In honour of the 175th Anniversary of the arrival of the first Portuguese immigrants in Bermuda, the National Museum of Bermuda (NMB) and the Portuguese Cultural Association of Bermuda and have joined forces with StoryCenter (a US-based non-profit) to collect stories and experiences of Bermuda’s vibrant Portuguese community.
The effort seeks people of Portuguese descent who live or have lived in Bermuda to particpate in a free six-week digital storytelling workshop conducted online. StoryCenter experts will guide participants through the process of crafting a short three-minute digital video about your family story and experiences. Post workshop, a private live screening of the videos will take place for participants. For those who wish to share their story more widely, the digital stories will be preserved in the Museum’s collection and screened in exhibit galleries online and at the Museum.
Portuguese family circa 1895. Lusher Collection of glass plate negatives at the Bermuda Archives.
NMB Curator Dr. Deborah Atwood shared: “Through these digital stories, personal histories of the past will intertwine with the present to help us understand the enduring legacies we carry that add to our shared history. No prior knowledge or skills are necessary, only the willingness to craft and share your story. We hope you will join us.”
NMB Executive Director Elena Strong shared more about the project: “This digital storytelling workshop is a pilot project, and our intention is to expand to other community groups in Bermuda to ensure that a diversity of stories of everyday life in Bermuda is captured into the historic record and Museum archives. Later in the year, we will conduct more workshops related to digital storytelling that require less of a time commitment which we hope will encourage more community members to get involved and participate. Projects like this are part of NMB’s effort to ensure everyone can find their story at the Museum. Portuguese Voices is a continuation of our award-winning Tracing Our Roots/Routes programme, supported by NMB’s The Future of History Campaign.
Portuguese family circa 1895. Lusher Collection of glass plate negatives at the Bermuda Archives.
Chairman of the Portuguese Cultural Association Richard Ambrosio said: “I am pleased to work with NMB to ensure that voices of the Portuguese community are being captured as part of this digital storytelling project. It is a recognition of the key position that the Portuguese community has come to hold in Bermuda. It is a fitting project that fits naturally with NMB’s permanent exhibit Azores and Bermuda in Commissioner’s House.”
Workshop dates are February 21 and 28 from 6-8pm AT and March 6, 13, 20, and 27 from 6-8pm AT. Participants are required to attend all 2-hours session and to have a computer, internet access, conversational English proficiency, and must be 18 years of age or older. For questions or more information, contact Dr. Atwood at curator@nmb.bm or 441-234-1333.
The workshop is capped at 10 people, so interested parties are encouraged to register immediately.
To register for the workshop and see examples of digital stories, visit: https://nmb.bm/portuguese-voices/.
