Podcast appearances and mentions of David Olusoga

British historian and television presenter

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Best podcasts about David Olusoga

Latest podcast episodes about David Olusoga

The Prospect Interview
David Olusoga: History is under attack from Trump

The Prospect Interview

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2025 39:15


Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga joins Ellen and Alona to discuss political attacks on American history, the challenges facing academia in the UK—and how future generations will view England's colonial history.Our newsfeeds are dominated by towering figures like Trump and Elon Musk—but does the “great man” theory still hold? Is history really made by millions of ordinary people? How will historians look back at this moment?And with UK universities under pressure, he discusses why the humanities are still vital.Plus, Ellen and Alona discuss whether the clocks going forward is a “banger” or a “dud”.‘A Journey through Time' with David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell can be streamed here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We Have Ways of Making You Talk
Communist Postmen, Spam, & the BEST Museums

We Have Ways of Making You Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2025 42:16


What is the future of WW2 Museums? What did Dominic Sandbrook say about tanks, and David Olusoga say about machine guns? What happened to civil aviation during WW2, and was Lend-Lease powered by Spam? Join James Holland and Al Murray for a packed episode of war waffle, including Jim's recent scouring of Europe, a chance encounter in a hospital, and what Ukraine can expect based on Soviet negotiation tactics in 1945. EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1Xtra Talks
Books and beyond: World Book Day

1Xtra Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2025 60:05


We discuss the importance of World Book Day from a Black British perspective, as well as practical moves made to inspire girls and women as we mark International Women's Day. Richie is joined by acclaimed historian David Olusoga, children's book author Priscilla Ohene and 1Xtra presenter Fee Mak. We also catch up with presenter Priscilla Anyabu as she shares her passions of uplifting more girls and women through sport.

Aspen Ideas to Go
History, Justice, and Amends: Britain's Legacy of Slavery

Aspen Ideas to Go

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2024 57:49


Scholars are still uncovering information about Britain's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade and its era of slavery, piecing together how the wealth generated from these atrocities shaped the nation's history. For some descendants, this means just now learning about their families' roles in and benefits from these horrors. In Britain, a few horrified heirs and private institutions are stepping forward to make amends, but there are few models for what meaningful reparations or restorative justice could look like. Where do we go from here, and what would truly make a difference? In this conversation from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, the three panelists bring personal and academic experience to this weighty conversation. Harvard historian Vincent Brown, British TV presenter and historian David Olusoga and former BBC journalist and reparations advocate Laura Trevelyan discuss the meaning and practical application of reparations and restorative justice. New York Times editor Dean Baquet moderates the talk and takes questions from the audience. aspenideas.org

Aspen Ideas to Go
Can We Use the Past to Guide an AI Future?

Aspen Ideas to Go

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2024 51:49


New technologies have always led to changes in society, though not always as quickly or drastically as people feared. Could artificial intelligence be different? Instead of letting a new AI reality unfold amid helpless hand-wringing, what if we tried to learn from the past? In this talk recorded at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, a panel of thoughtful technology experts from various perspectives meet to discuss what might happen in a future AI-infused world. They explore the possibilities between immediate havoc and the eventual end of humanity, and suggest actions we can take to get the outcome we want. UK historian, writer and TV presenter David Olusoga joins UK government technology advisor Karen McLuskie and tech philanthropist Vilas Dhar of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. The executive director of Aspen Digital at the Aspen Institute, Vivian Schiller, moderates the conversation. aspenideas.org

How To Academy
David Olusoga and Alan Lester - The Truth About the British Empire

How To Academy

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2024 82:14


In our turbulent times, how do we grapple with our past? Are we capable of grappling with Britain's imperial history without whitewashing? Historians David Olusoga and Alan Lester believe that the truth matters; it matters far too greatly to be hijacked by culture warriors, apologists and racists. They joined us in conversation to reveal the truth about the British Empire, and reveal a new way forward in understanding the history of the nation. To get an exclusive NordVPN deal, head to https://nordvpn.com/howtoacademy to get an extra 4 months on the 2-year plan. There's no risk with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

History Rage
Gloucester History Festival Special #1 - Medieval Misconceptions: The True Lives of Nuns with Prof. Janina Ramirez

History Rage

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2024 39:41


Welcome to a special live edition of History Rage, recorded on-site at the Gloucester History Festival! For our opening episode, we are thrilled to be joined by the festival president, medieval historian, and self-proclaimed goth, Professor Janina Ramirez. Dive into a compelling discussion about the festival's growth, the diverse line-up of speakers, and the innovative ways history is being shared with a global audience through live streaming.Festival Highlights:- Discover how the Gloucester History Festival has evolved from the brink of closure during the pandemic to a thriving bi-annual event with global reach.- Learn about the diverse programme, featuring speakers like Tom Kerridge on the history of food, Stuart Lee on comedy, and David Olusoga on history wars.- Explore the festival's commitment to inclusivity and the democratisation of historical knowledge through City Voices and digital technology.Raging Against Historical Misconceptions:- Professor Janina Ramirez shares her rage about the misconception that becoming a nun in the medieval period was a fate worse than death.- Uncover the rich, influential lives of medieval nuns who contributed significantly to art, music, politics, and intellectual thought.- Delve into the nuanced history of monastic life, from the benedictine revival to the powerful roles women played within these communities.The Impact of the Reformation:- A passionate discussion on how the Reformation dismantled monastic institutions, stripping women of their opportunities and forcing them back into domestic spheres.- Examine the systematic deconstruction of monasteries and the long-term effects on women's roles in society.Join us as we rage against historical inaccuracies and celebrate the often-overlooked contributions of medieval women. Don't miss the chance to catch the Gloucester History Festival talks live or on-demand at www.gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk.Stay connected with History Rage on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @HistoryRage. Support our mission to bring historical truths to light by subscribing to our Patreon at patreon.com/historyrage, where you'll get early episode access, live stream invites, and the iconic History Rage mug.Stay informed, stay engaged, and most importantly, stay angry! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Off Air... with Jane and Fi
Bring back Eve! (with David Olusoga)

Off Air... with Jane and Fi

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2024 40:51


Jane and Fi have a supply teacher producer situation today and they're just not used to this kind of discipline - but they still manage to chat about why you don't see daytime ghosts, the multi 'talented' King Henry the 8th and whether plays within plays are any good.They also ask the big question: Do you throw your own? (Knickers)They're also joined by David Olusoga, who speaks about his new book 'Black History for Every Day of the Year' which he wrote with his siblings, Yinka and Kemi Olusoga.Our next book club pick has been announced! 'The Trouble with Goats and Sheep' by Joanna Cannon.If you want to contact the show to ask a question and get involved in the conversation then please email us: janeandfi@times.radioFollow us on Instagram! @janeandfiPodcast Producer: Eve SalusburyExecutive Producer: Rosie Cutler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was Justice Served?
Murder in my family, with David Olusoga

Was Justice Served?

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2024 59:22


“I have been watching him for 12 years. He has been hiding, but I caught him at last...” A pre-meditated murder in broad daylight or the tragic result of deteriorating mental health? You decide. In this special pilot episode of Was Justice Served?, Professor David Olusoga OBE joins co-hosts Jen Baldwin and David Wilson to examine a murder hidden within his family tree. On the 10 September 1896, 64-year-old George Ewart approached 42-year-old Daniel Gray in broad daylight on the corner of Dalton Street in Byker, and shot him at close range with a revolver. Daniel would die that day of his wounds and George - David's great-great-grandfather - would go on to be tried for his murder. But this case is not as open and shut as it seems, as George's mental state is at the heart of his defence… David and the hosts discuss George and Daniel's lives, families, and the events leading up to that fateful day. They draw on testimonies delivered by family members – people that David's mother remembers – which were reported in the newspapers at the time as well as medical evidence and witness statements from the trial. They also examine the social and legal context at the time, and the burgeoning understanding of mental health as a factor in major crimes. And, ultimately, David reveals how this terrible tragedy set his family on a trajectory which has lasting impacts to this day. Discover the details for yourself in the episode's Case Files - a collection of all the key newspaper reports - available to browse for free on Findmypast: www.findmypast.co.uk/wasjusticeserved Was justice served? Share your judgement with the WJS community: X - @wasjusticeserved Instagram - @wasjusticeservedpod TikTok - @wasjusticeserved Producer - Madeleine Gilbert Assistant Producer: Daisy Goddard AV Editor - Callum Main Videographer - Angus Webster Video Lead - Andrew Farrell Graphics/Design - Kate Benzie, David Bradley and Graham Jacobs Researcher: Jen Baldwin Voiceover - Elliot Hardman AV Lead - Mark Asquith  

The Media Podcast with Olly Mann
Get ready for the podcast election

The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2024 45:45


As broadcasters begin to announce their lineups, what will Ofcom do about Nigel Farage? Media news and analysis, this week with media writer and chair of Broadcasting Press Guild Manori Ravindran and The Media Leader's Ella Sagar.Also on the programme: we're in Bristol for the Creative Cities Convention and hear reasons to be cheerful from broadcaster David Olusoga and Screenskill's Laura Mansfield.All that plus, changes at Virgin Radio, why Channel 4 is thinking beyond England.... and, in the Media Quiz, it's American imports and exports.A Rethink Audio Production, produced by Matt Hill. Love our look and sound? Hire thelondonpodcaststudios.com for your next recording - and get 25% off your first booking when you use the code MEDIAPOD.  Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shade
Michael Ohajuru: in conversation with Lou Mensah

Shade

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2024 18:44


Michael Ohajuru is a London-based art historian who returns to the podcast to discuss the John Blanke project, a large gathering of artists and historians who have come together to re-imagine John Blanke, the black trumpeter to the courts of Henry 7th and Henry 8th and the first person of African descent in British history that we have both a visual and written record of. The participating artists include Keith Piper, Wole Lagunju, Phoebe Boswell, Paul Dash and Larry Achiampong. David Olusoga Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester says of the project:"The John Blanke Project redefines historical exploration by merging practical scholarship with innovation and critical imagination. Anchored in social justice, it reveals the overlooked narratives of Black Tudor England, enriching our grasp of diversity and British identity. By blending art and history, it encourages a deeper, empathetic engagement with our shared past, advocating for a more inclusive and equitable understanding of history."Thanks for listening to this independent podcast. You can support this work by reviewing and sharing the podcast or becoming a Shade Art Review subscriber.Read Shade Art Review Shade Art Review Series 10 | 20% discount codeShade Podcast InstagramShade Podcast is Executive produced and hosted by Lou MensahMusic King Henry IV for Shade Podcast by Brian JacksonEditing and mixing by Tess DavidsonEditorial support from Anne Kimunguyi Help support the work that goes into creating Shade Podcast. https://plus.acast.com/s/shadepodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talk Media
‘Bunkered in Manchester', ‘Scottish Arts Under Pressure', ‘The New Old County Highway' / with Ruth Wishart

Talk Media

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2023 6:17


At the end of show a question from me. (Brian) Recommendations: Ruth: Cobra Season 3 Robert Carlyle returns to screens for the third instalment of fan favourite political thriller COBRA: Rebellion with Jane Horrocks joining the cast. https://www.skygroup.sky/article/-the-explosive-third-instalment-of-sky-original-drama-cobra-rebellion-coming-to-sky-max-and-now-on-12-october- Cove & Kilcreggan Book Festival https://www.facebook.com/cbhbookfest/ Eamonn: Party Gate Karaoke, suitcases of wine, ambushing cake... this factual drama tells the story of Covid from inside 10 Downing Street as staff kicked back at lockdown-breaching parties. https://www.channel4.com/programmes/partygate Stuart: Union National identity, social class, inequality. David Olusoga shines a light on our fractured modern society through the lens of the past, exposing the fault lines dividing the UK. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0gd25kn

Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes
Immigration, identity, and Europe: Lessons from post-Brexit Britain

Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2023 40:06


What does it mean to be patriotic in 2023? Following the significant population movements of recent years, leaders in European states are increasingly trying to foster a sense of identity that can hold together their diverse societies. In his recent book, “How to be a patriot: Why love of country can end our very British culture war”, Sunder Katwala draws on many years of research and scholarship in the UK to consider what collective identity without division, fear of immigration, and racism might look like. In this episode, he joins Mark Leonard to explore some identity-related dilemmas in post-Brexit Britain. How did immigration and European interact in the run-up to the 2016 referendum? And can the rest of Europe draw any lessons from the UK's experience? This podcast was recorded on 19 June 2023. Bookshelf: How to Be a Patriot: Why love of country can end our very British culture war? by Sunder Katwala Windrush: 75 Years of Modern Britain, by Trevor Phillips and Mike Phillips Black and British: a forgotten History, by David Olusoga

Jaipur Bytes
India, Empire and the First World War: Santanu Das and Navtej Sarna with David Olusoga

Jaipur Bytes

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2023 36:24


This episode is a live session from Jaipur Literature Festival 2023!

Jaipur Bytes
Fallen Idols - The Age of Iconoclasm: Alex von Tunzelmann and David Olusoga with Mukulika Banerjee

Jaipur Bytes

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2023 25:50


This episode is a live session from Jaipur Literature Festival 2023!

Tales From The Plantation
#051 - Sucking Toes, Bumping Train, OBE Mandem and Coronation Choir

Tales From The Plantation

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2023 108:46


We're back with another monthly episode! We discuss: - The weirdest toe sucking story we've heard - The "gospel choir" at the coronation - David Lammy, David Olusoga and Black British identity - What crimes have you committed? - "Would you date a bus driver" and other nonsense dating questions And more... Please remember to like/rate and review on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
 SC: @talesfromtheplantation
 AP: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/tale…on/id1403137269
 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/26ki3XvVIIl…ENRbCB7rOP-AirBA Hit us up on:
 Instagram - @talesfromtheplantation
 Facebook - @talesfromtheplantation
SoundCloud - @talesfromtheplantation
 Twitter - @plantationtales Tales from the Plantation is a podcast that started off as a WhatsApp group where friends came to complain about the struggles of being a black person in the workplace, and had a continuous stream of stories about microaggressions, off key comments and downright outrageous behaviour.
The monthly podcast features discussions on a variety of topics from a primarily black perspective.
If you have a tale about racism you've experienced, whether in the workplace, on the street etc., send it in to talesfromtheplantation@gmail.com and we'll read it out on the next show!

The Media Show
David Olusoga: Bafta-winning historian

The Media Show

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2023 28:10


The historian and broadcaster David Olusoga is being honoured with a BAFTA special award. He gives his first interview since the news dropped. Comedian Nish Kumar talks about the launch of his new podcast, Pod Save the UK. They're joined by The Spectator's political editor Katy Balls and Emily Bell, Professor at the Columbia School of Journalism. Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Dan Hardoon

Brexitcast
Arresting Developments

Brexitcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2023 27:50


The BBC's disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring joins Adam to talk about how the world is reacting to Donald Trump's indictment online, as well as how US voters are experiencing the news on their feeds. The UK government says it has struck the "biggest trade deal since Brexit", but how big are the benefits for the economy? The BBC's trade and economics correspondent Dharshini David gives her analysis. And, as The Guardian apologises for its historic links to slavery, board member and historian David Olusoga tells Newscast what the paper is doing to try to atone. Today's Newscast was presented by Adam Fleming and was made by Chris Flynn with Rufus Gray, Madeleine Drury. The assistant news editor is Damon Rose.

Il Mondo
La strage dei migranti che volevano entrare negli Stati Uniti. Il Guardian chiede scusa per il suo passato schiavista.

Il Mondo

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2023 25:32


Almeno 39 persone sono morte nell'incendio in un centro di detenzione per migranti a Ciudad Juaréz, una città messicana al confine con gli Stati Uniti. Da un'indagine commissionata dalla proprietà del quotidiano britannico è emerso che i fondatori facevano affari con aziende che importavano cotone prodotto nelle Americhe da schiavi e schiave. Camilla Desideri, editor di America Latina di Internazionale, e Alessio Marchionna, editor di Stati Uniti di Internazionale John Foot, storico britannico, da BristolVideo Mexico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9C6ACwclSgVideo Guardian, David Olusoga: https://www.theguardian.com/news/video/2023/mar/28/david-olusoga-examines-the-guardians-links-to-slavery-that-reality-cant-be-negotiated-withJohn Foot sulla statua di Edward Colston abbattuta a Bristol: https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2022/january/the-colston-fourScrivi a podcast@internazionale.it o manda un vocale a +39 3347063050Consulenza editoriale di Chiara Nielsen.Produzione di Claudio Balboni.Musiche di Tommaso Colliva e Raffaele Scogna.Direzione creativa di Jonathan Zenti.

The Radio Times Podcast
Smart TV Episode 33

The Radio Times Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2022 22:10


Radio Times writer David Butcher runs through the week's TV highlights, avoiding any that involve MPs and soap stars around a campfire. There's a sharp comedy-drama with James Corden, a feature-length history tale from David Olusoga, a comedy romp in the woods courtesy of David Mitchell and – with the FIFA World Cup imminent – enough football documentaries to keep a small stadium happy. All this, plus as always, one show to miss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Empire
6. Queen Elizabeth II & Empire (with David Olusoga)

Empire

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2022 38:33


Anita and Willie are joined by David Olusoga for a special episode of Empire, where they discuss the Queen, the Commonwealth, the future of the monarchy and the long shadow of Empire. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Instagram: @EmpirePodUK Twitter: @EmpirePodUK goalhangerpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warfare of Art & Law Podcast
2ND Saturday Art + Justice Bonus: Emily Gould on the Colston 4 Trial and Acquittal

Warfare of Art & Law Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2022 10:02


Show notes:1:00 evidence at trial from historian David Olusoga regarding Colston's ownership of more slaves than any other Brit in history, one of the earliest, biggest slave traders 1:30 Colston died circa 1720 1:45 statue of Colston erected by Victorian dignitaries in Bristol2:10 half of the schools, streets and whatever in Bristol are named after Colston2:20 circa 1990s, true history of Colston revealed3:25 in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter protests group pushed Colston statue into the harbor 3:45 restorative justice by others with community penalty3:55 Colston 4 jury trial over prosecution of four individuals involved in toppling Colston statute4:05 Elected for a Crown Court jury trial and were acquitted5:20 Conservatives and those in the government, including the cabinet, expressed surprise at the verdict6:10 UK Attorney General considered whether to send the case to the appeal court to consider whether there was an error of law in the direction of the jury7:50 bill going through Parliament with a provision to increase the potential sentence for criminal damage against a public monument8:15 proposed bill to change threshold that currently exists for criminal damage against a memorial or public monument with value under 5000 pounds, maximum sentence magistrates that could  impose was three months in prison8:50 proposed bill is to remove financial threshold and make maximum sentence 10 yearsTo view rewards for supporting the podcast, please visit Warfare's Patreon page.To leave questions or comments about this or other episodes of the podcast, please call 1.929.260.4942 or email Stephanie@warfareofartandlaw.com. © Stephanie Drawdy [2022]

Front Row
Sister Act, Dramatising the Ugandan Asian exodus, David Olusoga

Front Row

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2022 42:21


Sister Act the Musical is returning to the London stage, after two years of Covid delays and thirty years after the much loved Whoopi Goldberg film. Tom Sutcliffe met the stars of the new Hammersmith Apollo production, Beverley Knight who plays singer on the run Deloris and Jennifer Saunders who takes on the role of Mother Superior, to discuss mixing secular and sacred musical traditions with comedy and choreography. Curve Theatre, Leicester, has commissioned a series of plays called Finding Home to mark 50 years since the Ugandan Asian exodus initiated by the then President Idi Amin. Many of those who fled came to family and contacts in Leicester. Reporter Geeta Pendse talks to some of the writers and performers and visits Leicester Museum to hear the stories of what happened in August 1972. Story Trails is a new project that uses virtual reality to reveal hidden local histories in fifteen places across the UK. Film maker David Olusoga, who is the project's creative director, explains how the UK's largest immersive storytelling project will work. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Emma Wallace Picture: Sister Act - Beverley Knight as Deloris van Cartier and Jennifer Saunders as Mother Superior. Photographer Criedit: Manuel Harlan

Walking With Wealth Managers
David Olusoga - The legacies of Empire live on in UK financial services

Walking With Wealth Managers

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2022 11:21


Christopher Johnson sat down with the author of Black and British: A Forgotten History and renowned broadcaster, David Olusoga OBE. Recorded at the Citywire Wealth Manager Conference & Awards, Olusoga discusses the legacies of the British Empire on the UK's financial services industry, the importance of understanding these histories for Britain's national identity and how the politicisation of race issues has not dampened the younger generation's interest in exploring these topics.

New Model Adviser Podcast
‘The City was built on slavery… now it wants to confront this past'

New Model Adviser Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2022 15:21


After his speech at the NMA Conference & Awards historian David Olusoga sat down with NMA deputy editor Jack Gilbert to discuss how the UK is confronting the evils of slavery and colonialism and what financial services firms are doing about their own past role in the system.

In the Reading Corner
David Olusoga: Black British History

In the Reading Corner

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2022 24:38


David Olusoga is a historian and broadcaster specialising in Black British History.In this episode he talks with Nikki Gamble about writing the empire back into history, escaping from biographical approaches and plans to produce material to support educators.About Black and British An Illustrated HistoryThis beautiful hardback gift book is a stunning visual journey through Black British history for younger readers by award-winning historian and broadcaster David Olusoga and illustrated by Jake Alexander and Melleny Taylor. The essential starting place for anyone who wants to learn about Black British History. David Olusoga's thought-provoking text charts the forgotten histories of Black people in Britain from Roman times right through to the present day.From Roman Africans guarding Hadrian's Wall to an African trumpeter in the court of Henry the Eighth, Black Georgians fighting for the abolition of slavery, Black soldiers fighting for Britain in the First World War, Windrush and right up today. These are the stories that brought us all together in this country. When did Africans first come to Britain? Who are the well-dressed black children in Georgian paintings? Why did the American Civil War disrupt the Industrial Revolution? These and many other questions are answered in this essential introduction to 1800 years of Black British history.This children's edition of the bestseller Black and British: A Forgotten History is beautifully illustrated in full colour with maps, portrait galleries, timelines, photos and portraits.

Aspects of History
Statue Wars - Peter Hughes on Love & Hate in Statues

Aspects of History

Play Episode Play 22 sec Highlight Listen Later Dec 4, 2021 65:14


We all remember the summer of 2020 when, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, statues were brought down in the UK and the US. But is this the right way to ensure we continue to live in a liberal democracy? Should we think about what unites us, rather than divides us? I am joined by Peter Hughes, author of A History of Love & Hate in 21 Statues.You can get in touch on the Twitter @olliewcq @aspectshistory Email history@aspectsofhistory.com or head to our website.You can buy his book here: https://amzn.to/3ry5tlXIn the show we talked about:David Olusoga's Black & BritishThe documentary made by Olusoga's production company, and presented by Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, Statue WarsThornton Wilder's novel, The Bridge of San Luis ReyAndrew Gold's Podcast, which certainly has influenced me, is: On the Edge

Half Open Door
David Olusoga in Conversation: Black History Matters

Half Open Door

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2021 61:45


Welcome to the Half Open Door Podcast brought to you by Kindfull Creations- Where we will be bringing you informative and enlightening lectures from some interesting people around the world. Join our Instagram Kindfull.Creations https://www.instagram.com/Kindfull.Creations/ to discuss any topics from the podcast. We can only show you the door, its up to you to walk through it. Episode details: The British Library, Oct 11, 2020 The murder of George Floyd in the US reverberated around the world. It gave way to an explosion of protest, and a closer examination among historians of the systemic racism in the way the African diaspora is described. Cultural institutions around the world are examining their own legacy within the history of colonialism and imperialism. Join historian David Olusoga in conversation with Dr Omar Khan for his personal perspective on how we memorialise, teach and write about racism, and why black British history matters. Professor David Olusoga is a British-Nigerian historian, broadcaster and BAFTA award-winning presenter and filmmaker. He is Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester and a regular contributor to the Guardian, Observer, New Statesman and BBC History Magazine. The author of several books including Black and British: A Forgotten History and A House Through Time, he was also a contributor to The Oxford Companion to Black British History. In 2019 he was awarded the OBE for services to history and community integration. David's new children's book, Black and British: A Short Essential History has recently been published. Omar Khan was director of the Runnymede Trust, the UK's leading race equality thinktank for 6 years, until June 2020, and before that Head of Policy at Runnymede. In this capacity he was involved in helping bring the Windrush injustice to light and was a member of the advisory group of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review, chaired by Wendy Williams. During his tenure as Director, Runnymede produced the award-winning site Our Migration Story (www.ourmigrationstory.org.uk) and consistently argued for the need to teach history more accurately in Britain. He is now Director of the higher education charity TASO, and has written and spoken widely on equality, race and racism in policy, academic and media debates in Britain and internationally. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/halfopendoor/support

The Jazz Podcast
Malik Al Nasir

The Jazz Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2021 70:53


Malik Al Nasir is an author, performance poet and filmmaker from Liverpool. He has produced and appeared in several documentaries with artists such as Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, Benjamin Zephaniah and Public Enemy, as well as footballer Mark Walters and many other luminaries. Malik started tracing his roots back through slavery over 15 years ago and his pioneering research has been recognised by Sir Hilary Beckles (Chair CARICOM Commission for slavery reparations), historian David Olusoga, and The University of Cambridge, where Malik is reading a PhD in history with a full scholarship in recognition of the significance of his research.His band Malik & The O.G's have performed exclusive UK shows of ‘The Revolution Will Be Live!' – a 10th anniversary celebration of Gil's musical influence – at Wilderness Festival, The Jazz Café, London, and Blues Kitchen, Manchester, in honour of Gil Scott-Heron's memory and coinciding with the September release of Letters To Gil.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thejazzpodcast)

25 for 25: A SRtRC Podcast
#13: Shaka Hislop and David Olusoga (Black History Month Special)

25 for 25: A SRtRC Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2021 38:56


Show Racism the Red Card's Shaka Hislop is joined by famed historian David Olusoga for a Black History Month special of the '25 for 25' podcast.David discusses growing up Black and British in the 1970s and 80s, his fascination with history, and the progress made in the fight against racism across his lifetime.

HodderPod - Hodder books podcast
THE INTERESTING NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF OLAUDAH EQUIANO read by David Olusoga & Ben Bailey Smith

HodderPod - Hodder books podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2021 4:13


The classic memoir of an 18th-century British former slave, and leading figure in the abolitionist movement, Olaudah Equiano. Introduced by David Olusoga, author of the highly acclaimed Black and British. Kidnapped and sold into slavery at the age of 10, Olaudah Equiano's memoir caused a sensation when it was first published in 1789. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano is the true story of his life, from his 10 years of service as a slave in the British Navy to his experiences - after having purchased his freedom twice - as a freed Black man living in 18th-century England. Equiano would go on to be a leading figure in the anti-slavery movement, boosted by the success of his memoir, which became a best seller and went through nine editions in his lifetime. This new edition of the landmark memoir features a foreword by historian and best-selling author David Olusoga (Black and British), bringing this long-overlooked classic back into the spotlight, and showing his importance, which has been too often neglected, for the story of the abolition of slavery in Britain.

The Austen Connection
The Podcast - Episode 4: Black British Life in the Regency and Beyond

The Austen Connection

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2021 47:31


Hello dear friends,If you've watched the wildly-popular Netflix series Bridgerton or the wonderful film The Personal History of David Copperfield starring Dev Patel, you might have experienced and appreciated what today's podcast guest saw: People of color in a fictionalized dramatization of 18th and 19th Century Britain. But in Gretchen Gerzina's case - and unlike most of us - she knows the back stories of the real lives of Black residents of Britain in those eras. Professor Gerzina says she is drawn to “biographies and lives of those who cross boundaries of history, time, place or race” - that's on her website - and her work is all about this. In books like Black London, Black Victorians, and Britain's Black Past, Gerzina bridges all of those boundaries for us - connecting us to people across time, place, and history - and introducing us to some of the Black performers, memoirists, activists and everyday people in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. Professor Gerzina joined me a few weeks ago, by Zoom, for today's Austen Connection podcast, and we talked about the lives of some of these Black residents of Britain historically, how she is helping to tell the stories about their lives, and how contemporary fictionalizations of Regency England capture these stories, or not. Enjoy the podcast - and if you prefer to read, here's an excerpt from our conversation. Plain JaneSo, I have been poring through your books, and I really enjoyed Black London [among others]. And … it's just really beautiful the way that you write about what you're doing - reconstructing, repainting history. In a way, you say, to illuminate the unseen vistas of people and places that are part of British history and part of our world history. Really illuminating the stories of the people and the community of Black women and men in [the] Regency era in 18th and 19th century Britain. So would you just talk first, Professor Gerzina, about that, illuminating the unseen? In what ways has this history been erased? And in what ways are you still trying to uncover that history?Gretchen Gerzina So that book was published 25 years ago or so and it's still being read all the time. And in fact, it's available as a free download through the Dartmouth College Library. And it stays in people's minds. The reason I wrote it was that I was actually working on a very different book. And … I went into a bookshop, a very well known bookstore in London, looking for … Peter Fryer's book called Staying Power, the history of Black people in Britain - massive book. And it had just come out in paperback. So I said, “Oh, let me go buy that.” And I went into the bookshop, and I couldn't find it. And I finally went up to a clerk. And I said, “I'm looking for this new this book. It's just been released in paperback.” And she looked at me and said, “Madam, there were no Black people in Britain before the Second World War.” And I said, “Well, no, that's not true.” .. .So I got so angry. I never found the book. I mean, I went to another bookshop, and it was right there. But I got so angry that I went home and put aside the book I was working on and wrote Black London. Now, I wasn't the first to write about this. Other people have written about it. And I wanted to both consolidate some of their research, go back to their research, and really look at everything that I could find. And then try to tell the story of Black people living in England. It was supposed to be called Black London. It was called Black London here but in England it was published as Black England. And of course, the reviewers all said, “Well, this is all about London. Why are you not calling it Black London?” which was amusing. … But I wanted to make people see … that these people are walking the same streets, we're living in the same neighborhoods. And I wanted to make it a living, breathing history. Now a lot of other people are working on this now and have done for a long time. But when I first started working on it, there weren't as many. And it wasn't known. And even now, it's not so much that it's been erased, as has been forgotten. People didn't quite realize that there had been a Black British history that goes back as far as the Romans. And they're still finding, they're excavating, you know, old Roman encampments and finding Black African nobility women. And they are doing documentaries on it. I've been in a few. So it's become quite a well-known issue now. Although there's still a great sense of many British people wanting not to understand or believe that past. I wanted to make people see … that these people are walking the same streets, we're living in the same neighborhoods. And I wanted to make it a living, breathing history.Plain JaneSo I suppose, as you say, this was almost 25 years ago, that Black London came out. You've mentioned in the BBC series that you did, Britain's Black Past, you mentioned that it's a detective job … finding these stories. How have you managed to find the stories that you found? And what was it like putting that into an audio series?Gretchen GerzinaThat was wonderful. And of course, it became a book, which was published when all the new research came out last year. So I was able to update a lot of the things … I've got to say - you're in radio - these producers … who have these independent companies and do the productions for BBC, they're incredible researchers. They sometimes find people that I hadn't been able to find, because we academics think in a very different kind of way than radio and television producers, who are out there finding people. So … I knew a lot of the people and we went to some of the places - but they were able to find some people I didn't know about. And then there were incredible stories … I think I was supposed to originally spend six months doing it. And then I was about to change jobs. And I only had one month. So I think I traveled all over Britain in one month doing the entire series. I would wake up in London and get on the train to Glasgow, spend the afternoon in Glasgow, come back to London. The next day, I go to Bristol, you know, kind of went on and on like that.Plain Jane That [sounds like] a really fun part of it. Gretchen GerzinaYeah, it was very tough. … Going to some of these places to really stand in the houses or on the shore. … But it was quite an adventure, to unearth some of these stories. And to just see how, for many people, these stories still last. People still really care.Plain JaneWhat stories have fascinated you? What have [written about] so many individual stories that are wonderful to hear. But what have you found most surprising and exciting to discover?Gretchen GerzinaThere's one - maybe it's one of the ones you're gonna ask about - which is Nathaniel Wells. And I resisted using that story. But they really pushed me because I hadn't really known it before. Nathaniel Wells was the son of a slave owner. He was mixed race. So he was the son of a [enslaved woman] and a slave owner. The owner … had daughters, but no legitimate sons. … He left this money to this mixed-race son ... He sent him off to England to be educated, as many slave owners did with their mixed-race children. And he went to boarding school and he studied. And then he died when Nathaniel was only 20 or 21, when he became the heir. He spent a lot of money. He was a young guy, and he moved to Wales to Chepstow. And he used the money to buy this enormous place. He built this incredible house. He had acres upon acres of this scenic land that was so gorgeous, that it became a kind of pleasure ground. And people would come - there was an open day - and they could come and walk through the parks and all of the mountains, and it was quite something. But he made his money. His money came from the slave plantation. And in fact, his mother owned slaves, his mother, who had been herself enslaved, and I was very reluctant to tell the story of a - essentially a Black or mixed-race - slave owner living in Britain. He married a succession of wealth, to white women … and his house is a ruin now. But he became the first Black sheriff in Britain. He had this enormous wealth. He didn't die with a lot of money. But his story was one I never expected to find. The one in my heart is always Ignatius Sancho, who's now been a play and everything.Plain JaneWhy is he the one in your heart?Gretchen GerzinaWell, because he was so amusing and so serious at the same time. He was brought as an enslaved child. He managed to get away, he was taken in by the Montague family, finally, away from these “three witches,” I think people call them now, who had owned him, didn't want him to read. So they took him in, he was educated. And he became a butler in their house for many, many years. And then he was a little on the heavy side, and then finally couldn't continue to do all his work. So they gave him a pension, and some money. And he moved to London. And he … set up a shop in Westminster, right near the heart of everything of the movers and shakers of British aristocracy and politics. And people would come into his shop. He married a Black woman, which was unusual at the time. And he wrote these letters, and he knew everybody. I mean, they would come in and talk to him. Laurence Sterne. He wrote to Laurence Sterne and [said], “If you're writing Tristram Shandy, please say something about slavery in there.” And he did. He had his portrait painted by Gainsborough. And it's quite a beautiful portrait. It's unfortunately in Canada - the British realize they made a mistake and are trying to get it back. I don't think they're going to get it. … And he was just somebody that people were so fascinated with - all of his letters have been published, his son arranged that they got published after he died. And he's still considered just a huge character. I mean, he … saw the Gordon riots and wrote about them in his letters. He knew people. And he was kind of the face of 18th century Britain in some ways, even though he's a Black man. He was also the first Black man ever to vote in England.Plain JaneSo many of these people were close to influential people and so therefore having an influence. As you point out, they're the easier ones [to discover], and the people who are able to write their own lives are easier to unearth and to find. But so many of the experiences of Black residents in London during this time were below stairs or quietly or really by necessity a lot of the time having to be under the radar. ...Gretchen Gerzina It's hard because … for instance, the British census doesn't list race. When I first published Black London, some reviewers said that I should have gone to all the rent rolls and seen who was Black. But the rent rolls don't necessarily indicate race. It's really hard to find. But the same thing happens in America. … When my book Mr. And Mrs. Prince came out about 10 years ago - it was about two formerly enslaved people who lived in New England in the 18th century. It was a long time ago. And all the stories that had been written about them were written about other people, most of whom got the facts wrong. They claimed that their ancestor had freed them or things like that, that proved not to be true. I had a publisher ask me if I had a photograph of them. And I said, “There was no photography in the 18th century, you know, what do you expect?” And… in general, you don't have your portrait painted, you don't have a journal, you're too busy getting on in life … If you're literate, you don't necessarily sit down and pen your memoirs, you know. You're just trying to get going. But on the other hand, there were people like Francis Barber, who was the servant of Samuel Johnson, and became his literary executor and heir at the end. And that was much disputed. And people were not very happy about that. So those kinds of people who were educated and were lucky enough to be known [we can learn about]. I actually think that the people who are finding out the most now are people you don't expect - genealogists who are starting to trace back family histories. A lot of white genealogists in Britain, they're finding that they have Black ancestors, and they didn't realize it.Plain Jane I'm a big fan of “Finding Your Roots” with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. It seems like he ends every episode saying, “See how we're all connected? More than we thought we were?” … So yes, I hear you, that's really fascinating - that so many disciplines are sort of reevaluating and re-seeing, looking again, revisioning, all of this history. You're reminding me, when you talk about no photography from 18th century Britain, you're reminding me that not only are you and scholars like you having to honor these unseen histories, but you're actually having to re-tell stories where there's been a campaign of basically very racist imagery. You write about the constant, reinforcing sexualization of Black women from these times; but then also the pro-slavery imagery and campaigns that were put out there. Even the sentimentality. You say that there's sort of two versions that even those that were anti-slavery at the time, were sort of overly sentimentalized versions, like we think of Harriet Beecher Stowe. And, you know, doing a lot of good work, I suppose, and having an influence; but yet, we need to revision those stories as well. And you mentioned that you're just looking for the real people. They're real people in real places. So [you are] … having to, as you say, repaint these people?Gretchen GerzinaWell, I mean, just remember it's all worked very differently in America, and in Paris. And the way that it's memorialized or remembered is very, very different. There were certainly Black people in Britain from hundreds and hundreds of years. But there was not slavery on their soil in the same way that it was here. So they were able to sexualize women by looking at the Jamaican plantations and what happens there with a lot of rape and a lot of punishments. But this is the country, Britain is the countries, I should say, where Black minstrelsy was a television show until the 1970s. Blackface minstrelsy was not only on television, but it was in all the private homes. But at the same time, in the 19th century Uncle Tom's Cabin was the biggest thing going. People loved it, it really spoke to them. So there was Uncle Tom wallpaper. There [were] Topsy dolls. So you would go into a child's nursery and there could be wallpaper and dolls. So that sense that America was terrible, and “Look at us, we're so great. We abolished slavery before you did,” takes away the fact that for the most part, the British actually supported the American South in the Civil War. Because their cotton came from there that fueled their textile mills in the north of Britain. They didn't have the same kind of racism, it worked a little differently, but it certainly existed. But there were lots of people who were just living among them who were not necessarily known. They weren't necessarily in a book, and they were just sort of living their lives. And that's what I'm trying to write about now. But also I just really want to have a shout out to some people who are working on these things now. Miranda Kaufmann's book, Black Tutors, really sparked a huge response. … It became a huge bestseller in England. And there was a lot of pushback when people said there were no Black tutors. And she would show them the images of the people, and then all the documentation, and they didn't want to believe it. I belong within a group that she started, that is looking into Black people in British portraiture, and trying to identify who those people were. And so far, the list has over 300 British paintings that have Black people in them - they're most often a small boy servant or something, but not always. And they're scattered all over. They're in private homes. They're in museums. But there were lots of people who were just living among them who were not necessarily known. They weren't necessarily in a book, and they were just sort of living their lives. And that's what I'm trying to write about now.So there is a kind of visual reality to all of this, where you can see the people and you can understand a bit about their lives. And so people are going into the records trying to find out, who were these people? Were they borrowed sometimes, some painter would say, “Oh, you know, he's got a Black servant, let's put him in the picture and bring him over to a bigger house for a while.” So you know, trying to track them down is difficult. But there's just more and more evidence of this ongoing presence.Plain Jane You point out now in in your works the way these stories have been played, have been part of popular culture through the ages. And I guess our culture - various cultures - have worked out the stories, have worked out some of these things, either effectively or ineffectively, on the stage. And so that brings me to where much of your research deals with - the Regency era, which happens to be where so many contemporary cultural retellings, fan fiction, and romance is taking place. And then of course, we've got Bridgerton. So let me just start with a general question. We're talking about what people typically miss, but how are you experiencing some of these cultural inventions? Gretchen Gerzina Yeah, you know, I'm enjoying the heck out of this stuff. Just like a lot of [us].Sanditon, I can let go. It was, I felt, a travesty. It kept some of the book, but it actually just took things in a direction that I found very difficult. So, for example, in Sanditon, the Jane Austen novel - the fragment because it's incomplete - the heiress from the West Indies is Miss Lambe … She is not necessarily identifiably Black. They know she's mixed race. In the series, they made her a very dark-skinned woman to point out that she in fact was a Black woman. They wanted to make that visual sense very strong for people like “Oh, we're dealing with a Black woman here.” Whereas I think in Austen it was more subtle and probably more accurate about how somebody like her would have been seen. But Bridgerton just went over the top, and I just thought it was fabulous. Because we do know that Queen Charlotte probably had some mixed-race background. She was the wife of King George III. So she's presented as a mixed-race or dark woman … But then by just making everybody in it, you know, it was like saying, “Okay, what if we recognize that all these people were there? And assuming that they could have made their way into the aristocracy, how would this world have looked?” And I think the visual treat of it all is just really great. And we all know that that is not how Regency England looked. But we can say, “You know what? I would like to see what this looks like. If this could have been true, what would it have looked like?” And of course, it's just like a visual feast anyway. It's not just the racial stuff. It's the clothes and the sets.Plain JaneTell us more, Professor Gerzina, about Queen Charlotte. You did an entire Zoom talk event with JASNA, the Jane Austen Society of North America, about these questions, and this sort of casting and Black Britain and its history. And there were hundreds of people on the Zoom. But you talked about Queen Charlotte, and the chat room just went crazy. … So it was very, very lively. So anyway, all of that to say - tell us about Queen Charlotte?Gretchen GerzinaShe had … Portuguese family so that there were a lot of that movement between North Africa, the kind of what we would think of as North Africa today. But she probably had some ancestry through her Portuguese ancestors who might have been Black. When I was doing some research on Black people who left America and moved to Canada after the Revolutionary War, those who had become the British patriots, the Black ones, a lot of them went to Canada. So I was in Nova Scotia at a center there on Black history in the province. And I noticed they had - I think it was a picture of Queen Charlotte on the wall - and I said, “Oh, what do you think of that? Do you think she was part Black?” And he said that Princess Anne had come to visit many years before and had seen the portrait and was asked about it. And she said, “Well, everybody in the royal family knows she was Black.” So that means to me Meghan Markle wasn't the first. So there's some history there. It can't be necessarily proven, but it's pretty well seen as probably true that she had some Black ancestry, and her portraits do seem to indicate that as well. But you know, the other one I really like is David Copperfield. And what you have to do in this - the same as in fiction - is you have to create a world that you will believe. You may not like all the characters, but you have to create a vision of a world that you are saying, “Okay, I'm, I'm willing to go into this world with you.” And see and believe. It's the willing suspension of disbelief, and I'm willing to do that. Do they create a world that I can believe in Bridgerton? We know it's fantasy, and fun, with some historical elements. And yes, I'm willing to throw myself into that world.Plain JaneI was a graduate student at UCL in London, during 1994 and 1995, and everybody was reading Cultural Imperialism. I literally saw people reading it on the tube in London. And I was falling in love with someone who was an Arab-English person with the name Saidi - close to Edward Said's name. So I was as a grad student in literature and also wanting to dive into our views and our histories and how race plays into that. These conversations are still going. Edward Said even writes about Jane Austen. And he writes about Mansfield Park, and he writes - really similar to you writing at the same time - we need to investigate the unseen in these stories, tell the unseen stories, which is so much what you're doing, as well. So my question is - almost going on 25 years, are we getting any better at this? Gretchen Gerzina  Well, you know, there's more being written and more being published all the time. David Olusoga's books. And all of his television programs in England are very well known. He's quite the face of Black British history and studies now. Others have been writing about it for decades. But I think what's interesting is that there's still a kind of resistance to it, to believing it. There are several things going on. One is ... the report the National Trust put out recently, which ... hired some academics and some others to take a look at the colonial and imperial and slave connections between some of the National Trust houses. And I think they listed 93 houses in the National Trust that have some kind of connection. That wasn't to say that they were houses where there was plantation slavery or anything, but a lot of it had to do with the fact that the money that was earned either out of the slave trade, or out of imperialism, or out of colonialism. [It] funded and help build, and perpetuate those houses. A lot of the money that was earned came from, originally, from the slave trade and slavery, and all of those absentee slave owners who had plantations in the West Indies. But also, from the fact that when they, when slavery ended in the West Indies in 1807, that they decided to compensate the slave owners for the loss of the enslaved people who had lived on those plantations. The enslaved people were not compensated, while the slave owners were. And a wonderful book and study done by Nicholas Draper, about the legacy of all of this showed how all of that money that was made from that compensation - built these houses. It funded the philanthropy; huge swaths of London were built based on that money. And all around the country. So they wanted to just say, “Hey, if you're going to come to one of these houses, this is great. You can look at it, you can see it, you can appreciate the beauty of it. You can see how the generations of owners contributed to the culture and the landscape and all of that. But in fact, you should recognize that the money came from colonialism. And also from imperialism.” You know, the houses were filled with porcelain from China. They were built on land that used to be tenanted, but pushed the tenants off and made a beautiful landscape that made it look like it had always been there. And they had built these houses based on that money. When that report came out, the backlash was quite strong. People did not want to hear about this. They thought, “Why do we fund a National Trust, and it spends its money on being woke?” Plain JaneInteresting. They don't see it as factual. They don't see it as history. They see it as politics happening.Gretchen GerzinaYes, they do. And there's also some work being done now on updating the curriculum in schools. So some more of this is being learned at a younger age.Plain JaneSo when you say in 1993, and you've been doing this ever since, among many other things that you're reconstructing, you don't even just mean that figuratively. I mean, your writing takes us down the streets. And really paints a visual picture ...and I would add to that the landscapes of the houses. Also sugar and so much of the economic foundations are part of what I think Edward Said was calling the interplay. … You you paint a picture of, you know, Elizabethan England and … Regency England then as well, and then even Victorian Britain as being a very cruel and violent place. And I think that in many ways, our PBS adaptations [etc] really do [whitewash] these histories in so many ways. You also point out the cruelty, the disease. But what I want to say, besides the cruelty, the disease, and just the ignorance that was rampant in these times, that we tend to forget about - probably, thanks to our screen adaptations - it was there. You found a community of Black residents in London during these times - not just individual people who were famous; they were portrayed on the stage; they were recounted in stories; and many of them were musicians, writers, very fascinating individuals - but also a community. And that was you've talked about how difficult that was to unearth. Can you talk about how you uncovered this community and the difficulty of doing that?Gretchen Gerzina A lot of that came from people who had been researching this for quite a long time. In terms of community, there are people who've been doing tons of research since my book came out. And they have been finding people and they've been finding communities. We can't be sure how much of a community there was. But we do know that there were communities - people lived in certain places and certain areas, they were part of the fabric of the kind of working class. There were people that we call the Sons of Africa. Some people have questioned whether there were as many and met as frequently as was thought … But we do know that they were there. “Hey, if you're going to come to one of these houses, this is great. You can look at it, you can see it, you can appreciate the beauty of it. You can see how the generations of owners contributed to the culture and the landscape and all of that. But in fact, you should recognize that the money came from colonialism. And also from imperialism.” And it was interesting to just think of the fact that in all of these grand houses that had Black servants, that those servants in the households, they socialized with each other. Those servants were meeting in the kitchen. Those servants were talking. And those servants were marrying the white servants, because they were mostly Black men. And then you get a sense of just this kind of other world where if Samuel Johnson is having dinner with Sir Joshua Reynolds, or with the great actors of the period, that their Black servants are probably hanging out, talking to each other. So there was a kind of network of people, definitely, who were living [among] them. And then, of course, after the Revolutionary War in America, when so many Black people had been convinced to fight for the British in exchange for their freedom. A lot of them ended up in Britain, that had been part of the promise. And so they came over in their hundreds. Plain JaneThat's fascinating - I think that you pointed out that something like 20 percent, of the soldiers fighting on both sides in the Revolutionary War with America were Black soldiers. They came back to England. And then you also pointed out they were not allowed, they were actually banned from learning crafts, learning trades ....?Gretchen GerzinaI'm not sure that they so much were banned from learning trades; they just found it difficult to find work. And also if, if they were poor, it's not so easy to move around in England at that time. I mean, physically, it's difficult. But also, it's often difficult to find work. And if you, Heaven forbid, get sick and die, you can't necessarily be buried where you're living because you're not officially part of that parish. So it's a very different kind of system than we might [envision]. And so a lot of people who worked on the British side, and obviously on the American side, in the Revolutionary War, were not just soldiers but they were doing other things: They were guides, they were helping to lead them through different terrain; they were washing clothes, they were cooking. They were following them and giving them advice.And then they also did fight. So, yes, they worked in a variety of ways and the British said, “Hey, come on our side and we'll give you your freedom and we'll give you a pension.” And then, lo and behold, the British lost then, and they came.Plain JaneOkay. So: Dido Belle and Mansfield Park - basically thoughts on that? There's also the book The Woman of Colour and there's this experience of Francis Barber and some of the others that you've mentioned. But  … what are your thoughts on Mansfield Park and is it possible that Jane Austen knew the story of Dido Belle?Gretchen GerzinaIt's possible. I have to think about the timing of it all. So Dido Elizabeth Belle of course, has nothing to do with Mansfield Park, although her great uncle who raised her was Lord Mansfield, who made a famous court decision that a Black person could not be returned to slavery in Jamaica. And that was taken by many people to say that slavery was no longer legal in England, and people ran away and said, “Hallelujah.” But in fact, that's not what the decision was.He also presided over the case of the Zhong [ship], where a slave ship had thrown over a huge number of people ... in order to collect the insurance. And he came down hard on that case. So Dido Elizabeth Belle was raised by him .. but a lot of research has been done since the film Belle was made. And a lot of that film took a lot of liberties with it. So Dido was mixed-race, and her mother was - [but] Dido was not - born into slavery. And that was a misconception. Her mother actually came and lived in England, near her, with her, for some time. And then went back to Pensacola, where she had been living in [an] old property. Dido was given some money, and so she was able to marry. But she didn't marry an abolitionist, like in the film. She married a man who'd been a steward to an important French family. And so that was still a high-up position, but it was not the big raging lawyer abolitionist [as in the film].… And I think the biggest thing about it was that her portrait was just a double portrait of herself, and of their cousin. It became the cover of my Black London book - and was later re-used by The Woman of Colour. So there's a lot of interpreting this portrait that people try to do.So I've spent a lot of time trying to track down the true story, to use the research of these other people who have done such a good job. Plain JaneWhat would you like people to keep in mind as they're watching and reading Regency era histories and romance? Just realize there are real people behind some of this. We know now that Jane Austen was likely an abolitionist, although she didn't write political things in her novels. We know that in Mansfield Park there are mentions of - and we know that the money came from - slavery. And so there was some reference to sugar and some other things in there. So we know that she's aware of it. But she doesn't make it front and center, because that's not what she does as a novelist. But I think it's really good for people who want to read these books - [to know] that there was a more racially diverse society than people realized. And that there were Black people there. And that in the places where she went and lived - because she lived in a number of places, she had to move around a lot - that she would have seen people like this.And so it's really good to remember that this was a very different world and people have now accepted it. And I think to understand and accept that, it makes it more interesting. It doesn't diminish it at all.——-Thank you for listening, reading and being with us, friends.Let us know your thoughts! Have you watched the increasingly diverse casts making up Regency and 19th century British stories like Bridgerton, A Personal History of David Copperfield, and Sanditon? What would you like to see more of in these retellings and screen adaptations? Want to know more about Queen Charlotte? Write us at AustenConnection@gmail.com.If you like this conversation, feel free to share it!And if you'd like to read more about Black life in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries, here are some of the people and projects that Gretchen Gerzina mentioned during this conversation - enjoy!Gretchen Gerzina's website: https://gretchengerzina.com//BBC program on Britain's Black Past:- https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07wpf5vSee: National Trust research into the connection to the slave trade in its great houses: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/addressing-the-histories-of-slavery-and-colonialism-at-the-national-trustThe report: https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/documents/colionialism-and-historic-slavery-report.pdfAll things Georgian - Gretchen recommends in interview: https://georgianera.wordpress.com/David Olusoga:  https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/magazine/features/david-olusoga/Dido Belle as Fanny Price: http://jasna.org/publications-2/essay-contest-winning-entries/2017/a-biracial-fanny-price/Peter Fryer's Staying Power: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745338309/staying-power/Mirands Kaufmann's Black Tudors: http://www.mirandakaufmann.com/black-tudors.htmlGet these and all our Austen Connection conversations delivered to your inbox, when you subscribe - it's free! Get full access to The Austen Connection at austenconnection.substack.com/subscribe

Intelligence Squared
The Sunday Debate: Revere or Remove? The Battle over Statues, Heritage and History

Intelligence Squared

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2021 59:05


Statues and memorials to famous figures of the past adorn our towns and cities. But what should be done when some of these figures have come to be seen by many people as controversial symbols of oppression and discrimination?In Britain, the Rhodes Must Fall campaign hit the headlines when it demanded the removal of the statue of Cecil Rhodes from Oxford's Oriel College, of which he was a leading benefactor, because of his colonialism. In the US, violent protests in Charlottesville were sparked by a decision to remove from a park a statue of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, because of the association of the Confederacy with slavery.Passions run high on both sides. Are those calling for the removal of controversial statues seeking to right an historical injustice or are they trying to erase history? And are those who object to removing memorials defending the indefensible or are they conserving historical reality, however unpalatable that may be?To discuss these emotive questions and examine the broader cultural conflicts which lie behind them, Intelligence Squared joined forces with Historic England and bringing together a stellar panel including historians David Olusoga and Peter Frankopan, the journalist and author Afua Hirsch and the cultural commentator Tiffany Jenkins. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Penguin Podcast
The Penguin Podcast's Best of the Booker

The Penguin Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2021 30:00


To celebrate this year's upcoming Booker Prize nominations, we have delved back into the archives, and cherry-picked highlights from eight very special interviews. Hear about the inspirations, frustrations, and secrets behind the winners of the most prestigious prize in literature.What's in a name? What is the worst question you can ask an author? Who has a squirrel skull hidden under their bed? All these questions are answered, alongside discussions of African Temporality, the importance of mischief and protest on social media. #PenguinPodcastOriginal interviews, from the archives:Bernardine Evaristo with Nihal Arthanayake: https://apple.co/2VcpL6B Anne Enright with Nihal Arthanayake: https://apple.co/2SNVs5c Salman Rushdie with David Olusoga: https://apple.co/3ytvy68 Howard Jacobson with Nihal Arthanayake: https://apple.co/3Auas9s Ian McEwan with Katy Brand: https://apple.co/3hjyJYf Marlon James with Nihal Arthanayake: https://apple.co/2SNTZvK Pat Barker with Katy Brand: https://apple.co/3AvTmYM Arundhati Roy with Kirsty Lang: https://apple.co/3AwU5Jh See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

History Extra podcast
Why are we living longer than our ancestors?

History Extra podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2021 28:34


Steven Johnson discusses the Extra Life project, which includes a book and new BBC Four series co-presented with David Olusoga. He chronicles a revolution in medicine, and explores the innovations in science and public health that have led to huge increases in life expectancy since 1900. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Recovering God Podcast
God is Not a White Man with Chine McDonald

Recovering God Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2021 42:16


Chine McDonald is a writer, author, former journalist and head of public engagement at international development charity Christian Aid. She also sits on the boards of a few Christian charities: Greenbelt Festival, Christians in Media and Christians Against Poverty. Prior to Christian Aid, she worked at World Vision and before that as director of communications for the Evangelical Alliance. She studied Theology & Religious Studies at Cambridge University and is a regular BBC broadcaster – most often found presenting Thought for the Day on Radio 4’s Today programme. She’s the author of two books: Am I Beautiful? and God Is Not a White Man & Other Revelations (being published 27 May 2021). We talk about God Is Not a White Man & Other Revelations in this episode, which touches not only on God but on racism and particularly Chine’s experience as a black Christian woman.During the interview, Chine mentions David Olusoga’s book, Black and British: A Forgotten History published in 2017. It’s a book about the long relationship between the British Isles and the people of Africa and the Caribbean. There is also a version for children age 12+. It was published in 2020 and is called: Black and British: A Short, Essential history. Chine also mentions other books:·      The Shack by Wm Paul Young, which Grace & I have talked about before because it’s such a powerful and challenging book. If you haven’t read it, it’s well worth a read.·      Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, which is a 1937 novel about an African-American woman. Follow Chine·      Twitter: @ChineMcDonald·      Instagram: @Chinemerem2·      Website: www.chinemcdonald.com Follow the Recovering God Podcast·      Twitter: @RecoveringGod ·      Instagram: Recovering_GodPlease remember to rate, subscribe and tell others who you think will be interested. RGP HistoryAlison & Grace were having a conversation in the summer of 2019 about podcasts and they weren't aware of any at the time that spoke to their context, so they decided to set one up. You can hear more about their thinking about the podcast on the Introductions episode. Grace & Alison worked on the podcast together for the first year but Grace had other commitments that meant she had to give the podcast up, so from February 2021 the podcast is carrying on without her. We are still hoping to have new podcast co-hosts, maybe even a team. Could it be you? Do get in touch.If you have any comments, please let us know at: ·      RecoveringGodPodcast@gmail.com. With thanks to Dan Lawrence who wrote and performed our tune & Lawrence Dinh who produced it.

Best of Today
Commonwealth War Graves Commission apologise for 'wrongs of the past'

Best of Today

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2021 12:34


Tens of thousands of predominantly black and Asian service personnel who died fighting for the British Empire were not properly commemorated due to "pervasive racism", a report has said. The report cited racist comments such as the governor of a British colony saying in 1923 that "the average native... would not understand or appreciate a headstone". The Commonwealth War Graves Commission apologised and said "we recognise the wrongs of the past and are deeply sorry and will be acting immediately to correct them". Martha Kearney spoke to historian professor David Olusoga, who's television company produced the documentary Unremembered, that led to the report being commissioned; Claire Horton, director general of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission; and David Lammy MP, Labour's shadow justice secretary and presenter on the Unremembered. (Image: A rose growing between the headstones; Credit: PA)

The Diversity of Me; Keeping It Real
Dershe - Co-Founder and Creative Director Nuwave Pictures

The Diversity of Me; Keeping It Real

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2021 45:35


Dershe Samaria is Co- Founder and Creative Director of Nuwave Pictures, who was announced one of ten ethnically diverse stand out indies alongside the likes of David Olusoga's Uplands, Romesh Ranganathan's Ranga Bee and Lenny Henry's Douglas Road to officially partner with Channel 4 and The TV Collective on the Indie Accelerator. Fast tracking their ideas to broadcast commission

Transcending Stuttering with Uri Schneider
#47 Words Fail Us with Jonty Claypole

Transcending Stuttering with Uri Schneider

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2021 60:11


Jonty Claypole is Director of BBC Arts, Chairman of the arts centre HOME in Manchester, and was listed in the Bookseller's Top 100 Most Influential People. Although born in Australia, he grew up in London and now lives in east London with his family. His most recent project at the BBC was the landmark series Civilisations featuring Mary Beard, David Olusoga and Simon Schama.   NOTES 0:00-10:00: intro and growing up with a stutter, personal retrospective 10:00-23:00: why write this book, Words Fail Us; the real scoop with The King's Speech & King George VI; the wrong question and the right question; the "overcoming stuttering" narrative 23:00-29:07: stuttering: is it a disability or not? 29:07-30:00: stuttering in the workplace and in life 30:51-32:33: when is stuttering a disability 32:33-37:00: most admirable stuttering role models 37:00-42:00: the untold story of creativity and stuttering - in media and in the arts; let's start celebrating the creativity born from stuttering 42:00-50:31: Jonty's family and mum, and closing remarks   RESOURCES AND LINKS Words Fail Us (Book) Jonty Claypole, BBC Stamma Interview Why does art matter?   HOST BIO Uri Schneider, M.A. CCC -SLP is co-founder and leader at Schneider Speech; creator of Transcending Stuttering Academy and faculty at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.

Amanpour
Amanpour: Lina al-Hathloul, David Olusoga, Jake Sullivan and Shoshana Zuboff

Amanpour

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2021 55:30


Lina al-Hathloul, sister of Saudi women's rights activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, joins Christiane Amanpour to discuss her sister's release from prison and her views on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. She argues he is not a reformer and that in Saudi Arabia, "activism is considered terrorism". We look at the history behind vaccine hesitancy in minorities with historian David Olusoga. He explains how he's campaigning to get minority communities in the UK to take the vaccine and why that hesitancy exists in Britain and beyond. Then U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan talks about reviving the Iran deal, the SolarWinds, troops in Afghanistan and relations with Saudi Arabia. Turning to big tech, our Hari Sreenivasan speaks to Shoshana Zuboff, author of "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism," about the information coup the tech companies are waging through data collection. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Loving Colour
Episode Five: Colonial History

Loving Colour

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2021 76:57


In which we explore the way colonialism has touched our own family histories, and try to imagine a future where decolonisation is at the heart of our culture and communities. Two friends, one Black, one White, share a series of tender and uncompromising conversations about how Whiteness and anti-Blackness have shaped their lives. Join us, Tanaka Mhishi and Imogen Butler-Cole, as we attempt our own version of restorative justice through compassion and storytelling. Twitter: @lovingcolourpod Instagram: @lovingcolourpod Theme music: The Boatman from The Other Side by Quest Ensemble Resources mentioned in this episode are: Black and British by David Olusoga; Belle by Amma Asante and The Psychosis of Whiteness by Prof. Kehinde Andrews.

The Ben Morton Leadership Podcast
Ep #020 – Andrew Southcott. MD, Captivate Group

The Ben Morton Leadership Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2021 35:47


Thanks for joining me for episode 20 of the show and my interview with Andrew Southcott, who is the Managing Director of Captivate Group. Episode Overview – Andrew Southcott Captivate Group is a multi-award winning collection of creative agencies providing connected thinking across social, design, PR, influencer, experiential and in-store retail. Andrew has been with the independent business for 6 years progressing from employee, to shareholder and finally to MD. This episode came about after I stumbled upon https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-got-promoted-md-middle-pandemic-here-what-learnt-andrew-southcott/ (a LinkedIn post) that Andrew wrote summarising his first 90 days in post as the MD. So this episode really is a first hand, extremely current,  conversation about what it's like to step into the MD role. In our conversation we touch on his thoughts about the new role, along with what he practically did in those first days, along with his reflections several months in. Without any further delay, please enjoy my interview with Andrew Southcott. #LeadOn Personal Leadership Mastery Check out my brand new online course, https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (Personal Leadership Mastery), designed to help you and your team play at your best in the new normal, post-covid world. And remember to use you Friends of the Podcast discount code and save 30% on the regular tuition cost. Sign-up for the course https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (here) for just £139.00 with discount code 'FRIENDS21'. Links mentioned: Be sure to grab your visual summaries https://mailchi.mp/1a4280df3501/9gcib1bw0r (here) https://captivate-group.com/ (Captivate Group) https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-southcott-a9140767/ (Andrew's LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-got-promoted-md-middle-pandemic-here-what-learnt-andrew-southcott/ (Article: 'I got promoted to MD in the middle of a pandemic. Here is what I learnt.') https://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Days-Updated-Expanded-Strategies/dp/1422188612 (‘First 90 Days' by Michael Watkins) https://www.amazon.jobs/en/principles (Amazon Leadership Principles) https://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664/2-Netflix_CultureFreedom_Responsibility2 (Netflix Culture Deck) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Agencynomics-Spencer-Gallagher/dp/1527213854 (‘Agencynomics' by Spencer Gallagher) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-British-short-essential-history/dp/1529063396/r (‘Black and British' by David Olusoga) https://www.dopeblackdads.com/ (Dope Black Dads) https://dopeblackmums.co.uk/ (Dope Black Mums) https://twitter.com/cindygallop (Cindy Gallop)

Desert Island Discs
David Olusoga, historian and broadcaster

Desert Island Discs

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2021 35:01


David Olusoga is a historian, writer and broadcaster who has presented a range of programmes including the BBC’s A House Through Time and Civilisations. He is currently professor of public history at Manchester University. Born in Lagos, the second child to a Nigerian father and a British mother, David was brought up by his mother in Gateshead after his parents’ marriage broke down. As a child he and his siblings experienced sustained racism and he remembers school as a place of violence and cruelty. He credits his mother’s tenacity and her determination to educate her children for his later success in getting to university and establishing a career in television. His love of history developed from a young age, thanks to one of his teachers who taught him why an understanding of history matters. Watching television documentaries also opened up a world of possibility and David fondly recalls programmes from the 1980s presented by the historian Michael Wood, who made history seem cool in the eyes of the young schoolboy glued to the TV in his Gateshead council house. Last year David delivered the MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh Television Festival in which he talked candidly about his loneliness at being the only black person on a production team and the difficulties he had trying to explain the racial implications of how, for example, people in Africa were often portrayed on screen. Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Paula McGinley

Over to You
Have news programmes got the tone right on reporting a vaccine?

Over to You

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2020 8:58


How the BBC World Service manages listeners' expectations following the recently announced Covid vaccine. Have news programmes got the tone right for those listening in both the developing and developed world? Plus we get your thoughts on the documentary Barack Obama talks to David Olusoga. Presenter: Rajan Datar Producer: Howard Shannon

No Fugazi
S2E4 Bullets Bones And Blinders Final

No Fugazi

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2020 87:22


We’re back with episode three in our now five part series about fascism, and the No Fugazi crew is finally ready to step into the heart of darkness and unpack the high fascist era in Europe. If there were fascist movements in nearly every Pig Empire country on earth, why did some countries fall to fascism and others didn’t? What’s the difference between Adolf Hitler and Oswald Mosley? Why did right wing democratic leaders keep handing unelected fascists power in Europe? What’s the more relevant factor in the development of European fascism – the treaty of Versailles or their prior embrace of social Darwinism? Can we go one episode without talking about colonialism? Find out on Season Two, Episode Four of the No Fugazi Podcast – Bullets, Bones and Blinders. Special hat tip to soundcloud user anarcho-bolshevik for sending us this link: https://leftypedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric:The_Nazis_Were_Leftists Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism by Michael Parenti: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/404273.Blackshirts_and_Reds War is a Racket by Smedley Butler: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198259.War_is_a_Racket What America Taught the Nazis: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/11/what-america-taught-the-nazis/540630/ How the Nazis Used Jim Crow Laws as the Model for Their Race Laws: https://billmoyers.com/story/hitler-america-nazi-race-law/ The Horrifying American Roots of Nazi Eugenics: https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/1796 IBM and the Holocaust by Edwin Black: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48838.IBM_and_the_Holocaust?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=i4ZH4K0nav&rank=1 Social Darwinism: https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/social-darwinism Fascism: What It Is and How to Fight It by Leon Trotsky: www.goodreads.com/book/show/184373.Fascism The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism by David Olusoga, Casper W. Erichsen: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8250985-the-kaiser-s-holocaust The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy by Adam Tooze:: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3079193-the-wages-of-destruction Ur-Fascism (Eternal Fascism) by Umberto Eco: www.nybooks.com/articles/1995/06/22/ur-fascism/ Amerikan Musik: Fascism Ascendant in the USA: https://www.ninaillingworth.com/amerikan-musik-fascism-ascendant-in-the-usa/ Fascism, White Nationalism and American Values: https://ninaillingworth.blogspot.com/2020/09/Fascist%20and%20American%20Values.html What to Know About the Origins of Fascism’s Brutal Ideology: https://time.com/5556242/what-is-fascism/

No Fugazi
NFP Season 2 Episode 3 Wicked Brew

No Fugazi

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2020 51:08


“The road to fascist Europe takes a slight detour to the colonies in this latest episode of the No Fugazi Podcast, Wicked Brew. In last week’s episode, we talked about what fascism means to the fascist; today our pontificating duo of pinko podcasters are back to talk about what fascism means to the liberal democratic order and its capitalist architects. Is fascism a right wing populist revolution, or is it a capitalist counter-revolution? What can colonialism teach us about fascism, and more importantly what did it teach the reactionary bourgeoisie about human rights, enlightenment values and democratic norms? Find out the answers to these questions by joining Nick and Nina for part two of a four part (and counting) look at the very essence of fascism across time, space and class.” Interested in supporting No Fugazi financially? Check us out on Patreon: www.patreon.com/nofugazipodcast The brutal friendship between colonialism and fascism: some thoughts from Aimé Césaire on systematic racism: https://medium.com/@malorynye/the-brutal-friendship-between-colonialism-and-fascism-some-thoughts-from-aim%C3%A9-c%C3%A9saire-on-9224e90550b5 Fascism! The Socialist Answer: https://www.marxists.org/archive/murphy-jt/1935/x01/fascism.htm Richard Wolff: “Fascism is an economic system that sustains capitalism” (Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpqwDo_2xck “Does Capitalism Invariably Breed Fascism?” https://www.truthdig.com/articles/does-capitalism-invariably-breed-fascism/ Capitalism, Climate Crisis & the Rise of Fascism in the Pig Empire: https://canchewread.tumblr.com/post/631174269626417152/politics-fascism-and-climate-crisis Why the Establishment Won’t Stop the Fascist Creep (1st excerpt): https://www.patreon.com/posts/30797884 The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, and Capitalism in 17th Century North America and the Caribbean by Gerald Horne: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34793746-the-apocalypse-of-settler-colonialism The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66933.The_Wretched_of_the_Earth Fascism: What It Is and How to Fight It by Leon Trotsky: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/184373.Fascism The Invention of the White Race: Racial Oppression and Social Control / The Origin of Racial Oppression in Anglo-America by Theodore Allen: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12552598-the-invention-of-the-white-race The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump by Cory Robin: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34625062-the-reactionary-mind The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism by David Olusoga, Casper W. Erichsen: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8250985-the-kaiser-s-holocaust

No Fugazi
NFS2E2 The Crass Psychology Of Fascism

No Fugazi

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2020 58:57


"Arguably the biggest problem with living in a time of rising fascism is figuring out how to define and most importantly identify fascist movements when fascists, and fascist leaders aren't exactly known for their honesty - especially when it comes to answering the question, "hey buddy, are you guys fascists?" In this episode, our intrepid hosts Nick and Nina hash out a back-of-the-napkin identification method by looking at the lowest common denominator "beliefs" found in virtually all fascist movements, in the broadest possible sense. Encompassing the work of historians, scholars and psychologists, the No Fugazi crew takes a deep dive into what we've jokingly taken to calling, the Crass Psychology of Fascism." Interested in supporting No Fugazi financially? Check us out on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nofugazipodcast Links: Essays & Collections: Ur-Fascism (Eternal Fascism) by Umberto Eco: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1995/06/22/ur-fascism/ Amerikan Musik: Fascism Ascendant in the USA: https://www.ninaillingworth.com/amerikan-musik-fascism-ascendant-in-the-usa/ Yale Professor Jason Stanley Identifies 3 Essential Features of Fascism: https://www.openculture.com/2018/10/yale-professor-jason-stanley-identifies-three-essential-features-of-fascism.html Umberto Eco Makes a List of the 14 Common Features of Fascism: http://www.openculture.com/2016/11/umberto-eco-makes-a-list-of-the-14-common-features-of-fascism.html On Media, White Nationalism & Hugo Weaving: https://www.ninaillingworth.com/2020/09/28/theory-discussion-on-media-white-nationalism-hugo-weaving/ Fascism, White Nationalism and American Values: https://ninaillingworth.blogspot.com/2020/09/Fascist%20and%20American%20Values.html What to Know About the Origins of Fascism’s Brutal Ideology: https://time.com/5556242/what-is-fascism/ Books: The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22474.The_Origins_of_Totalitarianism The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism by David Olusoga, Casper W. Erichsen: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8250985-the-kaiser-s-holocaust The Anatomy of Fascism by Robert Paxton: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/188378.The_Anatomy_of_Fascism How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52623405-how-fascism-works The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy by Adam Tooze: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3079193-the-wages-of-destruction IBM and the Holocaust by Edwin Black: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48838.IBM_and_the_Holocaust Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump by David Neiwert: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41099426-alt-america The New Authoritarians: Convergence on the Right by David Renton: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43173625-the-new-authoritarians The Mass Psychology of Fascism by Wilhelm Reich: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/781662.The_Mass_Psychology_of_Fascism The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William Shirer: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10805619-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich

Fun Kids Radio's Interviews
David Olusoga OBE, Author of 'Black and British' talks to Bex!

Fun Kids Radio's Interviews

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2020 7:44


Bex is joined by David Olusoga OBE to talk about his new book, 'Black and British', a rich and revealing exploration of the extraordinarily long relationship between the British Isles and the people of Africa. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Broadcast Newswrap
Broadcast Newswrap #16 The story behind David Olusoga's MacTaggart

Broadcast Newswrap

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2020 31:50


The Broadcast Newswrap is joined this week by MacTaggart lecturer David Olusoga for an exclusive interview, who speaks to us just days after his blistering lecture. David tells senior reporter Max Goldbart about the process behind the address, the difficulties of having to deliver it to an empty room, who he was inspired by and why the media may have missed some of his finer points. Broadcast international editor John Elmes is also on hand to talk Mipcom and we have a brand new section - ‘What We’ve Been Readin’'

Must Watch
I Hate Suzie | Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing | Stargirl (with David Olusoga)

Must Watch

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2020 64:39


Nihal, Scott and Hayley round up the announcements coming from this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival – including Channel 4’s new game show where contestants must built a bridge! Plus, Nihal speaks to historian David Olusoga as he prepares to give the prestigious MacTaggart lecture at the festival. The team also review I Hate Suzie on Sky Atlantic, Stargirl on Amazon Prime and Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing on BBC Two.

Arts & Ideas
Wole Soyinka's writing

Arts & Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2020 45:53


Novelist Ben Okri, playwright Oladipo Agboluaje and academic Louisa Egbunike join Matthew Sweet to look at the influential writing of Nigerian playwright and author Wole Soyinka - and specifically at his play 1975 Death and the King's Horseman. In 1986 he became the first African author to be given the Nobel Prize in Literature. He has worked teaching at many universities in the USA, and began playwriting after studying at University College Ibadan, and then at Leeds University and working as a play reader for the Royal Court Theatre. You can find a playlist of discussions devoted to Landmarks of Culture on the Free Thinking programme website https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01jwn44 A BBC TV documentary about the African novel presented by David Olusoga is screening in August. Extract from Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka features Danny Sapani as Elesin. Produced by Pauline Harris for the BBC. First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 13th July 2014 Producer: Torquil MacLeod

RSA Events
Mary Beard and David Olusoga on History, Memory and Change

RSA Events

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2020 44:52


As movements for change sweep across the globe, two of the UK's most admired public thinkers, Mary Beard and David Olusoga, reflect on the enduring and evolving dialogue between past and present, and the duty we owe to the legacies we inherit. This conversation was broadcast online on the 21st July 2020. Discover more at: www.thersa.org/events/bridges-to-the-future

5x15
Black and British - a forgotten history - David Olusoga

5x15

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2020 15:44


David Olusoga lives in Bristol and is a British-Nigerian historian, broadcaster and film-maker. Born in Lagos, Nigeria he studied history and journalism in the UK. He’s a multi award-winning documentary maker and is the presenter of the BBC 2 Series “The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire”, and “Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners”. He also presented a major landmark series for the BBC “Black and British” and is author of an accompanying book. David is an award winning author. His first book was “The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism”. “The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of the Empire” was the winner of the World War One Book of the Year at the Political Book Awards 2015. In May 2020 he also published A House Through Time. 5x15 brings together outstanding individuals to tell of their lives, passions and inspirations. There are only two rules - no scripts and only 15 minutes each. Recorded at 5x15 in Bristol in 2015. Learn more about 5x15 events: 5x15stories.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: www.facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: www.instagram.com/5x15stories

IOE insights, debates, lectures, interviews
Black Lives Matter - the student view | Reflection + Action

IOE insights, debates, lectures, interviews

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2020 52:39


Dr Humera Iqbal hears from three UCL students about how the Black Lives Matter movement has contributed to their feelings and personal experiences of being young, Black and British. The death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis on 25 May 2020, described as “a 21st Century lynching” by historian David Olusoga, sparked a wave of protests across the United States, and very shortly after right across the world, including here in the United Kingdom. The Black Lives Matter movement, originating in the African-American community as a campaign against violence and systemic racism has seen it take on a number of broader causes, including those that concern the environment, healthcare, education, immigration, intersectionality, and recent calls for the removal of statues of figures with questionable historical ties. British society is not exempt from these calls for change; indeed much of the wealth and prosperity of this nation has been built on the back of colonialism and that of slavery. We hear from three UCL students and touch upon areas including what Blackness means to them, what's caused the movement to hit critical mass, the implications it has for the United Kingdom and what this might mean for education spaces. This is a very frank and honest conversation, but one that needs to be had. *Recorded on Thursday 11 June 2020 Full show notes and links: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2020/jun/black-lives-matter-student-view-reflection-action

SCO: The Podcast
Episode 9: My Calling

SCO: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2020 49:08


It took patience and a late-night viewing of a David Olusoga documentary, but Myerscough alum Caine Lewin-Turner found his calling in studying history and is pursuing that path to the fullest as both a scholar and an activist.

Jubilee Centre
Who should we commemorate? Colston, race and Britain’s statues

Jubilee Centre

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2020 37:22


This week the Jubilee Centre team explores David Olusoga’s article ‘The toppling of Edward Colston's statue is not an attack on history. It is history.’ Do statues in public places suggest veneration? How should we respond to difficult histories? And can we reimagine how we create and use statues of public figures? David Olusoga’s article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/08/edward-colston-statue-history-slave-trader-bristol-protest Recorded on Tuesday 9th June 2020

Intelligence Squared
Statues, Slavery and the Struggle for Equality with David Olusoga, Dawn Butler and Susan Neiman

Intelligence Squared

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2020 71:16


Following the death of George Floyd, global Black Lives Matter protests, and debates raging over statues from Colston to Churchill, Intelligence Squared hosted an online discussion with historian David Olusoga, Labour MP Dawn Butler, and philosopher Susan Neiman who is author of 'Learning from the Germans: Confronting Race and the Memory of Evil'. The conversation was chaired by broadcaster Yassmin Abdel-Magied. ------------------------------Intelligence Squared+. The world's best speakers. Your questions. £4.99 per month.Intelligence Squared+ will bring you live, interactive events every week on our new online platform. Just like at our real-life events, you’ll be able to put your questions to our speakers, vote in live polls and interact with other members of the audience. Your subscription will give you access to multiple events featuring the world’s top thinkers and opinion formers, including Thomas Piketty, Margaret Atwood, Clive Woodward, Thomas Friedman, Meera Syal and Paloma Faith.For a full list of Intelligence Squared+ events and to subscribe, click here: https://bit.ly/2yfYIfm See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

London Review Bookshop Podcasts
Lost Voices: Fred D'Aguiar, David Olusoga, Catherine Fletcher and Nandini Das

London Review Bookshop Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2020 55:43


The fleeting appearance of black faces in Tudor paintings marks the silent presence of a community's untold story. Who were the black men and women who lived, loved, and died in Renaissance Britain? How did they arrive? And how can we recover their voices when all we have is a glimpse in a portrait here, or church and court record there? At this event the writer Fred D'Aguiar and historians David Olusoga and Catherine Fletcher joined Nandini Das, director of TIDE, to explore the challenge of using fiction to recover those lost voices in history. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

History Extra podcast
David Olusoga on A House Through Time

History Extra podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2020 24:00


Ahead of the third instalment of his acclaimed BBC TV series A House Through Time, historian and broadcaster David Olusoga delves into the story of Bristol’s past and explains the value of studying history through our own homes. Historyextra.com/podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lead Your Day with Merilyn
78. Ghosts, Queens & Mi5 - with author & historian Mel Backe-Hansen

Lead Your Day with Merilyn

Play Episode Play 30 sec Highlight Listen Later Mar 29, 2020 44:17


Today’s episode is a welcome break from all the news. I’m chatting with Melanie Backe-Hansen, who is a House Historian. Her stories are fascinating, as she’s unearthed the histories of hundreds of homes - from Queen Elizabeth I, to MI5 early origins, to ghostly stories of previous owners visiting the current owners. A delightful and fascinating episode. Her new book, A House through Time, co-authored with historian and presenter David Olusoga, is out soon. More details about Mel can be found here: merilyn.com

Around The Houses
David Olusoga on housing through history

Around The Houses

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2020 43:47


We speak to David Olusoga, historian and presenter of BBC documentary 'A house through time'.

The Essay
Sarah Forbes Bonetta

The Essay

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2019 16:40


To mark 400 years since the arrival of African slaves to America, David Olusoga reflects on the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta. As a young Dahomeyan girl called Ina, she was old into slavery and, in an extraordinary twist of fate, was gifted to Queen Victoria and became her goddaughter Sarah Forbes Bonetta. Producer Neil McCarthy

Dominican Dad
The Secret Windrush Files

Dominican Dad

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2019 41:21


My dad is a Windrush kid & we talk about the BBC Documentary The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files & the Hostile Environment policy In the documentary David Olusoga opens secret government files to show how the Windrush scandal and the ‘hostile environment’ for black British immigrants has been 70 years in the making. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00068sk Twitter: @dominican_dad Instagram: Thedominicandad

Saturday Live
Stephen Jones and the Inheritance Tracks of Gina Yashere

Saturday Live

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2019 85:03


Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir are joined by the milliner Stephen Jones whose passion for hats has led him from the catwalks of Dior to the Brighton Pavillion, the adventurer and extreme sleeper Phoebe Smith who sends people to sleep with her travel stories, historian David Olusoga whose TV programme explores the lives of all the people who lived in one house in Newcastle and Saturday Live listener, the crochetdermist Shauna Richardson whose creations include animal versions of Boris Johnson and Prince Harry and whose worked graced the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. We also have the Inheritance Tracks of comedian Gina Yashere who chooses Dancing Queen by Abba and Back to Life by Soul II Soul And listener Rosie Humphreys tells us about her mother's dress. Producer: Corinna Jones Editor: Eleanor Garland

Southbank Centre's Book Podcast
Akala and David Olusoga: Striking the Empire

Southbank Centre's Book Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2018 45:48


Dissect the making and unmaking of civilisations and cultures at a conversation between MOBO award-winning hip-hop poet Akala and historian David Olusoga. Chaired by television broadcaster June Sarpong MBE. This timely discussion explores everything from empire and race to culture and class, retracing and contextualising the roots of modern British society. For more information and other events, go to: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Pluto Press: Radicals in Conversation
'Staying Power' with David Olusoga

Pluto Press: Radicals in Conversation

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2018 46:36


'There were Africans in Britain before the English came here.' In a special Black History Month episode, we are joined by David Olusoga - a broadcaster, historian and author of many award winning books, including Black and British: A Forgotten History (2017), and Civilisations: First Contact / The Cult of Progress (2018). Celebrating the recent re-publication of Peter Fryer's Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain, we discuss questions of racism and identity; the link between the slave trade and the British Empire; and explore the book's enduring legacy in the context of Brexit and the Windrush scandal. Staying Power was first published in 1984. The new edition, featuring a foreword by Gary Younge and a preface by Paul Gilroy, is available now from plutobooks.com as well as all good bookshops.  

Dr Janina Ramirez - Art Detective
Civilisations with David Olusoga

Dr Janina Ramirez - Art Detective

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2018 23:42


Dr Janina Ramirez talks to David Olusoga about Civilisations, how the programme was made, and how art reacts to social change.Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ArtDetectiveInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/DrJaninaRamirez/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtDetectivePodTwitter: https://twitter.com/DrJaninaRamirez Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJaninaRamirezFacebook Group (Patreon Backers Only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArtDetective/Episode CreditsProducer - Natt TapleyAudio - Pete Dennis See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Penguin Podcast
Salman Rushdie with David Olusoga

The Penguin Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2018 37:36


Author Salman Rushdie joins David Olusoga in the Penguin Studio. Salman’s 13 novels have won countless awards worldwide and his second novel ‘Midnight’s children’ won the Best of the Booker over its 40 year history. Salman talks about his latest novel, ’The Golden House’ bringing with him objects that inspired it, including a copy of The Satyricon by Petronius, and a photo of The Joker from Batman. #PenguinPodcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Intelligence Squared
Revere or Remove? The Battle Over Statues, Heritage and History

Intelligence Squared

Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2018 58:40


Statues and memorials to famous figures of the past adorn our towns and cities. But what should be done when some of these figures have come to be seen by many people as controversial symbols of oppression and discrimination?In Britain, the Rhodes Must Fall campaign hit the headlines when it demanded the removal of the statue of Cecil Rhodes from Oxford’s Oriel College, of which he was a leading benefactor, because of his colonialism. In the US, violent protests in Charlottesville were sparked by a decision to remove from a park a statue of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, because of the association of the Confederacy with slavery.Passions run high on both sides. Are those calling for the removal of controversial statues seeking to right an historical injustice or are they trying to erase history? And are those who object to removing memorials defending the indefensible or are they conserving historical reality, however unpalatable that may be?To discuss these emotive questions and examine the broader cultural conflicts which lie behind them, Intelligence Squared joined forces with Historic England to bring together a stellar panel including historians David Olusoga and Peter Frankopan, the journalist and author Afua Hirsch and the cultural commentator Tiffany Jenkins. The event was chaired by Guardian columnist, broadcaster and author Jonathan Freedland. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Civilisations Podcast
Episode 10: David Olusoga

The Civilisations Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2018 30:22


David Olusoga talks to Viv Jones about the making of Civilisations. They discuss his two episodes, First Contact and The Cult of Progress. David says that the great arts and history documentaries he watched growing up inspired him to become a historian and filmmaker, and he talks about the power of television to change lives.

Saturday Review
Tina Turner, Let The Sunshine In, Aminatta Forna, Colourising historical photographs, The Woman In White

Saturday Review

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2018 52:35


Let The Sunshine In, directed by Claire Denis is a French film starring Juliette Binoche as a divorced Parisienne dealing with love and looking for a relationship that will work for her The latest West End jukebox musical Tina is about the tumultuous life of Tina Turner and her transformation from Anna Mae Bullock - born into rural poverty in the Southern USA - into half of Ike-and-Tina-Turner and a disastrous violent marriage into a world-conquering solo superstar Aminatta Forna's new novel Happiness follows the story of two strangers who bump into each other on Waterloo Bridge in London and their intertwining narratives. An urban wildlife expert and a psychiatrist specialising in PTSD share a lot in common Marina Amaral is a photograph colourisation expert and her work is much admired. She has colourised photographs of prisoners at Auschwitz and gained plaudits from the general public and survivors groups but does altering a historical document change our understanding of its meaning? BBC TV's latest Sunday night series is an adaptation of Wilkie Collins' The Woman In White Tom Sutcliffe's guests are David Olusoga, Shahidha Bari and Maev Kennedy. The producer is Oliver Jones.

The Civilisations Podcast
Episode 8: Matika Wilbur, Chip Colwell and Ernest House Jr.

The Civilisations Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2018 33:18


In the 8th programme in the Civilisations TV series, David Olusoga looks at how artists reacted to the colonialism of the 19th century. He travels to America to see art by both white and Native American artists who were documenting the displacement and suffering of Native peoples. A common view at the time was that indigenous Americans would disappear completely. For the podcast, Viv Jones speaks to three people who are working to remind the world that Native Americans are not a people of the past. In spite of all that their communities have had to overcome their beliefs, religions and arts are still very much alive today. Matika Wilbur is photographing every tribe in the United States to ensure that stereotypes of Native Americans are replaced with images that represent their true diversity today. Her project, which has taken her to every state, is called Project 562. Chip Colwell is Senior Curator of Anthropology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. He describes himself as a ‘living paradox' because his role sometimes requires him to give the items in his museum's collection away. America's museums are expected to return Native American cultural items - including stolen art, sacred objects and human remains - to groups that have an appropriate claim to them. Chip is working with Ernest House Jr., Executive Director of the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, on a project that will help tribes find out whether their cultural items are now in European museums.

Arts & Ideas
Rethinking Civilisations

Arts & Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2018 44:23


As the BBC screens its new arts series, Civilisations, one of the presenters, David Olusoga, joins presenter Philip Dodd, anthropologist Kit Davis and the historian Kenan Malik to consider our different notions of world history from the dawn of human civilisation to the present day. David Olusoga is a historian, writer and broadcaster who has presented several TV documentaries including A House Through Time; The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire and the BAFTA award-winning Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners. His most recent book is Black and British: A Forgotten History.Dr Kit Davis is a lecturer in social anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies who has written about travels across Europe and about Rwanda. She is a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Review. Kenan Malik's books include From Fatwa to Jihad and The Quest for a Moral Compass: A Global History of Ethics. Kenan is a writer, lecturer and broadcaster who presented Nightwaves on BBC Radio 3 and has written and presented radio and TV documentaries including Disunited Kingdom, Are Muslims Hated?, Islam, and Mullahs and the Media.Recorded with an audience at Sage Gateshead as part of BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival.Producer: Fiona McLean

The Penguin Podcast
Afua Hirsch with David Olusoga

The Penguin Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2018 41:54


Guardian Columnist and author Afua Hirsch joins historian and broadcaster David Olusoga in the Penguin studio. Afua talks about her bestselling book ‘BRIT (ish)’ which tackles questions of race, identity and belonging in the UK. She brings along objects that inspired her work including a hot water bottle, poetry she wrote when she was a child and an Alan Paton book. #PenguinPodcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Start the Week
Art and Civilisations

Start the Week

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2018 42:15


What is art - and why do we need it? Fifty years ago the landmark BBC Two series Civilisation set out to answer this question. Now historians Mary Beard, Simon Schama and David Olusoga take on this challenge of defining human civilisation through art, in a bold update renamed Civilisations. Mary Beard tells Andrew Marr how humans have chosen to depict themselves, from enormous pre-historic heads in Mexico to lustful paintings meant for male eyes. She unpicks the bloody battle between religion and art, and declares that "one man's art is another's barbarity". But should art make us recoil? Simon Schama explores our urge to destroy the images we dislike, and finds that hatred and destruction have followed art through the centuries. This clash of religions and cultures has enriched art, argues David Olusoga. He sees culture on the frontline as empires expanded and a battle took place to define what art could be. This spring the artist Tacita Dean offers her own account of art's value and meaning as she unveils three exhibitions at once: exploring landscapes at the Royal Academy, portraits at the National Portrait Gallery and still life at the National Gallery. Moving between film and painted images, she challenges our idea of what art looks like. Producer: Hannah Sander.

Loose Ends
Tony Robinson, Tom Kerridge, Phyllis Logan, David Olusoga, Son of Sam, Penniless Cove, Arthur Smith, Clive Anderson

Loose Ends

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2018 45:57


Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith are joined by Tony Robinson, David Olusoga, Tom Kerridge and Phyllis Logan for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Son of Sam and Penniless Cove. Producer: Tim Bano.

Start the Week
Island Mentality

Start the Week

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2016 41:56


On Start the Week Amol Rajan considers the making of the British landscape and an island mentality. The President of the Royal Geographical Society Nicholas Crane looks back over the last 12 millennia to understand how we have shaped our habitat but also how the landscape has shaped our lives. Madeleine Bunting travels through the Hebrides to see what the furthest reaches of these isles can tell us about the country as a whole. David Olusoga re-tells the story of the relationship between Britain and the people of Africa, which reaches back to the Romans, to demonstrate how black history has shaped our world, and the poet Imtiaz Dharker reflects on displacement and belonging. Producer: Katy Hickman.

Saturday Review
Nocturnal Animals, Dead Funny, BBC's Black and British, Naomi Alderman, Emma Hamilton: seduction and celebrity

Saturday Review

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2016 41:46


Tom Ford's new thriller film Nocturnal Animals stars Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal A revival of terry Johnson's play Dead Funny opens at London's Vaudeville Theatre; does it live up to its name? David Olusoga presents BBC TV's Black and British part of a season of programmes under that title Naomi Alderman's novel The Power imagines a world in which women can conjure electrical charges from their hands - how does it change the gender power balance? Emma Hamilton - Seduction and Celebrity is a new exhibition in Greenwich looking at the life and career. Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Rowan Pelling, Christopher Frayling and Helen Lewis. The producer is Oliver Jones.

History Extra podcast
Black British history and Charles I’s children

History Extra podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2016 69:46


Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga explores Britain’s often forgotten links with the people of Africa. Meanwhile, historical author Linda Porter, describes the fates of a group of royal children whose father was executed in 1649 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Historical Studies at the School of Advanced Study
Len Garrison Memorial Lecture: Gaps in Black British History - David Olusoga

Historical Studies at the School of Advanced Study

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2015


Historical Studies at the School of Advanced Study
Len Garrison Memorial Lecture: Gaps in Black British History - David Olusoga

Historical Studies at the School of Advanced Study

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2015


Saturday Review
Jonathan Franzen, People, Places and Things, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Lady Chatterley, Dulwich Picture Gallery

Saturday Review

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2015 41:56


Jonathan Franzen's latest novel Purity deals with the intrusiveness of the internet and social media though a mysterious family history and hacking and whistleblowing. People Places and Things at The Dorfman Theatre is Duncan Macmillan's latest play, dealing with addiction, recovery and an individual's identity Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, is a film which sort-of delivers what the title says. It's a teenage cancer weepy, but does it have anything new to say or a new way of saying it? Lady Chatterley returns to the small screen in a new BBC adaptation. Modern sensibilities are less likely to be offended by some aspects than others. Should we let wives and servants watch this version? We visit Dulwich Picture Gallery's permanent collection - the world's first purpose-built public art gallery founded in 1811. Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Meg Rosoff, David Olusoga and Stephanie Merritt. The producer is Oliver Jones.

History Extra podcast
Anglo-Saxon saints and British slave-owners

History Extra podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2015 67:21


Oxford historian Janina Ramirez picks out some of the most remarkable saints from the early medieval period. Meanwhile, historian and broadcaster David Olusoga talks to us about his new BBC Two series Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners. Plus, this episode includes an audio version of an article from our August 2015 magazine. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

History Extra podcast
The global First World War

History Extra podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2014 43:39


Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga discusses the subject of his new TV series The World's War, revealing how millions of people across the globe arrived in Europe to fight the First World War. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.