A Bridge of Memory: The “In Slavery’s Wake” Project Arrives in Brazil
In a powerful confluence of academic rigor and public history, a series of groundbreaking exhibitions have opened in Brazil, bringing to light the profound and deeply personal legacies of the transatlantic slave trade. These exhibitions are the public-facing culmination of “In Slavery’s Wake,” a monumental global oral history project spearheaded by the Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University. This ambitious initiative moves beyond the cold, impersonal data of shipping manifests and plantation ledgers to capture the living, breathing memory of slavery as it has been passed down through generations. By centering the voices of descendants in the Americas, Africa, and Europe, the project is building a unique and invaluable archive of human experience, and its arrival in Brazil marks a pivotal moment in the global conversation about race, memory, and reparative justice.
The exhibitions serve as a physical and emotional nexus for a project that has spent years meticulously collecting stories, songs, and memories from communities whose histories have long been marginalized or completely erased from official records. For visitors in Brazil, a nation whose identity and demographics were irrevocably shaped by slavery, the experience is more than an academic exercise; it is a direct confrontation with the ghosts of the past and a recognition of their enduring presence in the social, economic, and cultural realities of today. This collaboration between a leading U.S. academic institution and Brazilian cultural partners represents a new model for transnational historical work—one that is rooted in community, committed to ethical storytelling, and dedicated to making history accessible and meaningful to the public it concerns.
From Providence to the Global South: A Landmark Collaboration
The journey of “In Slavery’s Wake” from the halls of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, to exhibition spaces in Brazil is a testament to the project’s global scope and collaborative spirit. The Simmons Center, established as part of Brown’s institutional effort to reckon with its own historical ties to the slave trade, has become a global leader in the multidisciplinary study of slavery’s afterlives. The Center’s work is not confined to the library or the classroom; its mission explicitly includes public humanities and engagement, aiming to connect academic research with the communities whose histories are being studied.
This initiative is not a one-way transmission of knowledge. It is a deep collaboration with Brazilian scholars, curators, artists, and community activists. This partnership is crucial for ensuring the project’s cultural sensitivity, historical accuracy, and local relevance. Brazilian partners provide essential context, facilitate connections with descendant communities, and co-curate the exhibitions to resonate with local audiences. This approach counters the historical pattern of extractive research, where foreign academics gather data and leave, and instead fosters a sustained dialogue and a shared sense of ownership over the historical narrative being presented.
Why Brazil? A Nation Confronting Its Past
The choice of Brazil as a central focus and exhibition site for the project is profoundly significant. No country in the Americas was more deeply impacted by the transatlantic slave trade. Of the more than 12.5 million Africans forcibly transported across the Atlantic, an estimated 5 million—nearly 40% of the total—were brought to Brazil. Slavery was a central pillar of the Brazilian economy and society for over 350 years, lasting until its final abolition in 1888, making it the last country in the Western Hemisphere to formally end the practice.
The legacy of this history is starkly visible today. Brazil is home to the largest African diasporic population in the world, and Afro-Brazilians have shaped every facet of the nation’s culture, from music and dance (like samba and capoeira) to cuisine and religion (like Candomblé). Despite this, the nation has long struggled with a pervasive myth of “racial democracy,” a notion that widespread miscegenation had created a society free from racial prejudice. In recent decades, this myth has been powerfully challenged by Black Brazilian social movements and scholars who have exposed the deep-seated structural racism that continues to create vast inequalities in wealth, education, health, and political representation.
Bringing the “In Slavery’s Wake” exhibitions to Brazil provides a powerful platform to engage with these contemporary struggles. The oral histories collected give a human face to the statistics, connecting the historical trauma of slavery to the present-day fight for racial justice and equality. The exhibitions become a space for national reflection, offering Brazilians a chance to listen to the resilient voices of their own past and consider how that past continues to shape their future.
The Heart of the Project: The Power of Oral History
At the core of the “In Slavery’s Wake” initiative lies a profound belief in the power of oral history. While traditional historical research relies heavily on written documents—legal papers, economic records, letters, and official proclamations—this approach has a significant limitation when studying slavery. The vast majority of enslaved people were systematically denied literacy, and the archives that do exist were predominantly created by and for the enslavers. These documents tell a story of property, transactions, and control, but they rarely capture the humanity, resistance, culture, and inner lives of the enslaved.
Beyond the Archives: Capturing the Human Experience
Oral history offers a vital corrective to this archival silence. It is a methodology that centers the memories and perspectives of individuals and communities whose stories have been excluded from the dominant historical narrative. By recording the spoken testimonies of descendants, the project taps into a rich reservoir of knowledge that has been preserved and transmitted through family stories, folklore, music, and cultural traditions. These are not just personal anecdotes; they are invaluable historical sources that provide insights into survival strategies, kinship networks, spiritual beliefs, and acts of resistance, both large and small.
These narratives can illuminate the emotional and psychological toll of slavery and its aftermath in ways that a bill of sale never could. They speak of the pain of separation, the resilience of family bonds, the preservation of cultural identity in the face of brutal oppression, and the long struggle for freedom and dignity. For “In Slavery’s Wake,” each interview is an act of historical recovery, reclaiming a piece of the human story that was intentionally suppressed.
A Methodology of Listening and Respect
The process of collecting these oral histories is governed by a rigorous and ethical methodology developed by the Simmons Center. It is not simply about extracting information. It is a deeply human process built on trust, respect, and collaboration. Researchers, often working with local partners, spend significant time within communities, building relationships before a recorder is ever turned on. The interviews are conducted as collaborative conversations, where the narrator is an expert of their own experience, guiding the direction of the storytelling.
Crucially, the project is acutely aware of the trauma that can be associated with recounting these histories. Interviewers are trained to listen with empathy and to create a safe space for narrators to share what they are comfortable with. The consent process is transparent and ongoing, ensuring that individuals have full control over how their stories are used, preserved, and shared. This ethical framework is fundamental to the project’s goal of doing history *with* communities, not *on* them.
The Digital Frontier: Preserving Voices for Future Generations
A key component of the “In Slavery’s Wake” project is its use of modern technology to preserve these invaluable testimonies for posterity. The audio and video recordings are being meticulously cataloged, transcribed, and archived in a secure digital repository. This ensures that these fragile, ephemeral memories are not lost to time. The digital archive will serve as an unparalleled resource for future generations of students, scholars, artists, and community members seeking to understand the enduring legacies of slavery.
The digital platform also allows for innovative forms of public engagement. Selections from the archive can be integrated into online exhibits, educational curricula, and interactive maps, making these powerful stories accessible to a global audience. By digitizing these voices, the Simmons Center is democratizing access to history, allowing anyone with an internet connection to listen directly to the echoes of the past.
Inside the Simmons Center: An Institutional Commitment to Justice
The “In Slavery’s Wake” project is not an isolated initiative; it is a direct outgrowth of the unique mission and history of the Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University. The Center’s existence is a product of a profound and often painful process of institutional self-examination, which has positioned Brown as a leader among universities grappling with their historical connections to slavery.
Brown University’s Reckoning with Its Own History
In 2003, Brown University’s then-president, Ruth J. Simmons—the first African American president of an Ivy League institution—launched a groundbreaking Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. Its charge was to investigate the University’s historical relationship to the slave trade and the institution of slavery. The Brown family, the university’s namesakes and primary benefactors, were deeply involved in the slave trade, a fact that had long been an uncomfortable and often unacknowledged part of the institution’s history.
After three years of intensive research, the committee released a landmark report in 2006. The document was unflinching in its detail, outlining how the university benefited directly and indirectly from slavery. But the report did more than just document the past; it made a series of recommendations for how the university could begin to redress this history. The creation of a center dedicated to the ongoing study of slavery and justice was a central recommendation. The Simmons Center, founded in 2012 and named in honor of President Simmons, is the living embodiment of that commitment.
More Than an Archive: A Hub for Research and Public Engagement
The Simmons Center is a dynamic, interdisciplinary hub that supports research, teaching, and public conversation on slavery, the slave trade, and their contemporary legacies. Its work is inherently global, recognizing that the history of slavery is a story of interconnected continents and peoples. The Center hosts visiting scholars, organizes major international conferences, and develops innovative courses for Brown students.
Projects like “In Slavery’s Wake” are central to its public-facing mission. The Center understands that academic work on these sensitive topics must not remain behind the ivy-covered walls. By creating public exhibitions, digital archives, and educational materials, the Center translates complex historical research into accessible formats that can foster broader public understanding and dialogue. The exhibitions in Brazil are a perfect example of this philosophy in action, taking the Center’s research and collaborative ethos far beyond its campus and into a global context where the history is most palpable.
The Brazilian Exhibitions: A Dialogue Between Past and Present
The physical exhibitions in Brazil are designed to be immersive, contemplative, and provocative spaces. They are not simply displays of historical information but are carefully curated experiences intended to engage visitors on an intellectual and emotional level. The goal is to create a dialogue—between the past and the present, between the individual testimonies and the larger historical narrative, and among the visitors themselves.
Curating Difficult Histories for a Public Audience
Curating an exhibition about the legacy of slavery presents unique challenges. The curators—a collaborative team of Brown-affiliated and Brazilian experts—must navigate the immense sensitivity of the subject matter. How can one represent unimaginable suffering without re-traumatizing or exploiting it? How can one celebrate the resilience and cultural creativity of diasporic communities without romanticizing or minimizing the brutality they endured?
The exhibitions address these challenges by prioritizing the voices of the descendants themselves. The oral histories are the central element, allowing visitors to listen directly to the stories passed down through families. These audio and video installations create an intimate and powerful connection, transforming abstract history into a personal encounter. The curatorial approach avoids a single, monolithic narrative, instead presenting a multiplicity of perspectives that reflect the diverse experiences of slavery’s afterlives.
Art, Testimony, and Artifacts: A Multisensory Experience
To create a rich and layered experience, the exhibitions likely combine a variety of media. Visitors might encounter:
- Listening Stations: Dedicated spaces where visitors can sit and listen to extended excerpts from the oral history interviews, with translations or subtitles provided.
- Photographic and Video Portraits: Striking visual portraits of the interviewees, putting a face to the voices and honoring their contribution to the historical record.
– Historical Artifacts: Carefully selected objects from the period of slavery, perhaps sourced from Brazilian museums, that ground the testimonies in material reality. These could include tools, shackles, or domestic objects.
– Contemporary Art: Works by contemporary Afro-Brazilian and other diasporic artists that respond to the themes of memory, ancestry, trauma, and resilience. Art provides a powerful medium for processing and interpreting difficult histories.
– Interactive Displays: Maps tracing the journeys of enslaved people to Brazil, or digital interfaces allowing visitors to explore the oral history archive in more depth.
This multisensory approach ensures that the exhibition is accessible and engaging for a wide range of audiences, from schoolchildren to academic researchers.
Fostering Community Engagement and Education
The exhibitions are designed to be more than static displays; they are catalysts for community engagement. The exhibition spaces are hosting a program of related events, including panel discussions with scholars and community leaders, educational workshops for teachers, film screenings, and artistic performances. These events extend the life of the exhibition beyond its walls, fostering ongoing conversations within the local community.
For Afro-Brazilian communities in particular, the exhibitions can serve as a powerful form of validation and recognition. Seeing their family histories and cultural memories presented with dignity and respect in a public institution can be a profound and affirming experience. It is an acknowledgment that their stories are not just their own, but are an essential part of the nation’s history.
Global Resonance and Future Directions
While the current focus is on the exhibitions in Brazil, the “In Slavery’s Wake” project has a vision that is fundamentally global. The legacies of slavery are not confined by national borders, and the project aims to trace and illuminate the connections that bind the African diaspora across the world.
Connecting Diasporic Experiences Across Continents
The oral histories collected in Brazil can be put into conversation with those collected in the United States, the Caribbean, and West Africa. This comparative approach reveals both the shared experiences of racial oppression and the unique cultural and historical trajectories of different diasporic communities. It highlights a common heritage of resistance and creativity while also respecting the distinct identities that have formed over centuries.
By making these connections visible, the project helps to build a sense of a shared global history. It underscores the fact that the modern world was built on the foundation of the transatlantic slave trade, and that its consequences—from global economic inequality to contemporary patterns of racism—are still with us today.
The Challenges and Responsibilities of Historical Memory Work
Work of this nature is not without its challenges. The ethics of memory work are complex. Researchers must constantly navigate their own positionality and the power dynamics inherent in the relationship between an academic institution and the communities it studies. There is a profound responsibility to be faithful stewards of the stories they are entrusted with, ensuring they are used in a way that honors the narrators and serves the cause of justice.
Furthermore, memory itself is fluid and contested. Oral histories are not infallible records of “what happened” but are personal interpretations of the past, shaped by individual experience, family narrative, and collective identity. The project acknowledges this subjectivity not as a weakness, but as a strength, as it reveals how the past is understood and made meaningful in the present.
The Next Chapter for “In Slavery’s Wake”
The exhibitions in Brazil are a milestone, not an endpoint. The Simmons Center plans to continue its work, expanding the oral history archive and forging new partnerships in other parts of the world. The digital archive will continue to grow, becoming an ever-more-valuable resource. The long-term vision is to create a permanent, living archive that will continue to inform research, inspire art, and fuel public dialogue for decades to come.
Ultimately, the “In Slavery’s Wake” project is an audacious act of listening. In a world saturated with noise, it carves out a space to hear the quiet, persistent voices that carry the weight of history. By bringing these voices to the forefront in Brazil—a nation at the very heart of slavery’s story—Brown University’s Simmons Center is not just documenting the past. It is providing an indispensable tool for understanding our present and for collectively imagining a more just and equitable future.
