JanineInterview with Chloe Hudson by Natalie Tharraleos, contributing editor Eva Peros
Many will already have heard of the tragic and untimely passing of David Oluwale, who drowned in the River Aire more than 50 years ago. Natalie Tharraleos caught up with Chloe Hudson, a local campaigner and Board Member for the David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA), who has been busy organising a series of inspirational events aimed at celebrating and honouring David’s life. Thanks to their tireless efforts, David will now be remembered for generations to come with a permanent “hibiscus” sculpture to be unveiled in the heart of Leeds later this year.
Please tell us about David Oluwale, who he was and what happened to him?
David Oluwale was a British Nigerian man who moved to the UK in the 1950s and eventually settled in Leeds, where he led a happy life. But Leeds City Police officers began to systematically harass and inflict serious injuries against him. It is widely believed that this was a catalyst for a marked deterioration in David’s mental health. After stints at High Royds psychiatric unit and prison, David found himself destitute and homeless. The harassment continued, and during a police pursuit in 1969, he tragically drowned in the River Aire.
Following David’s death, there was public outrage. Leeds football fans sang songs in the terraces in remembrance of David, and portraits of him with the slogan “Remember Oluwale” were graffitied on buildings across the city. Two police officers were later charged and served prison sentences for assault but were acquitted on charges of GBH.
After much debate and a minor change in the rules about blue plaques in Leeds, DOMA and the Leeds Civic Trust finally unveiled a blue plaque honouring the life of David Oluwale in April 2022. But within two hours of the unveiling ceremony, the plaque had been stolen in what the police believe was a racist act of vandalism. A second blue plaque was installed later that year and happily is still in place.
Please tell us a bit about DOMA and about some of the important work you’ve been doing in bringing David’s story to the public’s attention.
After years of campaigning to remember David, a group of like-minded residents made up of social activists, artists, and poets came together to form the David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA).
Our tagline, “RememberOluwale”, sits at the very heart of what we’re striving to achieve, and we try to keep David’s memory alive in various, mainly creative ways. This year we’re working with Leeds City Council and Leeds 2023 City of Culture on installing a piece of public art that we’ve commissioned, by British Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare (CBE, RA), which will be unveiled in November.
This planned artwork, entitled “Hibiscus Rising” will be in the shape of a hibiscus flower rising from the ground, covered in vibrantly colourful African batik designs. Whilst we know very little about David’s childhood, the sculpture was inspired by Yinka’s own happy childhood memories in Nigeria of sucking the nectar from hibiscus flowers. This sculpture points to what was hopefully also a happy childhood for David whilst honouring and celebrating his life.
Hibiscus Rising will be situated close to the site where David entered the River Aire. In the lead-up to the unveiling in November, we’ll be hosting a series of creative events, which include music, poetry and new circus skills. The aim is to encourage everyone to reflect on and respond to David’s story, including the issues that surrounded his life and death, such as mental health, homelessness and racism, issues that are to this day still so relevant to so many. Still, we also want people to celebrate the ever-increasingly vibrant and multicultural city that Leeds is today.
A smaller version of Hibiscus Rising and more about David’s story can be seen at the “Overlooked” exhibition at Leeds City Museum, which also features previously untold stories from other people in Leeds.
Click here to watch a beautiful 5-minute film about Yinka’s motivation for the sculpture.
What kind of an impact has RememberOluwale had in Leeds so far?
As part of the recent debate about public sculpture and Black Lives Matter, DOMA Co-Chair and founder Dr Emily Zobel Marshall was involved in an audit of sculpture in Leeds.
Although the findings were not as concerning as anticipated, in that there are no statues in Leeds celebrating past slave owners, the vast majority were of white men and not at all reflective of today’s society.
Hibiscus Rising will help to redress this balance but also celebrate multiculturalism and life in all its glorious forms.
The emotion, the sense of utter sadness and anger that David’s story evokes, has led to so many wonderful creative responses over the years. These responses help us to process our thoughts on what are sadly still some very real issues and to find joy in all the positives of our city today.
How can people join in and show their support?
We hope that together we’re adding to the collective efforts towards a more tolerant, equitable future.
One very creative way you can take part is to join our Leeds-inspired “Finding Voice: Developing your Poetry” workshop which takes place on Sunday, 11th June, between 2pm and 4pm at the Tetley Centre for Contemporary Art. It will be led by local poets Emily Zobel Marshall and Abdullah Adekola and will be themed around contemporary politics, migration and resistance. Whilst this is geared towards emerging Leeds-based poets who want to develop their work, anyone and everyone is welcome to come along.
The event will be a safe space for people of colour and for those who might have lived through or suffered similar experiences to David. As well as enjoying poems by local writers, everyone will be creating their own poetry and will receive encouragement, help and advice on their writing and performance skills.
As central prompts for the workshop, we will be drawing from the city of Leeds as our source of inspiration as well as contemporary politics, migration and resistance.
Participants will be invited to perform their prose at an intimate afternoon of poetry on Sunday, 9th July, between 2pm and 4pm at the Tetley Centre for Contemporary Art. There will also be performances of other work inspired by David’s story, as well as selected entries from our latest poetry and creative writing competition, which are soon to be published in our second anthology of “Remembering Oluwale” (published by Peepal Tree Press). There will also be an opportunity to learn more about the Hibiscus Rising Sculpture.
To register your interest in this pay-as-you-feel event, please email us at rememberoluwale@gmail.com or DM us at @RememberOluwale.
The Find your Voice workshop is a chance to reflect on Leeds, on writing and resistance.
We are hoping to help Leeds poets find their voice and share their work.
A co facilitator of the session, Abdullah has written this poem about David Oluwale:
Hounded
“Oluwale is Yoruba for ‘God Has Come Home’
But I came to find Hell in God’s Own Country
No home but cold Leeds streets and police cells.From Lagos to Leeds
Hear my cries, see how I bleed
I came to this country for a better life
So excited when I arrived here
At first, I found work
Making clothes, making friends
And partying at nightBut things changed
I lost my wealth, my health, and my home
Accused of dirtying white streets
With Black feetAll this trouble affected me mentally
Losing myself more and more
Everyday I’m looking over my shoulder
And a couple of police
Saw me as a problem
They beat me, they abused me
They’re supposed to protect me
Treated worse than a dog
They called me a wog
Ever more violent
They treated me worse and worse
Beatings, kidnapping, urinating on me
Hounding, drowning and left to die
Killed by the same people
That was supposed to protect me
They took everything from me
Even my life
They took what was not theirs to take
Treated me in a hateful way
I came here for a dream
But I found a nightmare
Now by the Aire, where I drowned
Fleeing policemen’s boots
My feet light from hunger
Making room to reflect on river water running softlyNow my Christian ghost into Oshun’s arms
Written by Abdullah Adekola
Water Goddess with a name of water
That I might step into the true meaning of my name
Borne back to Africa where the river of us all rose.”
Inspired by, An Aroko for David Oluwale written by Ian Duhig [https://twitter.com/RememberOluwale/status/1454472635878871047]
Is there anything else to share with readers?
You can visit the plaque on the northern end of the Leeds Bridge (near 15 Bridge End, LS1 7HG) and the new David Oluwale Foot Bridge, which opened earlier this year (accessible from the north near Leeds Building Society, 26 Sovereign Street, LS1 4BJ and from the south near Asda House, Great Wilson Street, LS11 5AD)
You can also read more about the work of DOMA on our website, rememberoluwale.org. We’re a tiny organisation and love collaborating, so please do feel free to get in touch:
email:rememberoluwale@gmail.com
web: www.rememberoluwale.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RememberOluwale
Twitter: @RememberOluwale
YouTube: RememberOluwale
Instagram: RememberOluwale
Photos were taken by:
Cllr Abigail Marshall Katung and Dr Emily Zobel Marshall (DOMA co-chairs) with Victoria Ajayi, DOMA Board member, at the Blue Plaque installation on Leeds Bridge, 25.4.2022 © Max Farrar
