Windrush Museum to open in Greenwich
LONDON: THE National Windrush Museum’s (NWM) first location will be at the largest maritime museum in the world, the Royal Museums Greenwich in London. This follows the signing of a historic agreement at the House of Lords last month.
The NWM is dedicated to researching, exhibiting, promoting, and preserving the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Windrush pioneers.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU), a collaboration between the two organisations, will allow the NWM to showcase previously untold stories from the Caribbean diaspora and its influence on Britain.
The project, i nvolving the partnering of curators and various experts, is expected to empower current and future generations of Caribbean descendants living in the United Kingdom.
Pad Rodgers, CEO of Royal Museums Greenwich, commenting on the alliance, said:“It is a privilege to be able to sign this document (the MoU), and I look forward to a successful relationship with the National Windrush Museum.”
Dr Les Johnson, founder of the NWM, noted the significance of the occasion. Speaking exclusively to The Weekly Gleaner, the Lucea, Hanover-born entrepreneur said: “It was magical because we made history.
“I wanted people to witness the signing and led a delegation of 120 people to the House of Lords. ( The group) i ncluded barons, academics, members of parliament, activists, and those from the museum sector.
“An 80-year-old woman travelled from Wales to London to witness the signing, and there were 10 youths from the NWM Youth Exchange Council who rushed forward to see the signing, with their cameras.
“The occasion was special because we are promised a lot but not given much, and so when the signing was witnessed, we knew the agreement was real. This was the launching platform for the NWM.”
The memorandum includes provisions on the development of new programmes for schools and young people, media, and digital initiatives.
FUTURE EXHIBITS
The NWM is expected to start exhibiting at the Royal Museums Greenwich from the late spring of 2024, with a display of Windrush icons. Additional projects will retell the maritime history of European nations.
Commenting on this venture, Dr Johnson said: “The history of Francis Drake, Columbus, and Nelson are strong and constitute a lot of British history, but we need to retell their stories because it touches on slavery, colonialism, and imperialism, which doesn’t fit with the type of education we want to share.
“I’m looking forward to using the collections of the Maritime Museum to retell those histories.”
Another programme to be delivered by the NWM is an analysis of the Windrush generation’s contribution to British society from 1948 onwards, following the arrival of 492 Caribbean passengers at Port Tilbury in Essex.
He said further: “There are very exciting things that have happened because of the Windrush generation. We have seen the contribution they have made in food, medicine, the NHS, arts, and politics. All of that has to be documented and archived.”
A focus of the Windrush generation’s contribution to British society will be the impact it has had on British fashion.
Dr Johnson said: “I have asked the team to begin focusing on fashion. Over the next three years, we will be examining the impact black British culture has made on British fashion.
“When pictures of the people coming off the Empire Windrush are observed, you would think they were from the middle class.
“A lot of islanders would visit the United States, and because they couldn’t afford the suits, they would make them. And so there was a history of tailors and seamstresses in the Caribbean, and they would put their own versions on clothes. (So) we are planning exhibitions and fashion shows.”
INDEPENDENT PROPERTY
The NWM is currently writing a collection policy with the Royal Museums Greenwich, with the goal of preserving what is gathered and is working with each local authority i n Great Britain to identify Windrush families who can contribute to future collections.
The collaboration with the Royal Museums Greenwich will be extended over three to five years, after which an independent space will be acquired by the NWM.
Dr Johnson believes that there will be many long-term advantages to the NWM owning its independent property.
The visiting research fellow at the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media at Birmingham City University said:“The move towards assets, be it books, houses, or objects, will enable the black community to gain power, and power enables us to have a legacy.
“It’s one thing to educate ourselves but another thing to build a school. It’s one thing to talk about a museum, but it’s another thing to build a museum. This is especially important for institutions that want to create an historical impact.”
The NWM believes that it is creating a model for success that other budding museums and entrepreneurs could replicate.
“The Windrush generation had to be innovative and inventive because of racism,” said Dr Johnson. “I want to encourage the younger generation to imitate their example.”
Dr Johnson came to England in 1962 and moved to London, after living in Manchester, northern England. He was one of the first black students to obtain a master’s degree in fine art and illustration at the Royal College of Art.
Among the notable personalities present during the signing of the MoU at the House of Lords were Levi Roots, entrepreneur, chef, and television personality from Clarendon; actor Rudolph Walker; and Moira Stuart, broadcaster and TV presenter.