Odiri Ighamre
Experience
Storytelling
I have always loved reading, so telling stories blossomed early for me, and writing has been my armour since childhood. My first career as an oral storyteller began in 1991, performing widely for audiences through my twenties and thirties.
I found that research and practice was key, and whilst I saw value in the frequently requested ‘Anansi stories,’ it was the little-known fables and myths that crossed Africa in different forms that I loved. When I couldn’t find the right story I wrote my own.
This work took me across the UK and onto international stages in schools; libraries, museums, prisons, theatres, and even the occasional Cathedral. I have always sought to better understand the long history of Africa, and this led to the development of a visual exhibition that accompanied my Oral Storytelling to ensure that my work was much more than entertainment.
It also opened residencies in spaces like the British and the Maritime and Horniman Museum in London and school tours in Jamacia and across Ireland.
Evwreni Productions
Improving the life experience of the Black child in Britain called to me most deeply as my own children grew, so I began extensive community research and began developing new ways of working. With my husband Paul Aiken, Evwreni Productions, was birthed in 1998: an artist agency that trained and coordinated African and Caribbean artists for work in schools and prisons.
It was made up of twenty-seven artists delivering a diversity of workshops including Jamaican Folklore; Nigerian cooking, African textiles, Ethiopian Artefacts and of course, Oral Storytelling. We focussed on key areas of the curriculum and were in demand for school insets; colleges, prison workshops and festivals.
KORI Youth Charity – Vessel UK
I founded KORI with Paul Aiken in 2002, a youth charity with an initial focus of engaging and uplifting African and Caribbean children living in the borough of Haringey.
Being a mother, I was seriously motivated to push against the overwhelming negative backdrop of school exclusions, police custodies and gang violence, paralleled by the lack of spaces where young people could engage in the arts, cultural learning, academic support and positive socialisation.
Many artists, youth workers and other socially focused practitioners have been nurtured at KORI, and many young people have found a safe haven when it was most needed. Ten years into this work I finally went back into education, underpinning my rich experience with academic learning and research into: African History, Social Pedagogy, Youth and Community Development; Creative Writing, supervision and coaching.
The Vessel UK is one of KORI’s key programmes that I am especially proud of because it has had global impact. I developed this programme to create a real and sustained connection with my continent. From 2004 I worked to identify and develop long-term ethical partnerships with schools and other organisations in Tanzania, Kenya, Gambia and Namibia. This has led to exceptional skill sharing and cross-cultural learning for young people and adults. I am really proud of leading and developing the pedagogy of KORI for over two decades.
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“Respect creates the environment”