Free For All found itself in Birmingham last week, where we visited two schools - St Thomas More and St John's Primary.
It was good to return to Birmingham after starting there at the beginning of the year (Quinton, 6 January) and work with children eager to explore the secrets of the Slave Trade.
One of the songs in the performance is called Breathe Easy, and the chorus says, "All secrets have echoes that are whispered in the breeze." A powerful reminder that even the horrific journeys of the slave ships, secretly sailing across the Atlantic 200 hundred years ago are being retold now. Abolitionist Olaudah Equiano's account of what he experienced on board a slave ship helps us to understand a little of the brutal reality.
A young girl from St John's knew one of the Nigerian songs we taught, and pupils from St Thomas' were also interviewed for our next podcast on things to do in the summer.
Birmingham Cathedral hosted a performance of the play at the end of the week, and the audience were exposed to the uncomfortable reality of the history of England's involvement in the Slave Trade. Pictures of the week in Birmingham can be found here, or click on the thumbnail in the right hand column.
If you were one of the young people who took part in Birmingham - leave a comment and let us know what you thought of it all!
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