Advisory
Board

THE CARGO BOARD

An important part of the project development is gaining the support and advice of other experienced professionals as we develop the exhibition to its full potential. These individuals will provide their specialist experience and expertise throughout the duration of the project.







ASHITEY AKOMFRAH

Since 2011 Ashitey has been a producer working for pioneering Smoking Dogs Films a film and television production company founded in London,1998, by three members of the acclaimed British cinecultural group Black Audio Film Collective. The founders of the company are film director John Akomfrah and producers Lina Gopaul and David Lawson. Smoking Dogs Films was conceived to produce works of imagination and innovation within the fertile worlds of film, television and new technologies.

Ashitey also sits on the board of the New Art Exchange (NAE) is the largest contemporary visual arts space in the UK representing Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic perspectives. NAE formed in 2003 as a limited company and charity and launched as a venue in September 2008. Its mission is ‘stimulating new perspectives about the value of diversity in art and society', and its vision is to act as a vehicle for expression and engagement with ‘art from diverse cultures for all'. They strive for artistic excellence, profiling and developing local, national and international culturally diverse artists.











CLARE REDDINGTON

Clare is the CEO of the Watershed, a creative hub in the centre of Bristol, establishing its creative technology programmes including Pervasive Media Studio. The Pervasive Media Studio hosts a diverse community of over 100 artists, creative companies, technologists and academics exploring experience design and creative technology. It is a collaboration between Watershed, University of Bristol and UWE Bristol. It’s projects are cultural and commercial and span play, robotics, location-based media, food, connected objects, interactive documentary and new forms of performance.

Clare also works directly with industry, academic and creative partners from around the world to champion inclusion, support talent and develop new ideas. Clare is a Visiting Professor at University of the West of England. She is chair of Emma Rice's Wise Children, and a trustee of RSC and British Council.











JASON ARDAY

By the age of 30 and over a 12-year period Jason earned 5 degrees and raised 1million pounds for charity. Remarkable by any standards when you realise that he did not learn to speak before the age of 11 and was age 18 when he began reading and writing. Jason’s deep desire to work for others coupled with the use of his academic platform to provide opportunities for Black students to explore their dreams makes compulsive and motivational listening and offers much learning.

Jason has become a Visiting Research Fellow at The Ohio State University (Diversity and Inclusion), an Adjunct Professor at Nelson Mandela University (Higher Education Transformation) and a trustee of many different trusts, including the UK’s leading Race Equality Thinktank, the Runnymede Trust. Jason was also selected as an Olympic Torchbearer at the London 2012 Olympics.











SWARZY MACALY

Swarzy is a London-based TV and radio broadcaster. She presents BBC Radio 1Xtra's Weekend Breakfast Show every Saturday morning from 7-10am. Joining the 1Xtra family has brought Swarzy full circle as she is the voice of BBC Sounds and a young contributor to Dotun Adebayo’s and Nihal Arthanayake’s shows on BBC Radio 5 Live, following her involvement as a volunteer towards the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017.

In response to Covid-19 and the first national lockdown in 2020, Swarzy became the official host of My Life My Say's Quarantine Question Time and has hosted a range of conversations with special guests such as Sir Keir Starmer, Munya Chawawa, Reverend Al Sharpton, as well as Former White House Chief of Staff and Counselor to President Obama, John Podesta. As of October 2021, Swarzy has joined forces with MLMS to launch their first live chat show, Make It Make Sense.

As well as TV and radio, Swarzy is the founder of Too Much Source – an annual exhibition with live events dedicated to celebrating Black British creatives who are making history today. Last year’s gallery was called ‘Joy and Resilience in 2020’ – a dedication to two attributes that remain central to the black experience – all in partnership with Roundhouse, KISS, and BBC Creative. Most recently, Lord Simon Woolley recognised Swarzy for her charisma, passion for young people and social justice, and her work with My Life My Say and so nominated her to be part of the Duke and Duchess's list of Black History Month Next Generation Trailblazers 2020.