4 hours

Time: 9:00am-1:30pm

Location: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), 2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast

How do we know the past? Through whose eyes? Are there other pasts that might be recovered? Pasts that feature significant individuals who fought for social reform? Pasts that might unsettle what we think we know? Pasts that might potentially unify rather than divide? Pasts that feature hidden interconnections to others around the world? Pasts that might provide guidance, precedence and inspiration for social reform in the present?  

This half-day symposium brings together community members and activists, international academics, archivists, museum curators and others to tackle some of these important questions and to join each other for a dynamic exchange of ideas and perspectives. The symposium aims to unravel the multifaceted legacy of Douglass within the Irish context, shedding light on his experiences in Northern Ireland in particular and detailing the profound impact he continues to have on work towards social justice and equality around the world. The symposium highlights the vital contributions not just of abolitionists, but of other activists including Mary Ann McCracken, Winifred Carney, Isabel Jennings and others, alongside contemporary champions of civil and human rights. Discussions and dialogue will deepen our understanding of Northern Ireland’s global connections and the rich contributions of immigrants to society, while celebrating its rich history of activism and solidarity, 180 years after Douglass’s journey.

Confirmed speakers include: Dr Margaret Ward (Clifton House), Dr Sean Napier (1798 walking tours in Belfast), Stephen Scarth (PRONI), Dr Maurice Casey (QUB), Dr Tom Thorpe and Mark Doherty (Anti Slavery Tours Belfast), Mimi Unamoyo (Bomoko NI), Israel Eguaogie (Diverse Youth NI), Dr Hannah-Rose Murray (Queen Mary University, London), Beverly Simpson and Dominic Nartey (NW Migrants Forum) and many more.

FREE TICKETS, but sign-up required, click HERE for tickets.

3 hours

Time: 2:00-5:00pm

Location: In the Courtyard room, Riddel Hall, Queen’s University, 185 Stranmillis Road, BT9 5EE

Featuring panelists including Andy George, President of the UK National Black Police Association, Jesee Karanga, Vice President of the National Black Police Association, Mohamed Idriss, shop owner in Belfast, Henri Mohamed, social worker in Belfast and others.

Discussant: Dr Gift Sotonye-Frank, QUB

1 hour

Time: 4:00-5:00pm GMT
Location: 2 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DA Belfast

Participants: Daz Chandler, Lux Eterna, Edwin Montgomery, Dr Safdar Ahmed and Warren Armstrong from The Parallel Effect, Aboriginal Land, Australia

Join us for the opening of “Relics From Other Realms” – a paradigm-shifting pop-up exhibition running for 4-days only (Monday, 15th of April-Thursday, 18th of April).

The opening night will feature a live panel and premiere performance of a new musical work inspired by Frederick Douglass.

Live Panel Discussion: The Power of Parallels featuring the imaginations of speakers Daz Chandler, Lux Eterna, Safdar Ahmed and Warren Armstrong

To celebrate the opening of ‘Relics From Other Realms’, The Parallel Effect will present a dynamic live panel exploring the impact parallel worlding can have on the profound crises of our times. This question forms the premise of creative interventions undertaken by an expanding collective of artists and interdisciplinary thinkers committed to democratic collaborations across borders (disciplinary, practice, modal, temporal and geographical) to respond to the crises of today by reimagining alternatives to the “present” we are living. Unlike other ‘futuring’ projects which extrapolate forward from “today”, much of our parallel reality speculation stems from identifying critical moments in our diverse pasts –informed by research which seeks to engage in historical dialogue between disparate institutional and community archives– to reimagine how things might be different. As we do so, we seek to develop a praxis of sustainable knowledge - paying tribute to, acting in solidarity with, and citing the intellectual, social, cultural, scientific and organisational labour of local and international communities and actors past and present which inspire our parallel realities.

Premiere Performance of New Musical Work by Edwin Montgomery

Join us for a premiere performance of a new musical work inspired by the writings and lived experiences of Douglass. Written and performed by The Parallel Effect's multi-instrumentalist Edwin Montgomery, this layered sonic work will premiere at the opening of 'Relics From Other Realms' on Monday, 15th April.

Exhibition: Relics From Other Realms (Monday, 15th of April-Thursday, 18th of April)

Join us for this paradigm shifting exhibition and revisit and pay tribute to many pivotal moments and actors from our own realities while experiencing different truths and outcomes that occurred in parallel worlds. The mixed media show is composed of a collection of curiosities and artefacts: some shared across dimensions, others marking alternatively climatic, political, institutional, technological, natural and social evolutions. Each of them designed to empower participants to engage with forgotten and significant histories and reframe what is possible. The objects on display come in all shapes, sizes and forms and hail from all over this realm and the next. From audio recorded inside a kitchen in a refugee camp in occupied Palestine; to a sea-worn petrol cap from a dimension that’s done away with fossil fuels; to a trippy UN funded animated film about dinosaurs and climate change featuring the music of Frank Zappa; to a vinyl record from a world where Donald Trump is a beat poet; to objects, letters and other artefacts from a world where Frederick Douglass succeeded in creating his own socialist republic; through to a 130,000 year old Ngarrindjeri Dreaming story about sustainability; this exhibition has it all. ‘Relics From Other Realms’ is a free, pop-up exhibition designed for communities with an interest in histories, social justice, climate change and fairer and democratic futures for all.

Learn more about The Parallel Effect Collective HERE.

1.5 hours

Time: 7:30-9:00pm

Location: Redeemer Central, 101 Donegall St, Belfast BT1 2F Belfast

Join us for this very special event, the first ever Reading Frederick Douglass Together event in Northern Ireland and in the UK!

Following a reading of Douglass’s speeches and letters, a panel discussion will feature international visitors and local collaborators.

Since 2009, Mass Humanities has organized and funded free public events where communities in Massachusetts gather together to read and talk about Frederick Douglass’ influential address, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”. This panel discussion will feature Paula Elliott (Co-Organizer for the Boston Common Reading), Cedric Arno (longtime director, Worcester Reading Frederick Douglass Together), Dr Michelle Toni McCombs (Springfield Reading Frederick Douglass Together) and Dr Latoya Bosworth (Programme Officer, Mass Humanities Reading Frederick Douglass Together grant programme) who will share insights on the history of the readings, the significance of the programme and future aspirations for the programme as it continues to grow.

1.5 hours

Time: 8:45PM

Double feature: PURCHASE HERE

1) Black, Northern Irish and Proud and 2) The Rise of Hip-Hop in Northern Ireland

Tickets: PURCHASE HERE

Learn more about Black, Northern Irish and Proud (2022) HERE

Learn more about The Rise of Hip-Hop in Northern Ireland (2023) HERE

More information can soon be found on the QFT website