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GLASGOW MELA Scotland’s biggest free multicultural festival returns to Kelvingrove Park
Glasgow Mela is all about celebrating the diversity of the city and its many communities, while showcasing live music, theatre, arts and food from around the world. This year, the Mela will be returning to Kelvingrove Park, with the Scottish-Asian Creative Artists’ Network at the helm as the new producers of the festival. Their aim for the future of the event is to transform it into a platform for activism through arts and culture, exploring the Scottish-Asian and British-Asian experience in the process. The purpose of this fresh approach is to work
towards breaking away from the North Indian, Panjabi-centric trend in British-Asian culture. By focusing on new and emerging artists, the Glasgow Mela will draw attention to pluralistic representations of Asian identity, celebrating Asian heritage in new and exciting ways.
This year’s programme features everything from anti-caste protest songs from local noise-rocker Kapil Seshasayee to Scotland’s very fi rst Sufi Qawali group, to Deepa Nair Rasiya (pictured), who has been described as a ‘pioneering and innovative composer with a deeply soul-stirring vocal style.’ The Glasgow Mela, which is free to attend and open to all, will also play host to comedians, poets and a ceilidh. Plus, for the fi rst time, artist-in- residence Mila Brown will be at Kelvingrove Park all day, inviting all Mela-goers to help her make a new piece of work. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow, Sun 23 Jun.
80 THE LIST 1 Jun–31 Aug 2019