The Mangrove restaurant in Notting Hill doubled as a community centre for Black Londoners to exchange ideas and to commune. As police brutality and harassment intensified, the Mangrove also became a site of resistance leading to the wrongful arrest for incitement to riot of nine local activists including Altheia Jones-LeCointe (Letitia Wright) and Darcus Howe (Malachi Kirby).
Oscar winner Steve McQueen’s depiction of the infamous 55-day trial is a moving instalment from his Small Axe anthology series, a collection of films that evoke memories, political events and a critical perspective on life for London’s West Indian community between the 1960s and 1980s. In this present moment, with its rallying cry for abolition, McQueen’s incredible cast deliver with great assurance a seminal moment in British history that also encapsulates the global Black struggle.
Tickets for the cinema screenings of Mangrove on Wed 7 Oct will be free but ticketed. Booking opens on Thu 1 Oct – watch this space for details.
