Exhibition Programme

This event focuses on the rhythm, choreography, and practical aspects of Carnival, along with its ancestral roots. Dr Claire Holder, barrister and former Chairperson & CEO of Notting Hill Carnival (1989–2002), discusses her experience managing Europe’s largest street festival. Her 2005 trip to Nigeria for the inaugural Abuja Carnival provided direct insight into the origins of Masquerade traditions. Rubadiri Victor from Trinidad & Tobago shares knowledge of the Mas and Music traditions central to Trinidad Carnival. Alexander D Great, former Notting Hill Kaiso Monarch and UK kaiso entertainer, contributes calypso storytelling. Together, they explore Carnival’s body in disciplined performance, its mind in acts of resistance and change, and its spirit in connection to the ancestors, presenting Carnival as an art form, cultural tradition, and social practice.

Join Sir Ben Okri, internationally acclaimed Nigerian author and Booker Prize winner of The Famished Road, for an intimate reading that spans cultures and realms of the imagination. Sir Okri will honour the legacy of Christopher Okigbo, one of Africa’s most influential poets, by reading selected works alongside pieces from his own celebrated writing. Known for blending realism, magical realism, and fabulism, Sir Okri’s work explores the boundaries between the material and the spiritual, the visible and the unseen — reflecting the very essence of the Carnivalesque. Experience poetry as performance and connection across cultures and history.

Join Eugene Skeef, percussionist, composer, poet, and activist, as he shares his journey from anti-apartheid work alongside Steve Biko to using music and performance for peacebuilding worldwide. Now returning to South Africa after decades abroad, Skeef continues to contribute to the country’s cultural and social renewal. Kamal El-Alaoui, Moroccan-born costume designer and sculptor, brings his expertise in carnival arts and public spectacle. With over 25 years of pioneering Carnival in Johannesburg and Cape Town, he connects communities through tradition and creativity.

Experience presentations by George ‘Fowokan’ Kelly and Lekan Babalola exploring how the Masquerade tradition shapes their art and music. Fowokan, a sculptor and digital artist, draws on ancestral history and sacred symbolism to give form to memory and myth. Lekan Babalola, musician, curator, and Babalawo, connects Yoruba heritage with the Atlantic world through music and art, creating his own family Egungun masquerade. Discover how mask, music, and ancestral presence bring sculpture and song to life.

Artist and activist Ben Jones creates work that blends prayer and protest, exploring identity, freedom, justice, and love. Drawing on his ancestral heritage and the Carnivalesque tradition, he uses powerful symbols to challenge oppression and inspire change. Jones is joined by Jennifer Francis, distinguished museum leader with senior roles at the Royal Academy of Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Louvre Abu Dhabi, and currently Director of Turner’s House. Together, they discuss art as resistance, ancestral responsibility, and a path to collective healing. This conversation takes place ahead of the UK premiere of Souleyman Garcia’s documentary The Bigger Picture: Visions of Ben Jones, screening at 198 Contemporary Arts & Learning, London, on 29 August 2025.