France, April 26 -- V&A East, the latest offshoot of the world-renowned Victoria & Albert Museum, opened in Stratford - the area regenerated by London's 2012 Olympic Games - on 18 April.
Its inaugural exhibition, entitled "The Music is Black: A British Story", charts the rise of black music in the UK, from early drumbeats brought over from Africa to the present day, in which African and Afro-Caribbean music reflect British multiculturalism.
Dr Gus Casely-Hayford of the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is the director of V&A East.
He says that young people - in the boroughs of East London in particular, where the museum is located - "were absolutely critical" in choosing t...