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The nightclub that changed Manchester

In 1962, Nigerian-born Phil Magbotiwan opened a brand-new nightclub in Manchester, England. In part because of his own personal experiences of racism, Phil wanted to create somewhere where everyone would be welcome – Manchester’s first racially inclusive nightclub The Reno was born.

The nightclub became a particularly important space for Manchester's mixed heritage community, who felt unwelcome in city centre venues.

Phil’s youngest daughter, Lisa Ayegun shared her memories of the Reno and her dad, with Matt Pintus in 2022.

This programme contains descriptions of racial discrimination.

Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories.

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(Photo: Phil Magbotiwan (right) standing in front of the Reno nightclub in Manchester. Credit: The Magbotiwan family)

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