London: Enfield and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

To coincide with Slavery Remembrance Day a major new exhibition has opened and runs to Sunday 28th October 2007 at Forty Hall Museum, Forty Hill in Enfield.

The theme of the exhibition is ‘Enfield and the Transatlantic Slave Trade’ and it has been put together by Enfield’s museum service in partnership with the British Museum and the Enfield Racial Equality Council.

Museum manager, Val Munday, said, “To bring the exhibition to life we have borrowed objects from the British Museum. These objects relate to the Ashante, Yoruba and Afikpo people – many of whom were transported here during the slave trade.

“In particular we have a beautiful selection of brass weights used for weighing gold. One is of the Sankofa bird. A proverb about it states that an individual should not be afraid to try to undo past errors - Sankofa means ‘learning from the past’. This exhibition sets out to help us learn from the past.”

One of the downstairs reception rooms at Forty Hall has been recreated as a Georgian man’s study of the1790-1820 period. This represents the wealth and property of a well–to-do merchant, typical of a person of the time who might have had direct or indirect links with the slave trade.

Text panels cover the history of the slave trade explaining the role of abolitionists from the Friends Meeting House at Winchmore Hill, together with information about the early black presence in Enfield. The legacy of the slave trade is examined together with slavery since 1834.

Cllr Paul McCannah, cabinet member for leisure, culture and Olympics, said, ”We all have something to learn from an appalling time in our history where humanity was a commodity.

“This exhibition shows how this shocking trade developed and how it was brought to an end. We are linking this exhibition with our Black History Month events in October and I am sure that it will attract many visitors.”

Visitors can see the exhibition from Forty Hall Museum 11am – 4pm Wednesdays to Sundays. Information: 020 8379 1468, email [email protected]

Images Copyright the Trustees of the British Museum

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