16 C O N T E X T 1 7 3 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 Bringing the story up to date, the National Trust is currently staging an exhibition at the Birmingham Back to Backs about the lives of the Windrush generation in the 1970s. It is an exact recreation of two rooms of the home of Erick and Vera Brown and their family, who travelled by boat from the Caribbean to seek a new life in Britain. The exhibition has been timed to coincide with the coming of the Commonwealth Games in July. English Heritage too has researched and explained the links between the transatlantic slave trade and properties in its care – this commenced during the 2007 bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade – and several privately owned historic houses, including Harewood Hall in Yorkshire have addressed the issue in a sensitive and creative manner. Historic England has reviewed the formal descriptions of its listed buildings to take account of such associations, as well as the LGBTQ+ histories (described in Alison Oram’s article on page 20). For example, the former Martins Bank in Liverpool, completed in 1932, has a prominent relief sculpture depicting African children bearing bags of money, about which the amended list description tactfully comments: ‘Some see them as dignifying, or accepting unquestioningly, the role of slavery in Liverpool’s economy; whilst some see them as a more general celebration of the international aspect of Liverpool’s trade and prosperity. Either way, the fact that the subject was chosen in 1927–32 is an indication of the extent to which Liverpool’s former involvement with the slave trade has been embedded in its economic culture’. First to address the cultural heritage issues around colonialism, slavery and racism was the museum sector, essentially because of the imperialist foundations on which collection-based institutions in Britain were funded. Museums established in the Victorian period presented the cultural achievements of people of African descent as inferior to the histories and creative outputs of white Europeans, so it is not surprising that such perceptions lingered on. The Museums Association’s Statement on Decolonisation sees decolonisation as a long-term process seeking to recognise the integral role of empire in British museums from their creation to the present day. It states that over past decades museums have begun to recognise the trauma and suffering caused by the display of objects that were obtained during or made because of the British Empire. They are now working with communities and those in the diaspora relevant to their collections to explore different ways in which they can be displayed; and where appropriate consider options for restitution. In summary, what all these historic buildings, monuments, heritage sites and museums with darker histories can tell us is that architecture, places and objects can play a significant role in suppressing cultural identity. The debates now taking place on how they should be assessed and presented emphasise the complexity of the issue. For heritage professionals, working along with others in the planning and development sector, it is important to be aware not only of their cultural significance, but also to understand the impact they may have on a wider and more diverse society. Without the understanding of communities that have been affected by the impact of colonialism, prejudice or discrimination, the barriers to a cohesive historic environment will remain. Peter de Figueiredo is reviews editor of Context. An exhibition at Birmingham Back to Backs replicates Mykal ‘Wassifa’ Brown’s childhood home in Handsworth. The Windrush generation and their children were often turned away from churches and clubs. At times they faced violence and abuse on the streets. Their response was to gather, worship and celebrate at home. Mykal’s home was the headquarters of the Wassifa Soundsystem. (Photo: Sophie Flynn)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=