Settlers: Journeys Through the Food, Faith and Culture of Black African London

Description

When the rapper Stormzy bounded onto the stage at 2019's Glastonbury Festival - spring-heeled and indomitable in a Banksy-designed stab-vest - it was an indisputable moment of triumph. But it wasn't merely a significant victory for grime music or black culture in the United Kingdom. It was the culmination of a modern immigrant success story that had been building for at least half a century. For here, in the form of a 26-year-old second-generation British-Ghanaian from South Norwood, was evidence that a specific kind of black African Londoner had ascended to the top of the cultural hierarchy. This is a story that begins not with the 'Windrush Generation' of Caribbean immigrants to Britain, but with post-1960s arrivals from African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Congo. Some came from former British colonies in the wake of newfound independence; others seeking prosperity and an English education for their children. Now, in the 2020s, their descendants have unleashed a tidalwave of creativity and cultural production stretching from Lambeth to Lagos, Islington to the Ivory Coast. Daniel Kaluuya and Skepta; John Boyega and Christine Ohuruogu; David Adjaye and Lil' Simz; Idris Elba and Edward Enninful - everywhere you look, across the fields of sport, business, fashion, the arts and beyond, there are people wielding huge influence who were raised in African families largely governed by the same immutable traditions. In this book Jimi Famurewa, a British-Nigerian journalist, journeys into the hidden yet vibrant world of African London. Seeking to understand the ties that bind African Londoners together and link them with their home countries, he visits their places of worship, sits down at their dinner tables and restaurants, visits queer Afrobeat club nights, attends African Saturday schools, attempts to learn their languages and listens to their stories. But this isn't just a book of reportage and pleasant conversation with energetic, diverse Londoners. Jimi also uncovers a darker side, of racial discrimination between whites and blacks and, less well-known, between Africans and Caribbeans. He investigates the troublesome practice of 'farming' in which young black Nigerians were farmed out to white British foster parents, and reveals the friction between more conservative African customs and those of modern Londoners at the 'limits of tradition'. This is a vivid new portrait of London as most of us have never seen her before.

Jimi Famurewa is a British-Nigerian author, broadcaster and freelance journalist who was born in Edgware, North London and grew up in the boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, Wired, The i, Empire, Time Out, The Good Journal and the Evening Standard and, since autumn 2018 he has been the restaurant critic for ES Magazine and a regular guest judge on the BBC One series MasterChef. In 2017, his short story, 'Teddybird', was shortlisted for the Guardian/4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize and as an interviewer he has profiled African Londoners including Idris Elba, John Boyega and Skepta. He lives in South-East London with his family.

As thrilling as it is touching and revealing - this book is an indispensable map to London today. * Ben Judah, Journalist and author of This is London: Life and Death in the World City * Illuminating and fascinating, with humour and some surprises, Jimi Famurewa examines Britain's African communities, past and present. * Stephen Bourne, author of Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War * Jimi brings modern black London alive like no other author. This feels like an important book that is also a total pleasure to read. * Sathnam Sanghera, author of EmpireLand: How Modern Britain is Shaped by its Imperial Past * Settlers is the book I didn't know I was waiting for. Jimi Famurewa approaches an incredibly complicated topic with a steady hand and fine precision that results in a book that is well researched, rich in nuance and handled with care. It was as enjoyable to read as it was enlightening. * Jendella Benson, author of Hope & Glory * This is an extraordinary and beautifully written piece of work that deals with a deeply complex and rich history with a remarkable lightness of touch, sensitivity, warmth and insight. It is depressing to reflect on the reality that all too many people continue to question the benefits of immigration. This fine book shows beyond any doubt that London, and this country, is all the better for its Black African population. * James Ramsden * A spellbinding portrait of culture, talent, food and activism. * Stylist Magazine * Settlers is replete with revealing anecdotes... Famurewa's writing is thoughtful, cogent and admirably even-handed. * theguardian.com * Dazzling. * Waitrose Food Magazine * [Jimi's] voice and the way he writes I just love. * Jamie Oliver * Settlers is a pleasure to read, by turns lyrical, approachable, funny, sensitive and always well-researched... [Famurewa] sweeps you along so thoroughly that you don't realise until you close the book quite how much you have enjoyed it, how much you have learnt and how much it will stay with you. * The Spectator *