Bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade
The Anti-Slavery Arch project funded by Heritage Lottery Fund and Local Heritage Initiative has restored, interpreted and promoted the Arch at Paganhill, Stroud, a structure that commemorates the struggle against slavery. Slavery was a significant, if overlooked, feature of the local history of the area, and the nearby ports at Bristol and Gloucester. The project also made links with the current anti-slavery movement.
About the bicentenary
25 March 2007 will mark 200 years - to the day - that a Parliamentary Bill was passed to abolish the slave trade in the then British Empire. 1807 was the beginning of the long road to the eventual abolition of slavery itself within the empire via the Act of 1833. Even then, slaves did not gain their final freedom until 1838.
A number of initiatives and events will mark the bicentenary. These programmes will raise awareness of the slave trade, its effects, and the existence of servitude even now.
Minister for Culture, David Lammy, and Minister for Race Equality, Paul Goggins, have published a joint pamphlet that underlines the Government's commitment to the bicentenary:
The pamphlet has been sent to a wide range of cultural organisations and community groups around the UK.
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Events and initiatives
If you are planning a community-based event or project around the Bicentenary and are looking for non-Lottery sources of funding, visit the government funding website for a guide to national and regional government funding streams.
Understanding slavery
With the Department for Education and Skills, we have provided joint funding of £750,000 for the Understanding slavery initiative to produce materials for schools about the trans-Atlantic slave trade to support the teaching of history and citizenship, and teacher training.
Remembering slavery
The Heritage Lottery Fund is funding projects that add to the collective understanding of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its impact on national heritage. They have announced awards of over £16 million for projects and produced a guide for community-based organisations wanting to bid, called "Remembering Slavery in 2007" with advice on project ideas, examples of possible projects and details on how to make a successful funding application.
Contact: Katie Owen on 020 7591 6036
National musuem & centre for the understanding of trans-Atlantic slavery
The National Maritime Museum Liverpool will open this new gallery in 2007. In the design of the displays and through focused outreach, the museum will target new visitors, particularly from under-represented and ethnic minority groups.
Contact: National Museums Liverpool 0151 478 4612
Wilberforce 2007
A full programme of events are being planned under the name Wilberforce 2007, led by Hull City Council with the Wilberforce House Museum, the Wilberforce Institute for the study of slavery and emancipation and the University of Hull. The HLF have awarded a grant for Hull Museums & Art Gallery of £800,500 to redevelop and update their slavery and abolition collections.
Contact: Mitch Upfold 01482 300300
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Museum of Bristol
The Museum of Bristol has been awarded £10 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund to refurbish the museum, which will include the story of Bristol's involvement in the slave trade. The city-wide programme of work is being led by Bristol City Council.
Contact: Paul Barnett or Asif Khan: 0117 922 2000
Museum of London & Museum in Docklands
The Museum of London will unmask London as a slave city, developing community partnerships and encouraging new audiences to get involved in researching and interpreting their heritage. The Museum in Docklands is developing international links with Cuba, the West Indies and Africa as part of the planned exhibition.
Victoria & Albert museum
The Victoria & Albert Museum will be holding a two-day conference in February 2007 "From cane field to tea-cup: The impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade on Art". The conference will look at the links between the trade, slaves and slavery and the production and collection of domestic and decorative artefacts, including furniture, ceramics, metalwork and textiles, sculpture, architecture, prints and paintings.
Set all free
"Set all free" is a wide-ranging project to remember the past and apply its lessons to tackle the legacies of trans-Atlantic slavery and its modern day equivalent. "Set all free" has been set up by "Churches Together in England" as a collaboration between those who are happy to work with a Christian ethos on the relevance of the Bicentenary. Their website provides a range of information on educational resources, what's on, links and contact details.
Contact: Kate Yates 020 7529 8141
Anti-Slavery International, founded in 1839, is planning a range of activities and resources around the bicentenary, seeking to raise awareness of slavery past and present. These include publications, an exhibition, a video, education materials, and campaigns on slavery worldwide.
Contact: Sarah Williams 020 7501 8933."
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