Basingstoke

Sat 27 Oct
NHCAN Event
Performances include, Amanda Gordon from the BBC as well as Alistair Danson from the Spoken Word Company. There will also be philharmonic pieces performed by the WARABA, an African Percussion Ensemble. Prizes will be presented to the winners of a poster and poem competition who base their ideas on an African theme. So children from both junior and senior schools why not put your artistic flair together and bring along either your poster or poem on the day.
Oakridge Hall, 6.30pm-11pm, free, tel: 07840 763 833, www.hants.gov.uk.

Mon 29 Oct
London Shakespeare Workout present: Lifting the Mask
A new 21-song musical encircled by sounds ranging from Joplin to gospel at the dawn of the jazz age, Lifting the Mask delves deep into Paul Laurence Dunbar’s mind as he tackles love, identity and loneliness in England's promised ‘new world’ of 1897; a world where slavery has been legally abolished for 63 years:  But at what price?
‘Why should the world be over-wise in counting all our tears and sighs? Nay let them only see us, while we wear the mask.’ 
Historically hailed 'the poet laureate of the Negro race' and a son of two slaves himself, Dunbar finds that true slavery - like freedom - is ultimately a timeless mindset.
Central Studio, Basingstoke, 7.45pm, £9, £7.50 concessions, £6 children & students, tel: 01256 418318, www.londonshakespeare.org.uk, www.centralstudio.co.uk.

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Brighton

Wed 5 Sep
Forests of Gold: Kingdom of the Asante
A new display, to mark the 50th anniversary of Ghanaian Independence, celebrates the vibrant culture of the Asante people of West Africa. Forest of Gold continues until 3 August 2008.
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, day-time, free, tel: 01273 290 900, www.royalpavilion.org.uk.

Thu 27 Sep
The Horrible Gift of Freedom: 2007 in filmic perspective
The 2007 bicentenary of the abolition of the British Slave Trade Act generated a vast number of events and art works. Professor Marcus Wood attempted to document as many of these commemorative acts as possible and the film ‘The Horrible Gift of Freedom’ is a documentary assessment of what the bicentenary did and did not achieve.
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, day-time, free, tel: 01273 290 900, www.royalpavilion.org.uk.

Sat 27 Oct
By the Sword United
Born in 1745 to an African slave and an aristocratic French plantation owner, Joseph de Bologne was forced into exile after his father fatally wounded a man in a fencing duel. However it was fencing that was to become his saviour. By the age of 17 few men could match him with a sword and even fewer would dare to question his right to the title of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Learn the story of the Chevalier, also known as ‘the Black Mozart’, and the skills of swordsmanship that propelled him through the social scale, in this lecture and fencing demonstration by the Sussex Rapier School.
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, 11am-12.30pm, free, tel: 01273 290 900, www.royalpavilion.org.uk.

Sat 24 Nov
Transatlantic Slavery: Between History and Memory
How did the British become involved in the slave trade the first place? Dr Anita Rupprecht explores the significance and legacy of this crucial episode in the national story as it falls between history and memory. Dr Anita Rupprecht University of Brighton
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, 11am-12.30pm, free, 01273 290 900, www.royalpavilion.org.uk.

Thu 13 Dec
Black Britannia in Art & Design
Explore images and figures of Black Britons, tracing their presence in paint and pottery from the Elizabethan age to the Victorian era. Stella Beddoe Senior Keeper & Keeper of Decorative Art, Brighton Museum.
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, 1pm-2pm, £4.50, 01273 290 900, www.royalpavilion.org.uk.

Sat 15 Dec
Museum Trail Brighton Museum
Harriet Hughes, Curator of World Art at Brighton Museum, offers a personal introduction to People, Places and Profits, the museum trail to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the British Slave Trade Act.
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, 2.30pm-3.30pm, free, tel: 01273 290 900, www.royalpavilion.org.uk.

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Bristol

Present Until November Breaking the Chains
A landmark exhibition commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. Six themed galleries occupy an entire floor of the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum using authentic artefacts, film, music, photography, video and personal testimonies to create a powerful and memorable experience. Breaking the Chains examines the legacies of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and highlights the continued existence of many forms of slavery in the 21st century.
Empire Theatre, day-time, museum admission, tel: 0117 925 4980, www.empiremuseum.co.uk.

Fri 14 Sep
La Bouche Du Roi Event: Romauld Hazoume in Conversation
Join us for an exclusive preview of the exhibition La Bouche du Roi. Our licensed museum café will be open late. Meet the artist as he discusses La Bouche du Roi with art critic and curator Eddie Chambers. La Bouche du Roi is a powerful sculptural installation linked to Abolition 200.
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, 4pm-5.15pm, free, tel: 0117 922 4224, [email protected]k,
www.bristol.gov.uk.

Thu 4 Oct
Satan’s kingdom: Bristol and the transatlantic slave trade
Author, Pip Jones, discusses Bristol’s role in African Slavery and the Africans who lived and worked in Bristol from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
Bristol’s City Record Office, 7pm–8.45pm, free, tel: 0117 922 4224, [email protected],
www.bristol.gov.uk.

Sat 6 Oct
Bristol Black Archives Partnership My Legacy event
Hear experts share their experience of African-Caribbean family history. See the accompanying exhibition at Bristol’s City Record Office.
Malcolm X Centre, 1.30pm–5pm, free, tel: 0117 922 4224,[email protected]k,
www.bristol.gov.uk.

Thu 11 Oct
Film: Clarkson
Gordon Young introduces a viewing and discussion of this film about Thomas Clarkson, an unsung hero in the campaign to abolish slave trading.
Bristol’s City Record Office, 7pm–8.45pm, free, tel: 0117 922 4224,[email protected]k,
www.bristol.gov.uk.

Sat 13 Oct
La Bouche du Roi event: Fair Trade – making a difference
Join Rachel Corbin, Spokesperson from Traidcraft South West, as she discusses the realities of economic exploitation.
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, 12pm-1pm, free, tel: 0117 922 4224, [email protected]k,
www.bristol.gov.uk.

Sat 13 Oct
La Bouche Du Roi event: A described tour for the visually impaired
Join Donnie Houser, Museum Learning Officer, for a described tour of the exhibition, including objects to touch. La Bouche du Roi is a powerful sculptural installation linked to Abolition 200.
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery , 2pm–3pm, free, tel: 0117 922 3658, [email protected]k,
www.bristol.gov.uk.

Wed 17 Oct
Silver service slavery: The black presence in the British home
A look at the representations of black domestic servants in art and design of the mid to late 18th century. Helen Mears is African Diaspora Research Fellow at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where she researches objects in the collection of relevance to black and minority histories.
Pugsley Lecture Theatre, 7.30pm–9pm, free, tel: 0117 922 3658, [email protected]k,
www.bristol.gov.uk.

Sat 20 Oct
La Bouche du Roi event: Has slavery been abolished? Combating contemporary slavery
Join Dr Christien van den Anker, Reader in Politics at the University of the West of England, as she discusses modern forms of slavery found throughout the world today. La Bouche du Roi is a powerful sculptural installation linked to Abolition 200.
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, 12pm-1pm, free, tel: 0117 922 3658,[email protected]k,
www.bristol.gov.uk.

Mon 22 Oct - Fri 26 Oct
La Bouche du Roi: Let’s get hands on
Get in touch with the La Bouche du Roi artwork by handling authentic and replica objects. La Bouche du Roi is a powerful sculptural installation linked to Abolition 200.
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, 11am–4pm, free, tel: 0117 922 4224, [email protected]k,
www.bristol.gov.uk.

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Cheltenham

Mon 1 Oct
Why Black History Month?
A lecture by Professor Neil Wynn from the University of Gloucestershire on why we celebrate Black History month celebration the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.
Friends’ Meeting House, 7.30pm, £1-£3, tel: 01242 574 889, www.habranches.org.uk.

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Hampshire

Sat Oct 6 – Sat Nov 10
Treasures of the Rainforest
A celebration of black history and culture, combining music making workshops and storytelling with a strong environmental theme for families, will be performed by Guyana born, award winning musician Keith Waithe and storyteller Sandra A. Agard. Guyana is a country which has its own history of the slave trade with 45% of today’s population descended from African slaves. An exhibition to curated by Hampshire Records Office to mark the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade will tour alongside the performances.
Hampshire libraries: Hythe, Alton, Aldershot, Chandlers Ford, Gosport, Forest Arts, Ringwood, Basingstoke and Petersfield Library, 2pm (Gosport 7.30pm), free, [email protected], www.hants.gov.uk.

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Hertfordshire

Sat 13 Oct
Worldwide Family History Open-Day
Introduction to family history, Hertfordshire’s hidden histories, How to research your Scottish and Irish ancestry, Tracing your African-Caribbean Ancestry, DNA and family history. Members of the Hertfordshire Family History Society will be on hand to offer specialist advice throughout the day. Entry and parking is free and refreshments will be available.
Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies, 10.15am-4.15pm, free, [email protected],
www.information-britain.co.uk.

Oxfordshire

Wed 17 Oct
Angels Choir
Twenty gifted children aged between eight and sixteen from Kaduna in Nigeria, West Africa make up the angels choir. In October they will be embarking on their debut tour, aiming to unite cultures, youthful enthusiasm and diversity as well as raising much needed funds to support their communities. When you listen to the ANGELS sing they invariably give cause for silent reflection. Back in Nigeria these children and their families suffer constantly at the hands of poverty and disease, stealing the lives of friends and family before they are given a chance to blossom into Africa’s new generation.
However the angels wish to look towards a brighter future. When they burst into song, their voices soar with passion and hope, holding audiences spellbound with their charm and charisma.
Blewbury Post Office, 8pm, £8, tel: 07855 253 457, www.angelschoir.org.

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Portsmouth

Present-Wed 31 Oct
Breaking The Chain
The African Women's Forum (AWF) presents an exhibition of work produced by local school children and AWF on the theme of Slavery, especially on the Trans-Atlantic Slavery and Emancipation. The exhibition examines the concepts of FREEDOM and modern day slavery, through young people's art, essays, poetry and various other forms. The exhibition was launched by Hadija George, a literary activist, writer, editor and publisher of Sable magazine and winner of the, 'A Woman of the Millennium 2000' award.
Portsmouth City Museum,10am-5pm, free, tel: 023 928 27261, www.portsmouthcitymuseums.co.uk.

Reading

Fri 12 Oct
Angels Choir
Twenty gifted children aged between eight and sixteen from Kaduna in Nigeria, West Africa make up the angels choir. In October they will be embarking on their debut tour, aiming to unite cultures, youthful enthusiasm and diversity as well as raising much needed funds to support their communities. When you listen to the ANGELS sing they invariably give cause for silent reflection. Back in Nigeria these children and their families suffer constantly at the hands of poverty and disease, stealing the lives of friends and family before they are given a chance to blossom into Africa’s new generation.
However the angels wish to look towards a brighter future. When they burst into song, their voices soar with passion and hope, holding audiences spellbound with their charm and charisma.
21 South Street, 8pm, £8, tel: 01252 408040, www.readingarts.com.

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Salisbury

Wed 17 Oct
Shades of Brown
Shades of Brown sees charismatic writer and performer Rani Moorthy, with her celebrated mix of warm and powerful story telling, transforming into funny and poignant characters who share an ironic kinship through the one thing they cannot hide or hide from - their skin. Coming out of the shadows, an albino Zulu meets superstition and prejudice head-on in a post apartheid South Africa. On the brink of reversing her condition, an Asian scientist afflicted by vitiligo questions how far she is prepared to go. In India an almost bride hides her face before marriage, questioning the damage done by bleaching her skin in pursuit of beauty.
Salisbury Arts Centre, 8pm, £7-£9, tel: 01722 343 026, [email protected],
www.salisburyartcentre.co.uk.

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Southampton

Fri 19 Oct
'The Spirit of Survival: Lives Beyond Slavery'
A concert of music by black composers from classical to jazz with Southampton Youth Orchestra, Choir and Jazz Orchestra.
Turner Sims Concert Hall, 7.30pm, £8, tel: 023 8059 5151, www.blackclassics.co.uk.

Wycombe

Sun 20 Oct & 22 Mon Oct
In celebration of Black History Month, local talented young people will be performing traditional and contemporary dance, history of urban music, trail of Asian immigration and traditional steel pan playing. The entertainment is shared over two nights, presented by SV2G, Wycombe Youth Action and Street Dreams.
Wycombe Town Hall, time: tbc, £5/£2.50, tel: 01494 512 000, www.ents24.com.

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