New films honour community voices for Black History Month
Local groups have joined forces for Black History Month to screen two films about the lived experiences of black people in Portsmouth.
Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery has partnered with Portsmouth Black History Project and Millstream Productions to create the films, which will be shown from October 9.
Both films feature Marie Costa and Honorine Djenaba-MacDonald, two women who have long represented communities facing racial discrimination in the city.
The first film looks back at their arrival in Portsmouth, in 1969 and 1984, and their work to unite people from different ethnic backgrounds.
The second film focuses on “passing the baton” where young people of black heritage were invited to a forum to share how their experiences compare today.
Marie Costa, chair of Portsmouth Black History Project, said: “Talking and discussing with the younger generation about the Multicultural Festival of the 1990s to early 2000s, made me feel proud to have led the multicultural group during those years.
“We have passed on the ‘baton’ of multiculturalism to the young people, and they hope to revive it as they feel that this will bring back the spirit and warmth that bring different communities together, in a joyous, free occasion, that celebrates diversity in Portsmouth.”
Dan Musty, co-founder and community producer at Millstream Productions, said it was an “honour” to work with Marie and Honorine.
“It was our privilege to help to tell their stories through this film. We also hope that the short forum video demonstrates that others are ready to pick up the baton and run with it in Portsmouth.”
Natalie Brahma-Pearl, chief executive at Portsmouth City Council, said “we are proud” to host the “powerful” display at the council-owned Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery.
She described Marie and Honorine as “remarkable women” who have “shaped our city’s cultural landscape through decades of advocacy and community leadership”.
“Their stories, and those of the young people who are now carrying the baton forward, is a celebration of unity, resilience and the richness of our shared heritage,” she added.
The films will be available at Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery, Museum Road, PO1 2LJ, from October 9 until February 2026.
Admission is free and is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am–5pm (last entry 4.30pm). More details are at www.portsmouthmuseum.co.uk/what-to-see-do/events.