National Museums Liverpool Blog - human rights

Richard with Deputy Director-General of UNESCO - Mr Marcio Barbosa

Hello there
As you may be aware the International Slavery Museum was recently awarded an Honourable Mention as part of the 2009 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence which rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence .

The award ceremony was held at the UNESCO HQ in Paris.  I was accompanied by my colleague Claire Benjamin – Head of Communities here at NML. We met numerous permanent ambassadors and various UNESCO delegates and officials such as the Deputy Director-General of UNESCO - Mr Marcio Barbosa, and representative of the International Jury - Mr Mokhtar Taleb-Bendiab, to discuss how our organizations might work together in the future.

I have to say I was quite taken aback by the sheer scale of the awards.   There were upwards of 400 at the actual ceremony in the main hall at UNESCO HQ.  On the stage were the laureates, representatives from the Government Programme on Tolerance in Saint Petersburg who also received an Honourable Mention and the respective ambassadors of various countries sat next to the winners.  In our case it was Mr Peter Landymore, a supporter and advocate of the museum who reiterated to me just how great an honour it is to receive an Honourable Mention and indeed be given the opportunity on such a high profile stage to highlight the vital work we are doing here in Liverpool at the International Slavery Museum. 

Prior to this there had been a press conference which was filmed by several news agencies at which I had the honour of sitting next to Madanjeet Singh, now a Goodwill Ambassador for UNESCO.  When you look at the current winners - François Houtart (Belgium) who was recognized for his outstanding efforts to advance the cause of social justice in the world  and Abdul Sattar Edhi (Pakistan) for his life-long efforts to ameliorate the conditions of the most disadvantaged groups in Pakistan and South Asia; the list of prior laureate winners (Aung San Suu Kyi) and those who have had an Honourable Mention (the journalist Daniel Pearl; Simon Wiesenthal Centre) you get an idea of how significant it was to be given the opportunity to speak about ISM at such an event.

Here at the museum we were particularly delighted to receive the Honourable Mention as it highlights that the museum, one with world class display galleries, successful educational and community based projects, is very much seen by its peers within the field of human rights as a human rights museum - a museum which actively promotes all forms of tolerance and non-violence.

The museum will continue being a campaigning human rights museum with an even greater enthusiasm and sense of purpose than ever before.

By for now.
Richard

Head of objects conservation,Vivien Chapman, (left) inspecting the flag in the textile conservation studio

This special Rainbow Flag was recently donated to the Museum of Liverpool's permanent collections and will be displayed pride of place in the People's City gallery in the new Museum of Liverpool when it opens in 2011.

This flag represents a very important first in Liverpool. It was flown above Liverpool Town Hall for the first time for the International Day Against Homophobia on 17 May 2009. It is just one of the many objects with amazing stories which curators seek out to ensure contemporary issues and events in the city are represented for the future. International Day Against Homophobia marks the day in 1990 when the World Health Organisation took homosexuality off its list of mental illnesses. It is hard to believe that until relatively recently this was still the case but with recent homophobic attacks in Liverpool it is all too apparent that there is a long way to go in challenging prejudice and intolerance.

The flag was kindly donated by Liverpool City Council. It is a fitting time to add it to the collection at the start of Liverpool's annual Homotopia festival. National Museums Liverpool has always supported the festival and will be holding a free talk about the secret language of Polari at 2pm this Saturday at Merseyside Maritime Museum as part of the programme of events. Further details are on the Sailing Proud page on the Merseyside Maritime Museum's website.

You can see more photos in the Rainbow Flag set on Flickr.

Here's a special report on this year's Slavery Remembrance Day Festival from our 'woman on the ground', Claire Benjamin:

Diane Nash. Copyright Simon Webb

"Over 5000 visitors enjoyed a weekend-long programme of events during the Slavery Remembrance Day Festival 2009. Held from 21-23 August, it got off to a powerful start with the annual lecture delivered by civil rights activist Diane Nash at Liverpool's Town Hall. Vikki Evans-Hubbard in role as the young Diane performed a section of 'Keep Your Eyes On The Prize', a dramatic retelling of her struggle as a student, before introducing the real Diane Nash to the audience. 'Keep Your Eyes On The Prize' is staged regularly at the International Slavery Museum, check the Events and activities page to find out when you can see it next.

Diane spoke about the influence Mahatma Ghandi’s teachings on non-violent protest had on her when she was a student in Nashville, USA, during the late 1950s and 60s. It was inspirational the way she described how it helped to transcend the horrors of racism and eventually effect a positive change. As a key figure in the birth and development of America's Civil Rights Movement, her efforts to fight against injustice and inequality saw her beaten, fined and, when four months pregnant, sentenced to two years imprisonment for teaching these non-violent protest tactics to children. She was thankfully released on appeal. Her belief in Ghandi's teachings has influenced her own personal philosophy throughout her life and when responding to questions from the audience, she gave us all much to think about.
 
The two-day programme at the International Slavery Museum and Merseyside Maritime Museum saw visitors enjoying exhibitions, dance workshops and demonstrations, face-painting, wood-carving, music, poetry, films and plays. Stalls selling crafts and Afro-Caribbean food proved very popular. In the Maritime Museum organisations including the British Red Cross, Amnesty International, Merseyside Police, Christian Aid and Anti-Slavery International promoted community and human rights issues, reminding visitors of the themes that underpin the Slavery Remembrance Day Festival. The Libation ceremony, which has always been the focal point of the weekend, was held near to the Piermaster's House and was led by Chief Angus Chukuemeka alongside elders and community leaders from Liverpool and London.  The Libation commemorates and remembers the lives of enslaved Africans and their descendants and celebrates contemporary Black culture – one of the legacies of the Atlantic slave trade. 
 
The event's return to the Albert Dock proved to be popular and we were helped by the good weather, which despite the clouds, remained mainly dry."