Thursday 5th June 2025 | A University of Southampton, John Hansard Gallery and Mayflower Studios event
Continuing the series, “Conflicting Ideas; Conflict and Compassionate Conversations”, Pascal Matthias, Associate Vice President for EDI and Social Justice at the University of Southampton talks to Afua Hirsch – a British writer, journalist, broadcaster, and former barrister.
Hirsch is best-known for her work on race, identity, and social justice, which includes:
- Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging, her 2018 Sunday Times bestseller and part-memoir that examined black history, culture, and politics in Britain, Senegal, and Ghana.
- Co-presenting the 2020 documentary series Enslaved alongside Samuel L. Jackson, which investigated the history of the transatlantic slave trade.
- African Renaissance: When Art Meets Power, a BBC Four series exploring African art, history, and resistance.
- Decolonising My Body: A Radical Exploration of Rituals and Beauty (2023), reflecting on personal and societal perceptions of beauty shaped by colonial history.
The conversation promises to draw upon Hirsch’s extensive experience to explore how embracing diverse perspectives can promote understanding and empathy. Through her work, Hirsch challenges conventional narratives and encourages meaningful dialogue on the most pressing social issues of our time.
Date and time: Thursday 5th June 2025 at 7:00pm
Location: Mayflower Studios, 142-144 Above Bar Street, Southampton SO14 7DU
Tickets: Free https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/afua-hirsch-2025/