July 15th, 2022

BUSINESS • Niyis Ltd- Niyis Ltd is based in Reading and is aiming to be the most reputable place to source for all African and Caribbean products in the United Kingdom. Niyis started as an idea by husband-and-wife Bisola & Irina Adeniyi. They were looking for a website to shop from, that was decent and had good African products during the pandemic. But all the websites they shopped with had either one issue or the other. Most of the time they would have to shop across different places which made for a cumbersome grocery shopping experience. https://niyis.co.uk/ • Cally Munch -Cally Munchy is an Afro-fusion catering service that uses food to bring people of different cultures together. They have taken time-honoured, traditional recipes and added a daring dash of creativity to deliver the most exciting dishes. By doing this, they are opening a world of flavour and possibilities for people to experience a different type of fusion. Cally's 2018 award-winning Jollof Rice is a marriage of recipes from Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria. Their most ordered dish is the Cally Chicken - a blend of Bangali Cally's ongoing popularity is fostered from their past work with clients like, Peabody, UBS, Vans, Beavertown and Cisco to name a few. https://feast-it.com/suppliers/cally-munchy • Royal Media Weddings - Royal Media Weddings turn moments in to memories as they creatively capture the moments you want to cherish. They provide both photography and videography services offering a flexible range of packages to suit individual budgets. Whatever the event, Royal Media can create a bespoke quote that's catered exactly to your needs. Their aim is to document your special day, creating an everlasting. With a portfolio full to the brim of a wide range of events, from corporate parties to graduations and music events, you can be sure that Royal Media's experienced team can deliver on any type of brief.Book Royal Media today for Photography or Videography services on Feast It! Click here [https://www.youtube.com/user/162348975] to view Royal Media's videos. https://feast-it.com/suppliers/royal-media-weddings-photography • Liquid Mobile Bar - Our range of drinks are extensive and eclectic - I do not restrict the drink options to one style or one set drinks menu - where's the fun in that? Our drinks range from Bubble Cocktails to Fresh Pressed Juices - the possibilities are as endless as your imagination. Each and every drink has a funky twist and they are all elaborate and explosive in appearances and flavour. Get ready to find your new favourite drink! If you would like a personalised menu? that is no problem! We have plenty of soft drink options. Our mission : To provide a wide range of delightful handmade drinks from our beautifully converted range of bars. They are filled with friendly staff, adding a special touch to your event. https://feast-it.com/suppliers/liquid-mobile-bar • Sunflowers Florist - •London-based Sunflowers Florist is run by the talented and passionate Raymond, star of Netflix series The Big Flower Fight. With 13 years experience under his belt in weddings, corporate and hotel floral designs, it’s no wonder Raymond won the ‘Best in Bloom’ title on episode 2 of the show! There’s nothing Raymond can’t create, including unique show-stopping topiary designs from plants and moss in the shape of animals. https://feast-it.com/suppliers/sunflowers-florist • Lime Hut - Founder Fi quit her finance job in the City to create Lime Hut. The most significant part of Fi’s family life was the Sunday Caribbean dinners but as an adult, she became aware of the dietary health issues facing the Afro-Caribbean community. As Fi became more and more health-conscious, she wanted to develop a way to really enjoy healthy food and that’s where Lime Hut comes in. Lime Hut is a modern take on Caribbean food that uses traditional flavours cooked in a healthier, lighter way. Lime Hut began as a supper club and then broke into the Soho street food scene before expanding to also cater weddings and events. There’s also their incredible mentorship program that’s in its fourth year, ‘Lime Hut Helps’. https://feast-it.com/suppliers/lime-hut • Tatale Restaurant (open July 2022, Africa Centre) - Founded by Akwasi Brenya-Mensa, Tatale is a restaurant and bar concept born in Ghana and developed in London. Its namesake is a plantain pancake — a quintessential Ghanaian dish. We believe that wherever you are in the world, Plantain is synonymous with the Black Experience. This idea of universality and heritage became the backbone of Akwasi’s concept, and so following a 2019 family trip to Ghana, Tatale was born.https://www.tataleandco.com/restaurant EVENTS • The White Card (Soho Theatre, 21 June - 16 July) - The UK and European premiere of Claudia Rankine's first published play, The White Card poses the question: can society progress when whiteness remains invisible? Written during an increasingly racially divided America and shortly before the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests rippled across the globe, a wealthy, privileged white couple invite a talented Black artist to dinner. Tensions run high and a heated debate uncovers some uncomfortable truths that can’t be ignored about white privilege, cultural appropriation and representation. Be an ally, be in the room, be in the conversation. The White Card invites us to all https://sohotheatre.com/shows/the-white-card/ • The Hamlet Voyage (20 - 23 July, Bridewell Theatre) - Hamlet was performed in 1607 in Sierra Leone. We want to know why. The Hamlet Voyage is a new play about the first record of Shakespeare being performed outside Europe: a production of Hamlet, acted by sailors in 1607 for West African dignitaries, during the first English voyage to reach Mughal India. Join us for a theatrical critique of the very beginnings of British colonial ambitions. Drawing on classical performance across three continents -- from Shakespeare & sea shanties to West African storytelling & drumming to South Asian music & puppetry -- we will examine this cross-cultural encounter that took place before England became deeply involved in the Atlantic slave trade, before the age of British imperialism, and before Shakespeare became a global name. https://sbf.org.uk/whats-on/view/the-hamlet-voyage/ •Association of Black Humanists' Tai Solarin Day 2022- Join the Association of Black Humanists to celebrate the contribution of African, Caribbean and diaspora humanists. #FreeMubarakBala About this even. Please join Association of Black Humanists for an opportunity to celebrate and recognise the contribution of African humanists in Africa, the Caribbean, and the diaspora. The Association of Black Humanists has chosen to celebrate Tai Solarin because he was a fearless humanist and atheist, a philanthropist, and a passionate human rights activist. He is an apt representation of a humanist. Tai Solarin suffered persecution and even jail for standing up to the regime in Nigeria. In the present day, as we can see with Mubarak Bala, the struggle continues. The Tai Solarin Day Award 2022 for outstanding contributions to Humanism will be given to Mubarak Bala. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/association-of-black-humanists-tai-solarin-day-2022-tickets-369205151547?aff=ebdssbdestsearch • Black Culture Market (06 & 07 August, Downstairs at The Department Store 248 Ferndale Road, Brixton) - We honour Grace Jones’ iconic looks with a day of high-end fashion, curated in partnership with Africa Fashion Week London and Creative Resilience International. Featuring show-stopping looks and catwalk wonders, this event also invites you to take to the floor and Rock the Runway, if you dare to dazzle the guest judges. •Soul at the Hall (Royal Albert Hall, 15th October) - We celebrate some of the most exciting emerging talent coming through on the UK soul scene. With three fantastic artists playing live, for the price of one – this is surely an event on the soul calendar not to be missed. With full band performances from, Emma Noble (plus very special guests,) Laville, Mad Yella, and guest DJs Eddie Piller (Acid Jazz Records) and Dom Ore (Miles Away Records). •Oliver Samuels in Guilty with Explanation (Hackney Empire, 17th July) - Celebrating 50 years in Comedy! Brace yourself this summer as the big man of comedy Oliver Samuels returns to London! After a three year break Oliver is back to celebrate 50 years in comedy in his most hilarious and thought provoking play ever. This side splitting, laugh a minute, blockbuster play is written and directed by Jamaica’s best Patrick Brown, writer of Oliver at Large, with co-stars Lakisha Ellison and Tesfa Edwards. When Papa (Oliver Samuels) leaves his matrimonial home and moves in with his married daughter, he immediately suspects that her husband is cheating. He does all he can to convince his daughter to end her marriage, with hilarious results! https://hackneyempire.co.uk/whats-on/oliver-samuels-in-guilty-with-explanation/ •The Black Fabulous series of events at Southbank Centre -

• In the Black Fantastic RAP party (15th July)

• Skin Deep: In the Black Fantastic (17th July)

• The Black Fabulous: The Swan Opening Ceremony (~22nd July)

• The Black Fabulous: The Swan Body Refound (23rd July)

• The Black Fabulous: The Swan Generational Constellations (24th July)

Ave, London WC2N 5BY BOOKS • Nightcrawling (Leila Mottley) -Kiara Johnson does not know what it is to live as a normal seventeen-year-old. With her mother in a rehab facility and an older brother who devotes his time and money to a recording studio, she fends for herself - and for nine-year-old Trevor, whose own mother is prone to disappearing for days at a time. As the landlord of their apartment block threatens to raise their rent, Kiara finds herself walking the streets after dark, determined to survive in a world that refuses to protect her. Then one night Kiara is picked up by two police officers, and the gruesome deal she is offered in exchange for her freedom lands her at the centre of a media storm. If she agrees to testify in a grand jury trial, she could help expose the sickening corruption of a police department. But honesty comes at a price - one that could leave her family vulnerable to their retaliation, and endanger everyone she loves.s. 4.3 out of 5 Amazon 4.25 out of 5 Goodreads

• ‘Last Summer on Slate Street (Toya Wolfe) - An unlikely trio: Felicia 'Fe Fe' Stevens, daughter of fiercely protective mother; Precious Brown, daughter of a prominent church Elder; and Stacia Buchanan, daughter of a Gangster Disciple Queen-Pin. They have a simple friendship, wiling away sunny days with games of Double Dutch. But when Fe Fe invites mysterious Tonya into their fold, life as they know it will never be the same again. Last Summer on State Street is a profound coming-of-age story about the restorative power of community, the claiming of one's own past, and the defining friendships which form the heartbeat of our lives. 4.6 out of 5 Amazon 4.32 out of 5 Goodreads •

PODCASTS • The Superhero Complex - We knew we’d be in for a wild ride as soon we met the magnetic subject of this podcast, who dressed up like a comic book character, formed a team of “real-life superheroes” to fight crime then ended up getting busted for drugs. And from the moment we encountered Ben Fodor – AKA costumed crusader Phoenix Jones – that’s exactly what happened. But he also proved a completely unreadable personality. Is he really working with the FBI? Did he start stealing equipment from his team-mates, as they claim (and he denies)? And is his crime-fighting just a way to pivot into a career as an MMA fighter? With differing accounts coming from all sides, it made for an intriguing web with more questions than answers – and was all the better for it. (The Guardian) •The Antidote - With an enjoyable don’t-give-a-damn attitude, this podcast tries to find the joy in our increasingly dark world. Whether it’s the hosts’ determined commitment to swearing, or high-energy guest interviews on topics such as the grownup way to drink tequila, it’s unfailingly funny. Hardly surprising, given that Amy Aniobi and Grace Edwards met as writers on the excellent HBO comedy Insecure. (The Guardian) RADIO • Desert Island Discs (Anthony Ramroop) - Andrew Ramroop, Savile Row tailor, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item he would want with him if cast away on a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

FILM/TV •The Silent Twins (Friday 16th September in cinemas) -Based on the lives of June and Jennifer Gibbons, real-life identical twins who grew up in Wales and became known as "the silent twins" because of their refusal to communicate with anyone other than each other. Stars Leticia Wright. • The Woman King (16th September in cinemas) The Woman King is an upcoming American historical epic film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, from a screenplay she co-wrote with Dana Stevens and a story by Maria Bello. It is based on the true story of the Dahomey Amazons. It stars Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and John Boyega. Davis and Bello also produced the film. The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 16, 2022, by Sony Pictures Releasing. WHAT AM I PAYING ATTENTION TO? • Kemi Badenoch - Kemi Badenoch brings culture war rhetoric to the Tory leadership race (Guardian) https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/09/kemi-badenoch-brings-culture-war-rhetoric-tory-leadership-race-boris-johnson https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/kemi-badenoch-from-fringe-candidate-to-contender-in-a-week-f0g2j9n50 •Clint Dyermakes history as the first black director to stage Shakespeare at the National Theatre. November 23rd to January 21, 2023 WHAT I AM PERSONALLY RECOMMENDING? 1. The Africa Centre -Thursday 9 June 2022 was a momentous occasion as it was the official opening of their new headquarters on Great Suffolk Street in Southwark, the cultural heartbeat of London. We had guests from all walks of life and key activities on the day included the unveiling of a mural by the late Mozambican artist Malangatan Valente Ngewnya. The piece, which was originally painted on the walls of our previous home in Covent Garden in 1987, now has pride of place in our new home. 2. Love Jones - The sexy, brainy, and swooningly romantic story of two Black artists in love in 1990s Chicago Steeped in the bohemian cool of Chicago’s 1990s Black creative scene, love jones—the smart, sexy, and stylish debut feature of writer-director Theodore Witcher—is a love story for anyone who has ever wondered: How do I know when I’ve found the o 3. National Museum of African American History and Culture - based in Washington DC and designed by Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye. One of my favourite places to while away a few hours. Have a great weekend!