60 Years of Struggle: Black British Civil Rights, a film on education, housing, policing, health, migration and anti-racism since 1965. Plus a deep conversation with legendary academic, activist and octagenerian, Professor Gus John. The film and conversation will cover:
- His UK arrival in the 1960s to become a priest
- Life as a gravedigger
- Setting up Birminghams first Saturday school in 1964
- Fighting the Far Right in the 1970s
- Setting up the Black Parents Movement with John La Rose/New Beacon books
- 20,000 people and the Black People's Day of Action 1980s
- The first Black Director of Education in Hackney
- The London School and Black Child conferences of the 1990s
- Breaking academic barriers and mentoring
- Writing anti-racist laws in the 2000s and advising governments on equality
- The Home Office/Windrush scandal
- Police brutality and systemic racism at the BFI in 2025
He will discuss problems, solutions and lessons learned in 60 years of fighting the power.
The film was produced by Souleyman Garcia. Like many African Odysseys titles it has rarely been screened since the initial sold-out British Film Institute event in 2015 when 2000 people chased 450 tickets. In 2025 the British Film Institute cancelled the African Odysseys monthly, educational film programme, ignored a 17,000 strong petition to keep it and refused do a legally required Race Equality Impact Assessment and refused to meet Professor John on two separate occasions.
The film will therefore tour different London locations over the next 6 months to recognise 60 years since the first ever Race Relations Act in 1965
The film wll be followed by an extended Q&A with Olu Alake CEO of the Africa Centre. You can see the original 2015 Q&A HERE
Other coming events www.blackhistorywalks.co.uk HERE
- 20 Banned Black Films you need to see
- Black History Steam Train Trip
- How Black People Won World War 2
- Black History Bus Tour
- Black History Walks Theatreland, Hackney, Brixton, Mayfair, St Paul's/Soho
- Fighting the slavemaster: Past and Present
- African Superheroes Day @Fulham_Palace
- How to teach GCSE Black History
- The Gentrification of Peckham and Black Urban removal worldwide
- Regents canal cruise
About African Odysseys
The volunteer-run, African Odysseys film programme screens educational, popular, anti-racist, films with Q&A's . It regularly filled the Southbank 450 seater at 2pm on Saturdays when cinemas are typically 'dead'.The British Film Institute refused to answer 8 simple questions or meet the volunteers, then cancelled the programme so they could 'cut costs and promote diversity' HERE
African Odysseys continues to show films across London as can be seen HERE
