The reading list of "With the certainty of tides, still I rise"
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The John Hansard exhibition “With the certainty of tides, still I rise,” featuring works by Firelei Báez, Shiraz Bayjoo, Jane Jin Kaisen, and Osman Yousefzada, presents a lively exploration of colonial history and the underrepresented perspective through diverse forms of art. The exhibition is powerful because it showcases colonised voices through textile, video, archiving, installation and more, all combined in the gallery space that literally creates loud echoes. It flips the narrative back to those who were once the underdogs and reflects on the colonial history through their own voices.
The metaphorical tides are explained as women’s wounds carrying the impact of motherhood, 140 deaccessioned book pages of colonial pages for viewers to ‘leave their breath’ and reinterpret, or recordings and redefinitions of traditional women’s careers.
The exhibition is enjoyable not just because of the discussion it offers on the problematic focus on the coloniser’s voice; it is curated to celebrate an all-round experience of the female regaining her own strength, spirituality and leadership under the patriarchal lens.
As the reflection continues, it is hard not to notice how our worldview is focused on the ‘loudest voices (or noises)’ of modern-day politics, the voice that created an empire in their homeland by leaving countries they took from in pieces.
Through discussions of women’s power and colonial-focused history, the knowledge extends the exhibition. The horizon is broadened by curating a reading list discussing matters connected to the exhibition.
Reading list:
Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe by Sathnam Sanghera
Award-winning author and journalist, Sathnam Sanghera tracks the globe to examine the British imperial legacies beyond Britain. From Barbados and Mauritius to India and Nigeria and beyond, he demonstrates just how deeply British imperialism is cemented into our world.
Women, Race and Class by Angela Y. Davis
Take a look back into the 80s presented to you by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis, where she offered a Marxist feminist analysis of how race, gender, and class oppression intersect.
Remembering Women: Lessons from the Ancient World by Christine Lehnen
Christine Legnen ‘rewrites’ women’s history in this book through bioarchaeological methods, archaeology and stories from our mothers and grandmothers. She tells the her-story of warriors, hunters and fighters.
An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence by Zeinab Badawi
Just like the artworks within the exhibition, the book tells the story of African history telling the narratives of slavery and colonialism that were simply ignored.
Natalie and Naomi Evans, founders of anti-racist advocacy and platform Everyday Racism, explore the complexities of mixed-race identities through presenting interviews with people from mixed backgrounds and in mixed relationships and research to dispel common myths and stereotypes.
“With the certainty of tides, still I rise” exhibition runs til 24th of January, 2026