Black History Month
Black History Month is held every October in the United Kingdom. The aims are to promote knowledge of black history and experience; circulate information on positive black contributions to British Society; and heighten the confidence and awareness of black people in their cultural heritage.
SOAS is celebrating Black History Month with a varied programme of events.
Standard Bank Climate Summit: Africa's Journey to Net-Zero
4-5 October, 13:00 - 17:00 (BST) - Virtual
This important two-day virtual summit will connect industry, investors, government, civil society organisations and some of Africa’s leading policymakers to shape a coordinated African ‘voice’ on climate change and unpack the role of financial institutions in achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Register here.
Roundtable Discussion on Black Internationalist Futures
7 October, 17:00 (BST) - Virtual
The SOAS EDI Team presents an inaugural roundtable for black history month, discussing Black Internationalism as a global Black diasporic and African solidarity tradition and its relevance for our contemporary political struggles. The talk will feature Olaoluwa Ogunmodede, Brian Kagoro, Maxine Thomas-Asante and will be moderated by Dr Awino Okech. Join the Zoom meeting here.
Artists' talk series - Fathi Hassan in Conversation with Najlaa El-Ageli
7 October, 17:00 - 18:30 (BST) - Virtual
The event is a conversation, in Arabic with simultaneous translation, between the Artist Fathi Hassan and curator Najlaa El-Ageli about Fathi’s practice over three decades and across various localities in North Africa and Europe. Register here.
My Mental Health Journey with Sanisha Wynter
14 October, 17:30 (BST) - Virtual
In a two-part conversation, Sanisha will reflect on her experiences of the mental health system in the UK as a Black woman. Sanisha will also reflect on working in Higher Education and how she supported her health in the process. Join Sanisha here.
Our Sophisticated Weapon: Posters of the Mozambican Revolution
15 October-11 December, 11:00 - 17:00 (BST) - The Brunei Gallery
The Brunei Gallery, SOAS presents, for the first time in the UK, an exhibition of the political posters produced during the early years of Mozambique’s independence. Find out more.
Writing and the Publication World with Ashley Hickson-Lovence
26 October, 17:30 (BST) - Virtual
In conversation with his debut novel The 392 and forthcoming novel Your Show, this talk explores the opportunities and barriers of being a Black British writer writing about Black people. Covering everything from drill music to football, Ashley delves deep into the impact of racialised narratives in shaping and diminishing Black stories, and very often, the ways in which the wider media ventriloquize dominant, mainly negative societal views of Black Britishness. Tune in here.
Black anticolonial internationalism and the rise of global fascism: the African and Afrodiasporic participation in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
27 October, 17:00-18:30 (BST) - Virtual
Attend this seminar hosted by the Department of History, School of History, Religions & Philosophies, featuring the speaker Arlena Buelli, University of Bologna & Queen Mary University of London. Find out more.
Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah in conversation with Adwoa Darko
29 October, 17:00-18:30 (BST) - Virtual
Attend this seminar moderated by Dr Awino Okech, featuring Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, author of ‘The Sex Lives of African Women’. Join the Zoom meeting here.
Check out the wide range of activities that the SOAS Students' Union is organising during Black History Month.
Study at SOAS Blog
Visit our lively Study at SOAS blogs during Black History Month.