Working on the Apna

This is what the Apna looks like at the moment - most things have been moved out and dust-sheets cover all that remains 

Builders have been in - and changes are happening! Water and toilet facilities are being added - plus additional storage and heating. So the small back room now looks like this:

On the right is the black door leading from the front room via a small hall; 

on the left is a door to the new toilet; 

and in the centre there's another new room which will have some shelving, access to the cellar, plus a sink and a tiny kitchen area. 

For anybody who remembers the 'old' Apna, you'll know that this is all an enormous improvement. 

We hope the work will be completed by the end of January and we'll be working to open again at the end of February.  

Different Moons at the Boo

Since the Apna closed for refurbishments and the Mela at Haslingden Community Link, things have gone a little quiet - but at the weekend some the Different Moons team came together at the Boo in Waterfoot, where there was the annual Art & Crafts Market. 

Arry and Habiba offered mehndi; Farzana calligraphy (with some great calligraphic candles) and Maryam came with some of her paper cuts. Nusrat had a stall of beautiful fabrics and Mrs Azfar's daughter Ayesha had her own stall with a range of small home-made crafts.

Meanwhile work has started on the Apna gallery space in Haslingden, with access being cut to the cellar and a toilet installed. We hope that by the end of the winter the building will be open again, and we'll be offering a new set of classes, workshops and exhibitions.

Music at the Mela

Yesterday we held the 2015 Haslingden Mela at Community Link - with a dozen stalls (arranged by Habiba Shenza) selling food, clothes, shoes, offering crafts and mendhi. We also had some interesting entertainment - Stories from the Arabian Nights told by Shellac Tesab in Urdu, colourful Rajasthani marionette and hand puppets from Diana Baylis's Black Cat Theatre, and singing from Sumana Basu.

The music caused us some worry, as we were concerned that some of the women might feel excluded from the event by there being music. The songs Shellah chose to sing were mainly songs from classic Bollywood movies, and Shamshad Khan, who organised the three events, had discussed with us what music might be most acceptable, and then consulted Sumana herself.  

So we were slightly nervous - but in the event the music sessions, each about 30 or 40 minutes, were clearly very popular. The women in the audience were asked if they had requests and before long there was a list of favourite songs waiting for Sumana to sing. The short video clip above will give you a idea...

Bye Apna, Hello Mela

Today we cleared the Apna up; took Hudhaifa's calligraphy pieces away, and left everything else under a huge dust-cloth. Almost three months to the day that it opened.

Those three months of activities at the centre in Haslingden have been an enormous success, with over 1000 people participating in workshops, meetings, events and training sessions. So much so that we're committed to keeping it open. But in the meantime our very, very supportive landlord has decided to help us by refurbishing the space and, in particular, creating toilet facilities, providing running water, and facilities for decent heating. 

But over the next few months, whilst the Apna is closed and work is being undertaken, the Different Moons team will continue working in Haslingden. The next big event is the Family Mela at Haslingden Community Link on Saturday 21st November with a whole range of exciting stalls arranged by Habiba Shenza; puppetry shows for everybody - but especially children and young people; special live music in a side room, and food for all to enjoy! 

Open Day

This coming Sunday, 1st November, we're offering a unique opportunity to meet Hudhaifa Al-Awaidi, one of the Senior Calligraphers from Oman. Awaidi has been providing special classes at the Apna and on Sunday he'll be showing his work. 

Please drop by; it's very informal and Awaidi will be on hand to answer questions - he'll even show you how you can write your name using Arabic calligraphy.

From 1.30 - 5.30 it's open to all at the Apna at 69 Deardengate, Haslingden BB4 5SB.

Second animation

Kain Leo has now finished work on her second animation and she has sent me the film plus a few screenshots. The subject is a continuation of the first short film - Mr Aslom Miah's story of leaving Bangladesh for England and, in particular, the terrible wrench of having to leave his mother. 

The film is another colourful and delightful animation - but tinged with the sadness of this particular memory of his childhood.

Animations

One of the most exciting strands of our Different Moons programme has been creating short animated films inspired by the interviews we've made with some of the first generation of immigrants to Rossendale from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

We've now made 10 films, created by wide range of animators. The latest two films have been very exciting, created by a young Chinese animator Kain Leo, who based her films on the story of Mr Aslom Miah and his journey from Bangladesh to Rossendale as a young man. Above we have three screen shots from her two films.

Our plan is to launch all of the films in 2016, when they will be part of a brand new Different Moons website, alongside the publication of a book of poetry and other writings by the participants in our creative writing workshops. We'll also be delivering the collected interviews and transcriptions and presenting them to local history libraries and North West Archives.

Masterclasses

It's a busy time for the Different Moons programme, and for the Apna Drop-In Centre in Haslingden in particular. 

Today there's a meeting with the designers who will help us put together the Different Moons website. There's also work beginning on a performance that will grow out of the DM project, particularly the stories that we've recorded from the first immigrants to Rossendale from South Asia.  Bob Frith and Shamshad Khan are working together on various approaches and ideas to develop this.

But the main current focus is on the Apna, where master calligrapher Hst al-Awaidi (above) has arrived this morning from Oman. This weekend we're planning to hang a selection of his calligraphy work, and over the next month Awaidi will be holding masterclasses in Liverpool, Manchester and at the Apna. 

The Apna classes are planned for the weekends of the 24/25th October and 31st Oct/1st November. For more information contact 01706 210335.

Sholay at the Boo!

After a great weekend at the Apna with London Bangladeshi artist Rahima Begum as part of the Rossendale Art Trail we're really delighted to be starting a great season of Bollywood classics.

These start at the Boo in Waterfoot on Saturday 10th October at 6.30pm. These are films suitable for the whole family and they come with free Asian snacks in the interval. 

Tickets are £5 and £3 for concessions - you can order on-line through the Boo shop (www.horseandbamboo.org) , or phoning 01706 220241 - or just pay at the door on Saturday. 

The first of the classic films starring Amitabh Bachchan is the all-time classic SHOLAY, loosely based on 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'. Don't miss it!

Art at the Apna

For a short period only there's a new exhibition at the Apna in support of PEACE ONE DAY. The show consist of three striking images by Jalal Abdin and Saif Mistaul Ali, both young artists studying at Huddersfield and Liverpool Universities respectively.  

The Apna itself is closed over Eid but reopens at the weekend - come and visit to see these powerful works. They will only be on show until Thursday 1st October when we will be hanging work by Rahima Begum which will open for the Rossendale Art Trail weekend. 

Worth mentioning too that the Chand Raat and Eid Bazaar held last Friday was an enormous success, with over 200 ladies attending and the little Apna bursting at the seams! Thank you so much to everyone who helped or took part.

Eid Mubarak!

A future for the Apna?

The Apna programme has now been planned right through to the first day of November when the rental agreement for the Apna as a pop-up space ends.

There are 44 events being planned during this period, ranging from Guided Walks to Calligraphy Masterclasses; from World Braid workshops to a special Eid Bazaar and Mela.

The activities calendar only went public last Sunday, but already many of the classes have been fully booked. Arry is busy organising the timetable and signing-up participants (above).

When we decided to try a pop-up centre, with a focus on providing activities for local South Asian women, it was very much an experiment. I'm astonished at just how quickly it has proven there to be a need, and how enthusiastic people are about what's on offer. It's a great credit to Arry Nessa and her small team of helpers.

Now we're having to make some calculations and decisions about whether the Apna has a future...

A stock-take

Now that we're in September there are just 6 months left of the Different Moons project or, rather, 6 months left of the work funded by the Heritage Lottery under that title. So, inevitably it's time for a stock-take in order to make some decisions about the immediate future of the work - and beyond.

The interviews 

We've completed the main body of interviews with first-generation immigrants (from Pakistan and Bangladesh) to Rossendale, and transcribing these is almost completed. The transcriptions will be bound into folders during the next few months and donated to local libraries and archives, along with the original audio files.

The animations

Short animated films are being made of extracts from some of the interviews. So far there are 6 films completed or almost completed. We expect to double this number by early 2016. They will form part of a Different Moons website when the project is completed. 

Workshops

Our programme of training and other workshops is now finished. It's been brilliantly successful and the resulting artwork, mainly in the form of poetry, are being gathered together in the form of a 100-page book to be published in March 2016.

The events programme

In the Autumn of 2014 we held a number of events to celebrate the Different Moons project and announce the DM exhibition at the Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery. This year we'll do something similar in order to spread the word about our book launch. We're planning a mela and a music event at Haslingden Community Link, as well as a special Book Launch mushaira. We're also beginning a season of Bollywood films at the newly renovated Boo, down the Valley in Waterfoot.

The Apna

The Apna has grown out of the Different Moons Events programme, It's an intimate community space and gallery and to a large extent it is carrying on the work of DM workshop and events programmes. Situated in a small shop premises right in the centre of Haslingden, it is (half-way through) a three-month experiment in creating a community centre, focused on the needs of local South Asian women. So far it has been an outstanding success, and we will soon be having to decide on whether to extend this work. It has to some extent already taken on a life of its own since Arry Nessa, who has coordinated and brilliantly managed the Apna, has received a grant from the Arts Council for her work at the centre.

A performance

Shamshad Khan, who has led the Different Moons project, and Bob Frith, who devised and has overseen the work, are currently working together on creating a touring performance inspired by the project. This is still in its early days, but the hope is to create a show incorporating poetry, puppetry, film and story-telling. 

A third week

After a week on holiday I went to catch up with Arry Nessa and find out how the Apna programme has been running. The space looked as lovely as ever - laid out in readiness for a Calligraphy workshop this afternoon to be run by Farzana Patel. 

Arry told me that the third week of the Apna programme has continued to be very busy indeed. The Apna Walks programme was understandably weather-dependent, but the sun brought out  a large group of Asian women anxious to walk together and explore the area. Wednesdays Life Skills session had been a big success, and the henna sessions with Habiba Shenza continue to be popular.  Clearly, local interest in the Apna project is still growing, and we've even been able to let a few groups of women use the space to hold their own meetings. 

One of the few worries has been the lack of running water and toilet facilities, but our very helpful landlord, Dr Lal, visited today and met with the Khans, who rent next door's shop (what was the rest of  the Old Natwest Bank!). It looks as if we'll be given a key and so access when necessary to their facilities. 

Our first week - and into the second!

The first week at the Apna has been really eventful. Arry Nessa has done an incredible job organising and managing the project to this point - and now delivering workshops and sessions. In return she has been meeting lots of interesting and interested people; been excited and stimulated by people's enthusiasm and ideas; and enjoyed the positive spirit that everyone has brought to the space. 

Today, for example, she helped Habiba Shenza deliver a busy taster session in mehndi (above). Then after a brief lunch break the first of the Apna Walks took a group of 15 ladies down to Victoria Park and back (starting gently!). Then Janina Cerbetowicz (below) joined her with some examples of her collection of South Asian textiles, including some extraordinary 'War Rugs' - from the Pakistan/Afghan border region, where motifs from today (cars, helicopters, grenades - see the examples below) are combined with traditional shapes and forms. An unsettling symbiosis of the old and the (unfortunately) contemporary. 

The Apna now looks beautiful; it;'s a calm and tranquil place to visit, and the experience of the first week has been that it also fulfils a need for the community...watch this space!

A week on...

A week on and Arry is about to open the doors at the Apna in Haslingden for its third day. The inevitable rush to complete things - getting the graphic displays on the windows; touching up paintwork; filling holes in the skirting boards; that last vac...and more, was hectic and so it was a pleasure to relax on Wednesday morning, sit down, and open up shop.

So far we've had a lot of interest; and visits from friends, neighbours and people from the community - most wanting to find out what Apna@theOldBank was all about. Arry Nessa, helped by Habiba Shenza,  has done a great job in talking to everyone and explaining our hopes for the space, and she's also been able to sign up a few volunteers to support the work and help run classes and workshops - which start next week.

It's worth saying again that the Apna has grown out of the work of the Different Moons project. The main project is continuing to interview and record stories from the South Asian communities locally, and the Apna has developed as we've discovered in the course of our work that so many people, mainly local women from the Asian communities, feel the lack of having a meeting place locally where they can talk, learn, try new skills - and simply meet one another. The Apna is an attempt to see if we can help with this. 

As happy as Arry

Laying carpets has finally transformed our Apna space from a dusty shell into a nicely comfy and welcoming place. This afternoon we went shopping for last minute items - glue, sanding blocks, something to put the water-cooler on and such things - and when we arrived back in Haslingden and opened the front door we discovered that the nice carpet man had finished his work and - well, Arry immediately did an impromptu dance of joy! 

So, a big thank you to Ian at Classic Carpets in Haslingden for his generosity in donating the carpet to the Apna project! Now we're just a few days away from when it opens on Wednesday 5th August and during the first week we're inviting people to drop-in and find out about the centre. Come along and have a chat, pick up a brochure about us and the classes we'll have on offer - and join in!

The key!

We have the key for our new space - APNA@theOldBank - on Deardengate in Haslingden. Yesterday I visited with Habiba Shenza and Arry Nessa (above). There's a lot to do if we want to open in three weeks time. At the moment working on the premises is hampered by having no electricity - as well as no water, but the landlord says he'll have it connected within the next week. 

Meanwhile we've had a new carpet donated, and we're waiting to hear from Rossendale Borough Council and Lancashire BME Network as to exactly what support they'll be able to give us. The success of the pop-up, drop-in centre will largely depend on volunteers and voluntary hep - so if anyone is interested in offering their support, whether its their time, expertise or a donation, then please get in touch. 

A new space in Haslingden

We had an exciting day as we've managed to sign a 3-month lease on a pop-up centre right in the heart of Haslingden - 69 Deardengate! It's the little shop squeezed between Impressions mens hairdressers and the Quick Save convenience store! It once used to be part of Haslingden's National Westminster bank. 

There's lots to be done before we can move in...and with the month of Ramadan about to start we've decided not to open up until later in the summer. But from June onwards we'll be cleaning, painting and furnishing the premises in readiness. 

The idea is to be a community space where people can meet, hold classes and workshops, and have small exhibitions. It's not a large space by any means, and so the focus will be on providing a room and sessions for women from the South Asian communities. Arry Nessa is coordinating the project with support from Horse + Bamboo; if anyone wants to know more then please contact us on 01706 220241 or bob@horseandbamboo.org. Watch this space...!

Mrs Azfar

Recording interviews with some of the first people from South Asia to travel to Rossendale and make it their home is still continuing as part of our project. We've already reached the number we expected, but we're continuing to add a few more interviews from people with unusual stories, and to achieve a good balance of gender and language backgrounds.

Today I went with Shamshad Khan and we interviewed Mrs Azfar. She lives in Weir, near Deerplay, on the moor between Bacup and Burnley - well apart from the South Asian communities at the other end of the Valley, in Haslingden or Rawtenstall. She has spent half a century living and working like this; a life with her own family and children but cut-off from most of the local South Asian community.

To live so apart is unusual in itself, but the Azfars lived and worked a small hill-farm, with 9 acres of land. She and her husband farmed sheep and cows, and she still retains their land which is 1600 feet above sea level. Today the weather was unusually glorious, but it must often have been a hard life. Her story is all the more fascinating as the idea of farming was a dream of her husband, now sadly passed away. He didn't come from a farming background in Lahore, and in fact was a draughtsman when they married - but they saved to fulfil his dream and buy their land in Weir. Finally, when farming was no longer sustainable they built and operated a petrol station across the road, where she says they made many friends. Now she lives with her daughter Ayesha and her husband and family. 

Calligraphy - and a Pop-Up

Farzana Patel followed up her calligraphy sessions with young people at the Islamic School with two sessions with the Different Moons Women's Group at Haslingden Community Link. The final session was last week, and now all of the Different Moons workshops are over, with the exception of 4 additional sessions being held with Year 6 at St Mary's C of E School in Rawtenstall. 

All of the Women's Sessions have been very popular, and we're now considering a new initiative as part of the Different Moons project - looking for a 'pop-up' base in Haslingden which can be used by groups like these to hold their own meetings and workshop and other training. One of the common complaints from South Asian women in Haslingden is the lack of available spaces where they can easily meet, talk, and learn. There's Community Link, of course, which is very popular, and the local library, but neither are quite right for small informal sessions, and so most of this type of meeting are currently held in the ladies' front rooms. For a variety of reasons this often inconvenient and restrictive, so we are looking at a pilot project for a new communal space, focusing on the needs of the South Asian women, but not excluding the wider community or, possibly, male participants. 

Mr Miahs book launch

We were invited to a Bengali gathering in Oldham. A special occasion organised by the English Bengali newspaper Probash Bangla to celebrate members of the their community who had made a special contribution to both British Bengali life and to Bangladesh. 

The gathering was to celebrate the publication of Mohammed Miah's book. Mr Miah is someone I've known for many years and he was one of the people we've interviewed as part of the Different Moons project, and he invited us to come along to the event - something we felt very honoured to be part of. 

The last animation session

Today was the last of the three Different Moons animation workshops at Haslingden Library. The workshops have been great fun, and the girls who stayed throughout are born animators...

Above with Shamshad Khan, as we recorded an audio track for the film, and below Rehmat Gangreker, who led the sessions.

Asian Girls in Haslingden

It was a really good day today; we held a day long session at Haslingden Library with a group of girls and young women, creating animations based on a poem written last year by another group from the same library.

Led by Rehmat Gangreker and supported by Shamshad Khan, Arry Nessa and Elisa Sarchi, we watched some of the animations already made for Different Moons and then the girls decided which parts of the poem - A Bengali Girl in Haslingden - they would choose to animate. Lunch was provided for everyone in the early afternoon...

Anne Bullock and Leesa Amin from the Youth Service joined us for the session, and Habiba Shenza dropped by to join us for the lunch. It was great to see so many people enjoying the work being done by the girls. These workshops continue after a holiday break next weekend - with two further sessions before the film will be completed.

Elisa

The Different Moons workshop programme is moving forward - the first series of classes with the Rossendale Valley Islamic Supplementary School have been completed, but classes at St. Mary's Church of England Primary School in Rawtenstall, and with Asian Women at Haslingden Community Link have started this week. On Saturday a new girl's group will also start at Haslingden Library, learning to make animated films. 

Helping Shamshad and Arry with these classes is Elisa Sarchi (in the photo above), who is working with Horse + Bamboo for three months. Elisa is from Pavia, near Milan in northern Italy, and is part of a traineeship programme funded by Paviasviluppo, enabling trainees to work abroad in cultural and creative areas. She is particularly interested in seeing how the arts are used in developing initiatives in a community setting, as with our Different Moons project.

The Women's Forum

Three screenshots from Jessica Royle's animation 'The Women's Forum'. The subject is taken from an interview with Samina Raffat Hussain, in which Samina reminisces on her early days in Haslingden. 

This is the fifth animation in the Different Moons series that are based and inspired by interviews with some of the early South Asian immigrants to Rossendale. The two minute film took Jessica two months to make.

By the end of 2015 we hope to have between 15 and 20 animated films which will be available through a special YouTube channel. 

The second week - a Calligraphy Moon.

Today we held the second session of 2015 at Rossendale Valley Islamic School - developing the introduction to calligraphy that Farzana was leading last week. Today the group learned to write their own names in Arabic calligraphy, and then write the words DIFFERENT MOONS, again in Arabic, but in the form of a crescent moon:

Farzana and Shamshad with their one of their two groups of RVISS students. Photo by Elisa Sarchi.

There's now a two week break at the Haslingden Community Link centre. It closes for Easter and then Shamshad and Farzana will continue these classes, as well as begin a series of workshops with South Asian women.