Events in London
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Talks and discussions
Monday 12 January
* Defence, Power & Public Interest, panel discussion on how defence priorities are set, the human impact of modern conflict, and the balance between hard power, diplomacy, soft power and peacekeeping, 6.15pm, 6.15 – 7.30pm, £16.80, The Conduit, 6 Langley Street WC2H 9JA. Info: The Conduit
* Climate change: Evidence of health impact and developing a climate-resilient future, Bianca Anton, Hannah Marshall, Pierre Masselot, Hugh Sharma Waddington, 5.30 - 6.30pm, LSHTM, Keppel Street WC1E 7HT. Info: LSHTM
Thursday 15 January
* Pictures from Afghanistan: Are we making the same mistakes?, Clive Stafford Smith, 6pm, in person and online, Gresham College, Barnard's Inn Hall, EC1N 2HH. Info: Gresham
* The price of truth: finance, misinformation and the battle for reality, Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, 12-1pm, University College, 55 - 59 Gordon Square WC1H 0NT. Info: Lecture
Friday 16 January
* The Fixer: A Journalist’s Accidental Journey Through the Middle East, book talk with Amjad M. Tadros, Middle East producer for CBS News and a four-time Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist, 7pm, from £6.13, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2 1QJ. Info: Frontline
Monday 19 January
* Who trains our doctors? The hidden workers behind medical education, Patricia Kingor, 6.30-8pm, in person and online, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2
* Antimicrobial resistance: Current challenges & research, Saffiatou Darboe, Gwen Night, 5.30 - 6.30pm, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT
* How We Argue: About Freedom of Speech, Arif Ahmed, Mona Siddiqui and Jim Dickinson, 6.30pm, King’s College, Bush House, Strand Campus, 30 Aldwych WC2B 4BG. Info: King’s
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 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 2026. Info: Wellcome
+ Thirst: an exhibition bridge over troubled water
* 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
* 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
* 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
* Imaging Peace, outdoor exhibition of 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: Exhibition
* 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
* 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 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, Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama repurposes colonial-era furniture and jute sacks alongside newly crafted elements, Ibraaz, 14 Mortimer Street, W1W 7SS, until 15 February. Info: Ibraaz
+ 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
* 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
* 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
from Thursday 15 January
* 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
* Posters to the Olive Tree of Exile, Turkish artist Yusuf Aygeç explores themes of exile, memory and resistance through the symbolic presence of the olive tree, bearing witness to the voice of the Palestinian people, P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD. Info: P21
Performance
* Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, the lives of two US Marines, an Iraqi translator and a Bengal tiger collide, £12 - £57, Young Vic, 66 The Cut, SE1 8LZ until 31 January. Info: Young Vic
+ ‘Did he who made the lamb, make thee?’ The tiger replies
from Wednesday 14 January
* The Horse of Jenin, one-man show constructed from the fragments of Palestinian actor and comedian Alaa Shehada’s memories, Bush Theatre, Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ until 22 January. Info: Bush
+ A Palestinian tale - straight from the horse’s mouth
* Safe Haven, based on true events by a former British diplomat in Iraqi Kurdistan, two diplomats and a refugee struggle to convince the British government to intervene, £15 - £29, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL until 7 February. Info: Arcola
Thursday 15 - Friday 16 January
* Gaza - The Dream and the Nightmare, based on first-hand interviews with Gazans from all walks of life conducted by Julie M. Norman for her co-authored book of the same title, 6pm, £6/ £4 + post-show discussion, Bloomsbury Theatre, 15 Gordon Street WC1H 0AH. Info: [email protected]/ 3108 1000
Film
* It Was Just An Accident, Jafar Panahi’s award-winning Iranian black comedy thriller is a powerful indictment of state-sponsored terror and a moving drama of individuals seeking to rebuild their lives after being subject to it, Finsbury Park Picturehouse; ICA until 14 January; Cine Lumiere until 15 January
+ Twice-jailed Panahi spins a moral tale for our authoritarian times
* The Six Billion Dollar Man: Julian Assange and the Price of Truth, Curzon Bloomsbury until 14 January
+ ‘I plead guilty to journalism’, says the six billion dollar man
* Coexistence, My Ass!, comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi (a former UN diplomat) uses humour to expose hard truths about the relationship between Israel and Palestine, Curzon Bloomsbury until 15 January
Wednesday 14 January
* London Boys, behind the loud and intimidating motorcycles of the "Bangladeshi Bad Boys" is a group of second-generation Bangladeshi men who find in their bikes a sense of identity and a way to overcome racism + Q&A, 6.20pm, Curzon Bloomsbury
Thursday 15 January
* The Voice of Hind Rajab, dramatisation of the events in January 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an urgent call: a six-year-old girl trapped in a car under fire in Gaza begs for rescue. While they try to keep her on the line, they do everything possible to send an ambulance to reach her + Q&A with Kaouther Ben Hania and Nadim Cheikhrouha, 7pm, from £5.94, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2 1QJ. Info: Frontline
from Thursday 15 January
* The Voice of Hind Rajab, Cine Lumiere until 24 January; 16 January, Ritzy; National Film Theatre; Lexi, ICA, until 22 January + 16 January, director Kaouther Ben Hania discusses her transformation of the final recorded words of a young Palestinian girl into a vital act of remembrance, 6.15pm, Barbican
Friday 16 January
* Black Water, follows Lokhi and her family in southern Bangladesh, where rising sea levels mean Lokhi has to relocate, from the flood-prone southern coastline to the capital, Curzon Bloomsbury + 18 January, 2.10pm, 21 January, 6.10pm
* In the Mood for Love, sleek suits and richly colourful dresses help define the beauty and elegance of Wong Kar Wai’s Hong Kong-set masterpiece, 8.50pm, National Film Theatre + 18 Jan, 8.45pm
Monday 19 January
* The Short Films of Tina Gharavi, shows the talent of the Iranian-born British filmmaker + intro by Chantelle Boyea, 6.15pm, National Film Theatre
TV and radio
Sunday 11 January
* The Owambe, Bisi Akins takes us inside a Nigerian hall party, with music, food and fashion, hearing from those keeping the tradition alive in Britain, 7.15pm, Radio4ltural music, food, fashion, and hearing from those who are keeping the tradition alive in Britain.
Monday 12 January
* Global Eye, current affairs, 7.30pm, BBC2
* What Happened to Progress?, how the post-World War Two order seems to be unravelling, 11am, Radio4
Tuesday 13 January
* Heart and Soul, a Canadian Sikh truckers community, 3.30pm, Radio4
Wednesday 14 January
* Faith, Hope and Glory, two migrants find themselves stuck in the UK, ashamed to return to the Caribbean in Roy Wlliams’ drama, 2.15pm, Radio4
Friday 16 January
* Jane McDonald: From Pole to Pole, a look at Montevideo, 9pm, Channel5
Thanks to volunteer Daniel Nelson (editor of Eventslondon.org) for compiling this list.