Throughout October we are marking Black History Month (BHM) – an annual celebration of the Black community. The theme for this year is: Before Windrush – An exploration of the lives and stories of the Black Britons who were living in the UK before the arrival of the Empire Windrush in 1948
We’ve prepared a range of activities and resources that inform, entertain and provoke discussion. Led by our Confetti Personal Development, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (PDEDI) team, they are available to all college and degree-level students.
Black History Month at Confetti
MOBO College Collaboration (Monday 9 October & Thursday 12 October)
To celebrate this year’s Black History Month, we’d like to promote the depth and level of contribution of music from Africans and Africans from the diaspora (Black people) The range and depth of music forms and derivation of those forms make up the vast majority of all music played around the world today.
It is our intention to promote some of the main music forms and to produce a legacy artefact in doing so. We will look to achieve this through a cross-collaboration of our Music Technology, Music Performance & Songwriting, Technical Events, and Film and TV Production courses. Music Performance students will provide recitals of seminal Black music from throughout the ages. Music Technology learners will provide DJ performances of music which are explicitly from Black roots i.e. Reggae, Jazz, Soul, Blues, African Music, Afro Beats, Funk, Disco, UK Garage, Jungle, Hip Hop, UK Grime, Chicago House, Detroit Techno etc. Technical Events will prepare the venue space and provide technical support for the performances. Film and TV students will capture all aspects of the performances and produce a show for our community to enjoy for years to come. The event will be live-streamed from Metronome on our Confetti YouTube channel.
Watch back the day one livestream
MOBO Undergraduate Celebration (Thursday 26 October)
As part of Confetti and NTU’s celebration of Black History Month, our degree students are proud to present their cross-collaborative Music of Black Origin (MOBO) event. This celebration focuses on combining the depth and breadth Music of Black Origin has blessed us all with throughout musical history and the wealth of talent we have here at Confetti.
Part One – Virtual music event
Split into two parts, part one will be a virtual music event ‘Live Lounge style’, which’ll be recorded on Wednesday (18 October) in Metronome Studio 1. This a cross-course collaboration featuring many of our Nottingham degree courses. Music will be performed by BA (Hons) Music Performance and recorded by BSc (Hons) Sound Engineering and Audio Production students, with BSc (Hons) Television Production Technology learners on filming duties, and BSc (Hons) Events Production on hand to provide crew management, technical and broadcasting expertise.
Part Two – An evening of live entertainment and food for thought
Complimenting the live lounge feel of part one, part two is a music talk show ‘Later with Jools Holland style’. A relaxed in-person event, the evening will feature a mixture of live and recorded music, with thought provoking discussion dedicated to Black music through the years in Nottingham and beyond. Once again, Confetti degree students will work collaboratively across courses contributing to the event production, live performances, and filming for broadcast at a later date.
The line-up includes a headline performance from one of our accomplished alumni and special guest speakers who will share their experiences and knowledge of MOBO. Throw in a DJ who will be spinning some tracks in between acts and you’ve got a great evening out with plenty of food for thought.
Open to all and free to attend, the event will take place on Thursday 26 October at Antenna Nottingham, from 6pm.
Confetti Cinema – Black History Month
We’re also running a series of enrichment events for Confetti college students. These include screenings of influential films involving participation and/or the representation of Black people.
The following screenings will take place in our Metronome Seminar Room:
Monday 30 October, 4 – 6pm – ‘Selma’
Tuesday 31 October, 4 – 6pm –‘Hidden Figures’
Wednesday 1 November, 3 – 5.30pm –‘BlacKkKlansman’
Friday 3 November, 3 – 5pm –‘Soul’
Head to Moodle to book your place.
Parallel History Project
Parallel History is a project that documents the second-generation Windrush migrants and the experiences they faced growing up in the UK during the 60’s, 70’s and 80s.
This community is the foundation of much of the popular culture we have today yet many of their experiences are unknown. The project offered Confetti the opportunity to work in partnership with local communities to highlight aspects of Nottingham’s rich history.
In September 2022, our neighbours, Notts TV, premiered the 5-part documentary over 5 weeks. You can now watch the series OnDemand via the Parallel History website.
We intend to continue casting a light on this important social group with a variety of follow on initiatives.
Black Music Playlist
We cannot celebrate the cultures and history of Black people without recognising the importance and synergy Black music has with Black thought, history, culture and the development of Black people.
We have curated a playlist that showcases how Black Music has formed and shaped musical history. A global mix from across the decades, it dips into a wide range of genres and paints many pictures that celebrate the range and depth of music of black origin.
NTU also has a range of Black History Month activities and events taking place throughout October. Visit the NTU website for more information.
