Songlines: Australian Aboriginal Culture

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 26 April 2023 > What's On

A new exhibition gives a fascinating insight into the songlines which are a fundamental part of Indigenous Australian culture. These creation stories also function as oral maps to practical places such as waterholes and to sacred sites. The exhibition at Quai Branly was curated by Indigenous Australian Elders, who traditionally preserve and pass on the … Continue reading “Songlines: Australian Aboriginal Culture”

Emmett Till

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 09 February 2023 > Ready to Use

You may have never heard his name before, but you’ll never forget it after watching this film or even just the trailer for Till, written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu. These B1 activities explore the heart-wrenching story of 14-year-old Emmett Till who was lynched for misjudging Jim Crow conventions in the 1950s segregated American South. … Continue reading “Emmett Till”

Why Black Friday?

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 23 November 2021 > Celebrate

As Black Friday approaches, we wonder why a specifically American date in the commercial calendar has taken over first the internet and now high-street shops around the world. Black Friday is the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving, which falls on the fourth Thursday in November. It’s a long weekend and approximately a month before Christmas. … Continue reading “Why Black Friday?”

Anti-Bullying Week

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 12 November 2021 > Webpicks

It’s Anti-Bullying Week in U.K. schools from 15 to 19 November. The theme is kindness, how saying one kind word can potentially break the cycle of bullying. It lends itself well to a language activity on expressing kindness. There are lots of teaching tools on the Anti-Bullying Alliance site. The secondary school lesson plan is … Continue reading “Anti-Bullying Week”

Before Rosa Parks

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 11 October 2021 > What's On

Rosa Parks is known the world over as the African American who refused to give up her seat to a white person on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. But nine months before Parks, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin did the same thing. She’s the subject of a play (in French), Noire. Maybe the time wasn’t … Continue reading “Before Rosa Parks”

Bringing the Underground Railroad to the Screen

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 16 July 2021 > What's On

African-American author Colson Whitehead and film director Barry Jenkins both made the same mistake when they were children and first heard about the Underground Railroad. The historical Underground Railroad was a network of people who helped slaves escape from the American South to freedom in the northern states or Canada. Both Whitehead and Jenkins pictured … Continue reading “Bringing the Underground Railroad to the Screen”

Aboriginalities

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 05 July 2021 > What's On

If you find yourself close to Belgium this summer, it’s worth heading to Brussels for the Aboriginalités exhibition: more than 250 paintings by First Australian artists who innovate using traditional techniques and subject matter and modern materials. Art is a very important part of Aboriginal spiritual and cultural life, part of a vast system of … Continue reading “Aboriginalities”