January 14th

BUSINESS • Roger's Kitchen - Serves Caribbean cuisine created with ingenuity and passion. The menu is inspired by the flavours of Jamaica and presented with contemporary flair. Set in easy-going but elegant surroundings, Roger’s Kitchen is sure to have you returning to your favourite dishes over and over again. The restaurant is rated 4.9 on Google reviews and 4.7 on Open Table. Reservations can be made on OpenTable. https://rogerskitchen.co.uk/ • Saint Aymes - The prettiest cafe in London Saint Aymes is uniquely female-led and family-run, created by sisters Lois and Michela Wilson. The sisters were born in London in the 90s, growing up in the concrete jungle of the inner city, the two cite their grandparents home in Surrey as a beautiful interruption that expanded their minds and perception of the world. Saint Aymes is named after these grandparents, Eric and Thyra Aymes who, having come to the UK in the 1950s from Barbados, forged a life that was beautiful. https://www.saintaymes.com/ • Vitae London - Black UK watch producer that gives a proportion of profits to African educational charities. https://vitaelondon.com/ • Wood and Water - This is the latest restaurant from former Miss Jamaica and BBC Apprentice candidate, April Jackson. It is described as a modern British restaurant with a Jamaican soul bringing unique flavour combinations and an eclectic rum collection. https://woodandwater.uk/ • Up a Yard Caribbean Restaurant - 25-year-old Charlotte Stanley recently opened a Jamaican restaurant in North Wales. The ‘Up A Yard’ Jamaican restaurant opened at the Holywell Art and Craft Mill on September 30. Since opening Stanley told the local press she is ‘overwhelmed by love and support’ adding that she has not just been getting local support but support from as far away as Manchester. After being laid off during the pandemic, Stanley said she was getting bored and decided to start a takeout food business, which has blossomed into her brick and mortar restaurant. Born in the UK, Charlotte learned the art of Jamaican cuisine from her father’s mother, who migrated from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation. https://upayarduk.wixsite.com/upayard https://our.today/charlotte-stanley-brings-the-jamaican-flavour-to-north-wales/ EVENTS • Queens of Sheba (7 to 26 February) - Turned away from a nightclub for being “too black”, four women take to the stage with their own explosive true stories: the music and the misogyny, the dancing and the drinking, the women and, of course, the (white) men. Loosely based on the DSTRKT nightspot incident of 2015, Queens of Sheba tells the hilarious, moving and uplifting stories of four passionate Black Women battling everyday misogynoir; where sexism meets racism. https://sohotheatre.com/shows/queens-of-sheba/ • Small Island (National Theatre)- The acclaimed, five-star production of Andrea Levy's prize-winning novel returns. Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Following their lives through the Second World War until the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury, hopes for the future soon meet the stubborn reality of post-war Britain. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/small-island • Soumik Datta: Arts Rising-(Southbank Centre, 20 Jan) - Bringing his digital works to the stage for the first time, Soumik Datta pairs an interactive film with musicians, dancers, and the sound of his sarod. https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/gigs/soumik-datta-arts-rising?eventId=893715 • Soul II Soul (Royal Albert Hall, 18 April) - Soul II Soul will make their Royal Albert Hall debut in 2022. The legendary British RnB group will be performing their iconic debut album Club Classics Vol. One and other greatest hits. https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2022/soul-ii-soul/ BOOKS • Wahala (Nikki May) -Ronke, Simi and Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London. They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English, though they don't all choose to see it that way. Everyday racism has never held them back, but now in their 30s, they question their future. Ronke wants a husband (he must be Nigerian); Boo enjoys (correction: endures) stay-at-home motherhood; while Simi, full of fashion career dreams, rolls her eyes as her boss refers to her 'urban vibe' yet again.

• The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois (Honorée Fanonne Jeffers) -'A breath-taking debut novel that chronicles the journey of generations of one American family, from the centuries of the colonial slave trade to our own tumultuous era, by prize-winning poet Honorée Fanonne Jeffers. • Natural Flava: Quick & Easy Plant-Based Caribbean Recipes (Youtube sensations Craig and Shaun McAnuff)- Craig and Shaun McAnuff are all about maximum flava, and these are recipes that are filling and flava-ful, and just happen to be vegan too. Think Potato and chickpea curry with roti, Jerk cauliflower wings, Coconut, black-eyed pea and sweet potato stew, and Plantain cookies. Caribbean food makes for brilliant vegan dishes because it relies on fresh and vibrant fruit and veg from plantain to pineapple. Jamaican food also has an authentic vegan history with the Rastafarian Ital diet. Ital is a natural, unprocessed, plant-based diet used to promote wellness. • Luster (Raven Leilani) - longlisted for the women's prize for fiction 2021 - Edie is just trying to survive. She’s messing up in her dead-end admin job in her all-white office, is sleeping with all the wrong men, and has failed at the only thing that meant anything to her, painting. No one seems to care that she doesn’t really know what she’s doing with her life beyond looking for her next hook-up. And then she meets Eric, a white middle-aged archivist with a suburban family, including a wife who has sort-of-agreed to an open marriage and an adopted black daughter who doesn’t have a single person in her life who can show her how to do her hair. As if navigating the constantly shifting landscape of sexual and racial politics as a young black woman wasn’t already hard enough, with nowhere else left to go, Edie finds herself falling head-first into Eric’s home and family. PODCASTS • The Amplify Project - Black writers in their own words https://theamplifyproject.co.uk/ • Yams & Yucca? - Yams & Yuca explores the fabric of Black identities through culture, food, art, life experiences and more; sharing the stories of international creatives. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1533086031 RADIO • Colson Whitehead (BBC World Service) - Nikki Bedi is joined by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Colson Whitehead, who talks about his latest novel. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct1rtj. FILM/TV • Made by Design (Netflix) - ‘Made by Design’ is an original documentary series highlighting architects, interior and product designers in Africa. The series was created by Titi Ogufere, CEO of Essential Media Group (EMG). https://www.wallpaper.com/design/netflix-made-by-design-african-design-documentary • Bel-Air- The reboot of Fresh Prince, simply entitled Bel-Air, hits television screens on Super Bowl Sunday: February 13, 2022. Airing exclusively on Peacock, the trailer for the upcoming series dropped on Monday, January 10, 2022. https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/bel-air-series-everything-to-know-about-fresh-prince-reboot/ • Naomi - Developed and produced by the multi award-nominated Ava DuVernay (Selma, When They See Us), and co-produced by Arrow alumni Jill Blankenship, Naomi unites an excellent cast to tell the story of a young Black teen getting to grips with her superhuman abilities. Below we explain how to watch Naomi online – from anywhere in the world. https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/how-to-watch-naomi-online-and-stream-the-new-superhero-series-from-anywhere WHAT AM I PAYING ATTENTION TO? • Black Seeds - Black Seed is a community, led by Black founders, for Black founders. Rooted in Brixton, with global ambition. https://www.blackseed.ventures/ https://www.wired.co.uk/article/black-seed-fund-startups • Anne-Marie Imafidon - new countdown maths whizz comes from a family of child prodigies. Read the story in the link below. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10380335/Countdown-host-Anne-Marie-Imafidon-remarkable-relatives.html https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/rachel-riley-countdown-replacement/ WHAT I AM PERSONALLY RECOMMENDING? 1. Get Up Stand up: The Bob Marley musical - I saw this just after Christmas. Amazing performance, with a great cast and all the classic songs. https://getupstandupthemusical.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAuP-OBhDqARIsAD4XHpcTHl4-AbCgUm-CwDRDByI24ob-NzihgcXAKyON5p1msf90Br25KQwaAsZeEALw_wcB 2. Bad Ass Cakes - I ordered the 3rd generation Jamaican rum cake for Christmas. Beautifully moist and rich cake, great customer service. https://www.badasscakes.co.uk/ 3. Afrotouch Design - Quality greeting cards and accessories. Great service. https://afrotouch.design/ 4. Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) - A classic story of love and expectation set across 2 continents. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Americanah-Chimamanda-Ngozi-Adichie-ebook/dp/B009QU9X44/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1MUHQ9EZAFMQO&keywords=americanah&qid=1642111239&sprefix=tamericanah%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-1