The Root: Sounds born from Windrush
Bantu Archive Programme, programmed by Nate Coltrane
22 June | Time: 19:00 | Venue: SADACCA
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ABOUT THE EVENT
A concept originally curated for radio on Worldwide FM, The Root explores community archiving in Sheffield through sound, memory, and identity. This Windrush Day 2026 listening session, in collaboration with Migration Matters Festival, brings people together to share records rooted in community and history. Tracing sonic lineages across the Caribbean and Africa, it reflects on Black identity and honours the Windrush generation’s legacy.
Curated by Sheffield-based archivist and producer Ella Barrett for the Bantu Archive Programme, The Root highlights how space and sound both act as interconnected forces in shaping cultural and collective life.
Think archive meets techno, oral history meets ambient textures. It’s about hearing the city differently and asking what sound can tell us about who we are and where we come from.
LISTEN TO THE BANTU ARCHIVE PROGRAMME
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Ella Barrett (she/her) is a community archivist and producer whose work brings together oral history, installation, and community-led storytelling.
Based in Sheffield, she is the curator at the Bantu Archive Programme and co-producer of White Teeth 98, an audio-visual practice with photographer and filmmaker Jashan Walton. Her projects explore Black and POC life, memory, and place through archival research, sound, and moving image, centering the importance of marginalised communities documenting their past and present.
Ella has produced work and facilitated workshops with arts organisations including Site Gallery, Arts Catalyst, Sheffield Documentary Festival, No Bounds Festival and Worldwide FM and ICA. She continues to expand her practice as part of RESOLVE Collective working on the Nurturing Ecologies Programme.
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The Bantu Archive Programme, established in 2020, is a community archive based at the Sheffield and District African Caribbean Association (SADACCA). Its purpose is to gather and safeguard the history and experiences of the African Caribbean Community in Sheffield.
As a community-managed initiative, the Bantu Archive Programme encourages active involvement from community members, with personal stories on display within this exhibition. By engaging the community in the preservation of its history, the archive serves as a platform for knowledge-sharing and intergenerational dialogue.
At the heart of the Bantu Archive Programme is its aim to build valuable resources for future generations, ensuring the community’s narrative is preserved and celebrated for years to come.
Link to the soundcloud to listen to the archives oral history interviews: https://soundcloud.com/bantu-archive/sets/caribbean-footprints
Contributions:
Rob Cotterell
Ella Barrett
Dr Alex Mason
Dr Rosie Knight
Alicia Barrett
Macole Lannaman
Janice Azu
EVENT INFO
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FREE ENTRY
Please purchase a free ticket via the ‘Book Tickets’ link.
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Doors Open: 18:30
Running Time: 19:00 - 22:00 -
Accessibility Information to be updated soon.
If you have any questions about your access needs in the meantime, please contact info@migrationmattersfestival.co.uk using the subject line ‘Accessibility at the festival’
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Age Guidance: All Ages
Content Warning: There are no specific content warnings for this event but members will be listening to people’s own music and speaking on ideas related to identity, blackness and concepts of home
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Image Credit: Dion Forte