists featured in the events. Denis added, “I’d encourage pastors to use this strategy as a method for reaching the unchurched, and for strengthening their congregation; where, in normal services, worship is often restricted time-wise, these events allow for a deeper, prolonged worship time. It’s also an excuse to invite people, and we found it rallied the saints together in effort.”

Denis surprised me further by letting me know that it wasn’t expensive to stage AND that they were happy to pay and be a blessing to artists and the industry.

In more recent times, my own church has featured many gospel artists, taking into consideration the congregation’s seeming love for reggae: Minister Junior Tucker, Stitchie, Carleen Anderson and King Arthur are just a few of the artists, who have had opportunity to ‘take over’ the normal evening service.

I know for a fact that a fair number of people in my church are there now – with their families –

as upstanding, committed believers, because of the special alternative evening services we’ve had. That is why I believe our gospel artists should be treated with much more due diligence by our leaders.

Now event organisers and promoters are also using external venues, like theatres, restaurants, clubs and coffee bars; a Sunday from 2.30pm onward is the new ‘Christian social time’, and this is giving a new impetus to opportunities in reaching out, whilst enjoying expressions of our faith through the arts.

BEING BLESSED BEING PAID

“By any means reach some...” 1 Corinthians 9:22 seems to encourage us, and I think those who are adventurous are getting results. One such approach is the now national ‘Sunday Night Live’ event (different from the Denis Wade’s initiative), which uses Costa coffee bars and other venues all over the country, and is making a system of it through their website, www.sundaynightlive.org.uk.

Any artist can apply.

I would like to see more of these initiatives but on the premise that Pastor Wade has, that quality artists receive remuneration from which they are able to sustain their full-time status in music – or, at least, a real opportunity for selling CDs and other merchandise.

It seems to me that these developments are real grounds on which we can build a recognisable gospel circuit. That has to be an exciting prospect for us all – industry, artists and audience alike.

Shattered dreams, healed

by God’s love Daughter of the high profile preacher T.D. Jakes, Sarah Jakes had dreams of a life full of love, laughter and happy endings. When she became pregnant at the age of 14, her life changed dramatically.

A few years later, when a fairytale marriage ended in a spiral of hurt and rejection, she sank into despair.

But God had other plans for Sarah, surrounding her with his love and enabling her to dream again. Today Sarah oversees the women’s ministry at The Potter’s House in Dallas and is a mother of two. Find out more at www.sarahjakes.com

Buy it now: Paperback ISBN 978 0 7642 1241 3, £8.99 Hardback ISBN 978 0 7642 1209 3, £14.99

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14 PEOPLE AND PLACES

PEOPLE PLACES AND

Welcome to People and Places, providing an insight into some of the things Christians are doing within the Church, and how they are sharing Gospel values in society at large

MARIA RODRIGUES

Discipling women through radio

T

here can’t be a Christian woman in the UK, who hasn’t tuned into Premier Radio’s Woman To Woman at least once to hear the chirpy, bubbly voice of its senior producer and presenter, Maria Rodrigues-Toth.

Every weekday, between 10.30am and 12pm, this popular magazine show broadcasts interviews with well-known and not-so-well-known Christian women, whose lives are impacting the Church and wider society, and features real life issues affecting women of faith.

A committed Catholic and theology graduate, Maria revealed that boldness played a key role in getting the presenter’s role. She recalled, “Whilst studying for a Master’s degree in Theology - and cleaning people’s houses to pay my way - I got invited to represent my denomination at a gathering on Media and Faith. After scanning the delegate list, I noticed that the CEO of Premier Christian Radio was also in attendance. I tracked him down to thank him for the station, which resulted in him asking me to email my CV. The following week, a job was found for me: editing the station’s teaching programmes. The rest is history!”

Maria considers her work a blessing.

“For eight years now, I have had the privilege of listening to women share their stories over the airwaves, often letting me in on some of the most intimate or challenging situations in their lives. Every story encourages me to press in closer to God, because He is the answer

UVI OROGUN Leading videographer whose work touches hearts

O

ne person, who is fast becoming a leader in the field of making gospel videos, is Uvi Orogun. Two of his productions took home awards at JUMP, the UK’s first ever video awards for gospel, held in Birmingham this year: Devoted by Noel Robinson and Yahweh by Living Faith Connections Choir.

is Wom a n to Wom a n to broa dca st Mon d a y R a dio Frid a y s on Pre mie r p m. from 10. 30a m – 12 t For m ore d et a ils visi www.p re mie r.org. u k

to every trial we encounter in life.”

Well-known women, featured on the show over the years, include: politician Ann Widdecombe, comedian Angie Le Mar, actress Sophie Okonedo, and many, many more. However, Maria, whilst inspired by the famous women she has interviewed, sees Woman to Woman as a show for all women. “The show is not focused on celebrities; it is about discipling women and glorifying Jesus through stories. I don’t keep a tally of the famous people because, although they might have a bigger platform than the rest of us, we are all the same at the end of the day, with hopes, dreams, hurts and challenges.”

She also sees the show as having a role that unites and disciples listeners. “There has been so much division in the world over the years - either racially, generationally or denominationally - so one of the aims of the programme is to unite believers under the banner of Christ. It’s a discipleship show, offering advice as well as insight into how to live the Christian life to the full.”

Outside of presenting, Maria keeps herself busy by renovating her home alongside her husband, and speaking at conferences up and down the country.

She also has the Woman to Woman Conference (taking place on November) to look forward to, and life in general. “I have learnt that we can have dreams for our lives and ministry, but often God takes us on higher paths than we expect, or He holds us back in order to teach us something, so I try not to second guess what the future holds, but simply to offer my dreams to God.”

PEOPLE AND PLACES 15

JOY POTENTIAL U Styling the masses to look their best

I

ndividuals, who agree with the saying ‘Dress how you want to be addressed’, are people who find themselves using the services of professional stylist, Joy Odunsi, aka Joy Potential U. A committed Christian, Joy, who was once an accountant, was literally inspired by her faith to leave her lucrative profession to pursue a career as a stylist.

She recalled, “In 2003, I had a clear word from God to move from finance to fashion after 13 years as an accountant in the City which, as you can imagine, terrified me. After my initial shock and hesitation, I took a leap of faith; quit my job; trained at the London College of Fashion as a stylist, and sold my house to birth Potential U – Style and Image Consultancy.”

Via her company, Potential U, Joy provides various services for clients ranging from housewives, working professionals, as well as celebrities who want to put their best foot forward. Services include: Personal Shopping, Wardrobe Detox, Colour Analysis, Corporate Image and Branding presentations, Ladies’ Style, Colour Parties and Wardrobe Management.

Her aims as a businesswoman and stylist are quite clear: “Our objective is helping clients achieve style and confidence with their wardrobe,” she shared. “We have styled celebrities and worked on various TV shows, however our passion is working with ‘ordinary people’ - helping them to look and feel their best.”

Joy loves her work, and considers it a privilege to be able to help people look their best. Some of the clients that have stuck in her mind over the years includes: giving a style makeover to a mum of three, suffering from post natal depression; styling a woman suffering from terminal cancer, who wanted to feel beautiful, and helping a woman choose a great outfit in which to collect her MBE. Furthermore, Joy believes it’s imperative that people care about how they look. “How you present yourself matters!” she shared. “Statistics tell us that within the first four seconds of meeting a person for the first

It was a proud moment for Uvi when his videos were announced as winners in their respective categories. He recalled,“For me, it is always an honour for any of my videos to be recognised anywhere in the world; so for my work to be acclaimed at the first ever UK music video awards meant a lot to me, being part of history. I’m so honoured and grateful that my videos were recognised. It feels good to be rewarded for what you do.”

Uvi is fast becoming the person artists turn to when they want an impactful video produced.

Isabella, Rebecca, Aaron T Aaron and DTWG are among the artists who have utilised Uvi’s services.

The first UK artist to benefit from Uvi’s skills, after he left Greenwich University with his multi-media technology degree, was Sonnie Badu.

Uvi contacted the popular praise and worship artist - after being blown away by his worship

Visit www.pot e nti a lor lik e on Fa ce bou.co. u k @ Pot e nti a lUSty o k list

time, they are perceived by how they present themselves, so it goes to support the saying that ‘First impressions count’.”

And what about Christians? Should they care about the clothes they wear? “Christians live in this world,” says Joy, “so they should present themselves well. That is what styling aims to do.”

Aside from dressing the nation, Joy is often asked to give talks about style and dress by all kinds of organisations, including churches and businesses.

Topics covered include: ‘Appropriate dress etiquette in churches for women and men’, ‘What is a winning corporate image?’ and ‘How to dress for your body shape.’

Joy’s desire is for her business to grow and expand, so that she styles people in the UK and abroad, and that she plays a part in ending the myth that styling is reserved for celebrities and the rich. As far as she’s concerned, it’s for everybody.

And what about her future? She’s keeping things close to her chest and just says, “We have a lot of exciting projects in the pipeline, which will be revealed in due course. So watch this space!”

song, ‘Baba’ - to ask if he could make a video for it. To Uvi’s surprise, Sonnie accepted his offer.

Not only did Sonnie love the finished product, but so did the public. Uvi recalled, “He believed in me and trusted me. It was an exciting time for me, and has had over 2 million hits worldwide on YouTube.”

Hearing Uvi talk, it’s readily apparent he loves what he does. “I enjoy video and film,” he said.

“Purely because it allows me to express myself in ways that I would not be able to, if I was focusing on one area of media production. With video, I can tell a story that is captivating and engaging, and that also touches various subject matters within a three minute film.”

As far as Uvi is concerned, he ministers the Gospel via his work and, for the record, he doesn’t just make gospel videos. He also produces short

films, TV commercials, programmes for churches and documentaries. And as for his future dreams, he would like to make feature films, as well as run a 24-hour gospel music video TV station.

In everything Uvi does, God is at the centre.

That way, he believes, he’s guaranteed success.

“My faith plays a major, major part in what I do.

Without God, I am nothing but mere clay. Every day, before I go on a shoot, I fall on my knees and ask God to take full control of the shoot, and to give me direction and to inspire me. I can tell a story my way and it will bless a few people, or I can tell a story the way God wants me to tell it, and it will bless millions.”

For more details, visit www.mmupictures.com www.keepthefaith.co.uk

16 KTF ABOUT TOWN

KEEP THE FAITH

ABOUT TOWN If you have an event or news you would like featured in Keep The Faith About Town, email editorial@keepthefaith.co.uk with details. You must have pictures to accompany your story.

GUEST OF HONOUR AT GALA BANQUET Over 200 people attended a special Gala Banquet held in honour of Bishop Eric Brown, the outgoing National Overseer of the New Testament Church of God, one of Britain’s oldest and largest Black Pentecostal church denominations.

Bisho p Er ic Br own He was joined by a wealth of NTCG ministers, including Bishop Derek Webley, Bishop Claion Grandison and Bishop Donald Bolt, who was recently inaugurated as the new National Overseer. Other special guests included Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, and Rev Joel Edwards, who was ordained within the NTCG. Hosted by Leony Titus and Bishop Norman Gooden, guests enjoyed entertainment from singer Carla Ellington, Bishop George ‘The Flame’ Beason and comedian Bishop Shacklefoot, as well as tributes made to Bishop Brown from a wide range of people, including Bishop Alfred Reid of the Church of God of Prophecy; Paulette Simpson of Jamaica National, who sponsored the event, and Dr Joel Edwards, who gave the closing address.

SINGERS UNITE TO SUPPORT KIDNAPPED GIRLS Sixty female vocalists, including 70s pop star Linda Lewis and soul singer Jocelyn Brown, as well as singers from the world of UK Gospel, like Bomi Diri, winner of the 2012 Time 2 Shine gospel talent show, Natalie Phillips and Adelaide Mackenzie, were among those who participated in the recording of charity single, ‘Women of Hope’, written by Michelle John, backing singer to the stars and a former lead singer with LCGC.

Linda Lewis and Jocelyn Brown In his response to the glowing tributes, Bishop Brown, who served as National Overseer, spoke of his love for the church and gave special thanks to his wife, Millicent, their three sons, their wives and his grandchildren. Also present were his siblings and 90-year-old mother.

Bishop Brown will take some time out before deciding upon his next step, but made it clear he will continue serving God and the church, as long as he has breath.

BBC 1 SONGS OF PRAISE GOSPEL CHOIR OF THE YEAR COMPETITION The Reapers Choir

The song, which was released in September, aims to raise money for new charity KODA (Keeping Our Dreams Alive). Founded by Yvonne Bruce and Catherine Labinjo, the charity aims to support young women throughout the world to fulfil their dreams and educational aspirations. Funds raised from the sales of the single will be used to raise awareness for the #bringbackourgirls campaign, launched earlier this year in response to the kidnapping of over 200 school girls by Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram.

Visit www.koda.org.uk for more details.

Left - Right Judges Mica Paris, Muwiya, Carrie and David Grant

Make sure you tune into BBC 1’s Songs of Praise on September 28 and October 5 to catch the performances of the six choirs that made it through to the finals of the second gospel choir competition broadcast on the show. The six choirs were: The B.I.G. Choir from London; AINE from the North of England; The Reapers Choir from London; Gospel Rhythms from Coventry; Lewes Sings Gospel from East Sussex, and Living Faith Connections Choir from Barking.

The choirs strut their vocal stuff in front of a panel of judges, comprising radio presenter Muyiwa; r’n’b singer Mica Paris, and vocal coaches Carrie and David Grant, and a packed audience at the Hackney Empire. I was one of the lucky people in the audience who watched all the performances, and I can say it was a close call. I even know who won, but I can’t say, so watch and see. It’ll be worth it.

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Yvonne Bruce, Michelle John and Cat herine Toyin Labinjo

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18 INTERVIEW

KEEP THE FAITH INTERVIEW:

STEVE THOMPSON Steve Thompson is one of the UK worship scene’s hidden secrets. The son of a pioneering church leader within the New Testament Church of God, Steve has travelled the world serving as a worship leader, musical director and producer on a range of worship projects. He has worked with some of the world’s leading Christian artists, including Graham Kendrick, Lara Martin and Noel Robinson and, such is his knowledge about worship ministry, he is a lecturer at the London School of Theology. He spoke to Keep The Faith about his life, work and the ministry he runs alongside his wife, Velveta.

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INTERVIEW 19

KEEP THE FAITH (KTF): You’ve been involved in music ministry for many, many years, but what exactly do you do?

STEVE THOMPSON (ST): I have been involved in music for over 35 years now, having started playing piano at the age of four and guitar at the age of three. Over the years, I have worked hard and developed the skill of producing and arranging music.

Now, under the umbrella of our ministry, Beracah Music International, we produce and arrange albums for many international artists and worship leaders. I also teach part time on staff at the London School of Theology and, along with my wife Velveta, we offer worship team and worship team leadership consultancy.

KTF: Can you share some of the countries you’ve visited, and what you enjoy most about travelling all over the world to share the Gospel through music?

ST: I have now been privileged to travel to over 100 countries, including Nouméa, Egypt, Israel, Mauritius, Russia, the United States and many others. I really enjoy getting to know the locals, and tasting their different cuisine. It is such a joy to see the various creative ways that nations worship God in their local churches or homes, as some are forced to do.

KTF: In all your years of ministering, which experiences stand out for you, and why?

ST: Firstly, a trip to the Ivory Coast and the Republic of Congo. I was playing for a French band, called ‘EXO’, for whom I have done music arrangements on all their albums over 17 years. Whilst on a French World tour, we were told that a special guest would be attending one of the events. We did not know until later that this ‘special guest’ was the President of the Ivory Coast and his wife. During the concert, she came up and handed a note to Chris Christensen, the band’s lead vocalist at the time. He came over to me and communicated that the President’s wife had asked for a song that Velveta and I had written: ‘To the Lamb That Was Slain’. This song has been translated into French and has been used in numerous French churches around the world.

Also, I was very fortunate to be in a meeting in Asia with over 30,000 Chinese people, and feeling honoured that I was the only Black person in the crowd. There, I experienced and witnessed 14+ Japanese Christian leaders on the stage, facing and bowing down to a few leading Chinese Christian leaders and pastors, and asking forgiveness for all the atrocities and murders that had happened during the war and beyond. It was very moving to be witnessing

this incredible moment of reconciliation – one I will never forget.

KTF: At what age did you realise that God had called you to music ministry, and what was your initial response?

ST: From a very early age - around six or seven - I was aware by the many comments that I had musical ability (we grew up in a musical home). However, at the age of 13, I realised I was called to use my music to serve in the local church, which my father was pastoring at the time, and beyond.

KTF: You have a worship ministry for adults and a separate one for children that you run with your wife, Velveta. Can you tell me a bit about that?

ST: We run an academy called casX (Creative Arts School of Excellence). Too many teenagers and young adults walk away from God-ordained callings, without having truly encountered the God who passionately loves them. It is from this springboard that Velveta and I are committed to investing into the next generation of worshippers and creative children.

Through casX, we pull in some great musicians, singers, songwriters and worshippers from the world of Christian music and, together, they deposit investments of God’s passion into the lives of the children who attend. What started out as a Saturday music school quickly grew into something much more impacting, when the ALL YOU CAN BE Children’s Residential Worship and Music Conference was birthed in 2011.

KTF: Can you tell me a little bit about your upbringing: where you were born, how many siblings you had, and what work your parents did?

ST: I was born in London, East Dulwich, and spent three years there until the New Testament Church of God, the church I grew up in, relocated my father, Rev SU Thompson to George Street (Handsworth church) in Birmingham. I have two brothers and seven sisters – one of my sisters, Ivy, went to be with the Lord four years ago. My father was responsible, along with other ministers, for pioneering the Church of God in the UK in the 50s. In fact, my father pastored at the very first NTCG building that was purchased in the UK. He led the church for 29 years. All family members have served in leadership in some way.

KTF: What role did faith play, and what was it like growing up in the home of a minister who was a leading pioneer of the NTCG? ST: My father is now 92 years old and, during a surprise visit to see him and Mum in Jamaica, I will never forgot a comment he made during the many lengthy conversations we had: “Steve, I am now looking forward to the next phase of my life…”

To be honest, there was always undue pressure on my brothers and sisters to ‘uphold the ministry’ – failure was a ‘no no’ - and we always felt like we had to live up to not bringing our father’s ministry or name into disrepute. However, although this was sometimes incredibly difficult, as I always had a naughty and cheeky side, it has produced in us a leadership quality: thinking

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20 INTERVIEW

about an action before enacting, and being more thoughtful about the needs of others around us.

KTF: When did you make the decision to become a Christian, and how has being a believer impacted your life?

ST: At 13 years old, I decided to follow Jesus though, being brought up in a Christian home, we were introduced to the faith at a much earlier age.

Everything I do and all decisions I’ve made have been impacted by my faith in God, and by a desire to live and lead as an example of the Christian life. It’s amazing; the moment you reveal to those around you that you are a Christ-follower, you are observed more keenly. I guess the old statement is so true: ‘When evangelising, use words if you have to.’

KTF: You seem to have a very good work/ church/family life balance. How have you managed that, considering you travel so much?

ST: It can be a major challenge trying to balance work, faith and my commitment to my family.

And, let me state, I have not always got it right!

When away from home, Vel and I speak about eight times a day; this has been very important in maintaining consistency and a balanced, married life! I have found that it is incredibly important to remind my girls why Mum and Dad do what we do. Therefore, they are much more releasing when they know I have to travel overseas. Thank the Lord for Skype and the

Vel and Steve Thompson

Internet in general – lol! Sometimes, we just leave our Skype on, as this assimilates being in the same room.

KTF: What advice would you give to church leaders wanting to develop a vibrant and effective music ministry in their churches?

ST: It is important to develop good character in musicians and singers. I still believe one of the big mistakes being made by leaders, is thinking that musicians and singers are in place to serve the leader over their service, dedication and commitment to God. The true effectivity and success of the worship ministry is a worship team filled with individuals who can, and who have a passion to usher people into God’s presence from Monday to Sunday. There must be a good balance in receiving and giving!

KTF: What does the rest of 2014 hold for Steve Thompson, and what are your plans for your music ministry in 2015?

ST: We are very excited about 2015, but first, making sure we complete our plans and everything that belongs to 2014. We are looking forward to facilitating some extra culture, music and worship training in Asia. I am also going to be producing a new album for Velveta, and another one for my youngest daughter, Esther.

We are planning our fourth Residential Children’s Music and Worship Conference, which will be held from 3-8 August, 2015. I am also supporting the band, facilitating a World Vision initiative, ‘Embrace’, where six female worship leaders - including Velveta under the leadership of Lara Martin, take to the road, encouraging child sponsorship.

The 2014 Tour has been a significant success, with many making a decision to sponsor a child through World Vision.

KTF: What message of hope would you like to leave with Keep The Faith readers?

ST: We have the ability and opportunity to share the Gospel of truth and hope in Christ, in many creative ways. Don’t wait for unusual opportunities, but use the normal day-to-day opportunities that God gives us. We went out of our way to strengthen our friendship with our

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next door neighbours, who were not initially talkative but, through God’s prompting and Vel’s kind persistence in reaching out, the wife eventually shared with Vel that the doctors had given her six months to live. We gave her some of our instrumental music albums, and extended a hug and prayer when appropriate. I told her the other day I had made up my mind that, when I see her again, I was going to give her the biggest of hugs.

Many would say when evangelising, not to scare the non-believer away, but we have learnt (still learning – lol) to just simply do what you think Jesus would do. Her recent words to us were: “I hope you won’t be moving away from this neighbourhood too soon…” She held tight as we embraced her. Let’s continue to reach out to those around us, demonstrating the love of the Father, being His hands and feet.

For more details, visit www.beracahmusic.co.uk; friend on Facebook at steve.thompson.568294; like on Twitter: Steve_Velveta

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22 FEATURE

The role of the Black Church in Black history Ronald Nathan takes a look at the contribution of Britain’s Black churches to Black history, and challenges the Church to take its role to empower, encourage and protect the constituency it serves to the next level

B

lack History Month is a celebration of the United Kingdom’s diversity. It highlights the role played by people of African and Caribbean ancestry in these British Isles, and illustrates the historical experiences and achievements of Great Britain’s people of colour.

Black Christians have to embrace the fact that Black history is about us. Historians, too, have to discover and pay respect to our role in shaping Black British history. It is our story of how we engaged social, political, economic, cultural, racial and spiritual forces.

British Black history draws data from Roman times to the present struggles and accomplishments of our children, youth, students, artisans and professionals from all walks of life.

Black history inspires, motivates and challenges both the present and future generations. Black History Month is beneficial to all peoples, races, colours and ethnicities. The Black Church represents the most cohesive and strongest institution in the Black community. What is somewhat surprising is that some seek to write historical accounts of the Black presence in the United Kingdom, with little or no reference to the Black Church. This could be because we found ourselves defining ourselves around our faith commitment, as opposed to our cultural identity.

Due to negative images and meanings attached to the word ‘black’, many of us shied away from that label. However, the Black Power Movement of the 1960s and 1970s sought to reinterpret the term ‘black’ and gave us slogans such as ‘Black is Beautiful’ and ‘I am Black and Proud’. This implanted strength, pride and positive identity into the term ‘black’.

Many in the Black Church detested the term ‘Black’ and rejected the designation ‘Black Church’.

Even so, many young people at that same time questioned, ‘What is wrong with being Black?’

Self-acceptance is vitally important in identity formation and to understand one’s significance in the world. We, as Christian leaders, are therefore required to communicate effectively to our children and youth their value as to their specificity, their Blackness and their universality among the human race.

It is interesting to note that since the SS Windrush landed at Tilbury Docks, some sixty-six years ago, the Black Church has been on a quest for acceptability and respectability. We really do so want to be accepted and respected by other churches - especially White Christian denominations.

This validation we consider crucial to our role in society, and verification that we are bona fide.

Follow us on Twitter @keepthefaithmag

This quest, however, can be a two-edged sword: it could propel us to do the work of the church as priest, pastor and prophet to our community and world, or it could feed an inferiority complex that has us constantly trying to be like others and seeking validation from others, which undermines and undervalues who we are and what we do.

This respectability thing dogs us continually.

The growth of the prosperity gospel emphases among our churches has more to do with wanting to join mainstream middle class status than to do with the teaching of the Bible on incarnation.

A colonial legacy, some still believe that acceptance of the status quo brings respectability and power.

We have therefore downgraded the critical prophetic edge of the Church and the Christian message.

The reality is that the status quo empowers

the powerful, and tends to institutionalise systemic injustices into the very fabric of society.

This then wages war on the poor, the weak, the needy and the vulnerable. Many of our people are disproportionately represented among these.

Now, please do not misunderstand what I am saying. This is not a call to abandon annual conventions and to take an oath of poverty. I am purporting that we ‘let the Church be the Church’ and that necessitates a prophetic critique of the society and of the Church itself. This includes our part in history, and our relationship with different segments of the Black community and interactions with the wider community.

We should celebrate the successes of the Black Church, as it offers to the Black British community motivation to continue in the struggle. Here are a few of our successes:

FEATURE 23 that has made them poorer, and with much of the negative experiences associated with the police, the penal institutions, the mental health services, the schools and colleges, the adoption and fostering services and the housing authorities.

They will not have the Black Church support system, nor its extended family to encourage them to go on up a little higher. The way forward has to be to create from our present vantage point institutions of assent.

Where are our financial institutions to buffer the difficult boom-and-bust cycles? Twenty-five years ago, we did not see the wisdom of a Black bank. Maybe now is the time? Is there not room in our calendars to formulate a Black Church investment fund to facilitate small- and mediumsized business development?

‘Christian leaders are therefore required to communicate effectively to our children and youth their value as to their specificity, their Blackness and their universality among the human race.’

Many of the major Black denominations - the New Testament Church of God, Church of God of Prophecy, Church of God in Christ and the New Testament Assembly - have all celebrated their fiftieth anniversaries in the United Kingdom. Their staying power should be saluted.

We have inspired Black Christians in the older denominations to challenge racism and discrimination in their respective churches.

We have raised the profile of successful Black Christian leaders on a national and international level, including the likes of Kate Coleman, Angela Sarkis, Dionne Gravesande, Matthew Ashimolowo, John Francis, Joel Edwards, Eric Brown and Joe Aldred - to name a few.

We have served in certain social fields with distinction, through our provision and hosting of mental health services, senior citizens’ homes, youth clubs, mentoring programmes and Saturday schools, etc, for which we now have a plethora of persons with designations such as OBEs and MBEs. We have raised up, primarily among our African sisters and brothers, entrepreneurial Christian leadership that has revealed the business possibilities of being in church.

Angela Sarkis

Matthew Ashimolowo

Due to the strong emphasis on reading, singing, performing and public speaking, we have produced excellent scholars and professionals.

Our music has transformed the popular media, and has taken gospel from the choir loft to the Royal Albert Hall. There is no doubt that our musicians, dancers and performing artists are some of the best in the world.

Academic theology has benefitted from the emergence of womanist and Black theology in Britain, which act as a critique to the status quo ideas of God and the conditions of people of colour.

The spread of spectacular awards we give to excellence in our communities speaks volumes to our confidence and ingenuity.

The above are just a few of the many contributions that the Black Church has made to empowering its followers and contributing to Black history.

The greatest challenge and future work has to be how it represents those who are not numbered among the faithful.

For every person who gets ‘into the spirit’ in our church on Sunday, three persons will be ‘catching hell’ to have a decent quality of life.

They will be battling with the economic downturn

Joel Edwards

Eric Brown

Can we expand our ideas of Christian healing to include the development of world-class research and teaching hospitals, and the creation of community health plans? Where is the strategic united leadership that would allow us the critical mass to put pressure to bear on incidents of unfair judicial and policing policies?

How will we engage with the upcoming General Election, moving from manifesto to preparation of a slate of candidates trained to understand politics, and with a value system informed by the biblical principles? Is it not time that we take advantage of the ‘free schools’ educational policy to get our own Pan African University started?

The Black Church has to translate its dynamism within the society, and take ownership of our human, social and financial resources. Black history has to move from mere protest to empowerment, and the Black Church has to at the forefront of this paradigm change. Let’s make history by building upon that which our foremothers and forefathers were able to accomplish.

Ronald A Nathan, a former Director of the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, now works as an international social development consultant, motivational speaker and coach, and is an elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. His latest book, ‘Defying the Odds from the Ghetto to the Globe’, is available from Plain Vision Publishing.

Joe Aldred www.keepthefaith.co.uk

24 FEATURE

Black Church political manifesto a new form of Christian activism?

The NCLF recently published the first ever political manifesto produced by the Black Church. Dr David Muir looks at the reason for this development and what it signifies about Britain’s Black community

DR DAVID MUIR

E

is Co-Chair of NCLF

lection fever is here again. In less than nine months from now, the 2015 General Election will be upon us. October is not only Black History Month, but it is also the season for annual party conferences and a lot of political posturing and name-calling. It is the season when party leaders, spin-doctors and spokespersons tell us why we should vote for them, and how important it is to exercise our democratic right by placing our ‘X’ on the ballot papers. And, given the low turnout recently for the election of the new Policing and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in 2012, they are right to goad those who are eligible to vote to do so.

Ahead of the party conferences and the 2015 General Election, the National Church Leaders Forum (NCLF) has produced its own manifesto for action. The document is called ‘Black Church Political Mobilisation - A Manifesto for Action’ and it focuses on a number of key social and political issues. But what exactly is the purpose of the manifesto? Why was it produced, and what does the NCLF hope it will achieve?

This manifesto represents a ‘first’ for the Black Church in the UK. This is the first time that African and Caribbean church leaders have produced a document like this to politically mobilise its constituency. For some, it demonstrates that the Black Church has ‘come of age’, signalling its willingness and commitment to fully engage in the wider social and political issues of the day.

In the history of the Black Church in the diaspora, especially in America, there is a rich tradition of the Church taking the lead in the fight for justice and equality. We think of radical and prophetic Follow us on Twitter @keepthefaithmag

people, like David Walker, Sam Sharpe, Sojourner Truth and Martin Luther King, Jr, to mention a few.

We also call to memory a time when, according to the African American scholar Eric Lincoln, the church was the ‘organising principle around which life was structured’ as it became the ‘school’, the ‘forum’ and the ‘political arena’ for individuals.

Because the Black Church in the UK is often perceived as being silent - failing to speak out on social and political issues, and challenging major injustices faced by the Black community - it is sometimes referred to as ‘a sleeping giant’. The manifesto challenges this view in two ways. Firstly, by highlighting the range of social and community projects leaders of the African and Caribbean have established and led, it demonstrates what the churches have done and continue to do. Secondly, it advocates and recommends specific ways the church constituency should tackle some of the major problems facing the community.

“This is the first time that African and Caribbean church leaders have produced a document like this to politically mobilise its constituency.”

Looking at the content of the manifesto, it is clear that important issues are raised, but the document does not pretend to be comprehensive.

It is anticipated that the document will be a ‘live document’, with other issues added to it nearer the 2015 election. Questions will be raised in regard to its operationalisation, communication and resourcing.

In eight sections, it deals with topics including: Church and community; Policing and criminal justice; Mental health and marriage; Youth and education. Each section is divided into three parts, providing what it calls ‘The current picture’, ‘The biblical picture’ and concluding with ‘Where do we go from here?’

As a ‘manifesto for action’ and ‘political mobilisation’, it recognises the importance of voting and political engagement. It sees no dichotomy between the Christian faith and political engagement. Indeed, it argues that political engagement is ‘a part of our civic duty and Christian responsibility’. This is certainly meant to be a challenge to those, both inside and outside the Church, who say that Christians should ‘keep out of politics’.

Indeed, the manifesto argues that being ‘salt and light’ (Matthew 5:13-16) and taking seriously the welfare, peace and prosperity of ‘the city where

I have sent you’ (Jeremiah 29:7), demands radical and prophetic Christian engagement in the political process. To this end, it calls upon BMC leaders to do more to promote and teach ‘the importance of active civic and political engagement for the common good’, as well as to host hustings, vote and support the National Voter Registration Campaign.

We all know that political parties often forget about the electorate until elections loom large on their agenda. The manifesto challenges them not to play games with our constituency, but rather to engage with BMCs and BME communities in the political process on an on-going basis, ‘and not just during the election season’. And, given the fact that Operation Black Vote (OBV) has identified around 168 marginal seats in which the BME vote could play a critical deciding factor in who wins and who loses, it is important that politicians take this message and our presence seriously.

The Black Church manifesto was produced in anticipation of the 2015 General Election, but it is more than that. It says that the Black Church is making a step change; that BMCs have ‘entered a new era in their development in the UK’, and that the BMC community is ready to engage and resource a new form of Christian activism for the common good.

The NCLF hopes that the manifesto will make a small contribution to this process, providing some initial resources for discussion, prayer, strategy and action on a range of key issues before and beyond the 2015 General Election.

BLACK HIST RY MONTH MAGAZINE 2014 www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk

inside...

a tribute to the late Maya Angelou how black soldiers helped Britain in WWI

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CONTENTS

BLACK HIST RY MONTH MAGAZINE 2014

10

12

26 30 SUGAR MEDIA AND MARKETING LIMITED

BHM 2014 CONTENTS

11 Dacres Road London SE23 2NN

4 INTRODUCTION

20 ALL ABOUT FOSTERING

Tel: 0203 659 3499 www.sugarmediaandmarketing.co.uk www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk

6 EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

22 FIRST PRODUCTION OF ‘RACHEL’ IN 100 YEARS

PUBLISHER: Ian Thomas

10 THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Shirin Aguiar-Holloway, Stephen Bourne

12 IN REMEMBRANCE OF MAYA ANGELOU

LISTINGS EDITOR: Paul McDade ONLINE EDITOR: David Ruiz DESIGNERS: Becky Wybrow, Angela Prichard

Featuring Prime Minister David Cameron, Ed Miliband and David Lammy BHM’s pick of upcoming events around the country Interview with the Director Susan Stroman

BHM looks back at the life of this extraordinary woman

14 HOW BLACK SOLDIERS HELPED BRITAIN IN FIRST WORLD WAR

by Stephen Bourne

All you need to know about fostering

Interview with the exciting young director Ola Ince

23 BLACK HISTORY MONTH TIMELINE

BHM defines some of the landmark events which helped shape Black British history

26 AN ADOPTION JOURNEY

Suzanne tells her story in the hope that more black people will consider adopting

28 FACING THE TABOO OF RACE DISCRIMINATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

by Chris Hall, Head of Stakeholder Relations at the ECU

CONTRIBUTOR: Emma Spence, Veronica Bland

16 METROPOLITAN BLACK POLICE ASSOCIATION (MetBPA): 20TH ANNIVERSARY

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Shirley McGreal, publisher of Keep the Faith and her team

18 GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE AT 40

A fully comprehensive list of all national BHM events across the UK in 2014

Detective Sergeant Janet Hills talks to BHM

30 BLACK HISTORY MONTH LISTINGS 2014

BMH talks to Claire Light, Head of Equality, Confidence and Neighbourhoods BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 03

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Black History Month 2014

Message from Prime Minister David Cameron

W

elcome to this year’s Black History Month UK 2014 magazine. This October we have an exciting range of events taking place across the country to entertain, inform and inspire.

In London celebrate Black History Month with the award winning musical The Scottsboro Boys at the Garrick theatre, The Compelling Play Muscovado at the Burnt out theatre, and the funny and topical one woman play Holy and Horny on tour throughout the UK, plus many more shows and events to discover in your area for the full national listings and a breakdown of all the Black history Month events please visit our website: www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk There are so many stories of Men and Women who have made their mark and a positive contribution to black history. In this issue to mark the 100 years since the First World War, we look at how black soldiers helped Britain in the First World War. Also included in the issue is an interview with Janets Hills, the first female chair of the Black Police Officers association (BPA) who are celebrating there 20th Anniverary. We also remember the charismatic American author and poet Maya Angelou died this year aged 86.

History has proven to be an important part of forming ones Identity and development. Having access to history allows us to see who we have been and who we can become. The more we delve into and expose the many stories that make up history, the more we unravel the many complicated, connected and multifaceted layers that make up the human spirit and the people who made us who we are today.

From the team here at Sugar Media and Marketing we wish you a momentous Black History Month 2014.

Emma

Spence

“If you know your history, then you would know where you’re coming from” Lyric from Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley

04 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

As we celebrate Black History Month we not only look back with enormous gratitude to the African-Caribbean community for their immense contribution to Britain, we can also look forward with great confidence about the future of our country.

This October we recognise the courage and resolve of those who came to Britain from Africa and the Caribbean to seek a new life often in the face of hostility; we pay tribute to their children and their children’s children who now form part of our country’s rich diversity. We thank you all for everything you have done and everything you will do in the future that will keep Britain great.

This year we mark two important anniversaries: 20 years since the end of apartheid in South Africa, and a century since the outbreak of the First World War. This will also be the first Black History Month since the sad passing of Nelson Mandela last year. Of course, it was Madiba himself who led the movement that ended that deeply unfair and unjust system, leading to a new South Africa and giving hope to millions more around the world.

And as we observe 100 years since the beginning of the First World War we also remember the hundreds of thousands of men from Africa and the Caribbean who came to Britain’s aid in the fight for freedom. Their contribution has often been overlooked but it is reassuring to know this is now changing with new projects, such as

Trench Brothers in London, which commemorates the lives of African-Caribbean and other black and minority ethnic soldiers.

But Black History Month is not just about reflecting on the past. It is also a time to tackle today’s challenges and unlock tomorrow’s opportunities.

The issue of social mobility is rightly one of the key themes this October, and it is an ideal that I passionately believe in. If we are to thrive as a country we have to do everything we can so that any person, regardless of their ethnicity, age or gender, can realise their potential.

We all have a role to play in this – including the Government - which is why our long-term economic plan is designed to create opportunities, boost skills and back hard-working people. Our plan chimes with the strong entrepreneurial spirit of Britain’s African-Caribbean communities and it gives me great pleasure to know that thousands of black entrepreneurs are starting their own businesses with Government backing and the number of people of African-Caribbean heritage starting apprenticeships has doubled since 2010.

This means more skills, more opportunities and economic security. We know there is still some way to go to achieve full equality but we are heading in the right direction where people of all backgrounds can and have a stake in achieving a brighter future for all in our country.

Message from Rt Hon Ed Miliba I am delighted to send this message of support for this year’s Black History Month.

Black History Month runs throughout the month of October and is designed to celebrate the significant contributions that Black and minority ethnic people have brought to our country - socially, economically and culturally.

The rich cultures and traditions of the Black community here in the Britain, have for many years contributed to the diversity of our country and is key part of what makes Britain so unique.

Black History Month both educates and reminds us and new generations about how our society has been shaped. We will remember the legacy of Black history and the civil rights movement. We will remember the lives that were lost by those fighting for freedom and the messages of equality and freedom that have lived on throughout the years.

I look forward to hearing about another successful Black History Month and wish you the very best.

INTRODUCTION

Message from David Lammy MP I was honoured to be asked to write an introduction for this year’s Black History Month Magazine.

As Member of Parliament for Tottenham, I represent one of the most ethnically diverse constituencies in Europe and, as former Minister for Culture, I am particularly pleased to be able to endorse, support and highlight this important annual celebration of heritage, identity and pride.

Black History Month allows us all to participate in Britain’s rich and diverse history, irrespective of ethnicity and allows us to appreciate and recognise the many important and positive contributions made over the years by Black and Minority Ethnic communities. It is wonderful that this annual event across the UK has become such an established part of our cultural calendar to consolidate our sense of national consciousness and to encourage cross-cultural learning.

In order to understand our present, we must be able to appreciate and share our past. Now, more than ever, Black History Month is integral to ensuring that our great nation is able to partake in the commemoration of one of the many things that makes Great Britain great; our ability to understand and remember that we have more in common than that which divides us, and our capacity to accept and pay tribute to the wealth of cultures which have come to be encapsulated in that word; British.

In years past, I have paid homage to the tireless work of outstanding public figures such as Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE and Martin Luther King in their quests for seeking social justice. This October we should be paying special tribute the late Nelson Mandela, whose passing represents the tragic loss of one of the greatest statesmen to have ever lived. A man who embodied the anti-apartheid movement, his wisdom and compassion will continue to inspire generations, in years to come.

Let us therefore embrace Black History Month once again, in our homes, schools, communities and places of work. I would like to congratulate all those who are organising and participating in the wonderful educational events taking place this October, and beyond.

With warmest wishes for October.

To Travel This Ship by James Berry The arrival of the SS Empire Windrush in June 1948 at Tilbury Dock marked the beginning of post-war mass migration. The ship made an 8,000 mile journey from the Caribbean to London with 492 passengers on board from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands. James Berry, OBE, is a Jamaican poet who settled in Britain in 1948, in the first post-war wave of Jamaican emigration, later becoming one of the first Black writers in Britain to achieve wider recognition. In his poem To Travel This Ship he recreates the journey aboard the SS Empire Windrush.

To Travel this Ship To travel this ship, man I gladly strip mi name of a one-cow, two-goat an a boar pig an sell the land piece mi father lef to be on this ship and to be a debtor.

Man, jus fa diffrun days I woulda sell, borrow or thief jus fa diffrun sunrise an sundown in annodda place wid odda ways.

To travel this ship, man I woulda hurt, I woulda cheat or lie, I strip mi yard, mi friend and cousin-them To get this yah ship ride.

Man – I woulda sell mi modda Jus hopin to buy her back.

Down in dat hole I was I see this lickle luck, man, I see this lickle light.

Man, Jamaica is a place Where generations them start out Havin notn, earnin notn, And – dead – leavin notn.

I did wake up every mornin and find notn change.

Children them shame to go to school barefoot.

Only a penny to buy lunch.

Man, I have follow this lickle light for change.

I a-follow it, man!

David Lammy Member of Parliament for Tottenham

and MP

Affinity Sutton’s supporting Black History Month 2014 We’re celebrating aspiration through our BAME mentoring programme - we want to ensure that everyone can progress as far as they want within Affinity Sutton.

Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP Leader of the Labour Party

www.affinitysutton.com BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 05

HIGHLIGHTS

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

EVENTS

RACHEL

Tue 30th Sept – Sat 25th Oct

Clybourne Park spans two generations fifty years apart. In 1959, Russ and Bev are selling their desirable two-bedroom place at a bargain price, unknowingly bringing the first black family into the neighbourhood (borrowing a plot line from Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun) and creating ripples of discontent among the cosy white residents of Clybourne Park. In 2009, the same property is being bought by a young white couple whose plan to raise the house and start again is met with equal disapproval by the black residents of the soon-to-be-gentrified area. Are the issues festering beneath the floorboards actually the same, fifty years on? Bruce Norris’s excruciatingly funny and squirm-inducing satire explores the fault line between race and property.

Rachel is a young, educated, middleclass woman. But she was born into an African-American family in the early 20th century, a world in which ignorance and violence prevail. While her family and neighbours find different ways to survive, Rachel’s dreams of getting married and becoming a mother collide with the tragic events of her family’s past as she confronts the harsh reality of a racist world. Rediscovered by Finborough Theatre Artistic Director Neil McPherson, Rachel is a genuinely lost landmark of American theatre – the first play by an African-American woman ever produced professionally. Directed by exciting young director Ola Ince, as part of Black History Month, the European premiere of Rachel opens at the multi award-winning Finborough Theatre for a four-week limited season.

Unity Theatre, Liverpool, 1 Hope Place, Liverpool, L1 9BG

Finborough Theatre, London

Tel: 0779 446 9666 Entry: £5-£14

Tel: 0844 847 1652

HIGHLIGHTS CLYBOURNE PARK Wed 1st – Sat 11th Oct

www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk

www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk

L A C I ETOR FORD

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c e d by P rodu ions Rendit tions c P rodu n by Writ te lelo Paul e Mpum oom & Grootb Sek hak i y re b Au

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rkable t rema erge from s o m em f the ‘One o f theatre to Africa’ o t s e Sou h piec rtheid a p a t pos melelo ip Stories h n Mpu ian o owns Guard otboom’s T ro Paul G

CHANJE KUNDA: AMSTERDAM Fri 3rd –Sat 4th Oct

RD EAST STRATFO ting with collabora be to ed is delight US, who ORD CIRC at STRATF Presented

Using spoken word, physicality and music, Amsterdam is a high-powered, supermodern 21st century play of love and lust. Seduced by the attractions of the city and a charming Surinamese man she met on holiday, Chanje embarks on a voyage into the unknown. What will be her fate?

The Contact Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6JA Tel: 0161 274 0600

www.contactmcr.com 06 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

WINNER BEST MUSICAL CRITICS’ CIRCLE THEATRE AWARDS 2013

& DIRECTION

SAN U S AN VID FRED DTAHOMPSON STROM EBB BOOK

RICS

MUSIC & LY

JOHN KANDER

AND

CHOREOGR

APHY

HIGHLIGHTS

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS Sat 4th Oct - Sat 21st Feb 2015

Following a sold-out run at the Young Vic, the critically acclaimed The Scottsboro Boys transfers to the Garrick Theatre for a strictly limited season. Step right up and jump on board for this sensational musical which brings to life the extraordinary true story of nine young men, in a case that changed history forever. Winner of the Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award 2013 and nominated for 6 Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical, this is also the final collaboration of legendary composing duo Kander and Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret) and is directed and choreographed by five-time TONY Award-winner Susan Stroman (The Producers). Don’t miss this all-singing, all-dancing, exhilarating and bold new musical, and experience the show that everyone is talking about.

Garrick Theatre, London

www.scottsboromusicallondon.com Box Office: 0844 482 9673

MUSCOVADO

Wed 1st, Tues 2nd, Thurs 3rd, Mon 6th, Tues 7th, Wed 8th, Thu 9th, Fri 10th Oct ‘Muscovado’ is an original play about the British involvement in the slave trade, performed where William Wilberforce began his abolition campaign.

Written by emerging playwright Matilda Ibini and inspired by modern examples of racial inequality and family archives from Barbados in 19th century, BurntOut Theatre Company has commissioned and developed ‘Muscovado’. Set between the abolition of the slave trade act and the abolition of slavery, the story takes place on a sugar plantation in Barbados in 1807.

It gives an insight into the lives of the plantation family and their slaves. The abolition of the slave trade in 1807 felt like a hollow promise to slaves, as the passing of the act and its intention did not have immediate impact. The play explores the tragedy of knowing freedom but never experiencing it and the blissful ignorance some slaves lived in just to survive.

Holy Trinity Church, Clapham, London Tel: 07792383035

www.burntouttheatre.co.uk

HOW NIGERIA BECAME: A STORY, AND A SPEAR THAT DIDN’T WORK Thu 9th Oct – Sun 9th Nov

It’s 1914, one hundred years ago exactly, and Nigeria is about to be formed. Herbert and his well-known troupe of female actors are preparing to stage a story for the British Governor and his wife.

The story of the Spear of Shango is about a brave young woman who must use her strength and agility to save her father’s kingdom.

But there’s a problem, the story doesn’t quite fit with the governor’s vision of a united country...This colourful and quick-witted production offers a creative insight into Nigeria’s beginnings in 1914. Written and directed by British Nigerian playwright Gbolahan Obisesan, How Nigeria Became: A Story, and A Spear That Didn’t Work commemorates the centenary of Nigeria as part of Black History Month at the Unicorn.

Unicorn Theatre, London

www.unicorntheatre.com Tel: 020 7645 0560

08 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

HIGHLIGHTS

BIKO’S QUEST Thurs 23rd Oct

Inspired by the Steve Biko Foundation’s photographic exhibition, The Quest for a True Humanity, ‘Biko’s Quest’ is a big dance piece about Steven Biko, the anti-apartheid activist and Black Consciousness Movement founder’s life and sudden death in 1977 aged 29. Directed by Mandla Mbothwe, with choreography

by Jackie Manyaapelo, Ina Wichterich-Mogane and Mzo Gasa

HOLY AND HORNY Sat 25th Oct

Back by popular demand, Holy & Horny is a “hilarious, powerful and deeply moving” sell-out show that celebrates women’s sensuality and spirituality. This extraordinary play is a compelling story of love, longing and the ultimate betrayal. In the production, actress and author Tonya Joy Bolton explores one woman’s struggle to remain holy despite being as horny as hell!

Tickets: £6.50 to £10.50 The Drum, Birmingham

www.the-drum.org.uk Tel: 0121 333 2444

She draws on a variety of artforms such as comedy, mime, physical theatre, song, poetry and drama. Sheila, the frustrated Christian woman and her alter ego Eve, the sexually uninhibited poetess, are just two of the 20 characters played by Tonya. Brilliantly directed by Jon Trevor, this enthralling show follows Sheila’s amazing journey as she embarks on a set of disastrous dates which lead to unexpected life-changing consequences.

Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham Tel: 0115 941 9419

www.holyandhorny.com www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk

SOLOMON AND MARION Thurs 16th Oct - Sat 1st Nov

Directed by Scott Graham

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company, Baxter Theatre Centre and The Print Room present Solomon and Marion by Lara Foot, performed by Dame Janet Suzman & Khayalethu Anthony, and directed by Lara Foot.

Marion (Janet Suzman) has watched her life drain away. Isolated in her home and grieving for her dead son and lost husband she’s struggling to find meaning in a country that has been utterly transformed. But it’s the only home she has known.

HHHHH Independent on Sunday

As the new South Africa braces itself for the inevitable protests and unrest that precede the 2010 World Cup finals, hope enters her life in the form of Solomon (Khayalethu Anthony), the grandson of Marion’s former servant. He says he wants to take care of her but what is his true motive?

The Studio, Birmingham Repertory Theatre www.birmingham-rep.co.uk Box Office: 0121 236 4455

TheaTre royal PlymouTh I 4 - 11 Oct 2014 I theatreroyal.com/othello nuffield TheaTre SouThamPTon I 14 - 18 Oct 2014 I nuffieldtheatre.co.uk oxford PlayhouSe I 21 - 25 Oct 2014 I oxfordplayhouse.com leiceSTer curve I 28 Oct - 1 Nov 2014 I curveonline.co.uk caST in doncaSTer I 4 - 8 Nov 2014 I castindoncaster.com Birmingham rePerTory TheaTre I 12 - 15 Nov 2014 I birmingham-rep.co.uk The lowry QuayS TheaTre I 18 - 29 Nov 2014 I thelowry.com/drama lyric hammerSmiTh I 13 Jan - 7 Feb 2015 I lyric.co.uk franticassembly.co.uk

@ franticassembly @TRPlymouth #FranticOthello

Supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 09

INTERVIEW

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS Following a sold-out run at the Young Vic, the criticallyacclaimed The Scottsboro Boys is transferring to the Garrick Theatre in the West End. This sensational musical brings to life the extraordinary true story of nine African-American boys aged 12-19 who were falsely accused of raping two white women in America in 1931.

It took over 20 years to free them all. One, Haywood Patterson, died in jail, in a case than changed America forever. Black History Month got to speak with the five-time Tony® Award winner director Susan Stroman about The Scottsboro Boys and bringing the show to London from America.

10 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

BHM: The show has enjoyed enormous success, firstly in the US. Did the production change much for the UK production?

Susan: We didn’t change the show for London.

There are certain American references that a British audience might not get, but we chose to leave them in because they’re part of the history of those nine young men. And it’s our experience that audiences are willing to take this journey with the characters. But a show always changes slightly with the breath of a new company. Actors will discover new moments to explore, different rhythms. That’s what’s made it so exciting to watch Brandon rehearse. He originated the role of Haywood Off-Broadway, and now he has the chance to move around in the part and grow. He’s so terrifically talented.

This whole company is!

BHM: Do you draw a different reaction from London audiences compared with American?

Susan: While London has many chapters of its own problems with race, it doesn’t have the same history that America does. So because

Brandon Victor Dixon

London audiences approach the piece from a different place, they also receive it in different way. That’s why I felt that having some American actors would help tell the story. British actors know about the history, but they haven’t experienced it in the way that the American actors have. By working together, the investment these actors have in telling the story has deepened. London audiences pick up on that authenticity, and the injustice probably appears more nakedly to them.

INTERVIEW

BHM: The show has moved from the Young Vic to the Garrick this year. Are you excited about being at the Garrick and in the West End? Susan: The Garrick is a beautiful theatre. It’s such an intimate space and just perfect for The Scottsboro Boys. The audience is really raked, so people will have the sensation of looking right down onto the guys. The Garrick actually reminds me of the Vineyard Theatre in New York, the OffBroadway venue where the show began, only bigger. Being in the West End is thrilling!

BHM: What message do you think the London audience should take away from the show?

Susan: This story is still relevant today. It’s essential to bring the Scottsboro Boys back into our conversations about race. So many of these issues remain unresolved, and will stay that way unless we get involved. Nine lives were destroyed, nine lives that matter every bit as much now as then. Their story needs to be told and remembered.

BEDFORDSHIRE POLICE ARE RECRUITING NOW FOR SPECIAL CONSTABLES We recognise that you are an individual and we want to use that to help us to reflect the communities we serve. We know by valuing the difference between people, and the benefits from that, are what will take us from being good at what we do to being great. We are therefore actively encouraging the widest range of applicants from the broadest mix of cultures, backgrounds and values.

If you are over 18, wish to be part of our commitment to fight crime and protect the public, whilst making your contribution towards us being an employer of choice, then please visit our website for more information and to apply: www.bedfordshire.police.uk

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 11

FEATURE

IN REMEMBRANCE OF

MAYA ANGELOU Poet, Author, Civil Rights Activist (1928–2014)

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel - Maya Angelou

Charismatic and passionate, warm and wise, formidable without being forbidding, American author and poet Maya Angelou died this year aged 86. She was a role model and an activist who recorded and celebrated the experience of being Black in the United States.

Black History Month looks back at the life of this extraordinary and inspirational woman.

M

aya was born Marguerite Johnson in St Louis, Missouri, on 4 April 1928, the daughter of a nurse and nightclub habituee, Vivian Baxter Johnson, and a doorman and Navy cook, Bailey Johnson.

Her parents soon divorced and her mother, unable to cope with two small children, sent Maya and her brother Bailey Junior to live with their grandmother, who kept a general store in the Black section of Stamps, Arkansas.

The name Maya came from her brother’s childish way of saying “My-a sister”.

Personal trauma

Angelou spent much of the next 10 years growing up in one of America’s poorest regions, experiencing first-hand the racial segregation and prejudice of the Deep South: an experience brought vividly to life in her first volume of autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, published in 1970.

At the age of seven, on a visit to St Louis, she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. When she told her family what had happened the 12 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

man was arrested, tried, released from jail and shortly afterwards murdered - probably by her uncles, her mother’s brothers.

For the next five years she didn’t speak.

“I was a volunteer mute. I had voice but I refused to use it,” she later recalled.

“When I heard about his murder, I thought my voice had killed a man and so it wasn’t safe to speak.

“After a while, I no longer knew why I didn’t speak, I simply didn’t speak.”

Extraordinary career

But, though mute, she read voraciously and was ultimately persuaded to speak again by a friend of her grandmother who recognised her passion for poetry and told her that, to be experienced fully, it had to be spoken aloud.

Angelou later recalled her saying: “You will never love poetry until you actually feel it come across your tongue, through your teeth, over your lips.”

Later she went to live with her mother in San Francisco (and renewed her relationship with her father, also living in California).

At the age of 15 she badgered one of San Francisco’s streetcar companies into making her the city’s first female cable car conductor.

At the age of 16 she gave birth to her only child, a son, after a loveless one-night stand undertaken largely in a spirit of inquiry.

Before long she had embarked on an extraordinary career that included stints as a dancer, waitress, prostitute and pimp. She became an actress and singer, recorded an album of Calypso songs, appeared on Broadway and travelled to Europe in a touring production of Porgy and Bess.

Along the way she acquired two or possibly three husbands (she was always a little vague about the facts), and took her surname from the first, an aspiring Greek musician called Enistasios Angelos.

In 1961 she worked for a time as northern co-ordinator for Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, then followed a South African freedom fighter, Vusumzi Make, to Cairo, where she became a journalist.

Later she took her son to Ghana, where she met the Black activist Malcolm X. She returned to the United States in 1965 to work with him, but he was killed shortly afterwards. A few years later Martin Luther King too was assassinated.

FEATURE

“I along with a number of young people at the time had been disenchanted, and felt angry and protested inequality,” she later told the BBC when she recalled her time with Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. “But until the Civil Rights movement came along there was no clear way to oppose the inequities.

“I was very sure that between the two men, and the women, between the followers of both groups, we would certainly have a land where all the people, all the faith groups, all the Adams and Eves would have a chance to stand for a while in the sun. When those two men were killed we all stumbled about like blinded moles. It was really disastrous for Black Americans.”

QUOTES BY MAYA ANGELOU TO LIVE BY: “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”

Academic career

It was around this time that her friend, the writer James Baldwin, helped persuade her to write her first volume of autobiography. It was a best seller, and six more volumes followed over the decades.

She began publishing poetry as well, wrote a feature film screenplay, wrote and presented a 10-part TV series about the Blues and Black Americans’ African heritage, and played Kunte Kinte’s African grandmother in the ground-breaking TV series Roots, about the Black experience of slavery.

In the 1980s she added another string to her bow, becoming an academic and professor of American studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, a prestigious white university. In the kitchen of her home there (one of several she maintained, including one in New York’s Harlem) she practised another skill for which she was renowned, cookery.

By now she was perhaps the world’s best-known Black female writer and one of America’s best-known Black women.

Bill Clinton acknowledged her status when he asked her to read a poem at his inauguration in 1993.

Called On The Pulse of the Morning, it included the lines: “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived/But if faced with courage need not be lived again.”

In 2010, Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Shortly afterwards she recalled that Martin Luther King, in the 1960s, had predicted that America would have a Black president in 40 years: she hadn’t believed it possible and had supported Hillary Clinton’s bid for the Democratic nomination (the two were long-standing friends).

Throughout her life she was a superb phrasemaker, on the page and in the flesh. She had the knack of speaking - in the Southern accent she retained all her life and with a characteristic slow, deliberate delivery - in complete and grammatically perfect sentences.

She was a commanding figure, standing six feet tall, and immensely striking.

Of all her achievements, perhaps the most impressive was her own character. Life, she believed, was to be lived. “The excitement is not just to survive,” she once said, “but to thrive, and to thrive with some passion, some compassion, some humour and some style.”

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

“When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.”

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love.

Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

“If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?”

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

“No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.”

“First best is falling in love. Second best is being in love. Least best is falling out of love. But any of it is better than never having been in love.”

“I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.”

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

“We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends and living our lives.”

“We need much less than we think we need.”

FEATURE

How Black Soldiers Helped Britain in First World War British Empire called on people across the world to sacrifice themselves to the cause

W

ALTER TULL has become the most celebrated Black British soldier of the First World War. He enlisted in December 1914, suffered shell shock, returned to action in the battle of the Somme and was decorated with the 1914-15 star and other British war and victory medals.

Commissioned as an officer in 1917, Tull was mentioned in dispatches for his ‘gallantry and coolness’ at the battle of Piave in Italy in January 1918, but two months later he was killed in no man’s land during the second battle of the Somme.

With the centenary of the First World War from 2014 to 2018, there are many others who have been overlooked in the history books and need to be acknowledged.

After Britain joined the First World War on 4 August 1914, Black recruits could be found in all branches of the armed forces. From 1914 Black Britons volunteered at recruitment centres and were joined by West Indian colonials.

IN ACTION: West Indian troops stacking eight-inch shells at a dump on the Gordon Road, Ypres, October 1917. © IWM (E(AUS) 2078)

14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

Written by Stephen Bourne MOTHER COUNTRY They travelled to the ‘Mother Country’ from the Caribbean at their own expense to take part in the fight against the Germans. Their support was needed, and they gave it.

Soon after the war started, soldiers from Nigeria, the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, Gambia and other African colonies were recruited. They helped to defend the borders of their countries which adjoined German territories and later played an important role in the campaigns to remove the Germans from Africa. Throughout the war, 60,000 Black South Africans and 120,000 other Africans also served in uniformed Labour units.

No one could have been more loyal to his king and country than the Guyanese merchant seaman Lionel Turpin. He was just 19 years old when he enlisted in the British Army and was sent out with the No. 32 British Expeditionary Force to the Western Front in Europe.

FEATURE

He was in the battles of the Somme and his army service ended in 1919 with two medals, two gas-burnt lungs and a shell wound in his back.

Lionel died in 1929 from the after-effects of war-time gassing. Lionel’s story is typical of many Black colonials who came to the aid of the ‘Mother Country’ during the First World War. In 1915 a proposal for a separate West Indian contingent to aid the war effort was approved.

Consequently the British West Indies Regiment (BWIR) was formed as a separate Black unit within the British Army. The first recruits sailed from Jamaica to Britain and arrived in October 1915 to train at a camp near Seaford on the Sussex coast. The 3rd battalion arrived in early 1916 in Plymouth while other battalions sailed direct to Egypt, arriving in Alexandria in March 1916.

SACRIFICE By the war’s end in November 1918, a total of 15,204 Black men, had served in the BWIR. However, the Black soldiers of the BWIR were mostly led by white officers and used as non-combatant soldiers in Egypt, Mesopotamia and parts of Europe. For example, in July 1916 the BWIR’s 3rd and 4th battalions were sent to France and Belgium to work as ammunition carriers.

The BWIR spent much of their time at labouring work, such as loading ammunition, laying telephone wires and digging trenches, but they were not permitted to fight as a battalion.

By the end of the war the BWIR had lost 185 soldiers (killed or died of wounds).

A further 1,071 died of illness and 697 were wounded.

In Seaford Cemetery there are more than 300 Commonwealth War Graves and nineteen of the headstones display the crest of the BWIR. Some of the Black servicemen made the ultimate sacrifice but, with the passage of time, with the exception of Walter Tull, the contributions of Black servicemen have been forgotten. It is hoped that the centenary of the First World War will change that.

Stephen Bourne’s ‘Black Poppies – Britain’s Black Community and the Great War’ was published by The History Press in August 2014.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 15

FEATURE

METROPOLITAN BLACK POLICE ASSOCIATION (MetBPA) 20TH ANNIVERSARY

On 26th September, the Metropolitan Black Police Association (MetBPA) celebrated its 20th Anniversary.

Detective Sergeant Janet Hills - its first female Chair - talks to Black History Month about the MetBPA, its history, its future, and why the Met needs to increase diversity policing in London.

BHM: It’s the 20th Anniversary of the MetBPA. Can you please tell us a little bit about the history and objectives of the MetBPA? JH: I’ve been in the post since 28th May 2013. We have had eight male Chairs since conception; we have all been made up of different ranks and police staff grades.

The MetBPA has been involved with so many ground breaking events over the years. The Macpherson Report allowed us to give a submission from both the community’s point of view as well as from the police’s. As we all came from the Black community, 16 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

we were able to give a lot of ‘added value’ when it comes to looking at diversity in policing in the broader sense. This was very insightful to the panel, as were the Morris Inquiry in 2004 that looked at the issues of unfairness and race inequality in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). The Race and Faith Inquiry also covered similar issues.

The MetBPA has three main objectives: firstly, to improve the working conditions for Black, Asian, minority ethnic officers and police staff in London. We achieve this by providing our members with a support network that addresses issues of unfairness in all its guises and offers advice to managers on how to deal with cultural and race issues. Secondly, we have an outward-facing role, which involves working within local communities to help enhance service delivery, and to allow access to policing from communities that do not necessarily have trust or confidence in the police. ‘Revival’ our anti-violence programme goes into our communities to talk about the issues that impacts on them and to help build trust and confidence in the police service.

Thirdly, our VOYAGE (Voice Of the Youth And Genuine Empowerment) programme looks after young people in London, affording them a BTEC qualification for Year 9 students, which is an additional qualification for when they go out into the jobs market. We have had about 3,000 young people going through the programme.

BHM: What made you want to become a police officer in the first place?

JH: There wasn’t really a lightbulb moment; I think it was a combination of my brother, who joined in the 1980s, and working for London Transport as a revenue inspector. We did a lot

of work with the police with operations on the buses. Many of my colleagues left and ended up joining the police. I received positive encouragement to join from them and my brother, so I thought “what have I got to lose?”

I also wanted to make a difference in my community and felt that joining the police would be a good way in which to do that.

BHM: Describe your best day on the job to date, and why it stands out in your memory.

JH: I do not have a specific best day but one role that stands out is my role as a family liaison officer which was one of the recommendations from the Macpherson Report. The role deals with families who have lost loved ones due to traumatic death. I think about the families I have dealt with, especially where I have been able to help my own communities where there is a massive mistrust of the police.

I’ve been able to give them a voice, to allow them to be part of the investigation. Just knowing that I have been able to ease what is a very painful journey, and help them to find resolution, for me, is one of the best things I can do as a police officer.

BHM: The Commissioner wants to have a Service that looks and feels like London. How important is it to have a diverse force in London?

JH: With 40% of London being from diverse communities and rising, and only 11% of police officers reflecting that, I think it’s really important that we are able to communicate effectively with our communities and have a visible presence. If you look back in years gone by, local villages had a “Local Bobby” who was at the heart of their community.

That is the relationship we should have with our communities, so for me it’s really important to get that back. Having a police service that reflects the community that it serves would also impact on broader issues around the disproportionality of the use of “Stop and Search” and the under representation of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) officers and staff within the Service.

BHM: You are recruiting at the moment.

What opportunities are there currently available?

FEATURE

JH: The MetBPA are also involved in recruitment initiatives and held roadshows in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). We also visit schools and colleges to speak about our experiences working for the MPS. The MPS are recruiting for new Constables and Specials at the moment and are looking for anyone who can display leadership qualities and feel they can offer a good service to our communities.

BHM: One of the main barriers for people joining from Black and minority ethnic communities is fair treatment within the organisation. What would you say to someone who was thinking about becoming a police officer with the Met? JH: It’s all very good listening to the negativity associated with policing but your individual journey will be your journey. For me, policing is a fantastic career. If you are interested, just come in and find out for yourselves rather than just hearing the negativity. Some of the barriers around trust and confidence are real and there are historic things that have not made policing quite as appealing as it should be; but when all is said and done, you as an individual should be able to have a fulfilling career. The MetBPA members provide a ‘live experience of policing’ and are on hand to speak with anyone that is thinking of joining.

counterparts. These differences are vital components of a great team. In the end, each gender brings something unique and valuable to their role. Women have added so much value to policing in general and I can’t wait to have the first female Commissioner. We have a number of top women out there who would be good for that role.

BHM: Does being a woman make a difference in your job, in terms of the police work environment and culture?

JH: Yes, I would say it does. Women are making a difference they are generally good communicators with great interpersonal skills.

Whilst this is important to policing as a whole, it is especially helpful in situations where victims feel more comfortable discussing the details of a crime with a female officer. Women tend to solve problems differently to their male

BHM: How do you see policing evolving over the next five years? What are the major challenges going to be?

JH: London is always changing, and we have to be able to offer the best in service to all the communities we serve. So I think it’s important that the MPS get it right with our practices and our procedures so that it can make policing a more attractive career for all. The biggest challenge for policing will be to reach a point where we are truly reflective of the communities we serve.

BHM: What are the future aims and objectives of the BPA? JH: For us, there is an element that one day the MetBPA will not have to exist, because ultimately the MPS will have got it right. For me, that is the ambition; we were created because there was a need. I would like to see the MetBPA continue to work with the MPS to the position where we are truly integrated in policing.

The Metropolitan Black Police Association (MetBPA) has made a real contribution to the Met over the past two decades. It’s improved the working environment of black and minority officers and staff, enhanced our service to the capital’s black communities, and ensured we reflect the communities we serve.

Perhaps its importance is best summed up by the experiences of the officers who work in the Met, Detective Constable Loy Hartwell tells us, “diversity makes a real difference to policing, after living in England for a while, I realised that there weren’t a lot of ethnic minority people within the Met. I wanted to represent my community and to reduce crime in the community. I believe that if people see someone from their own background working within the Met, it helps to

bridge a gap and create a positive impression of the organisation.”

Loy’s keen to ‘give something back’ and she recognises the importance of the role she’s able to play in reaching out to communities.

Police Sergeant Christian Igwegbe explains, “Increasing the confidence of communities is a major part of policing London. It’s a job with a lot of integrity and respect – and it’s a job I cherish. I’m proud to be part of a service that’s one of the best in the world.”

The next 20 years could see even bigger achievements. To be part of it and to find out about becoming a new Police Constable or volunteering as a Special Constable

visit www.metpolicecareers.co.uk

Two decades that launched thousands of careers.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 17

FEATURE

Greater Manchester Police at 40 This year, Greater Manchester Police is not only commemorating its 40 year anniversary, but pledging its commitment to support Greater Manchester’s residents for the next 40 years and beyond. Black history Month got together with Claire Light, Head of Equality, Confidence and Neighbourhoods to discuss policing and the importance of diversity in recruitment in Greater Manchester.

How important is it to have a diverse work force at Greater Manchester Police?

Very important, we are committed to ensuring that the diverse make up of our workforce is reflective of the communities we serve. All of us within the force recognise that having a diverse workforce makes us more approachable and relevant to the public.

Greater Manchester has an extremely diverse area – Manchester in particular has been billed the most diverse city in Europe with its population speaking at least 153 different languages.

In June 2013, it became evident that diverse representation within GMP was less than 7 per cent. The Force recognised that there was work to do to improve this and therefore invested significant effort and resource into a black and minority ethnic recruitment project known internally as ‘Operation Peel.’

Operation Peel was labelled as such, as it is aimed to support the principles set out by the founder of the police force Sir Robert Peel, namely his instruction ‘the police are the public and the public are the police.’

The project team was to review all aspects of the attraction, recruitment, retention and progression processes.

The principles are to: • Attract candidates with attributes that support policing; • Ensure our selection processes support the aim and can deliver a workforce that reflects our communities; • Support individuals to have a rewarding career with GMP The team have devised and delivered a ‘community engagement recruitment model’ with Police Community Support Officer’s making connections with members of their community who have expressed an interest in joining GMP. The potential candidates have been progressed through a totally revised process, which is much more personal and allows us as an organisation to get to know more about individuals. In addition, we provide feedback and also support those who require it.

The 2 recent intakes of Police Community Support Officer’s during 2014 have included in excess of 39% of new starters being from black and minority ethnicity/under-represented groups.

18 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in policing?

First and foremost we would encourage anyone who is interested in joining GMP, or who wants to know more about the roles available to either engage with a member of the Integrated Neighbourhood Policing team within Greater Manchester or contact the Operation PEEL Team via email (OperationResourcingTeam@ gmp.police.uk), who can advise you on potential roles available and collect a few details via an Expression of Interest Form which will then be sent into a central recruitment team for processing. A member of the team will very quickly contact you via email or telephone and talk you through the opportunities and the next stages of the process.

GMP has recently carried out police officer recruitment, which has been offered internally.

There may be additional police officer recruitment opportunities in the near future, but again it is highly likely that this will be an internal recruitment process and not advertised externally.

There are various routes into GMP and for those who aspire to be a police officer then individuals should consider a volunteering role such as a Special Constable or a Volunteer, or additional police staff roles – Police Community Support Officers, Operational Support Officer, Administration Assistants, Investigative

Assistants, Call Handler or Radio Operator.

We encourage those who are dedicated and who can demonstrate commitment to join GMP via the recruitment process, to seek advice, and ask for support as they require to assist them in their application and ultimately in their successful appointment.

In addition to speaking to our Police Community Support Officers, there is also the GMP website which has lots of useful information and footage from our staff in a variety of roles.

You are recruiting at the moment. How important is it to increase the diversity of the force?

As mentioned it is essential that GMP remains focused on increasing the diversity of our current workforce and every single member of the organisation has a role to play in achieving this.

Attracting and recruiting a more diverse workforce from across the Greater Manchester area is one thing, but then it is critical that we retain and develop our staff so they have rewarding careers with GMP. This includes career pathways and training to support them throughout.

We regularly recruit Police Community Support Officer’s, Call Handlers, Operational Support Officers, and Administration Assistants and there are also Apprentice and Specials opportunities.

FEATURE

What type of people are you looking for?

GMP is seeking local people from the Greater Manchester area with the potential and attributes which match the values and leadership expectations of the force, which are all about inspiring others, enabling change and improvement, developing themselves and others, responsibility for/to the team, working

in partnership, demonstrating respect and compassion and service delivery.

GMP is keen to attract members of our Greater Manchester communities who possess the right skills and attributes to assist us in delivering a high quality policing service to our growing diverse communities.

By having teams with these values they can deliver innovative and excellent services for the policing of our communities of Greater Manchester. They will be capable of forging good relationships with our communities, and building the trust and confidence which is so important.

How does training prepare your officers for policing such a diverse area as Manchester?

All roles have some form of initial training and roles such as the Police Community Support Officer’s, have extensive training courses which is over an 8 week period.

The training new recruits receive is tailored to the role they have been recruited to, ensuring that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to perform the role to the very best of their ability. The training does not stop following the course, as staff are supported throughout their career.

Our volunteer roles, for example Special Constable, also receive training and this can

take place over the weekends or the evening to cater for their personal circumstances.

How do you see policing evolving over the next 5 years? What are the major challenges going to be?

GMP continues to be challenged by the budget cuts but remains committed to providing a neighbourhood policing model. There will be further resource reductions; however we have continued to recruit throughout the budget reduction process, and remain proactive in the capability of our staff.

The Greater Manchester area continues to grow in its diversity make-up and already has in excess of 200 different languages spoken.

GMP is committed to capitalise at every opportunity the activities to attract, recruit, retain and develop our black and minority ethnic candidates.

In addition to the forces budget restraints, we are being further challenged by reduction in funding for our partner agencies such as social services which will result in GMP having to take on additional areas of responsibility.

www.gmp.police.uk

email: OperationResourcingTeam@gmp.police.uk

REAL PEOPLE, REAL CAREERS, REAL POLICING Greater Manchester Police are hiring and need individuals with diverse skills from diverse backgrounds We have limited vacancies in the following paid roles, Call Handler, Police Community Support Officer, Administration Assistant and some specialist roles; we are also keen to recruit to our volunteer roles, including Special Constable.

For paid roles salaries range start from £15,750 to £20,940 plus applicable allowances per annum or higher depending on the specialist role available.

You should be keen to help and support our public, and be committed to delivering excellent customer service. Thriving in a team situation, and being able to respond to challenges is key, together sound practical skills including communication and problem solving. For some roles, customer service experience and good IT skills are required.

For all vacancies being able to speak an additional language that is reflective of GMP’s communities will also be beneficial.

Greater Manchester Police are committed to ensuring that the make up of our workforce is reflective of the communities we serve. We recognise that having a diverse workforce makes us more approachable and relevant to the public.

To find out more about any of these opportunities and to see if you meet our minimum eligibility criteria, please email us before the end of October 2014 OperationResourcingTeam@ gmp.police.uk Please note: we are only looking to recruit people who reside in Greater Manchester area.

Please Quote Black History Month

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 19

FOSTERING

All about...

Fostering

O

n any one day there are more than 57,000 children living with foster families in the UK. There are now more children than ever coming into care, with almost 6,000 more in care on any one day now than there were in 2007. Around two-fifths of the children in care are aged 11 to 15, and finding people with the right skills to look after teenagers is now the top priority for fostering services.

Fostering provides a safe, secure and nurturing family environment, either short- or long-term, and allows children to keep in contact with their own families if they wish.

Children come into care for a whole range of reasons, including a family member’s short-term illness or a parent’s depression, or drug or alcohol misuse. Some children may have been abused or neglected. Foster carers can give families a chance to sort out their problems by providing children with a home and supportive family for as long as they need.

When a child is taken into care, the local authority (or Health and Social Care Trust (HSCT) in Northern Ireland) becomes responsible for his or her welfare. Social workers then work with families to make the home a safe place for a child – with the aim that children and parents can be reunited.

WHAT IS FOSTERING?

Fostering is a way of offering children and young people a home while their own family is unable to look after them.

It is often used to provide temporary care while parents get help sorting out problems or to help children or young people through a difficult period in their lives.

Others may stay in long-term foster care, some may be adopted, and others will move on to live independently.

About 70 percent of children in care in the UK live with foster families. Foster carers are child care experts working alongside a team of professionals providing children with the highest standard of care.

Fostering is not easy but offers the opportunity to make a huge difference to the lives of the children who need it. Fostering can be a very rewarding experience.

Fostering is often a temporary arrangement, and many fostered children return to their own families. Children who cannot return home but still want to stay in touch with their families often live in long-term foster care.

20 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

Often children will return home once the problems that caused them to come into foster care have been resolved and that it is clear that their parents are able to look after them safely.

WHO CAN FOSTER?

You can, if you can provide a safe, secure and loving home. Foster carers are urgently needed in all parts of the UK and people from all backgrounds can apply. Many foster families have their own birth children, you do not need to be married or own your own home, and families of all ethnicities, languages and religions are needed.

You do not need to have particular skills and experience to be a foster carer – fostering agencies are usually happy to train people who have commitment, enthusiasm and the right outlook. Good foster carers like children, are patient and calm, and prepared to support children through difficult times and emotions.

AGE

There is no upper age limit, although an agency would expect you to have a level of stability and security in your life, and to have the health and stamina to be able to care for somebody else’s child.

MARITAL STATUS

You can foster children as a single person or as an unmarried or married couple. The local authority will want to know if your relationship is stable and long lasting and can provide the kind of parenting experience that these children need.

SEXUALITY

You can foster if you are lesbian or gay.

HEALTH

It is important for fostered children to have a stable family life without any preventable disruption, such as a foster carer becoming seriously ill due to a long-term health condition.

For this reason, all prospective foster carers have a full medical examination by their GP. Being overweight should not rule you out as long as it does not cause you to have serious health problems which could affect your care of a child.

Agencies may be concerned about placing young children or those with health conditions, e.g. asthma, with carers who smoke, due to the risks of passive smoking.

CRIMINAL RECORD

People who have a conviction, or have been cautioned for specific criminal offences against children, or some sexual offences against adults, are not able to foster. Other convictions do not automatically rule people out.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

You do not have to be wealthy to foster. Carers receive an allowance, and in some cases an additional fee, to cover the cost of caring for foster children. There is a recommended national minimum fostering allowance in some UK countries – BAAF or any fostering agency can give you the details.

FOSTERING

CULTURE, RELIGION, ETHNIC ORIGIN

Studies show that it is in the child’s best interests to be cared for by a foster family which shares as many aspects of their culture, religion and ethnic origin as possible. This can help the child to have a positive sense of their own identity.

However, agencies will look at how you could support a child of a different culture, religion or ethnicity to yourself.

WHAT NEXT?

Applying to a fostering agency. Fostering is essentially a local service helping children to return home to their birth families, where this is possible. If you are interested in fostering, you should contact your local authority (HSCT) or a neighbouring one to find out what is needed in your area. You can also apply to an independent fostering service.

At this stage, you may be visited by a social worker or invited to a brief meeting to find out more about fostering. If you and the service agree that you might be suitable to foster, you will fill in an application form, and when this is accepted, the assessment process begins.

ASSESSMENT AND PREPARATION

Fostering is a major decision with implications for you, the children and your family. Because of this, the fostering assessment process is very thorough. Many services run preparation and

training groups for prospective foster carers.

These groups give you an opportunity to learn about the fostering process and the rewards and challenges of fostering, as well as the chance to meet experienced foster carers and to hear about their experiences. A social worker will also meet with you individually. The whole family will need to be involved: if you have birth children, they will need a chance to think about what fostering will mean for them. Confidential enquiries will be made of your local authority and the police, and a medical report will be needed from your GP. The fostering panel for the local authority or service to which you have applied will consider a report on your application and recommend whether you should be approved as a foster carer or not and what the terms of your approval should be. The assessment process usually takes about six to eight months once it starts.

AFTER APPROVAL

Once you are approved, you will be allocated your own social worker who will offer ongoing support, supervision and help. He or she will now start looking to match you with a child. If your agency feels that you are suitable to foster a particular child, they will approach you with more information to find out if you are interested. If everyone agrees that this would be an appropriate match, the child will come to live with you.

Foster a teenager -do something amazing

SUPPORT

You will receive regular visits from social workers to check all is going well, and will be involved in meetings about the child’s welfare with a number of professionals, and contact with the child’s birth family. Foster carers also receive ongoing training and have annual reviews to ensure they remain suitable and motivated to care for children and to consider any changes in the terms of their approval, for example, to increase the number of children who can be placed from two to three.

There will also often be the opportunity to attend a local support group of foster carers. Other support available from your agency may include professional or legal advice, therapeutic support, and help with facilitating contact between the child and their birth family.

Change a child’s life today FOSTER CARERS REQUIRED IN LONDON AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS Become a foster career with an organisation who truly cares.

At Sunbeam Fostering Agency, we have dedicated staff who will be on had to support you every step of the way.

We offer: • Professional support 24/7 all year round • Free NVQ Level 3 Training in child care • Up to £550 allowance per week per child • Professional training programmes • Regular support from qualified social workers and support groups • Fostering Network membership For more information please contact us on 020 8799 0930 or email us at info@sunbeamfostering.com

www.sheffield.gov.uk/fostering /sheffieldfostering

Contact the Fostering Team

0114 273 5075 DP16124

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 21

INTERVIEW

First production of Rachel in 100 years 0n 30th September Finborough Theatre opens with a production of Rachel by Angelina Weld Grimke. It is the first play by an African-American woman ever produced professionally. The European premiere – and the world’s first production for nearly 100 years - of Rachel is directed by an exciting young director, Ola Ince, as part of Black History Month.

Here she talks to Black History Month about herself, and the production.

BHM: Can you enlarge on your background?

OI: I started my career in 2010 having graduated with a first class degree in directing from Rose Bruford, and studying theatre at The Brit School. Over the last four years I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the UK’s most talented directors and performers, and been involved in some very exciting productions.

BHM: Can you tell us more about the production, Rachel, and why you chose to direct it?

OI: It is set in the first decade of the 20th century and tells the story of a middle class African-American woman and her dreams of becoming a wife and a mother.

While her family and neighbours find different ways to survive, Rachel’s dreams collide with the tragic events of her family’s past, as she confronts the harsh reality of a racist world.

I chose to direct it because I was drawn to its protagonist, its subject matter and its history. It was refreshing to come across a play that depicts a Black middle class family that is loving and successful; and a young Black woman that is passionate, vibrant, defined and in the lead role. I thought that it was important to put these characters onstage, to challenge any preconceived ideas about Black people. I also feel that this play can educate and inspire, so it was important for me to share Angelina’s story.

22 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

Furthermore, the subject matter is controversial and the theme of a lost generation is still so relevant.

BHM: Are you enjoying the experience?

OI: Yes, I love working with the cast and all the creatives. I’ve learnt so much about Black history, and it is a fascinating play. We are all really keen to share this rare account of history.

BHM: Who is in the cast?

OI: The cast includes Adelayo Adedayo, Sheila Atim, Kaylah Black, Lexyn Boahen, Miquel Brown, Nakay Kpaka, Joel McDermott, Zephryn Taitte and William Wright-Neblett.

A really talented bunch!

BHM: You are becoming much respected for your work and talent in the arts. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

OI: I’m not sure that I can list any achievements yet, but one of my career highlights has been assisting Phyllida Lloyd on Cush Jumbo’s Josephine and I. BHM: Who are your inspirations and do you have a Black History Month hero?

OI: Angelina Weld Grimke and Phillis Wheatley are my inspirations and heroines. They were both courageous African-American women from Boston that

contributed hugely to literature and drama. They paved the way for future creatives and achieved success in spite of racial and gender prejudices, Phillis being the first AfricanAmerican woman to be published in the 18th century (whilst she was a slave), and Angelina tirelessly speaking out against lynchings in her poems, novels and plays. They were brave and ambitious at a time when it was dangerous to be so.

BHM TIMELINE

The way we were

BHM defines some of the landmark events which helped to shape Black British History

c.100-c.400

AFRICAN UNIT IN ROMAN ARMY

African auxiliary unit - Numerus Maurorum Aurelianorum - in the Roman army, stationed on Hadrian’s Wall.

138

ALGERIAN RULES BRITANNIA

Quintus Lollius Urbicus, a native of Numidia (modern day Algeria) is governor of the Roman province Britannia.

1508

KING JAMES COURT RECORDS BLACK PRESENCE

Black presence record at Scottish royal household of King James 1V.1

1547

FIRST ENGLISH KNIGHTHOOD FOR AFRICAN Pedro Negro knighted, perhaps the first African to receive an English knighthood.

1562

SLAVING VOYAGES BEGIN

First slaving voyage by John Hawkins marks the beginning of British involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

1596

ELIZABETHAN EXPULSIONS ORDERED

1864

Samuel Ajayi Crowther consecrated as first African Bishop of the Church of England.

1881

JAMAICAN-BORN NURSE MARY SEACOLE DIES IN LONDON

Mary Seacole’s reputation after the Crimean War rivalled Florence Nightingale’s.

Andrew Watson (Scotland) becomes the first recorded Black international footballer.

1887

CARIBBEAN WRITER WINS NATIONAL ANTHEM PRIZE

British Guyanan writer Leo (Egbert Martin) wins empire-wide competition to add verses to “God Save the Queen”.

1912

MARCUS GARVEY COMES TO LONDON Jamaican-born champion of Black rights, Marcus Garvey, arrives in London.

1913

FIRST BLACK MAYOR

John Archer became Britain’s first Black mayor of Battersea. He was also the first Black person to hold civic office in Britain as councillor, alderman and then mayor.

Queen Elizabeth I orders expulsions of Africans from England.

1948

1811

The Windrush in Southampton harbour in 1948, carrying 492 first generation post-war Caribbean settlers to Britain.

Most onboard only intended to stay in England for five years. But half a century on and many are still here and have transformed the face of “Britishness”.

VIOLINIST GETS CAMBRIDGE DEGREE

George Bridgetower, the Black violinist, receives a degree from Cambridge University.

1818

FIRST BLACK SHERIFF APPOINTED

Nathaniel Wells appointed Sheriff of Monmouthshire; the first Black person to be appointed to such a post.

1833

EMANCIPATION ACT PASSED

All slaves in British colonies formally free from August 1 1834 (though most remain subject to the “Apprenticeship”

system).

THE EMPIRE WINDRUSH ARRIVES

1958

NOTTING HILL RIOTS

In late August and early September 1958, the Notting Dale and Notting Hill sections of London were the scene of nightly clashes between whites and West Indian Black people who had settled in the area.

1958

FIRST BLACK NEWSPAPER FOUNDED

Claudia Jones (born in Trinidad, given asylum in England in 1955) founded the first major Black post-war newspaper, The West Indian Gazette.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 23

BHM TIMELINE

1958

1978

In late August and early September 1958, the Notting Dale and Notting Hill sections of London were the scene of nightly clashes between whites and West Indian Black people who had settled in the area.

Viv Anderson became the first Black British footballer to play for England in an international tournament against Czechoslovakia.

NOTTING HILL RIOTS

1959

FIRST NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL

It was a small, indoor showcase for Caribbean talent, held in St Pancras Town Hall, London

1966

CARIBBEAN ARTISTS MOVEMENT FOUNDED IN LONDON

It protects the literary, academic and performance skills of Caribbean writers and artists and provides them with a forum. Andrew Salkey, Edward Brathwaite and John la Rose were the catalysts.

VIV ANDERSON PLAYS FOR ENGLAND

1981

MOIRA STUART – BBC’S FIRST BLACK WOMAN NEWSREADER

During her career, Moira has presented almost every news programme devised on the BBC, including the Nine O’ Clock News and the Six O’ Clock News.

1982

FIRST PUBLICATION OF WEEKLY NEWSPAPER THE VOICE

Val McCalla started the weekly newspaper The Voice.

The newspaper went on to become the mouthpiece of Britain’s Black community and made him a millionaire.

1968

1984

Dr Beryl Gilroy became London’s first Black headmaster at Beckford Primary in West Hampstead. She later became a successful novelist, writing stories for and about her students, believing in literature that could ‘heal’.

Daley Thompson became only the second competitor in history to win the decathlon at two Olympic Games.

LONDON’S FIRST BLACK HEAD TEACHER

1969

CLYDE BEST SIGNS TO WEST HAM

Clyde Best signs for West Ham United. The Bermudan plays 186 games and scores 47 goals in 7 seasons. Earning his first national cap at the age of 15 and through the increasing television coverage of matches he was a role model for many Black youngsters during the 70s.

1971

NEW IMMIGRATION BILL

Britain’s home secretary Reginald Maudling announces that Commonwealth citizens lose their automatic right to remain in the UK under the government’s new Immigration Bill.

1972

NEW IMMIGRATION BILL

A Race Relations at work section is added to the Race Relations Act, so that employers cannot discriminate on the grounds of colour.

1973

BRITAIN’S FIRST BLACK NEWS REPORTER Trevor McDonald joins ITN as a reporter from the BBC World Service and becomes Britain’s first Black TV news reporter.

24 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

DALEY THOMPSON WINS OLYMPIC DECATHLON

1985

BROADWATER FARM RIOTS

Riots broke out in the Broadwater Farm estate in Tottenham, triggered by the death of Cynthia Jarrett.

She collapsed after four policemen burst into her home on a raid. PC Blakelock was murdered during the riot.

1987

BERNIE GRANT AND DIANE ABBOTT BECOME UK’S FIRST BLACK MPS

They both won seats for Labour in the ’87 General Election. The charismatic Grant made his mark by wearing a traditional Ghanaian robe. He almost trebled his majority in the ‘92 election, and stood for Deputy Leader. He was widely mourned when he died in 2000. Diane Abbott was active in many political areas e.g. trade unions and racial equality. She is still the MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington and set up Black Women Mean Business.

She is one of the most respected MPs in Parliament.

THERE AIN’T NO BLACK IN THE UNION JACK

Paul Gilroy released his book There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack. The book looks at racial politics in England, exploring the relationships among race, class, and nation.

1988

NAOMI CAMPBELL ON COVER FRENCH VOGUE At age 18 Naomi Campbell became the first Black female to grace the cover of French Vogue.

BHM TIMELINE

1989

1999

Gus John becomes Britain’s first Black director of a local authority - London Borough of Hackney.

After a long campaign by Doreen and Neville Lawrence, the parents of Stephen, a report by Sir William Macpherson is published. It introduces the expression “institutional racism” and sparks the most profound re-appraisal of race relations and the justice system since the Brixton riots of 1981.

GUS JOHN BECOMES HEAD OF HACKNEY COUNCIL

1991

BILL MORRIS – FIRST BLACK LEADER OF A BRITISH TRADE UNION

REPORT INTO HANDLING OF LAWRENCE MURDER

Bill Morris is elected the first Black leader of a British trade union; Morris takes up the post of General Secretary of the Transport & General Workers’ Union.

2001

1992

This is the 4th highest rank in the Metropolitan Police. Fuller said: “The perception of the glass ceiling is finally being broken.” He was then made the first Black Chief Constable in 2004.

LINFORD CHRISTIE WINS OLYMPIC GOLD Linford Christie wins the sought after 100m gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

1993

STEPHEN LAWRENCE MURDERED

A-Level student Stephen Lawrence is murdered by a group of white men while waiting for a bus in Eltham, South-East London. Through Stephen’s death the racial attitudes of Britain’s organisations was re-evaluated.

PAUL INCE - FIRST BLACK ENGLAND FOOTBALL CAPTAIN.

Paul Ince becomes the first Black Captain of the England football team. He captained the squad for a total of seven games. Sol Campbell is the other Black player who was captain (‘98).

1995

FRANK BRUNO WINS WBC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE

Boxer Frank Bruno wins the WBC heavyweight title.

He defeats American Oliver McCall at Wembley.

1996

LAUNCH OF THE MOBOS

The Music of Black Origin Awards (MOBOs) are launched

by Kanya King and are broadcast on Channel 4.

MIKE FULLER BECOMES DEPUTY ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER

2003

BARONESS VALERIE AMOS

became the first Black leader of the House of Lords

2004

LINDA DOBBS

Becomes the firsts black QC to be appointed as a judge for the British High Courts of justice.

2005

DOUBLE OLYMPIC VICTORY FOR KELLY

Kelly Holmes became the nation’s sweetheart when she won gold in the 800m & 1500m at the Olympics in Athens. After the Olympics 40,000 people lined the streets of her home town of Tombridge for a parade. She was also made Dame Kelly.

PRIVATE JOHNSON BEHARRY AWARDED VC

The Victoria Cross is the most prestigious award for a soldier. Beharry, originally from Grenada, was serving in Iraq when his unit were ambushed twice. He risked injury to rescue others.

2008

LEWIS HAMILTON

aged 23 years and 300 days, became the youngest World Champion.

2013

DOREEN LAWRENCE

1998

JUSTIN FASHANU DIES

Footballer Justin Fashanu dies. The elder brother of John, he was one of the first British sportsmen to be openly gay. In the ‘80s he was the first Black player transferred for £1m, yet after coming out, his career fell apart.

was elevated to the peerage as a Baroness, on 6 September 2013, and is formally styled Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, of Clarendon in the Commonwealth Realm of Jamaica; the honour is rare for being named after a location in a Commonwealth realm outside the United Kingdom.

She sits on the Labour benches in the House of Lords as a working peer.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 25

ADOPTION

An Adoption J ‘Jay is the best thing that’s happened to me’

Suzanne and Jay

S

uzanne, 38, is a black British mum who works full time as a school chef. She has always wanted to be a mum and, sadly, following a number of miscarriages, she turned her mind to adoption. Suzanne is keen to tell her story because she hopes that more black people will start thinking about adoption.

There are often many preconceptions. For example, some people think that you will be ruled out if you are disabled, if you are gay, if you are a couple but unmarried, if you are single, if you are on a low income, if you are an ‘older parent’…but this is untrue.

Suzanne is particularly a champion for black adopters. “So many black people think about adoption and say ‘no I can’t because I’m on my own or because I don’t have enough money’. But it can still happen for you because they do seriously look at you for who you are and what you can offer the child. Once you show that you can fit the child in your life, it happens.” With around 4,000 children currently in the UK care system waiting to be adopted, she wants to encourage more black people to go for it. Suzanne is lucky that her family and friends make up a supportive and close-knit support network for her, with many living close by, including some of the nephews who now dote on her son Jay. Suzanne is also proof that people aren’t ruled out of adoption because of their financial situation or needing to work. “You don’t have to be on mega bucks. I’m certainly not and I work full time.” Suzanne advises families to be open and honest with their agency about their financial situation, especially in the current economic climate, with many families facing uncertainties. Once Jay was placed with her, Suzanne’s agency paid her an adoption allowance so she could stay at home and look after Jay for a year. If you want to adopt, you just need to have a tenancy or lease that is secure – and lots of energy, love and understanding.

Suzanne also wants to promote adoption amongst black families because she feels ethnic, cultural and religious identity is an important part of a child’s self-identity. With black boys waiting the longest for an adoptive family, it is important that more black families come forward and consider adoption.

These days, the majority of children waiting to be adopted have been removed from their birth family through a court process, following concerns around neglect or abuse. Young Jay’s adoption story is therefore an unusual one. He is a ‘foundling’, and was abandoned as a baby. The story made the local news, and amazingly, Suzanne saw Jay in the news on TV, but she did not know at the time that Jay would be her son one day. Suzanne finished the adoption approval process and immediately began searching for a

26 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

ADOPTION

Journey

To find out more about adoption or fostering visit

www.baaf. org.uk

child within the pages of Be My Parent. And then, she was told that her agency had indeed found a match for her. Miraculously, the child was little Jay, whom she had seen on the news six months earlier.

Suzanne wanted to meet Jay straight away, but that special day took a few weeks to arrive, which was all in all just over six months after Suzanne begun her adoption journey.

Suzanne describes her first emotional meeting with Jay at his foster carer’s house. “I was apprehensive about whether I would actually love him and feel everything that I thought I would. But for me it all clicked into place, which I was surprised about.” Two weeks of introductions followed. Then the day came for Suzanne to take home eleven-month-old Jay forever. “He’s been the best child I could ever hope for and imagine. On day seven, he called me ‘Mum’.” This was Jay’s first word.

Suzanne’s story is even more unusual in that Jay was under the age of one when he was placed with her. There are some babies who are waiting to be adopted in the UK, but very few. The average age of a child at adoption is around three years and ten months, and many of the children who wait the longest for a family are black, as well as children over the age of four, brothers and sisters and those with physical or learning disabilities.

When asked how adoption has changed her life, Suzanne pauses: “From the moment Jay stepped into my life, I haven’t been happier. I live for him. I feel like I’ve had him from the moment he was born, he feels no different.”

National Adoption Week runs from 4th - 9th November 2014

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 27

EDUCATION

Facing the taboo of race discrimination in higher education

The Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) has worked on advancing equality and diversity in higher education for over a decade. We work with universities who are dedicated to tackling the issues we highlight, but stubborn inequalities remain.

O

ver the past two years we have seen a significant increase in inequalities from work-related to gender. Over the last 10 years ECU has been proud to run the Athena SWAN charter mark for the progression of women in the sciences. We are currently extending this to all academic disciplines.

Universities who sign up to the charter mark are, in a public manner, acknowledging the gender inequalities within their culture and processes, engaging in dialogue about them and committing to an action plan outlining the work they will undertake to address the issues.

Achieving the same result for race equality has taken longer and we are still not there.

Universities are not unique in this; there is a universal reticence within UK society to talk candidly about race, racial inequalities, and tackling institutional racism. The ‘r’ word has been a taboo that we have been reluctant to address.

Racial inequalities in universities Students

White British students are 16% more likely to be awarded a first class degree or 2:1 degree than BME British students, and that has remained virtually unchanged for over eight years. What is more concerning is that analysis by ethnic group shows that over the same period the attainment gap for Black students has been 26-28%. This is a systemic issue that the higher education sector needs to tackle as a whole.

28 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

Staff

There are more UK-national black and minority ethnic (BME) staff working in higher education now than there were eight years ago (6.5% of staff in 2012/13 compared with 4.8% in 2003/041).

However, with 14% of respondents to the 2011 census reporting their ethnicity as BME or other, at 6.5% the UK higher education BME population is disproportionately below that of the UK population.

There are only 60 Black professors in the UK. This represents 0.4% of all UK national professors highlighting that significant issues such as career progression and retention continue to be of concern.

Forthcoming ECU research suggests that BME academics are much more likely than their white British peers to consider moving overseas to progress their careers. There are universities in the United States, Canada and Australia who are already benefiting from our lack of appreciation for British-born, British-funded talent, and will continue to do so unless something is done.

is a serious undertaking. Some will apply and will not be successful. Again, this is not because they are not trying but because the charter mark requires considerable work and they may require more time to decide on their course of action that will make a difference for BME staff and students at their organisation.

Achieving the charter mark is not the end point, it is just the start. In three years’ time successful institutions must re-apply in order to retain the charter and demonstrate that they have made progress against their plans.

ECU believes that the sector can advance race equality but it will require more institutions to make this commitment, in the same way that the positive impact of Athena SWAN is now being seen for women in science. An open and honest dialogue, adequate resourcing, and a strong commitment from senior leaders within the sector are necessary for there to be further progress in tackling longstanding racial inequalities.

What can we do about it

About ECU

The ECU has developed, and is currently trialling a race equality charter mark for the higher education sector. We have 32 universities taking part. These organisations should be acknowledged and praised for recognising that there are serious issues that they can, and are willing to, take steps to address. Until we can talk sensibly about racial inequalities, we cannot properly address them.

These 32 universities are making a public demonstration of their commitment to do just that. It requires high-level commitment, in-depth self-analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, consulting with and surveying BME staff and students, and developing an ambitious three-year action plan.

They have until April 2015 to submit an application to ECU for the charter mark. Some might have to withdraw: not because they don’t care, but because the charter mark application

The ECU works to further and support equality and diversity for staff and students in higher education institutions across the UK and in colleges in Scotland.

The ECU provides a central source of expertise, research, advice and leadership. Our approach is evidence-based, using research to identify and change practices that unfairly exclude, marginalise or disadvantage people.

We support universities and colleges to build an inclusive culture that values the benefits of diversity, to remove barriers to progression and success for all staff and students, and to challenge and change unfair practices that disadvantage individuals or groups.

Chris Hall is Head of Stakeholder Relations and Communications at the ECU.

EDUCATION

Equality Challenge Unit

Supporting Black History Month Advancing equality and diversity improves the staff and student experience for everyone working and learning in universities and colleges.

Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) works to further and support equality and diversity for staff and students in higher education institutions across the UK and in colleges in Scotland.

Our approach is evidence-based, using research to identify and change practices that unfairly exclude, marginalise or disadvantage people. This evidence supports institutions to remove barriers to progression and success for all staff and students.

Making a difference: • We support universities and colleges to improve experiences and outcomes for all students whatever their background.

• We work to raise the profile of equality and diversity and embed inclusive practice.

• Our projects and programmes encourage transformational change that has a real impact on staff and students.

• ECU’s race equality charter mark is a catalyst for change, helping universities to improve the representation, progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students.

Find out more: Online: www.ecu.ac.uk On Twitter: @EqualityinHE Email: info@ecu.ac.uk Phone: 020 7438 1010

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 29

LISTINGS

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

2014

Listings For a fully comprehensive list of all national Black History Month events across the UK in 2014 please visit the national Black History website www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk

30 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

LISTINGS

LONDON Tue 30 Sept – Sat 25 Oct Rachel Rachel is a genuinely lost landmark of American theatre – the first play by an African American woman ever produced professionally. Directed by exciting young director Ola Ince, as part of Black History Month, the European premiere of Rachel opens at the multi award-winning Finborough Theatre for a four week limited season.

Finborough Theatre, London www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk Box Office: 0844 847 1652

Rachel

Wed 1 Oct From Intimacy to Nearness: Creating Common Identity in Post-Apartheid South Africa Jonathan Jansen shares insights from both his academic research and personal experiences of South Africa’s education system during and since apartheid. Professor Jansen will discuss how education policy can be used to ensure that the physical intimacy of de-segregation translates into an emotional and intellectual nearness: the recognition of common identity in the ‘born free’ generation The British Academy, London, 6-7:30pm. Free. Please register online www.britac.ac.uk 1 Oct – 15 Oct Forward to freedom Exhibition telling the story of the British Anti-Apartheid Movement and its campaigns to support the people of Southern Africa in the fight against apartheid and white minority rule.

The movement grew to hundreds of thousands of people in the UK, boycotting South African produce and calling for sanctions against South Africa and the release of Nelson Mandela.

Finsbury Library, EC1V 4NB Free

Wed 1 Oct Discover famous black scientists, explorers and writers BHM theme monthly Chatterbooks session.

Lewisham Library, Lewisham 4-5pm. Age range 8-11 years old Free. (No booking required) Wed 1 Oct – 31 Oct Windstorm Art Exhibition Pauline Ferguson will be exhibiting some of her Windstorm art collection.

Runs until October 31st. Computer Room. During library opening hours.

Alexandra Park Library, Alexandra Park Road, Wood Green, London, N22 7UJ. Tel: 020 8489 8770 Wed 1 Oct Global Vegetarian Mridu Shailaj Thanki will be talking about her book, The Global Vegetarian.

Featuring West African and Kenyan food, samples of her food will be available for you to try.

Adult Library 5-7:00pm. Alexandra Park Library, Alexandra Park Road, Wood Green, London, N22 7UJ Tel: 020 8489 8770 Wed 1 Oct - 21 Dec Exhibition. Local reflections: Nelson Mandela and the Haringey Anti-Apartheid Movement

Artefacts, documents and photographs from the Haringey community. With an opportunity to offer your personal story/experience of Nelson Mandela.

Bruce Castle Museum , Lordship Lane, London, N17 8NU. Wed-Sun 1-5pm Tel: 020 8808 8772 Thu2 Oct Film screening: “The Help” The Help is an inspiring, courageous and empowering story about very different extraordinary women in the 1960s. Due to limited space we only have 25 tickets available. One per customer, on a first come, first served basis.

Muswell Hill Library, N10 3PE, Adults Library 7:30-9pm.

Tel: 020 8489 8773

Thu 2 Oct An Audience with Judith Jacob – Entrepreneur and Actress British actress Judith Jacob is best known for her role as health visitor Carmel in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role she played from 1986 to 1989. Jacob was a co-founder of the Black Theatre Co-op, a London theatre group of black actresses.

Wood Green Library, London, N22 6XD 5-7:30pm.

Tel: 020 8489 2700

BIRMINGHAM

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 31

LISTINGS

Fri 3 Oct Film: Young Soul Rebels In the long hot summer of 1977, London prepared for the Silver Jubilee to the sounds of the burgeoning punk, soul and funk scenes. Soul boys Chris and Caz, a pair of pirate radio DJs, broadcast their show from a friend’s garage, tussling with the local skinheads, and clubbing with Chris’s sassy music-industry girlfriend Tracy (Sophie Okonedo). But social and sexual tensions in the community reach boiling point following the murder of a local black gay man.

Old Fire Station, London, N7 6QT, 7pm Cost: £5 £2.50 concessions on entry Sat4 Oct Film Screening: ‘Motherland’.

Motherland (Enat Hager) is a bold, epic film through Africa with a passionate African voice. Fusing history, culture, politics, and contemporary issues, Motherland sweeps across Africa to tell a new story of a dynamic continent. From the glory and majesty of Africa’s past through its complex and present history. Motherland looks unflinchingly toward a positive Pan-African future.

With breathtaking cinematography and a fluid soundtrack sculpted by Sona Jobarteh, Motherland is a beautiful illustration of global African diversity and unity. From the awardwinning producers of the acclaimed 500 Years Later, Motherland is directed by Owen Alik Shahadah.

The DVD will be on sale on the night.

5-8pm. Marcus Garvey Library, Tottenham Green Centre, 1 Phillip Lane, N15 4JA. Tel: 020 8489 5309 Sat 4 Oct Zanzibar – The Last Slave Market John Kirk arrived in Africa alongside Dr Livingstone, and together they attempted to chart the Zambezi river.

The voyage was a disaster. Kirk returned to the island of Zanzibar (Tanzania), the port at the centre of the slave trade. There, as acting consul, he observed the horrors of trafficking and was determined to put an end to it. This presentation tells the dramatic story of how Kirk went about helping to end the slave trade in Zanzibar. Avril Nanton will be presenting the story of this forgotten Victorian Scotsman who fought for the end of slavery.

3:30-5pm. St Ann’s Library, Cissbury Road, Tottenham, London, N15 5PU Tel: 020 8489 8775. Cost: Free Sat 4 Oct - 21 Feb The Scottsboro Boys This sensational musical brings to life the extraordinary true story of nine young men, in a case that changed history forever. Winner of the Critics’ 32 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

scientific research of traditional African and Asian diets. Wholistic Nutritionist & Scientific Researcher Brenda Lee will look at the scientific evidence and discuss how to ‘Sankofa’ back to traditional diets.

Adults Library Ground Floor Marcus Garvey Library. 4-6pm

The Scottsboro Boys

Circle Best Musical Award 2013 and nominated for 6 Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical, this is also the final collaboration of legendary composing duo Kander and Ebb. Garrick Theatre, London, Tel: 0844 482 9673. Tickets from £15 www.nimaxtheatres.com

600 businesses on the back of oil money including public schools, hospitals, hotels, and transportation companies. This business district was nicknamed Negro Wall Street.

Robin Walker will also be launching his new book on this subject.

Wood Green Library , London, N22 6XD 7-8:30pm. Tel: 020 8489 2700

Sat 4th Oct Stephen K Amos Fresh from sell-out tours of Australia and New Zealand, as heard on BBC Radio 4 Life: An Idiot’s Guide and What Does the K Stand For? Millfield Theatre, N18. 7:45pm Tickets: £18, Tel: 020 8807 6680 www.millfieldartscentre.co.uk

Tue 7 Oct Slavery in Zanzibar – A talk with Avril Norton Coombes Croft Library, London, N17 8AG 6:30-7:30pm.

Tel: 020 8489 8771

Sat 4 Oct Join library staff for an African safari trip BHM craft activity for accompanied children aged 5-7. All day event.

Age range 5-7 years old.

Free (No booking required) Downham Library, Lewisham Mon 6 Oct Poetry: Performance by spoken word artist/poet Abe Gibson Abe has performed all over London and on BBC Radio 4.

Alexandra Park Library, London, N22 7UJ. 7-9pm. Tel: 020 8489 8770

Mon 6 Oct The Rise and Fall of the Black Wall Street: Black History Seminar with Robin Walker This lecture addresses the African American business miracle of the 1910s that took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Black Community of Tulsa built

Tue 7 Oct Film: Black Power Mixtape followed by Q&A discussion on Black Feminism: then and now with special guests Lost in an archive in Sweden for 30 years, The Black Power Mixtape is acompilation feature documentary film that displays the story of the African-American community between the years 1967-1975. The film will be followed by a special Q&A discussion.

Impact Hub, Islington, N1 9AB. 7pm Cost: £3. www.everyvoice.org.uk/events Sun 5 Oct The African Diet by Brenda Lee “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten” Africans and African-Caribbean’s in the UK have a higher incidence of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and strokes. What we now know about healthy diets and their contribution to healing are largely the result of European/Western

Tue 7 Oct Poetry and Inspiration Poetry reflections with Sandra Agard, Torridon Writers and The Inspired Word Team. Any children aged under 8 must be accompanied.

Torridon Road Library, Lewisham.

6:30-8:15pm. Family Event. Free (No Booking Required)

Wed 8 Oct Pandora’s Box Spora Stories presents the Offienominated British-Nigerian play by Ade Solanke. An unmissable and moving new tragicomedy about families, betrayal, choices and love.

Pandora’s Box is about a mother wrestling with leaving her Londonborn child in a Nigerian boarding school.

Millfield Theatre, N18. 7:45pm Tickets: £18, Tel: 020 8807 6680 www.millfieldartscentre.co.uk Wed 8 Oct F.A.P.L Book Group This month will be reading “The Last Runaway” By Tracey Chevalier 3:45-5pm. Alexandra Park Library, London, N22 7UJ. Tel: 020 8489 8770 Thu 9 Oct Hornsey Film night Abouna “Our Father” (2002) PG Rating. French with English Subtitles. Set in Director Mahamat-Saleh Harouns’ native Chad, this film tells the story of the lives of two brothers aged 8 & 15 who undertake a momentous journey to fill the void left by their fathers absence after he leaves the family.

They go in search of him, and find only trouble. Score by Malian Ali Farka Toure.

Hornsey Library, London, N8 9JA 7pm. Tel: 020 8489 1118 Thu 9 Oct Daniel-Sidney Bechet presents: “Sidney Bechet my Father Memories from the World of Jazz” Book launch with Daniel-Sidney Bechet.

Wood Green Library, London, N22 6XD 2-3:30pm. Tel: 020 8489 2700 Thu 9 Oct An Audience with Ewan Denny – Entrepreneur (Business and Marketing Specialist) Ewan Denny is an acclaimed businessman and marketing expert.

LISTINGS

Ewan runs his own business and marketing agency and he helps companies to develop their brand, grow their business, and make more money through the use of effective marketing and PR strategies.

Ewan will give a personal account of his journey, his highs and lows, triumphs and disasters in an open, witty, and informative way.

Wood Green Library, London, N22 6XD 5-7:30pm. Tel: 020 8489 2700 Thu 9 Oct - 9 Nov How Nigeria Became: A Story, and A Spear That Didn’t Work This colourful and quick-witted production offers a creative insight into Nigeria’s beginnings in 1914.

Written and directed by British Nigerian playwright Gbolahan Obisesan, How Nigeria Became: A Story, and A Spear That Didn’t Work commemorates the centenary of Nigeria as part of Black History Month at the Unicorn.

For ages 8+ Duration: Approx 1 hr 15 mins Unicorn Theatre, London Tel: 020 7645 0560 www.unicorntheatre.com

Thu 9 Oct Film: The Stuart Hall Project followed by Q&A with Tony Warner Revolution, politics, culture and the New Left experience - this absorbing highly-acclaimed documentary presents an intimate portrait of Stuart Hall, one of the most influential and esteemed cultural theorists of our time.

Voluntary Action Islington, N1 9JP Free. 7pm www.everyvoice.org.uk/events Fri 10 Oct Pandora’s Box Spora Stories presents the Offienominated British-Nigerian play by Ade Solanke. An unmissable and moving new tragicomedy about families, betrayal, choices and love.

Pandora’s Box is about a mother wrestling with leaving her Londonborn child in a Nigerian boarding school.

Broadway Theatre, Catford SE6 4RU 7:45pm. Ticket £25/£20 concessions Gala Charity Event. Tel: 020 8690 0002 www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk Fri 10 Oct Black History Comedy Night Hosted by the fantastic Eddie Nestor and Robbie Gee you’ll be in for a night of non-stop sidesplitting laughter with comedy from Slim, Curtis Walker, Quincy, Mr Cee, Dane Baptiste and Njambi McGrath.

Walthamstow Assembly Hall, E17 4JD 7:30-11:30pm. www.ticketweb.co.uk Tel: 08444 77 10000

Fri 10 Oct Mbunda Africa A band will show how African people used to communicate amongst themselves as well as with their ancestors using instruments.

Traditional clothes will be on show with African story telling for the children.

Community House, N9. 6-9pm Free. Tel: 07983 436657 bart@kongochild.com

YolanDa Brown

Sat 11 Oct YolanDa Brown A captivating artist, double MOBO Award Winning Saxophonist YolanDa Brown will be returning to Millfield to wow audiences with her world-class saxophony and stunning vocals.

This concert is an exhibition of some of the most cutting-edge jazz talent of our time.

Millfield Theatre, N18. 7.45pm Tickets: £18. Tel: 020 8807 6680 www.millfieldartscentre.co.uk Sat 11 Oct Film: Forward Ever: The Killing of a Revolution, followed by Q&A In October 1983, Ronald Reagan sent 8,000 members of the US Armed Forces to invade Grenada. This comprehensive, gripping and revealing documentary tells the story of the Grenada revolution as never before. The film features extensive, previously unseen file footage, as well as old and new interviews with many of the key players of the time.

Voluntary Action Islington, N1 9JP 6:30-9:30pm. Cost: £9 www.everyvoice.org.uk/events

may accompany paying adults.

Pre-book and pre-pay (cash only) at Manor House Library.

Meet at Manor House Library, Lewisham. 11am-12 noon £5 (16 places only) Tel: 020 8314 7794 Sat 11 Oct Abolitionists in Stoke Newington Hackney has enjoyed a reputation for radicalism and dissent. Some of the great figures of the abolition movement including James Stephen and William Allen called Hackney home. Join us for a stroll down Stoke Newington Church Street to find out more about the abolitionist movement and the role the borough played. www.hackney.gov.uk/clissold-parkget-involved; or call Lucy Gijsen on 020 8356 4600.

The walk starts at Clissold House, Clissold Park (off Stoke Newington Church Street/Green Lanes, N16 9HJ) 11am-12:30pm Sat 11 Oct S.I Martin on Lee’s Black History and trends current research in Black British history S.I Martin speaks about the local Black history of the Lee neighbourhood and touches on aspects of his recent research work and use of resources held in places which can be visited locally.

Manor House Library, Lewisham.

2:30-3:30pm. Free. (Pre-book a place) Tel: 020 8314 7794.

Sat 11 Oct Handa’s Surprise Craft Make your own fruit and animal-filled hat. Session for accompanied children age 5-7.

Lewisham Library, Lewisham.

2-3pm. Age range 5-7 years old Free (No booking required) Tue 14 Oct Remembering Mandela Torridon Reminiscence Group is open to everyone: a chance to relax and enjoy a cup of tea/coffee with biscuits.

Share memories and reflect upon a great man of his times.

Torridon Road Library, Lewisham 11am-2:30pm. Free (No booking required) Tuesday 14 Oct Poetry with James Massam and friends Performance Poet -James Massam and friends will be reciting their work.

James will also be reciting from his newly published work-Lyrical Fountain.

6-7:30pm. Coombes Croft Library, Tottenham High Road, London, N17 8AG. Tel: 020 8489 8771 www.lyricalfountain.com Sat 14 – Sat 18 Oct Rhetorical Thabo Mbeki was the man charged with succeeding Nelson Mandela as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa in 1999. After a controversial nine years in high office,

Rhetorical

Sat 11 Oct Create your own African mask with library staff BHM craft activity for accompanied children aged 5-7.

Downham Library, Lewisham.

All day event. Age range 5-7 years old. Free (No booking required) Sat 11 Oct S.I. Martin’s Black History Month walking tour of Lee Renowned historian, S.I. Martin leads his newly-devised Black History Month theme walking tour around some of Lee’s local landmarks. Tour is limited to 16 places. Up to 2 children BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 33

LISTINGS

Rhetorical revisits some of his most famous speeches, laying bare his powers of persuasion, style of governance and impact on citizens.

Theatre Royal Stratford East, London E15 1BN. Tel: 0208 534 0310 www.stratfordeast.com/rhetorical

session for accompanied toddlers, which uses a storysack and the famous picturebook Handa’s Surprise, followed by a colouring session.

Downham Library, Lewisham 10-10:30am. Age range under 5s Free (No booking required)

Wed 15 Oct Film Showing The Story of Lovers Rock The Story of Lovers Rock featurelength documentary that tells the story of a genre of reggae. Assistant director Anthony Ferguson will show the film and there will be a discussion, Q&A afterwards.

7-9pm. Alexandra Park Library, Alexandra Park Road, Wood Green, London, N22 7UJ. Tel: 020 8489 8770

Wed 15 Oct Chanje Kunda: Amsterdam Using spoken word, physicality and music, Amsterdam is a high-powered, supermodern 21st century play of love and lust. Seduced by the attractions of the city and a charming Surinamese man she met on holiday, Chanje embarks on a voyage into the unknown. What will be her fate?

Canada Water Library, SE16 7AR Tel: 0207 525 2931 www.canadawaterculturespace.org.uk

Wed 15 Oct A tribute to Maya Angelou with the Haringey U3A Join Haringey U3A for a tribute to Maya Angelou with guest Poet Abe Gibson.

2-3pm. Marcus Garvey Library, Tottenham Green Centre, 1 Phillip Lane, N15 4JA. Tel: 020 8489 5309

created by Marc Hare. It has a boutique in London’s Mayfair and a second shop opening in Notting Hill.

Stockists include Liberty, Colette, Dover Street Market, Matches Fashion and Mr Porter. The Guardian recently reported, “Mr Hare is quietly becoming one of the most important names in British menswear”.

Wood Green Library, London, N22 6XD 5-7.30pm. Tel: 020 8489 2700 Thu 16 Oct Zanzibar the Last Slave Market: A presentation by Avril Nanton In the 19th century John Kirk arrived in Africa alongside Dr Livingstone, and together they attempted to chart the Zambezi river. The voyage was a disaster. Kirk returned to the island of Zanzibar (Tanzania), the port at

Chanje Kunda: Amsterdam

Wed 15 Oct The Killing of Blair Peach, Anti-Racist Protest, Police Racism and Brutality with David Renton and Tony Warner Blair Peach was a 33 year old teacher killed at a demonstration against the National Front in Southall 1979 at Southall. He is one of just three protesters to have been killed by the police in Britain since 1945. David Renton will bediscussing his new pamphlet ‘Who Killed Blair Peach’ which casts a light on the identity of Peach’s killer, and calls for a fresh inquest into Blair Peach’s killing.

Housmans, N1 9DX. 7pm. Cost: £3 Wed 15 Oct Film: Benda Bilili!, plus African food, and post screening Q&A discussion and performances The remarkable true story follows the group from the struggles of their first recording session to worldwide acclaim and stardom. Hailed as the new Buena Vista Social Club and brimming with humour, Benda Bilili is an inspirational life-affirming story of a dream that becomes reality. This screening will be followed by a discussion chaired by Islington Councillor Jean-Roger Kaseki, a human rights campaigner originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hanley Crouch Community Centre, N19 4EL. 7pm. Free www.everyvoice.org.uk/events Wed 15 Oct Black History Month for beginners Come along for a BHM-themed 34 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

African-American historian, scholar and Pan-African activist John Henrik Clarke (1915-1998). Both a biography of Clarke himself and an overview of 5,000 years of African history, the film offers a provocative look at the past through the eyes of a leading proponent of an Afro-centric view of history. From ancient Egypt and Africa’s other great empires, Clarke moves through Mediterranean borrowings, the African Holocaust, European colonisation, the development of the Pan-African movement and present day AfricanAmerican history.

Marcus Garvey Library, Adults Library Ground Floor. 7-9pm 16 Oct – 18 Nov Living Africa: through the art of its children Exploring the everyday lives of children from South Africa, Nigeria, Gambia and Tanzania through their art. Learn about the young artists’ lives through their revealing works, as they creatively explore their landscape, culture and hopes.

Free. Islington Museum, 245 St John St, London, EC1V 4NB Thu 16 Oct Black History Month for beginners Join us to enjoy and share children’s stories from Africa and the Caribbean.

11-11:30am. Age range: Under 5s.

Free. (No booking required) Torridon Road Library, Lewisham Tel: 0208 314 3712

Thu 16 Oct Bookclub - with guest author B.B Ruby Back by popular demand! The group will be reviewing the September read - Block by B.B Ruby’s with insight from the author, as well as readings from B.B Ruby’s soon to be published novel.

Coombes Croft Library, London, N17 8AG. 7:30pm. Tel: 020 8489 8771 Thu 16 Oct An Audience with Marc Hare – International Menswear Entrepreneur Mr Hare is an English shoe label

the centre of the slave trade. There, as acting consul, he observed the horrors of trafficking and was determined to put an end to it. Avril Nanton will be presenting the story of this forgotten Victorian Scotsman who fought for the end of slavery.

Wood Green Library, London, N22 6XD 7-8:30pm. Tel: 020 8489 2700

Thu 16 Oct Film Screening: ‘John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk’.

This renowned documentary, narrated by Wesley Snipes, chronicles the life and times of the noted

Thu 16 Oct Inspired Word: Our Parents’ Front Room Back by popular demand: If crochet dollies, artificial flowers, the gram, Jim Reeves, flock wall paper or glass cabinets mean anything to you then you must come and be part of this Inspired Word pop-up performance.

Come ready to share your own memories: Come on in and don’t forget to wipe your feet!

Lewisham Library, Lewisham, 7:45 for 8-9:30pm.

Free (Pre-book a place) Fri 17 Oct A Celebration of Black Entrepreneurship This business event is a celebration of present entrepreneurs while inspiring future entrepreneurs. An opportunity for people to pitch their ideas or business and a chance to listen to some amazing entrepreneurs in their own right in the community.

2-7pm. Wood Green Library, London, N22 6XD Tel: 020 8489 2700 Sat 18 Oct Zanzibar, the Last Slave Market:

LISTINGS

A presentation by Avril Nanton John Kirk arrived in Africa alongside Dr Livingstone, and together they attempted to chart the Zambezi river.

The voyage was a disaster. Kirk returned to the island of Zanzibar (Tanzania), the port at the centre of the slave trade. There, as acting consul, he observed the horrors of trafficking and was determined to put an end to it. This presentation tells the dramatic story of how Kirk went about helping to end the slave trade in Zanzibar. Avril Nanton will be presenting the story of this forgotten Victorian Scotsman who fought for the end of slavery.

3:30-5pm. Stroud Green & Harringay Library, London, N4 4QR. Free Tel: 020 8489 8776

Sat 18 Oct Breaking the Stigma of Mental Health in the Black Community Join Nena Ubani for a talk exploring barriers to overcoming mental health issues, particularly in the black community.

Wood Green Library, London, N22 6XD 2-4pm. Tel: 020 8489 2700 Sat 18 Oct Kwanzaa Candle craft: learn about the history BHM craft activity for accompanied children aged 5-7.

Downham Library, Lewisham. All day event. Age range 5-7 years old Free. (No booking required) Sat 18 Oct Dig out dem roots: Caribbean family history workshop with Sharon Tomlin A practical workshop (utilising IT to highlight web resources) from a founder of the Routes Change Service.

Basic IT skills required. 12 places only. We particularly welcome active participants from different generations of the same family. Book in person or by phone at Downham Library Downham Library, Lewisham 11am-2pm. Free (12 places only: Pre-booking essential) Tel: 020 8314 9705.

Sat 18 Oct 400 Years of African Women Resistance Leaders African female soldiers played a crucial part in the armed resistance to racism in Southern Africa but their stories were forgotten once the wars were over. This event will give the audience video and documentary evidence of the who, what and why of 30 female fighters who used any means necessary to fight for equality in modern Britain. Bring notepad and pen and be on time. Women include: Dora Akunyili, Dame Jocelyn Barrow,

Olive Morris, Anne Cools, Edna Ismail, Althea Gibson, Mavis Best, Fawzia Hashim, Dr. Beryl Gilroy, Leyla Hussein, Gerlin Bean, Althea Lecointe, Stella Dadzie, Dr. Patrica Bath, Professor Elizabeth Anionwu and 20 others Voluntary Action Islington, N1 9JP www.everyvoice.org.uk/events Sat 18 Oct Make a noise in the library!

Make a Caribbean musical instrument.

Lewisham Library, Lewisham 2-3pm. Age range 8-11 years old Free. (No booking required) Sat 18 Oct Library Creative Writing Group Taking up the theme of 1st World War commemoration acknowledging global perspectives, Sandra Agard guests today. For ages 16 and over.

No booking required. Lewisham Library, Lewisham. 2-3:30pm Age range 16 and over. Free

Mandela: Let Freedom Reign

Book launch and lecture by Robin Walker on the evidence of the shipping voyages by the early Africans to explore the world. Evidence Sat 18 Oct

suggests that different groups of Dr William ‘Lez’ Henry on the Africans got to the Americas before Black Contribution to the UK since Columbus. East Africans made equally the Empire Windrush daring voyages to Java, the Far East Lez Henry’s talks are not just & Australia. memorable because of his sound Wood Green Library, London, N22 6XD bites and wit, but because he 7-8:30pm. Tel: 020 8489 2700

challenges assumptions and gaps Tue 21 Oct in historical narrative which still exist.

Break the Silence about Congo Sydenham community library, Week. Film screenings of: ‘Crisis Lewisham, 2.15-3.30pm. Free. in the Congo: Uncovering the (Pre-book with venue) Truth’ and ‘Assassination - Colonial Tel: 020 8778 1753 Style: Patrice Lumumba, an African Tragedy’ Mon 20 Oct Crisis in the Congo: Uncovering The Pilots of the Caribbean: Truth explores the role that the United Mark Johnson and S.I Martin States allies, Rwanda and Uganda, Mark Johnson, author of Caribbean have played in triggering the greatest Volunteers at War, together with SI humanitarian crisis at the dawn of Martin tell the story of black RAF the 21st century. Patrice Lumumba: volunteers from the Caribbean, Africa over 50 years ago Democratic and from Britain during the First and Republic of Congo’s (DRC) first Prime Second World Wars. An evening Minister, Patrice Lumumba was which commemorates their vital assassinated as part of Belgian and contribution to the defence of US plots only 10 weeks after he took Britain and the Commonwealth. power. The event has been described Manor House Library, Lewisham as ‘the most important assassination 7:15-8:30pm. Free. Tel: 020 8314 7794 of the 20th century’.

Marcus Garvey Library, N15 4JA Mon 20 Oct 7-9pm. Tel: 020 8489 5309 A Focus on Culture – Art Session

with a Professional Artist Tue 21 Oct An educational and therapeutic The Norm of Greatness event allowing individuals creative The words of Dr. Martin Luther King expression through art. It can enhance Jr. performed by American stage and insights and feelings and have a screen actor Darryl Van Leer. In a positive impact on your mental, performance that takes us right to emotional and physical state within the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, an informal setting. we hear the words that made him Ebony Peoples Association, N18 the most loved and respected 5-7pm. Tel: 020 8803 200 campaigner ever. www.ebonypeople.org.uk Tickets: £17/£15 concessions Dugdale Centre, EN2 Mon 20 Oct 7:45pm. Tel: 020 8807 6680 African Explorers of the Ancient www.dugdalecentre.co.uk and Mediaeval Worlds

Tue 21 Oct Film: Nothing But a Man Noted as Malcolm X’s favourite film, this historically important drama from director Michael Roemer was the first film with a mainly black cast aimed at a mixed-race audience.

Reflecting the era of the civil rights movement during the early 1960s, the story, set in Alabama, follows the trials of railroad worker Duff who falls in love with, and marries, preacher’s daughter Josie.

Age UK, Drovers Centre, N7 9EY. 7pm.

Free. www.everyvoice.org.uk/events Wed 22 Oct Mandela: Let Freedom Reign Nelson Mandela returns from the grave to retell his remarkable, inspiring story from his early life and education through to taking up the leadership of the South African people’s struggle against the apartheid regime.

Tickets £17/£15 concession Dugdale Centre, EN2. 7:45pm Tel: 020 8807 6680 www.dugdalecentre.co.uk Wed 22 Oct Sandra Agard performs Steal Away Sandra Agard’s dramatic monologue Steal Away tells the story of Harriet Tubman as seen through the eyes of a runaway slave. Places must be pre-booked for this performance written for adults. Accompanied children aged 11+ are welcome.

Downham Library, Lewisham 7-8:30pm. Free (Pre-book a place) Tel: 020 8314 9705 Wed 22 Oct Film screening: “The Help” The Help is an inspiring, courageous and empowering story about very different extraordinary women in the 1960s. Due to limited space we only have 30 tickets available. One per customer, on a first come, first BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 35

LISTINGS

served basis.

7:30-9pm. Stroud Green & Harringay Library, London, N4 4QR Tel: 020 8489 8776

Wed 22 Oct Film screening: 12 Years a Slave Historical slave narrative that follows the experience of Solomon Northup, an African-American living with a wife and two children in Saratoga, New York, who is kidnapped and sold into slavery, and transported by ship to New Orleans, where he was given a new name.

Wood Green Library, London, N22 6XD 6-8pm. Tel: 020 8489 2700 Thu 23 Oct Pandora’s Box Spora Stories presents the Offienominated British-Nigerian play by Ade Solanke. An unmissable and moving new tragicomedy about families, betrayal, choices and love.

Pandora’s Box is about a mother wrestling with leaving her Londonborn child in a Nigerian boarding school.

Broadway Theatre, Barking, Broadway, Barking, IG11 7LS 7:30pm. Tickets £14/£12 concessions Tel: 020 8507 5610 www.thebroadwaybarking.com Thu 23 Oct 30th Anniversary talk & discussion: The opera The Kingdom Composer, Filmmaker & BFI member Robert Robertson marks the 30th anniversary of the first production of his avant-garde opera The Kingdom, based on Alejo Carpentiers’ book set at the time of Haitian Independence in 1804. Multi-media talk & discussion about its making, exposing a relatively unknown part of Caribbean history.

Pandora’s Box

Hornsey Library, Haringey Park, London, N8 9JA. 7pm.

Tel: 020 8489 1118 Thu 23 Oct Break the Silence about Congo Week. Film screening: ‘Apocalypse Africa: Made in America’ In Apocalypse Africa: Made In America, journalist Del Walters explores secret recordings, classified films and other archival evidence that suggests the United States’ involvement in the downfall of Africa, including the genocides wars in Darfur, Uganda and Rwanda. Through top secret data, hidden documents and other sources obtained from government archives, the film reveals links between the destruction of Africa and those who influence American foreign policy.

A discussion will follow the film.

Marcus Garvey Library, N15 4JA 7-9pm Tel: 020 8489 5309 Thu 23 Oct Book launch: Black Scientists & Inventors in the UK - millennium of inventions and innovators Michael Wiiliams author of international best selling Black Scientists and Inventors book series, and author Sam Amalemba, author of Becoming, dispel the myth that people of African descent are new to the UK. Instead through their new publication they show that black people in the UK have been inventing and innovating products, systems and ideas and generally contributing to the British landscape for Milleniums.

This is a presentation not to be missed, plus pick up a copy of this new exciting publication.

Wood Green Library, London, N22 6XD Youth Library 7-8:30pm Tel: 020 8489 2700

Thu 23 Oct and 1980s. His influence helped An Audience with Audie bring a change towards democracy Cummings – Entrepreneur, in Nigeria and promoted Pan Pastor, Public Speaker Africanist politics to the world.

Audie Cummings first started his own Mildmay Community Centre, N1 8NA mini-enterprise in Tottenham, quickly 7pm. Free. www.everyvoice.org.uk/ expanding to four studios within events seven years. Audie was also honoured

by MPs such as Paul Boateng and Thu 23 Oct visited by the late Bernie Grant, David Wordsmiths and media stars: Lammy and Prince Charles. Audie Dreda Say Mitchell and has consulted with a wide range of Nadia Maddy blue chip companies such as Virgin Meet Dreda Say Mitchell as she reads Atlantic Business Lounge. from her new book, Vengeance.

Wood Green Library, London, N22 6XD Dreda’s novels, journalism and TV 5-7:30pm. Tel: 020 8489 2700 appearances, whether addressing

race and class or Phil Mitchell’s drug Thu 23 Oct addiction in EastEnders, reflect her “A Change is Gonna Come:” own directness. Her work as an Soul Music and the struggle for educationalist has rightly been Civil Rights described as inspirational and A talk by informed speaker Yuri life-changing. Discover more about Prasad, followed by music and the Nadia Maddy’s novel, The Palm Oil chance to dance to the sounds of Stain. Nadia’s features on TV’s Video Motown and 60s Soul with DJ Nova.

Nation and direction of Aliens Amongst Celebrating Black History with Us (which won final selection at the Lewisham Pensioners Forum. Please Black Hollywood Film Festival) check with LPF that the Calabash augure well for the current media venue refurbishment work is projects she will speak of. complete as you book.

Lewisham Library, Lewisham, 7:45 The Calabash Centre, Lewisham. for 8-9:30pm. Free (Pre-book a place) 1-3pm. Free. For ages 55+ (Pre-booking essential) Fri 24 & Sat 25 Oct Book via Tel: 020 8690 7869 and Pandora’s Box lpforum@btconnect.com Spora Stories presents the Offienominated British-Nigerian play by Thu 23 Oct Ade Solanke. An unmissable and Film: Finding Fela, followed by moving new tragicomedy about Q&A on music and politics families, betrayal, choices and love.

Finding Fela tells the story of Fela Pandora’s Box is about a mother Anikulapo Kuti’s life, his music, his wrestling with leaving her Londonsocial and political importance. He born child in a Nigerian boarding created a new musical movement, school.

Afrobeat, using that forum to Bernie Grant Arts Centre, express his revolutionary political Tottenham N15 4RX. 7:30pm. opinions against the dictatorial Tickets £12/£10 concessions Nigerian government of the 1970s Tel: 020 8365 5450 www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk Fri 24 Oct Raising Your Child’s Aspiration Helping young people to identify their talents, inspire them to take action to succeed as well as raising their awareness about other people who have turned their lives around.

The following presentations will help you to understand the requirements, demands and challenges of certain professions and make informed decisions: Free. Dugdale Centre, EN2 7:45pm. Tel: 020 8807 6680 www.dugdalecentre.co.uk Fri 24 Oct Holy & Horny This sell-out show is a compelling story of love, longing and the ultimate betrayal. Actress and author Tonya Joy Bolton explores one woman’s struggle to remain holy despite

36 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

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2-3:30pm. Age range 8-11 years old. (12 places only: Pre-booking essential). Tel: 020 8314 9705.

Holy & Horny

Tue 28 Oct Celebrate the wisdom of elders and Jamaican proverbs Join Lorlett Hudson as she discusses from her book Things Mama Used to Say. Nadine Walker from Yummi Design will also be reflecting on the impact and inspiration of Jamaican Proverbs.

Torridon Road Library, Lewisham, Tel : 0208 314 3712. 6.30-8.15 pm.

Family event. Pre-booking required.

being as horny as hell! Contains strong language and sexual content.

Tickets: £15/£13 concession Age limit: 15+. Dugdale Centre, EN2 7:45pm Tel: 020 8807 6680 www.dugdalecentre.co.uk

dedicated to him as part of ‘The Rainton Pageant’ in the splendour of The Great Hall The Great Hall. EN2. 6-6:45pm Free. Tel: 020 8363 8196 www.fortyhallestate.co.uk

Fri 24 Oct The History of African Girl Child Education Recently the plight of over 300 girls kidnapped from their boarding school in Chibok, Borno State in Northern Nigeria by Boko Haram, has made headline news. This event will pay tribute to the courage of the kidnapped girls by exploring the topic that education is a basic human right and discussing the challenges that poverty and under-development bring.

African Women’s Welfare Association, N9. 5-8pm. Free. Tel: 07719 658200 awwa@btconnect.com

Sat 25 Oct Call Mr Robeson Award-winning play exploring the rollercoaster journey through AfricanAmerican actor and singer Paul Robeson’s life. Paul Robeson is a great and famous actor, singer and civil rights campaigner.

Dugdale Centre, EN2. 7:30pm Tickets: £17/£15 concession Recommended age 12+ Tel: 020 8807 6680 www.dugdalecentre.co.uk

Sat 25 Oct Enfield African Over 50s Oct Tea Party An opportunity to understand and talk about African Cultural Heritage, identify stories and their cross cultural connections with other cultures. Using information we will explore stories about African gods and goddesses like Ogun, the god of war, Olokun, the sea goddess etc. and their counterparts in other cultures.

Ebony Peoples Association, N18 10am-2pm. Free. www.ebonypeople.org.uk

Sat 25 Oct Tudor Trumpet Performance Dedicated to John Blanke John Blanke was an accomplished black musician who performed in Elsyng Palace in the 1500s for Henry VIII. Come to hear rousing Tudor Trumpet solos in a performance

Sat 25 Oct Lovers Rock Monologues Janet Kay, Victor Romero Evans and Carroll Thompson return to Millfield with their sellout show.

Millfield Theatre, N18. 7:45pm Tickets: £23.50, Tel: 020 8807 6680 www.millfieldartscentre.co.uk Sat 25 & Sun 26 Oct London is the place for me A family festival of Caribbean culture and the art of limin’. Music, films, performances and world class artists from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Guyana, Barbados and USA including Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze MBE, Mervyn Morris, John Agard, Alexander D Great, Women of Steel, Mangrove Steelband, Anthony Joseph, Malika Booker, Kei Miller, Tobago Crusoe, Abdul Malik, Melanie Abrahams and Tracie Morris.

The Tabernacle, London W11 2AY Weekend Ticket: £15 early bird, £20 after. hq@renaissanceone.co.uk www.renaissanceone.co.uk

Sun 26 Oct Loren Whyte Freedom of Movement Enfield-based dancer/choreographer, Loren Whyte presents cutting-edge new work representing the diversity of Black British Dance, creating and presenting high quality dance productions, fusing African and contemporary dance styles.

Dugdale Centre, EN2. 4pm. Tickets: £12/£8 concessions. Tel: 020 8807 6680 www.dugdalecentre.co.uk Mon 27 – Fri 31 Oct Pandora’s Box Spora Stories presents the Offienominated British-Nigerian play by Ade Solanke. An unmissable and moving new tragicomedy about families, betrayal, choices and love.

Pandora’s Box is about a mother wrestling with leaving her Londonborn child in a Nigerian boarding school.

CLF Art Café, 133 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4ST. 3pm. Tel: 020 7732 5275 www.clfartcafe.org Tues 28 Oct Black Presence in Britain A celebration of the diversity of culture, tradition and history.

Enjoy an evening of diverse food, entertainment, specially invited speakers and lots more. Join us to share your ideas, stories, knowledge and life experiences – everyone is welcome.

Dugdale Centre, EN2. 6:30-9:30pm Free. Enfield Unison Black Members Group. Tel: 020 8367 9129 Tue 28 Oct Half Term BHM Music Workshop Join Ethan for a black interest music workshop in the MacSuite.

Downham Library, Lewisham,

Tue 28 Oct Film: Fire in the Blood, followed

by Q&A with the Director of Photography Jay Odedra An intricate tale of ‘medicine, monopoly and malice’, Fire in the Blood tells the story of how Western pharmaceutical companies and governments aggressively blocked access to low-cost AIDS drugs for the countries of Africa and the global south in the years after 1996 - causing ten million or more unnecessary deaths - and the improbable group of people who decided to fight back. Including contributions from global figures such as Bill Clinton, Desmond Tutu and Joseph Stiglitz.

St Luke’s Centre, EC1. 7pm. Free. www.everyvoice.org.uk/events Wed 29 Oct Who was Henry Muoria? With Peter Muoria Mwaniki Kenyan political thinker, writer, activist published pamphlets and newspapers that contributed and influenced the anti-colonial struggle in Kenya in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Muoria spent much of his later life living in Islington, as his life became increasingly under threat in the ferment of the oppressive regime at home. Henry’s son Peter coauthor of book Writing for Kenya: the Life and Works of Henry Muoria, will share the family and political life and legacy of his courageous father.

Housmans, Islington. N1 9DX. 7pm Cost: £3 Wed29 Oct Anansi Spider Craft Make a scary Anansi spider. Age range 8-11 years old. Free (No booking required) Lewisham Library, Lewisham. 2-3pm.

Wed 29 Oct Evening talk: Black Poppies Community historian and author of many successful black British history books, Stephen Bourne shares memories of his adopted Aunt Esther, a black Londoner born before WW1.

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Twelve Years a Slave

His latest book Black Poppies Britain’s Black Community and the Great War (The History Press, 2014) explores the military and civilian wartime experience of black Britons, from the trenches to the music halls.

Doors open at 7pm for refreshment.

Supported by the Friends of Bruce Castle.

Bruce Castle Museum, London, N17 8NU. 7:30pm Tel: 020 8808 8772 Wed 29 Oct Film Screening: Twelve Years a Slave Award-winning historical slavenarrative drama directed by Steve McQueen. Due to limited space we only have 25 tickets available. One per customer, on a first come, first served basis.

Muswell Hill Library , N10 3PE, 7:30-9pm Tel: 020 8489 8773

Thu 30 Oct Presentation of: The History & Legacy of African Enslavement The enslavement of African people and its accompanying violence and destruction were one of the catastrophic events in the history of humankind. This presentation will uncover the history and legacy of the enslavement of African people through our Maangamizi. The word “Maangamizi” is a Swahili term which speaks to the intentionality of the African holocaust of chattel, colonial and neo-colonial enslavement. We will examine the African abolition struggles and resistance movements, and the legacy of the enslavement period on Africa and the Diaspora.

Marcus Garvey Library, N15 4JA. 7-9pm. Tel: 020 8489 5309 Thu 30 Oct St Ann’s Library Book Club This month we will be reading and discussing “The Black Jacobins” by C.L.R. James. This powerful, intensely dramatic book is the definitive 38 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

account of the Haitian Revolution of 1794-1803, The slaves’ struggle produced heroic leaders, especially Toussaint L’Ouverture. He and his revolutionary army of selfemancipated slaves defeated the three great empires of the eighteenth century-Spain, England, and France - and finally won independence after a decade of struggle in 1804.

St Ann’s Library, London, N15 5PU. 6-7pm. Tel: 020 8489 8775 Thu 30 Oct Samson Adeyemi launches Lessons from my Father Samson Adeyemi is a former Youth MP for the borough and an accomplished motivational speaker.

His first book is an appropriate read during the Family Learning Festival as the 23 year old writer advocates for the wisdom of elders. Samson will be selling signed copies of his book on the night.

Crofton Park community library, Lewisham 7-8pm Free: Booking advised Tel : 020 8694 9373 Fri 31 Oct Stroud Green and Harringay Library Reading Group Come and join the first meeting of our library’s reading group and mark the end of Black History Month! We will be discussing “In My Father’s House” by Ernest J. Gaines. A number of copies will be available for loan at our library.

5:30-6:30pm. Stroud Green & Harringay Library, London, N4 4QR Tel: 020 8489 8776 Fri 31 Oct An Audience with Andrew Muhammad AKA The Investigator – Reaching for the Top The Investigator is one of the UK’s leading Black History and Culture specialists. His lively energetic presentations are designed to bring forth history and culture to the

spectator for a more enriched awareness of the universal contributions and achievements of a culturally diverse society. During this event The Investigator will look at the formation and history of the Black community here in the UK. There will be an audience discussion exploring the link between education standards, social inequalities and equal opportunities and black business.

Business Lounge, Wood Green Library, London N22 6XD. 5-7:30pm Tel: 020 8489 2700

Wed 1 Oct Pandora’s Box As part of the Nigerian 54th Independence Day Celebrations we bring you the unmissable, awardwining tragic comedy about a Nigerian families, love, betrayal and choices in Pandora’s Box. There will also be VIP meet and greet with speeches from Nigerian leaders and a post-performance Q&As with the writer and cast members.

The Drum, Birmingham. 7pm Box Office: 0121 333 2444 Tickets: £12.50 (£10.50)

Sat 1 Nov Black People in Britain Before The Windrush A journey of discovery with internationally renowned scholar Dr. Hakim Adi to reveal and share the knowledge of centuries of Black ‘Hidden Histories’ in Britain. Special guests will be providing performance poetry, drumming and gospel, for what promises to be an exciting and varied evening.

Bowes Methodist Church, N22.

6-10pm Tickets: £10 Adult /£8 Concession / Under-16s £3 Enfield Caribbean Association, Tel: 020 8373 6352

Fri 3 Oct (10, 17, 24, 31 Oct) Moving to Balance, Creative African and Caribbean Dance for children Introduce your child to African Caribbean culture, in a fun and exciting way by focusing on creating, adapting and linking a range of movements; whilst developing and awareness of the historical and cultural origins of a variety of dances.

St Marks Church Hall, Erdington, 4-5pm & 5-6pm. £4. Tel: 07718660694 wedayah2@yahoo.co.uk

BIRMINGHAM Fri 26 Sep - Fri 7 Nov Exhibition: Freedom or Death: Dr Vanley Burke The Drum is pleased to host an exhibition charting the final days of the apartheid era in South Africa through the lens of preeminent documentary photographer Dr Vanley Burke. Burke travelled extensively throughout South Africa to Soweto, Sharpeville, Bophuthatswana, Cape Town and Durban, talking to people, attending rallies, funerals and demonstrations. This selection of photographs from the Library of Birmingham archives provides a unique insight of a nation undergoing immense change towards eventual democracy.

The Drum, Birmingham. Free www.the-drum.org.uk Wed 1 & Thu 2 Oct Tamasha: My name is….

My Name is... tells the story behind a story that hit the headlines in 2006.

When Gaby disappeared from her Scottish home, it was assumed that her Pakistani father had kidnapped her. This moving verbatim play reveals a cross-cultural love in early 80s Glasgow. mac Birmingham, 8pm, Box Office: 0121 446 3232. Tickets £14 (£12)

Fri 3 Oct Upfront Comedy presents USA Special An international comedy special featuring three of America’s funniest performers: Wil E Robo, star of Puff Daddy’s Bad Boys of Comedy, Florida’s award winning Sean Grant and Akaash Singh, the funniest Indian comedian to come out of Dallas.

Food will be available on the night Suitable for audiences 18+ The Drum, Birmingham, 7:30pm Box Office 0121 333 2444 Tickets: £13.50 (£11.50), £16.50 OTD Sat 4 – Sat 25 Oct Three Minute Heroes Join five local heroes as they bond, fight, love and play their way through the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Inspired by the music of The Selecter, The Specials and the 2 Tone scene, Three Minute Heroes is an affectionate tribute featuring hits like Gangsters, Do Nothing, On My Radio, Missing Words, A Message to You, Rudy, Ghost Town, Free Nelson Mandela and Three Minute Hero.

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry Evenings: 7:30pm, Matinees: 2:15pm Tickets: £10 - £20.75 Concessions: £8.50 - £18.75 Tel: 024 7684 6732 www.belgrade.co.uk Sat 4 Oct Afrovibes Festival for Families – Khumba (animation) Khumba leaves the only home he has ever known in search of the magic waterhole where, legend has it, the first zebras’ got their stripes. It’s not

LISTINGS

all black and white in this colourful animation. mac Birmingham, Birmingham, 12 noon and 2pm. Tickets £3 Box Office: 0121 446 3232 www.macbirmingham.co.uk Sat 4 Oct BEX Live International BEX Live is the largest business, cultural and lifestyle marketing tradeshow, celebrating 50 years of black community in business culture, creativity, entrepreneurship, consumer power and much more.

12-8pm. Birmingham Eastside, South and City College, Birmingham Free. Tel: 07906994192 www.blackexposurelive.co.uk Sun 5 Oct COBO – Comedy of Black Origin COBO pulls together some of the circuit’s finest comedians. Mr Cee, Dibbi, comedy’s No.1 Diva, KG (Shadrack & The Mandem) & our guests from Los Angeles, Sean G Grant, Jimmy Kemmel Live, for a hilarious night The Glee Club , Birmingham, Doors open 7:15pm last entry 7:45pm £18. Box Office: 0871 472 0400 www.glee.co.uk email info@desicentral.co.uk Sun 5 Oct Bashment Housewives Tennexa presents this exciting urban comedy drama which highlights the lifestyles of four competitive young women wanting to live a life full of luxury facing relationship challenges and financial struggle with their hubbies. Along for the drama mother Carlene played by Debbie Diamond and dad played by Countryman are drawn in when gossip queen Kione reveals all secrets! A play not to be missed!

The Drum, Birmingham. 8pm Tickets: £16, £20 OTD Box Office: 0121 3332444 Mon 6, 13, 20, 27 Oct Moving to Balance Creative African and Caribbean Dance for Adults Come and discover healthier ways of being through African holistic dance. Wake up your cellular memory and embrace your spirit. Discover ways of relaxing by finding balance, truth and ultimate healing through traditional therapeutic African dance and creative movement.

George Road Baptist Church, Erdington, 7:15-9pm, £7. wedayah2@yahoo.co.uk or phone 07718660694 Wed 8 Oct ScratchBHAM – Black History Month Special ScratchBHAM presents local artists

‘scratching’ material inspired by Leah Gordon’s Kanaval exhibition.

ScratchBHAM is about the dialogue between audience and writer, in a usually isolated craft, celebrating work in development and the very process of writing.

Ort Café Birmingham, 6:30pm Talk with Leah Gordon 7:30pm ScratchBHAM. Cost £4 www.maiacreatives.wordpress.com Wed 8 Oct Trip to International Slavery Museum Liverpool Departs Pannel Croft Village Hospital Street, Newton, Birmingham B19 2XU. £25 – price includes return transport, entry to museum and guided tour.

Please note tickets on sale to village residents first.

8:30am-6:30pm. Tel: 0121 503 1000 ask for Julie Talbot or Nathan Duberry

and not only that of the revolution, is replayed through the masks, costumes and narratives of the carnival in Jacmel, a coastal town in southern Haiti.

Ort Gallery, Birmingham, Free, www.ortgallery.co.uk Sat 11 Oct A Tribute to Stuart Hall Professor Stuart Hall came from Jamaica to become one of Britain’s foremost scholars on race, racism and activism. He passed away earlier this year and this event is in tribute to his memory and will feature speakers, performances and workshops.

Free but donations welcome.

Kajans Catering and Studio College, Birmingham, 1-6pm. info@blackunity.org.uk www.blackunity.org.uk

Mary Seacole

1964, the Star of Birmingham Lodge this year celebrates 50 years of existence with this Gala Dinner and Dance.

Tickets from £30.00. The Tower Mount Banqueting Suite, Birmingham 7:30pm, Tel : 07979 921 41 www.iuom.org/ Mon 13 - Sat 25 Oct Exhibition: Mandela 27 To coincide with Afrovibes South African Festival, The Drum will host Mandela 27, which is a cultural collaboration between the European Union and South Africa inspired by the iconic story of Nelson Mandela and the globally recognized Robben Island Museum. The project involves a physical display based upon the dimensions of Nelson Mandela’s cell, housing cultural stories and works.

To date the DIY Exhibition has already been requested by BELvue Museum in Brussels, Belgium, The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry, as well as the Great Britain and Robben Island Museum in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Drum Café, Birmingham, www.the-drum.org.uk Tue 14 Oct Urdu Mushaira Local Poets will be giving performances of poetry in Urdu.

Audience participation welcomed.

Free. Ladies only event.

Sparkhill Library, Birmingham, 10am-2pm Tel: 0121 303 0732

Fri 10 Oct Real Talk with Necola Hall, author of “I Was a Soldier” The Drum is pleased to host an evening with LJ and her special guest author Necola Hall sharing her gripping triumph over adversity story I Was A Solider. Jamaica-born Necola served in the British Army for over nine years and is a veteran of the Second Gulf War. The Drum, Birmingham, 7:30pm Tickets: £4 (£3) Box Office: 0121 333 2444 Fri 10 Oct – Sat 25 Oct Exhibition: Kanaval: Vodou, politics and revolution on the streets of Haiti A Photography Exhibition by British artist Leah Gordon. Haitian history,

Sat 11 Oct Mary Seacole - Film Birmingham Community Libraries present Mary Seacole, a 25 minute film covering the life of Mary Seacole and her contribution to Britain during the Crimean War and later. Made by local people in Handsworth Wood.

Free. Small Heath Library, Birmingham, 2:30-3:30pm kevin.duffy@birmingham.gov.uk Sat 11 Oct The Star of Birmingham Lodge No. 4. 50 Years Celebration Awards Gala Dinner & Dance In 1962, 27 West Indian men formed a self -improvement group. Specialising in the spiritual values of life, moral lessons, self- knowledge and charity work. Launched on the 29th August

Tue 14 Oct Mary Seacole – Film Birmingham Community Libraries present Mary Seacole, a 25 minute film covering the life of Mary Seacole and her contribution to Britain during the Crimean War and late. Made by local people in Handsworth Wood.

Free. Sutton Coldfield Library, Sutton Coldfield. 1:45-2:45pm Thu 16 Oct Mary Seacole – Film Birmingham Community Libraries present Mary Seacole, a 25-minute film covering the life of Mary Seacole and her contribution to Britain during the Crimean War and later. Made by local people in Handsworth Wood.

Balsall Heath Library, Birmingham 4:30pm 1st Showing, 5:30pm 2nd Showing. Tel: 0121 464 1962 Thu 16 Oct Hallowed Turf Gazebo Theatre presents Hallowed Turf is a story of soldiers, football and heroes ... A young man’s dream of becoming a footballer is brought to the front when he meets his hero on a very different front line. This BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 39

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powerful and heart-breaking new play shares the true story of footballing star Walter Tull, the first Black officer to serve in the British Army in World War One. The Drum, Birmingham, 7:30pm Tickets: £8.50 (£6.50) Box Office: 0121 333 2444

Solomon and Marion

Thu 16 Oct – Sat 1 Nov Solomon and Marion This powerful play about two injured souls searching for redemption follows the story of Marion (Janet Suzman), as she struggles to find meaning in a transformed country. But as the 2010 World Cup finals dawn in a fragile, post-apartheid South Africa, hope enters her life in the form of Solomon (Khayalethu Anthony).

Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham, 7:45pm £12 – £20 Box Office: 0121 236 4455 www.birmingham-rep.co.uk Thu 16 Oct Untangling the Politics of Black Hair When it comes to blackness and hair, there are as many issues as there are styling products. Has it ever been ‘just hair’, or are the politics around Black hair a matter of social and economic justice?

The Drum, Birmingham, 7-9pm.

Free. kadianpow@gmail.com Fri 17 Oct Tie Dyeing African and Caribbean Fabrics Learn the craft of tie-dyeing at this hands-on workshop by Khamlyn.

Handsworth Library, Birmingham, 2:30-3:30pm, Free. Tel: 0121 464 1185 handsworth.library@birmingham. gov.uk

Fri 17 Oct Holy & Horny Back by popular demand, Holy & Horny is a “Hilarious, powerful and deeply moving” sell-out show celebrating women’s sensuality and spirituality. In this extraordinary play, Actress & Author Tonya Joy Bolton explores one woman’s struggle to remain holy despite being as horny as hell! mac Birmingham, 8pm, £12.50/ £10 Box Office: 0121 446 3232 www.macbirmingham.co.uk Sat 18 Oct World War 1 Story Telling session Bloomsbury library will be commemorating the contribution of men and women from the Commonwealth countries to the Afrovibes Festival: The Soil

WW1 effort. Children and adults are invited to listen to and share stories of bravery and heroism in the face of grave danger to their own lives to protect our freedom.

Bloomsbury Library, Birmingham 2-3pm. Free. Manmohan.s.bains@ birmingham.gov.uk www.birmingham.gov.uk/ bloomsburylibrary Mon 20 Oct Afrovibes Festival: The Soil The Soil is a three-piece acappella vocal group combing a stunning mix of musical styles: township jazz, hip-hop, Afro-Pop and Afro-Soul.

No instruments, no music lessons - just their own voices and local inspiration. With special guests The Soil and featuring our youth ensemble and local poets! mac Birmingham, Birmingham. 8pm £12 (£10). Box Office: 0121 446 3232 marcia.springer@macarts.co.uk, www.macbirmingham.co.uk Tue 21 Oct Lesley Primo and his Barber Favourites Back by popular demand, acclaimed art historian and National Gallery lecturer Leslie Primo returns to the Barber. Join Leslie as he shares his favourite works from the Barber collection in this exclusive guided tour of the galleries.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, Birmingham. 3-4pm. Free, booking essential. To book http:// lesleyprimo.eventbrite.co.uk Tue 21 Oct Danford Film Screenings: Mud and Water Man Join the University of Birmingham’s

40 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

Research & Cultural Collections for a film tracing the career of English potter Michael Cardew, from his establishment of Pottery Training Centres in Nigeria and Ghana, to the running of his pottery at Wenford Bridge in Cornwall.

Free, booking essential. Danford Room, Arts Building, University of Birmingham. 5:30-7pm Tel: 0121 414 2225 (Mon-Wed only)

Tue 21 Oct Punk in Africa Three chords, three countries, one revolution Punk in Africa is the story of the multiracial punk movement within the recent political and social upheavals experienced in three Southern African countries: South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

The Drum, Birmingham. 7pm Tickets: £4 (£3) Box Office: 0121 333 2444 Tue 21 Oct Afrovibes Festival: Skierlik This award-winning play revisits the horror of a racially-motivated shooting spree that devastated the remote settlement of Skierlik in 2008.

Thomas moved away after his wife

Afrovibes Festival: Skierlik

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and three month old daughter were killed in the atrocity. But now he’s returning. We ride with him on the long dirt road back to Skierlik. mac Birmingham, Birmingham, 8pm £12 (£10) Box Office: 0121 446 3232 www.macbirmingham.co.uk Wed 22 Oct Pannel Croft Cultural Workshops Arts and Craft exhibition, including food tasting, music and dance.

Pannel Croft Village, Birmingham 1–5pm. Free. Tel: 0121 503 1000 or email Julie.talbot@extracare.org.uk Wed 22 Oct An Evening with Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze and Tracie Morris Renaissance one and The Drum supported by Shakti Women presents an evening of conversation and performance from two leading international figures, the acclaimed Jamaican poet and dub artist Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze MBE and the acclaimed US poet and voice artist Tracie Morris.

The Drum, Birmingham, 7:30pm Tickets: £8 (£6) Box Office: 0121 333 2444 Wed 22 Oct & Thu 23 Oct Afrovibes Festival: Rainbow Scars During the era of reconciliation, Nelson Mandela encouraged South Africans to reach out and touch each other’s lives: white middle class Ellen Robinson and her family adopted a three year old black child called Lindiwe. Now, fourteen years later, all seems well - until her older cousin seeks her out and forces her to confront her true heritage. mac Birmingham, Birmingham, 8pm £12 (£10) Box Office: 0121 446 3232 www.macbirmingham.co.uk

Thu 23 Oct Biko’s Quest (Dance) The Steve Biko Foundation in association with Jazzart Dance Theatre presents the life, death and legacy of the inspirational anti-apartheid campaigner, and gives us this powerful large cast production that takes the audience on a poignant and emotional journey through danced storytelling.

“It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die” - Steve Biko The Drum, Birmingham. 7:30pm Cost: £10 (£8) Box Office: 0121 333 2444 Fri 24 Oct OSCAR Birmingham Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Conference A free conference to raise awareness of Sickle Cell and Thalassemia.

Speakers from health professionals, clients and those living with these conditions. Learn, participate and share your experiences.

Laurel Road Community and Sports Centre, Birmingham, 10am-3pm Free. Box Office: 0121 212 9209 www.oscarbirmingham.org.uk Fri 24 Oct Black Soldiers & The First World War Past, Present, Future This partnership event is aimed at community groups and individuals who are involved in projects and initiatives focused on the African and Caribbean contribution to the First World War. The event will provide a platform to network, share information and explore potential areas of interest and future collaboration. Hosted by Recognize Black History & Culture The Library of Birmingham, Birmingham, 2-4pm. www.blacksoldiers.eventbrite.co.uk Afrovibes Festival: Rainbow Scars

Mamela (Theatre) Fri 24 Oct South Africa – from Mandela to the Marikana miners Film and discussion – The Miners Shot Down. In 2012 mineworkers in South Africa went on strike for better wages. The police used live ammunition, killing 34. The courageous but isolated fight by a group of low-paid workers against the combined forces of the mining company, government and Union.

The Drum, Birmingham 7pm, £5 and £3 Profit going to support of Marikana miners. Box: Office 0121 333 2444 www.minersshotdown.co.za Fri 24 Oct Mamela (Theatre) Curious Monkey presents Mamela (meaning to Listen) follows a group of remarkable young women from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, capturing the opinions, experiences and aspirations of those born towards the end of the Apartheid era, the ‘born-free‘ generation. A fusion of European and African theatre, this cutting edge, verbatim piece is moving personal testimony and storytelling, fused with traditional African song and dance to create a compelling narrative for the 21st century.

The Drum, Birmingham 7:30pm, Tickets: £8 (£6) Box Office: 0121 333 2444 Fri 24 Oct Township Comets The Township Comets play a joyful mix of South African Township Jazz which is inspired by South African saxophonist Dudu Pukwana, who in exile brought a pioneering mix of Township Jazz and improvisation to the UK and European scenes in

the late 1960s.Their music is great fun; lively, rhythmic, slightly anarchic, dance-based jazz, it is hard to sit still.

The Drum, Birmingham, 9pm Tickets: £6.50 (£4.50 soncession) Box Office: 0121 333 2444 Fri 24 Oct Afrovibes Festival Double Bill: Mana and Dark Cell In Mana, South African choreographer Vincent Mantsoe will take you back to ancient times, evoking the spirit and earthy ambience of African dance and Shaman traditions. Dark Cell is an award-winning piece, which draws inspiration from former political prisoners of Robben Island, using the concept of a prison cell as a metaphor for mental imprisonment. mac Birmingham, Birmingham, 8pm £12 (£10) Box Office: 0121 446 3232 www.macbirmingham.co.uk Sat 25 Oct Through the eyes of a Nurse’s Life by Linda L Brown An inspirational talk by retired District Nurse Linda Brown through a collection of memorable memories spanning over 50 years. This is part of the Black Family Reading Project Birmingham Community Libraries.

Birchfield Library, Trinity Road, Book Club, Aston, 11am-12 noon. Free.

Jennifer.startin@birmingham.gov.uk www.birmingham.gov.uk/bfrp Sat 25 Oct Representing Diasporas: The Black and South Asian Presence in the Archives Birmingham’s Black and South Asian communities are firmly rooted. But how well represented are they in the BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 41

LISTINGS

critically acclaimed opera singers Byron Jackson and Jordene Thomas.

Something for everyone and an event not to be missed!!

St Mary’s Church, Birmingham 7:30pm. £10. Tel: 07904 217452 bjmusicevents@hotmail.co.uk

Afrovibes Festival: Dark Cell

history of the City and its Archives?

Join Dr Vanley Burke, Dr Lisa Palmer and Izzy Mohammed for lively debate and discussion!

Handsworth Library, Birmingham, 1– 4pm, Free. izzy.mohammed@ birmingham.gov.uk Sat 25 Oct Tyeing & Dyeing - African & Caribbean Fabrics Come along and learn how to “Tie & Dye” materials and learn new skills.

This is a family event.

Small Heath Library, Birmingham 2-4pm. Free. Tel: 0121 464 6155 manmohan.s.bains@birmingham. gov.uk Sat 25 Oct Afrovibes Festival Double Bill: Uncles and Angels and Dark Cell Uncles & Angels uses breathtaking interactive dance and video to explore South Africa’s Reed Dance, a colourful celebratory tradition. Dark Cell is an award-winning piece, which draws inspiration from former political prisoners of Robben Island, using the concept of a prison cell as a metaphor for mental imprisonment. mac Birmingham, Birmingham, 8pm £12 (£10). Box Office: 0121 446 3232 www.macbirmingham.co.uk Sat 25 Oct Express Truth Live Join the Award winning podcast The Express Truth and have your say on Black community issues as we broadcast the Express Truth Show live over the airwaves for the 1st time with over 15,000 listeners tuned in live. We will be speaking on Black businesses, Black families, Black History and many more interesting 42 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

topics. The night will be hosted by the show’s very own Cipha Divine & refreshments and merchandise will be available to purchase on the night.

One Community Org, Birmingham 8-10pm. Free. Tel: 0121 643 2047 Markhamilton@back2backfilms.com theexpresstruthshow.podomatic.com Sat 25 Oct Rhetorical (Theatre) Thabo Mbeki succeeded Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa in 1999. In Rhetorical his most famous speeches are revisited, laying bare his powers of persuasion (and lack of the same). His often controversial nine years in high office, his style of governance and impact on his citizens are explored through the intriguing, compelling and satirical insights of a colourful (fictional) youth leader, Dada Mokone. GBR Productions in association with the State Theatre of Pretoria. Suitable for audiences 14+ The Drum, Birmingham, 7:30pm Tickets: £12 (£10) Box Office: 0121 333 2444 Rhetorical

Sun 26 Oct Oliver Samuels “Celebrating his 65th in Dolly House” The Play Dolly House, is a wonderful mix of Jamaica’s favourite topics; politics, power, intimacy, race, class, mistrust and betrayal, all co-mingled into one hilarious comedy with the belly cramping humour that only Oliver can produce. Dolly House depicts the crazy drama, unavoidable tragedies and constant comedy that occur daily in multi-dwelling structures in Jamaica; commonly known as Tenement Yards.

New Alexander Theatre, Birmingham, £28 Stalls, £26 Dress Circle. 8pm.

Box Office: 0844 847 2302 www.alexandratheatre.org.uk Tue 28 Oct Danford Film Screenings: Monday’s Girls Join the University of Birmingham’s Research & Cultural Collections for a documentary exploring the traditions associated with the initiation of women into adult society in Nigeria. Combining voice-over and interviews, the film documents tradition, modernity, and dissent in African women’s lives.

Admission free, booking essential University of Birmingham, Birmingham 5:30-7pm. Box Office: http://mondaysgirls.eventbrite.co.uk Tel: 0121 414 2225 (Mon-Wed only) www.birmingham.ac.uk/ blackhistorymonth Thu 30 Oct Manifest: The Edition Faith meets Art in this unique, incredibly out-of-the-box Poetry and Music night. A spiritual, inspirational night that aims to encourage and uplift. Powerful poets, stunning singers, all on one night. Don’t Miss it!

Free. Starbucks Lloyds, Birmingham email roger@glmedia.co.uk, 7-9pm www.manifesttheedition.co.uk

LIVERPOOL Sat 25 Oct Autumn Recital - Songs to Stir the Soul Prepare to be uplifted as we take you on a musical journey from opera through to spirituals. Featuring

Wed 1 – Sat 11 Oct Clybourne Park Clybourne Park spans two generations fifty years apart. In 1959, Russ and Bev are selling their desirable two-bedroom at a bargain price, unknowingly bringing the first black family into the neighborhood

(borrowing a plot line from Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun) and creating ripples of discontent among the cozy white residents of Clybourne Park. In 2009, the same property is being bought by a young white couple, whose plan to raze the house and start again is met with equal disapproval by the black residents of the soon-tobe-gentrified area. Are the issues festering beneath the floorboards actually the same, fifty years on? Bruce Norris’s excruciatingly funny and squirm-inducing satire explores the fault line between race and property.

Unity Theatre, Liverpool, Liverpool Cost of entry varies, £5-£14 www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk Tel: 0779 446 9666 Sat 4 - Sun 5 Oct Faces of Change Make and take home your very own badge inspired by our wall of Black achievers.

International Slavery Museum, Liverpool. 1-4pm. Tel: 0151 478 4499 www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk Sun 5 Oct Capoeira Club Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that was developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil. It is a unique martial art that incorporates musicality, acrobatics and dance. If you have an interest in martial arts, dance or acrobatics or just want to try something new, come along to one of the friendly classes, led by Daniel Baird.

International Slavery Museum, Liverpool. 2-4pm. Tel: 0151 478 4499 www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk Sat 11 – Sun 12 Oct Quilt code patterns Learn the meanings and codes behind the patterns on African American quilts and how they helped the enslaved on the road to freedom.

Make a paper and fabric patchwork pattern of your own, maybe inspired by the Gees Bend quilt on display in the museum.

International Slavery Museum, Liverpool. Tel: 0151 478 4499 www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk Sun 12 Oct Capoeira Club Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that was developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil. It is a unique martial art that incorporates musicality, acrobatics and dance. If you have an interest in martial arts, dance or acrobatics or just want to try something new, come along to one of the friendly classes, led by Daniel Baird.

International Slavery Museum, Liverpool. 2-4pm. Tel: 0151 478 4499 www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

LISTINGS

will be delivering a public lecture on Understanding the US Civil Rights Movement.Professor Kushnick’s talks are known for being not only informative but also lively and engaging. The event is free, but please book as places are likely to be in demand!

Manchester Central Library, Manchester. 5:30-7:30pm www.eventbrite.co.uk

Young Identity: Battle of the Minds

Sun 19 Oct Capoeira Club Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that was developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil. It is a unique martial art that incorporates musicality, acrobatics and dance. If you have an interest in martial arts, dance or acrobatics or just want to try something new, come along to one of the friendly classes, led by Daniel Baird.

International Slavery Museum, Liverpool. Tel: 0151 478 4499 www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk Sat 25 Oct - Thu 30 Oct Unsung Super Heroes We can all be super heroes! Learn about what incredible things some people from our Black acheivers wall have done and take part in a variety of craft activities, including a comic workshop with Leah Moore.

International Slavery Museum, Liverpool. 1-4pm. Tel: 0151 478 4499 www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk Sun 26 Oct 2014 Capoeira Club Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that was developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil. It is a unique martial art that incorporates musicality, acrobatics and dance. If you have an interest in martial arts, dance or acrobatics or just want to try something new, come along to one of the friendly classes, led by Daniel Baird.

International Slavery Museum, Liverpool. 2-4pm. Tel: 0151 478 4499 www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk Fri 31 Oct Faces of change Make and take home your very own badge inspired by our wall of

Black achievers.

International Slavery Museum, Liverpool. 1-4pm. Tel: 0151 478 4499 www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk Sat 15 Nov Chanje Kunda: Amsterdam Using spoken word, physicality and music, Amsterdam is a high-powered, supermodern 21st century play of love and lust. Seduced by the attractions of the city and a charming Surinamese man she met on holiday, Chanje embarks on a voyage into the unknown. What will be her fate?

The Lantern Theatre, Liverpool www.lanterntheatreliverpool.co.uk Tel: 0151 703 0000

MANCHESTER Fri 3 –Sat 4 Oct Chanje Kunda: Amsterdam Using spoken word, physicality and music, Amsterdam is a high-powered, supermodern 21st century play of love and lust. Seduced by the attractions of the city and a charming Surinamese man she met on holiday, Chanje embarks on a voyage into the unknown. What will be her fate?

The Contact, Manchester www.contactmcr.com Tel: 0161 274 0600 Thu 9 Oct Understanding the US Civil Rights Movement - Lou Kushnick lecture As part of Black History Month, Professor Lou Kushnick OBE (Professor of Race Relations at the University of Manchester and Director of the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre and Education Trust)

Mon 13 Oct Maya Angelou poetry workshops and open mic As a celebration of the life of Maya Angelou (14 April 1928 - 28 May 2014), Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre and Education Trust are holding two poetry workshops led by Commonword/Young Identity, using the work of Maya Angelou as inspiration.

1-4:30pm (workshops), Manchester Central Library, Manchester 5:30-7:45 pm (open mic) www.eventbrite.co.uk Tue 14 Oct Call Mr Robeson A special performance by Tayo Aluko of his much-acclaimed ‘Call Mr Robeson.’ When over the years he gets progressively too radical and outspoken for the establishment’s liking, he is branded a traitor to his country, harassed, and denied opportunities to perform or travel.

The play is a rollercoaster journey through Paul Robeson’s remarkable and eventful life, and highlights how his radical activism caused him to be disowned and disremembered, even by the leaders and descendants of the civil rights movement. It features much fiery oratory and some of his famous songs, including a dramatic rendition of Ol’ Man River.

Manchester Central Library, Manchester. 6-8pm www.eventbrite.co.uk Thu 16 Oct Manchester Literature Festival 2014: Patience Agbabi Telling Tales Award-winning poet Patience Agbabi retells Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales for the 21st century in her new collection Telling Tales.

The Contact, Manchester £6 full/ £5 concession. 7:30pm www.contactmcr.com Tel: 0161 274 0600

most articulate voices of our city.

The collective supports teenagers and young adults by using poetry, prose and live performance to expose young peoples’ issues, giving them a platform from which their voices can ring out.

The Contact, Manchester www.contactmcr.com £9 full/£5 concession. 7:30pm Tel: 0161 274 0600

Afrovibes 2014: Tyler Dolan

Mon 27 Oct - Sat 1 Nov Afrovibes 2014: Tyler Dolan Africa Inspired Durban-based photographer Tyler Dolan presents Africa Inspired, a group of studio shots manipulated digitally to reflect the vibrant colours and beauty of Africa. This event is part of Afrovibes Festival 2014, featuring contemporary theatre, dance, spoken word and music from South Africa and beyond, open daily.

Free. The Contact, Manchester www.contactmcr.com Tel: 0161 274 0600 Tue 28 Oct Afrovibes 2014: Elusive Spring/ Brothers in Blood Mike van Graan writes vividly and fearlessly, evoking the racial and political tensions in today’s South Africa, linking the personal with the political in plays that challenge and provoke. The free play readings of Brothers in Blood and Elusive Spring complement the full performance of his play.

The Contact Manchester, 7pm www.contactmcr.com Tel: 0161 274 0600 Afrovibes 2014: Elusive Spring/ Brothers in Blood

Thu 23 Oct Young Identity: Battle of the Minds A verbal battle of heart and mind from Manchester’s finest young poets.

Young Identity is Manchester’s première youth spoken word collective and houses some of the BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 43

LISTINGS

Tue 28 Oct Afrovibes 2014: Mamela Mamela (‘Listen’) follows a group of remarkable young women from the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

The Contact Manchester 7:30pm. £9 full/£5 concession Tel: 0161 274 0600 www.contactmcr.com

Afrovibes 2014: Skierlik

Wed 29 Oct Afrovibes 2014: Rainbow Scars A poignant and provocative exploration of identity and family, and what makes us who we are.

The Contact, Manchester 8pm. £11 full/£6 concessions www.contactmcr.com Tel: 0161 274 0600

Sat 4 Oct Leicester Caribbean Credit Union 40th anniversary celebration Leicester Caribbean Credit Union is hosting a formal dinner and dance to commemorate 40 successful years of serving the community. All are welcome to celebrate at this black tie/evening dress event. The evening’s entertainment includes a performance by comedian Curtis Walker and the Jamaican High Commissioner will be in attendance as an honoured guest.

Tickets: daytime events free, evening event £40. The City Rooms, Hotel Street, Leicester, LE1 5AW 7pm-2am. Tel: 0116 251 2224 Email: lccu@wiscp.org.uk

Thu 30 & Fri 31 Oct Afrovibes 2014: Skierlik This award-winning play revisits the horror of a racially-motivated shooting spree that devastated the remote settlement of Skierlik in 2008.

The Contact, Manchester 7:30pm. £9 full/£5 concession www.contactmcr.com Tel: 0161 274 0600 Thu 30 Oct Afrovibes 2014: Dark Cell/Mana A double-bill of dance from South Africa, featuring two performances of outstanding energy The Contact, Manchester, 8pm £11 full/£6 concession www.contactmcr.com Tel: 0161 274 0600 Wed 22 Oct Carnival Handling Session Pictures and memories from Moss Side Caribbean Carnival – just drop in and share.

Manchester Central Library, Manchester. 12:30-1:30pm Sat 1 Nov Living History Performance: Moving Stories - Migration and Identity Meet Anita Sharma at school in Manchester in the 1960s as she Afrovibes 2014: Mana

44 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

at Helsinki Bar. Later, he fatefully meets a rather oddman, this strange encounterchanges both their lives, forever. Advance booking required.

7pm. Embrace Arts, Richard Attenborough Centre, Lancaster Road, Leicester, LE1 7HA Box Office: 0116 252 2455 www.embracearts.co.uk

describes her summer holiday trip to India with her parents who were born there. Follow her journey to adulthood as she explores her identity.

To celebrate Black History Month and part of Family Arts Festival People’s History Museum, Manchester 1:15-2pm. Tel: 0161 838 9190 Sat 1 Nov The Curious Incident of the Gurkha Knife Based on a true story of a Gurkha knife on display in a shop in Deansgate, Manchester in 1915 we journey to Holland, South Africa, Nepal and India celebrating unseen heroic characters and stories in times of war.

Written and performed by Anjum

LEICESTER

Sat 4 Oct Funky Arts presents: Midlands best dance crew The sensational urban dance competition is back! The show celebrates Black performance styles such as hip-hop, urbanand street dance, with jaw-dropping routines from the region’s most talented crews.

Also featuring a ‘Best dancer in the audience’ section, this show is simply unmissable.

Tickets: £14, £12, £10. £2 off for under 16’s. 7pm. Curve, Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1SB. Box Office: 0116 242 3595. www.funkyarts.co.uk

Saturday 27 Sept BHM 2014 Launch 3 Black voices BHM 2014 launches with a celebration of talented vocalists Lesher Haughton, Femi Santiago and Leicester’s own Bizzi Dixon, who all recently appeared on BBC One’s The Voice, will come together for an exciting evening of entertainment. Hosted by stand-up comedian John Simmit.

Tickets: £10. 7:45pm. Curve, Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1SB Box Office: 0116 242 3595 www.curveonline.co.uk

Sun 5 Oct Leicester’s Contrast Steel Band’s 40th anniversary & website launch A celebration of the 40 year milestone reached by Leicester’s only full professional steel band. This is an informative event to illustrate the history of the band and officially launch its website.

Tickets: by invitation only (for Groups 10+) 5-8pm. African Caribbean Centre, Maidstone Road, Leicester LE2 0UA Tel: 0116 252 6762 www.contraststeelband.com

Tue 2 Oct ‘Love the life you live... live the life you love’ Reading and sharing of text from an exciting new drama work by Carol Leeming FRSA. Commissioned by Affective Digital Histories; Centre for New Writing, University of Leicester.

A magic realist tale: It’s the 1980s in St. George’s/Cultural Quarter, Leicester.

Martin, a rather vain man, is celebrating

Wed 8 Oct Serendipity presents: BHMFilmFest: Beloved Beloved, based upon Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name, centres on the life of Sethe, a former slave. When a mysterious young woman arrives at her house, Sethe is forced to face the secrets of her past that have haunted her for years. 75mins,

Malik, multi lingual Poet, Scriptwriter and teacher of creative writing.

Manchester Central Library, M2 5PD Manchester, 1:30-3:30pm www.anjummalik.com

LISTINGS

Film Rating 15.

Tickets: £5. 7pm. Phoenix, 4 Midland Street, Leicester LE1 1TG Box Office: 0116 242 2800 www.bhmleicester.ticketsource.co.uk Mon 13 Oct Stories from the Shell: Winston Nzinga performs stories, songs and music Winston Nzinga, African-Caribbean performer, combines storytelling and music that opens the imagination, entertains and creates new opportunities for children to participate in. Winston will deliver three school performances earlier in the day. The after school event is open to all - young and old - who enjoy stories that engage and excite.

3:30pm. Highfields Library, 98 Melbourne Road, Leicester, LE2 0DS Tel: 0116 299 5494 Tue 14 Oct The Spark Arts for Children presents: Paradigm Rhymes Paradigm Rhymes is a new interdisciplinary theatre production for young people aged 13-19 years.

A teenage adventure story combining live narrated, a live 5 piece jazz band, audience participation and 2D comic book illustration. Devised, composed & performed by Marcus Joseph.

Narration, written & performed by Mellow Baku.

Tickets: £1.50 (performance only), £2.50 (performance and workshop) 10am & 1.15pm. Braunstone Library at the BRITE Centre, Braunstone Avenue, Braunstone, Leicester, LE3 1LE Tel: 0116 299 5476 www.thesparkarts.co.uk Wed 15 Oct The Spark Arts for Children presents: Paradigm Rhymes Paradigm Rhymes is a new interdisciplinary theatre production for young people aged 13-19 years.

A teenage adventure story combining live narrated, a live 5 piece jazz band, audience participation and 2D comic book illustration. Devised, composed & performed by Marcus Joseph.

Narration, written & performed by Mellow Baku.

Tickets: £1.50 (performance only) £2.50 (performance and workshop) 10am & 1.15pm. Southfields Library, Saffron Lane (Pork Pie Island) Leicester, LE2 6QS. Tel: 0116 299 5480 www.thesparkarts.co.uk Wed 15 Oct Serendipity presents: BHMFilmFest: Babylon A dramatic story set in South London at the beginning of the Thatcher era,

Babylon depicts the struggles of a young Black British man as he faces racism, fanaticism and disillusion.

With a backdrop of Reggae Sound Systems, the film has an encapsulating soundtrack featuring Aswad, Dennis Bovell, I Roy and Yabby U. 91mins, Film Rating 15.

Tickets: £5. 7pm. Phoenix, 4 Midland Street, Leicester, LE1 1TG. Box Office: 0116 242 2800 www.bhmleicester.ticketsource.co.uk Wed 15 Oct De Montfort Hall presents: Dancing in the streets After wowing audiences all over the UK and spending three years in London’s West End, Dancing in the Streets is back with a spectacular Motown celebration of some the world’s most influential and enduring songs of the 20th Century.

Tickets: £21, £24, £26. Concessions: £19, £22, £24. 7:30pm. De Montfort Hall, Granville Road, Leicester, LE1 7RU. Box Office: 0116 233 3111 Sat 18 Oct 2Funky Arts presents: Festival 2Funky Music Café, Sumo, Sugar Loaf, Bowstrings (Braunstone Gate). A massive celebration of Black music with everything from jazz to reggae with bands, artists, DJs, workshops and dancers. The festival will feature an exclusive reunion from Leicester band Saquii, and our headliner soul legend Omar.

Tickets: £5 Music Café and Bowstrings wristband, Free Sumo and Sugarloaf.

Buy wristbands direct from venues 12pm-5am. www.2funkyarts.co.uk Wed 22 Oct Serendipity presents BHMFilmFest: Poetry is an Island: Derek Walcott This rousing documentary reveals an intimate portrait of Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott, as it visits his art studio, his childhood home and his current residence on his beloved native island of St. Lucia.

Walcott speaks openly about the personal meaning of his work, the significance of art for humanity and the film celebrating his poetry.

80 mins. Not rated.

Tickets: £5. 7pm. Phoenix, 4 Midland Street, Leicester, LE1 1TG Box Office: 0116 242 2800 www.bhmleicester.ticketsource.co.uk Thu 23 Oct Book talk: Who killed Hammarskjöld? The UN, The Cold War and White Supremacy in Africa – Susan Williams Susan Williams examines the mystery surrounding the death of UN

Secretary General DagHammarskjöld in a plane crash in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) in 1961, wrecking his mission to bring peace to the Congo.

A Rhodesian inquiry blamed pilot error, but a UN inquiry reached an open verdict. In response to Susan’s book, an independent Hammarskjöld Commission was set up, which recommended re-opening the UN inquiry. Agreeing there is new evidence, Ban Ki-moon has now referred the matter to the UN General Assembly.

3pm. St. Martin’s Tea & Coffee Merchants. www.bhmleicester. ticketsource.co.uk Sun 26 Oct Embrace Arts presents: Textile fashion in Africa Enjoy the stunning and fashion history and styles from different parts of Africa, and reflect on how these relate to Britain and the current global fashion trends; with tutor Malika Kramer.

Tickets: £15/£10. For both this workshop and Contemporary African art £20/£15. 10am-1pm Embrace Arts, Leicester Sun 26 Oct Embrace Arts Contemporary African art A fascinating insight into the work of contemporary artists from Africa and how their work is perceived locally and internationally; with tutor Malika Kramer.

Tickets: £15/£10. For both this workshop and Textile Fashion in Africa £20/£15 1:30-4:30pm Embrace Arts, Leicester Tue 28 Oct – Sat 1 Nov Shakespeare’s Othello Frantic Assembly returns to Curve with this electrifying take on Shakespeare’s thriller tragedy of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder.

Fusing a taut adaptation of the classic text with its trademark hard-hitting choreography. Frantic Assembly takes a scalpel to 21st century Britain, exposing prejudice, danger and fear.

Tickets: Tue-Thu £22.50, £18.50, £14.50. Fri-Sat £24.50, £20.50, £16.50.

Curve, Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1SB. Box Office: 0116 242 3595 Wed 29 Oct Somali children - educational workshop for parents and carers Supporting reading and writing in the Somali community. A workshop for parents and carers by Jawahir A. Farah. Find out how books and games can stimulate reading and learning in your children.

11am-2:30pm. St Matthews Library, Matthews Centre, 10 Malabar Road, Leicester LE1 2PD. Tel: 0116 222 1045 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014 45

LISTINGS

music, Amsterdam is a high-powered, supermodern 21st century play of love and lust. Seduced by the attractions of the city and a charming Surinamese man she met on holiday, Chanje embarks on a voyage into the unknown.

What will be her fate? Theatre in the Mill/ New Realities Festival.

University of Bradford, Shearbridge Road, BD7 1DP Tel: 01274 233200 theatre@bradford.ac.uk

PLYMOUTH

Patience Agbabi Wed 29 Oct Writing East Midlands presents: “I have a dream” blog hop Whose words have moved you to tears, to action, to love? Who has inspired you to write, to stand up and be counted, to find a voice or give a voice to others? Maybe it’s Maya Angelou or Alice Walker, Derek Walcott or Kamau Brathwaite, Louise Bennett or Langston Hughes or Martin Luther King? Join us at our blog hop to share with us the Black writers, poets, playwrights, social commentators and journalists who mean the most to you. All day. www.writingeastmidlands.co.uk Wed 29 Oct Leicester College presents: Black History Month showcase Leicester College hosts its annual Black History Month showcase with talented students and guests from local community organisations and others. This year the event will draw awareness towards Black literary achievers and will be the culmination event of the college’s celebrations.

Tickets: Donation to College charity on the door 6pm. Upper Brown Street. www.leicestercollege.ac.uk Wed 29 Oct Serendipity presents: BHMFilmFest: Freedom Summer Marking the 50th Anniversary of ‘Freedom Summer’, this insightful and thought-provoking documentary looks back at the summer of 1964, when more than 700 student activists took segregated Mississippi by storm.

Registering African-American voters, creating freedom schools and establishing the intergrated Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Dir: 46 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

Stanley Nelson 113 min not rated.

Tickets: £5. 7pm. Phoenix, 4 Midland Street, Leicester, LE1 1TG Box Office: 0116 242 2800 www.bhmleicester.ticketsource.co.uk

BRISTOL Thu 16 Oct Chanje Kunda: Amsterdam Using spoken word, physicality and music, Amsterdam is a high-powered, supermodern 21st century play of love and lust. Seduced by the attractions of the city and a charming Surinamese man she met on holiday, Chanje embarks on a voyage into the unknown. What will be her fate?

Trinity Centre, Trinity Road, Bristol BS2 0NW. info@3ca.org.uk

Sat 4 – Sat 11 Oct Othello Frantic Assembly’s Othello explodes onto the stage with this electrifying take on Shakespeare’s most brutal and gripping thriller-tragedy of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder.

Fusing a taut adaptation of the classic text with its trademark hard-hitting choreography, Frantic Assembly takes a scalpel to 21st century Britain, exposing prejudice, danger and fear.

The Lyric, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Plymouth PL1 2TR. Tel: 01752 267 222 www.theatreroyal.com Sat 18th Oct Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze and Patience Agbabi An evening of poetry from two acclaimed poets and performers, Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze and Patience Agbabi.

Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze is an internationally renowned Jamaican poet and playwright, well known for her mastery of the ‘dub’ artform. Her words carry powerful political and personal messages, and audiences relate to and are inspired by her work. Patience Agbabi a former Poet Laureate of Canterbury, and the author of new book ‘Telling Tales’ which retells Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales for the 21st Century through a host of multi-cultural characters.

Plymouth University (Theatre 1, Roland Levinsky Building), Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA. 8pm, Tickets: £10 hq@renaissanceone. co.uk www.renaissanceone.co.uk

YORKSHIRE & HUMBER Chanje Kunda: Amsterdam

BRADFORD Wed 22 Oct Chanje Kunda: Amsterdam Using spoken word, physicality and

Sat 11 Oct Patience Agbabi at Ilkley Literature Festival Poet Patience Agbabi retells Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales for the 21st century in her new collection ‘Telling Tales’. A former Poet Laureate of Canterbury she is also the author of collections Bloodshot Monochrome, Transformatrix and R.A.W. Her poems

have appeared on radio and TV around the world. Part of the Telling Tales tour produced by renaissance one. Event guidance: 16 years to adult (adult content) St Margarets Hall, Queens Road, Ilkley LS29 9TZ. 2:30pm £4 to £6 Tel: 01943 816714 hq@renaissanceone.co.uk www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk Sun 12 Oct Patience Agbabi at Off The Shelf Festival Patience Agbabi reads and performs from her new book ‘Telling Tales’ which retells Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales for the 21st century through a range of exciting characters. Her poems have appeared on radio and TV around the world. Part of the Telling Tales tour produced by renaissance one.

The Studio, University of Sheffield, Sheffield. 7:30pm. £6/£5 hq@renaissanceone.co.uk www.renaissanceone.co.uk

SOUTHAMPTON

Tue 14 – Sat 18 Oct Othello Frantic Assembly’s Othello explodes onto the stage with this electrifying take on Shakespeare’s most brutal and gripping thriller-tragedy of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder.

Fusing a taut adaptation of the classic text with its trademark hard-hitting choreography, Frantic Assembly takes a scalpel to 21st century Britain, exposing prejudice, danger and fear.

Nuffield, Southampton, Southampton www.Nuffieldtheatre.co.uk Tel: 023 8067 1771

OXFORD Tue 21 – Sat 25 Oct Othello Frantic Assembly’s Othello explodes onto the stage with this electrifying take on Shakespeare’s most brutal and gripping thriller-tragedy of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder.

Fusing a taut adaptation of the classic text with its trademark hard-hitting choreography, Frantic Assembly takes a scalpel to 21st century Britain, exposing prejudice, danger and fear.

Oxford Playhouse, Oxford Tel: 01865 305 305 www.oxfordplayhouse.com

Leadership

Diversity

Excellence

Integrity

Community

The Windsor Fellowship has been supporting the success of diverse talent since 1986.

To find out more about our work visit windsor-fellowship.org

@Windsor_Fellows

facebook.com/#!/WindsorFellowship

celebrating diversity

dance music BirdCollege theatre performance www.birdcollege.co.uk

We recruit, without prejudice, the most talented students who show the necessary passion for their craft, and prepare them for life-long careers in the performance industry as articulate, creative and versatile artists

BA (Hons) in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre

Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre

Founder

Validated by University of Greenwich

Validated by Trinity College London

Principal and CEO

Pre-Professional Foundation Year Dance and Theatre Performance

Short courses / Teacher Training

Doreen Bird

MA, FISTD, ARAD.

Shirley Coen

BA (Hons), FRSA.

Deputy Principal and Artistic Director Luis De Abreu MA, PGCE.

Bird College is an established provider of the Council for Dance Education and Training Funded by the prestigious Dance and Drama Awards

The Centre 27 Station Road Sidcup Kent DA15 7EB +44(0)20 8300 3031

FEATURE 25

Life lessons through letters Publisher Amanda Wilson shares why she has published a new book, where 13 prominent Black British men share details of their lives, so that young people can learn from them

A

ctor Hugh Quarshie, athlete Tony Jarrett, MP David Lammy. We know the names and what they are famous for, but what do we know about their lives and the challenges they had growing up as young, Black males in the United Kingdom? We hear a lot about the ‘American Struggle’ and how African American men have had their challenges throughout the decades, but what was it like to be a Black male, growing up in the United Kingdom in the 50s, 60s and 70s?

In the book, ‘Letters to a Young Generation’, 13 men have shared their life experiences in the hope that the next generation will be able to learn from their mistakes; understand that these 13 men understand the struggles they are facing, and help make the rite of passage from boys to men that bit easier.

Sometimes we fail to appreciate the number of great role models we have in the United Kingdom; we may not have Barack Obama, Morgan Freeman or Bishop TD Jakes, but we do have Clinton Jordan, Reverend Les Isaac and Julian Golding - men, who have grown up Britain, have made a mark in their industry, and are excellent role models that the next generation can look up to. And, when you read the letters they have penned in ‘Letters to a Young Generation’, you’ll understand that, for them, growing up wasn’t easy.

Reverend Les had a big shock when, at the age of six, his grandmother suddenly announced that he, his two sisters and his brother were moving from sunny Antigua to the less-than-sunny climate of England and, after being in London for a year, he then had to deal with his father leaving the family home. Julian Golding, well known for being the Commonwealth gold medallist, left school with one GCSE grade C in English. In 2012, he graduated from Middlesex University with a First Class Honours degree in Sports and Exercise Science with Teaching and Coaching. Clinton Jordan

faced the challenges that came from growing up as a mixed-race child, and trying to live up to the expectations of those from his race and the opinions of others.

Despite the challenges faced by these and the other men featured in the book - some of whom were involved in gang crime and fraud - they have made it to a point in their lives, where they have been able to look back, reflect, and put into words what they have learnt from their experiences. And they’ve been honest - something that the younger generation can appreciate and benefit from.

“Men, who have grown up Britain, have made a mark in their industry, and are excellent role models that the next generation can look up to.”

Unless we are honest enough to ‘tell it like it is’, how can we ever expect the next generation to move forward with the challenges they will face in life? Contrary to popular belief, young people do appreciate it when we, as adults, are open and honest and share from our own experiences.

We can often underestimate young people’s ability to deal with the truth; but if that truth is packaged in the right way, and shared in the spirit of love and sincerity, then it has the potential to set someone free; enable someone to achieve great things, and allow someone to be confident in who they have been created to be.

The men featured in ‘Letters to a Young Generation’ have experienced various challenges in their lives: being involved in gang crime and criminal activities; failing examinations; prejudice in the workplace, and family issues. Their letters demonstrate how their past has not dictated their future. As Reverend Les Isaac states in his letter: “It’s not where you’re coming from that really matters; it’s where you’re going in life. It’s

AMANDA WILSON is a Deputy Headteacher, and an Executive Pastor at Bethesda Ministries, London

not how you start in life; it’s how you finish.”

These letters are honest testimonies, and I’m grateful that the writers didn’t hold back. They didn’t try to gloss over their challenges, or pretend they’d never experienced difficulties growing up.

But, at the same time, they’ve shown readers that making the right choices can make the difference between success and failure. In the words of Commonwealth gold medallist Julian Golding: “Perseverance is a fundamental prerequisite for success.”

In sharing their histories, 13 men have given the next generation an insight into how to ensure they make the right choices on their journey towards adulthood.

Amanda Wilson is founder of 9:10 Publishing, publishers of ‘Letters to a Young Generation’. To get your copy, visit www.910publishing.com or any online store.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

26 FEATURE

New school and old school churches

Marcia Dixon looks at how Britain’s Black Pentecostal churches and the Christian community have changed during the 25 years that she has worked as a journalist on religious affairs.

Ever since I started writing about all things related to Britain’s Black Pentecostal churches - and the Church in general - 25 years ago, there have been some major societal, cultural and spiritual developments, which have greatly impacted the Church, what Christians believe, and how they live out their lives.

OLD SCHOOL CHURCH

NEW SCHOOL CHURCH

THE CHURCH In the late 1980s, if you were a Christian, church was your life. Almost all churches held Sunday morning AND Sunday evening services, which believers were expected to attend. If you didn’t, you were missed and people would find out why you weren’t there. Plus, there were weekly youth services, prayer meetings and Bible classes, and weekend visits to church services to other congregations, often in the church van.

Believers were happy to pack out their diaries with church activities, because they didn’t go partying or clubbing (not the serious believers) and church was often like one big family.

Nowadays, the pressure on believers to attend church every Sunday has decreased. The focus now is on serving God and not the church and, for many, regular Sunday attendance is not necessarily a requisite. Coupled with this, several churches no longer hold Sunday evening services, and there are less weekday services, as many church leaders now recognise that Christians want to spend time with their families, and focus on other things, such as socialising, studying, climbing up the career ladder, and working in the community. The downside of this is that church members aren’t always as close to each other as they were back in the day.

DRESS CODES Recognising that strict dress codes stopped many non-Christians from attending church, many Christian leaders have adopted a come-asyou-are approach to church attire, meaning individuals can now wear what they like to church. This can consist of anything – casual wear, like jeans, T-shirts, jogging bottoms and even party wear, like tightfitting dresses and the highest heeled shoes you’ve ever seen. It’s an understandable policy, but modesty seems to have been thrown out the window by some. However, there’s still a significant minority, who like to wear their ‘Sunday best’.

There was a time when Black Christians had a reputation for looking dowdy. Women were encouraged to dress modestly, meaning no cleavage, arms or knees should be on show; they couldn’t wear make-up – even clear nail varnish was frowned upon.

Church styles were long dresses and big hats. Men were expected to dress soberly for church, and usually wore a suit and tie.

MEDIA Twenty-five years ago, the media landscape was very bare – aside from ethnic publications like The Voice, and pirate radio stations (the now defunct Choice FM was launched in 1990), churches relied on leafleting, mailshots and word of mouth to spread the word about their events and initiatives. Black Christians occasionally got a look in on terrestrial TV stations, on shows like Songs of Praise, and we got our own gospel music show, People Get Ready, which was first broadcast on ITV in 1988 and featured both British and US gospel artists. But, aside from that, there were no preaching programmes – except on pirate radio – and the Internet, satellite TV and social media were nowhere to be seen.

There has been an explosion in media in the past 20+ years and, as a result, a rise in Christians using media to spread the Gospel. Satellite TV has led to a rise in Christian TV stations like God TV, KICC TV and many more, which deliver Christian programmes (predominantly preaching ones). Then there’s the growth of the Internet, social media, websites, on-line magazines – all of which provide Christians with opportunities to spread the Gospel to large audiences, as well as advertise their events.

RELATIONSHIPS

Whilst marriage amongst Christians was encouraged, getting down the aisle with the man/woman of your dreams was something of a cloak-and-dagger exercise. Couples couldn’t date openly and, if the church found out you were dating, you were expected to get engaged within six months and married within nine months; this was because Christians were expected to take relationships seriously, and also fellow Christians didn’t want people falling into sin. Divorce was seen as the last resort to dealing with marital problems, as couples were expected to work through their problems. And, as for Christians confessing to be in homosexual relationships, this was a no-no.

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These days, whilst marriage is still encouraged, subliminal messages from the pulpit encourage women to look for a man with money, status, education and ambition. There has been a 180 degree about-turn where dating is concerned. Christian couples date openly, and there is less church pressure placed on people to solidify their relationship by marriage. In fact, there are some people - mainly men - who are serial daters, who seem more interested in the chase, than in settling down. More married couples are now opting for divorce if they are unable to overcome marital issues and, buoyed by developments in wider society, some Black Christians are now confessing to being homosexual and to being in homosexual relationships.

CHURCH GROWTH Back in the late 1980s, most of the churches and denominations of note were African-Caribbean, like the New Testament Church of God, the Church of God of Prophecy, and many more. African churches were in the early years of their growth, and mass immigration of African professionals - mainly of Nigerian nationality - didn’t start until the 1990s. A large church of this era was any church that had a congregation of 250 or more.

FEATURE 27

Church leaders growing their congregations to 500, 1000 or even 3000 is not uncommon. Leaders now aspire to have large congregations, because it indicates that they are reaching people with the Word, and having a large congregation gives a church greater leverage. Nowadays, we have seen the rise of the Black mega church, and the majority of these churches have a predominantly African congregation. This has been partly fuelled by their adoption of church growth principles, the rise in African migration to the UK, and their extensive use of media.

CHURCH LEADERS Pastors of the 1980s were devoted to their God, the church and their congregations – sometimes tending to these three at the expense of their families. And, although church leaders didn’t always receive a salary from their church (many had full-time jobs), they made themselves accessible to their members; armour-bearers weren’t in existence then, and few church leaders had security. Ministers were also very strict and renowned for being black and white when it came to issues of morality.

Due to the increased wealth of the Black Church, and a recognition that leading a church is a full-time occupation, 21st century church leaders often receive a payment from their church. They are also more likely to get involved in community initiatives, as they now see their role as providing leadership and support services to both the church and the wider community. Some church leaders now equate leading a church to running a business, and see themselves as CEOs, as opposed to ‘men of the cloth’, and ministers of the past are very desirous to see their churches grow in membership, as well as in spiritual and social influence.

PREACHING Twenty-five years ago, there was a clear-cut demarcation between Christians and non-Christians, because of ‘hard’, clear-cut, Bible-based teaching/preaching. Believers knew the basics of the faith, and preachers constantly spoke about biblical concepts, like holiness, sanctification and the power of prayer. Furthermore, believers were left in no doubt that sin - whether it was sex before marriage, partying, clubbing, greed, lying, etc - was wrong.

Although preachers still preach about sin, believers will also hear messages about how to build wealth, gain success, achieve their dreams, and fulfil their destiny. And, when it comes to issues of sin and wrongdoing, church leaders are more understanding of a Christian’s propensity to make a mistake, so preaching has a more compassionate edge to it.

Furthermore, preachers are more likely to touch on the social issues their congregations are facing, and provide biblical solutions to them.

Conclusion - There have been both negative and positive changes in how Christians ‘do church’, but ultimately, Jesus is still Lord, the Gospel is still changing lives, and the Church is still here – and that’s all that really matters.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

28 FEATURE

THE BOYS’ BRIGADE

ENGAGING CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE

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e firmly believe that to share the Gospel we need to be in contact with children & young people. BB Companies can work in different ways depending on the needs of their church and local community. Companies can operate as Boys only Companies or for those churches that wish to have mixed gender work BB companies can include a Girls’ Association across all age groups.

Our age related programmes contain lots of ideas to keep your group fresh and most importantly enjoyable for children, young people and leaders.

These contemporary programmes offer a firmly Christian-based means of working in a creative and relevant way using a balanced programme of adventure and activity. They are flexible enough to meet the needs of all churches.

At this age we seek to build firm foundations, establish a group identity and nurture responsibility. They do lots of different activities which include crafts, music, games, sports, making friends, prayer and Bible stories.

Their fun-packed evenings are full of challenges, games and activities, usually ones that they have suggested themselves. We cater for just about every possible interest and at the same time support them to look beyond themselves.

It’s all about young people learning new skills, making their own decisions and then achieving their personal goals. Activities range from: improving football skills, pod-casting, learning about their carbon footprint, the Bible according to the Simpsons, sportsmanship and more.

It’s all about young people planning and delivering their own programme. A wide range of topics focus on building life skills, encouraging recreation and leisure pursuits and being an active citizen.

All of the programme provides opportunities for young people to explore a personal Christian faith. Now you can really begin to reap what has been sown and nurtured from the age of 5.

Our work is relationship focused, what we do is of less importance than the relationships we form and we believe that we have a crucial role to play in helping young people realise their full worth as they mature from 5-year-old children to 18-year-old adults.

We want to work with children & young people who often have no other connection with the Church, and demonstrate to them the reality of a living God through what we do, say and teach. Our hope is that children and young people will come to know Jesus for themselves.

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We also see a real need to engage children and young people in the life of the Church: to be open to their ideas, value what they say, and allow them to express themselves in the way they want.

Underpinning all of our work is a belief that what Jesus said 2000 years ago is just as relevant today and we want them to experience that truth that Jesus offers life in all its fullness.

Consequently our passion is for children and young people to: • experience acceptance and opportunities to develop skills and positive values • hear and see Jesus’ hope for themselves • become a practical demonstration of Jesus’ love to their peers.

30 FEATURE

How will the Yes vote for women Bishops

impact Black women?

Dionne Gravesande examines the Church of England’s historic vote in favour of ordaining women as bishops, and explores what this means for Black women

L

ast month, the Church of England (CoE) voted to allow women to become bishops for the first time in its history. It comes more than 20 years after women were first allowed to become parish priests - now more than one in five priests are female.

The decision in many ways has upset the applecart of male-only bishops, a tradition inherited from the first Christians almost 2,000 years ago. Though the vote was won, many Anglicans argue that the Church’s theology has been changed to reflect that men and women are equally eligible to lead and teach Christianity; for them, the decision taken was disappointing.

The CoE may have taken a bold and brave step, but I would argue it’s just another step in the journey of the Church struggling with a 21st century culture and tradition.

The journey to acceptance is not easy. For every statement made in support of women bishops, there are more questions raised than answers given. The issue is far from being straightforward; in some parts it’s a hard, legalistic or rights-based argument, and in other parts it’s about soft relationships and God’s calling. If the broader Church is to complete the full journey required into accepting, anointing and ordaining women as bishops, it has a long road to walk, and this particular road is still under construction! For now, all eyes are poised to see who will be first woman bishop appointed in the CoE. No doubt she will need thick skin to deal with the intimidation and pressure of others but, whoever she is, she will need support and lots of prayers to see her through the expectations of those wanting her to succeed or not.

As I paused to reflect on the implications of the Yes vote for female bishops for women Follow us on Twitter @keepthefaithmag

generally, I think for Black women they are somewhat significant, and not just because of the large numbers of African and Caribbean worshippers in the CoE, but for Black leadership in general. I think the issues are about identity, valuing and affirmation. We know religion plays a very important role in the lives of many Black women - in fact, their attendance makes up two-thirds of any church family - so it seems to me there are important discussions to be had about whether the ‘difference’ of gender is to be celebrated or overcome when it comes to taking up office in the church.

‘I think women can bring so much to the office of Bishop so I, for one, will pray they will not be written off…’

There is a lot of evidence to show that gender stereotypes create male and female ‘boxes’, which shape behaviours, attitudes and social expectations, tagging males as macho, aggressive, breadwinners and, broadly speaking, women are portrayed as weaker, emotional and submissive. From a young age, many girls are steered in a particular way, most of their socialisation works towards being a good wife, mother and a socially acceptable woman. (I’m not arguing that this is wrong; I am simply saying what is already the case.) While social norms are changing, the dominant attitude reflects the majority of societies we live and work in, and often these images are played out in the mainstream media, the Church and business institutions.

So what difference does all this make to Black

DIONNE GRAVESANDE

is Head of Church Advocacy at Christian Aid

identity? The answer is it makes a huge difference, because not only do we have to live and cope with gender stereotypes, but we also have to live within the reality of racial prejudice and discrimination.

Yes, those things still happen, both in overt and subtle ways, and this further complicates our relationships amongst ourselves and with others.

Large sections of the African Caribbean diaspora still wrestle with the legacy of shackled slavery and the generational physiological effect on our collective self-worth, and the damage it has caused can be seen in some relationships between men and women. How does biology relate to Black culture, and how might the Christian faith help us to have a different starting place for a much-needed conversation?

One question we must ask is what are the tools needed to analyse gender relations in a different way, tools that take us back to Scripture for a new revelation, because it is such revelations that give the Church its prophetic voice. The Church very much needs a position on this, because of the way in which gender is such a key driver of social norms and, unless we seek the mind of God, the Church itself will continue to exclude women in leadership in all sorts of ways – sometimes unintentionally (my mind recalls the Woman at the Well story). After all, the entire Gospel message is founded and rooted in the Christian faith, and not on secular theory.

Let’s remember that while Jesus still walked with His creation, He spoke about new wine in old wineskins. Could this be a new wineskin moment? The world today is in need, and the Church is still God’s instrument to meet that need. I think women can bring so much to the office of Bishop so I, for one, will pray they will not be written off before their work has begun.

FEATURE 31

ESTHER KUKU

is presenter of Premier Gospel’s Family Hour, which airs every Saturday from 11am - 12pm

Can I be modest, sexy and Christian?

In recent months, there has been much discussion about modesty and whether or not Christians can be sexy.

Esther Kuku adds her views to this topical debate.

S

o much has been written on the topic of modesty, and most of it is addressed to single women. But do the standards of modesty change once you’re married?

And is it OK for Christians to be sexy?

This question became a matter of intense debate on a friend’s Facebook page recently. Over a hundred people commented on a flyer, entitled ‘Single, Saved and Sexy’, advertising an evening event for single people. The flyer contained a picture of a lady dressed in what I thought was a perfectly acceptable evening dress, but the majority of people commenting felt the V neckline was inappropriate.

Comment after comment criticised the flyer as being wrong – tacky, even. This Facebook page was flooded with the conviction that it is inappropriate for Christians to see themselves as or to be sexy, and that it is wrong for a ministry to be promoting this. I disagreed, and was firmly put in my ‘Facebook place’!

I disagreed for this reason. If I were to come home to my husband, and cover myself from head to toe every evening, stop wearing make-up and the kind of clothes he finds, yes, sexy, I would soon fall into problems. I disagreed with the Christianscan’t-be-sexy Facebook frenzy because, when I am at home, in the privacy of my house, I will be sexy, and so should all married men and women hence it is OK for Christians to be sexy!

More importantly, though, I disagreed because modesty, in my humble opinion, is more than a list of rules on what to wear or what not to wear.

The dictionary defines it as ‘freedom from vanity and boastfulness, having regard for decency of behaviour, speech, dress and having simplicity’.

When I leave home, modesty means and becomes an opportunity for me to express my priorities, values and personality, without speaking a word. I am a Christian woman, and everything I do in terms of my behaviour should communicate that fact.

Modesty is wrapped up in how we want to communicate ourselves to the outside world.

You can be a Christian who has never put a foot wrong in terms of how you dress: skirts always below the knees and shirts buttoned to the collar. But if, in your workplace, you’re the one that people know to go to for the latest gossip, well, there is a problem.

The outside looks holy, but the hidden person of the heart is as cheap as a dress with a plunging neckline... And it isn’t just women who need to check themselves; modesty is a message for men, too. Men like to boast about what they have, just as much as women do. For us, it may be clothes; for men, it’s cars, their jobs, technology and not to mention those with a gym membership, who like to wear those tight, distracting T-shirts. So, both genders need to embrace the totality of what modesty means - not just the way we dress, but also our behaviour.

‘Modesty is wrapped up in how we want to communicate ourselves to the outside world.’

1 Peter 3:3 says: ‘Do not let your adornment bemerely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather, let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.’ A gentle and quiet spirit is not boastful, and is free from vanity. I think that if we aspire to the tenets in this Scripture, our lives will embody modesty in every sense of the word. And here’s the funny thing: modesty then becomes an attribute that is appealing to others – sexy, even!

A quick poll of a few of my friends who are married resulted in the findings that most of their husbands found their godliness incredibly attractive and sexy to them. That is why they married them. It was that incorruptible inner beauty that the world cannot emulate, and

that no outfit can compete with.

1 Peter 2:9 says: ‘But (we) are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that we may declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.’

This, again, tells us how we should conduct ourselves: as royalty, but we ought not to judge. If someone in church is always dressed inappropriately, there may be a reason for it.

Why not offer to take them for coffee and go shopping? If they are relatively new to Christ, those may be the only style of clothing they have. If they have been saved 20 years, well, pray for them; there may be deeper issues of insecurity and an undeveloped understanding of their personal value and worth at play.

Finally, it is teenagers that sometimes find themselves under the most pressure to ‘be sexy’ and conform to the world’s concept of what is attractive and appealing to others - especially young girls. Older women have a responsibility to express our values and priorities without words, dressing like royalty and conducting ourselves in the same vein in order to be an example.

There is then the need, perhaps through counselling, to let them know that, as far as I am concerned, while the standards of modesty don’t change once you walk down the aisle, marriage is a game changer... And, in the privacy of your own bedroom, you can be as sexy as you like!

Esther Kuku’s column won’t be appearing in Keep The Faith for the next few months - only because she recently became the mother of a bouncing baby girl.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

32 FEATURE

Old age: the essential part of God’s plan

BY LOUISE MORSE

I

magine that you have just landed on earth from another planet: zoom in closer and make that landing in Great Britain. Intelligence you’ve already gathered tells you that this country is one of the world’s most developed, and you want to find out as much as you can about the people who inhabit it. You know that this little country is predominantly Christian and after studying the values of this particular religion and its key principles of honesty, sacrifice, service, compassion, care and respect, you can see how it would lead to a healthy, balanced and prosperous society.

You decide to study the media, including TV and radio, and pick up a handful of magazines and newspapers. Then you make the shocking discovery that a good third of the people in this country are ‘a drain on society’, ‘a burden on finances’, ‘past their usefulness’, and worse.

They are the older people, those past their official job retirement age. You read about a push towards euthanasia, sanitised by the title, ‘Dying with Dignity’.

Studying further, you find that many of these older people are making vital but largely invisible contributions to society. They sacrificially support adult children and their families, work selflessly for charities, give time freely to local community projects and even when they are frailer and physically less able, are sources of wisdom and encouragement for the younger. This is particularly true in churches where their worth is recognised, but to your surprise, this is not always the case.

You realise that your superiors on Planet Zorg will require an explanation for this dissonance, and your research leads you to the conclusion that this view springs from people who do not subscribe to the Christian religion, but often actively oppose it. At the same time, you are amazed to find that in some cases the worldly view of old age has been subconsciously absorbed by Christian believers and taken into their churches, where it subtly seeps through the fellowship as a whole, unless leaders recognise and challenge it.

They need to study God’s Handbook, the Bible, the guide to life, and see how God has not merely allowed old age but has specifically designed it as part of life. He sees the experience and wisdom of old age as essential for the integrity and health of the whole Church. Instructions in 1 John 2:12-14 reflect the balance between old and young, referring to the ‘fathers’, and to the’ young’. Paul’s letters to Timothy outline the structure of the young church, with a cascade effect of teaching from the old to the younger.‘ The glory of the young is their strength; the grey hair of experience is the splendour of the old,’ says Proverbs 20:29 (NLT).

Old age is viewed by God as a blessing, for individuals and those around them. ‘Grey hair is a crown of splendour; it is attained by a righteous life.’ (Proverbs 16:31 NIV). And, ‘the righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming,“The LORD is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.”’ (Psalm 92:12-15).

Old age is to be a time of fruitfulness and harvest (Galatians 5:22), displaying God’s goodness (Psalm 4:18). It is a time for sharing from experience (Psalm 78:4).

It could be argued that in many of our churches, even though we have people who wear the crown of splendour, we do not give them the place God intended. How often do we ask an older person to give a testimony of God’s goodness? Or ask their advice, or ask them to pray? Very often they are silent prayer warriors, honed by years of practice. Do we involve them

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in our church planning? Or, even the smallest practical thing, make sure they can get to church easily?

God places His imprimatur on old age and on older people. ‘‘You shall rise up before the greyheaded and honour the aged, and you shall revere your God’; He says, adding His royal seal: ‘I am the LORD’ (Leviticus 19:32).

It is time, now, to challenge the seeping, insidious world view and to do as God says. Unless the Lord returns soon, you too may become old, and the divergence then may be even greater than it is today.

The 208-year-old Christian charity, the Pilgrims’ Friend Society, has become a ‘Voice for Older People’, helping to address and shape the issues that affect them. You can join them through the website, www.pilgrimsfriend.org.uk, or email through blog.pilgrimsfriend.org.uk.

Louise Morse is Media and Communications Manager for the Pilgrims’ Friend Society. She is author of Christian books (Lion Monarch) and a frequent speaker at national events and conferences.

She manages the blog.pilgrimsfriend.org.uk

Pilgrims’ Friend Society is here for older people

We offer high quality Christian retirement housing, care homes and respite care all run by Christians who care Watch – care is changing rapidly

175 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2AL Tel: 0300 303 1400 info@pilgrimsfriend.org.uk www.pilgrimsfriend.org.uk Pilgrims’ Friend Society is the umbrella organisation for both Pilgrim Homes and Pilgrim Havens.

34 COMMENT

THE ROLE OF

LANGUAGE IN EMPOWERMENT

Rev David Shosanya looks at how historical descriptions of Black people have led some to hate themselves, and how language can rather be used to foster self love and a stronger sense of community

REV DAVID SHOSANYA

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is a Regional Minister & Director with the London Baptist Association

hether we like it or not, we are each shaped in and continue to be shaped by legacies. This is true for all people. However, it would be naive to suggest or argue that legacy affects individuals, communities and nations equally.

The fact is that some legacies are far more detrimental for particular people than they are for others. This is particularly true when one is exploring the structural and personal dynamics of race politics, especially in those countries with a strong colonial history that has resulted in an unconscious yet internalised, exaggerated sense of self and national identity in relations to others, predominantly individuals of AfricanCaribbean heritage.

This reality was forcefully brought home to me whilst recently visiting Portugal - a nation with a strong colonial past that led to it exercising territorial power and control over countries, such as Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and South Africa. I was particularly taken aback by the conspicuous lack of interaction that took place between Black people.

Elsewhere, I have expressed the view that the proliferation and commodification of Blackness (mis)represented in media and news reports - of underdevelopment, a desperate need for charitable aid, tyrannical government and a general sense of a lack of civilisation, not to mention gun and knife crime, alongside other negative projections of Black people - have led, in my view, to an acute sense of embarrassment that is felt whenever we meet each other.

I first observed this trend towards Black people casually ‘dismissing’ or ‘annihilating’ one another, as if the other did not exist, some years ago, when my family and I were on holiday. I was about to greet another Black family, and they almost simultaneously turned their heads away in unison.

It happened time and time again with numerous Black families, to the extent that I began to formulate in my mind a ‘theory’ about a new phenomenon of Black shame that counteracted and perniciously undermined all the gains of the Black power, Black pride and Black consciousness Follow us on Twitter @keepthefaithmag

‘Language also provides us with the words, concepts and ideas through which we can negotiate,define and express our sense of identity.’ movements, and that had the capacity to seriously threaten our sense of solidarity, but also to fracture and ultimately erode away our sense of who we are as a people.

To some, this may sound melodramatic, and I may possibly be accused of hyperbole. However, I invite you to carry out a small, unscientific but insightful experiment on how we, as Black people, choose to interact with one another in social spaces; I am confident that my ‘theory’ will be substantiated!

Perhaps what was most sad about my observation of the lack of interaction between Black people was the sense that they seemed to be oblivious to this fact! In discussion with a friend, with whom my daughter and I spent a day together at our hotel in Portugal, I sought to understand what factors may have contributed to this dilemma within that social space, and quickly concluded that it was a matter of language.

Language offers us the means by which we can understand and articulate a sense of ourselves and our surroundings. Language also provides us with the words, concepts and ideas through which we can negotiate, define and express our sense of identity. The danger that many post-colonial nations face, when they have either lost their original language, or no longer draw on its unique spiritual, social, religious and cultural insights, is that they inadvertently lose the dynamic power of

the insights their language is able to afford them.

Consequently, the colonial language becomes the ‘standard-bearer’ for everything, including the negotiation, definition and expression of one’s sense of self and community. The danger with this is that the individual or nation inadvertently limits the task of ‘defining’ themselves to and within the cultural and social constructs of a language that lacks the capacity to capture the nuances of who they were pre-colonialism. As a result, their sense of themselves is determined by linguistic concepts that either minimise or erode an authentic sense of self, unreachable outside of their original social, cultural and linguistic resource pool, which is often buried in linguistic codes.

Furthermore, because they share the same language as their oppressors, they are left with a definition of themselves that is superimposed, and blinds them to inequalities and injustices that exist, as well as the denial of themselves in others that look like they do.

This is a phenomenon that I have not observed in individuals whose nations retained or resurrected their original languages post-colonialism. Those nations seem to have found in their language the resources to draw upon a history that has given them the personal and corporate consciousness to resist the tyranny of a colonial mindset, and to see reality for what it is - and themselves in other Black people!

COMMENT 35

Has church worship become a

spectator sport?

Rev Stephen Brooks looks at the rise of worship teams in church services, and calls for a re-examination of the purpose and practice of worship in a congregational setting

REV STEPHEN BROOKS

T

is National Development Manager for Excell 3 www.excell3.com

his year, I have visited many churches of numerous denominations both large and small, and in many, the only voices I heard were those of the worship team, while the congregation stood spectating. In times past, there used to be congregational singing overflowing with harmonising voices from the pews, singing out with a passion that could be heard down the street.

Sadly, in an attempt to make the church service look more professional, the church has constructed the worship service as a spectator event, where the audience (congregation) are quiet, and watch the spotlighted worship team deliver their well-rehearsed performance. More frequently than not, the songs are unfamiliar to the majority of the congregation, and the musicians’ volume is cranked up so high that the congregation can’t hear their own voices.

When we join together in one accord to worship the Lord, as the singers and musicians did in II Chronicles 5:13-14, I believe that the tangible presence of Almighty God will fill the church sanctuary, resulting in changed, transformed and renewed lives. Does our worship rejoice the heart of God, or are we concerned only with rejoicing our own hearts?

Worship leaders are of great importance in the worship experience of any church. They do not simply sing songs and choruses, but they help set the stage for celebration, contemplation and provide an atmosphere for worship in services.

Worship leaders worship God and draw others into worship, so it is imperative that they know God for themselves. If we do not know who God is, we cannot worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) or lead others to. Our worship should be a natural extension of the relationship that we have with God on our own and in corporate worship.

We must learn to discern the difference between talent and anointing, and place only those who are anointed and chosen, by God, in the influential position of worship leader. Musicians and worship leaders are especially subject to the desire for fame, which is a way that a musician’s talent is usually measured. Is this not the trap that satan, Heaven’s worship leader (Isaiah 14:12-15), fell into?

In contrast, in these days of self-absorption, self-promotion and self-interest, being a member of a choir offers a striking contrast to being a

member of a worship team. Historically, being part of a choir is about being part of something larger than yourself. Within a choir, if one person stands out, something is wrong.

Those who sing represent the angels who stand around God’s throne, offering Him hymns of praise. Paul, writing to the Corinthians in his first letter, suggests that being a choir member is a sacred responsibility: “I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the mind also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the mind also” (1 Corinthians 14:15).

From my own experiences, let me offer church leaders a few suggestions: The worship ministry should comprise of people who believe that God inhabits the praises of His people through music and other expressions of worship. The offering of praise instrumentally and vocally should be focused vertically to the Lord, and not horizontally to the people.

To encourage congregational singing, and to make visitors more welcome, visitors should be invited to share the pew with those in regular attendance, instead of being left to wander around and finally settle on the back seat. When people sit close together, they do not feel like they are singing a solo, as people tend to become quieter and develop a sense of disengagement with the worship experience when they are sitting apart.

Take time to teach new songs to the congregation; a new hymn may be sung as a offertory song, which will allow the congregation to hear it before they are called upon to sing it.

Don’t forget, they need to be sung again to become ‘regulars’.

In conclusion: • Don’t appoint anyone too soon to the worship team, until they have been willing to serve the church for a period of time • Watch for signs of wrong motives with those who seem to have a greater need to perform than to serve God • Have anointed worship leaders that disciple and mentor others; this keeps the church from being overly dependent on the same people • Get to know the individual members of the worship team. Worshiping should be a lifestyle to them, not a Sunday-only activity • Give the worship team plenty of feedback. It is always a temptation for a worship team to seek endorsement, and if they get it from you they will be less drawn to seek the wrong kind

Let us remain mindful that when a worship service is barely distinct from a pop concert, in terms of stage setup, lighting, volume, etc, we need to remember that, unlike a concert where we are the audience, in church God is the audience. It is one thing to move an audience with a performance, but being able to rejoice God’s heart is something else altogether. When we lose our focus on facilitating congregational singing and settle for congregational spectating, we have successfully missed the whole point of why worship teams and choirs were established in the first place.

You can contact Rev Brooks at sbrookaui@yahoo.co.uk or phone 07940 237959

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

36 COMMENT

Should dying come naturally or be assisted?

Rev Wale Hudson-Roberts looks at the issue of assisted dying from both sides, and says that this is a conversation that Christians must engage with

REV WALE HUDSON-ROBERTS

S

have kept a watchful eye on the Bill’s travel

is the Racial Justice Co-ordinator for the Baptist Union of Great Britain

ome experiences are etched in my memory, such as this one: Paul and I were invulnerable, so we thought, determined to make the most of our young lives, so we played and explored hard.

Circumstances forced us to live in different parts of the country, but this was no big deal, for we kept in regular contact. It did mean that face-to-face encounters were somewhat infrequent, so I was surprised when, after a knock on the door, I saw Paul outside my home on a cold winter’s night. Knowing something was up, we sojourned to a cafe to drink, eat and talk. The more we spoke, the more I noticed Paul’s discomfort with his body, or his body’s discomfort with Paul. I asked him if he was OK, to which he responded by blurting out the words, ‘motor neurone disease’. The tone of his voice and his body language suggested that he was feeling overwhelmed. “The bottom line, Paul, the bottom line,” I requested, as I struggled to make sense of his opaque comments attempting to describe his condition, to which he eventually retorted, “The nerves of my spine and brain will progressively lose function, and intense bouts of muscle pains and cramps associated with slurred and sometimes garbled speech, jaw pain, dementia, paralysis and death, will soon be my lot in life.”

I got the bottom line: it was his death.

I wondered how Paul was going to cope with the shadow of death lingering over him. My question was answered; Paul wished for his family to assist his dying. He felt unable to live with the unrelenting pain. Assisted death, he felt, was the best of all options. An early death, assisted by another, is what he desired most of all.

The controversy surrounding assisted dying has recently been forced into the headlines by former Lord Chancellor Charles Falconer. He proposed that doctors prescribe a lethal dose to patients judged to have less than six months to live. The Bill maintains that, for the terminally ill, assisted dying grants the right to die with dignity, and at a time of one’s own choosing. Those who

appreciate that opposition to the Bill was by no means universal among faith group leaders.

Desmond Tutu, Rabbi Jonathan Romain (pictured) and Lord Carey each support the Bill, and as for the Bishop of Buckingham, he has become the first serving Church of England bishop to declare his support. Those who oppose the Bill are more than those in favour of it.

The Church of England’s General Synod rejects the Bill and calls for a Royal Commission.

On a personal note, I fully understand the Synod’s concerns. For, despite having walked with Paul through the valley of death and listened to his frequent cries for assisted death, I would still be deeply concerned if the Bill became law.

Allow me to explain my reasons.

Firstly, a change in the law would more than likely put vulnerable individuals at risk. Currently, more than 300,000 vulnerable elderly people suffer abuse each year in England, with a further 100,000 suffering neglect. In nearly half of all incidents, close family members are involved, with financial gain being the primary motive in a quarter of all cases. It would be naive to think that a law allowing assisted dying would not be used to put pressure on unscrupulous individuals.

There is also the slippery slope argument.

The experience of the Netherlands suggests that arguments that were advanced to allow assisted suicide also applied to voluntary and then to involuntary euthanasia and, eventually, in exceptional circumstances, to infants.

Finally, there are strong theological arguments.

It was St Augustine who developed arguments against suicide in the 5th century. He argued that suicide disobeyed the scriptural commandment not to kill. Only a divine command, as in the case of Samson pulling the temple of the Philistines down on his own as well as their heads, could justify suicide; and Augustine did not support the exception made by some of his predecessors, that Christian women in times of persecution were justified in killing themselves to avoid being raped. Aquinas, yet another theologian some eight centuries after St Augustine, argued against assisted suicide for three reasons: it injured the community to which the suicide belonged; life was a gift from God, and suicide was contrary to natural law.

‘It would be naive to think that a law allowing assisted dying would not be used to put pressure on unscrupulous individuals’ Evidence demonstrates that the vast majority of the public support assisted dying for terminally ill people in specific circumstances.

The 2007 BSA survey found that 75 per cent of people with a disability believed that a person with a terminal and painful illness from which they will die, should be allowed an assisted death. A 2013 YouGov survey found that 78% of those who attended a place of worship at least once a month supported assisted dying, and 62% of people who identified strongly as belonging to a religion supported the legislation of assisted dying for terminally ill adults with limited mental capacity.

These facts demonstrate that assisted dying is a societal concern, and that people are talking about it. No one likes to talk about death, and few of us are able to approach this emotive issue with absolute candour but, when it comes to assisted dying, and in the safety of our churches, talk we must.

This is one of those issues that is not going to disappear any time soon.

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38 COMMENT

Pastors’ Column Church PR specialist, Marcia Dixon, shares why it’s important for churches to devise a communications plan when formulating their goals and objectives

T

he key aim of any church should be to spread the Good News of Jesus, convert people into Christian disciples, help the disadvantaged and destitute, and give hope. To put it in a nutshell, churches are involved in the task of communicating an awesome message, and they are duty-bound to find effective ways to do so.

Romans 10:14-16 makes this clear.“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”

One way in which leaders can spread the Good News of Jesus more effectively is to devise a PR/communication strategy when compiling their vision for the church.

Devising a communication strategy will help your church/ministry to: • understand where it’s at • help you devise a plan to help you achieve your church/ministry goals • make greater use of the communication tools available to you to reach your goals • formulate ways to get the whole church/ Christian community involved in sharing news of what you do • extend the reach of your church/ministry beyond its geographical location When devising your strategy, remember you’ll need to communicate internally with those people who attend your church, and externally with the different audiences and people groups you interact with, or are desirous to forge relationships with.

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

During the course of a year, church leaders and ministry heads will need to convey information to members and visitors, and also encourage the congregation to support various projects, join church initiatives, as well as play a part in the church evangelism programme.

It pays to give thought to the communication methods used. Sometimes, in order to elicit the kind of support a church needs to achieve its goals, it requires more than just an announcement by a church secretary. Sometimes, members give greater credence to an announcement if delivered by the senior pastor or head of department. So, if you have an importance message to share, get the most senior person possible to share it.

DATABASE

One easy way of communicating with members is via a database. Churches should regularly collect Follow us on Twitter @keepthefaithmag

and update the postal and email addresses, as well as mobile numbers, of all its members, as well as visitors to the church.

INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA

All churches should have a website and a social media presence - even if it’s just a Facebook page - and someone should be given the responsibility to keep both sites updated with the latest developments within their church. Web and social media addresses should be listed on all church material, to encourage people to visit them for information.

EVENTS

Not only can events be used to bring together church members in worship, they can also be used to convey key messages or elicit support for key initiatives. For instance, instead of advertising for volunteers at the main Sunday service, why not organise a special Open Day, where people interested in joining a ministry can hear first-hand what being a volunteer entails? You’ll most probably get a bigger sign-up.

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

Not only does a church have to be mindful of how they communicate internally, they also have to be concerned about to whom, how and what they communicate to the outside world.

Any church embarking on a communications strategy needs it to be aligned with its objectives.

So, for instance, if one of your church’s key goals is to win new converts, you need to look at ways your communication strategy can help you do that. Should you hold seeker events? Give out tracts in the town centre? Or maybe your church could run a project that the local community could benefit from, and you need to find a way to share information with potential users.

Any external communication strategy should include the following: • a list the key objectives your church is seeking to achieve • details of the target audience your church wants to reach • the PR tools you will use to reach your objectives, eg. leaflets, social media, newsletters • the media outlets you will utilise • how you’ll measure whether you’ve attained your communications objectives or not Some of the world’s largest and most impactful churches and ministries utilise and implement PR strategies. In fact, it makes sense for churches to take a strategic approach to sharing the Gospel and Christian values, as this is the most important message they’ll ever share.

BY

Body Fuel - Mouthwatering Recipes

SERVES

3-4

SHAUNA MUAMBA

SERVES

3-4

SERVES

3-4

SHORT BEEF RIBS AND SPICY CHILLI SWEET POTATO WEDGES

JERK WINGS AND HOMEMADE PINEAPPLE COLESLAW

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SWEET POTATO CURRY WITH ROTI

“Short Beef Ribs and Chilli Sweet Potato Wedges – Fabrice’s favourite! In fact, he can’t get enough of these!”

“Love spice and looking for something to get those taste buds tingling? my Caribbean jerk recipe is the one for you!”

“Brings back memories of growing up in Jamaica and just tastes like Mum taught me – amazing”.

Preparation and cooking time: 3 hours (the ribs need to cook slowly on a low heat - that is what takes the time) plus time to allow the meat to marinate – ideally overnight, so that the flavours infuse.

Preparation and cooking time: 45 minutes, plus time to allow the meat to marinate – ideally overnight, so that the flavours infuse.

INGREDIENTS

1kg (2lb) of short beef ribs 1 jar MRS MUAMBA’S CARIBBEAN BBQ SAUCE 3 large sweet potatoes, cut into wedges 4 tbsp sunflower oil 1 tbsp chilli flakes Salt to taste

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2.

Arrange the short ribs in a baking dish. Pour the sauce over the ribs and toss well, coating all the pieces. Marinate for 1 hour (or overnight, if possible). Cover with aluminium foil and roast until cooked through and tender - this will take about 3 hours. Remove the foil during the last 30 minutes of cooking, to brown the top. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with sweet potato wedges.

For the spicy wedges: Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6, toss the wedges with the oil and chilli flakes and season with salt.

Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

INGREDIENTS

16 whole chicken wings 1 jar MRS MUAMBA’S CARIBBEAN JERK SAUCE

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) Gas Mark 4.

In a bowl, combine the jerk sauce and chicken wings, and marinate for at least 1 1/2hours - or preferably overnight. Place the chicken in a greased baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes - 20 minutes on each side - basting occasionally with the jerk mixture until done.

PINEAPPLE COLESLAW 20oz pineapple (thinly sliced) 275g (10oz) grated white cabbage 2 medium carrots, grated 1 small onion, grated 50g (2oz) raisins 4 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tsp white wine vinegar 1 /2 tsp salt and dash of hot sauce

METHOD

Mix the pineapple, cabbage, carrot, onion and raisins together, and season with salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, white wine vinegar and hot sauce. Toss the dressing with the pineapple and cabbage mixture.

“This is one that I regularly cook up when my friends are round!”

MRS MUAMBA’S CARIBBEAN SAUCE PRIDES ITSELF ON BEING AUTHENTIC WITH TRULY CARIBBEAN FLAVOURS.

www.mrsmuambas.co.uk

Shauna and Fab ri T HE LOVE behind ce, th Mrs Muamba’s ra e nge

Preparation and cooking time 30 mins.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 1 yellow pepper, sliced 200g (8oz) butternut squash, cut into chunks 200g (8oz) sweet potatoes, cut into chunks 1 jar MRS MUAMBA’S CARIBBEAN CURRY SAUCE Coriander, roughly chopped, to garnish Roti, to serve – or naan bread if you can’t get roti.

METHOD

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the butternut squash and sweet potatoes, and cook for 10 minutes or until tender but not falling apart. Drain and set aside. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Fry the onion and yellow pepper for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and golden, then add the butternut squash and sweet potatoes.

Add the jar of Mrs Muamba’s Caribbean curry sauce, cover with a lid and gently simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are heated right through. Serve with roti and scatter.

40 LIFESTYLE

Business Matters

ROOM FOR THE

How to learn whatever you need - for free

IMAGINATION

Denise Roberts speaks to Toks Aruoture, founder of Punkin Patch Interiors, a company that creates unique interior designs for children’s rooms

DENISE ROBERTS

is founder of Christian Women in Business UK and Loud Voice Communications

Designing a child’s bedroom isn’t just about matching furniture and a slap of paint; it’s about creating memories.

Interior designer, Toks Aruoture, creates memories of childhood from the magical worlds of writers, like Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl, so that children can fully indulge the imagination – an invaluable though rare experience for those growing up in today’s digital world. She shared, “My own memories of childhood include playing outdoors and disappearing into those worlds where it was magical and real, so I want to create a haven they can retreat to and build such memories. Then I’ll have done a good job.”

From country folk to presidents

Toks lives in south London with her husband and four sons. As owner of Punkin Patch Interiors, she designs children’s rooms using the most beautiful furniture, decorative accessories and linen she is able to find in Europe or America. Her business employs six members of staff, and operates as an online store in the USA and the UK,

serving clients ranging from the quiet countrycottage family to VIPs and celebrities, even presidents. Her clients appreciate the type of quality craftsmanship that goes into making a single piece of Punkin Patch furniture.

“In some cases it is not just a piece of furniture my clients are buying, but a piece of art,” said Toks, “and in all cases it is a memory of childhood you would not have with run-of-themill, mass produced furniture.”

Toks came from the sterile, clinical environment of the pharmaceutical industry to this bright and imaginative world of beautiful spaces for children quite by ‘accident’.

Divine intervention

Her journey has all the classic signs of a divine set up: she had just returned from maternity leave; her employers could not give her the hours she wanted; her job as a medical rep mostly “felt like drudge, anyway”; then her husband casually asked, “Why not do what you really love?”

At the time, Toks was reading a book where someone asked, “How do I know what my gift is?”

The reply? “Your gift is something you do naturally, something requiring little effort but which everyone thinks is amazing.” For Toks, it was her eye for home design. For years, friends would remark on her amazing knack for putting together colours and accessories, then, said Toks, “they would ask me to design their homes for them. But I never thought of doing it for money.

I saw it as a privilege.”

De-cluttering self

“As I did the rebranding, I had to relive the beginning of the business, how we had grown over the years.

I started to look at areas in my life that needed to be rebranded… ideas God had given me, things I should be doing in my own life and in my business but, through fear and procrastination, never did.

“It was about de-cluttering my own life as well as the business, and reflecting biblical values in the way we run the business.”

Today, Toks is busily working on her own line of branded products, and streamlining the 1000-plus items available in her store.

Her best tip to a fellow Christian in business is: “Know that your place of darkness is where gems of treasures are hidden. Don’t look for the door but the gem.”

For more details, visit at www.punkinpatch.co.uk

The best and most cost effective way to develop the skills you need, to remain competitive and relevant in the marketplace, is via the free resources available online. You can explore the topics and subjects that meet your requirements and interest. Here are four places you can visit for the information you need.

They are: • www.coursera.org offers 400+ plus online courses from top universities and colleges around the world for anyone to take, at anytime.

• iTunes U – check out the app. It’s great for videos from various institutes on topics such as Courageous Leadership. www.itunes.com • www.ted.com has a mind of ‘Ideas worth sharing’. They’ll sharpen your performance and knowledge on the widest range of subjects imaginable.

• Youtube.com/education – whether you want to learn to speak better English, make a better speech, or study the speech that made Obama president.

Anointed for the Marketplace

EVENT

Want to explore your call to and anointing for the marketplace?

Then consider this weekend course organised by Charles McLachlan, co-founder of the Academy for Chief Executives.

The format includes Bible study and group exercises, and covers: Biblical foundations – work and business; Character, calling and anointing – my destiny in the marketplace; Understanding the Bible as a guide for Kingdom business, and more. The aim is to equip you to bring transformation to your business, city and nation.

From Friday 3 to Sunday 5 October, commencing at 7pm, at Castle Point Community Hub, 163 Bennetts Castle Lane, Dagenham, Essex, RM8 3YJ. Cost is £50. Book via Eventbrite, and find out more at www.cthree.org/marketplace

41

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42 LIFESTYLE

Cyber Corner

KENO OGBO

is a Writer and Web Designer

Conquering paper mountain

I

f I came into your church office and asked how many sheets of paper do you have lying around, would you know? I bet the answer would be No, but think about it. The amount of letters we receive is increasing daily - from bills, to reminders, to junk mail, and then letters from various providers, from partners, from church members; or, if you own a business, letters and paperwork relating to clients and suppliers.

Even the Inland Revenue contributes to a massive file of paperwork in my office. So how do we deal with our paperwork and yet save time? This is the issue several online tools are trying to solve, and the tool leading the way for most people is ‘Evernote’.

Evernote is a software application that could help you control and maximise the use of information effectively. Its easy-to-use interface provides you with a structured method of organising your paperwork in ‘Notebooks’.

Think of Evernote as a filing cabinet and Notebooks as a file folder. Create a folder Notebook for each aspect of your paperwork; for example, Bills, Inland Revenue, Sermons, Departments, etc.

You can then create notes within each Notebook and these could be: relevant website clippings, scanned documents, emails, photographs, voice memos, file attachments, to-do lists and more. Each piece of information can be edited, searched and tagged, so you can easily find the information you want, when you want it.

You can also share your Evernote account with your team, making this a collaboration tool to ensure your office is truly virtual. Team members can work remotely - even from another country - as Evernote can be accessed through your Internet browser or downloaded as software on your computer. Each time you save a note, it is automatically synced to your

Must-have technology for small businesses It is an accepted fact that IT is a key driver for business growth. Small businesses especially have to start thinking about what technology they use, and how to keep that technology relevant. Top areas for investment are:

Website improvements

Most small businesses have a website, but when was the last time you improved yours, or reviewed the effectiveness of your website in bringing you business?

It is extremely important that your website shows your business in the best possible light.

Software for business Evernote account, which means that all your compatible devices are updated.

Time saving, connectivity and optimisation are three important factors for running an efficient business. We all know how fast the world works, and the speed at which we receive information. Rather than simplify our lives, we now have more complicated days at work, filled with demands from emails, social media and other communication channels.

Evernote’s benefit is its effectiveness in helping you to organise your notes and keep your information in one place: your workspace.

Evernote is suitable for writers, pastors, businesses, entrepreneurs, teachers . . . anyone who receives loads of information and needs to be keep it handy. It is a useful tool for growing companies that would like to share information between employees, but are not yet able to invest in an intranet system.

Technical considerations: • You can access Evernote from your web browser • Download the Evernote application to your desktop • Download the Evernote app to your mobile device • Evernote is compatible with most operating system platforms The free version offers up to 60MB of storage per month, with up to 250 Notebooks and 100,000 notes. Note that it is a pretty large install, and pay attention to the terms and conditions, as they reserve the right to use or modify your data.

KENO OGBO runs Spiral Web Solutions – and can help organisations with their fundraising strategies. To contact Keno call 07958 004 739 or email keno@spiralwebsolutions.com

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Have you thought about the specific software that aids effective working in your industry sector?

Backups

An area of investment every small business must invest in is a backup solution, whether a physical hard drive or a cloud solution. It is vital that your business data is backed up.

App of the month Accordance

If you are an avid student of the Bible, you might want to download Accordance, an app that will enhance your study of Scripture.

It will give you access to concordances, commentaries, and enable you to view Greek and Hebrew versions of the Bible. It also features photographs of countries mentioned in the Bible, as well as objects people in Bible times would have utilised.

43

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44 LIFESTYLE

Mind, Body & Soul

LOLA OLAREWAJU

is a Personal Trainer, freelance Certified Lifestyle Coach and Owner of Final Measure - a fitness and lifestyle company

FRESH VEGETABLES VS FROZEN & CANNED VEGETABLES

Are low carb diets bad for you?

W

e’ve all heard of low carb diets, right? Perhaps you’ve tried one before, or might still be on one.

Or perhaps you know someone currently on such a diet. So, what exactly do we mean by a low carb diet, and are they good for us?

A low carb diet has many definitions and comes in the form of many different diets - from the Atkins to the South Beach diet.

One simple definition of a low carb diet is reducing the amount of carbohydrates in a diet.

Foods, such as bread, rice and pasta are significantly reduced - or sometimes removed completely for a length of time, depending on the type of low carb diet being followed.

So, is a low carb diet good or bad for us? Some experts say Yes, when done properly, and others say No, because they argue that removing certain food groups from a diet can lead to serious health problems. When done properly, where low carb, fibrous vegetables are included in a diet, people can experience very rapid weight loss, which is

usually the reason most people choose this diet.

However, the question of maintaining such a diet has to be asked.

For those against such a diet, the argument is that when carbs are either cut out or significantly reduced from a diet, people tend to load up on animal protein and fat, which can heighten cholesterol levels which, in turn, can lead to some diseases. Another argument against this type of diet is that when fibre is reduced from a diet, constipation is experienced which again, if left, can lead to other problems in the body.

Much of the fibre we eat usually comes from different carbohydrates, such as grains, fruits and vegetables, which help us to have bowel movements; however, if you remove these foods from your diet, some experts believe we could be doing more harm than good. So, if you think a low carb diet is the one for you, just remember to do your research beforehand and be safe. What you should always be aiming for in a diet is ‘balance’.

Give your body the right fuel and it will serve you.

STRENGTH TRAINING

W

hat is strength training? Strength training is exercising with the goal of increasing your strength. Gone are the days where we could rely on our physical jobs to keep us in shape. Nowadays, for many of us, sitting all day in front of a computer screen is the norm, which unfortunately does nothing for building up strength. What are the benefits of strength training? Apart from making us physically stronger, which can help us carry out our daily tasks much more easily, strength training burns calories, keeps the metabolic rate high, strengthens the joints, increases endurance, improves sleep, and tones the muscles. Strength training is recommended by the Department of Health as part of our regular exercise programme, aiming for at least two or three times a week. And, by the way, for you ladies afraid that you’ll bulk up, don’t worry; it won’t happen unless you want to become Miss Musclewoman and you start lifting some seriously heavy weights!

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Unless you have the privilege of picking your vegetables direct from the vine, or digging up your potatoes straight from the ground and then eating them within hours, then technically our foods - labelled as ‘fresh’ - are not fresh. This is because our vegetables spend a lot of time in transit to the store, with varying conditions that cause them to lose nutrients before they hit the shelf of the supermarket, and ultimately our plates. Frozen and canned vegetables, on the other hand, are immediately taken from the vine, put into their packaging and held at a steady temperature to maintain nutrients. There can, however, be a difference in taste between fresh and frozen or canned, often because of the additives used, which we should watch out for when choosing.

LIFESTYLE 45

HEARTTOHEART

ESTHER FENTY is a qualified psychologist and pastor’s wife

I hope you can help me. I was an active, respected member of my church, but my world came crashing down when it came to light I was having an affair with a married man. I was disciplined and asked to step down from my role as head of women’s ministries. I know I did wrong, but it’s been made worse that many church members - including some members of my own family - won’t talk to me and it’s causing me great distress. What can/ should I do to rebuild relationship and win people’s trust?

Angela, Wolverhampton

I WAS RAPED BY A FELLOW BELIEVER

I

How do I win back church’s respect after having an affair?

Esther Fenty says:

am so distraught I don’t know what to do or where to turn. I’m a Cell group leader at my church, and I constantly have people coming through my home. Of late, I’ve had quite a few guys attend my Cell group and, when one of them asked if he could come and talk to me at my home during the week, I thought nothing of it and said Yes, as I’m always willing to listen to people - particularly new converts.

Anyway, while we were talking he confessed that he found me very attractive. As I tried to laugh it off and make light of it, he became very aggressive and, to cut a long story short, he raped me and I don’t know what to. I’ve not told anyone, but all I keep doing is crying and berating myself for letting a man I hardly knew into my home. I’ve not been to church for the past two weeks, and not sure I want to go back.

I do not want to face my attacker.

Janice, London

Esther Fenty says:

I am so sorry that this has happened to you, and that presumably some time has already elapsed since the incident. Remember that despite letting the perpetrator into your home, it is not your fault that he has behaved in this manner; he is entirely to blame. Not only has he committed an act of violation against your body, the temple of God, but a crime as judged by societal standard, for which you can take legal action. Whilst he will be judged by God for this, it is important that the authorities are alerted to this behaviour.

It is important that you speak with someone.

If you are concerned that the leadership in your church has no experience in this area, there are a number of agencies that will support you through

this time. You might need a friend to accompany you to one of these. Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) can advise on forensic and medical examinations, and keep any evidence you may have until you decide whether to take legal action.

If you are concerned that the time lapse might have destroyed any forensic evidence, you might want to discuss your case with your GP to check for STIs. Another organisation which you might find useful is ‘Rights of Women’. This offers free legal advice and information to women affected by sexual violence.

Healing for your emotions will take time, and God wants to make you whole. Therefore, for counselling and rape trauma support, you can contact a Rape Crisis Centre to see a specialist sexual violence counsellor. As this young man is a member of the church, you should inform the leadership of the church in order to protect others.

If he has done this once, the chances are that he will do it again. Some people will try to disguise their actions by using the church for a cloak of respectability. It is possible that you may not be believed, but you will have alerted the church to his behaviour.

This young man has committed a criminal offence, and you will need to decide whether to report the incident to the police. You may want to report the rape, as it is the only opportunity for the person to face justice. However, you have to prepare yourself for the possibility that he might not be convicted or, if he is, he may not get a custodial sentence.

I am wondering whether having respect from people and winning their trust is more important than a right relationship with God. It is essential that you focus on developing that relationship. As you begin to change your life in the light of His Word, He will give you the people who can support you. Whilst it is true that we should not be judgmental and should forgive the penitent person, remember that this will take time. You cannot change people’s attitudes and perceptions, but you can change yourself.

Do not rush the process, but be patient with people. Show friendliness even if they do not. In your prayer time, ask the Holy Spirit to show you a friend or a member of your family who will support you during this difficult time, and then start to build one relationship at a time. As they begin to trust you, they may widen their circle of friends to include you in joint activities, so that you have mutual friends.

You could also try developing other friendship groups by participating in activities with Christians from other churches, or joining a group with an identified interest of yours. More importantly, as you continue to attend and serve the church, people will see your sincerity and respond.

Esther Fenty provides godly and practical advice on a wide range of issues. To contact Esther email editorial@keepthefaith.co.uk

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46 MISSION

Because the past does not dictate the future

I

t is another sunny day in Kampala, Uganda. The Honorable Margaret Makhoha is tired but determined.

Since becoming a Member of Parliament, her life has transformed beyond all recognition. In truth, the transformation began nearly 25 years ago when her local church, in partnership with Compassion, registered her in their child sponsorship programme.

That day set Margaret’s life on a different course; it released her from a future her past appeared to dictate.

Living in a remote Ugandan village, girls like Margaret didn’t receive much of an education, if any, and could expect to be married young and a mother before they’d really stopped being a child.

Instead, Margaret received a full education and was able to not just complete high school, but go on to university. Here she not only studied for her degree, but was supported by Compassion and trained through their Leadership Development Programme. Margaret graduated with honours; determined to use her God given gifts to change the future for other children like her.

Sitting in the shade of the parliament buildings, Margaret explains; “Even as a small child, I always wanted to speak up for my people. When I finished my degree, I had a conviction to go back and serve my community.”

She did just this, returning to Jinja in Eastern Uganda and working as a social worker before taking the post of project director in a Compassion project. Already Margaret was changing the world for children in her care, but she wanted to do more. In 2011, she was sworn in as a Member of Parliament; “I don’t just advocate for the people in my district,” she explains, “but for all people living in poverty in Uganda.”

But Margaret doesn’t just speak about poverty; she

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daily lives out what she preaches. One of the major challenges facing her community is a lack of medical facilities. Margaret describes what she saw when she visited a local hospital, “I found a patient with a drip, laying on the floor. Another one lay on the bare metals of the bed.”

Margaret returned to Kampala and lobbied the Ministry of Health for better equipment, but not before she drove to the nearest shopping centre and bought 200 mattresses with her own money and had them distributed to the 30 medical centres in the region.

In a similar fashion, Margaret has seven orphaned children living with her and has set up a foundation to take care of another 20. Convinced that education is the key to eradicating early marriage, HIV and other side effects of poverty, she has personally set up the Namakangala Girl Child Educational Annual Award to encourage girls across the region to raise their expectations and work hard at school.

Margaret is changing the course of Ugandan history.

As she lobbies for education for girls, improved hospitals, better roads, solar power and electrical provision for outlying districts she is ensuring that just as she has broken free from the grip of poverty, Uganda’s past does not need to dictate its children’s futures.

Written by Bekah Legg with Caroline A. Mwinemwesigwa

You can watch Margaret Mahoha’s story on You Tube at http://bit.ly/ makhoha.

In 10 years’ time her natural curiosity will be replaced by a realisation that the future holds nothing more than hardship and relentless poverty.

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For just 83p a day your one-to-one support will enable a child living in poverty to attend a churchbased Compassion project. Here, loving Christian staff will ensure children receive the healthcare, education, food, clothing, spiritual and social support they need to thrive.

Land and deliver Leer, South Sudan, 24.04.2012 Find out more about MAF’s continuing lifeline missions at www.maf-uk.org/stories

We go the extra miles www.maf-uk.org/stories Registered charity in England and Wales (1064598) and in Scotland (SC039107) ÂŽ Registered trademark 3026860, 3026908, 3026915