Soweto comes to Brixton

Thirty years after the Soweto Uprising that initiated the final push that consigned apartheid to the dustbin of history. Twenty five years after the Brixton Uprisings that set off a nation-wide upsurge that turned ‘coloured immigrants’ into Black Britons, representatives of the two communities came together to discuss and compare their experiences and looked forward to the prospects for the future and considered what plans and programmes would bring them into being.

Following in the footsteps of Madiba Nelson Mandela, they visited key sites and local land marks such as: Railton Road Front-Line were the 1981 ‘Troubles’ began, the Brixton street markets and arcades and met local business-people and residents and shared experiences.

They were firstly welcomed to the Brixton Tate Library and then an official welcome at Lambeth Town Hall by the Mayor of Lambeth Councillor Daphne Marchant and Councillor Donatus Anyanwu. They then visited and were hosted at the Brixton Recreation Centre, the Karibu Education Centre and the Angell Town Community, all exemplary models of enterprise and community development.

The day was rounded off with a reception and tour around the offices of the Gleaner/Voice Media Group. They displayed their products and services and had networking sessions with local small business owners and professional service intermediaries from the Creative Industries, Tourism, Entertainment, Education, Healthcare, Construction, Property, Services and Sports sectors. Many good contacts were solidified and orders worth several thousands of pounds were made.

This event is part of a programme to build business and institutional links between communities for the purpose of mutual development. Delegations will be visiting South Africa later in the year and a Trade Fair and Expo is planned for 2007.

This initiative has been pioneered by the North West London Chamber of Commerce and supported by Harrow and Brent Councils. Brixton Business Forum have been invited to become partners in the initiative and Lambeth Council are considering supporting it.