Decolonising the Archive exists to ensure that #blackarchives are defined and disseminated by people of African heritage. Through their radio project, DTA.LIVE RADIO, they are collaborating with the Black Cultural Archives to explore a whole new way to connect to our history and shape our future.
CURRENT
SUPPORT OUR CAMPAIGN!
A theatre performance and Teleplay of Una Marson’s acclaimed ‘Pocomania’ will be staged in January 2023 with your support!
In collaboration between Decolonising the Archive (DTA) and Black Cultural Archives (BCA), who have previously worked to collate Una Marson's legacies, the staging of Pocomania coincides with BCA's archive on Melba Wilson; a game-changer within the Black Mental Health system.
Pocomania addresses mental health in Black communities and the psychic rupture that can happen due to migration or displacement. "Pocomania" derived from the word “Pukkumina" meaning “a little madness". The staging of the play will open conservations around mental health struggles within Black communities.
How much do we need?
£10,000 will allow us to pay for the stage production, set design, and costume.
Correcting Our Collecting COMMUNITY ARCHIVE TRAINING COURSE (LEVEL 1)
Looking for a new career with purpose, style and ingenuity?
Join the next cohort of Decolonising the Archives #Correcting Our Collecting Course.
DTA's Dr. Etienne Joseph has designed a course to introduce participants to the basic principles, skills and ideas required to approach the creation, preservation, and activation of archives from an African heritage perspective.
The course is delivered at Black Cultural Archives, enrolment is now open and ends November 17th, 2022. The course runs over eight two-hour sessions combining presentations, practical tasks, placements, and discussions. It is an entry-level course suitable for anyone of African heritage who is interested in experience and learning more about what archives are, how they are created and managed, and what we should consider when working with archives within our own communities.
email : info@decolonisingthearchive.com for any queries you may have.
Closing date for application is 17th November 2022
PAST EVENTS
POCOMANIA CALLING – Roundtable
*ONLINE EVENT
What happens when archives, African cultural memories, and social orientation meet... Pocomania?
Black Cultural Archives (BCA) and Decolonising the Archive (DTA) have teamed up to bring archives alive. These archives will support the community towards understanding the issues regarding mental health in Britain and how to tackle them through the creative platform of Theatre performances and workshops.
Join Connie Bell as she chairs the collaborative team working together to bring this public engagement project & theatre production, to the wider community to address historical issues around mental health in African & Caribbean communities. Learn more about the author Una Marson alongside the play's theme on African indigenous practices from scholars in the field. Knowledge exchange on matters regarding mental health with lived experience policy makers and game changers in this sector and finally get excited to hear what innovative storytelling will take place within the play Pocomania with its New York based director.
Panelists : Melba Wilson (Policy strategist & change maker in mental health), Dr.Jacqui Dyer (Black Thrive co - founder and Lambeth Councillor), Dr. Lisa Tomlinson Lecturer in Caribbean Cultural Studies & aesthetics (University of the West Indies) and Director Ano Okera (Founder of AO theatre production company ) and Producer Connie Bell (Co - founder of Decolonising the Archive & Memory Worker)
COMMUNITY ARCHIVE TRAINING COURSE (LEVEL 1)
Looking for a new career with purpose, style and ingenuity?
Become a Community Archivist.
As we emerge from a global pandemic and fresh period of cultural and racial reflections, unsettling events have opened up a renewed or fresh opportunity for meaningful reparative work to take place. Historically London has played its part in matters of race and migration, making it both perfectly suited, and even necessary to capture the continuity and change taking place in the city.
Decolonising the Archive has designed a program to attend to the needs of the community and its enablers, in order to capture the stories and narratives that will not get written out of 'our own' history and will be told by our own representatives of those communities.
This unique program will be run at Black Cultural Archives and will train you to become Repository Specialists.
Level 1
This is an 8-week (once a week class session) that requires for you to attend all the sessions to gain a Certificate and entry on to the Diploma Course.
Taught by experts and specialists in the field and led by Dr. Etienne Joseph.
We are offering scholarship spaces to members of the African Heritage community, once that quota is filled there will only be a limited amount of spaces for persons who are able to pay the full fee to access the course.
Closing date for application is July 12th, 2022 @5pm
THE MEANING OF ECONOMIC REPAIRS FOR AFRICAN REPARATIONS
Emancipation Day Special Masterclass
Monday, 1 August 2022
13:00 17:00
Black Cultural Archives
1 Windrush Square, London, England, SW2 1EF
Decolonising the Archive
From oral histories and music to features and radio plays DTA.LIVE draws on the long history of #blackradio in the UK to bring our stories to life in a way which centres us. These podcasts are examples of how the collaboration is bringing our archives to the airwaves.
GET INVOLVED!
DTA.LIVE values community. We understand there is no ‘me’ without ‘we’. If you would like to get involved in the project as a DJ, host, producer, or technician please get in touch with the DTA team by emailing: