| Black History Walks,Talks,Films |
Black History is longer than a month.. April 2010 |
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Haiti's Women: Educational Film Day/Fundraiser
Sat 27 March 2.15-5.45pm
Beethoven Centre, Third Avenue,
Queens Park, London, W10
Entry: £5.00 donation to Haiti.
Bring pen, pad and be on time
An audio-visual expansion on the ' Why is Haiti so Poor ?'series. This special session is sponsored by A2 Dominion, Somali Family Support Group, and Colourful Kids. We feature the film Poto Mitan where Haitian women tell their stories and share their achievements PLUS our unique, interactive, presentation covering unknown facts like:
- Haiti and Somalia: The hidden connection
- How Disney made Haitian women poor
- Female Haitian Heroes
- Shadism in the Dominican Republic and discrimination against Haitians
- The Lambi project: 13 years of Haitian 'Do for Self, Garveyism'
- 200,000 dead in Haiti, 4 million dead in the Congo, Which do we know more about and why ?
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We fought and died for you. Now what ?
Sun 28 March 1.30-5pm
Conference Room, 1st Floor Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Rd. Tube: Lambeth North.
Free entry. First come, first served. Be on time
Special Guest: Jamaican WW2 veteran Laurie Philpott.
www.iwm.org.uk www.blackhistorywalks.co.uk
1946, after black people had fought and died all over the world for Britain those still in England were told to go back where they had come from. We tell the untold stories of the post-war generation with films and testimony from war veterans who were also veterans of the Civil Rights movement in Britain. As a black person you were:
* refused bank loans and jobs, excluded from schools * restricted to live in bombed out areas * blocked from buying homes or going to church * refused service in pubs, hotels, restaurants * forced to pay a higher mortgage than whites * spat at on public transport, attacked and abused War veterans such as Cy Grant and Laurie Philpot used their organising skills to fight such discrimination. We will focus on how such obstacles were overcome and if the lessons have been learned/remembered by the present generation.
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| Cy Grant's other superb website is www.caribbeanaircrew-ww2.com |
 Images of Black Women Film Festival 9-11 April 2010
The best films by and about black women for 3 days only. IBW was set up 6 years ago to challenge the negative portrayal of black women as recently seen in Blindside, Precious and any number of music vdeos. Founders Sylviane Rano and Betty Sulty Johnson scour the world for excellent films which, for some reason, are never released here far less publicised. Special treats this year include the amazing Izulu Lami and the incredible Say my Name, a documentary on women in hip-hop featuring Estelle, Monie Love, Erykah Badu, Roxelle Shante, Mc Lyte and more. The venue is the luxurious 250 seat Tricycle cinema in Kilburn. Early booking is advised.
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Whats the connection to Jamaica ?
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African History in the City of London. Black History Walks 2,4,8,9 April 11.00am
Walks in St Pauls,Notting Hill & Elephant & Castle area. Educational, fun, healthy, outdoors events for all the family, The walks are suitable for Saturday Schools, tourists, birthday celebrators, and students Click more info
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Nubian Spirit (Film) + African Superhero Cartoons
Q & A with Director Louis Buckley and BHW Sunday 11th April 3.00pm-6.00pm
Flash Musical Youth Theatre, Methuan Road Edgware, Middlesex HA8 6EZ Adm: Free if booked in advance. Arrive 15 min early for refreshments. 07838102024 info@colourfulkids.co.uk www.colourfulkids.co.uk
A beautifully shot documentary which unravels the fascinating legacy of Ancient Sudan/Kush. It shines light on to the Ancient African culture, history and spiritual mythology of the Nile Valley. The film digs deep into Africa's numerous contributions to modern civilization. Featuring leading scholars, Robin Walker, K.N Chimbiri, and Anthony Browder this is a must-see for the whole family. Buy Nubian Spirit at www.blackninefilms.com
There are limited free creche spaces for 4 - 8 Year olds which need to be prebooked and will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. A wide range of books (adult and kids) will also be on sale that day
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| Activity book, Step Back in time to Ancient Kush at www.golden-destiny.com |
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Black Heroes of World War 2 Easter Break Kids Special Thursday 15 April 11-2pm
Venue:on request
(SE1 area 10 mins from tube.
Cost £2.00)
This event has been specially designed for those looking for something culturally positive to do with their children in the holidays. It is aimed at, conscientious adults who take education seriously, and curious children wishing to do well in school. World War 2 is on the curriculum at both primary and secondary level but there is hardly a mention of any African/Caribbean involvement. Africa, the Caribbean and its people were crucial to winning the war. This interactive presentation shows Trinidadian Spitfire and Barbadian bomber pilots, Nigerian troops fighting in Burma. Somali ships and sailors, black and asian women secret agents, German submarines in the Caribbean and the importance of Africa and India's raw materials. All the information you never got at school plus resources to find out more Register/more info from info@blackhistorywalks.co.uk
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Come Back Africa + The End of the Dialogue
Sat 24 April 2-5
BFI Southbank,
02079283232
Tube: Waterloo
Tickets £5.00.
Book Early
Filmed secretly in South Africa by members of the Pan Africanist Congress and edited in London, End of the Dialogue was the first anti-apartheid documentary produced by a dissident political faction. Accentuating the brutal realities of apartheid, the effect of this uncompromising exposé is made all the more biting by the use of quotes from government publications. The Pan Africanist Congress organised the-anti pass law demonstration at Sharpeville in March 1955. Plus documentary about the unique heritage of the townships in the 1950s with Vinah Bendile,Miriam Makeba,Z Mbagi www.blackhistorywalks.co.uk
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Ghosts of Rwanda
Sunday 25 April 1.30-5pm
Conference Room, 1st Floor Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Rd. Tube: Lambeth North.
www.blackhistorywalks.co.uk
Multi award-winning PBS documentary of the international response to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. This film is a must to get a comprehensive understanding of the genocide and the links between Somalia, Sudan and racism at the United Nations. The film also highlights African heroes such as the Senegalese peacekeeper Captain Mbaye Diagne who saved countless lives by repeatedly driving into enemy lines to rescue people.
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Blindside the Movie: A male 'Precious' ?
 Precious is still in cinemas but a new film with an abused black character is available. Starring Sandra Bullock, Blindside is based on the true story of Michael Oher who is now a major US football star. The film made $252 million and Ms Bullock received an academy award for her portrayal of Michael's adopted mother, but how are African-Americans portrayed in this 'feel good' and 'uplifting' film ?
Black men dont make much of an appearance. The family friend who gets Michael into school comes across as caring but henpecked by his wife who makes Michael homeless. Michael is a huge, shambling and inarticulate. His major advantage is his physical prowess and protective instincts towards his adoptive family. All the other black men and indeed the black people, bar one, 
live in a drug-infested ghetto, are unemployed, drink and gamble all day, are prone to violence and obsess about sex with white teenage girls. Black women however, really come off badly. In this two hour film they relentlessly appear as; drug addicts, useless mothers, selfish wives, poor and aggressive. Conversely white women are shown to be wealthy, caring, and with the exception of Bullocks character, oblivious to the existence of the black side of town.
In the final scenes while on a college campus where pretty white girls smile at Michael, Ms Bullocks character states "If you get any of these girls pregnant, I'll cut your penis off ! "
This tends to get a huge laugh in the cinema. However for a white woman from the Deep South to speak these words is tantamount to a German foster mother of a Jewish boy saying "If you get any of these girls pregnant I'll throw  you in a gas chamber !". Castration was a regular feature of back male lynchings in the US Southern states up to the 1960's.
Meanwhile American Violet based on the true story of a black woman who was unfairly imprisoned then offered release only if she pleaded guilty to drugs she did not possess; a working class woman who challenged the US legal system, gets no academy award, no massive audiences and no British release. Kush Films premiered this movie in December.
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| Kush Films One Stop Shop for specialist DVD's and Books
Kush was created in 1998 to provide a promotional platform for black filmmakers.They also supply black and urban films/books and have an extensive catalog of martial arts, music, history, wealth creation and personal development titles at http://kushfilms.com/blog/ . They will soon be screening films at the Black Grape Bar and Film Club. |
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| Black Panthers and African Superheroes season coming soon..
Founded in 1966 by Huey P Newton and Bobby Seale, the Black Panthers took their inspiration from Malcolm X and Garvey and were no longer prepared to 'turn the other cheek' in response to racist violence. Described by white media as trigger-happy gangsters, the Panthers trained male members in nappy-changing, supplied free breakfasts to poor children, ran sickle cell testing units, recycled clothing to homeless people, crewed volunteer ambulances and bussed people to see imprisoned relatives. On Tuesday 11 May 7.30pm at the Black Grape cinema we begin to tell their stories starting with In Prison My Whole Life (film clip) This event is held in association with Kush
 
In the 1960's Huey P Newton complained about the lack of positive black male images in the mainstream media. A Black Superhero was an oxymoron. In the 1990's many people were unaware of the struggles Wesley Snipes had to go through to get Blade the Movie made . Fewer still know that Blade began as a Marvel comic and was one of the first heroic black characters, but there are more...
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Why is Haiti Poor ? Pt4/5
The series will return in April after the audio-visual update on the 27th March as mentioned above. In the meantime you can review the previous articles here or watch the US ABC news report on How to Buy a Child in 10 hours
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