Democratising a decolonised functional and cultural heritage space

Sobers, Shawn

Abstract

This presentation discussed how Fairfield House in Bath, the former residence of Emperor Haile Selassie, could be considered a decolonised space - predominantly Black led, catering for predominantly (though not solely) Black audiences. Sobers discussed how even in apparent decolonised spaces, there is still a further need for democratising practices to take place as an ongoing process, as it can't be assumed that "diverse" demographics equals everyone in the participant stakeholder groups feeling included all of the time. Fairfield House serves two distinct and dominant roles - 1) it is a functional day centre for senior citizens, fulfilling the wish of the Emperor, and 2) a place of pilgrimage as a site of spiritual and international cultural significance. As a director of Fairfield House CIC, Sobers discusses the attempts they have made for addressing different stakeholder expectations of the space, and strategies towards being a truly ongoing democratised and decolonised functional and heritage site with multiple purposes and responsibilities as custodians of the space.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: CKC 2019: Rethinking, Resisting and Reimagining the Creative City Conference
• Start Date: Sep 13, 2019
• End Date: Sep 13, 2019
• Deposit Date: Nov 30, 2019
• Keywords: Democratisation, decolonisation, heritage, diversity, inclusivity, haile selassie
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/4750820