“Despite the flawed process of the Africa Centre’s June 20th EGM, we secured the trustees’ commitment to consult widely with the community before they sell the Africa Centre’s building 38 King Street as we have called for throughout our campaign. We are calling for a 12 month pause in the process of the sale to allow the trustees to consult properly on the decision to sell 38 King Street, outline their vision and consider the various alternatives including offers from several high-net worth African individuals to develop 38 King Street for the 21st Century’’
Summary of key messages:
1. The EGM itself was a victory for the campaign – trustees have resisted consultation with the community, even their own members, since the campaign was kick-started on 18 March 2011.
2. Oliver Andrews, Chair of the Africa Centre, acknowledged at the EGM itself the need for consultation – before the sale. Trustees and Members agreed to give due consideration to alternative proposals and to quote Oliver Andrews in yesterday’s meeting “we (i.e. members) recognise that it is incumbent on us with fiduciary duty to consider all alternative offers”. There is at least one serious alternative financing proposal on the table from two high-profile and respected members of the African community in the UK.
3. The Save the Africa Centre campaign believes a consultation period of 12 months before any sale is agreed must be set in order to allow the Africa Centre to harness the groundswell of support from the campaign and its potential to deliver an outstanding arts and cultural programme at the Africa Centre during the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, which takes place on the 50th anniversary of the Africa Centre’s ownership of 38 King Street.
4. The Save the Africa Centre campaign wishes to place on public record theoverwhelming support it received during the EGM from the African Union Group as representatives of several High Commissioners and Ambassadors of African Nations in London – the AU Group stated unequivocally that the Board of Trustees should recognise the importance of listening, taking your constituency with you, and the importance in exercising power, of not simply winning a vote or having the authority to do something but behaving morally.
5. 14 new persons were nominated as Members of the Association just 4 weeks ago, well after the dispute began and were then asked to vote to approve the proposed sale (which they would have little knowledge of, having not been present at previous meetings when all the relevant issues and alternative options were discussed) and to approve the dismissal of Boko Inyundo (whom, of course, they had never worked with). Their votes swung the result in the Council’s favour. At the same time, many senior professionals who have a long history of involvement with the Charity and who had always believed themselves to be Members of Association were informed that the Council did not consider their membership to be current and therefore they would not be invited to attend and to vote. A great many of these individuals were supporters of the Save the Africa Centre campaign and would have voted against the motions.
6. The Save the Africa Centre campaign team remains gravely concerned about the fact that still, as of the EGM yesterday (20 June 2011), the trustees have not yet outlined any sense of the “vision” they have for the future – i.e. how they intend to use the financial capital from the sale. It is 6 months since the trustees made the in principle decision to sell, a decision made at the last AGM held on 14 December 2010. The Save the Africa Centre campaign therefore believes that the Africa Centre should, at the very least, stay at 38 King Street until such time that that vision is articulated and shared with the community through an open and transparent public consultation process.
7. Ultimately the Save the Africa Centre campaign aims to continue building on thesocial capital gathering amongst the African Diaspora community in the UK and supporters on the continent itself. We believe that it is this social capital, the dialogue, the meeting, the debating, the programming that brings us as a community together and this is a key ingredient in charting a truly sustainable path for the Africa Centre.
8. Governance issues within the structure and organisation of the Africa Centre Limited must be addressed urgently. The Save the Africa Centre campaign wants to harness the engagement of the community and widen the ‘Members of the Association’ of the Africa Centre by calling for more young members of the Diaspora to be included in the membership body. The campaign wants the Articles of Association of the charity, which were authored as far back as 1961, to be updated and made relevant to today’s vastly changed African Diaspora community in the UK. We want a Director of the Africa Centre appointed who has the experience and calibre to immediately influence and create a vision for the programming and events at 38 King Street, whether that’s for an interim period when consultation about the sale takes place, or for the long term future in which we investigate the viability of the building and wider financial or other support to preserve it.
The blog of the Save The Africa Centre Campaign 
The term “African-American” is a misnomer. It is not Africans of “American” descent, it is Americans of “African” descent; American-Africans. It is American-Indians,
not Indian-Americans. This is by intent, they don’t want ‘Blacks’ in America truly associating with their African Heritage, only in a ‘superficial’ manner.
The term Black People is used in systems of Racial Classification for Humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other Racial groups. Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as “Black”, and often social variables such as Class, Socio-Economic Status also plays a role so that relatively dark skinned people can be classified as White if they fulfill other social criteria of Whiteness, and relatively light skinned people can be classified as ‘Black’ if they fulfill the social criteria for Blackness.
In the United States the Racial classification also refers to people if they are believed by others to have African Ancestry and exhibit cultural traits associated with being “African-American”. Therefore, the term ‘Black People’ is not an indicator of skin color, but of Racial classification.
Black British is a term used to describe British people of Black African or African-Caribbean descent.
In the 2001 UK Census, 565,876 people stated their ethnicity as Black Caribbean, 485,277 as Black African and 97,585 as Black Other, making a total of 1,148,738 in the census’s Black or Black British category. This was equivalent to 2 per cent of the UK population at the time. Mid-2009 estimates for England only put the Black British population there at 1,521,400 compared to 1,158,000 in mid-2001. The Largest Black British Community is Greater London.
British Black English is a variety of the English language spoken by a large number of the Black British population of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. Black British Music is a long-established and influential part of British music.
According to the TUC report Black workers, jobs and poverty, people from ‘Black’ and Asian groups are far more likely to be unemployed than the White population.
Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa, was a prominent African and a significant figure involved with the abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade.
I have over the years enjoyed many evenings and events at the “African Centre”. However: its current state of disrepair does not do credit to the current committee members running the affairs of the AC. Whilst all alternative sources of funding should be scrutinized for the plans viability, any plan must contain self-sustainability and not look continually for Local Authority funding.
The AC must in future incorporate sound commercial business principles to ensure that it is not threaten with closure as a result of a lack of vision or prudent forward planning.
I wish the campaign well and support the campaign and hope that my comments above are taken on board.
Does the Africa-Center offer food? Is there a souvanir shop on the premisis like the Victoria and Albert Museum? Do they offer things for children? Does the Center sponsor tours across London showing places and contributions by British Blacks towards Britain?
I understand the AC are looking for a director to spearhead project “African Centre”. Can I add it should be labelled “Commercial Director”, if that were the case I would throw my hat into the arena… With my background and experience in the arts and commercial world.