BTWSC To Recreate Yesteryear “One Love” Vibes At Last Community Event
Remember those fun, intergenerational community events back in the day where there were music performances, youths showing their talent, and community organisations highlighting what they do?
Brent-based, pan-London voluntary group BTWSC, which used to regularly deliver intergenerational, after-school and community education programmes in Harlesden to counter the area’s early 2000s negative image, aims to recreate that “one love” community vibes with the Big Up Harlesden: A Welcome To Harlesbridge Presentation on Saturday Dec. 9 2023.
The free 12noon-4.00pm afternoon event in the presence of the Mayor of Brent Cllr Orleen Hylton, is an epic in-person community event with loads of performers!
It’s an opportunity to see the local Harlesden and Brent individuals and organisations and those from neighbouring boroughs working together for the success of a community event featuring music, history, youth contributions, videos, community shout outs, environment and climate justice, and a pre-Christmas/Kwanzaa fair featuring health and wellness, books, videos, arts and crafts, plus African Caribbean food on sale.
Big Up Harlesden: A Welcome To Harlesbridge Presentation is in response to some of the reminiscences by a number of interviewees in BTWSC’s 2007 ‘Brent Black Music History Project’ DVD and book, in which they expressed a desire for a return to the days when there were regular fun, intergenerational events aimed at the predominantly African and Caribbean communities in the borough.
Not surprising for Harlesden in the north-west London borough of Brent, which claims to be the capital of reggae in Britain and where The Reggae Tree is located, the community event, which aims to recreate the “one love” good vibes that used to take place in Brent community centres and parks in yesteryears, will be dominated by reggae artists.
More recently, when distributing flyers of the event which takes place at Tavistock Hall in Harlesden, several Jamaican elders in the area, without prompting, recalled with fondness such events they attended at the hall attached to the Harlesden Methodist Church in their younger days.
In addition to highlighting Brent’s unique black music history through the screening of excerpts from the said DVD, there will be music performances by reggae singers Vincent Nap, IQ Michael and LA Gray, jazz/reggae musician Ciyo, hip-hop act Music4Causes Ft. Kimba, whilst reggae singer Sparky Rugged will be singing and providing some local music history via video.
Brookie Nightlife will be spinning an eclectic mix of black music on the turntables.
Young people will have an opportunity to display their creative or entrepreneurial skills, and local organisations can publicise their work from the stage, or take part in the pre-Christmas/Kwanzaa fair.
Officers from the Harlesden police station are expected to use the event as part of their community outreach programme. Whilst local radio stations, such as Beat 103.6FM, Roots 95.4FM, Omega Radio 104.10FM, Unique Radio, Flava Radio UK, and Chalkhill Community Radio, will be supporting the event.
This is the last event by BTWSC and partner organisation BBM/BMC (BritishBlackMusic.com/Black Music Congress) for the foreseeable future, so anyone who’s engaged with the two organisations as a management committee member, volunteer, supporter, student, or attendee of previous events, is especially invited to join this last event.
Book your attendance, stall or information stand space at https://bit.ly/BigUpHarlesden. NOTE: Please scroll down the Eventbrite tickets page to book for in-person attendance. For more inform: btwsc@hotmail.com.
ENDS
Kwaku
btwsc@hotmail.com
https://AfricanHistoryPlus.eventbrite.com