Speaking for Ourselves

Events in London

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14/04/2025

Events in London

Talks and discussions

Monday 16 March

* When Peace Seemed Possible, Thant Myint-U on diplomacy, global cooperation, and the UN’s future, 6.15 - 7.30pm, £16.80, livestream £6.50, The Conduit, 6 Langley Street, WC2H 9JA. Info:The Conduit

* Something About Living: Lena Khalaf Tuffaha and So Mayer, Tuffaha was born in Seattle but grew up in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and her poetry reflects on her Palestinian, Jordanian and Syrian heritage and on her experience as a first generation American immigrant, 7pm, £10, London Review Bookshop, 14 Bury Place, WC1A 2JL. Info: LRB

* Iranian Women' s Voices, an evening of conversation, poetry, film, music and protest, with Marjorie Lotfi, Sana Nassari, Shara Atashi + Iranian musicians and Hengameh Golestan’s photographs, 7pm, £12, British Library, 96 Euston Road NW1 2DB. Info: Library

* Immigration Detention in Hong Kong: Advocacy in the Dark, Surabhi Chopra, 5 - 6.30pm, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, WC1

* The Mekong: A confluence of power, survival and change, 10am - noon, online seminar. Info: SOAS

Tuesday 17 March

* Analogue Africa, Jeremy Harding and Kevin Okoth explore the anti-colonial imagination through the works of African artists and film-makers, including Seydou Keïta, Sanlé Sory, Ernest Cole, Sarah Maldoror, John Akomfrah, William Kentridge and Binyavanga Wainaina, 7pm, £10, London Review Bookshop, 14 Bury Place, WC1A 2JL. Info: LRB

* Reclaiming Agency: The role of African organizations in continental politics, Anna Kapambwe Mwaba, noon, SOAS, Thornaugh Street, WC1H OXG

* Protocol 1 In Focus: Progress and the way forward, Frederik Heitmüller, Faith Amjaro, Liselott Kana, 2 - 3.30pm. Info: Overseas Development Institute

* Synergy drivers for Sustainable development: Exploring the SDG acceleration framework and cross-sector collaboration, Joseph Alcamo, Albert Ahenkan, John Thompson, Sephora Imomoh, Jo Middleton, 1 - 3.45pm. Info: Institute of Development Studies

Wednesday 18 March

* Syria’s Fragile Future, Rime Allaf, author of It Started In Damascus, 7pm, from £5.94, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2 1QJ. Info: Frontline

* Charting a hopeful path to centring women-led organisations in humanitarian response, Caterina Mazzilli, Irene Dawa, Rurik Marsden, Vinita Sahasranaman, Ohaila Shomar, Sarah Redd, 1 - 2.30pm, online. Info: Overseas Development Institute

Thursday 19 March

* Disruptors: Stories Untold, Baroness Shriti Vadera, Baroness Minouche Shafik, Dame Emma Walmsley, Allison Kirkby, Dame Clara Fursew + Kamini Banga & Myriam Cyr, 7.30pm, £20, concessions for seniors, students unemployed, Playground Theatre, Latimer Road 6RQ, part of Women’s Voices: A Celebration. Info: Playground

* 3,000 Miles From Home, Dee Majak reads his poems and discusses migration, memory and belonging, 6 - 7.30pm, SOAS, Paul Webley WingD

* Reimagining Development: Bold directions towards a thriving world, Peter Sutoris argues that if development is to remain relevant it must reinvent itself and finally listen to voices on the ground, SOAS, Thoirnhaugh Street, WC1. Info: SOAS

* Heiresses: Marriage Inheritance and Caribbean Slavery, Miranda Kauffmann on her new book, which which reveals the hidden histories of women whose Caribbean fortunes, built on the exploitation of enslaved Africans, propelled them into the upper echelons of British society, 6 - 8.30pm, Woburn Suite, G22/26, Ground Floor, Senate House, Malet Street, WC1E 7HU and online. Info: I nstitute of Commonwealth Studies

* Housing supply and the future of our urban planet, Edward Glaeser, 6 - 7.15pm, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2

* IDS Bulletin launch: Building disability-inclusive futures, Stephen Thompson, Gayatri Sekar, Claire Walsh, Brigitte Rohwerder, Elizabeth Ogutu,

1:30 - 3pm, online. Info: Institute of Development Studies

Friday 20 March

* Book Talk: Evolution of Migration, Jay Song looks at the first Korean migrant to Australia and subsequent developments, 5 - 7pm, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, WC1. Info: SOAS

Monday 23 March

* An African History of Africa, with Zeinab Badawi, 7-8:30pm, from £22.59, King's Place, 90 York Way N1 9AG. Info: Intelligence Squared

Tuesday 24 March

* England United: Pride Not Prejudice, Sunder Katwala launches a toolkit “for those who want to speak up for an inclusive England”, 12 - 1pm, online. Info: British Future

* Capitalism, ecology, and class struggle in the 21st century, Jason Hickel on how we can increase prosperity for all and protect the planet at the same time, 4 - 5.30pm, online. Info: Institute of Development Studies

Exhibitions

* Moved to Care: Stories of Health and Migration, explores the contributions of migrants from across the globe to healthcare over the last 150 years, from the 19th century colonial legacy of missionary nurses to the Windrush Generation, free, 20 Cavendish Square, W1G OR until 2 November. Info: Royal College of Nursing

+ Migrant nurses: looking after Britain’s health

* 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

+ Exit wounds of Empire

* Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans, a celebration of art and history, £14/ £16, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG until 25 May. Info: Hawai’i

* A Greenland shadow over a wonderful Hawai’i exhibition

* 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 – work by historical Indian botanical artists, admission with Kew entry fee, Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens until 12 April

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

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

* 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

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

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

* 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

* 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

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

* Beatriz González, the groundbreaking Colombian artist explores the power and impact of the images we encounter every day, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS until 10 May. Info: Barbican

* Water Pantanal Fire, photography exhibition revealing the fragile beauty of the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland that sprawls across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, free, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2DD until 31 May. Info: Museum

* Bouchra Khalili: Circles and Storytellers, the culmination of the French-Moroccan artist and educator’s long exploration of the Mouvement des Travailleurs Arabes and its theatre groups, Al Assifa and Al Halaka, free, Mosaic Rooms, 226 Cromwell Road, SW5 0SW until 14 June. Info: Mosaic

* Yin Xiuzhen: Heart to Heart, through large-scale installations made from everyday objects, industrial materials and used items of clothing, the Chinese artist invites us to see the familiar in new ways, £19 (includes admission to Chiharu Shiota: Threads of Life), Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX until 3 May. Info: Hayward

* Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, the shortlist includes Amak Mahmoodian  (Iran) on the effects of exile on memory and identity, imagining a world without borders, £10/£7, Photographer’s Gallery, 16-18 Ramillies Street W1 until 7 June. Info: Prize

* The Boy on the Peacock Throne: A Memoir in Images/ Echoes in Print/ Threads of Home From Hopscotch Women’s Centre, three exhibitions (two Iranian, and one by Afghan refugee women), part of Persian New Year celebrations, free, Lauderdale House, Waterlow Park, Highgate Hill, N6 5HG until 6 April. Info: Lausderdale House

from Wednesday 18 March

* Museum of Edible Earth, explore geophagy, the practice of eating earth for health, ritual and culinary benefit. Created by artist and researcher masharu, the exhibition features edible samples of clay, chalk and mineral-rich earths from around the world, offering a sensory encounter with soil, pay what you can, Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA until 26 April. Info: Somerset House

from Saturday 21 March

* The Arab Hall: Past and Present, commissioned short film by Syrian director Soudade Kaadan, three art installations and exhibition and publication containing extensive new research, Wednesdays to Mondays, free with £14 House entry fee (conc. available), Leighton House, 12 Holland Park Road, W8 7BH, until 4 October. Info: Leighton House

Performance

* Sweatmeats, a touching love story between two South Asian elders begins in a London diabetes clinic when a “scary Indian woman” meets an “irritating Pakistani man”, £10 - £35, Bush Theatre, 7 Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ, until 21 March. Info: Bush

+ A British-Indian-Pakistani romcom sparked by diabetes

* Ukraine Unbroken, cycle of short plays by Ukrainian and British writers about courage, truth and survival in the face of tyranny, £15 - £39, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street E8 3DL until 28 March. Info: Arcola

Wednesday 18 March

* Jaja's African Hair Braiding, Jocelyn Bioh’s play about life in a bustling Harlem braiding salon where neighbourhood women come to have their greatest hairstyle dreams come true, all in the hands of a lively group of West African immigrant braiders, from £10, Lyric, Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL until 25 April. Info: Lyric

+ 26 March, post-show Q&A with playwright Jocelyn Bioh and the Lyric’s Rachel O’Riordan

+ 2 April, Q&A with director Monique Touko + DJ in the bar until 11pm.

* The Spy Princess, the story of Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of an Indian prince, Tipu Sultan (the Tiger of Mysore), who became a British secret agent during World War II and was captured by Germany and executed in 1944, 7.30pm, £20, concessions for seniors, students unemployed, Playground Theatre, Latimer Road 6RQ, part of Women’s Voices: A Celebration. Info: Playground

Friday 20 March

* Waterside, two brothers embark on a journey of discovery, delving into totemism, community and the realities faced by young people in the Niger Delta, 7.30pm, £15/£12, Rich Mix, 35 - 47 Bethnal Green Road, E1, part of Black Athena Festival. Info: Rich Mix

Saturday 21 March

* Rising Mirrors/ Miroirs en ascension/ Kitalatala ya ntombua, a celebration of Congolese women through poetry, movement and song, 7.30pm, £10/£8, Rich Mix, 35 - 47 Bethnal Green Road, E1, part of Black Athena Festival. Info: Rich Mix

Tuesday 24 March

* Bayangkan Bayang (Imagine a Shadow), what happens to migrant children as they mature into societies that fail to acknowledge them?, 7.15pm, £12 - £28, Camden Peoples Theatre, 59 - 60 Hampstead Road NW1 2PY. Info: CPT

Film

* My Father’s Shadow, two brothers connect with their father in this drama set against the backdrop of the 1993 Nigerian presidential election, National Film Theatre 17 March; Picturehouses Crouch End, Finsbury Park, Hackney, Ritzy, West Norwood;

+ A father’s shadow - and the shadow of a Nigerian coup

+ Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù: ’If the west doesn’t say a film is good, that doesn’t mean it’s no good’

* Everest Dark, a dramatically different perspective on the world’s highest peak – through the eyes of people who call it home, including famed climber Mingma Tsiri Sherpa, one of the best high-altitude climbers of all time, Curzon Bloomsbury until 17 March

* No Other Choice, a man’s desperation to secure a new job finds him exploring unique ways to eliminate his competitors, in South Korean director Park Chan-wook’s madcap thriller; Odeon Luxe Haymarket, Picturehouse Central

* The Secret Agent, Brazilian political thriller about an academic on the run in the dangerous, dictatorial 1970s; cinemas all over town + until 19 March Barbican, Lexi; National Film Theatre, Riverside

* BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions, genre-defying debut feature from artist and filmmaker Khalil Joseph, from £12.50, Wednesday, Saturdays and Sundays, 180 Studios, 180 Strand, Surrey Street WC2R 1EA until 27 March.

* Palestine Comedy Club, six Palestinian comedians tour a stand-up show exploring the humour that surrounds the complexity of Palestinian identity, Curzon Bloomsbury until 19 March

+ Have you heard the one about the six Palestinians who walk into a theatre?

* Everybody to Kenmure Street, when a Home Office raid triggered an act of civil resistance, hundreds of Glaswegians rushed to the scene to stop their neighbours’ deportations, Curzon Bloomsbury until 19 March, Lexi until 26 March

Monday 16 March

* Palestine Action, the Truth Behind the Ban, documentary that includes interviews with Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, Ellie Kamio, Jonathan Hall KC, and Lords Hain and Walney + Q&A with Katie Arnold, Haroon Siddique, Matt Shea, 7 - 8:30pm, from £6.13, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2. Info: Frontline

* A Focus on Skin, chronicling some key junctures of Black and Asian British life + intro by part of Counter-History of British TV season curator Xavier Alexandre Pillai, 6pm, £12.20-£20, BFI Southbank

Wednesday 18 March

* Limbo, quirky, moving tale of Omar, a promising young Syrian musician stuck on a Scottish island awaiting the fate of his asylum request + Ill Fares The Land, short about a young boy who finds a mermaid while his older brother is swept up by far-right nationalism, 7pm, free with £5, £10 options, Lexi

+ The waiting game

from Wednesday 18 March

* BFI Flare, London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, BFI Southbank until 29 March. Info: Flare

+ A celebration of queer cinema from around the world

Tuesday 24 - Thursday 26 March

* TNB XPO 2026, The New Black Film Collective’s fifth annual convention celebrating Black excellence on screen, Rich Mix, 35 = 47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA. Info: XPO