SUBCULTURE

The Power of___Festival

June 2021

We team up with Power of___Festival to celebrate the power of Black identity and its lasting impact on British culture.

Founded by diversity, equity and inclusion consultancy The Fashion Minority Report, the Power of___Festival offers an opportunity to explore topics surrounding art, activism and social mobility, focusing on the voices often repressed by society.

“In the wake of the 2020 BLM protests, my deep passion for advancing the careers of marginalised voices led me to launch the Fashion Minority Report as a solution for driving the conversation around inclusion and diversity to a point of measurable change.

 

Our partnership with Lambeth Town Hall, 40 years on from the 1981 Brixton race protests, feels like a poignant opportunity to celebrate Black identity, and the contribution that we continue to make to mainstream culture” - Daniel Peters, Festival Organiser and Founder 

The festival took place in Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th June. Events across the weekend included a panel talk on The Power of Black Culture, a workshop with Black Girl Knit Club and a fireside chat on The Power of Protest. There was also a free exhibition showcasing the work of black British photographers who are redefining the notion of Black identity today.  


On Saturday, we linked up with creative duo and our longstanding collaborators Sam Lambert and Shaka Maidoh of Art Comes First to run a discussion and workshop on The Power of Collaboration. As part of the workshop, Sam and Shaka kicked off the session with a 30 minute conversation about how they’ve used collaboration as a medium to liberate underrepresented voices in the creative world. Attendees then had the opportunity to get creative and use customisable prints developed by ACF mentees, Ghanaian-based Super Jazz Club & Afro District collective, to create their own piece of art to take home.  

Then, at 6pm, we teamed up with Power of Festival founder, Daniel Peters, to curate a 90-minute musical showcase of Britain’s rising stars. Combining neo-soul and contemporary jazz, South London’s Ego Ella-May performed a live set to kick things off. Brooklyn-born, genre-defying rapper Goya Gumbani followed, showing his new UK home what they’ve been missing. The night rounded off with final act Ash Walker and his new-age dubbed-out jazz.