Showing results by narrator "Malik Al Nasir" in All Categories

Born in Liverpool, Malik was taken into care at the age of nine after his seafaring father became paralysed. He would spend his adolescence in a system that proved violent, neglectful, exploitative, traumatising and mired in abuse. Aged 18, he emerged semi-literate, penniless with no connections or sense of where he was going - until a chance meeting with Gil Scott-Heron. Letters to Gil will tell the story of Malik’s empowerment and awakening while mentored by Gil, from his introduction to the legacy of Black history to the development of his voice through poetry and music.

Malik Al Nasir was born in Liverpool, a mixed race kid formerly known as Mark Watson – he changed his name when he converted to Islam in early adulthood. Bemused by memories of racist chants baying for him to ‘go back to where you came from’ – he came from Liverpool after all – he began to look in detail into his ancestry. This book is the result and charts the twists and turns of his journey into the past, exploring an untold chapter in both Black and British history.