Inspired Histories

Linford Sweeney with Victor Richards, actor, author, poet, playwright and creator of 'Streets Paved with Gold' (with performances having global acclaim!)

Black History Programme: Manchester 2020

January

Black History Lecture Series

Runoko Rashidi - Black and Beautiful in the Ancient World
Friday 10th

(Lecture tour and book launch)

February

Black History Tours

Liverpool & International Slavery Museum
Date: TBC

Black History Classes

Last Tuesday in every month
Topic: 'How Black Music Became British Music'
Tuesday 25th

March

Black History Tours

Liverpool & British Museum
Date: TBC

Black History Lecture Series

'Queens of the Nile and Women of Power'
By Dr. Runoko Rashidi
Friday 27th

(Lecture tour and book launch)

Black History Education Series

'Black History is World History'
A four-week course
By Linford Sweeney
Tuesday 3rd - 24th March

Black History Classes

Last Tuesday in every month
Topic: TBC
Tuesday 31st

April

Black History Tours

National Archives
Date: TBC

Black History Classes

Last Tuesday in every month
Topic: TBC
Tuesday 28th

May

Black History Tours

To be arranged
Date: TBC

Black History Education Series

'Ancient African Empires: Rise of the Pharaohs'
A four-week course
By Linford Sweeney
Tuesday 5th, 12th & 19th

Black History Classes

Last Tuesday in every month
Topic: TBC
Tuesday 26th

June

Black History Tours

To be arranged
Date: TBC

Black History Education Series

'Meet the Windrush Generation'
A three-week course
By Linford Sweeney
Tuesday 16th - 30th

September

Black History Education Series

'Ancient African Empires: Cush, Ethiopia and the Aksumite Empire'
A three-week course
By Linford Sweeney

Black History in Pictures

A slide show highlighting some positive and some not seen before images of black people from the Ancient Egyptians through to modern times.

African Ways

(A Poem by Linford Sweeney)

European ways are not African ways,

no respect for the intuition of ancient days,

Not this logical, restricted and stagnant flow

instead a spiritual freedom and creative glow

All our history was designed to define us, combine us and refine us.

All their history did was to confine us, consign us and undermine us.

And yet we survived, through all the pain,

and still as strong and dignified people we remain.

The sacred laws of Ma'at - Truth, Justice and Harmony,

Spiritually connected to the divine universal ceremony;

where each enchanting, distant and pulsating star,

was admired, celebrated and worshipped from afar

In unity there was ubuntu: I am because you are

no need for greed, disunity, strife or war;

where African principles stood boldly to witness

daily dances and celebration of togetherness.

There was a great king of Mali, Mansa Musa was his name;

the world's richest man, even today remains the same.

A man of kindness, dignity and great compassion

Who built a great empire and ruled a unified nation,

where there was thirst for knowledge, and Timbuktu

became the great African learning centre to rise anew.

Bless the ancestors, the wise ones, and even the fools,

since upon their backs were written universal rules;

build civilisations that lasted thousands of years.

Today we salute their achievements in joy and tears.

©2015, Linford Sweeney

For more poems like this go to: My Poems