Freedom in the City - Festival of Learning

The city of Bath is primarily known for its Roman and Georgian roots, and for becoming the temporary home of novelist Jane Austen. Yet Bath's role as the chosen home in exile of one of world history's most famous leaders, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, who is considered God incarnate by members of the Rastafari faith, remains largely undetected in the city.

This project builds upon my previous research exploring the relationship between the city of Bath and Ethiopian and Caribbean culture through the legacy of the Emperor, to build connections between local communities and civic institutions, to enlarge the conversation and find cross-cultural connections. The project encompasses four main strands of work;

1. Hallowed Halls - using faith and exhibition as methods of engagement around the notions of cultural identity and creative practice.

2. Queen's Stories - using an opera performance, discussion forum and celebration event and photography exhibition to explore narratives of Black women leaders and their power and legacy.

3. The Emperor's Music - using a pianola recital hybrid performance, a musicians residency, and a public talk as a method of cross-cultural and intergenerational engagement;

4. Reasoning Room - encouraging a safe space for informed debate across experiences, building a research repository, and working with young people to produce podcasts and engage in the themes of the Festival of Learning.

The Freedom in the City Festival of Learning, has playfully altered the name of the Freedom of the City award, which Emperor Haile Selassie was honored to receive from the leaders of Bath when he returned to the city on a state visit on 18th October 1954. The award symbolically offers the keys to the city as an honoured adopted guest resident, welcomed with open arms.

This interdisciplinary project embraces the spirit of that award, and has used it as the basis of the curation of a seven-month series of events, which bear the hallmark of openness, fusion, and cultural hybridity