Talking walking, stumbling on race and Bath

Fairfield House in Bath, once the war-time home of Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, his family and the government of Ethiopia in exile, was a gift to the city. .

The House is a significant site of pilgrimage for Rastafarians and  is becoming a centre for art and performance. One of the latest developments is a radio station, Imperial Voice Radio.

I was invited on to the In Our City show for a conversation about walking, race and equality in Bath, amongst other things.

Click the image to listen

---

His Imperial Majesty came to England in 1936 following the invasion of Ethiopia by the Italian army then under the control of Mussolini's fascist government. Still pursuing a policy of appeasement to the fascist governments in Europe the UK government wanted to Selassie away from London. Bath welcomed him, and he is reported to have been very happy in the city. He was a great walker and you can still walk in his footsteps through the city , along the river and in the surrounding countryside.

In 1958 Haile Selassie gave the house to the city; for some years it was a residential care home and is now a day centre for elders, notably the Bath Ethnic Minority Senior Citizens' Association. As part of Bath Spa University's contribution to Black History Month, Dr Shawn Sobers offers a through the keyhole visit to Fairfield House, in lockdown but with the promise of a great future.