British Subjects

Since the Windrush Scandal emerged in 2017, the British public has learned a bit more about Commonwealth immigration particularly from Jamaica. But of course Afro-Caribbean people did not arrive for the very first time on these shores in the 1950s. Black Britons have formed part of our society for hundreds of years, even if there … Continue reading 52/52 Jamaica – Fanny Eaton

Lubaina Himid CBE is one of the UK’s leading contemporary artists, as well as a curator, writer and Professor of Painting. In this episode we explore the history of Zanzibar and the cultural context which sets the scene for Himid’s work. The history of Zanzibar is of course much more complex than I outline in … Continue reading 51/52 Tanzania – Lubaina Himid

Professor Ansari was born in 1947 – the year when 300 years of British rule over India ended with the partition of the country and millions of deaths. He now lives in the UK and focusses his academic work on the experiences of British Muslims. A list of Dr Ansari’s publications is available on the … Continue reading 50/52 Pakistan – Professor Humayun Ansari OBE

Francois came to the UK as a refugee from the Rwandan Genocide and now lives in Ipswich where he is a husband, social worker, educator and volunteer. Speaking about being an essential worker during the Covid-19 pandemic, Francois said to East Anglian Daily Times “I felt a sense of responsibility to make sure that those … Continue reading 49/52 Rwanda – Francois

Sinelai is a fa’afafine Samoan who comes to London to make it on the West End. She encounters transphobic violence, makes friends and rivals. Her fictional story is central to Sinelai and the Kava Girls a “play with songs” that toured Britain in 2016. You can hear the full Radio NZ interview with writer and … Continue reading 48/52 Samoa – Sinelai

The Kingdom of Eswatini, more commonly known as Swaziland is where Noma Dumezweni was born to South African parents in 1969. They soon moved to Botswana, Kenya, Uganda before coming to the UK as refugees when Noma was still a child. In this minisode we relook at how racists on Twitter responded to her being cast … Continue reading 47/52 Eswatini – Noma Dumezweni

Born in Brunei and raised around the world, Christina Koning draws on her experience to create the settings for her novels – which often reference colonisation. You can follow Koning on Twitter, and her website is ChristinaKoning.com British Subjects is produced by Anna Rose Kerr.

Sir Iqbal Sacranie came to the UK with his parents from Malawi to seek education, and has gone on to be one of the most prominent Muslim leaders in this country. In this minisode we learn a little more about his work. The British Muslim TV interview referenced is here. And there is a lovely … Continue reading 45/52 Malawi – Sir Iqbal Sacranie OBE

Geraint Jones is an incredibly common name in this country and if you search it you’re likely to find professors, poets, personal tax accountants, but probably at the top of your search results will be the cricket player who has played for England and Papua New Guinea (the country of his birth). Jones has now … Continue reading 44/52 Papua New Guinea – Geraint Jones MBE

Vanessa Mae was born in Singapore and moved to the UK at the age of four, with her mother and adopted father. She is one of the world’s most famous violin players and an Olympic skiier! In this minisode we learn about her accomplishments and also what her classical performances taught me as a child. … Continue reading 43/52 Singapore – Vanessa Mae

Roddy Grant is a part-Scottish-part-African professional coach for Ulster Rugby, in Northern Ireland. In this episode we speak about his upbringing in Botswana / South Africa and how rugby helped solidify his Scottish identity. Also, as a professional coach, he shares some tips from the field in front of thousands that we can all apply … Continue reading 42/52 Botswana – Roddy Grant

In this episode I have the pleasure of catching up with Lamin who runs The Gamby Shack in Hackney, where he makes the best jerk chicken you’ll ever eat. With resturants on lockdown for the minute, we catch up about how he’s coping with indoor life, and he shares his favourite cook at home recipe … Continue reading 41/52 The Gambia – Lamin Ceesay

Priti Patel’s parents Sushil & Anjana are an Indian couple who fled Uganda to the UK in the 1960s just before Idi Amin’s decision to deport all Asians. In 1972 55,000 Asians were ordered to leave Uganda half of them had British passports and were re-housed in the UK by the Ugandan Resettlement Board. In … Continue reading 40/52 Uganda – Sushil & Anjana Patel

Jannett’s story touches on the role of women of colour in the NHS. Her story is told in her book My Windward Side, and you can also read up on Our Migration Story. I first learned about her in Proffessor Kushner’s book The Battle of Britishness, you will hear his voice in this episode I … Continue reading 39/52 St Vincent and the Grenadines – Jannett V. Creese

At the time of the last UK census there were fourteen Nauru-born people living in the UK, without being able to get hold of any of them this episode explores the reasons they may have moved here. The two clips in the episode are from: Activists read the Nauru files outside Australia House in London … Continue reading 38/52 Nauru – Fourteen

Stefan from the UK Chagos Support Association shares the story of a generation of children who are not welcome in the UK, but can’t return to their motherland either. To learn more about their story and donate to some of their causes visit chagossupport.org.uk.

110kg Taulupe (Toby) Faletau was born in Tonga in 1990, but as a child moved to Ebbw Vale with his rugby playing dad. Growing up with the sport it’s not hard to see how he’s become a hero of Welsh rugby. Wales Online has two stories on the family’s move to Wales, and Toby’s subsequent … Continue reading 36/52 Tonga – Taulupe Faletau

Zambia-born Eddie Tembo is an international shinty player from Drumnadrochit, the village where the Loch Ness monster lurks. He is a proud-Scotsman exploring ways his young family can connect with their African heritage.

Claudia Jones was born in Trinidad, grew up in the States and ended up in Britain when she was deported for being a communist. In this episode we visit five spots around London where you can learn more about her enormous contributions to the city – which include starting Notting Hill Carnival.

Kelso Cochrane is unfortunately better known in death than he was in life, murdered by racists in Notting Hill 1959. For more information on this story read Mark Olden’s ‘Murder in Notting Hill‘ and check out these links in: The Socialist Work The Telegraph Our Migration Story

Captain Robert Laurence Nairac GC was born in Mauritius, and served as a British Army officer in Northern Ireland where he was abducted and assassinated by the Provisional IRA. In this episode I speak to Geoff Knupfer, lead forensic investigator at the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains. If you have any information … Continue reading 32/52 Mauritius – Robert Nairac

The 2007 show ‘Meet the Natives’ brought five men, including Jimmy Joseph, from Vanuatu to learn about the native culture of… England. But of course, what the show really teaches us is about their culture. And their religion! Villagers on Tanna believe that the son of god is Prince Philip. For more on that, check … Continue reading 31/52 Vanuatu – Jimmy Joseph Nakou

Peter Lobengula to the UK from South Africa as part of Frank Fillis’ circus in 1889. Many centuries before Beyonce’s Lion King album this was considered the largest ever showing of “African culture”, and it was large with 16,000 visitors a day When the show opened, Peter said: ‘My first thought was that the whole … Continue reading 30/52 South Africa – Peter Lobengula

“If you never change your mind, why have one?” asked Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono, a Maltese physician and psychologist known as the father of lateral thinking. Here are some of the resources I used to create this episode: A Little Lateral Thinking – BBC Interview in The Guardian, 2007 Interview in The Times, 2003 British Subjects is produced by Anna Rose … Continue reading 29/52 Malta – Edward de Bono

Evana Morris shares her story of coming to England from Grenada as part of Evewright’s Caribbean Takeaway Takeover. “The Caribbean takeaway is an important cultural meeting place in the Caribbean community. A home from home, the kitchen is where meals are prepared, but also where stories are exchanged and shared. Going back to African roots, … Continue reading 28/52 Grenada – Evena Morris

Lindka Cierach was born in Lesotho to Polish-British parents, and is best known for designing Sarah Ferguson’s wedding dress. This is her lovely Kensington apartment which she sold last year. AFRICA: Botswana – Ear of Sorghum and Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) Cameroon – Red Stinkwood (Prunus africana) Gambia – White Variety Orchid Ghana – Caladium … Continue reading 27/52 Lesotho – Lindka Cierach

I was introduced to Dulani’s work through her contribution to the Hidden Sussex Anthology. Her piece tells the story of the Chattri, a monument in Brighton to 53 Indian soldiers who died in WWI. In this episode she speaks about her family history, her work and the importance of teaching her daughters about belonging. Dulani … Continue reading 26/52 Sri Lanka – Dulani Kulasinghe

A minisode with Lisa Monks about E. Clement Bethel, the leading scholar in Bahamian music and Junkanoo. You can read more about his life on the Caribbean Memory Project. British Subjects is produced by Anna Rose Kerr.

A minisode with Lisa Monks about David Nanau Kausimae, who never emigrated to the UK, but was given an OBE and later knighted for ‘services to the community in the Solomon Islands’. More details about his life are available on Solomon Encyclopaedia. British Subjects is produced by Anna Rose Kerr.

Lisa Monks steps in with this minisode about Al Bowlly, once described as ‘Europe’s Most Popular Crooner and Famous Radio and Record Star’. His Blue Plaque can be seen at 26 Charring Cross Rd. The book mentioned is Your 48 page pictorial story souvenir of Al Bowlly, 1975 by Ray Pallett. And the music in … Continue reading 23/52 Mozambique – Albert Alick Bowlly

This, the final sentence of a recent Rihanna interview with The New York Times has sent London Twitter crazy. RihRih lives in London!? British Subjects is produced by Anna Rose Kerr.

Sam Martinez was born 10 February 1918 in Honduras, now known as Belize. He came to Scotland in 1942 to help with the war effort as a lumberjack. He lived until the age of 106 having many careers and children, and becoming a dedicated fan of local football team the Hibs. In this episode I … Continue reading 21/52 Belize – Sam Martinez

Chao is a digital heritage specialist and overall history geek. After starting a history blog in 2012, she realised that the history she was taught growing up had significant gaps, was impersonal and had no room for personal stories and memories. Since then, she been doing various projects to document history/ culture through digital media. You can find her … Continue reading 20/52 Kenya – Tayiana Chao

Hulda Kamboi Ngatjikare (married name Shipanga) was born on 28 October 1926 in Aminuis, South-West Africa (now known as Namibia). She came to the UK to study and qualifed as a theatre nurse and specialising in paediatrics and orthopaedics. In this episode I share the little we know about her incredible life story. If anyone is interesting in … Continue reading 19/52 Namibia – Matron Hulda Shipanga

Altab Ali was a textiles worker who moved to London from Bangladesh, with his uncle in 1969. When he was murdered by racists on May the 4th 1978 his death sparked a protest of thousands of Bengali people and supporters. In this episode I speak to Rafique Ullah, who was a teenager at the time, … Continue reading 18/52 Bangladesh – Altab Ali

New Zealand-born Nancy Wake loved a good drink and handsome men, and hated nothing more than the Nazis. Working as a freelance journalist in 1933, Wake travelled to Vienna to interview the German Chancellor, a man named Adolf Hitler. She saw Nazi brutality first hand, and developed a deep, deep hatred for the party, vowing … Continue reading 17/52 New Zealand – Nancy Wake

Bryon Chan considers himself a citizen of the world, and of nowhere. The first third of his life was spent in Malaysia, the second third in New Zealand, he now lives in London where he works as a software developer and volunteers with Good Gym.

Myrtilla was brought from Nevis to Warwickshire. When she died in 1706 her grave was given a headstone, thought to be one of the earliest in England commemorating a person of African descent. To begin your own research on Myrtilla here are some resources: Guardian article by Alison BenjaminArticle by Dr Sarah RichardsonThe Oxhill Village … Continue reading 15/52 St Kitts & Nevis – Myrtilla

Fatmata came to the UK to further her education, with the intention of eventually going back to Sierra Leone to develop her nation of birth. But while living here she’s actively involved in many initiatives developing Tower Hamlets, where she lives.

At the time of writing this, there are three countries that sit both in the Commonwealth and the European Union – United Kingdom, Malta and Cyrpus. On the week Brexit is supposed to be delivered Cyprus-born Maria Skarlatou talks about how this intersection has impacted her identity and home country. Maria moved to the UK … Continue reading 13/52 Cyprus – Maria Skarlatou

Quobina Ottobah Cugoano, who was also known as John Stuart, was born around 1757 in what is now Ajumako, Ghana. His book Thoughts And Sentiments On The Evil & Wicked Traffic Of The Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species forms the basis of this episode. 25 March 2019 marks the 212 year anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade … Continue reading 12/52 Ghana – Quobna Ottobah Cugoano

Suliana is mother to three and “Island Mum” to many more. Her house in Alton has become a second home for many of her children’s Palangi (British) friends, who come in and out as they please, eating the food and learning about Tuvaluan culture by osmosis. I was lucky to spend a day full of … Continue reading 11/52 Tuvalu – Suliana Lopati Barber

Eliza Anyangwe is a journalist, editor, and moderator born in Cameroon, raised across Africa and based in London. She is also the founder of The Nzinga Effect, a media project focused on telling the stories of African and Afro-descendant women and The Nzinga StoryLab, which works with other organisations to tell better stories about Africa and African peoples. Nzinga’s current … Continue reading 10/52 Cameroon – Eliza Anyangwe

As the title suggests, this prisoner of war is fairly unknown to us, right now. But this is a very real story about a very real person, so we’ll talk about what we do know. We do know they were captured in St Lucia during the 1793 war between Britain and France in the Caribbean. … Continue reading 09/52 St Lucia – Unknown Prisoner

On 23rd of February 1927 (164 years to the day since the Berbice Slave Uprising) a new revolutionary is born in Guyana, Jessica Huntley. In this episode I speak to her friend Maureen Roberts at the London Metropolitan Archives about her life and work in the UK. In Huntley Archives at the LMA include photographs, … Continue reading 08/52 Guyana – Jessica Huntley

Alma Rattenbury (nee Packenham, nee Dolling, nee Radcliffe Clarke) was a talented musician, whose loving of men led to her ultimate demise. She was born in British Columbia, Canada and played piano and violin as well as writing her own music. Here she is playing a composition she wrote: Alma was shunned from Victoria after … Continue reading 07/52 Canada – Alma Rattenbury

In the 1960s Her Majesty’s Armed Forces recruited 12 women, and 200 men from Fiji, Naibuka Qarau was one of them. In this episode we learn how he’s made Hackney home and he’s completed the circle of early Methodist missionaries. There are at least two books written about Naibuka’s years of service, 212 Solider for … Continue reading 06/52 Fiji – Naibuka Qarau

Somewhere in rural Wales you’ll find the Kiribati Honorary Consulate, and there you’ll find Rotee Walsh. In this episode we learn about her life, and how she’s raised her family with an appreciation of both cultures. You can read more about their home and the work of the Kiribati Consulate in this BBC article. I … Continue reading 05/52 Kiribati – Rotee Walsh

Alice Procter is an art historian who immigrated from Australia, she runs Uncomfortable Art Tours in major British museums examining how we “curate historical trauma and national identity”. Her work has been featured in The Guardian, Al Jazeera and even the Daily Mail! You can book tickets for Uncomfortable Art Tours here, or follow The Exhibitionist on Facebook to … Continue reading 04/52 Australia – Alice Procter

In this episode we meet Nigerian-born immigrant Adeyemi Michael, the artist behind the iconic image of a woman riding a horse through Peckham. You can watch his short film Entitled on YouTube, or right here: British Subjects is a podcast created and produced by @annarosekerr.  

Against the wishes of his mother and his religion, Srinivasa Ramanujan immigrated to the UK from India in 1914 to become one of the most prolific mathematicians to work at Cambridge University. In this episode Dr Sarah Meikeljohn tells us the story of her favourite mathematician, and also reads out every taxi cab number currently known … Continue reading 02/52 India – Srinivasa Ramanujan