Creative Commemorations
#DouglassWeek
Visualizing Frederick Douglass’s Footprint in Ireland, Past and Present
University College Cork, 8th-14th of February, 2021
C#DouglassWeek is an all-island, collaborative event series that celebrates the arrival of Frederick Douglass in Ireland between 1845-1846, during which time he lectured to packed audiences, met with Daniel O’Connell and reflected upon the devastating effects of the famine then beginning to sweep the nation. The week is marked by a variety of performative events, creative installations and critical discussion, offering a collection of responses to address the footprint of Douglass in Ireland. Between the 08-14th February, 2021, we invite you to join us on Douglass’s journey across the island by watching and participating in unique “Creative Commemorations” projects from Douglass enthusiasts all across the Emerald Isle.
After a week of celebrations, #DouglassWeek will wrap up with a discussion and reflection by leading scholars and experts from Ireland and abroad, who will convene to discuss the nature of Douglass “transformation” in an expert panel.
These experts will consider topics such as the importance of Douglass’s Irish experience to his broader career, his encounters with Daniel O’Connell and temperance reformer Father Theobald Mathew, the parallels between the Irish and the American struggles for freedom, and the relevance of Douglass’s fight for equality and justice to contemporary issues around migration and refugee experiences in Europe.
#DouglassWeek will also mark the beginning of production for an upcoming documentary about Douglass’s life. In collaboration with producer Aidan Whelan, the highlights of the event will be filmed, including the performance and an interview with the leading actor of the docudrama, Roger Guenveur Smith. Smith, an internationally acclaimed actor who finds a long-time colleague in Spike Lee, has created and performed a one-man show based on Douglass’s experiences and is ideally placed to discuss the project’s retracing of Douglass’s footsteps across Ireland.
The event series aims to connect people in Ireland who share an interest and passion for Frederick Douglass, American Irish relations, civil rights activism, creative commemoration and other, related topics. By combining creative expression with academic reflection, Ireland with America, and the past with the present, this week of events will foster exciting connections between the public and national and international bodies like UCC, the Irish and U.S. embassy, the Irish Heritage Society, the Irish Association for American Studies.
#DouglassWeek strives to widen public awareness of the importance of remembering slavery and the intertwined struggle for independence and liberation in Ireland and the U.S., as well as to develop a more nuanced and complex understanding of Ireland as we know it today.
Photo Credit to Daniel O’Connell (Twitter: @egomotion)