Reflections from a life lived in the struggle by black British feminist and activist, Stella Dadzie. Stella Dadzie has been a key figure in the black women’s movement in Britain since the 1970s. This unique new collection showcases her personal, political and creative writing, covering themes from her family life and early years to political activism, travel in Africa and the Caribbean, and race and gender inequalities in Britain.
Featuring short stories, poems, speeches and travel writings, in addition to personal photographs and a curated selection of her artwork in a photo spread at its centre, this definitive collection presents Dadzie as never seen before: raw, funny and human; artist and activist. The book offers new insights into the issues that defined a generation of black women and will be an instant classic in the black British feminist canon. Curated by one of Britain’s foremost black women activists in her lifetime, it offers a unique new contribution to the literature on black women’s lives in Britain.
… gives stunning insight into the synthesis of creativity and political analysis that has defined Stella Dadzie’s contributions to Black Feminist thought in the United Kingdom. This critical collection is testament to the multifaceted life of a revolutionary thinker, theorist and artist whose critical eye is always trained on the excavation of Black radical history. Dadzie has never given up on the idea that we are capable of transforming the terms of the present and her diaries, travel notes, short stories, poems and speeches instruct us to do the same.
Lola Olufemi
Not only is it a concise and moving history/herstory of the Black and Asian Women’s Movement in Britain by someone who was at the heart of the stories – it is also a personal memoir, a beautiful anthology of short stories and a unique travelogue …
To see the evidence documented in this unique way it is truly breathtaking. Too many of our herstories are lost in time. For too long we have been ignored. As we say in Guyana – ‘their eyes pass us’. Stella, you make people stop, draw breathe, look, listen and hopefully begin to understand.
… a feast of colour, words, emotions, realism – hopes as well as fears. With love at the centre of everything.
Sandra Agard
… searing in its critique of structural inequalities, of history’s silences and falsifications, yet at the same time full of optimism and a belief that better can be achieved through struggle and a clear-eyed commitment to a future that, above all, values human life and freedom … a reminder that political activism is a radical act of the imagination.
A Whole Heap of Mix-Up intervenes into the silences and spaces left by the absence of black women in the archive and provides evidence for the oft-repeated mantra: ‘If we don’t write our story someone else will’. This collection remembers the struggles of our ‘an-sisters’: it speaks to and with the author’s sisters in struggle and will inspire future generations of black feminist activists. It is a work that all of us involved in struggles for equality and freedom will hold close.
Suzanne Scafe
A Whole Heap of Mix Up is a vibrant collection of poems, stories, travel notes, speeches, and critical essays that bring together the many facets of Stella Dadzie’s life and work. From her role in shaping Britain’s Black women’s movement to her influential career as an educator, and her travels across Africa, Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean, Dadzie reflects on a lifetime of activism, creativity, and community. At once personal and political, this eclectic mix reveals the roots of her feminism, her commitment to sisterhood and anti-racism, and the rhythms – reggae, highlife, soul – that have sustained her. She writes of struggle and resistance, but also of humour, healing, and joy, weaving together fragments of memory and history with candour and care. A founding member of OWAAD and co-author of the classic The Heart of the Race, Dadzie has long been at the forefront of Black feminist thought and activism. A Whole Heap of Mix Up is both testimony and legacy: a record of a life lived in defiance of racism and injustice, and a gift to future generations seeking inspiration, courage, and solidarity.
Nydia Swaby
This collection by Stella Dadzie is an exciting and innovative mix. From expressive artwork to essays, to poems, reflections and short stories, the writer introduces her reader to different forms/genres and the many different voices that describe her multi-faceted life. With its autobiographical tone and careful selection, Stella reminds us that the personal is always political in a boldly-lived, socially aware life. With a highly engaged political lens, the variety of pieces and treatment takes us on a journey of experience that will connect with many other women on the way. This is a singular life but with collective resonance. Dig into this truly thoughtful and inventive mix.
Beverley Bryant
This book is a treasure trove of delights! A rich and versatile mix of poems, exquisite paintings by the author, short stories, interviews, political and historical essays, photos, journal entries, campaigning badges, mirroring Stella’s multi-layered experience and leadership in the Black women’s movement over many decades. Her lyrical and distinctive voice offers us powerful personal insights into Black feminism, race, oppression, slavery, activism, identity, love, hope, courage, belonging, sisterhood, and much more.
Her stories transport us across cultures and continents – Portugal, South Africa, Barbados, Ghana, Slovenia – evoking smells, heat, tastes and sounds, so we feel we’re there too. There is so much that will resonate for different readers; mixed identity in Half-caste, the hope in After the Storm, or the shock in This Time it Happened with Fire. And not just geographical travel, but time travel and mystery too, Sankofa style, in The Ship. You never know what you’re going to get or where you’re going next; thought-provoking and personal, political and powerful, or sweet to edge-of-your-seat.
Esuantsiwa Jane Goldsmith (Esua)
