This year’s Black History Month, also known as African History Month, may have recently ended. However, for BTWSC/African Histories Revisited, the commemoration and exploration of African history carry on throughout the entire year. Their upcoming The African Coalition Day Preview is one for the diary. Passionate about African interest issues, or have a service or product aimed at the African community? Then this event taking place in the heart of Westminster (and online) is for you! Read on to discover more!

About the The African Coalition Day Preview

The African Coalition Day Preview, taking place on Saturday November 25th at The Abbey Centre, is an important event for the African community in London. This family-friendly event provides a platform for African individuals, organisations, businesses, and services to come together and collaborate. The event is an opportunity to promote African history, health, and wellness, and to prepare for next year’s African Coalition Day. 

What can we expect from The African Coalition Day Preview?

Attendees can expect keynote speeches by community leaders and a well-known pan-Africanist, a musical performance, contributions by youths, a play about African identity, and stalls with short presentations by stall-holders and authors throughout the day. It’s an opportunity for interested parties to work together for the success of this community event. This is ahead of next year’s The African Coalition Day on August 10, which is the Saturday before August 17, the birthday of the prominent pan-African icon Hon. Marcus Garvey, which is widely marked by pan-Africanists across Britain and internationally.

What’s the event’s Historical significance to Westminster?

The Abbey Centre is a walking distance from Methodist Central Hall Westminster, where the African Jubilee Year was launched by the London Strategic Policy Unit on July 31 1987 with a concert and a speech by Zimbabwean First Lady Sally Mugabe. The event was also the official launch of the African Jubilee Year Declaration, which enjoined the London councils that signed up, to mark “the month of October 1987 and every October thereafter” as Black History Month.

However, long before that, the first Pan-African Conference took place at Westminster Town Hall (now Caxton Hall) from July 23 – 25 1900. Although it was attended by a few dozen delegates, its impact on the British empire and the subsequent pan-Africanism movement was far-reaching.

The Conference, which was attended by the likes of classical music composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and the photographer John Archer, was mainly organised by the Trinidadian-born law student Henry Sylvester Williams. He was the secretary of the Westminster-based African Association (later renamed Pan-African Association). Archer, better known as London’s first African mayor, was elected Battersea mayor in 1913, after serving as a councillor in 1906. Interestingly, in 1906, Williams was also elected as a councillor in Westminster.

The Conference attracted delegates from across Britain, Africa, the Caribbean and North America. It is hoped that making The African Coalition Day Preview a hybrid event, will similarly attract attendees from far and wide via the Zoom option.

The Preview event is organised by BTWSC/African Histories Revisited for The African Coalition, in association with BBM/BMC (BritishBlackMusic.com/Black Music Congress), TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question), Afruika Bantu Saturday School, The Abbey Centre and My Soho Times.

About My Soho Times

My Soho Times is a black-owned, female-lead publication that values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to amplifying the voices of those who LIVE WORK PLAY in the local area. We believe in the significant impact of representation, which is why we are honoured to support this Westminster borough community event. Stay tuned for our social media updates and coverage: @mysohotimes

For more information or to book visit: https://bit.ly/TACDPrev2023 | Twitter: @BBMBMC

Written by Kai Lutterodt @the.soho.girl (I now run a publication, My Soho Times, and promotional services in Central London)

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