Culture And Memory

25 Years of the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (NB working title, full title will be agreed with young people as part of the project).

Marking our 25th edition, we’ll work with Arab communities to explore Liverpool Arab Arts Festival’s (LAAF) history, founded in 1998 by Liverpool’s Yemeni community and the Bluecoat arts centre. Young Arab people tell us they feel invisible and marginalised. This project offers them connection, pride and belonging as they document LAAF’s history, embracing community, creativity and cultural identity. They’ll collect oral histories from festival founders, artists, communities and explore LAAF’s physical archive. Training and events will empower them to recognise, appreciate and celebrate their heritage, developing transferable skills to support employability within the cultural and heritage sector. We’ll ensure these stories are reclaimed, preserved and made accessible to wider audiences via exhibitions, events and permanent archives working with Museum of Liverpool, the Bluecoat, Liverpool Record Office and community organisations. We’ll increase young people’s confidence, aspirations and visibility, enabling them to contribute meaningfully as creative practitioners, as LAAF’s founders did previously.