Arts
Find people and organisations involved in African film, dance, literature, theatre, visual arts and media
Dance
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Batafon Arts
East Sussex
A Brighton-based group offering African dance and performances for school and community groups as well as organising group trips to The Gambia, West Africa and Guinea.
Film
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Africa at the Pictures
London
Part of Africa 05, this organisation promotes and shows African films in the UK and Europe, encouraging film-makers to discuss techniques and collaborate. Look out for African film seasons at the National Film Theatre and the Barbican in London this summer.
- Keith Shiri, Director
General Information
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Afribilia
London
Much of Afribilia's wares stem from South Africa, although many items are also sourced from Angola, Chad, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Uganda, Madagascar, Ghana, Mauritius and Zambia. Art and jewellery, gifts and even historical documents are available. <br>Open 10.30am-5.30pm Tue-Sat.
- 16 Bury Place
- London
- WC1
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Arthur Probsthain Oriental and African Bookseller
London
One of the oldest bookstores in central London is just short of 100 years old and sits opposite the British Museum. It stocks African, Asian and Middle Eastern books covering languages, art and architecture, archaeology, religion and literature. Open 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Fri; 11am-4pm Sat.
- 41 Great Russell Street
- London
- WC1
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Africana
Shropshire
Specialises in rare, antiquarian and out-of-print books on Africa and the Middle East, with smaller holdings relating to Asia. Within these specialities, Africana covers all subject areas from anthropology to zoology, including scholarly books in all fields, literature criticism and periodicals.
- 33 Whitehall Street
- Shrewsbury
- SY2 5AD
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Grant and Cutler
London
It seems that every language is covered in the books, dictionaries, videos and DVDs at Grant and Cutler. The World Language section includes over 50 African languages including Amharic, Shona, Xhosa and Zulu. Open 9am-6pm Mon-Wed, Fri; 9am-7pm Thurs; 9.30am-6pm Sat; 12noon-6pm Sun.
- 55-57 Great Marlborough Street
- London
- W1
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Headstart Books and Crafts
London
Not just books but jewellery, art and posters reflecting African culture or cultural icons from Garvey to Selassie are sold here. A fairly small shop, every space is taken up with a range of objects with books ranging from fact to fiction, art and politics. Open 9.30am-7pm Mon-Sat.
- 25 West Green Road
- London
- N15
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Index Book Centre
London
Among various other topics, Index Books has a very good black literature section with books by new or established writers available. Black history is covered well, and there are usually good selections on black art and photography. Open 10am-6pm Mon-Sat.
- 16 Electric Avenue
- London
- SW9
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New Beacon Books
London
This bookseller, distributor and publisher has been going for almost 40 years and has a healthy range of titles on Black British Culture, as well as classic and contemporary writing on fiction, poetry, politics and history from British, African and Caribbean writers. Open 10.30am-6pm Mon-Sat.
- 76 Stroud Green Road
- London
- N4
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Soma Books
London
Based in South London, Soma Books used to be part of the Commonwealth Institute. Although it specialises is in Asian books, it also offers educational texts, some of which are imported from Africa and the Caribbean. The shop also sells traditional Indian crafts. Open 10am-5.30pm Mon-Sat.
- 38 Kennington Lane
- London
- SE11
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Tribal Gathering London
London
Bryan Reeves and Behrouz Behnejah have over 20 years of collecting experience between them, which shows in this shop and gallery. Masks, sculptures, furniture, jewellery and paintings from all over Africa are all displayed and sold.
- 1 Westbourne Grove Mews
- London
- W11
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Yemanja
London
A smart and friendly boutique where books, jewellery, African crafts, sculptures and accessories are sold. Open 10.30am-7pm Mon; 10.30am-6pm Tue; 12.30pm-7pm Wed; 10.30am-7pm Thurs-Sat.
- 7 Stroud Green Road
- London
- N4
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Africa 05
Africa 05 is the biggest celebration of African culture ever organised in Britain, including visual arts, cinema, literature, history, music, craft, and performing arts.
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Azrou Gift Shop
Merseyside
Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm. A charitable shop with gifts and crafts imported directly from Morocco. Items include soap stones and wood figures as well as Kenyan and South African jewellery. All the proceeds go back into work that is carried out overseas.
- Grange Rd, West Kirby
- Wirral
- CH48 4EF
Literature
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Joliba: Arts from Mali and the Niger Bend
Bristol
Joliba offers artifacts, jewellery and beads imported from West Africa. Traditional handwoven textiles, furniture and clothing are also sold.
- Upstairs Floors, 47 Colston Street
- Bristol
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African Books Collective
Oxfordshire
ABC has over 1500 titles that include children's books, literature, history, language, environment and education. The shop is usually open from 9am-5.15pm or by appointment.
- Unit 13, Kingís Meadow, Ferry Hincksey Road
- Oxford
- OX2
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Harriet Tubman Bookshop
Birmingham
A specialist African bookshop with titles on education, history, language and general black or African literature.
- 27-29 Grove Lane, Handsworth
- Birmingham
- B21 9ES
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The Black Bookshop
A wide choice of black literature covering African history, politics, culture, fiction, poetry, art and cooking.
- PO Box 45833
- Redbridge
- E11
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Crossing Borders
A wealth of new writing from Africa is showcased on this website created by the British Council and Lancaster University.
Visual Arts
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Black & Loud
Nigeria
Photographic art outfit, documenting everyday life and objects in Nigeria. Artists Deyemi Akande and Abimbola Akinola regularly hold exhibitions and showcase their work in a vibrant online gallery. Commercially, they work in advertising and create postcards.
Media
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Africa Week
Online version of the long-standing news magazine (founded in 1917), covering issues and affairs of Africa. The website offers plenty of news bites, opinions and even job ads but you need to subsribe to get the whole thing.
- Desmond Davies, Editor