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Artists performing at Colston Hall for UNESCO Slavery Remembrance day in Bristol are revealed

Navina Bartlett | 12.08.2010 17:22

Bristol Legacy Commission has organised a free concert featuring upbeat performances in the stunning new wing of Colston Hall. The concert is part of a series of community events which will take place on Monday 23rd August.
Bristol, 6th August 2010. Bristol Legacy Commission has organised a free concert featuring upbeat performances in the stunning new wing of Colston Hall. The concert is part of a series of community events which will take place on Monday 23rd August.

The first performer will be Biram Seck, a Senagalese singer/songwriter, from Easton in Bristol. He performs beautiful music, with a strong link to the legacy of the slave trade – perfect for lovers of culture. Biram’s music is produced by Pete Josef a member of Roni Size’s Reprazent.

The after party will be positive and progressive and a perfect end to this innovative and cross-cultural night. Mensah is a hot underground dubstep DJ, signed to local label Hench and usually found playing at various nightclubs.

Young music lovers will be encouraged come and see Mensah perform in Colston Hall, a high profile Bristol venue, ahead of his next major gig at Notting Hill Carnival in London.

As part of a day to commemorate all of the lives lost through slavery, 23rd August has been chosen by UNESCO to celebrate the resistance and struggles of the slaves which eventually led to them being freed. The event is designed to celebrate the abolition of the slave trade and artists have been carefully chosen for the relevance of their own musical style.

Barbara Janke, Leader of Bristol City Council, commented:

“This event is an occasion not only to acknowledge the past, but also to recognise the energy, talents and confidence of our city and its people in 2010 and to look forward to a future that we are all building together.

It is a future in which the council will continue to work with all its communities to develop closer ties and encourage all of Bristol’s citizens to realise their potential and contribute.”

Event organisers, Coconut Chilli Digital acknowledged that the event would take place on a Monday and created two highlights of the day for different audiences.

There will be a celebratory mini carnival in Queen Square and the free concert in the new wing of Colston Hall.

Navina Bartlett, Coconut Chilli Digital, concluded:

“There really is something for everyone. We want people who live or work in Queen Square to pop out at lunchtime to enjoy a cultural performance they may not have experienced before.”

The mini carnival in Queen Square will feature the African Sambistas – a high energy dance troup, who children will love. A jerk cook out stall will be set up and tasty Caribbean cuisine will be available for people who attend the carnival.

The evening concert has been timed so that lovers of world music can attend early on and then make way for a lively younger audience who will be keen to see Mensah perform live and who will be certain to get up and dance.

Although the concert is free, donations to support the Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Appeal will be collected.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About UNESCO Slavery Remembrance Day

23rd August is the date chosen by UNESCO as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. This day was saw the beginning of the uprising led by Toussaint-L'Ouverture against the French colonists and slavers. It resulted in the establishment of Haiti, the first African republic in the Western World.

This revolution would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade; the day is an important reminder that freedom was not gifted to the slaves by benevolent abolitionists, but fought for continuously by revolutionaries across the Americas.

The day is an opportunity for widespread reflection as to the causes and consequences of the scourge, thereby putting an end to the silence that has too long surrounded this human tragedy. Countless activities are organised throughout the world to coincide with the event.

This is the third year that this day has been marked in Bristol.

About Bristol Legacy Commission

Bristol City Council (BCC) established the Bristol Legacy Commission in June 2008 to take forward the work started during 2007 as part of Abolition 200 its steering group and their recommendations for change.
The Bristol Legacy Commission has been mandated by Bristol City Council to progress three priority areas; Cultural Representation, Education and Young People and Health and Well Being over three years, and they are now in their third year.
The Bristol Legacy Commission is made up of nine community members, three councillors nominated by their political parties, and Paul Stephenson OBE was elected chair in June 2008.

About Coconut Chilli Digital
Coconut Chilli Digital is a digital marketing and events consultancy based in Stokes Croft.
Clients include Bristol Legacy Commission, African and Caribbean Chamber of Commerce & Enterprise (ACCCE), Three Coqs Brasserie, Chris Wicks of Bell’s Diner and DaVinci Jamaica Tours.

For further information please contact Navina Bartlett at Coconut Chilli Digital - email navina@coconutchillidigital.com


Navina Bartlett
- Original article on IMC Bristol: http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/693162