Why is a Surinamese healer immortalized on the ceiling of a London museum?
In short: The Natural History Museum's Hintze Hall features 162 panels depicting plants vital to the British Empire. Among them is Quassia amara, named for Graman Kwasi, a freedman whose scientific contributions were long overlooked. This film explores his legacy and the broader history of neglected naturalists.
Graman Kwasimukambe, also known as Kwasi, Quasi, Quassi, or Quacy, was a Surinamese freedman whose expertise in natural history led to the naming of the plant Quassia amara. His inclusion on the museum's 1881 ceiling panels highlights a history of scientific contributions that have been frequently overwritten or ignored within Western narratives.
Produced for Black History Month 2023, this film examines Kwasi's story as part of an effort to recover the histories of natural scientists and collectors whose work was essential to the development of global scientific knowledge.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Untold stories: Who was Graman Kwasi? | Black Natural History
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