THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Visions of West Africa’s Future: West Africa at the British Empire Exhibition (1924–1925)

Daniel Stephen is the Specialty Faculty Appointment in History at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. His lecture will discuss divergent meanings assigned to material objects from Britain’s West African colonies shown at the British Empire Exhibition, held in the London suburb of Wembley during 1924–1925. The organizers believed the exhibition would help build West Africa’s economic and political future, but views of what “progress” should consist of varied among attendees, and these tensions heralded an era of increasing friction between West Africa and Britain.

Daniel Stephen

Related Exhibition: On Display in the Walled City: Nigeria at the British Empire Exhibition, 1924–1925
In 1924, the British Empire Exhibition opened in the London suburb of Wembley; featuring installations of material and trade wealth based on fifty-five of Britain’s global colonies.  Millions of British subjects visited the grounds and among the most popular sites was the “Walled City,” which housed the pavilions of the participating West African colonies—Nigeria, Gold Coast (modern day Ghana), and Sierra Leone. On Display in the Walled City showcases 38 objects from the Fowler’s collection that were originally displayed in the Nigerian pavilion, and offers insights into Nigerian art of the early-twentieth century and the colonial enterprise.

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$3/hr or max $13/day. Rideshare drop-off 305 Royce Drive.