October is Black History Month, and a raft of exciting events is taking place across London. Here we've picked just a handful — there are heaps more to explore on the Black History Month website.
Do a walk or a talk
A slew of guided walks are on the cards for October, including a spot of foraging in Waltham Forest with Rasheeqa Ahemd, who'll discuss links between plants and practices in the Caribbean and the UK (9 October), and a roam around Westminster in search of statues representing Black people (also 9 October).
Dr Georgie Wemyss, author of Invisible Empire: White Discourse, Tolerance and Belonging, is doing a free guided walk in the Docklands area, focussed on the slave-trading East India Company (16 October).
Author Paul Crooks comes to East Ham Community Neighbourhood Centre and Library to tell the incredible story of how he traced his African forebears, with the help of the Slave Registers (9 October).
Meanwhile, Nova Reid, writer and activist is at Paddington's Storey Club to discuss ways we can become actively anti-racist. (12 October)
Sway along to Marley and rare groove
Bob Marley knew how to rattle off a pop gem, and there are few better ways to enjoy his hits than watching nine-piece tribute band The Marley Experience, appearing at Barking's Broadway Theatre (8 October).
Double Grammy Award-winning jazz and soul musician Gregory Porter is doing four shows at the Royal Albert Hall (13-16 October).
And Pop Brixton is graced with the sounds of rare groove, jazz-funk, hip hop, soul and boogie from Kin Teet (16 October) — the duo promising "a History lesson in the best of Black Music for you to get down to."
Catch some theatre and poetry
Breaking the Silence on the Slave Trade is at All Saints church, Fulham for one night only (7 October); in this immersive performance, figures such as Mary Prince, Mary Birkett Card, and William Wilberforce come back to life, and tell their stories through speeches, personal narratives, and song.
Vanara — a new, crowdsourced musical set on another Earth, where nature is revered yet two tribes are perpetually locked in battle — premieres at Hackney Empire (22-31 October).
If spoken word is more your speed, try Malika’s Poetry Kitchen, celebrating two decades of gathering poets round a kitchen table of a Friday night, with a special anthology show at The Fireworks Factory, Woolwich (10 October).
For many more events in October, check out the brilliant events page on the Black History Month website.
