Wandsworth celebrates Black History with most ambitious arts programme to date

As Wandsworth gears up to become London’s Borough of Culture 2025, the borough is celebrating black history with its most ambitious programme of community based arts events to date.

Wandsworth’s third year of Black History 365 will see eight incredible creative projects flourish across the borough between now and June 2025.

Each commission has received up to £2,000 from the council to develop their ideas, with later events to land during Wandsworth’s London Borough of Culture year, which kicks off in April 2025. 

Councillor Kemi Akinola, Wandsworth council’s Deputy Leader, said: “Each October Wandsworth council celebrates Black History Month with a brilliant programme of events, but we also believe African and Caribbean history, culture and heritage should be celebrated all year round.”

So what’s on ?

Kicking things off this month to run throughout the celebration until May 2025, is The African Fashion and Textiles Experience: Part 2, created by Fée Uhssi.

First commissioned as part of Wandsworth’s Black History 365 in 2023, The African Fashion & Textiles Experience: Part 2 continues to explore Black and African fashion’s vibrant history and cultural significance. 

A series of six workshops will include hands-on activities that incorporate fashion design, upcycling techniques, block printing, fashion photography, colour therapy and Art of Fashion Wrapping. 

The workshops will culminate in a showcase of pieces created by participants, alongside an exclusive collection of textile and fashion art created by Ms Uhssi – a fashion designer and community activist, from Wandsworth.

Monthly workshops will be hosted at OSMO Battersea in Nine Elms Lane, between September 14, 2024, and April 5, 2025, with a final event in May 2025.

Next up, Pointe Black’s young ballerinas – aged between one and 15 years old – will celebrate the journey of the Windrush generation, who travelled from Jamaica to the UK to help rebuild Britain after the Second World War.

Pointe Black’s ballet dancers attend classes at Caius House in Battersea each Saturday and will perform Our Windrush Story at Southfields Academy on October 26 and November 2.

In further celebrations of the Windrush generation, Rebel Tales Theatre will host its interactive production, Windrush Adventures, at the R.O.S.E Community Clubroom, in north Battersea on October 21, and at Wandsworth Town Library on October 24.

The show, aimed at four to eight year-olds, will invite audiences to sing along to traditional and original songs as well as take part in craft activities, related to themes within the performance.

Rebel Tales Theatre is made up of writer, actor and director Paula David, whose most recent work is Journey To Freedom for Pleasance Theatre, and Laura Sampson, a performance storyteller and author of Enchanted Tales. 

Now for music. Taking a deep dive into the history of Battersea and Wandsworth sound system culture, Vibesquad Sound will host a set of workshops for The SW Sound System Legacy from October.

Battersea brothers Marvin, Ian and Leon Clarke are the DJs, sound engineers and musicians behind Vibesquad Sound. They proudly continue the legacy of their dad and uncle who were part of the first sound system generation, bringing Jamaican musical culture to the underground London scene in the 1970s.

The SW Sound System Legacy features a workshop series providing hands-on experience in sound engineering and DJing skills, a documentary film chronicling the evolution of the area’s sound system scene, and a vibrant celebration finale.

Dates and venues for these events will be confirmed soon.

Jumping into 2025, residents can enjoy singing and spoken word with the Black Heroes Soul Food Café to All Saints Church, Tooting in January, explore traditional African and Caribbean cultural dances with Nzinga Dance in March as well as the first Wandsworth Autism Cultural Experience Fayre, led by A2ndvoice CIC in April.

For the latest updates on Wandsworth arts and culture, visit:  Facebook: wandsworthart /Twitter: wandsworthart / Instagram: wandsworthart

Pictured top: A2ndvoice CIC will host the first Wandsworth Autism Cultural Experience Fayre in April 2025 (Picture: Savia Rocks)