“People who care nothing for their country’s stories and songs… are like people without a past – without a memory – they are half people.”
Poor Things, Alasdair Gray
Whenever my boyfriend and I go to Loch Fyne in Argyll, we take a walk past some ruined houses that were abandoned by those forced to flee during The Clearances. You’ll forgive me for seeming melodramatic, but there is a sadness that looms over this forgotten place – these ruins are the broken pieces that remain of once happy homes, stolen from innocent families. On our most recent trip, my boyfriend noted the history of The Clearances was often forgotten and rarely acknowledged. It was only then that I realised that no one had ever taught me about this part of my country’s history. Anything I learnt about The Clearances as a child, I learnt from reading Kathleen Fidler’s novel, The Desperate Journey. It is not a topic widely taught in Scottish schools – or at least, not the schools I went to, nor any my friends attended. It seems to lie dormant, overlooked in favour of the likes of Bonnie Prince Charlie, William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. It is sad to think that children are kept ignorant of certain parts of their own country’s history. Arguably, it is also very dangerous.
With this notion in mind, I introduce The Empire Café.
Created by author Louise Welsh and Collective Architecture’s Jude Barber, The Empire Café means to explore Scotland’s relationship with the North Atlantic Slave Trade, attempting to disseminate the reality of the country’s involvement in what is arguably one of the greatest scars in the world’s history. During the Commonwealth Games, The Empire Café will be based in Merchant City for a week, focusing on Scotland’s relationship with slavery. In the same vein of our attitude to The Clearances, this is a part of Scottish history that is missing from school curriculum. It is evident all around us, yet we very rarely interact with it.
Situated in the Briggait, the venue will be set out like a typical café, but will be furnished with intricate and subtle symbols and hints in relation to the slave trade. Led by Welsh, the café will host a series of events including readings, films, debates and workshops, all themed around Scotland and slavery. In addition to this, there has also been poetry anthology commissioned with The Scottish Poetry Library and Scottish PEN. This anthology will compile pieces from both Scottish and Caribbean poets and will be available for free in the café and in selected libraries.
This creative venture is an encouraging step towards diminishing Scotland’s alienation with its own history by removing the barrier of ignorance. As a country, we need to accept and study the past so that we can learn from it (please excuse the well-meant cliché).
Confucius says: “Study the past if you would define the future.”
There are some of us who are hoping to make changes in Scotland this year. Considering previous failings and the growing hope that change will prevent a repeat has been the biggest inspiration behind this. We must consider the mistakes of the past to make sure that we do not likewise fail in the future.
The café will open on 24 June and encourages visitors to interact with a part of Scotland’s past that perhaps before was considered inaccessible. Come along for some tea and Jamaican loaf.
Karyn Dougan
@missnovocaine
National Collective
Photograph of Louise Welsh by annie_c_2
