The final section of the event started with a screening of co-designing group member Olivia Lee’s interview with British paralympian Kadeena Cox (MBE).
This was followed by a panel discussion hosted by BBC’s Assistant
Content Producer, filmmaker and writer Junior Akinola and photographer,
filmmaker and performer Ngozi ‘Goz’ Ugochukwu and the panel consisted of Estephanie
Dunn who is the regional director for the Royal College of Nursing in the North
West of England; award winning author, poet and broadcaster Lemn Sissay; British activist Lady Phyll, and solicitor
advocate Cecilia Goodwin. From describing having to Google if the place they
needed to travel to was safe to suggestions on how to make places more
inclusive, the discussion was equally lively and thought provoking.
At one point Celia mentioned standing in front of the judge and
having the judge tell her that she was so eloquent. I think the entire
auditorium had heard my gasp because until that moment I’d naïvely thought I was the only one that had had the experience
of having someone tell me I’m eloquent because they are assuming and expecting
me not to be. It’s a moment that always makes me mad at media and film’s portrayal
of the black body, because the most prevalent form seen is the thug, gangster,
tough on her luck honey, working three jobs just trying to make ends meet or trying
to be a star and we are so much more than that.
The event was wrapped up by poet and writer Keisha Thompson, whose
poem composed around what she’d witnessed during the event featured Maisha’s
and my name. It was the first time I’ve ever heard my name in a poem before. Keisha detailed how emotional the event had
been for her and I felt it too.
Walking away from the event I felt like every time I stepped out of
my front door I fell in love with the city. I like to say that the US raised me
from childhood to teenage-hood but Manchester is raising me as a woman, as an
artist and as a writer.
Passing the Central Library and a band playing reggae to a crowd,
where couples danced, past the Emmeline Pankhurst statue (where someone had placed a beautiful bouquet of flowers in her hand) and a man playing the Simpsons
tune on his saxophone, past a couple of men shouting that “it’s coming home”
(which, if you know the outcome of the match, then you will know that unfortunately
it’s not coming home) and onto the gardens, where Big Ben was lying down with
political books as children and adults alike screamed and skipped in the
colourful fountains.
Before Sea Change I’d never heard of MIF and I’d never attended a
festival before and I feel like MIF has a wonderful ability to welcome talented
artists from all over the world, not just our back garden, to a platform that
enables people to have thought provoking, emotional experiences that are suitable
for anyone to engage in no matter their age, race, gender or identity. I feel
like it completely and wholeheartedly embodies the name that makes up its acronym.
I was also really grateful that my first
festival experience was a fun and safe one and that it took place in the city
that I now call home.
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