If stories do not have a place then do they really exist? Do they have any importance? The Black Cultural Archives has created a space for the stories of black women in Britain and has thus created a location for their heritage. Indeed the idea of roots and location is a running theme throughout the exhibition of ‘Re-Imagine: Black Women in History’. The exhibition cleverly challenges preconceptions and allows us to ‘re-imagine’ the experience of black women against the traditional ideas of black heritage. As this is a cultural archives the emphasis is on the arts, portraits and photographs line the walls and women from the entertainment industry are awarded with as much importance as the activists.
The use of individual stories within a wider context makes the experience more real, more ‘human’ perhaps. In fact the early works of Dürer and Hollar, that show black women with a wholeness, realness and personality, the famous painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle and photos of Adelaide Hall and Kathleen Wrsama, helps to create this human experience. The exhibition aims to locate black women as far back in British history as possible, and even presents evidence of black women in Roman England. In doing so the exhibitions roots black heritage in the long history of Britain.
“I think that the Black Women’s Movement allowed Black women to feel acknowledged and recognised in that leadership role because Black women have always been driven and been leaders” – Judith Lockhart.
The exhibition presents all these individual women with a leadership status, from Dido Belle who is attributed to possibly influencing Lord Mansfield’s ideas of liberty, to the mysterious William Brown – the first black women to serve in the British Navy – to Baroness Doreen Lawrence. There is a clear statement to be made throughout the exhibition. Black women not only have a place in history but they have been active agents within it.
“A women’s agenda is no different from a community agenda” – Gail Lewis.
The exhibition not only places women’s history within a community history but also places the exhibition within the community through the use of oral testimonies throughout the audio guide. There is a sense of community, collectivism and – to use the word again – strong roots, that seem to be driving force behind this archive. It is my belief that sites of heritage, whether it be historic house, monuments or archives create an identity. Through the use of artifacts the archive has created a living history that a community of people can relate and connect to.
My experience at the BCA was eye opening and thought provoking. So often I have been taught black history from the liberation movement perspective and is often limited to the political players. As someone who is interested in the lives and experiences of those often excluded from the mainstream telling of history I thoroughly enjoy this insight. However, the BCA serves more than the purpose of exposing the history of black women, it gives it a space and therefore turns it into a living history with which we can engage.
As Suzanne Scafe says an exhibition should make a statement and aim to pique interest for further study. I know I certainly walked away from the exhibition with an eagerness to know more. Indeed this exhibition may help to inform my interest in the way women are represented in public history.
Experiencing History 