Exeter Respect Festival
Starting from this month, Exeter Respect Festival will be based at the Sidwell’s Bakery House, St.Sidwell’s Community Centre. We speak to Managing Director and Chair, Dr Suaad Genem about the flagstone festival for diversity and respect, and the importance of celebrating our communities.
What do you do?
Exeter Respect is the city’s annual celebration of diversity where we use the performing and creative arts to engage the wider community in saying no to racism and all forms of prejudice. Overall, getting the communities together to know one another and sharing - not shunning - our cultures: “All Different, All Equal”.
How did you get started?
The first Exeter Respect Festival was at St. David’s Community Centre, subsequent Exeter Respect Festivals varied tremendously depending on which agency, such as Devon Racial Equality Council, took a lead in supporting them. The most successful of these events took place in 1998 when Northernhay Gardens was used for an event headlined by an up-and-coming local band called Muse!
In 2005 an independent core committee was formed to organise the Festival. Exeter Phoenix became the core venue for Exeter Respect, supplemented by other venues as an eclectic range of paying and free events were combined into the festival culminating in a Big Weekender consisting of an Urban Night, Community Day, World Music Extravaganza and Respect Rocks event – with a separate Playday. During this period the wide range of artists who have performed at Exeter Respect included: Asian Dub Foundation Soundsystem, Talvin Singh, Misty In Roots, Kano, Rodney P, Baka Beyond, Linton Kewsi Johnson, African Head Charge, Transglobal Underground, Skindred, Inme, Wiley, Skepta, Dreadlock Alien, Mad Professor and many more.
The success of these events meant we literally ran out of space to fit in the wide range of organisations who wanted to take part in our celebration, hence the move to one big free park event enabling us to combine high quality artistic programming and community activities in Respect In The Park. In 2010 we added a second day to the Respect In the Park event, making it a giant free two day festival – and we have never looked back.
Since then, Exeter Respect has become Exeter Respect CIC as a legal entity, and the festival as we know it today began.
Who do you work with and why?
We work with everyone believes in our principles and campaign for diversity and equality and Human Rights, from Local Authorities to different public agencies, charities, all forms of non-profit organisations, and education institutions such the University of Exeter, Exeter College and many others.
Name one thing that would make your life easier as an arts organiser.
Funding.
And what keeps you going when things get tough?
[What] keeps us going is we believe strongly that what we do make a difference to our communities, we believe that the message “All Different, All Equal” give our communities the chance to come together every year to confirm that we have many things in common more than divide us. This is not a festival as mainstream festivals, this festival has a message - it is a campaign for equality and diversity. It is a campaign for justice and human rights; we are the different ethnicities we share, and we enjoy each others’ culture. The festival is an informative place and welcomes everyone.
Regardless of the hardships that drive our beliefs, we strive to live in a society free from prejudice, discrimination and racism. This what mainly drives us to bring everyone to know each other: combatting the prejudice because of ignorance and not knowing, a chance to meet new people, learning about each other and changing perception.
Talk us through a favourite project.
In April 2024, Respect Cinema was hosted by Dan Wiseman (Wiseman Productions) and Exeter Phoenix, showing short films that reflected our communities including animation film. We also had promotion of the festival at Princesshay to show our lineup of performing arts, music and dance, and we the diversity of the Festival that resonates in the hearts of the people - every year, communities wait for it.
What does the next year look like for you?
We are working toward distinctive project that celebrates the city’s diversity and creativity through an illuminated parade and range of arts and cultural activities. It aims involve communities to come together to celebrate this brilliant cultural, creative vibrant city in a joyful way. Walk through the heart of the city, we would like to see the city wearing new dress, we shall walk with different communities to end at the Festival. We might call it Multicultural Exeter Respect Carnival.
What’s been the best moment for you in the last year?
Since 2014 I become the Managing Director of Exeter Respect Festival, and before I was the Chair to the present. The most rewarding thing it happened the increasing number of people would like to be involved, and the range of diversity every year the festival attracting all different backgrounds to come through the gate to share their cultures diversity is the heart of our city m it is growing rapidly and the festival reflect this growth.
In what ways are you helping to put Exeter on the cultural map, nationally or internationally?
Plymouth Respect Festival organised by Plymouth Racial Equality Council PDREC, regionally we reach Radio Devon every year featuring the festival, we have published an article in the Sunday time, nationally is reaching, we have visitors from London and other parts of the UK, internationally, visitors visiting the city often coming to visit the festival. Our strong connection with University of Exeter we reach beyond the city walls
What if ….?
…we could work collaboratively in promoting Exeter as Multicultural city. Making connections beyond the walls of the city, promoting the festival nationally if we can. It is unique example of diversity and cultural festival, that got a nominal entrance fee, it is a grass roots music and professional artists as well, it is inclusive, being Alcohol Free Festival allow all people to come regardless of their background safe to be at the festival, NHS different department are participating, many disability groups performing on the stage. Your role to support our message spread it. Creativity is the key; we are looking for an opportunity to produce resources for primary schools, and secondary schools.
How do we find out more?
Email - info@exeter-respect.org
Website - https://www.exeter-respect.org
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ExeRespect/
Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/exerespect
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ExeRespect/
LinkeIin - https://uk.linkedin.com/company/exeter-respect
Coming soon:
Exeter Respect Festival on 08/09 June 2024 in Belmont Park! See the line up here.
On Sunday 16 June 2024, Kick Racism Out of Football hosted by Exeter University organised by Exeter International football club and Exeter City football in the community trust.