How the people of Bristol have confronted fascists, taken on racism and battled apartheid are among the subjects covered in the fifth Radical History Festival, taking place this Saturday (April 22) in the city centre.
The M-Shed is hosting the event, with stalls, lectures, exhibitions and guided tours around the city centre throughout the day.
The annual event this year has two main themes. The first is Radical Bristol and the Visual Arts, which explores radical visual artists who have lived in the city over the past two centuries. The second will look at the history of trade unions in Bristol, from origins in Victorian times to the present day.
Those two themes will see a series of talks taking place in the M-Shed’s studios and events spaces, including a talk from historian Silu Pascoe on the Bristol Bus Boycott, which took place 60 years ago this spring, in 1963.
As well as talks about Bristol’s grassroots history from the 18th and 19th centuries, there will also be talks about events within living memory - including Andy Danford’s talk on conflict and struggle in the arms industry in Bristol. Andy was a senior union rep in the factories in the 1970s and 80s.
There are three guided walks planned for the day too, taking history talks outside of the M-Shed. The first, led by Molly Conisbee from 11am, will look at the cholera outbreaks in Bristol in the 1830s and how they sparked political reverberations in the city. The second will start at the Royal West of England Academy and see Lee Cox give a guided walk through the work of Ellen and Rolinda Sharples.
The third guided walk starts at 4pm from the front of the M-Shed and will be a walking tour exploring the history of the squatting movement in Bristol city centre over the past 50 years.
Among the exhibitions being staged on Saturday in the M-Shed is one about how Bristol confronted the National Front in the 1970s, how Bristol formed a group in 1964 to campaign against apartheid South Africa, and also how Bristol has been home to a group of ‘subvertisers’, who alter billboard adverts.
All the events, talks, lectures, films, exhibitions and performances are free, and being organised by the Bristol Radical History Group, which looks to explore ‘history from below’, the untold history of the ordinary people of Bristol.
- The day kicks off at 10am - find out more details here.
Read more:
- How Bristol's famous 'Cry of the Poor' still resonates 150 years on
- How Bristol challenged Colston for 100 years
- The scandal of the secret mass grave of East Bristol's poor, finally given a marker
Sign up for our What's On in Bristol newsletter packed with essential stories to help you make the most of living in the city.
