The Slave Trade Arts Memorial Project, Lancaster

Lancaster was the fourth largest slave port in Britain and around 200 voyages left the city in the eighteenth century. Between 1750 and 1790 alone Lancaster merchants were responsible for the forced transportation of approximately 24,950 Africans across the Atlantic and into slavery in the West Indies and the Southern States of America. The Slave Trade Arts Memorial Project (STAMP) was inaugurated in September 2002. The aim of the project is to make sure that future generations have local spaces where they can effectively remember those whose lives were blighted by the Slave Trade. This partnership between the City Council, Museums Service, County Education Service and the campaigning group Globalink with myself from University of Central Lancashire as academic advisor led to a grant from the Millennium Commission and from the Arts Council in the North-West as well as numerous small grants from local and county councils (total c.£60,000) for an art work on the quayside to commemorate the lives of those 24,000 and more slaves shipped on Lancaster slavers in the eighteenth century. The project has made links to continuing issues of global inequity and poverty by highlighting issues of Fair Trade/Slave Trade.

STAMP has worked with a number of artists, schools and community groups to increase public awareness of the slave trade. Suandi from Black Arts Alliance (NBAA) was appointed as lead artist to help the committee develop a series of commemorative events and performances from 2003-2005 which culminated in a permanent memorial to the Africans who were transported on board Lancaster ships, which was unveiled in October 2005 on Columbus Day. Suandi  worked with a number of artists including Papaye Steve Richards, Sue Flowers, Anthony Watts, Anita Franklin, Faith Bebbington and Janet Griffith. Public events on memorials and their possibilities were also held with speeches by Professor David Richardson, Dr Hakim Adi and Professor Lubaina Himid to increase awareness of the issues around public memorials and slavery.

The statue was unveiled on Columbus Day (October 10) in the early evening. The American Embassy generously sponsored the visit of our special guest Professor Preston King. The ceremony itself was a really exciting event with over 170 guests both local and from places as far afield as Nottingham and London. After words from the city mayor and the artist,  our honoured guest, Preston King poured a libation on the statue and a small wicker boat, designed and made by Trevor Leat,was floated down the Lune with burning African herbs on board to commemorate the people taken from Africa by Lancaster ships. After the ceremony there was a reception in the Judges’ Lodgings with drumming and African food addressed by the Director of the Millennium Commission, the Council Leader Ian Barker and Preston King. The photographs below show a dynamic new memorial. We hope you like it and are able to visit it soon.

For more information contact:

Alan Rice
Academic Consultant to STAMP, School of Journalism, Media and Communication
University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE
arice@uclan.ac.uk

The Captured Africans memorial (photograph by Paul Farina)

Kevin Dalton-Johnson with his Captured Africans sculpture

Burning wicker boat made by Trevor Leat

Children from Carnforth play African Drums at the unveiling ceremony

Guests including the American Consul-General, John Caulfield, the Lady Mayoress of Lancaster and Council Leader, Ian Barker gather before the unveiling ceremony

The mosaic at the base of Captured Africans is a map of the workings of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and has embedded in it several slave figures

Acrylic blocks represent the various decks of the slave ship. This one includes embedded in it a representation of the infamous Liverpool slaver, Brookes

The steel plate section of Captured Africans contains a selected list of Lancaster slavers inscribing the master, name of the ship and numbers of slaves carried.

A view of the monument with the Millennium Bridge in the background.

Kevin Dalton-Johnson speaking at the unveiling of his memorial Captured Africans - Professor Preston King our American guest stands behind

The memorial being admired by some of the children in the crowd of over 200

Kevin Dalton-Johnson explains to guests about his memorial (photograph by Paul Farina)