About
In Safe Hands - The Voices of Black Britain is an online exhibition and audio documentary that celebrates the Black pioneers that have claimed necessary spaces within British Radio Broadcasting over the past 50 years and more. It tells the story of the often neglected voices of Black Britain who served their communities whose culture, tastes and interests were not being catered for by the mainstream, from Calling The West Indies and Caribbean Voices in the 40s/50s, to the thriving pirate radio stations in the 80s, to Choice FM in the 90s.
A combination of vox pops, interviews, archive material, sounds, music and interactive visual imagery bring alive the stories of Black pioneers within British Radio Broadcasting.
The title, on the one hand, comments on how the media industry, treats Black creatives and their ideas, often telling them to go away and prove the viability and audience demand for their ideas first, before they are greenlit or entrusted with funds. Or that their stories must be tweaked or told in a way that the industry is familiar with the industry and not in the way the artist wants to tell it. On the other, it comments on the current political, social and economic environment that has exposed how Black people are often not in the safe hands of those who are meant to guide, support and care for them.
It hopes to inspire young Black people to create their own spaces within the media industry and celebrate those who have paved the way. It hopes to sparks conversations bout how we can support and sustain Black British media outlets who will ensure that the stories and ideas by those from the African and African-Caribbean diaspora are indeed In Safe Hands.
A combination of vox pops, interviews, archive material, sounds, music and interactive visual imagery bring alive the stories of Black pioneers within British Radio Broadcasting.
The title, on the one hand, comments on how the media industry, treats Black creatives and their ideas, often telling them to go away and prove the viability and audience demand for their ideas first, before they are greenlit or entrusted with funds. Or that their stories must be tweaked or told in a way that the industry is familiar with the industry and not in the way the artist wants to tell it. On the other, it comments on the current political, social and economic environment that has exposed how Black people are often not in the safe hands of those who are meant to guide, support and care for them.
It hopes to inspire young Black people to create their own spaces within the media industry and celebrate those who have paved the way. It hopes to sparks conversations bout how we can support and sustain Black British media outlets who will ensure that the stories and ideas by those from the African and African-Caribbean diaspora are indeed In Safe Hands.
Host/Curator
The project is hosted and curated by Ayesha Taylor-Camara a PhD student in the Department of Cultural, Media and Visual Studies at the University of Nottingham.
Black History Month 2020
The exhibition and documentary is also part of The University of Nottingham's Black History Month 2020 events.