A ground-breaking initiative honouring the enslaved colonial-era Africans whose names were wiped from the annals of history marks its fifth annual edition this week.
The National Parks Authority’s ‘8th of March’ project, themed ‘Say Their Names’, commemorates the tragic event of March 8 1744, when an explosion in English Harbour claimed the lives of eight enslaved African men: Billy, London, James Soe, Caramatee, Quamono, Dick, Joe, Scipio, and Johnno.
The endeavour spearheaded by the Authority’s Heritage Department aims to pay tribute to the enslaved and free Africans who toiled in the Antigua Naval Dockyard and resided in English Harbour, while celebrating the enduring cultural legacy of the English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour communities.
This year’s celebration will feature a range of activities, including an 8th of March-themed edition of the popular ‘Rum in the Ruins’ historical talk held each Friday at 5pm at Dow’s Hill. There will also be new museum exhibits and an oral history workshop.
The 8th of March project is dedicated to uncovering the daily lives of enslaved and free Africans in the 18th and 19th centuries who inhabited and worked in the dockyard and its environs. Through rigorous archival and archaeological research, the project seeks to illuminate the interconnected cultural fabric that binds present-day St Paul’s parish and Antigua to its historical roots.
A key objective is research to recover the names and identities of as many enslaved and free Africans as possible in the Middle Ground and surrounding areas, along with details of their daily lives through archival and archaeological research.
The team also plans to develop and publish the research to better inform local communities through interpretation signage, a permanent museum gallery, digital and social media outreach, school field trips, and tours.