natives race and class in the ruins of empire review

As the son of a Scottish mother and Jamaican father, he experienced severe discrimination, feeling hated at the hands of his grandfather, as well as facing racism at school from students and teachers alike. In this riveting book, Akala discusses the barriers he faced growing up as a mixed-race child in 1980s Britain. Akala, the multitalented activist and historian, most commonly known for his music and public speaking, shares his unapologetic perspective on racism, class and colonialism in his 2018 book, Natives. Akala takes a retrospective look on the history of the Empire to educate on the history of Black Britons and confront issues of discrimination and ruling class policy, overall causing us to question where it all began.

Today, more than ever, it is imperative that we are educated on social issues and always challenging ourselves to be better informed. Natives provides a comprehensive summary of the issues faced by Black Britons. Natives is the searing modern polemic and Sunday Times bestseller from the BAFTA and MOBO award-winning musician and political commentator, Akala.Becoming a better ally to marginalised communities requires an understanding of the circumstances that brought us here.

In this unique book he takes his own experiences and widens them out to look at the social, historical and political factors that have left us where we are today.Ĭovering everything from the police, education and identity to politics, sexual objectification and the far right, Nativesspeaks directly to British denial and squeamishness when it comes to confronting issues of race and class that are at the heart of the legacy of Britain’s racialised empire. ‘I recommend Natives to everyone’ Candice Carty-Williamsįrom the first time he was stopped and searched as a child, to the day he realised his mum was white, to his first encounters with racist teachers – race and class have shaped Akala’s life and outlook.

It’s personal, historical, political, and it speaks to where we are now’ Benjamin Zephaniah ‘T his is the book I’ve been waiting for – for years. *RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK* SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE | THE JHALAK PRIZE | THE BREAD AND ROSES AWARD & LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING

Natives race and class in the ruins of empire review