Project Workshops

The groups each participated in an African cultural workshop facilitated by ACSONI and they also visited the Inclusive Global Histories Gallery at the Ulster Museum, where objects were shared for handling. The community groups each selected an object, which was loaned by Ulster Museum for further exploration and creative inspiration at the local museums. Over several weeks, the groups worked to develop a display inspired by their object of choice. They were supported by professional creative facilitators. The displays include writing, music and artwork.

The workshops focused on exploring the cultural significance of objects through the interpretation and expression of people who value them as objects reflecting their history, identity and culture. The project shows how a decolonisation approach can be implemented in a fresh and inclusive way by bringing diverse cultures and perspectives into local and national museums.

Below, you can learn more about the participating museums and community groups involved in the Global Voices Local Choices project.

The Tower Museum

At the Tower Museum in Derry/Londonderry, the finished exhibition display is a result of a series of workshops which explored museum collections, identity and representation. Active Citizens Engaged (ACE) explored the Ulster Museum's World Cultures collection and selected the mbira from Zimbabwe as their focus object.

The group learnt more about Shona culture through music and drumming inspired by the mbira. Through showcasing different Asian cuisines, ACE demonstrated that food and music go hand in hand in every culture. 

The mbira has tuned metal tines on a board of indigenous Zimbabwean wood. Plucking the tines produces both percussive and harmonic tones. Plucking the tines produces both percussive and harmonic tones. When played by a skilled 'gwenyambira' like mbira-maker Edson Kachuta - whose music is featured in the video - the rhythms can sound complex. 

The mbira was brought to Northern Ireland by a Shona traditional musician from Zimbabwe who has settled in Belfast. It was donated as a gift for the people of Northern Ireland to learn more about African culture.

‘Every culture has music and where there are people gathered happy or sad there is music and food’  - Tower Museum participant

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Fermanagh County Museum

Individuals from various marginalised communities in the Fermanagh and Omagh area came together under Global Voices Local Choices project at Fermanagh County Museum. In collaboration with the African Caribbean Support Northern Ireland (ACSONI) group, they explored the experiences of ethnic minority communities in Northern Ireland. After exploring the World Cultures collection at Ulster Museum, the group selected the 'Bundu' mask from Sierra Leone for further reflection. 

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The group engaged with facilitators in a series of workshops to create artworks inspired by the mask. 

"My first impression on picking up the mask was how light it was, which meant that the artist worked very delicately. The next feature was the face which had a strange beauty. The combs on the side were attractive features, and the birds on the head were a very interesting addition" said one participant.

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Another participant's impression of the mask was that "the face was serene and similar to that of a Buddha, the design was very delicate and the work of a skilled artist." The participants would like to thank Esther Ogunleye (ACSONI), Professor Elizabeth Crooke and Dr. Stephanie Harper (Ulster University). 

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Causeway Coast and Glens Museum Service

The Global Voices Local Choices (GVLC) display at Coleraine Town Hall was co – created by Causeway Multi Cultural Forum. The display is part of the World of Stories exhibition led by Dr Nicholas Wright, then Community Engagement Officer for Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. The World of stories exhibition highlighted the experiences of people from different parts of the world who have come and settled within the borough. It launched in May 2023.

The GVLC display featured three well-designed door size panels with moving creative writings and poetry by members of the Causeway Multi Cultural Forum (CMCF) inspired by a beautifully decorated Muslim prayer mat recently donated by the Belfast Multi-Cultural Society. The group were supported by author and poet Nandi Jola.

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The Muslim prayer mat was selected by the group from the World Cultures collection at the Ulster Museum. CMCF is composed of people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. The choice of the prayer mat was a strong display of willingness by participants to learn from the expertise of their Muslim colleagues.

The mat is installed was its niche facing Mecca; the place of pilgrimage for Muslims in observance and respect of the norms of the Salah- the prayer of blessing to Allah (God). It was revealed in group discussions that where possible the devout Muslim prays five times a day and the mat allows them a clean place to do so where ever they are. The demonstration of the Salah is shown in pictures in the display to inform

The sessions at Ballymoney Museum, where the group met in the evenings, provided an opportunity to address some of assumptions made in the absence of discussion. In their reflections, the group discovered underlying similarities in culture and religion which are expressed differently on the surface. By creating safe spaces within museums, communities can come together for reflection and be more informed about each other and foster cross-cultural learning. 

Launching the exhibition, the Mayor of the Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Ivor Wallace said "This wonderful exhibition from our Museum Services is a reminder of just how diverse our community is."

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The Ulster Museum

'What are you doing here?' is one of the most depressing questions that a lot of us have to answer. Participants on the Global Voices Local Choices programme at the Ulster Museum discussed the complications of the question. In most cases, this question is asked out of genuine curiosity. Most of the respondents who are fleeing war and troubles in their home country arrive here with much trauma and uncertainty hanging over their families as they go through a reportedly hostile immigration process as they seek to settle.

Hence organisations such as Starling Collective based in Belfast - experienced in helping refugees and asylum seekers at various levels of their immigration process - become a great source of relief for those seeking sanctuary in Northern Ireland. 

Starling Collective have collaborated with the Ulster museum to encourage participants’ wellbeing by enrolling them onto the 6 week Global Voices Local Choices programme. Travel expenses were paid and lunch provided for the whole duration to ensure there were no barriers to participation. This Global Voices Local Choices initiative not only aims to empower and support the group but also provide an opportunity and safe space to express themselves and share their unique stories.

The group worked alongside a professional printmaker Robert Peters to create booklets inspired by an African headrest. Despite coming from different African colonial cities such as Windhoek, Harare, Khartoum, and Addis Ababa, Lilongwe and Lagos; the participants recognised the headrest as a symbol of a bygone era of nomadic life. This prompted discussions about comfort, discomfort, and the cultural significance of the headrest in their respective African backgrounds. 

This creative endeavour served as a therapeutic outlet, allowing them to channel their experiences and emotions into meaningful artistic expressions. The group have worked with museum professionals to develop a display in the Ulster Museum's Inclusive Global Histories gallery. By lending their personal objects to the museum for display, participants offer visitors a glimpse into their lives and journeys, fostering understanding and empathy. 

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This collaboration has amplified the voices of refugees and asylum seekers in Belfast through creativity. This process not only tells the power of co-creation but also shares some of the diverse experiences and narratives of participants, demonstrating that "What are you doing here?” can be answered by showcasing the lives of asylum seekers, who can ensure their voices are heard and celebrated.

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Armagh Robinson Library & No. 5 Vicar Hill

Ukrainian families based in the County Armagh area joined the Global Voices Local Choices programme at the Armagh Robinson Library. The group toured the Inclusive Global Histories gallery at Ulster Museum before selecting the Solomon Islands comb from the collection. 

In the library the families discussed the connections between symbols embroidered on the comb to those found in Ukrainian culture. Being on the project allowed the group to meet in a safe place to creatively express their hopes for a free Ukraine in the near future. 

Through creative letter writing they were able to share experiences as a people facing the hardships of displacement through war and becoming an ethnic minority community in Northern Ireland.

The letters will be kept online for listening on the Armagh Robinson Library website.

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Carrickfergus Museum

The Carrickfergus Global Voices Local Choices group is made up of people from a diverse range of cultures. Some have settled in the area while others are seeking temporary asylum there. 

The group chose a coil weave basket from North America as their focus object. Our collections document little information about the basket's origin or how it came to be in Northern Ireland. These circumstances gave the group freedom to reflect creatively on how the basket may have been displaced, with many reflecting on how similarly they too had been disconnected from their own places of birth.

‘There is not much known about the basket, taken out of its country, there’s a disconnect, something I can relate to’ - Carrickfergus participant

With the help of artist Janet Crymble and photographer Bernie McAlister the group toured the walled town; taking photographs and learning the ancient craft of coil weaving. Their individual pieces have been joined together to create a wall of tapestries, celebrating how we are all connected.

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