Daniel De Gale Remembered

Daniel De Gale first came to the public consciousness 11 years ago when his drive to find a bone marrow donor was broadcast on London’s local TV station. Daniel’s condition acted as a catalyst for his mother Beverley De Gale, and his step father Orin Lewis, to start the African Caribbean Leukemia Trust (ACLT) and begin to recruit donors for the bone marrow register. Read more

Author goes against WHSmith in battle for distribution

Author Von Mozar sold his home to follow his dream of starting his own publishing company over a year ago. His first book Ignorance Kills was a local success, selling hundreds of copies in the Brixton branch of WHSmith, however when he approached the news and magazine outlet’s head office, he was promptly refused a distribution deal. According to Mozar, this refusal was based on WHSmith’s belief that black people don’t read books, and white people don’t buy Black authors. Read more

Partners required for Children & the Arts

The Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts is actively seeking passionate and committed partner arts organisations to work with us to develop and deliver Start for primary and secondary schools in their local area. Read more

Soul Food Reaches the parts Bling Cannot Reach

IDMC celebrate 13 years together as London’s premier Urban Gospel collective and will mark their coming of age in the UK and Global Gospel Music industry by staging a Live Concert Recording, “IDMC Live & Phaat Vol II”, and Exhibition, on Saturday 1st December 2007 at the Dominion Centre in London, N22 6DS beginning with a drinks reception at 6:15pm.

The night promises to be a spectacular one, with guest artists, an exhibition charting the changes and growth of this group over the past 13 years, plus a re-union choir that includes present and past members of the group. Founder and Director of the group, John Fisher, also plans to introduce new material from IDMC’s pending new album Soul Food, due for release early in 2008. Read more

Have you heard? First of the twelfth - 01.12.07

Jazz or Soul Group Required

Required to play at ‘Thespian Rock Soiree’ at The Good Ship in Kilburn, north west London. This is a fundraising party for theatre company ‘Charm Offensive’ and our upcoming production at The Southwark Playhouse.

A fabulous selection of bands, acts and comediens is already assembled, but I am looking for a Jazz or Soul group to put the cherry on top! The date is Friday 5th October.

Please email lucymiddleweek@yahoo.com or call 07956 322 202.

International Writing Fellowship

Applications are invited for a .5 one-year International Writing Fellowship in
English, available from May 2007. The fellowship is funded jointly by the Arts Council of England and the University of Southampton.
Read more

The Ghosts of Songs: A Retrospective of the Black Audio Film Collective

The first major touring exhibition of the seminal and multi-award winning media group, The Black Audio Film Collective is presented at Arnolfini this April.

Inaugurated in 1983 and dissolved in 1998, the seven - person Black Audio Film Collective is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential artist groups to emerge from Britain in recent years. Read more

African history should be taught in schools

The National Independent Educational Coalition (NIEC), has launched an online petition aimed at promoting the introduction of African History to the National Curriculum. The petition will be presented to the DfES on the 30th April along with an official response by the NIEC, aimed at influencing the current Educational Review of the Curriculum being delivered in UK schools.

The NIEC represents parents, students, teachers, educationalists and consultants united on the concern of African and Caribbean underachievement in the UK. The organisation would like to see more cultural diversity included in the Curriculum.

To sign the petition visit to http://www.gopetition.co.uk/signatures.php?petid=11736, You may also forward this article or the link to friends and colleagues

New Afro-Brazilian Documentary at British Museum

Quilombo Films announces the screening of “Quilombo Country,” a new film about modern-day rural Afrobrazilian communities, at The British Museum’s Stevenson Lecture Theatre.

“Quilombo Country” is narrated by hip hop legend Chuck D, leader of the iconic band Public Enemy. The filmmaker, Leonard Abrams, will take questions directly following the screening.

Brazil, once the world’s largest slave colony, was a brutal and deadly place for millions of Africans. But many thousands escaped or rebelled, creating their own communities in Brazil’s untamed hinterland. Largely unknown to the outside world, today these communities, known as quilombos, struggle to preserve a rich heritage born of resistance to oppression.

“Quilombo Country” (“Quilombo” is an Angolan word meaning “encampment”) ranges from the Northeastern sugar-growing regions to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, raising issues of political identity, land rights, and racial and socioeconomic discrimination. Included are examples of the material culture that allow the quilombolas to survive in relative isolation, including hunting, fishing, construction and agriculture; as well as rare footage of syncretic Umbanda and Paje ceremonies; Tambor de Crioula, Carimbo and Boi Bumba drum and dance celebrations; and Festivals of the Mast.

For more information on “Quilombo Country,” go to
http://www.quilombofilm.com
or call 212-260-7540. Email: info@quilombofilm.com

Website: www.quilombofilm.com

WHAT: London Screening of “Quilombo Country”
WHEN: Friday, April 13th, 6:30 pm [18:30]
WHERE: The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London
Stevenson Lecture Theatre
PLUS: Q&A with director Leonard Abrams. Admission: £3, concessions £2.
Length: 73 minutes
CONTACT: Leonard Abrams at 212-260-7540 [USA]

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