DEC #7 On the box: 28 UP

28 UP, UNTIL 2 JAN 2014, ITV PLAYER
https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/7-28-up-south-africa/series-4/episode-1-28-up-south-africa

This is one of the best documentaries I have seen in a while. It charts the environmental changes in South Africa through the eyes of kids, both black and white, in different regions of the country as they develop from the age of 7 to 28. 
Fantastic! 
Catch it if you can!

DEC #6 Back Again: Luisa Omielan!

WHAT WOULD BEYONCE DO? DEC 27, 2013 - JAN 11, 2014 SOHO THEATRE
http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/luisa-omielan-what-would-beyonce-do/

This was my birthday gift from my dear friend V and what a gift it was! It is very funny and very cleverly put together and by the end of it I was a reborn live comedy fan. I even have my 'what would beyonce do?' pin badge to show for it.
Take a girlfriend and catch it if you can!

DEC #5 He, She or It?

ZHE UNTIL DEC 8, 2013 SOHO THEATRE

http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/zhe-noun-undefined/

Lately Zimbabwean artists seem to be on the spotlight (go Zimbabwe!) and these two tell of their migration story, leaving behind their childhood in Harare and suddenly flung into into adolescence in inner London.

DEC #4: Cafe Society Swing

CAFE SOCIETY SWING, DEC 21 - 22, 2013 LEICESTER SQUARE THEATRE
http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/873504569/events?TSLVq=796efe29-a4dc-497e-b280-d5e096b7f721&TSLVp=94b9ad09-9094-46c4-995b-1690ea9393bd&TSLVts=1386014393&TSLVc=ticketsolve&TSLVe=leicestersquare&TSLVrt=Safetynet&TSLVh=8afa2f0f26b5b98b93b4960c9df48091

Back to New York and the Swing era of the 1930s, this tells the story of Cafe Society a nightclub that promoted racial equality.
Only two shows, so grab that ticket asap!

DEC #3: Discovering in December

BEN L'ONCLE SOUL + FAADA FREDDY, DEC 4, 2013 LONDON SCALA KINGS CROSS
http://www.serious.org.uk/events/info/ben-loncle-soul1

If like me you like discovering new artistes, this is one awesome school night treat!
Bluesy, jazzy, souly and full of energy, Ben l'oncle Soul is guaranteed to have you on your feet. 

And Faada Freddy! What a surprising voice all the way from Senegal!

DEC #2: This One is for Winners!

SONGLINES MUSIC AWARDS 2013 WINNERS CONCERT, DEC 13, 2013 THE BARBICAN
http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=15025

Angélique Kidjo. Lo'Jo. Dub Colossus. Dub Band.
And Mokoomba, who I cannot wait to see!
I hear they blew the roof of the place at the Rift Valley Festival in Kenya earlier this year and I look forward to hearing more of what they are about!

DEC #1 Dirty Wars

DIRTY WARS, UNTIL 4 DEC, 2013 ICA, THE MALL
http://www.ica.org.uk/whats-on/dirty-wars

This has been screened extensively and maybe it's time I went to see why. Not that I am fan of war films but I do use film to develop some kind of insight of far away places.
This is modern day conflict told through the eyes of a journalist among the Taliban in Afghanistan.