National Museums Liverpool Blog - international slavery museum

BBC’s See Hear filmed at the International Slavery Museum last month as part of Black History Month. They brought a group of people with hearing impairments from London to see the museum for the first time.

You can watch their very moving response on BBC’s iplayer.

John Barnes, Howard Gayle and Tony Lloyd at Black History Month event at International Slavery Museum

Last week we were delighted to have both John Barnes and Howard Gayle join a question and answer session with local school children at the International Slavery Museum. 

The event was arranged by Kick It Out as part of Black History Month.

Excited gasps and hurried whispers came from the children when John Barnes entered the room. Despite them all being too young to actually remember John's amazing career with Liverpool FC the children were clearly still aware they were in the presence of a legend and quickly crowded both him and Howard (Liverpool's first black player) for autographs.

The two footballers were also joined by Tony Lloyd from the Anthony Walker Foundation in the discussion.

The children were keen to find out who their early influences had been, what they had wanted to be when the were young and to hear more from the footballers about their fondest memories of playing for Liverpool. They were captivated by the personal and often poignant responses from all three.

To mark the end of a fantastic Black History Month a free Strictly Come Dancing with the Jiving Lindy Hoppers event is being held at the museum tomorrow.

It's widely accepted by my friends and family that I am not a morning person. The most my brain can cope with before 9.30am is managing to remember my sandwich for lunch, and until this morning I was quite happy with my brain capacity.

However this was before I met the most energetic early-morning people ever. Russell Sargeant and Claude Martin Currie are members of dance company The Jiving Lindy Hoppers who will be performing at the Strictly Come Dancing with the Jiving Lindy Hoppers event on Friday 30 October from 7-11pm at the Maritime Dining Rooms (4th floor of the Merseyside Maritime Museum).

I had asked Russell and Claude to have their picture taken this morning by a photographer from the Daily Post & Echo to go into the paper. They were such good sports, getting changed into costume and dancing infront of the anchor all before I’m sure their breakfast had even digested!

Judging from the effort they put into having their picture taken I can be sure that this Friday is sure to be just as exhilarating and fun! What better way to spend a Friday evening than listening to live music, enjoying the wonderful dance of the Lindy Hop, and all in a restaurant with amazing views of the Albert Dock.

To book your tickets for this free event please e-mail bookingsmmm@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk or call 0151 478 4441

Claude Martin Currie (left) and Russell Sargeant have their picture taken while they dance the Lindy Hop

We're pleased to report that we've been shortlisted for yet another award, and again we need your help to win. The nomination is for our Engaging Refugees and Asylum Seekers programme and recognises our efforts to help people for the benefit of the whole community and generally change society for the better.

There's more on the awards themselves, the DSC Social Change Awards, and details of how to enter on the award website. Voting closes on 6 November with the winners announced on 26 November. Vote for us now!!!

I find graveyards and cemeteries fascinating places not only on a spiritual level but also as sources of stories – each stone bears testimony to lives, some detailed, some obscure.

While looking around Childwall’s ancient yard in Liverpool recently I stumbled across memorials to the Okill family. These were principled people because John Okill &Co were the only Africa merchants in Liverpool not engaged in the slave trade.

The impact of the slave trade on Africa was profound as it blighted progress in all aspects of life on the continent for many generations.

The transatlantic slave trade operated for almost 400 years, fuelled by Europe’s almost insatiable desire for sugar, cotton, tobacco and other products of the New World which were then regarded as luxuries.

Liverpool ships were a key part of the trade and the town became Europe’s leading slaving port in the second half of the 18th century.

At least 12 million Africans were forcibly transported by Britain and other countries but many millions more were profoundly affected. The transatlantic slave trade destroyed African societies, robbing them of young people.

A staggering two-thirds of enslaved people were young men aged between 15 and 25. They were in huge demand to work the booming plantations producing ever-growing quantities of crops.

Arms and ammunition brought to Africa by European traders helped perpetrate conflict and political instability.

Displays at the International Slavery Museum, in the Merseyside Maritime Museum building, focus on the consequences of the trade on Africa.

Successful trade routes that existed before European intervention were disrupted. The development of African communities and cultures was severely stunted. Agriculture suffered as communities abandoned fertile land as they fled the long reach of the European slavers.

The labour and inventiveness of enslaved peoples shaped the Americas and enriched Western European, rather than their African homelands.

Ships on the Niger expedition. Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo

On display is a lithograph featuring ships on the 1841 Niger Expedition (pictured). Thomas Fowell Buxton was leader of the British anti-slavery movement in the post-slave trade era.

He urged the British government to make treaties with African leaders to abolish the slave trade. The expedition went to the Niger River delta to set up a headquarters and began negotiations. The party suffered so many deaths from disease that they had to return home.

There is a half model of the Balmore, bought by John Holt & Co in 1908. The Holt family was involved in the West Africa trade from the 1860s.

A new Maritime Tale by Stephen Guy appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo. A paperback – Mersey Maritime Tales (£3.99) – is available from the museum, newsagents, bookshops or from the Mersey Shop website (£1.50 p&p UK).

Saturday’s Carnegie Challenge Cup is certainly going to be different. For the first time since the 1986 final between Castleford and Hull, none of the ‘big four’ - Leeds, Bradford, Wigan and  St Helens - will be going Wembley. That privilege will be enjoyed instead by Huddersfield Giants and Warrington Wolves along with coach loads of their thirsty fans. 

Ellery Hanley - a rugby league legend. Photograph by John Ferguson ©

I, for one, am relieved. Not only is it great for the game to share the silverware but we also have a family wedding on Saturday and a congregation made up of Wigan and Saints fans who would no doubt spend the day with their eyes on the score instead of the bride (and I include the groom in that). So hats off to Huddersfield, and the best of luck to Warrington who will be flying the rugby league flag for the region – it’s going to be a rip-roarer!

Anyone involved in the game of rugby league knows what an exciting and entertaining spectacle it can be and is always on the look out for ways to spread the magic. That’s why I am thrilled to see the formidable Ellery Hanley represented in John Ferguson’s photography exhibition ‘Black Britannia’ at the International Slavery Museum. The exhibition features portraits of Black Britons who have contributed to British culture and whose achievements can provide a positive role mode for many Black British youngsters today - and what an inspiration Ellery has been in his field.

Ellery played phenomenal top flight rugby at Bradford, Leeds and most notably for Wigan during the peak of their success, as well as for Balmain and Western Suburbs in Australia. Over the course of his career he was capped 34 times for Great Britain and became Britain’s first Black coach in 1994. In 1999 he also coached the Saints to Super League victory.  His accolades include the Rugby League World Golden Boot Award, Man of Steel, the Lance Todd Trophy, an MBE for services to rugby league and induction into the Rugby League Hall of Fame.

When it comes to rugby league Ellery Hanley certainly set the standard. If Warrington and Huddersfield need any inspiration for the weekend’s big clash, then this picture will surely provide it. 

 Dr. Richard Benjamin and Greg Roberts

We received a VIP visit to the International Slavery Museum yesterday. Greg Roberts, president and chief executive officer of the Muhammad Ali Centre in Louisville, Kentucky dropped by and was given a tour of the museum by Dr. Richard Benjamin.

The museum recently reached the finals of the National Lottery Awards. Voting has now closed but we are keeping everything crossed that we will be successful when the winners are announced on 5 September.

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."

As you may know, this weekend sees the Slavery Remembrance Day festival - there's more on the background to the event on our main website. A good number of the weekend's events are supported with British Sign Language, including Diane Nash's lecture. There's a good mix of activities, dramatisations, discussions, lectures and performances. A full list of the supported events can be found on our BSL interpretation events page.

You could win tickets to see either the Soweto Gospel Choir on Saturday 5 September or Odemba OK Jazz All Stars on Tuesday 29 September.

To enter just visit the International Slavery Museum and answer this simple question:

What section of the International Slavery Museum is the Black Achievers Wall in?

Please send us your answer using this contact form to arrive before midnight on Tuesday 25 August 2009, stating which concert you would prefer to see. There will be two winners, one for each concert. There's more on the competition and the featured artists on our main site.

Apologies if you've tried to enter already and failed - a slight technical problem. It should be working fine now.

Voting in the National Lottery awards closes at midday today so we REALLY need you to vote if you've not done so already. You can vote online on the National Lottery Good Causes website, or by calling 0844 686 6957.

And 'thank you' if you have already!

The International Slavery Museum

The momentum is really building now for the International Slavery Museum and our bid to win Best Heritage Project in the National Lottery Awards - which we still need your votes for! This week the head of the museum, Richard Benjamin, was interviewed on BBC Radio Merseyside about why the museum should win the award and also talking about the latest exhibition; 'Black Brittania'.

You can hear Richard's interview on the Claire Hamilton show here - listen from the 6pm mark onwards!

Further to my previous post about International Slavery Museum getting to the final of the National Lottery awards, the Lottery have commissioned this promotional video about the museum and why it should win. You can also see it on our main site.

Remember that you can vote online on the National Lottery Good Causes website, or by calling 0844 686 6957.

Update 04/08/09: This video now has a transcript which can be viewed on our main site.

Excellent news. Thanks to your votes the International Slavery Museum has made it through to the finals of the National Lottery awards. We're up against two other venues in the Best Heritage Project category.

Votes aren't carried over into the final so we need you to vote again. You can vote online on the National Lottery Good Causes website. Alternatively you can call 0844 686 6957 to register your phone vote.

As we've said before this isn't just about winning an award (although obviously that's a nice thing) or a thumbs up for a good museum. As Richard said in his 'It could be us' post a few weeks ago, this is a major opportunity to raise awareness about the issues that the museum champions - it's about tackling human rights abuses. So, please vote, and ask people you know to vote as well.

Then tune into the National Lottery programme (we'll let you know when) to see Richard in his fabled Homer Simpson tie!

Photograph from 'Shoot Nations'.

Quick reminder that Sunday 2 August is your last chance to see the Shoot Nations exhibition at the International Slavery Museum. The display features photographs by young people, highlighting the global impact of our changing environment, particularly the effects of global warming and intensive farming on the earth's natural resources.

While there you could also catch our latest display which opens today. Trafficked looks at a form of modern slavery - human trafficking - and follows the stories of those affected by the trade. 

Hello there

Thank you to everybody who voted for the International Slavery Museum in The National Lottery Good Causes Awards. We find out if we have made it through to the final on 3 August so watch this space. If we do make it through to the live TV show then I'll have to get my suit down to Johnson's, dig out my Homer Simpson tie and practice my TV smile!

Talking of smiles (now that is a good link) I saw the most famous in the world recently whilst I was on a weekend break to Paris. We spent nearly a whole day in the Louvre and 'tried' to get a close look at Leonardo Da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' or 'La Gioconda' (an alternative title as the sitter is probably the wife of an Italian merchant called Francesco del Giocondo). As you can see from the picture the Mona Lisa draws crowds of visitors most museums can only dream of. It really is a sight to behold although there is hardly any room to stand and admire the picture as people are busy barging past. As a museum professional I am almost as interested in the behavior of the visitor as much as the collections themselves though. Don't expect to be able to stand in front of her and act like an art connoisseur but still worth the effort if you ever visit.

The Louvre really is an enormous place and deserves days rather a day to see it. I suggest setting your sights on seeing a couple of galleries or even just several specific objects. It will still take you a while to get there! We also visited the sumptuous apartments of Napoleon III tucked away in their own wing and the Egyptian collections. I think the same goes though when you visit one of our venues here in Liverpool. You will never be able to see everything in one day so think about what interests you the most and start from there. You will undoubtedly pass something else which catches your eye. I loved visiting museums before I worked in them so I still have to fight the urge of spending all afternoon wandering the galleries at the World Museum Liverpool or Maritime Museum after a meeting!

Whilst in Paris we also went to visit the apartment of Le Corbusier, one of the most important figures in modern architecture and design. Something of which I am particularly interested. Another seamless link here is that Le Corbusier, like Da Vinci, used the proportions of the human body to improve both the function and appearance of architecture. Le Corbusier called his system the Modulor whereas Da Vinci's produced a famous version of the Vitruvian Man. You might not know his name or that Da Vinci drew him but think of the multi-limbed man in the square and the circle! 

Le Corbusiers apartment was not particularly large or in any way luxurious as one might expect from someone of his standing but it was truly functional and built around his own needs. It made me think of just how much space we actually need to use in our own homes. The apartment also contained many pieces of furniture and design features we now take for granted – such as its open plan feeling where the living and dining areas are integrated. I could go on but I might become a bit of an anorak.

Closer to home, the Walker Art Gallery has a new exhibition called New Radicals: From Sickert to Freud which features some fine examples of Modernist art for those of you who have a Modernist streak in you.

Au revoir for now.

Across the National Museums Liverpool website, we have loads of great games, e-cards, online-only exhibitions, videos, interactives and podcasts for you to enjoy. And we've just launched our new VIP Zone as a hub for all these cool features that really bring our collections and exhibitions to life.

You can watch a video of a Pharaoh talking about life in ancient Egypt or download a talk by curator Pauline Rushton and photographer Francesco Mellina about our Sound and Vision exhibition - photographs of Liverpool music and fashion from 1978-82.

This multi-media stuff gives people from around the world the chance to get a better experience of what we have in our venues, even if they can't come along in real life.

You can also find all our social networking sites in the VIP Zone. So if you want to follow the new Museum of Liverpool on Twitter or join the Walker Facebook group then you can find links to our social sites there too.

Here's one of the latest videos we've put online featuring George Holt, the former owner of Sudley House, in the dining room. He talks about dinner parties, his plans for improving the city of Liverpool and describes some of the paintings in the room.

There's less than a day to go now so I thought I'd take the opportunity to remind you to please vote for the International Slavery Museum in the National Lottery Awards before noon tomorrow.

There are lots of reasons to vote for this fantastic and groundbreaking venue, many of which were outlined by the head of the museum Richard Benjamin in his latest blog post. You only have to look at a few of the comment cards from the museum's visitors to see how the incredibly moving and poignant stories told within the galleries have affected people.

Further proof of the museum's importance and value is the standard of international speakers that it attracts. For example, US civil rights activist Diane Nash will be giving this year's Slavery Remembrance Day memorial lecture on Friday 21 August.

If you can't wait until then, Benjamin Nicholas Lawrance, the assistant professor of African history from the University of California, Davis will be giving a free lecture in the museum this Monday, 13 July, at 12 noon. Entitled 'All we want is make us free?' the lecture will look at the voyage of Amistad's children through the worlds of the illegal slave trade. Here is his synopsis of what he will be talking about:

"In Steven Spielberg's 1997 dramatization of the infamous US Supreme Court trial of the occupants of the Spanish-Cuban slave ship Amistad, Cinqué, the African leader of the survivors, in a trance-like state, stands up, faces the judge, and begins chanting "Give us, us free!" It is a powerful and deeply persuasive testament to man's inhumanity to man and an unmistakable and universalizing call to correct past injustice.

It is also a complete and utter fabrication. Not only was Cinqué (a European rendering of the Mende Singbe Pieh) imprisoned in New Haven and thus not present in the courtroom, but the utterance itself is a corruption of the penultimate line of a letter penned by Ka-Le, one of four child captives from the Amistad, to former President John Quincy Adams. Film critics and historians have rightly rounded on the spurious ethnic formulations deployed with such great dramatic effect in the prison.  As if to anticipate an onslaught of criticism, Steven Spielberg claimed to be telling "everyone's story."  Notwithstanding the absence of "African agency," as Robert Harms points out, it is quite "unfortunate that the Africanness of the Amistad captives is shown largely through untranslated utterances and stereotyped inter-tribal conflict."

But a second, and I would venture more deleterious silencing is also enjoined in this scene, that of the voices of the four African child captives aboard the slave ship, and of Ka-le in particular. A number of kidnapped children were on board the Tecora when it sailed from Sierra Leone in 1838-9. After arriving in Cuba, where many of the slaves were sold, a group were boarded on the Amistad and set sail for another port town. Included in this group were at least five children, and the ship's crew included at least one. The status of these five children featured prominently in the trial of the Amistad captives. Among other matters, there were separate habeas corpus hearings for the three girls involved, and a separate ruling regarding ownership of the ship's cabin boy and slave, Antonio. Four African children returned to West Africa aboard the Gentleman in the Fall of 1841. And one of these, a girl called Mar-gru, subsequently returned to the U.S. and graduate from Oberlin College.

In this lecture I would like to reconsider historical evidence from the famous trial of the men and women found on board the Cuban-Spanish ship La Amistad. Documents from this unlikely and well-trodden source provide a rare window into the historical contexts of child smuggling in the nineteenth century. They also serve as a vehicle for helping historians navigate the complicated legal terrain of child slaves lives."

Hello there

We've had some really good news - the International Slavery Museum has been shortlisted for a National Lottery Good Causes award under the Best Heritage Project category. If you are a regular reader of my blog or indeed this is your first time, we need your vote to make it into the final. Votes can be made online by visiting the National Lottery Good Causes website or by telephone on 0844 686 6957 (calls costs 5p from BT land lines and as they say on TV don't forget to ask an adult or whoever pays the bills!!).  Voting ends Friday 10 July. Every vote counts so we really do appreciate your support. I realise that blog readers are located around the globe (as well as my dear old Yorkshire) so please tell friends, family members and colleagues.

For the International Slavery Museum team it is not just about the financial award alone though, it is about raising awareness of the issues which the museum challenges and causes that we champion. In my last blog post I explained my despair at the success of a political party in the European elections which spreads disinformation in an attempt at being seen as a legitimate alternative on the political landscape. In recent weeks I have also been reminded of the daily incidents in the UK of a racist nature such as the racist attack reported by the Liverpool Daily Post under the headline African men assaulted in Liverpool race hate attack and the disgraceful behaviour towards members of the Romanian community in Northern Ireland.

So voting for the International Slavery Museum is not just a vote for a museum which is visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors; which has a successful community exhibition programme; incredibly dedicated local volunteers or even because we have one of the most extensive collections in the world of transatlantic slavery related objects. However important they are it is also about actively challenging racists and racial discrimination; people trafficking and various other human rights abuses which unfortunately live with us today. So please, spend a couple of minutes to vote.

Bye for now.

Obama mania hits Antwerp

Hello there

One of the most unexpected but satisfying things I have seen in my recent travels has to be during a trip to Antwerp when I was invited to speak at the 'What’s in a name? Knowledge and Research in Museums' symposium held in the library of the Rubens Museum. It was organised by MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) which opens in 2010. MAS staff members as well as speakers from Amsterdam (such as the National Maritime Museum and the Tropenmuseum), London (Museum of London and Greenwich Maritime Institute) and my good self presented a series of papers explaining how knowledge, information and research is dispersed within their institutions.  

I have to say that the majority of debate took place between the invited British speakers. All friendly of course and focusing on whether or not the google generation as they are called would have any reason to come to a museum in person as they could access everything off site. I agreed to a certain extent but I think we are some way off the majority of 16-18 year olds googling museum collections in their own time before they have ever visited in person. As a follow up to a visit with parent or school yes, but before they log onto Facebook etc etc I am not so sure. An interesting area for debate though. 

The sight of seeing the Obama Bar in a backstreet of Antwerp whilst enjoying some of city’s beautiful architecture brought a smile to my face. His election recently not only caused unparalleled scenes of joy in the streets of the USA but it affected someone enough to open a bar (or probably rename a bar) after him in Antwerp. Take it from me, the location was definitely not on the main thoroughfare and I could well imagine Antwerp locals rather than American tourists drinking under a picture of a smiling Obama.

If only we had someone of Obama’s stature in the UK now, especially after the worrying and frankly disturbing MEP election results which I woke up to this morning. Someone to bring hope to a wide range of voters rather than focus negatively like so many politicians today on peoples differences with the aim of polarising towns, cities, schools, work places etc. Differences are a good thing, different languages, different beliefs, customs and so on. That is why when writing this blog I cannot help but sigh in despair at the fact that a representative of a so called democratic political party here in the North West has gained a seat at the European parliament on an agenda of hate, distrust and manipulation. 

Now I am not going to go on a political rant, that is not my job, but as head of a museum which actively challenges racism and discrimination it is my duty to encourage all of you to tell your friends and families to visit the International Slavery Museum more than ever. Take a look at some of the displays and exhibits we have which focus on both the more heinous aspects of world history and contemporary society as well as some of the most uplifting. For every reminder of what hate can do by looking at an object such as the Ku Klux Klan outfit, you can see what the bringing together of cultures can do in our cultural transformations section. Take a look at the Black Achievers Wall, and in particular the Black British achievers and the inspirational sportspeople, actors, poets etc and tell me that their contributions have not enhanced Britain? It is frankly ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

An institution like International Slavery Museum will continue to do all it can to stop the growth and influence of individuals and political parties who espouse division and hate. So hopefully in the very near future the Obama camp will visit the UK as well as Liverpool, Merseyside and Lancashire and give people enough belief in hope rather than hate.

Bye for now.

Civic welcome in Bursa, Turkey

Hello there

As you can see from the photo, I've been travelling again, this time to Bursa in northwestern Turkey, a three hour plus minibus ride (plus a ferry crossing) from Istanbul. The reason for this exciting venture was that the International Slavery Museum had been shortlisted for the very prestigious European Museum of the Year Award, awarded by the European Museum Forum to a museum which offers an excellent example of innovation in museums.

Well I will not keep you in suspense; we did not win the top prize, which went to Salzburg Museum in Austria. There were also three museums who were specially commended, one of which, the Museum of Life Stories in, Speicher, Switzerland I thought particularly worthy. The artist involved in the project, HR Fricker, explained to me that in the public areas of a home for seniors, their lives are shown around them, through exhibits and documentation. This might well challenge people's view of what a museum is, which I think is a good thing. Of course I was disappointed at not even having been commended (by the amount of people who came up to me afterwards I think we were one of the favourites) but if success is also measured by fellow museum professionals wanting to work with you in the future, then the trip was well worth it. 

The judges' report noted that although the International Slavery Museum includes an enormous amount of information and emphasises the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, the museum tried to tell too many stories. I do not believe we tell stories as such. We offer narratives of events which you can follow, sometimes chronological, sometimes thematic but we do not claim to be storytellers. What we do is connect the many aspects of transatlantic slavery - the trading, the traders and the enslaved Africans - into what we believe is a medium in which all types of visitors can relate. In the past European involvement in transatlantic slavery was often seen in an overtly economic sense, the museum has moved on from this and looks at the broader picture, including contemporary legacies of slavery. I don't expect everyone to agree with how we do this but it should not be assumed that this is common practice.

It is hard to be too disappointed though in a lovely place like Bursa, where the civic welcome was a sight to behold, with a number of traditional dances performed for us outside Bursa City Museum. Bursa is often called 'Yeşil Bursa' ('Green Bursa') in reference to its parks, gardens and surrounding forests. The rather large group of museum professionals (not sure what you call this, a pride, shoal etc? Answers on a postcard) were taken on a number of excursions, which to be honest were a bit too organised for my liking. I like to think of myself as a bit of an independent traveller (I am probably more Louis Theroux than Paul Theroux to be honest) but our every step was marshalled like a state visit. I have to say I think being followed by an ambulance at all times was a step too far, I mean, how rowdy can a group of museum professionals be!

One of the most beautiful sites was the aptly named 'Green Mosque' or 'Yesil Cami' with its fabulous carved marble doorway surrounded by some lush gardens. Also on the itinerary was a visit to several mausoleums of early Ottoman rulers, again in some very tranquil surroundings. An interesting afternoon was also had at the Karagöz Museum, which looks at the lives of famous Turkish shadow play characters who lived in Bursa. Think 'Punch and Judy' with dragons thrown in.  

For those of you who think that travelling to exciting and interesting locations as part of my job is totally stress free, think again. Especially when speaking of food – as a vegan it can be challenging when abroad. This turned out to be the case in Bursa, home of the İskender kebab (it takes its name from its inventor, İskender Efendi, who lived in Bursa in the late 19th century). Lets just say that there is not much for a vegan to look forward to at an Iskender restaurant! At least my hopes were not dashed, as they were at the main award ceremony dinner where I was eagerly awaiting my 'special salad' - as one of organisers called it. What exciting Turkish influence on the drab salad this could be I thought. Lettuce on a bed of lettuce is not my idea of special but maybe I was looking to be critical after we failed to win anything!

Bye for now.

Just looking at this plan of a slave ship hold almost makes me break out into a cold sweat.

As regular readers of this blog will know, I have a strong aversion to crowded enclosed spaces. This print of 1789 brings home to us all the hideous nature of the slave trade.

Liverpool’s slave ships carried their human cargoes from West Africa over the Atlantic to the Americas and Caribbean on journeys that took six weeks or more. The Africans were held in atrocious and dehumanising conditions – violence, terror and degradation were everyday occurrences.

They had already suffered terrible hardship before reaching the coast. Sometimes the slaves were forced to march hundreds of miles from the interior of Africa. Sold several times over, they passed from one owner to another, their sense of disorientation and dread increasing with each sale. However, the prisoners took every opportunity to escape. One group of women tracked their husbands for several days before breaking them free.

Some African leaders were actively involved in the trade but others took a stand against slavery. They included Tomba, leader of the Baga in Guineas and Agaja Trudo, king of Dahomey.

The slaves’ final destinations on land were forts and places such as the island of Goree where they were held before boarding ships. The message to potential escapers was clear – skeletons of those who tried to make a run for it were impaled on spikes as gruesome warnings.

The horrors of the Middle Passage, as it was known, were made worse because many of the captives had never seen the sea. They were packed into unbelieveably hot, cramped and suffocating conditions in the holds. The men were kept separated from the women and children. In good weather they were brought on deck.

The men were humiliated and forced to ‘dance’ for the crew. This also have an ulterior motive – to keep the slaves fit and healthy so they would fetch higher prices. Women were abused by crew members and rape was common.

The physical conditions, fear and uncertainty left many of the captives totally traumatised and unable to eat. Some preferred death and took their own lives. Disease and brutality took their tolls. Between one tenth and one quarter of enslaved Africans died on every journey. Mortality among crew members was also high.

At the International Slavery Museum, in the Merseyside Maritime Museum building, there are displays which explore slave voyages including a model and painting of slave ships.

A new Maritime Tale by Stephen Guy appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo. A paperback – Mersey Maritime Tales (£3.99) – is available from the museum, newsagents, bookshops or from the Mersey Shop website (£1.50 p&p UK).

I cannot apologize for what has happened in the past - But I can do my best to never let it happen again.

It's always interesting and sometimes extremely moving to read the comment books and cards in our venues and get direct feedback from visitors. Some of the comments cards that I noticed in the International Slavery Museum this week for example have been extremely poignant and are a testament to the power of the incredible real life stories told within the museum's walls.

You can read a small selection in our visitor comment card set on Flickr.

It is with great sadness that I pass on the sad news of the death last week of John Hope Franklin, one of the most important American historians of the 20th century and a great advocate of the International Slavery Museum. The museum was fortunate enough to have been visited by John Hope Franklin in 2007 and it was an honour personally to be able to interview this great man, one who more than most strove towards a word free from racism and discrimination. It speaks for itself when messages of condolence are sent from current President Obama as well as Bill Clinton (who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honour, in 1995) and a host of other eminent historians and scholars. 

For those of you who are not familiar with his life and achievements visit the John Hope Franklin website and I urge you to read the classic 'From Slavery to Freedom', a million copy bestseller and a landmark book which made people realise that African American history is not only a part of American history but the two are inseparable and are one.

On behalf of the International Slavery Museum we send our deepest condolences to his family and remind those who have yet to visit the museum that John Hope Franklin can be seen on our Freedom and Enslavement Wall.

A visitor at the Freedom and Enslavement Wall. Photograph copyright of Zak

Black achievers plaque unveiling

Hello there

Well before anyone sends me an accusatory email I will admit I am not the world's best blogger! Strange really considering I constantly annoy my colleagues by saying "That would be a great blog picture" or "I can blog this and that" etc.  So I am back and hopefully once again people will read my blog to support my rather bold claim that this is one of the most visited parts of the National Museums Liverpool website. I can hear the laughter coming from the web team office! 

Ok, so what has happened since I was last in cyberspace? Well one very successful event at the museum was the US Black History Month event on 17 February called From Lincoln to Obama: a look at the progress of civil rights. As well as a number of noted speakers such as Simon Woolley from Operation Black Vote and Wally Brown, the ex principle of Liverpool Community College, three new Black Achievers plaques were unveiled. Most notable was President Obama, a very popular choice and someone who rightly deserves his position on the wall. Equally deserving though are the two achievers flanking him - the Civil Rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer  and Dr Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space. 

As people have rightly pointed out there are thousands upon thousands of people who are achievers and who deserve a place on the Black Achievers Wall but we are receptive to any ideas so send your nominations in. As an insight to how the International Slavery Museum team often works our logic on this occasion was the connection between the three of them. The pioneering work Fannie Lou Hamer carried out on voting rights and the fact that Dr Jemison literally reached for the stars. This echoed Obama's words at a recent rally where he said "The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there". Sentiments that people believed in and as a result voted in their millions.

I have also given several presentations recently. The first was at the Exhibiting Slavery:  Problematics & Possibilities conference at the Horniman Museum in London in early March. The conference looked at the legacies of the 2007 commemorations and the unprecedented interest in, and exploration of, the meaning of slavery in our contemporary moment. My paper focused on the issues involved in developing future strategies and programming for the museum such as a contemporary collecting policy and contemporary slavery educational resources whilst not ignoring transatlantic slavery and keeping repeat visitors, new audiences and interested parties alike, informed, interested and engaged.  

The audience of museum professionals, interested members of the public and some leading academics in the field were pretty receptive to my ideas. That said, the majority were from London institutions and it is not unusual for people to assume that London is indeed the centre of all major and significant advances in the cultural sector. This is not the case and although I do not get defensive I truly believe people need to be told in no uncertain terms that there is quite a bit going on up North! One example was when a member of the audience who I had never met before but who claimed that the International Slavery Museum would fudge the big issues; and would not dare to look at issues which central government might find uncomfortable. Neither I or members of the team are mavericks, we do not aim to simply shock or be controversial but equally we have strong values and a sense of purpose. I explained this to them and to be fair they acknowledged that their earlier statement was in fact unfounded on this occasion.

The other presentation took place at the University of Manchester to a group if students on the Manchester Leadership Programme on the subject of leadership and culture. Basically, how I deal with various challenges within the cultural sector. The vast majority of the hundred plus students had not visited the International Slavery Museum or indeed had much understanding of the subject. I also had the feeling that they expected a museum professional to turn up with cobwebs hanging off them! They might have been pleasantly surprised then (or shocked) when someone stood in front of them who spoke with a Yorkshire accent and announced that he would pick on someone to ask a question if they were too shy to do so!

Not sure I will blog again until the end of April as I am on leave for a few weeks. I am going to Japan, and even though it is not a work trip as such I am sure I will not be able to resist popping into a few museums. I'll update you on my return.  

Sayonara for now.

A street trader at St George's Dock, Liverpool in 1895. Courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo.

When I was young, slavery was rarely mentioned either at home or in school – it was rather a taboo subject. Grown-ups would point out parts of Liverpool, saying things like “That’s where the slaves were sold”. In reality very few enslaved Africans were sold in the port although merchants, traders and ship owners grew rich on the trade.

Liverpool was the leading European slave trade port in the later decades of the 18th century and people of African descent were living in the town from at least that time. A number of merchants brought slaves from the West Indies to work as servants in their homes.

Some African chiefs sent their sons to be educated in Britain. In the 1790s more than 50 of these children were at school in Liverpool.

With the development of the palm oil business after the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, African seafarers were increasingly employed to crew the ships. Many of these seafarers settled on the outskirts of the town in the area now known as Liverpool 8.

There were significant numbers of Black people in Britain in the 18th century. By 1800 London may have had a Black population of around 10,000. Although they had a variety of jobs including serving as soldiers and sailors, most were domestic servants to the rich.

This is illustrated on a coffee pot among the displays at the International Slavery Museum in the Merseyside Maritime Museum building. Other exhibits include a print showing a dock and sailing ships which also features the first known images of Black people in Liverpool – two youngsters near the dock side.

An 1895 photograph, shown here, taken by Charles Frederick Inston, shows a Black street trader at St George’s Dock. An item from a 1756 edition of Williamsons Liverpool Advertiser announces  the sale in a shop of “three negro men, two negro women, two negro boys and one negro girl” along with quantities of raisin wine, cider and flour.

A notice of the sale of “11 negroes” at the town’s Exchange Coffee House appeared in the same newspaper in 1766. For wealthy English families, a servant was an asset to be shown off as evidence of wealth and status. These notices show how enslaved Africans were part of the consumerism of the time. Africans were exotic accessories and would often be exquisitely dressed to reflect the riches of their masters.This hid the reality that Black servants were often brutalised in their daily lives.

A new Maritime Tale by Stephen Guy appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo. A paperback – Mersey Maritime Tales (£3.99) – is available from the museum, newsagents, bookshops or from the Mersey Shop website (£1.50 p&p UK).

We've just published a cute little pocket guide to many of the fab happenings at NML in 2008. It's good to revisit highlights like Ben Johnson's residency, the Superlambananas, the opening of Seized! and exhibitions like Art In The Age of Steam and The Beat Goes On.

You can download your copy of The Little Book of Big Highlights here (pdf 6mb).

The crowd applaud as Wally Brown, Richard LeBaron and Simon Woolley (not shown) unveil three new plaques for the Black Achievers Wall

As Richard Benjamin explained in his last blog post, February is Black History Month in America (unlike the UK, where we celebrate it in October). So as befits an International Slavery Museum, we held our own programme of US Black History Month events, culminating in the unveiling of three new American plaques for the Black Achievers Wall.

The smiling face of President Obama on the middle plaque surely needs no introduction. On the left is Fannie Lou Hamer, the civil rights movement pioneer from Mississippi who famously described herself as being "sick and tired of being sick and tired". Completing the trio on the right is Dr Mae Jemison, who has the honour of being the first African American woman to travel in space after completing a mission on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.

In a short ceremony yesterday afternoon the plaques were officially unveiled by Richard LeBaron, Chargé d'Affaires at the United States Embassy in London, Simon Woolley, the national co-ordinator of Operation Black Vote in the UK, and Wally Brown CBE, former Principal of Liverpool Community College. You can see more photos of the ceremony in our US Black History Month Flickr photo set.

The metal rings in the huge walls took on a menacing aspect when my father pointed to them with the chilling words: “The slaves were chained to those before being sold”. This was the Goree warehouse near the Liverpool waterfront. I was little more than a toddler when we would explore its colonnades with the sinister rings. Later I learnt that the rings were probably for tying up horses rather than people and that comparatively few enslaved Africans came to Liverpool.

However, Liverpool was the European capital of the slave trade from the 1780s to British abolition in 1807. Mersey ships transported nearly 1.5 million Africans into slavery – more than 10% of all known slaves transported by Europeans to the Americas and Caribbean.

Liverpool was not involved in early English slaving. Merchants from London and Bristol were the first to be involved but from the 1740s Liverpool had overtaken them. Liverpool merchants were sharp and successfully undercut their rivals’ costs, reduced turnaround times and increased the flexibility of operations.

Trade goods on display at the International Slavery Museum, in the Merseyside Maritime Museum building, include horseshoe-shaped pieces of metal known as manillas. They were used as a source of metal for casting in Africa and also as currency, particularly on the Niger delta.

Colourful trade beads, like those shown here, were imported mainly from Venice, Prague and Silesia (Germany) and were much in demand for necklaces and bracelets. Among those displayed is a string of agate beads recovered from the wreck of a ship which sank off the Isles of Scilly.

Preparing a ship for a slave voyage was complex and expensive. Vessels had to be equipped and loaded with goods carefully chosen to appeal to African traders. Ships were usually fitted out by a single merchant on behalf of the owners – fellow merchants, bankers, politicians, landowners and other investors. The average cost of sending out a ship in 1790 was the colossal sum of about £10,000 – roughly £550,000 in today’s money.

Goods to buy enslaved Africans were selected to appeal to particular African traders. The trade was conducted formally at forts on the African coast run by Europeans. There were two such forts on the island of Goree, south of Cape Verde, West Africa. It gave its name to the huge vanished Liverpool warehouse still commemorated by a stretch of road called Goree which runs parallel to The Strand.

Elsewhere captains negotiated directly with Africans and generally had to pay customs and dues for trading rights. There's more on the history of slave trading on our main site.

A new Maritime Tale by Stephen Guy appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo. A paperback – Mersey Maritime Tales (£3.99) – is available from the museum, newsagents, bookshops or from the Mersey Shop website (£1.50 p&p UK).

A picture of the Lincoln Memorial from my trip to Washington DC last year

Hello there.

Well unless you have been living on another planet recently who could not have been gripped by the momentous events when Barack Hussein Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States. First he is a loving father, a skilled politician, an inspirational leader and role model, who is married to a strong successful and supportive partner, he also happens to be the first African American President. A truly great achievement, especially in a nation that less than 60 years ago had separate seating on buses - white people who boarded the bus took seats in the front rows, whereas Black people who boarded the bus had to sit on the back rows (a certain Rosa Parks disagreed) and where the Jim Crow Laws were in place which segregated everything from schools to public parks and transportation, with a "separate but equal" status for Black Americans.

I could go on, but I think you get the message. As a result unsurprisingly, many people have suggested President Obama go on our Black Achievers Wall and I am sure that he will once we add new achievers to that exhibit. As a museum we are actively collecting Obama related material for our own collections: ranging from campaign badges to a plethora of magazines and newspaper articles. We are planning to have some of this material on display at the first ever US Black History Month event we are holding on 17 February called 'From Lincoln to Obama: a look at the progress of civil rights'.  We have a number of noted speakers such as Simon Woolley from Operation Black Vote and Wally Brown, the ex-principle of Liverpool Community College. See our website for full details.  

Most people in the UK associate Black History Month with October but it actually developed out of BHM events in the US in February founded by Dr Carter G Woodson, a great historian, author and educator. In 1926 Woodson pioneered a week long celebration of African American history and culture, the second week in February, to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The week of celebration eventually became Black History Month.

It is a particularly good time to visit the museum as we have two exhibitions to see, Shoot Nations and My Life, My Words, opening on Monday, which explores the lives and experiences of people from Liverpool's Black communities and their relationships with the ever-changing city. We had a visitor from the US looking around earlier today and they were blown away at just how much information we have on various aspects of slavery as well as thinking both exhibitions were very interesting and visually stimulating. I have shown many people around the museum but it does not matter how many times I walk through it I always find something to look at or listen to in a new way. Most of the time I am sure people think I am just a visitor like them but I always have an eye on how they react to an exhibit or display, that is my job!

Bye for now. 

'Each drop is important for us...' - one of the stunning photographs from the Shoot Nations exhibition. Copyright Shoot Nations.

Hello there

Well I hope you all had a happy holiday period and managed to relax. I certainly did. I spent several days back home in dear old Yorkshire. Always nice to catch up with the family.

The International Slavery Museum has an exciting series of events and programmes throughout the year, from a US Black History Month event in February to Slavery Remembrance Day in August. We also have Shoot Nations, an exciting new photographic exhibition focusing on global environmental issues through the eyes of young people, starting on 17 January. This is one of a series of exhibitions which highlight issues in the museum galleries – from global inequalities to racism, discrimination and identity. So watch this space for news about upcoming exhibitions.

Ii is now full steam ahead with our planning for phase two of the museum. We are working closely with the architects who will shortly be coming back to me and the team with their initial plans and thoughts. This is an incredibly exciting time to be working at this museum as it offers me and my colleagues the opportunity to have some input into what really could be the world’s leading educational and research centre on the subject of slavery. We are not doing this alone though. I am regularly in contact with international partners who also to some degree focus on slavery. One such institution is the Nantes History Museum.

In December we were visited by Bertrand Guillet, chief heritage curator for the museum. Bertrand was very impressed with the International Slavery Museum and we are looking at how our two institutions can work together, particularly in the field of educational resources. Staying on a French theme I also got to see the magazine article written about Lilian Thuram’s visit to the museum. Hopefully we can take things forward with him and his new organisation.

I have also been in contact with several Polish colleagues whose institutions focus on the many atrocities which took place in Poland during WWII such as the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, both of which I have visited. One way we are looking to strengthen links with institutions such as these is to develop a forum for museum professionals who work in this area and other forms of genocide and human rights abuses and issues. I will keep you updated on this challenging and progressive venture.

I visited both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau with a colleague when we stayed in Krakow last year and we were not only moved by the exhibitions and displays in the museum but by the sheer size of Auschwitz II-Birkenau. It was hard to comprehend on a bright sunny day just what happened and it only really hit me on my return. I took many photos, some quite distressing, of the trip which I feel need to be shown. I might include these in a future blog. What it did do was make me even more determined that our museum will not be a neutral one but take a stance on contemporary issues and challenge attitudes and injustices that still exist today.  

Bye for now.

Hello there
Well what a momentous year for the museum it has been.   Where shall I start?  Well how about the fact we have had over 500,000 visitors since we opened, which makes us one of the most visited museums outside of London in a very short space of time.  We launched our exhibitions programme with 'We are one' that celebrated and reflected on the International Slavery Museum's first year and were visited by well known personalities and advocates such as the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the footballer Lillian Thuram, Doreen Lawrence, Floella Benjamin and the noted academic Eric Foner and a host of other dignitaries.   The year continued as it had finished in 2007 with a high level of media interest from around the world.  Probably the most high profile was a live link from the museum for the Today Show which has over 6 million viewers.  I was interviewed by Al Roker for several minutes so no pressure then!  Thankfully I did not make any gaffs.

Me being interviewed for the Today Show

The museum has been the site of several pilgrimages and has had first time visits from citizens from a plethora of countries from around the world; in particular those from the Diaspora. Not only did many visitors want to visit a museum which focused on one of humanities most heinous acts, transatlantic slavery, but which actively campaigns against contemporary forms of injustice, discrimination and racism.  From the feedback I have personally received, from the thousands of responses left in our response zone area, and the support and interest we have had from some of the leading human rights organisations, we are living up to that objective.

It has also been a year which has had a number of personal high points.  I have been able to attended conferences from Atlanta to Belfast and my personal highlight was the Commonwealth Association of Museums conference in Georgetown, Guyana - the country of my father’s birth.   It is always a pleasure visiting Guyana, a country with unparalleled natural beauty and a rich history but to visit in my capacity as Head of the museum was a very proud moment for me and my family.   In fact, if I had to chose a moment of the year then I would say it was climbing (ok, walking very slowly) up to the peak of Turtle Mountain and overlooking the mighty Essequibo River in the heart of the Guyanese rainforest. 

The museum was also shortlisted for a number of awards which on several occasions we narrowly missed out on.   My own view is that the museum world was not quite ready for a museum which makes such bold statements, being an active and vocal campaigner, challenging contemporary issues.  In time, maybe people will acknowledge this rather than steer away from it.  We are still to hear if we have been successful in being named the European Museum of the Year. The judges who visited were impressed with what we are doing so hopefully 2009 will start with the museum receiving such an accolade.

For those of you who may have visited the museum I look forward to your continued support and hope that those of you who have not feel that 2009 is the year to come to Liverpool and visit the International Slavery Museum.  Liverpool might not officially be the Capital of Culture in 2009 but it is a city rich with culture and cultural institutions on par with any city in the country, London included. 

We are now actively planning the next stage of the International Slavery Museum – a world class educational and research centre located in the Dock Traffic Office adjacent to the current galleries.  We plan to open in 2011 and it will take the museum to a new level.  At times it can be a very challenging job but I would not want to work on any other project.  One that in my view can change the world in which we live.

Bye for now and happy holidays.

One of the selection of vintage Christmas e-cards available on our website

I'm getting very excited now that there's less than a week to go before Christmas, especially as I've been fairly organised this year and have sent all my cards and bought or made all my presents already. Can you feel my smugness?

If you're still panicking about Christmas then don't worry, we're here to help. If you miss the last posting date for first class post tomorrow then you could always send a free vintage e-card from our selection from the Decorative Art collection.

Anyone worried about what to do with the family over Christmas may be interested in our programme of free events and activities throughout the Christmas holidays at our venues.

Looking further ahead, keep the evening of Saturday 10 January 2009 free in your diary for the Transition events, celebrating the end of the Capital of Culture in style. The Maritime museum and International Slavery Museum will be open until 10pm that evening with a programme of free entertainment, see our Transition: Liverpool Late Night page for further details.

The fun doesn't end there though as we have lots of great exhibitions to come featuring fashion, Freud, football, French Impressionists and more things that don't even begin with the letter f - see our exhibition programme for 2009 for further details.

And one last thing on the subject of great exhibitions, don't forget to vote for your favourite exhibition of 2008 in our poll.

Hello there

What a few weeks it has been and one with a strong American theme. First of all, as promised, some feedback regards my trip to Atlanta for the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database launch at Emory University . The conference was very interesting indeed and had a number of academics, students and members of the public attend. There was a great deal of interest from people in the International Slavery Museum and how we hoped to use the database. The database is the most extensive in existence and includes slave voyages from various countries and ports. Liverpool is obviously central to the database. I was approached by one member of the public who told me that the name Liverpool was given to many enslaved Africans in Georgia to denote where the ship had originally sailed from. I explained I had not heard of this before or had seen any documents but that I would follow it up on my return.

With Kevin the National Park Service guide outside the Martin Luther King Jr birth home, Atlanta, Georgia.

Before I flew back to the UK I managed to visit a number of institutions and historic sites connected to Martin Luther King Jr, who was born in Atlanta, such as the King Center  and his birth home. Along with a number of other visitors I was shown around this historic site by Kevin - a  National Park Service ranger. I don't think people take pictures of him very often as he was 'made up' as they say here in Liverpool.  It was quite moving to be in the house where such a prominent individual was born and spent his early years. But in a sense what was even more thought-provoking for me were some of his personal items on display at the King Center. Such as a denim jacket, small suitcase, shirts, hat and books which he took on short trips to deliver speeches or attend rallies. It personalised this truly iconic figure. 

The week before I had the pleasure of meeting the Rev Jesse Jackson (a patron of the International Slavery Museum) for the second time whilst he was in Liverpool as part of a lecture tour of the North West. Last time the Reverend was here he only had a brief tour of the museum (followed by a mass of media) but this time he was with a small entourage and spent almost two hours in the museum. Whilst watching a film on Civil Rights and Martin Luther King Jr the Reverend turned to me and remarked that he was stood next to the Reverend King when he was assassinated on the landing of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis in 1968. The site is now the National Civil Rights Museum. 

It reminded me just how much the museum means to people. From internationally recognized individuals like the Reverend Jackson to visitors from around the diaspora and indeed form the local community. Not all museums have the same effect.

Bye for now.  

Lilian Thuram (on the left) – the most capped French footballer ever - on a visit to the International Slavery Museum

Hello there.

Well for those of you who are regular followers of my blog (surely double figures?) then you will know I have a penchant for the beautiful game. We were fortunate enough to be visited last week by the great French defender and World Cup winner Lilian Thuram who was in Liverpool as a patron of the Only a Game? exhibition at World Museum Liverpool.

Lilian is now retried from football but he is looking to start an origanisation which tackles issues such as racism and discrimination in Europe. As a result he wanted to come to the International Slavery Museum to look at some of exhibits which focus on this subject as well as talk about the possibility of some sort of collaboration. Lilian was particularly impressed with our Black Achievers Wall. A message he thinks is important to get across to children of African descent across Europe. 

Some of my colleagues had a good laugh at the attached picture. I have to admit myself it is not difficult to spot the famous footballer and the museum professional. Maybe if I had not smiled quite as much and looked all excited it would have been harder to choose! Sad as it might seem, after the tour and our official discussions, I could not resist asking him to come out of retirement to play a few games for my own team (Leeds United for those who don’t already know). He smiled and asked what league we were now in? He genuinely looked surprised when I told him it was the third tier of the English league. Well, if you don’t ask you don’t get as they say.

I also recently gave a talk to the Merseyside Archaeological Society one evening. I knew the organiser from my days as a PhD student at the University of Liverpool so it was good to catch up. It was held in the Friends Meeting House in Liverpool. This is particularly interesting because of the relationship between Quakers and the abolition movement. Now by no means were all Quakers always against slavery, many owned slaves themselves in the 17th and 18th centuries in particular. That said, when the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was formed in 1787 with William Wilberforce as its parliamentary spokesperson, several of the founding members were in fact Quakers.

I am also very excited at the prospect of flying to Atlanta, Georgia, later this week, to attend the launch of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database at Emory University. I have been invited to be a panel member which will discuss some of the ways the database can be used. The database has information about almost 35,000 slave voyages and will be an essential tool for research in my opinion. Whilst there I hope to be able to visit a number of institutions and historic sites connected to Martin Luther King Jr, who was born in Atlanta. In particular the King Center and his birthplace.

I will update you on my return.
 
Bye for now.

A future Black achiever visits the museum. Photograph copyright Mark McNulty 2008.

Hello there

Well I have to start by saying what a momentous, historic and exciting past few weeks it has been. Not only the election of the first Black President of the United States, but the first Black (and youngest), Formula One World Champion.  

People have rightly contacted me to say that both President Elect Obama and Lewis Hamilton need to be included on the Black Achievers Wall in the museum (remember you can email the museum with your nominations). But I am also aware that these two fantastic achievements, often against all the odds, expectations and indeed wishes of many who are not too pleased to see Black people achieve, or be in positions of power, were done with the support of other, and often unrecognized, Black achievers. Namely Anthony Hamilton, his father, who has supported him since a young boy and Michelle Obama, the strong and charismatic partner of Barack Obama.  

I have also been recently reminded of the many Black achievers that have now passed away but who have played a great part in challenging both personal and institutional forms of racism in Britain. I am referring in particular to Walter Tull, who was the subject of an excellent dramatization recently on TV called Walter’s War.

It was in fact written by ISM advocate Kwame Kwei Armah about Tull’s life and the racism he regularly encountered. Even so, he became the first commissioned Black officer in the British Army and led his troops into various battles before being killed on the Western Front in 1918. Tull was also one of the first professional Black footballers and played for amongst others Northampton Town. In fact Arthur Wharton, the first Black professional football player, is already on our Black Achievers Wall.

Staying on the theme of Black achievers, the museum held a reception recently at the House of Lords, hosted by the indefatigable Baroness Howells of St Davids who was recently voted as one of the greatest 100 Black Britons. Baroness Howells is a well respected advocate of the museum and she brought together a range of high profile achievers from all walks of life (politics, sport and business to name a few) to highlight the current and indeed future work of the museum. Some of the attendees were from Liverpool such as Levi Tafari, one of the country’s greatest poets and the fantastic singer/songwriter Jennifer John. David Lammy MP, who was interviewed for our Freedom and Enslavement Wall, Baroness Amos (the first Black woman cabinet minister); ex footballer and TV pundit Garth Crooks and Doreen Lawrence were also present.

On an aside I think I slightly surprised Baroness Amos when I told her I had once sped past her home village of Wakenaam, a village on an island in the middle of the Essequibo River in Guyana, on a speedboat whilst travelling to Fort Zeelandia as part of the Commonwealth Association of Museums conference I attend earlier this year. Let’s just say it was the type of journey where you felt every bump!

It was great to see such support form prominent members of the Black community. For me it showed just how far reaching the museum actually is, yes, transatlantic slavery is central to the museum, but the recognition, and indeed celebration, of Black achievement, often against all the odds and a plethora of obstacles, is also key to the museum, and something we aim to promote in some small way by having displays like the Black Achievers Wall. Hopefully in the future we will be visited by those who have recently achieved so much. So Michelle and Lewis, if you read my blog, please have a word with your husband or take a nice drive up to Liverpool for the day respectively!

Bye for now.

Image courtesy Liverpool Daily Post and Echo

Looking at this masterly portrait, I have to admit a certain liking for Captain Hugh Crow.

He was very much a man of his time and did what he did efficiently and well despite condemnation in his own day and now. Of course he was wrong in his actions and, with all his charm, personified the end of an evil era.

Captain Crow stands wearing his top hat and clutching a cutlass, sporting a billowing white linen shirt and blue trousers with matching necktie – a man at ease in retirement. At his feet are other relics of his prime - a pistol and a megaphone used for enforcing orders on a sailing ship ploughing across the ocean.These are subtle clues to the former occupation of this distinguished-looking man in a finely-observed watercolour portrait painted by A R Burt in 1820. 

Captain Crow was the last of the slavers.

The picture is among exhibits at the International Slavery Museum in the Merseyside Maritime Museum building.

Crow (1765 – 1829) is best known as the captain of Kitty’s Amelia, the last British slave ship cleared for sailing from Liverpool in July 1807 just before the trade was outlawed. Crow was master on six other slaving voyages. On retiring from the sea he wrote his memoirs – an engaging, rare first-hand account. He remained a staunch supporter of the slave trade.

Crow claimed he treated both the crew and enslaved Africans on his ships comparatively well. However, like other ships’ masters, it was in his interests to keep the captives healthy so they would fetch a better price. The voyage of the Kitty’s Amelia was eventful – she caught fire and they also rescued the crew of another ship that had been wrecked.

Another exhibit is the original account book of the Liverpool slave ship Enterprize for a voyage in 1794-5. The accounts reveal that the ship’s carpenter Daniel Small was perhaps considered the most important person on the ship – he was paid £5 10s (£5.50) per month. He could save the wooden ship if she sprang a leak or was damaged. Surprisingly, the captain, William Young, was paid less - £5 a month. However, a captain was entitled to commission on slaves he sold plus one or two privilege slaves he could sell himself. This was probably worth up to an additional £200 per voyage.

A new Maritime Tale by Stephen Guy appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo. A paperback – Mersey Maritime Tales (£3.99) – is available from the museum, newsagents, bookshops or from the Mersey Shop website (£1.50 p&p UK).

Just seen a Black history interactive on the Guardian site that's worth a look. It's a timeline that runs from AD43 and the arrival at Hadrian's Wall of an African auxiliary unit from the Roman Army, to Barack Obama securing the Democrat's nomination. There are also links to Guardian articles of relevance and a guide to key Black figures - not unlike our own Black Achievers Wall at the International Slavery Museum. Have a look. It's been produced to coincide with October being Black History Month - we've a full schedule of events to link in as well.

Looking pensive at the Biennial!

Hello there. Well today I am going to speak about interpretation and art (bear with me here). There were many difficult decisions taken whilst planning the International Slavery Museum, some on the design of the building, the way we displayed exhibits and indeed the content. It was challenging but at the same time exciting and satisfying to think you can shape such an important project.

I believe that on the whole we made the right decisions when planning the International Slavery Museum. I also agree with people who contact me about the content, and say that there is room for expansion in some areas as well as the need for myself, and my team, to be receptive to new information, and indeed revise information due to new research or new methods of interpretation. Interpretation is big news in the museum world. The forthcoming Museums Association Conference will be laden with it.

Interpretation in museums was something I covered when I studied Archaeological Theory at the University of Liverpool (the word theory often made some of the undergrads recoil in horror) focusing on how communities engaged with their local and national heritage and indeed how they viewed and interpreted the past. As part of my research I spent many hours in the former Transatlantic Slavery Gallery. In fact I sent the odd enquiry about certain exhibits to people who are now my colleagues.

As well as working with Black communities here in the UK I also spent time in the United States focusing on the way African American communities engaged with local archaeological projects. From New York, where I visited the African Burial Ground to Ransom Place in Indianapolis. I also went over to Nevada which meant I spent three days on the California Zephyr. A great way to see the country and meet some characters. There is no substitute from visiting somewhere so that you can experience it for yourself.

So here is the arty bit! My artistic side was awakened this weekend when I went to see some of the installations which are part of the Liverpool Biennial. I live in the city centre and whilst walking past what I thought was a derelict warehouse I saw a carousel, yes, I did say carousel. I like to think of myself as an art aficionado (no laughing please) so I went to take a look inside. I ended up signing a waiver to have a quick ride on it! It was the work of an Argentinean artist which was ‘an artistic question about the constancy of everyday life’. Just what I thought (honest) whilst sitting in an armchair, going round on a carousel in a warehouse. There were a number of other installations too. I was particularly taken by the margarine tubs. I love the idea of art being open to the masses so have a look round the city; you never know what you will stumble across.

Bye for now.

The Fab Four plus friend

Another month, another competition and another prize in our 'name that object' competition. Actually, it's the same prize as last month - a set of Beatles figures - but as so many people entered last time we figured they were popular and are offering another set this month. First clue appears on Monday morning (22nd). If you're keen to get your mitts on the figures you might want to visit the John Moores exhibition that starts this weekend and have a wander around the rest of the gallery while you are there...

Don't forget that if you haven't sent in nominations yet for the 4th annual Black History Month Achievers Awards then today is your last chance to do so - you can either drop a form in or email it to the organisers, the Merseyside Black History Month Group.

Full details, downloadable nomination forms and the address to send them to are in the Black History Month section of the International Slavery Museum website (and please don't forget your favourite venue when filling out the form!)

Full details of the events programme for this year's Black History Month at our venues will be available on the website next week.

The Annunciation by Edward Coley Burne-Jones

If you didn't have access to a computer over the weekend you mightn't have seen the answer to August's 'name that object' competition. The answer was 'The Annunciation' by Edward Coley Burne-Jones, and the winner was C Sharp of Liverpool. Another competition and another prize next month.

Me being interviewed on the gallery

Hello there

Well I hope that many of you got to attend Slavery Remembrance Day this year.  Once again it was a very poignant day but at the same time it had many positive and inspirational moments.   There were various performances which took place at the main event site at Otterspool which highlighted the rich African cultures that have influenced so many aspects of life around the world.   Earlier in the day there had been a multi faith act of reflection at St Nicholas Church and on the Thursday the poet and actor Lemn Sissay gave the annual Slavery Remembrance Day lecture at the Town Hall.

Last week really was a particularly busy one.  Not only did we have the Slavery Remembrance events but the 23 August marked the first anniversary of the opening of the International Slavery museum.   And what a year it has been!  Over 300, 000 visitors, international recognition, massive media exposure and a rich array of high profile visitors such as Harry Belafonte; Jesse Jackson and Paul Robeson Jr to name a few.  To mark the occasion we launched We Are One, an exhibition of celebration and reflection.  If you have not managed to visit the museum yet then now is the time to come. The exhibition will be in the museum until January 09.

The 28th was a particularly exciting day as we welcomed the US NBC Today Show  programme as they were broadcasting live from the museum.  The Today Show has over 6 million viewers so it is great exposure for us in the US.   I was interviewed by Al Roker, TODAY anchor and weatherman.  He had been carrying out some research on his family heritage which was part Bahamian and he wanted to visit Liverpool as it was central to the transatlantic slave trade. I even contacted my family members in Guyana and Canada just in case they could tune into the show. You can watch the interview on the msnbc website (right after the advert for a certain food chain).

Even though I have done quite a bit of media since I stared this job (I was on the Dean Sullivan aka Jimmy Corkhill radio show last week!) I have only done one other live TV programme for a local station, not one seen by so many viewers.  Come to think of it, in the opening week of the museum last year I was interviewed for RAI TV in Italy which was apparently dubbed. The kind of embarrassing moment I expect to see on You Tube one day! 

There were quite a few members of the public watching today as the interview took place right in the centre of the museum, it was pretty chaotic but people seemed to find it interesting.   With such a commotion going on I am sure they expected to see someone famous rather than me although there was a round of applause when we finished!

Bye for now. 

Snappy suits!

We're cutting it a bit fine with the August 'name that object' competition, but are launching it on Tuesday 26th August (so the final clue will be on Saturday 30th). The prize this month is this fab but vaguely surreal set of Beatles figures. I say surreal because, as you may have noticed, there's a crocodile on stage with them.  The figures are 'straight from the classic Beatles cartoon series' that launched in the US in 1965, and apparently the croc featured in the series. The mind boggles.

Anyhoo, should you wish to give the Fab Four and their crocodilian friend a home you first need to name the object from our collection. It's an artwork, with a new detail being revealed each day for five days. Enter using the link on the competition page.

Should you fail to win I'm reliably informed that you can buy these sets in the World Museum Liverpool giftshop where they are on sale as part of the The Beat Goes On exhibition.

The Rev Jesse Jackson visiting the museum in 2007. Photograph © Simon Webb

Hello there

Well since my return from Paris I have had a pretty varied couple of weeks which amongst other things included several meetings related to our forthcoming exhibition programme. It also included a visit from two judges for the European Museum of the Year award. This is a very prestigious award and goes to show just how successful ISM has been in its first year.  Hopefully this time we will be successful and I feel that the judges went away really understanding the fact that we are a museum which is at the forefront of a campaign to actively challenge present day racism and discrimination and various other injustices which exist. The shortlist is announced in early 2009.

I mentioned our exhibition programme. The plan is to have a varied range of exhibitions within the current galleries which highlight the broad subject of slavery. We are still in the planning stages but we will be shortly announcing our first exhibition which starts later this month, both a celebration and a reflection on the museum's first year. It will include information about all the milestones we have achieved (to date we have had upwards of 275,000 visitors and some very high profile visitors!) as well as the different types of responses we have had, some challenging, some thought provoking and others which are purely offensive. But we feel it is important to show the entire range of responses, positive and negative, so that we can move forward and really make the museum a tool of social change.

Other exhibitions will highlight various forms of contemporary slavery, as well as African sport and the link between natural history and slavery which uses many of the plant collections we have in National Museums Liverpool. It is an exciting programme so watch this space for further announcements.

The forthcoming week is a very interesting one, for starters I get out of the office on a few occasions (I have a great view of the Albert Dock from my office but when it is sunny it is hard being sat behind my desk!) Tomorrow I am meeting two respected local community historians to look at some archives which might be in need of being rescued from a building due to be renovated and then I go to London to visit the British Film Institute mediatheque to get some ideas for our Phase 2 resource centre. We want the resource centre to include a range of media so visits to established media facilities are really helpful. I'll let you know how it all went in my next blog post.

Remember; drop me a line if you have any comments about the International Slavery Museum.

Bye for now.  

Bonjour!

Last week I was fortunate enough to be in Paris for the launch of the Transatlantic Slavery Gallery exhibition at the UNESCO HQ. Along with Katérina Stenou, Director of the Division of Cultural Policies and Intercultural Dialogue and HE Mr Peter Landymore, Ambassador, permanent delegate of the United Kingdom to UNESCO, I said a few words. It was well attended by a number of delegates; interestingly one was a relative of the Senegalese poet and statesman Léopold Senghor who is on our Black Achievers Wall. 

Richard Benjamin with Edmond Moukala

It was a very satisfying occasion as this was the culmination of at least 12 months work by several members of National Museums Liverpool and UNESCO staff. The conception of this exhibition began when I met Edmond whilst attending a conference in London. Edmond was fully aware that the Transatlantic Slavery Gallery was closing down as a result of the International Slavery Museum opening up on 23 August 2007. A date familiar with UNESCO as it is Slavery Remembrance Day.

Up until June last year the Transatlantic Slavery Gallery in the Merseyside Maritime Museum was one of the most challenging, thought provoking and informative galleries in the world on the subject and was visited by politicians and dignitaries form most countries around the world. As such it had quality, well researched displays and information panels, of which 30 now make up this touring exhibition.

ISM is one of the newest and most highly technological museums in the world and as such there was the possibility that these panels might not be used again. But both Edmond and I agreed that this would be a great loss, especially as it is quite obvious that many museums, some which have exhibitions and displays about transatlantic slavery, do not have the resources available to them that ISM does.

Not one panel was simply packaged and sent to Paris. We went over all the panels to see whether we felt the information was still relevant and indeed accurate. Due to the professionalism and expertise of people like Tony Tibbles, in 1994 the curator but now director of the Merseyside Maritime Museum, we felt that most of the panels would still be a valuable educational tool on the subject. Along with some new panels detailing the work of ISM our learning team designed some educational materials to accompany the exhibition.

As well as being an informative exhibition on the subject of transatlantic slavery it will hopefully visit many countries and continents in the coming years. I was pleased to hear that representatives from Ghana, Serra Leone, Angola and Barbados had enquired about the exhibition.

Well I could not justify three days in Paris just for the launch so I had a very busy schedule of visiting museums and art galleries which might inspire me in some way whist planning the research and resource centre for Phase 2 of ISM.  I was particularly impressed with the Centre Pompidou and its array of stylish and very functional sections. I found the media centre to be very interesting with its simple layout and vast archive of music and art videos. I am not an art aficionado, or indeed a prude, but I was slightly embarrassed by finding myself looking at a film of the Viennese actionist artist Hermann Nitsch. Lets just say it would be shown after the watershed in the UK so I quickly fumbled with the mouse to change the film!

I also managed to visit the architectural wonder which is the Institut du Monde Arabe. It covers Arabic art and the sciences and has a large exhibition area (which had a temporary café inside serving great coffee) a museum and library. It was one of the 'Grands Projets' in the 1980s, initiated by Francois Mitterand, the French president. Other projects included new wings at the Louvre and the Musee D’Orsay.

One final observation is that all the places I visited had an entrance fee, some only a few Euros but it does add up. It made me realize that here in Liverpool we have free entrance to world class museums and art galleries unlike anywhere else in the world.

But before I left France my admiration for French innovation and architecture was severely challenged by having to spend several hours in Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. I understand that certain low cost airlines might not be given a prime slot but to say that the terminal where you go to fly to Liverpool was dreary is an understatement. You will get a flavour of the place when I say it had a café there which made Little Chef look like The Ritz. No offence to Little Chef, I used to work at one for over two years many years ago!

Au revoir.

Left to right: Jim Moore, Richard Benjamin, Warren Perry and Bob Paynter

Hello there.

Well I visited Ireland for the second time this year but this time the South, Dublin to be precise. It was for WAC-6  which I know sounds like a 60s TV space drama but it is in fact the World Archaeological Congress. In fact come to think of it some of you might be wishing I was now going to talk about a 60s TV space drama! If not, keep reading. 

Now at first you might be thinking what is the connection between archaeology and museums? Well in the case of the International Slavery Museum we believe that archaeological research can help us further understand what life might have been like on some of the many plantations in the Americas. For instance within the Enslavement and Middle Passage Gallery we have a replica of a plantation in St Kitts where Dr Rob Philpott, Head of Archaeology here at NML has carried out fieldwork for a number of years.

I was part of a session on 'Archaeologists, Museums, Monuments and Anti-Monuments' (academics love long titles!) which I co organised with some old friends from the US, Professor Bob Paynter from UMASS and Dr Warren Perry from CCSU. I met Bob and Warren in 2002 when I was researching for my PhD in Archaeology. Bob has worked on the WEB Du Bois boyhood site for a number of years. Du Bois was a major figure who wrote The Souls of Black Folk a classic work of American literature and is quite rightly on our Black Achievers Wall. I visited a number of African American archaeological sites when I was over there; including the African Burial Ground in New York City which Warren worked on as did another session participant Michael Blakey.

I have to say that the session went really well (no heckling or people falling asleep is a good start in my book) and included some fascinating papers. One was given by Daryle Rigney, Yunggorendi First Nations Centre, Flinders University with the interesting title - 'Encountering the Common Knobby Club Rush: reconciliation, public art and whiteness'. For those of you like me who are not experts on Australian plant life a knobby club rush is a plant which grows along the coastline and was used in the paper to symbolize how indigenous cultures, like this resilient plant, did not break under the force of the prevailing wind, in this case represented by European settlers and their early encounters with the indigenous population, in an already occupied land. Truly fascinating. Another interesting few days in a consistently interesting job.

Hello there

One of the great things about my job is how incredibly varied it can be. I have frequently written about the different themed conferences I have attended, the many well known dignitaries I have met and the trips to other exciting and sometimes challenging museums. But I also get to do some curatorial work now and again, well, for an afternoon anyway!

The International Slavery Museum is part of a collaborative project with UNESCO which developed the Transatlantic Slavery gallery touring exhibition. The exhibition consists of over 30 panels which were part of the now closed Transatlantic Slavery gallery which was located up until last June in the Merseyside Maritime Museum. We have also designed some new panels for the exhibition explaining the work of the International Slavery Museum. It is a great project for two reasons in particular. Although some years old, the panels from the previous gallery are well written and informative and ideal for museums around the world who might not be able to resource new panels on the subject of transatlantic slavery. Secondly, it shows how committed we at the museum are in forging new international partnerships and links with sometimes smaller and less well resourced museums around the world, particularly in Africa.

Before the launch of the exhibition in Paris in July though the panels had to actually get there and this is where I came in! I was for an afternoon under the supervision (bossed around in my view!) of Angela Robinson - curator of transatlantic slavery here at the museum. We needed to get all the panels ready to be picked up by the specialist haulage company who would take them to Paris. This sounds easier than it was. The panels are quite heavy and needed to be carefully packed and inventoried ready for transportation. They were being stored in one of several specialist storage facilities that National Museums Liverpool has in Liverpool (I am afraid I cannot divulge the location though!).  

I have to say I was pretty excited at going behind the scenes of the organization so to speak. Not something I always have the time to do. Well we put in some hard graft as we say in Yorkshire. It is also worth stressing for those of you wanting a career in museums that it is definitely not the quaint profession that people often expect. Museums can be bustling hives of activity where most professionals in various departments have to multitask on most days... me included!

In contrast, earlier today I met with Doreen Lawrence OBE, mum of the murdered Black teenager Stephen Lawrence. Many of you will have heard of the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 and the subsequent inquiry but I also know that many younger people have not. Indeed not everyone here in Liverpool or Merseyside has heard of Anthony Walker who I spoke about in my last blog post. So it was a very poignant moment for the museum when someone as well respected and determined as Doreen Lawrence visited us. I am pleased to say she liked how we presented the subject of transatlantic slavery and its legacies in the museum. She told me about the newly opened Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford, South London  and we also discussed how our two organisations might collaborate in the future.

Watch this space for any developments.

There's just a few days left to submit your application for one of the 10 Creative Apprenticeships on offer. A number of Merseyside-based cultural organisations, including National Museums Liverpool, are involved in a project to foster emerging talent and give young hopefuls a solid grounding in the arts and culture industry.

By the end of the year-long apprenticeship you'll have earned a Level 2 Certificate in Creative and Cultural Practice, and a Level 2 National Award in Community Arts Management, but perhaps more importantly you'll have developed the skills and contacts you'll need for a career in the industry.

More details are available on the Creative Partnerships Liverpool website.

Frederick Douglass mural, Falls Road, Belfast. Text reads: 'Frederick Douglas 1818-1895. Inspired by two Irishmen to escape from slavery Frederick Douglas came to Ireland during the famine. Henceforth he championed the abolition of slavery, women's rights and Irish freedom.'

Hello there

As usual I have had a very interesting and varied past couple of weeks. I attended the 'Closing of the Slave Trades: Transatlantic Perspectives' conference at Queens University, Belfast, Northern Ireland , co-sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale University. It was attended by museum professionals, public historians, and scholars from a variety of disciplines and institutions.  My talk focused on Phase 2 of the International Slavery Museum and the opening of the Research and Resource centre.

Even though Belfast City Centre is like many other lively European capital cities, with its grand historic buildings and trendy high street shops it is still a deeply divided city in many respects. This was highlighted when we went on a taxi tour of some of the political murals near the Falls Road, which is a largely nationalist and Catholic area. One of the murals depicted the great African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass. I, like many people from the UK, was brought up on news of the ‘Troubles’ and was happy to see the Northern Ireland peace process progress. But the remembrance gardens, the tone of the murals and most shocking for me, the imposing corrugated iron wall, often called the Peace Line, that divides large swathes of Protestant and Catholic Belfast shows there is still a long way to go before the city is free from sectarianism and intolerance.

There is also a big link, in fact a Titanic one (I could not resist!), between Belfast and Liverpool.  The Titanic was built at Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast and even though she never berthed at Liverpool she was owned by White Star Line of Liverpool. Visit the Titanic, Lusitania and the Forgotten Empress gallery at the Merseyside Maritime Museum for more information.

Another important aspect of my job is that of supporting local organizations in various campaigns against forms of injustice, inequality and indeed intolerance.  Along with a colleague I attended the Anthony Walker Foundation Festival 2008 event at Hope University. The International Slavery Museum had a stand there with information about the museum.  It was a lively and indeed poignant event. I watched a number of rappers perform very loud (do I sound old?) but meaningful performances. The aim of the event was to bring young people together from all backgrounds and to focus on positive messages. I only have the utmost respect for the Walker family, who out of the tragic loss of a son and brother has managed to start a movement which promotes togetherness rather than division.  Truly admirable.

Watch this space.

The sign reads: Atta Rainforest Camp. Iwokrama Canopy Walkway. Dedicated this day July 9 2005. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Iwokrama International Centre founded by the Government of Guyana and the Commonwealth Secretariat. Designed and constructed by Colin Edwards and the people of the northern Rupununi.

Hello there
As I said in my previous blog I recently attended the Commonwealth Association of Museums conference in Guyana where I was fortunate enough to meet a number of museum professionals from Africa and the Caribbean.   One of them, Terry Nyambe, Assistant Keeper of Ichthyology at the Livingstone Museum in Zambia sent me the attached picture.   Terry was constantly telling us all how beautiful Zambia was and looking at the following website I agree:  http://www.zambiatourism.com/travel/places/museum.htm.

The picture also proves two things.  One that I did actually visit the rainforest and two that I am a Leeds United fan!   Not something that everyone normally brags about but to me it is more than just shouting at a group of overpaid men running around a field.  No, it is about passion, belonging and indeed heritage.  You might think these are bold statements but let me expand.  

My family history is something I am both interested in and proud.   My Guyanese and Yorkshire parents, my friends, my hometown and the environment I grew up in have shaped to a great degree my view of the world. My brother and most of my friends were Leeds fans, so it was natural for me to follow in their footsteps; it made me feel part of a larger group with a shared passion.  But Leeds United’s ground, Elland Road, in the early 80s in particular was a haven of racist abuse and bigotry, often aimed at opposing Black and Asian players and fans: http://www.kickitout.org/.  

Sometimes I would feel very uncomfortable when hundreds of people all chanted something racist but at the same time I refused to leave or walk away.   I am a firm believer that there is no place that Black and minority ethnic individuals should not be.  There are no enclaves which we should not share.   I am proud to be a Yorkshireman, and even though we were rubbish in the recent League One play offs at Wembley, I am a loyal Leeds fan.   It is part of my very rich and diverse heritage.  

It has also been very satisfying that at the very core of Leeds United teams in the past few years have been a number of Black players.  For instance, the South African player Lucas Radebe is still idolized at Leeds even though he stopped playing several years ago.   Interestingly he used to play for a team called Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa, a name I am sure is well known by many music aficionados (the band really are Leeds United supporters!). What is an uncomfortable juxtaposition though is how some people chant his name but might also come out with a racist comment.   I have not yet quite managed to get to grips with this concept.

The International Slavery Museum looks to show how people of the African Diaspora, including footballers, have shaped the world and achieved in all sorts of fields and disciplines: http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism/black_achievers_wall.asp. 

For me, however illogical and infuriating it can be, watching a game of football and feeling like I have as much right to be there as anyone else, is part of that.   

Watch this space.

The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that there wasn't a May Name That Object competition. We were rather busy with the redesign for the main site (check it out if you've not already) and it kind of took a back seat.

Anyway, June's is now up with the first clue available here. As ever you need to figure out which object from our collections (and our website) the detail is from and email us the answer using the contact link on the competition page. There's a new clue every day this week.

We've had lots of enquiries from people wanting to buy the Art In The Age of Steam exhibition catalogue so that's this month's prize. Good luck.

Hello there

Well I am pleased to announce my return to the world of blogging. The last time I wrote a blog post was way back in October. So what have I been doing since then? Well the answer is plenty!  First if all let me give you an update about the museum. We have had a fantastic response to the museum, from the public, museum professionals, academics and most importantly the local community. To date we have had upwards of 210,000 visitors. This is higher than we expected and we will hopefully exceed our annual forecast. We realise that there is still much work to do but in a way there always should be for a museum.  We aim to be receptive to ideas, comments and indeed criticisms but we truly believe we are a living and breathing museum and as such updating; revising and changing information as well as views and theories is part of that process.

Quite a lot of my time has been spent on putting together various strategies and policies for the museum.  This means that I have been having regular meetings with colleagues from various departments, as well as Angela Robinson - the curator of transatlantic slavery who is the person who looks after the museum collections. Angela quite rightly gets mad when I am sometimes referred to as the curator of the museum in the newspaper or on radio. But I always bring her a small present back from my travels to stay in her good books!

One of those policies is our new collecting policy. Not only do we aim to keep collecting archives and ephemera which relate to transatlantic slavery but we are looking to expand our collections into new areas. For instance, we already have in the museum a number of African American objects, what are often called ‘Black Americana’, objects such as prints, books, toys, games, ornaments or various household memorabilia, often produced from the 1920s through the 1950s in America. Some of these are on display in the Legacy gallery at the museum. Many of these objects depict racist stereotypical images and can be extremely offensive in their nature. We feel it is important though to highlight how these objects and images were used, and indeed tolerated, in popular recent culture.   

What we are now looking to do is increase our Black British memorabilia collections.  Again, some of these objects are very disturbing but we also aim to collect uplifting aspects of Black British life. If someone has an object that they feel we would be interested in please contact us here at the International Slavery Museum.

Another policy we have been developing is our international policy. As an internationally recognized museum we understand the need for us to build collaborations with a number of different countries, especially those who, like Britain, played a central role in transatlantic slavery. As part of this policy I was recently in Guyana for the Commonwealth Association of Museums conference on ‘Museums and Diversity’. I gave a paper titled ‘The International Slavery Museum: an active campaigner’. I wanted to draw attention in the paper not only to the fact that we want to work with museums in other countries, but how I see the museum as actively campaigning against contemporary forms of racism and discrimination as well as forms of contemporary slavery and bonded labour. This makes us an active museum, not a neutral one, and I challenge those that think we should be.

I also got to meet Dr Frank Anthony - the Minister for Culture, Youth and Sport. We talked about ways that we could link with museum and heritage institutions in Guyana, a country which we mention many times in the International Slavery Museum but which until 1966 was called British Guiana. There are many links between Liverpool and Guyana. One of them being that the family of four times Prime Minister William Gladstone owned a plantation near a town called Vreed-en-Hoop in a region of British Guiana called Demerara, a word which is now synonymous with brown sugar around the world. It was a very positive meeting and from it came an official invitation to participate in CARIFESTA.  We even managed to make the national press. The picture is probably the worst ever taken of me though!

Along with other delegates of the conference I managed to visit Iwokrama, a rainforest conservation and development centre. It aims to show how tropical forests can be conserved and sustained providing social, ecological and economic benefits to communities locally and indeed internationally.

On the second day we were told we would be going on a short hike up a very small mountain.  Alarm bells began to ring at the mention of the word mountain. Anyway, 2 hours and a lot of puffing and panting later I reached the top of Turtle Mountain. It was well worth the effort with beautiful views of pristine rainforest and the Essequibo River.

So I am pleased to say that the museum is a great success and there are some very exciting, as well as challenging, times ahead.  Thanks again to all of you who have visited the museum, and for those who have not had the chance, I hope you can make it soon.  Watch this space.

Vikky Evans-Hubbard plays the role of Diane Nash

As usual our museums are packed with things to keep you busy this bank holiday weekend, but a new performance at the International Slavery Museum on Monday 5 May is definitely worth a special trip.

Keep your eyes on the prize tells the inspiring story of Diane Nash and her involvement in the civil rights movement in America during the 1960s. There are two performances at 2 and 3pm.

Or if like me you are planning a very lazy long weekend then let BBC's Woman's Hour bring highlights of the performance to you. They are doing a series on the treasures of National Museums Liverpool as picked by female members of staff. Watch this space for the others to follow throughout 2008.

Our trading arm, NML Trading, is holding a Recruitment Open Day on Saturday 10th May. They're looking to recruit Team Leaders, Catering Assistants, Venue Supervisors, Chefs and Banqueting staff. They're looking for people who are passionate about catering for their daytime operation plus occasional evening work. You'll be working in Liverpool’s world class museums, providing high quality food and refreshments to over two million visitors each year.

To find out more about the roles on offer, bring your CV to World Museum Liverpool, William Brown Street, Liverpool between 10.30am and 4.30pm.

Living Memorial to Ken Sara-Wiwa outside the International Slavery Museum

Today is the last day to catch the Living Memorial to Ken Saro-Wiwa outside the International Slavery Museum.

The 12ft high and 18ft long Nigerian steel bus, created by artist Sokari Douglas-Camp CBE, is carved with a direct quotation from Ken Saro-Wiwa. The quotation ‘I ACCUSE THE OIL COMPANIES OF PRACTISING GENOCIDE AGAINST THE OGONI’ is accompanied by the names of Saro-Wiwa and his eight colleagues who were executed on 10 November 1995 following their campaign to stop the environmental devastation of the Ogoni area of the Niger Delta in Nigeria by multinational oil companies.

Dance the Guns to Silence, an evening of poetry, music and activism will be held at the Sara-Wiwa bar in the Liverpool Guild of Students from 8pm tonight.

Today is day one in April's Name That Object competition and here is today's clue. To win a copy of the rather nice catalogue that accompanies the Art In The Age of Steam exhibition all you have to do is identify the object in question (it's an artwork this month) from the clues given every day this week, and email us your answer using the link on the competition page. Best of British.

Here's some great news to start the week with, the International Slavery Museum has been shortlisted in the 'Large Visitor Attraction of the Year' category in The Mersey Partnership Annual Tourism Awards 2008. The winner will be announced at the end of May.

If you haven't made it over to the museum yet to see what all the fuss is about this is a great week to go, as the Living Memorial to Nigerian activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa will be visiting from 23 to 25 April as part of Celebrate Earth Week 2008. There's also a talk at the museum with the artist who created the memorial, Sokari Douglas Camp, on Thursday 24 April at 2pm.

You know what it's like, you wait ages for a cultural bus then two turn up at the same time.

The Living Memorial

One bus, 'The Living Memorial', is actually a unique mobile memorial to the Nigerian activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa by the Nigerian-born artist Sokari Douglas Camp. It will be visiting the International Slavery Museum from 23-25 April as part of Celebrate Earth Week 2008. The programme of events for the week involves three days of African-inspired live music, art and poetry across Liverpool, including an artist's talk in the International Slavery Museum.

The week before that Liverpool City Council, the Culture Company and English Heritage are offering free coach tours of Liverpool's World Heritage Site - an area of the city including several of our venues. Appropriately enough the tours will take place on International World Heritage Day, 18 April at 11am and 2pm. Each 2 hour tour starts outside St George's Hall and takes in sights including the Albert Dock, Pier Head, Stanley Dock, Ropewalks and the historic commercial district. For further details or to book a free place see the Liverpool World Heritage website or ring 0151 233 2880.

Here's the latest update from Tom McConnell, our work placement student, who in case you hadn't noticed is a big fan of a certain Liverpool band!

Hello,

Today I have been checking up on the music desk at the International Slavery Museum. This basically involved listening to many tunes on the desks and writing if it was working and to see if any improvements could be made to improve it for the benefit of the visitor… I particularly enjoyed "Sail Away" by Ray Charles but was disappointed that The Beatles had been taken off!!

The music desk at the International Slavery Museum. Photograph © Redman Design/International Slavery Museum

Thank you to all the people who have posted comments about their experience of the International Slavery Museum on the Art Fund Prize webpage. It's really good to know that the museum is appreciated by our visitors as well as the judges.

If you've not posted your comment yet, and would like the judges to hear your views before they make their final decision next month, you still have time. Just visit the Art Fund website and tell the judges why you think the International Slavery Museum should win the prize. There you'll also find details of the evening reception we're holding on 2 April.

Can't believe no one's got this yet - thought it would have gone yesterday. The prize in this month's Name That Object game is still not won and today is the last day. This is today's clue - bit of a give away. All of this week's clues, plus the link to enter the competition, are on the Name That Object page. The prize is the catalogue from the recent Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool exhibition.

This month's final clue

Joanna Rowlands, Floella Benjamin and Lois Momoh in the International Slavery Museum

If, like me, you were born in the seventies the name Floella Benjamin will evoke happy memories of jolly people, multiple-sized Teds and variously shaped windows… when Opal Fruits were Opal Fruits and Pacers still existed. This weekend my lifelong ambition to meet the lady herself was realised when she visited the International Slavery Museum to give a talk for International Women’s Day.
 
Floella’s come a long way from looking through the round window and has a CV that most people would die for. She’s impossible to define in a word - actress, TV presenter, businesswoman, author, this list isn’t exhaustive. She’s been awarded an OBE, runs her own production company, is a Doctor of Letters, Chancellor of Exeter University and works tirelessly for charities such as Barnardo's.

Floella is pictured here with me and my colleague Lois Momoh in front of the Black Achiever’s Wall, a place on which Floella has surely earned? The list of people featured on the wall is by no means exhaustive, so today I’m launching a one woman campaign to make sure Floella gets a good speck next time the display is changed.

The second of what will hopefully be a monthly feature (prizes allowing) begins on Monday. Name that Object shows a new detail from an object in our collection every day for five days. Could be from any venue and any collection.  To win the prize all you have to do is identify the object and be the first to mail us the correct answer (use the 'contact us' form link on the competition page). As there's only one prize - the rather excellent catalogue that accompanied the recent Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool exhibition - most of you will be 'playing for fun', and it is fun as you'll discover if you check out last month's game - bit of a warm up for you.

Hogarth in his new home

Here's a snap of last month's prize - a Superlambanana now christened Hogarth (I'll leave you to figure out why) - happily ensconced in his new home. His new owner got the answer right on clue one so you'll probably have to be there from kick off on Monday to be in with a chance. To make it a bit easier I'll tell you it is a painting and it is featured on our website.

You can also play via the rss feed so there's no chance of you missing a clue.

Black achievers wall, International Slavery Museum © Redman Design/ International Slavery Museum

Judges from The Art Fund Prize visited the International Slavery Museum today. The panel have the tricky job of deciding which of the ten nominated UK museums and galleries demonstrate the most originality, imagination and excellence.

Fingers crossed they have enjoyed their visit today and that we are shortlisted to the final four (to be announced in early April). The winner will be announced on Thursday 22 May at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London during Museum and Galleries Month 2008.

If you are one of the thousands of visitors who have visited the International Slavery Museum since it opened in August and think it deserves this prize then add your comment on The Art Fund Prize website.

Let's see what's through the round window...

If like me you grew up on a diet of Big Ted, Little Ted and Jemima the rag doll then you might be interested to know that the multi-talented legend that is Dr Floella Benjamin, will be coming to the International Slavery Museum! To celebrate International Women’s Day, Floella, who is Chancellor of the University of Exeter as well as being an actress, writer and children’s campaigner, will give an inspirational talk introduced by Dorothy Kuya.

This special free event will take place on Saturday 8 March 2008 at 7pm. Please contact Lizzy Rodgers to reserve a place on 0151 478 4543 or online here.  

Today we've launched what will hopefully become a regular feature on the site - our 'Name that Object' competition. We'll be revealing a new detail of an object (it's an artwork this time - bit of a clue for you there) every day for a week with the answer at the end. This is today's clue. There's a prize of a miniature Superlambanana to the first person to correctly identify the piece and to email us the answer using the form on the competition page.

If you're as forgetful as me you can always subscribe to the rss feed to get updates, or just click backwards to see previous clues. And as a final hint I'll tell you that the object is somewhere on our website. There, I've said too much already...

The first clue in the name that object competition

Hot off the press, here's some fantastic news from our communications manager Joanna Rowlands.

Update: do you think that the International Slavery Museum should win? Leave your comments on the Art Fund Prize website.

"We heard today that the International Slavery Museum has been nominated for the Art Fund Prize (formerly the Gulbenkian) and I’m sure I’m not the only one on the staff at National Museums Liverpool that considers it a real honour. 

The response to the museum has been quite overwhelming. Since it opened in August 2008 more than 150,000 people have been through the doors and the staff there have organised learning sessions for over 12,000 school children and members of the public.

Following the craziness of the opening week (meeting Harry Belafonte and observing the media circus around Jesse Jackson, pictured below, among my personal highlights) it was hard to know how the museum would be received. While we always hoped it would be popular we didn’t realise quite how significant the place would be to people from all over the world.

As we start work on Phase 2 of the work on the museum the feedback we get is essential. Comments from visitors such as ‘I think this was an achievement opening this slavery museum to let people understand what slavery is all about. This should have been done a long time ago’ give us an indication of its importance.

The judges for the Art Fund Prize, which recognises originality and excellence in museums and galleries, are coming up later on this month so we’ll be giving them a taste of just some of the events and activities on offer. Watch this space for more news."

Jesse Jackson arriving at the International Slavery Museum last year. Photograph © Simon Webb

Hello there! The various presentations I mentioned in my last blog post about Black History Month, volunteers and lots of talks went really well (I was not jeered anyway). The audiences were all very different and that is one of the things I like about this job. At the Harris Museum in Preston I had to speak for 30 minutes, without using a PowerPoint to hide behind, to a mixed group with several members of the Preston Black community in the audience.  It is not a large community but incredibly varied with a fascinating history. Currently on show at the museum is an exhibition called Bitter Sweet: Legacies of Sugar and Slavery in the Caribbean until March 2008.

My last engagement was at Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. My sister Lorraine lives there (she told me not to say older sister!) so I stayed over for the weekend. On the Saturday I was fortunate enough to see Oxford United v Woking with my brother-in-law Tom and nephew Samuel (both Arsenal fans unfortunately). It was truly a battle between giants of the lower divisions (minus goals or indeed excitement).

The rest of my time was spent discussing and planning the impending havoc of my niece Cara’s 18th birthday party. Over 200 of her friends (yes, I did say 200) will be strutting their stuff until the early hours in a few weeks. A table for the oldies has been arranged at the back of the room to save her from any embarrassment.

This week has been a really interesting one. Yesterday I had the pleasure to interview Nkosinathi Biko, son of the South African activist Steve Biko, and Chief Executive Officer of the Steve Biko Foundation. He is here along with his brother and mother for an event at the Merseyside Maritime Museum this evening.

Yesterday evening I gave a talk at a Manchester Black Health Agency event to commemorate the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade act. It was very well attended and it was a pleasure to have been invited to speak. The only downside of the evening was that my train back to Liverpool broke down just outside Newton-le-Willows. I set off at 11pm. I got back to Liverpool at 2am!

Well I will sign off for now but before I do an apology to my legion of football blog fans. Last week I said Leeds United were playing Millwall. It was in fact Brighton (we won 1-0). Tomorrow is Millwall so hopefully we can keep the unbeaten run going.

Well I have been silent for over a week as I have been on leave. I went back to see my family in dear old Tadcaster. I am sure you have now all seen the fantastic website which shows you that Tadcaster is an ideal holiday location. Forget about Spain, France or the USA, save on your carbon footprint and travel to Tadcaster on the Yorkshire coastliner bus from Leeds station!

The week prior to my mini break was a really interesting one. On Monday 1 October I gave the keynote speech to open Trafford Black History Month at the Imperial War Museum North. It was a diverse audience, with local schoolchildren, civic dignitaries (I had a coffee with the mayor!) and museum professionals. I talked about the development of the International Slavery Museum as well as the need for Black History Month and indeed the teaching of Black history in schools.

On the Tuesday it was a pleasure to meet and interview Paul Robeson Jr, an advocate of the Paul Robeson Institute, and on Wednesday we held the museum’s first volunteer day. If you are interested in volunteering at the International Slavery Museum you can email Claire Holden our volunteer co-ordinator.

Yesterday I gave a talk to the St Helens Historical Society on the development of the museum. One of the most interesting aspects of my job is meeting all sorts of audiences, and so later this week I am giving several other presentations. Tomorrow at the Harris Museum in Preston on ‘Issues regarding the historical and contemporary representation of transatlantic slavery and enslavement in museums’, then on Thursday I am speaking at a seminar for the Communities and Local Government Department about the need to highlight Black history in museums and on Friday I am at Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford for a lunchtime seminar for students and staff.

So a pretty busy week. But my older sister lives in Oxford so I can stay with her and the family over the weekend which I am looking forward to.

 I’ll sign off for now but just before I go (I know my football blog info is a highlight for some people!) I have to let you know that this weekend Leeds United have the privilege of hosting Millwall at Elland Road. Should be interesting to say the least. Last Saturday we drew with Leyton Orient and missed a penalty to win in the last few minutes. Not good for my blood pressure. The highs and lows of being a football fan!

Just to prove I am a Leeds fan!

Hello all

So what have I been up to since my last blog post? Well, it has been pretty varied. Last Monday I did an interview for the Yorkshire Evening Post. I have to say that this could be seen as the pinnacle of a career for a Yorkshireman. The journalist was called John Woodcock, a very nice easy going character. He got very excited when I told him I was brought up in Tadcaster. For anyone that likes real ale then Tadcaster is the place to be brought up.

I have had to do a lot of media in the past few weeks, some good some not so good. It depends very much on the interviewer. Some are very easy going and friendly; others seem to think they are doing me a favour by talking to me. It is part of the job that has taken me a while to get used to but at the end of the day it is positive that I have the opportunity to raise the profile of the museum.

This coming week is a very exciting one for me as not only is it the start of Black History Month but I will get to meet the son of the greatly talented Paul Robeson - an actor, singer and lawyer who was unpopular with the American government in the 1930s as he visited the Soviet Union. On his return to the United States, he refused to sing to segregated audiences. I am pleased to say that Paul Robeson has been added to our Black Achievers Wall (remember, you can nominate your own Black achiever by sending me an email).

I'll sign off for now. By the way, I was in a good mood most of the week as we beat Swansea 2-0 but on Saturday we were cheated out of 2 points by a referee who sent off 2 players! Bitter, me, a Leeds fan... no way!

Just a few of the faces on the Black Achievers Wall in the International Slavery Museum

Black History Month starts on Monday, yet another good reason (as if you need one) to visit the International Slavery Museum. As always, there are lots of events planned across our venues, check out the Black History Month programme for further details.

To get you in the mood, here's a great rap poem that was written by ten year old Robert Thomas after he had attended the Slavery Remembrance Day events with his family

Down with Poverty, Racism and all the rest;
Stop it now 'cos you know it's best;
This is no jest.
We're all the same both black and white;
You know it's right
So don't give up without a fight!

Artist Anthony Brown gives museum volunteer Charlene Ugbode a preview of his exhibition

You may have seen some of Anthony Brown's distinctive portraits already, as they have been appearing in venues all over the city as part of the 100 heads thinking as one exhibition. As the title suggests, there are 100 portraits in the collection which together form one very personal portrait of the characters who make Liverpool the city it is today. From tomorrow ten of these portraits will be on display at the Maritime Museum, including three (of George Melly, Gareth Abbott and Bill Citrine) that have not been on show before. 

Now the prospect of seeing this display, the Magical History Tour exhibition and the International Slavery Museum all in one building would surely be enough to tempt anyone down to the Albert Dock this weekend. Add to this the return of the popular Hello Sailor! exhibition, which returns tomorrow after a successful visit to Southampton, and I think you've got a winner.

It's almost enough to make the people visiting on the QE2 today want to jump ship and stay in the city for the weekend. Well, they wouldn't want to stay for the weather, would they?

Update: sorry for any confusion - I did say that there were nine heads but I can't count - there's actually ten including a last minute addition. Thanks to the ever vigilant and sharp eyed Ian Jackson for spotting that!

I am the one on the far right with one of our many famous visitors, the Reverend Jesse Jackson Photograph © Simon Webb

Hello fellow bloggers. This is my first journey into the technical superhighway that is blogging. I will try and be as interesting as I can but bear with me ok. It might take me a while to get into the swing of things. I have been asked to keep you updated about some of the things I do as part of my job as Head of the International Slavery Museum, and also as a Leeds United supporting vegan Yorkshireman. A strange mix if there ever was one!

The first Phase of the International Slavery Museum opened on 23 August 2007 – Slavery Remembrance Day here in Liverpool. It was hectic to say the least in the weeks up to opening but it was all worth while. The libation and cultural activities events which took place at Slavery Remembrance Day at Otterspool were very successful and grow year by year. Many of the people who attended the event then came down to Albert Dock to visit the museum.

We had approximately 2,000 visitors per day for the first five days and up until today we have in the region of 20,000 visits. The feedback has been very positive and although you will not always please everyone a museum in my view should not try to anyway. We want to provoke reaction, debate and dialogue. We might not have got everything right straight away but the museum is a living and breathing one and as such we can adapt to both public opinion and indeed the changing research and information around the subject of slavery.

I want to tell you though about one of the many presentations that I am asked to give these days. It was part of the BOUND conference at Tate Liverpool on Saturday 15 September. Phase 2 of the International Slavery Museum, which will be housed in the Dock traffic Office, the old Granada TV building, will contain a research and education centre, along with public spaces and exhibition space. As a museum we want to cover many aspects of slavery, not just transatlantic slavery, although that is still at the very core of what we are about. As such I wanted to meet professionals who worked in areas of contemporary slavery, such as Anti-Slavery International and Stop the Traffik . Working alongside partners like this I hope to make the International Slavery Museum an active participant in the combating of current forms of slavery. As Dr David Fleming – Director of National Museums Liverpool (the man on the left of Jesse Jackson in the photo above) has said on many occasions – museums should not, and indeed cannot, be neutral.

I’ll sign off for now.  See you next week (hopefully I’ll be in a good mood if we beat Swansea City at the weekend!).
Richard

Exhibitions really do come to life at the Maritime Museum, as you can find many interesting audio-visual displays there, giving visitors of all ages a lively and engaging museum experience. The International Slavery Museum has its evocative and disturbing 'recreation' of the bowels of a slave ship and the Magical History Tour has several displays which help to tell the story of the history of Liverpool. One of these displays is a set of three huge screens, which take you on a journey from the beginnings of the city when King John first established a town here in 1207, right up to the present day. Another highlight is the 'Talking Portraits', three portraits that come to life to tell you about crime and punishment, politics and quality of life during periods ranging from the 13th to the 16th century. One is a lord, one is a wealthy businessman and one is a peasant - so you get a real sense of what life was like from different points of view, along with some great accents, plenty of humour and name calling! Here is a clip of the 'political influence' part of the display - listen out for the bit when the peasant man gets called a worm! You can find the clips of 'crime and punishment' and 'quality of life' on our Youtube profile. If you enjoy the videos, why not send one to a friend?

As promised here are some of the radio highlights for the International Slavery Museum launch. Obviously there has been a lot more coverage than this list but a lot isn't available to listen again, or is difficult to isolate within a programme. There's plenty to listen to here anyway.

• Front Row tonight (Friday 24th) will feature Mark Lawson's visit to the new museum. That's Radio 4 at 7.15pm, and hopefully for the week to come on 'listen again'
  
• As I mentioned yesterday Simon Mayo on Radio Five Live interviewed Richard Benjamin for about 20 mins on Wednesday, starting at about 1hr 47 mins into the programme. That programme should be available to listen again until Wednesday next week.
  
• Colourful Radio's Amina Taylor interviewed Richard on 20th August 2007. Just select the date from this page - the interview starts at 1hr 46mins and runs for about 20 mins. 
  
• Colourful Radio obviously like Richard as he was back on the station next day on the Elayne Smith programme. Again, select the date (21st August) and start listening at 1hr 38 mins. The interview runs for about 18 mins. In the interview Richard asked people to send him their comments and thoughts on the museum. You can do that by following this link and completing the 'contact us' form.
  

Helen Renner in her wonderful dress

I was pleased to be able to go along to the Slavery Remembrance Day events yesterday at Otterspool Prom. Thank goodness for the great weather! It was a busy afternoon with delicious Caribbean food followed by the libation ceremony and a mixture of live performances. The libation ceremony was a unique experience - it is a solemn African traditional ceremony, which remembers, acknowledges and honours African ancestors, elders and leaders. Chief Angus Chukuemeka commended the work of National Museums Liverpool and its staff, in producing a museum which he said touched deep seated emotions.

After the ceremony I met Helen Renner (pictured) a resident of Birkenhead, originally from Ghana. I wanted to talk to her because she was wearing amazing traditional dress! She explained that it was made from the commemorative cloth of her school, whose patterns symbolised different aspects of the school and Ghanaian culture. You can see it has a pattern of fish scales and cocoa pods, to represent the importance of the fishing and cocoa industries and is decorated with images of people from the Achimota School that it commemorates. Helen had been around the slavery museum and was planning to go back to have more time to take it all in.

My favourite part of the live performances that followed were the two dancers who performed fantastically energetic routines to traditional African music by the River Niger Orchestra. It was quite moving when they performed a dance to show how the slaves were forced to dance on the ships and how they were whipped as they did so. Everyone enjoyed the poetry performance by Levi Tafari who was met with cheers and got people on their feet. A day of great variety that I enjoyed being part of.

The International Slavery Museum opened today. Pleased to say that there has been lots of positive coverage in the press, on the web, tv etc. I'll post a proper 'listen again' selection of the radio coverage but in the mean time here is an interview from yesterday. Simon Mayo on Radio Five Live interviewed Richard Benjamin, head of the museum. The interview starts at about 1hr 47mins and runs for about 20 mins on either side of the news break. (NB, apparently there are a few problems with the BBC listen again feature so you might have to be patient.)

Also saw today that Anti-Slavery International has digitsed its collection of 18th and 19th century slavery literature and called it Recovered Histories. There are over 40,000 pages so it should be worth a good look. 

Our very own Stephen Guy (he of Maritime Tales fame) gives a little bit of a guided tour around the International Slavery Museum which opens on Thursday (just two more sleeps) in this video on the BBC website.

Do you ever get the feeling that you've picked completely the wrong week to go on holiday? While I'm away next week it looks like I'm missing loads of fun here in Liverpool.

Tomorrow the famous ship from the Pirates of the Caribbean films, The Black Pearl, will be visiting Liverpool and docking opposite the Maritime Museum. Sadly Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom wont be there, but I'm sure it'll still be worth seeing.

Then of course the International Slavery Museum opens on Thursday. Being a nosey type, I had a quick look round this week and even though the displays were still being finished off it already had the wow factor.

To top off the week, visitors are invited to bring in their toys to be x-rayed in the Reveal gallery of the National Conservation Centre on Friday from 12.30-3.30pm. At last, the chance to discover the inner workings of your favourite playthings - don't pretend that you're not even the tiniest bit curious to see what makes your teddy bear growl. See the full details on the Conservation Centre's What's On pages.

For many years the Richard Ansdell painting The Hunted Slaves was a familiar sight above the grand staircase of the Walker Art Gallery. However, sharp eyed visitors will have noticed that the painting is no longer there.

Although it hasn't been on public display, the painting has still been the centre of attention behind the scenes at the National Conservation Centre, where our conservators have examined it and prepared it to go to a new venue.

This morning the painting was taken to the Albert Dock, where it will soon be going on display again in the new International Slavery Museum. As you can see, moving such a huge painting is a big operation as it takes several people just to lift it. It was in safe hands with the museum's specialist handling team though, who soon got it inside.

There is a buzz of excitement here at National Museums Liverpool as the momentum builds towards the opening of the International Slavery Museum. You may have heard already, that the Freedom Schooner Amistad, that set sail from Haven, Connecticut, USA on 21st June,  arrived on UK shores yesterday and will be docking in Liverpool on Sunday 19th August, in time for the opening of the International Slavery Museum. Amistad is a replica of the original ship that was commandeered by African captives in 1839, which is why the arrival in Liverpool has been planned to coincide with UNESCO Slavery Remembrance Day and the opening of the new museum. 

Benin artist Romauld Hazoume was at the Maritime Museum today to oversee the installation of his artwork La Bouche du Roi, which goes on show from Saturday as part of the museum's year long programme of events commemorating the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade.

The picture above shows him with some of the 304 masks that make up the main body of the artwork. Each mask, made from a petrol can, represents a real person and they are arranged on the floor packed closely together to show the cramped conditions on board the ships that took enslaved Africans across the Atlantic as part of the slave trade. With film footage, the sounds the the slaves' voices calling out and evocative smells of the tobacco and spices transported as part of the trade, this is an incredibly powerful and moving immersive experience.

Just 36 more sleeps until the opening of the International Slavery Museum (cue hysteria from the project team). Joking aside, the fit-out, ie installing the actual exhibits, is well underway and I've put a few progress snaps on our Flickr page. This pic shows the Igbo compound in the west gallery.  I'll put more up as the museum develops over the next few weeks.

Igbo compound

It's all go down at Merseyside Maritime Museum. The Transatlantic Slavery Gallery in the basement closed on Sunday, as part of the preparations for the new International Slavery Museum, which opens upstairs on the third floor on 23 August.

With less than 2 months to go before the opening, staff have had to work fast. When I popped in today it looked as if at least half of the objects had already been taken out of their cases. Most of these are now being checked and treated in the National Conservation Centre before going on display in the new museum.

I was just in time to see curator Angela Robinson removing an ivory anklet from a former display of artefacts from West Africa. If I'd been any later I would have been photographing an empty case!

The new displays will include familiar objects from the old galleries, which will be joined by new acquisitions, items that are currently in storage and specially commissioned artworks, such as the Freedom! sculpture that is currently on tour.

It's just over 14 hours until a receation of the famous slave ship, Amistad, sets sail from its home port of New Haven, Connecticut, USA on a 14,000 mile round trip to Europe and Africa. The ship will retrace the slave triangle travelled by thousands of European slaving ships during the 18th and 19th centuries, with a crew augmented by English and American students including 19 year old Michael Simon from Toxteth.

The Amistad became famous in 1839 when the slaves on board - who were being taken to the Americas - revolted, captured the ship and eventually won their freedom.  

The ship will be in Liverpool in a few weeks time for the opening of the International Slavery Museum on 23 August, which is also Slavery Remembrance Day.

You can learn more the background to the trip, Amistad America Inc, and the orginal Amistad on the official website.

Here's a few progress images from work on the International Slavery Museum which will open in August. The other images are on our Flickr page and include the Igbo compound in the west gallery.

the outer wall of the Middle Passage immersive

This image shows the Middle Passage immersive in the middle gallery. You can see its curved outer wall - there are two walls which form almost a peanut-shape which you go inside. The text on the wall,  in case you can't read it, says:

My hopes of returning home again were all over.
Cuguana, 1787

dis poem
shall speak of the wretched sea
that washed ships to these shores
of mothers cryin for their
young swallowed up by the sea.
Mutabaruka, 1985

Just been talking to Kyle who works in our new media unit and is currently working on an interactive for the forthcoming International Slavery Museum - it looks pretty good even at this stage. There are going to be a number of interactives on the gallery, and this one is based on documents in our collection (the Davenport collection actually). It will tell the tale of the Essex, a typical Liverpool slave ship, and follows the vessel as it sets sail from the port (that's a Liverpool dock in the image) to Africa and then on the the Americas.

A scene from the interactive showing the Essex in dock in Liverpool.

Must admit, I wouldn't have the patience or eye for detail to do Kyle's job. Just about five minutes worth of interactive is literally taking him weeks to create, as every aspect of the interactive needs to be built from scratch.  Just the ship in this image took about a week to complete - the surfaces of all the ropes, wood, sails etc needed to be individually built in 3D Studio Max (that's an industry-standard application used to create 3D models of the type you'd see in any video game). The harbour walls themselves were a lot easier as they are basic 'boxes' with relatively little detail.

Also, Kyle's job isn't just about the technical side of things. He needs to think about everything from the story boarding, scripting and voice overs, to building, editing and combining his creation. Then there's issues like creating the right atmosphere for the piece (cartoony wouldn't work for such a serious issue), making sure the interactive itself is engrossing, and all the while sticking to the facts by creating historically accurate ships, buildings, clothes etc.  Who knew it took so much?  I'll pop in again in a few weeks and see where he's up to with it.

More progress images are on our Flickr page.

If you live in the Granada television region tonight's viewing might include the current affairs programme, Granada Editions at 7.30pm. Tonight's show is a special edition looking at the role of the North West in the transatlantic slave trade.  Poet Lemn Sissay looks at how the profits of the trade are still evident around the region. Tony Tibbles, keeper of the Merseyside Maritime Museum, and assistant curator, Stephen Welsh, both feature.

This weekend marked the bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade in the UK. Given Liverpool's role in the trade there was strong media focus on the city, with the Merseyside Maritime Museum featuring heavily. The following radio programmes are available to 'listen again' by following the links.

The Sunday Programme on BBC Radio 4 was broadcast live from the Merseyside Maritime Museum. The programme looked at why some Christians supported slavery and others didn't, slavery in Islam, Liverpool and the slave trade, and the legacy of slavery. 

Next Sunday Worship - Set All Free, also from the Merseyside Maritime Museum, featured Bishop of Liverpool, Rt Revd James Jones and Senior Pastor of the Temple of Praise Church, Dr Tani Omideyi. The Love and Joy Gospel Choir provided the vocals for a programme looking at the legacy of slavery in a city whose fortunes and success rested on the slave trade.

Also on Sunday, Radio Five Live's Worricker Programme was broadcast from the Elmina fort in Ghana. Playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah visited the transatlantic slavery gallery at the Merseyside Maritime Museum and interviewed the keeper of the museum, Tony Tibbles, talking about the trade and the new slavery museum. Deputy PM John Prescott, Miss Dynamite and former Leeds and Ghanaian footballer, Tony Yeboah also featured.

BBC Radio Merseyside's Claire Hamilton also focused on the trade and interviewed Richard Benjamin, keeper of the forthcoming International Slavery Museum.  Wayne Clark looked at the role of abolitionist, William Wilberforce, in his Daybreak programme. Keeper of the Maritime, Tony Tibbles, was also interviewed.

Mrs Theresa Kufour, Richard Benjamin, head of the International Slavery Museum, President of the Republic of Ghana , Mr John Kufuor and David Fleming, director of National Museums Liverpool at the Merseyside Maritime Museum yesterday

As I mentioned last week, Merseyside Maritime Museum got the flags out and put a very special Ghanian surf boat on display to celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence in Ghana.

Yesterday we were honoured to welcome some very special guests to the museum, the President of the Republic of Ghana, Mr John Kufuor and Mrs Theresa Kufuor, during a state visit to Liverpool. They were given a tour of the Transatlantic Slavery gallery and heard about plans for the new International Slavery Museum, before a reception attended by members of the local Ghanaian Community.

If you are aged between 12 and 17 and fancy yourself as a budding journo then this could be the competition for you. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Parliament’s decision to outlaw Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, National Museums Liverpool has teamed up with international children’s charity Plan UK and EducationGuardian.co.uk to launch a young reporters' competition. First prize is a weekend in Liverpool followed by a trip to a Plan project tackling child labour in Senegal. The deadline for entries is 27 April 2007.

Find out more on the EducationGuardian website.

This wonderful image was taken by Hamish Mackenzie at Plan UK.

BBC School Radio's 'Together' series has created two programmes on the transatlantic slave trade, based on the Slaves' Stories feature on our website. Both programmes feature dramatisations of the experiences of fictional Africans and interviews with museum staff and are aimed at Keystage 2 pupils. 'A Shocking Trade' goes out on Thursday 15th March, and 'Free at last!' a week later. Programmes are broadcast at 3am with each available as audio on demand for the following week.

Merseyside Maritime Museum welcomed some very special visitors yesterday - a group of artists who had travelled all the way from Haiti to deliver their latest sculpture. The Freedom! sculpture was made in workshops with young Haitians, led by sculptors from Atis Rezistans in collaboration with internationally renowned Haitian artist Mario Benjamin. Together they made the piece from recycled materials, to explore what freedom and slavery means to people in Haiti today. 

Freedom! was commissioned by international development charity Christian Aid and National Museums Liverpool to mark 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. It is on show at the Maritime Museum until 18 March 2007 as the first stop in a UK tour.

After visiting London, Bristol and Cornwall, the sculpture will return to Liverpool to become a permanent exhibit in the new International Slavery Museum when it opens on Slavery Remembrance Day, 23 August 2007. Did you know that Slavery Remembrance Day commemorates the anniversary of the uprising of enslaved Africans in Haiti, which led to the creation of the first Black republic? Which makes this new Haitian sculpture an especially fitting way to mark the occasion.

Keeper of the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Tony Tbbles, and head of learning, Carol Rogers, have just recorded a programme in the Making History series which is currently running on BBC Radio 4. Discussions included the Transatlantic Slavery Gallery, plans for the bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave trade and the opening of International Slavery Museum in 2007.

The programme will be aired on 7 November at 3pm. You can listen live (or listen again if you miss it) through the Making History page on the BBC site. <AHREF="HTTP: making_history.shtml? making_history history radio4 www.bbc.co.uk>

Excellent news. The Heritage Lottery Fund have agreed to fund the International Slavery Museum to the tune of £1.5m. Apparently the regional committee was very happy with the progress made and commended the project. Next stop will be the actual opening of the display galleries on 23 August next year, to coincide with Slavery Remembrance Day.

This preview graphic shows part of the gallery that will look at life in Africa, before the slaves were taken across the Atlantic to the Americas. The house you can see is a domestic Igbo house of the time.

An impression of the forthcoming gallery.

Yesterday was Slavery Remembrance Day. A series of events culminated in a ritual libation on the banks of the river Mersey. These images give you an idea of what happened on the day.

You can listen to an interview with Tony Tibbles, keeper of the Merseyside Maritime Museum, on the Vatican Radio website. He talks about the background to the day and the museum's involvement in the celebrations.

There's more on the Slavery Remembrance pages on our main site.

Update (11.10.06) Bev Mitchell, community coordinator at the Mersey Basin Campaign, attended the event and blogged it here.

Chief Angus Chukuemeka leads the libation ceremony with other community leaders. He called on ancestors to bless the event and then paid homage to the ancestors.

The libation was held on the banks of the Mersey in front of a large crowd.

The River Niger Orchestra enter the marquee for an afternoon of celebration.

The orchestra was one of several performances in a day of acting, poetry, music and crafts.

Today - 1 August - is the anniversary of the law coming into force that prohibited the slave trade throughout the British Empire. The Slavery Abolition Bill itself received Royal Assent on 29 August 1833 but came into force on this day in 1834.

Slavery Remembrance Day is later this month - 23 August. The date was chosen by UNESCO as on that day in 1791 began an uprising of enslaved Africans on the island of St Domingo (modern Haiti and the Dominican Republic). This revolt was a crucial event in the fight against slavery, and stands as a reminder that enslaved Africans were the main agents of their own liberation.

For more on the transatlantic slave trade visit our website.

The Dock Traffic Office

ITV Granada has announced that it is moving its Liverpool news team out of the Dock Traffic Office and into the Liver Building. This allows National Museums Liverpool to develop phase two of the International Slavery Museum at the site.

Phase one, comprising new galleries focusing on the transatlantic slave trade, will be built in the adjacent Merseyside Maritime Museum building, with a link bridge running through to the Dock Traffic Office. In there will be a resource centre for the understanding of transatlantic slavery. This second phase opens in 2010.

You can learn more about the International Slavery Museum here.