Find out about Bristol’s Black History with Bristol Museums. Who were the first Black people in Bristol? What are the city’s links to Somalia? What are the legacies of the Slave Trade?
Here you’ll find stories, blog posts and events from Bristol Museums related to Black History.
For some years, researchers have gathered evidence of Bristol’s historic black population. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, staff at Bristol Archives spent time bringing all this research together.
A chance discovery of a book by Okot p’Bitek set Antonette Clarke Akalanne on a journey. It opened up a whole world of African thought and writing. Okot p’Bitek challenged the distorted way in which Western scholars had viewed Africa. He was a poet, an athlete and a pioneer of decolonisation. And he studied right here in Bristol. Antonette tells us why he matters.
by Jasmine Thompson, the artist of A Movement Not A Moment
“Hello? Are you the artist?”
I turn around and a family is standing behind the barriers looking at me. I’ve no idea how long they’ve been there watching. I also have no idea what they are …
When the people of the ‘Windrush generation’ came to the UK they brought with them a culture of music and sound systems. The very sonic tone of the music we hear on the streets late at night in Bristol and the UK are very much a result of this.
Many object labels in museums do not tell the full story.
This project seeks to uncover uncomfortable truths behind museum objects – how they were collected, what they represent and the difficult pasts that are hidden behind them.
Kofo Ajala speaks to artist Michelle Curtis about Black memorials in Bristol. She argues that changing the whitewashed discourse of history is no less than a national necessity.
Pioneering, passionate and powerful, these women have helped change our city for the better. From artists to activists, from councillors to carnivalistas, these are names you need to know.