An excellent and valuable exhibition; thank you!

The Contributors here – at least those best placed to do so – could do worse than begin (continue?) to lobby for a truth and justice commission on the The British Empire. It is sorely needed and work should continue to ensure it happens eventually.

Thank you.

P.S. Nothing on Ireland?

Hi from South Africa,

I live in Cape Town and both my parents and grandparents were greatly affected by colonialism. Colonialism bed a culture of racism that lives on to this day. We as South Africans continue to struggle to accept that all races are equal. One wonders whether time will truly change this.

Great exhibition.

The photos are very provocative – we can learn so much through them. The juxtaposition of the image and biography is highly emotive. The lives of indigenous Australians pre and post (even now) must be shared. I am disappointed that this community is not represented.

The distinct difference between two types of image commentary are interesting.

One type focuses on ‘virtuous’ individuals within a system. While the other focuses on the system as a whole ( and its negative effects).

I think both are interesting but the latter is more important.

Unfair systems erase a lot of personal choice.

I was born and spent my childhood in Zambia in the 1970’s during the transition to Black majority rule.
As a result of my childhood experiences, I have always been interested in depictions of both empire and the commonwealth.This is a very interesting exhibition and should hopefully have a permanent exhibition in the museum.

The contributions from black artists and historians powerfully identify the racism and white supremacism at the heart of the British Empire and British identity. This persists today with 15% of the prison population being black despite only making up 2.2% of the country.

I think it is extremely important that all white British people understand and acknowledge how today we continue to profit from empire and the structural racism that is deeply entrenched in our society. We continue to turn a blind eye to our history and refuse to collectively take responsibility for the pain and suffering we have inflicted on the world.

The team you have collected here together that put forth the exhibition have done an amazing job.

Yes, the work on display is key and the most important in making it all come together. But I do, as a practicing curator, admire the collection and curation of the work that little bit more.

Having the light and display screens behind the imagery was a very clever move. It opens up the detail in each documented image so much more. I really do feel as if I have a clear understanding of each image more now and the components that bring them all together.

Grey walls = perfect and balances all the tones within the images very well.

A young Bristolian colleague of mine in London once remarked when I talked about visiting Bristol; ‘Oh yes the slavery, slavery it just happened right?’

No it did not just happen, this exhibition shows that is was a systematic exploitation of vulnerable, less powerful people to line the pockets of those who chose not only to trade in tobacco and sugar, but people people too.

It was economic. These ‘commodities’ made money. The Christmas card was particularly poignant for me. The other face of slavery.

No, it was not nice. People should treat others better!