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CREATIVE GRANT RECIPIENT #033: JN BENJAMIN ->

ourmothersstories · trailer (april 2021)

our mothers' stories is being developed to be presented over a range of artistic mediums, which includes an audio documentary series, an outdoor photography exhibition, and an essay collection. Each essay will be translated into the first language of the mother, where that language is not English.

“I was inspired by the discovery of a box of black and white photos depicting my mother’s life when she lived in Nigeria in the 1960s and 1970s. Finding these photos - a selection of which is included in the project’s artwork design - showed me how little I know about her life before she became a mother. It made me think about how much of an identity is lost when the title ‘mother’ is gained. In extensively documenting these stories we not only pay homage to those that made us who we are, but we also acknowledge their existence as full human beings by honouring the contribution they made to the world beyond having children.

our mothers’ stories was conceived against a backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought with it a profound grief that has been felt the world over. I was particularly struck by the unexpected death of so many elders - some of whom were the parents and grandparents of my friends. With the shock of the lockdowns now beginning to subside, it really feels like a collective sense of urgency to hear and preserve all these stories has been brought to the fore. For those of us children and grandchildren of the African and Caribbean diaspora whose parents were born abroad, this task feels even more important. I want this project to be a provocation, a little nudge to encourage more people to seek out and preserve, in some way, their own mothers' stories”.

Listen to the audio trailer here

We are happy to announce that the 33rd recipient of The Creatives Grant is JN Benjamin. We really enjoyed reading the two pieces she sent. Her project, our mothers’ stories, explores who people are before we came to know them. It’s something we’ve been thinking a lot about recently, and we look forward to more from that project as it comes.

Be sure to follow JN on Instagram and keep up with our mothers' stories on its website and Instagram

This grant used to be exclusively for writers but we recently opened it up to all working class creatives based in the UK. Please apply! + stay up to date here

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