What Is the Black Archive? Is a year-long series of discussions that have considered the ‘What’ of Black archives in two ways: what sites and spaces should we consider archives for Black Britons, and what can we do with those archives to transform our understanding of the communal lives they contain?
The Author in the Black Archive: An Evening of Poetry with Nick Makoha
Monday 10 November, Curio Books, Oxford [rescheduled from the spring]
A reading and discussion with the Ugandan poet, researcher, and founder of the Obsidian Foundation, Nick Makoha on his archive-based creative practice. Circling the question of artistic works as archival alternatives, Nick will draw the audience into a discussion of how archives function, and fail to function, and how poetry, in particular, can respond.
Dr. Nick Makoha is a Ugandan-born poet, playwright, performer, and educator based in London. A leading voice in contemporary poetry, his work explores themes of migration, identity, exile, and belonging. His latest poetry collection, The New Carthaginians, is forthcoming from Penguin (Feb 2025).
As the founder of the Obsidian Foundation, he has created a pioneering space for Black poets, nurturing creativity and community. His literary and theatrical works have earned prestigious accolades, including the 2021 Ivan Juritz Prize, Poetry London Prize, and Columbia International Play Reading Prize.
His play The Dark, a poetic retelling of his journey fleeing Uganda, was produced by Fuel Theatre and directed by JMK award-winner Roy Alexander Weise. It toured nationally and was shortlisted for the 2019 Alfred Fagon Award.
A visionary in his field, Nick has been a Writer-in-Residence at the ICA (2023), The Wordsworth Trust, and Wasafiri and is a Cave Canem Graduate Fellow.
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