Category: Arts & Culture

Meeting Marlon James

Miranda and Marlon gimpA wonderful day at London’s Southbank Centre (my favourite place in London) yesterday attending its ‘Being a Man Festival‘.

I attended a few of the sessions but, by far, my favourite was the discussion entitled ‘Kanye West and the Paradox of Black Male Identity in Hip-Hop’, which was chaired by the writer and broadcaster Ekow Eshun in conversation with 2015 Booker prize winner Marlon James and Matrix Chambers barrister Matthew Ryder QC.

Marlon was kind enough to sign a copy of his Booker prize winning ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings‘ for me afterwards.

Suffragette

Nicky and MirandaI was honoured to be invited to watch the opening night’s screening of director Sarah Gavron’s new film ‘Suffragette‘ by her proud mum Nicky Gavron, my old boss, the former Deputy Mayor of London and still a London Assembly Member.

The film was superb. It was also the first time in Hollywood history that a film’s writer, director and main protagonists were all female.

To be so visually reminded of what the suffragettes went through – the police surveillance, community shunning, imprisonment, beatings, torture and force-feeding – strengthened my resolve to continue to play as full a role I can in the democratic life of this country.

Nicky is right to be so proud of Sarah for having made this vitally important film. We owe the Suffragettes our deepest gratitude and I’m glad this film has helped their own voices to be heard.

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise. Continue reading “Still I Rise”

The Best 30th Birthday in the Whole Wide World

Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday concert

I have just got home from four amazing, emotional, uplifting, seriously bootie shaking hours of this.

I couldn’t have wished for a better way to celebrate my 30th birthday (and Mr Mandela’s 90th) than to be shaking my thang to some top notch musical acts in my most favourite park in the whole wide world Continue reading “The Best 30th Birthday in the Whole Wide World”