Dean Atta on the Influence of Black British History

Dean Atta is a London-born poet whose work explores race, national identity, and sexuality. His debut poetry collection I Am Nobody’s Nigger voices Atta’s perspectives on family, relationships, and London life, as well as drawing on influential events from modern history. 

Through his bold and inspiring poetry, Atta has also become an influential voice in the LGBTQ+ community in the UK and his novel The Black Flamingo shares a story about a boy coming to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen. We spoke with Atta to explore the influence of Black British history on his life and work, and who he would want to see in the Black Cultural Archives in 10 years time.

Are there any other Black British historical figures that have inspired you?

I was incredibly moved by reading the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, a first-hand account of being an enslaved, and then a freed, Black man in the late 1700s. Equiano managed to purchase his freedom and moved to London from the British colonies. This book is important because countless Black lives and stories from this time were lost.

You are an influential voice in the LGBTQ+ community in the UK. How has the history of LGBTQ+ rights in the UK impacted you and your work?

It has been terribly unequal for previous generations of LGBTQ+ people in the UK, and still is for many here and worldwide. Many countries have anti-gay laws imposed by Britain, which make consensual homosexual sex between adults illegal. It was only in 1967 that it was partially decriminalized in England and Wales. It took until the 1980s for Scotland and Northern Ireland to follow. It was only in 2018 that the Supreme Court of India invalidated part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which was introduced in 1861 during the British rule of India. It is still illegal in Jamaica, again because of laws introduced by Britain. There are over 70 countries where it is illegal and some where it is punishable by 10 years to life imprisonment or even the death penalty. Knowing this makes me want to be out and proud in my work — that includes writing about gay sex — for those who cannot for fear of imprisonment or death.

Are there any other contemporary poets or artists who you think are making Black British history today?

I think Malika Booker has made history by setting up the Malika’s Poetry Kitchen writers’ collective in 2001, together with Roger Robinson and Jacob Sam La Rose. This collective has nurtured the likes of Inua Ellams, Warsan Shire, and Yomi Sode. The collective is not exclusively for Black writers but it has been so instrumental in the careers of many Black British writers, myself included.

If you were coming to the Black Cultural Archives in 10 years, what would you want to see in the archive from today?

I’d like to see Young Adult fiction by the likes of myself, Malorie Blackman, Alexandra Sheppeard, Alex Wheatle, and Patrice Lawrence. Every book of poetry published by Peepal Tree Press. Every issue of Wasafiri magazine. Everything ever written by Zadie Smith. And all the books by the many writers we’ve spoken about here.