Description

Bloomsbury presents Settlers written and read by Jimi Famurewa

A journey into the extraordinary vibrant world of Black African London which is shaping modern Britain

What makes a Londoner What is it to be Black African and British And how can we understand the many tangled roots of our modern nation without knowing the story of how it came to be

This is a story that begins not with the Windrush Generation of Caribbean immigrants to Britain but with post1960s arrivals from African countries like Nigeria Ghana Zimbabwe and Somalia Some came from former British colonies in the wake of newfound independence others arrived seeking prosperity and an English education for their children Now in the 2020s their descendants have unleashed a tidal wave of creativity and cultural production stretching from Lambeth to Lagos Islington to the Ivory Coast Daniel Kaluuya and Skepta John Boyega and Little Simz Edward Enninful and Bukayo Saka everywhere you look across the fields of sport business fashion the arts and beyond there are the descendants of Black African families that were governed by many of the same immutable shared traditions

In this book Jimi Famurewa a BritishNigerian journalist journeys into the hidden yet vibrant world of African London Seeking to understand the ties that bind Black African Londoners together and link them with their home countries he visits their places of worship roams around markets and restaurants attends a traditional Nigerian engagement ceremony shadows them on their morning journeys to farflung grammar schools and listens to stories from shopkeepers and activists artists and politicians

But this isnt just the story of energetic ambitious Londoners Jimi also uncovers a darker side of racial discrimination between White and Black communities and between Black Africans and AfroCaribbeans He investigates the troublesome practice of farming in which young Black Nigerians were sent to live with White British foster parents examines historic interaction with the police and reveals the friction between traditional Black African customs and the stresses of modern life in diaspora This is a vivid new portrait of London and of modern Britain