New Student Research on Bradford’s Somali Village and Colonial Bradford

The Somali Village charity would like to highlight the work of five Leeds University students who were seconded to the Somali Village in Colonial Bradford project during 2025-26, which has seen the release of a schools pack for the whole Bradford District, and the launch of a six-month exhibition at Cartwright Hall.

The students, with the supervision of Prof. Fozia Bora and community historian Yahya Birt, undertook original and painstaking research over several months into the photographic archive, successfully identifying visually all 58 members of the troupe who came to Bradford for six months in 1904.[1]

They also produced several blogs that explored Bradford’s wider colonial context, which are listed below:

Rowanne Smith on some of Bradford’s other colonial spectacles besides the Somali Village, the Savage South Africa Show and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show,[2] a discussion of imperial themes in Bradford’s 1902 Coronation March, and the early development of film in the city,[3] and finally, a discussion of glass lantern slides in mass imperial culture in Bradford, both in education and in church mission.[4]

Ellie Boyce considers Yorkshire’s role in overseas mission, and how it is remembered today through complex emotions of both local pride and shame,[5] Orlagh McSorley examines the 1904 juxtaposition of Somali hand-weaving and Bradford’s industrial might,[6] Amber Dennison talks about the role of Yorkshire regiments in the Anglo-Somali Wars that were ongoing in 1904,[7] and finally Nancy Pilkington looks at connections between the British Empire and Bradford’s wool trade.[8]

Notes

[1] Boyce, E. et al (2026) Report: photographic archive research on the 1904 Somali Village in colonial Bradford. Available at: https://somalivillage.org.uk/report-photographic-archive-research-on-the-1904-somali-village-in-colonial-bradford/ (Accessed: 30 July 2026).

[2] Smith, R. (2026a) Bradford’s colonial spectacles: private entertainment and imperial propaganda. Available at: https://somalivillage.org.uk/2026/07/27/bradfords-colonial-spectacles-private-entertainment-and-imperial-propaganda/ (Accessed: 30 July 2026).

[3] Smith, R. (2026b) Bradford’s 1902 coronation celebrations. Available at: https://somalivillage.org.uk/2026/07/27/bradfords-1902-coronation-celebrations/ (Accessed: 30 July 2026).

[4] Smith, R. (2026c) Magic lanterns, missions, and colonial cinema in Bradford. Available at: https://somalivillage.org.uk/2026/07/28/magic-lanterns-missions-and-colonial-cinema-in-bradford/ (Accessed: 30 July 2026).

[5] Boyce, E. (2026) Yorkshire’s role in overseas Christian missions. Available at: https://somalivillage.org.uk/2026/07/28/yorkshires-role-in-overseas-christian-missions/ (Accessed: 30 July 2026).

[6] McSorley, O. (2026) The novelty of hand-weaving: the industrial juxtaposition of the Somali village of 1904. Available at: https://somalivillage.org.uk/2026/07/28/the-novelty-of-hand-weaving-the-industrial-juxtaposition-of-the-somali-village-of-1904/ (Accessed: 30 July 2026).

[7] Dennison, A. (2026) The Yorkshire Regiments in the Anglo-Somali wars. Available at: https://somalivillage.org.uk/2026/07/30/the-yorkshire-regiments-in-the-anglo-somali-wars/ (Accessed: 30 July 2026).

[8] Pilkington, N. (2026) Researching connections between Bradford’s wool trade and empire. Available at: https://somalivillage.org.uk/2026/07/30/researching-connections-between-bradfords-wool-trade-and-empire/ (Accessed: 30 July 2026).