Wales meets India this week as a brand new multi-cultural project premieres at Barry’s Porthceri Centre.
Led by Cardiff-based artistic director Dominic Rai and supported by the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the Arts Council, ‘Voices of Partition: a musical journey’ is a creative arts project featuring a series of debates and multi-lingual performances, readings and cultural exchanges.
Held at 8pm on 9 November at the Porthceri Centre, Barry, and 8pm on 10 November at Chapter Arts Centre, the project uses English, Panjabi and Welsh to explore the themes of the partition of British India in 1947.
Contributions include performances from poet and playwright Mazhar Tirmazi, Welsh-Estonian folk duo Sild and poet Menna Elfyn, who has also translated the play into Welsh. Dorothy Connell, musical director of the Barry Male Voice Choir, has been working with Dominic to create a multilingual chorus for Barry and the Vale – Sangat – who will also perform.
This project shows that a variety of communities with their own traditions and customs can all be brought together through their love of music.
Dominic explained: “‘Voices of Partition’ is based on an acclaimed play ‘A Lifetime on Tiptoes’ written by the distinguished poet, Mazhar Tirmazi, about the Partition of British India in 1947 which left 12.5 million people displaced and several thousand dead. It is extremely relevant to events in the world today exploring themes of separation and loss.”
‘Voices of Partition: a musical journey’ takes place at the Porthceri Centre, Barry, at 8pm on Tuesday, 9 November and 8pm on Wednesday 10 November at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.
Tickets cost £8 full price / £6 concessions. Tickets for both shows are available from Chapter box office on 029 2031 1050 or book online at http://www.chapter.org/20934.html. Mention the Panjabi ticket offer at the box office and get five tickets for £20.
More information on arts in the Vale of Glamorgan can be found on our website at www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/arts.
