National Museums Liverpool Blog - international slavery museum

Sunrise. Copyright Matt-80

Hello all,

Conrad’s classic Heart of Darkness is a powerful indictment of imperialism at its height which swept across Africa and in particular the repressive and brutal reign of the Belgians in the Congo, which had become the fiefdom of King Leopold II. The book centres on Marlow, a sailor who works for a Belgian ivory trading company, and encounters widespread brutality by the company. At the end of the book Conrad's narrator encounters Kurtz (Brando in Apocalypse Now), who had worked for the company but turned himself into a demigod and who was guilty of carrying out horrifying atrocities.

I don’t want to come across as an old curmudgeon on Valentine’s Day but the book sprang to mind when I was thinking of my next blog and the consequences of abused power (imperial and personal) and how that can turn people’s lives upside down, often condemning them to a life of misery.   This does not stop on Valentine’s Day.   

In the past several years we have been building partnerships with several NGO’s in both the UK and abroad such as Anti-Slavery International and Free the Slaves and become acutely aware of the enormity of the issues of contemporary forms of slavery and enslavement and in particular trafficking for labour and sexual exploitation.   What is heartening is the fact that there are so many committed organizations and individuals who refuse to give up the fight and I say with conviction that we at the International Slavery Museum fit into these categories.  In England and Wales since 2011 the Salvation Army has managed the delivery of specialist support services to victims of human trafficking which can be seen in an illuminating report.  

Kurtz’s last words “The horror! The horror!” sadly, still echoes today, but the International Slavery Museum will continue to develop partnerships and be a hub for various human rights organizations and campaigns that fight trafficking and exploitation.  If you have not already done so follow our work via Twitter or Facebook and spread the word.

Finally, if you still need to buy someone a present (that’s pushing it!) try to source a product free from slavery and exploitation.  Even though there have been great strides in making the chocolate industry slavery and exploitation free there is still plenty of campaigning to be done.

Bye for now,

Richard

Beverley Knight, Nicola Green, Richard Benjamin and David Lammy MP

Unfortunately we had to cancel the planned event with the artist Nicola Green at the Walker Art Gallery on Friday 18th due to the bad weather. However, before the venues closed I was able to give Nicola and her friends and family a tour of the International Slavery Museum. Amongst the group was the singer Beverley Knight who had a very thought provoking visit and David Lammy MP – long time supporter of the International Slavery Museum. It’s a lot to take in for some people on their initial visit, and they might experience a number of emotions, so I am sure that many of the group will come back in the future.

I recently came across an article in the New York Times which made me think long and hard about my own place in the chain of exploitation. I refer to the human cost of our gadget crazed society of which I am a confirmed disciple. It is positive that some large companies recognize there are often issues with their supply chain, and many of them are working towards eradicating this. Is it fast enough? Is the will really there? It is hard to say but actions speak louder than words. But we should also take some responsibility. We have a duty to query, to question, to scrutinize, when we buy such products. If members of staff don’t have the answer about the source of materials or how something is made, ask them why not?

We, the consumer, should be aware for instance that the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the world’s leading producers of cobalt and columbo-tantalite (coltan), commodities in great demand as they are used in the production of electronic devices. We should be aware that as a result exploitation of workers and the environment is rife in a country savaged by years of war and political instability. Only when there is a tangible shift in public awareness, opinion and practice, where we the customer demands transparency and constant action, will there truly be a shift in corporate ethics. You might also want to take the following test to see what footprint you are making: http://slaveryfootprint.org/

Bye for now,

Richard

W. E. B. Du Bois was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author and editor.

Hello all,
Happy New Year to regular and new followers of my blog.  New Years resolutions are often doomed before they even start and as a pragmatist I don’t expect the world to change at the chimes of Big Ben. That said it would be a positive start to 2013 if people with dispositions towards intolerance educate themselves about “others” and denounce their particular prejudice, racism, sexism, ageism, their homophobia or hostility towards disabled people - to name just a few - rather than make a resolution to eat less cake or exercise more.   Regardless, those of us who abhor such behaviour should not be downhearted, stay resolute and when we can, question, challenge and inform.

Last week I was a panellist on the African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter Forum at the Society for Historical Archaeology conference in Leicester titled Building the Atlantic Mosaic: Piecing Together Archaeology, Memory and Memorials of the African Diaspora. The session looked at issues such as how do we memorialize the history of the African Diaspora? How do we navigate the breadth, depth and complexities that these histories represent?  I was the only UK representative and was joined by several US museum curators and consultants as well as Professor Robert Paynter (University of Massachusetts, Amherst) a good friend (he is the reason I’m a Boston Red Sox fan and he a Leeds Utd fan respectively) and someone I greatly admire, who has led archaeological excavations at the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, now a National Historic Landmark, since the early 1980s.  Du Bois, renowned scholar of African and African American life, the first African American to receive a Ph.D. degree from Harvard and author of the seminal The Souls of Black Folk (1903) passed away in 1963 in Ghana after a prolific career.  In 1961 Du Bois had accepted an invitation by President Nkrumah to work on the Encyclopedia Africana project.

Finally, please do try and attend our forthcoming free in conversation event with the artist Nicola Green (hosted by yours truly) at the Walker Art Gallery on Friday 18th January from 3-4pm. The event will explore her experiences of following President Obama on his 2008 campaign trail as well as a broader discussion on the global impact of Obama's historic election. 

Bye for now,

Richard

Eleanor Roosevelt with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

With International Human Rights Day approaching on 10 December I wanted to highlight often forgotten human rights activists, in this case Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Rathbone and Ronald Kidd.

Roosevelt, a former U.S. First Lady, chaired the committee that drafted and approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, one of the most important and significant documents of modern times.   Some of the articles are more known than others, for instance, Article 1 declares All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights whereas Article 4 states No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.  However, of equal importance are such articles as Nos. 16 which states that Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.  Human rights abuses which the Declaration has striven to fight are still taking place today, not just in other countries, but the UK, your own town, your own street.  Young women in some communities can’t marry who they want and can suffer domestic violence as a result.  People of all ages and nationalities are held in domestic servitude, often mistreated by professionals and not everyone is born free with their rights in place. I could go on.

Furthermore, Article 24 might surprise people; Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.  At every opportunity I emphatically declare that museums are important conduits for various rights - human, civil and indeed cultural.  The Museums Association declares Museums belong to everybody. They exist to serve the public. They should enhance the quality of life of everyone, both today and in the future.   Let’s hope that the current and future British government agree.

Eleanor Rathbone, of the Liverpool Rathbone family, which included William Rathbone III, a founding member, along with William Roscoe, of the Liverpool Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was a campaigner for women's rights and supporter of the Suffrage movement. Sherlock Holmes buffs note that Eleanor is an ancestor of, in my view the best Holmes, Basil Rathbone.  She was the first woman elected to Liverpool City Council and in the early 1930s realized the potential danger from the Nazi Party in Germany. She joined the British Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi Council which held demonstrations and promoted an economic boycott.  

In the 1930s Ronald Kidd had been appalled at the treatment of hunger marchers and Ant-Nazi campaigners by the police and so in 1934 formed Liberty (then the National Council of Civil Liberties). It attracted academics, authors, journalists, lawyers and politicians. Such was Kidd’s commitment to campaigning for human and civil rights that his epitaph read: Passionate in his hatred of injustice, wise in judgment, fearless in action, he championed the liberties of the people in the fight that is never done.

Three champions of human rights whose legacies live on in Human Rights Day on the 10th.

Bye for now,
Richard

Vikky Evans Hubbard from the International Slavery Museum has news of a talk this Thursday:

An evacuee. Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum

Stephen's book, ‘Mother Country - Britain's Black Community on the Home Front, 1939-45’, unearths a ‘hidden history’ of Britain and the Second World War.

At the International Slavery Museum this Thursday 22 November at 1.30pm, Stephen will give an illustrated talk highlighting some of the forgotten Britons he features in the book, including the community leaders Dr Harold Moody and Learie Constantine, Esther Bruce, singer Adelaide Hall and bandleader Ken 'Snakehips' Johnson.

The book also explores the experiences of Black evacuees and Black senior citizens who Stephen interviewed about the home front in Africa and the Caribbean.

Stephen will also screen the short documentary he made about his adopted aunt, Esther Bruce: ‘Aunt Esther’s Story’.  In the 1930s Esther made dresses for the famous African American singer Elisabeth Welch and she also be-friended another citizen of London at that time, the Jamaican nationalist Marcus Garvey.

The talk will be held in the lecture theatre on the fourth floor, full details are on the website. Places are free but limited, please call 0151 478 4456 to reserve a place.

Image shows the war memorial to the Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial, Boston

Hello,

Regardless of the fact that President Obama’s recent election victory brought about a tangible sigh of relief in many parts of the world, these next few years will be a tough test for him and his administration.   For those of you interested in Obama, from next January our sister venue the Walker Art Gallery hosts the exhibition In 7 Days by the artist Nicola Green, who between August 2008 and January 2009 had the opportunity to follow Barack Obama on his Presidential campaign. One of the images ‘Change’ has the then Senator Obama in a John Wayne-esque pose.  The similarities end there though; it could be said that Wayne had rather more conservative political values.

Moreover, Wayne’s Wild West is not quite the sole domain of the rugged, blue eyed pioneer one might assume.  One Robert Nesta Marley’s Buffalo Soldier includes the lyrics There was a buffalo soldier in the heart of America, Stolen from Africa, brought to America, Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival which refers to Black soldiers involved in the notorious 19th century military campaigns to gain the lands of the Native Americans. The Buffalo Soldiers were in fact part of the 9th and 10th cavalry units established by Congress as the first peacetime Black units in the regular U.S. Army.   Several African American regiments had already been raised during the Civil War to fight in the Union Army and Navy after a clause in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 allowed Black men to join the armed forces. By the end of the war, over 175,000 Black soldier’s had fought including the famous Massachusetts 54th Regiment, immortalized in the film Glory with Denzel Washington in the role of a soldier who had himself been enslaved and Matthew Broderick as Colonel Shaw.

I have seen the Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial in Boston (pictured) which one has to say has a rather imposing Colonel Shaw astride a horse above the Black infantry men.  As Kirk Savage notes in his article From Hope & Glory: Essays on the Legacy of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment to focus on one man would be inadequate as the memorial is much more than a tribute to one individual. That said, units were segregated and enlisted Black men were typically commanded by white officers.

I digress somewhat as I want to focus on the Obama administrations work on human trafficking, something which directly relates to our work here at the Museum.  With regards challenging trafficking The President recently declared that “we can’t ask other nations to do what we are not doing ourselves”.  In recent years there has been more recognition that victims of trafficking in the US are not only from other countries but can be US citizens themselves. It is not just an entry point but a provider.   President Obama brings renewed high level vigour to the fight against trafficking, building on such initiatives as the President’s Task Force to Combat and Monitor Trafficking of Persons, formed in 2000 and recently chaired by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.   More must be done but it is a start that the power of the federal government is behind such campaigns and regardless of the argument about motives or the speed of such initiatives there seems to be movement in the US.   One federally supported project is Slavery Footprint – Made in a Free World – an online portal for companies who are looking to eliminate forced labor in their supply chains.

President Obama has often praised President Abraham Lincoln, who in September 1862 issued a Preliminary Proclamation which stated as of 1 January 1863 “all persons held as slaves within any state…shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free”.  This year the White House celebrated the 150th anniversary of the signing of this document and so now more than ever the issues of emancipation is on the agenda.  In fact the organization Dontsellbodies.org has called for a modern “Proclamation of Freedom” and the actor and activist   Jada Pinkett Smith a supporter -   recently tweeted that “Prop 35 Passed! Freedom Shall Reign!” in reference to California’s passing of Proposition 35, the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act which amongst other things has increased prison penalties for  human traffickers and states that those convicted of such crimes will be added to California’s sex offenders registry.

You might ask what is happening this side of the pond regards the political fight against human trafficking? Well a positive move was the UK’s 2011 ratification of the EU Directive on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, the aim of which is to harmonize anti-trafficking legislation across Europe.   Also, ahead of this year’s Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs opened a conference at the Houses of Parliament which brought together European countries who are tackling human trafficking, NGO’s and law enforcement agencies.  Steps in the right direction. 

What makes the Museum an important partner in the fight against human rights abuses and forms of trafficking is that we are able to bring the message to a large public audience.  To continue this work, the Museum, like the recent Obama/Biden campaign strap line, needs to move ‘forward’.  To do that we need the continued support of people (if you read this Jada drop me a line). Retweet us, connect with us on Facebook, show us on Flickr, blog about us, tell your friends and neighbours about us, and last but not least, come and visit us. 

Finally, anyone that sees me in the flesh during the month of November might notice I am sporting a rather dashing moustache.   This is not for vanity reasons but it is Movember, where moustaches on thousands of men’s faces around the world raise awareness of men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer and testicular cancer.   Check it out.

Bye for now,
Richard

Racism still exists in football despite initiatives like Kick it out.

Surely I’m not the only one to have a feeling of déjà vu?  In January of this year I wrote a blog about allegations of racist abuse in football which had overshadowed various anti-racism campaigns and initiatives such as Kick It Out. Well here we are again, same old, same old.  Is it too much to ask that those people in the higher echelons of English and European football finally take firm and decisive action around blatant racism on the terraces and on the pitch? 

Take for instance the recent Serbia v England European UEFA Under-21 match, where a section of the Serbian crowd clearly racially abused Black players.   Incredibly the Serbian Football Association issued the following statement “FA of Serbia absolutely refuses and denies that there were any occurrences of racism before and during the match at the stadium in Kruševac” Yes, you did read that correctly, senior officials of a governing body, members of UEFA since 1954 had the audacity to deny that racist chanting had taken place.

On the programme ‘Sports Tonight’ a member of the English press, present at the match, stated he heard monkey chants levelled at Black players throughout the evening. However, on the same show a Serbian journalist - trying to play down the event and that the National team should not be banned – said it was only about 10 or 15 people chanting.   The football pundit and coach Leroy Rosenior was very clear in his response by saying it does not matter if there were only a few people chanting, the team should be banned especially as the Serbian FA have not taken responsibility.   Serbia does have form in this area - Serbian football, like many European countries, the UK included, has to some degree been infiltrated by extreme right-wing groups.

In the Balkan region this is a particular problem. UEFA President Michel Platini has warned Serbia and Croatia in the past that there will be serious ramifications for further racist incidents but there has been no bite behind this bark.  

This is the time for action, rather than get involved in a debate about whether or not Black players should wear the ‘Kick It Out’ t-shirts (and I see both sides of the argument).  Enough is enough. The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has announced a 6 point plan, one of which states that racial abuse should be considered gross misconduct in player and coach contracts (and therefore potentially a sackable offence).  It is a start but have UEFA followed suit and made a firm and clear decision?  Well, not quite, the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body will meet on 22 November.  Only a month or so then to wait before a clear message is sent to racist fans and racism denying football federations.  But wait a minute, UEFA already have a ‘zero tolerance’ approach according to their declaration against racism adopted in 2005.  Interesting then that the aforementioned Control and Disciplinary Body last week only fined S.S. Lazio €40,000 for what they call on their website “improper conduct of the club's supporters (racist behaviour)” during the UEFA Europa League group stage match in September against Tottenham FC.  Add to this a €20,000 fine for Porto after their fans racially taunted Black Manchester City players (City were €30,000 for running onto the pitch late) and you get some idea of their interpretation of ‘zero tolerance’.

Just put yourself into the shoes/boots of Black players subject to racist abuse.  How many of us would stand for going to a conference, being racially abused by the organizer, and then waiting over a month for someone to act?  Or a colleague gets four weeks garden leave for using racially insulting language… not me, so why should footballers?  

Bye for now,

Richard

Emma Duffy is our internal communication officer. She attended the recent FIHRM conference and these are her thoughts on what she saw.

I was particularly moved by Ben Osu’s presentation (Community Engagement Officer for Your Housing Group). He discussed the heartbreaking and abhorrent story of Malala, the fourteen year old from Pakistan who was recently shot in the head and left for dead by the Taliban for writing a blog and opposing the regime.

I am sat here writing a blog and cannot comprehend the ordeal Malala has gone through. I am a woman blessed enough to be born in a democratic country with equal rights for women, where I am not afraid to speak my mind and not oppressed for who I am and what I believe.  It is so hard to comprehend that in the 21st century, women and girls are still suffering from such barbaric oppression, from regimes trying to take away the things I am lucky enough to take for granted like education and the right to vote.

The FIHRM conference highlights issues such as these and looks at ways to right these wrongs.  The conference called for us to be active citizens, and even if that is as small a gesture as a blog or re-tweeting messages of support we can all contribute to the fight for Human Rights for all.

Tributes to be paid to the life and work of Liverpool based performer Elroy Josephs (1939-1997).

As part of our Black History Month 2012 programme, the International Slavery Museum presents a tribute to actor and dancer, Elroy Josephs in an evening of movement and memories that celebrates the work and artistic achievements of the Liverpool-based artist.

Elroy, who arrived in the UK from Jamaica in 1956 developed a ground breaking fusion of African-Caribbean and European dance styles that changed the way dancers and choreographers thought about movement. Central to this was his understanding of plantation slavery in the Caribbean and its colonial legacy. How he felt this history lived within him and informed his work and gave it the power and emotion he felt was essential for dance to have. Despite Elroy’s influence on British dance heritage, (he was the first Black dance tutor at a British University), his story is largely absent from the history of British Dance.

Through a collaboration between International Slavery Museum, performance student Cherise Weaver and staff and students at Enterprise South Liverpool Academy, the present generation have been introduced to Joseph's technique who have then used this as the basis for an original piece.

Join us at the International Slavery Museum on 12 October at 6pm where it will be performed. The evening will use documentary footage, music, movement and former student’s recollections, as well as an overview of Elroy's life, work and impact on the creative arts scene in Liverpool.

Places are free, but please book your space on 0151 478 4456.

National Museums Liverpool have a bumper programme of events for Black History Month. Our volunteer, Louise Beard, has picked out some highlights:

Poet Levi Tafari is holding workshops at Museum of Liverpool

Since 1987 October has been dedicated to highlighting Black history. For America, Black History Month began 61 years earlier in 1926. It might seem more relevant for a country whose history is steeped with well-known and influential Black figures. However, BHM in the UK also aims to emphasise the significance of Black people in British history; such as Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole who independently founded the British Hotel to nurse soldiers back to health during the Crimean war.

With the oldest black community in Europe, Liverpool has a major place in the UK’s Black history. National Museums Liverpool are hosting a number of different events which are aimed to inform and complement BHM. 

A few that have caught my eye in particular are: the Black Community Trail at the Museum of Liverpool which highlights the contribution of Black people to Liverpool’s chequered history (daily from 15/10/12, 10-4pm). Also there is an exciting opportunity for young writers to meet Levi Tafari, who'll be helping visitors pen their own poems (23/10/12, 11-4pm).

At the International Slavery Museum there’s an alternative to the weekly body combat class with Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art (every Saturday, 10-12pm). Literary tastes are also accommodated with an exploration of Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ which looks colonialism (11/09/12, 10-12pm).

Naturally, amidst these events there are plentiful chances for children to craft masks, drums, tiles and quilts galore.

To find out more about the events taking place at National Museums Liverpool click here.