Beyond Beyoncé : use it like a bumper! is a public conversation using Hip-Hop as a keystone to question what possibilities are offered to Black female bodies in both mainstream and alternative cultures.

Guest speakers Jamila Johnson-Small (dance artist), Chardine Taylor-Stone (activist, writer and DJ), Paul Maheke (visual artist) and Lola Okolosie (writer and teacher) have discussed ways in which Black females today – beyond the iconic queens Beyoncé, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj – use Hip-Hop as a way to reclaim power and to foster new subjectivities. An exquisite free buffet catered by Claire Antoine and an electric performance by Tropical Isles Carnival Dance Troupe have also been exquisite.

Beyond Beyoncé: use it like a bumper! has been devised and organised by Open School East Associates Paul Maheke, Marie Toseland and John Lawrence as part of the Open School East Public Programme.

Listen to a recording here: