Middlesbrough was one of the places at the top of the list for racist mob violence in August, with Cleveland Police making 110 subsequent arrests in the following weeks, among them an 11 year old boy. The burning of cars and looting of shops resulted in thousands of pounds worth of damage, and reports of ‘white only’ zones sent fear and dismay across the region. In the immediate aftermath the local community rolled up their sleeves and did a wonderful cleanup job. A crowdfunder set up to raise money for a replacement car for a Nigerian-born student and part-time carer whose vehicle was destroyed raised in excess of £65,000.
The unprecedented street violence forced the Middlesbrough Mela to delay their hugely popular annual multicultural festival but the rearranged event at the beginning of September was a defiant celebration of diversity with thousands turning out to enjoy the events in Albert Park. Local Labour MP, Andy McDonald, emphasised the importance of Melas as a positive force for good, recording messages of support and raising the issue in the House of Commons.
Festival of Thrift continued the multicultural theme in nearby Billingham at the end of September with workshops, food and entertainment reflecting the face of modern Britain, including two beautiful shows by the South Asian dance and music outfit, Sonia Sabri Company. Balkans-inspired music from Ivor Pop & Co, and an eco fashion show jointly produced by the Universities of Teesside and Marmara (Istanbul).
Middlesbrough Art Week
Middlesbrough Art Week continues the defiant response with a jam-packed programme of events running from 26 September to 5 October in no less than 24 different locations across the city, making it the largest contemporary arts festival in the North East. The theme for this year’s festival,In the Now and Far, explores the synergy and differences between cultural production and political action. Who has the right to take action? What does art & social practice look like? When is the moment and who is in the room? The organisers hope this will help us reimagine the communities we live in, enabling responses to address past and present inequity.
The festival seeks to amplify voices that have been underrepresented historically and to this end the programme more than delivers. From mini meadows planted by the UPROOT Collective to ‘Posters for Palestine’, from Tahmina Ali’s healing creative writing activity to Alia Gargum’s ‘This was a Mosque’ installation and her linked Libyan food workshop, the town’s public spaces have been reclaimed for the greater good.
A novel low budget film in which the audience moves from location to location, following black and white stills on a trail out of the Town Hall and across the city, through shopping centres and down back streets, leading eventually to the train station, has been perhaps the most innovative use of public space. ‘Legal Alien’ is the result of a five year project between Eden Arts and Barcelona-based cinema collective Nuovo Cinema Neo Cinetico who worked with asylum and refugee communities in Middlesbrough for five years, bringing people together to celebrate and learn from their shared heritage. The end result was extraordinary and had me totally enrapt. En route, whilst following the narrative, I stopped to talk to various passers-by who were intrigued by the photos and home office documents plastered on the ground, underneath the A66, for example.
Also of particular note is the installation by Finnish artist Henna Asikainen in the former Poundland Store. Henna has produced a notable body of work exploring our complex relationship with nature and its intersections with social justice, climate justice, migration and notions of belonging.
She uses participatory practices which frequently include the voices of people with lived experience of seeking sanctuary. For the MAW Open Call she brings her tender ‘Wing Cradle’ into the empty shop, suspending an impressive set of artisan-made wings covered with thousands of white feathers in a pool of light. The audience is invited to sit on a nearby wooden bench and put on a set of headphones. Zainah Adnan’s tremulous tearful voice breaks through Erland Cooper’s soundscape:
"I was just looking for a safe place. We are survivors, we are tired. My story is really long, but I wish you could understand. I am Zainah Adnan from Yemen And I crossed the ocean with my son The guy who took us, he say that, if I don’t stop shouting, because it was very scary, if I don’t stop shouting, he will throw me in the ocean and let the shark eat me and my child Zaidan. Life is not fair Life is so difficult But I did it I am proud of myself I don’t know what to say I am still just waiting... And I am sharing with people here Here all the house is sharing I am sharing kitchen with the other ladies I am very upset, I cry, I cry, I cry I don't know what is right and what is wrong I am waiting for the home office for a long time And the people attack me It is just too much for me And my son needs me I can’t take care of him if I am hurt, if my feeling is hurting me This makes me so sad, I am so sad This affects my child And these people, these people they don't have any heart I am seeing dark I am so scared Please….” With MAW coming to an end this weekend, I urge readers to make the effort to go to Middlesbrough and immerse themselves in the powerful work on display. Beyond that please advocate for the brave artists and arts organisations who refuse to be silent in the face of a continuing 'hostile environment'. Doing nothing is not an option in these troubling times.
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