Arts venue to host two weeks of events to honour Windrush Generation
One of London’s largest cultural venues will honour the Windrush generation with a two week programme of special events.
Woolwich Works in Royal Arsenal, will host everything from readings to exhibitions and jazz nights in this curated series taking place across March and April.
Kicking things off, the Windrush Front Room Exhibition will transport visitors straight into an African or Caribbean living room in the middle of 20th century London.
There will be glass fish, Bluespot ‘Gram, a Jim Reeves LP, plastic pineapple ice bucket, home bar and of course, the Axminster carpet.
The exhibit, which will be open for free from March 4 to 16, has been curated by author of the best-selling novel, ‘Twenty-Eight Pounds Ten Shillings, A Windrush Story’, Tony Fairweather.
Born in Clapham South to Jamaican parents, Mr Fairweather founded one of the first Black bookshops in the UK, Narada, and then went on to head a book club for the Voice newspaper—the largest Black newspaper in the UK.
He then went on to launch The Write Thing in 1989, a literary agency aimed at promoting Black authors which led to him working with the likes of Maya Angelou, Nina Simone, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Alice Walker.
Throughout Woolwich Works’ two month programme, Mr Fairweather will host a Windrush Front Room House Party on March 7, in The Visitor’s Book Cafe, and a Sunday Afternoon in the Front Room on March 9.
Expect book signings, comedy and potent rum drinks surrounded by the music of ACE, John Holt, Bob Marley and Jim Reeves on the radiogram.
Mr Fairweather will also be hosting a series of free ‘Meet The Curator’ drop-in sessions between March 8 to 16, and will be reading from ‘Twenty-Eight Pounds Ten Shillings, A Windrush Story’, accompanied by tunes from his iconic Blue Spot ‘Gram on March 16.
The Windrush Front Room installation will also host award-winning children’s authors K.N. Chimbiri and Juliet Coley on March 8, as they read from their books ‘The Story of The Windrush’, ‘Crayven The Nyamming Jancro’ and ‘Liana, Where is The Key?’.
They will be followed by bestselling authors Ray Shell, Atabang Esin Eminue, Garfield Robinson and Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm, who will take part in a Q&A event and book signing in Coopers Studio on March 15.
The influence of Caribbean culture continues on March 30, as the Queen of Lover’s Rock, Carroll Thompson comes to Woolwich Works.
Ms Thompson will appear as part of In Celebration of My Sisters: Mother’s Day Show, an all-female variety show that started 32 years ago at Brixton Academy, in Stockwell Road.
Hosted by comedian Felicity Ethnic, the evening will embrace afrobeat, comedy, motivational speeches, opera, poetry reggae, soul and even religious blessings.
Finally, one of South London’s finest Jamaica Jazz outfits will perform at Woolwich works on April 25, as part of the Woolwich Jazz Series.
The Effra Band have been plying their trade for decades as the house band at Brixton’s famous Effra Hall Tavern in Kellett Road.
A collective of supremely-talented musicians, the Effra Band have previously appeared on the stage alongside artists as Fela Kuti, The Specials, Jools Holland and PJ Harvey.
For more information, listings and tickets, visit: https://www.woolwich.works/
Pictured top: The Windrush Front Room Exhibition has been curated by award winning author Tony Fairweather (Picture: Tony Fairweather)