Communities that represent different ethnicities in Salford enjoyed an afternoon of international music and dance at the Emmanuel Church and Centre to celebrate Black History Month in the United Kingdom.
Paul Dennett, the Mayor of Salford, wrote a speech for the afternoon to discuss multiculturalism in the country before joining in with the Bollywood dance.
In his speech, the Mayor of Salford reflected on why events which represent diversity are important in today’s society due to the amount of people fleeing their countries and seeking for refuge and asylum in places like the United Kingdom.
He said: ‘People matter, irrespective of what country they come from, what race they are, their sexuality, their disability, their health status.”
“I want this city to be welcoming, I want this city to be proud of its multiculturalism and its diversity.”
Fantastic afternoon celebrating international music and culture in the City of Salford during Black History Month, it was great to learn about the many different nationalities and cultures represented in our great city. Thanks to everyone involved in today’s celebration ? ? pic.twitter.com/PvhUEV6uqc
— SalfordMayor (@salford_mayor) October 20, 2018
From 1pm to 4pm on the 20 October 2018, the public were welcomed into the free event to watch a selection of performances delivered by the many different groups of people living in Salford.
VIVE, the name of the event, came from an umbrella group of SRF (Salford Forum for Refugees and People Seeking Aslyum) who represent ethnic minorities in Salford. The purpose of the musical event was to unite people together through the shared love of food, music, fashion and dance and to showcase the variety of culture that the city in Greater Manchester has to offer.
The event included a play about individuals living with HIV and the importance of raising awareness for the disease. While other performances featured Bollywood dance and an insight into how coffee is made in Ethiopia.
Paul Dennett was also joined by Rebecca Long-Bailey, MP for Salford and Eccles and Ronnie Wilson, the Ceremonial mayor who sat on the front row to enjoy the celebration of multiculturalism.
Iram Kashmiri, a member of the Asian community in Salford and Eccles, commented on her involvement with the Black community in Salford.
She said: “We’re always here to help them in events like this. I think everyone should get together more. We need the community from every aspect and every field to unite together and help eachother to succeed in making Salford better.”
Irfan Syed, who organised the event, said: “the event has been a cultural fusion of dance, music and food and I hope that the people liked it. People from different communities have said to me that they do not often get the opportunity to speak up – so this gives them a chance to be open and learn about different cultures for Black History Month.”
“We have all come together under one roof to celebrate the rich culture that we have got in Salford and we should be proud of our city.”
SRF run events such as VIVE every year in Salford to celebrate multiculturalism and Black History Month, which begins on the 1 October and finishes on the 31 in the United Kingdom.
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