Groundings Decolonising The Archive

David Gilbert is a director and theatre maker from Zimbabwe. He has assisted many large productions and directed smaller projects in young companies across London for the likes of Tricycle Theatre, Young Vic, Almeida Theatre, Halfmoon Theatre, London Bubble and Company Three (previously Islington Community Theatre). Alongside Nadine Woodley, David has been instrumental in bringing Connie Bell's Windrush Time Capsule play to the stage. In this episode, DTA's Sam and Veronique catch up with him to talk creativity, experimental theatre, decolonisation, and explore how his heritage and culture drives his art. 

Picking up where we left of last cast, we're still meditating on Hero, but this time with Director Frances-Anne Solomon. Discussing being part of the 'born free' generation, adopting a decolonial approach to writing and directing film and channeling George Padmore, we're not exaggerating when we say that this one is lit. Not seen Hero yet? Don't sleep - make it a priority. 

Frances-Anne Solomon's 'Hero' is an inspiration to us. From its depiction of a critical stage in the Pan-African struggle to its juxtaposition of archival material with dramatic sequences, there is a lot to talk about. In this episode, we were lucky enough to be able to catch up with lead actor Nickolai Salcedo (Ulric Cross in the film) and break bread about everything from theatre in Trinidad and the development of the character of Ulric Cross, to the effects of colonialism on the Caribbean and racism in Britain. 

Lookout for part two with Writer and Director Frances-Anne Solomon - coming soon!  

Designed by Pierre-Christophe Gam, “Sankara, The Upright Man” is a mix-media installation offering an apocryphal retelling of the life of Thomas Sankara, the late president of Burkina Faso. 



The work can be found here: https://www.pierre-christophe.com/the-upright-man 



Thomas Sankara was a military captain, a humanist, a pan-Africanist, an ecologist and a feminist who served as President of Burkina Faso from 1983, until his death in 1987, at 37 years old. A visionary and a charismatic figure, Sankara was a leading African voice for the global fight against imperialism and neo-colonialism, launching one of the most ambitious programs for social and economic justice ever attempted on the African continent. 



Informed by interviews with family members, classmates, Ministers, and peers, the work is a thoroughly-researched and deeply intimate expression of Sankara as a torch-bearer of Africa’s destiny towards self-determination. 



Always excited by creative deployment of the African archive, Decolonising The Archive caught up with Pierre-Christophe Gam to understand more about the motivations guiding the process of engaging the past to transform the present.



Music Credits:

Afrikan Sciences: https://afrikansciences.bandcamp.com/

Reggie Dokes: http://www.eureka-artists.com/reggiedokes/

Steve Spacek: https://stevespacek.bandcamp.com/

Bookworms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=76&v=jTkqtFxHC0c

Wikipedia is the 5th most popular website in the world, yet there are more articles on the Netherlands alone than the whole of the African continent! Is it time we rebalanced the scales? Open knowledge advocate and award-winning Wikipedian Kelly Foster shares her thoughts on why people of African heritage should consider editing Wikipedia.

DTA's mission is to deprogram the understanding of history and culture we learnt during colonisation and enslavement and replace it with a holistic understanding of what our history is, and what its function is in our lives. As part of our recent Sirius B detoxification program we have been working with the powerful visual artist Fowokan.

Working with Fowokan has been a truly inspirational experience. For over 50 years, Fowokan has been creating and sharing ideas and art in service of his community. For his entire career, Fowokan has remained independent; not chasing institutions, accolades or position.

For this episode, we caught up with Fowokan in his South London living room surrounded by pieces he has created over the years. We talked history, music art, and most importantly, the ideology that drives his practice. It was an education.