DeCol- Decolonising the Curriculum Staff-Student Collective, University of Brighton

 

 

 

 

Reading to Resist, Reading to Belong

This Community-University Partnership Project, funded by the AHRC Ignite 3.1, with Afrori Books, Diversity Lewes and DeCol Collective explores how the bookshop acts as a space of community and belonging and what the act of reading Black Literature in Brighton means in terms of anti-racist practice, resistance, and representation, as well as how it can promote wellbeing, pleasure and joy in an increasingly hostile environment for racialised communities. The project brings together students and users of Black community groups in Brighton and Lewes through activities such as reading groups, community events and podcasts.  

STUDENTS AND PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY CAN BUY THE BOOKS FROM AFRORI FOR A SUBSIDISED PRICE OF £3, OR EMAIL Vedrana at vv35@brighton.ac.uk to purchase a copy. OUR BOOK CLUBS ARE OPEN TO ALL. PLEASE EMAIL Vedrana if you are planning to join for catering purposes, including any allergies.

Programme  

14th March 12:30-2:30 The Checkland Building Asa Briggs Foyer, Falmer Campus, University of Brighton  

Project Launch with Carolynn Bain (founder and owner of Afrori Books), Vedrana Velickovic, Vy Rajapillai and Student Partners, Deborah Oyewole, Molly Seewoolall and Stephanie Chreif (DeCol Collective, University of Brighton). Join us for a light lunch and refreshments to learn more about the project and our upcoming events. Student participants will be able to purchase books at a subsidised price. 

29th March 1.00-2.30pm  Westlain House 216, Falmer Campus, University of Brighton 

The Afrori Book Club – Join us for a friendly, informal chat about Hannah Azieb Pool’s book My Father’s Daughter from Bernardine Evaristo’s Black Britain: Writing Back series which aims to ‘correct historic bias in British publishing’. Refreshments and light food will be provided.  

10th May 6.00-8.00pm Afrori Books, Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YD  

The Afrori Book Club – Join us for a friendly, informal chat with the poet Yomi Sode about his debut poetry collection, Manorism, shortlisted for the TS Eliot prize and exploring family, survival, generational trauma, Black masculinity and the complexities of belonging. Refreshments and finger food will be provided. 

Please book your free space at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/manage/events/621642608777/tickets

31st May 6.30-8.30pm  Afrori Books, Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YD

The Afrori Book Club – Join us for a friendly, informal chat about the final book club of this project, led by Pauline Rutter, Afrori Books Poet on the Sofa. We will be discussing S. I. Martin’s Incomparable World from Evaristo’s Writing Black Britain series, ‘showcasing the untold stories of African-American soldiers grappling with their post-war freedom’. Refreshments and finger food will be provided.

Please book your free space at: Afrori Book Club Tickets, Wed 31 May 2023 at 18:30 | Eventbrite

21st June 6.00-7.00pm M2 Grand Parade, City Campus, University of Brighton 

Join Tony Kalume of Diversity Lewes and Brighton University students and staff for a celebration event at the Brighton Book Festival https://www.brightonbookfestival.co.uk/ and launch of the student podcasts. Refreshments and finger food will be provided. 

Then join the Brighton Book Festival Event ‘It’s All Greek To Me’ from 7.30

At this captivating evening of performances and talks, we look at classical European theatre and ask, Can the stories in Greek tragedies and Shakespeare’s plays help us convey our experiences of living in the 21st Century? Or are they no longer relevant to modern life?

Event Details

The evening will begin with a rehearsed reading presented by Actors of Dionysus where actors Leda Douglas and Ben Scheck, alongside Professor Katherine Harloe, Director of the Institute of Classical Studies, will begin to question and challenge the narrow window through which the Classics have been historically viewed.

The performance will be followed by a panel discussion with prominent actors, directors and researchers in the field, and is sure to be a lively conversation as they ask:

Are the Greek Classics and Shakespeare still relevant to the modern British experience?

Is Greek tragedy really a reflection of the universal human struggle?

Can ‘England’s national poet’ still speak to the experiences of people across the country?

Are classical theatre productions accessible, or is going to the theatre the preserve of the elite?

How are the Classics being used and taught in schools?

Our brilliant panellists are Kwame Owusu a Staff Director at the National Theatre on Rachel O’Riordan’s production of ‘ROMEO AND JULIE’, Farah Karim Cooper the Professor of Shakespeare Studies, King’s College London and Co -Director of Education & Research at Shakespeare’s Globe and Okorie Chukwu, star of the ITV series Kate & Koji, whose previous roles include Othello, in Unicorn Theatre’s production, which featured an all black cast.

Booking Link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/its-all-greek-to-me-tickets-556045656527?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

 

Supported by 

University of Brighton, Community University Partnership Programme                                                                                                                                Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) – UKRI

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