Events in London
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* Venezuela may have taken the spotlight off Palestine, but not in London’s arts worlds: on stage, Palestinian comedian Alaa Shehada’s one-man show at the Bush, The Horse of Jenin; on screen, The Voice of Hind Rajab, a dramatic reconstruction of one death among tens of thousands — that of a six-year-old girl. January also brings A Grain of Sand, the story of a Gazan girl in search of her family, at the Arcola; more humour at Park Theatre, Palestine: Peace de Resistance; and Salt of This Sea, part of a film season celebrating Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir. Meanwhile, on TV this week Channel4 takes a look at Palestine Action - The truth Behind the Ban. In February Palestine Comedy Club will be in cinemas, a documentary about a tour of Palestine by six Palestinian stand-up comedians.
Talks and discussions
Monday 19 January
* Who trains our doctors? The hidden workers behind medical education, Patricia Kingor, 6.30-8pm, in person and online, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2
* Antimicrobial resistance: Current challenges & research, Saffiatou Darboe, Gwen Night, 5.30 - 6.30pm, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT
* How We Argue: About Freedom of Speech, Arif Ahmed, Mona Siddiqui and Jim Dickinson, 6.30pm, King’s College, Bush House, Strand Campus, 30 Aldwych WC2B 4BG. Info: King’s
Tuesday 20 January
* The fallout from Venezuela: Rewriting the UN’s rules to meet the moment, Heba Aly, Matthew Rycroft, Antônio Patriota, 5pm, Overseas Development Institute, 4 Millbank SW1P 3JA. Info: ODI
* ‘I can imagine it for us’: a Palestinian daughter’s memoir, Mai Serhan, Omar Robert Hamilton, 5 - 6.30pm, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, WC1. Info: SOAS
* Women, Nature and 2030: a transformational global climate solution, Zainab Salbi, Naila Kabeer, 6.30-8pm, in person and online, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2
Wednesday 21 January
* Chile: Presidential Election, Maria Luis Puig, Javier Sajuria, Leslie E. Wehner, 1-2:30pm, Institute of the Americas, 51 Gordon Square, WC1H 0PN. Info: IOA
* What is the Trump administration really up to in Latin America - and in Greenland, Iran, and who knows where next? Vanessa Baird facilitates an informal, exploratory conversation, online. Info: 07590-261065
* How oil rents fuel populist foreign policy, Stephen Hertog, 6.30 - 8pm, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2
Thursday 22 January
* Driving down malaria: Evidence, impact, and the race against resistance, Jackie Cook, 5.15 - 6.15pm, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT
* An Ocean of Air, Helen Czerski, 6pm, Gresham College, Barnard's Inn Hall, EC1N 2HH. Info: Gresham
Friday 23 January
* Contemporary Brazil: Symposium and Film Concert, discussions with Thyago Nogueiro, Jonathas de Andrade, Homero Basilio, Rosangela Renno and Daniele Queiroz dos Santos + three short films; 3 - 7.30pm, £5, V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL. Info: Brazil event
Sunday 25 January
* Green Crime, Julia Shaw, 3 - 4:30pm, £11 - £6, in-person and online, Conway Hall, Red Lion square, WC1R 4RL. Info: Conway Hall
Monday 26 January
* The breakdown of international order, Xenia Wickett, Kirsty Sutherland, Leila Molana-Allen, 7pm, from £5.94, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place W2. Info: Frontline
* Presencia and Resistencia, readings, performance, and conversation by Juana Adcock, Leo Boix, Yara Rodrigues Fowler, and Monika Radojevic celebrating British Latinx voices and Wasafiri 124, guest co-edited by Karina Lickorish Quinn and Leo Boix + video presentation of Peruvian poet Raúl Cisneros reading in Quechua, 7pm, £12, British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1. Info: Library
* Governing the algorithm: embedding gender equality in Europe’s digital future, Josie Christodoulou, June Lowery-Kingston, David Nemer, Jurriaan Parie, Dora Meredith, 5 - 6.30pm, online. Info: Overseas Development Institute
Exhibitions
* Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus, how post Second World War “Emergencies” , as they were termed by the UK, shaped Britain, its former territories and the modern world, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road SE1 6HZ until 29 March. Info: IWM
* Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans, a celebration of art and history, £14/ £16, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG until 25 May. Info: Hawai’i
* A Greenland shadow over a wonderful Hawai’i exhibition
* Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, from ancient Mesopotamia 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
+ Thirst: an exhibition bridge over troubled water
* Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire & Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art, The Singh Twins examine the global mythologies of plants and the histories of Empire + Flora Indica – work by historical Indian botanical artists, admission with Kew entry fee, Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens until 12 April
+ The Singh Twins light up the links between empire and botany
+ The Singh Twins spotlight Kew’s role in the business of Empire
* 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
* Nigerian Modernism, Nigerian artists working before and after the decade of national independence from British colonial rule in 1960, Tate Modern, Bankside SE1 9TG until 10 May. Info: Tate
* A Story of South Asian Art: Mrinalini Mukherjee and Her Circle, artists who have shaped the trajectory of Indian Modernism, £17, Royal Academy, Burlington House, Piccadilly W1J until 24 February. Info: RA
* I Still Dream of Lost Vocabularies, examination of political dissent and erasure through the idea of collage, Sabrina Tirvengadum, Sunil Gupta, Qualeasha Wood, Jess Atieno, Sheida Soleimani, free, Autograph, Rivington Place, EC2A 3BA until 21 March. Info: Exhibition
* The Land Carries, work by three international artists: Ahmed Akasha (UK), Dina Nur Satti (US) and Yasmin Elnour (Bahrain) responding to material in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, 1 - 5pm, Petrie Museum, University College London, Malet Place, WC1E 6BT until 16 May. Info: Sudan exhibition
* Posters to the Olive Tree of Exile, Turkish artist Yusuf Aygeç explores themes of exile, memory and resistance through the symbolic presence of the olive tree, bearing witness to the voice of the Palestinian people, P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD, until 30 January. Info: P21
* 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
* Target Queen, large-scale commission by British-Indian artist Bharti Kher, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre
* Charlie Phillips - Somewhere, Somehow, work by the Jamaican immigrant who became one of Britain’s greatest photographers, Riverside Studios, 101 Queen Caroline Street W6 9BN until 9 March. Info: Riverside
from Friday 23 January
* Tixinda, A Snail’s Purple, exhibition about a sea snail whose ink can be milked to produce a purple pigment known as Tyrian or Royal purple, by British-Mexican artist Melanie Smith and Patricio Villarreal Ávila, Peltz Gallery, 43 Gordon Square, WC1H 0PD, until 11 March. Info: Pellz
Performance
* Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, the lives of two US Marines, an Iraqi translator and a Bengal tiger collide, £12 - £57, Young Vic, 66 The Cut, SE1 8LZ until 31 January. Info: Young Vic
+ ‘Did he who made the lamb, make thee?’ The tiger replies
* The Horse of Jenin, one-man show constructed from the fragments of Palestinian actor and comedian Alaa Shehada’s memories, Bush Theatre, Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ until 22 January. Info: Bush
+ A Palestinian tale - straight from the horse’s mouth
* Safe Haven, based on true events by a former British diplomat in Iraqi Kurdistan, two diplomats and a refugee struggle to convince the British government to intervene, £15 - £29, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL until 7 February. Info: Arcola
+ 20 Jan, post-show discussion with representatives of the Kurdistan government and the Royal United Services Institute + 22 Jan, post-show Q&A with participant in the play’s real events and academic researchers
from Wednesday 21 January
* A Grain of Sand, one-woman show written and directed by Good Chance’s deputy artistic director Elias Matar, drawing on real children’s testimonies, that tells the story of a Gazan girl in search of her family and the mythical Palestinian “Anqaa”, £12 - £39, Arcola Theatre, Ashwin Street E8 3DL until 31 January. Info: Arcola
Monday 26 January
* Up to Here and Beyond, first UK performance of Jasmijn Apte’s new live journalism project “on the artificial rescue of the northern white rhino” - bringing together journalism, theatre, interaction and music, 1 - 2pm, City University, Northampton Square, EC1V 0HB. Info: City
Film
* Coexistence, My Ass!, comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi (a former UN diplomat) uses humour to expose hard truths about the relationship between Israel and Palestine, Curzon Bloomsbury until 22 January
* The Voice of Hind Rajab, dramatisation of events in January 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an urgent call: a six-year-old girl trapped in a car under fire in Gaza begs for rescue. They try to keep her on the line while doing everything possible to send an ambulance to rescue her, Barbican; Cineworld at O2, Wandsworth; Picturehouses Central, Finsbury Park, Gate, Greenwich, Hackney, Ritzy; Odeon Greenwich; Vues Finchley Road, Fulham Broadway, Islington, North Finchley, Westfield London, Westfield Stratford City; Cine Lumiere until 24 January; Lexi, ICA, until 22 January
* Black Water, follows Lokhi and her family in southern Bangladesh, where rising sea levels mean Lokhi has to relocate, from the flood-prone southern coastline to the capital, Curzon Bloomsbury until 22 January
Monday 19 January
* The Short Films of Tina Gharavi, shows the talent of the Iranian-born British filmmaker + intro by Chantelle Boyea, 6.15pm, National Film Theatre
Tuesday 20 January
* The Six Billion Dollar Man: Julian Assange and the Price of Truth, dramatic documentary about the man behind Wikileaks that includes new footage, Curzon Bloomsbury
+ ‘I plead guilty to journalism’, says the six billion dollar man
Friday 23 January
* It Was Just An Accident, Jafar Panahi’s award-winning Iranian black comedy thriller is a powerful indictment of state-sponsored terror and a moving drama of individuals seeking to rebuild their lives after being subject to it, 6.10pm, Lexi + 26, 27, 29 January
+ Twice-jailed Panahi spins a moral tale for our authoritarian times
* In Frame: Tina Gharavi, the Iranian-born British director discusses her work, 8.50pm, £6.50pm, National Film Theatre: joint ticket available with I Am Nasrine, a drama about Iranian siblings making a new life for themselves in the UK + intro, 6:20pm, £17/ £14
from Friday 23 January
* Ai Weiwei’s Turandot, the artist and dissident makes his debut as an opera director with a radical reinterpretation of Puccini's classic, building a piece that challenges, inspires, and reflects the global crises of our times, 6.20pm, Curzon Bloomsbury + 24 January, 4pm; 25 January, 6.10pm
* No Other Choice, one man’s desperation to secure a new job finds him exploring unique ways to eliminate his competitors, in South Korean director Park Chan-wook’s madcap thriller, National Film Theatre until 25 January
Saturday 24 January
* Woman with a Movie Camera Summit 2026, over 20 events exploring film and television, focused on giving female and non-binary voices a chance to speak out, including Joely Mae Greally, april forrest lin 林森, Ebun Sodipo, the work of Gurinder Chadha and Tina Gharavi, Warda Mohamed, Zebib K Abraham, Mimi Koku, Shadi Karamroudi, Marina González Vásquez, Haaniyah Awale Angus, Teni Ayo, Moni Serneabat Ungar, Jannat Suleman, Lamisa Khan, Maha Al-Badrawi, from 11am, BFI Southbank, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road SE1. Info: BFI
Sunday 25 January
* Salt of This Sea, US-based Soraya decides to travel to the country of her ancestry when she discovers that her grandfather’s savings have been frozen in a Jaffa bank account since his 1948 exile. But her simple plan turns out to be a complicated undertaking, part of season celebrating Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir, 5pm, £10, Lexi + 29 January, 6.10pm
Monday 26 January
* In the Mood for Love, sleek suits and richly colourful dresses help define the beauty and elegance of Wong Kar Wai’s Hong Kong-set masterpiece that has come to be regarded as a defining film of this century, 2.30pm, National Film Theatre
* Bend It Like Beckham, Gurinder Chadha’s feel-good sports comedy is a smart, funny and uplifting tale of ambition, identity and friendship + discussion with artists Athen Kardashian and Nina Mhach Durban, 8.20pm, National Film Theatre
TV and radio
Monday 19 January
* Global Eye, current affairs, 7.30pm, BBC2
* Wild China, human-animal relations in southern China, 7pm, BBC4,
* Art of Persia, 8pm, BBC4
* Start the Week, how to revive democracy, 9am, Radio4
Tuesday 20 January
* The Lost World of Tibet, the story of the Dalai Lama, 11.45pm, BBC4
* Crossing Continents, how aid workers were tried for for helping migrants , 9pm, Radio4
Wednesday 21 January
* Polite Society, comedy thriller about a British Muslim martial arts enthusiast’s attempts to block her older sister’s arranged marriage, 9pm, Film4
* Sorry, I Didn’t Know, Black comedy quiz, 11.40pm, ITV1
* Faith, Hope and Glory, epic drama series charting the rise of modern multicultural Britain, 2.15pm, Radio4
Thursday 22 January
* Palestine Action - The truth Behind the Ban, documentary inquiry into why on earth PA has been been banned as a terrorist organisation, 10pm, Channel4
* Human Intelligence, the mind of China’s most famous female poet, Li Qingzhao, 1.45pm, Radio4
Thanks to volunteer Daniel Nelson (editor of Eventslondon.org) for compiling this list.