An interactive walking trail that will tell the untold story of the Yoruba community and how they have contributed to the area is coming to Southwark – the first of its kind in the UK.
CultureTree Centre has received funding from the Mayor of London’s Untold Stories fund to develop Yoruba heritage walking trails and murals across the borough.
The project will tell the story of the Yoruba community in Southwark – a largely untold history of how one of the three largest Nigerian ethnic groups has contributed to the area.
In a UK first – there will be six interactive digital Yoruba heritage walking trails, an online oral history archive, a pop-up Yoruba community hub, and interactive wall murals across the borough of Southwark.
Each trail and mural will have a QR code, taking visitors to an online oral history archive, where they can hear interviews linked to each stop on the route.
This comes as part of the mission to establish Southwark’s first Yoruba community group made up of residents and business owners of Yoruba heritage in Southwark.
They are looking for people who would be happy to share their experiences and stories about living and settling in the borough, and how they have maintained and stayed in touch with their culture, roots and heritage in the UK. Their stories around family histories, food and migration will be used to develop the trails.
Anyone interested in joining the group can sign up here.
They will also produce a series of trail guides to help people explore the rich history and heritage of the Yorubas in Southwark borough.
The trail guides will cover a wide range of places, themes, and ideas of interest to tourists and locals alike. Each trail will contain a suggested walking route (or routes in some cases). It’ll cover streets and buildings, legends, and true stories, meet the locals, answer burning questions about Yoruba culture, and explore delicious Yoruba cuisine.
CultureTree Centre is also partnering with The Tate Modern on the exhibition A World in Common, which celebrates the variety and depth of contemporary African photography.
As part of this exhibition, members of the Southwark Yoruba Community Group will be working with photographer Ruth Ossai to create a series of studio portraits. The murals will be done by muralist Polly Alakija.
The funding is part of the £1m Untold Stories programme to champion diversity in the capital’s public spaces and ensure London’s landmarks and monuments reflect the achievements of all who have contributed to the success of our city. The grants offer Londoners the opportunity to develop ideas and share their stories which will be represented within the public realm.
Gbemisola Isimi (CEO of CultureTree) said: “We are very happy and honoured to have been awarded this funding. It will help us in our efforts to celebrate Yoruba culture and raise awareness of Yoruba heritage and contributions to Southwark borough.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, established the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm to improve the representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, women, LGBTQ+ communities and Deaf and disabled people and those from a range of socio-economic backgrounds in the public realm.
Registration to join the Southwark Yoruba Community Group is open until May 12, 2023.
For more information visit https://culturetree.co.uk/yoruba-community-group