Errol in his record shop. Photograph: Don Travis
‘Life is better than fiction on Ridley Road’ – in pictures
A year on from the first project, Ridley Road Stories Part 2 is a street exhibition of photographs by Don Travis and Wayne Chrichlow presented by Future Hackney in partnership with Autograph. It documents African and Caribbean locals on Ridley Road and Gillett Square, celebrating these neighbourhoods as part of the fabric of east London, and their living legacies of protest and resistance
Joyclen
‘I brought my siblings to this place when I was younger. Now I bring these young men to change the narrative around the way black youth are portrayed’
Photograph: Wayne R Crichlow
Bilqees and Lola
‘We are on our way to a wedding and came here to get our geles fitted. These are important in Yoruba culture – they are our crowns’
Photograph: Don Travis
Peter
‘The containers on Ridley Road are like a mini-Ghana. Everyone greets you when you arrive’
Photograph: Donna Travis
Soniya
‘I like to offer natural goodness to the people of Ridley Road, which I believe is nectar from the gods’
Photograph: Donna Travis
Errol
‘People tell me my record shop reminds them of Ridley Road back in the 70s and 80s. My lion paw mural is inspired by the Lion of Judah, representing strength, kingship and pride’
Photograph: Donna Travis
Aziz
‘I come to Gillett Square to be a part of the Zoom bike project. I love helping people and fixing things’
Photograph: Donna Travis
Ryan
‘I came here from the Bahamas to be myself and challenge the way people see gender norms. I’d like to go back there in the future and tell young people that it’s OK to be who you want to be’
Photograph: Donna Travis
Ninette
‘This is a place of Afrocentric culture that I associate with the comfort of family’
Photograph: Wayne R Crichlow
Kennyetta
‘I arrived in Hackney from Monserrat, after a volcanic eruption mash up my country. I started coming to Gillett Square to feel the sound systems’
Photograph: Donna Travis
Robert
‘I decided to set up my shop here selling yams from Ghana, to be around people who give me a sense of strength and belonging’
Photograph: Wayne R Crichlow
Atreka
‘We are a plant-based Caribbean family and restaurant in Dalston. Everyone knows us as All Nations, we know them as kings and queens’
Photograph: Guest Youth Photographer: Terence Douet
Denis
‘I’m a Kingstonian, born in Jamaica. I came to this country in 1961, and stood by what my grandfather told me: “Stand up for liberty and defend those who are weak.” People around here know me as Denis the Champ’
Photograph: Donna Travis
Malakai
‘If you come to my barber shop on Ridley Road, we are probably going to talk about Africa or Fela Kuti’
Photograph: Donna Travis
Illyassou
‘I got lost here when I was a baby, and when people found me, they took me back to my dad’s shop on Ridley Road’
Photograph: Wayne R Crichlow
Ngozi and Rosanna
‘We both have a special relationship with this space handed down from our mothers. Our support for women of African and Caribbean heritage relates to our histories here on this road’
Photograph: Wayne R Crichlow
Azbera
‘From a young child I dreamt of coming here, so I try to live a humble life and be conscious of the love of people and what is temporary’
Photograph: Donna Travis
Trevor
‘Life is better than fiction on this road. There is always something happening’
Photograph: Donna Travis
Ibrahim
’I play 80s soul music here outside my shop, where people come to socialise, dance and sometimes ask for help’
Photograph: Wayne R Crichlow
