Pour un cinéma dans le camp de Zaatari

Un projet à soutenir!!

Association loi 1901 "Lumière à Zaatari" présente

Un cinéma à Zaatari

Offrir un cinéma au plus grand camp de réfugiés du Moyen Orient

https://www.kisskissbankbank.com/un-cinema-a-zaatari

Présentation détaillée du projet

Au Nord de la Jordanie, à une dizaine de kilomètres de la Syrie, il existe un des plus grands camps de réfugiés du monde : le camp de AL ZAATARI.

Il y a aujourd’hui dans ce camp 80.000 réfugiés, des hommes, des femmes et des enfants qui ont fui la guerre en Syrie et qui se retrouvent sans rien, dans des baraquements de fortune au milieu du désert.

Le camp est géré par le UNHCR, c’est à dire les Nations Unies.

Certains réfugiés sont arrivés il y a plus de 5 ans. Il y a désormais une dizaine d’écoles, des hôpitaux, une artère principale que les réfugiés ont baptisée « Les Champs Elysées » où l’on trouve des petites boutiques, des échoppes, un début de vie qui reprend en attendant que la guerre s’arrête…

Pour le tournage d’un film, nous sommes entrés dans ce camp et ce que nous y avons vu nous a tous profondément touchés et marqués.  Nous sommes un petit groupe de professionnels du cinéma et nous avons ressenti le besoin de faire quelque chose.

Il y a déjà des écoles, des hôpitaux, une gigantesque organisation pour la nourriture, l’hygiène et les biens de première nécessité… Toutes les ONG font un travail remarquable.

Alors l’idée nous est venue d’offrir une petite salle de cinéma aux réfugiés. Un lieu où l’on pourrait projeter des films doublés en arabe et qui offrirait aux enfants, mais aussi aux adultes, des moments d’évasion.

L’idée que le cinéma puisse apporter un peu de bonheur à cette population en souffrance, leur faire découvrir d’autres cultures et recréer un peu de lien social nous a semblé un beau projet.

Nous en avons parlé avec le UNHCR et là-bas avec des réfugiés qui nous ont tous encouragés dans notre initiative.

Alors aujourd’hui, nous essayons de réunir des fonds pour acheter le matériel et construire ce cinéma au milieu du camp, au milieu du désert, comme une réponse à la violence et à la folie du monde.

Nous avons créé une association loi 1901 que nous avons baptisé « LUMIERE », en hommage aux inventeurs français du cinéma, les frères Lumière.

Nous avons lancé un appel aux réfugiés du camp pour réunir une petite équipe qui s’occupera du cinéma, de l’entretien du matériel et de la programmation. Et nous avons reçu des réponses enthousiastes.

Détails du projet :

Notre objectif est de tout faire pour inaugurer le cinéma à la fin de cette année 2017 !

LE LIEU

Une très grande tente comme il en existe déjà beaucoup dans le camp où peuvent se rassembler jusqu’à 150 personnes, le UNHCR nous déconseillant des rassemblements plus importants. 

Certaines de ces tentes sont isolées du jour et il est possible de les climatiser. Les projections pourront ainsi avoir lieu de jour comme de nuit et il faudra échanger avec les autorités du camp pour fixer les horaires et les jours de projection.

Cette tente que nous aménagerons et décorerons pour la transformer en salle de cinéma doit nous être mise à disposition par IRD (International Relief and Development), une ONG qui gère un centre des arts et de la culture à Zaatari et qui travaille sous l'autorité de l'UNHCR, également partenaire de notre projet. Ils nous proposent une tente, idéalement située, en plein centre du camp, dans le district 2.

Le public pourra s’asseoir sur des chaises ou des tapis, comme ils le décideront. 

Sur le fronton de cette tente, il sera écrit en lettres lumineuses دار السينما LUMIERE, (CINEMA LUMIERE) en français et en arabe. Cette enseigne sera fabriquée par des techniciens de décoration de cinéma jordaniens avec qui nous sommes en contact.

A l’intérieur nous proposons de recréer l’ambiance d’une salle de cinéma.

Des cadres disposés autour de l’écran dissimuleront les enceintes. Les côtés de la tente seront rythmés par des pendrillons disposés  obliquement, pour simuler un dispositif acoustique. L’objectif est de rompre avec l’univers du quotidien des réfugiés pour lesquels les tentes sont des lieux administratifs fonctionnels, pour les plonger dans l’univers d’une salle de cinéma. 

LE MATÉRIEL TECHNIQUE

- Un projecteur simple et puissant utilisable par n’importe qui et capable d’offrir une projection d’au moins 5 ou 6 mètres de base. 

- Un écran qui sera lui aussi fabriqué par des techniciens jordaniens. Il s’agit d’une toile professionnelle tendue sur un cadre en métal qu’il faudra réaliser sur mesure en fonction des proportions de la tente choisie.

- Un autre écran gonflable, si des projections de nuit et en extérieur semblaient envisageables aux autorités du camp.

- Un lecteur de DVD/Blu-Ray relié au projecteur.

- Un système de sonorisation pour distribuer le son à 3 enceintes, deux latérales et une centrale, posées sur des pieds.

- Des caisses de type « flycase » assez hautes dans lesquelles seront rangés l’amplificateur et les lecteurs de DVD et au sommet desquelles sera posé le projecteur dont le faisceau lumineux passera ainsi au-dessus des spectateurs. L’idée étant que ce matériel puisse être mobile, si besoin.

- Des lampes de projection de rechange.

LES FILMS

Pour la première projection, nous aimerions symboliquement projeter aux réfugiés La Sortie des usines Lumière et quelques autres films des frères inventeurs, en compagnie d’un commentaire en arabe qui leur fera découvrir l’invention du cinéma.

Par la suite, il faudra trouver des films et des films d'animation venus de tous horizons mais systématiquement doublés en arabe. 

Ces films devront respecter certains principes afin de ne pas offenser les convictions religieuses des spectateurs (pas de scènes de sexe ou de violence etc.)

Nous pouvons aussi imaginer travailler en collaboration avec les écoles du camp afin de projeter aux enfants des films s’insérant dans leur programme, comme des documentaires.

Et même imaginer projeter des matchs de foot retransmis sur Internet, ce qui permettra aux réfugiés de regarder les matchs ensemble.

Nous pensons solliciter les grands distributeurs français et internationaux afin qu’ils mettent gratuitement à notre disposition leurs catalogues dans lesquels les responsables de notre cinéma pourront faire leur choix.

Cette question du choix des films est délicate mais la Royal Film Commission (l’organisme d’état qui coordonne l’industrie du cinéma en Jordanie), nos partenaires sur place à Amman et ceux du camp de Zaatari, sont là pour nous aider.

LA LOGISTIQUE & L'ÉQUPE

Les bénévoles de l'association "Lumière à Zaatari" se chargeront d'acheter et  d’acheminer le matériel vers la Jordanie grâce aux soutiens d'une équipe de bénévoles jordaniens sur place et des autorités qui devraient simplifier cette opération «humanitaire» avec les douanes.

Avec l'aide de l'UNHCR et d'IRD, ces mêmes équipes de bénévoles français et jordaniens vont aménager et décorer le cinéma, puis embaucher et former un projectionniste et deux autres personnes issues de la communauté des réfugiés du camp qui pourront travailler de façon rémunérée pour faire vivre le cinéma.

                  

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À quoi servira la collecte ?

La collecte servira à financer :

- L'achat du matériel : 12.500 €

- Acheminement du matériel et douanes : 9.800 €

- Aménagement de la salle de projection : 4.000 €

- Voyages et formation de techniciens sur place : 6.000 €

- Imprévus et assurances : 2.500 €

À 38.000 euros notre premier objectif sera atteint. Le cinéma à Zaatari sera en mesure de fonctionner et d'accueillir son public ! 

Mais ce n'est qu'une première étape. 

Si la campagne atteint 50.000 euros, alors nous pourrons prendre en charge pendant un an le salaire à mi-temps d'un coordinateur et responsable technique pour faire fonctionner le cinéma  et assurer la programmation et les projections.

Si la campagne dépasse le seuil de 50 000 euros, les dons supplémentaires serviront à financer les frais de fonctionnement du cinéma au-delà de la première année d'activité. 

Si le total de vos dons s'élevait à un montant supérieur à 60 000 euros, nous pourrions assurer le fonctionnement du cinéma sur les 2 premières années et nous reverserions les sommes supplémentaires perçues à l'association "LES ECRANS DE LA PAIX" http://www.lesecransdelapaix.com qui oeuvre depuis des années dans les camps de réfugiés du Moyen Orient avec un cinéma itinérant.

Dans un an les habitants du camp de Zaatari seront sans doute toujours là et leur cinéma ne doit pas s'arrêter. 

Bristol: Historians David Olusoga and Madge Dresser discuss the life and legacy of Edward Colston on Radio 4

After almost three years spent working on Bristol's history and coming regularly to the city, after living in England for years and as a journalist who spent five years reporting in Europe and America then 7 years reporting mainly on and in Africa, I'm now more than ever involved in writing about the relations between Europe and Africa, between the Western World and the rest of the world.

My next contribution will be an 8-page article for a Canadian magazine about Bristol, its history and its Caribbean heritage.

Any contribution and insights are welcome.

Here is an event people reading this my be interested in:

BBC Radio 4 - Great Lives, with Matthew Parris, David Olusoga and Will Gregory in The Lantern, Colston Hall.

Join Matthew Parris at the Colston Hall on 9th November for a double bill recording of BBC Radio 4’s biography series Great Lives, to be broadcast later this year.

Historians David Olusoga and Madge Dresser discuss the life and legacy of Edward Colston, followed by Will Gregory from Goldfrapp and Carol Taaffe on Irish author Flann O'Brien.

Bring along a question to put to the guests.

Doors open at 12.30 to enable everyone to be seated and for recording to start promptly at 13.00.

This is a free event.

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Link to event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bbc-radio-4-great-lives-with-matthew-parris-tickets-38288816882

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More useful links to documents: https://counteringcolston.wordpress.com/useful-links/

The UK's ten most influential black persons announced

Read here:

Gina Miller named UK's most influential black person

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41734289

Businesswoman Gina Miller has been named as Britain's most influential black person.

The 52-year-old led the successful Brexit legal challenge which ruled parliament had to vote on whether Theresa May could trigger Article 50.
Ms Miller topped the 2018 Powerlist of 100 people, which recognises those of African and African Caribbean heritage.
British Vogue editor Edward Enninful and grime artist Stormzy have also been included in this year's list.
Those named were decided by an independent panel - including former High Court judge Dame Linda Dobbs and former Apprentice winner Tim Campbell. They rated nominees on their "ability to change lives and alter events".

'Abuse daily'

Previous number ones in the Powerlist include former children's laureate Malorie Blackman, philanthropist Mo Ibrahim, architect David Adjaye and Baronesses Scotland and Amos.
Nearly half of the list for 2018 were women - headed by Ms Miller, the founder of wealth management company SCM.
She came to prominence in the past year when she argued that starting talks to leave the EU without a parliamentary vote was "undemocratic" because it involved a change in law.

In January, the Supreme Court upheld her challenge ruling Prime Minister Theresa May could not start the process of leaving the EU until MPs and peers gave their backing.
The UK is due to leave the EU in March 2019.
After the ruling, Ms Miller said she had received death threats and "offensive, racist and hateful" abuse.
On receiving her title, she said: "It's amazing to get an accolade when what I've done has solicited a huge amount of abuse.

"To have somebody acknowledge me is extraordinarily kind and counters a lot of what I still get on a daily basis."

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The Powerlist top 10

1. Gina Miller - business owner, political activist 
2. Ric Lewis - chief executive and chairman of Tristan Capital Partners 
3. Ismail Ahmed - World Remit founder
4. Sharon White - Ofcom chief
5. Dr Nira Chamberlain - professional mathematician 
6. Jacky Wright - chief digital and information officer, HMRC
7. Sandra Wallace - UK managing partner, DLA Piper
8. Professor Laura Serrant - Professor of Nursing, Sheffield Hallam University
9. Dr Shirley J Thompson - music composer, visionary and cultural activist
10. Edward Enninful - British Vogue editor-in-chief 

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Powerlist 2018 publisher Michael Eboda said he was "proud" about the number of women on this year's list. He added: "Gina was a shoo-in this year for number one, Brexit is the most important political event to happen this century. "Gina's role in ensuring a sovereignty of parliament was recognised by the courts has been monumental and has set a precedent that will last hundreds of years."

Colston's death and rebirth...

News from Bristol's music event, Simple Things Festival, and venue, the soon-to-be-ex-Colston Hall, by The Quietus' writer, Josh Gray:

Things Learned At: Simple Things Festival 
Josh Gray , October 23rd, 2017 12:37

Josh Gray says goodbye to venues named for slave traders and hello to HMLTD, Nadine Shah and Idles at Simple Things festival.

Nadine Shah photo by Rebecca Cleal

What's in a name? Quite a lot, actually

For many years Simple Things has relied on Bristol’s huge Colston Hall to act as a centrepiece for the festival. Half the stages are inside it, and its location in the middle of all the other venues means it feels like the hub of the whole festival. So there are challenging times ahead for the organisers as Colston Hall shuts down until 2020, when it will be relaunched under a different name. Why, you ask? Because Edward Colston was a slave trader. 

As Nadine Shah puts it during her unmissable opening of the main stage, “I have friends who didn’t want to come down to this because of this building’s toxic reputation. But I’m happy the owners have listened to the protests and look forward to coming back to play the Freedom Hall!” Whatever you think of the new name (“lazy American-ish cop out” comes to this writer’s mind), the removal of this controversy will only bolster Simple Things’ reputation. Massive Attack might even perform after their longstanding boycott of the venue.

(...)

Almost all of the festival’s venues are repurposed buildings

Besides the cunning use of otherwise dead space in The Foyer and the unexpectedly brilliant acoustics for Leftfield when they play their whole glorious debut in the main hall, which was designed for 19th-century orchestras, Simple Things makes use of some fairly odd spaces around Bristol. 

The Island houses both the old Crown Court and the old Firestation, where Jlin, Shackleton and Hipsters Don’t Dance try their utmost to get hipsters dancing behind giant red doors. Juan Atkins and Gramcry hit the decks at Stokes Croft’s Lakota - part ex-brewery, part Coroner’s Court - while the psychedelic Lantern (where The Quietus curates stellar performances from Children of Leir and Jane Weaver) used to be a theatre. The individuality of each of Simple Things’ venues sets it apart from other city-bound weekenders by giving each corner of the festival its own unique identity, much as you’d hope to get at a camping festival. 

There is no greater pleasure than conquering your hometown

Idles have been Bristol's premiere punk rock act for over half a decade now, and any band that Big Jeff has managed to see over 25 times can’t possibly be described as newcomers. As they tear into Bristol's premiere concert hall for the first time in their career, however, it feels like Joe Talbot and his band of merry hellraisers are only truly arriving at this very moment. 

Despite inheriting a rather blue crowd from Wild Beasts’ bittersweet leave-taking, Idles only have time for positive vibes. Never staying in the same place for more than a moment, the band's set boasts security-baiting stage invasions, guest vocals from random crowd members and the most venomous cover of Adele's 'Someone Like You' since that one Ice Nine Kills vomited out in 2012. Simple Things has always done a good job at highlighting talent from outside London, but often it undersells Bristol itself. By showcasing fresh-blooded acts like Idles, the festival reminds punters from across the country that Bristol's musical pedigree runs deep and wide. This is a full-blown renaissance town.

"PHANTOM THREAD"

Finally, Paul Thomas Anderson's new film's trailer is available :

PHANTOM THREAD - Official Trailer [HD] - 

In Select Theaters Christmas

Published on 23 Oct 2017

Watch the official trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s #PhantomThread, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. In select theaters this Christmas.

Set in the glamour of 1950’s post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) are at the center of British fashion, dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutants and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock. Women come and go through Woodcock’s life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma (Vicky Krieps), who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love. With his latest film, Paul Thomas Anderson paints an illuminating portrait both of an artist on a creative journey, and the women who keep his world running. Phantom Thread is Paul Thomas Anderson’s eighth movie, and his second collaboration with Daniel Day-Lewis.

http://www.PhantomThread.com
https://www.facebook.com/PhantomThread
https://twitter.com/Phantom_Thread
https://www.instagram.com/phantomthread

News from Calais

  In The Guardian today:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/23/calais-refugees-year-after-razing-of-camp

Calais: hundreds of migrants remain a year after razing of camp

Site now barren land with nowhere to shelter but Help Refugees charity has been forbidden from giving out tents

Hundreds of refugees and migrants are believed to be in Calais and the surrounding area, a year after the refugee camp there was razed.

It is thought between 700 and 800 people are gathered in France’s northern port town, which continues to attract those hoping to start a new life in the UK.

The number could be as high as 2,000 for northern France, Annie Gavrilescu, who works for the charity Help Refugees, said. She also said the charity was not allowed to give out any tents, in case people set up a new camp.

Footage from what came to be known as the “Jungle” shows it now as barren land, and those desperately seeking shelter are forced to take cover in the thicket.

Gavrilescu said: “While the French authorities are trying to prevent a camp, all we want to do is provide people with some form of shelter and protection. Unfortunately last winter, a few people in Greece and Serbia have died just of the cold and it is a distinct possibility that it could happen in northern France as well.”

Speaking in Calais, Fawad from Afghanistan said: “We sleep in jungles and there are a lot of problems from police. They take our everything; tents, sleeping bags, clothes.” He said migrants were always on the run from police, fearing being beaten if caught.

Fawad, who only gave his first name, said: “We are afraid for winter. We will see what will happen because we don’t have a place to sleep and something to wear. And every day there is rain. It makes a lot of problems for us. That is why we are afraid of winter.”

Hamad, who is also from Afghanistan, said the blankets they had offered little protection from the rain, and the freezing cold nights.
On 24 October last year thousands of camp dwellers packed their bags on the first day of the exodus.

Calais has been home to refugees for years but the camp on the city’s edge sprang up around a day centre opened in April 2015 by the state. The population of people who fled war, poverty and persecution rapidly grew into the thousands.

Repeated efforts to cross the Channel to Britain have been made by migrants, prompting an Anglo-French operation to bolster security around the ports, including building razor-topped fences.

Last year French authorities cleared the camp in an attempt to relocate people or send them to centres around the country where they could apply for asylum.

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My report from 2016:

http://www.ips-journal.eu/about/human-rights/article/show/refugees-welcome-1887/

Refugees welcome?

After the closure of the Calais migrant camp, French charities call for more state help with accommodation

By Melissa Chemam | 07.03.2017

Since the destruction of the informal settlement of refugees and transitional migrants in Calais – now known as the “Jungle”, in October 2016, the French government promised to find housing for all three to four-thousand people forced to leave the area. They have opened about 500 welcome centres to redistribute the fleeing population across the country, away from Calais, neighbouring Hauts-de-France and saturated Paris.  Meanwhile, the Mayor of Paris has opened two buildings to host a capacity of 500 refugees waiting to be registered for asylum. But they are already full and refugees are still arriving, notably via the Italian border. Those working with refugees on the ground say the system has the capacity to absorb people in need, but only with political will and a proper infrastructure.

Following the closure of the Calais infamous “Jungle”, in October 2016, one thing that Parisians have not been able to ignore is the increasing number of refugees from Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Afghanistan living on the streets. They’re mainly young men who have survived a very long journey to find almost no help. They congregate in areas that have regularly been the nerve points of the crisis in Paris: Boulevard de Stalingrad, Halle Pajol, Boulevard de la Chapelle, and along the North and East stations. Authorities estimate more than 50 foreign migrants arrive in Paris each day, and that more than 400 are living on the streets of the French capital. Most of them would qualify for asylum, as they have been fleeing war and devastation.

Pushing all refugees out of Calais has inevitably drawn some of them back to Paris, young men hoping to travel on to England, despite British efforts to keep them out and last year’s referendum on the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union.

France already has the infrastructure to house refugees

For Bruno Morel, executive director at Emmaüs Solidarité, a non-profit organisation charged with coordinating the settlement of migrants in the capital, “Paris and France in general have the capacity to host and settle every incoming refugee. And a lot has been done so far, but we should not weaken our efforts”.

Since June 2015, the police in Paris have organised 30 evacuations of informal settlements around Place Stalingrad, in the 18^th arrondissement. But thanks mainly to non-profit organisation, 23,000 offers for temporary accommodation have been found and opened for the homeless refugees in France since the beginning of the crisis in 2015.

On May 31, 2016, Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo officially opened a temporary hosting structure and a humanitarian “camp”, with healthcare facilities, a kitchen and an information centre. It is meant as a first port of call, before a migrant is settled into more suitable housing. Set on Boulevard Ney, on the northern edge of the city, it has 400 beds and has hosted 6,800 people, in shifts, since November 2016. A women-only centre was opened soon after in Ivry, on Paris’ south side. Non-governmental organisations are looking after the refugees’ most basic needs, with Emmaüs Solidarité coordinating the site, helped by Médecins du Monde, Logique Habitat, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), among others.

“We think everyone can be hosted in a proper camp”, adds Bruno Morel, “but we must stay organised and open new centres outside Paris and Calais, where the situation is getting saturated. We need fluidity. The government needs to open other centres in Strasbourg, Lyon or Marseille, and regularly check where there are free spaces”.

From the camp to the streets 

But the situation remains harsh for refugees in Paris. A recent report by the Refugee Rights Data Project shows that hundreds of them are still sleeping on the streets in freezing conditions, and are regularly having their blankets and sleeping bags taken by police or are “violently” moved on. Natalie Stanton, deputy director of the Project, describes “alarming” scenes in the La Chapelle area, where authorities launch repetitive clearance operations. MSF published similar reports during the winter.

Meanwhile, in Calais, refugees are again settling near the entrance of the Eurotunnel, aiming to travel to the UK. But the local authorities are refusing to open any more hosting centres. Mayor of Calais Natacha Bouchart, of centre-right party Les Républicains, has even forbidden the handing out of meals and snacks.

Her mayoral decree states the “regular, persistent and large presence of individuals distributing meals to migrants” in the area around the site of the former camp poses a threat to peace and security. It bans any “repeated, prolonged gatherings” in the area, making food distribution an offence. Most refugee charities have decided to ignore the ban and are taking legal advice.

Tensions are rising, especially as refugees continue to arrive at the Italian border, via Libya. Locals living between Ventimiglia in Italy, and Nice on the French Riviera, an area with a centuries-old tradition of migration, have often been welcoming. Not so the judicial system.

Unwelcome hospitality

In February, French farmer Cédric Herrou was handed a 3,000 Euro suspended fine for transporting three Eritreans across the French-Italian border. He has also housed dozens of migrants in caravans on his farm in the Roya valley, in south-east France.

“Forced eviction back to Italy is purely illegal,” Herrou tells me during a sit-in to protest abusive police control in Sospel, near Ventimiglia. “The police are controlling every car on our road and every black person found on the streets or trains. We cannot let them keep doing this”.
Herrou’s verdict comes less than three months before the first round of France's presidential elections, and many parties are using the issue of immigration to galvanise voters. But volunteers across France in support of the refugees are still out in force.

On 6 March, in a speech on the future of the European Union and the coming elections, French President François Hollande said the EU had to speed up its decision-making process, especially when it comes to the refugee crisis. But the interior minister, Bruno Leroux, already admitted a week before that it would be “difficult” to find shelter for all migrants. However, without a deal with the United Kingdom, French authorities will have no other choice that to act and open more accommodation for the homeless refugees, in transit or not.

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Melissa Chemam

Paris

Freelance journalist Melissa Chemam has reported from more than 30 countries in Europe, America, the Middle East and Africa. Her non-fiction book, En dehors de la zone de confort, which explores the history of Bristol through its artists and musicians, was published in France in 2016. A version in English is planned for March 2018. 

Black History Month: A few facts about Bristol's past

 Bristol's history is at the core of my book about Massive Attack. The band's music, art and social interaction with their environment had such an impact around them, from the first events of their predecessor, The Wild Bunch Collective to our days, that they literally di change their city, musically of course, but also politically and socially.

It was therefore key to write about the city's history to explain where the band were coming from and what environment shaped them before they came to re-shape the city.

Here is an article that digs into details about Bristol's dark past, linked to colonisation and the slave trad. As much as London. Or Liverpol, or its twin city, Bordeaux, or Paris for that matter. But for Bristol is was defining and it forced a large minority to react, say "stop" and look differently at their environment and their link with the rest of the world...

More in my book, to be out in English in the spring 2018.

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From

Bristol's Free Museums and Historic Houses

link: https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/blog/bristol-and-the-tst-myths-and-truths/

Bristol and the Transatlantic Slave Trade: Myths and Truths

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Lacey Trotman.

By Sue Giles, Senior Collections Officer World Cultures and edited by Hudi Charin, Participation Volunteer

The transatlantic slave trade is a dark area of Bristol’s history, and it’s important we can understand the city’s role in it. Do you know your fact from your myth? Read our list to find out… 

“Blackboy Hill got its name because enslaved Africans were auctioned here”

MYTH

The street name comes from the Black Boy Inn.  The pub name was probably linked to King Charles II, who was known as ‘the Black Boy’ because of his dark hair and complexion, rather than to the slave trade (not least because enslaved Africans never were auctioned on the Downs).

“Bristol was a minor port in the trade.”

MYTH

Bristol played a major part in the transatlantic slave trade, with Bristol merchants financing over 2000 slaving voyages between 1698 and 1807. These ships carried over 500,000 enslaved Africans from Africa to slave labour in the Americas.

“Bristol residents were given billions in compensation for their lost ‘property’ in 1834.”

TRUE

Bristol’s plantation owners and merchants who invested in plantations received over £500,000 in compensation for the ‘loss’ of their enslaved ‘property’ when the Emancipation Act was passed, freeing the enslaved in 1834. Today, that could be worth up to £2,036,000,000.

“Enslaved Africans were advertised in the local paper.”

TRUE 

If an enslaved African was brought into Bristol and sold as a house servant, it was usually by word-of-mouth or an advertisement in the local paper. Felix Farley’s Bristol Journaladvertised ‘A Negroe Boy, about Ten years old, He has had the Small-Pox’ for sale in August 1760, enquiries to the Printing Office in Small Street.

“Redcliffe Caves were used to house enslaved Africans.”

MYTH

Sand was dug here for the local glass making industry, creating the caverns. Very few enslaved Africans came to Bristol and were sold here, they were normally shipped directly from Africa to the Americas and sold there, where there was the demand for their labour. The caves were used to store goods, including those for the Africa trade, and may have been used as a temporary prison for French prisoners of war.

“St Mary Redcliffe church rang its bells in celebration when a bill to abolish slavery was defeated in 1791.”

MYTH

There is no record of payment for the bell ringers, so this is most likely a myth. However, the church certainly had links with the slave trade, and many of its congregants would have had some financial interest in the trade. One of the city’s biggest slave traders, Edmund Saunders, was Churchwarden in the early 18thcentury.

“St Mary Redcliffe church kept enslaved Africans in the crypt.”

MYTH

The crypt was a temporary gaol, but for French prisoners of war in 1744.

“Whiteladies Road was where white women promenaded, with their black enslaved footmen in attendance.”

 MYTH

The road was a dirt track then and ladies were unlikely to walk there and get their hems and shoes dirty. More probably, the road ran alongside the land belonging to a convent at the bottom of St Michael’s Hill. The nuns wore white habits, hence the name.

“Many street names are connected to slavery.”

 TRUE

Colston Street was named after Edward Colston, well known for his involvement in the slave and sugar trade: however there are many other lesser known connections.
To name just a few:
Elton Road – the Elton family were investors in the brass industry, and also owned slave ships.
Farr Lane – the Farrs were rope makers and slave traders.
Tyndalls Avenue – the Tyndalls invested in slaving ventures.
Winterstoke Road – Lord Winterstoke was head of the Wills family, associated with the slave-grown commodity of tobacco.

“Pero’s Bridge is named after an enslaved African.”

TRUE

Pero Jones was born enslaved on Nevis.  He was bought by John Pinney and brought to Bristol around 1790, when the Pinneys left Nevis. Pero was Pinney’s valet, and worked for him for over 30 years, though he was never freed. The footbridge was named after Pero in tribute to the many unknown African men, women and children who were enslaved by Bristol’s merchants.

“Some of the buildings in King Street were built as a result of the slave trade.”

TRUE

The Theatre Royal was funded by 50 merchants, of whom at least 12 were slave merchants or slave ship owners, and at least another six were suppliers to the slave ships, plantation owners or sugar traders. The street was also home to Henry Webb, captain of the slave ship Nevis Planter, and Robert Walls, surgeon on the slave ship Guinea.

“Edward Colston’s statue explains how he made his fortune.”

MYTH

Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol is a controversial monument to a wealthy man who founded schools and charities. Based in London, he traded with Europe, and as an investor in and a committee member of the Royal African Company he made part of his fortune from the slave trade and from sugar.  There is still no official mention of this on the statue, though there was an unofficial plaque referring to the slave trade.

“Between 1730 and 1746, Bristol’s slave voyages made up 20% of the whole of British trade.”  

MYTH

In fact, it was much more: about 40% of British trade was made up by Bristol’s slaving voyages in this period. In the 1730s, on average 36 slave voyages left Bristol each year, with 53 in 1738. For these 16 years, Bristol was the leading slaving port, overtaking London and being overtaken in turn by Liverpool.

“Bristol’s slavers were responsible for shipping over half a million enslaved Africans.”

TRUE

British ships carried an estimated 3.1 million enslaved Africans altogether, although only 2.7 million survived the Atlantic crossing. Bristol traders were responsible for shipping about one-fifth of the total of enslaved Africans carried on British ships, that’s over 500,000.

Find out more about the myths and truths for yourself… 

Visiting our Transatlantic Slave Trade exhibit at M Shed.

Exploring our Guide to African-Caribbean Sources.

Visiting Bristol Archives

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Are you a teacher?  

Bring your class to Bristol and the Transatlantic Slave Trade school sessions for Year 7-10.

Purchase a Transatlantic Slave Trade Teaching Resource Pack.

Hire a  Transatlantic Slave Trade loan box

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About my book: http://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.fr/2017/09/writing-about-massive-attack-out-of.html?spref=tw