Kedu! (Hello in Igbo),
Proud to be African Clothing is very excited this week as we
have a full representation of African cinema
Chimanda Ngozi Adichie’s world bestseller ‘Half
of a Yellow Sun’ has been made into a film! Directed by Nigerian author
and playwright Biyi Bandele (Burma Boy)
and starring Oscar hopeful Chiewetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, 4 Brothers, Dirty Pretty Things, Talk To Me etc),
Thandie Newton, John Boyega (Attack the
Block), Genevieve Nnaji, Onyeka Owenu and many more. This story of Nigerian
Independence and the Civil War and the lives and tangled loves of the people
caught up in it. Filmed on location in Nigeria, this is movie encapsulates
everything about the New Africa, an African story told by Africans, made in
Africa by Africans for Africans, to be enjoyed by all.
Onye Ozi is the first Igbo language film to be made in the UK
made by the stalwart of the new
Nollywood; Obi Emeleonye (Mirror Boy, Last Flight to Abuja), starring comedian
Okey Bakassi. With his trademark good story telling and high production values,
this is really the only place to be this Friday evening.
The London Film Festival has begun, with a smattering of
African films Gone to Far is the screen adaptation of Bola Agbaje’s Olivier
award winning play set in Peckham examining the dichotomy between brothers
raised in Nigeria and the diaspora
Felix is a South African drama about a boy who wishes to follow
in his late father’s musical footsteps, B is for Boy is a a Nigerian drama
about the lengths a woman will go to get a male child. Grisgris is a Chadian
thriller about a street photographers romance with a would be model
To complete the trifecta of Igboness, the Igbo Culture and
Support Network will be holding their Iri Ji New Yam Festival on Saturday,
where you can partake of traditional Igbo dishes (not all yam based!), dances,
masquerades, and many more.
There are also talks and seminars such as Governance in
Africa, Lets Talk, Lets Talk Business, T’ings and Time, The 2Inspire Network
Ladies Day, Free at Last with Gary Younge and more
Music from Emeka Elendu and Afrobeat Specialists, Somali
singer Aar Manta, African flamenco Buika will be performing with Sura Sasso
Plays such as The White Witch of Roase Hall, The Old Woman,
the Buffalo and the Lion of Manding
Please go out and support all the fine African events, we
cannot complain that we do npt see our stories being told or representations of
our lives if we don’t go out and support when these things happen. We have a
wide range of excellent films and other productions from the vast African and diaspora
experience. I really hope you will support them.
Enjoy the week
Monday 14th October
At 7.00pm Lets Talk returns with a new venue Juno Bar, 134 Shoreditch High Street, E1 .
Hosted by Mikey and Essay this debate night with a hint of spoken word will feature
strong opinions and even stronger arguments. Admission is £2.00
At 7.00pm is In Conversation: T’ings & Time- The
British State in Black and White at The Maroons Restaurant, 514 Commercial
Road, Limehouse, E1 0HY, Chaired by Dawn Butler with Dr Yvonne Thompson and
Councillor Lorna Campbell discussing Economic
Development in the African/ African Caribbean Community in Britain. Book
your place at this FREE event by
phone or email.
At 7.30pm Buika and
Sura Susso will be playing at
Barbican Hall, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS. The smoky voiced flamenco singer will
be acknowledging her African roots with the kora player Sura Sasso in this one
of London Show. Tickets from £19.95
from here.
At 7.30pm is The White Witch of Rose Hall at The Broadway Theatre, Catford Road,
Catford, SE6 4RU. This play of a legendary Jamaican play inspired by true
events is retold by Simon James Collier and set in 19th century West
Indies against the backdrop of the abolishment of slavery, voodoo, murder,
betrayal and lust. Running till 26th October tickets are £14.50 from here.
At 8.45pm The
London Film Festival screens Good Report at The Vue West End, 3
Cranbourn street, Leicester Square, WC2H 7AL this intense South African
film mixes sex and social commentary in the story of a young teacher at a new
school who has a sexual encounter in a bar with a young lady he later discovers
is an underage pupil at his school. Shot in black and white this is a story of
tragic obsession. Tickets from £16.00
from here.
Tuesday 15th October
From 1.00pm to 3.00pm
Inspirational You presents Lets Talk
Business at The Stephen Lawrence
Centre, 39 Brookmill Road, Deptford, SE8 4HU. Hosted by Bernard P.
Achampong this event will provide tips for start ups, sustain your business,
inspiration, tips for financing, business plans and networking. Speakers
include Ketan Makwana (Rockstar Youth), Jenni Steel (Radio Presenter), Kim
Sterling-Haig (Tippee Toes), Lorna Stewart (Black 100+), Sarah Asafo-Agyei
(Asian Investment Bank), Obi James (Investment Banker) and Lyrical Healer
(Author/ presenter/ poet). Register for this FREE event here.
At 6.00pm the
Royal African Society presents Governance
for Development in Africa in the
Brunei Suite, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Thornhaugh Street,
Russell Square, WC1H 0XG. Chaired by Dr Jonathan Di John (SOAS) discussing
with Dr David Booth (Overseas Development Institute) the overview of issues
surrounding governance for development in Africa using in depth empirical
research. Register for this FREE
event here.
At 6.00pm the
London Film Festival screens Grisgris at The
Vue West End, this Chadian film about a street photographers romantic
interest in a would be model. When rising family medical bills lead him to get
involved in a dangerous petrol smuggling racket, both he and the object of his
affections find themselves in danger. Tickets are £16.00 from here
At 6.15pm The
London Film Festival screens Good Report at the Ritzy Cinema, Brixton Oval, Coldharbour
Lane, SW2 1JG this intense South African film mixes sex and social
commentary in the story of a young teacher at a new school who has a sexual
encounter in a bar with a young lady he later discovers is an underage pupil at
his school. Shot in black and white this is a story of tragic obsession.
Tickets are £12.50 from here
At 7.00pm Author
Dorothy Koomson will be at Canada
Water Library, 21 Surrey Quays Road, SE16 7AR. The international
bestselling author of 8 novels (My Best Friends
Girl, The Ice Cream Girls, The Roase Petal Beach etc) will talk about and
read from her works and then take questions from the audience. This is a FREE event.
At 7.45pm is Free at Last with Gary Younge in the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, Belvedere
Road, SE1 8XX. In which the author of The
Speech: The Story behind Martin Luther Kings ‘I have a dream’ retells the
stories of forgotten heroes such as Claudette Colvin, Robert Carter with
curator Hannah Pool. Tickets are £10.00
from here.
Wednesday 16th October
From 1.00pm UCLU
BHM 2013 will be screening 3 movies, the first is ‘The Story of Lovers Rock’
in Seminar Room One, Bentham B11, UCL,
Endsleigh Gardens, WC1H 0EG. This film tells the story of the British music
phenomenon, Lovers Rock a sub genre of reggae that was uniquely British through
comedy, dance and archive footage. Followed by a post screening discussion,
register for this FREE screening
here.
At 3.00pm is ‘The
First Grader’ the true story
of an 84 year old Kenyan villager who fights for his right to go to school and
get the education he could never afford. Followed by a post screening chat.
Register for this FREE screening
here. At 5.15pm is ‘The
Curse of the Golden Flower’ about China’s Tang Dynasty. This screening
will be introduced by Victor Fan (film Studies Lecturer) and followed by a
Q&A, register for this FREE
screening here.
At 4.30pm is the Roots of Money: Creative family Workshop at
Hale End Library, Castle Avenue, Highams Park, E4 9QD, this event covers
the type and history of money and transactions on African history. RSVP this FREE event here.
At 6.30pm UCLU
BHM 2013 will host the Living history
Exhibition in Roberts Foyer G02, Roberts Building, UCL , Gower Street, WC1E 6BT.
This is a collection of images supported by Lord Victor Adebowale are of
living people, politicians, entrepreneurs, artists, academics and others. This
is a FREE event, more details here.
At 6.30pm is Ebony Inspired at Beaufort House, 354 Kings Road, Chelsea, SW3 5UZ, where you can
network and socialise with like minded new and established black entrepreneurs
in a relaxed and welcoming environment. Register for £10.00 here.
At 6.30pm OBV and
University of Westminster present An
Evening with Gary Younge in The Old
Cinema, Westminster University, 309 Regent Street, W1B 2HW. The writer and
columnist will unlock the story behind Dr Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’
speech, give a short reading from his book and discuss the speech with fellow
panellists Diane Abbott MP and Professor Kurt Barling (BBC Correspondent).
Register for this FREE event by
email.
From 6.30pm to 8.30pm
is The 1:54 Contemporary African Art
Fair in the West Wing, Somerset
House, The Strand, WC2R 1LA, featuring artists from the continent and the
diaspora such as Edson Chagas, Meschac Gaba, Aboudia, Sokari Douglas Camp CBE,
Sammy Baloji, Godfried Donkor and curated by Koyo Kouoh. Running till 2oth
October there will be talks, panels and lectures. Tickets are £12.00 (£5.00 concs) from here.
At 7.00pm The
National Geographic Store hosts The Dark Side of the Kalahari with Hannes Lochner at the National Geographic London Store, 102-104
Brompton Road, SW3 1JJ, this book is the result of a 2 year, 100,000km journey
in the Kalahari Desert capturing the life of a single leopard and her struggle
to raise her cubs in a harsh environment. Register for this FREE event here.
At 8.45pm the
London Film Festival screens B is for Boy at The Ritzy Cinema, in which Amaka, a middle class Nigerian mother
living in Abuja is desperate to have a male child. As she undertakes desperate
measures to get a male child. Tickets are here
Thursday 17th October
At 3.45pm the
London Film Festival screens Grisgris at the
BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XT this Chadian film about a street
photographers romantic interest in a would be model. When rising family medical
bills lead him to get involved in a dangerous petrol smuggling racket, both he
and the object of his affections find themselves in danger. Tickets are £16.00 from here
https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=grigris
At 5.00pm is An Audience with Kwame M.A. McPherson at
The Business Lounge, Wood Green Library, 191 High Road, Wood Green, N22 6DZ. The
prolific Jamaican writer and entrepreneur will be interviewed by Dr Darren
Henry. Register for this FREE event
here.
At 6.00pm KPMG
African and Caribbean Network presents Celebrating
the Value of the Black Pound at KPMG, 15 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, E14
5GL. Themed and moderated by Richard Iferenta (Partner, KPMG) with Piers
Linney (Outsourcery), Dawn Butler (Former Labour MP), Justine Lutterodt
(Synchrous Leadership) and Michael Eboda (Powerful Media) the panel will
discuss the economic contributions of Black Britons and the positive effect of
positive leadership. Followed by networking and African canapés. Register for
this FREE event by email
At 6.00pm Lelas
Lounge presents Talk to Me (A Speed
Dating Affair) at Adulis Restaurant,
44-46 Brixton Road, SW9 6BT. Hosted by Mika this is a speed dating event
with style and class for the young, black professional. Tickets are £12.00 from here.
At 7.00pm Author
Malorie Blackman will be at Dulwich
Library, 368 Lordship Lane, Dulwich, SE22 8NB, the celebrated author will
read from and talk about her work and entertain questions from the audience.
This is a FREE event
Friday 18th October
At 6.30pm is Gone Too Far at the Odeon West End. This comedy drama written by Bola
Agbaje (and based on her Olivier Award winning play of the same name) and
directed by Destiny Ekaragha involves long lost brothers Yemi and Iku and their
simmering adolescent passions against the back drop of tensions on a Peckham
estate. Tickets are £16.00 from here.
From 1.30pm to 9.30pm
the Imperial College Nigerian Society hosts its 2nd Annual Symposium And Dinner in The Great Hall, Imperial
College London, Cromwell Road, SW7 2AZ. Themed ‘Taking the Great Leap:
Overcoming the challenges to Nigeria’s Economic Prosperity’. This will be followed by a Dinner in the evening. The symposium is
FREE, while tickets for the dinner start from £25.00 from here.
At 6.00pm
is Phase One Network-Panel Discussion at
BPP Law School Waterloo, 137 Stamford
Street, Waterloo, SE1 9NN. Themed ‘Learning from the lives of young
successful individuals’ the panellists will share their journeys, success and
failures. The panellists include Kyla Frye (model and actress), Sebastien Thiel
(social entrepreneur and Film Director), Irene Awosika (fashion designer),
Junior Ogunyemi (Author). Register for this FREE event here.
At 6.30pm is the
World Premiere of Onye Ozi (the
Messenger) at The Lighthouse, 270
Camberwell Road, Camberwell, SE5 0HQ. Starring Okey Bakassi and Ngozi
Igwebike and directed by Obi Emelonye. The premiere will be hosted by Okey
Bakassi who will perform his stand up act along with other music performances,
and short films before the film starts at 8.00pm, food will be on sale
throughout. Tickets are £20.00 (£14.00
for children) from here.
At 7.00pm KMT and
Boulevard La Palma present Mama Africa at Arch 365, 15-16 Lendal Terrace, SW4 7UX,
with resident DJ’s on rotation Oya Bun, Bogossy Freshfrenchy and host KMT
playing Hip Life, afrobeats, coupe decale, afro deep house music, Latin,
Portuguese, Brazilian and Tribal music as well as an African Dance Workshop
with Madee. FREE before 9.00pm, £3.00 before 11.00pm and £5.00 thereafter (or FREE entry before 11.00pm for fancy or
African dress).
At 7.30pm is Jan Blakes: The Old Woman, the Buffalo and
the Lion of Manding at the Albany
Centre, Douglas Way, Deptford, SE8 4AG. Written and told by Jan Blake with
music by Kouame and Raymond Sereba this spinning tale has its origins in
ancient Mali, spans centuries to tell the story of a conflicted king, jealous
first wife, disfigured buffalo woman and a child with a destiny. Tickets are £10.00 (£8.00 concs) from here.
At 8.00pm is Black History Comedy Night at The Broadway Theatre, Catford Road, SE6 4RU,
with Eddie Kadi, Kojo and Uncle Adot, this is Black British comedy at its
finest. Tickets start from £17.50
from here.
At 8.00pm Emeka Elendu and the Kalakuta Afrobeat
Specialist will be Felabrating the Life of Fela Kuti at Passing Clouds, 1 Richmond Road, Dalston, E8 4AA, performing live
on stage hosted by MC Honey Brown and supported by Mulele Matondo Afrika and
with Rock Ma Beads, Hylu, Sleepy Time Ghost and Wu-Lu upstairs. Admission is FREE before 9.00pm, £5.00 before 10.00pm and £8.00 thereafter
Saturday 19th October
From 11.00am to
6.00pm is The 2Inspire Network
Ladies Day at Old Stratford Town
Hall, 29 Broadway, Stratford, E15 4BQ. This event will feature a shopping
arena, entertainment and fashion show, pamper corner and lifestyle development
workshops such as Eating for Success
facilitated by Daniele Pond, Media Communications for Business and Pleasure
facilitated by Valley Fontaine, Africans in the Diaspora facilitated by Jean Sinikiwe
Chawapiwa, How to make your business tick facilitated by Usha Penumuchi and
Adopting a Holistic Approach to Hair Care by Annette Headley . Admission is FREE, workshops are £5.00 from here.
At 2.00pm Author Catherine
Johnson will be at Peckham Library, 122
Peckham Hill Street, SE15 5JR, the celebrated author and screenwriter of
over 20 books and screenplays such as Bullet Boy and Holby City will read from and talk about her work and entertain
questions from the audience. This is a FREE
event.
From 2.00pm to 5.00pm
is Cultural exhibition and workshop at St Hugh’s Church, Crosby Road, SE1 4PH.
This will feature an exhibition of body adornments worn by women from Africa to
Asia as well as a head tie workshop and meditation. This is a FREE event
At 3.30pm London
Film Festival presents Felix at the BFI
Southbank, this South African film focuses
on a little boy who wishes to be a saxophonist like his late father despite his
mothers disapproval, winning a scholarship to an elite music school with the
encouragement of his fathers former bandmates. Currently sold out but more tickets
may be released here
At 5.00pm The
Igbo Culture and Support Network will host their Iri Ji (New Yam) Festival at The Petchey Academy, Shacklewell Lane, E8
2EY. The New Yam Festival is a combination of a Harvest Festival and
thanksgiving in Igbo Culture and this is an opportunity to absorb the culture
of one of Africa’s largest but less well known tribes. Also celebrating 15
years of ICSN there will be a variety of Nigerian dishes, Yam Auctions,
masquerades and cultural presentation, traditional dances by the ICSN Dance
Troupe and then dancing with music from the DJ until the early hours. Tickets
are £10.00 earlybird, £15.00 in advance and £20.00 on the door
At 5.30pm Shanti-Chi
and Carpe Diem present Ezigbo the Spirit
Child- An enchanted Tale at The
Arcola Theatre, 24 Arshwin Street, Dalston, E8 3DL the dynamic African
story teller Griot Chinyere supported by Vedina Mose tell the story of Ezigbo
the Spirit Child who the river goddess gives
to the chiefs wife after she loses her first child, however the goddess
has a single rule for the mother and child to obey. Tickets are £7.20 from here.
At 5.45pm is the
London Premiere of Half of a Yellow Sun at Odeon
West End, this epic love story encompassing the lives and loves of a group
of young, idealistic Nigerians during the period of Independence to the Civil
War. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton and Anika Noni Rose as twins
from a well to do family who’s gradual dissonance is typified by their choice
of partners, idealistic Olanna (Newton) with Odenigbo (Ejiofor) a radical
university Professor and Kainene (Rose) with Richard (Joseph Mawle) an
Englishman studying Nigerian arts. Their lives are shared by their young
houseboy Ugwu (John Boyega) as they go through the turbulence of the Nigerian
Civil War. Written and Directed by Biyi Bandele, based on the novel by Chimanda
Ngozi Adichie and filmed on location in Nigeria, if you haven’t got tickets you
better hang outside to soak up the awesomeness. Tickets are actually sold out
but try here and see if more have been released.
At 6.00pm the UK African and Caribbean Dental Association
Launch will take place at The Hilton
Hotel, 5 More London Place, Tooley Street, SE1 2BY. This Black Tie event is
to celebrate the birth of the association, share it s vision and mission of
raising oral health to the public. Tickets are £70.00 per person and £120.00
per couple from here.
At 6.30pm is Gone Too Far at Hackney Picturehouse. This comedy drama written by Bola Agbaje
(and based on her Olivier Award winning play of the same name) and directed by
Destiny Ekaragha involves long lost brothers Yemi and Iku and their simmering
adolescent passions against the back drop of tensions on a Peckham estate.
Tickets are £12.50 from here.
At 8.00pm Aar Maanta will
be performing in The Tabernacle, 35
Powis Square, Notting Hill, W11 2AY. This stop on the Somali singers tour
is hosted by Prince Abdi, his music harks back to the hey day of Somali music
in the 70s with contemporary urban influences, tickets are £11.00 from here.
Sunday 20th October
From 2.00pm to 6.00pm
Mwalimu Express returns to Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch,
E1 6LA with a Felabration Session, celebrating the birthday of Fela Kuti and
featuring Bumi Thomas live on stage, Felas 1982 documentary ‘Music is the weapon’, Rita Ray and Max
Reinhardt on the decks, Parent and Toddler Dancing, face painting, books, music
and oware board games. And its all FREE!!!
At 6.15pm Half of a Yellow Sun will be showing at Screen on the Green, 83 Upper Street, Islington, N1 0NP, this epic love story encompassing the lives and loves of a group of young, idealistic Nigerians during the period of Independence to the Civil War. Written and Directed by Biyi Bandele, based on the novel by Chimanda Ngozi Adichie and filmed on location in Nigeria, if you haven’t got tickets you better hang outside to soak up the awesomeness. Tickets are also sold out here but there might be returns
At 6.30pm is Gone Too Far at The Vue, West End. This
comedy drama written by Bola Agbaje (and based on her Olivier Award winning
play of the same name) and directed by Destiny Ekaragha involves long lost
brothers Yemi and Iku and their simmering adolescent passions against the back
drop of tensions on a Peckham estate. Tickets are £16.00 from here.
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