Barbados' oldest sheet music to unlock enslaved people's voices
![](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/adsitepro.com/media/677415/conversions/df2ef760-16ba-11ef-82b1-cd7f9b279722-large.webp)
The manuscript is the world’s oldest surviving music from the Caribbean island.
British Broadcasting CorporationWatchRegisterSign InHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUK General ElectionIndia ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessFuture of BusinessTechnology of BusinessWork CultureInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherFunding for project on Barbados' oldest sheet music8 hours agoShareSuppliedThe manuscript is a record of songs sung by slaves on Caribbean plantationsA project based in Gloucester has been awarded Arts Council England funding for its work exploring slavery, using a rare manuscript from the Caribbean.
The manuscript includes the world’s oldest-surviving sheet music from Barbados, capturing voices of enslaved people working in the sugar plantations.
It was placed in Gloucestershire Archives in the 1970s, and listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World register in 2017.
It is part of the Beating Back The Past project, which will also feature an installation of textiles, photographs and music.
Rider Shafique, a Gloucestershire musician of Barbadian descent, and Vanley Burke - commonly known as the godfather of black British photography - will head up the project, which will explore the transatlantic slave trade from their point of view.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4nn97yw42ro
Rating: 5