Global Justice Events in London: May
* The Office for National Statistics has suggested that about 154,000 Nigerian-born people live in Britain; thousands of other British Nigerians were born here. Since British Nigerians are one of the country’s highest-educated groups, perhaps it is not so surprising that this month sees three plays in London deal with what happens when descendants of migrants visit the country of origin of their parents or grandparents.
Bola Agbaje's play, Belong, at the Royal Court theatre, asks the question of a British-Nigerian couple, and the answer is funny and devastatingly traumatic.
Agbaje was educated in Peckham, south London: “No, I don’t like calling myself British … I’d say I’m a Londoner before anything else, and then I’d say I’m Nigerian, and then I might say I’m British depending on what day it is and where it is.”
Pandora’s Box, at the Arcola Theatre, is by Ade Solanke, who grew up in Ladbroke Grove, west London.
“The story is about British born Africans taking their children back to Africa,” she said in an interview with Afridiziak Theatre News. “I didn’t do it with my son, but one of my close friends took her son to Nigeria. He was going off the rails, but after two years in Nigeria, he came back to England transformed. What do they get in Africa and the Caribbean that they don’t get here?"
Next week comes Egusi Soup, by Janice Okoh, at the Soho Theatre. It’s about a British-Nigerian family heading for Lagos to attend a memorial service who “soon realise they will need to get rid of some excess baggage first!”
* Two Channel4 documentaries presented evidence that war crimes took place at the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009. Now ice&fire, “exploring human rights stories through performance”, has picked up the issue and is preparing a play about the grim events.
British journalist Frances Harrison has spent a year tracking down and interviewing survivors for a book, to be published soon. Many of the survivors watched their family members die, but could do nothing but run. Harrison’s interviews will form the basis of a “very ambitious” production and ice&fire aim to have the first draft of the script completed by autumn 2012.
“In essence, we are seeking to create a large-scale production which will move, challenge and shock audiences and shed some much needed light on an appalling chapter in our recent history that has largely been ignored by most of the world,” they say.
ice&fire are still collecting testimonies and information, and ask anyone who might be able to help to contact them at actors@iceandfire.co.uk
* Interesting documentary screenings include The Island President, which follows the former president of the Maldives for a year as he tries to drum up international support for action against climate change; and Town of Runners, about an Ethiopian town that can't stop producing athletics champions. Friday sees the release of the fascinating Even the Rain, a film about making a film about the Conquistadors in South America in the 15th century, against a background of the Bolivian Water War in the 21st century when a popular uprising stopped the privatisation of Cochabamba’s water supply. Next week sees the extraordinary London International Documentary Festival, the UK’s largest: more than 150 films from 49 countries.
Daniel Nelson
Editor
Bola Agbaje's play, Belong, at the Royal Court theatre, asks the question of a British-Nigerian couple, and the answer is funny and devastatingly traumatic.
Agbaje was educated in Peckham, south London: “No, I don’t like calling myself British … I’d say I’m a Londoner before anything else, and then I’d say I’m Nigerian, and then I might say I’m British depending on what day it is and where it is.”
Pandora’s Box, at the Arcola Theatre, is by Ade Solanke, who grew up in Ladbroke Grove, west London.
“The story is about British born Africans taking their children back to Africa,” she said in an interview with Afridiziak Theatre News. “I didn’t do it with my son, but one of my close friends took her son to Nigeria. He was going off the rails, but after two years in Nigeria, he came back to England transformed. What do they get in Africa and the Caribbean that they don’t get here?"
Next week comes Egusi Soup, by Janice Okoh, at the Soho Theatre. It’s about a British-Nigerian family heading for Lagos to attend a memorial service who “soon realise they will need to get rid of some excess baggage first!”
* Two Channel4 documentaries presented evidence that war crimes took place at the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009. Now ice&fire, “exploring human rights stories through performance”, has picked up the issue and is preparing a play about the grim events.
British journalist Frances Harrison has spent a year tracking down and interviewing survivors for a book, to be published soon. Many of the survivors watched their family members die, but could do nothing but run. Harrison’s interviews will form the basis of a “very ambitious” production and ice&fire aim to have the first draft of the script completed by autumn 2012.
“In essence, we are seeking to create a large-scale production which will move, challenge and shock audiences and shed some much needed light on an appalling chapter in our recent history that has largely been ignored by most of the world,” they say.
ice&fire are still collecting testimonies and information, and ask anyone who might be able to help to contact them at actors@iceandfire.co.uk
* Interesting documentary screenings include The Island President, which follows the former president of the Maldives for a year as he tries to drum up international support for action against climate change; and Town of Runners, about an Ethiopian town that can't stop producing athletics champions. Friday sees the release of the fascinating Even the Rain, a film about making a film about the Conquistadors in South America in the 15th century, against a background of the Bolivian Water War in the 21st century when a popular uprising stopped the privatisation of Cochabamba’s water supply. Next week sees the extraordinary London International Documentary Festival, the UK’s largest: more than 150 films from 49 countries.
Daniel Nelson
Editor
Image: Town Of Runners
23.04.2012
Drowning World features work by photographer and filmmaker Gideon Mendel, who chose to focus on the extreme circumstances of flooding as his way of responding metaphorically to the threat of climate change.
more...Related topics/regions: [United Kingdom] [Information & media] [Climate change]
Image: Drowning World
Thursday 17 May
* "The Muck of the Past": revolution, social transformation and the Maoists in India, Alpa Shah,
6pm, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2
Friday 18 May
* Surviving Progress explores whether the world can survive the "progress trap", followed by Q&A with director Mathieu Roy, 7pm, £10/£8, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2. Info: 7479 8950/
* All you ever wanted to know about the UN Social Protection Floor initiative, Michael Cichon, Rachel Slater, Nicholas Freeland, Angela Penrose, 12:30, Overseas Development Institute, 111 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1. Info: 7922 0300/ p.events@odi.org.uk/ ODI
* GALHA: Fighting Homo/Transphobia In and Through Education, Tony Fenwick, Elly Barnes, Janet Palmer, 7.30pm, Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, WC1. Info: 7405 1818
* The Politics of Olympic Architecture, Anna Minton, Douglas Murphy and Tim Abrahams, 7pm, Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, EC1. Info: 7324 2570
Saturday 19 May
* Information day for Education Professionals, learn about volunteering as an education professional with Voluntary Service Overseas, 2pm, VSO, Carlton House, 85 Upper Richmond Road, SW15. Info: VSO
* John Carlos with Dave Zirin,
£2 redeemable against any book purchase on the night, Bookmarks Bookshop, 1 Bloomsbury Street, WC1. Info: Bookmarks/ events@bookmarks.uk.com/ 7637 1848
Monday 21 May
* VII: Questions Without Answers, Lynsey Addario, Gary Knight, Christopher Morris, Stephanie Sinclair discuss the issues raised in VII Photo agency's new book that tackles the issues that have shaped the world in our lifetime, 7pm, £12.50/£10, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2. Info: 7479 8950/ Frontline
Tuesday 22 May
* Westminster debate: Rio+20 and the future of sustainable development, panel of UK politicians answer your questions, chaired by Jon Snow, 9.30am, 7 Millbank, SW1. Info: appg@iied.org
* Voices of the South Atlantic, Argentinian photographer Adriana Groisman examines the issues of the Falklands war and its consequences, 7pm, £12.50/£10, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2. Info: 7479 8950/ Frontline
* The Second Torture: The Immigration Detention of Torture Survivors, report launch and discussion on What can be done to make UKBA implement its own policy, with Lord Avebury and Jonathan Fluxman, 6.30pm, House of Commons, Westminster. Info: emma.ginn@medicaljustice.org.uk
* Dominican Republic Election Analysis, Lord Foulkes, David Jessop, Andy Ashcroft, 6.30pm, free,
Canning House, 2 Belgrave Square, SW1. Info: 235 2303/ enquiries@canninghouse.org/ Canning House
* Women, Power and Politics, Rani Singh, Mukulika Banerjee, Jane Macartney, 6.45pm, £10/£8/£6, Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, W1. Info: 7307 5454
* Being development ‘donors’ in the new millennium: What does the Indian public think of their national development cooperation strategies and spending?, Emma Mawdsley, 5-6:30pm, School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, WC1. Info: rsvp@royalafricansociety.org
Wednesday 23 May
* Radiation, a year after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, how has human health been affected and what lessons were learnt from previous nuclear accidents? with Gerry Thomas, 1-1.45pm, free, Wellcome Trust, 215 Euston Road, NW1. Info: 7611 8612
* Launching the second edition of Seeking Refuge? A handbook for asylum-seeking women, Natasha Walter, Kathryn Cronin, Sheona York, 7-8.30pm,Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, EC2. Info: events@row.org.uk
* The Geo-Politics of Oil, Rafael Kandiyoti, 6.45, £10/£8/£6, Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, W1. Info: 7307 5454
* Public Service on the Brink, Dan Carrier, Jo Edwards, Liz Kessler & David Wiggins, 6.30pm, £2 redeemable against any book purchase on the night, Bookmarks Bookshop, 1 Bloomsbury Street, WC1. Info: 7637 1846/ events@bookmarks.uk.com
Exhibitions
* Drowning World, photojournalist Gideon Mendel pictures of flood victims around the world, 10am-6pm, free, Somerset House, Strand, WC2, until 5 June. Info: 7845 4600/ info@somersethouse.org.uk/
+ Climate floodlight
+ Drowning World
*24 images of Palestine, photographs by J. C. Tordai, Barbican Centre, free, Silk Street, EC2, until 15 May 2011. Info: 7638 8891
* The Silenced: Fighting for Press Freedom in Mexico, photo exhibition, The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1, until 13 May, The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1. Info: Silenced
* Traces (Spuren), large-scale multi-layered photographs and a short film of Tan attempt to trace the 1939 escape from Vienna to England of the artist's great uncle, whose parents and most family members died in the Holocaust, Austrian Cultural Forum, 28 Rutland Gate, SW7, until 8 June. Info: 8 June ACF/ 7225 7300
* Remote Control, exhibition of works dealing with the impact of television on culture, free, ICA, The Mall, SW1, until 10 June. Info: 7766 1407/ ICA
* Song Dong: Waste Not, over 10,000 items collected by Song Dong’s mother over five decades, the installation is a tribute to his mother, as well as a meditation on family life during the Cultural Revolution, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC1, until 12 June. Info: 0845 120 7550/ Barbican
+ A space of waste
* World Photo London, contemporary images taken by photographers from across the globe, Somerset House, Strand, WC2, until 20 May. Info: 7845 4600/ info@somersethouse.org.uk
* Voices of the South Atlantic, photographs by Adriana Groisman, Photofusion Gallery, until 25 May.
* No Lone Zone, small survey of contemporary Latin American art: the title is a military phrase meaning a region too dangerous to be patrolled by a soldier on his own, free, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1, until 13 May. Info: 7887 8888
* Voices of the South Atlantic, Adriana Groisman's photographs examine issues of war and its consequences, Photofusion, 17a Electric Lane, SW9, until 25 May
* Migrations, explore British art through the theme of migration from 1500 to the present day, reflecting the remit of Tate Britain Collection displays, £6, Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1, until 12 August. Info: 7887 8888
+ Art for migration's sake
25 June, Personal journeys: Bonnie Greer on Migrations, £15/£10
* No Place Like Home, Judah Passow's photographs examining the diversity of contemporary Jewish life in the UK, £7.50, Jewish Museum, Raymond Burton House, 129-131 Albert Street, NW1, until 5 June. Info: 7284 7384/ Jewish Museum
* Traces (Spuren), large-scale multi-layered photographs and a short film of Tan attempt to trace the 1939 escape from Vienna to England of the artist's great uncle, whose parents and most family members dieed in the Holocaust, Austrian Cultural Forum, 28 Rutland Gate, SW7, until 8 June. Info: 8 June ACF/ 7225 7300
* London, Sugar & Slavery , permanent gallery at the Museum in Docklands, with new display that gives a snapshot of those who received compensation when slavery was abolished in the 1830s, No 1 Warehouse, E14. Info: 0870 444 3852/ 0870 444 3851/ info@museumoflondon.org.uk
* Crimes Against Humanity, special gallery, Imperial War Museum, 12 Lambeth Road, SE1. Info: War Museum
* atmosphere: exploring climate science, gallery, free, Science Museum. Info: Museum
* 10 Climate Stories, photographs, audio, objects, free, Science Museum, Exhibition Road, DW7, until 28 September. Info: 0870 870 4868
* Wild Planet, 80 large-scale photographs from Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibitions, free, East lawn, Natural History Museum, South Kensington, until 30 September. Info: Exhibition
* Atlantic Worlds, transatlantic slave trade gallery, National Maritime Museum, Park Row, SE1. Info: 8858 4422/ 8312 6565
* Eco Zone Gallery, small gallery devoted to sustainable building products and materials, The Building Centre, Store Street, WC1. Info: 7692 4000/ reception@buildingcentre.co.uk/ Centre
* Water Wars, exhibition that investigates how engineers are developing technologies to secure enough water to prevent a global food crisis, free, Science Museum, Exhibition Road, SW7. Info: Museum
from 19 May
* Burtynsky: OIL, the Canadian photographer has travelled the world to chronicle the effect of oil on all our lives, and to reveal the rarely seen mechanics of its production and distribution, Photographers Gallery, until 1 July . Info: 845 262 1618/ info@photonet.org.uk
from 22 May
* Roma-Sinti-Kale-Manush, Alfredo Jaar, Santiago Sierra, Josef Koudelka, Cristiano Berti, Elisabeth Blanchet, Danica Dakic, Nigel Dickinson, Sitki Kosemen, Maria Papadimitriou, Alessandro Quaranta, William Ropp and two newly commissioned pieces by the experimental film duo Yervant Gianikian and Angela Ricci Lucchi, examining the condition of Roma people in Europe and surrounding countries, Autograph ABP, Rivington Place, London EC2, until 28 July. Info: lois@autograph-abp.co.uk/ 7729 9200
+ Roma through the lens
Please check times and availability of all events
* "The Muck of the Past": revolution, social transformation and the Maoists in India, Alpa Shah,
6pm, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2
Friday 18 May
* Surviving Progress explores whether the world can survive the "progress trap", followed by Q&A with director Mathieu Roy, 7pm, £10/£8, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2. Info: 7479 8950/
* All you ever wanted to know about the UN Social Protection Floor initiative, Michael Cichon, Rachel Slater, Nicholas Freeland, Angela Penrose, 12:30, Overseas Development Institute, 111 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1. Info: 7922 0300/ p.events@odi.org.uk/ ODI
* GALHA: Fighting Homo/Transphobia In and Through Education, Tony Fenwick, Elly Barnes, Janet Palmer, 7.30pm, Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, WC1. Info: 7405 1818
* The Politics of Olympic Architecture, Anna Minton, Douglas Murphy and Tim Abrahams, 7pm, Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, EC1. Info: 7324 2570
Saturday 19 May
* Information day for Education Professionals, learn about volunteering as an education professional with Voluntary Service Overseas, 2pm, VSO, Carlton House, 85 Upper Richmond Road, SW15. Info: VSO
* John Carlos with Dave Zirin,
£2 redeemable against any book purchase on the night, Bookmarks Bookshop, 1 Bloomsbury Street, WC1. Info: Bookmarks/ events@bookmarks.uk.com/ 7637 1848
Monday 21 May
* VII: Questions Without Answers, Lynsey Addario, Gary Knight, Christopher Morris, Stephanie Sinclair discuss the issues raised in VII Photo agency's new book that tackles the issues that have shaped the world in our lifetime, 7pm, £12.50/£10, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2. Info: 7479 8950/ Frontline
Tuesday 22 May
* Westminster debate: Rio+20 and the future of sustainable development, panel of UK politicians answer your questions, chaired by Jon Snow, 9.30am, 7 Millbank, SW1. Info: appg@iied.org
* Voices of the South Atlantic, Argentinian photographer Adriana Groisman examines the issues of the Falklands war and its consequences, 7pm, £12.50/£10, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2. Info: 7479 8950/ Frontline
* The Second Torture: The Immigration Detention of Torture Survivors, report launch and discussion on What can be done to make UKBA implement its own policy, with Lord Avebury and Jonathan Fluxman, 6.30pm, House of Commons, Westminster. Info: emma.ginn@medicaljustice.org.uk
* Dominican Republic Election Analysis, Lord Foulkes, David Jessop, Andy Ashcroft, 6.30pm, free,
Canning House, 2 Belgrave Square, SW1. Info: 235 2303/ enquiries@canninghouse.org/ Canning House
* Women, Power and Politics, Rani Singh, Mukulika Banerjee, Jane Macartney, 6.45pm, £10/£8/£6, Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, W1. Info: 7307 5454
* Being development ‘donors’ in the new millennium: What does the Indian public think of their national development cooperation strategies and spending?, Emma Mawdsley, 5-6:30pm, School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, WC1. Info: rsvp@royalafricansociety.org
Wednesday 23 May
* Radiation, a year after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, how has human health been affected and what lessons were learnt from previous nuclear accidents? with Gerry Thomas, 1-1.45pm, free, Wellcome Trust, 215 Euston Road, NW1. Info: 7611 8612
* Launching the second edition of Seeking Refuge? A handbook for asylum-seeking women, Natasha Walter, Kathryn Cronin, Sheona York, 7-8.30pm,Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, EC2. Info: events@row.org.uk
* The Geo-Politics of Oil, Rafael Kandiyoti, 6.45, £10/£8/£6, Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, W1. Info: 7307 5454
* Public Service on the Brink, Dan Carrier, Jo Edwards, Liz Kessler & David Wiggins, 6.30pm, £2 redeemable against any book purchase on the night, Bookmarks Bookshop, 1 Bloomsbury Street, WC1. Info: 7637 1846/ events@bookmarks.uk.com
Exhibitions
* Drowning World, photojournalist Gideon Mendel pictures of flood victims around the world, 10am-6pm, free, Somerset House, Strand, WC2, until 5 June. Info: 7845 4600/ info@somersethouse.org.uk/
+ Climate floodlight
+ Drowning World
*24 images of Palestine, photographs by J. C. Tordai, Barbican Centre, free, Silk Street, EC2, until 15 May 2011. Info: 7638 8891
* The Silenced: Fighting for Press Freedom in Mexico, photo exhibition, The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1, until 13 May, The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1. Info: Silenced
* Traces (Spuren), large-scale multi-layered photographs and a short film of Tan attempt to trace the 1939 escape from Vienna to England of the artist's great uncle, whose parents and most family members died in the Holocaust, Austrian Cultural Forum, 28 Rutland Gate, SW7, until 8 June. Info: 8 June ACF/ 7225 7300
* Remote Control, exhibition of works dealing with the impact of television on culture, free, ICA, The Mall, SW1, until 10 June. Info: 7766 1407/ ICA
* Song Dong: Waste Not, over 10,000 items collected by Song Dong’s mother over five decades, the installation is a tribute to his mother, as well as a meditation on family life during the Cultural Revolution, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC1, until 12 June. Info: 0845 120 7550/ Barbican
+ A space of waste
* World Photo London, contemporary images taken by photographers from across the globe, Somerset House, Strand, WC2, until 20 May. Info: 7845 4600/ info@somersethouse.org.uk
* Voices of the South Atlantic, photographs by Adriana Groisman, Photofusion Gallery, until 25 May.
* No Lone Zone, small survey of contemporary Latin American art: the title is a military phrase meaning a region too dangerous to be patrolled by a soldier on his own, free, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1, until 13 May. Info: 7887 8888
* Voices of the South Atlantic, Adriana Groisman's photographs examine issues of war and its consequences, Photofusion, 17a Electric Lane, SW9, until 25 May
* Migrations, explore British art through the theme of migration from 1500 to the present day, reflecting the remit of Tate Britain Collection displays, £6, Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1, until 12 August. Info: 7887 8888
+ Art for migration's sake
25 June, Personal journeys: Bonnie Greer on Migrations, £15/£10
* No Place Like Home, Judah Passow's photographs examining the diversity of contemporary Jewish life in the UK, £7.50, Jewish Museum, Raymond Burton House, 129-131 Albert Street, NW1, until 5 June. Info: 7284 7384/ Jewish Museum
* Traces (Spuren), large-scale multi-layered photographs and a short film of Tan attempt to trace the 1939 escape from Vienna to England of the artist's great uncle, whose parents and most family members dieed in the Holocaust, Austrian Cultural Forum, 28 Rutland Gate, SW7, until 8 June. Info: 8 June ACF/ 7225 7300
* London, Sugar & Slavery , permanent gallery at the Museum in Docklands, with new display that gives a snapshot of those who received compensation when slavery was abolished in the 1830s, No 1 Warehouse, E14. Info: 0870 444 3852/ 0870 444 3851/ info@museumoflondon.org.uk
* Crimes Against Humanity, special gallery, Imperial War Museum, 12 Lambeth Road, SE1. Info: War Museum
* atmosphere: exploring climate science, gallery, free, Science Museum. Info: Museum
* 10 Climate Stories, photographs, audio, objects, free, Science Museum, Exhibition Road, DW7, until 28 September. Info: 0870 870 4868
* Wild Planet, 80 large-scale photographs from Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibitions, free, East lawn, Natural History Museum, South Kensington, until 30 September. Info: Exhibition
* Atlantic Worlds, transatlantic slave trade gallery, National Maritime Museum, Park Row, SE1. Info: 8858 4422/ 8312 6565
* Eco Zone Gallery, small gallery devoted to sustainable building products and materials, The Building Centre, Store Street, WC1. Info: 7692 4000/ reception@buildingcentre.co.uk/ Centre
* Water Wars, exhibition that investigates how engineers are developing technologies to secure enough water to prevent a global food crisis, free, Science Museum, Exhibition Road, SW7. Info: Museum
from 19 May
* Burtynsky: OIL, the Canadian photographer has travelled the world to chronicle the effect of oil on all our lives, and to reveal the rarely seen mechanics of its production and distribution, Photographers Gallery, until 1 July . Info: 845 262 1618/ info@photonet.org.uk
from 22 May
* Roma-Sinti-Kale-Manush, Alfredo Jaar, Santiago Sierra, Josef Koudelka, Cristiano Berti, Elisabeth Blanchet, Danica Dakic, Nigel Dickinson, Sitki Kosemen, Maria Papadimitriou, Alessandro Quaranta, William Ropp and two newly commissioned pieces by the experimental film duo Yervant Gianikian and Angela Ricci Lucchi, examining the condition of Roma people in Europe and surrounding countries, Autograph ABP, Rivington Place, London EC2, until 28 July. Info: lois@autograph-abp.co.uk/ 7729 9200
+ Roma through the lens
Please check times and availability of all events
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