In the UK, Black History Month is observed throughout October, highlighting the contributions of Black Britons and celebrating their diverse heritage. This recognition, which began in the 1980s, fosters understanding, challenges discrimination, and promotes inclusivity. It offers a platform for stories, culture, and history often overlooked in the nation's narrative.

To mark Black History Month, there are a multitude of events taking place in our local area and further afield in the Capital. So this weekend or over the coming weeks, why not explore one of the following exhibitions, festivals or performances.

The Missing Thread: Untold Stories of Black British Fashion

This autumn, Somerset House explores the stories of Black British fashion in a major new exhibition, The Missing Thread, curated by the Black Orientated Legacy Development Agency (BOLD). Spanning from the 1970s to the present day, The Missing Thread charts the shifting landscape of Black British culture and the unique contribution it has made to Britain’s rich design history. 

Tickets for under 25s are just £5 and can be booked online here.

A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography

Bringing together a group of artists from different generations, this exhibition will address how photography, film, audio, and more have been used to reimagine Africa’s diverse cultures and historical narratives.

Moving beyond a traditional photography exhibition, the show seeks to explore the many ways images travel across histories and geographies. Using themes of spirituality, identity, urbanism and climate emergency, the exhibition will guide the viewer through dream-like utopias and bustling cityscapes viewed from the artists’ perspectives.

The exhibition follows artists across the many landscapes, borders and time zones of Africa to reveal how photography allows the past and the future to co-exist in powerful and transformative ways.

Read, rest and reflect in the free space Common Ground before or after the exhibition. Tickets for under 12s are free and under 18s pay just £5. For more information and to book tickets, please click here.

Ballet Black: Pioneers

On Tuesday 17 October, Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black presents award-winning choreographers, Will Tuckett and Mthuthuzeli November in a double bill of new and original work in Ballet Black: Pioneers. 

Will Tuckett’s Then Or Now, originally created in 2020, blends classical ballet, music and the poetry of Adrienne Rich to ask the question: in times like these, where do we each belong?

The second piece on the bill is devised by award-winning choreographer, Mthuthuzeli November. Nina: By Whatever Means, is inspired by the artistry and activism of Nina Simone. November weaves a skilful picture of Simone’s turbulent and influential life to take us on an emotional and empowering journey. Tickets are available here.

The Black British Book Festival

On 27 and 28 October, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, member of Little Mix, bestselling author Candice Brathwaite, gal-dem founder Liv Little, Channel 4 presenter Eric Collins, and 'Strictly' champion Oti Mabuse headline a two-day festival dedicated to dismantling barriers in the publishing industry.

The event boasts a diverse program, including talks, panels, and workshops for aspiring authors on topics ranging from agent acquisition to crafting compelling dialogue. Attendees can also enjoy readings from renowned authors, stock up on new reads at a book marketplace, savour live music, and finish the weekend with a mesmerising poetry and spoken word finale. 

The festival takes place at the end of October but you can book ahead here.