Trishna Singh outside the new cafe at 122-4 Leith Walk [pictures Nick Gardner]
You can’t miss the Punjabi Women’s Kitchen. Sandwiched between fast food outlets in multicultural Leith Walk, the bright orange shop front promises home made traditional Punjab cuisine. Above the door a sign declares nothing less than empowerment for women. Continue reading “Recipes for success in the Punjabi Women’s Kitchen”
CHANGE – a theatre project during the General Election
Saturday 10th April 10am-1pm, Pilmeny Youth Centre, FREE
So what do we mean by change? Can we do more to change things than just voting every four or five years? With questions like these, Leith-based theatre company ACTive Inquiry invites local people to help create a piece of real-life theatre exploring change for performance and debate – deliberately timed to coincide with the General Election campaign. Continue reading “Defining change in the theatre of politics”
Racing for life: picture by Nick Gardner
What is an active citizen? If I was being very flippant I would say it is the kind of person who comes out on a Saturday morning to talk about the big news stories of the day. No, not just talk. Active citizenship in the ACTive Inquiry sense means moving, listening, looking, feeling and doing. At one point I found myself crouching on the floor connecting with the lives – and deaths – of people thousands of miles away. Continue reading “Meet Jo (or Joe) the active citizen”
“Immigration is one topic that concerns everybody in the UK.” Mohammed Akram
Here is an organisation that is clearly not afraid to tackle a difficult topic. To celebrate 20 years of working for racial equality, the Council of British Pakistanis (Scotland) has chosen the thorny subject of UK immigration control for their conference on Tuesday 9th February. Speakers include representatives of the UK Border Agency in Scotland, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Places still avsilable! Continue reading “Edinburgh Pakistani conference on UK immigration policy”
Are we really heading for a future of conflict between Islam and the West? Is faith a cause of conflict or can religions help to promote world peace? A very topical interfaith event at Annandale Street Mosque on at 7.30 pm on Saturday 30th January invites you to grapple with some of the most challenging questions of our age – not least the argument which led to the so called ‘War on Terror’. Continue reading “Annandale Street Mosque: interfaith harmony or conflict?”
Don’t just get mad, join the Newsgroup.
Bankers narrowly lost out to Afghanistan in the first Newsgroup workshop when Gavin Crichton asked people what news stories were making them angry. What will be the burning issue for the second Newsgroup? Come and find out at 10 am on Saturday 30th January in Pilmeny Youth Club. Be sure to bring your cuttings with you! Continue reading “Bad bankers lose out (if only)”
A heartwarming glimpse of multicultural Edinburgh
There is a sound people make when they are pleased to be with one another. Stan Reeves called it “the difference between false gregariousness and authentic comradeship” and this tiny clip of film gives you an idea of what that sounds like. As you can hear, there was plenty of authentic comradeship when The Welcoming celebrated the confirmation of new funding which secures a new programme of events starting in January 2010.
Where do you go for help when you are afraid to report a crime to the police? The answer is a surprisingly long – and growing – list of community groups working closely with police. Tomorrow’s Women’s Hate Crime discussion event provides a glimpse of police work which may be unknown to many of us. Here Police Sergeant Hazel Leslie explains how Third Party or Remote Reporting resulted from the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. Continue reading “Working with police to reduce hate crime”
Here’s a chance to make a difference. Muslim women are increasingly the victims of hidden crimes of hate – verbal threats and words of abuse hurled in public places – but the crimes are rarely reported for fear of making things worse. That is why the very enterprising charity, Amina-MWRC, is inviting police and women to meet, talk and strengthen a network of support, at a Women’s Hate Crime event in Edinburgh on Wednesday 9 December. [To register email: samina@mwrc.org.uk] Continue reading “Speaking out against hate crime”
Well, it looks like good news for the first News Group workshop anyway. Gavin Crichton says there’s good response for the first current affairs workshop from ACTive Inquiry at Out of the Blue in Dalmeny Street on Saturday 28th Noember 10-12. Meet in the cafe from 9.45 and bring a recent news story that has annoyed you in some way. Continue reading “Shock horror, what’s the news?”
