10 British Magazines Founded By Black People

Growing up in Britain it was rare to see someone who looked like you on the front cover of a magazine or even on TV unless it was about something negative. Thankfully printing and producing your own magazine has never been more accessible with the rise of zines and indie published magazines. While plenty of big-named magazines have began to move online, these indie mags are proving that print is not dead just yet. Having often both a great online following and offline purchases that proves there is huge demand for publications that are made by Black people for Black people.

10. Round Table Journal

Round Table Magazine

Roundtable is both reflective and thought provoking, this annual print magazine explores self, art and womanhood through humorous anecdotes and striking photography. Co-founded in 2017 by three women Wase Aguele, Zoe Alakija and Nicolle Nyariri they created a magazine that they themselves wanted to read. With 3 issues under their belt they are going from strength-to-strength, with the latest featuring the amazing Michaela Coel on the cover.

9. Caricom Magazine

Caricom Magazine

Football is seen as a sport that is overtly white, so to counter this founders Calum Jacobs and Shawn Sawyers created Caricom magazine to examine football and fan culture from the Black perspective and experience. Looking at ways in which contemporary Blackness, social attitudes, history and football intersect they created a space in sport media that has Black culture at its core, which is a rare thing.

8. Boy.Brother.Friend

Boy.Brother.Friend Magazine

Boy.Brother.Friend magazine examines the diaspora and male identity through contemporary art, photography, fashion and theory. Founded by Kk Obi this new magazine stands contrast to the others on this list with the focus being on male gender. Issue 1 aims to destabilise inherited notions of masculinity, race and gender and explores the challenges that come with being male.

7. Thiiird Magazine

Thiiird Magazine

Thiiird Magazine was founded by Rhona Ezuma and her aim when creating the magazine was to provide a voice for those from underrepresented backgrounds. No matter what your race, sex, gender, age Thiiird wants you to be heard and seen! Along with the annual magazine they also have a bi-monthly podcast and a series of events which means you won't have to wait a whole year for content, these include panel talks, workshops and playlists.

6. Typical Girls Magazine

Typical Girls Magazine

Typical Girls is a magazine that celebrates girls who are anything but typical. Founder Jamila Prowse states her goal was to create positive representations of women in media which she achieves by mixes creative writing, thought pieces, art and photography to inspire girls to be who they want to be. Their aim is to be ultimately timeless, something you can go back to in the future and pick up to read again and again.

5. Season Zine

Season Zine

Season is a platform that combines football and fashion to create something that is much needed in the sporting world. It was founded by Felicia Pennant who was influenced by her parents innovative spirit, they are the founders of Grapevine, a directory of African and Caribbean groups in the UK. Combining stories from female fans, fashion shoots and interviews with creatives that are involved in the sport, Season really is changing the face of football culture one issue at a time.

4. Yellow Zine

Yellow Zine

Founded in 2017 by brother and sister duo Aisha and Oreoluwa Ayoade, Yellow Zine is an online and offline art magazine that highlights artists from the BAME community. Each issue covers a different discipline or theme such as "photography" or "illustration" but on their instagram they have constant feed of all types of artists for you to explore. They've also since set up 'Night School' which is a free eight-week training course to educate and empower creatives to help make the art world a more diverse place.

3. Nii Journal

Nii Journal

Nii Journal was launched in 2016 by London based photographer Campbell Addy. Addy uses art, photography and fashion editorials to tell stories of those who are often overlooked for example issue 3 focuses on the Black LGBTQ+, the Black church and nightclub communities. The outcome being both beautiful and inspiring photojournalism that opens a window to somewhere you may have never seen. With the objective to "Educate not Irritate" this magazine aims to make a difference that will hopefully last and be appreciated for years to come.

2. Azeema

Azeema Magazine

Azeema is an annual print magazine that explores femininity and womanhood within the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia regions. Founded Jameela Elfaki who is of Sudanese heritage, Azeema aims to create a safe space of inclusivity that celebrates the rich culture from these often misrepresented regions. Each issue explores a different part of life, often being brave and honest about the different issues that women face by inviting women to tell their stories surrounding heritage, identity and mental health.

1. Gal-Dem Magazine

Gal-Dem Magazine

Gal-Dem was founded by Liv Little in 2015 and is fully written and produced by non-binary and women of colour. Since its creation Gal-dem has grown tremendously to become one of the biggest media representation for brown girls in the UK. It is both an online and offline magazine that covers all aspects of life from art to politics, which they use to try and combat the misrepresentation left by mainstream media.