February 11th, 2023

BUSINESS • Trap Kitchen (76-77 Chalk Farm Rd, Chalk Farm, London NW1 8AN (4.1 Google reviews, 4.0 Tripadvisor) - Buzzy restaurant fixing up hearty portions of BBQ chicken & seafood, plus waffles & cocktails. Trap Kitchen began when Prince ‘Shakke’ Cofie-Owusu posted photos of his cooking on Instagram. He’d only ever cooked for him and his brother, not thinking of becoming a chef, but soon queues of customers pulled up outside his mum’s flat, eager to try his food. “Cooking has completely changed my life. If I hadn’t started taking photos of my food and selling it on Snapchat and other social media, my life would be totally different now”, Prince tells us. “Growing up, things weren’t always easy and a lot of the time we would have to fend for ourselves. Often it was cheap own brand Netto cereal. When my mum cooked it was usually African food, meat or fish and rice or stew.” Not only influenced by African flavours, Prince tells us that American videos and food programmes on TV, and Asian and Caribbean flavours also inspire him. A true reflection of our increasingly globalised culture, he says, “it’s hard to put our food into just one box.” • Afrocenchix -Afrocenchix is a Female Black-Owned Business making haircare simple and sustainable. Products are developed and used by the co-founders using natural and organic ingredients. Afrocenchix products are manufactured in the UK for Afro, tightly coiled, and curly hair! https://afrocenchix.com/ • Curly Care - Curl Care is a Curly Owned Company. We are an online store stocking a range of brands and products designed for Curls, Coils, Kinks and Natural Textured hair. We want you to LOVE your curls and our aim is to provide great products to Care for your Crown. https://www.curlcare.uk/ • Soul Melanin Retreat - Reconnect Retreats are all about dedicating time to yourself, in beautiful, nature-infused relaxing spaces while rejoicing in who you are becoming as you enter the freedom chapter of your life. The next retreat is the Reconnect Sista Retreat in Benenden Kent, UK May 12th to 15th. https://www.soulmelanin.com/ • The Black Wellbeing Collective - The Black Wellbeing Collective is a mental health and wellbeing service that prioritises the lived experiences of the Black community to heal from racial trauma, racial bias, racism and discrimination, operating as a digital platform for collective healing. Our aim is to supply the Black community with various forms of self healing and provide services to help improve their mental health and wellbeing. We centre Black Joy, Black healing, community support & love through the work we do. https://www.theblackwellbeingcollective.com/ EVENTS • Sasha Huber: You Name It (to 25 Mar, at Autograph) - Sasha Huber explores how colonial histories are imprinted into the landscape through naming and acts of remembrance - asking what actions it might take to repair the inherited traumas of history. YOU NAME IT brings together over a decade of Huber’s work, prompted by the campaign Demounting Louis Agassiz. Initiated in 2007 by Swiss historian and activist Hans Fässler, the campaign seeks to redress the legacy of the Swiss-born glaciologist and racist Louis Agassiz (1807–1873). His scientific contributions to the fields of glaciology, palaeontology and geology resulted in over 80 landmarks bearing his name on Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Less well known, however, was Agassiz’s legacy of ‘scientific’ racism, and how he used his position to actively promote the subjugation, exploitation, and segregation of Black people and other people of colour. He commissioned J.T. Zealy (1812-1893) to photograph enslaved people on the Edgehill plantation in South Carolina in March of 1850, using the technology of photography to further his eugenics campaign. https://autograph.org.uk/exhibitions/sasha-huber-you-name-it •SleepOVA (Bush Theatre, 24 Feb - 8 Apr, Bush Theatre, London) - The world premiere of Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini’s ode to Black women, Sleepova, is being staged at the Bush Theatre. The play follows Rey, Elle, Shan and Funmi whose sleepovers growing up were a sacred space for gossip, secret questions and a friendship they swore would last forever. But as each year goes by and they get closer and closer to adulthood, life doesn’t pan out quite as expected, and their bond faces a familiar strain. The production will mark the professional stage debut of three actresses, Bukky Bakray (Rocks), Amber Grappy (HBO’s The Baby) and Shayde Sinclair – as well as a return to the stage of Aliyah Odoffin, whose debut was in the critically acclaimed Clybourne Park. https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/ • Sylvia starring Beverley Knight (Old Vic until Apr 1) - This revolutionary story celebrates the life of Sylvia Pankhurst – feminist, activist, pacifist, socialist, rebel – the lesser-known Pankhurst at the heart of the Suffragette movement, who changed the lives of working women and men across the world. Following its 2018 run as a work-in-progress, Kate Prince’s Sylvia is back where it all began for its world premiere, uniting dance, hip hop, funk and soul to shine a light on a remarkable moment in history, with original music by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde. Book Tickets •Lizzo (16 March the O2) - Triple GRAMMY® Award-winning, RIAA multi-platinum certified artist Lizzo has announced the European leg of The Special Tour, with headline shows at The O2 on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 March 2023. Coming off her recent win for ‘Video for Good Award’ at the 2022 VMA’s for About Damn Time, along with the same track reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and the top 10 in 12 other countries, she will be heading to London’s The O2 next year. Her most recent album Special peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming the highest-charting album by a female artist in 2022, while its release week also became the largest week earned among all albums released by a woman this year. https://www.theo2.co.uk/events/detail/lizzo •Beyonce (29 and 30th May and 2nd June at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium London) - Following the wildly successful release of BEYONCÉ’s seventh studio album, RENAISSANCE, the global superstar has announced RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR, her first solo tour in over six years. https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/concerts-and-events/beyonce/ n WC2N 5BY BOOKS • Promise Boys by Nick Brooks - The Urban Promise Prep School vows to turn boys into men. As students, J.B., Ramon, and Trey are forced to follow the prestigious "program's" strict rules. Extreme discipline, they've been told, is what it takes to be college bound, to avoid the fates of many men in their neighborhoods. This, the Principal Moore Method, supposedly saves lives. But when Moore ends up murdered and the cops come sniffing around, the trio emerges as the case's prime suspects. With all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. But is the true culprit hiding among them?This gripping thriller shines a glaring light on how the system too often condemns Black and Latinx teen boys to failure before they've even had a chance at success. 4.7 out of 5 Amazon 4.2 out of 5 Goodreads • The Davenports - The Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in a changing United States, their fortune made through the entrepreneurship of William Davenport, a formerly enslaved man who founded the Davenport Carriage Company years ago. Olivia, the beautiful eldest Davenport daughter, is ready to do her duty and marry. . . until charismatic civil rights leader Washington DeWight sweeps into town and sparks fly. Her younger sister, Helen, is more interested in fixing cars than falling in love-unless it's with her sister's betrothed.

4.2 out of 5 Amazon

4.3 out of 5 Goodreads

• A Spell of Good Things (Hardback) Ayobami Adebayo - 'A compelling state-of-the-nation novel about modern Nigeria, A Spell of Good Things throws together two children from vastly different backgrounds in a masterly dissection of wealth, politics and poverty. Ayobami Adebayo, the Women's Prize-shortlisted author of Stay With Me, unveils a dazzling story of modern Nigeria and two families caught in the riptides of wealth, power, romantic obsession and political corruption. Eniola is tall for his age, a boy who looks like a man. His father has lost his job, so Eniola spends his days running errands for the local tailor, collecting newspapers and begging, dreaming of a big future. Wuraola is a golden girl, the perfect child of a wealthy family. Now an exhausted young doctor in her first year of practice, she is beloved by Kunle, the volatile son of family friends. When a local politician takes an interest in Eniola and sudden violence shatters a family party, Wuraola and Eniola's lives become intertwined. In this breathtaking novel, Ayobami Adebayo shines her light on Nigeria, on the gaping divide between the haves and the have-nots, and the shared humanity that lives in between.

PODCASTS • Say Your Mind TKelechi Okafor is the host of Say Your Mind. Tune in every Monday for her unique and hilarious take on Tarot, current events and pop culture sprinkled with bad language and an abundance of straws. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/say-your-mind/id1324118843 •The Receipts - Truly a podcast with no filter, The Receipts discusses listeners’ scandalous dilemmas with brutal honesty. Milena, Tolly T and Audrey shine a spotlight on important issues facing women of colour — such as colourism and interracial dating — but also fiercely debate the relative merits of NSYNC or Backstreet Boys, and why they hated Game of Thrones. Their episodes come with the disclaimer: “We are not liable for any feelings hurt while listening.” So if you send in your problem, you better be ready to get read.

https://open.spotify.com/show/3GMZiZnqL4Hib6DD5PGhdj RADIO • Love, Janessa (BBC Sounds) - Tracking down scammers – how and why do they do it? One tells host Hannah Ajala: “I always feel bad”. Researchers estimate half of global romance scams originate in West Africa. In Ghana, there are the Sakawa Boys. The conning process can involve staying up late, chatting on the phone… building trust and deepening the connection - a bit like a real relationship. It takes time to fall “in love”. Please note, this series contains adult themes and strong language. Produced for the BBC World Service and CBC Podcasts by Antica Productions and Telltale Industries. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct4ppf

FILM/TV • House Party (APPLE TV) - With Bill Bellamy • D.C. Young Fly • Jacob Latimore • Karen Obilom • Shakira Ja'nai Paye • Tosin Cole • Allen Maldonado. Aspiring club promoters and best buds Damon and Kevin are barely keeping things together. Out of money, down on their luck and about to lose the roofs over their heads—and freshly fired from their low-lift jobs as house cleaners—the pair needs a huge windfall to make their problems go away. In a ‘what the hell?’ move, they decide to host the party of the year at an exclusive mansion, the site of their last cleaning job, which just happens to belong to none other than LeBron James. No permission? No problem. What could go wrong? • Mars One -(Netflix) With Rejane Faria • Carlos Francisco • Camilla Damião • Cícero Lucas. The Martins family are optimistic dreamers, quietly leading their lives in the margins of a major Brazilian city following the disappointing inauguration of a far-right extremist president. A lower-middle-class Black family, they feel the strain of their new reality as the political dust settles. Tércia, the mother, reinterprets her world after an unexpected encounter leaves her wondering if she’s cursed. Her husband, Wellington, puts all of his hopes into the soccer career of their son, Deivinho, who reluctantly follows his father’s ambitions despite secretly aspiring to study astrophysics and colonize Mars. Meanwhile, their older daughter, Eunice, falls in love with a free-spirited young woman and ponders whether it’s time to leave home. https://www.pbs.org/pov/films/shutupandpaint/ •Creed 3 (from March 3rd) - Directed by Michael B. Jordan With Jonathan Majors • Michael B. Jordan • Phylicia Rashad • Tessa Thompson. After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damien Anderson, resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damien - a fighter who has nothing to lose. •Luther: The Fallen Sun (March 3rd) - With Idris Elba • Cynthia Erivo. A gruesome serial killer is terrorizing London while brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther sits behind bars. Haunted by his failure to capture the cyber psychopath who now taunts him, Luther decides to break out of prison to finish the job by any means necessary. •Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Coming soon on Netflix) - Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), taking place before the events of Bridgerton and following a younger Charlotte (India Amarteifio) on her rise to power. WHO is WHO? • Dozy Mmobuosi- CThe Nigerian technology billionaire Dozy Mmobuosi is close to completing a £90 million takeover at Sheffield United, greatly easing a financial crisis at the Sky Bet Championship club that includes a default on payments due to Liverpool. Mmobuosi, whose company Tingo mobile was last year valued at $7.6 billion (about £6.17 billion), will be subject to the EFL’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test, but so far no problems have arisen. •Sonia Boyce - is a British Afro-Caribbean artist and educator, living and working in London. She is a Professor of Black Art and Design at University of the Arts London. Boyce's research interests explore art as a social practice and the critical and contextual debates that arise from this area of study. With an emphasis on collaborative work, Boyce has been working closely with other artists since 1990, often involving improvisation and spontaneous performative actions on the part of her collaborators. Boyce's work involves a variety of media, such as drawing, print, photography, video, and sound. Her art explores "the relationship between sound and memory, the dynamics of space, and incorporating the spectator". To date, Boyce has taught Fine Art studio practice for more than 30 years in several art colleges across the UK. n February 2020, Boyce was selected by the British Council to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale 2022, the first black woman to do so. In April 2022, Boyce won the Venice Biennale's top Golden Lion prize with her work Feeling Her Way. (The Tate) •Michael Ward After rising to fame in Top Boy alongside huge talents such as Ashley Walters, Little Simz, Kano, and Jasmine Jobson, and bagging the BAFTA Rising Star award in 2020, Michael Ward has now conquered his first major big screen role. He stars opposite the legendary Olivia Colman in Empire Of Light, a Margate-based story, written and directed by Sam Mendes, which sees the pair playing two cinema workers who become romantically entangled. (BUSTLE) Michael Ward Article TOP 10 FOR /FEBRUARY 1. Get tickets for the hottest show in town 'Mandela the Musical'. I saw it last weekend and it was amazing! 2. Go see the Till movie. 3. Book a table at Tatale Restaurant in the Africa Centre. 4. Watch Riches on ITVX (Riches is about the beauty empire built by ruthless businessman Stephen Richards). 5. Book dinner at Parks Edge Bar & Kitchen 6. See the Lynette Yiadom-Boakye exhibition at the Tate Modern 7. See Will Smith's redemption in the well-reviewed movie Emancipation. 8. Book your tickets for Beyonce at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May. 9. Have dinner and drinks at Idris Elba's Kings Cross restaurant Porte Noir (4.7 review on Google) 10. Chicken, Burger N Chips at Brixton House Theatre. Note the last performance is today.