ISSUE 1 OCTOBER 2020
THE BLACK MANIFESTO! HOW DO WE LIVE AND BREATHE IN REVOLUTIONARY TIMES? nora chipaumire
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: BLAK HISTORY MONTH SOLIDARITY WITH ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDERS Sam Cook
#BETHEPEACEWALK
SEEDING GOODNESS IN THE WAKE OF GENOCIDE Hyppolite Ntigurirwa
THE HOLE IN THE WALL: CURATING BASQUIAT'S DEFACEMENT Chaédria LaBouvier
LAUNCHPAD
ARTISTS FORGING NEW CREATIVE LANDSCAPES Ade Coker Tolu Coker Stephen Anthony Davids Shangomola Edunjobi Ana Paz
BlackInk Issue One, October 2020 Published by Serendipity Serendipity 21 Bowling Green Street Leicester LE1 6AS
CL00.14 Clephan Building De Montfort University The Gateway Leicester LE1 9BH
+44(0)116 482 1394 info@serendipity-uk.com www.blackink-uk.com www.serendipity-uk.com Copyright © Serendipity Artists Movement Ltd 2020 Company registration number in England and Wales 07248813 Charity registration number in England and Wales 1160035 Editor-in-Chief — Pawlet Brookes Contributors — Mistura Allison, Pawlet Brookes, Maya Brookes, nora chipaumire, Ade Coker, Tolu Coker, Sam Cook, Antonio C Cuyler, Stephen Anthony Davids, Shangomola Edunjobi, Tyrone Huggins, Samwel Japhet, Stella Kanu, Sarah Kelly-Olatunji, Fred Kuwornu, Chaédria LaBouvier, Hyppolite Ntiguirirwa, Ana Paz, Kenetta Hammond Perry, Paulette Randall, Cathy Tyson, Aysha Upchurch, Patricia Vester, Kathy Williams, Boston Williams Cover Wrap Image — Patricia Vester Researchers — Mistura Allison / Amy Grain Design — The Unloved Credits — Alamy Live News, Alamy Stock Photo, Alan Burrows, Ana Paz, Archivart, Bob Daemmrich, Cathy Tyson, Channel 4, Christian Barnett, Claudio Furlan, Edwin Remsberg, Ellie Kurttz, Fred Kuwornu, Getty Images, Gramercy Pictures, Hyppolite Ntigurirwa, Islington Local History Centre, Jimmy Mathias, Joe Bird, Jonathan Mortimer, Julian Finney, LaPresse, Leon Rehman, Mukesh Mistry, Patricia Vester, Sam Cook, Serendipity, Shangomola Edunjobi, Stephen Anthony Davids, Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, Stuart Hollis, Tate Modern, Terry Cryer, The Box, Tristram Kenton, 세종국제무용제, Helen Murray Special Thanks — Leicester Gallery, National Education Union, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Paul Brookes, Writing East Midlands ISSN: 2634-4270 All rights reserved. Whilst every effort has been made to provide accurate information, Serendipity cannot accept responsibility for any inaccuracies contained within this publication. The views expressed in BlackInk are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors or publishers. No part of this publication may be reproduced except for purposes of research without permission from the contributors and publishers.
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Contents 6
Editor’s Welcome — Pawlet Brookes
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Insight: Black British Theatre
A Concise History of Black British Theatre’s Interaction with Arts Council England: A Personal Perspective — Tyrone Huggins Is There a Future for Black Theatre? — Stella Kanu A World Beyond Liverpool 8 — Cathy Tyson Road to Success — Paulette Randall
26 Afrofuturism
Black Manifesto! — nora chipaumire 25 Years of Hate — Maya Brookes The Hole in the Wall: Curating Basquiat’s Defacement — Chaédria LaBouvier Achieving Creative Justice Across the African Diaspora — Antonio C Cuyler Skin and Colour — Patricia Vester
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Beware the Tokoloshe — Shangomola Edunjobi Sombre — Ana Paz No More Tears — Stephen Anthony Davids (SAD) Irírí — Ade Coker Through Their Eyes — Tolu Coker
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Arts and Culture
Whoa! There’s Something About The Groove: Reflections from The Dancing Diplomat on Hip-Hop Dance’s “Special” Powers — Aysha Upchurch Things Fall Apart - On Public Monuments — Mistura Allison The Origins of Australia’s Blak History Month — Sam Cook
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Activism and Identity
Black Lives Matter — Boston ‘The Orator’ Williams Finding a Home in Dance — Samwel Japhet #BeThePeaceWalk — Hyppolite Ntiguirirwa Who is Black Italian? And Above All Who is an Italian? — Fred Kuwornu Research, Engagement and Impact - The Stephen Lawrence Research Centre One Year On — Kennetta Hammond Perry
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New Writing
Yemi Can’t Swim: Something in the Water — Sarah Kelly-Olatunji
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2020 In Numbers
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Serendipity Publications
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Calendar Highlights
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Coming Soon 2021
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The Interview — Kathy Williams
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EDITOR’ WELCOM 6
Editor’s Welcome — Pawlet Brookes
’S ME
Welcome to the first edition of BlackInk, a new incisive magazine focusing on Black arts, heritage and cultural politics. The context of this magazine is rooted in the events of 2020; a year that has been shaped by the tremendous impact of Black Lives Matter, the unforeseen changes COVID-19 has made to our everyday lives, the ongoing Windrush scandal and the loom of Brexit. BlackInk seeks to be a tangible document to the here and now. In the curation of BlackInk, we wanted to create not just a magazine but a window into seeing different art forms and perspectives in the absence of the opportunity to share physical space during Black History Month 2020. Through both the physical magazine and the digital content, we have brought together a range of interconnected international voices from across the African and African Caribbean Diaspora and indigenous communities; exploring Black British Theatre (the theme for Black History Month Leicester 2020 in recognition of a legacy of over sixty years), arts and culture, Afrofuturism, activism and identity.
The introduction of Launchpad is a new incarnation for BHM Live (Serendipity’s platform for emerging Black artists) featuring the work of five artists and BlackInk’s new writing competition, with short stories from three writers. The importance of naming for ourselves is considered throughout, as language continues to shift and evolve, we have provided space for each contributor to use the terminology that they see best, whilst also recognising that language and terminology are evolving in real time. I hope that BlackInk has relevance that reaches beyond October and with some permanence beyond the usual ephemeral nature of magazines. Most of all, I hope that you will enjoy reading this collection of art, history (both past and in the making) and discourse, and that these pages will spark further conversations, learning and unlearning. Pawlet Brookes
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