African Routes 2026: Fair Play

African Routes returns to The Black-E from 6 to 8 November, three days of African dance and music exploring inequality, diversity and inclusion. Each day is built around one of the festival's pillars: Fairness, Freedom and Friendship, with the programme mixing keynote speakers, interactive workshops, panel discussions and live performances. It's open to everyone.

Day One, Fairness, opens on 6 November with a libation by Dr H Patten MBE, followed by a welcome from Andrea Vaz and Karen Gallagher. The panel Fairness: Education, Access and Academia brings together Beverley Glean MBE, Dr Sharon Watson MBE DL and Dr H Patten MBE. There's a masterclass called nhaka by nora chipaumire and tyroneisaacstuart, and a performance, Liverpool, Reparations and Reparatory Justice, with Dr Leona Vaughn, Anna Louise Loy, Andrew Barney and Ithalia Johnson. An HE/FE showcase also runs that day. The whole weekend closes with Maxine Brown's Bend Down Low Community Showcase.

Much of the festival draws on the Lilian Bader legacy, celebrating the pioneering Black British woman born in Liverpool in 1918 who became one of the first Black women to serve in Britain's armed forces when she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in 1941 and rose to the rank of corporal. The nhaka masterclass takes its name from the Shona word for 'inheritance' or 'legacy' and comes from an animist decolonial practice that dancer and choreographer nora chipaumire has been cultivating for more than a decade, rooted in Shona culture and spiritual practices. The reparations performance forms part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2026.

It runs from 10:30 am into the evening each day at The Black-E, 1 Great George St, Liverpool L1 5EW. Entry is free, by donation.