We are once again proud to be a part of Nottingham Poetry Festival, taking place from Friday 7 June to Sunday 16 June. The festival will bring ten days of performances, open mics, workshops, panels, and community events to venues in and around the city centre.
As part of the festival, Antenna will be hosting Cultural Vibrations present: Pidgin, Patois and Poetry on Saturday 15 June from 2.30pm – 6.00pm. The workshop will explore how dialects and slang from the Caribbean and West African diaspora has influenced British language and creativity. We sat down with the founder of Cultural Vibrations, Rastarella to talk about the event and the wider festival.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into poetry?
Rastarella: I am the founder of Cultural Vibrations, and I have been interested in poetry since I was a teenager. I will be showcasing spoken word artists from the diaspora this year at Nottingham Poetry Festival.
Antenna has hosted Nottingham Poetry Festival events for a few years now, how vital is it that we keep events like this running?
Rastarella: I think it is vital that Antenna continues to host Nottingham Poetry Festival events because it is a fantastic space and it also gives many people an opportunity to attend the venue for the first time. I believe the venue is a perfect fit for poetry and creative events.
Your workshop focuses on how dialects and slang from the Caribbean and West African diaspora has influenced British language and creativity. How important is it to embrace different cultures and languages when it comes to the arts?
Rastarella: It is important to embrace different cultures and languages when it comes to the arts because it is vital that multiculturalism is being represented authentically and given an equal platform alongside more traditional forms of British culture.
What would you say to someone wanting to explore poetry, where should they start?
Rastarella: I would say to anyone wanting to explore their creative side to just jump in and give it a try. Have the courage to be yourself and know that your words and voice do matter.
Can you give us some more insight into what to expect during your event?
Rastarella: At my event in the daytime the workshop will be exploring how Caribbean patios and West African pidgin English has changed the cultural and creative landscape of Britain. In the evening, I will be showcasing spoken word artists from the midlands who are from the diaspora (Jamaica, Barbados, India, Gambia and Nigeria), including Carol Leeming MBE from Leicester, Arun Kapur from Wolverhampton, J Carlyle from Northampton, Bea Udeh from Derby and Gambino Akuboy from Nottingham. The headliner is the award winning Anthony Joseph from Trinidad & Tobago. The event will be hosted by myself, Rastarella.
You can find out more and book tickets to all Nottingham Poetry Festival 2024 events here!
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