A new exhibition has opened in Liverpool examining the city’s colonial relationship with Africa and shining a light on the history of the city’s black communities.
What the Mountain Has Seen is backed by the John Moores University’s Exhibition Research Lab and is open to the public.
Curated by Dr. Christine Eyene, senior lecturer in Contemporary Art, the exhibition delves into the intertwined histories of Liverpool and Lolodorf, Cameroon. Its title is a nod to Mount Mbanga in Lolodorf.
“Britain is a diverse country….it’s something that’s not taught at school and it is a history that needs to be taught,” said Dr. Eyene.
The display traces the colonial impact of American missionaries on the continent, featuring contemporary artworks by British and Cameroonian artists, alongside archival materials.
Dr. Eyene’s research uncovers little-known periods of Britain’s colonial past by drawing on the surviving recollections of her family’s ancestral town in Cameroon.
When asked about the significance of unveiling this knowledge Dr. Eyene said: “We can see in Europe nationalism and discrimination are becoming more and more present. I think it’s important for British people to have a sense of their history and why we are here, as black people.”
Among the pieces featured in the exhibition are Yvon Ngassam’s film Lolodorf: A Colonial Story, which explores the impact of colonial histories in Cameroon, focusing on oral history, myths, facts, and collective memory.
An installation called Le Chemin de Fer (Underground Railroad) by Jean David Nkot compares forced labour in Cameroon with enslaved Africans in America.
Boris Nzebo’s Ville Surprise (2010-11) showcases human and plant resilience in urbanization in Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital.
Paintings by Freya Tewelde from her Roots of Resonance: The Baobab Tree Project (2022-23) depict the deep connection between the baobab tree, cowhide, sound and vibration in the myth of the Abyssinian Negarit drum.
What the Mountain Has Seen is the research exhibition behind upcoming The Plant that Stowed Away, a display tracing the battle between nature and industrialisation in Liverpool and beyond, presenting works from Tate collections at Tate Liverpool RIBA North from 6 February to 11 May 2025.
The exhibition marks the Liverpool School of Art and Design’s Bicentenary, and runs until 8 June 2025.