     Anonymous | Wednesday, April 04, 2001 - 05:21 am
The Somali Village - In 1904, Bradford held a Great Exhibition, intended to be the greatest fair ever held this side of the Atlantic. The Edwardian's loved anything 'exotic' and the show's main attraction was a real Somali village. History Quest asks if the Somali village was just a Victorian 'freak-show' or were the villagers cannier than it first appears?
The Greatest Show on Earth
In 1904, Edwardian Bradford organised a Great Exhibition. 'Side-shows' included a Palace of Illusion, The Gigantic Glittering Thimble ('the world's largest' at 9'6" and Buffalo Bill's Man-Lifting Kites. In keeping with the age-old fascination for 'freak-shows', a term applied to anything out of the realm of an average Edwardian's experience, the show's highlight was a living and breathing Somali Village. Somali men, women and children were asked to build huts and live outside in the park for 10 months, giving demonstrations of spear throwing, dancing and arrow shooting.
The Victorian View
The Victorians looked upon the Somalis with curiosity and apprehension. Newspapers reported the 'barbarism' of the villagers and concern was expressed that the Somali ways might corrupt local morals. As a result, the villagers were only allowed out of the enclosure, under strict supervision, on Sundays. The Victorians also enjoyed teasing the villagers; one incident involved a local man taking out his false teeth in front of the tribe, causing them to scurry away in fear; another involved a local black man being brought to the village and forced to try and communicate with the villagers. On being spoken to in Somali, the Bradford man replied that he spoke 'nobbut Yorkshire'. Other unfortunate events transpired; one of their huts was destroyed by fire and one villagers died from TB.
The Somali View
It was certainly true that the villagers didn't always have an easy time during their visit to Bradford but it may be a mistake to see them as victims. The villagers had not been plucked from Somalia and dragged to Britain; they were an experienced travelling show, who made good money from their work, rather like Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. The villagers were not shy about demanding their rights, on one occasion storming the Town Hall demanding more money. Furthermore, despite often ignorant attitudes of the crowd, the villagers were also well regarded. The official report says, 'they maintained their attractive character throughout, and under the trying conditions of the Yorkshire climate behaved in a most creditable manner.' Positive moments included the villagers thrashing the local cricket team and a happy birth; a daughter, 'Hadija Yorkshire', was born to the Sultan and a 17gun salute was fired in honour.
The Conclusion
If we look at the evidence, a contradiction appears. The newspapers give an ignorant and naïve account of the Somali visit but we know that the villagers were earning generous wages and receiving royal naval salutes. Similarly, Bradford lived in terror of picking up diseases and 'heathen' ways but it was the Somali woman who caught TB from the crowd, it was the Somalis who thrashed the British cricket team, it was the villagers who 'behaved in a most creditable manner'. Scratching behind the surface, we find clues to a canny and sophisticated group; well-educated, financially astute and very good at cricket. It begs the question, just who exactly was the unsophisticated and ignorant 'tribe'…? |
