what Nuha, Rotimi, Selina are doing...

Latest news in about three of Shake's brilliant young participants from 2010/11 programme! 

Nuha Baruti and Rotimi Skyers are taking part in Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust's 2012 architecture and design exhibition 'People & Places', held with Scott Brownrigg in Covent Garden. Nuha was a Bursary recipient at SLCT and has played a key role in curating and organising the exhibition of young talent. Rotimi is studying architecture at University of the Creative Arts, Canterbury, and has developed a close ongoing relationship with the Trust since Shake! 
It's on til 30 Nov so if you're in London, get over there.

Meanwhile, Selina Nwulu is responding to a challenge: to write a brand new 20-minute poem as part of Apples and Snakes event 'The Word's a Stage', 21st November, in Hackney, London. Selina's been mentored by Malika Booker along with three other up and coming poets. Should be a brilliant night.

Videos of Shake! at Rebellious Media Conference

Those good people at RMC have now put up a great compilation of videos from Shake's session "The Unheard: Youth, 'the riots' and the media" at the 2011 conference in London.

Watch recordings from the session itself, plus interviews and poetry performed by Rotimi, Samia, Selina and Kadish (Leeds Young Authors).

 

Also watch interviews with Shake! poet-facilitators Sai and Zena from Ceasefire magazine's Adam Elliot-Cooper over on our videos page.

We had more good news from RMC organiser Gabriel Carlyle recently. He told us that once they'd digested all the written evaluation forms, Shake's session got the most number of glowing reviews. People were energised by hearing directly and unmediated from young people, and they loved the structure (a mix of poetry, commentary, and discussion).

This was the fruit of all that brilliant planning from the team: Selina, Samia, Ed, Sai, Rotimi, Jane. And big thanks to Ed from New Left Project who kept the team cooking across 4 cities in the run-up...

Zodwa Nyoni - A Letter for Mama Oluwale

One of the most successful aspects of Britain On Trial was the coming together and sharing of experiences between active, articulate, dedicated young people from two different parts of the UK and from two different artistic organisations - Leeds Young Authors and Shake!.

Zodwa Nyoni, a Leeds Young Authors alumni (Leeds Superheroes of Slam winner 2011 & Voices of A New Generation winning poet coach 2011 just the latest of her long list of acolades...) was a part of the 15 minute speed-lecture on "Racism, Young People and the Police" and followed poetry from Shake!'s Rotimi and Selina - who opened proceedings with Britain on Trial and her response to Stephen Lawrence's murder, Thou Shalt Not Kill.

Zodwa provided the perfect closing contribution to this opening speed-lecture by bringing the topic back home to Leeds with a dedication to David Oluwale - a Nigerian killed in police custody back in 1969 and still, over 40 years later, the only case ever of criminal convictions for officers involved in a police-related death since records began in 1970.

BRITAIN ON TRIAL- The Charge - Young Voices Speak Out!

BRITAIN ON TRIAL- The Charge - Young Voices Speak Out!, a set on Flickr.

The first photos are up on flickr featuring snapshots of the first order of the day - THE CHARGE:

Welcome by: Esther Stanford-Xosei
-co-Vice-Chair of PARCOE (the Pan-Afrikan Reparations Coalition in Europe)

Outline of the day by: Jane Trowell
- Shake! coordinator/ Platform Education coordinator

+ on the gavel/ strict 5 minute time keeping Tibetan chimes!!! - Khadijah Ibrahiim
- Artistic Director Leeds young Authors

Mini-lectures by young people and activists/academics on:

> Racism, young people and the police
featuring:
Selina Nwulu - poems: Britain on Trial/ Thou Shalt Not Kill 
Rotimi Skyers - poems: Ignite/ Hug 
Zodwa Nyoni - A Letter for Mama Oluwale - poem dedicated to David Oluwalwe

> Consumer Capitalism, advertising, and young people; Media portrayal of youth
featuring:
Sai Murai - overview of consumer capitalism + powerpoint presentation on evils of advertising 
Samia Aziz - talk on women & consumerism (ref: UNICEF report + Consumer Kids book)
Paris Kaur - poem: Barbie Girl

> History of displacement; contemporary refugee/asylum seeker realities
featuring:
Dr Carl Hylton - overview of history of displacement: trans-atlantic Afrikan enslavement 
Dr Stuart Hodkinson - Britain's immigration system on Trial inc. powerpoint presentation
Germain Naruhana - harrowing personal testimony of asylum seeker experience

The Unheard: more great feedback

Ro, Kadish, Selina on the panel

The emails are still coming in about Shake's event "The Unheard: Youth, the 'riots', and the media" at Rebellious Media Conference on 9th October.

"...I was over at the Rebellious Media Conference and caught the discussion on the London riots that you  guys were involved in facilitating. It was fantastic....."  From Rabble Magazine  (Dublin)

"...I went to your session about the media and the london riots at the Rebellious Media Conference and I can honestly say I cannot rave enough about the session and the issues discussed.  I have literally told every person I've seen since then about how impressed I was!  Since getting back to Glasgow I spent my whole morning at work learning about the the work you do and about all the people involved, this has only increased my admiration for the organisation and makes me a little gutted that I don't live in London to get involved..."

Samia tells it

gripped...

 Cairsti (Glasgow)

We're waiting for some audio, and video... keep an eye out.

IGNITE - Poem by Rotimi Skyer

Written on the night ot Tottenham unrest.
More voices of our Positive Young please.
Peace.

Ignite
Fire
Black engulfs da air
Smoke blocks out sky
Hands raised up high
...
Fire
Black is da youth
Emotions feel da heat
ppl burnt too much to retreat

Fire
Bullet tears thru black
Pigs grunt in their sty
Mama,
mama looks up to da sky oh my oh my at da sky she asks,

why?

Fire


Copyright Rotimi Skyers

Our first meeting for the 'Britain on Trial - Arts and Activism' event

Jane, Rotimi, Samia and Selina from the SHAKE! collective took a day trip to Leeds yesterday to meet up with Khadijah and Simon, facilitators from Leeds Young Authors and Stuart, a researcher from the University of Leeds MA in Activism & Social Change. The meeting was planned to lay down the groundwork for the "Britain on Trial" arts and activism event that will take place on October 29th as part of the ESRC's Festival of Social Science.

This event, which will take place in Leeds, will use the Stephen Lawrence re-trial as a starting point to ask,  "where are we now" through a day of workshops and an evening of performances to expose Britain's countless injustices. Exploring themes such as identity, justice and race through creative workshops, 10 minute speed-lectures and evening speakers, the day will aim to inspire the young people involved in the day to think honestly about themselves and the country they live in today. Britain on Trial, an initiative created by SHAKER Selina, aims to question unjust aspects of British society through creative mediums such as poetry, illustration, photography, short film and essays. The idea to use this as the umbrella theme for the event came organically with a view to unite the various disciplines of the group and the discussions that will take place in the day.

It was a great first meeting that allowed us to get to know each other better and we are looking forward to the planning that will follow. Big thank you to Simon for lending us his house, beautiful garden and making homemade bread - beats a stuffy boardroom any day! No thanks to the pompous man on the train who told us to be quiet in the middle of a full-on discussion about race, empire, language, identity and culture. He could have joined in, eh?

Watch this space for more updates on the Britain on Trial event! Also, check out the Britain on Trial website to find out more and get involved in Selina’s project: http://britainontrial.wordpress.com/

Rotimi's poem "Hey Stevie" presented to Doreen Lawrence

It was such a special moment last Thursday, when Rotimi Skyers and Nuha Baruti from SHAKE! presented a beautifully designed poster of Rotimi's poem to Doreen Lawrence at the Stephen Lawrence Centre.

Doreen was guest of honour at the SHAKE! Preview at The Albany in February, and was very struck by "Hey Stevie" and the way Ro performed it. She told us she'd love a copy for her wall, so we commissioned the wonderful Liquorice Fish to work with Ro on the design. You can listen to "Hey Stevie" here.

The framed poster in the exhibition space at SLC

Buy one and support SHAKE's development 
We have a limited edition of these beautiful A2 posters on high-quality paper, at £20 each p&p.
Email us!

SHAKE! By Ro

SHAKE

A young black afro saxon

Living in a UN united kingdom.

Divided by postcodes of different ways of thinking

Race, colour, creed or    religion.

So who represents us, can some1 tell me

DA line is fading, i can’t tell DA the difference between red and blue

Feeling sick going purple, what to do, WHAT to do

So i stand up

Just for a while

Where do we move forward, in this innercity warzone

So i make a smile

Just for a while

Gotta stay strong for da fam, living at home

Yo realising taking a step

To Facilitate

An idea which Fascinates

The minds illuminate

Light up, pour tears

Precipitate

For real

Not for fake

Be truthful

Not a snake

Oh DA pain

Oh DA aches

Let it flow out in stream of consciousness, a divine lake

DA story u tell, many around us have spake

Use ur voice, use ur art, use ur culture

 change DA world,

Make a difference,

SHAKE.

Rotimi

HEY STEVIE - A tribute poem for Stephen Lawrence by Rotimi Skyers

Reviewed by Zena 
A hard hitting poem by a young man who had never written poetry before but found his voice in less than a week!! Another piece that successfully communicates the waste of life to race hate as Rotimi almost puts himself in the place of Stephen. He shows respect to UK Hip Hop Artist Sway too, for his contribution of positivity to inspire the black youth, young boys just like Stephen.
Click here to listen to some of Sway's music.
Click Podomatic mediaplayer to hear the  poem read by Rotimi. 

ROTIMI SHARES HIS INSPIRATION - MISS LOU THE GREAT JAMAICAN STORY TELLER AND POET

Hi guys wow it was wonderful being a part of this workshop, I hope you guys are well and hope to see you all again.

Here's a link from a woman called Louis Bennet, a poet, an author and activist who me and people proud of our language known as Patwah (jamaican creole).
Hope you guys find this informative and be proud of your culture.