Some students from selected secondary schools around Liverpool had a chance to learn about Citizen Outreach Coalition (COC) project “The Definitive Story of Africans in Merseyside” during a weeklong work experience visit to the National Museums in Liverpool. The event took place at the Anthony Walker Education Centre situated off the main gallery of the International Slavery museum on Friday July 6 2018.
COC Project Manager Francis Ngwa was one of the guest speakers that some of the students interviewed when they focused on the Sankofa Project in the museum. The Sankofa project was designed to “investigating black social history “ within the Liverpool national museums collections. It works closely with community groups to archive and make their collective memories (including stories, photographs and objects) and making them accessible to the wider public. “Sankofa” is an word from the Akan language in Ghana which means “reach back and get it”. Literary it means we need to go back to our roots in order to chart the future.
Mr Ngwa presented one of the big designs board produced as part of a Heritage Lottery Funded project that recorded the oral histories of 30 Africans from Ghana, Nigeria and Somalia who had made Merseyside home to the students. Some of the students later interviewed him about the project and the life of migrant Africans in Merseyside
Mitty Ramagavigan, Sankofa curator coordinated the work of the students during their hands on visit to the Anthony Walker Centre.
