To mark the 30th anniversary of Black History Month in Leicester, Serendipity launches Lost Legends.

To mark the 30th anniversary of Black History Month in Leicester, Serendipity launches Lost Legends.

This year marks the 30 anniversary of Black History Month in Leicester and Serendipity is celebrating with the creation of a website, a unique exhibition, alongside a film and dedicated publication: 30 Years 30 voices.

Lost Legends, acknowledges the contribution of the African and African Caribbean community to Leicester and the UK, and features the stories of local pioneers first hand through a short film and oral histories, and reflects upon three decades of Black History Month through memories, memorabilia and archival research.

Lost Legends’ new media archive showcases oral history clips from interviews with community activists, artists and young people to uncover memories and document their involvement with Black History Month over the past three decades and their thoughts about the future of Black History and Black History Month. The interviewee’s look back on venues and events they have attended and being involved or organising past Black History Month events.  They reflect on places of interest such as local theatres like the Y, Phoenix, Haymarket or newer buildings such as the Peepul Centre. Other places include the African Caribbean Centre, Raddle Books as well as groups like Mainstream Partnership and Leicester United Caribbean Association (LUCA).

Serendipity, is also calling out to artists interested in showcasing their work to a wider audience through an exciting new online directory that seeks to highlight the work of artists from the African and African Caribbean diaspora, and create a legacy that showcases the best of Black arts in the region. The directory showcases biographies for both emerging talent and established artists from the East Midlands through a new digital directory to share artists’ work with local, national and international platforms.

The Lost Legends blog delves into the archives with footage of previous events that have featured in Black History Month programmes, rare photographs and clippings from newspapers and magazines highlighting key events and personalities that have shaped the cultural landscape.

Pawlet Brookes, Executive Artistic Director, Serendipity said: “Lost Legends has been a fantastic opportunity to record, collect and document the contribution African and African Caribbean artists and activists have made to the cultural landscape. The Lost Legends media archive is constantly growing as we add more and more archival material, oral history clips and footage. It is exciting and important as we mark 30 anniversary of BHM this year. Our new digital directory is also a fantastic opportunity for Serendipity to share emerging talent and established artists biographies with our growing audiences across our local, national and international platforms.”

To sign up to the digital directory is simple, applicants will need to send a photo, a short biography, alongside links to websites or videos of their work, and are advised to contact [email protected] for an application form or call 0116 257 7316.
Visit Serendipity’s Lost Legends website on www.lost-legends.serendipity-uk.com

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