Hold The Line!The fight for freedom, equality and justice is the longest, most demanding, draining and dangerous of global wars to have ever been fought, and yet again, the most necessary battle for Black peoples. We can only afford to advance (for we have a lot at stake) and therefore to retreat or surr... |
Currents In MotionThis globe evolved from work with local communities in Leeds and responded to the notion of being connected to place. Through conversations it became clear that a sense of movement and journeys were deeply rooted in the experience of community members in Leeds. F... |
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Cookridge Street |
Shivanee's design responds to the theme ‘A Complex Triangle’, which explores the complexity of Britain’s relationship with Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean across generations, and the legacy of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans on the UK’s role and reputation in the world.
Shivanee Ramlochan is a Trinidadian writer. Her first book of poems, Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting (Peepal Tree Press, 2017) was a finalist for the People's Choice T&T Book of the Year, and was shortlisted for the 2018 Forward Prize for Best First Collection. “The Red Thread Cycle”, the central suite of seven poems from her debut collection, won a Small Axe Literary Competition Prize for Poetry (second-place), and was on audiovisual display at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas.
Shivanee has received residencies and fellowships from Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Millay Arts, and Catapult Caribbean Arts Grant. She has served as a poetry reader and judge for Commonwealth Writers, Honeysuckle Press, Moko Magazine, Forward Prizes and others.
A Spanish-language edition of Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting is to be published soon. Her second book, Unkillable, on Indo-Caribbean women’s disobedience, is forthcoming from Noemi Press in 2023.
Shivanee's design responds to the theme ‘A Complex Triangle’, which explores the complexity of Britain’s relationship with Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean across generations, and the legacy of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans on the UK’s role and reputation in the world.
Shivanee Ramlochan is a Trinidadian writer. Her first book of poems, Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting (Peepal Tree Press, 2017) was a finalist for the People's Choice T&T Book of the Year, and was shortlisted for the 2018 Forward Prize for Best First Collection. “The Red Thread Cycle”, the central suite of seven poems from her debut collection, won a Small Axe Literary Competition Prize for Poetry (second-place), and was on audiovisual display at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas.
Shivanee has received residencies and fellowships from Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Millay Arts, and Catapult Caribbean Arts Grant. She has served as a poetry reader and judge for Commonwealth Writers, Honeysuckle Press, Moko Magazine, Forward Prizes and others.
A Spanish-language edition of Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting is to be published soon. Her second book, Unkillable, on Indo-Caribbean women’s disobedience, is forthcoming from Noemi Press in 2023.
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Briggate |
Larry's design responds to the theme ‘Echoes in the Present’, which focuses on how the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and its related history has present day negative consequences: systemic inequalities and injustice; entrenched racism and prejudices; and the generational echoes which have traumatic physical, behavioural, psychological and material impact.
The fight for freedom, equality and justice is the longest, most demanding, draining and dangerous of global wars to have ever been fought, and yet again, the most necessary battle for Black peoples. We can only afford to advance (for we have a lot at stake) and therefore to retreat or surrender is out of the question, for there is a cause! Sometimes, due to the brutal injustices we continue to experience as a people, we tend to forget or undermine the tremendous progress we have achieved as a minority group subjected to centuries of suppression.
Hold The Line is a work made to remind every descendant of the enslaved, the suppressed, the colonised and our allies of the deadly battles we have fought in this war, how long it has taken for us to get here – and the need to defend what we have attained so far. It also clarifies our responsibility to push for the best for the following generations by uniting more than ever today, in order to pave more ways for further progress. It also encourages openness, peace and love; keeping our hope for a utopian future alive.
A future in which difference is considered the key ingredient which holds and strengthens us together, rather than a tool for division. There’s no going back – we must take our place and own the space. We must tilt the ground and build things up. For out of the knowledge of holding a stake in a country, hope emerges. And with hope, we can build a better future that is diverse and inclusive, fair and just for everyone.
I believe the fight for racial harmony and equality is the one fight every person alive today must be concerned with, as we will truly do well as a people when every one of us does well. Therefore let’s not stop hoping for that utopian world we imagined from the start – our lives depend on it and no matter what happens we must always remember to hold the line!
Larry Amponsah (b. 1989, Accra-Ghana) is a multimedia artist whose practice investigates traditional modes of image-making whilst employing unconventional strategies of production to look at the contemporary politics of imagery. Through the language of painting, Amponsah creates collages made of archival images, objects, and stories from various cultures in order to negotiate systems of power and create new ways of transcending boundaries.
Amponsah transforms, prints and cuts into archival images, which he assembles in collages that are further worked upon using mechanical processes and his honed skills as a trained painter. In this succession of strategic moves about image-making techniques, dynamic compositions emerge, as well as compelling narratives or portraits that reference his own African upbringing within a greater global narrative.
Larry Amponsah is an Associate Lecturer at the Camberwell College of Art - UAL and received his MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London (2018) after studying at Jiangsu University China (2016) and at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi in Ghana (2015). Larry was a Trustee of The Kuenyehia Art Trust in Ghana, got shortlisted for the 2019 Dentons Art Prize and won the Be Smart About Art Award in 2019.
Recent solo exhibitions include: ‘Genesis, The Plan & The Promise’, The Breeder Gallery, Athens (2022); ‘When A Stone Cracks, We Don’t Stitch’, 50 Golborne, London (2019); ‘The Open City of Many Gods’ Billboard, Bloc Projects, Sheffield (2019) and ‘Imaginary Direction of Time’, The Fine Art Gallery, CSU-Pueblo Hoag Hall, Colorado (2018).
Recent group exhibitions include: ‘DEAR’, Dyson Gallery, RCA Battersea, London (2019); ‘DAMNED IF I DO... DAMNED IF I DON’T’ for Open Space: Of Hosts & Guests, Pushkin House, London (2019); ‘FBA Futures Exhibition’, Mall Galleries, London (2019); ‘SURGE’, East Wing Biennial 13, Courtauld Institute of Art, London (2018); ‘YOUNG GUNS’, Sulger-Buel Lovell Gallery, London (2018); ‘Open House CCA’, Delfina Foundation, London (2017); ‘What is your local word for 'Smile'?’, ArtXanady's Pop-up Gallery, Labone, Ghana (2016); and ‘The Gown Must Go To Town’, Museum of Science and Technology, Accra (2015), amongst others.
https://thebreedersystem.com/activity/larry-amponsah_genesis-the-plan-the-promise/
Larry's design responds to the theme ‘Echoes in the Present’, which focuses on how the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and its related history has present day negative consequences: systemic inequalities and injustice; entrenched racism and prejudices; and the generational echoes which have traumatic physical, behavioural, psychological and material impact.
The fight for freedom, equality and justice is the longest, most demanding, draining and dangerous of global wars to have ever been fought, and yet again, the most necessary battle for Black peoples. We can only afford to advance (for we have a lot at stake) and therefore to retreat or surrender is out of the question, for there is a cause! Sometimes, due to the brutal injustices we continue to experience as a people, we tend to forget or undermine the tremendous progress we have achieved as a minority group subjected to centuries of suppression.
Hold The Line is a work made to remind every descendant of the enslaved, the suppressed, the colonised and our allies of the deadly battles we have fought in this war, how long it has taken for us to get here – and the need to defend what we have attained so far. It also clarifies our responsibility to push for the best for the following generations by uniting more than ever today, in order to pave more ways for further progress. It also encourages openness, peace and love; keeping our hope for a utopian future alive.
A future in which difference is considered the key ingredient which holds and strengthens us together, rather than a tool for division. There’s no going back – we must take our place and own the space. We must tilt the ground and build things up. For out of the knowledge of holding a stake in a country, hope emerges. And with hope, we can build a better future that is diverse and inclusive, fair and just for everyone.
I believe the fight for racial harmony and equality is the one fight every person alive today must be concerned with, as we will truly do well as a people when every one of us does well. Therefore let’s not stop hoping for that utopian world we imagined from the start – our lives depend on it and no matter what happens we must always remember to hold the line!
Larry Amponsah (b. 1989, Accra-Ghana) is a multimedia artist whose practice investigates traditional modes of image-making whilst employing unconventional strategies of production to look at the contemporary politics of imagery. Through the language of painting, Amponsah creates collages made of archival images, objects, and stories from various cultures in order to negotiate systems of power and create new ways of transcending boundaries.
Amponsah transforms, prints and cuts into archival images, which he assembles in collages that are further worked upon using mechanical processes and his honed skills as a trained painter. In this succession of strategic moves about image-making techniques, dynamic compositions emerge, as well as compelling narratives or portraits that reference his own African upbringing within a greater global narrative.
Larry Amponsah is an Associate Lecturer at the Camberwell College of Art - UAL and received his MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London (2018) after studying at Jiangsu University China (2016) and at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi in Ghana (2015). Larry was a Trustee of The Kuenyehia Art Trust in Ghana, got shortlisted for the 2019 Dentons Art Prize and won the Be Smart About Art Award in 2019.
Recent solo exhibitions include: ‘Genesis, The Plan & The Promise’, The Breeder Gallery, Athens (2022); ‘When A Stone Cracks, We Don’t Stitch’, 50 Golborne, London (2019); ‘The Open City of Many Gods’ Billboard, Bloc Projects, Sheffield (2019) and ‘Imaginary Direction of Time’, The Fine Art Gallery, CSU-Pueblo Hoag Hall, Colorado (2018).
Recent group exhibitions include: ‘DEAR’, Dyson Gallery, RCA Battersea, London (2019); ‘DAMNED IF I DO... DAMNED IF I DON’T’ for Open Space: Of Hosts & Guests, Pushkin House, London (2019); ‘FBA Futures Exhibition’, Mall Galleries, London (2019); ‘SURGE’, East Wing Biennial 13, Courtauld Institute of Art, London (2018); ‘YOUNG GUNS’, Sulger-Buel Lovell Gallery, London (2018); ‘Open House CCA’, Delfina Foundation, London (2017); ‘What is your local word for 'Smile'?’, ArtXanady's Pop-up Gallery, Labone, Ghana (2016); and ‘The Gown Must Go To Town’, Museum of Science and Technology, Accra (2015), amongst others.
https://thebreedersystem.com/activity/larry-amponsah_genesis-the-plan-the-promise/
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Kirkgate Market |
The work of making racial justice a reality must be rooted in community – in our individual and collective experiences, hopes and contributions. Rosanna’s design was created in response to dialogue and workshops with local communities.
This globe evolved from work with local communities in Leeds and responded to the notion of being connected to place.
Through conversations it became clear that a sense of movement and journeys were deeply rooted in the experience of community members in Leeds. For example, the migration journeys which people made to be here. These journeys often represent tensions and conflicts whilst also documenting family, belonging and a sense of home.
My intention was to try and encapsulate this through a series of mark making, colour choices and allow for the notion of ‘push and pull’ to organically emerge. Through the continued discussions and in the creation of the globe, it has been encouraging to hear a wide range of interpretations. Many have commented on the sea and how it moves, and this echoes back to the idea of migration; others saw dancing feet and related this to Carnival and dancing; while others have commented on the green spaces that are a prevalent and beloved feature of our city.
This city hosts people to whom migration and movement are part of their daily experience. I hope this globe will create conversations around those experiences. Furthermore, I hope it can inspire them to think about what their sense of place is and how it can progress into our shared futures.
Rosanna is a multidisciplinary artist and teacher based in Leeds, Yorkshire. She uses a playful approach to mark-making, incorporating elements of collage, drawing and experimental painting to explore shifting cultural representations of everyday life.
The work of making racial justice a reality must be rooted in community – in our individual and collective experiences, hopes and contributions. Rosanna’s design was created in response to dialogue and workshops with local communities.
This globe evolved from work with local communities in Leeds and responded to the notion of being connected to place.
Through conversations it became clear that a sense of movement and journeys were deeply rooted in the experience of community members in Leeds. For example, the migration journeys which people made to be here. These journeys often represent tensions and conflicts whilst also documenting family, belonging and a sense of home.
My intention was to try and encapsulate this through a series of mark making, colour choices and allow for the notion of ‘push and pull’ to organically emerge. Through the continued discussions and in the creation of the globe, it has been encouraging to hear a wide range of interpretations. Many have commented on the sea and how it moves, and this echoes back to the idea of migration; others saw dancing feet and related this to Carnival and dancing; while others have commented on the green spaces that are a prevalent and beloved feature of our city.
This city hosts people to whom migration and movement are part of their daily experience. I hope this globe will create conversations around those experiences. Furthermore, I hope it can inspire them to think about what their sense of place is and how it can progress into our shared futures.
Rosanna is a multidisciplinary artist and teacher based in Leeds, Yorkshire. She uses a playful approach to mark-making, incorporating elements of collage, drawing and experimental painting to explore shifting cultural representations of everyday life.
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Potternewton Park, Harehills Lane, Leeds |
Founded in 1967 by Arthur France MBE, the Leeds Carnival celebrated its 50th year in 2017. In Arthur's words, the Leeds Carnival was 'the first in the UK to incorporate all three essential elements of authentic West Indian carnival – costumes, music and a masquerade procession.' The festival has built up an illustrious following, going from around 1,000 attendees to over 100,000. The kaleidoscopic procession of music and costumes begins at Potternewton Park and snakes its way via Harehills Lane, Roundhay Road and back up Chapeltown Road back to Potternewton Park. The Leeds Carnival is the highlight of many people's calendars. It offers a recurring opportunity for people to celebrate the food, music and cultures that bind so many people together in the Caribbean-majority community of Chapeltown.
Founded in 1967 by Arthur France MBE, the Leeds Carnival celebrated its 50th year in 2017. In Arthur's words, the Leeds Carnival was 'the first in the UK to incorporate all three essential elements of authentic West Indian carnival – costumes, music and a masquerade procession.' The festival has built up an illustrious following, going from around 1,000 attendees to over 100,000. The kaleidoscopic procession of music and costumes begins at Potternewton Park and snakes its way via Harehills Lane, Roundhay Road and back up Chapeltown Road back to Potternewton Park. The Leeds Carnival is the highlight of many people's calendars. It offers a recurring opportunity for people to celebrate the food, music and cultures that bind so many people together in the Caribbean-majority community of Chapeltown.
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60 North St, Leeds LS2 7PN |
Born in Chapeltown, Barber B (Brian Swarray) is a master barber, MD, assessor and educator. He has been cutting hair in Leeds for 30 years. Fascinated by a mysterious Jamaican called Gary and his ability to cut patterns in hair, Barber B did his first haircut on his brother after finding a pair of clippers in a skip. Since then, he has had several shops, won countless competitions, become an international authority on barbering and developed a unique method of training barbers. His team prides themselves on their excellent unisex Afro and European haircuts and as such, his barber shop is a multi-cultural hub. Along with Piranha Hair Studio, Barber B runs the Piranha Barber Academy and uses his barbering to help raise money and awareness for several charities. He was recently awarded a grant by The World Reimagined to collaborate on a play about his life and profession as a mixed-race barber in Leeds.
Image obtained from https://nicelocal.co.uk/leeds/beauty/piranha_hair_studio_and_training_academy/
Born in Chapeltown, Barber B (Brian Swarray) is a master barber, MD, assessor and educator. He has been cutting hair in Leeds for 30 years. Fascinated by a mysterious Jamaican called Gary and his ability to cut patterns in hair, Barber B did his first haircut on his brother after finding a pair of clippers in a skip. Since then, he has had several shops, won countless competitions, become an international authority on barbering and developed a unique method of training barbers. His team prides themselves on their excellent unisex Afro and European haircuts and as such, his barber shop is a multi-cultural hub. Along with Piranha Hair Studio, Barber B runs the Piranha Barber Academy and uses his barbering to help raise money and awareness for several charities. He was recently awarded a grant by The World Reimagined to collaborate on a play about his life and profession as a mixed-race barber in Leeds.
Image obtained from https://nicelocal.co.uk/leeds/beauty/piranha_hair_studio_and_training_academy/
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18 Commercial St, Leeds LS1 6AL |
Olaudah Equiano (1745–1797) was a writer and Black activist who campaigned for equality through his writings, most notably his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. The book follows Olaudah's life from being enslaved in Nigeria at age 11 to his prominence as a free man in English society. The Leeds Library has an old and rare edition of Equiano's work, which helped gather empathy from the British public by recounting the realities of enslavement. This particular edition of Olaudah's work was printed in Leeds in 1814. It remains a powerful work and an ongoing testament to Olaudah Equiano's skill as one of the first Black authors to be published in Europe.
Image obtained from: https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-life-of-olaudah-equinao
Olaudah Equiano (1745–1797) was a writer and Black activist who campaigned for equality through his writings, most notably his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. The book follows Olaudah's life from being enslaved in Nigeria at age 11 to his prominence as a free man in English society. The Leeds Library has an old and rare edition of Equiano's work, which helped gather empathy from the British public by recounting the realities of enslavement. This particular edition of Olaudah's work was printed in Leeds in 1814. It remains a powerful work and an ongoing testament to Olaudah Equiano's skill as one of the first Black authors to be published in Europe.
Image obtained from: https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-life-of-olaudah-equinao
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Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH |
The oldest Black resident in Leeds is Nesyamun, an Egyptian mummy, whose remains are housed within the Leeds City Museum. The 3000-year-old Nubian priest, of the religion Maat, was alive during the reign of pharaoh Ramses XI (c.1099–1069 BC). His mummified remains and casket, which survived a bombing in the Leeds Blitz, have been on display since 1823. Nesyamun's well-preserved remains have drawn crowds for 200 years. In 2020, researchers brought a part of Nesyamun back to life. Using 3D printing, a nationwide team from several universities, constructed a synthetic recreation of Nesyamun's vocal tracts. This enabled the researchers to generate a vowel sound that Nesyamun would have made in his lifetime. Speaking on Egyptian beliefs, Curator of Archaeology Katherine Baxter explained, ‘to speak the name of the dead is to make them live again’. That people still marvel at and know Nesyamun gives this belief a poignancy 3000 years later.
Image obtained from: https://news.leeds.gov.uk/news/leeds-museums-and-galleries-object-of-the-week-coffin-of-nesyamun
The oldest Black resident in Leeds is Nesyamun, an Egyptian mummy, whose remains are housed within the Leeds City Museum. The 3000-year-old Nubian priest, of the religion Maat, was alive during the reign of pharaoh Ramses XI (c.1099–1069 BC). His mummified remains and casket, which survived a bombing in the Leeds Blitz, have been on display since 1823. Nesyamun's well-preserved remains have drawn crowds for 200 years. In 2020, researchers brought a part of Nesyamun back to life. Using 3D printing, a nationwide team from several universities, constructed a synthetic recreation of Nesyamun's vocal tracts. This enabled the researchers to generate a vowel sound that Nesyamun would have made in his lifetime. Speaking on Egyptian beliefs, Curator of Archaeology Katherine Baxter explained, ‘to speak the name of the dead is to make them live again’. That people still marvel at and know Nesyamun gives this belief a poignancy 3000 years later.
Image obtained from: https://news.leeds.gov.uk/news/leeds-museums-and-galleries-object-of-the-week-coffin-of-nesyamun
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Cowper St, London EC2A 4SH |
In 1973, after facing many struggles to transform what they felt was a racist school system, the Caribbean parents of Cowper Street School organised a strike. In the early 1970s, concerns were growing amongst parents about the education of their kids and racism they were subjected to in the classroom. They consulted the United Caribbean Association (UCA) and t he West Indian Afro Brotherhood, who recorded complaints about the school’s headteacher who was known to have stated that ’black pupils have lower foreheads and less cranial capacity than the white pupils’. Discussions led to parents demanding: the removal of the headmaster; more Black governors ;better contact between the headmaster, parents and staff; improved facilities; a reduction in teacher turnover; more black teachers; and members of the Black community to be invited to speak to the children to give them more motivation. However, these demands were unsuccessful and a strike ensued.
Image obtained from: https://leedsmasmedia.wordpress.com/tag/leeds-west-indian-carnival/page/4/
In 1973, after facing many struggles to transform what they felt was a racist school system, the Caribbean parents of Cowper Street School organised a strike. In the early 1970s, concerns were growing amongst parents about the education of their kids and racism they were subjected to in the classroom. They consulted the United Caribbean Association (UCA) and t he West Indian Afro Brotherhood, who recorded complaints about the school’s headteacher who was known to have stated that ’black pupils have lower foreheads and less cranial capacity than the white pupils’. Discussions led to parents demanding: the removal of the headmaster; more Black governors ;better contact between the headmaster, parents and staff; improved facilities; a reduction in teacher turnover; more black teachers; and members of the Black community to be invited to speak to the children to give them more motivation. However, these demands were unsuccessful and a strike ensued.
Image obtained from: https://leedsmasmedia.wordpress.com/tag/leeds-west-indian-carnival/page/4/
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16 Harehills Avenue, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS7 4EU |
Becoming bright and valued members of the community, Veryl and George Harriott moved to Leeds in 1960 from Jamaica. George was an accomplished musician who played backing for greats such as Fats Domino, Sam Cooke and Harry Belafonte. In England, he continued his musical path and is often credited by many Black Leeds musicians as the person who taught them guitar. Veryl became a keen activist in Leeds. Along with her work teaching Black history classes from their Harehills home, Veryl helped the homeless and was an engine for community empowerment. Veryl was instrumental in the formation of the Chapeltown Citizen's Advice Bureau and the 1968 Race Relations Act. She wass the first Black person to become managing director of a Citizen's Advice Bureau.
Image obtained from: https://www.jamaicasocietyleeds.co.uk/back_to_life/george-solomon-harriott-1926-1999-and-veryl-alletta-harriott-nee-cruise-1934-2018/
Becoming bright and valued members of the community, Veryl and George Harriott moved to Leeds in 1960 from Jamaica. George was an accomplished musician who played backing for greats such as Fats Domino, Sam Cooke and Harry Belafonte. In England, he continued his musical path and is often credited by many Black Leeds musicians as the person who taught them guitar. Veryl became a keen activist in Leeds. Along with her work teaching Black history classes from their Harehills home, Veryl helped the homeless and was an engine for community empowerment. Veryl was instrumental in the formation of the Chapeltown Citizen's Advice Bureau and the 1968 Race Relations Act. She wass the first Black person to become managing director of a Citizen's Advice Bureau.
Image obtained from: https://www.jamaicasocietyleeds.co.uk/back_to_life/george-solomon-harriott-1926-1999-and-veryl-alletta-harriott-nee-cruise-1934-2018/
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277 Chapeltown Road |
The Jamaica Society launched in 1977. It has since gone on to become one of the most respected of all such societies in the Jamaican diaspora. The renowned group keeps Jamaican culture alive, celebrating both the integration and diversity of Jamaica and Leeds. Since its foundations, created by six first-generation Jamaicans, the society has tackled a broad range of welfare issues, including, initiatives related to health and crime, cultural activities, children’s events and community fundraising. Since 1989, the society has been based at Jamaica House, 277 Chapeltown Road. The Society is a bastion of community spirit and remains an enduring pillar of resilience and connection within the Afro-Caribbean community of Leeds.
Image obtained from: https://jamaicasocietyleeds.wordpress.com/
The Jamaica Society launched in 1977. It has since gone on to become one of the most respected of all such societies in the Jamaican diaspora. The renowned group keeps Jamaican culture alive, celebrating both the integration and diversity of Jamaica and Leeds. Since its foundations, created by six first-generation Jamaicans, the society has tackled a broad range of welfare issues, including, initiatives related to health and crime, cultural activities, children’s events and community fundraising. Since 1989, the society has been based at Jamaica House, 277 Chapeltown Road. The Society is a bastion of community spirit and remains an enduring pillar of resilience and connection within the Afro-Caribbean community of Leeds.
Image obtained from: https://jamaicasocietyleeds.wordpress.com/
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5 Calverley St, Leeds LS1 3DA |
The Mandela Garden was created in 1983 in support of Nelson Mandela's stand against South African apartheid. Dedicated to Mandela on 10th December 1983, the garden opened whilst he was still in prison. During a rededication ceremony on April 30, 2001, when he visited the gardens, Nelson Mandela was made an Honorary Freeman of Leeds. The event was attended by over 5000 people. In 2004, the gardens were put forward as an entry into the Chelsea Flower Show, with plants indigenous to both Britain and South Africa adorning the flower beds. The gardens are a celebration of Nelson Mandela's monumental contribution to human rights and racial equality.
Image by Immanuel Giel ( Creative Commons CC0 1.0 )
The Mandela Garden was created in 1983 in support of Nelson Mandela's stand against South African apartheid. Dedicated to Mandela on 10th December 1983, the garden opened whilst he was still in prison. During a rededication ceremony on April 30, 2001, when he visited the gardens, Nelson Mandela was made an Honorary Freeman of Leeds. The event was attended by over 5000 people. In 2004, the gardens were put forward as an entry into the Chelsea Flower Show, with plants indigenous to both Britain and South Africa adorning the flower beds. The gardens are a celebration of Nelson Mandela's monumental contribution to human rights and racial equality.
Image by Immanuel Giel ( Creative Commons CC0 1.0 )
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Woodhouse, Leeds LS2 9JT |
Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka is an esteemed alumnus of the University of Leeds. Following his time as a student at the university, Soyinka began a promising career as a playwright in London. Moving back to Nigeria to continue his development as a writer, Soyinka was caught up in the currents of conflict between Nigeria and Biafrans. His political activities meant at the outbreak of the civil war, he was imprisoned. Although he spent 22 of the 26 months of his incarceration in solitary confinement, Soyinka managed to generate an impressive body of poetry, either through memory or on scraps of paper, which condemned the Nigerian government. Following his release in 1969, Soyinka continued his work as a writer and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. It was the first Nobel Prize awarded to an African writer.
(Image By Frankie Fouganthin - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka is an esteemed alumnus of the University of Leeds. Following his time as a student at the university, Soyinka began a promising career as a playwright in London. Moving back to Nigeria to continue his development as a writer, Soyinka was caught up in the currents of conflict between Nigeria and Biafrans. His political activities meant at the outbreak of the civil war, he was imprisoned. Although he spent 22 of the 26 months of his incarceration in solitary confinement, Soyinka managed to generate an impressive body of poetry, either through memory or on scraps of paper, which condemned the Nigerian government. Following his release in 1969, Soyinka continued his work as a writer and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. It was the first Nobel Prize awarded to an African writer.
(Image By Frankie Fouganthin - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Arriving in Hull from Nigeria as a stowaway in 1949, David Oluwale was arrested and sent to prison. A transfer to Armley prison brought David here to Leeds. He went on to spend the next 20 years in the city, which was not always welcoming. An altercation resulted in a two-month prison sentence for David. In prison, his behaviour was deemed strange. Ultimately, David was sectioned in Menston Asylum for 8 years. On David's release, his mental health had deteriorated. Sleeping rough he was repeatedly harassed by two police officers, Ellerker and Kitching. They would urinate on him, beat him and set fire to the newspaper on which he slept. On 4 May 1969, David was found dead in the River Aire. The two officers were tried and convicted of actual bodily harm but acquitted of a manslaughter charge. This blue plaque acknowledges David's human worth and commemorates his repeated resistance against the brutality which eventually took his life.
Image obtained from: https://www.bam.com/en/press/press-releases/2022/3/key-milestone-as-stunning-david-oluwale-tribute-bridges-the-gap?position=0&list=8nOQP45KXwrhqBAQfAYCeiIDmli_S7zR-eb8IhzuifU
Arriving in Hull from Nigeria as a stowaway in 1949, David Oluwale was arrested and sent to prison. A transfer to Armley prison brought David here to Leeds. He went on to spend the next 20 years in the city, which was not always welcoming. An altercation resulted in a two-month prison sentence for David. In prison, his behaviour was deemed strange. Ultimately, David was sectioned in Menston Asylum for 8 years. On David's release, his mental health had deteriorated. Sleeping rough he was repeatedly harassed by two police officers, Ellerker and Kitching. They would urinate on him, beat him and set fire to the newspaper on which he slept. On 4 May 1969, David was found dead in the River Aire. The two officers were tried and convicted of actual bodily harm but acquitted of a manslaughter charge. This blue plaque acknowledges David's human worth and commemorates his repeated resistance against the brutality which eventually took his life.
Image obtained from: https://www.bam.com/en/press/press-releases/2022/3/key-milestone-as-stunning-david-oluwale-tribute-bridges-the-gap?position=0&list=8nOQP45KXwrhqBAQfAYCeiIDmli_S7zR-eb8IhzuifU
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Woodhouse, Leeds LS2 9JT |
Pablo Fanque was a circus performer, horse trainer and the first Black man to own a circus in England. Born in Norwich in 1810, William Darby took on the stage name Pablo Fanque, performing in many cities and often in Leeds. An adept equestrian, he would teach horses to dance. A tragic accident during a circus performance, where 600 people fell through the wooden floor to the ticket office, crushed Pablo's wife, Suzannah Darby, to death. Suzannah had a monument erected and following his illustrious career, Pablo ensured he was buried in Leeds next to her. His funeral was attended by over 10,000 people. Pablo's story resonated long after his death. He inspired a song appearing in the lyrics of ‘Being For the Benefit of Mr Kite!’ by The Beatles.
(Image By Betty Longbottom, CC BY-SA 2.0)
Pablo Fanque was a circus performer, horse trainer and the first Black man to own a circus in England. Born in Norwich in 1810, William Darby took on the stage name Pablo Fanque, performing in many cities and often in Leeds. An adept equestrian, he would teach horses to dance. A tragic accident during a circus performance, where 600 people fell through the wooden floor to the ticket office, crushed Pablo's wife, Suzannah Darby, to death. Suzannah had a monument erected and following his illustrious career, Pablo ensured he was buried in Leeds next to her. His funeral was attended by over 10,000 people. Pablo's story resonated long after his death. He inspired a song appearing in the lyrics of ‘Being For the Benefit of Mr Kite!’ by The Beatles.
(Image By Betty Longbottom, CC BY-SA 2.0)
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