Ethnicity and Unequal Ageing

The Ethnicity and Unequal Ageing project addressed the urgent need for evidence on how racialised inequalities shape experiences of ageing over the life course in Rotherham and Sheffield. Ageing in the UK is increasingly diverse, yet dominant narratives often ignore the lived realities of racially minoritised communities. This project sought to challenge that status quo.

The project worked with 80 older people from a range of racially minoritised communities in Rotherham and Sheffield, encouraging people to tell their stories of ageing in creative ways. Through animation, music, theatre, poetry, dance, photography, collage and ceramic-making, those involved explored themes such as racism, ageism, belonging, intersectionality, intergenerational connection, resilience and hope.

This exhibition showcases the powerful creative work that emerged from those involved in the project. It includes deeply personal expressions of what it means to grow older in a society shaped by inequality, migration and change. The material included prompts us to reflect on who feels seen, valued or excluded in stories of ageing, especially in Rotherham and Sheffield. You are invited to experience the material not just as reflections of individual lives, but as a collective call for understanding inclusion through the sharing of stories.

We gratefully acknowledge the Economic and Social Research Council (Reference: ES/W012383/1) for funding this project. The views expressed in the content of this series are those who created it, and not necessarily those of the ESRC

Not everyone experiences ageing the same way. Social characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background, as well as structural barriers, shape the opportunities and wellbeing of older people. With England’s ageing population growing - especially among racially minoritised groups—it’s crucial to understand these inequalities and take action.

The Ethnicity and Unequal Ageing Project animation explores how ageing intersects with ethnicity and other social dimensions to influence later life experiences of social inclusion and exclusion. The project is led by the Universities of Sheffield, Birmingham, and Liverpool, in collaboration with community organisations, The Sheffield and District African Caribbean Community Association (SADACCA) and Rotherham Ethnic Minority Alliance (REMA) and the Office for National Statistics.

Join us as we explore what changes are needed to create a fairer future for racially minoritised older people. To learn more about the project, please visit https://www.ethnicityandunequalageing.ac.uk/.

Strangers no more showcases the performance of older adults who took part in participatory arts-based workshops at ROAR in Rotherham from September to December 2024.

In November 2024, participants presented their work for family and friends in a safe, joyful, and inclusive space. The performance event brought together the culmination of months of creativity, collaboration, and artwork at ROAR Theatre.

Participants' performances included scenarios of racism, bullying and loneliness through ‘theatre of the oppressed’. Audiences were invited to reflect after each short scenario, sharing views and potential solutions and actively engaging with the performance.

The event, captured on film by Sean Lovell and Ai Narapol, was a heartfelt celebration of months of work with the support of the ROAR and Lora Krasteva.

In December 2024, participants presented their work for family and friends in a safe, joyful, and inclusive space. The performance event brought together the culmination of months of creativity, collaboration, and storytelling at UTOPIA Theatre.

Participants developed performances blending dance, music, poetry, and theatre, reflecting their diverse experiences of ageing in Sheffield.

The event, captured on film by Sean Lovell and Ai Narapol, was a heartfelt celebration of months of work with the support of the UTOPIA team of artists (Julius Obende, Juwon Ogungbe, Anita Franklin, Bola Akanbi, and Emmanuel Adetoye), founder Mojisola Kareem, and Executive Assistant Judith Lennox Scott.

Older adults who took part in participatory arts-based workshops at ROAR from September to December 2024, came together to share their stories of ageing in Rotherham through different forms of art.

Facilitated by Lora Krasteva, the talented artists produced materials that are shared in the project exhibition. The workshop sessions fostered a safe, inclusive space for creativity, community, and self-expression.

Here we share a selection of poems written and spoken by the participants. This particular poem was created through the prompt of ‘I am, I can, I need’, intended to foster discussions around identity, abilities and needs. 

Life, give me one more torment whilst I still have a breath to fight
The eyes can still shed a tear to drown the sorrows of the day.
I long for a night of rest and resplendent sleep, yet tossed and turned quietly, misery was the blanket.
‘Wake up’ said the morning, but who was asleep anyway?
No glorious sunshine today, no bright blooms on shore, no trickling fountain, no company on adreary day,
Yet I’m here alone, yet memories are leaping.
Yet the new dawn is greeting, yet sipping hot tea is pleasing.
Tears are flowing, yes, missing your early morning chatter.
Yes, kissing your old sweater.
Yes, the heart’s torn and battered.
Go, darling child!
Go find a peaceful corner, go to a new abode, go make new memories again.

I am…
To my friends (name removed) Assalamu Alaikum (peace be upon you).
I want you to know I am sat in my class, writing this story.
Is there a purpose for me, is there a purpose for my mind?
We are those who come from Azad Kashmir.

I am an awareness.
An awareness that is usually identified as Maurice Bartley.
I am someone who identifies as a man, who was once born in Femoy Ireland, but who now lives in Rotherham.
I am an awareness who has lived for 81 years in pretty good physical health, but who has also experienced some times of real confusion that has been identified as a mental health problem.
I am at this time present here at ROAR with a group of people from different cultures and faith groups, and together we are engaged in a research project led by a group of people from Sheffield University.

I need the air that I breathe, and I need to love.
I need space within which to live. I need food to sustain my physical body and I need friends to relate to.
I need support from countless others who live around me and I need to offer what support I can to others in the wider community. 

I can enjoy life.
Or, I can allow people and events to get in the way of this enjoyment.
I can think think.
Breathe.
And I can talk to facilitate my interactions with those around me. 
I can remain focused on what is.
Or allow myself to get distracted by thoughts and events that either happened in the past or that may happen sometime in the future.

I am green, grey, red and blue
I am here, there, now and then. 
I am silly, soulful, sad and sanguine.

I need light, laughter and trains to run on time.
I need kindness, calm, company and forgiveness.
I need to be seen.

I can be kind.
I can give.
I can give up…and that’s ok too
I can help myself and ask for help.

Assalmu Alaikum (Peace be Unto You).
My name is Zahira Khan.
I am a sportsperson, I am honest, I am responsible, I am hospitable.
I can sew, I can play badminton, I can teach the Quran.
I need my own house, I need my rights, I need to learn new things.
Allah Hafiz (May God protect you)

Older adults who took part in participatory arts-based workshops at UTOPIA Theatre from September to December 2024, came together to share their stories of ageing in Sheffield through different forms of art.

Facilitated by UTOPIA Theatre, the talented artists produced materials that are shared in the project exhibition. The workshop sessions fostered a safe, inclusive space for creativity, community, and self-expression.

Here we share a selection of poems written and spoken by the participants. This particular poem was created through the prompt of ‘I come from’, intended to foster discussions around identity, change, and memory.

My sister and I came from Jamaica to England in the year 1964. Our parents had already been living there for at least five years.
We came from the beautiful, sun kissed, fruitful island where everything was free or so I thought
I loved all fruits but mangoes were my favourite.
I was desperate to see my parents, especially my Mother I was nine years old. I arrived at Manchester airport, suddenly I heard someone shout, see them here, then I saw my parents. It was a wonderful reunion.
We settled in the city of Sheffield, living in shared accommodation. I was not used to that.

Mr Winter was my most formidable foe. 

Content warning: This poem includes racist terms which may cause offence - reader discretion advised.

Scraps of junk and priceless possessions
All printed firmly in the mind
looking into a future unknown.
Expect surprises.

Land lost and loves that come and go,
and a life gets stolen away from,
forgotten past

Original names are left behind
forgotten or banned, now we are
categorised sambo, nigger, mulatto,
later to become Walters, Warner and Wenham

Uncles riding horses and Grandfather with his bike,
Father with his car, moving on, living life.
Value your education, it’s all around you.
You will always learn don’t mis.

Lock the gate behind you,
but be careful not to lock yourself in,
so you can get out and follow
your dreams.

Another country can be a
new start, a new home,
but home is home. 

I came from a woman called Inez Christie; our family has scattered the globe like the crumbs of a broken biscuit.

Like the shrapnel of exploded bombs that scattered us in places like England, Canada, America, Camon and to the far continent Australia.

We laboured in a country we didn't and couldn’t call home as we encountered outrageous hostility which we endured as we only came for 5 years and 62 years later, we are still here.

At times I missed the view of the sunrise on the Alps Mountain in the distance. Spreading across the horizon, like a red patch curtain, that lights up like a cinema screen

Longing to see the family like my brother, my sister, aunties, uncles left behind and at times seeing niece and nephews for the first time as we behave like strangers in the night and my gran with the Jamaican plaid wrap around her head looking frail as she aged.

In the hallway a picture of the Queen in her coronation regalia, the last supper recites Christ is the head of this household and pictures of lost loved ones scattered the wall that bring back fond memories.

I come from strong Jamaican women
Granny mum-mother-aunts
Confident strong hands giving us hugs
Loving, caring nurturing hands

Granny mum in the kitchen with her apron on.
Independence Day picture meets the eye.
Yes, I come from strong bonds.
Hearing scary stories around open fires
Walking rocky paths carrying water

Men meeting in rum bars, laughing out loud
Women drinking bush tea to cure all ills.
I come from pretend kitchen of girls- Tin pan pots on open stoves
Climbing trees to eat fruits or to shelter from the blazing sun.

I come from an Island I call my little paradise,
Miles and miles of golden sand and blue, blue, blue sea.
Yes, we repeat words for emphasis.
A land of many cultures and mix of languages.
A land of contradictions, where the American dollar is preferred
to the British pound, yet the British King is the head of state.

I come from far.
From Women who value education with shouts of “Go Get yu Book.”
Women who will platt your hair as you sit between open legs
Women who support women- and can call a pot a pot.