The National Maritime Museum will mark Windrush Day 2023 with two days of activities on 22 and 24 June 2023. The events will be suitable for a range of audiences, with a variety of activities organised in collaboration with the Caribbean Social Forum and supported by Spirit of 2012.
Visitors will be given the opportunity to learn calypso dance moves, play dominoes Caribbean-style, watch performances, and discover the results of new research on the journeys of people from the Windrush generation. Partnership projects with schools, elders and young people will shape the events of each day, celebrating Caribbean culture and the legacy of the Windrush generation in the UK today.
HMT Empire Windrush was a passenger liner that travelled from Jamaica to Tilbury Docks in Essex, arriving on 22 June 1948. The Windrush carried 1027 migrants who were encouraged to come to the UK with the promise of employment following the 1948 British Nationality Act that granted citizenship and right of abode to all members of the British Empire. The annual celebration of Windrush Day was introduced in 2018 on the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the ship.
This year will mark 75 years since the arrival of the Windrush. It is a major national moment to come together and acknowledge this shared history, delving into the past and celebrating the present and future.
For more information visit: https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/national-maritime-museum/windrush-day
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Choir Performance
A multi-school choir will come together to sing songs connected to the Windrush and the Caribbean, working with Ethno Vox. Members of the Caribbean Social Forum choir will also perform on the day.
Date: 22 June 2023
Dominoes
Watch or join in with lively dominoes matches Caribbean style.
Date: 22 June 2023
Calypso Workshop
Learn some moves to explore Windrush generation dance culture from the Caribbean, move your body to calypso music with specialist dance leaders.
Date: 22, 24 June 2023
Portraits of Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow – Conversations through Pictures
Find out about local community heroes through a display of 75 new portraits developed by the Caribbean Social Forum.
Date: 22, 24 June 2023
Reminiscence Workshop
Take part in workshops designed to explore you and your family’s memories of the Caribbean, inspired by objects and images in the National Maritime Museum's collections.
Date: 22, 24 June 2023
Music Jam
Watch new emerging musicians and spoken word artists with Caribbean connections perform in our first ever Music Jam, designed and developed by young people, some of whom will also be performing.
Date: 24 June 2023
Dominoes Tournament
Guest dominoes teams, Brixton Immortals and UK Diamonds, will be competing against players from the Caribbean Social Forum in a friendly but feisty dominoes tournament Caribbean style.
Date: 24 June 2023
Family Connections Workshop
Explore your family connections to the Windrush and the Caribbean through a family history workshop with our Library and Archives team.
Date: 24 June 2023
Ships, Ports and Passengers
Discover new research about journeys between the Caribbean and UK from 1942 – 1962 and the people that travelled the waters to arrive in the UK as part of the Windrush generation.
Date: 24 June 2023
Talks
Hear talks on a mixture of topics such as connections to Tilbury Docks with Evewright, genealogy, sound system culture, as well as Caribbean connections within the National Maritime Museum’s collections.
Date: 24 June 2023
Walking Images
Interact with Walking Images, seeing historical figures connected to the Caribbean come to life.
Date: 24 June 2023
ONLINE RESOURCES
The Story of the Windrush
Discover the history of the Windrush, the ship that brought some of the first post-war migrants from the Caribbean to Britain.
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/windrush-histories/story-of-windrush-ship
Windrush Talking Heads
These films were recorded with members of the Windrush generation and their descendants. They are accompanied by songs from the musical genres that represent and have been shaped by the people that were trafficked from Africa to the Caribbean, and then migrated from the Caribbean to Britain.
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/windrush-histories/windrush-talking-heads
Windrush Day: in Conversation with Historians S.I. Martin and Kelly Foster
In this podcast, historians S.I. Martin and Kelly Foster celebrate the musical sounds of the Windrush generation. Discover the reasons why many people chose to come to Britain, what it was like for them when they arrived and how their favourite calypsonians captured the new immigrant experience.
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/windrush-day-conversation-historians-si-martin-kelly-foster
Memories of the Caribbean
These reminiscence resources have been created by the Caribbean Social Forum, in collaboration with the National Maritime Museum, to support people living with dementia and their carers.
The resources have been developed specifically for Caribbean communities living in the UK, taking into consideration the childhood experiences that these individuals may have had either in the Caribbean or in the UK during the 40s and 50s. the resources have been created to prompt memories, spark conversation and support sharing.
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/windrush-histories/memories-of-the-caribbean
How to Create a Wakanda Style Windrush
This activity celebrates the HMT Empire Windrush and the generation of West Indians who moved to the UK and became known as the Windrush Generation. As part of the activity we will also be celebrating another historical moment in Black history, Marvel's first black superhero movie, Blank Panther (2018). For this workshop, you will combine the two together to create a futuristic Windrush boat in the time of Wakanda.
URL: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/how-create-wakanda-style-windrush
INFORMATION FOR VISITORS:
Venue: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
Date: 22 and 24 June 2023
Time: 10.00 – 17.00
Admission: Free
Visitor enquiries: 020 8858 4422
Twitter: @RMGreenwich
Instagram: @royalmuseumsgreenwich
Facebook: @royalmuseumsgreenwich
GENERAL INFORMATION
The National Maritime Museum holds the world’s largest maritime collection telling stories of Britain’s epic relationship with the sea, housed in historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.
The National Maritime Museum is part of Royal Museums Greenwich which also incorporates the Royal Observatory, the 17th-century Queen’s House and the clipper ship Cutty Sark. This unique collection of museums and heritage buildings, which form a key part of the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site, welcomes over two and a half million British and international visitors a year and is also a major centre of education and research. The mission of Royal Museums Greenwich is to enrich people’s understanding of the sea, the exploration of space, and Britain's role in world history. For more information, visit www.rmg.co.uk.
For further information or images please contact:
Royal Museums Greenwich Press Office
Tel: 020 8312 6545/6789/6589
Email: press@rmg.co.uk