DANCE FOR AFRICA - FUNDRAISER!

DANCE FOR AFRICA a is back!

SATURDAY 19th FEBRUARY ...@ THE BLUE MOUNTAIN, Stokes Croft.

10pm - 4am

ONLY £5 ON THE DOOR

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A mash up of, REGGAE, JUNGLE, DRUM & BASS, HOUSE, DISCO, FUNKY BEATS AND DANCE FLOOR BOMBS!

Music from Bristol’s finest:

DUB BOY (Ruffnek Diskotek)
www.myspace.com/djdubboybristol

GUINNESS DJ (Space Invader Radio)
www.mixcloud.com/guinnessdj

BARRY GUFFY (Space Invader Radio)
www.soundcloud.com/barryguffy

LOOSEGROOVE (Space Invader Radio)
www.loosegroove.co.uk
www.mixcloud.com/tag/loosegroove www.spaceinvaderradio.com

DJ VALLE (Intrigue)

ROY STRONG (Flipzilla)

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With special guests that will bring a ‘glow’ to the night, it’s an evening full of treats for your eyes and ears!

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So now you’ve had a chance to piece yourself back together after New Years, dust off your dancing shoes, get ready to party and head to The Blue Mountain for a cheap and very cheerful night of musical mischief!

SHHH.....IT'S SUNDAY - FUNDRAISER

SUNDAY 30th JANUARY @ THE LEFTBANK BAR

128 Cheltenham Road, Bristol

Starts 8pm

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SPOKEN WORD NIGHT! SHHH........IT'S SUNDAY

WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME YOU TO IT'S 2011 EVENT!

"Let's listen to singers sing, hear poets preach and watch Sunday evenings become magnificent!"

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As always it's Free, but we will be collecting donations for.....

CREATIVE KIDS INTERNATIONAL - working with street children in Zambia (Africa) and children in the UK through exciting creative arts projects!


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HOSTED BY REBECCA TANTONY AND KEV THE POET

**8PM - The soul plucking, mind fuelling, spine ripping, eye watering beautiful lyrical sounds of Mr. ALex Gear and his guitar

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**8.30 - 9.30PM - OPEN MIC SLOT, Two pieces each please come early to avoid upsetting your vocal chords.

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It’s free, it’s on a Sunday,as well as the rare,raw talent of the open mic we have these guest performers......


SHANE SOLANKI is the Last Mango in Paris,

A charismatic artist exploring spoken word, music, comedy and theatre with subversive political wit. He has performed across Europe, India, Africa and America. His first record was produced by Talvin Singh, his first film commissioned by the BBC director Peter Catteno ‘The Full Monty’ his first theatre tour produced by iconclast, Don Letts. His lyrics are a breath of lyrical air and the man has a funny yet deeply insightful soul.


PETER WYTON: Back by popular demand

Peter Wyton’s poems range from funny to funky, relevant to irreverent, witty to whimsical. They can be seriously thought-provoking or a bit rude, depending on the audience/and or occasion He was Poet Laureate for the Gloucestershire, his verses have appeared on B.B.C. Radio Four's 'Poetry Please' and 'Something Understood', as well as in national newspapers such as the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Express. He has also appeared on Channel 6 Oxford T.V. and across a wide spread of regional radio stations. On stage he has won 20 performance poetry Slams, whilst on the page he has achieved almost the same number of 1st Prizes in literary competitions.


URBAN SCRAWL

Louche, laidback and slightly long in the teeth lyricists, this pair of Bristol poets have been working together for around six years. They have produced diverse events including, ‘it’s what your lips are for’ 1997 and ‘needlepoint’ 2009 and apart of the team running the successful Halo Acoustic Nights. Their material reflects their urban experiences both humorous and serious tinged with a soupcon of cynicism.


RAW NOTES

This newly formed duo bring you a tiny sample of self penned and adapted songs from Cuba, Texas and St Werburghs. Blending jazz/folk acoustic guitar with fresh, arresting vocals.
Vocals: Caroline Pringle. Guitar: Camilo Menjura


HUGE THANKS TO 'SHHH......I'TS SUNDAY' FOR THEIR SUPPORT!See More

Front Room Art Trail - Totterdown

NOVEMBER 2010

Creative Kids International took part in ‘Front Room’, the Totterdown Arts Trail, Bristol. Things we did for the trail…….

• Worked with Victoria Park School and Hillcrest School in the lead up to the trail, on an illuminated sculpture project that was on show opposite the Star & Dove pub throughout the art trail.

• Ran some very busy creative art workshops for kids including lantern making which finished in a lovely lantern procession through the streets of Totterdown as the sun was going down, with music from the Ambling band and APE power pedalled sound system!!!

• Had a photograph exhibited in the ‘Totterdown Lights Exhibition’ at Bocabar and an exhibition at The Star & Dove pub

• Ran a raffle, stall and sold those famous glittery moustaches that everyone in Totterdown was wearing by the end of the weekend!

It was a busy and successful weekend! Thanks to everyone who supported us in one way or another!

AGM 2009 - 2010 & New CKI Film!

Hi everyone!

Sorry it’s been a while since our last post!

27th OCTOBER 2010

We had our AGM at The Thunderbolt pub, Bristol. Thanks to everyone that came, we had a great turnout this year and a few new members!

To see the film we previewed at the AGM please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kd1aqknIw8

For more info about becoming a member of CKI please e-mail ckimembership@hotmail.co.uk – It’s only £12 per year!

Summer 2010 - Back in the U.K

Welcome to the CKI blog……number 8 we think!

It’s been a while since our last post, so we thought we’d update you on what we’ve been up to since we arrived back in the U.K at the end of May.

STUDIO

Over the summer we finally managed to move into a studio, which has been a big relief for Mia and Sian (and their families!), as this means most of the CKI workshop resources can now be stored there instead of in our bedrooms/houses! The CKI studio is in Hamilton House (above the Canteen) on Stokes Croft. At the moment it looks more like a mini version of Scrapstore, but we’re getting there!

WORKSHOPS

Since we returned to the U.K, CKI have run several workshops including;

• · Eco-Veggie Fair, Harbourside, Bristol – 29^th May &

• · Action Aid Event, College Green, Bristol – 1^st & 2^nd June

• · St. Pauls Adventure Playground Re-opening – 19^th June

Keeping the theme from the Youth Arts festival in Zambia, at these workshops we looked at the environment and made ‘Animafwafwas’ costumes from recycled cardboard boxes for the children to wear.

At the Action Aid event and St.Pauls Adventure Playground, we were also lucky enough to have Biggie and Natalie from Nomakanjani Arts to run storytelling and dance workshops with the children alongside us. We met Biggie, Natalie and the rest of the talented Nomakanjani Arts group in Lusaka. They work closely with Barefeet Theatre and are fantastic performers! It was great to have Biggie and Natalie work with us while they were in the U.K! For more information about Nomakanjani Arts please visit www.nomakanjani.org

• · Presentation/workshop at Golden Valley Primary School

We worked with 2 Year 3 classes, looking at life in Zambia. The school were just launching a link with a school in Ngombe compound, which is the same area as the community school we work with in Lusaka. We were able to show photographs and share experiences with the children about Ngombe.

• · Secret Garden Party Festival, Cambridge – 23^rd, 24^th & 25^th July

We made a giant baobab tree with the children, and decorated it in chitenge fabric. We also looked at recycled artifacts from Africa, and used our own recycled materials to make flowers, mandalas and musical instruments.

• · Harbourside Festival, Bristol – 31^st July & 1^st August

In the relocated children’s area on Castle Green, we made another giant Baobab Tree which was decorated with chitenge by children and families, and used recycled materials to make; mandalas, flowers and musical instruments. We were also lucky enough to have Michael & John from Zambia with us for the weekend! They performed Zambian dancing, and brought the children’s instruments to life with drumming and singing! Michael and John are facilitators for Barefeet Theatre in Lusaka, whom we have worked with each time we have been in Zambia. They are currently studying on a theatre course at Hope Street in Liverpool. For more information about Barefeet Theatre please visit www.barefeettheatre.org

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

We have also been taking stock of the last year and getting ready for our forthcoming AGM, which is due to be held on Weds 27^th October in Bristol. Details coming soon!

The first part of our AGM is for CKI members only, so if you would like to be invited along please contact Mia on ckimembership@hotmail.co.uk to find out how. Membership costs only £12 per year (that’s the equivalent to only £1 per month over a year!), and entitles you to regular updates, invitations to events/exhibitions and the AGM, as well as the chance to be part of the decision making process and vote on the CKI management committee. It is also a way of making a regular donation to a great organisation!

The second part of the AGM will be open to the general public, and will include a presentation from Mia and Sian about their last trip to Africa, as well as (hopefully) the preview of a short film from the last trip.

We will also be able to update you on plans for CKI’s future, and how you can get involved/support the project!

Now the busy summer is over, we are about to start planning our fundraising for the coming year. We recieve no statutory funding and rely on donations, membership subscriptions, grants and fundraising events. If you would like to get involved or have any exciting fundraising ideas/opportunities please get in touch!

On a personal note…..

As you can see the summer has been a busy time for CKI, as well as for both of us (Sian and Mia) in our other work. As you may know, although we would like to be able to work full-time for CKI when we’re back here in the U.K, unfortunately that’s just not possible for us due to funding at the moment. As a result, as well as running CKI and delivering workshops as and when, we both also have other jobs to earn a living. Luckily most of these other jobs tie-in quite well with our CKI work! For those of you that may not know……..

Mia has been running her own successful business Creative Kids Workshops for many years, providing creative workshops and activities for children. The summer is jam packed with festivals and community events in Bristol and around the U.K, at which Mia (and her colleagues) provide exciting hands-on creative activities for children and young people of all ages.

Sian started working for African Initiatives in June of this year as Global Education Project Worker. This includes working with schools and running community action days looking at global issues, learning about other countries and cultures and breaking down stereotypes.

Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you at the AGM on 27^th October!

Sian and Mia.xx

Kenya - Part 2 - Nairobi

NAIROBI

Sarakasi Trust, Nairobi

After an overnight train journey from Mombassa which we both got ridiculously excited by, we arrived back in Nairobi for the last few days of our trip. As well as doing a bit of sight seeing and giraffe feeding, we visited the Go-down Arts Centre in the Industrial Area, and the Kazuri (meaning ‘small and beautiful’ in Swahili) bead factory - a fair trade business set up to provide employment for local women, particularly single mothers.

We were also lucky enough to visit a fantastic organisation called Sarakasi in Ngara. Sarakasi Trust is a performing arts development organization working toward building capacity in the arts sector in Kenya. Established in 2001, Sarakasi runs and outreach and training program working with children and young people in the slums of Nairobi.

Through performance (mainly dance and acrobatics) Sarakasi supports numerous dancers and acrobats from the slums, by providing opportunities where they can use their talent as a source of revenue. They also run a training programme which offers those who show a real commitment and talent to enable them to become trainers themselves, and inturn fantastic role models for the young people they are working with (much like the Barefeet facilitators in Zambia!). As well as all this, Sarakasi runs an annual arts festival in Nairobi (‘The Sawa Sawa Festival in May), and have a well developed international exchange programme which has given hundreds of performers the chance to perform around the world. The organisation has several other projects, including; working with visually impaired musicians and deaf acrobats; a circus dedicated to working with those affected by post election violence and an African Yoga Group.

Sarakasi have recently moved into ‘The Dome’ in Ngara where they have a fantastic space including; a theatre, dance studio, radio station, recording studio, apartment for guests, offices and bar. It was really inspiring to see how their dedication and hard work has paid off, and they now have such a fantastic space to use! We were lucky enough to see the acrobats rehearsing when we dropped into The Dome, and we were so impressed by them! We couldn’t help but think how fantastic it would be for African Dance Factory (from Barefeet) to work with them!

For more information about Sarakasi please visit www.sarakasi.org

Prison Workshop

We were also lucky enough to go along to a workshop with some of the Sarakasi facilitators at a men’s prison in Nairobi. After getting on the most AMAZING matatu (bus) we had ever been on (UV paint inside and out, music booming out, a huge flat screen T.V behind the driver and small TVs on the back of each seat like an aeroplane playing music videos!), we arrived at the men’s prison where James, Morris, and Mark lead a workshop with the prisoners involving yoga, acrobatics and break dancing! We were really impressed by how much the prisoners had learnt in only a few months and how engaged they were with the workshops. It was obvious that not only did the prisoners gain a lot from these workshops, but that they have become an important part of their rehabilitation programme.

Thank you so much James, Morris, and Mark for inviting us to come along and see the fantastic work you are doing!

Hospital Workshop

The following day we were lucky enough to be invited to see another of Sarakasi’s fantastic projects, where a team of performers work in the paediatric ward of Kenyatta National Hospital. Kenyatta Hospital is the biggest hospital in Kenya, with patients coming from all over the country for treatment. The main goals and objectives of the project are to contribute towards a positive awareness of illness and ensure a meaningful stay in hospital. This is done by providing entertainment and activities for the children during their stay including; singing, dancing, drama, clowning, puppetry, magic, storytelling, interactive games and visual arts. Sarakasi also work in several other hospitals and day care centres in Nairobi, offering entertainment and activities to children.

We arrived in the middle of a performance to around 50 children, and 10 minutes later Sian was dragged up onto the stage to dance on her own in front of all the children, parents and staff who were watching! As you can imagine she was mortified by this, but managed to pull out some ridiculous moves to entertain the kids! Mia luckily managed to avoid this embarrassment………next time it’s Mia’s turn!:)

After seeing the Sarakasi group have the children in hysterics and up dancing around with huge smiles on their faces, we were given a tour of the paediatric ward. With around 30 children (plus mothers who stay) in each ward, few resources and not enough medical staff it is obvious that the Sarakasi workshops are the highlight of the children’s week.

Thanks to Ferny and all the others Sarakasi facilitators for inviting us to see their work in the hospital……..a great group of creative people with a wicked sense of humour!

Sarakasi is a fantastic organisation, and an inspiration to us both. It was great to be able to see first hand the work they are doing in Nairobi, and we have lots of ideas about how we could work with them in the future! Thanks to Jane for putting us in touch with them, and to Marion and everyone else at Sarakasi for being so welcoming! We hope to see you again soon!

We had a brilliant time in Kenya, and met some wonderful, creative and inspiring people! Our visit to Kenya will bring a new element to the work of Creative Kids International, not only in links made for the future collaborations, but in the experiences we can now share with children and adults we work with in the U.K.

Bristol, U.K

We are now back in Bristol, England and have already begun workshops/talks at schools, events and festivals. If you are interested in having Creative Kids International workshops/talks at your event, school or group please get in touch with us on creativekids.int@hotmail.co.uk

We will keep updating this blog so you can see what we get up to in the U.K, and how things are going for the next trip to Africa!

Don't forget you can join our facebook group by searching for CREATIVE KIDS INTERNATIONAL, and follow us on Twitter by searching for CreativeKidsInt.

For photos of previous work and events please visit www.myspace.com/creativekidsinternational

Thanks so much for reading!

Sian and Mia.xx