iBlackbird Notting Hill Festival
July 2022
NEED TO KNOW
Held on the first weekend in July 2022 in Portobello Green, North Kensington known to many as the small hub of the Westway community centre. In this space, we the community will host the
iBlackbird Notting Hill Festival
“Celebrating Life, Art and Culture”
1st July 2022 - Day 1
Mama Mohinder day
“Celebrating of Life day”
Named after an amazing Asian Lady, born in India, Mohinder Kaur and her family have contributed for over 25 years to the heart of Golborne Road and throughout the borough. Since then they have been successfully adopted into our Notting Hill extended family.
This Mother like many has been a constant, behind the scene
Mum as do great mothers. In ways that matter, the family have established a successful diverse business known as the Cash and Carry shop in Golborne Road, North Kensington.
Mama Mohinder Son and family have contributed overall to our community and what's key is their reputation as a family who listens and who actively participate in building and maintaining our amazing diverse family. Most recently the family, like most residents in our time of need, selflessly demonstrated support to the call to action Grenfell disaster and was deservedly recognised and nominated as Grenfell community ambassadors. The list of this family dedicated work is too much to count. Today they continue in Mama Mohinder style giving generously to the development and wellbeing of our community.
To name this day after this phenomenal woman representing unity in diversity is an honour as this signifies the coming together of our amazing patchwork multicultural blanket Community.
On Mohinder day, members of the Notting Hill community along with invited guests, will come together to recognise past Community Leaders who have lent their time and life in building and moulding this iconic community.
We will take time to recognise these powerful individuals' struggle, political journey as we reflect on their role in the development of the Notting Hill multicultural space.
Equally on the 1st July we will be paying homage and tribute to known and unknown individuals' who are giving effort and time in giving back to this community.
Arts and Culture has always been a feature of Notting Hill Community and as such we will incorporate this feature throughout our festival , showcasing our talent remembering our credited established past and present Artists.
In honour and to establish iBlackbird Notting Hill festival we will be launching our 72 hr drumming session. This is to build unity as the drumming echoes throughout North Kensington spreading Joy and Love with an array of our diverse ethic groups coming together to partake in the festival over the next 3 days.
We are asking everyone to participate; those who sympathise with loss and who are still recovering from grief who desire joy and happiness to join us by our social media networks by posting themselves drumming.
Using drums, by hands on table tops etc. Or why not post an image of a bird of your choice. However you choose, please join us. You are welcome, including those abroad. We are truly an international family.
As we are known to the international world for our amazing Antique market, home of the Notting Hill famous movie and much more. Friends of Notting Hill, tourists of past and future, are invited to come and post and participate, tag us directly on our instagram, twitter accounts at inottinghillblackbird.
With RBKC Councillor Mayor David Lindsay and Flower Veronica Daughter
With RBKC Councillor Mayor David Lindsay and Flower Veronica Daughter
July 2nd - Day 2
Baba Priests day
“One Love One Community day”
Named after Roy Prince aka Septy Priest, an African originally born in Jamaica while in Britain spent his early life touring as a researcher of African literature and Art in Africa and America. Later Baba became known through his travels as a Civil rights activist, inspired by Baba Marcus Garvey, Baba Nykrumah and others.
Baba Priest, a Pan Africanist, Rastafarian credited as being one of the founders of Rastafarianism in Britain Notting Hill in the early 1960’s Baba like many Community Notting Hill leaders acted as a bridge like others to establish the Notting Hill Carnival to name of few of his accomplishments.
In Baba's later life he had the pleasure of focusing and contributing to the establishment of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the UK.
Eventually becoming one of the first Deacon in the Church in the UK. This came about after his visit while touring America and Jamaica and then being baptised in America by the Bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
This was an idyllic moment for him, it was truly a full circle opportunity for Baba Priest as on his return he later spent some time in Notting Hill working towards the recognition and establishment of the first Ethiopian Orhodox Church St Mary Of Zion.
A man whose works aim and vision was centred around unity and who dedicated his life and time unifying, building bridges, forging ties and links with his loved community in Notting Hill North Kensington space.
In reflection to Baba ideology the theme of the 2nd day of the festival will be taking from Baba Priests favourite quote from H.I.M Haile Selassie I famous speech spoken to the United Nations General Assembly on October 4, 1963 “Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war. And until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation, until the colour of a man's skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes”
We are honoured to name the festival 2nd day after such a remarkable personality whose effort and aim was for the unification of one family in Notting Hill.
Day 2 Drumming Circle will be taking place at a venue in Notting Hill this will be an online event. There we will have a coming together of representatives reflecting our multicultural Notting Hill community drummers from 12pm- 6pm signifying unity One love One Community.
July 3rd - Day 3
Celebrate
Like so many across the world we have all suffered loss pain such as grief, loneliness, loss of family members especially enduring the pandemic and much more as we move forward we feel a helping antidote will be to offer laughter as a healer component and so also along with finalising the 72 hr drumming closure on the 3rd final day.
Taking place at Portobello Green venue from 12 noon - 9pm, we invite you to join us face to face as we Celebrate with laughter and movement, dancing and much more to bring a close to this year iBlackbird Notting Hill festival, the prelude to our amazing Notting Hill Carnival in August.
We take the opportunity to invite you to continue celebrating with us in August at Europe's biggest Street Carnival.
We say Ase’ Ase’ Ase’”O”
“Ase is pronounced “A-shay” and is used as a term of blessing and affirmation Ase’ originates in the African Yoruba language (àṣẹ) and originated in Nigeria.”
