News Archive - Jukebox Collective

Content Box

Our film Of Us, directed by Liara Barussi, is featuring in Not My Soul, an exhibition at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam, presented in partnership with the National Slavery Museum.

Content Box

Not My Soul explores stories of slavery, law and freedom, tracing connections between antiquity and Suriname. The exhibition shares insights into how Roman law influenced later systems of enslavement in Suriname, and on how enslaved people across both periods lived, resisted, and sought freedom.

Through archaeological artefacts and objects from the Surinamica collections, Not My Soul re-examines histories that have too often been told from the perspective of those in power from emperors, plantation owners to colonial rulers. Instead, this exhibition centres the humanity, creativity and resilience of those whose freedom was taken from them.

Contemporary artworks sit alongside ancient objects, offering new ways to see and feel this shared history. Our film Of Us stands among these works, a poetic reflection on identity, memory and collective experience alongside artists including Kathryn Smith & Pearl Mamathuba, Sarojini Lewis, and René Tavares.

Content Box

René Tavares’s Making Memories in front of Memories (2023), from the Schulting Art Collection, depicts a Black family posing before a painting of a cotton plantation: the backdrop evokes the colonial past, but the family does not look back. The work invites reflection on how the past persists, and how new generations negotiate its legacy with strength and dignity.

Content Box

Not My Soul invites visitors to look again at the past, to listen deeply, to question, and to see from another perspective. This exhibition places the stories of enslaved people at its heart: people whose freedom was taken from them, yet who, through their work, creativity, care, language, love and resistance, held on to their humanity. It calls us to re-examine history with empathy and awareness, and to find new meaning in voices too long unheard.

https://www.allardpierson.nl/en/calendar/not-my-soul

Content Box

Of Us, originally commissioned by Dr Aleema Gray for the British Library.

Credits:

A Jukebox Collective Production

Director: Liara Barussi

Movement Director: Liara Barussi

Producer: Lauren Patterson

DOP: Nathan O’Kelly

Sound Design: An excerpt of ‘Omi’

Created by Felix Taylor and Melo-Zed in Collaboration with Touching Bass

Music supervision by Alex Rita and Tayo Rapoport

Stylist: Lauren Anne Groves

Creative Consultant: Leyman Lahcine

Starring: Jukebox Academy: Gui Pinto, Venice Williams, Monet Williams, Teaghan Scanlon, Karim Mohamed, Fatima Jarju, Ayoola Wonder, Elizabeth Oredola, Perez Rodriques, Rio Rodriques, Quincy Chambers, Akeylah Hinton, Blessing Oredola, Sheighley-Sky

Movement Assistants: Darnell Williams, Naomi Ferne, Patrik Gabco, Millie Campion

Hair Stylist: Trent Jackson

Barber: Isaac Omoyibo

Editor: Pawel Achtelik
Colourist: Sharon Chung

Casting: Jukebox Collective

Stylist Assistants: Eliza Goldsmith, Maisie Edwards

1st AC: Tom Parry

2nd AC: Lewis Morgan
Camera Trainee: Connor O’Kelly

Catering: Lane Locations, Lara Smrtnik
Runners: Tarina Tajul, Samandal Sidig, Elina Lee, Genaya Parris, Angelina Rodriques

Fashion Brands: Miguel Brito, Ahluwalia, Jawara Alleyne, Nym Promprasert, Alexandra Armata, Rains, Danshan, Kiko Kostadinov, Renli Su, Maxine O’Sullivan, Azulmain, Tazmin Porter, Viola Gibellini, Anyi Tang

BTS Photographer: Joe Andrews

Post-House: Avenues

Post-Producer: Amanda Jenkins

Graphic Design: Henny Valentino

Content Box

Subtitle

Learn about Ludo, the classic family board game, loved by African and diaspora communities all over the world

Content Box

Ludo, though originally invented in India as Pachisi, has become deeply embedded in Jamaican culture across generations and communities.

In Jamaica, Ludo evolved from a simple family board game into a competitive, communal activity, especially popular in homes, street corners, bars, and during social gatherings. People of all ages engage in Ludo, creating a space for conversations, jokes, and friendly rivalries.

Content Box

cultural influence

Ludo is a social game, bringing together friends & family.

Homemade Ludo boards are creatively hand-painted on tabletops, wood, or cardboard, showing the resourcefulness and creativity of Jamaican culture.

Content Box

in jamaican daily life

Whether played in a shop yard in Kingston or a quiet countryside veranda, Ludo in Jamaica is a cultural ritual that everyone can enjoy

Content Box

craft your own ludo board

Hosted by The Real Ting, join us on Sun 29 June 2025 to design your own Ludi board, expressing your unique cultural heritage.

In this workshop, groups of 2-3, will have the chance to customise their own boards, bringing to them their unique culture and creativity. All materials will be provided.

This workshop is curated by Jukebox Collective and delivered as a part of our partnership with SSAP for Jamii Day, a Black-led family event bringing our multigenerational community together to celebrate health, culture and wellness.

Subtitle

Dive into the heart of Jamaican cuisine and learn about the origins, traditions and importance of Jerk

Content Box

the origins of jerk

Jerk chicken is at the heart of Jamaican cuisine with deep roots in the island’s cultural history. Its origins trace back to the Maroons—descendants of Africans who escaped slavery and formed independent communities in Jamaica’s inland mountainous regions after fleeing Spanish and later British colonisers in the 17th century. These resilient communities developed the “jerk” method as a practical and nourishing way to preserve and cook wild game.

Content Box

who are the maroons?

The Maroons of Jamaica were freedom fighters who resisted and fought against colonial oppression. Their knowledge of the terrain, guerrilla warfare tactics, and determination made them formidable opponents and symbols of Black resistance. Through decades of rebellion and negotiation, the Maroons forced the British into peace treaties that granted them autonomy. Their courage not only preserved their own freedom but also inspired broader resistance movements, contributing significantly to the eventual abolition of slavery in the Caribbean. The Maroons remain a powerful testament to the fight for freedom and the enduring legacy of Black liberation.

Content Box

the traditional jerk method

Jerk cooking continued to evolve uniquely in Jamaica through the fusion of African and Taíno (the indigenous people of Jamaica) culinary traditions. The original jerk technique involved slow-cooking meat over pimento wood (from the allspice tree) in a pit fire, which infused it with a smoky, aromatic flavor. The Maroons would season the meat heavily with local herbs and spices, then wrap it in leaves and cook it underground—a method that allowed them to prepare meals discreetly while evading colonisers.

Content Box

roots & resilience

Jerk chicken tells the story of survival, it represents resistance, ingenuity, and tradition. From its Maroon origins to its modern presence at street stalls and global restaurants, jerk embodies the adaptability and spirit of Jamaican identity. It stands as a symbol of Afro-Caribbean resilience that is celebrated globally. In Jamaica, it remains a beloved national dish, often enjoyed at get-togethers, family yards, street stalls, and events.

Content Box

make your own jerk merinade

Join The Real Ting on 29 June 2025 at Grange Pavilion, Cardiff to make your own authentic Jamaican Jerk marinade

Learn about the ingredients, make a blend to take home & finish with a taste of jerk chicken fresh from the jerk pan!

Curated by Jukebox Collective and delivered in partnership with SSAP as a part of Jamii. Creative wellness workshops for African & Caribbean diaspora communities in Cardiff

Limited number of spaces available. Sign up on the day for your slot.

Subtitle

Black-led family event bringing our multigenerational community together to celebrate health, culture and wellness.

Content Box

Jamii Day is a black-led family event bringing our multigenerational community together to celebrate health, culture and wellness.

Expect a mix of peer-led and culturally relevant health, fitness and wellbeing activities, led by facilitators from within our communities. From movement sessions, mindful workshops to performances, Jamii Day shares positive, accessible ways for our people to get together & shape holistic experiences.

Taking place on Sun 29 June 2025 from 11am to 5pm at Grange Pavilion, Cardiff

This all day event is Free to attend and welcomes all ages!

Expect a mix of peer-led and culturally relevant health, fitness and wellbeing activities, led by facilitators from within our communities. From movement sessions, mindful workshops to performances, Jamii Day champions positive, accessible ways for our people to strengthen their mental health, wellbeing and sense of identity.

Reserve your free tickets here!

Subtitle

jukebox community stage

Content Box

Jukebox Community Stage

Featuring Performances, Ludo workshop, Jerk workshop and social dance curated by Jukebox Collective. Yoga, fitness and mental health activities curated by SSAP.

12pm – Dance Performances
3pm – Community Dance Social with Treu Beatz
4pm – Battles

Content Box

make your own jerk marinade

Join The Real Ting on 29 June 2025 at Grange Pavilion, Cardiff to make your own authentic Jamaican Jerk marinade

Learn about the ingredients, make a blend to take home & finish with a taste of jerk chicken fresh from the jerk pan!

Curated by Jukebox Collective and delivered in partnership with SSAP as a part of Jamii. Creative wellness workshops for African & Caribbean diaspora communities in Cardiff

Limited number of spaces available. Sign up on the day for your slot.

craft your own ludo board

Hosted by The Real Ting, join us on Sun 29 June 2025 to design your own Ludi board, expressing your unique cultural heritage.

In this workshop, groups of 2-3, will have the chance to customise their own boards, bringing to them their unique culture and creativity. All materials will be provided.

our partners

Content Box

Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel (SSAP) was formed in 2009 when a number of African diaspora groups in Wales met to consider how they might collectively advance their common interest in local issues affecting African communities in Wales as well as those in Africa. They apply lived experience, skills, capacity and knowledge found within Welsh African diaspora communities.

This project is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and led by SSAP. In partnership with Soul Connect and North Wales African Society

Read about our past Jamii workshops

Subtitle

Curated work opportunities for Welsh creatives in music, production, project management, and more!

Content Box

Digital Content Creator – S4C

S4C seeks a bilingual digital creator to produce compelling content for YouTube and social media.

Find more info here

Content Box

Creative Steps Enabler

Join Arts Council Wales to help deliver a funding programme focused on increasing diversity in the arts.

Find more info here

Content Box

Arts Development Enabler

Develop arts sector knowledge while supporting delivery teams at Arts Council Wales.

Find more info here

Content Box

Technical Apprentice (Stage Bias)

Wales Millennium Centre offers a hands-on apprenticeship for future stage tech professionals.

Find more info here

Content Box

Marketing and Communications Manager

Lead creative communications for NoFit State Circus and grow its reach and impact.

Find more info here

Content Box

Project Manager – Live Music Now

Help deliver music-based projects and fundraising for one of the UK’s most respected arts charities.

Find more info here

Content Box

Project Management Officer – Arts Council Wales

Lead internal project planning and delivery in a key strategic role at Arts Council Wales.

Find more info here

Content Box

Fundraising Assistant – Chapter Arts Centre

Support the fundraising team at Chapter to help meet annual targets and build donor relationships.

Find more info here

Content Box

Creative Youth Producer – Common Wealth

Join a new youth arts and activism project in Cardiff, supporting working-class young people.

Find more info here

Content Box

We know looking for creative work opportunities can be long! Subscribe to our newsletter to get this curated monthly round-up delivered to your inbox eepurl.com/dNIjpQ

Need support with an opportunity?

Drop us an email, we’re happy to help you get started or give some feedback on an ongoing application. We’ve worked with creatives to develop grant applications for performance, music, literature, dance, community projects and so much more!

Cover image: Public Interest – Common Wealth

Subtitle

Honouring the late Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh, a visionary that reshaped global art through African perspectives

Content Box

This African Liberation Day, we honour visionary Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh, who reshaped global narratives of liberation through culture and art.

Throughout her career, Kouoh worked to centre African perspectives within contemporary art. Through her exhibitions, institutional leadership, and mentorship of emerging artists and curators, she remained steadfast in her belief that African art must speak in its own language.

Content Box

Born in Douala, Cameroon in 1967 and raised in Switzerland, Kouoh came to curating through activism, publishing, and organising. In 2008, she founded RAW Material Company in Dakar, which quickly became one of the continent’s most influential independent art spaces, a place for radical thought, artistic experimentation, and community.

Content Box

In 2019, she became the Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town. Under her leadership, the museum shifted from a contested institution to a vital cultural space, with programming that challenged reductive understandings of African art and opened up richer, more nuanced conversations.

Content Box

One of her most celebrated exhibitions, When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting, embodied this approach. First shown at Zeitz MOCAA and currently at Bozar in Brussels, the exhibition traces 100 years of Black self-representation in painting, weaving together themes of joy, love, spirituality, and resistance.

Content Box

“Liberation is not an act of charity. It’s a process of unlearning the assumptions of others, of reclaiming authorship, and shaping the narrative on your own terms.” said Koyo Kouoh

Content Box

As part of the Bozar programme, Jukebox Collective was invited to share short film Of Us, alongside a live performance, directed by Liara Barussi. Rooted in the history of Tiger Bay in Cardiff, one of the UK’s oldest Black communities, Of Us translates lived stories into movement, honouring inherited memory, African heritage and traditions carried across the ocean.

Content Box

Across every project, Kouoh remained consistent in her message: African art is central to the global story. Whether as the General Commissioner for the 2026 Venice Biennale or creating platforms for artists across Africa and its diaspora, she redefined institutions from within, demanded new frames of reference, and opened doors for generations to come.

Subtitle

Curated creative opportunities for Welsh artists and creatives in film, music, performance, photography, mentorships, visual art and more!

Content Box

The Young Black Filmmakers Fund

The Young Black Filmmakers Fund is now accepting submissions from Black filmmakers ready to take their career to the next level.
Open to UK-based Black Writers, Directors/Producers aged 18–30

Find out more here

Content Box

Welsh Art on the World Stage: Venice Biennale 2026

Arts Council of Wales is seeking proposals to represent Wales at the 2026 Venice Biennale.
Open to Wales-based visual arts organisations

Find out more here

Content Box

Sinema Cymru: Welsh Language Film Funding

Funding available to support Welsh-language feature films with international and big-screen potential.
Open to experienced filmmakers across Wales

Find out more here

Content Box

Heritage Lottery Funded Commissions – Ffotogallery

Commissions for new photographic works inspired by archival materials, with a focus on inclusion and community.
Open to disabled and LGBTQ+ artists working in photography or lens-based media

Find out more here

Content Box

Mentoring Matters 2025

A mentoring scheme offering digital one-to-ones, workshops, and long-term industry support for underrepresented creatives.

Open to individuals aged 18–30 from global majority backgrounds

Find out more here

Content Box

Stanley Picker Fellowships in Design & Fine Art 2025

Two fellowships supporting contemporary creative practice with a £16,000 award and exhibition opportunity.
Open to UK-based design and fine art practitioners

Find out more here

Content Box

Underscore Cinema 2025

Grassroots film festival spotlighting working-class filmmakers through screenings and events.
Open to UK-based working-class filmmakers

Find out more here

Content Box

Help Musicians Fast Track Grants

Grants up to £5,000 to support career development for UK-based musicians.
Open to professional musicians in the UK – rolling monthly deadlines

Find out more here

Content Box

Bloedd: Reach Cymru – Creative Producer

Join a Pride-themed co-production project at the National Museum Cardiff.
Open to Welsh or Wales-based individuals aged 16–25

Find out more here

Content Box

European Year of the Normans 2027: Open Call for Projects

Funding for arts and cultural projects celebrating Norman heritage across Europe.
Open to UK-based arts organisations partnered with Normandy-based counterparts

Find out more here

Content Box

Big Splash Festival 2025: Community Callout

Wales’ largest free outdoor arts festival invites community groups and creatives to get involved.
Open to family-friendly performance groups and artists across Wales

Find out more here

Content Box

We know looking for creative opportunities can be long! Subscribe to our newsletter to get this curated monthly round-up delivered to your inbox eepurl.com/dNIjpQ

Need support with an opportunity?

Cover images: Anya Paintsil

Subtitle

This St David’s Day 2025, we launched our very first online merch shop , a celebration of contemporary Welsh heritage.

Content Box

The collection is a continuation of our ffasiwn project, a creative collaboration with Bleak Fabulous that presents a reimagination of traditional Welsh costume as envisioned through the lens of Jukebox Academy.

Read more about our ffasiwn project here

Content Box

The merch collection builds on the original ffasiwn project, which first launched in 2021. For this special drop, we curated a limited-edition range featuring illustrated t-shirts, postcard packs, poster artwork, and a printed zine — each piece inspired by the original photography and creative work from the project.

Content Box

We worked with Cardiff-based Ice Cream Embroidery to produce four t-shirt designs, all featuring hand-drawn illustrations by Jukebox Academy students. Each drawing was created in direct response to imagery from the project, offering a further interpretation of Welsh identity through the eyes of young people.

Dydd Gwyl Dewi postcard packs were also released to mark this special day in Welsh tradition

Content Box

To bring the merch to life, we worked with photographer Siria Ferrer Sainz-Pardo and textile artist Ophelia Dos Santos, capturing the merch in a photoshoot at local creative studio, Teddy’s Place.

Content Box

Alongside the online shop, we partnered with St Fagans National Museum of History to launch a month-long pop-up exhibition on St David’s Day. Showcasing the imagery and merch from the project, the pop-up welcomed over 17,000 visitors throughout March.

Content Box

This project was made possible through the generous support of Amgueddfa Cymru / Museum Wales, Arts Council Wales, and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Visit the online shop here

Subtitle

St Davids Day outdoor campaign reimagining Welsh traditions in partnership with buildhollywood

Content Box

This Dydd Gwyl Dewi / St David’s Day 2025, we launched an outdoor campaign reimagining Welsh traditions. The campaign was delivered in partnership with BUILDHOLLYWOOD, creative street advertising specialists that place creativity in the heart of our cities.

In collaboration with Bleak Fabulous, we launched the large-scale billboard campaign across Cardiff and Swansea, taking over 51 sites showcasing a series of editorial images created alongside the young people of Jukebox Academy.

Content Box

The collaboration, inspired by the iconic Welsh hat, saw the students rework this traditional piece with guidance from Welsh costume designer Ffian Jones.

The work was photographed by Clémentine Schneidermann and creatively directed by Charlotte James. Presenting a reimagining of traditional Welsh costume, weaving personal heritage into designs. With elements like the red woollen cloak, paisley shawl, and Pais a Betgwn creatively reworked, reflecting connections between the past and present. The result was a series of culturally resonant interpretations brought to life on BUILDHOLLYWOOD billboards.

Content Box

“This rendering of Welsh pride and identity is an editorially impressive and emotionally accomplished collaboration, showcasing the power of national identity as it really is; a movement of inclusivity, joy, and heartfelt connection.” wrote Elsa Monteith in her feature for BUILDHOLLYWOOD

Content Box

The project also ties closely to our wider body of work around identity and belonging. As explored in our latest feature with Buildhollywood “This is Wales”, the campaign builds on years of creative development with young people through our community and Academy programmes. From our base in Butetown, a historic neighbourhood once known as Tiger Bay, the same neighbourhood that inspired our short film Of Us for the British Library’s Beyond the Bassline exhibition, and where so many of our stories begin.

Content Box

These images are part of that same work. As Jukebox Collective’s Strategic Director Lauren Patterson put it,

“These visuals shouldn’t be seen as a challenge — they’re a creative interpretation of tradition. This is Wales.”

Content Box

We’re proud that we were able to showcase the work in the public sphere, on bus stops, corner walls, and across the fabric of two cities.

Huge thanks to BUILDHOLLYWOOD for sharing that vision and to all the creatives who helped bring it to life.

Find out more about our collaboration with Bleak Fabulous here

Subtitle

Callout freelance project coordinator to join Jamii project team

Content Box

Call out – Freelance project coordinator

We’re looking for a freelance project coordinator to join our Jamii project team

Jamii is a series of creative workshops for African & Caribbean communities in Cardiff. Exploring wellness through music, poetry, movement & our relationship with nature and each other. Curated by Jukebox Collective and delivered in partnership with SSAP Wales

Info:

FREELANCE

2 month contract

10 days work

Immediate start

Fees based on experience

Send CV & expression of interest to lauren@jukeboxcollective.com

Application deadline: 7/5/2025