This Little Light of Mine - Paul Robeson

This Little Light of Mine

Paul Robeson: Keeping the Light shining through the darkest times.

A talk on the life, ideas and songs of Paul Robeson with musical illustrations by Tayo Aluko.

Monday 12th March 2012 at 7.00pm

Tickets £5.00

(For online booking see below)

Paul Robeson’s (1898-1976) international achievements as a singer and actor in starring roles on stage and screen made him the most celebrated black American of his day. However, his outspoken criticism of racism in the United States, his strong support of African independence, and his fascination with the Soviet Union placed him under the debilitating scrutiny of McCarthyism.

'This amazing man, this great intellect, this magnificent genius, with his overwhelming love of humanity was a devastating challenge to a society built on hypocrisy, greed and profit-seeking at the expense of common humanity' – New York Times.

Since being introduced to the ideas and work of Paul Robeson, some 15 years ago, Nigerian born Tayo Aluko has been bringing this great man’s remarkable story to new audiences across the UK, North America, the Caribbean and Africa. In this presentation, Mr. Aluko talks about Robeson’s refusal to separate his music from his international activism, and plays some relatively rare recordings from that darkest period of Robeson’s life, when American recording studios joined the rest of America in turning their backs on him.

'Tayo Aluko does a fine job in evoking (Paul Robeson’s) dynamic presence and in reminding us of the inhospitable attitude to dissent in the land of the free’. Mike Billington, Jan 2011, Guardian, on Call Mr. Robeson