South Asian Alliance, Cultivasian and Inqalaab are holding an event on 25th February to mark the fifth anniversary of the Gujarat carnage of 2002 where an estimated 2000 people were killed, mostly Muslim.

The event – Bringing down the Barriers – looks at the Gujarat carnage 2002, the silences around the atrocities that took place and the impact of these events.

Speakers at the event will include Ram Puniyani (a leading Indian commentator on inter-ethnic violence), Arun Kundnani (editor of the Institute of Race Relations news service) and Parita Mukta fro Warwick University.
More here: www.southasianalliance.org

London based actress Sabera Mangera is embarking on the biggest challenge of her life by travelling to Peru to take part in the Inca Trail in May this year, raising funds for Scope – the charity for people with Celebral Palsy.

“I was especially concerned to find out that incidences of the condition is far more common amongst asian ethnic groups and in particular within the pakistani community. At the moment the charity Scope can only reach one in four people who need help. I need your help to help Scope reach more people,” she writes in to say.

You can sponsor her by clicking here: justgiving.com/saberamangera

The London based Comedy Gang Mixt Nutz will be hosting a special comedy night on 18th February at the Comedy Pub, Picadilly Circus.

Chizzy Akudolu, Robert Hutchinson, Shelly Islam, Andy Davies and Anil Desai write and perform – whilst Award Winning Film Maker Dishad Husain directs. Sketch writing provided by Christine Patton, Roland Moore and Paul Case.

www.mixtnutz.com

Is there anything as British Asian fashion? In a little feature for BBC Online, Angela Saini finds out. The article also features pictures by British Asian photographer Gavin Fernandes.

His exhibitions “Empire Line” and “Monarchs of the East End” can be seen at Rich Mix arts centre on Bethnal Green Road until 24 April.

Jagdeep Singh is the latest new addition to join the urban lifestyle and BME specialist PR agency Uproar Communications.

Singh has moved from an in-house role as a communications executive at housing charity East Thames Group, east London, to join Uproar as an Account Manager working on accounts including COI, Nestle, Alize and the Afro Hair and Beauty Show.

The film distributor Eros International has pushed back the date for the release of Provoked. The film, starring Aishwarya Rai and Naveen Andrews, is based on the real life story of Kiranjit Alhuwalia. More here.

Ahluwalia was convicted of murdering her husband in 1989 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Her cause was taken up by the group Southall Black Sisters and the sentence was eventually quashed in 1992. The court accepted her plea of manslaughter on the grounds of provocation.

The film has been directed by Jag Mundhra. An Eros International spokesperson said it would now be released on 6th April 2007.

Going by the slogan “If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything”, the Campaign for Music with Meaning sets to make a stand against meaningless, manufactured, artificial music and fight on behalf of intelligent music that holds lyrical messages with the power to move hearts and minds.

Created by Livity and LIVE Futures, two socially-driven companies with experience in engaging young people in community-focused, media orientated projects, the campaign has recruited the popular band Outlandish to reach other like-minded musicians, fans and media, open the discussion further and bring intelligent music back to the forefront.

Outlandish says: “The World’s bigger than our egos and we’re all pieces in a greater puzzle. That’s why themes like love, trust, hate, friendship, family and God are far more important to us.”
www.musicwithmeaning.co.uk

Are you running a growing creative digital business and need help to realise your full potential? If you’re ready to stop fire-fighting and start planning for a profitable future then CIDA’s Digital development programme is for you.

If selected for this intensive programme offering in-depth support and consultancy, you’ll join a group of London’s most talented creative digital entrepreneurs, finding solutions to shared issues through action learning sets, master-classes and one-to-one mentoring with a key industry expert.
- Identify issues hindering growth and find innovative solutions
- Determine the future direction of your business and how to achieve it
- Develop your skills base, increase your confidence and your business potential
- Build a strong network of peers and industry contacts

An information session is being held on Monday 12 February at 6.30pm which will be an opportunity to find out more about the programme and application process.
Download the application form at www.cida.co.uk or contact Jessica Green on 020 7247 4710 – applications close on 23 February 2007.

Injustice, a controversial multi-award winning documentary film investigating the rising number of black people who have died in police custody, will be screened on Wednesday 7th February at 7:30pm at Rich Mix, East London. This screening marks the 200th Anniversary of the abolition of the Slave Trade and is part of the Red Room’s ongoing mission to present work that challenges the status quo.

The film tells the remarkable story of a group of women who came together to achieve justice for their loved ones. In 1969 David Oluwale became the first black person to die in police custody in Britain, by 1999 this figure had reached beyond one thousand, (this figure does not include those who have died in prisons and mental institutions or immigration detention centres). Not one police officer has been convicted for any of these deaths.

This is a film by Ken Fero and Tariq Mehmood with Q + A,
This is a free event: no need to book
Wednesday 7th February 2007, 19.30 @ Rich Mix, 35 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA
www.theredroom.org.uk | www.injusticefilm.co.uk

The Asian Wedding Directory is hosting a wedding fair at the Cedar Suite in Leicester on March 4th. Showcasing over thirty of the finest Asian wedding services from bridal designers, chocolate fountains, bespoke wedding stationers to superior stage decorations – the show will leave today’s modern couple inspired and full of ideas. The event is free admission.

Exhibition organiser, Farhana Shaikh said: ‘With Asian weddings being grander than ever before, wedding planning can be a daunting prospect. We hope that by bringing all the experts under one roof, visitors will have the opportunity to meet with the professionals and get the advice they really need.”
www.theasianwedding.co.uk

The Clore Leadership Programme is an initiative of the Clore Duffield Foundation, and their aim is to help to train and develop a new generation of leaders for the cultural sector in the UK. Each year they assist a number of Clore Fellows to undertake an individual programme of learning, work, research, training, and secondment, designed to develop their leadership skills and experience.

The Clore Leadership Programme is designed to help develop the knowledge, skills, networks and experience of potential leaders across a wide range of cultural activity. This year they will also be offering a Film Fellowship, funded by Skillset and the UK Film Council, which will be someone of high potential from the public sector agencies supporting film.

The closing date for applications is Monday 19 February 2007. For further information see their website: www.cloreleadership.org

Birds Eye View (BEV) film festival presents six days of inspiration and celebration, showcasing the very best work from British women filmmakers.

In its third year, BEV presents its 2007 programme of innovative and original events including international feature films, shorts, documentaries, master classes, ‘bring a baby’ screenings and director Q&As. BEV aims to push the boundaries with innovative multimedia ideas including live music and silent films and exploration of the intersection between fine art and film.

International Womens Day (8 March) marks the opening night gala, introduced by Jerry Hall, which includes a selection of shorts from the best new talent around the world and a live performance from Mercury Prize Nominee, Zoe Rahman of her original composition to short film She Falls, followed by a party in the NFT Filmcafé with Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac. The closing night Gala film, Sherrybaby + Q&A with director Laurie Collyer, stars Golden Globe nominee, Maggie Gyllenhaal as a mother who struggles to rekindle her relationship with her daughter.

And there is plenty more! See their website.

Kali Theatre Company are looking for new playwrights and new plays written by women of the South Asian diaspora to take part in the 2007 New Writing Development Programme.

They are accepting scripts until 2 March 2007 for consideration. Please send two copies of your script (must be previously unpublished/performed) to
Kali Theatre Company,
18 Rupert St (2nd Floor), London W1D 6DE
www.kalitheatre.co.uk

Birmingham Libraries are currently working on a creative writers project with writers of Muslim backgrounds. They are providing writers an e-portal where writers can upload there work of any genre online – www.publishingbirmingham.com. Their aim is to offer writers the opportunity to develop themselves and earn income from their writing.

To celebrate the work and contribution of British writers they are holding the first annual Muslim Writers award ceremony in Birmingham on Wed 28 March (at the Library Theatre). Well known Muslim speakers and writers such as Qaisra Shahraz, Moazzem Begg, Salma Yaqoob and Faraz Yousufzai will talk about their experiences on getting published.

The cut-off date for submitting your work for the awards is 16th February. For more information contact: imran.akram@innovatepartnership.com