Award for exhibition on city's 1904 Somali Village

A project telling the story of how members of a Somali community moved to a park in Bradford and went on public display has been recognised with an award.

The Somali Village exhibition at Cartwright Hall explores how a group of 57 Muslim men, women and children from the Horn of Africa came to live and work in Lister Park in 1904 as part of the city's Great Exhibition.

The project has won the Cultural Knowledge Exchange Project of the Year Award at the Future Icons of Culture Knowledge Exchange Awards.

Co-curator Abira Hussein said it was a "nice surprise" it had been presented with the award and £1,000 funding, which will be spent on further research and community engagement.

"We're hoping that some of this can be more permanent and that there'll be a permanent presence and a way for people who come to Cartwright Hall to be aware of this history," Hussein said.

"This is a starting point. We've had a lot of engagement with workshops, with exhibition tours, and a lot of schools being involved."

Hussein said it had been a challenging story to tell, but was "necessary" and had received positive feedback from visitors.

"Initially, I had some concerns and worries. This is not an easy history to tell, particularly what's been happening politically," she explained.

"But actually, a lot of people have said it's important this history has been told."

The award recognises projects that translate academic research into cultural, creative or public outcomes and celebrates collaborations between higher education institutions and the arts and culture sectors.

The exhibition is a partnership between Bradford Council, Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, the University of Leeds and the University of Bradford.

Hussein said the collaboration between academics and the living Somali community was vital to the project's success.

"I think it's the way forward with these histories because they affect different communities," she said.

"The materials are dispersed, so I think the knowledge exchange was essential between the academics, between Somali cultural knowledge with community archives and with creative practice."

The research included an archaeological excavation in Lister Park, which uncovered evidence of daily life in the village.

The Bradford Great Exhibition in 1904 drew 2.4 million visitors, with one of its most visited attractions being the Somali Village.

During their time living and working in the park, the villagers were watched while undertaking ordinary daily tasks, performing cultural rituals and battle recreations.

The exhibition runs at Cartwright Hall until 1 November.

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