The George Padmore Institute is an archive, educational resource and research centre housing materials relating to the black community of Caribbean, African and Asian descent in Britain and continental Europe.
Founded in 1991, we are based in North London where we often hold educational and cultural activities including talks and readings. We also publish relevant materials and are making our archives accessible to the general public.
In 1971, one hundred years after it first opened, the Gifford Mission Hall on Gifford Street in Islington became the Keskidee Centre. it was bought for £9000 by Oscar Abrams, a Guyanese architect and cultural activist, and was for several years a pioneering cultural centre dedicated to promoting the work of emerging artists from the African and Caribbean diaspora. The Keskidee's motto was: "A Community Discovering Itself Creates Its Own Future".
Trinidad April 2013 – my first trip for 14 years, and my first visit without John. I have been invited down by the Bocas Litfest to receive an award on behalf of New Beacon Books. I am combining this honour with a long needed visit to John’s family in Arima.
We are starting a monthly archive showcase at the GPI. Each month we will be highlighting an item from our archive, writing about it, posting up images, or appealing for information. Below is the first of these showcases - one of our regular volunteers, Heiba Lamara, has been reading the Blackman Journal. Watch out for further showcases from next month in our news stream and on our Facebook page.
