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Routes of the Kola Nut

,
Past
  • Free
  • Workshop
  • Youth event
  • Relaxed
Photograph of two gallery visitors watching a short film in a gallery setting.
Kola Assemblages by Ibiye Camp. Digital collage wallpaper, 2024. Oxidising Kola Nut by Ibiye Camp. Digital film, 2022. Gallery Photo: Eszter Bonyi. Source: Courtesy of the artist. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

What you’ll do

The kola nut, with its distinct taste and red-and-white casing, has attracted people worldwide. It shaped global history, birthed Pepsi and Coca-Cola, and holds social, economic and religious importance in West Africa.  

Join us for a series of workshops exploring the kola nut’s uncontainable nature and its connection to African diasporic identity and heritage. 

You can get hands-on with a linocut workshop run by our Youth Panel, embark on a guided tour of ‘The Kola Nut Cannot Be Contained’, or visit our open reflection space, where you can contribute to a growing collective display. 

This is a youth event, run by young people for young people. It is designed for 14- to 19-year-olds and disabled people aged 14–25 years.

If you need a space away from the exhibition at any time, you can come to our Chill-Out Room. In this room there will be low lighting, comfortable seating, cushions, mats and space to move around and be yourself. You can also make use of ear defenders, earplugs, stim toys and materials with different textures. 

You can watch this video to view the information above in BSL.

Dates

,
Past

Past events

  • Gallery tour
  • Youth event
Guided Tour
Gallery 3
Embark on a guided tour of the thought-provoking 'The Kola Nut Cannot Be Contained' display in Gallery 3, expertly led by our Youth Panel in collaboration with the Visitor Experience team.
  • Relaxed
  • British Sign Language

  • Session
  • Youth event
Reflection Station
The Forum
Respond to questions and prompts about the kola nut, food and heritage within this open space, where your stories and reflections will contribute to an interactive display. There will be comfortable seating, live music and West African snacks available.
  • Relaxed

  • Workshop
  • Youth event
Linocut Workshop
The Studio
Unleash your creativity in this linocut workshop with our Youth Panel. You can create your own unique print of a Bese Saka, or “sack of kola nuts”, while learning about this Ghanaian symbol of power, abundance and togetherness.
  • Relaxed

  • Gallery tour
  • Youth event
Guided Tour
Gallery 3
Embark on a guided tour of the thought-provoking 'The Kola Nut Cannot Be Contained' display in Gallery 3, expertly led by our Youth Panel in collaboration with the Visitor Experience team.
  • Relaxed
  • British Sign Language

  • Gallery tour
  • Youth event
Guided Tour
Gallery 3
Embark on a guided tour of the thought-provoking 'The Kola Nut Cannot Be Contained' display in Gallery 3, expertly led by our Youth Panel in collaboration with the Visitor Experience team.
  • Relaxed
  • British Sign Language

  • Workshop
  • Youth event
Linocut Workshop
The Studio
Unleash your creativity in this linocut workshop with our Youth Panel. You can create your own unique print of a Bese Saka, or “sack of kola nuts”, while learning about this Ghanaian symbol of power, abundance and togetherness.
  • Relaxed

Need to know

Location

This is an event with several different activities. Check specific sub-events for their locations.

Place not guaranteed

Booking a ticket for a free event does not guarantee you a place. You should aim to arrive 15 minutes before the event is scheduled to start to claim your place. If you do not arrive on time, your place may be given to someone on the waiting list.

Relaxed

This is a relaxed event, which means that if you need to, you are welcome to move around and make noise at any time.

For more information, please visit our Accessibility page. If you have any queries about accessibility, please email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call 0 2 0. 7 6 1 1. 2 2 2 2

Our event terms and conditions