Liverpool based charity Citizen Outreach Coalition (COC) will on Friday June 16 2017 launch its seminal project “The Definitive Story of Africans in Merseyside” in the Conference room of the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre in Toxteth. The project was made possible by a grant from Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) made possible by money raised by national lottery players.
Some African community leaders, residents, stakeholders and volunteers will be present during the launch ceremony intended to raise awareness about the year-long project intended to record the life stories of some Nigerians, Ghanaians, and Somalis who left Africa and have made Merseyside their home. The project will examine the reasons that led them to leave their motherland, their journey abroad, their trials, tribulations and triumphs in their new host country.
“Over twelve months, we will identify and record the stories of 30 engaging personalities from the above communities and some of the challenges they faced in integrating and functioning in new environment which in most cases were completely different from their community life styles back in Africa”…a press release from COC read.
Volunteer Training
Prior to the launch ceremony next Friday June 16 2017, 40 volunteers will be trained on oral history collection, video/audio shooting and editing in the conference hall of Crawford House in Toxteth. The 40 volunteers will be divided in two groups and each will attend the workshops on Monday June 12 2017 and Tuesday June 13 2017. Some places are still are still available. Interested volunteers can contact the project Manager.
Need to Record & Archive African stories too.
In a press release, Citizen Outreach Coalition Project Manager Francis Ngwa noted that “…even with the rapid development in photography and technology, most Africans are not known for recording and keeping their stories for posterity. This project will hopefully make people aware just why it is necessary to keep our stories for future generations. Most of the people whose stories we will be recording will not be around for ever. It is only fair that we collect and preserve their stories and how they overcame the challenges they met when they arrived in Merseyside. By doing this, we will get a greater insight into their motivations for moving to Merseyside, the people they met, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them. Commenting on the award, COC coordinator Vitalis Tanteh and project lead said “this project will help us tell some of the stories you don’t get to hear in traditional news media in the UK. Nobody can tell our stories better than us”. COC is a BME organization that works for a fairer life opportunities for black and minority people. All our projects are however inclusive of all residents in Merseyside
About Citizen Outreach Coalition
Citizen Outreach Coalition (COC) helps to empower residents in Liverpool and around the UK including Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people in the local communities so that they can achieve their full potentials. It does this by supporting projects in the following fields; crime prevention, health promotion, skills training, supporting the artistic development of people among others. COC is also an inclusive organization that does not limit participation in its projects to gender, sex, ethnicity or disability.
You can get more information from it’s website; www.citizenoutreachcoalition.com.
