Journey with Natty Mark | Oxfordshire Kindness Wave

About Natty Mark Samuels

Natty Mark Samuels is a writer, educator and artist who founded the African School in Oxford in 2009. Recognising that Oxford's universities did not offer undergraduate tuition in African Studies, he made it his mission to make African history, folklore, art and culture accessible to the general community.

Dubbed "Oxford's botanical folklorist" by OX Magazine, Natty Mark travels to botanical gardens, youth centres and carnivals throughout the UK, telling stories and singing songs of African and Caribbean flora. His teaching focuses on pre-colonial times, celebrating the great kings, queens, philosophers, writers and teachers of the African continent.

His book, The Encyclopedia of Rootical Folklore: Plant Tales from Africa and the Diaspora, is a treasury of 88 entries on flora connected to African and Caribbean culture, each accompanied by stories, poems and botanical information.

"I just want to make African Studies as accessible as possible, make sure that as wide a range of people can engage and go away saying, yes, I learned something, but I also enjoyed it."

Themes We Explore

African Art History

Discover the profound influence of African sculpture and masks on European modernist art, from Picasso to Matisse. Try the Fancasso creative challenge to explore this theme.

Botanical Folklore

Explore the stories, songs and sacred traditions surrounding plants of Africa and the Caribbean diaspora.

Storytelling Traditions

Learn how evening storytelling served as the original classroom, passing wisdom through generations.

Windrush Heritage

Celebrate the contributions of the Windrush generation to British culture, including the NHS and creative industries.

Creative Challenges

Explore Natty Mark's creative challenges designed to inspire young people to engage with African art and culture.

Fancasso: Let The Story Be Told Create artwork inspired by the African influence on European art All Creative Challenges Explore the full collection of creative activities

Learn More

Discover more about Natty Mark's work and the African School.

African Studies Summer School Read about our summer workshops with young people African School Website Classes, workshops and resources on African Studies Fusion Arts Oxford's centre for creative diversity

Book a Workshop

Interested in bringing African Studies to your school or community group? Get in touch to arrange a workshop with Natty Mark.