Zakia Sewell Meets Jeremy Deller - The Quest for a Hidden Britain

In this episode of the How To Academy Podcast, writer and broadcaster Zakia Asoul joins artist Jeremy Deller to discuss her book 'Finding Albion', a personal and cultural journey through Britain's folk traditions, seasonal customs, and hidden histories. Asoul recounts her quest to reconcile her mixed heritage—Caribbean and Welsh—with a complex, often contradictory relationship to British identity. Her pilgrimage, structured around the Wheel of the Year, takes her from Glastonbury Tor to the winter solstice celebrations in Penzance, revealing how folk culture, far from being quaint or outdated, offers a radical, inclusive, and joyful alternative to national myths rooted in empire and exclusion. Through encounters with Morris dancers, Pentangle fans, and Caribbean-inspired folk rituals like Shakespeare Mass in Karakou, Asoul discovers that Albion—the mythical soul of Britain—is not a fixed place or ideology, but a living, evolving spirit of community, creativity, and resistance. Deller and Asoul explore how folk traditions, often dismissed as 'junk' by critics or co-opted by far-right groups, are in fact deeply democratic and transformative. They emphasize the importance of play, disguise, and collective action in rekindling a sense of belonging and shared purpose. The conversation also touches on the environmental dimension of paganism and folk revival, showing how reconnecting with seasonal cycles fosters ecological awareness. Ultimately, the episode argues that true national identity isn't found in monuments or history books, but in the messy, joyful, and inclusive rituals people create together—whether dancing in clogs, howling with a wolf mask, or singing a lullaby from Uganda in a London folk club. It’s a celebration of Britain’s porous, plural, and ever-changing soul.