Events in London

Events in London

Talks and discussions

Monday 24 November

* Gaza: Ceasefire, Survival and the Future of a State, Ramita Navai and Jean-Pierre Filiu discuss what the ceasefire truly means and what can emerge from the ruins, 7pm, £16.80, Palestine House, 113 High Holborn, WC1V 6JQ. Info: Frontline

Tuesday 25 November

* 60 years since the 1965 Race Relations Act and its lessons for racial justice today, Shabna Begujm, 5pm-7pm, UCL Institute of Advanced Studies, Gower Street, WC1E6BT

* The Emergency Response Rooms of Sudan: local leadership in action, leaders of the grassroots movement the Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), 5.30 - 7pm, Overseas Development Institute, 4 Millbank, SW1P 3JA and online. Info: ODI

* Salman Rushdie: The Eleventh Hour, the author celebrates the publication of his new story collection, in conversation with Mishal Husain, 7.30pm, £20, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX. Info: Rushdie

* Palestine - 1: Reimagining Palestine’s Past, celebration of the launch of an anthology edited by Basma Ghalayini, in which 10 Palestinian writers re-imagine Palestine the year before the Nakba on a village-by-village basis, 7pm, £12, British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1. Info: Library

* Down to Earth: Why Soil Matters, Melissa Leach, Merlin Sheldrake, Martin Bell, 6.30 - 7.45pm, The British Academy, 10 -11  Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y 5AH. Info: BA

* A Guide to Direct Action, 6 - 7.30pm, online, free. Info: Human Rights Action Centre 

Wednesday 26 November

* Black Girl from Pyongyang, book talk with Monica Macias whose father, Equatorial Guinea President Francisco Macías Nguema sent her to be educated under the guardianship of North Korea’s President Kim Il Sung and who stayed on after  her father’s death in a coup and her mother became unreachable, 7 - 8.30pm, from £6.13, 13 Norfolk Place, W2 1QJ. Info: Frontline

* Prosecuting the powerful: confronting the challenges of international justice, Denisa Kostovicova, Steve Crawshaw, 6.30-8pm, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE

* How can schools tackle misogyny? Embedding equality in education, 5-7pm, Overseas Development Institute, 4 Millbank, SW1P 3JA. Info: ODI

Thursday 27 November

* Weaponising credibility: Lawfare, bureaucratic violence, and Bangladeshi asylum seekers in the UK, Ashraf Hoque on struggles of Bangladeshi refugee men in ‘legalising’ their residency, 12 - 1pm, Institute of Education, 55-59 Gordon Square, WC1H 0NT. Info: IoE

* Net Migration Figures – What Next for Policy and Politics?, Alan Manning, Marley Morris, Sunder Katwala, 12 - 1pm, online. Info: British Future.

Saturday 29 November

*  What is the Black Archive: Reparations and Transformation, day of discussions on the past and future of the Black Archive and its role in determining how Black Britons are remembered, 9.30am-5pm, British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1. Info: Black Archive

* The Power of Black African Caribbean Archives, panels, performances, archive tours, conversations, 10am - 5.30pm, 40 Northampton Road, EC1R 0HB. Info: The London Archives

Monday 1 December

* Race and the question of Palestine, Lana Tatour, 5 - 7pm, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street WC1

* Identity and politics in Xi Jinping’s China, Emily Feng on her new book, Let Only Red Flowers Bloom, 5 - 6.30pm, online. Info: SOAS

* Annual lecture on literary translation, Elif Shafak, in person and online, 7pm, £15, British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB. Info: Library

Tuesday 2 December

* From engines to heads: Sisyphus’ task and the almost normal logic of Africa’s formal economies, Chongsheng Yang, 12, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, WC2. Info: SOAS

Exhibitions

* Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus, how post Second World War “Emergencies”, as they were termed by the UK, shaped Britain, its former territories and the modern world, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road SE1 6HZ until 29 March. Info: IWM

* Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, from ancient Mesopotamia and Victorian London to modern-day Nepal and Singapore, the exhibition combines art, science, history, technology and indigenous knowledge to deepen understanding of our relationships with freshwater, free, Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE until 1 February. Info: Wellcome

+ Thirst: an exhibition bridge over troubled water​

* Kerry James Marshall: The Histories, “the most important artist” in the US, who places the lives of Black Americans front and centre, £23.50-£25.50, Royal Academy, Piccadilly, until 18 January. Info: RA

+ ‘If you say Black, you should see Black’

+ ‘My paintings don’t fit the narrative’: Kerry James Marshall on why he’s depicting black enslavers

* Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire & Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art,  The Singh Twins examine the global mythologies of plants and the histories of Empire + Flora Indica – a world first display of work by historical Indian botanical artists, admission included in Kew entry fee, Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens until 12 April

+ The Singh Twins light up the dark links between empire and botany

+ The Singh Twins spotlight Kew’s role in the business of Empire

*  A Story of South Asian Art: Mrinalini Mukherjee and Her Circle, artists who have shaped the trajectory of Indian Modernism, £17, Royal Academy, Burlington House, Piccadilly W1J until 24 February. Info: RA

* Nigerian Modernism,  Nigerian artists working before and after the decade of national independence from colonial rule in 1960, Tate Modern, Bankside SE1 9TG until 10 May. Info: Tate

*  Mumbai + London: new perspectives on the ancient world, small exhibit focussed on Greek god Dionysius and India’s Vishnu, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG until 11 January 2026. Info: Exhibition

* Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times In An Instant), Mexican artist Teresa Margolles’ cuboid on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square is a memorial to trans people worldwide

* Collecting and Empire, trail making connections between archaeology, anthropology and the British Empire, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1. Info: British Museum

* British Library, installation of 6,328 books marks the contributions of migrants to UK, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1. Info: Installation/ 7887 8888

* Inspiration Africa: Stories Beyond the Artifacts, exploration of V&A galleries through the lens of African heritage, free, second Saturday of every month, V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7. Info: V&A

* African Deeds, showcases a collection that includes diaries, cassette interviews, videos, photos and documents of three generations of family history, inspired by grandfather Thomas’ land title deeds brought from West Africa in 1901, Black Cultural Archives, 1 Windrush Square, SW2 1EF. Info: BCA

* Target Queen, large-scale commission by British-Indian artist Bharti Kher, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre

* Making Egypt, exploring ancient Egypt's creativity and how it continues to influence art, design and popular culture today, £10, Young V&A, Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA. Info: V&A

* Imaging Peace, outdoor exhibition featuring global community peace photography projects, part of ‘Lost & Found: Stories of sanctuary and belonging’, a free programme of arts and ideas at King’s College, Strand, WC2R 2LS. Info: Peace exhibition

*  The Presence of Solitude, through film, photography and costume,  Taiwanese artist Val Lee explores isolation, solitude and the resulting human connections, free, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road until 11 January. Info: Hayward

* I Still Dream of Lost Vocabularies, examination of political dissent and erasure through the idea of collage, Sabrina Tirvengadum, Sunil Gupta, Qualeasha Wood, Jess Atieno, Sheida Soleimani, free, Autograph, Rivington Place, EC2A 3BA until 21 March. Info: Exhibition  

* Parliament of Ghosts, site specific work by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama that repurposes colonial-era furniture and jute sacks alongside newly crafted elements, inaugural show at Ibraaz, 14 Mortimer Street, W1W 7SS, a space dedicated to Global Majority culture, until 15 February. Info: Ibraaz

* Wildlife Photographer of the Year, from £15.50, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, DW7 5DB until 12 July. Info: Museum

* Jennie Baptiste: Rhythm & Roots, the Black British photographer offers a visual narrative of the dynamic movements which shaped and define British music, fashion, and youth culture, Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA until 4 January. Info: Somerset House

* El Anatsui, new works in wood by the Ghanaian artist, October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, WC1N 3AL and Goodman Gallery, 26 Cork Street W1S 3ND until 29 November.

* Secret Maps, the stories hidden in some of history’s most mysterious maps, £20, British Library, 96 Euston Road NW1 2DB until 18 January. Info: Library

* The Land Carries, work by three international artists: Ahmed Akasha (UK), Dina Nur Satti (US) and Yasmin Elnour (Bahrain) responding to material in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, 1 - 5pm, Petrie Museum, University College London, Malet Place, WC1E 6BT until 16 May. Info: Sudan exhibition

Film

* Palestine 36, Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir’s most ambitious work to date is a powerful drama about events leading up to the 1936 Arab Revolt against the British, Barbican until 24 November, Odeon Wimbledon until 27 November;

+ Palestine 1936: A story for today

* UK Jewish Film Festival, online selection until 27 November. Info: Festival

* Left-Handed Girl, entertaining family drama following a mother and her two daughters confronting secrets and new beginnings in Taipei, Barbican until 25 November

* Will I-Jim’s devilish left hand come right in the end?

* London Palestine Film Festival, 19 features + shorts, including 24 Nov, A State of Passion; 25 Nov, Passing Dreams, hope triumphs over despair in a portrait of youth navigating loss, displacement and memory; The Mission, British-Iraqi nerve surgeon Mohammed Tahir embarks on his third humanitarian mission to Gaza during the genocide; All That’s Left of You. Until 28 November. Info: LPFF

+ Palestine 1936; A story for today

* Our Shared Futures: Climate & Migration Community Film Festival:  Utama, an elderly Quechua couple in Bolivia confronts a devastating drought that threatens their traditional way of life;  Thankyou For the Rain, documentary that follows a Kenyan farmer who begins filming his daily life to show the real impacts of climate change on his community + shorts;  free streaming access. Until 30 November. Info: Counterpoint Arts

Tuesday 25 November

* The Passion of Remembrance + Step Forward Youth, dizzying and passionate portrayal of intersectional politics in 1980s Black Britain + film in which young Black British people speak out against negative media narratives, 8.45pm, National Film Theatre

* Coexistence, My Ass, comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi uses humour to expose hard truths about the relationship between Israel and Palestine, 6.20pm, Curzon Bloomsbury

Thursday 27 November

* Saint Omer, a Senegalese woman is accused of murdering her 15-month-old child by leaving her on a French beach in this original approach to courtroom drama, 8.35pm, National Film Theatre

from Thursday 27 November

* London Migration Film Festival, programme includes 29 Nov, How Did We Get Here? Migration, colonialism & the rise of the far-right; Memory, Messiness and Migration, discussions; Moria Six, a filmmaker begins a correspondence with a refugee convicted of starting a fire in a Greek camp; Where The Night Stands Still, three Filipino domestic workers in Italy reunite in their sister's inherited villa where grievances, memories, and long-held silences surface; Shorts; State of Statelessness, four stories of Tibetan exiles; Adrift, films + objects; La Cocina, migrants in a NY kitchen ; 30 Nov, Ethnic Albanian & Romani Depictions in Yugoslav Cinema, workshop; Diving into Culture & Migration, workshop; Stories and the Black Woods, West African storytelling; Aesthetic Citizenship and the Violence of Beauty`+ Whose Story is it? Representation, Representation, Responsibility and Authorship in Documentary Filmmaking, workshops; Voices Without Borders: Stories from Women Transforming the Migrant Narrative; 1 Dec, Solleil O, Med Hondo’s freewheeling 70s masterpiece on Black consciousness; Aisha Can’t Fly Away, magical realism and horror; Meals and Movement: Recipe Writing Workshop; 2 Dec, Open Projection Night & Networking; Mexico 86, motherhood and activism; Under the Open Sky, a camel-herder v modernity; Maydegol, an Afghan teen wants to become a Thai boxer; 3 Dec, Migrant Cinema - A Journey Through Time, review and reflection. Ritzy, SOAS, Genesis, ICA, Curzon Bloomsbury, Lexi, Ciné Lumière, Rich Mix, Rio, National Maritime Museum, St. Margaret’s House. Until  3 December. Info: Festival

Friday 28 November

* Black Girl (La noire de..), seminal work from the father of African cinema focuses on a domestic worker who emigrates from Senegal to France in hope of a better life, 12.30pm, National Film Theatre

* The Light That Remains, short documentary about a software engineer in Gaza who builds a virtual reality program for genocide survivors with mental trauma + Q&A with director Maria Marrone, Hala Sabbah and  Mustafa Jayyousi, 7 - 8pm, £9, Rich Mix

Saturday 29 November

* Atlantics (Atlantique), Mati Diop’s talented feature debut is about young lovers in Senegal, caught between marital commitment,  poverty and migration. It's also a ghost story, National Film Theatre

* The Voice of Hind Rajab, Tunisian director  Kaouther Ben Hania’s latest triumph transforms the last recorded words of a six-year-old girl in Gaza into a vital act of remembrance, Curzon Bloomsbury, Barbican

* The ANS Sunset Screening, short films by Audrey Damier, Jason C. Nwachukwu, Uwana Anthony, Akanele Kalu, Anthony Nti and Rashida Seriki and Tobi Kyeremateng + Q&A, 5.45pm, £9, Rich Mix

Sunday 30 November

* Nish Kumar Presents: Palestine Comedy Club, Alaa Aliabdallah's’s debut documentary about six Palestinian comedians who write and tour a stand-up comedy show exploring the humour that surrounds the complexity of Palestinian identity + discussion with cast and crew, 2pm, £13.80, Rich Mix

* It Was Just An Accident, veteran Iranian auteur and rights campaigner Jafar Panahi returns with a brave black comedy thriller of revenge and state violence, that won him the Palme d’Or at Cannes, 5pm, £14, Barbican

+ Twice-jailed Panahi spins a moral tale for our troubled times

Tuesday 2 December

* The Dating Game, three perpetual bachelors join an intensive seven-day dating camp led by one of China's most sought-after dating coaches  + Q&A with Violet Feng, Joanna Natasegara and Julia Nottingham, 7 - 8.30pm, from £5.94, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place W2 1QJ. Info: Frontline

Performance

* After Sunday, Ty, Leroy and Daniel have signed up to a new Caribbean cooking group led by their occupational therapist, but when you are locked in a secure hospital, too much food for thought can be a bad thing, £10 - £35, Bush Theatre, Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ until 20 December. Info: Bush

+ Caribbean-British ‘kitchen sink’ drama set in a secure hospital

* I Dream of Theresa May, a story about a gay Indian living in London, and about borders, belonging, and the absurd hoops we jump through to be accepted, £25/ £20, Tara Theatre, 356 Garratt Lane, SW18 4ES until 29 November. Info: Tara Theatre

+ 26 November, post-show Q&A with playwright Vivek Nityananda, Natasha Kathi-Chandra,  DJ Ritu and Mishti Ali

* The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights, the dark underbelly of America’s anti-immigration policies and the brutal sacrifices that drive the pursuit of prosperity, £15 - £49.50, Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, N4 3JP, until 29 November. Info: Park

* The Horse of Jenin, an ode to the power of imagination and the resilience it brings, constructed from the fragments of Palestinian actor and comedian Alaa Shehada’s memories, Bush Theatre, Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ until 20 December. Info: Bush

TV and radio

Sunday 23 November

* Sorry, I Didn’t Know, new series of the Black comedy quiz,  10.50pm, ITV1

* Desert Island Discs, writer Salman Rushdie chats about his life and picks his favourite records, 10am, Radio4

Monday 24 November

* Global Eye, current affairs, 7pm, BBC2

* Prisoner 951,  factual drama based on the true story of British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, held hostage by Iran for six years, and her husband Richard Ratcliffe, who campaigned for justice and her return, 9pm, BBC1

Tuesday 25 November

* Omid’s Tapes: The Afghan Memory Keeper, Afghan journalist and film-maker Tamana Ayazi joins Omid in his attempt to save two rare collections of Afghan music cassettes, 4pm, Radio4

Wednesday 26 November

* Empire With David Olusoga, repeat of  last in series, 11pm, BBC2

Thursday 27 November

* The Man in the Mask: An Orkney Murder, investigation into the 1994 murder of Shamsuddin Mahmood as he served food in an Indian restaurant, 9pm, BBC2

Thanks to volunteer Daniel Nelson (editor of Eventslondon.org) for compiling this list.