Black & Write
The Project
The Participants:
Adebola Tojoula / Kemal Akan / Abdula Dura-Ray / Kanika Welch / Charles Mane / Bert Dsouza / Blaze Dsouza /
‘In Black & Write’ was devised by Natalie Wade, of London based music and events organisation consultancy Small Green Shoots and Aitch B, a DJ and songwriter from the world wide renowned musical entity Soul II Soul.
Aitch has worked for nearly 5 years with the Southwark based youth support service The 1621 Project, which has now evolved in to The Southwark Young People’s Floating Support Service and during this time Aitch has amalgamated his musical & life experiences with his interest of supporting young people to aid in the development of independent living skills.
‘In Black & Write’ was identified as a way of simultaneously engaging young people into the ideas of exploring and learning about various aspects of Black History and introducing them to possibility of developing an interest in the creative poetry writing and spoken word.
Thanks to Camberwell Library, a series of workshops were able to be held at their Camberwell Church Street location during October 2011’s Black History Month. These were facilitated by renowned poet, spoken word artist, author and creator The Chameleon Press, Mark Mr T Thompson.
The Chameleon Press is an organisation which helps young writers/performers to create and develop their work. Firstly by making them aware that their individual perspectives of current social issues and life experiences makes what they have to say very relevant, then they’re assisted in the development their abilities to describe and portray these issues in ways that are accessible and stimulating for a wider audience, educational institutions and the publishing industry.
Mark Thompson’s Quote:
In Black and Write was an amazing project to be involved with because it allowed an amazing range of young people to come together and produce something they were proud of.
Clearly inspired by the performance poetry they were exposed to, from various videos on YouTube, to the live event that a number of participants attended thanks to the support of the project and Hayden, as well as the works that I shared in the workshops and during performances.
Writing in a range of styles and about different types of subject the work finally shared looked good in print and made for a very positive experience in performance.
I would be delighted to work with these young people or on a similar project in the future.
Aitch’s Quote:
This project was really good in its ability to engage the participants in open debates and creative expression on a level that many of them had not encountered before.
It was very enlightening to see these young people, some from disadvantage backgrounds being so open to the idea of putting pen to paper, creating verse that they were proud of and then being willing to stand and recite their poems in front of their peers and strangers.
Overall it was a joy to see this group of youngster from diverse backgrounds bonding together and being so inspired to creatively express their creative ideas and develop their self confidence through written and verbal communication.
Participants Quotes & Work
Kemal:
This project really inspired me in what I love doing and that’s rap/poetry, it’s been a beneficial experience which has allowed me the chance to publicly share my interest with other like minded young people. I’m sincerely grateful to the Arts Council for putting the funds into this project.
Click here to download Kemal’s piece. (PDF)
Jessye:
“I have always written poems but never shared them with anyone else. This project has forced me to be brave and be inspired. I hope that other young people can be inspired by this too and would like to thank the Arts Council for this opportunity”
Click here to download Jessye’s piece. (PDF) - Nanny
Click here to download Jessye’s second piece (PDF) – Marcus Garvey
Blaze:
Helped me learn and understand a different culture I would not otherwise had learnt about and the importance of Black History month. I would like to thank the Arts Council for funding this project and making it available to young people like myself.
Click here to download Blaze’s piece. (PDF)
Charles:
“I really enjoyed the experience of creating the poem. I have never done something like this before. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to do this. I can’t wait for the next chance I get to participate with In Black & Write”
Click here to download Charles’ piece (PDF)
Abdul:
Thanks to Arts Council funding this project I was gained a lot of insight in to Black history that I didn’t know before. I felt a great sense of personal achievement participating in the project and writing my poem. The experience has inspired me to get more involved in poetry and spoken word activities.
Click here to download Abdul’s piece (PDF)
Kanika:
Hi the black and write poetry project has been great because It meant I was able to meet other poets and discuss views on our own and others poetry, with diverse opinions and a lot of laughs, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. And I would like to thank the Arts Council for organising such a fun event.
Click here to download Kanika’s piece (PDF)
Bertrand:
This experience has opened my view on how poetry can be used to bring out emotion and make something simple, interesting. It has also opened up my view on black history and its importance in our society.” Big thanks to Arts council who have made this experience possible.
