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We Were There

How Black culture, resistance and community shaped modern Britain

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We Were There

By: Lanre Bakare
Narrated by: Oliver Wellington
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This is the story of a hidden Britain. A Black Britain. One that existed outside London and forces us to reappraise what it means to be British.

**AN OBSERVER, GQ MAGAZINE, ESQUIRE AND INEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR**

Rocked by economic turmoil, the rise of the National Front, heavy-handed anti-immigration policies and widespread civil unrest, Thatcher’s Britain was in tumult. And yet, all around this nation, Black creativity, community and resistance flourished like never before.

From Bradford’s towering mills and Northern Soul’s euphoric dance floors to the multicultural docks of Cardiff Bay and rolling hills of rural Britain, from Rastafarians and rugby stars to artists and activists, Lanre Bakare unearths the overlooked places and people who made Britain what it is today.

Alive with energy and purpose, We Were There is a dazzling, profoundly important new portrait of modern Britain and a shared legacy which belongs to us all.

'A vital corrective' STEVE MCQUEEN
'A revelation' NESRINE MALIK
'Necessary and urgent' GUARDIAN
'Joyous' GQ

© Lanre Bakare 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 Americas Black & African American Europe Great Britain Social Sciences United States England Social justice Socialism
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Critic reviews

We Were There is a vital corrective that enhances our understanding of Black British history in the 20th century by moving the narrative outside of London (Steve McQueen)
Lanre Bakare’s first book is not just a work of history – it is a necessary and urgent recalibration of the way we think about Black Britain… an expansive, deeply researched work that insists on a broader, richer understanding of Black life
[Bakare writes] with quiet enthusiasm and sharp intelligence about black communities, including those in Bradford, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff and Edinburgh … We Were There bridges the gaps to missing links and admirably achieves what it sets out to provide: further evidence of Black people’s influence on the UK
Like much of how we view and discuss history in the UK, the story of Black Britain often has a London bias. But as Guardian writer Lanre Bakare's book explores, there is a rich story to be told outside the capital too ... A joyous and fascinating corrective
The premise of this non-fiction book is a deceptively simple one: to consider the influence of Black culture in modern Britain, and, critically, beyond London ... It's a part of Britain's collective heritage that has been woefully underreported and makes for a book that is fact-packed and fascinating
We Were There is an essential, unique and joyful contribution to the full understanding of Black Britain. It broadens our story and ensures that the scale of our influence across the UK is fully recognised and appreciated. Utterly brilliant (Dipo Faloyin, author of Africa Is Not A Country)
An urgent conversation about Britishness and the breadth of Black British experience [that] will take us on affecting and insightful journeys (Arifa Akbar, author of Consumed)
Lanre Bakare takes us on a rare journey, rearranging our understanding of Britain’s racial geography with an open mind, perceptive eye and an accessible style. An incisive book at an important time (Gary Younge, author of Dispatches from the Diaspora)
Genuinely pioneering and transformative histories only come along rarely, but Lanre Bakare's wonderfully immersive, wide-ranging account of the years when Black Britian acquired its own agency is undoubtedly such (David Kynaston, author of A Northern Wind)
[A] meaty social history study [with] interesting things to say about race and class ... Packed with revealing content
All stars
Most relevant
Everyone should read this book, especially given the rise of the far right in the uk.
Black history is British history and goes far beyond the arrival of the Windrush.

Humbling read

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Well researched and beautifully written. Lots of things you never knew about black culture. I would recommend and will re-listen.

Brilliant, insightful

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I loved the insights in this account of Black history - which is our UK history - in the north and Scotland from 1960s onwards. Beautifully read by Oliver Wellington

Excellent history

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