Last words from Liverpool (#10)

We kind of laid low today...no big plans.  The one thing I wanted to do is go the the Slavery Museum here in Liverpool.  I had no idea, but this city played huge role in American slavery which I never realize... I'm embarrassed to admit.  This has always been a major shipping center, and it played a key role in slavery trade.  It was a point in the triangular trade route for African slaves.  Ships left Liverpool loaded with cotton, wood, guns, alcohol, they went to Africa where they traded these goods for slaves, then they went on the "middle passage" to America or the West Indies where the slaves were sold for money and tobacco, then returning to Liverpool to start all over again.  They say "Although Liverpool was essential to the slave trade, the slave trade was not essential to Liverpool"...at the height of the slave trade, only 10% of Liverpool outbound ships were bound for Africa.

In recent years, Liverpool has taken significant steps towards acknowledging its historical role in the transatlantic slave trade.  Their school children are educated about this shameful chapter in their history, there are monuments and memorials serving as poignant reminders of Liverpool's connections to the slave trade...plaques highlighting both the wealth generated by the slave trade and the need for remembrance are throughout the dock area.  They feel an imperative to honor the victims while confronting uncomfortable truths about their city's past.  I find it so interesting to be made aware of this, at a time when our country is downplaying any uncomfortable history about our country's involvement with the slave trade.

All this to say, there is a fabulous Slavery Museum at the docks...a huge 4 story building.  We have been looking forward to seeing it, and even spoke to a woman who says by the time she made it to the 4th floor of the museum she was sobbing.  We headed off to visit the museum (armed with tissues), only to find that it is closed for 3 years, being totally refurbished.  So disappointing to find this out, as it was something I really wanted to see in Liverpool.

Well, this gave me time to do a little sleuthing around the famous Beatles statue at the docks.  We had seen it on our first day in town, but we learned about some hidden messages in it from Jimmy, our taxi guide.  This statue was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the last concert the Beatles played in their hometown of Liverpool.  It's a nice likeness of the boys, and the artist placed things of special meaning on each of the boys.  John is holding 2 acorns, kind of hidden in his cupped hand.  These represent peace & love, and John and Yoko were known to have sent 2 acorns to quite a few world leaders.  George is wearing a trench coat with the belt tied in back.  There is Sanskrit  lettering on the belt, with some Hari Krishna saying.  Paul is holding a camera to represent his love and marriage to Linda Eastman who was a photographer.  And to find Ringo's secret message, I had to get on my knees and take a "selfie" of the bottom of his shoe, where I could read the postal code to the home he grew up in: "L8".  I'm sure the other tourists taking photos in front of the statue wondered why a grey haired lady was down on her knees behind the statue taking photos of the bottom of Ringo's shoe!!

The Museum of Liverpool, at Albert Dock

Paul's camera

2 acorns for John

Geoerge's belt

Ringo's postal code on the bottom of the raised heel of his shoe

 In lieu of the Slavery Museum, we went to the Museum of Liverpool.  Liverpool is a very interesting city.  Always a shipping port (slavery trade, then a major port for millions of immigrants to come to the US, and also the main staging ground for the British battle against Nazi U-Boats in WW2).  The city was physically destroyed in WW2 bombings, and then economically destroyed by the advent of shipping containers in the 60's.  Things were pretty dismal here.  No wonder the locals were so proud of the Beatles...finally something to be happy about!  But it wasn't until the early 2000's that thing started looking up with a cultural renaissance, funded in large by the EU.  Today it really is a lively and fun city to visit.  (But darn those Liverpudlian accents are HARD to understand!!)