Lady-Marie's interview

1. Why did you want to be involved in this photo shoot?

I want to be involved because I didn’t know much about the people, as in Cass and Beckford, and what they did in the past. When I was asked to come in and look at some texts, I then found out about them and I got really interested in them. Especially because I am from Jamaica, I want to know more about this. I think getting involved helps me to educate myself, to talk to others about this and to talk to my children about this.

2. How did it make you feel to be involved in this photoshoot?

I felt privileged to be given the opportunity to take part because it is my history at the end of the day, which I was not aware of. Through being involved and playing a small part, I will hopefully help to educate people who have an interest in this history.

3. What would you have liked to have said to Beckford and Cass or those who facilitated their involvement in enslaving Africans if you could have done so when they were alive?

I’d say I forgive you. But I would also say, because I believe in God, they [the slave traders] may have meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. Because although what they did off the backs of my ancestors was not good, it still enabled people like myself and many to come over to this country and have a better life in a way.
But I think I would want to ask them also, “WHY?”

4. Tell us about your outfit and the significance of the props that you used?

My outfit – bright yellow – organza sleeves see through… and I love bright colours. For me, as a dark skin person, bright colours really make you really standout. It cheers people up. Coming here today on the train this morning, even as I was going into the train station this morning, someone said, oh, I love your bright yellow dress… bright colours make you smile. Especially in the winter when it’s dark, everybody wearing black, a bit of bright colour brings good Fengshui.

5. The Revealing the City's Past project is about reinterpreting these two statues in light of the fact that they are not being removed under the Government's 'retain and explain' directive. Do you think projects like this are important to you?

Definitely. Because it highlights the true history of what happened.
For Example, when I studied history at school, I didn’t really know anything about this, I didn’t really know about the slave trade as such. I think when it was brought forth for me was when I watched the series, Roots on TV but before that I didn’t really know and I didn’t really understand it. Projects like these help to highlight and show people, like the younger generation, that this is what happened, these are the people, this is what they looked like. In a way, it gets rid of the ignorance of not knowing the true history of what actually happened. Although I know this still happens still in other parts of the world, it also empowers us to realise that we cannot let this happen again. It is also a reminder to some of the descendants of some of these people [slave traders] to acknowledge that their ancestors did this and it was not right. It would be so nice if they came out and vocalised that and opened their doors, because some of them are still the people in authority, even after what their ancestors did.

6. What do you hope the City of London Corporation does next to make their spaces more relevant and accessible to more people?

I think the City of London Corporation should be honest with themselves, and not shy away from speaking about and acknowledging, that they know that they are an organisation built on the backs of people through colonialism. They should be willing to ensure that they are fair to the generations of people today, whose ancestors were so cruelly treated.

Guest interviews feature voices on topics relevant to our collections and public spaces. Guest interviews do not necessarily reflect the views of the City Corporation

Artwork ©Ayanna Sankara