A new events fund has been set up to mark the 75th anniversary of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This will help multicultural organisations from Edinburgh and elsewhere with grants to bring their own special events to life in their communities this September.
ACSS is based in the capital and it provides a platform to celebrate African and Caribbean culture while providing safe spaces and support for mental health, education and access to financial sustainability.
The organisation will use the funding to host Afro Vision, a celebration of African and Caribbean music covering a multitude of genres from a diverse line up, at the Fruitmarket Gallery on Sunday 25 September.
The Old Town celebration will engage Edinburgh residents from a range of cultural backgrounds including African and Caribbean communities.
Launched by BEMIS Scotland, Scotland on Tour and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the £50,000 funding pot was opened up to groups led by minority ethnic communities, musicians and singers to stage exciting and diverse concerts, celebrations and performance opportunities for people in their local areas.
Eight recipients from across Scotland are set to benefit from the Multicultural Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Fund and will stage community events over the last two weekends in September, showcasing music, dance and storytelling.
Rami Ousta, Chief Executive of BEMIS Scotland, highlighted that such collaboration with Scotland on Tour and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe presents a distinctive and responsive initiative for all to participate and showcase our diverse multicultural heritage and talents at several levels.
Rami Ousta said: “BEMIS strongly believes that our multicultural heritage in Scotland continues to offer a cherished platform to showcase our active citizenship and inclusive national identity as equal Scottish citizens. We are definitely committed to enhancing and nourishing our collaborative relationships with the Scotland on Tour and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to facilitate and progress equal participation of the diverse communities regularly for the coming years.”
Shona McCarthy, CEO of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: “As the Edinburgh Festival Fringe enjoys its final week, it’s great to hear about the local community groups who will be continuing our 75th anniversary celebrations into September. Those announced today represent performance from a variety of multicultural organisations. Through the work of BEMIS, new events which celebrate diverse cultures across Scotland will be across our communities this autumn.”
Lisa Whytock, Director of Active Events and Executive Producer of Scotland on Tour, said: “Teaming up with BEMIS and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe means together we can provide meaningful opportunities for communities across Scotland to develop new events which celebrate the rich and diverse cultures that make up Scotland. We can’t wait to see the variety of events the groups put on which bring unique performances to their communities as part of this milestone year of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.”
Culture Minister Neil Gray said: “I am delighted to see the addition of the Community Fringe Fund to the hugely successful Scotland on Tour initiative.
“The partnership between BEMIS, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Scotland on Tour has inspired many under-represented groups, musicians, artists and more to create events in their own local communities to showcase a Multicultural Celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I would encourage everyone to take advantage of these many exciting community events.”
The community events programme is available to view now at https://scotlandontour.com/community-fringes/
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