大象传媒

If you've been in Coventry City Centre recently you might have seen just some of the amazing artwork popping up all over the place.

A lot of them are a nod to Coventry's history and heritage like the Cofus Tree, James Starley and 2Tone. The latest is to honour Ira Aldridge on the side of the Belgrade Theatre. Dedicated to Ira Aldridge, who was an activist in the move to abolish slavery. The mural, which is over 20ft tall, is particularly poignant, as Ira Aldridge became Manager of the Coventry Theatre in 1828, making him the first black person to ever run a British theatre. His performances and the plays he presented led the city to petition Parliament to abolish slavery. He was also the first black Shakespearean actor, playing principal roles including Romeo, Hamlet and Othello. Amazingly, he had achieved all this by the time he was 20 years old.

It's all part of a project called 鈥業n Paint We Trust鈥� this colourful portrait has been created by visual artist, Dreph (Neequaye Dsane).
Artist Dreph, commented: 鈥淚t was an honour to make a piece of work that amplifies this fascinating story. Many of the passers-by that I spoke to, did not know who he was or his connection to the city. So, it was great to be able to bring awareness to his life and achievements.鈥�

Report by 大象传媒 CWR's Ushma Mistry.

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