The exhibition ‘Windrush Legacy Creative Reflections’ is set to open this Saturday (September 30) at the Museum of Edinburgh.
Windrush Legacy Creative Reflections is about reflecting on our Caribbean roots, sharing our stories of life in Scotland, and dreaming into our futures.
The exhibition builds on the work of the former project 'Respect! Caribbean Life in Edinburgh' which ran from October 2022 to February 2023.
Co-curated by Scottish-Caribbean writers Jeda Pearl and Courtney Stoddart and artist Kezia Lewis, works of poetry, prose, and artworks by people of Caribbean descent are showcased.
During a special preview today (September 27), Council Leader Cammy Day, alongside co-creators, artists, and other special guests got the chance for a first look at the exhibition.
Council Leader Cammy Day said:
I was lucky enough to visit this vivid and powerful exhibition today, and it’s fantastic that it will soon be open to all our residents and visitors to come and enjoy.
In June, I attended the Windrush 75 Anniversary Celebration at the Hub here in Edinburgh, and it was brilliant to see such a rich and diverse array of people coming together to celebrate a key piece of social history and look ahead to the future.
With Black History Month beginning this Sunday (October 1) it is key that we use exhibitions like this year-round to educate and provoke discussion about the history of Scotland, the wider UK and the people who call it home.
I would like to thank the artists who have brough this exhibition to life and to our partners and colleagues at the Edinburgh Caribbean Association, Scottish BPOC Writers Network, Museums & Galleries Edinburgh, and the Scottish Government.
Minister for Migration Emma Roddick said:
The Scottish Government are delighted to support this important project. The 75th anniversary of the HMT Windrush’s arrival at Tilbury docks in 1948 gives us the opportunity to thank members of the Windrush generation that settled in Scotland after the Second World War.
We are grateful for your immense contributions. You have helped make Scotland the country that it is today.
Co-Curator and Scottish-Caribbean Writer Jeda Pearl said:
Windrush Legacy Creative Reflections celebrates and pays homage to the Windrush Generation (arriving 1948 - 1971), the Belizean lumberjacks and Caribbean people who came before and after 1948, and their descendants who made their homes in Scotland. By remembering and celebrating the abundance of cultural contributions and the resilience of our ancestors, while exploring our experiences of life in Scotland today, we can dream into optimistic, anti-racist, and reparative futures.
The exhibition runs from September 30, 2023, to January 28, 2024, and is open seven days a week. Entry is free.
Accessibility guidelines for the Museum of Edinburgh can be found on our website.