22 September 2023
Black History Month: Black Business, Arts and Music Festival (BBAM) celebrates black owned businesses and artists October is Black History Month and Southampton has a host of events to celebrate black culture and highlight the role black people have had in the city’s rich history.
Southampton City Council is proud to support BBAM festival, a free celebration of black businesses, arts, and music, taking place on Sunday 1 October at O2 Southampton Guildhall and Guildhall Square, from 11am to 6pm. Entry is free. The festival has been created by The United Voice of African Associations (TUVAA) and is supported by Southampton City Council, GO! Southampton, GI Media and Our Version Media.
Everyone is welcome and attendees can expect a variety of live performances, music, dance, comedy, poetry, African drumming and much more. Visitors can also browse stalls and support black owned businesses in Southampton. There will be plenty of food and drink available, specialising in African and Caribbean cuisines.
Stephen Manion, Executive Director at GO! Southampton said:
“This new event is a wonderful, exciting recognition of our black businesses and a great opportunity to showcase their creativity and entrepreneurial skills. We are pleased to support BBAM and its celebration of the economic and cultural value our diverse business community brings to the city.”
Councillor Toqeer Kataria, Cabinet Member for Communities and Leisure said:
“Black History Month is incredibly important, and Southampton’s diversity is what makes our city so brilliant. I’m really pleased that the council are supporting BBAM. Events like BBAM Festival are vital to members of the community that may not necessarily feel like they have a part to play in Southampton’s story. Not only is BBAM Festival going to be a celebration of culture, it will also provide a platform for black business owners, artists and other members of the community to network and be a part of something fantastic.”
Darlynton Odum, TUVAA Secretary said:
“We’re grateful to have the support of Southampton City Council and GO! Southampton. BBAM Festival is the first of its kind in the city so we want to make it a success. It takes a lot of organising to put on an event of this scale and the council and GO! Southampton’s help with key aspects such as logistics, infrastructure and event planning is invaluable.”
Bav Dhanda, Commercial & Marketing Director at Southampton Forward added:
“It’s fantastic to see the BBAM event in Southampton for the first time, providing a platform to increase the visibility of local black businesses and artists, and to showcase the skills, talent, and entrepreneurship we have in our diverse city – what a brilliant way to kickstart Black History Month in Southampton.”
More information can be found on the BBAM Festival website or the Facebook Event.
Further Black History Month Events can be found on the Visit Southampton website.
