Arsenal x Adidas x Black Music

The book Black Arsenal: Club, Culture, Identity (2024) by Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka explored the organic connection to Arsenal Football club that has been forged by Black communities in London, Britain and beyond from the 1970’s to the present day.

Beyond just sport, the book identified how this relationship can be seen across photography, art, geography, music, fashion and Black popular culture.

The concept of Black Arsenal was developed through the author’s experiences at the Notting Hill Carnival, which, in its celebration of Black diasporic music forms, has become a site of synonymity between the Black diaspora in London and the presence of Arsenal football shirts as worn by Black people to the carnival from the early 1990s onwards.

With a particular interest in the carnival's popularising of the ’Arsenal Jamaica’ shirt from 2022 and the more recent ‘Arsenal Africa’ shirt from 2024, the panel explores the powerful convergences between Black British music culture, Black British Identity, sport and fashion.

This event is part of a series of screenings and talks curated by Dr Clive Nwonka for The Music is Black Festival from East Bank at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka is Associate Professor in Film, Culture and Society in the School of European Languages, Culture and Society within UCL’s Faculty of the Arts and Humanities, and Professor in Practice at the British Film Institute. Nwonka’s scholarship broadly centres on race and the humanities. He is the author of the books Black Boys: The Social Aesthetics of British Urban Film (2023), Black Arsenal (2024) and the co-author of the forthcoming book Race and Racism in the Creative and Cultural Industries (2026). He is Academic in Residence for the V&A East’s Music is Black.

Femi Koleoso is the bandleader and drummer for the BRIT Award and Mercury Prize winning jazz quintet Ezra Collective. A DJ and broadcaster, he is a BBC Radio 6 Music presenter, hosting The People’s Party on Fridays (7-9pm). He has also established Situation Dance as an essential monthly dancefloor event in London.

Foday Dumbuya is a menswear designer and founder/Creative Director of LABRUM. His practice exists between the intersection of Fashion, Culture, Art and identity. A regular collaborator with Adidas, Foday designed the Arsenal’s 20-24/25 away kit, influenced by the Pan African flag as a homage to the club’s players and fans shaped by the African diaspora.

Anita Asante is a former England international footballer with 71 caps, whose elite playing career spanned 19 years. A popular speaker, Anita delivers speeches on topics including Diversity, LGBTQ+, Leadership, Teamwork, Motivation, Empowerment and Overcoming Adversity. Since retiring, Anita Asante has become a leading football pundit for the BBC and Sky Sports.

Jeanette Kwakye MBE is a British broadcaster and former Olympic sprinter, best known as a leading sports presenter for the BBC, Sky Sports, and Channel 5. She made history at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the first British woman in 24 years to reach the 100m final. She was a lead presenter for BBC’s 2024 Olympics and the 2026 Winter Olympics coverage. Currently, she co-hosts ITV’s The Martin Lewis Money Show and hosts BBC Radio 5 Live's Weekend Breakfast

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