The gathering marked the moment when 2024 Fellows crossed the threshold into life as Senior Fellows. Guided by the theme “Dreaming: Ourselves and World Anew”, the gathering invited Fellows to reflect on how they had been transformed, what they were carrying forward and what futures they dared to imagine.

With memories of February’s two-week residency in Johannesburg still fresh, the cohort was immersed in Black Britain—gaining another perspective on global Blackness. Fellows walked the streets of Brixton and surrounds, savouring the histories, food and culture. They visited the Black Cultural Archives and experienced the hospitality of the Africa Centre.

The week culminated in a graduation ceremony where each Fellow performed live on stage an ‘I Am Going’ PechaKucha—a five-stanza poem they crafted to express their visions, ideas, actions, edges, and commitments to themselves. Standing before their peers, Board members and invited guests, Fellows dared to speak of the futures they commit to for themselves and their communities.