A Manchester phenomenon

With over 66 refugee nationalities represented in the region, including many artists-in-exile who have fled repressive regimes, there is a wealth of talent, skills and fresh ideas contributing to the cultural life of Manchester. ‘Exodus’, a three-year programme of participatory arts led by Community Arts North West (CAN), has worked with refugees and asylum seekers since November 2004. It is the response of the Greater Manchester Refugee Arts Partnership¹ to the desire of refugees to fulfil their artistic potential.

Greater Manchester has been home to successive waves of immigrants, all of which have contributed to our cultural heritage. The area now hosts more asylum seekers than any other conurbation outside London, with more than 5,700 people supported by the Home Office under the Government’s dispersal programme. Many arrive disorientated and apprehensive; they may have experienced persecution, and many have lost family and friends in fleeing their homes. Once here, they experience isolation, poverty and racism, which means that they are amongst the most excluded groups within the UK.

“We need a voice out there for refugees and asylum seekers, and that’s one of the main objectives of Exodus, to show people who have negative views about us that we have something to contribute, and that we have some success stories in this country, rather than the negative views portrayed by the press,” says Jean Azip Blanchard of Britannia Rumba. Exodus has challenged the negative representations of refugees and asylum seekers seen in mainstream media by developing and supporting sustainable programmes of cultural production, leading to high-quality showcasing events. It has also promoted self-esteem in participants and encouraged community cohesion through cultural exchange, as well as creating a voice for refugees and asylum seekers in the city of Manchester. In three years, nearly 3,000 people have participated in workshops and over 800 refugees and asylum seekers have performed at 34 events, to an audience in excess of 24,000. Work in various artforms has been developed, ranging from full-length plays to short films, and from African dance to international cooking projects. The initial connection and consultation with community groups has been crucial, with individual projects tailored to specific needs of participants.

Exodus has developed collaborative projects between refugee and host communities across a range of artforms. Significantly, CAN’s youth arts programme has encouraged young people from culturally diverse host communities to work alongside young refugees and asylum seekers to produce music theatre with a strong urban narrative. This work, currently represented by CAN’s ‘Urban Music Theatre’ project, engenders new friendships and promotes mutual understanding and respect.

Exodus has provided significant and substantive showcasing opportunities to refugee artists, allowing their voice to be heard by the mainstream population. Chief amongst these has been the annual ‘Exodus Festival’ held during Refugee Week – a unique celebration of the arts and culture of refugees, which includes music, dance, food, workshops and crafts from more than 20 countries across the globe. Performance opportunities for skilled refugee musicians were provided at ‘Exodus Live’, a series of world music nights, and filmmakers were supported by ‘Exodus Shorts’, an annual film festival, concentrating on social and political issues and attracting contributors from across the nation.

As Exodus progressed it became apparent that there was considerable interest in the development of performance-based work, with refugee communities interested in using theatre to raise awareness of their experiences. This idea was enthusiastically supported by Arts Council England and led to ‘Exodus Onstage’, a three-week theatre season in November 2006 that explored war, diaspora and asylum. This included performances, discussion and debate from international and regional theatre practitioners, shows produced in other parts of the UK and a dynamic body of locally produced work. Most shows sold out, and a predominantly indigenous audience was able to explore the political and personal narratives behind the tabloid hype.

Following a successful bid to the Big Lottery Fund, Exodus will expand and develop during the next three years, providing new opportunities for artists and participants from new migrant communities. Work produced to date has been vibrant, unexpected and thought-provoking. We’re all very excited about what may happen next.