Oral History with Gbenga Afolabi

00:00 Gbenga has lived in Stockport for 9 years. He is passionate about anything to do with Black history and got involved with this project because he has previously done photography and video and gigs with Solomon Onaolapo (and the Rising Stars and Pie Radio organisations) and has also made several documentaries about black history, integration and racism. He has a degree in Broadcasting and a Master’s in TV Documentary and jumped at the chance to work on the Black History in Stockport project as film-maker and photographer.

03:25 Discusses the challenges of working on the project (logistics, budget constraints, etc) but has enjoyed the whole process and has been inspired by the awesome black people he has met through the project.

05:50 Thinks that the lack of role models and historical materials about black people is a problem and thinks that being a part of the solution to this is amazing. ‘Black people should be more proactive’.

07:47 It makes him happy to be part of a project that will be inspiring to others. Says the UK is a country of opportunities and being able to be a part of leaving a legacy (archive) is humbling. He is very happy about this.

09:59 Gbenga moved to Stockport after meeting his wife in 2011 and they wanted to live halfway between where they both lived at that time.

11:24 The differences that Gbenga noticed after moving to Stockport was that it was quite white compared to where he was living before, but less overcrowded with more green spaces and less gang violence. It ‘felt like a place we could bring up children’.

13:59 Discusses the 192 bus route between Manchester and Stockport.

15:27 Gbenga has two children and teaches them about Nigerian food and culture by telling them stories and taking them to Nigeria. The children are also being brought up to appreciate their mother’s Hungarian background, so they are being brought up with a blend of cultures including Nigerian, Hungarian, and British. Gbenga hopes this will lead to them to grow up to be open minded people.

19:08 Stockport has a lot of hidden gems and is quite beautiful with a lot of history, and kind-hearted people.