A highlight of this summer was Melanin Box Festival (MBF), the first UK festival dedicated to the multi-disciplinary work of Black British creatives.

Held in Peckham, London, the festival showcased new talent and all forms of performance art from theatre, film, music and dance.

The art duo initiativedkf – aka Damilola DK Fashola and Wofai – originally created the festival in order to widen the vision of what it means to be black and British.

They set out to “normalise Black British narratives and atypical storytelling” by increasing visibility and artistic opportunities for black and minority ethnic creatives in the UK.

MBF now has a strong track record of bringing new talent to the fore and presenting challenging new narratives. As Damilola DK Fashola and Wofai point out: “This is an opportunity to tell our varied stories from our own mouths and celebrate black British talent in Britain – not once they’ve flown overseas – there has always been a scarcity of roles and opportunities for black creatives in stage, television and film, as well as roles, which convey the same narratives.

“When you look at the British industry especially, we see our most known artists only being truly recognised once overseas. Melanin Box Festival is our response to this.”