Welcome

INTERVIEW

Tony Warner

Founder of

Black History Walks 

1. Please tell us what inspired you to set up Black History Walks?

I had done several of the ‘official’ London walking tours and spent 3 hours wandering about central London and heard a solitary mention of black people and that was Martin Luther King!  I thought that was out of order, researched a walk from an African perspective, did it once for an institution which then refused to endorse/promote it outside of black history month in October. I thought that was even more ridiculous and set up  www.blackhistorywalks.co.uk   to run all year long.

2. What is the main objective and service provided by Black History Walks?

We run guided walks, talks and films on the African history of London all year long. There are walks in Notting Hill, St Pauls, Elephant and Castle and Trafalgar Square. The interactive talks cover subjects as varied as Black Women and Breast Cancer/Fibroids, African Superheroes, Black Heroes of World War 2, Palestine/Africa: What’s the Connection ? Medical Apartheid, Mau Mau: A Kenyan view, and 400 Years of Black British Civil Rights. Films happen twice a month and include classics from the 1950’s like Black Orpheus, to 2011 The Story of Lovers Rock, Death of the Black Panthers, The James Baldwin Story, Goodbye Uncle Tom as well as African Martial Arts movies.   

3. Are there any unique challenges that are attached to providing an Afrocentric service?

Yes. Plenty. One of the biggest is the established mindset. So firstly people will hear of the events and think ‘Its not black history month why are they putting on this film/talk/walk now?   as if it’s only in October that people can discuss or reflect on their cultural heritage. Secondly, at least as far as the walks are concerned, comments in response to hearing of them are

‘That’s too heavy for a Saturday afternoon’

‘Why would I want to walk about hearing about slavery ?’

‘What black history could there be in St Pauls ? ’

‘I already know the black history in Notting Hill, black people came here in 1948, end of story’

So we have to deal with the loaded and often negative perceptions of black history that people have which may affect their choice. The fact is there’s 3,500 years worth of African architecture on display in plain sight, an African Roman emperor lived and died here., in 1820 a hardcore Jamaican revolutionary planned to kill the entire government and take over the country and Africa was so important to the British economy they even named a unit of currency after an African country! Imagine that the British £  was’nt called a pound but was called a ‘Nigeria’ that’s how much African history is out there.

As far as the films are concerned it is difficult to get hold of films which portray black people in a positive or accurate light although there are actually lots of such films  out there. I can say for a fact that some of them are blocked or you are charged 5 times the screening fee for a movie with a black superhero movie than you’d pay for Get Rich or Die Trying, White Chicks or Big Mommas House for example .  

Once you’ve got them, you then have to compete with Hollywood productions that have multimillion pound advertising campaigns. This means that even though most of the Hollywood films have negative portrayals of black people, that very demographic are more likely to pay for and watch those movies like Attack the Block, Rio or Twilight for example than Outside the Law, A Screaming Man. I Will Follow or Fire in Babylon. Most people have never even heard of those four movies.  

4. What would you say are the main obstacles you have experienced promoting your website/service? And what have you learnt from these?

See above: I’ve learnt that word of mouth is the best publicity and that people may say they want one thing but their behaviour indicates what they really want. If you really want to change the world start with your own behaviour. Adults should make extra effort to understand and be able to explain what institutional racism is and how it works and then some of the solutions to present problems would become self-evident.

5. What can we look forward to in the future from Black History Walks?

 National screenings of the Story of Lovers Rock, more events on Black Women and Breast Cancer/Fibroids/, Interviews with 86 year old  black world war 2 veterans, The Walter Rodney Story, African Martial Arts movies, African themed cartoons, 18^th century Nigerian musical period drama, Tributes to Black British Civil Rights Heroes, and a new secondary school in Lambeth.

On to the fun side!

6. Which websites do you regularly check and why?

Facebook for up to date trends and links to media news items

http://www.irr.org.uk  Institute of Race Relations for recent analysis on government policy

www.aljazeera.com Al Jazeera for alternative news stories

www.facebook.com/pages/Shadow-And-Act/158448735624 Shadow andAct for new black movies and TV shows

www.rt.com Russia Today for what the BBC does’nt tell you

www.youtube.com/blackhistorywalks for rare videos on black British history

7. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Reading newspapers, magazines, books, watching movies and documentaries, travelling.

8. What is your signature food dish?

Porridge with Ribena. Abi-toast.

9. Name 3 things you would like to take with you on a desert island?

Robin Walkers When We Ruled, Marimba Ani’s Yurugu and Angela Basset box set

10. What has life taught you?

People will say one thing but do another but if you point that out they will get vexed and have a go at you.

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Miss African Spirit Beauty Pageant 2011 Finalists Announced

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 Miss African Spirit pageant is a non-swimsuit pageant that is an annual event in Milton Keynes with aims to celebrate African culture, beauty and diversity. To find out more about the organisation, to get involved as a partner or sponsor, or to enter as a contestant, please visit the website at www.missafricanspirit.co.uk. 

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