International Slavery Museum visit

As part of my course, I got a chance to visit the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity as I have always been interested in visiting museums and places related to history. 

The museum is located at Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool. Liverpool has its own history, and the museum is situated there mainly because it used to be the main European port for the slave trade during the colonial era and after. The museum primarily focuses on the archives of the transatlantic slave trade. There were three main galleries in the museum. The first one provides a glimpse of the lives of people in West Africa in the age of slavery, including a model of a ‘mud house’ where African people used to live. I saw a number of handmade tools which they used to hunt animals with. 

The second gallery reflects the processes of the African people’s enslavement. It looks at how poor black people were taken to work on plantations in America. It explains their passage and what they faced during their terrifying journey to America.

The third gallery emphasizes the legacy, it shines a light on the struggle for independence and equality and the impacts of racism and discrimination. The trip was very insightful, and the thing that stood out to me was the quote from Nelson Mandela, which says,
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others“. 

This trip has helped me a lot academically and personally, I have learned the true importance of human rights. The most inspiring part of the trip was seeing and hearing about the work of activists and campaigners and their work to end the transatlantic slave trade and slavery despite all the obstacles they faced. It was an informative trip that allowed us to gain valuable insights and knowledge into the transatlantic trade discourse.

We cannot deny that people still face such atrocities in today’s modern era. As students of human rights and international relations, I think it’s important for us to contribute to enhancing the rights of vulnerable people and work on bringing equality and eliminating discrimination. 

John Willott, MA International Relations lecturer said, “The trip to the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool is very popular with students. It reminds us of the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade, and it is fascinating to see students from Africa, with a real connection to the material and exhibits, discuss it with UK and other international students. And the legacy of this trade still has relevance to the politics and development modules we teach, and links to modern slavery and human rights questions in other modules.”