Brixton Village is so much more than a food market: it serves as a central space, a cultural meeting ground and has been deep, integral ties to the area’s Caribbean community. It’s somewhat of an understatement, then, to say that Diana Nabagereka has an important job as general manager of the place.
Like other areas that provide marginalised communities with a space to call their own, gentrification has descended upon Brixton in recent years. This has made maintaining a space as significant as the Village more important than ever. Obtaining heritage status for the market in 2010 helped assure its longevity – it means the structure can’t be torn down – but Brixton Village is about so much more than its physical location. That’s where Nabagereka steps in: it’s up to her to retain the spirit of the market. Juggling incoming restaurant tenants with established businesses, continuing to foster the cultural diversity of the market and ensuring it doesn’t become another whitewashed space in London’s food history are part of the job description.
