Occupying a quiet cul-de-sac within the London borough of Lewisham, Nubia Means stands out for its row of almost equivalent, free-standing, grass-topped homes. The brief documentary Nubia Means (2022) tells the story of this historic small neighbourhood, which was constructed from scratch by Black Londoners, largely from Caribbean backgrounds, within the Nineties as a part of an modern housing initiative that provided potential residents financial incentives to construct their very own properties. By interviews with residents, architects and historians, the London-based filmmaker and photographer Timi Akindele-Ajani explores how the challenge developed as a response to racism and housing discrimination, in addition to the mix of group organising and architectural innovation that made the challenge doable. In doing so, he crafts an attractive portrait of a singular London group constructed from the bottom up.
Through It’s Nice That
