New 'War Inna Babylon' Exhibition To Commemorate Black British Experience Since 1940s

New 'War Inna Babylon' Exhibition To Commemorate Black British Experience Since 1940s


June 03, 2021

Soon to land at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, War Inna Babylon: The Community's Struggle For Truth And Rights is an exhibition that will examine the history of Black communities in Britain and their resistance to institutional racism. As this year also marks the 10-year anniversary of Mike Duggan's brutal killing by the police, which sparked a nation-wide riot, the exhibition will also shine a light on the range of resistance and grassroots activism undertaken by the Black community over the years.

The installation covers the history of the police and their relationship with the community since the late 1940s, using what's said to be the symbolic location of Tottenham, North London. Due to the history of heavy-handed policing in the area and its vast history of racial conflicts, the exhibition zooms into the events of the past and reveals how the same issues are mirrored in our present day society.

Curated by community organisation, Tottenham Rights and Rianna Jade Parker, War Inna Babylon is also an enlightening display of the strength and unity of the Black community. Co founder of Tottenham Rights, Stafford Scott shares his thoughts on the exhibition, saying: "We normally campaign and protest outside police stations. Now we are going to take our campaign uptown, and share it with a wider audience of people. We're going to show people the lived experience of our community, and let people judge whether or not we live in an institutionally racist society that we should be resisting and fighting against.

"It is an incredible opportunity. I don't think that anything like this has ever been done before. We look at the uprisings, across the UK, and drill down, go through the lens of the community of Tottenham to get a more detailed look at what it means to rise up, the consequences of rising up. And, looking back 30-odd years, what was the legacy of having risen up, particularly the positive ones."

Launching on July 6, this exhibition programme is jam-packed with segments that focuses on the lives of Black citizens across Britain with the intent to continue educating and pushing for racial equality in society.

Find out more here.


Words: Blessing Borode
Photography: Robert Croma


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