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EXODUS - GREATER MANCHESTER-BASED PROJECTS
The programme is keen to explore and learn about the different African nations' dance styles through sharing heritage. This is an integration project which includes participants from refugee and host communties. The group performed to great acclaim at the Exodus Festival, and young people were also key participants in CAN's Urban Music Theatre project.
Exodus has been supporting the development of this highly ambitious group of 15 Kurdish artists that includes visual artists, musicians, dancers, writers and film makers. The musicians and dancers have performed several times at the Exodus Festival as well as at Exodus Live. Individuals connected with KAC have received considerable capacity-building support from CAN, from the development of online services through to fundraising and support for individual artists’ development. The group wish to develop their dance group as a touring performance group promoting Kurdish culture within the region.
Participants are of all ages, and from a wide range of backgrounds - African, Eastern European, Middle Eastern and Asian. CAN is running a series of African dance and digital arts workshops with the group through the Exodus programme. A series of textile workshops for women is currently taking place.
Each three day course introduced film language, camera & sound techniques, storyboarding, filming and editing. Working in small groups participants created their own short films A sharing of the work happened in late March 2009 in the Robert Powell Theatre at Salford University. Participants were also given the opportunity to screen their work as part of the Exodus Shorts Film Festival.
The project was so successful that workshops have begun again in 2009 and TARA is developing sustainable resources to continue the group in the long term.
Workshops ran for on Wednesdays for 10 consecutive weeks at the Rainbow Haven centre from October 2009. Sessions comprised formal teaching/lectures followed by interactive sessions that allowed discussion and collaborative practical group work.
Depending on the interests of the women a more in-depth project will be developed later in 2009.
Peacemaker was originally set up in the aftermath of the Oldham riots to assist cohesion, and later began to work with refugee young people including unaccompanied minors. The young people range in age from 12 to 18 and come orignally from Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Congo, Togo and Zimbabwe. Exodus is working together with Peacemaker in Oldham, delivering workshops in film-making and VJing as part of their ongoing work with young refugees.
To see a selection of past Exodus projects visit the Exodus archive page
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NESTAC - Rochdale
In
2008, Exodus worked with NESTAC (New Step for African Communities) in Rochdale to develop a dance programme with both
young people and adults.
Eagles Wings is a support group for refugees and asylum seekers in Bury providing a weekly drop-in, activities and a monthly social event.
Two short
film-making training courses took place in early 2009, and were fully booked with over 30 participants. The
sessions were led by Vincent O'Brien fromthe University of Cumbria.
Dance
and drama workshops took place with young people at TARA in Tameside in 2008, leading to a performance at
Ashton Town Hall in Augus 2008
Drama about a grass-roots mixed culture radio station which has problems when some presenters air reports on human
rights abuses which criticise the powers that be. Made by Rafiki youth group for refugee young people in Wigan,
(Greater Manchester, UK), in association with film director / producer Kooj Chuhan, devised, acted and filmed
using improvisational techniques over a period of just ten youth club sessions.
A series of workshops teaching the basic principals involved in filmmaking. Participants worked collaboratively
on a range of practical exercises culminating in the production of a short five-minute film to be entered into
film festivals.
A series of taster sessions in dance, singing and film-making is taking place in early 2009 in Bolton.