Neige Tchientcheu

My name is Neige Tchientcheu and I am from Cameroon, I am 25 years old and I have been in England since 2003 where I have studied English and gained a NVQ level 3 in hairdressing and beauty.

I have been singing and dancing, with a bit of acting since my youth, which allowed me to get involved in many different activities. I have performed at events, festivals and ceremonies such as Cameroon International Day where we had to perform for the Prime Minister amongst others.

In the UK, I have developed my performing skills on different occasions, for example during Refugee Week, Exodus Festival and more. I also chair a community group called Dasram, which helps refugees and asylum seekers to get involved in the community. We run activities such as football, gospel choir and dancing. I am one of the dance teachers.

In 2006, I was in the play called Letter from Home sponsored by Manchester University and featuring Britannia Rumba.

Now I am training to be a Community Artist with CAN which will enable me to improve my skills for running workshops. It also makes me think about how I can use my skill for the community.

As the days go by, I discover what I call my 'Divine Gift', and this is my Afro- Caribbean creative hairdressing talent. So now I focus on this Divine Gift and can call myself a professional artist in this domain.

I have been doing artists' hair forn stage for the Afrocats dance group, Miss Black Britain (with Silk Photography) and more. I am a hairdressing artist and my vision is to make my users feel happy, confident and satisfied on stage and in life.

I would like to set up a social enterprise which will enable the community to benefit from our affordable prices, from our quality and professional services. It will also give them an opportunity to learn more about Afro-Caribbean hair.

I take this opportunity to thank all CAN staff!

Serge Tebu

Born in the 70s in Cameroon, central Africa, I got a sax as a gift from my dad when I was 4 but I was using it like a stick to chase chickens in the street! I started drumming the furniture at age 8. I didn't know I would become a musician.

At age 16, I started classical piano and then moved to jazz after a year. I was in high school when I started organising shows and concerts for the youth.

In 1996, I met Zebson Pindy who became my music teacher. He taught me jazz harmony, improvisation, arrangement and composition. I studied with him 6 days a week, at least 10 hours a day, for 3 years.

In 2000, we had the idea to develop the school to a high level. We opened the ZEBSON JAZZ ACADEMY in Douala (Cameroon). I was the first manager as well as teacher. The academy is still running.

In 2003, I set up and ran a music studio. I composed/arranged for artists from all over central Africa.

Now I'm living in Manchester and play piano and bass guitar. I composed music for a friend of mine, Laurent Camara, a radio presenter at Wolverhampton Community Radio, as a theme tune for the programme Out of Africa. I also wrote and produced music for UK African artists Pit'a Mbongo and Emma Kemta for their next album.

In April 2007, I started training as a community artist at CAN and I met Martin Milner, a fantastic guitarist who's now my mentor. I formed a band called Kokoriko playing jazz and Latin standards in original style (a fusion of British + African feels) and my own compositions. My vision with Kokoriko is:

• to bring together musicians with jazz experience for a new approach mixing African and Asian rhythms on jazz harmony.

• to get Asian and African musicians involved in jazz by organising workshops, exhibitions and concerts.

Through CAN, I was asked to join the BEATING WING ORCHESTRA playing alongside 12 other international musicians directed by acclaimed Palestinian composer Reem Kelani. We performed at the very first Manchester International Festival in June 2007.

If you want to hear my music you can visit my virtual spaces at www.virb.com/sergetebu or www.myspace.com/sergetebu. I'm available for all musical occasions.

Banafsheh Bahrami

I was born in Tehran, Iran. I studied Visual Art (BSc) and then Fine Art(MA) at Azad Faculty, University of Tehran.

As an artist, my main study was about modern visual art. I had over a dozen private and public exhibitions in Tehran. I have also worked as a private tutor, teaching art to children and teenagers.

I am fully computer literate and experienced in using graphic design software, having worked as a graphic designer for 11 years.

I came to the UK in 2005 and I settled down in Rochdale. At present, I am studying English at Hopwood Hall College.

Since April 2007, I have been attending the Exodus training programme at Community Arts North West. This has opened a new window of opportunity for me to get know about other artists and get more involved in community art.

What is important to me is the integration of diverse cultures to build up a more friendly society. My dream and ambition is to continue my visual art, with which I will be able to display my ideas about art, and to work in the UK as a graphic designer. Beside this I hope to work with and help other people, especially young people.

I am a highly motivated professional, able to adapt to different systems of operation. In my previous position as a graphic designer with a large international company, I thrived in a dynamic and competitive environment. I am used to working within a team and am considerate and supportive of my colleagues.

Maryam Patala

My name is Maryam Patala and I'm from Iran. I came to live in the UK in May 2003 because I wanted to be given the right to design my life the way I wanted to.

I can't say when I started doing art work, as since I can remember I was painting and then at primary school I fell in love with textiles. Ever since then all my summer holidays were devoted to trying a new art form and that's why I have experience in such a variety of art forms including painting, drawing, textiles, acting, sawing, decorating, hairdressing & make up, face-painting, card-making, in fact, any creative thing really.

I don't want you to think I am only claiming to be able to do these as, to be honest, these are half what I can actually do. As an artist, I just need to see how something is made once, and then I would be able to make it myself.

I have done a lot of work with the community such as leading art workshops and managing workshops which were led by other artists. The final product of all our workshops has been exhibited or given to participants to take home as a souvenir. Sometimes I get commissions to do art pieces for museums at different exhibitions.

I enjoy working with people. It teaches me a lot, and I love finding out about different cultures and having the opportunity to engage with people from all walks of life.

Having been on Exodus training at CAN, I have had the opportunity to meet other artists and workshop leaders which has been fantastic. I now have more to offer after finishing this training.