The North East Film Archive, based at Teesside University, save and celebrate the screen heritage of the North East of England. At the heart of their collection are films made by, and for, local people, reflecting and representing the communities, places and distinctive identity of the region. Together with their sister archive in Yorkshire they form the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive, a unique pan-regional resource with over 75,000 moving image artefacts, part of York St John University. They unlock the collections for artists, academics, curators, programmers, researchers, and producers to reveal compelling stories from the vaults. www.yfanefa.com
Shikisha Zulu Dance and Music
Exhilarating street dancing performed with an infectious energy. Traditional Zulu, Shangaan, Xhosa, and Sotho beats, enliven a Newcastle pop-up.
White western colonisers were responsible for the dismissal and oppression of traditional performance arts in colonised territories all over the world. The importance of celebrating and reviving these traditions cannot be underestimated.
Shikisha was a four-woman performance group who brought authentic South African township music together with chants from tribal ceremonies which celebrated the great moments of life. Founded in 1981 by Julia Mathunjwa, they released two albums and six singles. Their name Shikisha is taken from the Zulu for "belt it out.""
Witness the flashpoints in history when the tide turned against inequality and the North East began to embrace its own rich diversity.
Thanks to its sea coast and relative closeness to Scandinavia, the North East has been a cultural melting pot since before records began. Vikings, Anglo Saxons and merchant sailors from even further afield have brought art, ideas and customs to add to an already rich cultural heritage.
However, some perspectives have traditionally been suppressed in a culture which favoured white, Christian, heterosexual conformity. This collection gives a voice to people who have been voiceless for too long.
