Sankofa Carnival

Small exhibition at the Barbican complimenting a project over the summer to create a carnival inspired performance.

The project brought together three Black-led arts companies, Mahogany Carnival Arts, IRIE! Dance Theatre and Endurance Steel Orchestra to honour the legacy of Nottinghill Carnival to mark its 60th anniversary and to respond to the Pan-Africanism exhibition which I visited shortly after. Evidently, it culminated in a performance on 16 August.

The display consisted of sculptural elements from some of the costumes designed for the work and items associated with the idea of Sankofa or the importance of looking to the past to move forward with dignity from around the world.

No end date given for the exhibition but as the workshops etc ended on 16 August 2026 I suspect it won’t be there for long

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