There was much anticipation for the ‘Nigerian Day at the Black Cultural Archives’ (BCA), presented by IROKO Theatre on Saturday 9th March 2024.  Tickets for the event sold out quickly and participants were not disappointed with the variety of activities exploring and celebrating British-Nigerian heritage.

The Nigerian Day is part of IROKO’s ‘Home from Home’ project that celebrates the legacies of British-Nigerians and their contributions to the British society. It is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Kick starting the programme was a talk by Senior BCA Archivist, Harlynn Homan. She set the tone with an introduction to the important role the organisation plays in documenting Black British history and in this case, raising awareness of the collections held at the Archives reflecting the British-Nigerian community.

Feedback on the talk was positive with some participants saying they gained an “Understanding of how to access BCA”, and the “Importance of archiving mundane histories.”

For the younger members and those with a creative flair, the workshop exploring Nigerian prints and textiles went down very well. Facilitated by Emmerline Smy from www.smygoodness.com, participants created their own paper designs by cutting, mixing and matching a variety of prints. The results were lovely.  Participants were all introduced to the historical contexts of the materials used in making up the collage with some of them exploring the history of the Kingdom of Benin.

Here some images of the artwork from the workshop:

Displays showing Nigerian traditional clothing and artefacts by Kiskirine Events also attracted attention, as well as the ‘Home from Home’ exhibition of prominent British-Nigerians from Dame Shirley Bassey to Anthony Joshua. The exhibition is touring several London venues and libraries in Redbridge, Barking, Hillingdon, Lambeth, Tower Hamlets, Southwark and in Newham. The next stop for the exhibition is at Stratford Library in Newham on 16th March.

The highlight of the day was the storytelling performance by IROKO Theatre called ‘“The Stone of Destiny”, a story inspired by the ‘Home from Home’ project. With drumming, singing and audience participation, the message of hope of finding one’s destiny in a new place you call home resonated with the audience.

Alex-Oma -Pius, the IROKO Theatre Artistic Director said, “We are glad to note the mutual benefits of this event to our two organisations. We hope participants felt inspired and motivated to find out more about their heritage. We thank The Black Cultural Archives for hosting the day. We are also grateful for the continued support of our volunteers from The Event Academy and Newham Volunteers.”

Here is more feedback and learning from the participants:

Discovered the BCA Bookshop…The Inspiring Leadership Expo…Knowledge and names of prints…Black Leadership and Nigerians in roles. Powerful role models… History of beads and cloth.  Additionally, drumming practices in current day…. That there is an Archive filled with Black History which is local… Oral tradition & Storytelling…Culture and heritage… Needs to be more of these events.

For further information about the ‘Home from Home’ project and exhibition tour, please visit; https://hfh.irokotheatre.org.uk

IROKO Theatre Volunteers