Cultural Evenesce
Mancester Youth Empowerment ClubOct 2022-Oct 2023
Archives
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This collection includes material relating to the development and delivery of the project (press release and evaluation report). The collection also includes outputs of the project including 20 oral histories, interviewee photographs and the project film.
Title:
Cultural Evenesce
Creator:
Date of work:
Oct 2022-Oct 2023
Search dates:
01 Oct 2022 - 31 Oct 2023
Reference number:
GB3228.109
Level of description:
Collection
Includes:
Custodial history:
Produced by Mancester Youth Empowerment Club and transferred directly to the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre
Arrangement:
GB3228.109/1 Press Release
GB3228.109/2 Oral Histories
GB3228.109/3 Project Film
GB3228.109/4 Project Evaluation
Finding aids note:
The project has produced indexes and summaries for each of the interviews (except GB3228.109/2/6/1) which are available in a bound volume from the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre Library, Manchester Central Library
Source:
Mancester Youth Empowerment Club
Access restrictions:
Unrestricted
Use restrictions:
Restricted
General notes:
Manchester Youth Empowerment Club (MYEC) is an organisation that aims to address the social issues affecting teenagers from black ethnic minority communities in Manchester, especially children of African migrants. MYEC’s approach involves identifying and nurturing areas for improvement in each young person, with a particular emphasis on overcoming the challenges posed by addiction. MYEC believes in the power of consistent support and the strength of community make a lasting difference in the lives of young people. For more information on MYEC see https://myec.org.uk/
MYEC created a project to address the risk of cultural heritage fading among Nigerian-Yoruba youths in Manchester. It was recognised that young people were not practicing the traditions and that this not only risks cultural tradition and understanding being lost but leaves the young people unrooted. At the same time there was an increase in young people in the community who were keen to understand their culture of origin.
The project, Evanesce, was created as one way of transferring and preserving the Nigerian-Yoruba traditional cultural heritage concerning childbirth and naming ceremonies. It targeted immigrant parents and children of Nigerian-Yoruba origin in Manchester to foster cultural connection and practice.
Manchester Youth Empowerment Club were awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to carry out the project. The project employed a project manager, a professional filmmaker, an evaluator, and created various opportunities for volunteer involvement.
Eight workshops were conducted, each focusing on aspects of the Yoruba naming ceremony:
• Cultural rituals of childbirth (workshops 1–2)
• The 8th-day naming ceremony and its significance (workshops 3–4)
• Traditional cuisine associated with the ceremony (workshops 5–6)
• Dress codes, music, and dancing for the ceremony (workshops 7–8)
Other key activities included:
• Interview training and conducting 20 oral history interviews with community members
• Producing a docudrama to showcase and educate about the Yoruba naming ceremony
• Community engagement through traditional music and cultural storytelling
The project Evanesce not only preserved Yoruba cultural heritage but also provided learning opportunities, particularly in the field of movie production. Apprenticeship-like experiences included learning opportunities in movie production from a professional videographer from "New Gen Entertainment TV" who was hired to oversee the creation of the docudrama. Volunteers and participants worked alongside this professional, gaining firsthand experience in filming techniques, storyboarding and scriptwriting for cultural accuracy, integrating cultural elements, such as traditional music and dress, into visual storytelling.
Training sessions, such as the oral history training provided by the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust, equipped participants with skills in interviewing and oral history documentation. These skills seamlessly extended to capturing authentic narratives for the movie. The project engaged volunteers in activities like conducting interviews, documenting oral histories, and collaborating on the docudrama's production.
The participants and volunteers also built creative confidence, they overcame apprehensions about the technical and creative demands of movie production through mentorship and structured involvement in the filmmaking process. The supportive environment created encouraged young people and volunteers to view this creative process as a skill-building opportunity. This apprenticeship model contributed to both the project’s success and the participants’ personal growth, offering them invaluable skills in cultural documentation and media production.
The project created twenty oral history interviews with members of the Nigerian-Yoruba community as well as developing and producing a film (docudrama) based on the oral histories. To produce the film Manchester Youth Empowerment Club provided the story which was turned into a script by Bayo Owolabi. Young people from MYC partook in the filming and learnt skills relating to film making. This film was screened at local schools, youth centres and churches.
The project was successfully completed. Successes identified include the preservation of Yoruba cultural practices through detailed documentation and educational tools. The project also engaged the Nigerian-immigrant community, fostering pride and cultural continuity and educated youth and the broader audience about Yoruba traditions via workshops and the docudrama film. The oral history and film have been archived at the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre which form the core of this archive.
Related material note:
A copy of the project film can be found online at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNlAdOUYwyE (working Nov 2024)
Topics:
Yorubabirtheighth day naming ceremonynamingIya Agbebimidwifedeliveryherbsagbocalabashgourdpalm oilepowateromisaltIyohoneyOyinalligator pepperatarekola nutObiclothingirobubageleagbadasokotofiladancingfooddrinknamessongschildbirthpregnancyprenatal careantenatal careNigeriaginogogorobitter colaOrogboAduncat fisheja osanblack soupobe ata dudupalm wineemuherbal clinicAlagbo-omo
Language:
English, Yoruba
Record number:
17261929
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