Thursday, 9 October – Wednesday 15 October
Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, Bethnal Green, London E2 6HG
http://www.redsea-online.com/swf/
Oxford House in Bethnal Green in partnership with
www.red-seaonline.com, Culture and Heritage Foundation; Halabuur
Centre for Culture and Communication in the Horn (HCCC); Horn of
Africa Voluntary Youth Committee (HAVOYOCO) and a range of national
and local community organisations is pleased to present the Somali
Week Festival as a part of Black History Month. The Festival will take
place at Oxford House from the 9th to 15th October 2008.
Attracting over 2,000 people last year, this year's festival builds
on that, offering the best of Somali culture, old and new, through an
eclectic mix of events including poetry, literature and music. This
year's Somali Week Festival will focus on the Somali concept of
gobannimo. Gobannimo is a very complex word with a broad range of
meanings including freedom and liberty, but also implying a dignified,
coherent, independent, giving, tolerant, and respectful approach to
dealing with other people. In other words, it encompasses all that is
good and achievable by free and responsible human beings. Gobannimo
has an inherent sense of reaching an ultimate state of human
responsibility and thus is very relevant to the interlinked notions of
citizenship and freedom. Although it relates to personal development
and individual dignity it is also at the heart of many strands of
current social and political thought amongst Somalis, which will be
explored through art and literature.
The festival will focus on poetry, prose literature and music which
will be presented and discussed by artists and audiences. We are proud
to have invited a range of guests including renowned artists,
academics and commentators:
Ali Sugule (renowned poet, UAE), Abdiqaadir Abdi Shube (poet,
Somalia), Dararamle,( musician and vocalist, UK ) Hudaydi " King of
lute"( musician and vocalist) Ahmed Aw Geeddi (poet, Somaliland),
Mahamed Dahir "Afrah" (Chair of Somali Pen, Djibouti), Ahmed Yusuf
Shaacir (poet, Somaliland), Abdi Mahamud Aamin (writer and educator,
Djibouti), Mahamed Haashi Dhama "Gaarriye" Adan Tarabi " known as
Tuug Tarabi" (poet, Somaliland) Mahamed Ahmed Kuluc (vocalist) Nimco
Deggan, (vocalist, UK), Beeldaaje, (poet, UK ) Abdikariim Raas
(vocalist, UK), Abdilahi Bootaan (poet, UK), Martin Orwin (SOAS, UK),
Hassan Adan Samatar (vocalist, Netherlands), Rashid sheikh Abdillahi
Haaji Ahmed "Rashid Gadhwayne" ( writer, UK), Jama Musse Jama
(writer, Italy), Jango (Vocalist), Abdillahi Awed Egeh,(writer, UK),
Mahamed Hassan "Alto" (SOAS, UK), Qaboojiye (vocalist, UK), Suldaan
(poet, UK), Jihaan (vocalist, UK), Mahamed Baashe (writer, UK), Aar
(composer and vocalist, UK), Abdifitaah Yare (vocalist, UK), Mohamed
Rashid (BBC, UN, Somaliland), Sa'id Jama ( Writer, UK) Warsan Shire
(poet, UK), Michael Walls (UCL, UK),) Ali Jama Ahmed (Documentary
maker) Anna Lindley (University of Oxford, UK), Abdalle Osman Shafey
(cartoon film-maker), Said Ali Shire (writer, UK), and many more.
We will highlight and explore not only the importance of tolerance as
expressed through gobannimo but will also promote the idea that only
free, liberated individuals can develop a culture of tolerance and a
deep sense of personal responsibility.
We also want to encourage and support emerging Somali artists, who
themselves are promoting a sense of gobannimo. Our aim is to
facilitate collaboration and exchange between young and established
artists, UK-based Somalis and people from the Somali territories. We
will also continue to advocate the importance of Somali art throughout
the wider Somali community.
The international aspect of the festival is an important part of our
continued development and partnership work with artists and
organisations in Somali speaking territories.
Join us at this exceptional festival to celebrate and explore the
uniqueness of Somali art and culture.
More information about the festival programming and last update please
visit; http://www.oxfordhouse.org.uk/template.php?ID=173&PageName=somaliweekfestival2008
To book a stall or tickets please contact Stella Scherbach on 020 7739
9001 x1108 or e-mail sscherbach@oxfordhouse.org.uk and about the
Festival's Programme, call Ayan Mahamoud, the Festival Coordinator on
020 7749 1140 or e-mail: ayan.mahamoud@oxfordhouse.org.uk
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