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Freedom! sculpture tours UK to mark 200th anniversary of abolition of slave trade
As the UK commemorates the end of the slave trade, an original sculpture has been commissioned by Christian Aid and National Museums Liverpool from a group of Haitian artists representing their continuing struggle for freedom and human rights. The work will be unveiled on 26 February 2007 in Liverpool’s Merseyside Maritime Museum. It will then tour the country, taking in London and Bristol, before returning to Liverpool where it will remain on permanent display in the new International Slavery Museum, which opens on 23 August. ·Watch video of sculpture The Freedom! sculpture, made out of recycled objects such as metal car parts and raw junk found in the dangerous slums of the capital, Port-au-Prince, was created by young Haitians and sculptors Eugène, Céleur and Guyodo from Atis Rezistans in collaboration with Mario Benjamin, an internationally renowned Haitian artist who has represented his country at Biennials in Venice, São Paulo and Johannesburg. Despite the fact that Parliament abolished the slave trade in the UK 200 years ago, global inequalities still exist today. It is no longer legal for people to be traded as commodities. But millions of people in places like Haiti, are still forced by poverty to work in unhealthy, dangerous – even life-threatening – conditions. Haiti became the first black republic as a result of the first successful slave revolt. Today, however, because of unfair terms of trade and hefty international debt repayments, Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere with 82 per cent of the rural population living below the poverty line according to the UN and 70 per cent of the population is unemployed. Unfair terms of global trade make it impossible for local farmers to compete with food imports from richer countries. Haiti is a stark example of this kind of economic injustice, which makes many thousands of people flood into the cities to find jobs. But few find work and with no source of income many succumb to the temptation to use guns as a means of survival. To incorporate a sense of what freedom and slavery means to people in Haiti today, the artists held workshops with young people benefiting from the work of APROSIFA, a Christian Aid-supported organisation in Haiti set up to provide basic education, run health clinics and work towards an end to gang fighting. Ronald Cadet, one of the young collaborators said: XPeople don’t have chains on their arms and legs now, but people still have chains in their minds. When you have problems getting enough food, housing and education, you are not living in a free country.’ But, he said, working on this project made him see there was hope and Xstrength in being united’. Rose Anne Auguste, the founder of APROSIFA, said: XWhen you live in shanty towns you can feel like you have no right to culture. It is sad that Mario Benjamin had to teach these kids to visit museums. Their parents are too busy surviving to take them to museums.’ Mario Benjamin, in the role of Artistic Director for the Freedom! sculpture said: XFor me, it was very important to show that slavery has always been part of civilisation. My ambition was that we would create something that is quite universal, that is about suffering, hoping, fighting, what humanity has been about all the time.’ The sculpture has already received the support of Christian Aid’s trade ambassador and award-winning actor and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah. The piece will become the main permanent exhibit in the XContemporary Issues’ section of the new International Slavery Museum when it opens in Liverpool on Slavery Remembrance Day, 23 August, the day which commemorates the uprising of enslaved Africans in Haiti. David Fleming, Director of National Museums Liverpool said XThis remarkable sculpture is an important work of art in its own right, but it also symbolises the links between the historic transatlantic slave trade and contemporary issues of freedom, enslavement and global inequalities. It is fitting that its permanent home will be in the International Slavery Museum, due to open on the anniversary of the revolution which created Haiti, the world's first independent Black republic.’ People are encouraged to take campaigning action at www.pressureworks.org to help change unfair international trade rules and debt terms as part of the fight for freedom and basic human rights today. The website will also have details about the sculpture’s UK tour, video of its creation and interviews with the artists. For more information about the museum visit www.internationalslaverymuseum.org.uk
Christian Aid/Leah Gordon
A close up of the Freedom! sculpture
commissioned by international
development charity Christian Aid and
National Museums Liverpool from a group
of Haitian artists representing their
continuing struggle for freedom and
human rights, 200 years after the UK
abolished the slave
trade
REF:
Christian Aid/Leah Gordon
Nathalie Fanfan, 23 years old, in her
house. She lives in a very dangerous
area of the capital where gang violence
fuelled by extreme poverty has forced
her to stop going to school on several
occasions and she will not finish her A-
levels until she is 26 because of that.
Asked about kidnappings, she said: It
does not even faze us anymore. We are
used to it. Before, we used to see
things like that on TV. Now its part of
our everyday life.
REF:
Christian Aid/Leah Gordon
American rice - unfair global trade
terms on developing countries chain many
farmers to poverty. In Haiti, tax-free
food imports are flooding the country,
wiping out small farmers who can not
compete with subsidised farmers from
rich countries.
REF:
Christian Aid/Leah Gordon
Charcoal sellers. Haiti is now the
poorest country in the western
hemisphere. Farmers are unable to earn
enough money to feed their families.
Some cut down trees to produce charcoal
to sell. This provides vital income, but
is disastrous for the environment and
makes farming even more difficult.
REF:
Christian Aid/Leah Gordon
Eugene started out as a builder in an
atmosphere of artistic endeavour and
craftsmanship, which inspired him to
learn traditional wood sculpting before
he turned towards contemporary art. Most
of his work is figurative influenced by
his sense of irony, African roots and
beliefs such as vodou.
REF:
Christian Aid/Kati Dshedshorov
Celeur in front of a monumental piece
made by the arts group Atis Rezistans
that he is part of. He dreamt of
becoming a sculptor from an early age.
He learnt wood sculpting from his
brother before he started experimenting
with abstract forms, adding found metal
pieces to his sculptures. His piece in
the Frost Art Museum in Miami features
skulls representing suffering and a
wooden phallus, a symbol of hope.
REF:
Christian Aid/Kati Dshedshorov
Guyodo was a footballer at first before
he discovered sculpting. Most of his
pieces are made out of metal car parts
and other recycled objects found in his
surroundings, one of which is a whole
car carcass standing up like a guardian
full of pride and dignity. Some of his
smaller sculptures are painted silver.
REF:
Roberto Stephenson
Mario Benjamin has exhibited his
paintings and installations worldwide
and has represented his country at
Biennialsin Venice, Sao Paulo,
Johannesburg and Havana. He became well
known forhis photo realist portraits
before turning toward abstract art,
using dark colours and found objects,
challenging the image of colourful
traditional Haitian art.
REF:
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
