WHITE OPEN SPACES

Is there an apartheid in the UK?

• 26-30 September: £10
• 2-7 October: £15 (£12.50)
• 9-14 October: £20 (£15)

A white man blanks his black girlfriend at a society wedding. A black landlord pins a 'no travellers' sign to his pub door. A farmer's wife rams her shopping trolley into a stranger in the village: ‘Everyone just turned around and stared like I was from Mars or something.’

Ignited by Trevor Phillips’ (Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality) suggestion that the countryside is guilty of a ‘passive apartheid', seven writers explore our attitudes towards race, environment and identity. Uncovering the complex layers of fear and misconception that cause prejudice, and also the similarities and shared beliefs that can bond, this is a heart-rending, moving and provocative show from award winning company Pentabus.   

‘Excellent performances and some spellbinding writing coincide in a tightly directed and provocative piece of theatre.’
The Stage

Presented by Pentabus Theatre in partnership with BBC Radio and BBC Radio 4.

Document International Human Rights Documentary Festival is pleased to announce the launch of

Document 4

Dates: 13–16 October
Location: Glasgow (Various Venues)
Costs: Various

Document 4 presents a platform for both established & emerging documentary filmmakers to screen their work at the only UK festival dedicated to raising awareness of international human rights issues.

Document 4 will screen a large and diverse selection of documentary film covering a broad understanding of international human rights including:

immigration & asylum; racism; miscarriages of justice; eviction; poverty; social exclusion; war and conflict; workers / unemployed rights; africa; palestine / israel; central / eastern europe; north & south america; roma, gypsies & travellers; kurdish issues; central asian former soviet republics; mental health & social care; hiv / aids; young people; women; human trafficking; indigenous cultures; environmental exploitation & disaster...

Click here to visit the festival website, for details of the films being played.

Belonging: Voices of London’s Refugees
27 October 2006 to 25 February 2007
Museum of London
Admission free

Belonging: Voices of London’s Refugees presents powerful interviews, photographs, objects, art, and film to tell the personal stories of why refugees come to London, the challenges of their new lives, the barriers they face, and the immeasurable contributions they make to the city.  People from more than fifteen communities are included – from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Latin America. 
The voices of refugees are at the heart of the exhibition – powerful, moving, sometimes humorous, always inspiring.  What it is like to be forced to leave your country?  How do ou build a new life in exile?  And how on earth do you get a grip on London?
The exhibition explores the importance of family, the role of community and culture, perceptions of London, challenges and achievements, and ideas about home and belonging.
All visitors will find themselves questioning their assumptions about refugees and leaving with a new understanding about who refugees are and how they help to shape the city.  Visitors who are or have themselves been refugees will also find much to be proud of, while their children will learn more about the experiences and cultures of older generations.
The Museum of London has worked in partnership with the Evelyn Oldfield Unit, London Metropolitan University and fifteen refugee community organisations to collect more than 150 extraordinary in-depth life story interviews and to create this exhibition.
Belonging also features work created through collaborations between local museums and community organisations as part of the London Museums Hub Refugee Heritage Programme.  These are complemented by some of the Museum’s earliest audio recorded interviews, with Jewish refugees who arrived from eastern Europe in the late nineteenth century. 
Some of the evocative items which, together with the personal stories, bring home experiences of loss and struggle, and of finding one’s feet and making a difference in London include:

• A blanket from Ethiopia that provided comfort for its owner when he had to sleep at Heathrow on his first night in London;
• Paintings by an artist from Ecuador who was transfixed by red telephone boxes;
• An award won by a Tamil local councillor for combating anti-social behaviour;

27 October 2006 to 25 February 2007
Museum of London
Admission free
Open Mon-Sat 10am to 5:50pm and Sun 12 to 5:50pm
Tube: St Paul’s, Barbican and Moorgate
www.museumoflondon.org.uk for more information and related events

Mark Thomas:
As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela

Book and Tour

Dates and Locations Various: Click here

In the style of Stupid White Men, Mark Thomas, the UK’s foremost political comedian and best-known political activist has written his first book, a journey of discovery in the company of arms dealers, torture victims, politicians, cops, crusties and geeks. The result is a shockingly entertaining read.

As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela is the deeply funny, deeply disturbing journey of Mark’s rampage through the arms trade. Under a fairly flimsy disguise and with the use of some worryingly poor accents, Mark manages to set himself up as an arms dealer, a PR adviser on the most sensitive of human rights issues and generally does what he does best, which is annoy the right people. As he works out deals, brokers torture equipment and advises armies he discovers just how easy it is to avoid the law. As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela is a call to action and an argument for reform.

Click here to visit the official website.