𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

For 30-year-old DJ and promoter Khiah Lou, representation, she says, is central to her work.

Last year she launched Khaya Nights, an event dedicated to amapiano and other African Caribbean electronic dance music.

Having performed internationally, she had seen how other cities had developed a wider range of events celebrating these sounds. Bristol, she felt, was lagging behind.

Rather than wait for the scene to develop, Khiah decided to help build it herself.

“If we don’t do it, who else is going to do it?” she says.

“Young black people are starting to make a way for themselves because I don’t think we have a choice.”

Khiah says these nights provide a place where people can connect with their identities and see their cultures reflected in the city around them.

“At first it seems like it’s just a party, but it’s so much more than that,” she says.

“It’s really important for your own self-identity. If your community doesn’t have events, where do you feel you can go?”