In Conversation: George the Poet

This event is part of ‘Conversations at the Kiln’, a new event series at Kiln Theatre programmed by Intelligence Squared. For more events with speakers from the worlds of literature, art, poetry and politics, click here.

‘Poetry is the artistic wing of politics’

George Mpanga, known as George the Poet, is seen by many as one of the UK’s most compelling voices in poetry, music, and social commentary. Originally hailing from St Raphael’s Estate in Neasden, Mpanga has spent over a decade working at the intersection of art and politics reflecting on his upbringing to shed light on how race and inequality still shape Britain today.

His debut poetry collection in 2015, Search Party, tackled the north-south divide, the housing crisis and critiqued government anti-immigration policies, to widespread acclaim. Since then, Mpanga’s work has bridged grime, prose, spoken-word performance, and most recently longer-form audio, as he has continued to interrogate the socio-political status quo.

Now on February 27, he joins us on stage to discuss the themes of his new memoir, Track Record: Me, Music, and the War on Blackness. He will discuss his personal story alongside a broader social history of race and identity in Britain, and examine what he terms “the war on Blackness”: the systemic forces that continue to oppress people of African descent worldwide.

Join us at the Kiln Theatre for an evening of conversation with George the Poet, as he reflects on his artistic journey, the transformative power of creativity, and his vision for a better future.