Heritage from Home
Welcome to another edition of Heritage from Home. This has been inspired by our pre- lockdown project, Things to do in a Blackout. The project looked at the rise in crime during World War II and has been funded by Heritage Lottery Fund. Through workshops with young people we looked at the things people do in extraordinary situations – both good and bad. Over the next few weeks, we will begin to make radio dramas with young people inspired by the stories we have found. These will all link together and be part of an art project, which depicts a fictional street in London during the Blitz. Each house will tell you a story and when they line up together you will hear a timeline of the period. All photos from the project with young people
With this is in mind, we’ve themed this week’s issue about the future. What are the lessons young people can learn by looking back? As they have also lived through the pandemic as young people, what advice could you offer them to help them return to our new normal? Over the next few weeks, we’ll be developing the format of our newsletter to share their work. As ever, we’d love to have your thoughts and comments about what we could do more of. Please do feel free to drop us a line! Email louise@ bouncetheatre.com With love Louise, Henry, Sharon and Holly-Anne at Bounce Theatre.
Things to read Heritage with Henry
The theme of this issue is ‘The Future’ and looking forward particularly as the nature of our work and this newsletter will be changing soon. But I feel we can’t look to the future without examining our past and present - both inform the future that lies ahead. In that spirit, when I began writing this column, I went back, looking at some of the interviews we conducted at the start of this project, with the generations that grew up during WWII. Many interviewees were asked what they’d say to young people about WWII - what their message would be. One answer in particular struck me, in how it related to current events: “It’s a horrific thing that man should want to do so much injury, both mentally and physically, to another human being, irrespective of colour, creed, or religion. And the traumas that that has given to some people right through their lives,” This was in the context of the war itself, but feels as though it could equally be applied to current events, such as the murder of George Floyd, and police brutality in general against the black community, in the US, but also around the world. The interviewee described one of the few occasions that his father discussed WWII, about being in one of the British colonies. He spoke,
unprompted, about how much we owe soldiers like that, who fought in WWII on the British side, which I found fascinating. It’s an underdiscussed aspect of WWII, but Asian, African, and Caribbean soldiers were key parts of the war effort. Yet I’ve discovered through my research that black troops for the British Army were paid only a third of their white counterparts of similar rank, and only given a third as much in their end-of-war bonus. Some Africans were forcibly and secretly conscripted, many were beaten, and many ended up in poverty - yet despite recruiting 600,000 men from Africa alone, they’re simply not a part of our national story of WWII. But particularly in the wake of the recent Black Lives Matter protests worldwide, and our theme this week of looking to the future, it seems pertinent to look slightly beyond WWII, to a crucial moment in British and Black British History. It wasn’t just the NHS that arrived in 1948, but something else, too; The Empire Windrush.
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Empire Windrush had originally been a German ship - captured by Britain as a ‘prize of war’ in 1945. In a fit of poetic justice, after WWII, this ship which had served a force seeking racial supremacy was used to bring black Britons from the colonies to the motherland, filling labour shortages, and to help with the task of rebuilding homes destroyed in WWII. Black Britons from the Caribbean were being brought from Kingston, Jamaica to closer to Kingston Upon Thames. These families were attracted to the UK with the promise of work, and the chance to see England, where ‘the streets were paved with gold’. Upon arrival, passengers didn’t always receive as warm a welcome as they’d hoped. Many experienced racism and discrimination on various fronts, from housing to employment, met with those infamous signs of ‘No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish’. Windrush children were often bullied at school, and years of racial abuse and attacks eventually spilled over into race riots. As the famously nonviolent Martin Luther King would later remark, however, in words that resurfaced in some of the discourse around recent riots in the US, ‘A riot is the language of the unheard’.
It’s easy to think we’ve come on leaps and bounds since then; in many ways we have. It’s also tempting to look at America’s armed police force and think any problems black Britons face with racism today, particularly from police, pale in comparison. But comparing ourselves to America is unhelpful, and does a disservice to black Britons who’ve faced discrimination all their lives. Many in the Windrush generation were wrongly told in 2018 they were here illegally, yet they arrived in Britain as British citizens, and were told in 1971, even after many of their home colonies had become independent, that they could stay permanently. Black Britons today are still 40 times more likely to be stopped and searched by police, despite the rate of prohibited items being found being broadly even across ethnicities. This barely scratches the surface of why protests are happening in the UK, with many risking their lives to have their voices heard, given the pandemic, despite efforts to maintain social distancing while protesting. But there is cause for optimism. This wave of global protests appears to be a turning point - white people, myself included, are sitting up and listening, joining protests and campaigns, educating ourselves about discrimination and black history. Just as the NHS’s foundation was a turning point after WWII, perhaps this will be seen as one, too - a turning point towards a better future. Black Lives Matter.
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Memory lane
Letters, memories and photos from our participants We’re including one answer from an interview with Keith this week. Thinking about the future, what would be your message to young people today?
What do you think the message is we could tell young people about World War II? That it’s a horrific thing that man should want to do so much injury, both mentally and physically, to another human being, irrespective of colour, creed, or religion. And the traumas that that has given to some people right through their lives, I mean some of these vets that you see on the television… alright, they’re almost at the end of their life now but…you can see how it’s affected them. I’ve talked to quite a few of them over the years and, you know, you can hear it in
If you have a moment we’d love to include it in our teaching resources. You can email louise@ bouncetheatre.com or text to 07980210705
their voice, and the pain they’re still reliving… We are individuals, we’re human beings, and we all think in different ways. We don’t all think the same way. And that’s one of our problems in this country, is we think that the whole of the world thinks like we do. And they don’t. I think it’s very sad that man’s got this lovely world and we’re making a right hash of things. All for power and greed. For no other reason at all. When there’s so much we could be doing together and generally to be much, much happier with one another.
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Things to write Creative writing with Sharon
Letters to the Future This week we’re thinking about the future and also about the wisdom from the present that we can share. Write a letter, either to your future self or to the children of the future. It could be a letter to someone you know or someone you don’t. What has got you through difficult times in the past and present? What do you want the world to look like for the next generation? Here’s a letter I’ve written to myself in the year 2054 when I will be 70! Dear Sharon, I hope you’re well! And when I say I hope you’re well, I hope you’ve managed to take good care of your knees and you’re enjoying exercising. And that you laid off the junk food lately as I imagine you still like to eat chips with mayonnaise a lot. Do chips still exist in 2054? Or do we do something crazy like absorb all of our food through one tablet? I’m writing to you during a very strange and uncertain time. We’re still officially in Lockdown due to the Coronavirus. I haven’t been on
a bus or train or the underground for nearly three months. And people have been protesting all over the world for the Black Lives Matter movement. It feels like there’s a new energy and that hopefully there can be real change. I think in the last three months I’ve experienced the biggest changes to my life and society in more than 36 years of living. It’s made me realise how lucky I’ve been to have had such a calm and quiet life so far. And
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made me realise what’s most important to me. Some days I have felt very worried and anxious for the future. When I’ve been struggling, I’ve found it helpful to pay attention to the simple things and moments each day.
remember who I’m talking about. Who knows what 2054 will be like. Will your doctor be a robot? Will you even have physical letters delivered to your door? Whatever it looks like, I hope that the togetherness we’re trying to find now can grow and continue, all the way to you/me aged 70. If you’re reading this and there are still so many injustices and challenges in the world then remember that recently I have seen that change can happen very quickly, particularly when everyone is energised and working together. There’s always hope. Keep on listening and trying. I hope that by 2054 there is equality in the world and that there are even more amazing female prime ministers and leaders.
I hope that you’re still doing that and that things are calm and quiet for you in 2054 (in the best way possible). If they’re not then what I have realised is how quickly everything can change and everyone can adapt. I’ve seen my community come together in a way we didn’t before. We’ve realised how much we need each other and how important people we took for granted are, like our supermarket workers, our NHS staff, our teachers, our postal workers. I could go on but you’ll
Other questions I have for you. Have you space travelled? Are you better at using technology now (I hope so)? Did you ever try dying your hair purple as I know you were interested in that a while back? Have you become a Grandmother? If so, then do try your best not to embarrass your grandkids. With love from Sharon, 2020 xx•
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Things to make Art with Holly-Anne
This week at Heritage at Home we are thinking about the future. Being in lockdown has shrunk our worlds, and this has made me think about the things I value now and the things I will find important for the years to come. However, many of us have also been watching the news and looking at what has been happening around the globe with Covid-19, the climate, and equality amongst communities. I’ve become more aware of the things we can all do to affect positive change for the world beyond our
homes. Those things are all local, like community gardening, meet-ups in the park, sharing with neighbours, and contributing to our local communities. With this in mind, I made a collage inspired by the future I’d like to see, focused around nature and multi-culturalism. Look at my image closely, in silence. For two minutes, think about the future you’d like for the generations to come. Share your vision with a friend or family member.
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JUST FOR FUN True or False 1951
Festival of Britain was a national exhibition
1952
The Archers began its national run on January 1
1952
King George the VI dies on February 7
1953
June 2 marks the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
1954
A computer at Cambridge University identified April 11 1954 as the most boring day of all time.
1954
All rationing came to an end.
1955
Elvis first appears on national TV
1957
Sputnik Launches
F (1956) BBC2 broadcasts the first colour pictures from Wimbledon T 1957 F(1967) 1959 “I don’t want you to think I’m a drinker” Quote from F (Some like it Hot) The Misfits Dingbats Dingbats 1. I T S I T S TIME S T I I S T 6. STAND I
Answers 1. It’s about time 2. Up in arms 3. Toucan 4. Leftovers
2.
7.
ARUPMS Eye E See Except
3.
8.
CAN CAN
WEATHER FEELING
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4. O V E R S 9.
5.
DAY DAY
VAD ERS
10.
O2NE
True or False Answers:
Dingbats Answers:
True False (1951) False (February 6) True True True False (1956) True False (1967) False (Some like it Hot)
1. It’s about time 2. Up in arms 3. Toucan 4. Leftovers 5. Day in day out 6. I understand 7. I before E except after C 8. Feeling under the weather 9. Space Invaders 10. Two in one
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