Belfast Mela 2019

Book tickets online at belfastmela.org.uk

ArtsEkta would like to thank all the funders and sponsors for their support of the Belfast Mela 2019

Principal Funders

Principal Sponsor

Friends of Mela

Equality Commission FOR NORTHERN IRELAND

Media Partners

BEAT THE QUEUES, BOOK IN ADVANCE 25 AUGUST 2019, 12-6PM

ADULT £7 | CONCESSION £6 (Under 16’s and Senior Citizens. Under 5’s go free.)

FAMILY £15 (2 Adults and 2 children under 16) Terms and conditions apply.

PAY ON THE DAY 25 AUGUST 2019, 12-6PM

ADULT £7 | CONCESSION £6 (Under 16’s and Senior Citizens. Under 5’s go free.)

FAMILY £15 (2 Adults and 2 children under 16) Subject to available capacity.

Advance tickets are available for online booking only. We do not operate a telephone or drop in box office. No booking charges apply.

Tickets are available on the door unless the event sells out in advance however entry is only permitted subject to available capacity.

Queuing should be expected at peak times. No refunds or exchanges after purchase unless the event is cancelled.

All information is correct at time of print. ArtsEkta reserves the right to change this information, change or cancel events and refuse admission.

Event Information Group Bookings

If you would like to make a group booking for more than 10 people, or enquire about our community ticketing scheme email info@artsekta.org.uk or telephone 028 9023 1381.

Festival Team

The festival aims to be as accessible as possible to those attendees with a disability.

We offer a 2 for the price of 1 admission in the case of a disabled attendee who requires a personal assistant to attend the event. Please contact us directly to book advance tickets on 028 9023 1381 or email info@artsekta.org.uk

Executive Director Project Manager Administration & Finance Officer Outreach & Engagement Officer Project Assistant Peace IV Project Officer Event Assistant Production Manger Production Assistant Press & Communications Social Media Graphic & Web Design Motion Design Photography Videography

Mailing List

Board of Directors

Disability Access

If you would like to add, update or remove your contact details from our mailing list please email us at info@artsekta.org.uk

Parking & Transport

Please visit www.belfastmela.org.uk for the latest information on getting to the event and parking if you are travelling in your own vehicle. We encourage you to use public transport to get the festival.

Nisha Tandon Krishan Tandon Deirdre McShane Aoife Nic an tSaoir Nabeela Yasin-Iannelli Roisin Magee Amy McFarlane Becky Turnock Pritam Sridhar Orla McKibbin Heather McGarrigle Sonia McCourt Laura Coulter Carrie Davenport Redcap Productions

Hazel Francey (Chair) Pamela Ballantine (Vice Chair) Jeremy Adams Mukesh Sharma MBE DL Jerome Mullan Anna Lo MBE Dr. M Satish Kumar Stephen McGarry Janice Smith

Mela is brought alive by over 200 artists, performers, choreographers, producers, creative geniuses and event professionals. A massive thank you to each and every one for being the heartbeat of the festival.

A Global Wonderland of Diversity

It is with great pleasure that we present the 13th annual multi-award winning Belfast Mela, Northern Ireland’s biggest celebration of cultural diversity.

Now attracting audiences of up to 40,000 people across the island of Ireland, the Mela has become the city’s favourite annual get together and a firm cultural highlight of the summer. We are proud of all it has achieved in raising the profile of our diverse communities and bringing everyone together in one shared, inclusive space, as well as becoming one of the region’s fastest growing national tourism events.

In 2019, we continue to present a bold, vibrant and colourful cultural celebration working with hundreds of artists, locally and internationally, to create a wonderful world of music, dance, food and arts for all the family to enjoy together.

At the Mela, you will see a culmination of a year long creative outreach programme through special showcases that have been developed with communities across the country.

The success of Mela is rooted in a desire by all communities across Belfast and beyond to be part of something that represents their own cultural identity. We must continue to move forward together to create a society where everyone is respected and feels their place in the 21st century Northern Ireland.

The Mela underpins this and represents Belfast as the vibrant, enriched, intercultural and ambitious city it is growing to become.

As always we would like to thank all our staff, volunteers, artists, partners, funders and sponsors, both old and new. Most of all, we would like to thank our audiences who really create the magic of Mela year on year. We look forward to welcoming you all to Botanic Gardens over the August bank holiday weekend.

Founder & Executive Director Nisha Tandon OBE

A Message from the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor John Finucane

Belfast’s August bank holiday weekend has been filled with the exotic sights, sounds and aromas of the Belfast Mela for over a decade.

Botanic Gardens becomes the epicentre of the city’s annual celebration of global cultures where tens of thousands of visitors take part in this unique festival.

Mingling at the Mela (the word actually means “to meet” in Sanskrit) is more than just a fun day out: the award winning initiative is also a tangible and high profile demonstration of the life-enhancing benefits of diversity. The buoyant vibrancy at Botanic Gardens is a real tribute to Belfast’s welcoming spirit and showcases our capital’s continuously evolving make up.

The award winning Mela, launched by the one of the city’s leading cultural groups - ArtsEkta, is now the biggest celebration of cultural diversity in the North. The event will transform our beautiful park into a global wonderland with the sights, sounds and smells of nations right around the world.

The Belfast Agenda, our city’s first community plan, sets a vision for 2035 that imagines a culturally vibrant city. And we’re currently finalising a new 10 year cultural

strategy – A City Imagining - to recognise the transformative power of culture, art and creativity for our city and promoting culture led development, with the individual citizen at the heart of the process.

Signature cultural events such as the Mela are a cornerstone of this strategy and enable us to celebrate our communities and citizens through creativity and culture and realise our full creative potential.

I look forward to another year of celebrations and cultural insights and offer ArtsEkta my congratulations on their outstanding contribution in bringing together communities from every corner of our city and beyond. On behalf of all our citizens, from a myriad of cultures, I thank all those whose vision and creativity have given us our annual Belfast Mela – long may it continue to flourish.

A Message from the CEO of Community Relations Council, Jacqueline Irwin I am delighted that the Community Relations Council is once again able to support the Mela through our Community Relations and Cultural Diversity grant scheme. The annual Belfast Mela is one of the largest multicultural events in Northern Ireland and it gets bigger and better every year. This flagship event is a fantastic celebration of our continuing journey to become a truly modern and cosmopolitan society where all sorts of people come together to live, work and have fun.

In that one place every year people from all parts of the world, from all faiths and none, meet together to celebrate and enjoy our diversity. As well as being great fun, the event shows our shared humanity; it shows that there is always more to unite us than divide us. The Mela reflects the changing and positive face of Belfast, inspiring us to join in, embrace diversity and create a place that we can all be proud of and happy to live in.

An event of this size takes time to plan and organise so congratulations to the whole team at ArtsEkta for the effort that goes on behind the scenes to bring us the day that we all enjoy so much and to demonstrate, through it and all sorts of other projects, the beauty of diversity. We wish you every success with this year’s event and encourage you to continue your work in the years to come. You are helping to show that the growing cultural mix in Northern Ireland is enriching us all.

A Message from the Chair of Tourism NI, Terence Brannigan Tourism NI is delighted to support the Belfast Mela 2019. This unique event plays an important part in Northern Ireland’s tourism offering, bringing Belfast to life through music, dance, food and much more.

2018 was a record-breaking year for the tourism industry in Northern Ireland. We generated 5 million trips, which contributed ÂŁ968 million to the local economy. Events such as Belfast Mela are firmly established within our tourism fabric, creating positive perceptions and raising the profile of our destination in the international marketplace as well as having an important role in contributing to the economy.

The Mela is now in its 13th year and is set to deliver a wonderful intercultural family event with something for every generation of every community to enjoy. I commend Nisha and the team for the creation and delivery of a high quality and inclusive event programme.

On behalf of Tourism Northern Ireland, I would like to wish the organisers, sponsors and visitors the very best for what I am sure will be another memorable Belfast Mela.

In a world of

endless possibilities, will help us shape

you what’s possible.

sensata.com/careers

SENSATA TECHNOLOGIES IS PROUD TO SPONSOR THE BELFAST MELA Sensata Technologies is a world leader and early innovator in mission-critical sensors and controls to make the world cleaner, safer and more connected. You will find 47,000 of our unique products in many applications that protect people and the environment.

We are delighted to be part of this amazing cultural celebration and strengthen our partnership with ArtsEkta. At the Mela, we will launch our STEM Zone to engage and encourage children to explore and foster passion about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

We are dedicated to ensuring our employees feel a sense of belonging and respect everyday. We believe that every individual has unique insights that others can learn from. Working at Sensata means you can bring your whole self to the table. Our goal is to achieve fair representation of women, minorities, veterans and people with disabilities among all levels in our organisation.

We are proud to have partnered with organisations across the public and private sectors to positively promote cultural diversity across Northern Ireland.

Our Friends of Mela are forward thinking organisations who understand the benefits of a diverse society in driving success for their business objectives and enriching the lives of their employees who live and work here.

Equality Commission FOR NORTHERN IRELAND

UTV Live

Weekdays 6pm

L A V I T S FE P U E N I L

DCS Bhangra Transcending musical boundaries for the past four decades DCS are a Bhangra band that was formed in 1983. They have been shaking the Bhangra industry and the world’s Asian population ever since. DCS have a remarkable, innovative ability to adapt to changing trends.

Modern music with the influence of the traditional Dhol and Tumbi embraced a real rich aroma of Punjab leading their success further to achieve Platinum and Gold disk sales.

For many years DCS have scooped the award for “Best Live Band” at all the major award presentations, and Shin has been recognised numerous times for his vocal ability and prowess as the most versatile Punjabi singer.

DCS is certainly a powerhouse of production, creativity, innovation and talent…. They are a force to be reckoned with in Bhangra music.

Kakatsitsi Master Drummers Traditional music from the villages of Ghana

Kakatsitsi are a group of traditional drummers, dancers and singers from the Ga tribe of Southern Ghana, with their roots in the fishing community of Jamestown, the part of Accra where the British based their colonial headquarters.

Their music takes traditional rhythms and chants from their own Ga tradition and those of a variety

of other West African cultures, rearranging them in a modern and accessible way. They play a mixture of Ga drums - the Gome bass box drum, the Kpanlogo Drum, the Ashiwa box drum / thumb piano and various items of light percussion including the cowbell, shakers and aslatua (two seed pods joined by a string).

L A V I T S FE P U E N I L

Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band

A Spectacular Celebration of an Enchanting Region

With a diverse repertoire spanning Rajasthani folk songs, Bollywood hits, spiritual qawwali, Bhangra beats. sci-fi and intergalactic funk and even some well loved pop songs, these vividly costumed artists cover the full spectrum of the evocative and joyous music that governs life in Rajasthan.

Highly talented musicians from Jaipur, Rajasthan’s renowned “Pink City�, the surrounding villages, make up the brass core of this rousing new ensemble on trumpet, trombone, euphoium and sousaphone, supplemented with clarinet, against an insistent background of percussion on side, bass and dhol drums.

Dublin African Gospel Choir Making melody reach the soul

Dublin African Gospel Choir is a 15+ member, all volunteer choir from Western Africa.

Originally organised in 2007 by Adeniyi AllenTaylor for a wedding, the choir has since been co-ordinated by Tomilola Allen-Taylor.

The 15+ member ensemble blends elements of African Gospel, Negro spirituals, Accapella and American popular music. The choir shows their love of music and joy for life in their music and are also known to delight audiences with repertoire sung in English and their native languages.

L A V I T S FE P U E N I L

Anna’s Number Old grooves with a new energy

After beginning their journey busking on the streets of Belfast Anna’s Number have continued their journey of becoming the forefront of youth-inspired funk music in the country.

Recent achievements include a sold out show in the Lyric, winners of 2019’s Banbridge Buskfest and gaining this review that sums them up from Tom Robinson (BBC Radio 4) - “It’s so rare to come across a band – anywhere this side of the Atlantic – that can hit these kinds of lazy funkridden New Orleans grooves convincingly.

Let alone asking for beer money in Belfast city centre.

Genius.”

If you like to dance, Anna’s Number is the perfect band for you!

Basork

BASORK is a ten piece fusion group whose compositions are influenced by Irish, European and Middle Eastern sounds. Brass, Strings and Woodwind combine with hints of jazz, funk and various traditional musics with big melodies and lots of improvisation.

Moving on Music We are delighted to team up once again with Moving on Music who present some of the most exciting, interesting and alternative music in the city and beyond.

At the Mela, they will present an electic Irish trad session featuring Scottish traditional music trio led by fiddle player & highland piper Seamus Ó’Baoighill with support from Róise McHugh, a 15 year old singer songwriter who was awarded the best overall songwriter at the Irish Youth Music Awards 2018 and has been included in the long list for the Glastonbury Festival Emerging Talent Competition 2019.

World Music & Dance Showcase Located at the bandstand in Botanic Gardens, the World Music & Dance showcase promote local artists in the community and this year we have assembled a fantastic line up of home grown talent influenced by music and dance from across the globe.

Luigi Cirillo

Rosinka Russian Choir

With Classical-Spanish guitar his main instrument, Luigi performs the highly emotional music of his home town Naples as well as other Mediterranean and Latin places. His repertoire stretches from Serenades to Tangos, Flamencos, Tarantellas, Bossa novas, Chansons, Waltzes.

Rosinka is a local choir formed in 2014 and includes 15 core members from different Russian speaking countries living in Northern Ireland. They perform a-cappella songs in Russian, Ukrainian, English, Belorussian, folk and classical under the musical direction of local Bulgarian professional musician Veselka Ivanova.

5th Element NI 5th Element are a Hip-Hop based charity working in Belfast, Northern Ireland made up of musicians, lyricists, dancers, and artists. They are dedicated to delivering creative projects that engage communities including social outreach projects introducing people to various Hip-Hop artforms, covering street art, dance, lyricism & MCing, DJing & music production. Their overarching ambition is to promote physical & mental health awareness, whilst introducing our youth to Hip-Hop culture.

Belfast Buskers Band

You may have spotted these guys across the city with their amazing busking tunes. The Belfast Buskers Band are a four piece who love playing a huge mix of music including; soul, funk, jazz, folk, ska, bossanova, reggae, hip hop and r&b.

Virtue Dholis

Mela favorites return with their explosive beats on the Indian dhol drum. Originating from Birmingham, Virtue Dholis have been a long time popular act at the Mela and are guaranteed to entertain with their electric set combining traditional Dhol beats with the latest commercial house and dance music. If they don’t get you up and dancing, nothing will!

Los Dramaticos

Los Dramaticos are a prime example of the exciting music currently in an increasingly diverse society in Northern Ireland. Fronted by Paddy & Victor, who hail from Northern Ireland and Chile respectively, their eclectic musical past incursions include classical and blues piano, French chanson, Argentinian Tango and even Afropo.

South Asian Dance Academy x Bright Lights Bollywood dancers from the South Asian Dance Academy team up with Ulster Scots dancers from Bright Lights to bring you a fusion of Indian & Celtic dance.

Duo Zouk

Bouzouki players Nikos Petsakos (Greece) and Martin Coyle (Ireland) explore the journey of the bouzouki from early 1900’s Greece, across Europe and it’s entry into Ireland. Experience Rebetiko, traditional arrangements from various European countries as well as modern compositions presented on Greek Trichordo, Irish four course and Baglama.

FOOD

World Food Market The Mela will bring you on a food journey around the world. From east to west, our World Food Market has a little something for everyone resulting in a cultural culinary experience you will never forget. Experience the finest Northern Irish produce and treat your taste buds with hot exotic curries, BBQ, Spanish paella, crepes and everything inbetween!

Artisan Pavilion Brand new this year’s Mela is our wonderful Artisan Pavilion celebrating all the best of Northern Irish home grown produce. Capturing the true taste of Northern Ireland, the pavilion has an emphasis on fresh food and produce, made by dedicated artisans who are passionate about what they do. Discover a truly delightful array of tasty products produced right on your doorstep.

Supported by the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme

Join us on a fabulous food discovery as some of Belfast’s best chefs and producers come out from behind the kitchen to showcase their talents and give you a glimpse into their world of tastes and flavours. Hosted by UTV’s Julian Simmons the cookery theatre will feature a day long programme of demonstrations, sampling and conversation.

Join Jonnie Rowan, Sous Chef at Buba for a taste of the Eastern Mediterranean at Mela. Belfast foodies can indulge in the rich culinary traditions, exotic produce, flavoursome spices and cooking techniques this region is known for. If you haven’t tried Buba you’ll certainly want to after Mela!

Join The Cultured Club were Dearbhla Reynolds introduces fermented foods to the menu. All around the world, fermented foods and beverages are part of the human diet and in this demonstration cultured foods have never been easier to grasp or understand. Enough to tickle your taste buds and entice your kitchen curiosity!

Join Nisha & Nabeela from our very own Mela team as they give you an insight into cookery from their native towns of India and Pakistan. With an introduction to authentic South Asian tastes and flavours, alongside the story of Melas across the world this will be a fascinating insight for the cultural curious.

FOOD The Ultimate Heat Challenge!

Returning to this year’s Mela is our eye watering chilli eating competition guaranteed to challenge even the most fiery food lovers.

The contest will feature different heats where contestants will be challenged with dishes created by our very own Mela chef. Heats will take place throughout the day and the final will play out on the festival’s main stage to an audience of 5,000 people with some fabulous prizes up for grabs.

e heat?

Can you handle th

Returning to the Mela, is our special tea emporium transporting you back to the days of vintage tea parties.

We’ve assembled a day long line up of tea-tastic activities for the young and old alike. Have a go at tea leaf reading, blend and taste your own tea from around the world, get crafty over some tea and cake, show off your moves in a traditional tea dance and take home some of the finest local tea.

Join us for a very special global tea party!

FAMILY FUN

World of Words Brand new to this years Mela, is our thought provoking World of Words zone. Housed in a magnificent Norwegian Tipi, join us for a celebration of voices, storytellers and creativity. Sit back, relax and enjoy inspiring stories from across the globe.

Our wonderful World of Words Tipi will include a collective of international storytellers including: Indian Tales

by Peter Chand

African Myths from Nandi Jola

Irish Legends from Liz Weir

Global Stories from Joel Izzy

FAMILY FUN

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FAMILY FUN

Enter the colourful world of Baba Bollywood for a dazzling dance experience with your wee ones!

Led by Bollywood dancers and special early years facilitators, come and experience the vibrant sounds and colours of India in a specially decorated marquee. Both adults and children alike can enjoy dancing with a DJ playing the happy sounds of Bollywood that is guaranteed to have everyone wiggling their fingers and bouncing in their babygros.

FAMIILLYY FAFMUN FUN

n w o t a n i h C Brand new to this year’s Mela is Chinatown set along the beautiful backdrop of the park’s Rose Garden. Enter through our special Chinatown gateway where an installation of traditional lanterns awaits you and explore the delights of China from traditional arts and crafts, street performances and food sampling presented by members of the Confucius Institute.

FAMILY FUN

Get creative and help us complete our 50m piece of public art!

Earlier this year we teamed up with communities across South Belfast to develop a 50m piece of painted silk creating visual stories based on the themes of home and belonging.

At the Mela, you will get a chance to see this spectacular artwork on display aswell as make your own stamp on it by working with our expert silk painting artists.

Silkscapes is part of the (Y)Our Home Pilot Programme funded

by Belfast City Council

FAMILY FUN

The

t s e r o F e Faeri

Journey with us into the secret forest of Botanic Gardens and help us find the fairies living in the park.

Allow yourself to drift into a magical mood (remembering to whisper so you don’t scare them away). Keep your eyes peeled, and take a wonder around the Mela’s magical Fairy Trail to see if you can find their exquisite homes hidden in the trees.

Secrets of the Ravine is a brand new theatre adventure created by Place to Wonder and set in the park’s Tropical Ravine The Ravine Keeper has lost his key that holds the secrets of the ravine and all the secrets of the Ravine have been awoken, the ravine keeper asks the audience to help him find the key so the secrets can’t get out.

Along the way they meet, a sailor who brought exotic plants over on his ship, mermaids who are magical plant whisperers, a banana specialist, a fern obsessed Victorian and a plant hunter who holds over 300 types of seeds in his seed bank, some of these seeds are magic and turn into magical dancers from around the world!

G

IN SHOPP

CRAFT VILLAGE & ETHNIC BAZAAR

Immerse yourself in a shopper’s paradise and take home your own memory of the Mela. The Craft Village features an intricate selection of home made crafts from local traders.

The Ethnic Bazaar houses some of India’s finest fashion from beautiful silk saris to stunning salwars.

Get your fortune told by visiting the Mela’s very own mystical tarot reader!

HENNA TATTOOS

Be sure to visit our popular Henna stations located around the park and experience a taste of the east with your very own ethnic personalised tattoo. A real treat for the kids and adults alike!

Relax & Rejuvenate

Phew! If it all gets a bit too much and you need to take a breather, what better place than the Mela’s World of Wellbeing.

At the World of Wellbeing you can experience an area of calm amidst all the bustle with a range of workshops and sessions including: • Sound Bath Sessions • Yoga • Drumming • Hula Hooping • Meditation • Tai Chi • Laughter Yoga • Ecstatic Dance • Mindful Art Workshops • Kids Crafts • Wellness for babies

Treatment & Therapies

Visit our range of wellness stands on the day for treatments & experiences to include: massage, aromatherapy, Indian head massage, reflexology, eft, hypnotherapy, facial reflexology and crystals & readings.

Glendinning House 6 Murray Street Belfast, BT1 6DN

Tel: +44 (0)28 9023 1381 info@artsekta.org.uk www.artsekta.org.uk

ArtsEkta is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (NIC102412) and has one wholly owned trading subsidiary Ekta Events C.I.C

www.belfastmela.org.uk #belfastmela