Projects
- Trustee | National Trust"Gus was appointed to the Board of Trustees in September 2016. He has pursued a varied career as an academic (he has a PhD in African history), is a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery, a curator and presenter. Gus has worked on major projects at the British Museum in interpretation and education. He is also a consultant to the Tate (he advised on the Artist and Empire exhibition) and co-curated the British Library’s biggest ever exhibition on the African intellectual tradition. Gus has bro
- TEDGlobal 2017"Dr. Augustus Casely-Hayford debunks the nonsense notion that Africa has no history, with an African history lesson that dates back to before the 12th century. Back to Great Zimbabwe, an ancient city whose mysterious origins and extremely advanced architecture continue to confound archeologists. Back to when Mansa Musa, whose wealth was so great that his caravans stretched out as far as the eyes could see, ruled the Mali empire and constructed schools and libraries — most notably the libraries of Timbuktu that are still home to hundreds of thousands of medieval texts. Eighteen minutes is hardly enough time to capture the history of any culture, much less that of a continent with a story as deep as Africa’s. Much of what Dr. Gus speaks of isn’t taught in schools in the first place … but that is a conversation for another day." https://blog.ted.com/a-new-map-deep-history-and-the-far-future-at-tedglobal-session-1/
- Tate Britain’s Great British WalksTate Britain’s Great British Walks takes us on a journey across landscapes that have seduced the nation’s favourite painters, from John Constable, William Powell Frith and J.M.W. Turner, to William Hogarth, Josef Herman and Alfred Wallis. The series, shown on Sky Arts, travels the length and breadth of Britain – from London’s backstreets and rural Suffolk, to the Scottish borders and the mining villages of South Wales. Rich in stories, gossip and hidden secrets about the landscapes once imagined
- Panel Member | Blue Plaques Group"A new working group tasked with proposing Black and Asian nominees for the London Blue Plaques scheme is being created, English Heritage announced today (21 September 2016) at the unveiling of a blue plaque to footballer Laurie Cunningham. There are more than 900 Blue Plaques in London, but currently less than 4% of them are dedicated to Black and Asian figures from history. This is partly explained by the low number of public nominations fulfilling the blue plaque criteria, and by the lack (or relative inaccessibility) of historic records establishing a definitive link between the person in question and the building in which they lived. The working group will be led by English Heritage Blue Plaque panel member Augustus Casely-Hayford, a curator and cultural historian. Speaking about the role of the new group, Casely-Hayford said: "This great city has always been an ethnic melting pot. We are linked through language, culture, political alliance and economic partnership to every part of the world. And peoples from places that we have touched, have found their way here, to not just make London their home, but to make London and this country what it is. "We want to celebrate that rich complex, sometimes, difficult history, through the lives of those that truly made it." DIVERSITY IN THE BLUE PLAQUES SCHEME The London Blue Plaques scheme was established 150 years ago in 1866 but it wasn't until 1954 that the first plaque honouring a notable figure of minority ethnic origin was installed, to Mahatma Gandhi. The majority (66%) of the plaques commemorating black and Asian figures have been erected during English Heritage's custodianship of the scheme, reflecting an evolving sense of who should be honoured. Black and Asian figures celebrated with English Heritage blue plaques include Mary Seacole, the heroic Jamaican nurse from the Crimean War; Chinese writer Lao She; Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore; and guitarist and song-writer Jimi Hendrix. Casely-Hayford continued: "The Blue Plaques Scheme faces certain specific challenges when it comes to recognising the achievements of individuals who have faced institutional barriers, who have often lived outside of the official records. "We want to look at how those challenges can be overcome and to partner with the British public in uncovering the stories of those unacknowledged heroes who helped make our great city what it is." Public nominations will continue to be the lifeblood of the Blue Plaques Scheme and all nominations generated by the new working group will be judged by the same strict criteria (see below) as those received from the public." http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about-us/search-news/diversity-blue-plaques
- The Lost Kingdoms of AfricaFor many of us the history of Africa is, at best, vague. We might think of Egyptian pyramids, legendary queens (of Sheba or Cleopatra) and Zulu warriors. The truth, however, is one of remarkably diverse, creative, culturally rich civilisations. In this book, which accompanies an 8-part BBC series, Gus Casely-Hayford takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of this remarkable continent. We will encounter archaeological sites of staggering beauty that rival the Great Wall of China, vast and ancient universities that predate Oxford and Cambridge, kingdoms of extraordinary wealth, artistic traditions that still inspire artists today, great religious sites that surpass the Vatican, and a country with more pyramids than Egypt. In recent years new archaeological and anthropological research has opened up the study of African history in ways previously unimaginable. Long-lost kingdoms are suddenly being brought back to life. Civilisations that had faded into myth are revealing their secrets. Using this latest research, Gus Casely-Hayford is able to tell the history of Africa's major kingdoms in an entirely new, colourful and richly-informed way. Accessible and inspiring, The Lost Kingdoms of Africa is both a major addition to our understanding of this oft-overlooked history and a source of genuine delight and wonder.
Projects credited in
- Championing Diversity: this Black History Month, meet 100 creatives inspiring changeWe asked 11 of our creative heroes to each nominate 10 leading black change makers and creators who are shaping the current climate with raw talent, big ideas and crazy hard work. There is still a huge disparity of BAME individuals in the creative industry. Currently only 13% of the creative industry workforce identify as coming from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. In addition, only 8% of senior positions have BAME representation. Spotlighting this subject is as important as ever. True d138
Skills
- Curatorial