Films
Plus The Getty Archimedes Story
Saturday 29 March 5-8pm
Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach
Tube: Seven Sisters. Bus 149,259,243,476,230 Admission £8.00 www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk
* First Black Woman to win MBE (1973)
* Medal of Service winner Guyana (1987)
* National Black Women Achievement award (1992)
* Fellow of Goldsmith College
* Woman of the Year winner (twice)
This event is brought to you in association with www.imagesofblackwomen.com .
From the 1960's Sybil was a foster parent to hundreds of unwanted children. She rasied £64,000, opened and ran Moonshot in New Cross, the first black youth club in Britain. When the National Front burned it down in 1977 she rebuilt it within 4 years. She was a leader in the New Cross Fire campaign and the post Brixton negotiations. In the 1980's she set up the Marsha Phoenix trust for homeless young women. She is now 82 and still active in Lewisham. This film by Lucia Tanmbini contains interviews with Sybil, family and friends. The rare footage shows how bad racism was in the 80's and how much we take for granted now
Getty Archimede, from Guadelope, was the first black woman to become a lawyer in France (1939). She became the first deputy parlimentarian in 1946. She fought tirelessly for women and the poor. This historical documentary by Mariette Monpierre will show the similarities and differences between black womens fight against racism in France and the UK
Saturday 15 March 1.30pm-4.30pm
BFI Southbank (near Royal Festival Hall) Belvedere Road SE1 Tube: Waterloo.
Admission £5.00 . Box office 0207 928 3232 www.BFi.org.uk
Singer-composer, musician and politician. Kuti is one of Africa's most revered names.
He began as a highlife singer in 1954. In 1968 he created Afro-beat, and then went on a 10-month tour of America. He devoured Malcolm X's autobiography, fell in love with the Black Panthers and began writing conscious lyrics . On return to Nigeria he opened the Shrine nightclub. He accused the Beatles of stealing black peoples music and rejected his English last name. He influenced James Brown, Bootsy Collins and Gilberto Gil, His outspoken views on corruption and colonialism made him unpopular with the government but a hero to the people. In 1979 Kuti began his own political party - MOP (Movement of the People). However the military returned to power in 1983 and within the year Kuti was sentenced to five years imprisonment. The Army even raided his compound, threw his mother out of the window and raped his wives. When he died in 1997 millions turned out to honour him. This is his story.
PLUS
Q and A with Ayorinde Solarin writer and childhood friend of Fela