North Star

Journey from 1845 Belfast to Belfast 2024 in Surround Sound! An ambitious live show featuring music and literature, all deeply rooted in Black music and cultures.

North Star is an immersive live music performance, inspired by the historic speech given by orator, writer, and abolitionist, Frederick Douglass in Belfast in 1845.

Douglass, considered a fugitive slave at the time delivered a landmark speech in Belfast, declaring, “wherever else I feel myself to be a stranger, I will remember I have a home in Belfast.”

In response to this powerful quote and moment, Grammy Award winner Kaidi Tatham, award-winning poet Nandi Jola, rising stars Leo Miyagee and Winnie Ama, with special guests Hannah Peel and Colin Salmon, along with nearly 100 pupils from four Belfast schools, will co-create a spectacular showcase of music, art, and literature. Their personal works, inspired by Douglass’s story, philosophy, and connection with Belfast, rooted in Black cultures, will come together in an unforgettable show as part of Belfast 2024.

This groundbreaking show also features live performances from Arco String Quartet, Joseph Leighton, Ben Flavelle, Steve Davis, Rick Swann, Thomas Annang, and PVN Gospel Choir led by Angela Ifonlaja with arrangements by Jennifer John.

Join us at the Belfast Telegraph Building to witness North Star, an unforgettable moment in Belfast’s rich history – inspired by Frederick Douglass, celebrating Belfast.

• BSL signed performance: Thur 24 Oct
• For information on accessibility at North Star, including parking, wheelchair access and quiet spaces, click here. 

North Star is produced by Solab, a new collective led by Kwame Daniels.

Commissioned by Belfast 2024. Supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.