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Caribritish: Children of Windrush

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Journalist Hugh Muir examines Carib-British identity through the descendants of Windrush.

Journalist Hugh Muir examines the Carib-British phenomenon, exploring the lives and identities of British Caribbeans in the UK.

Caribritish: Children of Windrush: Part 2

15/06/2018

Part 2 BBC Radio 4 - Caribritish: Children of Windrush, Part 2

Journalist Hugh Muir meets the grandchildren of the Windrush pioneers.

Journalist Hugh Muir meets the grandchildren of the Windrush pioneers. They are born here to parents born or brought up in Britain. How Caribbean do they feel - if it all?

In the second part of his exploration into British Caribbean identity, journalist Hugh Muir meets the grandchildren of the Windrush pioneers.

They are born here to parents born or brought up in Britain, they speak with British accents and the island rivalries of their grandparents are long gone. So how Caribbean do they feel - if it all?

Through conversations with young British Caribbeans, including his daughter Ruby and the producer Zakia Sewell, Hugh asks whether the Windrushers' attitudes and culture still serve this young generation navigating modern Britain. 

Today, there are young British Caribbeans working in all areas of public life - in the arts, in business, education and the civil service. Many are living out the dreams of their grandparents. Hugh meets members of Young Identity, a spoken-word collective from Manchester, who are proud to hear their grandparents' patois infiltrating British language and music. He also talks to Nicholas Daley, a mixed-heritage fashion designer who takes cues from the dashing Windrushers in their sharp suits and hats.

While the Windrush look and language might provide inspiration for some, for others the traditional values of the grandparents are a hindrance. Selina Stone, a theology lecturer, wants her Pentecostal church to address more of the difficult issues facing her generation. For Craig Pinkey, a criminology lecturer and youth worker, there's an unconscious bias in the workplace and for the young Caribbeans he works with in inner city Birmingham, it's poverty and alienation. 

On his journey, Hugh meets Tia Simon Campbell and Naeem Davis who run a queer club night called BBZ, something their more conservative grandparents would never have imagined. But like many of their peers, they still identify with their Caribbeaness. Although they've only ever visited the sunny islands, they feel a huge gratitude for the hard work and endurance of the Windrushers who set out to create a better life for their descendants.

Produced by Zakia Sewell
A Cast Iron Radio production for BBC Radio 4.

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