Black Diasporas Boorloo-Perth
An exhibition, and archival digital map launch of 574 stories about the places, spaces, and experiences of meaning to people of Black-African diaspora heritage in Boorloo-Perth.
Client:
afrOURban in collaboration with Collective Futures
Supported by:
The Scanlon Foundation, The Australian Multicultural Foundation, Museum of Western Australia, BGLU, Curtin University | Centre for Australia-Africa Relations
Location:
Boorloo-Perth,
WA, Australia
Date:
2025
Role: facilitator and designer
fundraising,
community engagement,
exhibition design and curation (in collaboration with Sandra Githinji Studio),
digital tool,
installation
identifying and engaging supporters, identification and coordination of project participants, facilitation of interviews, editing of stories, exhibition component design, coordination with host (Museum of Western Australia Boola Bardip) coordination of installation, programming curation and coordination.
Context: For decades the few stories about people of Black-African heritage in Boorloo-Perth have been written by others about us, or by a select few. Unfortunately, these stories perpetuate ubiquitous stereotypes. We’ve become excessively accustomed to hearing about nefarious Black people and youth1 and, conversely the trope of the model minority ‘Magical Negro’.2 Presenting this work at the Museum of Western Australia honoured the lived experiences of community, and reframed how Black life in Boorloo-Perth is understood.
How: The project manifests as an exhibition of the 574 stories and 10 comissioned short films, and a digital archival map. The exhibition opened at the Museum of Western Australia Boola-Bardip in April 2025. The stories ranged in subject matter from the anti-apartheid movement to everyday life, family joys, mental health challenges, and the impact of racial stereotyping. Covering suburbs from Fremantle to the Swan Valley, Joondalup to Mandurah, and beyond.
What: From the outset, we designed the exhibition with adaptability in mind, the TV boxes that showcase the stories were fabricated to be modular and weather-resistant, allowing the exhibition to be installed in both indoor and outdoor settings. This physical infrastructure now forms part of a reusable toolkit that can support future Black Diasporas and Collective Futures projects across schools, libraries, and public spaces both in WA and across the country.
Impact: The exhibition created space for people to hear each other’s stories, to celebrate the diversity of Black life, and to have dialogue about issues pertinent to the community. Presenting this work at the Museum of Western Australia honoured the lived experiences of community, and reframed how Black life in Boorloo-Perth is understood.
Through out the week the exhibition was at the Museum of Western Australia Boola Bardip community events were held to discuss issues that came up during the gathering of the stories, these sessions were titled:
– A Black Motherhood Reflection Circle by Blossoming Kin
– Spotting the Signs: Identifying Practical Ways to Support Someone in Crisis (men’s mental health)
– The Western Experience: A Journey of Identity, Culture & Belonging (exploring the experiences of Black Diasporas from the Americas and Europe in Boorloo-Perth)
– The Final Journey: Death, Ritual and Remembrance across the Black Diaspora
– Unmasking Racial Trauma: Reclaiming Cultural and Community Resilience through Body, Mind, Spirit, Culture & Community
– Working for Free (a conversation about the arts eco-system)
– Elders without Borders
– The Black Diaspora Retirement Reality
– Can you speak? Raising children in the diaspora and keeping language alive
– Film Screening and Q&A
– Black Girls Level Up networking event for Black women
– Experiences of the City, Architecture & Life (a conversation supported by Perth Design Week, the Australian Institute of Architects, and the Planning Institute of Australia)
This project was made possible by the generous support of the Scanlon Foundation
Design team:
Kholisile Dhliwayo, Sandra Githinji
Community participants:
Afeif, Ana, Ayor, Ayuol, Berhane, Bernard, Bernice, Bonface, Brigitte, Bumni, Charles, Colin, Daniel, Deng, Drea, Edith, Eduardo, Eva, Farai, Grace, Henry, Kozo, Langton, Legran, Louise, Lulame, Madison, Mararo, Maria, Maria, Michael, Michelle, Nathan, Nicholah, Nyat, Onikè, Pearl, Raymond, Reuben, Ruvi, Saeed, Shubert, Sileshi, Tawanda, Trinite, Victor, Yande, Yannick, Yetunde, Yirga, Yorelle, Yvette
Interviewer:
Aline, Bellamore, Carole, Chewe, Daniel, Eva, Farai, Isaac, Khumbo, Kiki, Kuda, Lisa, Maame, Mararo, Muza, Nic, Nidal, Racine, Ruvi, Shoshi, Sisi,Valerie, Vuma, Wadzi
Editors:
Chebet Kuntai, Phillip Johnson, Kholisile Dhliwayo, Sandra Githinji
Film Directors:
Abuk Lual, Jennay, Khalid Elmi, Linda Iriza, Mararo Wangai, Mohammed ‘Ayo Busari’, Nic Casta, Nidal Saeed, Tinashe Dzawoma
Trailer:
Kalu Oji
Project Advisory:
Bellamore Ndayikeze, Linda Iriza, Mararo Wangai, Muza Gondwe, Ruvi Goredema, Sandra Githinji, Wadzi Katsidzira, Kholisile Dhliwayo
Photography and videography of exhibition:
Tim Campbell
Fabricators:
TV boxes – Marketstall (Melbourne)
TV box bases – Artitecture (Perth)
Carpet Weavers – Dorcas Musyoka, Faith Mwende, Grace Muinde (Nairobi, Kenya)
Printing newspapers – Scotts (Perth)
References:
1 Murray, P. (2018, November 6). Time to be open about ethnic crime. The West Australian. https://thewest.com.au/opinion/paul-murray/time-to-be-open-about-ethnic-crime-ng-b881013722z
2 “One such commentor, K.Anthony Appiah (1993) defined the magical Negro as ”the noble good-hearted black man or woman “whose sense pulls the White character through crisis. Appiah labelled the helpful Black characters as “saints. “He further asserted that saintly Black characters are morally equivalent to their “normal White counterparts. P137-138
3 Kalu. (2000). African literature and the traditional arts: speaking art, molding theory. Research in African Literatures, 31(4), 48.
This project took place on the unceded land of the Nyoongar Whadjuk.