Gloria Harrison - Obituary |
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By the first Assembly Ground:
Church Service
Church Service (Full) - Hymns and Readings for Gloria - By the first Assembly Ground
Hymns and Readings for Gloria (Booklet)
Hymns and Readings for Gloria (Booklet)
Church Service: |
By the River:
Graveside Service
Graveside Service (Full) - Hymns and Readings for Gloria - By the river
Hymns and Readings for Gloria (Booklet)
Hymns and Readings for Gloria (Booklet)
Graveside Service: |
This page will be updated with more media footage in celebration of this special service for Grand Mother Gloria.
Comments
The reform of GCSE Mathematics 2015 and beyond:
a simple strategic overview (mind map style)
Hashima members and friends, respectful greetings to you.
More and more the community has been asking about the UK's education reforms now taking place, particularly in regard to the GCSEs. For your overview I have prepared this mind map of some important changes in the reform of GCSE Mathematics which formally hits the ground this coming September 2015. Some of the map points have little paperclips on them, these link to useful additional information. Explore carefully.
In producing this information I have resisted adding opinions and the forecasts that clearly appear to me however at Abundance Centres (UK) Development Trust we are very interested in your points of view, insights and educational needs. Community concerns continue to grow around the standard system's implicit bias and how these will combine with these new education reforms. This is why the Trust continues to build tactical projects to help ensure the success of children and families who are increasingly choosing to retain and explore their rights and responsibilities in regard to education (Family Directed Learning).
In particular one of our new initiatives will be working closely with independent learners / families and teachers to prepare higher tier GCSE Maths learning programmes facilitated in the context of the Unifiedknowledge approach to learning. YOU must choose the standard of excellence for yourself, others may not feel or know you have it in you. If you need to find out more about Educating with Unifiedknowledge click here and enrol today. Make sure you follow me (@Astehmari) on Twitter to be updated on all the new initiatives.
Keep in touch with your natural self... @uLearnNaturally.
Htp (peace) Astehmari
| Astehmari Batekun Executive Member Abundance Centres (UK) www.abundancecentre.org www.facebook.com/ulearnnaturally astehmari@abundancecentre.org https://uk.linkedin.com/in/astehmaribatekun @astehmari Principal Teacher Schools Of Unified Learning (SOUL) www.mathsdance.co.uk www.unifiedknowledge.org www.youtube.com/unifiedknowledge T: 020 8144 1720 M: 075 3003 8547 |
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view this mind map more fully on a dedicated page.
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Dr Donald Palmer (Senior Immunologist)
shares insight on STEM +Art = STEAM
Part of the Language of Science from African Perspectives series.
This video is one of the special events from our uLearn Naturally Science Week 2015 programme of ground breaking events for families, children, professionals & adults. This was a very interesting community seminar hosted by Abundance Centres (UK) at New Mind Centre (Brixton) there were serveral presentations on the theme of “the language of science from African perspectives”. In this presentation Dr Donald Palmer shared his insights on the importance of STEM and his growing interest in STEAM; Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths. In the spirit of the presentation this video has been created to give example to the value of Art in discussion and the practice of STEM. Enjoy the blend of Dr Palmer's reasoning and visual insights to how the immune system works. Get the idea of how One's immune system works, enter the beautiful world.
Dr Palmer’s job involves studying, and teaching others about, the way in which the human body protects itself from infections and from malfunctions, including cancer. He is especially interested in the way in which the body’s immune system changes with age and spends a lot of time using chemicals and instruments to examine the surfaces of human cells. His journey from schoolchild to Senior Lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College began with an Ordinary National Diploma in Medical Sciences at South London Technical College and he attributes his success to his parents and other helpful mentors who fuelled his own innate hunger to succeed.
Dr Palmer is a co-founder of Reach Society. This social enterprise encourages, motivates and inspires black boys and young Black men to realise their potential and make viable transitions into adult life.
Reach Society was founded in October 2010 by a small group of friends who are professional Black men who had successfully navigated the social, economical and emotional challenges to develop from boys to men in the UK. Along the way they learnt the essential strategies needed to develop their potential to become useful contributors to their families, local communities and the wider society.
Let us know you enjoyed the video.
Science, you know you want to know more.
#uLearnScience @uLearnNaturally
Dr Palmer is a co-founder of Reach Society. This social enterprise encourages, motivates and inspires black boys and young Black men to realise their potential and make viable transitions into adult life.
Reach Society was founded in October 2010 by a small group of friends who are professional Black men who had successfully navigated the social, economical and emotional challenges to develop from boys to men in the UK. Along the way they learnt the essential strategies needed to develop their potential to become useful contributors to their families, local communities and the wider society.
Let us know you enjoyed the video.
Science, you know you want to know more.
#uLearnScience @uLearnNaturally
For further info and featured footage:
Reach Society – organisation co-founded by Dr Donald Palmer
http://www.reachsociety.com/
The Language of Unifiedknowledge - #uLearnScience event presented by Astehmari Batekun
http://goo.gl/SosyjT
Steve Colman – Jazz maestro - Beyond All We Know
http://www.m-base.org/black_science_mp3_files/beyond_all_we_know.mp3
http://m-base.com
British Society for Immunology
http://bitesized.immunology.org/
YOUR LIFE IS A COMPUTER SIMULATION – feat Prof Gates & Dr Neil DeGrass Tyson
https://youtu.be/YGxVGtkTa4s
Mathematical Modelling – voice over for floor animation
https://youtu.be/nTmTy3lhpGY
Inside the Cell – graphic animation inside the cell's world
https://youtu.be/2KQbVr9kFO0
The immune system – written info
https://youtu.be/NFkraFo__GE
Cells and organs of immune System – body standing to the right
https://youtu.be/wOy17QrY0bo
Immune System Heroes - floor animation
https://youtu.be/78Wm6t7twSw
WoeLab, W.AFATE, Made in Africa _ from recycled e-waste' extruder – hand handling equipment
https://youtu.be/JVnV-jOx8pE
Blood flow in a normal carotid artery bifurcation
https://youtu.be/Y3GQiBllgeY
Reach Society – organisation co-founded by Dr Donald Palmer
http://www.reachsociety.com/
The Language of Unifiedknowledge - #uLearnScience event presented by Astehmari Batekun
http://goo.gl/SosyjT
Steve Colman – Jazz maestro - Beyond All We Know
http://www.m-base.org/black_science_mp3_files/beyond_all_we_know.mp3
http://m-base.com
British Society for Immunology
http://bitesized.immunology.org/
YOUR LIFE IS A COMPUTER SIMULATION – feat Prof Gates & Dr Neil DeGrass Tyson
https://youtu.be/YGxVGtkTa4s
Mathematical Modelling – voice over for floor animation
https://youtu.be/nTmTy3lhpGY
Inside the Cell – graphic animation inside the cell's world
https://youtu.be/2KQbVr9kFO0
The immune system – written info
https://youtu.be/NFkraFo__GE
Cells and organs of immune System – body standing to the right
https://youtu.be/wOy17QrY0bo
Immune System Heroes - floor animation
https://youtu.be/78Wm6t7twSw
WoeLab, W.AFATE, Made in Africa _ from recycled e-waste' extruder – hand handling equipment
https://youtu.be/JVnV-jOx8pE
Blood flow in a normal carotid artery bifurcation
https://youtu.be/Y3GQiBllgeY
ATL Learning Centre Presents:
A celebration of British Science Week on Saturday 21st March 2015 at the Deptford Lounge with exciting activities for the children in the community.
The first task was all about team building, children made groups of three to ensemble some of the electronic toys that we made available for them. We even had a toddler having a go at assembling.
The "I can" mindset was prevalent through the whole task. They managed to accomplish it and enjoy the results.
Watch the full event review video here:
https://youtu.be/Q6R-z091i0c (or via the second video down on this page)
More info at
ATL Learning Centre's website:
http://www.atl-lclondon.co.uk
A celebration of British Science Week on Saturday 21st March 2015 at the Deptford Lounge with exciting activities for the children in the community.
The first task was all about team building, children made groups of three to ensemble some of the electronic toys that we made available for them. We even had a toddler having a go at assembling.
The "I can" mindset was prevalent through the whole task. They managed to accomplish it and enjoy the results.
Watch the full event review video here:
https://youtu.be/Q6R-z091i0c (or via the second video down on this page)
More info at
ATL Learning Centre's website:
http://www.atl-lclondon.co.uk
Astehmari's comments at this event:
Edit from full video review (see below and watch).
Watch the full video review of this great event:
This video is one of the special events from our uLearn Naturally Science Week 2015 programme of ground breaking events for families, children, professionals & adults. In an important sharing of experience Author and Teacher Onyeka speaks on some of the real requirement of working scientifically with the heritage and inheritance of African people. Hear clearly the driving ideas and research imperatives that have empowered his breakthrough book Blackamoores. Enjoy and learn as he inspires the scientist inside each and every one of us.
About Onyeka
Onyeka is a writer, law lecturer and historian. His books document the lives and history of the African experience in Britain. His work explores issues about cultural identity, resistance to oppression and the will to succeed.
About Onyeka
Onyeka is a writer, law lecturer and historian. His books document the lives and history of the African experience in Britain. His work explores issues about cultural identity, resistance to oppression and the will to succeed.
Working Scientifically with African Inheritance
uLearn Naturally Science Week 2015 - abundancecentre.org
Onyeka has written three novels, The Black Prince, Waiting to Explode and The Phoenix, which was awarded the 2009 African Achievers award for Communication and Media. He has also written two plays and his recent book, Blackamoores: Africans in Tudor England, their Presence, Status and Origins, is a ground breaking historical publication which highlights the significance of the presence of African people in Tudor England. This important work is based on the investigation of over 250,000 artifacts and documents gathered by the author, spanning more than 10 years of research. Some of this evidence was collected from archives and parish records across England and Europe.
Event was held on March 19th 2015 @ All Eyes On Egipt (Brixton)
Video Release Date: 21st May 2015
Science, you know you want to know more.
Event was held on March 19th 2015 @ All Eyes On Egipt (Brixton)
Video Release Date: 21st May 2015
Science, you know you want to know more.
 |
Reference links & info:
Tudor Africans: What's in a name?
A paper by Onyeka. History Today, Issue 62.
http://www.historytoday.com/onyeka/tudor-africans-whats-name
Narrative Eye
http://narrative-eye.org.uk/index.html
Tudor Africans: What's in a name?
A paper by Onyeka. History Today, Issue 62.
http://www.historytoday.com/onyeka/tudor-africans-whats-name
Narrative Eye
http://narrative-eye.org.uk/index.html
Teaching Evolution and Inheritance in Schools
uLearn Naturally Science Week 2015 - abundancecentre.org
This video is one of the special events from our uLearn Naturally Science Week 2015 programme of ground breaking events for families, children, professionals & adults. This was a very interesting community discussion hosted by Abundance Centres (UK) at All Eyes On Egipt (Brixton) with a panel of distinguished thinkers and well respected community teachers.
The title is an opening to many issues, one focal point was to inform and dialogue with community about changes in the National Curriculum regarding the teaching of these subjects in Schools. As you might expect these matters relate to many issues and so the discussion was fluid and serves as an excellent opening to what is clearly a need for ongoing communal conversations.
Our distinguished panellists were:
Patrick Vernon
Patrick Vernon OBE is a Clore Fellow, Associate Fellow for the Department of History of Medicine at Warwick University. He is also a member of Healthwatch England, NHS England Equality Diversity Council, Advisory board member for Time To Change and former member of the Labour and the Coalition government Ministerial Advisory for Mental Health.
Founder of Every Generation Media and 100 Great Black Britons, which develops education programmes, publications and films on cultural heritage and family history. Patrick was made Pioneer of the Nation for Cultural History by the Queen in 2003.He is a leading expert on African and Caribbean genealogy in the UK.
Mama D
Mama D is a founder member of Community Centred Knowledge, a Grass Roots Earth Steward community. 'The Voice of the Earth is our Voice'
We are founded upon indigenous and whole person ways of knowing and being. This means that what is not normally aired or shared in 'the corridors of power' is what we bring the many tables at which we assemble.
Mama D is also a community researcher and developer @DistributedSelf which is an Ubuntu way of experiencing reality which brings Insight and pro-activity to the fore.
Onyeka
Onyeka is a writer, law lecturer and historian. His books document the lives and history of the African experience in Britain. His work explores issues about cultural identity, resistance to oppression and the will to succeed.
Onyeka has written three novels, The Black Prince, Waiting to Explode and The Phoenix, which was awarded the 2009 African Achievers award for Communication and Media. He has also written two plays and his recent book, Blackamoores: Africans in Tudor England, their Presence, Status and Origins, is a ground breaking historical publication which highlights the significance of the presence of African people in Tudor England. This important work is based on the investigation of over 250,000 artifacts and documents gathered by the author, spanning more than 10 years of research. Some of this evidence was collected from archives and parish records across England and Europe.
Host:
Astehmari Batekun
Executive Member
Abundance Centres (UK)
www.abundancecentre.org
www.facebook.com/ulearnnaturally
astehmari@abundancecentre.org
@astehmari
Principal Teacher
Schools Of Unified Learning (SOUL)
www.mathsdance.co.uk
www.unifiedknowledge.org
www.youtube.com/unifiedknowledge
T: 020 8144 1720
M: 075 3003 8547
Event was held on March 19th 2015 @ All Eyes On Egipt (Brixton)
Video Release Date: 18th May 2015
Science, you know you want to know more.
The title is an opening to many issues, one focal point was to inform and dialogue with community about changes in the National Curriculum regarding the teaching of these subjects in Schools. As you might expect these matters relate to many issues and so the discussion was fluid and serves as an excellent opening to what is clearly a need for ongoing communal conversations.
Our distinguished panellists were:
Patrick Vernon
Patrick Vernon OBE is a Clore Fellow, Associate Fellow for the Department of History of Medicine at Warwick University. He is also a member of Healthwatch England, NHS England Equality Diversity Council, Advisory board member for Time To Change and former member of the Labour and the Coalition government Ministerial Advisory for Mental Health.
Founder of Every Generation Media and 100 Great Black Britons, which develops education programmes, publications and films on cultural heritage and family history. Patrick was made Pioneer of the Nation for Cultural History by the Queen in 2003.He is a leading expert on African and Caribbean genealogy in the UK.
Mama D
Mama D is a founder member of Community Centred Knowledge, a Grass Roots Earth Steward community. 'The Voice of the Earth is our Voice'
We are founded upon indigenous and whole person ways of knowing and being. This means that what is not normally aired or shared in 'the corridors of power' is what we bring the many tables at which we assemble.
Mama D is also a community researcher and developer @DistributedSelf which is an Ubuntu way of experiencing reality which brings Insight and pro-activity to the fore.
Onyeka
Onyeka is a writer, law lecturer and historian. His books document the lives and history of the African experience in Britain. His work explores issues about cultural identity, resistance to oppression and the will to succeed.
Onyeka has written three novels, The Black Prince, Waiting to Explode and The Phoenix, which was awarded the 2009 African Achievers award for Communication and Media. He has also written two plays and his recent book, Blackamoores: Africans in Tudor England, their Presence, Status and Origins, is a ground breaking historical publication which highlights the significance of the presence of African people in Tudor England. This important work is based on the investigation of over 250,000 artifacts and documents gathered by the author, spanning more than 10 years of research. Some of this evidence was collected from archives and parish records across England and Europe.
Host:
Astehmari Batekun
Executive Member
Abundance Centres (UK)
www.abundancecentre.org
www.facebook.com/ulearnnaturally
astehmari@abundancecentre.org
@astehmari
Principal Teacher
Schools Of Unified Learning (SOUL)
www.mathsdance.co.uk
www.unifiedknowledge.org
www.youtube.com/unifiedknowledge
T: 020 8144 1720
M: 075 3003 8547
Event was held on March 19th 2015 @ All Eyes On Egipt (Brixton)
Video Release Date: 18th May 2015
Science, you know you want to know more.
Reference links & info:
Patrick Verton
http://patrickvernon.org.uk/
http://everygeneration.co.uk/
Community Centred Knowledge
https://communitycentredknowledge.wordpress.com/
Narrative Eye
http://narrative-eye.org.uk/index.html
British Biologist Denis Noble Debunks Neo Darwinism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMVfafAYTMg
A Vernadskian Law of Evolution
http://archive.larouchepac.com/vernadsky-evolution
Patrick Verton
http://patrickvernon.org.uk/
http://everygeneration.co.uk/
Community Centred Knowledge
https://communitycentredknowledge.wordpress.com/
Narrative Eye
http://narrative-eye.org.uk/index.html
British Biologist Denis Noble Debunks Neo Darwinism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMVfafAYTMg
A Vernadskian Law of Evolution
http://archive.larouchepac.com/vernadsky-evolution
The Language of Unifiedknowledge
~ Freedom to Explore the Universe ~
uLearn Naturally Science Week 2015 - abundancecentre.org
~ Freedom to Explore the Universe ~
uLearn Naturally Science Week 2015 - abundancecentre.org
Presented by:
Astehmari Batekun
Principal - Schools Of Unified Learning (SOUL)
Executive Member - Abundance Centre (UK)
March 20th 2015 @ New Mind Centre (Brixton)
This video is one of the presentations from our uLearn Naturally Science Week 2015 programme of ground breaking events for families, children, professionals & adults. Science, you know you want to know more.
This presentation was part of The Language of Science from African Perspectives seminar; a uLearn Naturally Science Week 2015 event held on 20th March 2015 at New Mind Centre (Brixton, London) and organised by Abundance Centres (UK).
The presentation gives insight to the following interesting points:
- maths-art-science unity.
- what is number?
- what is binary?
- the importance of adding sign language to our basic ideas/practices of language.
- a simple yet advanced drum language system.
- visualising solar system movement and the processes underlying
- season change on Earth.
- what is pedagogy?
- Ideas underpinning African learning pedagogies.
- summary of the Unifiedknowledge Pedagogy.
- appreciation of Amharic (the language of Ethiopia)
Science, you know you want to know more. Enrol now in the following courses:
Reference links & info:
Unifiedknowledge Pedagogy
http://abundancecentre.weebly.com/unifiedknowledge-pedagogy.html
unifiedknowledge Global explore the potential
(52 mins into this video is a audio introduction to the Unifiedknowledge Pedagogy)
https://youtu.be/2UMSkOUvv4Q
The helical model - our solar system is a vortex
http://youtu.be/mvgaxQGPg7I
Learn Binary in 1 Minute
https://youtu.be/PQZ_OOjmuVw
Afrikan Yoga Hudu Air Movement
https://youtu.be/82p-DYgGFjI
Earth's motion around the Sun, not as simple as I thought
https://youtu.be/82p-DYgGFjI
RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms (Sir Ken Robinson)
https://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U
Crane Dance - Transformation Insights for maths dance in abunDANCE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCm_g0M9Hls
Triangle - dance animation [animation cited to illustrate the idea of "story"]
https://youtu.be/IG1ZCfx-iwM
Unifiedknowledge Language - Learning Resources (pdfs and audios)
http://archive.peoplescience.org.uk/index.php?dir=&search=amharic&search_mode=f
Tehwagi Asab - Learning Resources (pdfs and audios)
http://archive.peoplescience.org.uk/index.php?dir=&search=tehwagi+asab&search_mode=f
YouTube #uLearnScience2015 events Video Playlist
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRF9sQsIM1bSNsL3zE6OKR2uc-DWSVZ1M
Is your child going to be a Black Fusion Scientist?
uLearn Naturally Science Week 2015 - abundancecentre.org
Presented by:
Astehmari Batekun
Principal - Schools Of Unified Learning (SOUL)
Executive Member - Abundance Centre (UK)
March 14th 2015 @ New Mind Centre (Brixton)
This video is one of the presentations from our uLearn Naturally Science Week 2015 programme of ground breaking events for families, children, professionals & adults. Science, you know you want to know more.
Here Astehmari explores the importance of ancient African metallurgy and scientific knowledge currently contextualised in art and craft. Exposing and removing standard system divisions of knowledge with clear insights into the values of unified approaches to learning.
Reference links & info:
Unifiedknowledge Pedagogy
http://abundancecentre.weebly.com/unifiedknowledge-pedagogy.html
Forging Fusion: Physical, Chemical, Nuclear, Fusion!
https://youtu.be/ggzu5umohz0
Prehistoric copper smelting in a pit! (short reconstruction)
https://youtu.be/8uHc4Hirexc
Smelting Iron in Africa (insightful & detailed overview)
https://youtu.be/RuCnZClWwpQ
What are the Benin Bronzes? - The arts past and present (6/6)
https://youtu.be/Nh2Tac1gNPU
Ivan Van Sertima on little-known African achievements.
https://youtu.be/0UYb3zx7vCg
Oort Kuiper - The Periodic Table (Rapping the elements!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDp9hUf_SV8
Oort Kuiper - S.T.E.M Rap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqJ1l02TXtA
Crane Dance - Transformation Insights for maths dance in abunDANCE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCm_g0M9Hls
Sugar in the Blood; Balanced, Salt in the Wounds; Cleaned.
Saturday 21st February was a day of roots and culture. I had the great pleasure of attending the Second Huntley Symposium “Sugar in the Blood, Salt in the Wound”; Exploring Caribbean Family History at the London Metropolitan Archive.
Apart from sharing with you highlights from a rare and special kind of gathering I also feel I must write on this to heal the fact that I've missed the first Huntley Symposium and the first nine Annual Huntley Conferences!!! Life sparing I'll be at the tenth for sure (31st October @ Guildhall Art Gallery).
Andrea Stuart, author of Sugar in the Blood: A Family's Story of Slavery and Empire, gave a touching keynote address, giving her voice to the words of her book that had so clearly moved most of the hundred plus gathering who mostly stayed for the whole day. You can imagine how challenging it has been for these stories to come to public view, the blood of enslaved Africans used to sweeten millions (if not billions) of cups of tea Britain and Europe wide.
With the many diabolical processes of destruction heaped on African persons, families, communities and nations, it's impossible to remember in its fullness, yet clearly its remembrance is vital to future development. Now not only for African peoples but for people globally, and given the place and time of this symposium the gathered saw the vitality of remembrance for Britain's correction of policy, future development and healing. That said even today media such as the Guardian would still seem to take umbrage with Andrea's correlations of the African Maafa (holocaust) and the holocaust of the Jews under the Nazis. Why? Is it not now highly evident that the African holocaust involved more destruction of peoples, their cultures and descendant’s true life potentials than any other holocaust of world history? Well I, for One, congratulate Andrea for taking up the African agency (voice) to speak upon our past heritage in knowledge of its undeniable resonance in all our lives today and tomorrow. This is, of course, one relatively small stage (time wise) in African history, let us never forget though the profound pivot it has effected.
Guy Grannum of the National Archive gave an interesting and information rich glance through the way and quality of records kept by the nations in regard to military service women and men of the Caribbean. His presentation showed how the underlying stories of the past start to shine clearly through the records, as fragmented as some of the records can be.
Patrick Vernon, a leading expert of African & Caribbean genealogy in the UK shared his story of tracing his family, the Shirley of Jamaica. From his presentation many points touched me and connect to the work of the Trust. As an example he spoke of the rarity of family gatherings to explore family heritage and story and this rang a bell for me regarding the Trust's insight to child and family safeguarding where there is a profound need for family support to facilitate multi generational family gatherings to support the young and the family unit itself. This is a strand of preventative services that our Trust is committed to. His personal knowledge and insight to DNA technologies applied to genealogical family heritage studies was very interesting too.
Yes it really was a day of deep roots and culture, its foundation being the pioneering works of Eric and Jessica Huntley, who for over 50 years participated in many significant grassroots campaigns pivotal to challenging Britain’s practical ignorance of racial equality and educing more value for diversity from within and around Black communities. Let me spell out this lineage in simple terms; Abundance Centres (UK) has been seeded by Schools Of Unified Learning (SOUL), which was seeded by the Ka-Zimba Ngoma Academy, which was seeded in the early works of the Huntleys. So you can imagine my pleasure at being in this event with all gathered yet most specially Eric Huntley (founder of Friends of the Huntley Archives at LMA aka FHALMA) and Hamzah Muhammad (co-founder of the Ka-Zimba Ngoma Academy).
Something like the completion of a cycle took place as I reasoned with Margaret Andrews (Chair of FHALMA) and Sharon Williams one of their highly active and outreaching members. The lunch reasoning with the great artist Michael McMillan (writer, playwright, mixed-media artist, curator and academic) was fun. I'm determined to find out more on how he correlates dub and jazz, but more relevant to the point of our gathering he is rebuilding and art installation of the Walter Rodney Book shop to not only capture the physicality of this historic landmark place but also the dynamic. This is part of the No Colour Bar / Black British Art in Action: 1960s to 1990s exhibition project by FHALMA which has received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. There's a lot happening around this project, the bookshop installation will be launched on the 7th July 2015.
And there's more. By serendipity I was asked to support the concluding dynamics of the symposium so I found myself, drum in hand with Ras Chauncey, Eric's son, to the right, Keith Waithe (the renowned flautist I had just recently heard on the BBC's Forum expressing ideas of blackhole science and rhythm with his instrumental insight) to my left and the ever wonderful storyteller Sandra Agard on the floor enrapturing the gathered with a story of nobility, humility and wisdom.
As we do, the sugar in the blood and the salt in the wounds were eased with a song and a dance.
by Astehmari Batekun
Executive Member (Chair)
Abundance Centres (UK)
Saturday 21st February was a day of roots and culture. I had the great pleasure of attending the Second Huntley Symposium “Sugar in the Blood, Salt in the Wound”; Exploring Caribbean Family History at the London Metropolitan Archive.
Apart from sharing with you highlights from a rare and special kind of gathering I also feel I must write on this to heal the fact that I've missed the first Huntley Symposium and the first nine Annual Huntley Conferences!!! Life sparing I'll be at the tenth for sure (31st October @ Guildhall Art Gallery).
Andrea Stuart, author of Sugar in the Blood: A Family's Story of Slavery and Empire, gave a touching keynote address, giving her voice to the words of her book that had so clearly moved most of the hundred plus gathering who mostly stayed for the whole day. You can imagine how challenging it has been for these stories to come to public view, the blood of enslaved Africans used to sweeten millions (if not billions) of cups of tea Britain and Europe wide.
With the many diabolical processes of destruction heaped on African persons, families, communities and nations, it's impossible to remember in its fullness, yet clearly its remembrance is vital to future development. Now not only for African peoples but for people globally, and given the place and time of this symposium the gathered saw the vitality of remembrance for Britain's correction of policy, future development and healing. That said even today media such as the Guardian would still seem to take umbrage with Andrea's correlations of the African Maafa (holocaust) and the holocaust of the Jews under the Nazis. Why? Is it not now highly evident that the African holocaust involved more destruction of peoples, their cultures and descendant’s true life potentials than any other holocaust of world history? Well I, for One, congratulate Andrea for taking up the African agency (voice) to speak upon our past heritage in knowledge of its undeniable resonance in all our lives today and tomorrow. This is, of course, one relatively small stage (time wise) in African history, let us never forget though the profound pivot it has effected.
Guy Grannum of the National Archive gave an interesting and information rich glance through the way and quality of records kept by the nations in regard to military service women and men of the Caribbean. His presentation showed how the underlying stories of the past start to shine clearly through the records, as fragmented as some of the records can be.
Patrick Vernon, a leading expert of African & Caribbean genealogy in the UK shared his story of tracing his family, the Shirley of Jamaica. From his presentation many points touched me and connect to the work of the Trust. As an example he spoke of the rarity of family gatherings to explore family heritage and story and this rang a bell for me regarding the Trust's insight to child and family safeguarding where there is a profound need for family support to facilitate multi generational family gatherings to support the young and the family unit itself. This is a strand of preventative services that our Trust is committed to. His personal knowledge and insight to DNA technologies applied to genealogical family heritage studies was very interesting too.
Yes it really was a day of deep roots and culture, its foundation being the pioneering works of Eric and Jessica Huntley, who for over 50 years participated in many significant grassroots campaigns pivotal to challenging Britain’s practical ignorance of racial equality and educing more value for diversity from within and around Black communities. Let me spell out this lineage in simple terms; Abundance Centres (UK) has been seeded by Schools Of Unified Learning (SOUL), which was seeded by the Ka-Zimba Ngoma Academy, which was seeded in the early works of the Huntleys. So you can imagine my pleasure at being in this event with all gathered yet most specially Eric Huntley (founder of Friends of the Huntley Archives at LMA aka FHALMA) and Hamzah Muhammad (co-founder of the Ka-Zimba Ngoma Academy).
Something like the completion of a cycle took place as I reasoned with Margaret Andrews (Chair of FHALMA) and Sharon Williams one of their highly active and outreaching members. The lunch reasoning with the great artist Michael McMillan (writer, playwright, mixed-media artist, curator and academic) was fun. I'm determined to find out more on how he correlates dub and jazz, but more relevant to the point of our gathering he is rebuilding and art installation of the Walter Rodney Book shop to not only capture the physicality of this historic landmark place but also the dynamic. This is part of the No Colour Bar / Black British Art in Action: 1960s to 1990s exhibition project by FHALMA which has received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. There's a lot happening around this project, the bookshop installation will be launched on the 7th July 2015.
And there's more. By serendipity I was asked to support the concluding dynamics of the symposium so I found myself, drum in hand with Ras Chauncey, Eric's son, to the right, Keith Waithe (the renowned flautist I had just recently heard on the BBC's Forum expressing ideas of blackhole science and rhythm with his instrumental insight) to my left and the ever wonderful storyteller Sandra Agard on the floor enrapturing the gathered with a story of nobility, humility and wisdom.
As we do, the sugar in the blood and the salt in the wounds were eased with a song and a dance.
by Astehmari Batekun
Executive Member (Chair)
Abundance Centres (UK)
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