But whereas Fryer had an independent radical publisher (Pluto) at his elbow, Olusoga had to satisfy BBC managers – the book accompanies a TV series – who are largely petrified about “race”.īlack and British, the new work by Olusoga, comes with the subtitle: A Forgotten History. The British-Nigerian David Olusoga has a head start on Fryer.
At last! A history that is not sanitised or sugar-coated and one written by a proxy black man, namely a white man who in his own apologia aimed to “think black”. But it also elicits a flush of excitement and pride. Fryer’s Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain was an excoriating book by a tireless Marxist historian skewering British imperial mendacity, which, when young black readers stumble across it, delivers a punch to the sternum, a remembrance real or imagined of tragedy and sorrow. This children’s edition of the bestseller Black and British: A Forgotten History is beautifully illustrated in full-colour with maps, portrait galleries, timelines, photos and portraits.Three decades ago Peter Fryer offered a corrective, stripping off the historical bandage. These and many other questions are answered in this essential introduction to 1800 years of the Black British history. Why did the American Civil War disrupt the Industrial Revolution? Who are the well-dressed black children in Georgian paintings? These are the stories that brought us all together in this country. From Roman Africans guarding Hadrian’s Wall, to an African trumpeter in the court of Henry the Eighth, Black Georgians fighting for the abolition of slavery, Black soldiers fighting for Britain in the First World War, Windrush and right up today. David Olusoga’s thought provoking text charts the forgotten histories of Black people in Britain from Roman times right through to the present day. The essential starting place for anyone who wants to learn about Black British History. This beautiful hardback gift book is a stunning visual journey through Black British history for younger readers by award-winning historian and broadcaster David Olusoga and illustrated by Jake Alexander and Melleny Taylor.
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