Alumni news

Lynda Rosenior-Patten (left) with Valerie Kporye (photo: Diensen Pamben)

June Reid (left) and Lynda Rosenior-Patten (photo: Diensen Pamben)

June Reid (left) and Karina H Maynard (photo: Diensen Pamben)

Topher Campbell (photo: Diensen Pamben)

17 February 2023 18:30 until 22:30
University of Sussex Campus - Mandela Hall, Falmer House

Speakers: June Reid and Lynda Rosenior-Patten (Nzinga Soundz), Topher Campbell, Karina H Maynard

Words by: Valerie Kporye, Literature and Philosophy undergraduate at Sussex

The five-year ‘Black at Sussex’ programme focuses on celebrating Black alumni as part of the work underway to improve the experience of Black students at the University of Sussex. During the event, a dynamic trio consisting of Lynda Rosenior-Patten and June Reid from Nzinga Soundz, along with Sussex alumnus Topher Campbell, explored the rich histories and cultural connections united by various genres of music. This discussion, facilitated by Karina H Maynard, delved into the themes of belonging, agency, and the complexities of life from the 1960s into the present.

The challenge at hand was no small feat: to select a collection of four tracks that would capture four decades of history. It was gracefully met by two remarkable black female DJs who launched their illustrious careers in the 1980s. The evening was introduced with Krosfyah’s ‘Pump Me Up’, a Soca tune described as “a calypso tradition with an African vibe”. It ushered in a discussion around crossing hard cultural and racial borders with music as means of expression and exploration. Evocative of Carnival and summer, it enriched this winter evening in Mandela Hall. Lynda and June's friendship began in the formative years of secondary school where they experienced the racial confrontation of growing up in the context of North London in the 60s. They were attentive to the nuance of their difference, at first, the distinction between the solace of a Caribbean home for June and the British society out there. There was a greater journey of “crossing that divide” where a black British child was “not totally embraced” and this “dual consciousness in the home” was further emphasised by differing generational and academic expectations. Coming from a generation of Black parents who valued education as something to be pursued, Lynda’s protection was her father and her African heritage because it was a pathway to translate a higher expectation of her in education. Likewise, June embraced the notion of education as a passport to a prosperous life.

The second track titled ‘Christopher Columbus’ by Burning Spear highlighted the contradiction of exploration and discovery. Lynda asked, “How can you discover a place with people living there?” questioning the “identity of a man traveling around the world pillaging.” The context of Britain between the ‘60s through the ‘80s till now has been a journey on its own, reassembling “suppressed things.” On the one hand, you have the identity of a dominant culture and on the other, you have the suppressed culture of lively people. There were distinct tensions between the awareness of conversations in black households and the experience of going out there and having your history dismissed, misrepresented, and excluded. This song echoes the urge to go and find oneself and discover the nuances of being black. This is exactly what Lynda embarked on at Virgin Records, revolutionising its world music section and introducing people to sounds beyond borders. It was her way of giving a platform to artists during social injustice and strife.

Music carries many conversations and holds space to enable many people in achieving liberty. It is through music, people are gathered, shifted, and amplified. The artist of the third song selected both by both Topher and Nzinga Soundz was Abdullah Ibrahim, the precursor to Hugh Masekela, echoing liberty and unity. In the early ’90s, Nzinga Soundz shared their platform with spaces to raise awareness for varied communities, creating community news, and a vibrant collective of artists in spoken word, theatre, poetry, and more. “It was an understatement to say you survived the ‘90s,” June said, and music was the safe space in which Nzinga Soundz circulated culture through development and education. Thus, music facilitated the necessary conversations of a community that refused to have its history and presence erased. Ushering us into the conversation with Topher Campbell ‘Chan Chan’ by Buena Vista Social Club was the last track played by Nzinga Soundz, an Afro-Cuban Jazz track lively with intersections of cultures and traditions. 

As Topher Campbell shared his journey, the honest reflection on framing himself became the theme for his discussion. He chose ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials as his first song, showcasing the exploration of escaping the ghost town of his childhood. Echoing the words of James Baldwin, he hit the jackpot growing up as Black, queer, and poor. And in discovering himself as an Afro-Queer artist he tells of maturity being defined by the reclamation of space for himself, where he had to “Reframe [his] existence, reposition [himself] within the mainframe, and take [himself] out of it to find [himself] again”. This song symbolised the anthem of searching for something different and stimulated the receptive ambiance of the event.

The selection of the second track, ‘You Don’t Know Me’, by Armand Van Helden, was underpinned by the safe joyous community of nightlife, and also by the “subversive existence” of Topher’s journey. He explained the premise of having audacity as a recognition of evolution that enables everything to exist, whereby if everything is made up as an iteration of something, one can choose to create different kinds of opportunities, and paths, which make progress. An example of this is his film Fetish, an afro-futurist film, which takes a multidimensional being walking through New York naked – inspired by Jean-Michael Basquiat – to illustrate a different kind of being and seeing, such that we are shocked into having different conversations about our existence. For instance, what does it feel like to exist? Continuing with Lauryn Hill’s ‘Everything is Everything’ as the third song, Topher conveys its threading of spirituality and calls to take up space, take time, and exist in the bigger picture. A call to be seen and valued confidently as a black woman in the ‘90s.

The final song chosen was ‘Soweto Is Where It’s At’ by Abdullah Ibrahim and Dollar Brand, and like Nzinga Soundz’s earlier selection, it completes the cyclical theme of the rich histories of people who curated a landscape of liberty and visibility. Through joy and self-agency, a person can reposition spaces for others too.

Gathering in these spaces and sharing these incredible journeys fosters a sense of belonging, recognising that there are spaces to discuss our varied histories and futures as Black students. They serve as a reminder that there are countless remarkable minds from intersectional backgrounds who have influenced and created change in the spaces they value. And their presence alone is an added value. ‘Journeys In Music’ was a celebration of the journeys we take - both as individuals and as a collective - and the power of music to unite and transform.

As we left the event, I couldn't help but feel invigorated by the rich, vibrant discussions that had taken place. It was a powerful reminder that we all have a journey - one that is uniquely our own - and that by sharing our stories and experiences, we can reflect on our why, why we choose to exist in the spaces we do, and how that is determined by our lived experiences.

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