THE WINDRUSH FESTIVAL – review

On arrival at the Stratford Circus foyer you could hear the sounds of South Side Harmonic playing the steel pans. They bought carnival to east London playing at regular intervals to echo the sound of the Caribbean. Within the same foyer was a selection of stalls. LEKAN Partnership was selling to customers home-made shea butter smothers and black soap which was very popular. Christina of Yorubatik brightened up the room with her jewellery creation and African print styled attire. On sale were also Afri-centred t-shirts, educational books and dvd’s. There were representatives from ACLT providing vital information about the Trust and fundraising appeals.

There was a blend of activities and workshops for everyone covering 2 floors. I was pleased to have the assitance of Michelle from Naturally Nubian due to the immense amount of women and girls wanting to learn head wrapping techniques. Well done to all the participants who tried over and over again until they were content with there efforts of creation using a wide selection of African print material. Next door was a lyric, poetry and drama master class, which was led by Victor Richards who bought out talent of individuals – which I heard very good reviews. There was several short film screenings shown throughout the day hosted by Lyrical Healer – a spoken word poet.

I was so happy to know that Caribbean Scene Restaurant had cooked a vast amount of food. There was so much selection that eyes were bigger than the belly as I noticed that it was not just my plate overflowing. A refreshing glass of fruit punch quenched the first.

The grand finally was a live theatrical musical performance that was very entertaining. The actors delivered a drama based theme about a family being bought up by their grandma who came to England in the 50’s looking for a better life. Each scene was intervened by Segge singing extracts from his album Windrush – which ended the night with the musical hit song ‘Libation’.

Overall it was a joyous event that bought young, elders and adults together under one roof. It has been said that this is a one off event but ‘hey’ no doubt that this should be an annual event – Watch this space!