Home from Home Project Awarded Heritage Fund Grant
IROKO Theatre Company is pleased to announce that they have received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for their brand-new heritage project: ‘Home from Home’.
The upcoming project will focus on exploring the legacies of pioneering British-Nigerians in UK society. It will contextualise their presence and evaluate their impact on the country they’ve grown to call home. Home from Home will also examine the British-Nigeria colonial relationship, Nigerian migration and how living in London over the years has influenced them. Lastly, it will focus on the stories of a number of Nigerians who have excelled in British society, and present oral histories of prominent Nigerian Londoners.
Home from Home aims to celebrate the community’s strength, acknowledge the struggles, and honour the commitment, perseverance, achievements and ingenuity as British-Nigerians navigate their existence in the UK. This will be achieved by highlighting their contributions to the cultural, political, educational, artistic, spiritual, and sporting life of Britain and London.
The project will offer practical training and volunteering opportunities to 60 people who wish to gain research, heritage and video recording and editing skills. There will be three guided educational tours for approximately 60 people to see celebrated Nigerian arts and artefacts. These will take place at the British Museum, Horniman Museum and the Museum of London Docklands.
The research findings will be shared through various digital channels; via outreach programmes in five schools and through targeted local groups sessions; two informative public sharing day events involving hands-on workshops, live performances, discussions, plus engaging exhibitions. An exciting aspect of the project will be a one-day conference on the legacy of people of Nigerian descent,
exploring their contributions to the visual arts, music and socio-political fabric of Britain. We estimate that overall, approximately 95,000 people will benefit from the project
Commenting on the award, Alex Oma-Pius FRSA, Founder and Artistic Director of IROKO Theatre Company said:
“The funding will provide IROKO with a golden opportunity to fill the enormous gaps in the complex (hi)stories of ever-evolving British/London culture, by highlighting the contributions of British-Nigerians that are not often part of public consciousness.”
About IROKO Theatre Company
IROKO Theatre Company, founded in 1996, uses African theatre arts and heritage, incorporating oral storytelling, drama, music, dance, arts and craft, as a vehicle to advance education, skills, health and wellbeing of members of the public. To achieve this, we conduct research, exhibitions, workshops, performances, and provide resources and accredited training programmes. Our aim is to raise awareness, preserve and enhance knowledge of African arts, culture and heritage by taking our work to the wider community.
www.irokotheatre.org.uk | Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
About The National Heritage Lottery Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife – www.heritagefund.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery, #HeritageFund. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, National Lottery players have raised over £43 billion for projects and more than 635,000 grants have been awarded across the UK. More than £30 million raised each week goes to good causes across the UK.
Further information
For further information, images and interviews please contact:
Carol Edozie, Projects Coordinator, 020 8522 1950 info@irokotheatre.org.uk
