Museums and a Walking Tour
Before we begin I need to alert you to the possibility that this may be quite a long post. So..... strap yourself in and here goes.
Today began with the much anticipated visit to Charlestons International African American Museum. As soon as we checked in we were given a tag to wear that we were informed was our day pass so we could come and go as much as we liked. Little did we realise this was the first part of a moving and highly symbolic visit. Enslaved Africans were made to wear tags to differentiate them from free Africans and from those 'owned' by other white overlords.
The museum itself is built on the site of Gadsdens Wharf, the location where many enslaved Africans entered the country.
Sarah and I had forgotten we were visiting during school term and were delighted to see lots of school groups visiting the museum for what must be a stimulating if somewhat daunting school trip to learn about the history of the place they come from.
The museum took us through the history of the slave trade to the resulting social and economic factors that are more obvious today. The journey involved multi media and highly interactive displays, films and photographs.
The facts and figures were, at times, disorientating and somewhat difficult to comprehend because of the scale of things. I tried to imagine myself as one person in the process of being captured, sold, trafficked and then resold in a new land.
Somehow my imagination proved insufficient to be able to cope with the demands I'd placed on it and I returned to reading the information in front of me.
Moving from Jamaica to Charleston really helped me understand the global implications of the historic Trans Atlantic Slave trade and the shear scale of the industrialization of trading in humanity.
There is so much to see and learn from the museum that it cannot be summed up in one place. Some displays and figures were simply shocking as you can see from the picture here. Words do not always do justice to the things we experience.
If you'd like to learn more here is the link to the IAAM website.
International African American Museum
Following the museum visit and after a good lunch we went on a guided, walking tour entitled Lost Stories of Black Charleston. The tour was led by Damon Fordham a local historian who was knowledgeable, informed and articulate.
He talked us through some of the stories of the city that related to its history and the making of Charleston, including the role the church played in giving hope to those enslaved and bound in the wicked trafficking business. It would be true to say Damon is a one off and a true character. If you want to find out more about him check out his Youtube Channel below.
On another matter I'd highly recommend when visiting a city to go on a walking tour as a means to learning something of the history and background of the place you are visiting. We've now taken tours in cities like Barcelona, York, Liverpool and now Charleston. Each one has been different but each one has been well worth it.
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