Edinburgh Mela Festival 2008
Culturally together
A carnival of events, a world of creativity
Mela favourites, world premieres and new entries
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The Edinburgh Mela Festival 2008 is supported by the Scottish Arts Council’s Equality department. |
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In the ancient language of Sanskrit Mela means gathering, and in 1995 some members of the city's minority ethnic communities founded the Edinburgh Mela Festival, to celebrate Scotland’s cultural diversity.
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Mela is a celebration and exploration of the people, the places and identities that reflect the many diverse communities in Scotland, the UK and in the rest of the world. The Edinburgh Mela combines arts, food and crafts from a range of different customs.
The first Edinburgh Mela was held in Meadowbank Stadium and quickly grew to attract 20,000 people each year. It has now become a central part of Edinburgh’s programme of festivals and in recent years has drawn between 50,000 and 60,000 people across two days.
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Running from 25 to 31 August, the Mela Festival in 2008 has a fantastic programme which includes performers travelling from Africa, South America and India.
A carnival of events, film screenings, performances, concerts and exhibitions, will take place in and around Ocean Terminal.
The 2008 programme includes a number of world, UK and Scottish premieres as well as the return of popular previous events and it marks the debut of festival director Liam Sinclair who says: |
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“The Mela this year offers a world of creative talent. Traditional Indian dance will sit beside tango and flamenco troupes. The big top will host an aerial circus act and the rhythms of India and Pakistan will be joined by those from Japan, Africa and elsewhere”.
Kick-starting the festivities will be a Mela favourite, Sakhian which for the first time will include a staged drama called Sapano ki shaadi (Dream Wedding), as well as a disco and a performance by Bhangra singer, Des-C.
A world premiere of Yatra (Journey) will take place at the weekend. Supported by the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, it is a collaborative performance between The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Adeo Records and Publishing and The Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers. This collaboration is set to create a dynamic fusion of musical traditions bringing together musical cultures from Scotland, South Asia and Japan.
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Film and theatre will be two new elements for this year’s festival. A series of films and documentaries will be shown at VUE Cinemas.
The popular fashion show will return this year promising a catwalk of haut couture fashion presented in a distinctive Bollywood style. |
The festival concludes with a presentation of Mother India 21st century, a contemporary live re-scoring of the original Mother India, a tour-de force of Indian cinematic history, led by award winning turntablist DJ Tigerstyle.
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Visit the Edinburgh Mela website for further details and to download the programme. | |