KEHA SEEBII – for those left behind, featured a performance by new work by IRIE dance theatre (Image: Diana Quintal)

The African Routes Festival: Equal Measures 2025 an event by the Black-E celebrated the rich traditions and future of black dance.  

The two-day event over the weekend explored how African dance and music influences cultural practices and dance forms across the UK and international creations. 

A mix of keynote speakers, workshops, and various performances was held to reflect on how living in an unjust nation affects our wellbeing and contributes to healing and conflict resolution.  

Karen Gallagher, Curator for the Black-E, said: “This year when I was asked to consider what the theme could be, we started to look at how the impact of living in an unequal society can have a major impact on people’s wellbeing and how could culture be represented in that context and how can we celebrate what we do and bring people together as a community.” 

IRIE dance theatre dancers during the performance of new work KEHA SEEBII – for those left behind

For over fifty years the Black-E has committed to artistic and social transformation through the power of cultural equity to help the people of Liverpool to tell their story to the world.  

Karen said: “If you look at any populist, music, dance, it all comes from the kind of African, Caribbean traditions and I think if you look at enslaved people and what they brought into the countries that they ended up in, it is a backbone of everything that we do.” 

She added: “I guess for me it’s always been a part of life, my worry at the moment is that the world is very fractured and we are starting to reconsider as what happened in enslavement days about the fact that people are not as human as others and I think if we start to go down that track we are going to be in real trouble as a world. 

“It’s really important for me that we reflect who we are across the board as human beings but to ensure that there isn’t an equality about that understanding.” 

The night featured a performance by IRIE dance theatre, the resident dance company at the Black-E, for a premiere of their new work KEHA SEEBII – for those left behind, which is motivated by the tragic 1981 New Cross Fire.