Birmingham Museums to launch series of workshops exploring roots of urban music
Birmingham Museums is launching a series of workshops to explore the roots of urban music.
The three-part workshop series, which began yesterday, continues today and next Wednesday.
It is hosted by oral historian Ankhobia (Sophia Carvalho) at Pannel Croft retirement village in Newtown as part of the Voices of the City project.
The workshops will explore the roots of calypso, soca, ska, reggae, hip-hop and drum and bass through oral history, music, objects and community storytelling.
Participants will have the opportunity to contribute to a new community archive that captures personal memories, musical experiences and cultural histories connected to Birmingham's diverse communities.
Ankhobia (pictured) is returning to Birmingham Museums nearly twenty years after her work on the groundbreaking music project A History of Urban Music.
The project was one of the museum's most successful community heritage initiatives.
While working for Birmingham City Council, she played a central role in researching, developing and delivering the original project, conducting oral history interviews with musicians, producers and cultural practitioners from across the world.
Interviewees included internationally renowned artists such as Afrika Bambaataa, Toots Hibbert, Junior Murvin, Luciano, Johnny Clarke, Neville Staples, Lekan Babalola and Nana Tsiboe.
The new workshop series invites people to revisit the stories captured in the original VIBES archive, while adding their own voices to Birmingham's continuing musical story.
In the first session, Listening to the Stories, participants will listen to original interview recordings from the VIBES archive, explore personal music journeys, share memories and contribute to the creation of a community playlist inspired by Birmingham's musical heritage.
The second session, Reacting to the Stories, will use photographs, musical instruments and archive materials to compare different perspectives and experiences, conduct paired interviews and begin developing participants’ own stories for inclusion in the project.
For the final session, Your Story - Let’s Make an Archive, participants will be encouraged to bring photographs, objects and memorabilia connected to music and community life, culminating in the recording and preservation of their stories for future generations.
Ankhobia said: "The original VIBES project captured an important chapter in Birmingham's cultural history. Now, these new workshops offer a chance not only to revisit those stories but also to hear new voices and preserve memories that might otherwise be lost.
“Music has always been a powerful way for communities to connect, and I look forward to hearing the stories people bring to the project."
The workshops are open to all, and refreshments will be provided throughout the programme.
