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Tag: Black Irish

  • Meet Dublin’s Newest Art Collective Celebrating Black Alternative Culture

    Meet Dublin’s Newest Art Collective Celebrating Black Alternative Culture

    By Dearbhla Kiarie 

    The AV Club is a new art collective seeking to promote Black alternative culture in Ireland, by curating events that celebrate Black individuals in subcultures, such as punk, goth, rock, metal.  

    Founders Tina Wekare and Jasmine Odabi described their creation as an aim to “return these subcultures to the control of their original creators.”   

    They have also said they are “dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment, where everyone can express themselves authentically and connect with like-minded individuals, fostering a sense of community and empowerment within the vibrant subcultures we champion.” 

    The new art collective opened their doors to the public for the first time this month with their inaugural event, ‘BLACKOUT.’ The event included a headline performance from band Cable Boy, as well as pop up stalls for various Black Irish artists. 

    Cable Boy performing at BLACKOUT event – Photo: Lucia Burke

    According to organisers Wekare and Odabi, this event was created to “foster a burgeoning Black Irish alternative scene, which is only now starting to reach mainstream. It was created in a response to the constant racism within alternative spaces, which for the longest time, has been predominantly white.” 

    However, the aim of these events is not only to benefit Black people seeking community in Dublin. A portion of the proceeds of ‘BLACKOUT’ ticket sales were donated to Friends of the Congo, a nonprofit organisation who strive to “bring about peaceful and lasting change” in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  

    Event organisers said the reason behind making the event a fundraiser was to start a conversation.  

    “We need people to join the dialogue and the fight. We want people to leave with a sense of empowerment; to feel like they too can help out – no matter how small the impact. Every little helps,” they said. 

    When asked about plans in the works for more events like this for the Black Alt community in the future, Wekare and Omondi said, “Absolutely! There is a need for more events and safe spaces for Black alternative people in Ireland. AV stands for ‘Audio Visual’. And we plan to have a lot of events that explore alternative art in all its mediums, from music to fashion to films to visual art etc.” 

    Eventgoer Ani Dhore said the event evoked “a sense of belonging” and was “inspiring” for her, which organisers said was one of their many goals. 

    DJ Booth at BLACKOUT Event – Photo: Dearbhla Kiarie

    “We want people to come out feeling like they’ve found like-minded alternative people,” they said. “And we want others to feel like they have a safe space to be loud as well. To be truly heard. To feel seen.” 

    The AV Club has plans to host a movie night as one of their next projects in December, as “Christmas time is notoriously a lonely time for the outcasts. It will hopefully be a great time, having people just hang out and get to enjoy being weird and free and together.” 

    What the event organisers want people to take away from their collective is that “Black people aren’t a monolith. We fit into a vast variety of subcultures which is why intersectionality is so important to us; and why we are dedicated to curating a safe space for people all over the diaspora.” 

  • A Way to Celebrate Black History Month in Ireland

    A Way to Celebrate Black History Month in Ireland

    By Mene Agbofodoh

    The Red Line Book Festival held a book conference for influential Black Women in Ireland to celebrate Black History Month. 

    The Red Line Book Festival is a cultural event that happens once every year. 

    It is held to appreciate and celebrate literature, storytelling, and creativity.  

    It aims to bring people together from across Dublin and Ireland, spark conversations, and inspire the next generation of writers and readers. 

    The Red Line Festival is normally held throughout an entire week with multiple events happening throughout the week. and one of the events was ‘Stories of Black Women in Ireland’. 

    Luas Red Line in Tallaght. Photo: Mene Agbofodoh 

    Dr. Ebun Joesph, a special rapporteur for racial equality and racism Ireland and founder of Anti-Ireland and Black Studies was also in attendance for the talk. 

    Melissa Bosch, (Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at where?, Eya Lawani, a Special Needs assistant who has a background in assisting charities for Black Irish children, and Carline Thompson, a nurse, researcher, entrepreneur, and activist, also attended to talk about their new book, ‘Equity in the Workplace Stories of Black Irish Women in Ireland’. 

    Left to Right- Eya Lawani, Carline Thompson, Melissa Bosch, and Dr. Ebun Joesph speaking at their Red Line Book Conference.
    Photo: Mene Agbofodoh 

    The purpose of the book was to amplify the voices of black Irish women and examine their experiences within the Irish labour market.  

    It aims to uncover the challenges they face and their perceptions of achieving equity in the workplace.  

    Despite progress in gender parity, disparities still exist, with women being underrepresented in leadership roles and facing lower pay, poor working conditions, and instances of bullying and harassment. 

    Dr. Ebun Joesph spoke about the importance of women finding their voices within the workplace. 

    “I think it is important that us women find our voice especially us black women, so that our stories can be heard, to be told and not told from a perspective that doesn’t truly represent us,” she said 

    Melissa Bosch talked about understanding the power your voice has. 

    “When you see something that is wrong along the lines of racism and discrimination, your voice is so powerful and when speak out against these things, it can drive change,” she said. 

    “If we do not speak about things like this and if we don’t open our minds, our hearts to create those spaces for this kind of level of dialogue, we are not going to change anything. Ireland won’t be able to move forward”. 

    Melissa Bosch’s chapter in the book revolved around trying to help people see their place in the world and what they can do to help marginalized people. 

    “Whatever ethnic background you come from, whatever demographic background you come from, you have the power to make that change, it’s about understanding your privilege and position in this world.”. 

    Carline Thompson spoke about the challenges of writing her chapter in the book. 

    “One of the challenges I had when writing my chapter wasn’t the 2,500-word count even though I only had a week to do it, it was how do I write so much about this topic without exceeding the limit?” 

    “People think racism only happens in the workplace however, it’s everywhere around you. It’s in the supermarket where you feel you’re being watched by security whilst you’re shopping, it’s in the library, it’s in the restaurant when you’re going out to eat with family and you get stares throughout the night”. 

    Eya Lawani also spoke on her challenges when she was writing her chapter. 

    “My problem or challenge about writing my chapter was I didn’t know how I was going to convey the message that systematic racism is the problem in our society without blaming white people as a whole.” 

    “It was a very difficult topic to write because I had to relive certain moments in my life that made me feel belittled, moments when applications were rejected despite having my bachelor’s degree from Nigeria but because it wasn’t an Irish degree it wasn’t good enough”. 

    “I struggled with the fact people in society were willing to accept I could be discriminated against because I was a woman but If I said I felt discriminated against because I’m black suddenly it couldn’t possibly be because I’m black and having to convey that in my chapter was very challenging.” 

    Black History Month is observed in Ireland from the 1st of October until the 31st.