A new exhibition celebrating the vibrant and transformative power of Black musical traditions has opened at the Wilberforce House Museum.
The Echoes of Our Heritage exhibition, created in partnership with The Black Heritage of Hull Collective, showcases pivotal moments and influential figures in Black music, reflecting its resilience and creativity. It also highlights how contemporary Black musicians use their art to tackle social issues and inspire change.
Echoes of Our Heritage highlights how African rhythms, such as the clave rhythm —a distinctive five-beat pattern—travelled through time and global location to influence the music we hear today. These rhythms blended with other musical elements to create influential genres like blues, jazz, reggae, and hip-hop.
The exhibition also features a film curated by Hull-based creative Kobby Taylor with support from Dave Gawthorpe. Rhythms of Rebellion is a captivating spoken word piece that takes audiences on a sonic journey through the clave beat – a simple yet transformative rhythm that forever changed the world of music.
The exhibition opens on Friday and is part of ‘The Sound of Our Skin’ Festival, a 2-day Arts Festival taking place in various locations on Hull’s High Street. The festival has been created to celebrate cultural collaboration, challenge racial stereotypes within history and bring anti racism awareness to Hull in a safe, engaging and accessible way.
Stella Munthali Founder of The Black Heritage of Hull said “This has been an inspiring project to work on, we have really enjoyed researching influential musicians and performers to include in this exhibition and it is really special to celebrate our local artists who have been inspired by African music.
The exhibition can be seen on display at the Wilberforce House Museum from 4 October 2024 – 26 January 2025.