John Murray Press imprint Two Roads has signed a personal memoir by BAFTA and MOBO-award winning artist Akala which is also a political book about... John Murray Press imprint Two Roads has signed a personal memoir by BAFTA and MOBO-award winning artist Akala which is also a political book about race and class. "I am sure a great many readers will have had similar experiences to mine. John Murray Press imprint Two Roads has signed a personal memoir by BAFTA and MOBO-award winning artist Akala which is also a political book about race and class. “Gang members drive cars like this,” the suspicious officer claimed, before an embarrassed colleague took him aside. 'The kind of disruptive, aggressive intellect that a new generation is closely watching' Afua Hirsch, Observer Akala’s greatest strength is his ability to perform as he’s made a living through convincing people he is an intellectual rather than by actually being an intellectual. Hewson praised Akala's "rare talent", saying she was "blown away not just by how complex, wide-ranging and compelling his arguments were, but also by how incredibly accessible and personal his voice was", when she first heard him speak. Akala uses his own personal experiences to explore how race and class intersect and how we’ve come to be where we are in contemporary British society. Natives is the searing modern polemic and Sunday Times bestseller from the BAFTA and MOBO award-winning musician and political commentator, Akala. Akala, a multi-platform artist, said he was looking forward to telling his story in a book as it offers "a certain clarity and conviction". She said: "It’s a rare talent to be able to communicate complex ideas so clearly and so passionately, and we’re extremely excited to be publishing this powerful book.". With an extensive global touring history, Akala has appeared at numerous festivals both in the UK and internationally, and has led innovative projects in the arts, education and music across South East Asia, Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand. "In Natives I will use personal stories and experiences as well as a wealth of historical data to explore how race and the much older inequalities of class shaped my childhood life and subsequent worldview in a hope to add at least an iota of understanding to these two massive socio-political forces", said Akala. 0 likes. Taking stories from Akala’s life – from the first time he was stopped and searched as a child, to the day he realised his mum was white, to his first encounters with racist teachers – Natives "spins out to examine the social, cultural, historical and political factors that have got us to where we are", said the publisher. ― Akala, Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire. Hewson promoted to editorial director at Two Roads, Policewoman's open submission memoir to Two Roads, Two Roads acquires series behind BBC Radio 4 drama 'McLevy', CLC 2020: Malcolm Gladwell on Talking to Strangers. In Natives, musician and political commentator Akala has written a fierce and necessary polemic on race and class.Now in paperback, our Non-Fiction Book of the Year, 2018 Natives stands out for its clarity, urgency and humanity. ©2020 Bookseller Media Ltd rights reserved. She’d recognised Akala, whose activism, as well as five albums and 15 years in the music industry, has earned him public renown. Akala is a BAFTA and MOBO award-winning hip-hop artist, writer and social entrepreneur, as well as the co-founder of The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company. Like “Despite my granddad spending a lifetime complaining about the immigrants and darkies, he took his military pension and retired to Thailand and saw no contradiction. This is still just the beginning of my journey as a writer and I am grateful to share some of my story...". He also added that he hopes to add some understanding to the subjects of race and class. Whilst I love speaking, organising and performing there is something more permanent about writing… it offers a certain clarity and conviction. A BAFTA and MOBO-award winning artist, social entrepreneur and co-founder of The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company, Akala has spoken and written about politics and race on Newsnight, This Week, Frankie Boyle’s Political Autopsy and in the Guardian, as well as in the online videos of his many lectures on the Facebook Live, TEDx and Oxford Union platforms. In late 2017, the rapper and political thinker Akala was driving in London, on his way to a meeting, when a police car pulled him over. It will cover "everything" from the police, education and identity to politics, sexual objectification and the far right, and will "speak directly to British denial and squeamishness when it comes to confronting issues of race and class that are at the heart of the legacy of Britain’s racialised empire". Natives Race And Class In The Ruins Of Empire By Akala ... ... _ Senior commissioning editor Kate Hewson pre-empted world rights to Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire from Adrian Sington at Kruger Cowne. Akala: ‘From that day, ... Uncle Offs’ own father was a university-educated schoolteacher in his native Guyana, and it was expected that his children would get a good education.