The magic of this project extends to our youngest storytellers. Year 5 children from Troon, Treleigh and Pennoweth Primary Schools worked with writer Rebecca Tantony to create poetry inspired by personal objects loaned to the project by our community members. They imagined the stories behind each piece, their purposes and their personal value.
Imagine
Brought to life by The Writers’ Block and CocoBean Cornwall, Imagine captures the untold stories of 12 individuals from Cornwall’s global majority community. We wove together audio interviews, photo portraits, and personal treasures, alongside creative writing by children from Pennoweth, Treleigh & Troon Primary schools. All speak volumes about identity, journey, and belonging.
The project was conceived following a conversation between Bev Bevington of CocoBean Cornwall and the team at The Writers’ Block. We realised that many story-collecting projects had been active around Cornwall, but that the voices of global majority community members were under-represented.
Our research showed a stark reality: the history of global majority communities in Cornwall’s cultural records has been largely invisible. Museums and archives have struggled to present these narratives – with Kresen Kernow being a notable exception. We saw an opportunity to capture these stories now, in this moment, before they fade.
Led by journalists Leo Devine and Matt Aye-Pe, these young interviewers learned the art of asking meaningful questions. They spoke with community members, recording conversations that will now be preserved. Three-minute excerpts are part of this exhibition, while the full interviews will be carefully archived at Kresen Kernow – a growing testament to global majority history in Cornwall.
Listen to the interviews below:
Vincent Tam
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Beverley Fitzgerald- Bevington
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Ronnie Sekatawa
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Piu Bevington
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Nesrine Poonawala
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Martha Green
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Maria Cockle
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Manisha Cooper
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Tebureniwi White, known as Mandy
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Freda Nolan
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Buaua James
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Ansel Cooper
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The team:
Bev Bevington CocoBean Cornwall, Community Lead
Helen Reynolds The Writers’ Block, Project Management
Grace Davies The Writers’ Block, Project Liaison
Rebecca Tantony Writer
Chloe Phillips Black History in Cornwall PhD
Leo Devine Journalist
Matt Aye-Pe Journalist, audio editing & summaries
Tony Crosby Exhibition designer
Steve Tanner Photography
Alcwyn Parker Audio playback device
The schools:
Year 5 classes from Troon, Treleigh and Pennoweth Primary Schools
Thanks to the teachers Emma Johnson, Becki Wheeler, Jenny Haley & Lexie Crosse
Partners: Kresen Kernow and Paper Nations
Funders: National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England.
Further info from:
Helen Reynolds, The Writers’ Block
[email protected]
Grace Davies, The Writers’ Block
[email protected]
