This week we are looking at the 1970s, a time of resistance and rebellion. We talk about the work of Mustapha Matura and Alfred Fagon amidst the realities of police brutality, anti-racist politics and Black Power in Britain and the USA.  

Mustapha Matura’s ‘Welcome Home Jacko’ and Alfred Fagon’s ‘The Death of a Black Man’ discuss Black politics, disenfranchisement, Black masculinity, Pan-Africanism and the appropriation of Black cultures during the 1970s. We discuss the legacies of these two great writers, with archival recordings from the Black Plays Archive. 

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References:

Mustapha Matura (1980) ‘Welcome Home Jacko’ in Lynette Goddard (ed.) (2011) The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers. London: Bloomsbury, pp.1-59

Alfred Fagon (1999) ‘The Death of a Black Man’ in Alfred Fagon (1999) Alfred Fagon: Plays. London: Oberon, pp.87-149

Akala (2019) Natives: Race & Class in the Ruins of Empire. London: Two Roads.

Kehinde Andrews (2019) Back to Black: Black Radicalism for the 21st Century. London: Zed Books.

Colin Chambers (2011) Black and Asian Theatre in Britain: A History. London & New York: Routledge.
 
 Peter Fryer (1984) Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain. London: Pluto Press.

Peter Fryer (1985) Black People in the British Empire: An Introduction. London: Pluto Classics.

Lynette Goddard (2011) ‘Introduction’ in Lynette Goddard (ed.) (2011) The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers. London: Bloomsbury, pp.vii-xxvi

David Olusoga (2017) Black and British: A Forgotten History. London: Pan Books.

Michael Pearce (2017) Black British Drama: A Transnational Story. London: Routledge.

Roland Rees (1999) ‘Introduction’ in Alfred Fagon (1999) Alfred Fagon: Plays. London: Oberon, pp.9-21