Bandbazi Event Review
Bandbazi hosted their annual production on 17th June 2011 to tie in with Refugee Week. Funded by Right Here Brighton andHove, the event which was entitled “Credit to the Nation” was a great success. It managed to achieve that fine and delicate balance between being engrossing and captivating in its content, providing its audience with significant and relevant information, reaching people with poignant and heart-warming real-life stories, and at times being downright hilarious. This is something that few productions of a similar ilk often manage to accomplish, and Bandbazi should be congratulated on doing so on such a fantastic night.
For those unfamiliar with Bandbazi, it is a charity performing arts company which is founded on the art of circus theatre. Its productions aim to combat the stereotyping of disenfranchised social groups, such as those suffering from mental health issues, cultural issues, and social relationships. Credit to the Nation was no exception, with its focus primarily set on breaking stereotypes about immigration and asylum seekers in theUK’s culture.
The content of the production was split into two halves, as was its structure with an interval and raffle dividing each part. The first half consisted of showcasing short films developed by Bandbazi which tackled the main issue of negative stereotypes and opinions towards asylum seekers. One of the films, entitled Blackheads was particularly effective in regards to this. It covered various newspaper headlines that portrayed asylum seekers in a negative and sometimes bizarre light (one of the headlines accused immigrants of barbecuing swans) and then enacted these headlines in some comical sketches. Another of the short films, entitled ‘Karoki’s Story’ was a biographical look at Karoki Mahmoodi, an asylum seeker and facilitator for Bandbazi activities, and his struggles with immigration law and stereotyping since his arrival in the UK. The first half ended with poetry from Flavi Bumba.
There was then a short interval, in which people had a chance to experience the delicious food provided by Bandbazi. This was followed by the raffle, giving the audience a chance to win some great prizes.
The final part of the production covered the three attitudes of the clown – joyful, sad, and funny and all three consisted of the aerial acrobatics and circus theatre that Bandbazi has become recognised for. This was concluded with a break dancing and body popping act, which was a fantastic way to end the production. The group’s talented and creative act was mesmerising, and the audience left the Corn Exchange with an air of excitement and amazement.
Overall, Bandbazi and Right Here’s collaboration was an excellent way to spend a Sunday evening. As mentioned before, few similar productions manage to cover their difficult subject matter effectively, yet have their audience leave feeling sanguine and hopeful. Credit to the Nation was truly a credit to Refugee Week 2011.
