Changing Arts Council priorities are raising the stakes for a sector that deserves steady support
The reopening of London’s historic Africa Centre in new premises south of the Thames is happy news for those who remember its glory days in Covent Garden, when it became a home from home for political dissidents such as Desmond Tutu and Thabo Mbeki. But times change and generations move on. The design and decor of the new centre rightly challenges the idea of a monolithic Africa, with nods to Tanzania, Ghana and the Italianate Eritrean culture of its architect, Jonathan Hagos.
Whether it will flourish in its new location, only time will tell. The part of Southwark in which it stands is not central, like Covent Garden, nor is it a community hub, such as Brixton or Tottenham, both of which have their own, less flashy, Black-led cultural centres. Brixton’s 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning – which sits on Railton Road, the frontline of the 1981 riots, and is currently showing the art of a hero of that era, Pearl Alcock – was founded in 1988. Tottenham’s Bernie Grant arts centre was purpose-built in 2007 as a multidisciplinary home for Black arts.
