Second-Class Citizen - A Casual Readers Club Discussion
📎 Casual Reader's x Uzo Egonu - Museum of Home
Our collaborative Library Pick is Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta 📎
📆: Thursday 7th August at 6:30 PM
📌: Museum of the Home - 136 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8EA
I first came across Buchi Emecheta’s work during my study on the MA in Black British Writing and was so taken by her work - she was a novelist, playwright, and children's author, known for exploring themes of female independence, motherhood, and the experiences of women in both traditional and Western societies. Her novels, often semi-autobiographical, drew heavily from her own life, particularly her experiences as a young Nigerian woman navigating challenges in Nigeria and later, London.
So it feels apt to read and celebrate her work in relation to the Uzo Egonu exhibition curated by Makella Ama Ketedzi and Louis Platman, which is now open at the Museum of the Home and explores complementary themes. The Uzo Egonu exhibition brings together nine prints, in one of the largest displays of Egonu’s work for twenty years. Born in Nigeria, Egonu moved to London at fourteen and studied at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts. Egonu’s colourful and stylised prints blur the lines between abstraction and figuration. Themes delve into addiction, urban life, and Igbo folkloric traditions.
We invite you into the space to experience the exhibition, ruminate on Buchi’s work and overarching themes, and finish with a reflective writing exercise. We hope you’ll join us.
We’ll be donating 100% of ticket proceeds to Hibiscus Initiatives Org on behalf of us all, Hibiscus is a feminist, anti-racist and intersectional women’s organisation that has delivered high-impact advocacy and advice services to Black and minoritised migrant women in contact with the Criminal Justice and Immigration systems for nearly 40 years. - if you’re unable to cover the ticket cost but would still like to join, just message us — no questions asked.
about the book:
They nicknamed Adah 'the Igbo tigress' at school in Nigeria, she was so fearless. Now she has moved to London to join her husband, and is determined to succeed. But her welcome from 1960's England - and the man she married - is a cold one. Providing for her growing family, struggling to survive and negotiating everyday injustices along the way, Adah still resolves that she will never give up her dream of becoming a writer.
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🎟️The ticket price includes ~ access to the discussion and light refreshments.
👉🏽Respectfully, tickets are non-refundable. If you can no longer make it, join the WhatsApp group and organise a ticket swap. Alternatively, you can post on your story on Instagram and we're happy to re-post it. Please give us as much notice as possible to avoid disappointment!
📽️Heads up! Photography and videography will be taking place during the event and will be added to our digital archive and may be used to promote future events.