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Funding for multicultural arts festival
23/06/2008
The Scottish Government's Expo Fund is to provide £41,492 towards Edinburgh's Mela Festival - Scotland's biggest annual multicultural arts festival. The funding will assist the festival in showcasing the world premier of Yatra//Journey, a collaboration of 20 Scottish based artists that brings together the music of South Asia, traditional Scottish music and Japanese Taiko drumming.
Taking place at the Mela's new location at the waterfront beside Ocean Terminal in Leith, Yatra//Journey will perform on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 August and feature artists from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow's Indian music specialists Adeo Records and the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers, who are based in Central Scotland.
Announcing the funding, Culture Minister Linda Fabiani said:
"Scotland's biggest intercultural event, the Edinburgh Mela, is a wonderful celebration of our nation's cultural diversity and an integral part of Edinburgh's world renowned festivals.
"I'm therefore delighted that the Scottish Government is providing £41,492 in Expo funding towards the Mela, which will assist the festival in showcasing the world premier of the exciting collaborative project Yatra//Journey, which sees Scottish based artists from three diverse musical cultures present a truly unforgettable musical experience.
"Featuring a dazzling array of dance, theatre, music, food and performance, Mela 2008 is sure to be a huge success with a host of local and international talent on show for visitors to enjoy.
"The Scottish Government is committed to promoting equality and inclusivity for all and this festival is a great example of people from all backgrounds from around the world coming together to share culture and the arts."
Mela Festival Director Liam Sinclair said:
"I am delighted that the Scottish Government's Edinburgh Festival Expo Fund has allowed us to commission and premiere new work bringing together three incredibly talented and diverse groups of musicians. Our award will help build on Mela's track record of promoting intercultural work to reflect the ethnic diversity of Scotland and I congratulate the Scottish Government for creating this fund.
"We believe that it is the first time that the musical cultures of Japanese Taiko drumming, Scottish traditional music and Indian music have been brought together and are sure that the results, when performed at the Mela Festival, will be electrifying."
Building on the success of recent years, the 2008 Mela will now be a weeklong festival, running from August 23 -31.
Edinburgh's annual Mela was founded in 1995 by members of the capital's minority ethnic communities to reflect and celebrate Scotland's cultural diversity. The event is supported by Edinburgh Council, The Scottish Arts Council and Forth Ports, as well as Lothian and Borders Police, NHS Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland, Lothian Buses and Unison.