A fusion of food from West Africa and East Yorkshire will take place starting this autumn, with a cultural heritage project that brings together migrant foods and Hull’s fishing heritage – and the two may be more interconnected than you’d first think.
Bameen, (Black & Minority Ethnic Environment Network) will launch its new 14 month initiative, the Hull Fishing Heritage and Migrant Cultural Food Project, on Saturday 17 October. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage fund, the project aims to explore Hull’s fishing heritage and the impact of multiculturalism on food in the city over the years.
Dawda Jatta MBE, owner and founder at Bameen, said: “We wanted to look at the diverse food traditions and stories that are brought by people to Hull. Over the last 20 years the demographic changed a lot and that brings a change to the food in Hull.”
Dawda explained how many sub-Saharan African countries line the coast of the Atlantic, so fishing is a primary source of food. In his home country of The Gambia, “fish is pretty much everywhere”, he said. “Rivers run through most African countries. People living in rural areas self-support, as it’s cheaper for them. If it’s caught locally the price tends to be cheaper. Local fishermen can go and get it at a slightly cheaper price.
“We will go to Hull Fishing Heritage Centre, Hessle Road, on a Thursday and we will bring some food down there, prepared by people who have a certificate in food hygiene, but the ingredient that goes into this food is decided by the people themselves. We will share food with them, and share the stories.” The project will also involve the recording of oral histories of around 40 people who have food-related memories they want to share relating to Hull.
“After the launch we will be doing outreach events whereby we will be delivering community sessions to clubs, older people, or people in a particular area, who have an interest in this type of thing. The oral histories can be from food vendors, residents, migrants, anyone who has interest in this, so we can pass on recipes. There will be outreach – talking to a lot of people and we will share our food. The food will be fish-based just to assimilate what Hull did before, through the fishing era.”
Dawda first came to Hull in 2007 to study his masters in environmental technology. He said his initial plan was to complete his masters and return to The Gambia, where his parents lived and where he had already gained a bachelor’s degree in cultural economics. Two decades later, he is still here and has earned an MBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to recycling and energy saving in Hull. He has been running Bameen, a Community Interest Company (CIC) aimed at connecting ethnic minority communities with environmental responsibilities, since 2013.
“Hull has been a great place,” Dawda said. “The people of Hull have given me a platform, they create the environment to do that. What I was able to do is very small compared to what other people do. It is only possible because of the people I surround myself with.”
In a post on Facebook to mark his 20 years in the country, Dawda wrote: “Well…20 years later, I’m still here! And somehow, Hull has become a place I can genuinely call home. A lot has happened over those 20 years. One of the hardest periods of my life was losing both of my parents within two years of moving to Hull. Being so far away from home made those times incredibly difficult.
“But Hull gave me something I really needed — people. I made friendships, built relationships and found people who, in difficult moments, wrapped me in kindness, friendship and support. Some of those friendships have lasted for many years, and I will always be grateful for that.”
His memories of Hull stretch back to his schoolboy days in The Gambia, where he remembers learning about William Wilberforce, the Hull-born campaigner who played a major role in the movement to abolish the transatlantic slave trade.
Anyone can come along to the launch event of Hull Fishing Heritage and Migrant Cultural Food Project on Saturday from 2pm to 5pm at Welcome House on Wright Street. The launch event will have tea and coffee provided and will gather information about the kinds of things people would like to see come from the project. The project will then begin to bring people together through food and allow them to share their stories.
Find out how to get involved in the project through Bameen’s Facebook page.
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