On Thursday, along with 200 lucky others from the University of Bristol and UWE, I had the privilege of seeing the multi-talented Akala speak at the Students’ Union as part of Black History Month at UoB.
The talk was called “The History of Black People in Britain” – and a history lesson it certainly was.
Humbly stepping out from behind the stage curtain, cup of tea in hand, Akala’s electrifying stage presence silenced the room. Energy, enthusiasm and a true desire to educate eminated from him, whilst his casual style and sense of humour had the audience immediately at ease. Having seen Akala speak online and on TV many times did not lessen the effect of his articulate yet relateable approach to public speaking. He was able to commuicate with clarity whilst retaining the poetic flare he exhibits in his spoken word poetry.
The whitewashing of our curriculums is beginning to become more widely acknowledged in academic spheres; campaigns such as “Why is my Curriculum White?” has captured the attention of many students and teachers alike.
We are taught a Eurocentric approach to history from the very beginnings of our education, for example, Christopher Columbus being praised for his so-called “discovery” of America, disregarding the Native Americans who had inhabited the land for centuries. In terms of black British history, the dominant narratives in our schooling are that of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the “Windrush Generation” of Caribbean migrants who arrived in Britain in the 1940s and ’50s and the Civil Rights Movement in the USA. Something that Akala made clear from the outset, was that these stories are not the be-all-and-end-all of black British identity and history. The next hour consisted of a fascinating and eye-opening lecture in which Akala took us through 2 thousand of years of black history and the presence of black people in the British Isles.
Akala also named multiple black people of historical importance, many of whom I had never heard of such as the “Ivory Bangle Lady” and uncovered tragedies that the government failed to react to, like the New Cross House Fire. By drawing on historical artefacts and criticism aswell as literature (like Shakeapeare’s Sonnet 127), he brought to light the way that our perception of black history is distorted by the version handed to us by colonial Britain.
Furiously taking notes on my phone, I recorded books, people and events I wanted to look up later; I felt like an hour was a miniscule amount of time for everything I wanted to discover.
The talk was followed by an audience Q&A, with questions regarding the mental health of black people, the social constructions of black masculinity and Morgan Freeman’s dismissal of Black History Month to name just three.
Overall, Akala provided an entertaining yet eye-opening afternoon which will definitely have inspired attendees to research and learn more about black history and the whitewashing of our curriculums in general.
(Photo Credit: Bristol SU)