The World Reimagined art education project comes to Sefton

A 1.7-metre-high globe designed by artist Amy Bourbon has been placed in The Strand in Bootle as part of The World Reimagined, a ground-breaking art education project.

The World Reimagined is a national initiative to transform how we understand the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and its impact on all of us.

Sefton’s main globe is entitled Echoes of the Present and is the sixth step on the overall Journey of Discovery the globes represent. It focuses on how the Transatlantic Slave Trade has present day negative consequences such as systemic inequalities and injustice and entrenched racism and prejudices. It also looks at the generational echoes their traumatic physical, behavioural, psychological and material consequences.

As well as the main installation at Marine Gardens, a community learning globe has been placed in the foyer of Southport’s Atkinson theatre. This has been co-produced by Christ the King School in Southport working with the Southport Against Racism community group.  Significant individuals important to both global and local history, including civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Liverpool football player Mo Salah will be featured on the community learning globe.

Additionally, smaller globes have been awarded to six Sefton schools, to help teach pupils more about the history they represent. As the project is being launched during the summer holidays, the globes have been displayed in the foyer at Crosby Library and will be transferred to the schools themselves once the project concludes at the end of October.

The globes will bring people together and allow them to engage in complex conversations around who we are as a society; stimulate dialogue, raise consciousness, and create social change. It goes beyond just exploring the legacy of the Transatlantic Enslavement of Africans – as the project celebrates and champions the story of people of African origin.

The main globe was originally placed in Waterloo’s Marine Gardens before being removed due to acts of vandalism. Merseyside police later introduced a Dispersal Zone in Crosby following reports of antisocial behaviour caused by groups of youths in the area. The globe was then repaired before being moved to its new location.

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said:
“I am so glad we are hosting a globe as part of this national initiative to raise awareness of the Transatlantic Slave Trade’s impact, although I was saddened at the vandalism that has resulted in the globe being moved to Bootle Strand.,

“The history represented by The World Reimagined and the history of our Borough are intertwined, and I am looking forward to seeing our communities and schools engage with the globes both to become more aware of our past but also in discussing our future.”

Michelle Gayle, Co-Founder of the project said: “There is such a huge part of the British educational system – the history – that omits Britain’s true role in the Transatlantic Trade of Enslaved Africans and the impact its legacies have on our world today. I have seen some of the incredible works these artists have put into designing their globes, and cannot wait for everyone across the country to experience the wonder, vibrancy and impact of art.”

People can find out more about the World Reimagined project and the Journey of Discovery at www.theworldreimagined.org/journey-of-discovery