Why The World Reimagined will help to heal us

Описание: Why did the World Reimagined exhibition touch me so deeply?

Firstly, it was the story. Story has this innate ability to tell us what happened without insulting the imagination. It invites us to imagine the lives, the sounds, the emotions, as we walk through history. It makes us part of the storytelling. For me, and many others I spoke to, participating in this experience at this amazing exhibition evoked a sense of pride and identity.

For black people in Britain, especially those who went through their formative years before the new millennium, representation was rare. In fact, whenever we did see anyone that looked like us on film, on television, in books, in magazines, it was always in a stereotypical role… or we were invisible. Think of the fruit of the constant repetition of narratives like that.

Secondly, for the British people as a whole, the exhibition restored an aspect of our history that has been ignored, intentionally written out of mainstream, and yet is very much part of how Britain came to be what she is today. The result is distortion. Most British people have an identity grounded on inaccurate, incomplete stories.

The World Reimagined helps to restore lost stories and therefore parts of ourselves to consciousness so that we (those who are awake) can interact with the narratives that shape our minds with healthy intention. This makes healing possible.

What was the impact on me? As I went from one globe to another, I felt an increasing sense of pride. Each story represented a milestone moment in life that shapes you. In each globe I saw myself. I saw those who had gone before me. I recognised the struggle I’ve felt for so much of my life but which, for a long time, I never understood. I gathered the missing pieces and joined the dots. It struck me how beautifully edifying it must be to see yourself reflected and reaffirmed in the society and culture that surrounds you… day in and out, cradle to grave. How this builds strength of identity, confidence, self-worth and value in a person. Each globe powerfully whispered what non-black people take for granted – you are seen, you belong, you are valuable, your struggle is acknowledged. I felt sadness, horror, stillness, admiration, hope, joy, pride. I felt like a peacock.