Steel ’n’ Skin - ACE089.4

Derelict and near-derelict houses. Blackman’s VO says that racists "find their most active recruits" in the inner cities, among people who have little hope of employment, and that groups like Steel ’n’ Skin can do important work in such areas. Performance and workshop. Blackman VO says that "the black English experience is one of full-time confrontation…" in a climate of ignorance. When Steel ’n’ Skin make direct contact with young whites, they confront this ignorance. Children drumming. Blackman’s VO says that, in England, unlike in Africa and the West Indies, artists are not taken seriously if they work at community level, with community artists receiving "less than 2% of the Arts Council of England’s annual budget". He explains that he was asked to leave teacher training college because taking drums into schools "wasn’t considered part of [his] course". He adds that, in 1978, three members of Steel ’n’ Skin were held for three weeks in Harmondsworth Detention Centre for very minor visa irregularities. Tuning a steel pan (drum). Formby Hall, where children can escape inner city pressure for short periods. Young people learning how to tie-dye, print and sew material. Blackman says that white children look on such activities as "an afternoon of fun" while black children take it all "much more seriously". Children learning steel drum tune. Hair braiding.