Kokumo Fadeke Rocks

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Oct 212020
 

The Writers’ Museum, Lawnmarket, Lady Stair’s Cl, Edinburgh EH1 2PA

Kokumo was raised in Cowdenbeath. She describes herself as an African/Asian /Scottish writer and performance poet and has performed in the UK, USA, India and Africa. Her collections Bad Ass Raindrop (2002), Stolen From Africa (2007), and Happily Drowning (2019) were published by Luath Press.

This exhibit showcases two poems written by Kokomo Fadeke Rocks titled ‘Stolen From Africa’ and ‘See You, See Me’.

Kokumo Fadeke Rocks

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https://www.luath.co.uk/kokumo-rocks

Jamal Yussuff-Adelakun – I can’t breathe

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Oct 212020
 

The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NE

This series of photographs was taken by photographer Jamal Yussuff-Adelakun, a British born Nigerian now based in Edinburgh. His daughter Lola was the model and he says:

I always promised myself that when I had children, I would speak to them about their culture and heritage (including other cultures) and the reality of life, from birth; the things I know they won’t be taught in school. The day the news about George Floyd broke, I spoke to my daughter briefly about it. She understood the importance of what I just told her and we felt compelled to create our own response.

The results are what you see, and much of the concept came from her, focusing on the poignancy of “I can’t breathe”.

Jamal and Lola Yussuff-Adelakun

https://www.wezi.uk/mural-trail-locations/
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https://www.facebook.com/papajgunphotography/

Neon Requiem

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Oct 212020
 

The Royal Lyceum Theatre, 30b Grindlay St, Edinburgh EH3 9AX

These three complementary pieces are portraits of the artist’s grandmother and great aunts. All of which taught him the value of hard work and perseverance by achieving great success in various professional fields. They are some of the most successful people in the family and they are black women – one of, if not the single most overlooked and underrated demographic in modern society.

A midwife, a school teacher and a nurse. They nurtured, taught and healed others even when the world didn’t do the same for them. Never losing their pride, their poise or their power. Their lives don’t just matter. They’re essential. Here, they are celebrated. The pieces have been purposely made to look like distressed pop-art. Idols in makeshift, political iconology. An acknowledgement of the past as we look toward the future. Red for the sacrifices of our ancestors. Yellow for the wealth of knowledge and empowerment passed down to us. Green for the motherland and our hopes for it and our people’s future.

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https://www.instagram.com/theneonrequiem/

Abz Mills – Scotland’s Call

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Oct 212020
 

Usher Hall, Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH1 2EA

Abigail Mills aka Abz, is a queer Scottish-Jamaican tattoo and graffiti artist from Kirkcaldy. Abz has been an artist since childhood, always able to visualise and create ideas… Having been tattooing for over 9 years, Abz works in Glasgow, Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy in a bright, colourful and thought-provoking style.

Abz work on the Usher Hall Glass wing calls for justice to Sheku Bayouh and her artwork on Lothian Road sits as a provocation to Scotland as a nation.

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https://www.instagram.com/abzmillstattoos/

Various Musicians

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Oct 212020
 

Usher Hall, Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH1 2EA

The musical lyrics of various Black and Asian Scottish artists speak to their lived experience of living in Scotland, including Eliza Shaddad, Emeli Sande, Helicopter Girl, Soom T and Young Fathers.

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Annie George – Home is Not the Place

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Oct 212020
 

Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge St, Edinburgh EH1 2ED

Annie is an Edinburgh-based writer, theatremaker and occasional filmmaker, who was born in Kerala India, and has worked in Scottish theatre since 1991. She was awarded the Ignite Fellowship 2019 (Scottish Book Trust) and the 2016 Inspiring Scotland Bursary.

Recent productions include ‘Twa’, a collaboration with visual artist Flore Gardner, and the solo shows ‘Home is Not the Place’ and ‘The Bridge’. She has worked with numerous artists and organisations including Magnetic North, Mara Menzies and Stellar Quines, and was Actor/Producer in the late ‘90s, with Fringe-First winning CAT. A. Theatre Company

Annie George

https://www.wezi.uk/mural-trail-locations/
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https://anniegeorge.net

Ross Blair – Frederick Douglass

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Oct 212020
 

Lower Gilmore Place, Edinburgh

This mural at Lower Gilmore Place, exhibits a powerful portrait of Frederick Douglass, the former enslaved man who became one of the most prestigious antislavery agents of his time. The building is the location in which Fredrick Douglass resident while in Edinburgh in 1846, eight years after escaping the brutal regime of his enslaver on a plantation in Maryland.

Following his escape, Douglass became a leading light in the US abolitionist movement and was sent to Great Britain on a speaking tour.

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Tony Kalisa – United We Stand

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Oct 212020
 

Edinburgh Playhouse, 18-22 Greenside Pl, Edinburgh EH1 3AA

Tony Brown Kalisa is an 18-year-old self-taught graphic artist, born in Uganda he has called Edinburgh his home for 4 years. His style utilities a variety of images and techniques to build a design made up of many layers. Tony’s creative practice is continually inspired by his mother who raised him as a single parent with African values in a western context.

His artwork was inspired by the various protest that happened across the world in response to the killing of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter and the fact that this show of solidarity was lead by young people of all races.

Tony Kalisa with his mum.

https://www.wezi.uk/mural-trail-locations/
https://www.instagram.com/blmmuraltrail/
https://tayo-adekunle.format.com/collages

Farah Nazley – Full Stop

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Oct 212020
 

North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Rd, Edinburgh EH4 4TZ

Farah is an Edinburgh artist who works in watercolour, acrylic, pastel, collage and charcoal. As a disabled woman of South East Asian heritage, Farah has lived experience of racism and discrimination which is often reflected in her work. In 2019 her work featured in the Out of Sight, Out of Mind exhibition at Summerhall.

Farah Nazley

Her artwork calls for an end to racism. Full Stop!

https://www.wezi.uk/mural-trail-locations/
https://www.instagram.com/blmmuraltrail/

Rosa assisting the artist.