Community Arts Forum (CAF), ArtsEkta and Down Community Arts (DCA) organised Cultural Weave conference, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, in response to the wave of racist attacks in the region.
The conference was held in the main theatre in Down Civic Arts Centre which is a focal venue for arts in the Down area.
Speakers Included:
- Superintendent Karen Baxter, PSNI Community Safety, C Division
- Vicki Maguire, General Manager of Down Community Arts
- Geetha Updahaya, Director of Kalasangam Arts in Birmingham
- Deepa Mann-Kler, an artist from County Down
- Naz Koser, Director of Ulfah Arts in Bradford
Organisers of the conference were interested in exploring how community arts organisations could help to address racism. They were aware that there is very little infrastructure in the Down area to support the integration of minority ethnic communities.
In light of this, they wanted to bring people together to both raise awareness of this issue and celebrate different cultures. These cultures have much to offer. Above all, we believed in the importance of welcoming people from minority ethnic backgrounds into the Down area, whether they are new here or part of the already long established Indian and Chinese communities.Although the focus of the conference was on the Down area, the issues highlighted and discussed were relevant to the whole of Northern Ireland.
The conference aimed:
- To profile minority ethnic arts to increase public awareness
- To raise awareness of minority ethnic integration and challenges we face
- To provide a networking opportunity and platform to stimulate and develop ideas
- To provide a networking opportunity and impetus for partnership development
- To agree aims and objectives for a way forward
The conference was jointly organised by the Community Arts Forum (CAF), ArtsEkta and Down Community Arts (DCA).
The conference was chaired by Brenda Kent from Voluntary Arts Ireland. Brenda facilitated delegates to learn and enjoy the day as much as possiblePlease see appendix A for organisational information.
The conference was funded by the Community Relations Council, Down District Council, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Equality Commission.
We gratefully acknowledge the help of these funders, without which the conference would not have taken place.
We would also like to thank the staff at Down Civic Arts Centre for all their help and in-kind support.
Download the Cultural Weave conference report here (PDF)
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