06 Feb 2024
A landmark celebration of St Albans’ rich and diverse African Caribbean community looking at its 80-year contribution to city culture opens at the Museum + Gallery next week.
The Becoming Us: African Caribbean St Albans exhibition – which is curated by Leeanna’s Wish CIC and Active Lifestyles – will focus on the period between 1948-1971 but will also refer to black St Albans residents before this time while celebrating achievements up to the present day.
After the Empire Windrush arrived in 1948, its passengers dispersed across the UK. While no formal record of their destinations was made, thousands settled across Hertfordshire in locations including St Albans. Many worked in public services becoming the backbone of St Albans’ former mental health and learning disability hospitals, which were the largest long stay hospitals in Europe.
The main themes of the exhibition include; Windrush and Arrival, Working Lives, Overcoming Adversity, African Caribbean Culture, Commercial Music and Celebrating Achievements.
To enable the museum to share the rich and diverse stories of local St Albans residents, a number of workshops were held where oral histories were captured and digital images and objects were identified for loan or donation, all helping to inform and shape the exhibition.
A range of immersive experiences will be offered including a reconstructed 1970s West Indian front room using original ornaments and furniture loaned from St Albans residents- visitors will be invited to sit on the room’s sofa and listen to a curated playlist while filling in their own family tree through specially created charts. There will also be family activities, talks and a special portrait wall with photography by Stephanie Belton.
Shelley Hayles, director of Leeannas Wish, said: “A first for the city and the St Albans Museum + Gallery, Becoming Us: African Caribbean St Albans will document and celebrate the multifaceted contributions that African Caribbean people have made to our city over the years, exploring how our community has supported education and community initiatives, led cultural diversity, established businesses, and provided social services as well as engaging in civic and political roles. These contributions have made St Albans a more vibrant and inclusive place, enriching the overall fabric of the city. Finally, we have an opportunity to commemorate the many contributions and influences our community has made with this exhibition.”
Active Lifestyles chair Andrene McDonald said: “In this exhibition we aim to celebrate the immense contributions commitment and dedication people of the Empire Windrush and their descendants made to British culture and daily life. The African Caribbean community in St Albans have provided us with their personal testimonies, oral histories, photographs and artefacts to show some of the contributions they have made since their arrival to Britain and later settling in St Albans district.
“There had been over 200 individual African Caribbean families that settled in St Albans and surrounding areas including members from New Testament Church of God and Active Lifestyles a club that aims to reduce isolation and loneliness for the older generation. We have used the personal stories from some of these families for the exhibition. We will also be portraying, work, music, racism and achievements.
“Many of the Windrush generation have worked diligently adding to Britain’s economic growth and development of its industries including the NHS. A vast majority of those spent their careers in public services, and in particular to St Albans district, the acute hospital, (St Albans City) and the largest long stay hospitals in Europe, (Hill End, Cell Barnes, Shenley, Harperbury and others).
“With this exhibition we hope to provide an awareness of historical facts and deepen an understanding about the African Caribbean community. To inspire the next generation and encourage people from different backgrounds to embrace a shared history.”
Catherine Newley, audience development manager at St Albans Museums, added: “Working collaboratively with community partners is an incredibly important part of our offering at St Albans Museums. It means we can guarantee an extensive variety of intriguing and cutting-edge installations which really help to bring our communities together and promise our visitors fresh experiences every time they walk through our doors.”
Becoming Us: African Caribbean St Albans opens on February 16. A vibrant evening Community Ball will close the exhibition with live music, dancing and a delicious Caribbean buffet.
