Our new exhibition, 70 Objeks & Tings, launches at the Streetlife Museum in Hull on Saturday 2 October – celebrating 70 years of Caribbeans in the UK as part of Black History Month.
The title ’70 Objeks & Tings – Celebrating 70 Years of Caribbeans in the UK’ is a nod to patois, a traditional form of language for many Caribbeans. The objeks & tings refer to the things that Caribbeans, especially those of the Windrush Generation hold dear.
The exhibition is open throughout October (Black History Month) at the Streetlife Museum in Hull.
500 copies of the book accompanying the exhibition are available for free in Hull’s libraries for local people to read and enjoy this Black History Month and beyond. Each chapter is full of fun facts, insights and stories exploring Caribbean Food, Contributions, Homes, Hair, Beauty & Dress and Culture.
In partnership with Hull City Council, Hull Libraries, Hull Museums, the University of Hull, the Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation and Visit Hull and East Yorkshire, 70 Objeks & Tings is a new way to experience the Caribbean.
The exhibition features objects that are synonymous with Caribbean culture.
We want to show the common thread in the stories of all the different peoples that have made their home in Hull, and we hope 70 Objeks & Tings will resonate with all cultures and communities. We are all connected, wherever we are from.
The exhibition also features quotes and stories from Caribbeans who live in the UK.
I am the chair of a group called ‘Portsmouth Black History Group’ (PBHG) and have just come across your exhibition in Hull. I would love to see your exhibition but distance makes this difficult.
I as chair of African Women’s Forum, including members of the Caribbean Island Association, visited your museum in 2008 during our project to commemorate the bi-centenial of The Abolition of Slave Trade Act’, when you had an exhibition at your museum. We were then funded by the Arts Council and Heritage Lottery Funds.
We, PBHG, are applying for funding to the National Heritage Fund, to help us look back on Africans and Caribbeans who have settled in Portsmouth. I would dearly like to see a copy of your exhibition book as this will help us in our project, but presently we cannot travel to Hull to see your exhibition as we do not have any funds. I shall be willing to pay for the book and postage if you are willing to send me a copy for our group.
Yours sincerely
Marie Costa, Chair, PBHG, 5 Wilton Place, Southsea PO5 2BG