Born George Mpanga in north-west London in 1991, George the Poet is a spoken-word artist, author and podcast host. He studied politics, psychology and sociology at King’s College, Cambridge and is now doing a PhD at UCL about the economic and cultural potential of black music. Aged 22 he signed with Island Records and released an EP before stepping away from the music industry. His award-winning podcast, Have You Heard George’s Podcast?, launched in 2018. Last year he published Track Record: Me, Music and the War on Blackness. He will perform in RISE at the Royal Festival Hall on 25 April, as part of the Southbank Centre’s new arts festival, Multitudes.
1. Restaurant
Kenya Kitchen, Edgware
This is a comfortable, accessible restaurant in Edgware that does a nice mixture of grilled meats and stews. My family is from Uganda and also Kenya, so the food here takes me right back. The music they play is Kenyan. The aesthetic is very familiar. They serve some really good local foods, such as ugali, a maize flour staple in a lot of east African food; nyama choma, or grilled meat; and sukuma wiki, a veg dish with sauteed greens. It has the feel of a family-run business, with really nice service. My family and I go for special occasions. I love that place.
2. Music
Keys the Prince
I came across Keys on social media. What grabbed me was the visual aspect: it wasn’t the most flashy, but it was authentic. He creates music videos in locations that are relevant to the African community in London – for example, in material shops, where you can buy materials to tailor your own clothes with – and he does it in a really stylish way. And then the music is so easy, so relaxed, and he does a good job of infusing it with Nigerian sounds and Yoruba language. I’ve recently really been into his song Gbe Mi De Be, featuring Bxujii.
3. App
R Discovery
Once upon a time, in order to find academic papers, you had to go to Google Scholar or sift through the library, but that’s an imperfect process, especially when, like me, you’re doing a PhD part-time. R Discovery is a tool I came across through an education influencer called Dr Amina Yonis. It streamlines that whole process. You can search by theme, by author, by field. There’s also an AI feature that allows you to listen to the audio version of a paper. It’s made my PhD journey less of a panic.
4. Influencer
Ely Wananda
Wananda is a YouTuber who comments on different aspects of Black British life. He’s a data scientist and I appreciate anyone in a technical job who makes an effort to demystify his field. He poses questions or provocations, such as “What’s holding back Black British businesses from success?” and “Why wealth and marriage go hand in hand”. These are topics that some of us will never tire of grappling with, and Ely approaches them with a nice conversational style. I find it easy to get material online about Black America, but the focus on Black Britain, especially from an academic perspective, is often lacking.
5. TV
Squid Game season 2
Let’s acknowledge a crowd pleaser! I loved Squid Game season one. Yes, there’s a lot of shock and gore, but I value the emotional intensity of it. It’s a thriller focusing on a series of games that participants are enticed into with the promise of money, but these games turn out to be lethal. It’s quite a naked analysis of capitalism, exploring all the ways people get into debt, and also a reflection on human behaviour. I just binged season two. It’s more of the same but with new characters and some interesting developments. I enjoyed it very much.
6. YouTube
Kunda and Friends
My life at the moment is dominated by a toddler and a newborn. I usually tune out when I hear kids’ programmes, but whenever Kunda comes on, I appreciate it. First of all, it’s educational and talks your child through language, behaviour and all of that good stuff. But particularly relevant for me is the focus on African kids – it’s important for my child to be able to see darker shades on TV. Songs from kids’ programmes can get annoying very quickly, but Kunda has yet to annoy me. It’s entertaining, it’s well animated – it’s just fun.
