The International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, United Kingdom has indicated an interest in participating in Carifesta X set for August.
Dr Richard Benjamin, head of the museum, said he shared this idea with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony. Benjamin was in Guyana to attend the Commonwealth Museums Conference which was held at the Umana Yana from April 18-22.
According to its website the International Slavery Museum explores both the historical and contemporary aspects of slavery; addresses the many legacies of the slave trade and tells stories of the bravery and rebellion of the enslaved people.
The website said that these stories have been largely untold. The museum was opened last August 23, on Slavery Remembrance Day. Benjamin said that it had developed an international policy to forge greater links with countries that are featured often in the museum and Guyana is one of those core countries. The list also includes Ghana, St Kitts, the United States and France due to their links to the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade.
Benjamin, whose father is Guyanese, said the museum is looking to forge some links with Guyana. He said that curator exchange is one avenue that is being explored for cooperation between local museums and the International Slavery Museum. He noted that Liverpool has many Guyanese links pointing out that four-time British Prime Minister William Gladstone’s family had owned a plantation at Vreed-en-Hoop. He said after slavery was abolished this was one of the first plantations to use indentured labour from India. He pointed out too that Bookers which owned several sugar plantations, originated in Liverpool.
As regard plans for cooperation, Benjamin said he visited several local museums and that his museum is interested in providing technical support. He said the local museums had good collections but they needed more technical expertise. He said too his museum can provide educational materials in order to engage youngsters. According to Benjamin the local museums suffer from a lack of resources and conditions can be improved but the curators’ passion and knowledge were on par with those overseas. He said he was “quite excited at the possibilities in Guyana” and that one of the purposes of his museum is to inform persons in Liverpool of their linkages to Guyana and other countries. Benjamin posited that “to move forward, to have a positive attitude, you need to know where you came from.”
He said too that by 2011 his museum hopes to open its second phase – a research centre for the study of international slavery. He said though that the international policy of the museum is in its infancy stage and Carifesta would be a good occasion to highlight it. Noting that slavery is a sensitive and emotional subject he said, “We never try to make Africans passive” and that the positive aspects of the African Diaspora are highlighted. He pointed out that the late WPA activist Dr Walter Rodney is featured on the ‘Black Achievers Wall’ at the museum.
Benjamin said he had many positive experiences on his trip, describing it as “fruitful.” He was also able to visit the Iwokrama reserve. (Gaulbert Sutherland)
