WELCOME to SALIDAA’s January newsletter.
This
month, we are very excited to launch Back Chat, an online anthology of creative
responses by great contemporary writers in the UK to the SALIDAA digital
archive – find out more about the launch event in
SALIDAA
News
. Check out reviews of recent events in the
Voicebox
, and see the
Spotlight
on featured
artists. Get
In the Picture
about recent book and film
releases and browse the
January Events Listings
. View
information for students, researchers, academics and arts practitioners in
Calls for papers /Opportunities
.
Nine Nights at Camden People’s Theatre…
The
small auditorium in the Camden People’s Theatre was laid out simply with rows
of chairs facing an empty space adorned only by a few colourful cloth banners
hanging from the ceiling. When the lights went down, the storyteller, Vayu
Naidu, stepped out onto the floor in a glittering black sari, accompanied by
the musician Colin Seddon who carried several unusual instruments which he
introduced and demonstrated before the storytelling began. At first the
performance space seemed bare and empty but as Vayu began to tell the tales of
the Ramayana, the four black walls disappeared and the sound of traffic outside
on the busy Euston Road faded away. With just words and voice, simple gestures,
movements and music, Vayu and Colin began to weave a story around the audience,
bringing the tale of Rama and Sita to light up a cold London night. We saw Rama
growing up into a handsome and beloved prince, and in his youth we travelled
through enchanted forests along with the demons and heroes who stalked and
stole through them. We saw Sita as a beautiful young princess catching sight of
Rama for the first time and were as captivated by this meeting as they were
with each other. With apprehension, we witnessed Kaikeyi's spiral into
destructive jealousy and we felt the sadness and the bravery of Rama and Sita
as they were thrust into exile from Ayodhya. With a twist of the tale, we moved
from an idyllic life in the forest to being transported across the ocean
separating India from Lanka where Ravana takes Sita against her will. Then, in
pursuit of Sita, we flew with Hanuman across the waves to the beautiful island
that is soon ravaged as Rama strides over the ocean on a miraculous bridge to
win back his bride. This performance is original, imaginative and wonderfully
performed and Vayu inserts contemporary humour into her telling of the tales to
connect with her diverse audience who range widely in age and cultural
background. If you ever have the chance to catch a performance, go, and
rediscover the experience of being captivated by storytelling and your own
ability to exercise your imagination.
Nine Nights is touring again in 2007 – for more information
click here
Do you have a review of a recent event, book or film that you’d
like to share with the SALIDAA community? We invite you to sound out the
Voicebox for yourself. Write in with 200-300 words to sharanya@salidaa.org.uk
and let us hear your voice. Please write in before the 21st January 2007 for
February’s issue.
The Conversations of Cow - Book, 1985
Suniti Namjoshi (1941 - )
Copyright:
Suniti Namjoshi
The Conversations of Cow by Suniti Namjoshi was published
by The Women's Press Limited in London, in 1985. The novella is a mixture of
satirical fiction, fantasy, and fable and examines the relationship between
Suniti, a feminist lesbian, and Bhadravati, a Brahmini cow. The illustrations
accompanying the text are by Sarah Baylis. The fifteen digitised images in this
item include an extract of a chapter and an illustration.
Click here to see the Suniti Namjoshi Collection
**BACK CHAT LAUNCH AT THE MUSEUM OF LONDON**
24 January 2007, 17:00- 21:00
SALIDAA
launches Back Chat Anthology. Abdulrazak Gurnah, Suniti Namjoshi, Marina Warner
and Moniza Alvi, among other contemporary writers, respond to SALIDAA’s digital
archive, unlocking stories in the photographs, manuscripts, marginalia and
letters held in it. The BBC will record the artists’ readings on the evening.
This is to be followed by a Q&A session. The evening will end with a
reception in the Terrace Gallery. We have pleasure in inviting you to this free
event but please note that booking is required. Please email
collections@salidaa.org.uk or call 020 7359 7666 if you would like to join us.
Researcher’s Directory
: We aim to provide a
forum for ongoing engagement with our collections, and invite all those
interested in South Asian Diaspora literature and arts to contribute to a
Researcher’s Directory that will appear on our website. The list may be used as
a point of contact for those interested in debate, discussion and collaboration
with others and it will foster a research community around the SALIDAA digital
archive. If you are interested in being included in the directory, please send
your name, affiliation, areas of research/interest, and email address to
sharanya@salidaa.org.uk.
Forthcoming Events
: If you would like the
SALIDAA Newsletter to list your forthcoming events please email
sharanya@salidaa.org with all details including Event Title, Dates and Times,
Location, Description (max. 200 words), Admission Fees. Please notify us about
your forthcoming event by the 25th of each preceding month, i.e. to have your
event listed in February’s newsletter, please send information by 25 January.
The Curry Mile by Zahid
Hussain (Suitcase Press, 2004)
This is
Zahid Hussain’s debut novel which explores the lives of an Asian family in the
restaurant business in Manchester’s “curry mile,” one of the city’s busiest
thoroughfares populated by Pakistanis, Arabs, Kurds, Indians, Jamaicans,
Somalis, and uniquely reflecting a side of Britain that is often left
unrealised in contemporary writing. Written through the perspectives of a
father and daughter, it engages with family dynamics, obligations and
traditions, as well as personal desires, dreams and motivations. In a recent
interview with the BBC, Hussain says, “the father’s journey is about survival
and succession and the daughter’s journey is about identity, recognition and
self-determination. It’s an old story rewoven for modern times. It’s very much
a Mancunian dish that gives, I hope, a sense of the raw energy of life on the
Mile.” Hussain began to write poetry at the age of 17 after moving to
Manchester where he joined the Identity Writers’ Workshop run by Lemn Sissay,
the acclaimed author and playwright. He has won the North-West Poetry Slam but
says that writing fiction was his first love.
Don’t wear it on your head, don’t stick it down your
pants by John Siddique (Peepal Tree Press, November
2006)
John Siddique is a British poet of Irish and Indian
heritage who draws on his roots to create poems for both young people and
adults. Siddique works with schools to create accessible, innovative and
vibrant writing for children and many of the poems in this volume were created
in primary schools. Siddique has published several collections included Poems
from a Northern Soul and his work has appeared in anthologies such as The
British Anthology of South Asian Poetry (Redbeck,) and Kiss (Crocus). At the
moment he is planning a tour, in conjunction with Faber & Faber and The
Reading Agency, to bring a fresh approach to poetry for non-poetry readers. He
has held commissions and residencies at Commonword, BBC Manchester, The Lowry,
Ledbury Festival, and Ilkley Literature Festival.
Kabul Express directed by Kabir
Khan (India, December 2006)
Written and
directed by Kabir Khan and starring John Abraham, Arshad Warsi, and Salman
Shahid this newly released feature film documents the experiences of two Indian
journalists in Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. Jai (Arshad Warsi) and Suhel
(John Abraham) are chasing after the scoop of an elusive Taliban interview. The
film shifts a post-9/11 focus onto the ravaged landscape of Afghanistan as the
two journalists are kidnapped and taken across the country in a twist on the
road movie. Khan made this film after producing several documentaries in
Afghanistan and he reveals that the story is loosely based on his own
experiences in post-Taliban Afghanistan. Much controversy has accompanied the
making of the film with cast and crew reportedly being sent death threats by
the Taliban and having the unusual experience of often having more armed
soldiers than crew on location. However, filming in Afghanistan was essential
for as Khan says, “the country was not just a location for filming; it was a
character in my film.” The film, which had its world premiere at the Toronto
International Film Festival and its UK premiere at October’s London
International Film Festival is now on general release.
Conform or Out: Your Shout Thursday
11th January 2007, 10:15-16:00, University of Birmingham
Questions
to be raised: Are community faith leaders destroying our communities? Student
politics: is it more about “open all hours” than open minds? Should third world
debt be kept to the third world? Neighbourhood watch: does anyone care about
community cohesion? Are we breeding a generation of religious
androids?
Topics of the Day: Keeping the faith: should be delegating
politics to God? Rooting apathy out: is it time for a new grassroots? Charity
starts at home: do minority ethnic communities care about development work?
“Racist relations: we should all stick to our own kind”
Panelists on the
day include: Ted Cantle, Associate Directore, IDeA; Tahir Abbas, Director,
Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Culture, Birmingham University; Karen
Chouhan, Executive Director, the 1990 Trust; Ruqayyah Collector, Black Students
Officer, NUS; Ruth Thompson, Campaigner, Oxfam.
To register for this event
contact CultivAsian at events@cultivasian.org.uk or Vik on 07956 341375/ or the
1990 Trust at Ruhul@blink.org.uk or 07908 750748
Creative Projects Coordinator
MakeBelieve
Arts is a theatre and education company that believes in the importance of
making the arts accessible to everyone, starting from the youngest child and
working upwards. The company delivers high quality participatory drama and
theatre experiences to Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools pupils, ranging
from storytelling/story acting sessions based on the work of Vivian Gussin
Paley, through to workshops and performances that use drama and theatre
techniques to compliment children's learning various areas of the curriculum
particularly in Literacy, Numeracy and Citizenship. We are looking for an
enthusiastic candidate passionate about the role of theatre in education and
its promotion in the wider community. This new post will work closely with the
Artistic Director in coordinating, devising and delivering creative theatre and
education projects for MakeBelieve Arts under the four strands of our work –
Storytelling: Bringing stories to life with and for children as young as 3
years old; Creative Approaches: Innovative approaches to the curriculum; Moving
on Up: Empowering pupils to face the challenges of Secondary Transition; Making
Theatre Accessible: for children, their parents and their teachers. Located in
Lewisham, South East London this is a 1-year fixed term contract starting April
2007. (Salary: £20,000 - £25,000)
Deadline: 12:00, 22 January
2007
Lisa Ullmann Travelling Scholarship
Fund
Supporting individual journeys in movement and dance.
Enabling movement and dance practitioners to travel to enrich their practice
and pursue a personal passion. The aim of this small charity is to provide
financial support to individuals who wish to travel abroad or in the United
Kingdom to attend a conference, to pursue a research project or undertake a
short course of study in the field of movement of dance. Successful applicants
will have convinced the Committee of the importance of their journey and what
it means to them to undertake it at this time. The impact of the journey both
personally and/or for the wider dance community will be considered. Each
application is considered according to its merit and the decision of the
Management Committee is final. ELIGIBILITY: Applications must be from
individuals, not institutions, groups or companies; Support is for TRAVEL ONLY.
LUTSF does not pay fees; LUTSF does not pay subsistence; Travel must originate
in and return to the United Kingdom; Applicants must have been resident in the
UK for a minimum of two years; Support is not given for travel to and from
institutions for fulltime or 'long courses', that is courses extending over 1,
2 or 3 years; these include most degree and post graduate courses; projects
which directly support the work of institutions and professional companies, and
which should most appropriately be funded by them, are not eligible for
support; Scholarships are not given for setting up projects or festivals;
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Print your application form from
the website or send an A5 SAE to the Secretary, LUTSF, 24 Cuppin Street,
Chester, CH1 2BN.
Deadline: Application Forms must be sent BY POST
to arrive by 25 January 2007.
Beyond the Five Senses Auditions
Nupur Arts
are holding open auditions for our next dance production “Beyond the Five
Senses.” Dancers will have the chance to work with the leading dance exponent
of Bharat Natyam, Chitraleka Bolar who will be choreographing the production
dance pieces. Dancers should have basic experience in Bharat Natyam or
Contemporary Dance and should be able to demonstrate good dance technique. This
dance project will be ideal for dancers who are looking for further performance
opportunities and would like to further their dance skills in choreography. The
production will be performed in April 2007 (TBC) and you will need to be
available for dance workshops and rehearsals from January to April 2007. Please
contact Nupur Arts to arrange an audition and for further information.
info@nupurarts.org.uk / 07801365779/
www.nupurarts.org.uk
Deadline: 31 January 2007
Kali TalkBack Festival 2007
Kali is looking
for innovative and inspiring short and full length theatre scripts by Asian
women for the TalkBack Festival 2007. Submitted plays must be original works
and not previously performed or performed professionally. For more information
visit
www.kalitheatre.co.uk
Deadline: 02 February 2007
Please note: This archived version of the SALIDAA
newsletter does not contain the monthly events listings. If you would like to
be signed up to receive the full newsletter please email
sharanya@salidaa.org.uk.
