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Wednesday 12 October, 2005 - PRESS RELEASE

“DANCE THE GUNS TO SILENCE”
A night of poetry, film, live music & AFROGROOV sounds to celebrate Ken Saro-Wiwa

Thursday 10th November @ JAMM – Brixton
261 Brixton Road – SW9 – 020 7274 5537

7pm – 2am. Tickets available on the door: £5 before 9:30pm - £7 after

All proceeds to the Remember Saro-Wiwa Project

REMEMBER KEN SARO-WIWA – 10 YEARS ON
On November 10th 1995, Nigerian writer and social activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders were executed by the Nigerian state for campaigning against the brutal suppression of the Ogoni people and the devastation of the Niger Delta by oil companies, especially Shell and Chevron.

This November 10th, a decade on, artists, musicians, writers, poets and activists will gather to honour Ken and remember his struggle. The Remember Saro-Wiwa Project aims to create a permanent memorial in London to Ken in the coming years. Leading up to this tenth anniversary, the project has created a Remember Saro-Wiwa Season, a series of events involving literature, film, theatre, music, and debate across London.

The closing event of the Remember Saro-Wiwa Season will be this celebratory evening of spoken word and music featuring some of the UK’s prominent African rappers and DJs as well as poets and musicians from all backgrounds. Fierce, true and diverse – this is a night which features hip-hop star TY and the phenomenal Afro-Beat dub coalition Soothsayers.

Remember Saro-Wiwa in association with African Writers Abroad and Groov n Bass have produced a unique event with a special vibe which will remind us all why it is so important to keep on celebrating all that has gone before and is with us now, so that our souls which are in need of constant replenishing do not get lost in the struggles that lay ahead. “Dance your anger and your joys, dance the guns to silence, dance, dance, dance.”

8pm- 11pm. Poetry Stage: Publication Launch Party
Dance the Guns to Silence: 100 poems for Ken Saro Wiwa An anthology of poetry produced by African Writers Abroad edited by Kadija Sesay & Nii Ayikwei Parkes.

Live performances of fresh poems inspired by Ken Saro-Wiwa, accompanied by screenings and music. Hosted by KADIJA SESAY. Guest readers: HEATHER TAYLOR - SARAH MAGUIRE - ROMMI SMITH - HENRY BONSU - JOYCE OHAJA - STEVE TASANE - JOHN LYONS Music by RITA RAY (The Shrine) – Dr A4 (Eclectica)

11pm-2am. Live Music Stage: AFROGROOV after-party

Special guests TY and BREIS perform live their Afro HipHop anthem “The Revolution Is Right Here In Front of You”

Impossibly funky 7-piece band SOOTHSAYERS featuring ADESOSE WALLACE

AFROGROOV DJs Dudu SARR and Eric SOUL

For music, guest list and artist/poet/DJ details please contact Jody.

SPOKEN WORD - WHO IS PERFORMING?
8pm- 11pm. Poetry Stage: Programmed by African Writers Abroad

Rommi Smith. Writer in residence for BBC Radio 3 Africa Season. She is also a poet, performer and playwright. As poet/performer Rommi’s work fuses spoken word with music, which is often provided by her own band.As a playwright Rommi has been commissioned by Paines Plough and Radio 4. Morning and Midnight’s is her forthcoming collection of poetry.

John Lyons. Trinidadian poet and painter, Windrush Arts Achiever 2003, twice winner of the Peterloo Poetry competition. A voice from a Silk Cotton Tree [Smith/Doorstop Books] is the latest of three published collections of poetry.

Steve Tasane. From Cheltenham Festival of Literature to Ken Livingstone’s RISE Festival, Steve Tasane’s poetry bridges radicalism and populism with rap-funk polemics. Pioneer of contemporary live poetry and innovator of Channel 4’s Litpop Festival, Steve also hosted Soho Theatre’s Pure Poetry season and was poet in residence at Hamley’s. ‘Populist in the best sense of the term: hip and dynamic, rich and moving.’ The Herald

Sarah Maguire. Founder and Director of SOAS Poetry Translation Centre. Currently organising the Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets Tour.

Heather Taylor. Canadian-born London-resident poet, playwright and educator. Her writing has been published and performed throughout Europe and North America including two collections of poetry most recently Horizon and Back.This November her poetry appears in the Moosehead Anthology X: Future Welcome.

Special Guest Readers:
Henry Bonsu. Renowned writer, broadcaster and freelance journalist Henry Bonsu has worked on both BBC1 Breakfast and Radio 4’s Today programmes. Most recently he was a presenter for BBC London.

Joyce Ohajah. ITV1 newscaster and one of the most recognised TV presenters in Britain today. Joyce can regularly be seen on ITV’s News at 10:30pm with Trevor McDonald and also London Tonight’s 6pm flagship programme with Alistair Stewart. Winner of the BT Journalist of the Year Award for her Series on the Empire Windrush, Joyce can also add stints at NBC and CBS to her wealth of experience.

Music by:
DR A4 (Eclectica) - A regular DJ on the London club scene. Dr A4 has performed and promoted his seamless blend of world beats, funk, afro-beat, kwaito, French/Arabic hip-hop, afro-house, hip life and percussion at venues such as Cargo, Electrowerks, Dragon Bar, Vibe Bar, and 93ft East.

Rita RAY (The Shrine) – DJ/ Promoter/ Compiler/ BBC presenter and massive footie fan, Rita has been at the forefront of the world music scene. In addition to successful AFROBEAT - AFRODIGITAL compilations for Union Square label, long running SHRINE night at CARGO, appearance on Big Chill, music documentary for BBC and compiling the official Planets CD for the Radio3’s WORLD MUSIC AWARD. She also finds the time to regularly gig around the world with MAX REIHNARD and their SYNCHRO SOUND SYSTEM.

Hosted by:
Kadija Sesay, Literature Activist and founder of African Writers Abroad

MUSIC - WHO IS PERFORMING?
11pm-2am. Live Music Stage: AFROGROOV after-party
Programmed by Groov ‘n’ Bass Movement

Special guest TY: TY is simply the biggest name in UK hip hop right now. His Mercury Prize nominated album UPWARD has spawned hit after hit played all over the the clubs and mainstream radio play lists nationwide. TY always delivers.

BREIS: A founder of the legendary Urban Griots in Brixton, BREIS (Bonafide - Rhymes - Exist - In - Self) is a South London-based MC and poet, who has been rocking the mike worldwide since winning the Mean Fiddler rap competition in 1997. Drawing from his Nigerian roots and diverse influences, BREIS unique style has won him many admirers in the community and he is widely regarded as one of the UK's most talented hip hop artists. He has worked with the likes of Tony Allen, Ty, and Julie Dexter on various projects, and has just completed a solo mix-CD called "Your Favourite MC?" as a prelude to his widely anticipated debut album. Whether you see BREIS on stage as a poet or MC be prepared for what he calls the BAM style - British African Music.

TY and BREIS will perform their afro hip-hop anthem collaboration - “The revolution is right here in front of you”

SOOTHSAYERS: featuring ADESOSE WALLACE: Drawing their inspiration from a wide range of genres, Soothsayers join the dots between township jazz, Afro-Beat, reggae, highlife, dub and potent future ju-ju funk rhythms that are rooted as much in the present as they are in the past.

Bandleaders Idris Rahman (saxophone) and Robin Hopcraft (trumpet) have worked with a wide range of African bands. Individually, all the SoothSayers musicians have played with a wide range of contemporary acts such as Junior Delgado, Spacek, Stereo MC’s and MC Solaar to African star like Ayub Ogada, Sally Nyolo, Manu Dibango and Hugh Masekela. Soothsayers have created a unique and engaging sound that’s already forged a loyal following at their live show.

Dudu SARR: Dudu SARR has been a Momo Kemia bar DJ resident from early on, assisted by the creative team behind the famous celebrity hang-out; he has been a pivotal force in bringing world music to a larger and less exclusive audience. With his own production company Sai Sai, he collaborated with Lucy Duran to select the 60 tracks used for the juke box as well as compiling the official CD for the AFRICA REMIX exhibition. He is comfortable playing everything from Zouk to traditional Mbalax to Drum n Bass through Soul and Oriental groove. Dudu Sarr DJ sets are classy, ageless and worldwide.

Eric SOUL: From Rwanda to Belgium through Germany and London, cultural activist/DJ Eric Soul has been a resident DJ in various clubs from Cargo to Harlem via Bug Bar and the StadGarden in Germany. After mixing the RAW World/Hip Hop compilation for TGWU RESPECT campaign, he went on to share the stage with music stars like Roachford, Keziah Jones, Afrika Baambata, Dimitri From Paris and HKB FINN. His energetic DJ sets always break new ground and inspire DJ’s to push new possibilities. From World, Jazz to Afro, HipHop, Broken Beat and Bashement, this is a DJ that cuts, scratches, juggles and pastes vinyl with skill and dexterity combined with a soulful melodic ear.

Venue:
JAMM – BRIXTON – 261 Brixton Road – SW9

Tickets available on the door: £5 b4 9:30pm - £7 after

All proceeds go to the Remember Saro-Wiwa Project

For further information about Dance the Guns to Silence contact:

Jody Gillett

Tim Sowula

Eric Soul

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