Fantastic write up from the Evening Times

How excited were we to read this fantastic write up of the African Caribbean Centre and our Hallowe'en Night last weekend organised by Mark McG? You can read it all by clicking here but our favourite bits are as follows ...

"It's a brilliant space for it: a former vacant building that was host to galleries and performance art, it's now a thriving hub for the city's growing African and Caribbean population."

"The basement's unreconstructed décor makes it a wonderfully unique setting for such a party. You get the feeling that this relatively-undiscovered gem might not stay that way for long."

Outdoor Art comes to a window near you!

31st October - 4th November

PICTURE WINDOW is an on-going public art project based in Glasgow that temporarily transforms shop front spaces with contemporary art practice directed at the street, turning the city into a gallery for New Media Art.

SONICA is a programme dedicated to world-class sonic arts, presenting emerging British talent alongside exceptional international artists in collaboration with renowned co-producers and venues. Curated by Cathie Boyd, Patrick Dickie and Graham McKenzie, Sonica gives a UK platform to performances of exceptional and rarely-seen work.

We are one of the windows in question.

CONDUCTING COMMODITIES by Thomas Leyland-Collins. 66/68 Osborne Street, The African Caribbean Centre. 31st October - 4th November, midday - midnight. Creating a sense of nostalgia through the use of bygone jingles and advertisements, Conducting Commodities examines the role of sound in advertising, as visitors are encouraged to interact with a window display of salvaged television sets. 

The other venues are listed here.

Free Friday Film Screening about Haile Selassie

Friday 1st November

We are delighted to be one of the venues for the just-gets-better-and-better Africa in Motion Film Festival this year. If you come along to the ACC on Friday 1st November at 7pm you can watch Twilight Revelations: Episodes in the Life and Times of Emperor Haile Selassie.

The documentary sheds new light on the personality, leadership style and humanity of the last and final Emperor of Ethiopia.

Many know only of Haile Selassie's connection with Rastafari but he did not consider himself to be a God, nor did he consider himself to be Rastafarian apparently. There's more information on how he came to be considered to be God by Rastafarians here. 

Little known fact - Haile Selassie fled Ethiopia after the Italians invaded in the 1930s. Guess where he ended up? Wemyss Bay and Skelmorlie! For those who don't know both lie on the West Coast approximately 30 miles from Glasgow and between Greenock and Largs. He was harboured by Lord Inverclyde for some time but details are sketchy and so little is known about that time that we bet the film doesn't mention it. 

Come along to the ACC, 66 Osborne Street on Friday at 7pm and find out for yourself. Free entry.

Other films showing in the Africa in Motion Film Festival are listed here.

Saturday 2nd November 7pm onwards

Saturday 2nd November

Saturday 2nd November, 7pm to 2am. Entry is only four pounds for some fantastic basement experiences courtesy of Pussypower and the Future Boogie Residents.

Dancing away from Racism and raising money for street kids in Goa

Friday 8th November - Shuffle Fundraiser

Shuffle is taking over the African Caribbean Centre on 8th November with their usual quality tunes and DJs.

All the money raised goes to Little Acorns Shelters for street kids in Goa, India.

Top tunes from:

Craig 'Squelch' Murphy
Kerin McEwing & WIlliam McDonald (ctrl+alt+del)
DJ pHATSam 303 (Alive from Maryhill)
Marc Addison & Paul Dolan (Discosoup Sounds/By Demand)

Entry 8 pounds. 

Hallowe'en and we're all still zombied ...

Look at the impressive array of artists and DJs helping us see out Black History Month with a Hallowe'en Party we reckon you'll remember for a long long time! Five pounds to get in. Doors open 7pm till 2am. 

Having had time to go out ourselves recently, we've discovered that our bar prices are really good value. Should we put them up? No, we'll just keep providing a really great atmospheric venue and an affordable night out! Don't say we're not good to you :-)

A fantastic night at the ACC for Black History Month

Thanks so much to Mark Robb and Rebecca Vasmant for bringing Kakatsitsi to the ACC during Black History Month. And thank you to Rebecca for having the video made. And thank you even more to her for volunteering to do our Facebook promotions and THIS BLOG! Yes, in just over a week the fabulous Rebecca will be writing the blog for us and I, for one, (the current writer) couldn't be happier. Not that I don't love it, just that there are only so many hours in the day.

Anyway watch this and weep over what you missed. Don't do it again :-)

Black History Month still to come in October ...

Well it's been a busy month but we've still much more to come. This Saturday, 12th October for instance, we have 3 events on from 10am to 2am. We are going to be busy and we really hope you can join us for part of the day / night. If you join us for the entire day and night we'll be very impressed :-)

So still to come ...

All of October - Future Histories: Celebrating the Scottish Diaspora Art Exhibition. FREE! From 1pm to 9pm daily.

Saturday 12th October - Commonwealth Family Festival from 10am to 5.30pm FREE!

Saturday 12th October - Ceilidh Comhla, not as you know it but in the traditional Gaelic sense, a coming together with song, story, chat, music and FOOD! 6pm to 9pm. FREE! 

Saturday 12th October - Now postponed till November but come and enjoy a drink and our art exhibitions) Felebrate Good Times - Celebrating Fela Kuti on what would've been his 75th birthday (well 3 days out but near enough). Deejay Tchico is your host. Entry from 9pm is a suggested donation of 3 to 5 pounds. Bar closes 2am.

Sunday 13th October - Launch of our We Have a Dream Art / Film Project. 7pm to 8pm. Free Entry. A most unusual project showing nightly in the window of the ACC.

More to come in the following weeks so keep checking back ....

Commonwealth Family Festival this Saturday 12th October

Have you got children under 12? Then why not kick-start the October school holidays with Glasgow Arts annual children's festival, which this year takes place on Saturday 12 October. 

The festival includes events happening throughout the day in three great venues across Glasgow - The African Caribbean Centre is one of them!

The other two are the Scotland Street Museum and the Pearce Institute in Govan. More details about their programme of events can be gotten by clicking here and you will notice we are all near to Subway stations so maybe you should get yourself an all day ticket and visit more than one? 

Start with us however because here at the African Caribbean Centre we have the following for you ...

Oh and it's ALL FREE!

10 am - 12 noon - Interactive Music & Singing Session - a drop in session with Celine Donaghue. Hear stories about the songs and where they come from including African songs and learn about different instruments.

2 pm - 4 pm - Dance Beat - dance and percussion fun with Rosina Bonsu and Jon Keliehor

4 pm - 5.30 pm - The Big Collage - help make a great big Commonwealth Collage with the assistance of Maria McCavana.

The day will be rounded off with the first of a series of Ceilidh Comhla. More info here.

And remember, anyone attending any of our events will see this wonderful Black History Month Art Exhibition!

Ceilidh Comhla (Come Together) this Saturday 6pm to 9pm

No, not a ceilidh as you know it – this event returns to the traditions of a Gaelic ceilidh, a gathering of friends with song, story, chat and music. Enjoy some food from Africa and the Carribean and come along with all the family to chill out after a busy, fun-filled day at the Commonwealth Family Day.
All welcome.

Chan e cèilidh àbhaisteach a th’againn dhuibh – tha an tachartas seo a’ tilleadh gu cèilidh Gàidhlig san t-seann dòigh, cruinneachadh de charaidean le òrain, sgeulachdan, còmhradh agus ceòl. Tha cothrom agaibh biadh à Afraga ’s às a’ Charaibian fheuchainn, agus bidh ar neach-aoigheachd Gàidhlig a’ cur fàilte air na h-uile – thigibh agus thoiribh leibh an teaghlach air fad agus gabhaibh fois às dèidh latha dripeil, làn spòrs. Gach neach di-beathte. 


And remember, anyone attending any of our events will see this wonderful Black History Month Art Exhibition!

Now postponed to November - FELEBRATE good times, come on!

Postponed till November but we'll be open, playing Fela Kuti and serving on the bar so you can enjoy a drink and view our art exhibitions.

Saturday 12th October, we're celebrating the life of the pioneer of Afrobeat, the Late Great Fela Kuti. The 15th would have been his 75th birthday so we're having a party in his honour. Join us from 9pm to 2am for the best of Fela Kuti and those he influenced. And find out more about the Nigerian multi instrumentalist and human rights activist. Everyone welcome! 

Doors open 9pm and bar licensed till 2am. Entry by suggested donations of 3-5 pounds. 

FELEBRATE good times, come on!!!

ACC is at 66 Osborne Street, Merchant City, Glasgow.

And remember, anyone attending any of our events will see this wonderful Black History Month Art Exhibition!

Sunday - launching our I Have a Dream project

We are delighted to be launching a very exciting film / art project put together for us by Annie and Eileen at Picture Window. Using extracts of the Martin Luther King "I Have A Dream" speech the actual speech is interspersed with contributions from members of the African & Caribbean Network living in Glasgow.

The arty bit is that it will be projected onto our shop window nightly throughout Black History Month using very clever technology and the talents of the artists at Picture Window. 

It's our tribute to Martin Luther King in the 50th Anniversary year of that great speech. We're officially launching it on Sunday 13th October from 7pm to 8pm and everyone is welcome. We'll ask the project manager Anne McLaughlin to say a few words before the artists tell us how it was put together. Join the contributors to the film in launching it and be amongst the first in Glasgow to see it. But remember to wrap up warm, because the viewing takes place outside and we cannot guarantee warmth :-)

We are at 66/68 Osborne Street, G1 5QH, which runs parallel to Trongate and is off King Street.

Black History Month at the ACC - here's what's on

October 2013 - Black History Month "I Have a Dream"

Throughout October

Open 1am to 9pm every day. Art Exhibition. First shown at Street Level Gallery after photographer Ajamu X spent a year there in residence, First Histories is an exhibition of portraits which consists of African, Caribbean and people of black descent living and working in Scotland. Free entry.

Friday 4th October

6.30pm to 8.30pm. Launch of Future Histories Art Exhibition with talk by artist Ajamu X. Free entry and light refreshments. Bar from 7pm. 

8.30pm to 2am. Live African band Kakatsitsi plus guest DJs. £5 entry. Licensed bar. 

Saturday 5th October

8pm to 2am. Future Boogie 1st Birthday Party. DJs. Free Entry. Licensed bar.

Tuesday 8th October

8pm till late. Launch of Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art artists. Private Event by invitation only. 

Saturday 12th October

4pm to 6pm. We will be one of the venues for the Commonwealth Family Festival. For full programme check here. 

6pm to 9pm. Ceilidh Comhla which means Come Together is a ceilidh in the traditional sense, in the getting together sharing stories sense. You'll also get the chance to sample some African and Caribbean food. Free entry. All welcome. 


9pm to 2am. FELEBRATION. Help us celebrate the 75th birthday of Fela Kuti with some great music, a well stocked licenced bar and the opportunity to dance the night away. Entry is 3 pounds. 

Sunday 13th October

7pm. Launch of Martin Luther King I Have a Dream film project. Be the first to see the film featuring those who pass through the African Caribbean Centre. Wrap up warm because the viewing area is outside - the film will be projected directly onto the centre windows. Project directed by Sonica. The film will be shown from 10th to 28th October every night.

Saturday 19th October

Psychedelic Trance Dance Night to celebrate Black History Month. More details later.

More to be added in time but remember ...

All month we have the Future Histories art exhibition and from 8th to 28th October the Martin Luther King film projection project

The Black History Month Events Programme is managed by

Outstanding Communications

Sat 5th Oct - Black History Month parties with Future Boogie

This October we just want to get as many people in through the doors to see our Black History Month exhibition as possible so we're working with some of our fantastic promoters to get lots of folk in. Our Future Boogie Man invites you to also celebrate FB's 1st Anniversary and to help entice you in he has reduced the entry fee to ZILCH! That's right, free entry for two floors of fabulous music, a well stocked bar and some can't-help-yourself dancing! What more could you want?

All October - remarkable art exhibition on show at the ACC

Every day from 1pm to 9pm we will be showing the fantastic art exhibition now installed in the African Caribbean Centre. It features large black and white images of African and Caribbean people living in Scotland. It is called Future Histories: Celebrating the Scottish Diaspora. The official launch is Friday 4th October where the artist Ajamu X will be talking to us about the project. With thanks to Street Level Art Gallery for the loan of the artworks.

Exclusive Performance from the Sensational Ghanaian Band Kakatsitsi

We are VERY excited to announce an exclusive one off show THIS FRIDAY 4TH OCTOBER at the African Caribbean Centre (66 Osborne Street) in Glasgow with Kakatsitsi as part of Black History Month! 

Kakatsitsi are a group of traditional drummers, dancers and singers from the Ga tribe of Southern Ghana, with their roots in the fishing community of Jamestown, the part of Accra where the British based their colonial headquarters. Their music takes traditional rhythms and chants from their own Ga tradition and those of a variety of other West African cultures, rearranging them in a modern and accessible way.

Since 1996, Kakatsitsi have toured the UK 9 times, working with a wide variety of festivals including the main stage at Glastonbury where they performed with the legendary act The Orb.

The recent addition of a strong dance element, to complement the already outstanding drumming and singing components, has established Kakatsitsi as the leading African traditional group in the UK.

With support from Rebecca Vasmant and Mark Robb. 


Doors Open from 8.30pm

Show will start from 9pm 


Tickets available on the door


£5 Entry