The University of Exeter has been selected to host two of the 103 unique globes which were displayed across the UK exploring the history, legacy and future of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans through the work of incredible artists.  

 They were created as part of a project led by The World Reimagined, an organisation which aims to transform how we understand the transatlantic slave trade and its impact on all of us, in order to make racial justice a reality.  

To find out more about The World Reimagined project, view other globes from other locations, or access their learning resources, visit The World Reimagined page here. 

You can find out more about the Globes hosted on our campuses and activity planned around them below.

Penryn Campus

Join us for our launch of the Penryn Campus World Reimagined Globe

12:00-17:00, Thursday 4th July, 2024.

The Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, TR10 9FE

To formally launch the University of Exeter, Cornwall’s programme of events which utilise the globe and The World Reimagined project as a tool for education, we invite all members of the community to join us for this free, unique and engaging event, highlighting local creative responses to the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impact in Cornwall and beyond.

We’re honoured to host the following esteemed creative professionals as part of the event:

• Maria Christoforidou (Falmouth University)
• Caroline Deeds (Falmouth University)
• Abi Hutchinson (Black Voices Cornwall)
• Ashton John (Museum X)
• Sandra Shakespeare (Museum X)
• Madeline R. Young (University of Exeter, Cornwall)

So don’t miss out and join us for this opportunity to interrogate our histories and explore The World Reimagined.

For more information, the agenda for the event, and to register please visit the Eventbrite page here. To attend, please sign up by 17:00 on July 3rd, 2024.

If you have any questions regarding the event, please contact us via email: edi@exeter.ac.uk

A Dark Cloud 

by Caroline Daly 

Acrylic paint on fibreglass 

About the Design

The design on this globe brings to life how Britain was transformed and enriched as a result of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and the free labour of the enslaved. It explores the legacy of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans in building the financial and trading power of Britain; strengthening the Church and the might of universities; and establishing dynastic influence and power. 

The dark cloud at the top of this globe represents the pain and suffering of Africans, forcibly uprooted from their homes and enslaved. It also represents the dark cloud hanging over our history; how the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans has been historically misrepresented and Britain's significant role in the trade’s creation. The rain, made from cotton threads dipped in paint and then printed onto the globe, highlights the use of slavery within the cotton industry.  

The numbers around the globe show the estimated numbers of people taken and enslaved from the different regions of Africa. The colour purple has been used because in the Catholic Church it represents sorrow and suffering and here it highlights the church’s role in slavery.  

Four hundred swallows on the globe represent the four hundred years of the trade in enslaved Africans. Swallows migrate across the Atlantic and thousands die on the journey due to exhaustion and starvation. However swallows are also often depicted as a symbol of hope, and as you walk around the globe the colours turn to lighter tones reflecting hope for a brighter future and for racial justice and equality. 

About the Artist

Caroline is an artist from Manchester with a background in Theatre Design, who is often inspired by wildlife and prefers to work by hand using traditional mediums. Her murals and paintings can be seen on public walls, shop fronts, shutters and sculptures within Greater Manchester and her fine art prints are sold in many gift shops and galleries in the UK. Caroline also enjoys working as an arts facilitator providing a whole host of art workshops for young people and community groups within the North West of England, specialising in mural painting and willow lantern making for community festivals and parades.

For more information and to see more of Caroline's work, you can visit Caroline's website, or watch a video of Caroline talking about the meaning behind her globe. 

Streatham Campus

There will be a launch event for this artwork in Autumn 2024. More information will be available soon.

Uncertain Voyage 

by Nadia Akingbule 

Acrylic paint on fibreglass 

About the Design

The design on this globe explores an aspect of the complexity of Britain’s relationship with Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean across generations, and the legacy of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans on the UK’s role and reputation in the world.  

Featured in the design are a man and woman who have arrived in Britain from the Caribbean, with the HMT Empire Windrush also visible, the ship that carried passengers on a voyage from Jamaica to London in 1948. 

About the Artist

Nadia Akingbule is an illustrator from London, working predominantly with themes relating to minority representation and activism. Alongside colourful editorial illustration, she specialises in portraiture, often referencing her experience as a person of dual heritage in her practice. Nadia’s work is diverse in content and context, spanning across workshops, branding and publication design, as well as editorial, commercial and book illustration.

You can find out more and see more of Nadia's work by visiting Nadia's website.