Freedom Road Reimagined
Freedom Road Re-Imagined
(2 April 2022, Rich Mix)
Performer: Sabina Desir: Photo by
Richard Birch
Many still cling to an incorrect assumption that the history of British people with African and Caribbean heritage is somehow secondary to that of their American counterparts.
Sabina Desir’s Rich Mix performance of Freedom Road Re-Imagined was a strong example of why it’s imprudent to lean into nationalist constructs as arbiters of entire cultures and histories. Freedom Road Re-Imagined covers important points in both the UK and US Civil Rights movements. Audio of landmark speeches was juxtaposed with, amongst others, well-known gospel, Rhythm & Blues, soul, and protest songs. Some of the most painful and visible incidents of Black History such as the lynching of Emmett Till, also feature, but there is much more besides.
Darcus Howe Supporters Outside The Old Baily, 1971@CHARLIE PHILLIPS WWW.NICKYAKEHURST.COM
We are presented with our own audio-visual Virgil in the form of Taariq Forder. Featured throughout the programme, his is an effective foil for Sabina Desir’s clarion tones, with both voices lending equal gravitas and humanity to the showcase without overshadowing any individual aspects of it.
The Performance at Rich Mix: Projection by Shaïny Vilo. Image by Richard Birch
A multi-ethnic lineup of musicians plays live throughout this immersive music performance, and on the night consisted of Winston Clifford on drums; Sabina Desir on vocals; Lascelle Gordon on percussion; Ivan Hussey  on cello; Jessica Lauren on keyboards, Music Direction and Arrangements; Tamar Osborne on woodwinds and Jason Simpson on bass. These players all sounded truly in-the-pocket, and clearly respect each other as much as the subject matter they presented onstage for our consideration. The production has also been joisted by the jazz saxophone of Jason YardeÂ
Freedom Road on The Road: Projection:Â Vanley Burke. Photo: by Richard Birch,
Richard Birch had the responsibility of capturing the lightning of the electric performance in the lens of his camera on the night. And for the duration of the performance, the projected photography flows alongside film footage created by Nathan Jones.
Aside from that the acoustic artistry was augmented by the featured photography of  Vanley Burke, Charlie Phillips and Shaïny Vilo, respectively.
 There’s no question of going for the music or photography and staying for the history. The art and the facts are all inextricably intertwined on this occasion. A wealth of art underpins this performance, but no medium ever outshines another – such is the level of creative balance in this show.
Despite its monochrome nature, the photography also features quotidian scenes that illustrate the feeling of lively community, inner strength, depth, and humanity extant in people that the global media has long told others to avoid at all costs, along with their places of residence– long socially and politically maligned as no-go areas. There are gardens in certain Brixton estates that rival the more famous balconies and floral displays of the Barbican Estate. But how many know this? And if they don’t know, how can they learn if the media chooses not to highlight these social parallels? These details may seem small, but they point to the humanity (and impressive gardening skills) of Black Britons, and their steadfast dedication to finding their own way forward despite any adversity wilfully put in their path. Â
In one still image, smartly dressed, young Black boys huddle closely and smile for the camera. I wonder to myself whether these were smiles of innocence or of happy defiance– the latter shining through despite the social and economic strife many had either already witnessed at too young an age, or would eventually face as they matured from young Black boys to young Black men.
The Araldite that keeps this show together is Artistic Director and Producer Sabina Desir. Her sharp, dignified and protective gaze has been cast across each aspect of this work. Through careful consideration and curation, she and her team have successfully created a production that illustrates how deeply invested they are in the honest, clear and well-executed presentation of the history underpinning this multimedia art performance.
I came not to watch but to experience Freedom Road Re-Imagined. Those who care about the progress of the African Diaspora (more commonly referred to as ‘Black History’) are always hard-pressed to find objective and engaging presentations of this particular history. We dig deeply and fight hard for fair and honest depictions of Black History that serve to unite us, instead of accepting arbitrary attempts at division that shift focus to small differences such as geography and accents. The African Diaspora’s irrefutable global impact and components are as discrete as the myriad vessels that facilitated The Middle Passage. Therefore, indolent comparisons between the UK and US Civil Rights Movements, similar to those made betwixt baseball and cricket, only serve to highlight the idiocy of those relying upon them.
Onstage this evening, I did not see a show about The UK versus US Civil Rights Movements. I did see a special production possessing exceptional, creative, artistic and historical merit. Freedom Road Re-Imagined was neither mealy-mouthed nor confrontational in its approach. There was no finger pointing, shaming or blaming of other ethnicities. It was a poised presentation of historical facts, in a post-covfefe, post-pandemic paradigm.
It was the type of art and cultural work that facilitates meaningful, multi-dimensional communication, which will hopefully encourage extensive long-term dialogue on the history of Africans and Caribbeans in Britain, and their significance in global Black History overall.
I appreciate how Ms. Desir has managed to refer to key moments of Black History that speak to her personally, and present a vision on Black British History that is all her own. She needs no reliance upon Transatlantic cousins to help shape and share her chosen chapters of Black British History. Ms. Desir may be acknowledging a blueprint drafted by African Americans, but hers is a distinctly British production.
I cannot see through the eyes of others, least of all those of Freedom Road Re-Imagined’s Artistic Director and Producer Sabina Desir. Nor will it ever be possible for anyone to experience exactly how social conflict spanning several generations looks and feels for others. But being able to come along and witness someone else’s history is more than sufficient on this occasion.
Review by Malisa Ã. Elliott
