Events in London
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Talks and discussions
* 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
Monday 17 February
* China and international order at the new frontiers, Katherine Morton, 5-6.30pm, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, WC1. Info: https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/event/china-and-international-order-new-frontiers
Tuesday 18 February
* Keeping the promise of Beijing+30: who will lead on global gender rights in a time of backlash?, Alicia Herbert, Ambassador Ximena Fuentes, Ambassador Peter Derreck Hof, Ayesha Khan, Alison Holder, 4-6pm, Overseas Development Institute, 203 Blackfriars Road, SE1. Info: ODI
* Ahdaf Soueif, the Egyptian novelist In Conversation, 6:30-7:30pm, £15, in-person and online, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square. Info: The Conversation
Wednesday 19 February
* Battles for Pluralism: Indonesia, Malaysia and the great democratic unknown, Dan Slater, 5-6.30pm, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2. Info: LSE
* Caste in Everyday Life: Experience and Affect in Indian Society, Hugo Gorringe and Dhaneshwar Bhoi, 5-6.30pm, King’s College, South Wing 2.01Strand campus, 30 Aldwych, WC2B 4BG. Info: King’s
* Dismantling green colonialism: energy and climate justice in the Arab region, Hamza Hamouchene, 4-5.30pm. Info: Institute of Development Studies
Thursday 20 February
* The rise of the European Far Right, Paul Moss, Stefan Boscla, 7pm, from £6.13, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2 1QJ. Info: Frontline
* Palestine Repair & Return: Stories of Disability and Rehabilitation, Jamal Al Rozzi, CEO of a Palestinian rehabilitation organisation, and others on the wisdom and invention of Palestinians’ response to disabilities inflicted by Israel, live and online, 6.30-8.30pm, P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD. Info: P21
* Spice Ports and the Origins of Global Sea Trade, Nicholas Nugent, 7.15pm, £6-£12, British Library, Euston Road, NW1 2DB. Info: Library
* Voices of the Past Celebrating Black Historical Fiction, Pepsi DeMacque-Crockett, Varaidzo, Elle Machray, Sofia Akel, 7.30pm, £17, Brixton House, 385 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8GL. Info: FANE
Friday 21 February
* Demystifying Black Philanthropy, virtual panel discussion with Frank London Gettridge, Patricia Hamzahee, Heather Harding, Gabrielle Wyatt, 3-4pm, £11.25. Info: Black Cultural Archives
Sunday 23 February
* Nnedi Okorafor: Death of the Author, the author of Binti and co-author of Black Panther presents her latest novel, about family, culture and identity, 7.45pm, from £17, Purcell room, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road.
Monday 24 February
* The Trump World Order, Justin Webb, 6.30pm, £22.59-£43.35, Smith Square Hall, Westminster. Info: Intelligence Squared
Tuesday 25 February
* Afghanistan: Breathing Life into Heritage in a Fragile State, Andy Miller and Jonathan Rider on the role of heritage protection in peace-building and reconciliation, 2-3.30pm, free, V&A Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7. Info: V&A
* Stand with Colombia: Inside the global fight against corporate courts, Guillaume Long, Cleodie Rickard, Sebastián Abad Jara, 7pm–8.15pm, online. Info: Global Justice Now
Exhibitions
* Silk Roads, outstanding fresh look at east-west trade, cultural and intellectual routes in the period AD55-AD1000, £22-£25, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1 until 23 February. Info: Exhibition
+ ‘Made in Syria, buried in Essex’: Silk Roads busts its blocks
* A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang, step into a once bustling town on the Silk Road to meet the people who lived, travelled through, worked and worshipped there, British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW! until 23 February. Info: British Library
+ A voice from the Silk Roads: ‘I would rather be a pig’s wife than yours’
* Citra Sasmita: Into Eternal Land, the Indonesian artist uses a 15th century painting technique to dismantle misconceptions of Balinese culture and confront its violent colonial past, free, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS until 21 April. Info: Barbican
* Abi Morocco Photos: Spirit of Lagos, free, Autograph, Rivington Place, EC2A 3BA, until 22 March. Info: Autograph
* 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.
* Inspiration Africa: Stories Beyond the Artifacts, exploration of V&A galleries through the lens of African heritage. Free, every second Saturday of the month, V&A museum, Cromwell Avenue, SW7. V&A tour
* Collecting and Empire, trail making connections between archaeology, anthropology and the British Empire. British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG.
* British Library, installation of 6,328 books celebrates the ongoing contributions made by immigrants to Britain. Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG.
* 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 the Gold Coast in 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
* All Our Stories: Migration and the Making of Britain, the centrality of migration to British life, free, Thursdays-Saturdays, Migration Museum, Lewisham Shopping Centre, SE13 7HB, until December 2025. Info: Museum
* Hard Graft: Work, Health and Rights, stories of under-represented workers and their rights within precarious and unsafe labour environments, free, Wellcome Centre, 183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE until 27 April. Info: Wellcome
+ Working yourself into the ground
* Mire Lee, born in South Korea and living and working between Amsterdam and Seoul, her visceral sculptures use kinetic, mechanised elements to invoke the tension between soft forms and rigid systems, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG until 18 March. Info: Tate Modern
* Esther Mahlangu: Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, brightly coloured geometric paintings rooted in South African Ndebele culture, free, Serpentine North, until 28 September 2025. Info: Serpentine
* Beware Blue Skies, immersive film installation about battle drones, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, until 16 March. Info: IWM
* The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence, £22, V&A Museum, Cromwell Street, SW7 2RL, until 5 May. Info: V&A
* The 80s: Photographing Britain, includes work showing the Black arts movement and South Asian diaspora, Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG until 5 May. Info: Tate
* Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism, over 130 works by 10 artists from the 20th century, capturing the diversity of Brazilian art at the time, £23.50-£25.50, Royal Academy, Burlington House, Piccadilly, until 21 April. Info: RA
* SOIL: The World at Our Feet, includes Fernando Laposse’s work based on the impact of the North American Fair-Trade Agreement and use of agrochemicals in a Mexican village, Asunción Molinos Gordo’s visual geometry of Egypt’s Nile’s valley, inviting visitors to explore global agri-business; Annalee Davis drawing on knowledge of the former sugar plantation in Barbados where she lives and works; Somerset House, The Strand, WC2R 1LA until 13 April. Info:
* Stories of Migration, celebrating 12 years of innovative storytelling from PositiveNegatives, SOAS Gallery, Thornhaugh Street, WC1 until 22 March.
* Through Motion, British Ghanaian artist Heather Agypeong focuses on mental health and wellbeing, invisibility and the African diaspora, Doyle Wham, 91A Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY until 22 March. Info: Doyle Wham
* 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
* Mickalene Thomas: All About, vibrant, large-scale portraits of Black women at rest reclaim space and representation in art history, celebrating love and radical repose, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX, from £19, until 5 May. Info: Hayward
* Donald Rodney: Visceral Canker, survey exhibition of the late Jamaican-heritage British multi-media artist, Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX until 4 May. Info: Whitechapel
* Visions from the Amazon, photography, painting and film by Claudia Andujar, rubber tapper Hélio Melo; Indigenous artists Denilson Baniwa and Tayná Satere plus Paula Sampaio, Luciana Magno, Nay Jinknss and Rosa Gauditano, Peltz Gallery, 43 Gordon Square, WC1H 0PD until 9 April. Info: Peltz:
* 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
Saturday 22 February
* Existence as Resistance: An evening of Palestinian films, multi-floor exhibition of six Palestinian films and an art installation, 7-9pm, 9-11pm, £7-£15, Palestine House, WC1V 6JQ. Info: Palestine House
Film
* To A Land Unknown, pacey drama about two Palestinian refugees living on the fringes of society in Athens who get ripped off by a smuggler and sets out to seek revenge + Q&A with director Mahdi Fleifel,
Picturehouses Finsbury Park, Hackney, Ritzy; Curzon Mayfair; Garden until 19 February; ICA, Lexi until 20 February;
+ Two desperate Palestinians: ‘We’re getting out, no matter what’
* Hiding Saddam Hussein, the life of Iraqi farmer Alaa changed dramatically in 2003 when deposed dictator Saddam Hussein demanded to be hidden. Two decades later filmmaker Halkawt Mustafa tracked Alaa down to learn the story of the 235-day secret, Curzon Bloomsbury until 20 February
* I’m Migrant Film Festival, focussing on films from immigrant and exiled artists, poets and writers from the Arab world + talks and discussions, Genesis cinema, Mile End Road until 28 February. Info: Festival
* July Rhapsody, character-driven 2002 exploration of broken relationships, destructive yearning and lost dreams, drawing on Chinese poetry, starring Ann Hui, Jackie Cheung and Karena Lam, Garden cinema until 10 February
* The Seed of the Sacred Fig, shot entirely in secret, Mohammad Rasoulof’s drama depicts a man recently appointed a judge in Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court at a time of growing unrest on the streets and discontent from his wife and daughters: since the film was made, three actresses have subsequently fled to Berlin to avoid persecution, Vue Islington, Westfield London, 17, 20 February; Vues Westfield Stratford City and Finchley Road, 18 February; Riverside until 20 February; Finsbury Park Picturehouse until 19 February; Garden, ICA, Castle until 20 February
+ Iranian Oscar nominee Mohammad Rasoulof: ‘After my arrest, I told myself: don’t hold back’
* Hiding Saddam Hussein, the life of Iraqi farmer Alaa changed dramatically in 2003 when deposed dictator Saddam Hussein demanded to be hidden. Two decades later filmmaker Halkawt Mustafa tracked Alaa down to learn the story of the 235-day secret, Curzon Bloomsbury
Tuesday 18 February
* Get Millie Black, follows a Scotland Yard detective investigating a strange disappearance in Kingston, Jamaica + Q&A with Marion James, Tamara Lawrence, Joe Dempsis and Simon Maxwell, 6pm, £14-£17, National Film Theatre.
* Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, jazz and decolonisation are entwined in this historical rollercoaster of a documentary about the West’s murder of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba, Curzon Bloomsbury
+ Congo, colonialism, Cold War conflict and all that jazz
from Tuesday 18 February
* No Other Land, a young Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta teams up with an Israeli journalist fight to Israelis expulsions, Curzon Bloomsbury, until 20 February
from Thursday 20 February
* BFI Future Film Festival 2025, includes films and directors from or about China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, UAE and UK, BFI Southbank, online and cinemas until 6 March. Info: Festival
Friday 21 February
* The Lonely Wife, touching story about a lonely wife is regarded as Satyajit Ray’s finest achievement, 8.30pm, National Film Theatre
* Emilia Perez, musical crime comedy about a Mexican cartel leader who enlists a lawyer to help her disappear so that she may transition into a woman, 8.20pm, Lexi
from Friday 21 February
* I’m Still Here, as Brazil faces the tightening grip of a military dictatorship, Eunice Paiva, mother of five, is forced to reinvent herself after her family suffers a violent and arbitrary act by the government, ICA until 27 February; Cine Lumiere until 3 March
Sunday 23 February
* Celluloid Sunday, on a covert mission in Latin America in 1983, Vietnam veteran Eddie Guerrero's allegiance to the US military begins to unravel as his growing awareness of his Latino heritage leads him to identify with the people he is meant to oppose, 6.30pm, ICA
* A Confucian Confusion (Duli Shidai), sardonic portrait of a Taipei overrun by a generation of money-obsessed go-getters, 5.30pm, National Film Theatre
* Screening for Palestine, shorts, 2.45pm, £17, Close-Up Cinema. Info: Eventbrite
Monday 24 February
* Black Girl, the seminal work from the father of African cinema, Ousmane Sembène, focuses on a domestic worker who emigrates from Senegal to France in the hope for a better life + intro, 8.50pm, National Film Theatre
* Black Godfather of Scuba follows the extraordinary life and mission of Dr. Albert Jose “Doc” Jones, co-founder of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers. After diving at the wreck of the Henrietta Marie, the first lost slave ship ever recovered, he dedicated himself to finding and recovering the remains of others, and to making sure those lost souls would never be forgotten + Q&A with director Matt Kay & other panellists, 6.30pm, Rich Mix
Monday 24-Tuesday 25 February
* I’m Still Here, as Brazil faces the tightening grip of a military dictatorship, Eunice Paiva, mother of five, is forced to reinvent herself after her family suffers a violent and arbitrary act by the government, Riverside Studios
Tuesday 25 February
* This Is Ballroom, documentary about a bounteous and transformative space for Brazilian people of colour + Q&A, 6.20pm, Curzon Bloomsbury
Performance
* Kyoto, the nations of the world are in deadlock and 11 hours have passed since the UN’s landmark climate conference should have ended. Time is running out and agreement feels a world away. The greatest obstacle: US oil lobbyist and master strategist, Don Pearlman…, from £25, Soho Place, 4 Soho Place, Charing Cross Road, W1D 3BG, until 3 May. Info: Soho Place
+ Kyoto turns climate change into an entertaining thriller
* blackbird hour, babirye bukilwa’s “visceral and moving exploration of a queer Black woman’s call to arms for loving oneself when love has made itself scarce”, from £20, Bush Theatre, 7 Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ until 1 March. Info: Blackbird
* Antigone [on strike], inspired by stories of the ‘ISIS Brides’, the play follows law student Antiya as she campaigns against an ambitious Home Secretary to bring her sister back from Syria. The audience participates by casting votes and comments with wireless keypad devices, Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, N4 3JP until 22 February. Info: www.parktheatre.co.uk
+ Clicks and democracy: do our opinions really matter?
* Miss Brexit, unfortunately, Europeans, you are no longer welcome. But we still are a kind and inclusive country and tonight we will choose one lucky European to remain in our great Great Britain, £15-£13, Omnibus Theatre, 1 Clapham Common Northside, SW4 until 15 February. Info: Omnibus
from Tuesday 18 February
* Kafka’s Ape, Noma Yimi stars in a universally relatable yet unsettling exploration of what it means to adapt as an “other” in society, 7.30pm, £18-£16, Omnibus Theatre, 1 Clapham Common Northside, SW4 until 22 February. Info: Omnibus
Thursday 20 February
* Women of the Windrush, Shirley J. Thompson’s one-woman, one-act opera weaves filmic documentary and song in a love letter to the resilience of the Windrush settlers, 7pm, £5-£28, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Milton Court, 1 Milton Street, EC2Y 9BH. Info: Guildhall Music School
from Friday 21 February
* A Knock on the Roof, Pack Bag. Set timer. Run. Repeat. Mariam knows the army often drops small warning bombs – a knock on the roof - giving tenants in Gaza 5-15 minutes to evacuate. With wit and determination, Mariam meticulously rehearses for the run of her life; by Khawla Ibraheem, Royal Court, Sloane Square, until 8 March. Info: Royal Court
TV and radio
Sunday 16 February
* Inside China: The Battle for Tibet, the Dalai Lama’s succession, 10.20pm, ITV 1
* Calmer, drama by Lolita Chakrabarti about three generations of female high-achievers, with Meera Syal and Payal Mistry, 10pm, Radio 3
Monday 17 February
* Gaza: How to survive a war zone, documentary about life for young Gazans, 9pm, BBC 2
* Go Back To Where You Came From, a group of Brits meet a people smuggler and a “small boat” crossing to Italy in this controversial “reality” TV series, 9pm, Channel 4
* Virdee, Staz Nair stars in Bradford crime series, 9pm, BBC 1
* The 50-Years War: Israel and the Arabs, 11.30pm, BBC4
Tuesday 18 February
* Storyville: Gaucho Gaucho - Argentina’s Last Ranchers, documentary, 10pm, BBC 4
* The 50-Years War: Israel and the Arabs, 11.15pm, BBC4
* Robben Island’s Hallelujah, an account of an apartheid-era South African jail performance by a choir of political prisoners, 4pm, Radio 4
Wednesday 19 February
* Himalaya With Michael Palin, another bland travelogue, this time in Tibet, where spending time on a destination is justified by the celeb narrator’s name, 8pm, BBC 4
* Gaza: How to survive a war zone, documentary about life for young people in Gaza, 11.35pm, BBC 2
* Shayda, drama about an Iranian-born student and her daughter in a women’s shelter in Australia, 1.35am, Film4
Thursday 20 February
* Sorry, I Didn’t Know, Black comedy quiz, 11.40pm, ITV 1
* The 50-Years War: Israel and the Arabs, 1.20am, BBC4
* Go Back To Where You Came From, controversial “reality” TV series based on Brits visiting political hot-spots, 2.50am, Channel 4
Friday 21 February
* Inside China: The Battle for Tibet, the Dalai Lama’s succession, 3am, ITV 1
* Free Thinking, debate on Michael X’s views, 9pm, Radio 4
+ Starting March: Get Milli Black, Caribbean police show. Info: ‘It changed my life’: The thrilling Caribbean crime drama shaking up TV
Thanks to volunteer Daniel Nelson (editor of Eventslondon.org) for compiling this list.