Featuring everything from outrageous comedy nights to captivating lectures on modern legal discrimination and much more, Manchester’s Black History Month calendar is packed with celebration, reflection and recognition of the black community in the city and beyond.
Here are some of the best events this October:
Described as ‘brilliantly acted’ by BBC NorthWest Tonight and ‘the perfect play for Black History Month’ by NorthWest End Review, Forgotten Voices tells the remarkable story of Eva Moorhead Kadalie, as played by Shareesa Valentine, who paved the way for Nelson Mandela and the eventual liberation of South Africa.
Head to the official Black History Month website for more information.
Returning for another celebratory night of live music, Reece Williams hosts HOME Sound Sessions 2022, featuring three talented black female artists – critically acclaimed singer and multi-instrumentalist Lakshmi, young Mancunian rapper Meduulla and The Voice UK sensation Monique – performing new and original covers spanning rap, R&B, classic Motown and pop.
25 years on from the original Black Angel, the birth of Manchester’s black and Asian LGBT+ club scene, the pioneering club night returns to Contact with DJ sets from founder Claud Cunningham, Mix-Stress and Stacey Bee in celebration of a pivotal safe space in a ‘truly diverse night for women, friends and allies.’
Organised by Creative Manchester Research Platform and chaired by University of Manchester Professor of Public History, David Olusoga OBE, this event comprises a fascinating conversation on the racially charged legal device of ‘guilt by association’, following the prosecution of several black Mancunian teenagers with reference to their interest in drill music to confect gang affiliations. Free to attend at the Whitworth Art Gallery, the speakers include Manchester University Chancellor Nazir Afzal OBE, Professor of Cultural Studies Eithne Quinn, Kids of Colour founder Roxy Legane and JENGbA founder Jan Cunliffe.
Forming part of HOME’s packed Black History Month schedule, this one-off comedy night stars hilarious comics Tez Ilyas and Dane Baptiste as they, alongside creator Trevor Dwyer-Lynch, deliver an ‘an authentic, musical and interactive stand-up experience that will make you laugh your head off’ and, indeed, ”til ya fart!’
Comprising two workshops – both hosted by revered Black History educator and researcher Linford Sweeney – and a customary party, the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre hosts We Are Carnival! throughout Black History Month. Visitors are invited to learn about the complex colonial origins of Caribbean Carnival, and its routes through adversity and emancipation to reach its modern iteration.
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Wed 28 Sep 2022
With a body of work which oscillates between observation and storytelling, local artist Danielle Rhoda celebrates Mancunian diversity with an outdoor exhibition running throughout Black History Month. Taking to Tony Wilson Place, her aim is to capture real people in illustrated vignettes of the many lives passing outside the main building, with a focus on the black community.