To mark the 40th anniversary of the Brixton Riots, BBC Radio 5 Live are releasing a new podcast presented by Big Narstie.
Titled Brixton: Flames On The Frontline, the podcast will explore the cause of the 1981 riots as well as its impact on racism and identity in the UK.
The series will also examine the rise of the National Front, the tragic New Cross Fire and The Black People’s Day Of Action which followed.
The story of the Brixton riots will be told through interviews, archive audio, music and dramatised scenes written and performed by Black British talent.
“The reason I wanted to take part in this podcast is because I’m a Brixton-native and it’s part of my culture and heritage,” Big Narstie said of the podcast. “The significance of the Brixton uprising was that people decided they would no longer sit quietly (and be a beating stick) – people had to stand up for themselves.”
He added: “The Brixton uprising was the start of a process. Things have changed for the Black community in the sense of that people are no longer scared to fight for freedom or to stand up for themselves. It wasn’t just the Black community who took part in the uprising – a lot of people tend to forget this. While it was predominantly a Black protest, other colours and creeds could see what was happening and felt the need to join in.
“The riots were largely about black people but white people could also see there was oppression. It happened because people felt they were being persecuted and oppressed.”
The first two episodes of Brixton: Flames On The Frontline will be released on April 9th on BBC Sounds and the following episodes will be released weekly, every Friday.