Did you know that black American freedom fighter Malcolm X came to our city in 1964 and argued with Oxford University academics that "extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice"? I didn't. It wasn't the only thing I learnt during a series of performances on the theme of black history. The talented young musicians, actors and dancers of the Oxford Youth Theatre put on nine performances last week with the overall title Journeys to Freedom, to mark the bicentary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

In Malcolm X Speaks to Oxford the group evoked the time before the term African American' had been coined, when black people were referred to by themselves and others as negroid'. The tense atmosphere of the time, the passion of Malcolm X and the opposition he faced, were conveyed by video clips of him inserted during the acting. This was an effective means of bringing history to life and showing the varying attitudes of people at that time.

Journeys to Freedom also featured another famous freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela, who visited Oxford and thanked people for supporting South Africa's struggle for freedom. In this play the differences between life in Oxford and apartheid South Africa were demonstrated by girls from each country becoming penfriends. Through their narratives daily life in South Africa becomes vivid and real. We see the characters eating mealies, worrying about their relatives in jail and living in fear of police incursions.

These plays offer snapshots of pivotal times in black history and are well thought-out and presented with energy and vibrancy. The idea, conceived in 2005, was for knowledge and skills to flow from professionals down to young people. This was done by a team of professional African, Afro-Caribbean and Black British artistic directors and choreographers, who each worked with one group of children to create a performance.

The young people, who had been furiously rehearsing and preparing since September, were able to give their own input to shape the performances. The result was an educative and highly enjoyable experience for both audiences and the young actors.