A march will move through the city centre before finishing at the church for a free festival
The festival takes place at the Bombed Out Church on September 27(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The first acts for the Culture at the Bombed Out Church festival have been announced. The even is organised by Savera UK, a Merseyside charity helping people affected by ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) and harmful practices.
The annual march will begin at Williamson Square and move through Liverpool city centre before finishing at the Bombed Out Church on September 27. The afternoon will host performances by community partners Katumba, Movema, drummer and percussionist Felix Ngindu, Sattvika Arts & Cultural Centre, MD Productions, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF), Dee Sign BSL Choir and dancers from Pagoda Arts.
There will also be poetry readings by members of the Savera UK Youth Collective and the charity’s clients, survivor stories and a free henna station. More speakers and acts are still to be revealed.
The ‘Culture is Beautiful: No Excuse for Abuse’ theme seeks to raise awareness of the issue of HBA and harmful practices including forced marriage, FGM, conversion ‘therapy’ and spiritual abuse and how these forms of abuse can easily be missed due to lack of recognition and understanding.
The events also aim to separate these forms of abuse from culture or certain communities, defining them instead as a collection of abuse characteristics and a violation of human rights that can affect anyone regardless of culture, background, gender, age, sexuality or disability.
Afrah Qassim, Savera UK CEO and founder, said: “‘Honour’-based abuse and harmful practices are too often wrongly conflated with culture.
“These practices are simply abuse and a violation of human rights that are not a part of any culture, faith or community’s traditions.
“Culture and tradition are beautiful. They are the things that shape our identity and allow us to belong. They are music, language, dance, art – all of which will be showcased at our celebration. Culture is never an excuse for abuse.
“We invite people to march with us to raise awareness of this, and then celebrate the true meaning of culture with us.
“Hosting this event with the support of the Bombed Out Church holds special meaning for us, not just because the venue is a testament to community spirit in Liverpool and the power of the arts to affect change, it is also the place where our march began in 2022.
“That year a small group of us marched from the steps of the Bombed Out Church, down Bold Street, led by Movema’s Sankofa Bird who represented freedom and beauty. Since then, the event has grown each year, to a point where we can now host a full celebration of culture.
“To do this in our 15th birthday year is a true achievement.
“Many of our community partners, sponsors and festival supporters have worked with the charity over those 15 years, helping to amplify our message and support our mission to end HBA and harmful practices for good. We could not do this without them and we look forward to celebrating with them on 27th September.”
March to End HBA and Culture at the Bombed Out Church takes place on Saturday, September 27 from 1pm – 4pm. The events are free to attend and donations are welcome.