The Africa Centre, London was founded in 1964 at 38 King Street,

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, where over the years it held many art exhibitions, conferences, lectures, and a variety of cultural events, as well as housing a gallery, meeting halls, restaurant, bar and bookshop. The Africa Centre closed its original venue in 2013, and now has a permanent home at 66 Great Suffolk Street,

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, south London. It is a registered charity.

History

The Africa Centre was opened in 1964 at a ceremony officiated by

Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from Northern Rhodesia, British ...

, the newly elected first president of Zambia, at the Grade II-listed 38 King Street. The building, which had been a banana warehouse in the 18th century and subsequently an auction house, was "given by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in perpetuity to the people of Africa in 1962".Richard Dowden
"Saving the Africa Centre?"
''African Arguments'', 13 June 2011. The idea for the centre was conceived in 1961 by Margaret Feeny, whose aim (as described by

Lloyd Bradley Lloyd Bradley (born 21 January 1955) is a British music journalist and author, whose books include 2013's ''Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital''. Biography Born in London, England, to recent immigrants from St Kitts, Br ...

) was "to foster non-governmental relations between newly independent African nations by bringing people together on neutral apolitical ground. It would also maintain informal cultural links between Britain and her former colonies, while offering a friendly meeting place for Africans living in London."Lloyd Bradley
''Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital''
Serpent's Tail, 2013, p. 160. Archbishop

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

used to meet

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...

at the bar, and described it as a home "to all who are Africans, and all those who have a care for the interests of the continent and its people". In the words of Richard Dowden, "it became The Place for African presidents, freedom fighters, writers and artists to speak and debate. You could find everything African there, from Ghanaian food to fierce debates and fantastic parties. Sometimes all three at the same time on a Saturday night; a High Life or Congolese band playing to a crammed floor of dancers while below in the basement radicals and reactionaries sipped pepper soup and argued about evolutionary versus revolutionary change. During the week there were talks about art, African dance lessons, films and plays." The Association for the Teaching of African and Caribbean Literature (ATCAL) was among the influential organisations that used the Africa Centre's facilities, holding its inaugural conference ("How to teach Caribbean and African literature in schools") there in 1979. As noted in ModernGhana, "The Centre became a host to many debates, on issues controversial to our many nations and often ignored. Feminism, African socialism, press freedom and the media bias against Africa formed the basis of successful debates."Alex Enahoro
"When Heritage Hurts: The Fight to Save the Africa Centre in London"
Opinion, ModernGhana, 8 June 2011. In the 1970s and 1980s, political movements including the

Anti-Apartheid Movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-white population who were oppressed by the policies ...

would also provide the backdrop for concerts at the centre. In October 1981, South African UK-based Angelique Rockas premiered a performance of the anti-junta, anti-fascist drama ''El Campo'' ( The Camp) by Griselda Gambaro. The Centre has had a long association with music. In 1975, Wala Danga, a Zimbabwean promoter and sound engineer, organised his first club night there. As he told Lloyd Bradley: "The Africa Centre was unique... One of the first places that people from different African countries really used to mix, because for a lot of the African students it was like a home away from home." Due to popular demand, Wala's club nights led to the birth of the "Limpopo Club" in 1983. The club, which ran for over two decades, would host numerous future icons such as

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, ; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' described him as, "perhaps the m ...

Angélique Kidjo Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo (; born July 14, 1960) is a Beninese- French singer-songwriter, actress and activist noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Kidjo has won five Grammy A ...

, and Salif Keita. From 1985 to 1989, Jazzie B would bring his Soul II Soul

sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

, which would acquire "legendary status". Despite Wala'
active participation and significant contributions
there does not appear to be any public acknowledgement by the Centre. He was one of the voices against the closure of the Covent Garden site during th
Save The Africa Centre campaign
Wala Danga died on 25 November 2022. The Centre held frequent exhibitions. '' Five Black Women'' in 1983, with Sonia Boyce, Claudette Johnson, Lubaina Himid, Houria Niati and Veronica Ryan, was the first "widely respected" exhibition featuring black women artists. In 2005, the ''London Art and Artists Guide'' described it as a "very lively arts centre" that held classes in dance, movement, and literature, and hosted meetings in the evenings; and The Calabash, London's first African restaurant, was considered "well worth a visit". The bookshop sold books published only in Africa, as well as "excellent handicrafts and sculpture". A large mural by

Malangatana Ngwenya Malangatana Valente Ngwenya (6 June 1936 – 5 January 2011) was a Mozambican painter and poet. He frequently exhibited work under his first name alone, as Malangatana. He died on 5 January 2011 in Matosinhos, Portugal. Life Born in Matalana, ...

that decorated the stairwell of the centre's original building in Covent Garden has now been installed in The Africa Centre's new premises in Southwark.

Move from 38 King Street, Covent Garden

In August 2012, the building at King Street was sold to a property developer. This was despite a concerted campaign to keep The Africa Centre at its original base. The campaign was supported by Archbishop Desmond Tutu,

Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka , (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian author, best known as a playwright and poet. He has written three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty five plays and five memoirs. He also wrote two transla ...

, Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, Yinka Shonibare, Bonnie Greer, Sokari Douglas Camp among many other notable figures.William Wallis
"Battle for London's African heart"
''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'', 15 July 2011. Following significant multi-million pound funding from the Mayor of London's Good Growth Fund and the Arts Council England, The Africa Centre completed the refurbishment of its new premises on Great Suffolk Street in

,in 2022. The Centre was officially reopened on 9 June 2022. In 2018, Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp was appointed as director of the Africa Centre, holding the position until a management restructure in 2020. Led by Board Chair Oba Nsugbe, appointed in 2011, the charity's longest serving trustee, the Centre operated without a Chief Executive until the appointment of Olu Alake in October 2023. The Africa Centre used to host a popular annual Summer Festival in Covent Garden on the

Piazza A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rela ...

, since 2013and continued for a few years in Southwark. The last one was held in the summer 2018. A 60th-anniversary programme was announced in March 2024. In a public appeal in October 2024, the Centre announced that it was facing financial struggles. This is also reflected in its public filing.

Centre directors

* Margaret Feeny (1964–1978) *

Alastair Niven Alastair Neil Robertson Niven (25 February 1944 – 26 March 2025) was an English literary scholar and author. He wrote books on D. H. Lawrence, Raja Rao, and Mulk Raj Anand, and over the years served as Director General of Africa Centre, Lond ...

(1978–1984)Tom Craigmyle
"Margaret Mary Feeny, MBE"
Bath, 18 January 2012. *Nigel Watt (1984–1991) *Adotey Bing (1992–2006) * Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp (2018–2020) *Olu Alake (2023–present)

References

External links

* * Niven, Alastair
"The Africa Centre in London"
''Research in African Literatures'', Vol. 10, No. 2, Special Issue on African Song (Autumn 1979), pp. 274–276. Published by Indiana University Press. * Jason Okundaye
"The Africa Centre is back. Now will Britain finally embrace all of its cultural heritage?"
''The Guardian'', 1 July 2022.
"London's Africa Centre – a glorious history"
'' New African'', 2 July 2022. {{coord, 51.50298, N, 0.10153, W, type:landmark_region:GB-SWK, display=title 1964 establishments in England Black British culture in London Black British history Cultural organisations based in London Culture of Africa