An Archive for Our Elders

I am raising £5,000 to build the Me History Archive — a project that preserves the stories of African-Caribbean elders in Britain through a digital archive and podcast.

The archive will begin as a website where people can browse full interviews, transcripts, photographs, and maps of where our elders have lived and travelled. Over time, it will grow into an interactive resource and expand by working with other African-Caribbean elder groups across the UK.

The First Cohort: HACAS Elders in North West London

For the first stage of this project, I am partnering with Harrow African-Caribbean Association (HACAS), a community organisation in North West London. Together, we will record eight in-depth interviews with African-Caribbean elders.

Shortened versions of their interviews will feature in a podcast, which will enable people to dip their toe into individual stories before utilising the archive.

Full-length interviews will be preserved on the website archive, complete with transcripts and maps.

This ensures their voices are heard in two ways: as part of a cultural storytelling project, and as part of a permanent archive for families, researchers, and future generations to understand who we are and how we came to be.

Why Now?

The longer we are in the UK, the more our identity and stories risk becoming fractured. Preserving the voices of our elders is a way to strengthen our cultural continuity and make sure their experiences are traceable for those who come after us.

This archive is not just for the present. It is designed to serve:

FAMILIES: who will be able to trace ancestry and hear relatives in their own words.

ACADEMICS AND STUDENTS: who will gain a resource rooted in lived history.

COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS: who can use these materials to strengthen intergenerational connections.

How the £5,000 will be used...

This project has been carefully costed so that every donation makes a direct impact. The £5,000 goal reflects both the practical needs of producing the podcast and the longer-term work of building and preserving the archive.

Podcast Costs [£2,000]

• Studio hire (32 hours across 8 elders)

• Travel for elders

• Audio editing & hosting

Archive & Growth [£3,000]

• Website design & hosting for the digital archive

• Professional transcription of interviews

• High-quality portraits of each elder to accompany their stories

• Digital storage & preservation

• Community listening events & workshops

• Expansion to other African-Caribbean elder groups in future

Long-Term Goals

This is only the beginning. With your support, the Me History Archive will grow beyond this first cohort of elders to include voices from across the UK. Each story preserved is a piece of our shared cultural memory — a safeguard against forgetting.

By donating, you are investing in a future where British-Caribbean history is not fragmented, but held together in the voices, memories, and wisdom of our elders.