Untold Stories Launch (Click)
KMAHD1 FINAL KDU UKI Launch Presentation 21042023
KRC FINAL KDU UKI Untold Stories Presentation 2023
KDU-UKI Celebrates Black History Month 2023
(By Iyamide Thomas, KDU-UKI member)
Iyamide Thomas and Ajote Morgan (seen here in an appearance on BEN TV)
Our Krio Descendants Union UK & Ireland (KDU-UKI) October Black History Month (BHM) meeting always ends with an added twist and for 2023, we decided this would be a quiz. This was ably conducted by myself (Iyamide Thomas) and Ajote Morgan, also a KDU-UKI member. For many, this was the first time they’d participated in “edutainment”(i.e. education and entertainment) such as a quiz. The 2023 UK theme for Black History Month was “Saluting Our Sisters”, a theme that paid homage to the often untold roles Black women have played in shaping history, inspiring change and contribution to fields such as literature, music, science, politics and much more. Thus, KDU-UKI in saluting such women, named all five quiz teams after ‘Notable Krio Women’. This was also in line with our KDU-UKI Mayor of London funded ‘Untold Stories’ project, as it gave participants an opportunity to learn the untold stories of these women as indicated below:
LINDA DOBBS – First Black High Court Judge of England & Wales
CONSTANCE CUMMINGS -JOHN – Sierra Leone’s first female Mayor and political activist, who founded Freetown’s Roosevelt School
LATI HYDE-FORSTER – First female graduate of Fourah Bay College and first African Principal of the Annie Walsh Memorial School
ELLEN THOMAS – UK based actress who has had roles including ‘Eastenders’, and ‘Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’
FRANCES WRIGHT – First Sierra Leonean woman to be called to the Bar at Grays Inn, 1941
The quiz covered two categories: ‘Krio History’ and ‘World Black History’. Questions included:
- Name any two of the four groups that became known as ‘Krios’
- Why are Soldier St and Soldier Town in Freetown so named?
- What year was ‘Free Town’ founded?
- Which African nation besides Egypt has a number of pyramids?
- Which famous Black nurse was referred to as the ‘Black Florence Nightingale’?
- In which country in the world did women first vote in democratic elections?
(Test your knowledge – answers are at the end!)
With excitement brewing, approximately 40 participants settled down to their various teams after which the KDU-UKI Heritage Secretary (Lawrence Lusanie) and Assistant Heritage Secretary (Kayode Robbin-Coker) were appointed as ‘spy monitors’ to stop people from consulting Mr & Mrs Google! The quiz masters took alternative turns at asking the questions and team members were meant to consult discreetly with each other and write their answers on the sheets given. However, excitement got the better of some who on one or two occasions subsequently shouted out an answer for the competition to hear; it wouldn’t have been so bad if the answers were wrong! That said, it appeared knowledge within the teams was evenly spread, as the three winning teams were split by only half a point each. (Yes we did do a recount!). The winners got beautifully crafted certificates courtesy of our Heritage Secretary, Lawrence.
“And the Winners Are…….”
1st – CONSTANCE CUMMINGS-JOHN (19 points)
Tiawo Haffner, Middy Cummings, Fredericka Gage, , Dennis Hamilton, Georgiana Kargbo and Victoria Sylvah show off their ‘gold’ certificates
2nd – FRANCES WRIGHT (18.5 points)
Clarissa williams, Madeline Val-Macauley, Yvette John, Gibril Carew, Joanna Robbin-Coker, Harolda Williams-Babin, Josephine Graham, show off their ‘silver’ certificates
3rd – LINDA DOBBS (18 points)
Beryl Juma, Ivy Johnson, Latifa Jallo-Jamboria, Lorraine Graham, Ellen Samuels, Iva Johnson show off their ‘bronze’ certificates
Team CONSTANCE CUMMINGS-JOHN were given a big bowl of chocolates for taking first position in KDU-UKI’s first ever quiz and this was shared around to members. This was followed by delicious Sierra Leonean food and networking. With everyone agreeing it had been a fun way to learn about Krio history and heritage, I am sure this will not be the last time KDU-UKI holds a quiz! In case you are wondering how well you might do in any future quiz, here are the answers to the six questions mentioned earlier:
- Name any two of the four groups that became known as ‘Krios’
Black Poor, Nova Scotians, Maroons, Liberated Africans
- Why are Soldier St and Soldier Town in Freetown so named?
The Second West India Regiment were resettled there in 1819
- What year was ‘Free Town’ founded?
1792
- Which African nation besides Egypt has a number of pyramids?
Sudan
- Which famous Black nurse was referred to as the ‘Black Florence Nightingale’?
Mary Seacole
- In which country in the world did women first vote in democratic elections?
Sierra Leone
By Iyamide Thomas, Co-Lead, KDU-UKI Untold Stories Project
Team discussions
Cross section of participants
Workshop consultant starts with basics
Iyamide Thomas and Ajote Morgan (seen here in an appearance on BEN TV)
"And the Winners Are......"
3RD -LINDA-DOBBS (18 points)
Beryl Juma, Ivy Johnson, Latifa Jallo-Jamboria, Lorraine Graham, Ellen Samuels, Iva Johnson show off their 'bronze' certificates
1st - CCONSTANCE CUMMINGS JOHN (19 points)
Tiawo Haffner, Middy Cummings, Frederika Gage, Dennis Hamilton, Georgiana Kargbo and Victoria Sylvah show off their 'gold' certificates
2nd - FRANCES WRIGHT (18.5 points)
Clarissa Williams, Madeline Val-Macauley, Yvette John, Gibril Carew, Joanna Robbin-Coker, Harolda Williams-Babin, Josephine Graham, show off their silver certificates
The Krio Descendants Union UK and Ireland (KDU-UKI) were one of the groups funded as part of the Mayor of London’s Untold Stories ‘Test and Nurture’ grant programme, to determine how Krio history should be told in London’s public realm. The ‘Krios’ are descendants of previously enslaved and free peoples who the British resettled in Sierra Leone’s ‘Province of Freedom’ from 1787. Their history and heritage is uniquely linked to London. On 1 July 2023, KDU-UKI held their first and very successful inperson consultation with 35 people who discussed which notable Krios could be featured, what contributions they made to London, whether this should be in the form of a mural and which London borough could best reflect their presence. Participants came up with a variety of names such as Ivor Cummings who worked for the Colonial Office and was instrumental in welcoming and finding accommodation for the Windrush arrivals, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor the well known composer and Dr Davidson Nicol who first analysed the chemical breakdown of insulin in the human body, an important achievement that subsequently helped with the treatment of diabetes.
A second workshop took place online on 29th September and this was attended by 48 people mainly from UK but also including participants from the USA, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Switzerland. One ask was for participants to suggest more notable women. They did not disappoint and we had more suggestions of women this time around! They included educationist and activist Adelaide CaselyHayford, political activist Constance Cummings-John, retired Judge Dame Linda Dobbs, Frances Wright, the first black woman called to the bar at Grays Inn and the second to the Bar of England and Wales. However, one Untold Story that was introduced into the programme that definitely needed telling is that of 100 year old Krio descendant Lauretta Boston who sang in a jazz band that entertained WW2 troops, played the piano and presented on the BBC. Watch this space for more on our very own Vera Lynn!
The plan now is to hold an online workshop for young people sometime in November, so please email us at admin@kdu-uk.org if you or anyone you know might be interested in participating.