Speaking Silences used creative writing, spoken word and film to engage young people with archival silences surrounding Britain’s colonial past. Young people from Newham delved into their local heritage and explored the stories that are excluded or unspoken, and worked with writer Remi Graves, filmmaker Mmoloki Chrystie and trainee facilitator Deborah Conteh to script and shoot a short film responding to their local history which Spread the Word is pleased to present here:
The film was premiered at a screening event for young people and their families in June 2023.
During Speaking Silences, young people uncovered records with Newham Heritage Service and the Newham Archives at Stratford Library. They were invited to question whose stories are recorded in the archives, and whose are left untold. This was the starting point for the creation of their collaborative short film ‘The Chains of Change’:
Speaking Silences is a project developed and delivered by Spread the Word, and commissioned by the Royal Docks, as part of ‘Our People and Stories’.
Published 21 June 2023