During the second year of the project we produced our Clapping Back podcasts. Our podcast participants were given a sample of news scripts to read; we recorded their responses to the scripts' content, language and reporting style. Some participants have lived through the events reported at the time, others know of some of these events from friends and family, or elsewhere. Our aim has been to bring together the voices of the past and present, encouraging different generations to talk with and listen to each other. Clapping back is in the same tradition of 'writing back' or 'talking back' that characterizes much of the postcolonial or anti-colonial literature. In this project, the act of 'clapping back' is about recovering and amplifying diverse experiences and different voices. We are hugely grateful to everyone who participated in the podcasts. Their contributions have the power to re-evaluate histories for the young and old, and to record a People's History of the BBC from the bottom up, asking the fundamental questions of Who, Why and to What Effect. Their Voices Matter.
In April 2024 we held two recording sessions in Liverpool, one at the African and Caribbean Centre with members of the local community, and the other at the King's Leadership Academy with Year 9 and 10 pupils.
Introductions to all participants are included at the beginning of each podcast.
Beyond the podcasts, here's the work, campaigns and activities some of our participants are involved in:
Mel Mullings is a formidable trade union leader, community organiser, and educator with 25 years of experience at the frontlines of industrial and social justice. A London Underground train driver by profession, Mel’s deep roots in the labour movement are reflected in her extensive leadership within the RMT, where she serves as the Bakerloo Branch Secretary and the Industrial Relations Rep for the Elephant & Castle Depot.
Mel's leadership is defined by an intersectional socialist approach, bridging the gap between historical justice and modern labour struggles. She is the Chair of the RMT Women's Advisory Committee, Secretary of the RMT Black Solidarity Committee (BSC), and the RMT Reparations Conference Chair. Her commitment to challenging systemic inequality is further evidenced by her role as Transport Lead and Co-Chair for the TUC Black Women and Sexual Harassment Working Group, and her work as Co-Chair of the LESE TUC Environment Group.
A co-founder of BLM Croydon and a dedicated Black and Afrikan history educator, Mel is a leading voice for anti-racism and material reparations. Her internationalist perspective is furthered as Co-Chair of Global Afrikan Congress UK and through her advocacy for Black women's transport rights. Within Your Party, Mel serves as the London CEC Representative and Croydon Steering Committee Chair, ensuring that intersectional values and the demands of the working class remain the driving force for radical, systemic change.
Mel's current campaigns are the Reparations tax return campaign regarding tax money paid to the enslavers not the enslaved.
To contact Mel - email: melbmullingscomms@gmail.com - phone: 07718645817
Sonia is an independent historian, writer, researcher and photographic exhibition curator. Find out more about her work here: https://www.sonia-grant.com/
Here's info about Mykaell's project on Black British music: https://bmru.co.uk/
Their current campaign is a petition for a permanent exhibition space for the long history of black British music: https://bmru.co.uk/a-petition-to-preserve-and-celebrate-black-british-music/
Elizabeth has spent over two decades working across the television industry, building a career that traces the journey of content from idea to audience. Her experience spans casting, production, sales, commissioning, and legal—each stage offering a different lens on how stories are shaped and shared. Now working in commercial, rights and business affairs, she draws on this accumulated insight to support the structures that underpin the creative industries.
Here are the activities and work Angela is involved in:
https://www.visionnaires.ac.uk/mentor/angela-slocumbe/
https://gba-carnival.com/about-us.php
Linett Kamala is a boundary-defying creative powered by plants ‐ a vegan, interdisciplinary artist, academic and festivals specialist born in Harlesden, London, U.K. to Jamaican parents. She is passionate about enriching the lives of others through art, sound system culture, well-being & education. Her expertise, collaborations & partnerships spans nearly four decades. Linett works across various disciplines inc. installations, paintings, public art, DJ soundscapes & performance. She draws inspiration from oral histories, music and Jamaican sound system culture. Her projects include being Founder & Artistic Director for South Kilburn CarniVale a micro community-led festival in NW London and making innovative light & sound system installations such as Basstone Maypole and Basstone Regeneration.
She is Founding Director of LIN KAM ART which enriches lives through festival culture via takeovers, residencies, workshops, events and programmes. Deeply rooted in community empowerment, this outreach aspect of her socially engaged creative practice engages with thousands of people each year.
Linett is known as the ‘Sound System Queen’, being credited as one of the first female DJs to perform at the Notting Hill Carnival on a static sound system in the early 1980s. Today she continues to champion inclusion within sound system culture, advocating for underrepresented groups, including her two initiatives; LIN KAM ART Sound System Futures Programme developing the next generation and Original Sounds Collective, amplifying the presence of women in sound system & moving the culture forward.
Linett is also Board Director for the Notting Hill Carnival, President of the University of the Arts London Alumni of Colour Association, Associate Lecturer in MA Performance: Design and Practice at University of the Arts London, Central St Martins and in BA Live Event & Festival Management at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP).
https://www.instagram.com/linett_kamala
Follow social media handles @linett_kamala & @lin_kam_art for updates on Linett's current projects.