As part of our ongoing Wikmedia work on the Lord Chamberlian's Plays, we are delighted to welcome Joe Williams, of the Heritage Corner Project and Black History Walks Leeds, as our guest speaker. Joe will present over the lunch break between two Wikithon sessions, so that participants from both sessions may attend. His talk is entitled ‘Sankofa Yorkshire’. You can book for the morning Wikithon here, and the afternoon Wikithon here.

SANKOFA YORKSHIRE

Joe will share his early experiences in theatre in Leeds and recount how a rich foundation was very early shaped by racism and exclusion. Always wanting to give back to a city that funded his fees at a top drama college, Joe also reflects on the community he grew up in and the activist influences that inform his work today. He will recall, what he can, of how collaborations toward putting black voices on the map of Leeds led to the discovery of histories, hidden in plain sight, that hold the potential to inform us all about a shared heritage. Sankofa is a West African principle of looking back to go forward; by combining a complex history, going back some 6,000 years, Joe is able to articulate how a rich ancient humanity helped to shape the society we live in today and how he sees that it can also contribute to the development of inclusion with integrity to inspire creative works of the future.

About Joe

Joe Williams is a Leeds born arts & heritage activist and founder/director of Heritage Corner (2014) and the Leeds Black History Walk (2009). His foundation in theatre-in-education has led to Joe being a co-founder of several theatre and community-arts projects, such as Kuffdem Theatre (1988-93) and RJC Dance (1993). He has won a number of awards for services to the arts, community and education, including a Points of Light Award, from 10 Downing Street. He holds an MA from the University of Leeds, where he has also been a Visiting Fellow. Joe brings historical figures to life and his collaborations with top artists and cultural experts have been presented at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and other theatres, Harrogate International Festival, the British Library and other libraries, museums and universities. In 2021 Joe's Heritage Corner delivered the first black history walk of Harewood House and this year he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Leeds Trinity University.

Black Theatre and the Archive: Joe Williams 'SANKOFA YORKSHIRE'