CALL AND RESPONSE: THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW AND SLAVERY

B IS FOR BLACK

Pages from the Child's Instructor or Picture Alphabet, Glasgow, early 19th century

The Child’s Instructor or Picture Alphabet
Early 19th century
University of Glasgow Library, James Lumsden & Son Archive, DC112/16/1

This book was printed and sold by the Lumsden family printing business. The most prominent member of the family was Sir James Lumsden who was knighted for his services to the City as Lord Provost when the foundation stone for the University’s new buildings on Gilmorehill was laid by the Prince of Wales in 1868. In 1864, Lumsden, like many other wealthy Glasgow businessmen, profited from investments in ships built on the Clyde for the purpose of evading the port blockades in the Southern states of America. The blockades were set up by President Abraham Lincoln as part of the fight to abolish slavery.

Tawona Sithole“B is for black, c is for captain: alphabet-themed misadventures of a terribly seasick crew with stoic colonial disposition in unrelenting tidal waves of historical inadequacies.”

Copyright © 2019, Tawona ‘ganyamatope’ Sithole. 
All rights reserved.

Tawona ‘ganyamatope’ Sithole 
Poet-in-residence
Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network 
University of Glasgow

these seas swirl fires 
and beasts to tame 
dark lands with dangers 
and treasures unknown 
to err may recur 
but swear to recall 
good lords and ladies 
and thrones to obey

aye aye captain

if only you could see your ship now 
storms have been plenty 
still i’ve honoured your orders 
cool as watermelon 
learnt to read and write 
but cannot ‘rithmetic my way 
out of the hold of your ship

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