A Forgotten Chapter in British Colonial History Returns to Light
In 1904, over 350,000 visitors flocked to Bradford’s Great Exhibition to witness a live Somali village—an immersive display of 57 Somali men, women, and children who cooked, wove, danced, and lived daily life before Edwardian audiences. More than a century later, this controversial spectacle, once one of the event’s most lucrative attractions, returns under scrutiny in a groundbreaking exhibition that confronts Britain’s colonial past and Bradford’s role in it.
The Somali Village: Bradford’s First Muslim Community on Display
Operating from May to October 1904, the Somali village was not merely a show—it was Bradford’s earliest known Muslim community, observed as they slaughtered sheep, attended school, and learned Arabic and the Qur’an. The exhibition’s profits helped fund Cartwright Hall’s civic art collection for decades, embedding colonial wealth into the city’s cultural institutions.
Yet, curators of the new exhibition stress that labeling the village a “human zoo” oversimplifies its complex reality. Guest curator Abira Hussein emphasizes that while the phrase captures the brutal violence of colonial exhibitions, it neglects the nuanced negotiations, labour conditions, and agency exercised by the Somali participants.
Negotiation and Resistance Amidst Exploitation
The troupe’s leader, Sultan Ali, acted as a broker, negotiating contracts, wages, and selling crafts to visitors. After a devastating fire destroyed four huts, the group protested compensation of just £15—equivalent to roughly £1,600 today—deeming it insufficient. Some participants chose to leave and return to Somalia, while others toured Germany, Europe, and North America.
“This is not a redisplay,” Hussein clarifies. “We aim to critically examine why this display existed, how these people were framed, and the colonial systems that enabled it.”
Unveiling Yorkshire’s Overlooked Colonial Connections
Similar exhibitions toured Europe and North America during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, including the 1895 African Exhibition at London’s Crystal Palace. Yet Yorkshire’s involvement in colonialism remains largely unacknowledged.
Guest curator Yahya Birt, who uncovered that his ancestor attended the 1904 exhibition, highlights a neglected aspect of British colonial history: “When people discuss colonialism, they often focus on cotton. But the story of wool as a colonial commodity and the wealth it generated in Yorkshire is largely untold.”
Colonial Profits Fueling Art and Culture
The exhibition reveals artworks funded by profits from the Somali village, such as a 1906 marble bust of Lister, known as Baron Masham, and the 1907 children’s book The Magic Carpet by Arthur Rackham.
Lizzie Llabres, collections manager at Bradford District Museums and Galleries, states, “This exhibition is about recognizing our role in history and acknowledging the Somali village as Bradford’s first Muslim community.”
Confronting the ‘White Gaze’ Through Photography and Postcards
The exhibition explores how postcards and photography shaped public perceptions during the Edwardian era, enforcing what Birt and Hussein call the “white gaze.”
“People had to be conditioned to view other cultures through a specific colonial lens,” explains Birt.
The display features season tickets, commemorative badges, postcards, and archaeological finds from Lister Park alongside Somali textiles, mats, fans, and baskets loaned by Culture House and Koor Archives. Many of these artifacts have never before been exhibited in a British institution.
“We’re not trying to paint a rosy picture,” Birt insists. “There was exploitation and unequal power, but also resistance and negotiation.”
Highlighting Bradford’s Oldest Black and Muslim Communities
The exhibition also sheds light on Halimo Abdi Badal and Khadija Yorkshire, believed to be Bradford’s first recorded Muslim burial and birth, respectively. Their stories underscore the deep roots of Black and Muslim communities in the region.
Researchers now hope descendants of the Somali village residents may come forward to share memories, photographs, stories, or oral histories, enriching this vital narrative.
“There’s still more history to uncover,” says Hussein. “Family stories and poetry passed down could reveal even greater insights into this extraordinary chapter of Bradford’s past.”
