THE 2014 NAACP Awards nominations are in and British AfriCaribs have been heavily included in the runnings…

Idris Elba in “Luther” and Chiwetel Ejiofor in  ”Shadow Line”- both BBC dramas are up for an – Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special award and that’s not the only time they’ve been thrown head to head. Both actors are also nominated in the Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture category.

The three major films which were made by or starred British AfriCaribs “The Butler”, “Mandela:  Long Walk to Freedom”, and “12 Years a Slave” have all been mentioned in the - Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture – (Theatrical or Television) and Outstanding Motion Picture categories. 12 Years a Slave could rack up it’s award numbers if it also wins Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture – (Theatrical or Television)

David Oyelowo who has recently signed with CAA – one of the leading world talent agencies has been nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture  for his role in “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” .

With even Idris Elba batting for Naomie Harris who didn’t get recognised in this year’s BAFTA nominations, the actress has been entered into the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture  category for her role as the formidable Winnie Mandela in  “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” .

UK souls singers Emeli Sande, and Laura Mvula will be competing for an Outstanding World Music Album award for their albums “Live At the Royal Albert Hall”  and “Sing to the Moon” respectively. Mvula has also been mentioned for her debut Sing to The Moon at this year’s Brit Music Awards. Whilst Emeli had 2013′s biggest selling UK album.

In the literature categories, Ghanaian-Brit Taiye Selasi’s debut novel “Ghana Must Go” is up for a Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author.

Overall it’s very good showing for the amount of British AfriCarib talent who have flexed their talented muscles on an international stage being recognised.

Whilst we lament over whether or not we are recognised by the mainstream awards we must celebrate that we have our own credible and respected awards who will seek to recognise us not just because we are African-American-Caribbean’s but simply because we are talented.

For the full list of nominees and categories Click Here

The 45th annual NAACP Image Awards will take place in Los Angeles on Feb. 22 at 9pm (US time)

New Heritage Theatre has reopened it’s Scratch Night writing competition after the success of their successful and sold out show in October 2013.

This is a call out to new playwrights, to submit a 10 minute piece of theatre to be performed late February.to help promote emerging talent in Writing and Acting: a platform to showcase work regardless of your profession, age, or experience.
4x Plays, 1x Venue, 1x Winner

What they are looking for:

New writing, from new playwrights or emerging companies / Unsolicited scripts welcome / No more than 5 actors/actresses (Unlimited amount of characters) / All Genres welcome / Please provide your own actors.

What you will get out of it: 

Platform to showcase work and network / Rehearsal Space for 3 hour slots (subject to availability) / Director (subject to availability) / Support within reason / Tables, chairs and a small pool of props

What’s not on offer:

Continuous rehearsal space / Actors or Producers / Acting, play-writing, directing coaching/masterclasses / ANY specialist Props or costumes / Detailed Technical lighting, Digital art or Sound support / A budget for expenses, wages, or any other fee / Admin support for individuals or Companies.

Submission Guidelines:

• The name of the Playwright/Company/Author/Dramaturg
• The name of Actors/actress’
• The piece in its entirety (the full script)
• Synopsis of the play (100wrds Max)
• Bio of Playwright (100wrds Max)

The eventual winners will be announced on the night by the panel and an offer space to workshop and develop their piece/idea, with a potential to have it produced at the Paddington Arts Centre.

For further information or to submit a script Click Here

Films4Life,  a nonprofit organisation created by a dedicated group of individuals and companies along with celebrated industry supporters such as Guy Ritchie and Tony Jordan has joined forces with Red Planet Pictures to launch a free script competition around the theme April Fool.

April Fool’s Day is a global tradition, steeped in history where people play practical jokes on one another on April 1st. Some of these jokes amuse, confuse or annoy. Some can go very wrong… It’s up to you where yours will take you.

The challenge is to submit a screenplay set on April Fool’s Day. Bear in mind the size of budget, location and cast size that would be needed to produce this.

You’ve got five minutes – make it simple, make it relatable, make the audience care about the consequences of your characters and the story.

From the entrants, TEN winning scripts will be chosen by Judges including Jason Flemying (‘X-Men First Class’, ‘The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button’, ‘Snatch’), Tony Jordan & Mickey De Hara.

From these TEN scripts an overall Winner will be chosen. The NINE Runners Ups will all be recognized. The winning script will then be made in March. The Camera, Sound and Lighting Equipment have been exclusively supplied by Red Planet Pictures.

The Cast will be exclusively sourced through Talent Circle. The Crew is young, talented individuals who have all been trained and mentored through the Films4Life Charity.

The Winning Film will be shown at a Premiere Party on Tuesday April 1st 2014 attended by the Judges, the Winning Filmmakers & the Script Writing Runners Up and members of the Press.

Submission Guidelines: 

• Send your scripts in PDF format to scott@talentcircle.org by February 28th 2014.
• You must be over 18 to enter.
• Talent Circle may choose to display some of the winning scripts on theirs or Films4Life’s site. The copyright remains yours.
• For the winning film produced you will assign all (non-exclusive) rights for us to exploit the film.
• You will maintain copyright and you can upload the film wherever you like.

For further information Click Here

LFS Invites Next Generation of Fast Forward Producers to Step Up for Creative Skillset supported training, Monday 31st March – Friday 18th April 2014

The London Film School has announced details of Fast Forward Producing 2014, an intensive three week programme, at Easter 2014. It will take ten new producers through the entire process of developing, packaging, financing, shooting, post-producing and selling their feature films.

The London Film School (LFS) founded in 1956, is one of the world’s longest established graduate filmmaking schools. It is constituted as an international conservatoire with 70% of its MA Filmmaking students coming from outside the UK. The School produces around 170 films a year, including work for the five teaching exercises on the MA Filmmaking. The School also offers an MA degree in Screenwriting, an MA degree in International Film Business and a PhD programme with the University of Exeter, and around 50 Continuous Professional Development courses each year as ‘LFS Workshops’.

LFS is one of three Creative Skillset Film Academies, postgraduate institutions approved by the UK film industry as centres of excellence.

The FFP2014 course is developed from Fast Forward Producing: The Whole Story, a six-month course in 2012. Fast Forward Producing 2014 is aimed at those already working in the industry, who need new skills to step up, and is designed to appeal to participants from all sectors of the industry. It will also be more accessible to freelancers who were unable to commit to the longer form of the programme.

Five months after the first programme, Farhana Bhula, one of the producers, had shot BONOBO, her first feature.

‘As a direct result of this programme, I feel extremely comfortable talking about EIS and legal frameworks, I am confident about building a team, and more importantly carving out a personal identity as a producer. Since completing the programme, I have raised my entire budget on an EIS – with the help of lawyers who also mentored us – and gone into production. There is no way I would have had the courage or knowledge to do this so swiftly and convincingly without the training I received at LFS.’ – Farhana Bhula

The programme leader is Emma Hayter, a highly experienced producer, financier and trainer. Emma expects to add to the FFP pool of contributors producer Nick Brown (Neal Street Films), financier Bill Allen, lawyer Carlo Dusi, editor Sean Barton, and director Aisling Walsh. Also scheduled to contribute are award winning writer, producer and director (LFS alumnus) Ludi Boeken; and Linda Bruce, Line Producer. The ten participants will also have an opportunity to produce an LFS Graduation Film.

Says Archie Tait, LFS Head of Projects, ‘A film producer needs to be a lot of different people, sometimes all at the same time: a film critic, a film historian, a talent scout, an X Factor judge, a lawyer, an accountant, a factory foreman, a marketer, a publisher, and an excellent judge of what a worldwide audience is going to want to see in two or three years’ time. You should be highly articulate and entrepreneurial, and also a thoughtful analyst and strategist. In military terms, you’re a general. But most of the time, you don’t have an army – it’s just you. This programme introduces you to the industry professionals who will help you devise your strategy, and your battle plan.’

Deadline for applications is 12 noon on Friday 31st January. There are ten places available, two of which are 100% bursaries. For further information on Fast Forward Producing visit: http://lfs.org.uk/lfs-projects/fast-forward.

The London Film School is grateful to the Creative Skillset Film Skills Fund for its support of Fast Forward Producing.

To: all Y12 students in UK state schools/colleges who have done really well at GCSE are you curious to find out more about Oxford? Have you made judgements about Oxford based on what others say about it?

If you are self motivated and working well above the average for your school, the summer school aims to give you a realistic view of Oxford. You spend a week living in an Oxford college, attending lectures, seminars and tutorials.
“What is Oxford really like?”, “Would I fit in?”, “ Am I clever enough?”. These are all questions that, by the end of the week you’ll be able to answer for yourself.

If you have several A*s and As at GCSE and are now studying for your A levels you should have a good look at the UNIQ summer school. It’s completely free of charge, it’s open to all UK state school/college students in Year 12, and it’s your chance to see what Oxford is really like.

Next summer 1000 students will attend the summer school for 1 week. It’s intensive and competitive and it’s also a lot of fun.
An Oxford education is remarkable. It is also accessible to anyone who has the will to work hard and the intellectual curiosity to delve deeply into their chosen subject.

As the UNIQ summer schools are an access programme, preference is given to applicants from schools and areas with little or no history of successful application to Oxford. Therefore, an unsuccessful application to the UNIQ Summer School does not necessarily reflect on an applicant’s likelihood of being successful in an application for undergraduate study at the University of Oxford.

Applications are only open to students currently in their first year of A-Levels (or equivalent) at UK** state schools/colleges/sixth forms/academies. Applications will NOT be accepted from students at private schools (including students on scholarship places).

Selection Criteria:

• The number of A* at GCSE compared with the average performance of the applicant’s GCSE school
• Academic attainment and history of progression to Oxford at the applicant’s A-level school
• Home postcode data
• Personal statement
• Polar 3 Data
• Applications from looked after children on an individual basis will be considered.
• UNIQ welcomes applications from disabled students and makes reasonable adjustments to facilitate their access to the summer school.
• Admission is based solely on the individual merits of each candidate.
• You will be regarded as having a relevant connection with the United Kingdom if you are settled in the UK at the time of applying to UNIQ (free from any restriction on the period for which you may stay in the UK); and (a) you have been ordinarily resident* in the UK throughout the three-year period preceding the time of applying to UNIQ; and  (b) you have not been resident in the UK during any part of that three-year period wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education.

*Ordinary residence is defined in case law as “a regular, habitual mode of life in a particular place, the continuity of which has persisted despite temporary absences”.
** The term UK is understood as England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Island. Students from British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are not eligible to apply.

Online applications for the UNIQ summer school open on 7 January 2014 at 10am and close on 24 February at 5pm.

For further information and access to the online application form www.ox.ac.uk/uniq

Sign up to the National Association of Black Supplementary Schools CIC newsletter http://www.nabss.org.uk/

The horror on his face is indelible. The disbelief palpable. The confusion, as if a dream, dizzying, as Solomon Northrup wakes up to find himself in a dark unfamiliar space bound in rusted chains.

This is 1841 upstate New York at a time when in this part of North America, some Africans were allowed to be ‘free’. The downside, kidnapping ‘free’ Africans and selling them was often a method used by slave owners to pay debts. Which is how Solomon Northrup a well-to-do, educated African family man ends up conned, drugged and bound for Louisiana, New Orleans; sold into slavery.

The original memoir ‘12 Years A Slave’ (1853) bears the testimony of Solomon Northrup, a ‘free’ man kidnapped and sold into slavery. He was helped to regain his freedom and returned to his wife and children…12 years later. This real-life, African-told account of North American slavery is brought to filmic life by (ironically) British AfriCarib director Steve McQueen.

Chiwetel Ejiofor is the actor (in a sublime performance) who carries us through Solomon’s journey to a regained freedom as he’s owned by various masters. It’s Solomon’s love of his family and his belief that he’s a human being which sustains him through his nightmare; forcibly stripped of his clothing, his dignity and his name to become ‘Platt Hamilton’ evoking the memory of that infamous scene in the Roots (1977) series when then new slave Kunta Kinte is beaten into submission to accept his new name ‘Toby’.

Some of the key relationships Northrup encounters during his enslavement include ‘William Ford’, slave-owner, ‘Edwin and Mistress Epps’, his final slave-owners, ‘Samuel Bass’ a Canadian abolitionist and notably ‘Patsy’ played by Lupita Nyong’o. There should be no surprise in Nyong’o receiving award recognition in any category she’s nominated, since her performance here is of the highest. ‘Patsy’ exposes us to raw emotions as she endures the vengeful wrath of ‘Mistress Epps’ and the desire of ‘Edwin Epps’. Another boxed ticked for McQueen who points a glaring light on the often overlooked disgust, contempt and jealousy many of the wives of slave masters had for their female property.
There is discord within the ‘Epps’ marriage and its agony is played out with virulent force upon their slaves.

With its BBFC ‘+15’ certificate, this is no sugar coated rendition of slavery. Our sight of the physical brutality meted upon Africans is not averted. We are forced to witness the blood splattering, flesh splaying marks of whippings; the screams of mothers and children torn from each other as they are sold apart; the enforced hierarchy of mixed-race off-spring and the use of African women as sexual chattel through rape. ‘12 Years A Slave’ is also the site for discourses to include the role of religion as a tool to subjugate; along with the antagonism between European and African women and the abandonment of black women by black men; discourses which still permeate society today. Another glaringly stark expose is the helplessness of the enslaved. Faced with extreme bouts of brutality an especially vivid scene in the film captures how normalised violence – albeit unfair and unwarranted violence – against their own becomes to the slaves. Almost carrying on with their business as usual survival routines, whilst one of their own languishes close to death.

Carrying us through the relentless monotony of working the land the narrative is interspersed suddenly with unimaginable cruelty. Some of the horror morbidly underscored with enforced gaiety as slave owners try to drown out the anguished cries of slaves from the injustices they experience and probably the slave owners’ own deranged thoughts. McQueen’s juxtaposition of nightmare and idyll continues throughout the film through its beautiful cinematography creating scenes which act as a chocolate box backdrop to brutal barbarism.

When 12 Years A Slave first screened during Film Festival season last year,  it was reported people walked out in disgust and horror. Although it is harsh viewing, to walk out was to cop out.

Screenplay (John Ridley) and narrative are fluid, providing flashbacks and numerous nuances to daily life and acts of survival. The film has additional British actors in Benedict Cumberbatch ‘William Ford’ and continuing their film industry ‘bromance’ McQueen enlists Michael Fassbender as ‘Edwin Epps’. That all actors gave stellar performances is testimony to McQueen’s gifted ability to illicit poised, focussed deliveries.

With 12 Years, McQueen is like a naughty boy. He knows there’re certain subjects he shouldn’t discuss at the dinner table, but gives a middle-fingered salute to protocol anyway. Allegorically speaking, the human form lays the table for subject matters McQueen gets us to confront – often in a visceral way.  Fassbender is McQueen’s table.
Fassbender’s emaciated body in ‘Hunger’ (2008) lays the table for politics – putting Christian Bale in ‘The Machinist’ (2004) to shame. Sex is an addict’s fix in ‘Shame’ (2011) as Fassbender pummels (literally) his body seeking emotionally connected relationships. ‘12 Years A Slave’ sees the spectacle of the ‘race’ discourse traversed through black bodies and the cognitive dissonance experienced by white slave owners as they find ways to rationalise their dehumanisation of Africans.
McQueen has a solid body of work in short films starting with ‘Bear’ (1993). ‘Hunger’ was his first feature. He has already received royal nods through an OBE and CBE. Now he reportedly moves on from ‘12 Years A Slave’ to work on a drama for the BBC which will story black people in London between 1968 and the present day.

Through each of it’s global screenings ‘12 Years A Slave’ promotes debate in political and social outlets in the public consciousness. The media-sphere is awash with opinions about what the film means; whether or not it should have been made; why do films heavy with black suffering catch the attention of the mainstream; why it may contribute to the negative portrayal of black people as needy and dependent on whites as our proverbial ‘saviours’; should it even be classified as a ‘black film’?

But let’s be clear. The film is the first to be made about the African perspective of slavery, by a person of African descent, in the mainstream. Steven Spielberg with his direction on ‘The Color Purple’, ‘Amistad’ (1997) and (1985) ‘Lincoln’ (2012), currently wears this crown, it has to be said.

’12 Years A Slave’ is hotly tipped to win Oscars, the pinnacle of film awards season – and if this happens it would make ‘firsts’ and history in some categories (not omitting Marianne Jean-Baptiste the first black British actor to be nominated for an Academy Award for ‘Secrets & Lies’ 1996). Yet we’ve been here before. We are currently experiencing yet another Black Film Renaissance. It is not the first time Black film professionals have received accolade from mainstream institutions. But what has happened to previous crescendos of recognition? How well was that energy spent? Other important questions about this film and those of its ilk are, what happens after the winning? When the party’s over, who gets to clean up? How does praise fortify an industry to provide holistic representation and economic viability for underrepresented groups? Quite simply, will we finally grow a strong, successful, thriving Black Film industry where a broader range of African stories are told independent of mainstream approval/acceptance/access? Or will we be scratching our heads confused as we reminisce the day when that brave director fellow Steve McQueen dared to make a film about slavery?

By this time next year we’ll have answers to these questions. In the meantime, understand that we will be talking about 12 Years A Slave for years to come.

Penguin publishers are looking for an editor who really knows what makes a toddler tick to cover maternity leave.

Do you know the difference between a grapheme and a phoneme? Are you abreast of Early Years targets and comfortable with the KS1/2 Curriculum? Are you passionate about creating life-long readers? Do you know your apps from your epubs? Have you looked deeply into the mind of a preschooler recently? Do you empathize with those first experiences that Topsy and Tim seem to keep having? Do you know the children’s book market?

If this sounds like you and you have a real drive for making great children’s print and digital products that really deliver appropriate subject matter in an imaginative way; if you have your eyes well and truly on the book, app and digital landscapes and can come up with creative yet commercial products, we want to talk to you.

This is a fantastic opportunity for the right Editor to provide maternity cover on the Ladybird list.

You’ll obviously need all the usual attributes. You will be an enthusiastic team player with a strong commercial sense, be abreast of current parent/educational/market/child and publishing trends. The ideal candidate will be highly organized with strong editorial skills, creative with a strong visual sense, and able to take financial responsibility for assigned projects ensuring that they meet required targets. You will need to be a good communicator and project manager who is confident liaising with designers, sales and marketing colleagues, authors and freelance editors.

If you are interested, please apply with a covering letter and CV stating why you feel that you would be suitable for this role as well as salary expectations.

Deadline for applications is end of business on 22nd January to apply Click Here

The BFI Distribution Fund has an annual budget of £4 million and is committed in increasing access to, and awareness of, high quality British independent and specialised films in order to boost audience choice and to enrich film culture UK-wide.

By supporting the distribution launch of films that have the potential to reach beyond their core market and by championing fresh approaches in distribution and marketing that will help films find new audiences, both in cinemas and across additional platforms.

The Fund will work with and be complementary to other BFI funding initiatives such as the Audience Fund and the 5-19 Education Scheme and will contribute to our strategic priority of expanding education and learning opportunities and boosting audience choice across the UK.

The Distribution Fund consists of four strands, each specifically designed to address different types of films, release strategies and the associated challenges and opportunities in the marketplace. These strands are outlined below.

Applicants can apply online for Big Audience awards, Breakout awards and New Models awards. Links to application forms can be found below, by the relevant section. Applications for Sleeper awards are solicited by the BFI Distribution Fund.

Big Audience
This strand aims to take British independent films with a commercial focus to a wide UK audience. These films will be of a high quality and will have strong marketable elements. BFI anticipate that they will make between three to six Big Audience awards annually of £250,000 to £300,000 with the distributor contributing at least 50% of the total P&A costs. A Big Audience award should ensure: a release on at least 100 screens, with a strong regional emphasis. that the increased release budget results in a substantial impact on the box office – achieving at least £1m in gross UK box office.

Breakout
This strand aims to help exemplary specialised films reach a wider cinema audience, with a particular emphasis on ensuring regional uptake. A film that is successful in obtaining a Breakout award is likely to be one that receives good critical reviews, with signs that it will be well received by cinemagoers. BFI anticipates that these awards will be between £100,000 to £150,000 with the distributor contributing at least 50% of the total P&A costs, and with a widest point of release around 40 screens.

New Models
Through the New Models strand BFI want to support strong films with experimental and ambitious release models and marketing strategies that seek to exploit new opportunities outside traditional theatrical and marketing routes. New models should have the potential to be replicated on other films by both the applicant and other distributors. Detailed evaluation reports will be produced on completion of all awards which will be shared publicly. BFI usually expect the distributor to contribute at least 50% of the total release costs.

Sleepers
The Sleepers strand is targeted at “in-release” films that have achieved exceptional weekend box office results and significantly exceeded market expectations. A Sleepers award aims to ensure that a selected film can capitalise on its unexpectedly strong performance and is able to reach the widest possible audience, particularly at a regional level. Access to this strand will be triggered by the assessment of the film’s opening weekend performance and applications can only be made by invitation from the BFI Distribution Fund. If BFI believe a film should benefit from a Sleeper award they will contact the distributor on the first working day after the opening weekend and invite them to submit an application.

For further information / To Apply for any of the strands Click Here

After the success of BAA 2012 Stings competition (over 40,000 hits!) they’re doing it again for 2014.

The British Animation Awards (BAAs) is about promoting and championing UK animation in all its guises, culminating in a an awards ceremony and massive party in central London. The Awards will be held at the BFI on the SouthBank on March 7th, 2014.

This is your chance to not only be a part of the event but to showcase your unique talents on the big screen during the awards show itself  inviting you to create an animated sting to amuse and delight both online audiences and the cream of the industry who attend BAA. The brief is fairly open but there are still a few little rules:

1. Sheep – The BAA sting brief is to create something that contains one (or more sheep) with extra points for weaving in references to animation and or the UK). It doesn’t have to be the BAA sheep logo, it can be any sheep or sheep’s, and you can do with it/them as you will, as long as you aim to entertain the BAA audience in a quirky, inventive way (but do try and avoid the usual clichés – and smut!).

2. Duration – Your sting should be between 4 – 25 seconds in duration

3. Technique – There are no constraints on technique, genre or style as long as it is animated.
Just remember – originality is KEY – look at the awards artworks for inspiration, just don’t copy them, that wouldn’t be very original… Be clever and original. Be quirky and inventive. Be daring and dangerous. Just don’t be unacceptably rude and crude.

Who can enter? - Students, recent graduates, hobby animators and professionals alike, the retired-but-still genius, as long as you are over 18 and currently UK based you can have a go

How it all works? Please email your BAA 2014 Sheep stings to stings2014@britishanimationawards.com along with a covering email including; your name, phone number and email address. Please title the file name as your ful name. If above 10mb, please email us a download link.

Format
Please send in stings as .mov files. Max file size 300mb.

Final deadline of January 31st 2014. A selection will be online for public voting, and a final shortlist will be judged by a jury of industry specialists. The quicker you get it done, the longer you have to rack up public votes: but don’t forget that it’s quality above all that counts.

What’s in it for you?
Apart from a huge sense of pride and satisfaction from potentially seeing your hard labour up racking up online votes and possibly on the big screen in front of the industries greatest movers and shakers?  And a ticket to the gala awards night! And one for the party, so you can network like crazy!

For further information / Submit a Sting Click Here

Mark Duggan, David “Smiley Culture” Emmanuel, Kingsley Burrell, Demetre Fraser and Jacob Michael are the names of 5 Black men who met the end of their lives at the hands of British police in 2011 alone. They are but 5 names on a long list of hundreds of Men & Women of Afrikan descent who have been killed in custody since the 1960’s. Yet to date, no police officer has ever been convicted of murder, leaving a very serious question mark over the true meaning of “justice” in British society.

The recent verdict of “Lawful Killing” brought back by the Mark Duggan inquest may signal the necessity for a vote of no confidence in the British Criminal Justice System, at least on the part of the UK’s Black citizens. For if “justice” is what it is supposed to provide, it is a service that has constantly and consistently found us wanting.

Let us be clear that we are not just talking about The Metropolitan Police. Many will recall that in the aftermath of the killing, an elaborate story of a Wild West style shoot out saturated the media for weeks. Weeks in which no member of the Duggan family was contacted by a police force who kept all forms of news media well updated.

Internal British news media simply amplified the narrative, complete with long tales of Duggan’s alleged Gang affiliations and prior criminal activity. The image thus painted – that this was a man who simply got what was coming to him, representing clear signs of complicity in an agenda to white wash the incident in favour of the British Bobby. This story was then proven to be a lie when ballistic reports revealed that the only gun shot was fired by a police officer. In fact, despite insinuations to the contrary, there is no evidence linking Mark with any gun.

Such attempts to malign the characters of Black people who die in Police custody are not unique to this case. Earlier in 2011, similar tactics were used in relation to the killing of Reggae artiste Smiley Culture. Yet to be proven links to Mafioso drug trafficking operations swept through the media along with the many different and conflicting versions of the events that led to Mr Emmanuel’s death. While western nations pride themselves on “freedom of press” as a fundamental institution designed to protect citizens from possible government tyranny, such tyrannical representations have been a plague upon Black existence in the UK ever since the Windrush.

While the media maligns the victim, the so called Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) must also be brought into serious question. The commission was developed in 2002, in order to ‘ensure accountability and spread best practice and high standards of customer service’ among the force, Despite its own studies reporting that: “There was a breach of police procedure in 27% of cases … people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds were more likely to be restrained whilst in police custody than whites.” – Families of those killed in custody continuously speak of the unhelping hand they receive from this supposedly independent body.

In the aftermath of the death of Smiley Culture, Minkah Adofo, (arguably the most prominent activist on campaigns for Justice in Black deaths in custody cases for over 30 years strong), declared to an over flowing Brixton Town Hall:

“When they are killed in custody it is the IPCC that comes in to cover it up. We must be clear about this…. This is jus another front for the Police.”

The same protest meeting bore the passionate testimony of Bev Hamilton, Mother of Wayne Hamilton who was found dead on the 16th of June after being followed and shot by the police a whole week earlier. While telling the heart wrenching story of her son’s death she informed an astounded gathering: “We had to wait 9 months. Just 2 weeks ago we got the autopsy report. The IPCC lied to us from start to finish”.

Consequently, the IPCC, much like the Police Complaints Authority before it, has not been able to aid the process of justice in any case involving death at the hands of the police.

But it goes beyond this. Officers responsible for incidents of deaths in custody are seldom subjected to criminal trial. Instead, campaign pressure may result in an “Inquest” or “Inquiry”. Neither of these proffered methods is designed to result in conviction and sentencing. They merely present findings of investigations into deaths and events or actions ordered by a governmental body.

Unlike the case of Mark Duggan, the inquest into the death of Azelle Rodney (shot dead by police in 2005) returned a verdict of “Unlawful Killing” in 2013. In such cases, the Crown Prosecution Service is supposed to initiate Prosecution against the offending parties. Since 1990, the police have been found to have killed unlawfully in 10 cases involving Black victims. Only one case, that of Mikey Powell (run over by a police car, CS gassed a beaten to death, 2003) was ever taken to trial. The trial was essentially reduced to a circus as the CPS refused to charge the defendants with any level of murder (including manslaughter). Instead, some 10 officers involved were tried for the minor offences of reckless driving, misconduct and assault, all of whom were subsequently acquitted of all charges.

The above miscarriages of justice take place against a backdrop of increased criminalisation. The Afrikan-Caribbean community, who make up approx 2% of the population are reportedly 26 times more likely to be stopped and searched by officers and make up some 27% of law enforcements DNA database. These and other social indicators, including inequities in charges and sentencing conspire to produce the significant levels of Black over-representation in British Prisons.

What we see here is the colour code for justice in Britain is firmly in place from the streets, to the media, to highest court in the land. The number one law enforcement agency has the capacity to assume the right of life and death over Black existence, and the privilege of being protected by its media, its government and its courts. The verdict of “Lawfully Killing” therefore is in fact perfectly viable in a context where the law is designed to protect such killers.

The justification provided by the word “lawful” is a depictive tool that is being used by many politicians; as though laws are the absolute marker of what is right. At the risk of being labeled dramatic; forcibly removing Afrikans from Afrika could once be considered “Lawful Kidnapping” under British Law. Furthermore Non-consensual intercourse with Afrikan women could once be considered “Lawful Rape” under British law. Therefore it seems apparent that a Justice System designed and developed in the enslavement and colonisation of Afrikan people is simply ill equipped to protect its citizens of Afrikan descent. These acts only became ‘Unlawful’ in response to continued Afrikan resistance of the laws that protected them.

This is a problem that simply charging the police with murder will not solve. Such high levels of corruption are inherent and systematic – prevalent at every level. The possibility of any satisfactory justice within such a system is close to impossible and with no present avenue for recourse, many will be forgiven for simply not knowing what to do or how to address it.

Still – occurrences like these often inspired a renewed vigour in the call for ‘ACTION’ and now maybe the time to pursue new creative ideas for what that action entails. It must be considered that the solution to the problem is to be found in confronting not just the police, but the entire Justice system as whole. Meaning that; If Black people are to ever receive justice, the Black experience must be at the centre of shaping the principles and values that the Justice System is based upon. In other words, we must be involved in developing, shaping and defining what is considered to be ‘Law’.

So while the campaigns for justice will and must continue, it appears necessary that they evolve towards confronting this reality. The process begins with Black people in Britain collectively taking responsibility for confronting the issues beyond reactions to individual incidents and developing a comprehensive, cohesive and collective understanding of our experiences and what those solutions entail.

article by @ShakaRaBKS for the british blacklist

Glastonbury Festival has announced the 2014 EMERGING TALENT COMPETITION, which will give new, unsigned artists from the UK and Ireland the chance to compete for a slot on one of the main stages at this year’s festival. Entrants from any musical genre can follow in the footsteps of previous ETC entrants, who include Stornoway, Scouting For Girls, Treetop Flyers, the Golden Silvers, Ellen and the Escapades, the Subways and, last year, Bridie Jackson and the Arbour (who ended up playing five sets at Glastonbury 2013).

For the 2014 competition, acts will be able to enter FOR ONE WEEK ONLY from Monday 20th – Monday 27th January 2014 via this website. Entries for Glastonbury Festival’s ETC2014 will be FREE (ETC rules and conditions will apply).

To enter, acts will need to supply a link to one original song on SoundCloud, plus a link to a video of themselves performing live (even if it’s only in a bedroom).

Once the entries are in, a panel of around 40 of the UK’s top online music writers will help compile a longlist of 120 acts. The longlist will then be whittled down to a shortlist of 8 artists by judges including Glastonbury organisers Michael and Emily Eavis, before a live final showcase in April decides the winning act.

Says Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis: “We get very excited about new music, and the Emerging Talent Competition is just a brilliant way for us to discover fresh talent. Our stage bookers come down to the live finals, and dozens of the acts who’ve entered over the years have been given a slot at the Festival. We can’t wait to see what this year’s competition brings!”

For more information / To Enter Click Here

Award winning comedian, writer and actor Felix Dexter will posthumously receive Screen Nation’s highest honour, the Edric Connor Inspiration Award for his contribution to TV, stage and radio during his career. British and international stars from across the globe will attend the 9th Screen Nation Film & TV Awards on Sunday 23rd February at the 4 star Park Plaza Riverbank hotel in London, to commemorate his life.

Friends and family will present words on the night to showcase his involvement in iconic TV shows: The Real McCoy, Have I Got News For You, The Lenny Henry Show and numerous other appearances on broadcast. Felix had a host of serious acting roles in TV dramas, as well as on the West End stage alongside Helen Mirren in Mourning Becomes Electra. He also appeared in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest with US actor Christian Slater.

Alongside the posthumous Award to Felix Dexter, the Screen Nation Film & TV Awards is proud to announce that this year’s Honorary & Major Awards will be bestowed upon the following recipients

• Outstanding Contribution Bill Duke The veteran actor/dir of Predator, Sister Act 2 etc
• Classic Film (International) Do the Right Thing Spike Lee’s classic New York set movie, 25 years old
• Classic TV (International) The Cosby Show 30th Anniversary of the US comedy classic
• Classic TV (UK) Desmond’s 25th Anniversary of C4’s most successful comedy

The annual event will present a stylish award ceremony, live performances and after show party to celebrate the achievements of British talent as well as stars from across the world.

The full list of categories and nominations will be revealed 22nd January 2014 via Google Hangout from the studios of the UK’s only Pan-African multi-lingual television channel Vox Africa (Sky218) and ceremony highlights screened in the UK, Europe & Africa from 2nd March with repeats on DStv (191) & GOtv (16).

Click Here to Buy Tickets

As we waited with baited breath the nominations are in and as predicted 12 Years a Slave was mentioned in all the top nominations at the 2014 Oscar Awards.

Disappointingly though neither ‘The Butler’ starring our very own Aml Ameen & David Oyelowo alongside Forest Whitaker and the much expected Oprah Winfrey, nor ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris who both gave Oscar level performances as Nelson and Winnie Mandela missed out on the big ones but U2 who penned the ”Ordinary Love” from the Mandela soundtrack were nominated in the Best Original  Song category.

12 Years a Slave also received nominations in the Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing and  Best Production Design categories. Michael Fassbender was also nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category.

Now we have to go through it all again on March 2nd!

CONGRATULATIONS ALL WHO WERE NOMINATED!

To get the full Oscar nomination list CLICK HERE

BEST PICTURE NOMINATION

BEST ACTOR NOMINATION

BEST DIRECTOR NOMINATION

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS NOMINATION

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Vimeo has announced that it is deepening its commitment to the global direct film distribution movement by giving creators who have successfully raised $10,000 or more through crowdfunding platforms access to tools and funds to bring their projects to market on Vimeo.

Vimeo® Founded in 2004 and based in New York City, is the high-quality video platform for creators and their audiences. With over 22M registered members Vimeo reaches a global monthly audience of more than 149M.

To creators of distribution-ready films, Vimeo will grant free one-year PRO accounts and access to a $500,000 Audience Development Fund to help select filmmakers market their projects. Vimeo’s curation team will review qualifying films on leading crowdfunding platforms, including Indiegogo, Kickstarter and Seed&Spark, and select projects to receive PRO accounts and an advance for marketing support.

Vimeo will partner with these filmmakers to create campaigns on and off Vimeo.com to broaden film exposure and grow audiences in exchange for an exclusive digital premiere window for distribution on Vimeo On Demand.

“Vimeo is committed to empowering filmmakers with the world’s best platform for direct distribution,” said Vimeo General Manager of Audience Networks, Greg Clayman. “While crowdfunding has changed the game in getting films made, Vimeo is taking the next step supporting filmmakers to get their work seen and purchased on Vimeo and across the web.”

Vimeo On Demand is the quality direct distribution solution that enables all Vimeo PRO subscribers to sell work on their own terms. Through Vimeo, creators are able to choose their price, viewing format (stream or download), and geographical availability while retaining full ownership of their work. #

Earlier this month Vimeo added in-player transaction support, allowing creators to sell their work on their own sites or embedded across the web.

Filmmakers have access to Vimeo’s built-in audience of over 149 million monthly unique viewers across a wide range of connected devices, including desktop, phone, tablet, connected TV and game consoles, all in beautiful HD quality.

For more information regarding Vimeo On Demand, please visit: https://vimeo.com/ondemand

Qualifying filmmakers interested in having their work considered for the Audience Development Fund / for more information Email: crowdfunding@vimeo.com

Following the first international expert meeting on Black British Women’s Writing (Brussels, 2013), this inaugural conference of the Black British Women’s Writing Network (BBWWN) will offer scholars, postgraduate students and writers the chance to come together to debate some of the continuing preoccupations and new directions in this diverse and burgeoning field of study.

Keynote Speaker: Bernardine Evaristo. Evening Readings by: Dorothea Smartt, Jay Bernard, Katy Massey and Sheree Mack

Abstracts of 250 words are invited for 20-minute papers as well as 60-minute panel proposals that engage with, but are not limited to, the following topics:

· Theorizing Black British Women’s writing: The state of the field and usefulness of the terms. Debates in the existing anthologies/edited volumes/special issues and new critical approaches to both established and critically neglected writers.

· Teaching Black British Women’s writing in the UK/US/the Caribbean/Europe and beyond.

· ‘I am a Black woman…and I don’t bite’: Contemporary (self-) representations of Black British women.

· Aesthetics and/vs. Politics: The politics of form and performance. Generic and thematic concerns.

· Intersections: Racism, sexism and other forms of positioning.

· The State of Feminism and Black (British) women’s stakes in this.

· Conversations with Caribbean/African/African-American/European/other writing.

· Questions of Identity: National vs. diasporic identifications. Regional Identities. ‘Mixed-race’ identities. Gender and sexuality.

· Memory and the Body: Sites of excavation/exploration.

· Beyond Narratives of Unbelonging?: New imaginaries. ‘Post-racial’ narratives.

Please send abstracts as email attachments to Dr Vedrana Velickovic v.velickovic@brighton.ac.uk  and Dr Sheree Mack sheree.mack@gmail.com by 1 February 2014.

Conference website: http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/research/c21/events/events-calendar2/black-british-womens-writing-tracing-the-tradition-and-new-directions

Join the Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/378188258946761/

You know when you meet someone on the off chance. You both have mutual respect for each other’s work. You exchange details with the intention of keeping in touch – which is the industry way din’t cha know!                              

Then the dance – let’s catch up, yes let’s, okay cool, when are you free, when are you free, totally busy, yeah  me too…Then one day randomly bump into each other, okay let’s catch up now. Don’t know you from Adam politeness and awkwardness at first but then that thing that happens when two brains of similar low wattage collide and things rapidly unravel into total foolishness and nonsense…yeah…that!

Fans of Channel 4 comedy series ‘Phone Shop’ will probably already understand that to play a character like ‘Jerwayne’ you have to have some level of madness along with some modicum of acting talent. But I joined the Phone Shop party late and didn’t know what to expect when I sat across the table from Javone Prince…

Hello Javone, I’m glad I finally got hold of ya…

I’m a busy man like, you’re lucky you just bumped into me just now…

So is life like that?

Yeah that’s life innit, and I’m just giving you a piece of me so be grateful…

Um…I’m gonna try and be grateful…

You’re gonna have to be grateful because I gotta a lot of love to give…

[Pause...and then we laugh ridiculously] So I had 10 Questions prepared for you ages ago, which were relevant to Phone Shop but now the series has ended…

Nah go for it.

Okay, so 1) I’d like to upgrade my iPhone to a Samsung but I was told that the HTC works better up a mountain where I’ll be retreating for 3 months so was thinking of getting a Nokia Lumia because my best friend has one…can you help?

Okay tell your friend the Nokia phone, bun that off, that phone’s boog. iPhone I dunno what happened, ever since Steve Jobs left us all, iPhone’s gone down a bit. That’s just me don’t quote me but quote me…But that brick that you’ve got there [referring to my Samsung Phablet] …that looks like a spaceship. I dunno what that is. You look like you can harm someone with that. That looks like a phone but also a self-defence thing. Like if a man was following you and came up to you at night, you could take that, lick him in his head…done…

But don’t you see that is why I went for it…cos up a mountain…

To harm someone…

To harm a bear…cos I’m up a mountain…

I can’t. I have to use my bag…

But then there’s no point. If you can’t put it in your pocket then don’t get the phone.

Is that your advice? So when people come into the Phone Shop that’s the advice you’d give them?

Yes. If you can’t put the phone in your pocket. Don’t get it. Simple tings.

Thankyou. 2) Who are your top three comedy inspirations (or general life inspirations)?

My top three would be Steve Martin in ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ (1988) – that’s why I wanted to do comedy. I think he’s amazing. Most of the people involved in The Real McCoy, God rest his soul Felix Dexter he was brilliant when he did his posh politician. Curtis Walker is another one of them. But then it’s always been Richard Pryor, obviously he’s a cliché. Eddie Murphy. It’s difficult. Like Jay Z, Jay Z should be a motivational speaker. I think Jay Z’s a brilliant man. In life I just follow me and see what happens.

3) You usually get mistaken for?

I usually get mistaken for what’s that boxer called? The boxer who got beat up David Haye. David Haye bruk him up in the ring Chisora? Remember they had that argument, then man held a bottle in the press conference? People were saying that I look like Dereck Chisora and I was gonna tweet something funny about it. But then I thought, actually man’s a trained boxer. He might actually bruk me up. I’m not really trained in the arts of fighting. So I left it and took the abuse. He’s a lovely man. Don’t quote me. I didn’t say he’s ugly per se. I heard through tweets people say he’s an ugly man. But it was offending me because I got bullied for my ugliness at school…

Did you really!?

Yeah David Haye with the canerows…

What did you say…

Canerows ???

THANKYOU! Canerows. People out there it’s called canerow, not braids not whatever you wanna call it doo-doo plaits. It’s canerows. You canerow the hair…

[Confused by the outburst] But what do people say?

Braids. I can’t stand the word braids…it’s canerow. When you were small your mum said  ’canerow the hair’ innit’?

Erm yeah, but why are you so upset braids?

Because keep words as they are.

But…

Canerow. I like canerows innit. I like to keep it classic. Can we take it somewhere else? We’ll cross that out…

No we’re gonna keep that. We just had a heartfelt moment about braids. Braids is a real word

I know but… When did you hear about braids?

I don’t know…

But you heard about canerow from 19-0-long. Okay then…Sorry.

4) What is Jerwayne’s main mission in life?

Jerwayne’s main mission in life is to be like the Jigga Man. An entrepreneur. Jerwayne Z. Listen. Man wants to be a rapper. You saw the music video? That’s what Jerwayne wants, to be the British version of the Jigga Man. Janine would be his Beyonce. Janine’s got it like that.

Sidenote. Can I ask, do you ever flip between being Jerwayne and Javone?

No. No. I don’t wanna be Jerwayne. He still lives at home with his mum.

But this is happening a lot in 2013 A lot of guys are leaving home at a later age…

Yeah obviously because of Cameron’s Britain. The cuts, the recession. Let’s get it straight, there’s nothing wrong with moving back home with your mum, because we can’t afford house prices. The council’s not helping us out . It’s bruk pocket Britain…but I don’t wanna be that guy. I’d rather live on my own and struggle. Get those eviction letters.

Are you getting eviction letters?

No.

5) Note to younger self…

Stop being stupid. You should have stayed in school. I am here now. But there’s some stuff that I wanted to do and have under my belt. They say education is important. But education is powerful. I went to school but didn’t do school. I went school to buss joke. Then I lied to get into college, and then I got in and then I think it was in the second month they were like ‘er there’s something wrong here…’ What happened was that they rumbled me, but then I had to do three years in college which I did, and I was the highest achiever in the City of Westminster college when I attended. It wasn’t a total bust. But acting took over and wanting to make people laugh.

If you did go back to study what would you have studied?

I’m really interested in history. So I wouldn’t mind looking into that and a bit of science.

6) Theatre / TV or Film?

The three of them have different buzzes for you as an actor. You learn different crafts in all three. Theatre is just live you have one shot every single night to portray this character and it doesn’t matter who the audience is, it will change all the time, you’ll get a different energy.  One night you may think ‘yeah I smashed it’ and the next day you might fail. That’s the beauty of theatre. It’s one of the best feelings in the world when you’re on the stage and you’re standing behind the curtain and they don’t know what’s gonna happen.

TV is amazing because you have so many chances to get it right and you make something that people can cherish forever.

Film is like the daddy. You get theatre and TV combined with film. I’ve just done a film called ‘Amsterdam’. It will be out this year. The Lennox brothers directed it. It’s their first film but they’re gonna smash up England soon. Amsterdam is about a boy on a quest to meet his father and meets a lot of crazy people along the way. It’s a comedy. I play a man who’s a bit of like a mad scientist.

7) Who are Jerwayne and his co-d Ashley based on in real life?

I’ve known Andrew for years. We met at drama school. I was like ‘there’s no one like me at drama school’ and there was this girl who said there’s a guy who’s just like you. So went downstairs in drama school in the basement where our green room was, and I see Andrew, and I’m like ‘What? He’s nothing like me’ and then I met him and the knowledge on that man is remarkable on Hip Hop culture, culture in everything. He’s an archive of what his world is. He understands our world. We became friends and then we always used to muck about with these two characters and that’s where it was born. We never had names for them, so they were never based on anyone.

Then Andrew and Phil the guy behind it [Phil Bowker, producer & director of Phone Shop] worked together years ago and they were going to do something with Tom Bennett who plays New Man. Andrew was the one who said why don’t you meet my friend Javone and see what we’ve got. Phil was the one who orchestrated it and put us all together.

Why do you think Phone Shop has been such a resonating success?

Phone shop represents everyday people. Us.The ones who are actually representing; who are England. We are the majority, the working class, or now the underclass under Cameron’s Britain. It’s the people who don’t have everything handed to us, we have to work. It’s the banter. It is multicultural. Ashley speaks the way he does, I have so many white friends from the estate who speak like that. This is culture. This is our world. It’s relevant because people can say I know someone like this, I know someone like that. I know an older guy who wants to be down with the kids and is a bit awkward. You see yourself or you know someone who is like those characters, and that’s why so many people love Phone Shop. It’s about real people who are eccentric and stupid.

8) If you weren’t an actor you’d be a…

If I wasn’t an actor, I love music so much. I’d like to make music. I wouldn’t wanna spit bars or anything. Man can sing a couple…Did you see when I sang on Phone Shop Season 2?

Erm…

You don’t watch Phone Shop, you’re not a fan! In season 2..

I don’t remember…

That’s cos you’re lying. You never watched it. I sang Omar’s ‘There’s Nothing like this’

Ohhh yeaaah! So why not just say what you sang instead of…

Did you like it?

I kinda liked it. Don’t think you should make a record though…

Wow! Okay, so we digressed [laughs] But yeah I’d like to make music, be a producer. I’ve invested so much into acting and writing that that’s the thing I’m going to focus on. I’m not one of those people who say they do this, that and that and then it’s not of a high standard. Stick to what I know.

9) What’s up next for you…

It’s Amsterdam the film. I’m just doing bits and bobs on shows that are coming up this year. You might see me popping up on BBC, or Channel 4.  I’m also writing for things which will hopefully be shown next year. But Amsterdam is the main thing. Also Tom Rosenthal from Friday Night Dinner, is writing a sitcom in which I have a little cameo in. Out Soon.

Oh almost forgot how did you spend Christmas?

At my mums with my brother and sister my niece, by brothers girlfriend, curry mutton with rice and peas and three chickens – cos there was a lot of us- accompanied my macaroni cheese, sweet potato pudding and obviously vegetables. Sorrel, Guinness Punch, Rum Punch. We don’t do turkey. We had a vote in 1989 and since then – had no more turkey. Mum was upset. Because turkey is too dry, it might be healthy but it’s not a nice meat…

And final question 10) Is there anything else you need to get off your chest…

I have nothing on my chest, I’m actually quite calm and happy. I think we need to pay less tax. Why do we have to pay tax on every thing? Road tax, car tax, pensioners pay tax on their pension what’s that about, isn’t their pension their reward for all the hard work that they’ve done?

If you could get rid of tax on one thing what would it be?

Council tax. Because they don’t always clean up after themselves do they!? What you paying for? Why’s the dustbin man late? He’s supposed to come on Monday what’s he doing coming on Tuesday? What’s that about? Why’s this happening every week. Sort it out.

Is this personal?

No I’ve moved to a few areas and you’re paying council tax, and they’re not fulfilling what they said they’re going to do. But they wanna hound you for the council tax money. Sort it out.

And on that note…Follow Javone Prince on Twitter: @PENFOLD1P

ROH Links is a skills sharing and capacity building programme offered by the Royal Opera House to smaller and medium-sized performing arts organizations across England.

The programme has been developed in partnership with Arts Council England to allow us to work with other organizations in receipt of ACE funding to build their sustainability and impact by sharing the skills and expertise of our people in a variety of disciplines.

The programme is open to professional opera companies, theatres, orchestras, choirs and dance or ballet organizations. Three organizations are invited to join the programme each year for a period of up to two years. Each organization is assigned an ROH Partner from within the ROH Executive Team who discusses the strengths and development needs of each organization and identifies the areas where the ROH is best placed to offer guidance. Support is provided in the form of 1:1 meetings with senior ROH staff, shadowing opportunities, site visits, conference calls, etc. for up to a maximum of 20 hours per year combined. To find out more please Click Here

I can imagine many a bemused expression on the faces of readers on seeing the title of this article before even clicking to read it, perhaps to marvel with incredulity at which author would make such a ‘ridiculous’ assertion.

Understandably so, because all that corruption implies and results in is decay, so there are not much positive connotations with the word- well except for its beneficiaries that is. The purpose of this article is not to exalt corruption as some form of ‘social good’, not at all. Rather it is to help us reconstitute what comes immediately to our minds when we hear the word as applied to Africa and African leaders in particular.

The narrative surrounding African corruption is always one-sided with the theme of its ‘corrupt leadership’ /politicians’; tales of amassed wealth and extravagant lifestyles, nepotistic benefits and cronyism, all at the expenses of the general populace. What is regularly reinforced and implied is that its solely a result of African agency, hardly any other players involved. But can this be indeed the case? Because as we all know, none ever seem to hoard their wealth in the very own countries they govern.

For us to explore effective solutions it is best to understand all factors at play and this is what this discourse in the main does not do. From my perspective, this corrupt nature of affairs only exists because there are external avenues that allay themselves to encourage it. It is rather like a supply and demand process, case in point – can a drug fiend maintain a habit if there is not a drug dealer to support it? Most of these African leaders can entertain these actions only because there are European financial bodies who actively benefit from it, and maybe perhaps actively encourage it?

When we reference the case of Nigeria’s late president Sani Abacha, a worldwide loot of over $2.2bn (New York Times) was found funneled to a number of Western countries and tax havens. He died in 1998, yet it did not take until 1999 for new regulations to be implemented in Switzerland before efforts were initiated to return these funds. Even then, some countries including Britain, were unwilling to fully disclose how much illicit funds they were in control of (BBC News, 2009).

As of 2004, $500m of this stash still remained in Switzerland yet to be returned. Now if we imagine rather naively that even if this amount was kept in a basic account earning annual interest of 1%.  Between the 5 year period it could earn $500,000 each year, a total of $2.5m.
Can we begin to imagine the benefits to Switzerland’s economy, because during this period of ‘reparation’ it must have been liable for Governmental taxes no? How many health centres, schools and other social benefits did it contribute to, and quadruple the same for Nigeria’s economy – See how much has been lost over what has been ‘potentially’ gained. So can we still pretend therefore, that apart from the individual African families and their few cronies who benefit, there is no incentive to the receiver’s of these illicit funds beyond the storing of such funds clandestinely? I will leave you to your decisions after pondering.

Let us be clear, ultimately the responsibility lies at the feet of Africans, the self-control to not do and see a longer, broader and wider vision for their fellow countrymen and women should outweigh their personal desires for trinkets and shiny objects that fuel their vanity and egos only. In the same vein we should also not ignore the impact and incentives that these external agencies can have in influencing the actions of these ‘leaders’.

My point is really simple – African corruption is a ‘joint enterprise’ endeavour and we should not focus on one player whilst conveniently ignoring the other, who interestingly is the bigger beneficiary, else we will not find the solution we claim to seek for it in the wider mainstream media.

article written for the british blacklist by @AncestralVoices 

Dalian Adofo is currently working on a film project ‘Ancestral Voices’ which researches African spirituality Click Here to find out more

When the world read the diaries of Anne frank, a Jewish girl describing her life hiding from the German army in the basement of the family home where she was discovered then sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp to die at the tender age of 15, we were rightly moved. Years after her young life was so tragically cut short by a wickedly cruel Nazi regime, her intimate record became a global phenomenon and her documents have been rightly placed on the reading list of thousands of schools worldwide and has formed the cornerstone of the Jewish creative narrative for decades.

I have grown up with such televisual epics as ‘The Dam Busters’ (1965), ‘The Great Escape’ (1963), ’Escape to Victory’ (1981), etc. etc. etc. Films depicting the battles and victories during WWII. During my school years I was given the poetry of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon to read; young soldiers writing to their loved ones whilst encamped in the boggy, disease riddled trenches of WW1. The lives of such British war heroes are honoured each year at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. The Jewish community still give homage to those that died in the Nazi death camps during WWII and some continue to seek justice from those who they believe were complicit in the Jewish genocide. And films, documentaries and books continue to portray the stories ‘lest we forget.’

So why does Nick Cannon and others  feel a film adapted from a book of a man who survived enslavement should not warrant one film?
An African escape story about a man who managed to return to the arms of his loving family at a time when the black family was in a process of annihilation and was able to document the lives of those he left behind is a story we should embrace.

In reply to this charge McQueen replied “There is not a dearth of slave films considering the enslavement of African lasted legally for over 400 years. He (Nick) is mistaken.”

I understand that Nick Cannon may feel that he does not want to look at the continued portrayal of an incapable African existing in servitude and I recognise his concern that the links to this depiction might contribute to the continued vilification of the black man in the U.S and the world, but with less than 20 films exploring the lives of  enslaved Africans it is not that difficult for Nick and others to look away. But in so doing they might miss the point.

Very few films on the scale of  ’12 Years A Slave’  (2013) have made any money, and none of these globally released films depicting African enslavement have had a Black (British) director at the helm; and the recent splurge of Black people at the centre of Hollywood films may again pass as quickly as it seems to have appeared.

“History has shown that it’s a ‘feast-to-famine thing’. We’ll get our shine for a year—there’s a big new turnaround, a new day has arrived—and then for nine years there’s nothing. Let’s have it two years back to back. How about that?”  Spike Lee – (Kurt Osenlund, Slant magazine November 2013)

I know very little about the lives of the indigenous people of America or the Arawaks of the Caribbean mainly because their stories have virtually been wiped from history and few documents have been placed on film, but McQueen places their ritualistic commonality with the endangered African within his film as a homage.

The story of Solomon Northup was first written in 1835 and sold 30,000 copies upon its publication – bestseller at the time. No one knows what happened to Solomon after he spent some time enslaved and later became a freedom fighter so the fact that this document exists at all is remarkable. Of course we can ponder why Hollywood/Weinstein favours this narrative over the splendour of an African kingdom epic but now more than ever, we have Black TV execs, like Nick Cannon, P Diddy, Tyer Perry and of course Oprah to change the cinematic landscape so there is no longer any need to feel our images need to be mediated by the hands of Hollywood’s narrow minded distribution network.

Spurred on by his recent tweet Mr Cannon mentions that he is now developing ‘grand African historical epics’ such as the love story between Nefertiti and the young Pharoh and the story of the African Arabic warrior and poet Antar.

In a well thought out and reflective blog Cannon lays out his plans and if successful, he may change the way we look at African story-telling for years to come. He would do well to explore the stories of Nanny of  The Maroons – the female leader of a small army in Jamaica who fought for independence against the might of the British army (the Jamaican Braveheart) or Abram (Ibrahim) Gannibal the Abyssinian Prince sold into slavery and then became the head of the Russian army and who is the great grandfather of the Russian poet and author Alexander Pushkin.

If we feel stories such as Solomon Northup’s no longer holds value to us, then we do his journey and the lives of others a disservice. Enslaved Africans were a group of individuals who shared the same fate. They were not a homogenized group of cargo.
Nick Cannon and others should be pushing for Northup’s book to enter the school system in the way Anne Frank’s Diaries have done as knowledge lives on long after the film credits role.

Steve McQueen has put his head above the parapet and the hope is others with the desire to place the African back on the agenda should be applauded as we hope Nick and the next generation will move the story forward.

Read Nick’s blog: http://nickcannon.com/no-more-slave-movies/

article written for the british blacklist by Orville Kunga aka @kungadred arts ã2013

12 Years A Slave – A brief insight

In an interview Steve McQueen describes how he instinctively knew Kenyan born Lupita Nyong’o could become ‘Patsey’. An African female held captive by plantation owner Epps (Michael Fassbender) and I will pissed if she doesn’t get an Oscar. Any woman who can portray the role of Patsey deserves all the accolades and plaudits available. Her fragile short cropped Afro hair and quintessential African features gave true essence of the continent. Her beauty is trapped between the jealously of the plantation owner ‘s wife and the deviant control of the plantation owner and her scenes will trouble you.

The film based on the true story of Solomon Northup an African American born as a free man after his father was given manumission at a time when most Africans in the west were still in servitude gives a stark portrayal of the suffering endured by Africans under legalized chattel slavery in North America. Northup’s story was adapted to screen by African American John Ridley, directed by McQueen and part financed by A-lister and co-star Brad Pitt.

This small epic film ($20 million) depicts a narrative many know little about; The fact that the kidnapping of men and woman who were considered free by the people who had initially enslaved them was commonplace in a system which placed little credence on the feelings of black men and women.

What is unique about this story is that Northup was able to contact his family via an empathetic ear and his case was heard by the highest courts in the land where he gained his freedom once again, unlike many other men and women whose cases were never heard.
Whilst this film dissects America’s shame, McQueen deftly adds comment about British involvement by adding English accents to some of the slave owners, buyers and sellers.

The opening scenes when a young enslaved African American boy is amazed at the liberty of Solomon (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) as he shops with his exquisitely dressed wife, the young boy follows them into a haberdashers where Northup chats eloquently to the store’s owner.
The young boy’s English speaking ‘owner’ commands him to leave the store and castigates the boy giving Solomon a look of consternation.

McQueen skilfully reminds us that England cannot take any civilized, enlightened moral high ground and the U.K’s true participation in the buying and selling of Africans has never been truthfully portrayed and McQueen deftly denotes this fact.
Of course I have to state that Africans were free men and women before chattel slavery and to imply Solomon was a free man who was sold into slavery ignores the fact that all of those Africans on plantations and those who died whilst making the enforced journey were also once free.

A more focussed and brutalizing version as depicted by McQueen could barely have been shown, as it would not have passed the censors – and that perhaps is the problem with the slave narrative. It is the most tragic and deranged of all atrocities known to man/woman and to recreate the true story of a brutality which did not last ‘12 years’ but over 400 with all its contemporary ramifications, could never be done.

There were very few black people in the sold out South London theatre and it might seem we just can’t stomach seeing our reflection dehumanized post ‘Roots’ (1977) as we have come to realize that the ‘slave’ narrative offers little cause for celebration or pastime entertainment. The silence as the film ended was palpable A theatre screening so silent you could barely move in your seat for fear of breaking someone’s concentration.

Speaking with a handful of people as they left, I struggled to string coherent words together as I could see in their faces they were finding it difficult to articulate what they had just seen.
A black couple in their 40’s described how they felt it was both graphic and archival and really enabled them to understand the damage caused by the splitting up of families and drew parallels with today’s absent father crisis and deaths in custody – “Deaths in custody have been going on since the first European forced an African onto a slave ship”.

A young woman I spoke to was also visibly touched and felt inspired to do more in her own life, feeling she owed it to those who had suffered under enslavement and took solace and hope at “our continued ability to create change and survive”.
When asked why young black people have not come to the screening another contributor felt they “either don’t have the money or just aren’t interested in slavery’”.

I don’t think there will be another film depicting this part of our history as the young and old are reluctant to relive a history which is unlikely to improve the present but McQueen recognizes the relevance of this work speaking in the Voice Newspaper he explains that.

“We have to recognize our past in the same way that other ethnics group like the Jewish community has. They believe in the saying ‘never forget’ when it comes to the Holocaust and I think we should be the same when it comes to African enslavement” sic. (Davina Hamilton January 11/1/2014)

McQueen’s style is artistically oratorical. He pulls you in to study the narrative more deeply. When Patsey sits alone in a field making dolls out of cornhusks she slowly strokes the hair of the blonde doll she has made. The scene is silent but the statement is loud.
You wonder how her life would had been had she been born white. Her fragile personae belies her inner and outer strength. And through all the torrents just like Sojourner Truth Patsey remains true.

“I could work as much and eat as much as a man, when I could get it, and bear the lash as well,”
Taken from Sourjorner Truth’s ‘Aint I A Woman’ speech at the Women’s Convention, in Akron Ohio, 1851 (the same year when Patsey would have been working in the cotton fields).

Patsey could pick more than double the amount of cotton of her male captives and is not shy in telling them so. It is she who gives us one of the few moments of defiance as she tells Epps,
‘I will be clean!’ as she holds a bar of soap she has acquired up to his white face wishing to absolve herself of the depraved attentions of his nightly visits.
The beating she endures is by far the most traumatic scene of the film and McQueen reveals this with all the exposition of a man who knows his heritage, craft and message. As he moves from the agony etched on her face to reveal the red lines, on her glistening black back, her dark skin opens to reveal its white under flesh. We wish her dead. We wish her retribution. She gets neither.

The scene where Solomon is punished after a fight with a white man also illustrates McQueen’s craft. Solomon is strung up and left hanging from a tree as the noose bites into his neck as he struggles to stand on tip toe on the slippery muddy surface. It is the longest scene filmed without any dialogue.

McQueen changes the angle from sun-cracked face to extreme close up of Solomon’s toes fighting for grip on the soft muddy surface. Then back to face slowly, pulling back the camera to expose other ‘captives’ carrying on with their daily duties as normal, while the overseer watches on with the plantation’s wife fanning herself from an overlooking balcony.
This almost silent scene continues into the night when Solomon is finally cut down.

McQueen slowly and deliberately and skilfully shows us the precarious balance between life and death experienced by our ancestors.
There is some criticism however as the film contains little sense of time passing until Epps holds a mixed race child in his arms and we are visually informed that Patsey is the mother but with no rights to her daughter’s fate we see a woman finally broken.

12 Years a Slave is essentially a claustrophobic film as the close-up shooting style of McQueen does not contain the changing seasons of time or any scenes where we might get a sense of the male comradeship, which must have been engendered for any mental survival to be possible.
Solomon is rarely seen in conversation with anyone other than his white captors and his intellect seems to imply that ‘others’ are less relevant. For me his compliant nature as depicted was at odds with the fact that he was unable to grant Patsey her ultimate wish yet he seems compliant with her destructive existence.

However the film is very important on various levels as it adds more proof, if any were needed, that the transatlantic accepted enslavement of African people was based on economic greed, backed up by a flawed religious ideology and military might.
Whilst the film focuses on America, the U.K and many Arab countries have thus far escaped any such cinematic scrutiny.
It is only a matter of time when more filmmakers explore Africa as it once was and discuss what was truly lost and firmly place the demand for Reparations firmly on the table, that people will understand these films come at an important time as they reignite the debate and refocus the mind. We are still being gunned down in the street because some people still think our name is Toby, because we still refuse to give homage to Kunte Kinte.

“The repercussions of slavery are still seen today. The high numbers of black people in prison, mental health issues within our community, drug abuse, single parent families – these are the repercussions of slavery and we have to acknowledge that”

Steve McQueen

review written for the british blacklist by Orville Kunga aka @kungadred arts ã2013