Coventry's Caribbean history explored in new exhibition at St Mary's Guildhall

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Coventry's Caribbean history explored in new exhibition at St Mary's Guildhall

A trio of young people have delved into the history of Coventry’s Caribbean community – and the fascinating results will go on show in one of the city’s oldest institutions.

Three stories from the six-month long Coventry Caribbean Community History Project (CCCHP) will be shared at St Mary’s Guildhall from June 9 to 29, giving visitors the chance to explore snapshots of the city’s Caribbean history from across the decades.

Coventry's Caribbean history explored in new exhibition at St Mary's Guildhall

The project, which is supported by the St Mary’s Guildhall community engagement programme, looks to uncover different aspects of twentieth century Caribbean life in Coventry, detailing the historical significance of the community.

Launched by the ArawaK Community Trust in the wake of the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Windrush, the CCCHP aims to provide research and curation skills to young Black people in Coventry to explore and record the city’s Black Caribbean history.

Iqra Abdi, Akasha Daley and Jade McFarlane have each spent the last six months researching and curating a section, covering the Osaba Women's Centre in Coventry, the fight against educational marginalisation in post-Windrush Coventry, and Rastafari Women in Coventry.

The initiative also saw the participants invited for a tour of De Montfort University’s Special Collections archive as well as its Stephen Lawrence Research Centre to gain insights into the role archives can play in reflecting on Black history.

The exhibition will also feature at Caribbean Reggae Fever at War Memorial Park from July 20-21.

Holly Cooper, Project Coordinator and History DPhil student at the University of Oxford, said: “I am so proud of Iqra, Akasha, and Jade for all their hard work and commitment over the last six months; undertaking meaningful community-based historical recovery is not easy.”

“Coventry’s Caribbean community history is one of resistance, strength, and unity. A story we can all learn so much from.”

Niamh Carton, Community Engagement Manager at St Mary’s Guildhall, which is operated by No Ordinary Hospitality, said: “This has been a really important and rewarding piece of work to be involved with and represents what our community programmes are all about – helping more people engage with their history.

“Holly and the team have been absolutely brilliant to work with and we are delighted to share their work with members of the public as part of a three-week exhibition before it heads to War Memorial Park.”

For more information visit www.arawakcommunitytrust.com/ccchp

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