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Slave memorial sculptures need recasting in bronze

Alice BhandhukravkiLondon
BBC Several life-size steel figures stand in a row in a white room. They include a woman in a long dress and wide-brimmed hat holding a cane, a woman in a headscarf, and a man in a suit jacket and tie.BBC
All the World is Now Richer is made up of six life-size steel figures

An artist with planning permission for a memorial to enslaved people in south London is trying to raise the money to make it permanent.

Sokari Douglas Camp's All the World is Now Richer is a set of six steel figures, which Southwark Council has approved for a site near Burgess Park.

To stand outdoors for the long term, the sculptures would need to be recast in bronze so the figures - and the words they carry - do not weather away.

The steel versions were on display at the Flowers Gallery to coincide with Black History Month.

Sokari with close-cropped hair and dark-rimmed glasses, wearing a grey hooded top, sits on a pink and purple patterned sofa with her hands clasped. A colourful steel sculpture is partly visible behind her.
Sokari Douglas Camp would like the figures recast in bronze so they can stand outdoors

Douglas Camp said the history of the work was "part of our heritage that people should know about", because it explained how England became the rich country it is.

She said she was inspired by William Prescott, a formerly enslaved man who said people would remember that they had been slaves, but not that they had been brave.

"Normally black people are seen cowering in some way or begging in some way," she said.

"We were strong. We were brave. We survived."

Hand-cut steel lettering mounted on a white surface in long outlined bands. It reads “But we were brave”, “We were strong”, “We survived” and “All the world is now richer”. Small dark steel figures line the left edge.
The words on the sculptures read "We were strong. We were brave. We survived."

School pupils from Southwark who visited the sculptures said: "These might help you understand your background, your history and your ethnicity, and be proud of it."

Another said: "I think it's important because I'm black and it's really good to show our heritage."

Douglas Camp said the borough was home to many people from the Caribbean and across the African continent.

"We have a story to tell about how our people created wealth for this country," she said.

Her search for funding continues.

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