From the Editor
* British playwright Caryl Churchill has withdrawn a play from the Donmar Warehouse in protest over the theatre’s support from Barclays, accused of providinmg financial support to nine arms companies supplying weapons to Israel. More than 300 theatre workers have signed an open letter backing Churchill and urging the theatre to cut ties with the bank. Full story
* 435 theatre and arts professionals have signed a letter demanding Islington’s Almeida Theatre end its partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies over what they claim is its “direct and ongoing support for illegal settlements” in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, reports Artists for Palestine UK..
Daniel Nelson london.globalevents@gmail.com X: @EventsNelson
TALKS AND MEETINGS
* Lisa Smith: On Jamaica Road, the author discusses growing up between cultures, identity, and the power of community in the face of social change, online until 28 June, £0- £29.99. Info: FANE
* Larry Achiampong: If It Don’t Exist, Build It, the British-Ghanaian artist explores how digital narratives inform his approach to exploring cultural displacement, identity, and belonging. From 6.30pm, then online until 2 July. Info: Fane
* Brazil Week, King’s College, The Strand, until 27 June. Info: King’s
Thursday 26 June
* A Life in the Work of Others With Jasleen Kaur, the Turner Prize winner (for art showcasing Scottish Sikh community) on her creative influences, 7-8.30pm, free, V&A East Storehouse, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford. Info: V&A East Storehouse
* Art, Entertainment and the Korean Wave, Federica Ionta, 1-1.55pm, free, V&A Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL. Info: V&A
* Launch of the 2025 Transparency Index, David McNair, Gary Forster, Maria Smith, Sam Attridge, 2.30-4pm, in-person and online, Overseas Development Institute, 203 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8NJ. Info: ODI
from Thursday 26 June
* Somali Freedom Week, kicks off with Numbi Fest that includes music, dance, poetry, literature, installations and conversation, Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX until 1 July. Info: Whitechapel Gallery
* Outcast: A History of Leprosy, Humanity and the Modern World, Oliver Basciano and Ismail Einashe, 7.30pm, £5, Kirkdale Bookshop, Sydenham, SE26 4RS. Info: Bookshop
Saturday 28 June
* Black Literature Festival, 26 authors, including Rudolph Walker, Scarlette Brade, Terry Jervis, Chris Syrus, Diane Abbott, Avril Nanton, Garfield Robinson, Imani Ulaini, Robert Beckford, Maurice Matthew, Bharti Dahir, Melody Triumph. Rudolph Walker, Scarlette Brade, Imani Ulaini, Simon Hudson, Terry Jervis, Lania Narjee, Carlton Brown, Tony Fairweather, Shanai Akilah, Yunus Giwa, Roxanne M St Clair, Sandra Agard, Clive Myrie, Pam Williams. Haylee Venus, Wale Roberts, Stella Oni, Chiemeka Nicely, from midday, £15, Riverside, 101 Queen Caroline Street W6 9BN. Info: Festival
Sunday 29 June
* Dokhol দখল ’84: Housing Policy and Migration, using artist Sonia Uddin’s project on how Bengali homeless families who were housed in appalling conditions in hostels took on the council, occupying Camden Town Hall in 1984, a panel of artists, activists and architects share stories of housing activism in past and present campaigns, 1.30pm, free, Southbank Centre. Info: Housing
* We The Women, Indian women’s festival, with Barkha Dutt, Smriti Irani, Karan Johar, Rashmika Mandanna, 11am, £10, Riverside Studios, Info: Women’s Festival
* Babylon, Albion, a new voice on nature and belonging, writer Dalia Al-Dujaili delves into the layered ties between land, myth and identity, with Zaineb Abelque and Tayshan Hayden-Smith, chaired by Ismail Einashe, 3pm, £10, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road. Info; Southbank Centre
EXHIBITIONS
* Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict, exhibits include sexual slavery of ‘Comfort Women Corps’ in World War Two and of Yazidi women and girls by ISIS in 2014, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road SE1 6HZ until 2 November. Info: War Museum
+ Sexual violence in conflict: ‘The cheapest weapon known to man’
* Ancient India: living traditions, the origins of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist sacred art in the nature spirits of ancient India – and how they live on 2,000 years later, from £16, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG until 19 October. Info: Museum
+ Starring role for snakes in Ancient India exhibition
* Mumbai + London: new perspectives on the ancient world, small show focussed on Greek god Dionysius and India’s Vishnu, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG until 11 January 2026. Info: Exhibition
* Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times In An Instant), Mexican artist Teresa Margolles’ cuboid on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square is a memorial to trans people worldwide
* Jose Maria Valasco: A View of Mexico, first UK show of work by the Mexican artist, from £12, National Gallery, Trafalgar Square WC2N 5DN until 17 August. Info: Gallery
* Collecting and Empire, trail making connections between archaeology, anthropology and the British Empire, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1. Info: British Museum
* British Library, installation of 6,328 books marks the contributions of migrants to UK, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1. Info: Installation/ 7887 8888
* Inspiration Africa: Stories Beyond the Artifacts, exploration of V&A galleries through the lens of African heritage, free, second Saturday of every month, V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7. Info: V&A tou
* African Deeds, showcases a collection that includes diaries, cassette interviews, videos, photos and documents of three generations of family history, inspired by grandfather Thomas’ land title deeds brought from West Africa in 1901, Black Cultural Archives, 1 Windrush Square, SW2 1EF. Info: BCA
* Target Queen, large-scale commission by British-Indian artist Bharti Kher, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre
* Esther Mahlangu: Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, brightly coloured geometric paintings rooted in South African Ndebele culture, free, Serpentine North, until 28 September. Info: Serpentine
* Women of the World Unite: the United Nations decade for women and transnational feminisms 1975 to now, London School of Economics Library, Houghton Street, WC2 until 22 August. Info: LSE
* Making Egypt, exploring ancient Egypt's creativity and how it continues to influence art, design and popular culture today, £10, Young V&A, Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA. Info: V&A
* Arpita Singh: Remembering, her first solo exhibition outside India, she draws from Bengali folk art and Indian stories, interwoven with experiences of social upheaval and global conflict, free, Serpentine North W2 2AR, until 27 July
* Eileen Perrier: A Thousand Small Stories and Dianne Minnicucci: Belonging and Beyond, free, Autograph, Rivington Place, EC2A 3BA, until 13 September. Info: Rivington Place
* Hamad Butt: Apprehensions, three-part installation of work by artist, born in Pakistan, died in London aged 32, Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX until 1 July. Info: Gallery
* Ghazaleh Avarzamani and Ali Ahadi: Freudian Typo, photography, sculpture, video work and found objects by two Iranian-Canadian artists which playfully critique Britain’s imperial past and how it manifests today, tracing connections between historical sources and current events in politics and finance, free, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre until 31 August. Info: Hayward
* Earth Photo 2025, Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, SW7 2AR. until 17 August. Info: RGS
* Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, from ancient Mesopotamia and Victorian London to modern-day Nepal and Singapore, the exhibition combines art, science, history, technology and indigenous knowledge to deepen understanding of our relationships with freshwater, free, Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE until 1 February 2026. Info: Wellcome
+ 26 June, In Search of Freshwater, Claudia Hammond and a panel of experts, 7-8.30pm
* Theatro Technis and Hyphen Artist Collective’s offer free in-person & online writing sessions + community chats for hyphenated & global majority creatives.
* Artist Surgeries at the Gate Theatre: on the second Thursday of every month.
* Three £150 bursaries are available from the Bush Theatre for trans artists. No specific outcome is required for applications, which could be anything from an artistic piece, a community event, or paying for your own rest as a form of protest.
* As Yet Unscene is a year-round programme initiative to find and develop scripts in early stages of development. it includes workshops, rehearsed readings and fully-rehearsed performances of longer extracts. Details here
* Poets - submissions are invited for the PEN Heaney Prize 2025. For collections published between 1 July and 31 December the submission window closes on 31 August .
* Interested in taking a show to this year’s Camden Fringe? Programming is underway. Apply here.
* Southwark Playhouse invites actors aged 19-25 living in Southwark or Lambeth who have some performing experience but no significant training or professional employment to rehearse a new production and perform onstage at the Playhouse.
* Tamasha Tales is a new series of commissioned short pieces that aims to celebrate global storytelling and cultural intersectionality through artist collaboration. Tamasha Theatre is looking for two artists from any Global Majority background with 5-10 years of experience) with an established body of work.
* The Royal Court Theatre has launched The Writers’ Card, part of its programme of helping playwrights. It offers mentoring, networking, funding opportunities, events, and use of resources in the building, subsidised meals and free script printing. For more information, visit https://royalcourttheatre.com/playwriting
* The Royal Court has also launched a London-wide playwrights award for 13-18-year-olds.
* Theatre in the Pound: The Cockpit Theatre’s monthly scratch night enables performers to try out 10-15 minutes of new work + a short Q&A. Also classes, workshops, readings, advice sessions, support & performance opportunities.
* Papatango hopes its new Playwrights’ Studio will be a home for playwrights of all levels of experience. It aims to be a joined-up, sustained writing package with a variety of free advantages, including digital workshops, lone-to-one, and thousands of pounds in open-access funding.
* Riverside Studios is offering a regular drop-in playwriting group: “Whether you’re working on a script and want creative inspiration, you're intrigued by the idea of writing a play, or simply want a creative outlet, these monthly meet-ups are informal, fun and open to everyone.” It has also launched songwriting sessions.
* Citizens of the World, a choir that grew out of the Calais “Jungle” and has 50 members from 30 countries, welcomes newcomers. It rehearses on Wednesday evenings. Details on the website
FILM
* Red Path, when a jihadist group attacks two young shepherds, 14-year-old Ashraf is forced to take a macabre message back to his family: a dream-like plunge into the wounded psyche of a child and his ability to overcome trauma, Garden cinema until 26 June; Lexi 29, 30 June, 1 July
* Safar Film festival, programme includes 27 June, Thank You For Banking With Us; The Brink of Dreams; Shifting Tides; 28 June, A State of Passion; Sudan, Remember Us, documentary that captures a collective portrait of Sudanese youth, dreaming of a democratic Sudan + Q&A with director Hind Meddeb. Info: London Festival + free programme of films from Lebanon throughout June via the Aflamuna website
+ Remember the Sudanese protesters who thought their time had come
* Raindance Film Festival, 70 narrative and documentary features, including films from Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Taiwan and Thailand, 113 shorts and 32 immersive projects, Vue Piccadilly, until 27 June. Info: Raindance
* New Lebanese Cinema: Reclaiming Storytelling, until 11 July. Info: Garden
from Friday 27 June
* Apocalypse in the Tropics, exposes the clash between religion and freedom in Brazil, revealing how apocalyptic theology fuels the far right and threatens the nation’s fragile democracy + director’s Q&A, 6.10pm, Curzon Bloomsbury
* The Salt of the Earth, documentary about the 40-year career of photographer Sebastião Salgado who travelled the world, tracing the footsteps of an ever-changing humanity, 6.20pm, Curzon Bloomsbury + until 3 July
Saturday 28 June
* The Fisherman and the Banker, chronicles a fishing community in India’s Gulf of Kutch as they take on the World Bank’s private lending arm for funding a coal-fired power plant that threatens their way of life + Q&A with director Sheena Sumaria, 6.35pm, Garden cinema
Sunday 29 June
* Fearless, heartwarming doc about six women aged between 78 and 90 who left their homes in the Caribbean, South Asia and Ireland to answer Britain’s post- WWII call for workers + filmmaker Q&A, 2pm, Curzon Bloomsbury
* Arab Film Club, ab evening of shorts about migrants and refugees, and Q&A, 6.30pm, £10, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road. Info: Film Club
from Sunday 29 June
* Sudan, Remember Us, documentary that captures the hope and accomplishment following dictator Omar al Bashir’s fall and the oppression of the military crackdown and subsequent civil war, Curzon Bloomsbury, until 3 July; + 30 June, with director Q&A, Rich Mix
+ Remember the Sudanese protesters who thought their time had come
PERFORMANCE
* Miss Myrtle’s Garden, five characters interact in the garden of an elderly, first-generation Jamaican woman with dementia, £10-£35, Bush Theatre, 7 Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ until 12 July. Info: Bush
* STARS: An Afrofuturist Space Odyssey, an old lady goes into outer space in search of an orgasm, from £16, Brixton House, 385 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8GL until 28 June. Info: Stars
* 54.60 Africa, blending story, song, and dance, 11 friends are given a week to prove Africa is a continent to be celebrated. Inspired by the creator’s travels to every African nation before he’s 60, £12-£39, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street E8 3DL until 12 July. Info: Arcola
* The grand tour: one playwright’s quest to set foot in every African country before turning 60
Thursday 26 June
* Dale Elliott Jnr: Son Of An Immigrant, from navigating the complex waters of assimilation to celebrating Jamaica’s outsized impact on global culture, the Jamaican-born comedian reminds us that immigrant stories bridge more than oceans, from £34, Soho Theatre Walthamstow, 186 Hoe Street, Walthamstow E17 4QH. Info: Soho Walthamstow
TV and RADIO
Saturday 21 June
* Saint Omer, Alice Diop’s elliptical Paris drama about the motivation of a Senegalese woman on trial for leaving her child on a beach to drown, 9pm, BBC4
Sunday 22 June
* This Cultural Life: Sheku, Kanneh Mason, the musician talks about his influences, 9pm, BBC4
* Windrush: Portraits of a Generation, documentary showing paintings in progress, 10.50pm, BBC4
* Witness History, a report on the work of archaeologists who saved ancient Syrian artefacts from IS, 5pm, Radio4
Monday 23 June
* Death in the Desert; The Nurse Helen Mystery, crime inquiry that raises questions about justice in a country with which Britain is making oil deals, 9pm, Channel 4
* OneWeek in Gaza, 4pm, Radio4
Tuesday 24 June
* The Mole: Infiltreating North Korea, documentary, 11.30pm, BBC4
* Sorry, I Didn’t Know, Black comedy quiz, 11.40pm, ITV1
* Inside Syria’s Prisons, documentary, 2am, BBC2
Wednesday 25 June
* Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges, he’s off to a huge Hindu festival, 9pm, BBC1
Friday 27 June
* Central Intelligence, drama about US intelligence manoeuvring during the Vietnam war, 2.15pm, Radio4