A free sample of our twelve week course on African/Caribbean women who fought back against racism/colonialism from 2000 years ago to now. This free event will be hybrid, both physical and online.
Mainstream history consistently ignores the contribution of Black women and this taster session will show numerous incredible true stories of resistance and triumph plus references. We will use obscure and modern film clips, archival documents, rare books and interviews /testimony from the women.
The 12 week course starts in November and covers:
- Pre-colonial African belief systems
- Christianity as oppression and resistance
- Sanite, Mbuya, Nanny Greg, Yaa, Fannie, Nzingha, Coretta, The Two Amys, Queen Thomas, Queen Amir, Yemaja, Oya, Dandara, Nehanda and Graca
- 1970s women soldiers in Africa’s liberation wars
- Black women’s resistance in English literature
- Jamaica, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Mississippi, Haiti, Angola, Brazil, Cuba, Nigeria: Civil and Human Rights
- Disparaging terms ‘Obeah’, ‘Juju’, the real history of Santeria, Candomble, and Jumbie
- African religious beliefs and Hollywood superheroes
- The African roots of the Zombie & movie metaphors
- White female fragility and the co-options of feminism
Dates for Part 1 of the course are Tuesdays 5,12,19,26 November, Tuesdays 3,10 December 6.30pm UK time
This free taster event will be a hybrid, physical and online session from St Nicholas Church.The full course will go ahead if enough demand is shown.
Everyone who signs up for the free taster will be polled as to their preference for a physical or online course. The course will cost £110.00.00
Black History Walks runs walks, talks,films, bus tours, river/canal cruises and helicopter tours on the African/Caribbean history of London all year long. Coming events include Black History Helicopter tour, bus tour, Harlem in Mayfair walk, Notting hill walk, 20 Banned Black films you need to see , James Baldwin season at BFI Southbank, African Superheroes day and the Black History of Zombies. www.blackhistorywalks.co.uk
About the trainers:Dr Michelle Asantewa
Michelle Yaa Asantewa was born in Guyana. At age 10, she migrated to the UK to reunite with her mother. Her interest in African traditional spiritual practices and cultural identity prompted her to do a PhD on the Guyanese Komfa ritual.
She formerly lectured in English Literature, Editing and Creative Writing at London Metropolitan University and currently facilitates a range of writing workshops as an independent scholar. She is also co-tutor on The Amazing James Baldwin course and the African Women Resistance leaders: Political and Spiritual course
She co-founded Way Wive Wordz Publishing, Editing and Tuition services through which she has published her first novel, Elijah and The Awakening and Other Poems and the more recent titles – her PhD Thesis, Guyanese Komfa: the ritual art of trance, Mama Lou Tales: a folkloric biography of a Guyanese elder and Something Buried in the Yard (an extracted novella from her PhD) were launched in July 2016. She writes a regular blog – Way Wive Wordz .
About the trainers Tony Warner
Established Black History Walks in 2007. BHW explores the thousands of years of African/Caribbean history in London via 18 guided walks, bus tours, river cruises, helicopter tours, talks, films and courses.Tony is an author on the ground-breaking ‘Pearson GCSE (9-1) Edexcel History Migrants in Britain Student Book’. This exam textbook, for the first time, introduces Black British Civil Rights at GCSE level. The book is part based on the Notting Hill Black History Walk. It sold out its first print run and is presently being used by 10,000 pupils in 140 schools.He is also the author of ‘Black History Walks in London Volume 1’ from Jacaranda Books part of their revolutionary initiative to publish twenty books by 20 Black British authors in the year 2020.
Tony is the co-founder and chair of the African Odysseys programme. This grassroots initiative has been screening African diaspora films plus Q&As, on a monthly basis at the British Film Institute’s Southbank cinema for 15 years. It is the only such programme in the country and has shown thousands of films to tens of thousands of people.
In 2021, he was selected as the first ever Activist in Residence at University College London’s Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation. As such, he curated numerous events such as ‘Books, Violence and Resistance’, ‘Trailblazers of Black Theatre’, ‘The Superb Success of Saturday Schools’ and ‘African history at the Tower of London’ etc.