Britons Through Negro Spectacles

A riotous, witty travelogue documenting the author's experiences in Britain in the early 1900s, from an African perspective

In Britons Through Negro Spectacles Merriman-Labor takes us on a joyous, intoxicating tour of London at the turn of the 20th century. Slyly subverting the colonial gaze usually placed on Africa, he introduces us to the citizens, culture and customs of Britain with a mischievous glint in his eye. This incredible work of social commentaryfeels a century ahead of its time, and provides unique insights into the intersection between empire, race and community at this important moment in history.

A.B.C. Merriman-Labor was a barrister, writer and munitions worker born in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1877. His published works include A Series of Lectures on the Negro Race and The Story of the African Slave in a Nutshell. He also edited two editions of the Handbook of Sierra Leone. He arrived in the UK in 1904 to study law. In 1907, he organized a centenary commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade in Westminster Abbey. He later embarked on an 'entertainment-lecture' tour called Life and Scenes in Britain, traveling across thousands of miles of West, South West and Central Africa, which he expanded on to create Britons Through Negro Spectacles.