I have been sitting with this idea for a while and watching how conversations around Black British identity unfold. The moment feels right now. Urgent, necessary, and alive, all the things. ETYMOLOGY, is an extension of that impulse: a space to explore Black Britain as an experience, a feeling, a living archive. It is inspired by the richness, complexity, and contradictions of identity, and by the many artists, writers, and creators whose work has long sought to capture what it means to exist in this space.
Over the last few months, projects like Black British Music by Jim Legxacy, Buy British by Afrosurrealist, and Ghana Must Go by N4T have illuminated the creativity and vision of Black British artists in real time. Personally, they have reminded me that identity is not static; it is evolving, layered, and deeply intertwined with culture, history, and emotion.
It is from this lineage, and in conversation with it, that I feel compelled to create an anthology to house a concept like Etymology.
The political climate in the UK and beyond has made this work even more urgent. After a period where many Black Britons have reclaimed the Union Jack as a symbol of identity and belonging, we are now confronted with it painted on roundabouts and draped on lampposts as a sign of far-right sentiment and anti-immigration hostility. It is a stark reminder: there is, indeed, no Black in the Union Jack.
In this context, asserting meaning, presence, and agency through creativity feels more vital than ever. In a society where Blackness is policed and politicised, identity cannot be divorced from politics. Everyday experiences, microaggressions, systemic inequities, and moments of joy and creativity are all framed by the world around us, and by choosing to document, feel, and assert them, we create space for narratives that insist on being recognised.
By foregrounding the real-time contributions of forward-thinking writers, poets, photographers, and artists, this anthology becomes a mirror, reflecting the sentiments, emotions, and insights of Black people in the 2020s. It is both a record and a resonance, capturing not just what identity is and feels like.
For me, this project is also deeply personal. Khads Ark has always been about creating spaces for Black creativity and critical thought, about documenting and celebrating what often goes unseen, unheard, or misunderstood. ETYMOLOGY is the next step in that journey: a conscious effort to archive, amplify, and foreground the affective truths of Black Britain, producing a resource that future generations can engage with as a living, breathing testament to how identity is felt, expressed, and imagined. PRESERVING ART TO OUTLIVE US.
There is no neat story here, no singular narrative. There is only experience and the texture, emotion, and pulse of Black Britain as lived. This is what I hope contributors will bring to the anthology. Their instinct, imagination, and affective engagement.
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