AFRICAN CANADIAN HISTORY
BY: KENDRA CAMPBELL
Museum collections are messy
assemblages of cultural material that have been collected (read: stolen,
coerced, acquired) over time. As time passes, collections grow and societal values
shift, a museum may perceive some of its historical holdings as unacceptable
for contemporary exhibition. These materials become proverbial skeletons in the
museum collection that for conflicting reasons, the museum chooses
not to confront. Blackface ephemera, specifically the history of blackface in
Canada, is a fitting example of this phenomena.
Around this time every year, a Halloween
costume faux-pas prompts us to revisit the history of blackface and why it is
so hurtful when such racist representations resurface. Brian Roberts, author of
Blackface Nation: Race, Reform and
Identity in American Popular Music, 1812 provides a succinct definition.
Blackface “was a musical genre in which actors and singers blackened their
faces and hands with make-up and performed what were nearly always spurious
versions of African-American song, dance and expression.”
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| Mr. Hickey, blackface theatre performer, Montreal, QC 1896. Source |
Blackface is commonly associated
with American musical traditions, but Canadian audiences also participated in
this harmful cultural practice. Although Canadian blackface is less frequently
discussed and acknowledged, archival material reminds us of the prominence of
this genre.
Protest against blackface did
not suddenly emerge in 2017. As early as the mid nineteenth century, Blacks protested
these racist caricatures that were rooted in slavery. In the 1840s, Black
Canadians organized a petition at Toronto City Hall hoping to outlaw the
practice. Unfortunately, these efforts did little to
stop blackface performances or mitigate its sweeping cultural influence.
Blackface permeated numerous forms of popular culture, further perpetuating
racist imagery.
Given the popularity blackface,
why is this history of blackface not visible in Canadian museums?
Perhaps museums are conflicted
about whether or not they should exhibit this material. It would be
remiss not to mention that this history enacts violence on certain visitors, particularly
visitors of colour, and encountering such imagery in a museum or gallery space
must be done accurately and mindfully. On the other hand, there is no
doubt that blackface in Canada disrupts and complicates dominant Canadian
narratives. Whatever the rationale for not sharing this history, it must be noted
that there are consequences when museums do not engage with this history. Namely, hurtful stereotypes persist and manifest in new ways when certain stories are
lazily labelled “difficult histories” and are denied
the opportunity for re-contextualization through exhibition.
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Exhibition about blackface at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Photo courtesy of Kendra Campbell. |
Rather than deny the existence of these skeletons in museum closets, cultural institutions should explore new approaches to interpret this history more empathetically. When museums engage in nuanced
storytelling there is an opportunity to create space for learning and to contribute to dialogue.
This week’s Arts Against Post Racialism Exhibition at OCAD U Grad Gallery (205 Richmond St. West) is an excellent advancement of this issue. From October 30 - November 3rd, experience video, sculpture and film installations that bring visibility and challenge blackface in Canada.
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| Arts Against Post Racialism: Strengthening Resistance Against Contemporary Canadian Blackface is a SSHRC-funded knowledge mobilization initiative led by Dr Philip Howard (McGill University, Department of Integrated Studies in Education) in collaboration with artist/curator Camille Turner that challenges blackface and postracialism by supporting efforts to challenge them. Source. |
References:
Slanely, Catherine. (2003) Family Secrets Crossing the Colour Line, p.45.
