Arrival - Celebrating Windrush and the communities who followed
Date and time
Description
ARRIVAL – Celebrating Windrush and the communities who followed
On Saturday 30 June, you can discover the story of ‘arrival in London’ at City Hall.
People have been coming to London from the Caribbean for hundreds of years. The arrival of HMT Empire Windrush on 22 June 1948, seventy years ago, was a huge moment in this. It has also helped to shape our open and diverse identity in London ever since.
Come and hear the stories of the Windrush generation and share your own stories of arriving in London. There’ll be talks, music, workshops, film screenings and installations.
This is a time to celebrate and a moment to archive. Our storytelling work with the community will carry on after with more conversations and radio broadcasts.
TICKETING MESSAGE
The event at City Hall is now FULLY BOOKED. You can still take part in different ways.
- The Mayor of London's opening with Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE and following four conversations in The Chamber will be streamed live. Log onto www.london.gov.uk for the webcast.
- The Scoop just next door to City Hall is a music stage - no booking required.
The Scoop, outside City Hall, plays host to a platform of the best Caribbean and Caribbean-inspired music. Organised jointly by City Hall and London Bridge City’s ‘Summer by the River’, the Music Stage will feature fresh young talent alongside established names: Carroll Thompson, Kioko, Sister Audrey with Mad Professor, Lisa Mercedez, Alicai Harley, Doktor, and DJ Hosts, Daddy Ernie and Enziga Soundz. Black Slate, one of the first British Reggae bands to surface in the 70s will headline at 20:30.
Conversations in the Chamber
The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, will open the event, followed by keynote speaker, Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE, her Windrush Garden features at this year’s Royal Chelsea Flower Show.
Chaired by broadcaster Brenda Emmanus, all four conversations will start with brief performances from Talawa Theatre exploring Sam Selvin’s ‘Lonely Londoners.’ They will close with perspectives from the Jewish, Somali, Latin American, Syrian and east European communities. Speakers include Afua Hirsch, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Sharmaine Lovegrove, Jennette Arnold AM, and Windrush stories from Allan Wilmot and Peter Dielhenn.
1.Making the journey – personal testimony on reality for a London migrant
2.Telling our stories – how we encourage discussion and preserve our stories for the future
3.Windrush women – how they helped to create strong workforces
4.Moving forward – what next for Caribbean Londoners
Penguin Live in London’s Living Room (LLR)
The top floor of City Hall will be taken over by Penguin Books where there will be storytelling workshops and talks from a range of contributors:
Little Leaders workshop (ages 7 – 11): Hosted by Nadia Shireen, this workshop will bring to life the stories of trailblazing black women in the world’s history.
Writing Workshop with Spread the Word: Poet Theresa Lola and poet, writer and film-maker Victoria Adukwei Bulley, will lead a writing session for young people, framed around telling your own stories and getting your voice heard through poetry.
Penguin Author Panel: Explorations of Windrush and Beyond in Literature: Join Colin Grant, Bernardine Evaristo, Sara Collins and Lemara Lindsay-Prince as they discuss Caribbean migrant stories in literature past, present and future.
Nikesh will be in conversation with Sharlene Teo, Diana Evans and Inua Ellams. They will discuss their new novels, The One Who Wrote Destiny, Ponti and Ordinary People, and the role of fiction in the creation of place and cities.
Linton Kwesi Johnson: The day will be brought to a close with poetry readings from the legendary reggae poet and performer Linton Kwesi Johnson.
Penguin Live are working in partnership with the George Padmore Institute, who will be displaying archive materials and research relating to the black community of Caribbean, African and Asian descent in Britain, and New Beacon Books, which specialises in Afro-Caribbean writing.
Films and Presentations in Room 5
Hosting 1000 Londoners Windrush screening, a series of short video potraits of Black women in London, followed by the acclaimed feature documentary, Being Blacker including a Q&A with Blacker Dread. The day will end with a presentation from the Windrush Foundation and contrbutrions from Windrush pioneers.
Unticketed sessions: Arrival City Hall Pass
gal-dem: Caribbean Kitchen and Windrush Women - Room 1, Ramp, Café – All day
A Mile in My Shoes: Audio Installation - The Map – All Day
Paper Boat Making: Migration Musesum – The Map – All Day
Archives from Hackney Museum, George Padmore Institute - Room 2 – All Day
Tell us your story: Conversation Booth with Michael McMillan – Room 3 - All Day
For more information go to: Arrival at www.london.gov.uk
#ArrivalLDN
IMPORTANT:
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We are expecting long queues, so please allow up to an hour to gain access into City Hall
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Only bring essentials to help speed up the process of getting through the building’s airport style security
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Due to lift capacities, it could also take up to 20 mins to access your session venue within City Hall, so please allow enough time for this
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If the venue reaches capacity we reserve the right to limit entry
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There will be a coffee shop and hot food served from 11.30am - 3.30pm serving Caribbean food
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Please note, only food purchased on the premises can be consumed within the building
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If you are bringing a buggy/pram, please be advised you will have to leave it in the buggy park, as space is limited within the building
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Filming, photography and live stream will be taking place throughout the day
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You can plan your journey here https://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/our-building-and-squares/how-find-city-hall
