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Njambi McGrath

Njambi McGrath - Black Black

1. First World Problems

Duration: 14 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW

Available for years

Kenyan-born comedian Njambi McGrath exposes the devastating impact of British colonisers on her grandmother's life and how the legacy of racism affects her own life in the UK today.

Originally from Kenya but living in London with her white husband and British children for over a decade, Njambi McGrath finds herself in a tricky position, quite literally in bed with the coloniser!

Exploring the past to find answers for the present, she compares her grandmother’s life under imperialist Britain, with the rise of Nazism and fascism, to her own political climate... with Nazism, and fascism once again on the rise.

With a penchant for incisive one-liners, she challenges our ideas about race and progress and takes on everything from colonialism and culture wars, to coronations and the church.

In this episode, Njambi details the arrival of the British colonisers and the immediate impact it had on her grandmother's generation. With some dark humour, she tells stories of the introduction of concentration camps and forced labour and compares them to the cruelty she faced herself as a child in boarding school, and the legacy of racism which has affected her closest relationships to this day.

Produced by Julia Sutherland
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4 Show less

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