Edinburgh Multicultural Festival goes on tour! This fall we will be visiting libraries in the Edinburgh North neighbourhoods with our featured artists.
This Saturday, 26 October, Muirhouse Library will be hosting Morgan Njobo who will bring a South African flavour to your day with his signature signing and drumming performance and workshop.
Morgan Njobo, Edinburgh Multicultural Festival director, is a versatile artist, a singer, composer, musician, choreographer, dancer, director and producer known for traditional and modern African and World Music performances and productions. Morgan has worked with many communities across Edinburgh hosting vocal, music and dance workshops across the city.
Edinburgh Multicultural Festival goes on tour! This fall we will be visiting libraries in the Edinburgh North neighbourhoods with our featured artists.
On Saturday, 19 October, Granton Library will be hosting ahalya Dance Academy who will bring a South Asian cultural dance performance and workshop for all ages.
Ahalya Dance Academy, an Edinburgh based dance school specialising in the ancient Indian art form of Bharatanatyam. Their vision is to bring the rich tradition of Bharatanatyam to diverse communities and provide a platform for aspiring dancers to learn and grow.
This event is free but ticketed, so make sure you register with us ahead of the event!
Edinburgh Multicultural Festival, supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, will be held at Edinburgh College (Granton Campus) and Lauriston Castle on 30 September and 1 October 2023.
The programme features a diverse range of performers and visual artists telling their stories through creative writing and visual literacy workshops, artwork, poetry, storytelling, music, theatre, and dance.
There are also family activities, including arts and crafts, puppetry, living statues, reading sessions, and drumming workshops facilitated by Visual Literacy Matters and other artists. The festival truly has something for everyone.
This year’s musical acts include Los Chichanos, Mio Shudo, Motown Brothers, The Spinning Blowfish, Elaine Cheng, dance artists – Sam Vaherlehto and TuFlamenco as well as theatre makers – Catherine Bisset, Flavia D’Avila, Luntu Masiza and Olivier Van Den Hende.
The festival celebrates the cultural diversity of the Capital by bringing together local and international artists and creating experiences to be shared by all communities.
This year marks the 5th birthday of the festival, which has provided platforms, both on stages and digitally, for over 150 local and international artists of diverse backgrounds, and generated over 60k worldwide views since its inception.
Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said:“It’s fantastic to see the return of the Edinburgh Multicultural Festival later this month. I’m incredibly proud that we are supporting local artists of all backgrounds to get involved with a truly unique festival. We all want to see as many of our residents as possible expressing themselves and adding to Edinburgh’s already excellent cultural sector.
“Edinburgh’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths and this festival is just one fantastic example of our outstanding year-round cultural offerings. I want to wish the best of luck to all the organisers, performers and participants and I’m sure that this fifth year of the festival will be a great success.”
Edinburgh Multicultural Festival Director, Morgan Njobo said: “We are grateful to the City of Edinburgh Council for their support, thanks to which we can create opportunities for local diverse artists to share their work and cultures. As a South African artist based in Edinburgh myself, I value how welcoming the city is to the international talent.
“The festival is a celebration of cultural diversity in Edinburgh that is representative of the increasingly more diverse population in the city. This year we feature local artists of African, Asian, Caribbean, European, and South American origin thus creating a world stage at your doorstep.
“The festival has gone from strength to strength since 2019 as we continue to attract more participation in the arts in Edinburgh. Partnering with Edinburgh College in Granton and Lauriston Castle in Cramond allows us to create unique cultural experiences for audiences and participants of all ages and backgrounds while appreciating the hidden gem locations in Edinburgh.
“Let’s enjoy being able to be back together and support diverse artists and creatives here in Scotland.”
Book your places to enjoy a great programme of world entertainment and South African spread!
Everyone is welcome!
Big announcement Edinburgh Shisanyama is partnering with Edinburgh Multicultural Festival for the South African heritage Braai.
They have prepaid prepaid for some Braai packs for some lucky customers, these are limited so first come first serve
There will be Performances form the Edinburgh Multicultural Festival from 15:00, the performances will ranging from Dance, singing, story telling and more
PLEASE NOTE We have a limited amount of tables available, so reserve your tables as soon as you can.
To Reserve you table, simply text/call/WhatsApp 07527909134 and pay on the day.
Date : 25/09/2022
Time 13:00 – 20:00
Location
Philly’s Edinburgh
2 Lochside Place
Edinburgh
EH12 9DF
Scotland
Don’t miss out on the LAST Edinburgh Shisanyama of the Year, Let’s close the summer with a bang.
Edinburgh Multicultural Festival, funded by the City of Edinburgh Council, promotes local and international multicultural artists.
It engages local audiences through music, dance, poetry, storytelling and visual arts that represent Edinburgh’s diverse cultures, including African, Asian and Eastern European.
The aim of the festival is to better engage local, both BAME and indigenous, residents with local multicultural arts provision as well as promote diversity through shared experiences.
It is also to create a platform for BAME artists to share their talent, culture and artistic endeavours with other local artists and local audiences. It is seen as a unique opportunity for multicultural artists based in Edinburgh to share stages and experiences as well as encourage greater collaboration across arts disciplines.
The festival takes place across different venues in the North of Edinburgh, which is recognised as one of the most diverse areas in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Multicultural Festival is produced by African Connections CIC is a community interest company based in Scotland. It provides benefit to African and UK-based artists and communities as well as African and UK-based arts and culture groups and organisations.
African Connections CIC celebrates diversity and creates connections between African and other communities by means of sharing cultures, creative ideas, skills and experiences.
The company plans to establish information, guidance, events and trading centres showcasing quality African products and creatives productions with the aim of creating opportunities for all communities in Scotland and beyond to share and engage in cultural experiences.
The Grand Reveal Part 1 | Literary and Visual Art
1 October 2021 | granton:hub
Join us for an art exhibition featuring the work of Harriet Mould, Jose Luis Cote and Kate Soltan and creative writing and visual literacy workshops.
12:00-13:30 The Land of Punt: Reading and Creative Writing Workshop with Joan Hephzibah and Ebony Pollard (ages 7-12)
13:45-15:30 Imagination in Motion: Visual Literacy Workshop with Kate Soltan and Magda Adamow (all ages)
16:00-17:00 Person Behind Picture: Exhibition and Panel Discussion with Visual Artists Harriet Mould, Jose Luis Cote and Kate Soltan (all ages)
The Grand Reveal Part 2: Edinburgh Multicultural Festival LIVE!
Programme 2 OCTOBER 2021: DANCE, POETRY AND NEW WRITING FOR STAGE & FILM – PASS
Acting, Musical Theatre, Technical Theatre & Costume for Stage (PASS) Theatre at Edinburgh College (Granton Campus) will be home to exciting dance, theatre, poetry and stand-up comedy work presented by Scotland-based diverse artists on 2 October 2021.
With this programme we would like to present the work of artists at different stages of their creative careers and promote collaboration and exchange of skills and practice. Join us for three showcase events with the focus on DANCE, POETRY and NEW WRITING for THEATRE, FILM and STAND-UP featuring Divine Tasinda, Tuflamencoo with Inma Montero and Danielo Olivera, Fronteiras Theatre Lab, Lubna Kerr, Sean Wai Keung and Jinling Wu, and Raheema Sayed.
12:00 – 13:30 Musical Musings feat. instrumental music performed by harpist Mio Shudo, sitarist Alec Cooper and fiddler Roo Geddes will soothe your soul and take you on a journey into the sounds and stories of sea-bound people of Japan, South Asia and Ireland. [Entrance: Upper Grounds at Laverockbank Road]
14:00 – 19:00 StarDome21: Edinburgh Multicultural Festival Finale at Starbank Park with big bands and bigger sound. The Spinning Blowfish, Mother All Mighty, Los Chichanos and Shona the Musical – Band and Choir will grace the StarDome21 Finale Stage with an eclectic mix of Trad and Folk to Neo Soul / Hip Hop / R’n’B.
From Africa to South America, and back to Scotland, the finale concert will satisfy your music buds and fill your heart with joy. Not all goodbyes should be sad! [Entrance: Lower Grounds at Starbank Road]
Music, dance, storytelling, films and audio visual celebration of Edinburgh’s multicultural communities (the newest event on Edinburgh’s festival calendar)
African Connections CIC (an Edinburgh-based community interest company promoting diversity through performing arts) is delighted to announce the very first Edinburgh Multicultural Festival, on 4-6 October 2019.
The festival programme features a bright array of Edinburgh’s diverse talent with spoken word, poetry, music, dance and visual arts created by African, Asian and Eastern European artists living in the capital.
The festival will also present two international acts: albino Malawian singer and canjo player Lazarus, and Sowhereto Africa, a South African dance and music show promoting street talent from the township of Soweto (previously performed at Edinburgh’s Dance Base and the Studio).
A poetry and storytelling programme (on Friday afternoon) will be curated by Nadine Aisha Jassat, with storytellers Fong Liu and Daiva Ivanauskaitė, while the weekend will feature musicians including Samba Sene & Diwan (Sengalese Mbalax/Afrobeat/ska fusion), rappers Billy Got Waves & Joell, Moroccan grooves from Omar Afif & Gnawa Trance Fusion and Bollywood//Indian classical music from Swaryatra; the dance programme on Saturday includes Scotland’s leading Indian dance group Dance Ihayami, a range of African dances from Sankofa Beats, plus Olga Kay, Iraya Noble, Pirita Tuisku, and many more.
There will also be a specially curated short films programme and a specially created installation by Polish audio visual artist Robert Motyka, inspired by diverse cultures and identities.
The events will take place across two venues in north Edinburgh – creative writing, poetry and storytelling at Drumbrae Library and Community Hub (4th October only), with the main programme taking place at Edinburgh College, Granton Campus (5 & 6 October), in the open café space (unticketed) and the PASS Theatre.
There will be opportunities for audiences to mix with performers and community organisations, to share their experiences and find out more about how to be involved in cross-community activities.
All events are free to attend, and all age groups are welcome.
Edinburgh Multicultural Festival director, Morgan Njobo, said: “With this programme we would like to celebrate Edinburgh’s diverse multicultural talent and its contribution to the cultural life of the city.
“As a South African artist living in Edinburgh, I feel privileged to be able to present an eclectic programme that aims to engage local communities and increase access to arts and entertainment in the north of Edinburgh.
“We are collaborating with artists whose work is influenced by African, Asian and Eastern European cultures and we wish for all Edinburgh residents engage with our diverse performing arts and visual arts scene and enjoy the benefits of diversity brought by the artists involved.”
It is hoped that Edinburgh Multicultural Festival 2019 will be the first of many, growing over the years, contributing to promoting tolerance and inclusivity across Edinburgh and beyond.
Edinburgh Multicultural Festival is delivered in partnership with Edinburgh College, PASS Theatre and Drumbrae Library and Community Hub and supported by City of Edinburgh Council.
LISTINGS
Fri 4 Oct 2 – 5pmDrumbrae Library and Community Hub, 81 Drum Brae Dr, Edinburgh EH4 7FE
Storytelling, poetry and creative writing
Sat 5 Oct Noon-5pmEdinburgh College Granton Campus, 350 W Granton Rd, Edinburgh EH5 1QE
