Booking fees
£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.
Programme
12pm - 1.30pm, Conservatory Terrace
Me Wan Go Home
Gather round master storyteller Usifu Jalloh, in a musical exploration of the journeys and histories of famous Pan-Africanist figures search for Home and Freedom. Warm up your vocal chords, as we sing along to the stories of heroic voices of resistance like Harriet Tubman and Granny Nanny. All are welcome to fill the Conservatory with song!
Usifu Jalloh is a highly experienced, talented award winning performer and educator who has been working in arts education for over 20 years. His roots in multicultural Sierra Leone, and his long standing and close association with artists and audiences from a wide range of cultures, have lead him to develop a storytelling style which encompasses international languages, music, dance and story themes.
1.30pm - 2.15pm, Conservatory Terrace
ROOTS, ROUTE AND RHYTHM
Join Nii Kwartey Owoo, African Dance lecturer, choreographer and Musician at IRIE! dance theatre for a celebration of dance, movement and storytelling.
Hailing from Accra, Ghana, Nii melds his Ga heritage, spiritual beliefs, and storytelling into unique choreography that fuses tradition with contemporary global dance styles. Bestowed with the title Custodian of Culture at age 12, he infuses West African culture and music into his creations. Nii's deep understanding and embodiment of traditional West African dance, particularly from his Ga heritage, ensures these forms are not only preserved but vibrantly celebrated. He brings these dances to life, sharing their stories, symbolism, and cultural significance with audiences worldwide. He pushes the boundaries of African dance by incorporating contemporary elements and global influences, demonstrating the evolving nature of Black dance while respecting its roots.
Nii empowers individuals to connect with African dance. He provides a space for learning and exploration, nurturing a deeper understanding of the cultural context and technical nuances of these forms. His work with organisations like brings African dance to diverse communities.
He showcases the beauty, power, and diversity of African dance traditions, challenging narrow representations and contributing to a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of Black artistry.
director of Miishejeloi Dance Theatre (Accra/London) and Miishe African Music and Dance (Leeds) and Asasaa Ensemble UK.
2.30pm - 3.30pm, Conservatory Terrace
Memories from Storytellers and Griots
Join community leaders from all over London for discussions and stories of the practices and traditions of music, dance and costume inherent within the cultural touchstone of Carnival in the UK. Endurance Steel Orchestra, Mahogany Carnival Design and IRIE! dance theatre, will share their tales and histories of Carnivals gone by and their hopes for the future of storytelling and mas making within the Black British Community.
About Mahogany Carnival
Mahogany is a group of multi-disciplinary artists who design and create large scale kinetic sculptures/carnival costumes utilising the human body in the art form of “Mas Making”, Masquerade or Street Theatre.
The group was created by designer, Clary Salandy and structural engineeer Michael Ramdeen to develop techniques of costume design and construction and to heighten the understanding of Carnival and Carnival Arts. Their inspiration originates from involvement in the Trinidad Carnival, one of the world’s most magnificent celebrations.
Formed in1989, Mahogany has gone from strength to strength and their success in design is now recognised world wide. Mahogany has been instrumental in introducing the art form of MAS-MAKING across the UK. They are the seminal force in educating European communities in the development of Carnival. Their award winning collaborations have been featured in the Caribbean, London, Paris, Nice, Sweden, United States and Trinidad and act as a catalyst for bringing together people from culturally diverse backgrounds.
About Endurance Steel Orchestra
Endurance Steel Orchestra is a dynamic organisation, with youth engagement and community cohesion at the core of what we do. Founded by Marlon Hibbert in 2009, Endurance aims to enrich the lives of young people through the art of steelpan. We perform regularly at parties, festivals, corporate events and weddings across the UK, and internationally.
In 2024, we formed a Youth Steel Orchestra. This was to enable young people who have had experience learning the steelpan to have the opportunity to further develop their musical ability, and build confidence through performance. Including our professional orchestra, we now have 4 groups rehearsing and performing regularly.
About IRIE! Dance Theatre
Founded in 1985, IRIE! dance theatre was established with a bold and visionary commitment to raise the profile of Black dance and dancers in Britain. Since then, IRIE!’s mission has been to: ‘deliver and sustain a range of creative, educational and artistic activities based on stimuli derived from Africa and the Caribbean’.
For over four decades, the company has remained at the forefront of artistic innovation, developing a distinctive choreographic language that fuses African and Caribbean dance traditions with contemporary theatre practice. Instantly recognisable as the “IRIE! style,” the company’s movement vocabulary is deeply rooted in the essence of reggae music and the rich cultural expressions of the Caribbean.
As Britain’s leading dance theatre company working in African and Caribbean dance fusion, IRIE! has created more than 25 original works that have toured nationally and internationally to critical acclaim. Drawing musical inspiration from African and Caribbean drumming and percussion, Reggae and Ragga, Calypso and Soca, the company’s practice sits firmly within what the dance sector recognises as Dance of the African Diaspora (DAD).
Through this dynamic fusion, IRIE! continues to shape and define the evolving landscape of diasporic dance in the UK.
Shea Best is a dynamic dancer, choreographer, and teacher with an extensive background in African and Caribbean traditional and popular dance, Modern/Contemporary, Commercial and Musical Theatre. With a Master’s in Choreography from Leeds Beckett University and ongoing studies in Creative Arts at the University of the West Indies, Shea's experience seamlessly blends academic research with performance artistry.
Currently the Artist in Residence and Company Rehearsal Director and dancer with IRIE! dance theatre company, Shea has performed, choreographed and taught in various studios, institutions and venues, in Barbados and the UK, including Sadler’s Wells, the Saatchi Gallery, and the Black-E in Liverpool.
Beyond performance, Shea is an experienced educator, teaching at institutions like Artistry Youth Dance and is now IRIE!'s newest lecturer in Caribbean dance. With a passion for cultural preservation and innovation, Shea’s work bridges traditional and contemporary movement, creating powerful narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.
An award-winning artist, Shea has received accolades such as the Prime Minister’s Award for Artistic Excellence and multiple NIFCA Gold Awards. Whether on stage, in the studio, or directing rehearsals, Shea remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of dance and fostering the next generation of performers.
3.30pm - 6pm, Conservatory Well
Maps to Elsewhere and Otherwise
Join artist-curator Fikayo Adebajo for a gathering rooted in the themes of Project a Black Planet.
In this workshop we’ll be making “Artefacts of Liberation” using maps, posters and passports to trace routes of migration, meaning and belonging. Pan-Africanism was always a practice of imagination, a collective insistence that freedom begins with building worlds not yet visible. Through these visual declarations, we ask together “Where do we go from here?”
We’ll begin together in the Conservatory after a short introduction, and spend the afternoon making and sharing, anchored by a curated Pan-African soundtrack featuring Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, and Nina Simone.
Come with whatever you know. Leave with something new.
Fikayo Adebajo is an award-winning artist and cultural programmes lead imagining how we can live, think and be otherwise. Working between London and Lagos, she creates public programmes, commissions, and large-scale activations engaging global audiences across museums, brands, and cultural platforms. She has worked as Audience Programme Manager at ART X Lagos, and in Public Programmes at Tate and the Barbican. Alongside her curatorial projects, she has exhibited her art internationally at the Barbican, Whitechapel Gallery, and Saatchi Gallery. Rooted in Yoruba philosophy, her practice weaves across photography, textiles and installation to create spaces of encounter and exchange. Her work has been recognised with the Tate Social Commission, the British Journal of Photography’s Female in Focus Award, and Portrait of Britain Award, with her images displayed nationwide.
4.30pm - 6pm, Conservatory Terrace
Pan-Africanism in the Arts: (re)presenting culture, history & politics
Pan-Africanism began as a movement against colonialism and racism. It focused on the shared history and experiences of African people and communities around the world, including in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas. The idea was to bring people together to fight unfair treatment and build shared goals in politics, culture, and economics. However, people have understood and explained Pan-Africanism in different ways over time.
This interactive panel is inspired by the ideas in Project a Black Planet. The discussion will explore how important artists, writers, and creatives have shown and shaped ideas about Pan-Africanism through literature and visual art. It will also look at how these ideas continue to influence popular culture today.
By comparing the work of artists from different countries and time periods across the African Diaspora, the panel will help participants develop a deeper understanding of how Pan-Africanism has continued to shape culture and identity from the 20th century to the present day.
Anthony Kalume is a writer, curator, educator and community advocate whose work celebrates African and Caribbean heritage, cultural identity and community storytelling. He is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Brighton, where he teaches on the Creative Writing Communities of Practice MA programme and holds a Master's degree in Curating Collections and Heritage. Tony has dedicated many years to community leadership and cultural engagement. He is also a curator and advisor to The Obsidian Collection in Chicago and has played a leading role in the repatriation of Kenyan cultural artefacts.
Keith Shiri is an internationally respected film curator specialising in African art and cinema. He serves as Lead Curator of Film Africa, London’s largest annual African film festival and a programmer for the Red Sea International Film Festival. He has worked with major festivals including the BFI London Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. A founding director of Africa at the Pictures, Shiri is a leading advocate for African filmmakers and has played a key role in supporting and promoting African cinema around the world.
Stella B is a self taught British-Nigerian multidisciplinary artist whose work of over 11 years spans visual art, spoken word, film, music, dance and performance. Rooted in Pan-African thought, ancestral memory and cultural preservation, her practice explores themes of identity, migration, spirituality, womanhood and liberation. Alongside her studio practice, Stella is known for her live art performances, using portraiture and visual storytelling to engage communities in conversations about history, heritage and collective memory. Since 2024, she has been a featured live artist at The Africa Centre in London and has presented her live art experience at institutions including the British Museum.
Viva Msimang is a trombonist, DJ, interdisciplinary artist, and cultural producer. Committed to collective empowerment and decolonisation, she uses the vehicles of sound and storytelling to infuse activism in her work, creating immersive cultural experiences spanning musical collectives, radio shows, and multi-disciplinary events. Across mediums, her focus on amplifying pan-African, Latin American, and diasporic narratives, while championing gender equality and environmentalism, remains steadfast. Beyond performance, Viva’s curatorial projects have earned commissions from the Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Africa Centre, Roundhouse, and Tomorrow’s Warriors at the Southbank Centre.
The Africa Centre is a UK registered charity that celebrates the diversity of Africa and its diaspora. It promotes social cohesion, education, thought leadership, and innovation in art, culture, and entrepreneurship. The Centre first opened its doors to the public in 1964 and has a rich and vibrant history of bringing Africa’s cultural diversity to the fore and promoting greater awareness about political and socio-economic developments affecting the continent and its diaspora.
With an original remit to foster non-governmental relations between newly independent Africa and Britain, The Africa Centre’s mission today is to educate, connect, and advocate for Africa and its global diaspora, creating a home away from home for Africans in the UK and a warm and welcoming space for anyone with an interest in Africa.
The Africa Centre opened its new headquarters in Southwark, London in June 2022. The new HQ is a beautifully transformed former 1960s office block that now serves a new hub for contemporary African culture and heritage in London.
Conservatory & Garden Room
Location
The Garden Room is on Level 3 of the main Barbican building.
Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS
Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.
