Zakia Sewell: Questing for Albion
Wednesday 24 February via Zoom
Zakia will be sharing her research into folk traditions, discussing how pagan spirituality offers a way for us to connect with the natural world and how modern-day festivals and rave culture can be seen as expressions of a search for 'Albion'.
Albion (noun) - ‘ literary term for Britain or England, often used when referring to ancient or historical times.’
It is sometimes used poetically to refer to the island but has fallen out of common use in English. The name for Scotland in most of the Celtic languages is related to Albion: Alba in Scottish Gaelic, Albain in Irish, Nalbin in Manx and Alban in Welsh and Cornish.
She will also show that while the songs, stories and symbols of British folk culture offer a different perspective on our national identity, a closer look reveals Britain’s global connections through Empire and the slave trade.
Her BBC podcast series flowed through the personal to the political, from the present into the past - both real and imagined - questing for 'Albion', in the hope that we may heal the wounds of history and find hopeful visions for the future.
People will be encouraged to share their connection to their own Britishness and to the landscape; inspired by the importance of human-connection through story-telling.
The talk and discussion will be around 45 - 60 minutes.
Zakia is a radio host, audio producer and DJ from London with a passion for music, arts, mental health and history. She regularly produces and presents radio documentaries and podcasts for platforms including BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service, Resident Advisor, Tate and Boiler Room. Covering a variety of topics from Caribbean ancestral drumming, to schizophrenia and intergenerational trauma, to UKG and improvisation in the arts.
Alongside her audio production work, she is an enthusiastic collector and sharer of music. She spent several years working behind the counter at the legendary Honest Jons Records in West London, it was whilst working here she landed herself a now-weekly show on NTS Radio, Questing w/ Zakia, where she interviews guests and plays cosmic music from across the globe. You may also have seen her DJing at, Brilliant Corners, Corsica Studios, XOYO, Dimensions or Dekmantel.
More links:
Questing on NTS
www.nts.live/shows/questing-w-zakia
Insta
www.instagram.com/zzzakia/
Website & RA
www.zakiasewell.co.uk
https://ra.co/dj/zakia
To attend
Please fill in the booking form below and let us know any access requirements you might have, we’ll then send you the Zoom link on the day of the workshop.
You’ll also need to sign up to be a Gut Level member. Membership is currently free thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.
A Bit of Background
Gut Level is a DIY event space and collective that focuses on dance music, club culture and the surrounding communities. Our in-house collectives, FLAW and Working Them’s Club are hosting a series of Workshops over winter to cut through the no parties/winter/rona blues. FLAW Collective aim to provide a space for marginalised genders to hang out, share skills, use equipment and collaborate. Working Them’s Club is an LGBTQ+ social and music meet up.
Booking form: