Songs of Resistance: Panel Discussion and Performance

Dorian Lynskey has been writing about music, politics, film and books for over 20 years for publications including The Guardian, The Observer, i, BBC Culture, GQ, Q, MOJO, Empire, Billboard, Air Mail, Pitchfork, The New Statesman, The Spectator, The Literary Review, The Los Angeles Times, UnHerd, The Big Issue, The Village Voice, Mixmag, Select, Blender and Spin. He is the author of 33 Revolutions Per Minute: A History of Protest Songs (2011) and The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell’s 1984 (2019), which was longlisted for both the Orwell Prize and the Baillie Gifford Prize. His next book, Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World, is out on 11 April 2024 (UK) and January 2025 (US). He co-hosts the podcasts 'Origin Story' (with Ian Dunt) and 'Oh God, What Now?' He is on the editorial board of George Orwell Studies and a judge for the 2024 Orwell Prizes.

Dr Samuel Boateng is a Music scholar specialising in Jazz, African music, and twentieth-century Black popular performance. My research draws from the intersections of music, migration, Atlantic history, and decolonial activism across the African diaspora. He is also an award-winning jazz pianist, composer, filmmaker, and playwright with a commitment to promoting intercultural collaboration and artistic engagement across diverse communities.

Prior to joining St John’s College, he held a teaching fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh where he received my PhD. He also holds a Masters in Ethnomusicology from Kent State University, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a combined focus in Music, Dance, and Theatre Arts from the University of Ghana, Legon.

Dr Euton Daley MBE is an artistic director, producer, writer, programmer, teacher, mentor and trainer with over 40 years’ professional experience working with artists, young people, students and communities. Was the artistic Director/CEO of Pegasus Theatre [1990-2013] where he mentored and/or supported companies including various local and national companies.

Founder & Director of Unlock the Chains Collective producing work that explore and celebrate the Black experience through the fusion of dance, music, song and spoken word/performance poetry whilst giving Black artists performance platforms and developing a Black Arts aesthetic.

Euton has published 2 collections of performance poetry and currently working on a third volume which will explore his cultural and ancestral roots. Coming to the end of a Knowledge Exchange with funding from universities using his current Arts Council England funded project, Still Breathing, as part of an exploration and research into mapping the African-Caribbean experience and diversifying the cultural spaces in Oxford.

Honours & Awards

2022 - present - A Creative Associate Artist with North Wall Arts Centre and Tavaziva Dance

2023 – awarded Doctorate of the Arts from Oxford Brookes University

2019-2023 – director, co-producer and dramaturg for Kuumba Nia Arts award-winning national and international touring production of SOLD - winners of two OFFIES [Off West End theatre awards] 2022 for Lead & Supporting Performers; Best Show [Birmingham Fest 2021]; Show of the Week [Vault Festival 2020]; Best Musical Ensemble [Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019].

2015 – awarded Fellowship from Rose Bruford College [London International Drama School]

2014 – Solo show Politics of Love Winner: Best Drama @ the 7th International Solo Festival;

2013 – awarded Certificate Of Honour from Oxford City Council in recognition of the contribution made to theatre, dance and creative learning for the young people of Oxford

2012 – Strictly Oxford Champion- winner Strictly Oxford whilst raising funds for Vale House charity in the process

2008 – awarded MBE for Services to the Arts & young people [nominated by Arts Council England, supported by Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council & Pegasus Theatre]

Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE is the Principal and CEO of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and Artistic Director for The National Black Theatre of Sweden. She is also a member of the University of London Board of Trustees, Chair of Equality and Diversity at Conservatoires UK, Co-Chair of Clean Break, and Chair of the Mayor of London Committee for Black on the Square.
Josette is an award-winning actor and director whose career has included performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Festival Hall, the National Theatre, and the Manchester Royal Exchange. She was nominated for an Olivier Award, is the recipient of a TMA Award, and has starred in the internationally acclaimed production Nina: A Story about Me and Nina Simone, now a documentary film for SVT Sweden.

As a director, Josette was Founder and Artistic Director of PUSH, a Black-led theatre festival with the Young Vic Theatre. Through her work with PUSH, she was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the arts, a Judy Craymer Award for Innovation, and the Southbank Cultural Diversity Award.

Josette was the Artistic Director for The National Touring Swedish Deaf Theatre ensemble Tyst Theatre for 13 years, where her work focused on fostering the understanding, respect and potential of sign language arts and the artistic, linguistic, and cultural rights of the Deaf community. Previously the Head of Acting at Stockholm University of the Arts, Sweden, Josette has served on the board of the Swedish Film Institute; as chairwoman for CinemAfrica, a Swedish Non-Profit organisation devoted to celebrating African and Diaspora film culture; and is Patron of the Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Born in London and based in Sweden from 2005 – 2021, Josette is an active spokesperson for inclusive arts and politics. She co-founded PUSH’s sister organisation in Sweden, TRYCK, which works to inspire and challenge the artistic and cultural representation of Afro-Swedes and African descent artists on national stages in Sweden. In 2021, Josette was awarded H.M. The King’s Medal 8th size with the ribbon of the Order of the Seraphim by H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf. Josette is the recipient of the CinemAfrica Arts and Culture Award 2023 Stockholm Sweden and the recipient of the 2024 Freedom of the City of London, which honours exemplary individuals contributing to the vibrancy of the City of London and its many professional ecosystems.

Josette has taught in Stockholm, Malmö and Luleå theatre schools, LAMDA, the London College of Fashion, and New York University’s TISCH School of the Arts, amongst others. As a director and teacher, Josette travels internationally giving lectures and workshops in the creation of sign language theatre, cultural diversity challenges and inclusion.