National Museums Liverpool Blog - international slavery museum

Hello,

I have been a trustee of the Anthony Walker Foundation for several years, an organisation established by Anthony’s family following his racially-motivated murder in July 2005.
 
The mission of the Foundation is to promote equality and diversity through education, sport and arts events and to support law enforcement agencies and local communities to reduce hate crime and build safe cohesive communities.

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the AWF released the following statement:

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The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21st March.  It marks the anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa 1960, when police opened fire on unarmed demonstrators opposing the apartheid ‘pass laws’. We have seen locally and globally, marked increase in race hate crimes.

From the harassment and name-calling that can make life so unbearable for many children and their families, businesses and communities; to the most heinous murders driven by hate. Our thoughts are with the families of the adults and children who have been murdered in France this month in what are being described as ‘racist and anti-semitic attacks’.

A recent UK study found that almost 40% of polled British National Party supporters believe that armed conflict between ethnic, racial or religious groups could be justifiable. We work to help our young people to see through the messages of hate wrapped up in seemingly justifiable talk of immigration, terrorism and unemployment.

In the UK over one million young people are unemployed and recent estimates are that 55% of young Black men are out of work.

The riots last year hardened media portrayals and gave credence to beliefs that young people, particularly those from inner cities were ‘feral’ criminals. We heard and saw the racial stereotypes in media coverage regarding young people’s involvement in these riots and disturbances. What AWF heard and witnessed was also targeted abuse of black and minority ethnic communities both with words and with actions during this time.

This day set aside by the United Nations, provides a focus for people all around the globe to take collective responsibility to work to eradicate all forms of racial discrimination.

It brings the work of the Anthony Walker Foundation into sharp focus. We are challenging racial discrimination alongside all other forms of prejudice to make our communities and our society a better and stronger one; not only for our generation but for all generations to come.

Join us in our pledge to challenge racial discrimination, no matter how big or how small - do something, say something.

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FLASH MOB!

The Anthony Walker Foundation and the Greenhouse Project are joining forces to bring a surprise flash mob to Liverpool One Shopping District (Paradise Street) at some point between 12 and 12.15 Wednesday 21st March.

Listen out for the music and get your dancing shoes ready...

Not sure I will be able to make it but if I was there I would give it a try!

Bye for now

It is with great sadness that I tell you that Grace Brown, the head of the Sierra Leone women’s boxing team has passed away. She was 43.

Grace is featured in the exhibition ‘42’ Women of Sierra Leone at the International Slavery Museum, a display of work by photojournalist Lee Karen Stow. The exhibition documents the lives of women living in West Africa where women’s life expectancy is in the mid 40s.

Despite the obstacles, Grace and her female boxers had a dream of reaching London 2012 when, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the ban on women's amateur boxing will be lifted.

Sadly, and frustratingly, a lack of in-country sponsorship and support meant the women were not able to try for the early qualifying rounds in order to have a decent chance of reaching the Olympics.

At the same time, Grace fell seriously ill. She underwent a mastectomy and suffered a stroke. She became housebound, unable to train and box, and relied on the power of prayer to ease the pain.

In September 2011, Grace allowed Lee to photograph her, at her home, surrounded by her team mates (picture above). She raised a defiant fist and said quietly 'Gold', determined for her team one day to reach the Olympics and bring home the Gold medal.

Richard Benjamin, head of the International Slavery Museum says:

“I was deeply saddened to hear that Grace Brown, head of the Sierra Leone women's boxing team, who is featured in our current 42 exhibition, has passed away at the age of 43. 
 
“This poignant exhibition shows that even though life expectancy for women in Sierra Leone is in the mid-40s - the spirit, achievements and indeed hope of many women shine through on a daily basis.   Grace was one such woman and our thoughts go out to her friends and family."

Lee’s aim for the exhibition is to show that these women, and women in similar circumstances, should be given the right to live, not die and follow their dreams and ambitions without being held back.

In response to Grace’s death Lee raises the question:

“How many talented and committed athletes are being ignored and not given the chance to pursue their dreams, purely because of their circumstances and geographical locations?”.

To see more pictures of Grace click here and to find out more about the exhibition click here.  

Last year photographer Lee Karen Stow launched her exhibition '42' Women of Sierra Leone at the International Slavery Museum, with the help of her former student Rebecca Kamara, who is one of the 42 women featured in the exhibition. At the opening events Rebecca spoke about how the photography workshops that Lee taught in Sierra Leone have inspired her to earn a living as a photographer. She has faced huge challenges, as she lives in a rural village and didn't even have any electricity at home until recently - something that photographers in the UK take for granted to charge camera batteries and run their computers!

Lee returned to Liverpool last week to add some new photos to her exhibition. Rebecca couldn't join her this time, but Lee visited her in Sierra Leone in September and took the photograph above, which should bring a smile to the face of anyone who met her last year. As you can see, Rebecca has built her own photo studio, with help from UK and US donations and support, but also through her own photography business and photographic sales. She has now also set up a women's photography group in the village.

Rebecca isn't the only one who has been busy. As well as updating the 42 exhibition, while she was in Liverpool Lee gave a talk about her latest projects. A chance meeting with a member of the Women's Boxing Team in Sierra Leone led to the 'Fighting for Gold' project. On her return to the UK she photographed women boxers in clubs across Yorkshire for the 'Girls in the ring' project, and even started boxing herself.

The contrasts in conditions for women boxers in the two countries is shocking. In Sierra Leone the Women's Boxing Team train at a gym with no running water, no showers and no free NHS to help with any injuries. They didn't even have their own gloves when they first started to train and had to borrow gloves from the male boxers.

Despite this, when women's boxing was included in the London 2012 Olympics for the first time they were determined to compete. Unfortunately this dream was not to be, so they have now set their sights on the 2016 Olympics instead. Portraits of some of these inspiring women are now included in the 42 exhibition, which is at the International Slavery Museum until 3 June 2012.

This weekend, the Merseyside Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum are hosting a free weekend of special events on the theme, 'Docklands Extravaganza'. Education manager Vikky Evans-Hubbard tells us more about the ‘Jiving Lindy Hoppers’:

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The popular dance group The Jiving Lindy Hoppers will be making a return visit to International Slavery Museum on Saturday 4th February, as part of our Docklands Extravaganza weekend. They last visited during Black History Month 2009, leaving us all speechless with their daring and acrobatic dance moves and they look set to do the same this year – have a look at them on YouTube performing at the JLA Real Variety Show. After watching them in action, there will be the opportunity to learn the basic step yourself in a fun workshop.
 
The Lindy Hop (or Lindy) is a partner dance that originated in 1920s and 30s Harlem, New York. The dance contains footwork borrowed from the Charleston and Tap. It can be wild and spontaneous, with frenzied kicks and body movements, or it can be cool and sophisticated.

'Lindy' is considered a cultural phenomenon that broke through the race barrier when segregation was still the norm. Looking back on where the Lindy Hop came from, we encounter American history and a the global cultural change facilitated by the American GIs that travelled in World War II. Modern dancers, interested in cultural history are piecing together the roots of Lindy through the tales and film footage of the original dancers, now in their 80s and 90s. Although the lineage and history of Lindy may be muddled, it is certain that it was born from the blending of African rhythms and movements with European structured dance.

The influences of the Charleston and Tap dance are evident still in the Lindy we do today and the dance is also said to have come from an early version of the Foxtrot. Remnants of older dancers such as the Cakewalk, Texas Tommy, Black Bottom and popular "animal" dances such as the Turkey Trot and the Buzzard Lope are also expressed. It’s interesting that these came from African social dance culture. Some, such as the Cakewalk, were created when free Blacks and enslaved Africans alike, imitated and mocked the formal dance structure of the Europeans, which they would then use in their entertainment routines. Ironically, the white spectators would then copy the entertainers, and a social dance that bridged the divide emerged.

You can see (and do) the Lindy Hop at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm at the Merseyside Maritime Museum on Saturday 4 February - just one of the activities we'll be running as part the Docklands Extravaganza.

It's all happening at the International Slavery Museum at the mo, with an exciting weekend ahead in the Docklands Extravaganza (keep an eye on the blog for more news about that soon). Hot on the heels of the announcement that the new Capoeira Club will start in March, Vikky Evans Hubbard has news of a great free talk next week:
 

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The International Slavery Museum, Liverpool is currently hosting an exhibition called '42' Women of Sierra Leone by the photographer Lee Karen Stow. Lee has been photographing and championing the women of Sierra Leone for several years, forming strong friendships with many of them. The exhibition is called 42, not only because it  is made up of 42 portraits of women, but because the average life expectancy for a woman in Sierra Leone is just 42.
 
During her time there Lee encountered the Sierra Leone Women's Boxing team and began not only photographing them, but a mission to get them recognised by the Sierra Leone sports council and into the 2012 Olympics. 'Fighting for Gold'  are the photographs that came out of it.
 
For her next project she started to document women's boxing in Hull. The  powerful photographs, 'Girls in the Ring' were the result. 'Girls in the Ring' features female boxers from across the clubs in Yorkshire, including Nicola Adams from Leeds, ranked third in the world and a London 2012 hopeful, and 82-year-old Barbara Buttrick, born in Cottingham in 1930, and who became the world’s first women’s professional boxing champion.  This project has been awarded the 2012 Inspire Mark. The London 2012 Inspire programme recognises innovative and exceptional projects that are directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

'Girls in the Ring' is a photographic look at the growing number of amateur female boxers. Lee initiated the project around the time the International Olympic Committee made the decision to lift the ban on women's boxing for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games.

The decision shows how far women’s boxing has come. According to the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) the number of registered female members (including boxers, coaches and officials) in the ABAE has risen from 50 in 2005 to 868 and there are approximately 16,000 females aged 16 years and over who participate in boxing in some form.
 
Lee will be talking about both projects at International Slavery Museum on Thursday 9 February, 5.30pm. This is a free event, please ring 0151 478 4456 to reserve a place.

Now that we're well into January I bet you've heard the phrase "2012 is the year I'm going to get fit" many times over from different people - perhaps you've even said it yourself. Putting those good intentions and new year's resolutuions into practice can be easier said than done though, as it's hard to motivate youself during the dark days of winter.

If this sounds familiar then the International Slavery Museum's Capoeira Club could be just the thing you need. All ages, levels of fitness and abilities are welcome to the friendly classes led by Daniel Baird - whether you have an interest in martial arts, dance or acrobatics or just want to try something new.

Education manager Vikky Evans-Hubbard is hoping to start the club on Saturday mornings, 10am-12noon, when enough people have signed up. So please ring 0151 478 4456 to register your interest, or email Vikky using this contact form.

Vikky explains the history and appeal of Capoeira:

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"Capoeira was originated amongst enslaved Africans in Brazil in the sixteenth century, as a form of self defence. Disguised as a dance to escape the attention of the plantation owners, Capoeira has developed through centuries to a complex art. To ensure its survival, the traditional forms were infused with a new musical accompaniment. Capoeira's deadly potential was hidden by its dance like elegance, baffling acrobatics and the engaging rhythms of its music. For the enslaved, Capoeira was a literal and symbolic means of survival. It became a tool of escape and defence, making freedom attainable and affirming strength, self reliance and self esteem.
 
Capoeira has expanded beyond the borders of Brazil and is growing rapidly in other countries becoming popular in America and Europe. Capoeira appeals to many for many different reasons. First the pure beauty of the art is hypnotic. Capoeira is a dance and a fight. It's not only a combination of gymnastics, dance and martial arts but also music, culture, history, knowledge and playfulness."

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Update 31/01/12: The date of the first Capoeira Club will be Saturday 3 March 2012. Places are still available so get in touch using the contact details above if you would like to give this a try.

In 2008 I wrote a blog about my experiences as a Leeds United fan and how Elland Road in the early 80s was a haven of racist abuse and bigotry, usually aimed at opposing Black and Asian players and fans.  I explained how I felt uncomfortable when hundreds of people chanted something racist but at the same time I refused to leave or walk away.  I had as much right as anyone to be there, I was a Black Yorkshireman and proud of it.

I also placed a link to Kick it Out, an initiative unthinkable in the 80s, established in 1997, with the admirable aim of challenging discrimination and encouraging inclusive practices in the game.  So it is sad that in 2012 there is the need to blog about such issues, showing there is plenty of work to do.

There have been a number of articles and statements made about several recent high profile examples of allegations of racist abuse in football which to some degree have sadly overshadowed the success of various anti-racism campaigns and initiatives. Football clubs have a responsibility in the first instance to their supporters and local community. In Liverpool for example, a city with an international slavery museum, a city with the Anthony Walker Foundation and like-minded organizations fighting against racism and bigotry, what is needed, whatever the outcome of such investigations, is a statement that racism and discrimination is totally unacceptable in the modern game and that cultural misunderstandings should not be a smokescreen for unacceptable comments.

Football clubs should take the initiative, and educate British and international players on the cultural differences which might exist in their own changing rooms and what as a result is acceptable behaviour and use of language. Also, I hope that international footballing bodies also begin to look long and hard at how they deal with racist incidents on and off the pitch.  A handshake does not adequately settle racist abuse between players and racist monkey chants at Black players in various European countries is not eradicated by paltry fines. Come on football; get a grip of the situation. 

Dr Richard Benjamin, Head of International Slavery Museum

Here's a report from Eilish Clarke from the Unity Youth Theatre, on a project she has been involved in connected to the current Toxteth 1981 exhibition, which is building towards a new perfomance on 28 October, as part of the Black History Month events.

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"For the past few months the International Slavery Museum has been working with the Unity Youth Theatre and Clapperboard film project, to help give us a better understanding of the 1981 Toxteth Uprising. As a member of the Unity Youth Theatre, I think it is fair to say we all had very little knowledge of the topic when we first started. However, as the project has progressed we have all become very interested in learning about how the Uprising came about and how it affected the people of Toxteth and Liverpool.

During this project we have been given the opportunity to meet a wide range of fascinating people who have told us their real life stories from the events that took place in July 1981. The first person we met with was Leroy Cooper who used music, dance and photography to show us his interpretation from the Toxteth Uprising. It was brilliant to hear what Leroy Cooper had to say as he was present when the Uprisings started. The next person we met with was John, who was a fire fighter from Toxteth in 1981. He told us what it felt like to be there at the time, especially as he could understand why people were so angry, yet it was important that he was doing his job correctly. This was a really interesting account to listen to.

As well as meeting people who were involved in the Toxteth Uprising, the group also visited the area of Liverpool 8 affected and the Toxteth 1981 exhibition in the museum. Historian Laurence Westgaph took us around Toxteth and told us about the buildings that used to be there before the Uprisings. Laurence also told us accounts he had heard from people he has spoken with through his research. Everyone in the Unity Youth Theatre agreed this was a brilliant session as we were able to put images in our head from the place we have been studying. It was also interesting to learn the history of an area we have all travelled through so many times. Visiting the International Slavery Museum to see the exhibition was also a good session as we were able to read more accounts from people who were involved in the Uprising as well as seeing pictures and newspaper clippings.

Over the next few months we will use the information we have collected to create a performance, which we will show at the International Slavery Museum on 28 October, 7pm. This will hopefully be used to give more people an insight into what happened in Toxteth in July 1981, and also why it happened."

This year we've got our busiest ever programme for Black History Month, with lots of free events taking place across several venues. Here's some information about the subject of one of the first talks, activist Olive Morris, from education manager Vikky Evans-Hubbard:

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"Do you remember Olive Morris? was a community art project seeking to bring to wider public attention the history of Brixton-based activist Olive Morris (1952-1979).

In her short life, Olive Morris co-founded the Brixton Black Women’s Group and the Organisation of Women of Asian and African Descent (OWAAD) and was part of the British Black Panther Movement. She campaigned for access to education, decent living conditions for Black communities and fought against state and police repression. Despite dying at a young age, she empowered the people who lived and worked around her.
 
At the project’s inception, there were no public records about Olive Morris, and no information about her was available on the internet.
 
This long term project was started in 2006 by Brixton-based artist Ana Laura Lopez de la Torre, when she encountered a photograph of Olive Morris taken by British Black Panthers’ photographer Neil Kenlock. The photo shows Olive Morris standing at a Black Panther Movement demonstration in Coldharbour Lane in 1969, and holding a placard reading: “BLACK SUFFERER FIGHT PIG POLICE BRUTALITY”. Research into this particular moment in local history led to a meeting with community activist Liz Obi, a friend and colleague of Olive Morris, who then become a key collaborator in the project.  
 
On Monday 3 October the International Slavery Museum is pleased to welcome Nadja Middleton, from the Remembering Olive Collective, who will tell us more about this inspirational young woman's life and the project that has preserved her memory.
 
During October, Olive Morris will be added to the Black achievers wall in the Legacy gallery.
 
To reserve a place for this free event, please call 0151 478 4432."

Hello

Well there have been plenty of things happening here at the museum since my last blog post. We have launched three very successful and eclectic exhibitions: Living Apart: photographs of apartheid by Ian Berry; '42' Women of Sierra Leone, a series of photographs of Sierra Leonean women, highlighting the alarming fact that life expectancy for them is only 42 and Toxteth 1981, a community exhibition developed in collaboration with the Merseyside Black History Month Group to mark the 30th anniversary in July 2011 of the 1981 riots in Toxteth, Liverpool. The latter involved members of the Liverpool Black community who lived in Toxteth during the disturbances loaning photographic material for the exhibition. The images gave them a voice which I believe is very important if museums are to be truly seen as a resource by the local community in particular.

The power of images was further highlighted on a recent trip to London where I visited one of the most disturbing and thought provoking exhibitions I had seen in quite a while called Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America at Rivington Place gallery. The room itself was small with whitewashed walls and I was the only person in there for nearly an hour. It was quiet, solemn, disturbing and it made me angry. Angry that such horrific acts of violence were made into macabre souvenir postcards, which showed people laughing and smiling at the horrific suffering of the victims. Tragically children as young as 4 were taken along to witness such barbarous acts.  

I was familiar with several of the images as we have them on display in the racism and discrimination section of our Legacy gallery. That said, we do not have the postcards, and in some ways seeing them in their original form made it even more chilling. Even after five years at the International Slavery Museum I am not desensitized from the human suffering which is on display. I believe to do so would be to lose part of one’s own humanity.

James Allen - the collector and custodian of the objects - noted:

"I believe the photographer was more than a perceptive spectator at lynchings. The photographic act played as significant a role in the ritual as torture or souvenir grabbing... Even dead, the victims were without sanctuary."

Finally, we have now completed our new ramp leading to the Dock Traffic Office.  By early next year we hope to have a public offer of some kind which will allow people to see what a fantastic building it is and get an idea our plans for the state-of-the-art education and research centre we will be developing in the space. Watch out for further announcements.

Bye for now.