VOICES FOR ACTION …

… a mini-festival of climate justice, music, art, media, debate

Sat, 25 September 2021, 12:00 – 16:00 BST
at Oldham Library, Greaves Street, Oldham OL1 1AL

Live and Online mini-festival of songs, art, poetry, media, debate, community connections, raising voices to protect our environment

Voices For Action features songs and music from Amani Creatives and Sarah Yaseen, a drop-in art and poetry workshop with Rabia Begum, special social media art commissions from Emmanuela Yogolelo and Murad Chowdhury, videos and social media created with Oldham Lifelong Learning, Fatima Women’s Association and Arabischer Frauenbund (Germany), a ‘Climate Fresk’ group card game, plus debates with Climate Emergency Manchester, Sai Murray / Racial Justice Network and Climate Hub Hamburg.

This event has ended – here is the recorded Live-Stream:

REGISTER YOUR PLACE AT: www.voices4action.eventbrite.co.uk

TICKETS TO ATTEND IN PERSON: When you register, select which sections of the event that will be LIVE IN THE LIBRARY you want to go to and register a ticket for each one:

12pm – Introduction, Future Roots + Climate Fresk workshops
1pm – Climate Connections presentations and film screening – community learning, developing networks, creative media
2pm – Music: Sarah Yaseen, Amani Creatives + Future Roots workshop (cont’d)
3pm – Voices For Action debate + artists’ work

TICKETS TO JOIN THE LIVESTREAM: If all tickets have gone or you can’t get to the Library, simply book an ONLINE TICKET:

ONLINE ADMISSION to the Livestream. PLEASE NOTE the Live-stream will begin at 12.45pm.

– to join in and participate with your comments and questions via YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. You will receive the details for this once you register for an online ticket.

The event will include a quick snap introduction to ‘What is Climate Justice?’ and will look especially at how migration and poverty are connected to global warming. We’re also launching a compilation video of media produced by local communities which will play for two weeks on public screens across four libraries – Oldham, Manchester, Bremen and Hamburg.

Along with snack food and refreshments, this will be an enjoyable, thought provoking and activating event which hopes to encourage change for a positive future.

For venue information or if you have access needs, call 0161 770 8000

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Detailed Programme for Voices For Action:

12-3pm – FUTURE ROOTS visual poetry workshop by Rabia Begum with co-artists Lubna Ali and Fatimah Fagihassan

A drop-in workshop – view images of climate damage, causes and solutions, write your own words with artistic help, print over them with multi-coloured leaves and add them to an installation covered with jute netting as a visual poetry monument which will gradually fill up with a range of contributions throughout the afternoon.

12pm – CLIMATE FRESK workshop by Climate Hub Hamburg

Climate Fresk workshop – participate in a group card game led by Climate Hub Hamburg alongside players in Hamburg Library, Germany. More about ‘Climate Fresk – 42 cards to understand climate change’ – at https://climatefresk.org/
Also from 12pm:
- Sai Murray – MC, welcome + poetry
- Kooj Chuhan – introduces what climate change is for those still wondering, what we mean by climate justice, and why it’s important for Oldham
- Future Roots drop-in workshop
- Refreshments

1-2pm – CLIMATE CONNECTIONS presentations and film screening – community learning, developing networks, creative media (with translation between English and German)

FILM SCREENING: Final compilation film from the workshops and competition
David Bailey, lead tutor + representatives from Oldham Lifelong Learning Service
Sarah Yaseen + representatives from the Fatima Women’s Association
Rania Enan from Arabischer Frauenbund in Bremen
Community Prize winners film presentation and dialogue (from Bremen, Germany)
Sylvia Linneberg (Hamburg Library)and Vickie Varley (Oldham Library) on the potential of libraries to connect communities with climate action

2-3pm – MUSIC AND STORYTELLING performances by Sarah Yaseen and Amani Creatives

Sarah Yaseen: PREMIERE of specially created song by an amazing contemporary Sufi singer, based on writing by women from Fatima Women’s Association (Oldham) as part of a short performance
Amani Creatives: PREVIEW extract from a major project connecting Africa and Climate Justice involving songs and storytelling from this rising cultural force in Greater Manchester
plus ongoing:
- Rabia Begum ‘Future Roots’ workshop (cont’d)
- free refreshments and light snacks

3-4pm – VOICES FOR ACTION DEBATE: How does global warming connect Oldham with Foodbanks, DR Congo, Bangladesh and Germany, and what can we do? Artist and activist presentations, speakers, Q+A

Emmanuela Yogolelo – presentation of video filmed in DR Congo and talk
Murad Chowdhury – presentation of social style video on climate change in Bangladesh and talk
Adam Peirce / Climate Emergency Manchester
Climate Hub Hamburg
Sai Murray / Racial Justice Network
Rabia Begum – artist from Oldham

More details about this event and the wider Climate Connections project at www.crossingfootprints.com/climate-connections

This is a project by Crossing Footprints for Oldham Libraries, in partnership with Community Arts North West’s series of events to celebrate the Libraries Of Sanctuary initiative in Greater Manchester to create welcoming spaces for people who come to the UK to seek safety and sanctuary. Additional partners in the project are Greater Manchester Libraries of Sanctuary. Financially supported by Arts Council England, CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) and GREAT BIG GREEN WEEK 2021.

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Image of woman with fist in front of Climate Justice placard – Creative Commons photo credit: Joe Brusky ‘Climate Justice For All’ (detail)