Uplift: a play by Dave Neita

Uplift

Dave Neita’s Uplift is a creative live performance paying tribute to the Windrush Generation in the UK.It evokes sentiments of belonging, home and dignity as a response to the hostile environment that resulted in the Windrush Scandal.

The British Home Office sent around vans in various Black communities with billboards emblazoned with the slogan ‘go home’, which resulted in hurt and trauma in whole communities. The stated aim of the Home Office was to nudge so called illegal immigrants to go home or face arrest.

The effect of the slogan was devastating in that it made people who had a right to be in the UK - citizens feel unappreciated, unwanted and targeted for abuse. At least three Home Secretaries have apologised for the devastating impact on the Windrush community yet this remains an unresolved issue, especially with regards to the emotional and psychological repair of the survivors of the scandal.

Uplift is a fitting tribute to the incredible and indomitable spirit of the people who were invited from afar to help to rebuild post-war Britain and responded to that call with generous open arms, steadfast service and love for the nation, presented as their motherland.

The performance involves the interaction between the artist and a discarded helium tank, the resultant artwork celebrates the contributions made by the Windrush Generation and sends a clear message; you belong.

A Special Adaptation

This special adaptation of Neita's Uplift is set in the art classroom of an evening education institute located in Hackney, within the orbit of St Thomas Clapton. The performance features a soundscape of those from St Thomas who are part of the Windrush Generation. The play will also be accompanied by local musicans.

Read the Review!

https://www.bingefringe.com/2022/08/11/review-uplift-dave-neita-edfringe-2022/

About the venue: St Thomas Clapton Common

St Thomas is a Grade II listed church that sits in the heart of the Clapton Common Conservation Area. Originally built as a proprietary chapel in 1774, a tower was added in 1828.

The main body of the church was destroyed by a bomb during the Second Word War, leaving only the tower remaining. The church was rebuilt in 1958 by N.F Cachemaille-Day, a prominent architect of the time. He redesigned the body of the church in plain-brick, with a flat roof, and a high ceiling with exposed concrete beams and an impressive basilican-style interior.

The church sits next to Clapton Terrace, one of the oldest groups of terraced houses in Hackney. The original proprietary chapel served the Terrace residents. The tower contains a bell from the Whitechapel bell foundry and the date, 1773.

Funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund

The church has recently been awarded a grant of £149,895 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for it's new 'Ringing the Changes' project. The project seeks to enable, in due course, the removal of the whole church building from the Heritage at Risk Register, meet legal obligations and develop a sustainable future based on local need and support. Over the coming nine months, St Thomas will be working to enhance its resilience, trial new activities, and will undertake key pieces of work and community consultation to support a major capital repair project soon.