Friday, March 29, 2024

OUR ROOTS: 30 Years of Black History Month in the United Kingdom

OUR ROOTS - Nigeria feature panel

*Drawing OUR ROOTS cartoons began as a single illustrated art school project of four features. My aim was to educate about Black/African history and I was unaware while studying Art in the US that there was a month set aside to mark Black History.

Only later did I find my drawings relevant for this purpose in which I set out to draw them. With my art education, aspects of my learning which included the Human figure, Caricatures, Animation, Graphic designs and of course Narrative art, gave me the need to educate about Black History.

OUR ROOTS first featured in the Britain’s the Voice newspaper under the editorship of Steve Pope. It is still a weekly feature. Little did I realise how important it would be to many in UK’s celebration of Black History Month over the years.

My Black history research for OUR ROOTS began at Dover library in New Jersey. The first reference images for OUR ROOTS was from this library. For African Americans, everything in the US while I was there, was Afrocentric.

I then thought beyond black consciousness and felt the need to educate and to inform about Black achievers, heroes and heroines, people places and things. And also to feel black and proud that it is God who created me not man. There was a time Black Comic Book Superheroes were confined to the background or confined to history. Today, they are now prominent Blockbuster movies on giant screens and TV screens, and online distribution. I use my cartoon workshop sessions to educate children and the enthused about Black history and the importance of having role models in the society. I am still being asked for prints of my OUR ROOTS Black history drawings. So, with this, I can categorically say Black History Month is still relevant today as it was when it first began 30 years ago in the UK.

OUR ROOTS feature panels by TAYOFatunla

Black History Month was first celebrated in the UK in 1987 and marked every year during the month of October while marked in the US during the month of February. Black History month will continue to evolve with use of technology and will reach a wider audience out of interests and for knowledge and understanding. Black History cannot be wished away, but celebrated.

David Bennett, who represents the Black Local History & Cultural Archives Project (BLHCAP), in the West Midlands, England, believes that “OUR ROOTS contribution to Black history education in Britain has been significant.”

tayo fatunla - with kufi (eurweb pic)
TAYO Fatunla

EURweb.com contributor, TAYO Fatunla is an award winning Nigerian Comic Artist, writer and illustrator and Editorial cartoonist. He is a graduate of the prestigious U.S. Art school, The Kubert School, New Jersey. His cartoons are used for educational purposes in school books, Newsletters, journals and for presentations – www.tayofatunla.com

 

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