Cultures of Walsall is a project part-funded by the Walsall for All Innovation Grant, Near Neighbours, Walsall Housing Group (whg) and The National Lottery. It is a project which aims to celebrate the borough’s amazing diversity of communities. It builds on Caldmore Village Festival - the borough’s first regular multicultural festival which was founded in 2011. The idea of the project is a simple one and comes from the fact that although there is a rich diversity of cultures in Walsall, the spaces and opportunities to meet, understand and celebrate each other’s background and culture are very limited. Their project aims to build towards a major festival in Palfrey Park on May 30th 2020, involving food, music, art and carnival.
The project was launched with an event in Caldmore Community Garden in September 2019 called Taste the Cultures of Walsall. Attended by over 500 people from all walks of life and from across the borough, the event brought together no fewer than 14 of the cultural communities and gave them the opportunity to showcase what is amazing from their culture. There was a chance to try on different national clothing, taste foods from all over the world and to meet and talk with people from diverse backgrounds. They had amazing music from two talented bands: the Birmingham-based Kurdish group Daholl Kurdish Band and Bristol-based Bhangra group RSVP. It all took place in the amazing green oasis of Caldmore Community Garden, supported by garden volunteers and wonderful food from the garden café.
The project continues with a number of interactive arts workshops and cultural meetings and gatherings. It will bring diverse groups together and aim to give people the experience of cultures that may be new to them, but which make up part of the rich cultural fabric of Walsall. The project will culminate with The Cultures of Walsall Festival in Palfrey Park on May 30th 2020.
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