The Blackwash
Making cultural & historical commentary on social issues. Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by colour!
The Blackwash
Uncovering history: Black British biblioclasm and the fight for cultural survival
Can the destruction of books equate to a cultural genocide? This episode of Blackwash dares to ask this provocative question as we uncover the overlooked history of Black British biblioclasm. Journey back to the 1970s in the UK when the firebombing of the UK Black Panthers' bookshop in Brixton symbolized a chilling attempt at cultural erasure. Through the eyes of a former Panther member, we expose the systemic racism and the relentless attacks on Black and Asian communities, revealing the untold narratives of resilience and resistance. Black bookshops have long served as fortresses of education and empowerment, challenging oppressive systems and nurturing community activism.
Meanwhile, the Black British Book Festival, established by Selena Brown in 2021, emerges as a beacon of hope, breaking stereotypes about Black engagement with literature and revives the Black British literature festival. Drawing inspiration from the legacy of the International Book Fair of Radical Black and Third World Books, we emphasise the power of reclaiming narratives through visible acts of reading! By championing representation and fostering a sense of belonging at such events, we combat the metaphorical book burning that threatens our minds, reinforcing the timeless truth that knowledge is indeed power. Tune in to explore these compelling stories and discover how we can all become part of this movement for change!
Welcome to the Blackwash Question. What are you reading specifically for UK Black History Month? If the answer is nothing, let this rhetorical question serve as a reminder. Today's topic is Black British Biblioclasm. Biblioclasm meaning book burning or libericide. Second question when I ask about book burning, whaticide? Second question when I ask about book burning, what historic events sprung to your mind? Chances are, if you were socialised and educated in the UK, you will think of Nazi Germany. If you thought of any others, please let me know Briefly.
Speaker 1:The 1933 Nazi book burning was a campaign conducted by the German Student Union to ceremonially burn books in nazi germany, austria and poland. The books represented ideologies opposed to nazism. These included books written by jewish, half jewish, communist, socialist, anarchist, liberalist, sexologist, you name it. Authors included initially karl marx, but came to include many other authors, including Albert Einstein, essentially anything that felt quote un-German. Why Cultural genocide? In Poland, for example, they burned millions of books, resulting in the destruction of an estimated 80% of all school libraries and three quarters of all scientific libraries in the country. To validify your first thoughts, when you go on Google Images and you look up biblioclasm or book burning, you won't find any or see any mention of black British biblioclasm. Similarly, I feel like this is an attempt at cultural genocide, cultricide and forced assimilation. So if you are unaware of our history of biblioclasm, I'm going to take you back to 1973.
Speaker 1:The UK Black Panthers were squatting in 74 Relton Road, brixton. Why? To open a black bookshop to sell their increasing black literature and their newspaper Freedom News. Farooq Dondi, then a leading Panther member, retells his story. He says the bookshop was on the ground floor and at first it was a derelict building. He said that thankfully he had a friend who was an architect and he was responsible for putting in the toilets and showers and making it decent. As I said, at the bottom was the shop and on the top were flats and one of those flats was given to Farouk to live in. Let me take you back specifically to the 15th of March 1973, so some 50 years ago.
Speaker 1:Farouk was asleep when, about 4am in the morning, he suddenly woke up, choking. He couldn't see because the smoke was so thick, but he got up and stumbled towards the fire, but of course the fire was off. He then saw the smoke coming through the shut door. He opened that door and the fire was raging on the staircase. He couldn't get the door shut because of the draft. He went to the window by this time not breathing. He recounts at least one to two minutes without doing so. He opened the window and finally took one deep breath of fresh air. He said nobody was about and he could hear the blasts from the fire. He then heard a neighbor shouting oh God, oh God.
Speaker 1:At this time he was only in his underwear and did not know what to do whether to go back into the smoke filled room and grab his clothes. He was gasping for air. Believe me when I tell you I've been there. Believe me when I tell you I've been there. He decided to jump from the second floor and he landed in the burning red, hot glass, cut his feet and broke his ankles. A neighbor, a guy that he did not know, gave him a coat and put it around him. He sat him down on the steps and he waited for the fire engines, ambulance and police. The fire chief came and said you've been set on fire, there's a petrol bomb.
Speaker 1:Farouk recalls that the newspapers that evening said that five places had been bombed that night and that the bookshop was one of them, as well as some Asian shops and some black owned projects, all in the same day. And guess what? The police did nothing. One neighbor said that it was a motorcyclist who sped past and chucked the bomb. So no persecutions took place and the bookshop was left as a burnt out shell.
Speaker 1:To bring some context, police apathy towards the attack was hardly surprising at the time. The front line in Brixham was widely despised by the police and the panthers were vocal of cops and police. Racism was notorious. In the 1970s some police showed sympathy towards the National Front. Many were long-time Nazi sympathizers and in general they had gathered increasing support amongst the wider white population. So a lack of police support wasn't surprising when you consider the racial climate at the time.
Speaker 1:And it wasn't limited to just bookshops. Racist firebombings in the 1970s included black and Asian people's homes, but also against black and anti-racist spaces, cultural venues or left-wing centres, including the Albany Centre in Deptford, the Moonshot Youth Club in New Cross and the HQ Commission for Racial Equality. Of course, the most high profile fire believed to be a result of a racist arson attack was the New Cross fire in 1981 where 13 black teenagers died and another died later. This also was ignored and played down by the police. I say all of this to give you context Back to bookshops 47 years ago. It wasn't only this firebomb Bogle Bookshop was also attacked in 1977. Other types of attacks included mailed death threats, smash and smeared windows, shops were broken into, shells were destroyed and water was thrown on stock. The motivation for these attacks were clear fear of their power to affect the education system and the black bookshops organising power and organising they did so. We'll start with the first fear fear of affecting the education system.
Speaker 1:This month, october, is UK Black History Month. Question listeners, who created UK Black History Month? Throughout this month and throughout the years, I've asked this question at a number of different institutions and very rarely do I get a correct answer. If you don't know, the answer is Achaba Adisebo. Say it with me Achaba Adisebo. Depending on where you're from regionally in Ghana, the first name may be pronounced Akiaba, but both are used interchangeably.
Speaker 1:Briefly, he was born in 1950 in Kumasi in Ghana and he grew up in an interesting time. In 1957, ghana was going through the process of gaining independence from Britain and there was two school of thoughts. Some wanted independence, and they wanted it now, and others wanted independence, but slowly, under the tutelage of Britain. In the 1970s, achaba went to the US for schooling and he visited there at an interesting time. It was the time that Negro History Week was transitioning to Black History Month. He witnessed firsthand how this transition renewed a sense of pride for African Americans. After his schooling, he returned to Ghana and started to openly critique Jerry Rawlings, who would go on to become president of Ghana. To silence Ochaaba, militia with AK-47s was sent to find him. Thankfully, he was able to hide and escape and seek refuge in the UK. He came to the UK in 1984, partly because there was a growing Ghanaian community in Britain, but also because he met CLR James in America, and CLR James at this time was in Brixton, south East London.
Speaker 1:Achaba began to work for the Greater London Council, which was then opposite Big Ben. One day he had an interesting conversation with a downcast colleague called Elizabeth. Elizabeth confided in Achaba telling him that while she was putting her six-year-old son, marcus, to bed. He said to her why can't I be white as a mother? She said that she felt like she had failed. Achaba replied no, you haven't failed. The institutions have failed. The local authorities have failed the national curriculum schooling. They've failed your son. Not only your son, but they failed all of our children growing up in this country With this fire in his belly.
Speaker 1:In 1985 and 1986, achaba and his colleague hosted a number of concerts and lectures. These were star-studded events. They were attended by people such as Angela Davis, winnie Mandela, jesse Jackson and Ray Childs. This was the catalyst and a year later, uk Black History Month was officiated. Achaba said I decided that every child growing up in the UK must have an appreciation and an understanding of Africa, africans, people of African descent, their contributions to the world civilizations from antiquity to present and especially to the growth and development of the UK and Europe.
Speaker 1:Whoever threw that firebomb, their fear of us being able to affect the UK education system was activated. To put this into context, when they threw that firebomb it was some 50 years ago, so chances are some of those people are still alive. So when we're presented with why is there a UK Black History Month remember black British biblioclasm it is a response to that. We have gone from black literature being firebombed to now black literature being easily and readily accessible. The second fear was the black bookshop's organising power. After the firebomb, the police were unresponsive. As I mentioned, however, in November 1977, seven bookshops formed the Bookshop Joint Action Committee to counter the fascist and racist attacks regularly occurring on black and left-wing bookshops throughout the UK. The BJAC consisted of seven bookshops New Beacon Books, bogle, lovature, grassroots, unity, etc. They advertised their plight internationally via the Race Today Journal, which helped their plight internationally, by the race today journal, which helped their plight reach international action, organizing a protest rally outside the home office within months of the bombings, funds were raised and the bookshops were rebuilt by the black bookshop community.
Speaker 1:Once again, when I ask the question what are you reading specifically for black history month? If the answer is nothing, let this rhetorical question serve as a reminder 50 years ago we had to fight for the liberty and today are we going to willingly relinquish that liberty? Of course the answer is no, connecting the history to the contemporary. On the 5th of oct I participated in black British history and so did approximately five to six thousand predominantly black book lovers who gathered at the black British book festival at the Barbican. Did you attend? Have you heard of it? If you haven't heard of it, where have you been? If you didn't attend, you have to attend next year.
Speaker 1:It is europe's biggest black literature festival and it was birthed by selena brown, the founder and ceo, who started the festival in 2021 to celebrate emerging black british authors like herself. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength and it is clear that it's more than just an event. It is a movement dedicated to uplifting and celebrating all types of black British literature, ranging from love, science, young mind politics, celebrities, health and, of course, history. Last year I had the pleasure of attending at the South Bank and I remember I was invited by TikTok and I remember sitting in the audience and I remember manifesting and thinking. Next year I want to be on the stage, I want to be a part of a panel and guess what? This year I chaired a powerful conversation with esteemed scholars Zainab Badari and Robin Walker. Once again, a reminder some 50 years ago, black British Biblioclasm book burning to present day. Celebrating the Black British Book Festival, I have to take time out to thank Selena and the staff for facilitating a space that myth buffs the rhetoric.
Speaker 1:The best way to hide something from black people is to put it in a book, and not just Selena, but also the shoulders of the pioneers that she stands on, because have you heard of the International Book Fair of Radical Black and Third World Books, often referred to as the Black Book Fair. This could be touted as the prequel to Selina's Black British Book Festival. It began in April 1982 and continued until 1995. They brought together a number of black publishers, intellectuals and educationalists and it was held annually for 12 occasions. The first of three actually took place in different areas of London Islington, lambeth and Acton and it represented the basis of the three founding organisations New Beacon Bookstore, race Today and Bogle Lovature. Additionally, from 1985 there were associated book fairs held elsewhere in England in Manchester, big Up, bradford, leeds, glasgow. In Scotland, in 87 and 88 there was a sister event for Caribbean people. It was the International Book Fair and Book Fair Festival that took place in Trinidad. The ethos of the book fair was to mark the new and expanding phase in the growth of radical ideas and concepts and their expression in literature, politics, music, art and social life. So similar to the black British book festival that we had today. Guess what? It also, at its peak, had 6 000 attendees.
Speaker 1:I give that history to say as a people the rhetoric does not serve us. The rhetoric of the best place to hide something from black people is in a book. I cannot find the origin of this commonly said adage, and for me that's a problem. Some sources online hint at Malcolm X saying it. However, like I said, it has no origin story. Considering our history, I believe this to be propaganda, probably created at a time when books was the only form of recording information. So I say the best way to hide something is to put it in a book so it can be burned both physically and metaphorically, thus creating cultural genocide, culturecide and forced assimilation.
Speaker 1:So, once again, what are you reading for UK Black History Month? If not for ourselves, then for our children? The National Literacy Trust found in 2023. They did a report and it's based on over 70,000 responses to their annual literacy survey from children and young people aged 5 to 18. The National Literacy Trust is a big boy charity. It's been going for 20 to 30 plus years. One of their patrons is Queen Camilla. They recorded their lowest level of reading enjoyment since they started doing this research in 2005. They found that 43.4% of young people aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time. That's less than half of all people. So not looking at ethnicity at the moment, all young people less than half said that they enjoyed reading in their free time. To dig into that statistic a little bit deeper. When you look at free school meals, that statistic drops to 39.5%. So there is an overall problem in engagement in reading as a form of enjoyment and leisure across the board, regardless of race.
Speaker 1:But since this is the the blackwash, let's dig a little bit deeper. If you go to govuk and look at ethnicity facts and figures for school results for 10 to 11 year olds and this was published in 2024 the percentage of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading by ethnicity is lowest. In what ethnicity is lowest in black, in black Caribbean, and that stands at 67%. The next ethnic minority up from that is white and black Caribbean 69%. So percentage wise children who look like me, who are 10 to 11 years old, are not reaching their expected standards in reading. These statistics should be creating a moral panic. If you're a parent, if you're a carer, if you have nieces or nephews next year you need to make sure that you bring them down to the Black British Book Festival, because we know that representation is so powerful. Sometimes you need to see yourself reflected. Sometimes you want to feel like you belong before you believe.
Speaker 1:I want to talk about further statistics. Once again, this is found on the Gov website and it's called Seeing Yourself in what you Read Diversity and Children Young People's Reading in 2020. And the question is it is difficult for me to find books with characters who look like me, and the highest percentage so it's got white, mixed Asian, black and Middle Eastern. The ethnicity that find it the hardest to find book characters who look like them are black people or black young people, at 45.6 percent. White is 30 percent, mixed is 38, 30%, mixed is 38%, asian is 38%, middle Eastern is 36% and black is way out there at 45%. In regards to, it's difficult for me to find books with characters who look like me as human beings. There are, of course, some key universal similarities that bind us, but there are also some key distinctions in our lived experience. Now, that statistic is from 2020 and we do have to acknowledge that more diverse characters have been created since BLM to present day, 2024. So I would imagine now, if this report was done again, chances are that statistics should and could be lower. And, yes, we acknowledge that character representation in books is important, it's key and it's improved.
Speaker 1:That is still not reflected in the percentage of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading by ethnicity, with our school kids aged 10 to 11 years old. So, cain, what is the solution? And I go back to what I asked at the beginning of this podcast what are you reading for UK Black History Month? When you look at statistics from the National Literacy Agency, they say, within the age group 8 to 18, 52% told us that they had been encouraged to read by their parents slash carers and 58% said that they had seen their parents and carers read, while one in five so just shy of 20% had read with their families. When your kids are in that age bracket, from 8 to 18, do not leave it up to them.
Speaker 1:For Black History Month, the overarching theme is reclaiming narratives. I've added on my own theme of connecting the history to the contemporary. And if we're really going to reclaim narratives, we need to be reclaiming the black British biblioclasm and how far we've come from book burning to book festivals. If, like me, you're not a parent yourself, do you know what you need to do when you're reading? Go out and sit in your local park so young people can see you reading. I live in a little bit of a notorious area and there's a notorious park where people go and smoke and drink and hang out, and I go to that exact park and I sit on the bench and I read for all to see, because I believe, although it may not be happening physically, biblioclasm, libracide and book burning can occur in the mind. Knowledge is power Guys. Thank you so much for listening to the Blackwash. I hope you were blessed by this. If you were, please rate it and share it with those that you think should hear it.