Reviews of Habibi Funk 031, Kayatibu, and The Good Ones
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Theatre review: Rockets and blue lights
SIMON DUFF relishes the cross contamination of Damien Hirst’s greatest hits by street artists from France and the US
In view of the grooming gangs inquiry, SIMON PARSONS feels the relevance of this powerful examination of trauma suffered at Medomsley Youth Detention Centre
JOHN GREEN doubts the motivations of a US war photographer who never questions why, or for whom, she is producing images of imperialist conflict
MARIA DUARTE reviews Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, Hedda, The Mastermind, and Regretting You
TONY CONWAY welcomes a thrilling and concise history of Hope not Hate, that is also a manual full of tactical advice
PAUL DONOVAN welcomes an inspiring account of living with deafness that has important lessons for the treatment of deaf people in today’s UK
Rockets and Blue Lights
BBC R3
Winsome Pinnock’s “Alfred Fagon Award” winning play Rockets and Blue Lights had just started its run at the Royal Exchange Manchester when the hammer of pandemic hit the world’s pause button.
The jolt sent shockwaves across the planet bringing creativity to a juddering halt. Yet the creative mind can overcome catastrophe and it wasn’t long before new and innovative ways were devised to provide a despairing public with stimulation, fun and excitement.
Actor Bertie Carvel managed to convince the BBC to stage The Lockdown Theatre Festival. Four great plays, including Pinnock’s, which were abruptly cut short by the coronavirus crisis, were to be reimagined for radio.
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PAUL FOLEY welcomes a dramatic account of the men and women involved in the pivotal moment of the 5th Pan African Congress
SUE TURNER is appalled by the story of the only original colonising family to still own a plantation in the West Indies
BOB NEWLAND relishes a fascinating read as well as an invaluable piece of local research
ROGER McKENZIE reflects on the enslavement, endurance and rebellion of Africans trafficked across the Atlantic and the untold sufferings of unknown ancestors