'Ghanian born John Akomfrah is a seminal figure in Black British Cinema and forerunner in digital cinematography. He has a body of work that is considered one of the most distinctive and innovative in contemporary Britain.

For 30 years the artist, director, writer and theorist has been highlighting the legacy of African diaspora in Europe by creating films that explore marginalised histories of European society.

Akomfrah was a founding member of the Black Audio Film Collective and he is well-known for films including The Nine Muses (2010), Speak Like a Child (1998) and The Stuart Hall Project (2013). In 2008 Akonfrah was awarded an OBE for his services to the British film industry.'

The use of montage in John Akomfrah's Handsworth Song (1981). News clip and photos of the Birmingham riot on top of the song 'Jerusalem', insinuate a strong political statement: the utopia of Britain as the land of 'pasture and green' collapsed under the reality of untidy and discomforting race-based riot..