About Us Our Work Programmes The Africa Centre provides a conduit for engagement via its programme of arts and cultural events, courses, and educational experiences connecting communities to one another and to the African continent. Malangatana Heritage Programme Thanks to support from National Heritage Lottery Fund, The Africa Centre will be delivering a 12-month programme of activities to celebrate the life and legacy of late Mozambican visual artist, poet, and activist, Malangatana Valente Ngwenya (1936 – 2011). The renowned artist had a special connection to The Africa Centre. During a visit in 1987, he painted a striking untitled mural on the wall of a curved staircase in our previous home in Covent Garden, London. The mural has since been restored and reinstalled in the Centre's new HQ in Southwark, London which opened in June 2022. Curated by Haja Fanta, the programme creates an exciting opportunity to connect our community to the present day through a year-long programme celebrating Malangatana Valente Ngwenya's legacy. This project will have four strands: Legacy of Malangatana, Art for Resistance, Sankofa Sessions and Street Art Workshops. This programme will include a wide range of activities, from street art workshops to film nights and open mic events. We hope to connect audiences old and new with his powerful legacy and inspire a new generation of artists and activists. Please keep an eye out for more information on our exciting programme. Icons The Icons of The Africa Centre is an ongoing programme that celebrates past and present members who played pivotal roles in shaping the Centre’s rich history and its current trajectory. In creating a new and welcoming cultural space, we hope to connect generations and ensure that our history, which is inherently connected to the deeper history of Africa and its diaspora, is shared more broadly, and passed on. The programme will be a regular celebration of iconic figures through conversations that seek to carry not just TAC’s history but also that of contemporary Black Britain. The first Icon to be honoured was the late Malangatana Nwenga, whose mural, previously painted on the walls of our old venue in Covent Garden, was reinstalled and unveiled during the launch of our new HQ in June 2022. Former curator Keith Shiri held a conversation with Richard Gray and Malangatan’s daughter Gracieta discussing his life as a political artist and activist. A key part of The Africa Centre and black British history is that of the legendary Friday night sessions held by Jazzie B and Soul II Soul back in Covent Garden in the 1980s. We wish to honour both the man and the musical movement he helped create through an event that seeks to celebrate sound system culture in the UK. Education Through Culture Developing a sense of belonging and acceptance through cultural celebration and education empowers us all. Our focus is on young people, we believe that culture enhances their social skills and makes the process of transitioning into adulthood more enjoyable. It is with this in mind that we launch our ‘Education Through Culture programme. Education Through Culture aims to diversify the school curriculum through fun and interactive cultural experiences that specifically teach about Africa and its global diaspora in digestible and engaging ways. So far, we have held several successful pilot workshops delivered at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Borough Academy, a secondary school in Southwark, in October 2020. Our first workshop was delivered in partnership with Gabriel ‘Sekuru’ Makamanzi, an artist and cultural curator from Zimbabwe who specialises in the traditional Mbira instrument. Students learned about the origins of the instruments, the history of the Shona-speaking people of Zimbabwe, and the cultural dances often performed at Mbira ceremonies. The feedback from both students and teachers was very positive. Contemporary African Art and Design The Africa Centre has a long and rich history of promoting and showcasing African creativity, innovation and design. Among our vast archival collection currently held at the London Metropina Archives are material from historic exhibitions in the gallery of our previous home in Covent Garden such as the seminal '5 Black Women' from 5th September to 14th October 1983 by Lubaina Himid, Houria Niati, Sonia Boyce, Veronica Ryan, and Claudette Johnson Since the launch of our new HQ in June 2022, our gallery space has shown works by an exciting range of creative talent from Africa and its global diaspora. Our inaugural exhibition was Unchoreographed, a show by Tanzanian-born and Uganda-based artist, Sungi Mlengeya. Her debut London solo show paid homage to the vivid history of dance and the myriad of ways it creates liberation for women across the African diaspora. Other exhibitions shown at the Centre over the past year include Our Sophisticated Weapon, an exhibition of posters of the Mozambican revolution, produced prior to the attainment of independence in 1975, Painting Our Past, delivered in partnership with English Heritage and a climate change exhibition Our Story, curated by Haja Fanta We have an exciting programmme planned for 2024 and welcome proposals for collaboration. Please get in touch. PROPOSE A PROGRAMME PROPOSE AN EXHIBITION SEE UPCOMING EVENTS WATCH/LISTEN BACK Teesa Bahana in conversation with James Hampton Manage Cookie Preferences