The 2023-2024 London Borough of Culture celebrated this year’s black history month with a weekend of events, talks and workshops titled Reclaiming Narratives.
The weekend kicked off on Friday, Oct. 25, when Desmond Dekker’s daughter, Desrene Dekker, and bandmates, The Aces, paid tribute.
The doors opened at 7 p.m. upon arrival, guests were free to help themselves to refreshments, including Jamaican patties and chicken.
Shortly after guests arrived, the concert, held in Braithwaite Hall, opened with the hit song ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’.
Following this, the group played a couple more songs before Desrene Dekker delivered a presentation revealing her father’s easy-going yet humorous personality.
In addition to the presentation, Drop Da Biscuit’s Michael Fuller led a Q&A session during which attendees learned more about Desmond Dekker’s influence in the music world and how his local area influenced him.
“He didn’t want to move to a posh area,” Desrene explained, “he wanted to stay in Croydon so he could write his poetry about real people.”
After The Aces were invited back onstage, the night’s first half ended with ‘Israelites’ – the song that topped the charts in 1969.
During the interval, staff cleared the chairs away in preparation for a night of dancing provided by Drop Da Biscuit.
Rhythm Generation brought the sound of African drumming to Katharine Street on Saturday and Sunday morning.
Those hungry for more could later join Cheikh Diop and Rhythm Generation for a more intimate drumming workshop.
In this workshop, participants could dance with “the lion,” the group’s dancer dressed in traditional clothing.
Other music and dance performances included a dance performance named Black Victorians and Croydon Steel Orchestra.
The steel pans, which appeared on Sunday only, took passersby back to early 20th century Trinidad and Tobago as they filled the air with colourful sounds.
The dance Black Victorians, created by esteemed choreographer Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE, highlighted the presence of black people in periods long before the Windrush generation’s arrival and portrayed ideas of liberation from societal standards.
Dancers started with corsets, hoop skirts, and suit tails but ended the dance without them, as the dance served as a message of nonconformity.
The dance comprises assorted styles, including African, contemporary, and hip-hop, displaying the level of expertise involved.
The weekend involved other workshops like the “Write Your Own Narrative” workshop led by Mo Lishomwa.
It also accommodated family activities like Kwame’s bead-making workshop and an adinkra printing workshop, where the symbols, which can be traced back to Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, were printed onto fabric.
Throughout Reclaiming Narratives, a range of exhibitions were open, including the Rewind exhibition inspired by Desmond Dekker’s ‘Moving On’ and revealed Croydon’s melodious past.
The weekend brought the Croydon community together by honouring its multicultural identity.
